What to know about Week 2 of high school football: Bartlesville features new QB
Thousands of Bartlesville High School football fans already know some of what new starting quarterback Brett Eaves is capable of.
Eaves made an ad hoc debut last Friday when starter Nate Neal went out with an injury that will sideline him this week.
During a half of play, Eaves —seeing his first varsity action ever — threw two interceptions but hooked up with receiver Damien Niko for a 68-yard scoring play that helped fuel a 20-0 rally by Bartlesville.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, the Claremore Zebras scored in the final minute and snuck away with a 28-27 victory.
Going into Friday’s showdown against Sapulpa — set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Custer Stadium — Eaves will have had a full week of preparation.
“Nate hurt his collarbone,” noted Bartlesville head coach about why the second-year starter didn’t play the second half against Claremore. “Brett Eaves had a tough situation being thrown into fire … and not getting (a lot of) the reps in practice. I thought he played well. He kept the offense moving.”
Neal — making his 12th or 13th straight start, dating back to the latter part of his freshman season — battled valiantly in the teeth of a biting Zebra defense.
Neal completed four passes but was stung with a pick-six prior to halftime. His jersey was off and his shoulder area wrapped when he came out in the second half.
Eaves finished 4-of-6 for 89 yards and one touchdown through the air.
“He led some good drives in the second half,” Wright said.
But, the biggest power supply Sapulpa will have to deal with is Bartlesville’s running back tandem of tailback starter P.J. Wallace — who last week stormed to 205 yards and two touchdowns — and new varsity backup tailback Stefen Williams. who sliced out 97 yards — including a 38-yard scoring burst — on just nine carries.
“I think he played really well,” Wright said about Williams. “P.J. and he will be that one-two punch we’ve been looking for. People will have to key on him and allow us to make more plays.”
Williams’ sooner-than-expected emergence as a viable offensive threat could help the Bruins game plan more effectively while preparing Eaves for Sapulpa.
This game could be a shoot-out.
“They’ve got a really talented receiver,” Wright said, “He’s a tall, athletic kid,” who produced big outings the first two games.
“Their quarterback is a returning starter who is pretty athletic and makes a lot of plays. We’ve got to do a good job and keep him bottled up,” Wright continued. “Those two kind of make them go offensively. They also have a good running back.”
However, Sapulpa could find some stiff resistance Friday night on the battle plains of Custer Stadium.
That’s because the Bruins’ defense grappled very well against Claremore despite the final point total.
As mentioned, the Zebras scored one touchdown on a pick-six. Another was set up when the Bruins turned the ball over inside their 30 on a bad punt snap. A massive kickoff return — all the way to the Bruin 20-yard line — set up an easy touchdown drive to open the second half. Those three scenarios resulted in 20 points that basically could not be laid at the feet of the Bruin defense.
Claremore’s longest scoring march was 59 yards — set up by another lengthy kickoff return.
“I thought the defense played well, especially when having to defense a short field all night,” Wright said “Our tackling could get a little better, but that was just the first game.”
Now it’s time for the second game.
To avoid a repeat of last week’s bottom-line result, the Bruins need to tighten up on special teams, especially on return defense, and to eliminate or cut down on turnovers, Wright said, also pointing to a missed extra point that proved to be decisive.
Special teams play has been an emphasis of practice this week, he said.
Sapulpa has strung together a five-game winning streak — dating back to 2018 — against Bartlesville. Sapulpa also enjoys a slight series lead, 11-8. A third of the meetings have been decided by less than 10 points.
Bruins to watch
Brett Eaves, QB: This will be Eaves’ first varsity start. Depending on whether this clash turns into a firestorm of offensive might, he could be called upon to rev up the passing game.
P.J. Wallace, RB: Honestly, Claremore made a point of trying to built a wall around Wallace every time he carried the ball. He took plenty of lumps. But Wallace proved his toughness again by carrying 34 times for an impressive 205 yards — putting him well on pace for what might be Bartlesville’s first 2,000-yard season rusher.
Damien Niko, WR/DB: It sounds odd saying this, but Niko’s soaring performance might have flown under the radar. In addition to his 68-yard pass play — on which he freed himself with a double-move — Niko also successfully defensed one-on-one a pass to the end zone and made other key plays.
Unsung hero: Cooper Wood, OT-DT, who led the way on several runs and also help bolster the defensive line for a strong performance.
A look around the rest of the Bartlesville area
Here’s a one-sentence observation about other area games.
Dewey at Vinita
If QB Ryder Muninger and WR Zaiden Masters hook up early, it could be a sad ending for Vinita.
Caney Valley at Wyandotte (Thursday)
The CV Trojans grew up a lot in the first two weeks and will look for winning maturation against a beatable opponent.
Pawhuska at Hominy
Probably the blockbuster game of the area, the Pawhuska Huskies could make a giant statement with a win as a state championship contender.
Barnsdall at Summit Christian
Barnsdall coach Kylee Sweeney enjoys a wealth of weapons and hopes to utilize all of them in hopefully propelling the Panthers to 3-0.
Wesleyan Christian School at Claremore Christian
The WCS Mustangs most important need is confidence and they gain a lot of it with a successful outing.
Copan at Foyil
The Copan Hornets have been ultra-competitive but are still 0-2 (despite scoring more than 70 points) and could use this game as a launching pad.
Caney Valley (Kan.) at Humboldt (Kan.)
Both teams are 1-0 following lopsided wins and the sparks could rise above the stadium’s edge, with the question being can CV’s run game prevail?
Oklahoma Union at Commerce
Coming off a three-point loss, the OUHS Cougars are in determined mode to claw out their first win since 2021.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: What to know about Week 2 of HS football: Bartlesville features new QB
