FOOTBALL: Chickasha keeps fighting in loss to Cache
Nov. 6—The Fightin' Chicks fought until the clock ran out.
The fourth playoff spot was on the line in Chickasha on Friday during a matchup between two teams in District 4A-1. Chickasha and Cache battled until the very end, and Chickasha held a lead at halftime before Cache took the lead for good and held on for a 21-16 win over the Fightin' Chicks.
Defense
Cache managed to score two offensive touchdowns in the game, but the Chickasha defense came up with enough stops to give the Fightin' Chicks a chance late in the game.
Cache's first touchdown on offense came with a short field after a turnover. The Chickasha defense stood tall after multiple turnovers in the game.
After Cache took a 21-16 lead, the Bulldogs had multiple chances to extend that lead to double digits. The defense ended the game by holding Cache scoreless on its final three possessions, letting Chickasha have multiple chances to go down and take the lead.
Jason Kawaykla
Jason Kawaykla got put in a tough spot, having to replace senior quarterback Cade Rayburn in the second half. But Kawaykla managed to make some big plays for the Fightin' Chicks, either with his arm or his legs.
Kawaykla had a big run to get his team away from being backed up near the end zone, and he completed a long pass to Blake Dominguez to set Chickasha up pretty deep in Cache territory before the offense stalled.
He made some big plays on Chickasha's final drive as well that gave Chickasha a somewhat decent spot on the field for one last pass. Kawaykla also had a touchdown reception in the game.
Response
Chickasha also came up with a big response when momentum seemed to be snowballing in Cache's favor early in the game.
Cache blocked a punt and returned the block to the end zone for a touchdown. Cache then scored after a turnover and took a 14-7 lead after Chickasha went ahead 7-0 in the game.
But Chickasha stepped up and finished the half with momentum. The Fightin' Chicks scored the next nine points and held a 16-14 lead at halftime.
The game
Chickasha was flying around early in the game, gaining early momentum by getting a stop on defense before scoring pretty quickly on offense.
The trick play that propelled the scoring drive started with Rayburn getting the ball out to Dominguez. Dominguez then found Aiden Hamil for a big gain that put the team deep in Cache territory.
Derreck Owens-Shells finished the drive with a hard-fought rushing touchdown to give Chickasha the lead. Cache then rattled off 14 points in a row before Chickasha came up with the response that led to a halftime lead.
Rayburn made crucial plays with his legs in the game, and one of those plays came on fourth down to keep Chickasha's scoring drive alive. The drive ended up in a Blayden Fewell field goal.
Big gains on the ground from James Harrell and Owens-Shells helped Chickasha move the ball down the field on what turned out to be the team's final scoring drive. And Rayburn delivered with his arm, dropping a pass to Kawaykla in the end zone for a touchdown that gave Chickasha the 16-14 advantage.
Cache scored in the third quarter, and those seven points ended up being the only points of the half. Chickasha kept the Bulldogs from going ahead by more than five in the half, but Cache's defense also stood tall.
Chickasha recorded wins over Anadarko, John Marshall, Woodward and Mustang JV in a 4-6 season.
