Sep. 18—The Cougars refused to go down without a fight.
Canadian clashed with Allen on Friday night, with the Cougars falling 34-8 after a long battle.
Coach Wes Jackson said he was proud of the effort his team gave on both sides of the ball throughout the entirety of the game and never quit.
“My heart is so big for these guys, so full,” Jackson said. “They could give a little, or they could give a lot. And they give it everything they’ve got.”
The Cougars began with the ball first, but would be stopped by the Mustang defense near midfield. In response, Canadian sent a rocket of a punt sailing over its opponents heads to pin Allen against its own goal line.
As the Cougars defense caused problems for the Mustangs, a player just skirted around the wall of green to put themselves on the board first.
Canadian responded with an offensive drive that saw the Cougars march all the way down to the Mustang 10-yard line. They’d heave fades toward the right side of the end zone, but the Mustangs found a way to get a finger on the ball to just bat it away and force a turnover on downs.
The Mustangs would get one more score, taking a 14-0 lead after being stopped on their second two-point conversion try by the Canadian defense.
In the second quarter, Allen would score once more to extend its lead. But the Cougars stayed on the attack.
With the Mustangs attempting to move downfield on Canadian, the Cougars defense formed an impenetrable wall. They forced a fumble that was recovered by Allen, and followed that up with a halting fourth-down stop to take over with eight seconds left in the half.
The Cougars took two excellent shots downfield with only seconds remaining, but were batted away by fingertips to make it a 22-0 Allen lead at the half.
In the second half, the Canadian defense kept applying pressure as the Mustangs attempted to move downfield.
The Cougars would force their second fourth-down stop of the game, and take over on offense.
That began a back-and-forth battle of wills, with both teams refusing to budge. It would take most of the third quarter before Allen just slipped past the Cougars defense for the score and 28-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
But at the start of the fourth, the Cougars were determined to reach the end zone. That determination drove Canadian down the field, and punched the ball in for a three-yard score and successful two-point conversion.
Allen answered with a score of its own, but the Cougars kept battling until the final horn.
Canadian moves to 0-3 on the year, and will next travel to face off against Hulbert on Sept. 24 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
STIGLER 62, HARTSHORNE 0
Hartshorne faced off against Stigler on Friday night, with the Miners falling 62-0 to the Panthers.
Both teams put up a fight to begin the ballgame, with defensive efforts shining for the Miners and the Panthers — leading to a scoreless game heading into the second quarter.
But in the second quarter, Stigler jumped out into the lead, scoring 28 points and riding the momentum to the win.
The Miners move to 1-2 on the season, and will return to their home field next week as they host Eufaula on Sept. 24 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
ANTLERS 61, SAVANNA 14
Savanna battled on the road at Antlers, where the Bulldogs fell 61-14 to the Bearcats.
Antlers struck early, gaining a quick lead on Savanna. Although the Bulldogs would answer with a pair of scores of their own, the Bearcats used the momentum to add to their score and take the win.
The Bulldogs move to 1-2 on the year, and will next play host to Stroud on Sept. 24 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
ROLAND 43, WILBURTON 12
Wilburton traveled to take on Roland in the final week of non-district play, with the Rangers taking a 43-12 win over the Diggers.
Roland jumped out to an early lead with an opening quarter score, but Wilburton responded with a score of its own in the second quarter to trim the lead down to one.
The two teams would then trade scores, leading to a slim 13-12 lead for the Rangers heading into the locker room.
But on the other side of the break, Roland busted out for a pair of scores in the third quarter to propel themselves to the win.
The Diggers move to 0-3, and will next travel to take on Antlers on Sept. 24 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
ARKOMA 40, QUINTON 34
Quinton hit the road for the first time in the 2021 season to face off against Arkoma, with Arkoma taking the narrow 40-34 win.
Both teams traded touchdowns to begin the game, with both teams racing to put themselves out front.
Arkoma nabbed another score, but Quinton answered right back. The Mustangs would gather two more scores, taking a 26-12 lead at the half.
But in the second half, the green and white responded with fury — outscoring Arkoma 22-6 to take a 34-32 lead in the fourth quarter. As both teams battled, Arkoma would find a way to earn one more score and take the win.
Coming up, Quinton — now at a 2-1 record — will travel to battle with Keota on Sept. 24 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.