Coweta Gets Statement Win Over McAlester

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top ranked Coweta was ready to make a statement on Thursday night when they hosted #4 McAlester. They did just that as they dominated from start to finish in a 49-0 win over a McAlester squad that was not at 100 percent. Even so, there was going to be no stopping the Tigers on Thursday night. They came out determined to make a statement to the rest of Class 5A. They've already done it this season. They opened the year with a win over Carl Albert and climbed to the top spot in our 5A rankings. Since that win, they lost senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='51055' first='Carson' last='Laverty'] to a collarbone injury. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='219074' first='Na'Kylan' last='Starks'] moved from receiver to quarterback and the Tigers haven't missed a step. And on Thursday, it was all about Starks and the Coweta defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester had one big play on the first snap of the game with 32 yards on a reverse pass, but that was all their offense could muster in terms of big plays. The Tigers held McAlester under 100 yards of total offense for the majority of the game. On Coweta's first drive, they would march down the field and score on a Starks touchdown pass to senior playmaker [player_tooltip player_id='57163' first='Mason' last='Ford']. The Tigers would add two more touchdowns in the second quarter on a Starks pass to [player_tooltip player_id='428158' first='Carson' last='Flanary'] and then a 14-yard touchdown run. Coweta led 21-0 at halftime, scoring on three of their five possessions. The two they didn't score on ended in turnovers, but that wouldn't hurt the Tigers as McAlester finished well under 100 yards on offense in the first two quarters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAlester's offense was limited as senior star and OU commit [player_tooltip player_id='91049' first='Erik' last='McCarty'] was not close to being 100 percent. He would play in the first two possessions but would miss the majority of the first half. He would eventually return to the game on both sides of the ball but it was clear that he was not playing like the dominating force we've gotten used to seeing in the last two seasons. McCarty was held to just 34 yards on eight carries. And while you can easily point to arguably the best playmaker in the state being banged up to explain the outcome, but Coweta was going to win this game regardless. The Tigers dominated from start to finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coweta added three touchdowns in the third quarter to extend their lead to 42-0 on two more touchdown passes from Starks and then a fumble recovery returned by Nate Long for a touchdown. One more touchdown in the fourth quarter from Ford gave us the 49-0 final score. McAlester was coming off a brutal overtime win on the road last week against Del City. It was a short week. Coweta had this one circled since McAlester beat them 33-2 last year. It was the perfect storm for Thursday's outcome, but still, nobody could have predicted that the scoreboard would be so lopsided.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we take a look at some of the top performers from Thursday night's game. Normally, we take a look at the top performers from both teams. But on Thursday night, you can just look at the Tigers following the 49-0 win. And that's not a knock on McAlester, the Buffaloes have really good players. But Coweta was dominant from start to finish and the Buffaloes were completely shut down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>COWETA TOP PERFORMERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Coweta Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So we're cheating here with our first pick but oh well. How could you watch Thursday's game and not be incredibly impressed with Coweta's defensive effort? The Tigers gave up a 33 yards on a reverse pass on the first play of the game and from there, they were lights out. If you take that first play away, Coweta's defense held McAlester to under 150 yards of total offense the rest of the way. They made life a nightmare for McAlester's passing game as they finished 8-16 for just 56 yards. A combination of pressure, batted balls and excellent secondary play led to that outcome. Coweta had several players standing out on the defensive side of the ball. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='428158' first='Carson' last='Flanary'], [player_tooltip player_id='470111' first='Nathan' last='Maledon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='428159' first='Noah' last='Loyd'] all made big plays at various points in the game. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This was a defense that came out with something to prove. Even though McAlester was banged up, this was a defense that was going to be tough to score on Thursday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634025b3cb84e","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["57163"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Coweta's top overall prospect is senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='57163' first='Mason' last='Ford'] and he backed that up throughout the evening on Thursday. In all three phases of the game, Ford was outstanding. First, on the offensive side of the ball, Ford was Starks' leading receiver, with 11 catches for just over 100 yards and a touchdown. He also added 19 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. Then you turn around and include Ford as a defensive standout. Not only was he part of a secondary that shut down McAlester's passing game, but he also made quite a few stops in the open field. And then as if that wasn't enough, Ford was also electric in the return game. Ford set Coweta up with great field position several times with strong punt returns that put the Tigers in McAlester territory. We've watched Ford for several years now and his performance on Thursday night was not surprising at all as he was dominant in all three phases.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a57fda7d250"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63402604cb84f","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["219074"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"As we mentioned earlier, senior [player_tooltip player_id='219074' first='Na'Kylan' last='Starks'] moved over to quarterback with Laverty going down with an injury. And Thursday night was probably his best game at the position this season. Starks would go 20-29 for 235 yards and four touchdowns to four different wide receivers. He would also add nearly 70 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown on the ground. Starks did have two interceptions on the night, coming on plays where he was trying to keep the play alive and make something happen down field. But neither turnover would hurt the Tigers. Starks is a truly dynamic weapon at the quarterback position and the Tiger offense hasn't missed a step since Laverty's injury. Coweta still has a fantastic balance of running and throwing the ball. Starks is a strong athlete and it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers he puts up the rest of the way, especially in week nine when they travel to Del City.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview","anchor":"acf-block-68a57fda7d2ac"} /-->