FOOTBALL: Claremore clinches thrilling victory as Sapulpa's high-stakes gamble backfires

Nov. 14—In a game marked by intense moments, the spotlight fell on Sapulpa's daring decision to go for a 2-point conversion with a mere 1:01 remaining.

After quarterback Colton Howard's 21-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Clark, the Chieftains chose the path of high stakes and bypassed the conventional extra-point attempt, opting to rely on star running back Marco Smith. With 191 yards and three touchdowns already to his name on 27 carries, Smith seemed the natural choice for the crucial conversion.

However, the game's fate took an unexpected twist as Smith, upon taking the direct snap, lost his footing. A stumble of a couple of steps proved costly, and he was swiftly brought down by the Zebras' Joshua Bump.

The failed conversion left Sapulpa trailing by one point, and No. 6 Claremore recovered the subsequent onside-kick attempt, allowing it to control the clock and secure a dramatic 48-47 victory Friday night at Lantow Field in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.

The Chieftains' gamble, though bold, turned what could have been a storybook ending into a heartbreak for the upset-minded team.

"I knew they were going to the edge," Zebras coach Jarrett Hurt said. "We tried to widen up our defensive ends, and they did; they tried to direct snap it to the tailback. They tried to get the edge, and fortunately, he fell down, and then we secured the onside kick with our hands team, which we practice every week. Then we were able to kneel it out right there."

Claremore experienced a bit of a scare on its final possession, creating a fourth-and-50 situation after losing 40 yards back to its 1-yard line after a series of kneel-downs and a pair of penalties.

Luckily for the Zebras, Sapulpa had used up its timeouts and couldn't stop the clock, so quarterback Braxton Etheridge's final kneel on third down ended the game. He started the drive with 20 yards rushing but finished with zero.

"We knew what the chart said. We have our guys up there with the play chart and the clock chart, and we knew what it said and we knew we could knee it out right there," Hurt said. "I know everybody here probably thought we were crazy, but we knew exactly what we were doing — running the clock out."

Call them the "Cardiac Zebras".

Claremore has earned that moniker after yet another close victory and improving to 3-1 in one-point games this season, having defeated Bartlesville (28-27), Pryor (33-32) and now the Chieftains by the slimmest of margins while coming up short against only Bishop Kelley (42-41).

"We've got some mettle about us," Hurt said. "We're tested. We're battle-tested. Our guys don't flinch in these situations, which is what you saw tonight. I think those one-point wins early in the season, well, they come in handy at the end of the season. Because like I said, our guys didn't flinch. Our guys went toe-to-toe with a really, really good football team. That team over there is electric, and our team was fortunate to come out on top.

"I don't think you can get more evenly matched than a one-point game," he added. "... I knew it'd either be a shootout, or it would be a close game like last week (a 21-14 victory over Collinsville) where we controlled the football all night long. It ended up being a shootout, and our guys were ready to shoot."

The Zebras (10-1) have now reached double-digit wins for the first time since 2012, but Hurt said his team will have more to prove when it travels 205 miles to Southwest Oklahoma for a showdown at No. 4 Elgin in the quarterfinals Friday night.

Elgin — a small town with an area of 3.75 square miles and a population of under 4,000 people — is located about 17 miles northeast of Lawton and 71 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

The Owls (11-0) feature one of the state's most complete units with an offense that averages 49 points per game and a defense that has surrendered only 71 points all season (6.5 PPG).

"We'll drive to California if we have to," Hurt said. "We're just excited to be in the quarterfinals for the third time in eight years. I know Elgin is undefeated, and I know they've got a really good football team. They're undefeated for a reason, but I don't think our guys will back down. They'll have their guys ready to go, and we'll have our guys ready to go. We're looking forward to making the trip to Elgin."

Every point matters in a shootout like this, and Zane Hepler's flawless kicking performance played a decisive role.

Moments after Etheridge and Gage Deckard connected for the game's first touchdown on a 13-yard pass early in the first quarter, the senior kicker strategically executed an onside kick, recovering the ball himself and granting Claremore another possession.

"We practice it all week, doing onsides, and we knew we'd be able to get it," Hepler said. "We haven't done it all season, so they don't have film on it. We knew we'd be able to execute that really well, and so we did. After our first kick, we saw that their front man who was right in front of me had already been pulling back by the time I had only taken two steps, so we knew we'd be able to get it."

Just plays later, Hepler showcased his precision by nailing a 30-yard field goal at the 3:18 mark of the first, increasing the Zebras' lead to 10-0.

However, his defining moment came later on when he coolly converted a crucial 34-yard field goal with 6:02 remaining in the game, extending the Claremore lead to 48-34.

Hepler's contribution proved to be the game-changer, preventing what could have been an early end to the Zebras' season.

"It feels great, especially after last year and going out and getting blown out in Round 1," Hepler said. "Coming out here and getting a dub in Round 1 feels really nice. I think we can go really far. I think our ability to outwork everyone and our ability to be more athletic than everybody has worked well for us, and I think we're going to be very successful.

"I see us going to a championship."

Hepler's strategically executed onside kick and precise field goals were pivotal, but the electrifying plays didn't end there.

The special teams showdown ignited when Sapulpa's Rashaud Reynolds returned a kickoff for an 88-yard touchdown, answering Claremore's earlier lead with a burst of momentum. Reynolds also scored on a 22-yard run with 4:28 remaining in the game, cutting his team's deficit to 48-41.

The Chieftains, fueled by Reynolds' effort on the return, later surged ahead 21-17 on a 2-yard run from Smith.

However, the Zebras swiftly countered as Walker Dunaway returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a score, reclaiming the lead at the 0:53 mark.

Capitalizing on the momentum swing, Claremore's Rex Clark intercepted Howard less than 20 seconds later. Etheridge then connected with Deckard for a 39-yard touchdown pass on the next play, propelling the Zebras to a commanding 31-21 halftime lead while also capping a whirlwind span where 21 points were scored in the final 1:06 of the half.

Etheridge completed 15 of 25 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Those scoring tosses of 13, 39 and 33 yards all went to Deckard, who finished with 141 yards on eight receptions.

"We knew we had to get in some formations and motion Gage out of the backfield and get him singled up on certain people on their side," Hurt said of Deckard, who leads the state in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 1,293 yards and 20 scores. "We were able to do that several times tonight, and Braxton threw some beautiful footballs to him. We were taking advantage of how they were lining up."

Before that back-and-forth transpired, running back Tyson Grimett powered into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown run to increase the Claremore lead to 17-7 with 4:19 remaining in the second half. He finished with 83 yards and two scores on 24 carries.

However, the impact of special teams continued to echo through the game.

Claremore's short punts of 9 and 15 yards, one of which was partially blocked, created opportunities for Sapulpa to capitalize and narrow the gap.

Later, the Chieftains missed a crucial extra point following consecutive false-start penalties early in the third quarter. The missed kick loomed large, for Sapulpa found itself in a 2-point conversion scenario rather than getting to kick a potential game-winning extra-point attempt.

"We had huge field goals, we had the onside kick early — we were playing to win tonight," Hurt said. "We were letting it all hang loose. Zane executed the onside kick perfectly. Walker Dunaway takes another kickoff to the house, his second one this year, and then our guys held on at the end to get a huge win."

In a dazzling display of offensive prowess, this year's Zebras etched their names in the record books by surpassing the school's season scoring record.

Claremore has amassed an impressive 463 points, surpassing the previous record of 425 set back in 1999.

Although the saying goes "defense wins championships", it is the Zebras' unstoppable offense that has been the driving force behind this historic achievement.

With an average of 42.2 points per game, Claremore has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron.

Friday's game not only contributed to the record-breaking season, but also added another accolade to the Zebras' historic campaign.

The 95 combined points marked the second-highest scoring total in a Zebras playoff game, trailing only a memorable 57-49 loss to Shawnee in 1999.

"Our offense — led by offensive coordinator Noah Grimett, a former quarterback of ours — has scored more points in this season than any Claremore football team has ever scored in a season, so we're really proud of that," Hurt said.

"We needed every one of those points tonight."