Wagoner Stuns Cushing To Win 4A Title

<!-- 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>We got an instant classic in the Class 4A state championship game as Wagoner would stun top-ranked Cushing 24-21 on a field goal from Ethan Muehlenweg as time expired. The Bulldogs would capture their sixth state championship in school history and the second gold ball in the last three seasons. This one was special considering the Bulldogs had scratched and clawed to get to Edmond. they had lost to Cushing 42-0 back in the regular season. They began the year with a 3-3 record. They would face perennial 4A powerhouses Tuttle (on the road) and then Poteau in the semifinals. They were massive underdogs on Saturday night and they knew it coming in. None of it mattered as Muehlenweg's kick went over the outstretched hands of several Cushing defenders to give the Bulldogs the gold ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner came into Saturday night's game wanting to contain Cushing's high-powered offense by keeping them on the sidelines. They did just that. Wagoner won the time of possession battle 32:04-15:56. And what the Bulldogs did on their final drive was a thing of brilliance. Cushing would go for it on 4th and 6 from the Wagoner 38. They would come up two yards short and turn it over on downs with 5:09 left in the game. They never got the ball back. Wagoner would go 16 plays and eat up the rest of the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner converted three third down conversions and a fourth down conversion to keep that drive alive. On 3rd and 10 from the Cushing 33, senior star [player_tooltip player_id='231450' first='Gabe' last='Rodriguez'] would go 18 yards down to the Cushing 15 and it was at that moment that the Bulldogs knew they could win this game in regulation. The Bulldogs would hurry up to the line and spike the ball to stop the clock. Then sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='530573' first='Kale' last='Charboneau'] would take the snap and put the ball in the middle of the field and Wagoner took a timeout with three seconds left. Muehlenweg would do the rest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner's defense held Cushing to a season-low 21 points on Saturday night. The previous low was 42 in their regular season meeting. They also held that high-powered offense to just 229 yards of total offense. The Tigers could simply never get into a rhythm on offense because they were on the sidelines. They ran just 44 plays to Wagoner's 76 on the night. Charboneau, who replaced Rodriguez this year at quarterback, was tough all night long. He would finish the night 16-33 for 147 yards and two touchdowns. But it was his 26 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown that were so important and kept the chains moving and drives alive throughout the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cushing would go up 21-7 in the second quarter but Wagoner would respond. Charboneau would find junior [player_tooltip player_id='268445' first='Witt' last='Edwards'] on a perfect fade pass with just one second remaining before halftime. That set the stage for an exciting second half. The Bulldogs would tie the game late in the third quarter after a drive that took up 7:33 on 14 plays to make it 21-21 going into the fourth quarter. Wagoner head coach Dale Condict has been apart of some special teams and championship moments. This one on Saturday night has to be near the top, if not at the top of the list. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more from Saturday evening's championship game. Game highlights, postgame interviews, top performers and much more ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma. And you can check out our coverage from the rest of the championship games throughout the weekend in Edmond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->