Elgin overcomes slow start, defeats Anadarko 33-14
ANADARKO – Elgin overcame early miscues and rallied behind a strong running attack to post a season-opening 33-14 win over Anadarko last Friday at Warrior Stadium.
“They (Anadarko) had a good game plan and wanted to keep the ball away from us,” Elgin head coach Chalmer Wyatt said. “It took us a while to get a good footing.”
Anadarko quarterback Terrance Johnson and tailback Lucas Camp ran at will against the Owls in the first half with Johnson scoring on a 16-yard run with 6:30 left in the first quarter to give the Warriors a 6-0 lead. The extra point attempt failed.
Anadarko was blessed with a big break early in the second quarter when Elgin quarterback Tres Lorah was tackled in the end zone for a safety after the Owls started their second possession deep in their own territory.
Leading 8-0, Anadarko took the ensuing kickoff at the Elgin 49 and took only five plays to score on a 47-yard scamper by Johnson. The extra point attempt failed with Anadarko leading 14-0 with 9:07 left in the second half.
After exchanging punts, Elgin struck fast on a 66-yard pass play from Lorah to Josh Adesola with 3:39 left in the first half. The extra point kick sailed through the uprights as the Owls cut the lead in half, 14-7.
“I thought that was a good start to let them know we could throw the ball,” Wyatt said.
After forcing the Warriors to punt, Elgin took over at their 48-yard line and used eight plays before freshman Ritson Meyer scored on a 1-yard plunge with 34 seconds left in the first half. The extra point attempt was good as Elgin leveled the score at 14-14.
Elgin’s solid running attack continued in the second half as Owl tailback Matthew Lund pounded the ball up the middle and around the end on four of five plays. Lund had runs of 15, 16 and 12 yards before scoring on a 23-yard run off left tackle with 10:33 left in the third quarter, giving Elgin a 21-14 advantage.
“As the game went on, we fed into our strengths,” Wyatt said, referring to Elgin’s ground game. “The offensive line played pretty well. We ran the counterplay, the linemen pulled, and I was proud of them for their effort.”
Sophomore Shay Spencer started his first game at center and received the highest grade on the offensive line. The rest of the line included right guard Carsen Hitt, left tackle Jace Williams, left guard Keith Ferguson and right tackle Clay Underhill.
Elgin’s defense stepped up on Anadarko’s next possession as freshman safety Brody Morrison intercepted a pass and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown with 7:04 left in the third quarter. The extra point attempt failed as Elgin increased its lead to 27-14.
Elgin tallied its final TD early in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard scamper by Lund. The snap from center on the extra point attempt was high and the Owls led 33-14 with 11:33 left in the game. During the scoring drive, which began at the Elgin 24-yard-line, Lund had runs of 16, 28, 2 and 7 yards before his final TD rush.
Defensively, Elgin gave up 232 yards on the ground with Johnson gaining 126 and Camp grinding out 106 from his tailback position. Offensively, Lund had 187 yards on 18 carries while quarterback Lorah connected on eight of 16 passes for 139 yards and the one TD through the air.
Elgin, 1-0, defeated Class 3A Anadarko last year 55-41.