After falling short of Class 2A football title, Millwood's message for 2023 is 'look out'

EDMOND — Millwood teammates solemnly gathered around football coach Darwin Franklin as he shared his last postgame speech of the season.

Queen’s “We Are the Champions” drifted through the speakers at Chad Richison Stadium while Washington’s team hoisted a shiny golden trophy near midfield. The Falcons stuck with Washington more closely than any other Class 2A opponent had this season, but no one could topple the undefeated juggernaut. The top-ranked Warriors slipped past No. 2 Millwood, 17-14, on Saturday afternoon for their first state title since 1996.

As Washington (15-0) celebrated with its championship soundtrack, Franklin tried to console his team with a realistic message:

It’s going to hurt, but keep your heads up.

“That’s why this game is great,” Franklin said. “You can do so many things right, but if you don’t do all of the things right, it might not come out for you.”

For most of the game, Millwood (13-2) was on the right track.

More:How one summer and a strength coach led to Millwood's resurgence as a Class 2A football titan

The Falcons’ stout defense held Washington, a team that scored more than 40 points in the quarterfinals and semifinals, to a single touchdown through three quarters. Zyhir Fisher’s punts pinned the Warriors near their own end zone multiple times, and they couldn’t overcome the long field.

In the third quarter, Millwood jumped to a 14-7 lead as William Mays turned a screen pass from Schuylar “CJ” Turnbull into a 15-yard touchdown and Rickey Hunt Jr. added the 2-point conversion. Even at the start of the fourth quarter, Washington had to settle for a 25-yard field goal, narrowing Millwood’s lead to 14-10.

Then Washington changed everything.

The explosive offense finally kicked into gear when Major Cantrell launched an 8-yard pass to Nate Roberts, who was waiting in the back of the end zone to take the lead. And the Warriors limited Millwood’s trademark big plays - Turnbull attempted a deep pass to Jaden Nickens late in the fourth quarter, and though the sophomore receiver nearly made a dazzling catch, it fell incomplete when Tanner Olson deflected it.

Franklin said he expected the game to be the defensive battle it was.

“It was strapping it up and two teams gonna hit each other in the mouth for four quarters,” Franklin said. “We've been saying it all week that this isn’t gonna be one of those games where a bunch of big plays happen and all of that.

“You’re gonna have to play for four quarters. We had a couple guys that cramped here and there, but you can’t make excuses … We were young, but that's not an excuse. We were young in the other 14 games. Right now, that doesn’t make a difference.”

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Turnbull, the only freshman starting quarterback to lead an Oklahoma high school football team to a state title game this season, completed 10 of 21 pass attempts for 104 yards and a touchdown. With Washington’s defense closing up the gaps for star running back Hunt, the Falcons had to lean more heavily on their passing game.

Washington held Millwood to 160 yards of offense, while the Falcon defense allowed 283 yards. Iverson McElwee led Millwood with 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and Cameron Carter added 10 tackles and a pass breakup.

But after several key third- and fourth-down stops, the Falcons couldn’t hold on forever.

After the game, the sting was palpable. Several Millwood players quietly wiped tears from their eyes as they listened to Franklin talk, and Washington coach Brad Beller knew what it was like to be in that spot. For the past two years, the Warriors left the state championship game with a silver ball.

After seeing the way Millwood kept up with his team, Beller has a confident prediction.

“Coach Franklin will have them back, and that’s what he always does,” Beller said. “You see the jump that they made from last year not even making the playoffs to a state championship game with a young crew. They’ll be ready, and they’re very excited, I’m sure, about the future.”

Beller said he would love to see another matchup between Millwood and Washington at Chad Richison Stadium. With young standouts such as Turnbull, Nickens and Xzavier Thompson returning, Franklin has lofty expectations regardless of the opponents the Falcons might face when they continue to chase a state title.

“Look out,” Franklin said. “With the offseason we had last year — look out.”

More:How one summer and a strength coach led to Millwood's resurgence as a Class 2A football titan

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Millwood primed to contend in 2023