A ‘STERN’ WARNING

Kingfisher has reached the football playoffs every year since missing out in 1999.

That string of 22 straight years was in jeopardy of reaching 23 last Friday night.

But in the end, the Jackets took a big step in keeping the playoff hopes intact with a wild 21-14 win at McLoud.

After both teams went scoreless nearly three full quarters, they combined for 35 points in the game’s final 12:55.

“We didn’t approach it in the manner we should have and we played like that for a lot of the game,” said KHS head coach Jeff Myers.

“But in the end, we found a way.”

“The way” was a 70-yard touchdown run by Jax Sternberger with 3:32 left, one play after the Redskins had erased a 14-point deficit to tie it up.

Even after McLoud gave up the go-ahead score, the Redskins were able to reach the Kingfisher 11.

Two penalties and a Harrison Evans sack later, the home team faced a 4thand- 5.

Quarterback Kaden Carl’s pass was rushed and ultimately incomplete with 40 seconds left, giving KHS the ability to run out the clock.

Myers said the game shouldn’t have come down to the final seconds.

“Despite us preaching it all week, we weren’t mentally prepared going into that game,” he said.

Coming out of it, KHS was 5-3 overall and 3-2 in District 3A-1.

A win this week over North Rock Creek (3-5, 2-3) on Senior Night will lock up Kingfisher’s spot in the playoffs.

If that happens, the Week 10 trip to Anadarko in all likelihood will determine third and fourth place in the district.

Despite the mental reminders throughout the week, Myers said he could tell in pregame warmups that the Jackets weren’t yet keyed in at McLoud.

“When I have to get on them in the pregame talk, it’s usually not a good sign,” he said.

Offensively, he was right. KHS was able to move the ball throughout much of the first half, but a penalty or negative play derailed each drive.

Defensively, the Jackets were locked in.

McLoud struggled to get even a first down and was held to just 48 total yards in the first two quarters.

KHS had 219 yards of offense, but the game was scoreless at the break.

“We had to remind them what was at stake,” Myers said. “This program has a long history of making the playoffs and we had to remind them that nobody was just going to let us in.

“We had to earn our way.”

The defense kept its intensity in the third quarter as McLoud had just 12 yards of offense.

Finally, on its second possession of the half, the KHS offense put together a scoring drive.

The Jackets took over at their own 25 with 7:20 to go in the third.

They pieced together a drive that chewed up 6:25 off the clock.

Sternberger’s 34-yard run on a third down put the Jackets at the Redskin 16.

A couple plays later, he threaded a pass to Evans, who, despite being covered, hauled it in for a 12-yard touchdown.

Kingfisher’s defense had to get two stops before the offense touched the ball again.

Dallen Barton muffed a punt in between, giving the Redskins two chances.

Neither paid off and Kingfisher forced a turnover on downs, taking over at its own 29 with 9:23 to play.

This time the Jackets needed just three plays: Runs of 21 and 40 by Barton and Sternberger, respectively, and then a 10-yard scamper by Cade Cooper for the score.

Kingfisher’s lead was now 14-0 with 8:55 to play.

“The way our defense was playing, we felt really good about having a twoscore advantage,” Myers said. “Our offense was really starting to wear them down with the run game and our defense was giving up almost nothing.” Suddenly, though, that stopped.

Carl looked quite pedestrian for much of the game, but the ensuing drive saw him drop a 41-yard pass into the hands of a diving Zaylun Matlock for the team’s first considerable gain of the day.

A couple plays later, he hits Coby Cardin for a 30yard touchdown - another diving catch - in the corner of the end zone.

After a missed kick, Kingfisher’s lead was down to 14-6 with 7:36 to go.

The Jackets punted on their next possession and the Redskins went back to work.

A double pass saw Caiden Mitchell find a receiver for a 63-yard gain and set up the Redskins inside the KHS 10.

The drive was capped by a 5-yard scoring run by Clint Campbell.

Misdirection on the two-point play allowed the Redskins to tie it up at 1414 with 3:44 left.

“We went from having all the momentum to having given it all away,” Myers said. “But we still felt good about how we’d been running the ball. We figured we could put together a scoring drive to win it.”

Turns out, it wasn’t a scoring drive.

Sternberger took the snap on the next play, went untouched behind the blocks of his line and lead blocker Evans, and raced downfield for the go-ahead score.

It capped a career night on the ground for the senior.

Sternberger ran 23 times for 230 yards.

Barton was also huge as the junior back turned his 14 carries into 120 yards.

As a team, KHS had 367 yards on the ground.

Myers said it was made possible by an offensive front - starters were tackles Landon Rempe and Kale Westfahl, guards Wrigley Kennedy and Bert Haag, center Noah Friesen and tight end Jake Reagan - that concentrated its focus later in the game.

“When we did what was coached and in the manner and level of intensity at which it was supposed to be done, we were really good,” Myers said. “When we didn’t play with that focus and intensity, we had drives stall out.”

McLoud’s last-gasp effort itself eventually stalled.

The Redskins had 31 passing yards through three quarters, but ended the night with 254.

The Redskins had just 57 rushing yards.

“They made some plays in the fourth quarter, but overall our defense kept us in it all night and then made the plays when it mattered at the end,” Myers said.

Linebacker Tanner Parker led the team with seven tackles.

Paytun Burnham, Barton and Evans had six apiece.

Evans had two sacks while Sternberger picked off a pass to go with his five tackles.

On offense, Sternberger threw two interceptions, but was 13 of 25 for 110 yards.

Sternberger, Evans and the rest of the KHS seniors play what could be their final home game this Friday night.

Myers said he hopes the entirety of the Jackets’ roster plays with more fire from the opening kick.

“We’re still not in the playoffs. We still have to win,” he said. “So we have to show up and play and take care of business to make that happen.”