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FOOTBALL: Chickasha picks up win at home

Austin Litterell, The Express-Star, Chickasha, Okla.
·3 min read

Oct. 27—Chickasha got the job done.

The Fightin' Chicks were able to get back in the win column at Memorial Stadium in Chickasha on Thursday. Chickasha faced a competitive Mustang JV squad that showed it could play above the JV name during the game.

Chickasha held a big lead and then survived a Mustang rally to pick up a 52-40 win that snapped a string of two losses in a row. This season's score was similar to last season's 50-36 win for Chickasha.

Enough stops

Despite Mustang scoring 40 points, Chickasha got enough stops in the game to secure the win.

Chickasha stopped Mustang on its first two offensive series, forcing a punt and a turnover (fumble) that led to points on the ensuing drives. Those stops helped Chickasha gain early separation from the Broncos.

Chickasha also came up with multiple stops near the end zone before getting one last stop with Mustang driving, down 12, in the fourth quarter.

Chickasha's defense stepped up and forced an attempt at a field goal that Blake Dominguez blocked to keep Mustang from scoring points at the end of the first half. John Kyle McMahan came up with an interception near or at the goal line to stop another potential scoring drive.

Chickasha also came up with a recovery after a Mustang player dropped a kickoff.

Offensive efficiency

And the Chickasha offense was nearly unstoppable throughout the night.

Chickasha's offense had the ball 10 times in the win, and eight of those possessions resulted in points. Chickasha only punted once, and the offense took a knee on the other possession that did not end in points.

Chickasha scored on its first seven offensive possessions and did not punt until the fourth quarter.

The game

Chickasha's ground game helped carry the load in the win.

The trio of Derreck Owens-Shells (three touchdowns), James Harrell (two) and Keyton McPherson (one) ran for six touchdowns in the win. Those rushing touchdowns went along with a touchdown pass from Cade Rayburn to Aiden Hamil.

Two of Chickasha's touchdown runs came after Chickasha's defense got those first two stops. Owens-Shells and Harrell scored, and Chickasha held a pretty quick 14-0 lead.

The game then became a back-and-forth affair.

After Mustang scored its first seven points, Chickasha answered with Rayburn's touchdown pass to Hamil. After Mustang scored again, Chickasha responded with a drive that ended in a McPherson touchdown run.

Up 28-13, Chickasha came up with the recovery on the ensuing kickoff, and the ensuing possession ended in a Blayden Fewell field goal that put Chickasha ahead 31-13. Dominguez's block helped keep that score the same at halftime.

Owens-Shells' second touchdown run came on the first series of the second half, and it seemed like Chickasha was in complete control with a 25-point lead. Even after Mustang got the deficit back to 18, Harrell broke off a long touchdown run on the following drive.

And then Mustang gained momentum.

After Mustang scored and got within 19, the Broncos recovered an onside kick to set up another scoring drive. The Broncos then recovered another onside kick before scoring again to cut their deficit to just five points in the fourth quarter.

Chickasha's defense was on the field for three series in a row before the offense finally got the ball back. And the offense went to its dependable rushing attack to finish the game, and Owens-Shells put the game away with his third touchdown.

Next Up

Chickasha is now 4-5 on the season and is still 2-3 in District 4A-1. A home game with Cache awaits Chickasha, and playoff stakes will be attached to that game.