Big plays, penalties zap Bartlesville football in road loss as Bruins fall to 0-3
For the third straight game, Bartlesville High School's football team clawed and scratched and battled and displayed more grit than a Sahara Desert windstorm.
And also for the third straight game, the Bruins drifted off the field on the short end of a competitive setback, this time at the hands of the Collinsville High School Cardinals, 27-14.
Don't be misled by the margin.
With 4:34 to go in the game, Bartlesville scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass play from Brett Eaves to P.J. Wallace to cut Collinsville's lead to six points, 20-14. The Bruins still had more than enough time for a defensive stop and to get the ball back with plenty of time to put it back in the end zone. But Collinsville's Scott Rigby broke off a 42-yard touchdown burst with 2:11 left to all but wrap up the win.
"They have been very successful for several years due to being physical and running the football and playing hard," Wright said.
On Bartlesville's final possession, penalties cost them 30 yards of field possession.
Bartlesville football: How a late score by Sapulpa gave Bartlesville a heartbreaking loss last week
"The biggest thing we have to learn is how to play and compete extremely hard without losing our emotions and costing this team," Bruin head coach Harry Wright said. "Effort penalties I can live with … it's part of the game. … We just have to learn how to compete without losing control."
That run — and a 94-yard kickoff touchdown return by Hudson Henslick — would be the two big plays Collinsville needed to win and drop Bartlesville to 0-3 in its non-district schedule.
Next up, the Bruins will look to grow from the lessons from a grueling three-game gauntlet, during which they were outscored by only 22 total points, or a touchdown per game, to make a strong run through the district.
Friday's game displayed some of the best potential and some of the pesky flaws for the Bruins.
P.J. Wallace does it again
Bruin junior tailback Wallace continued to energize the offense and prove his toughness. He rushed for approximately 180 yards, including a one-yard plunge for a touchdown, and hauled the aforementioned scoring pass to cap an 80-yard drive that consumed more than five-and-a-half minutes off the clock. Wallace turned in a long run of 44 yards. He has scored a touchdown in every game for a total of seven. At that pace, he would tally more than 20 for the season. Coach's comment: "When P.J. finishes his career here, barring any setback with injury, we're going to look back and say it's amazing what he's been able to do," Bruin running back coach Tyler Deaton observed about the third-year varsity player.
Damien Niko time
Niko failed to score a touchdown in a game for the first time this season, but still made a seismic impact that shook up the Cardinals on a few plays. Late in the third period, he picked off a pass deep on the Collinsville end -- but the Bruins failed to cash in the with short field. On Bartlesville's fourth-quarter scoring drive, he caught a third-down pass for a 17-yard gain and a second-and-long throw to set up the touchdown play.
Defensive gems
In addition to Niko's interception, other Bruin defensive warriors made sparkling plays. On Collinsville's first possession, Junior Earnhart flattened a ballcarrier for no gain to force a punt. On back-to-back plays in the second quarter, Sam Hoback and Mason Manley made tackles for little or no gain. Cooper Wood forced a punt late in the third quarter when he tipped a third-down pass. DeMarcus Smith successfully defended a pass on third-and-long in the third period. Colton Hainzinger, Jett Scully and Casey Young also helped stifle Cardinal drives.
Quick-scoring bursts
Collinsville scored three times on fast-track plays but otherwise struggled to drive the field on Bartlesville other than a 55-yard, five-minute march. As mentioned, the Cardinals surged to a 94-yard kickoff return. Their other scores occurred on short drives -- a 57-yard pass play from Skyler Moorman to Henslick and the 42-yard fourth-quarter rumble mentioned above.
Turnovers, penalties take their toll again
The Bruins threw two interceptions and drew some crucial fouls that hurt the cause. On their final possession, when they needed to score two touchdowns in 2:16, they got a nice kickoff return to the Bruin 40-yard line only to have the ball moved back about 30 yards due to penalties.
All things considered …
Bartlesville still gave itself a chance to win despite the adversity. Eaves displayed a new look to the Bruin offensive attack with his ability to run with the ball, making it more difficult for defenses to just key on Wallace. The Bruins still have a lot of strong talent on which to build, but some of them need to choose to have more emotional discipline and not worry so much about being tough guys as about being team guys.
Next up
The Bruins continue their road stretch next Friday at Booker T. Washington (1-2) to open Class 6A-II district play. The following week (Sept. 29) they travel to U.S. Grant (2-1). Their next home date is Oct. 6, when Putnam City West (3-0) visits Custer Stadium.
Other area results
It was a rough Friday for many area teams. Chelsea downed Caney Valley, 52-15; Miami came on strong the second half to beat Dewey, 34-0; Barnsdall bounced Wesleyan Christian School in a battle of two area programs, 54-7; Woodland outlasted Pawhuska, 38-22; and Colcord dropped Oklahoma Union, 50-7. On Thursday, Nowata humbled Hulbert, 48-28, to start the season at 2-1 for the first time since 2015.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Big plays zap Bartlesville football in road loss as Bruins fall to 0-3
