Blanchard Knocks Off Wagoner For 4A Crown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had to wait a little over two hours to kick off the Class 4A state championship game but by the time the dust settled, we were passed midnight and #3 Blanchard held off a rally from top-ranked and defending champion Wagoner 19-14 to capture the 4A crown. The win gave Blanchard their third state championship in school history and the first since 2012, when they beat Kingfisher for the Class 3A gold ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Penalties and turnovers doomed the Bulldogs as they finished Thursday's title tilt with 11 penalties but more importantly, they had six turnovers while Blanchard only turned the ball over once. Things did not start well for the Lions as they mishandled the game's opening kickoff and would have to start at their own 6-yard line. But the Lions immediately marched down the field and scored to go up 7-0 after junior [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] scored from 19 yards out. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='363852' first='Carson' last='Cooksey'] was perfect on the first drive, going 4-4 for 70 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams exchanged empty possessions and then Wagoner had their first turnover of the night, moments after a touchdown pass was dropped, they threw the first of four interceptions. Blanchard junior [player_tooltip player_id='1100200' first='Coric' last='Pierce'] came down with it for the Lions and that would spark a huge first half for him. Early on in the second quarter, the Lions went on a methodical drive, where they converted on fourth down twice and would score on a Pierce touchdown reception from Cooksey to go up 13-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner immediately responded with a 77-yard touchdown return from [player_tooltip player_id='1100454' first='Shaun' last='Atkins'] on the ensuing kickoff. Wagoner started to build some momentum in the second quarter and they were moving the ball but two more interceptions, one more to Pierce and another to senior [player_tooltip player_id='268313' first='Reagan' last='Palmer'] would limit Wagoner and the defending champs trailed 13-7 at halftime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner marched right down the field to start the third quarter and scored on a [player_tooltip player_id='530573' first='Kale' last='Charboneau'] run but it was erased by penalties. Dropped passes and interceptions, penalties and turnovers completely handcuffed Wagoner and the Bulldogs could never get any momentum going. Just when you thought they had it after Wagoner star [player_tooltip player_id='268445' first='Witt' last='Edwards'] leapt up and snagged an interception, they would turn it back over on the next possession as Carter would strip a Wagoner ball carrier and come up with the fumble recovery. Late in the third quarter, Cooksey added a touchdown run to put the Lions up 19-7. But the Bulldogs didn't go away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by Edwards, the Bulldogs climbed back into the fight and on the first play of the fourth quarter, Edwards caught a 20-yard touchdown to pull the Bulldogs within a possession. And the Bulldogs had multiple opportunities in the fourth quarter to take the lead. They turned it over on downs after coming up just a yard short of a first down. They had their fourth interception on the night as Charboneau was hit as he threw. And on the final drive, the Bulldogs went 63 yards in 43 seconds to give themselves a chance at the win in the final seconds. They had three plays from the Blanchard 12 but the final pass was incomplete and the Lions were the new kings of Class 4A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wagoner put themselves in a position to win this game. They out-gained Blanchard 370-290. They were in this game throughout but all of the mistakes from drops to penalties to the six turnovers doomed the Bulldogs. Blanchard did what they had to do to win this game. This has been a defense that has been opportunistic throughout the 2023 season. They did it again on the biggest stage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more state championship coverage of this game and from the other four title games in Edmond this weekend! </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->