Blanchard Rallies Behind Turnovers To Beat Tuttle

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was obvious before the game even began that whoever handled the nasty north wind best throughout the night was going to get out of this district clash with a win. #3 Blanchard was that team as they would score 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat #4 Tuttle 20-6. The headline, in addition to Blanchard taking control of the district race, was that the Lions did not score an offensive touchdown. Tuttle turned the ball over eight times on the night and Blanchard would score three defensive touchdowns to get the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Blanchard's first possession, things did not go well. They nearly fumbled it away to the Tigers but would have to punt anyway. Trying to punt into the north wind was a problem all night and the Lions ended up punting directly into the back of an offensive lineman on a quick kick attempt. The Tigers would get the benefit of start at the Blanchard 10-yard line and they would score two plays later on a [player_tooltip player_id='215570' first='Brady' last='Mcadoo'] touchdown run to go up 6-0. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers started getting a little momentum as Blanchard turned the ball over on fourth down as [player_tooltip player_id='410949' first='Noah' last='McDoulett'] came up with an interception. But that momentum ended with a three and out on offense. The Tuttle offense struggled all night and it was highlighted by the turnovers. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] had two interceptions in the second quarter and the Lions added two more before the break but offensively, they couldn't get anything going and trailed 6-0 at halftime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blanchard had just 83 yards of total offense at halftime and turned the ball over twice and Tuttle had 75 yards of total offense and had the four interceptions. The Lions started the second half with a solid drive that ended at the Tuttle 11 on fourth down. But on Tuttle's next drive, Carter would strip the Tuttle ball carrier and go 35 yards for a score to give the Lions a 7-6 lead late in the third quarter and took that lead into the final frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the wind at their back, Tuttle put a good drive together and would attempt a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth but Carter again would be the defensive star of the night. He blocked the field goal and kept the Tigers off the scoreboard. On Tuttle's next possession, senior [player_tooltip player_id='120544' first='Rio' last='Reynolds'] would get the fifth Blanchard interception on the night and returned it for a touchdown. A few minutes later, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1034356' first='Hudsen' last='Periman'] got in on the action with a pick six to clinch the Lion victory in the 20-6 win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, this game was headlined by the Lions scoring a game-winning touchdown with no time left. This year's meeting will certainly be remembered for the windy weather and the turnovers that caused absolute chaos. With Blanchard beating Newcastle last week and following that up with a win over Tuttle, the Lions are in control of their destiny in the district race. 4A-2 is arguably the toughest district in the class and with Blanchard sitting atop the district standings all alone, they are one step closer to a district title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>BLANCHARD'S TOP PERFORMERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["268307"],"_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":"There is no doubt on who the best player on the football field was on Friday night. Blanchard junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] was an absolute star on defense with two interceptions in the first half and then two major impact plays in the second half. First, Carter stripped a Tuttle ball carrier and took the ball 35 yards for their first touchdown on the night. Later on in the second half, Carter would block a Tuttle field goal that could have given the Tigers the lead. We've known about Carter over the last year mainly for his abilities on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. But on Friday night, Carter was a monster on the defensive side of the ball. Carter was absolutely electric and he's a 2025 prospect to keep an eye on moving forward. And as he proved on Friday, it's time to start looking at him as an impact prospect on both sides of the ball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["363852"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Okay look, both teams struggled offensively so you can make the argument that no offensive player should be listed here. But this was our first chance to see Blanchard senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='363852' first='Carson' last='Cooksey'] in person this season. We just added him to our PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year watchlist on Friday. And no quarterback was going to really have success throwing the ball in the wind. But Cooksey still made some throws that warranted him being considered one of the best quarterbacks in Class 4A. Some throws got carried away by the wind and then he put others on an absolute dot to his intended receiver. Cooksey still impressed us on Friday night and the final numbers aren't a total indicator of how well Cooksey played in the win over rival Tuttle.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1034356"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Blanchard junior [player_tooltip player_id='1034356' first='Hudsen' last='Periman'] was one of the Lions that got pointed out to us prior to the game as a potential game changer. Periman got going in the second half and had a major impact on the third and fourth quarters. In addition to the pick six in the second half, Periman was also the leading receiver on offense. Granted, Blanchard's offense wasn't trying to do much in the passing game. Periman finished with four catches for nearly 40 yards and he had a pair of big catches in the second half. Periman is a good looking athlete and while he's listed as a quarterback on the roster, Periman has a solid future moving forward. He might be Blanchard's quarterback of the future after Cooksey graduates but he has good size and showed that he can move on Friday.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-652176b95a57f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->