Injury bell finally tolls on Jackets

For much of the past month, Kingfisher had been able to skate around its injury issues.

The month caught up with the Yellowjackets all in one night.

Perkins-Tryon capitalized on Kingfisher’s ever-depleting roster Thursday to thump the Jackets 49-16 in a pivotal District 3A-1 showdown.

The hometown Demons scored on all but one firsthalf possession and led 42-0 at the break.

“We didn’t come ready to play tonight,” said KHS head coach Jeff Myers. “But, yes, injuries have taken their toll and against a good team like Perkins, you’ve got to be ready.

“We weren’t.”

The Demons converted a fourth-down play on the first drive and faked a punt on their second.

Both plays led to eventual touchdowns and a 14-0 lead.

But the gates opened in the second quarter as they piled on 28 more points.

Three of those touchdowns came in the final 4:38 of the half.

Tre Stevenson - the son of former Crescent standout Woody Stevenson - scored on a 10-yard run at the 4:38 mark for a 28-0 lead.

After a quick Kingfisher possession, he struck again, this time from 26 yards away.

When KHS had no answer on offense, Demon QB Gunnar Thrash scored on a 30-yard run with 48 seconds left in the half.

By halftime, Perkins-Tryon had 336 total yards and averaged 9.6 yards per snap. KHS had 34 yards.

“We just hadn’t competed at that point,” said Myers. “We had to challenge them at halftime to show pride and finish strong in the second half.”

Neither team scored an offensive touchdown in the final 24 minutes.

Both of the Jackets’ scores were interception returns.

Harrison Evans got the first one as he picked off Thrash and raced 26 yards into the end zone at the 4:10 mark of the third.

Slade Snodgrass ran in the conversion.

The Demons got seven back when Hunter Robinson returned a KHS punt

69 yards for a score late in the third.

Still up 49-8, the Demons were passing in the fourth quarter and it backfired again.

This time it was Kingfisher’s other defensive end - Jake Reagan - who picked off Thrash.

He was able to return it 31 yards for a touchdown.

Kingfisher did manage to outscore Perkins 16-7 in the second half.

“If nothing else, we competed a lot better in the second half,” Myers said. “Yes, they had a big lead, but they were still playing their starters until the last drive of the game, so our guys just played a lot better.”

KHS was still without quarterback and safety Jax Sternberger, who was missing his second straight game with an abdominal and hip injury.

Starting left tackle and defensive tackle Wrigley Kennedy did return to the lineup, but the Jackets were still without starters Noah Friesen, Cade Covalt and Kyle Borelli on top of the host of would-be starters who have yet to play a snap - or limited snaps - this season.

Sternberger’s absence again put Snodgrass as the team’s quarterback.

After Perkins scored on the opening possession, the Jackets’ Alan Muñoz ran for 18 yards on Kingfisher’s first play from scrimmage.

The good news ended there for Kingfisher’s offense.

The Jackets didn’t collect another first down until the second half as the first half ended with five straight three-and-out possessions.

KHS got the ball to start the second half and Snodgrass busted free for a 48-yard run into Perkins territory.

The Jackets picked up one more first down on the drive before eventually turning it over on downs.

“We blocked better and ran it better that drive, but we just couldn’t sustain anything all night,” Myers said.

Kingfisher ended the night with 127 net yards while the Demons tallied 376.

Snodgrass was 1 of 7 for six yards and didn’t attempt a second-half pass.

He ran for 74 yards on 13 attempts.

The senior also led the team with 11 tackles.

“He played his tail off, but he’s being forced to play out of position,” Myers said. “With him playing there, we’re also missing our best weapon at receiver.

“It’s a domino effect on both sides and it’s truly been a struggle.”

Cade Cooper, who took two hard shots in the first half and was shaken up, but continued to play the entire game, added seven tackles for KHS.

Muñoz had six tackles, but didn’t play the second half with a lower leg injury.

“He’s got rolled up, but should be OK,” Myers said. “We mostly kept him out to be safe since the game was all but decided.”

Grayson Bromlow also had six tackles for the Jackets.

The loss snapped a fourgame win streak as Kingfisher dropped to 5-2.

The Jackets are 3-1 in the district, as are Perkins and Anadarko.

Like Kingfisher, Anadarko’s wins are against Douglass, McLoud and Bridge Creek, which have one district win between them.

The Jackets host Mount St. Mary this Friday before traveling to undefeated Heritage Hall in Week 9 and then hosting Anadarko in Week 10.

Winning out would keep Kingfisher in the hunt for the district championship.

“That’s not our concern right now,” Myers said. “Right now, we’ve got to worry about getting healthy and focusing on the next game only.”

Mount St. Mary is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the district and still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.

“They’re an improved team over the ones we played in years past,” Myers said.

The teams didn’t play last season due to COVID-19 issues at MSM, but the Jackets owned blowout wins over the Rockets prior to that.

“They’re better now and if we compete against them like we did in the first half against Perkins, it could be a long night,” Myers said.

“We’ve got to be ready to play.”