A Dutch Above

Holland Hall was as good as advertised and that proved to be bad news for Kingfisher’s 2020 football season.

The Dutch got six rushing touchdowns from Zane Woodham and were in Kingfisher’s backfield much of the night in a 52-21 victory over the Jackets in the 3A quarterfinals at Hardesty Field in Tulsa.

“We knew they were really good in every facet and that we’d have to play a great game to have a chance,” KHS head coach Jeff Myers said.

“And while we had some good stretches, we didn’t have enough of them.”

The Jackets’ season ends with an 84 record.

One of those losses was to 4A Weatherford, which went undefeated in the regular season, and another to Clinton, which is playing in the 4A semifinals this week.

The other two defeats Heritage Hall and Holland Hall - comprise half of the remaining 3A field.

“I was proud of our kids and I feel they had a great season,” Myers said. “Especially when you consider all of the stuff that’s going on.”

Holland Hall moved to 10-0 and advanced to play Stigler in this week’s semifinal.

In its previous nine wins, the Dutch had surrendered a total of 27 points and never more than seven in a game.

KHS matched that on its second possession.

The Jackets drove 54 yards in 1:21, got a big pass from Jax Sternberger to Jarret Birdwell and saw Cade Stephenson cap it with a 1-yard TD run.

That tied the game at 7-7 at 6:49 of the first quarter.

But the Jackets didn’t score again until the Dutch had put 38 more points on board, 31 of those before halftime.

The Jackets held the Dutch to a field goal on their next possession, but Owen Ostroski made his presence felt soon after.

The highly-touted defensive lineman shrugged off a blocker, chased down Sternberger for a sack, forced a fumble and recovered it.

The play didn’t just set up the Dutch at the Kingfisher 15, it ultimately altered the Jackets’ lineup.

Sternberger injured his left hand on the play and didn’t play in the second half.

It was revealed later he had broken bones in his hand.

“I thought it was something like a stinger on my hand,” Sternberger said on Sunday. “But during halftime when my adrenaline wore off, I could tell it was something worse.”

The Dutch capitalized on the turnover with a short TD drive capped by Woodham’s 4-yard run for a 17-7 lead.

He added scores from 29, 73 and 19 yards in the second quarter.

Woodham, who had four rushing touchdowns entering the game, added a 54-yard score in the fourth.

He finished with 234 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Quarterback Wallace Clark added another 126 yards on 10 attempts. He found the end zone on a 54-yard third-quarter run.

Clark also threw for 106 yards.

The Dutch had 485 total yards, 379 of those on the ground.

With Sternberger out, the quarterback duties fell to Stephenson.

He had 115 yards on 7 of 13 passing and added 92 yards on 27 carries.

“He battled, just like all of our guys,” Myers said. “Nothing came easy, but none of those guys ever quit.”

The Jackets got their second TD with just un-der 1:00 left in the third when Mason Mecklenburg pounded it in from 4 yards out.

The senior rushed for 26 yards on the night.

Birdwell capped the Jackets’ scoring with a 19-yard pass from Stephenson in the fourth.

Another senior, Birdwell had 122 yards on seven catches.

He ended Holland Hall’s first possession of the game by picking off a Clark pass at Kingfisher’s 20.

Slade Snodgrass had 10 tackles to lead the Jackets. Alan Munoz chipped in nine while Tate Taylor had eight and Stephenson seven.

The latter two are part of a group of nearly one dozen seniors on this year’s team.

“They’ll be missed,” Myers said. “They were a part of some big wins here and did a great job of carrying on our tradition. Their contributions this year have been massive.”