SMALL SCHOOL PREVIEW: Hartshorne, Quinton prep for playoff showdowns
Nov. 9—The Miners are ready to rock in the postseason.
Hartshorne will host No. 9 Pawnee Friday at Butler-Jennings Field in the opening round of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class A State football playoffs in front of a rowdy blue-clad crowd.
Coach Bill Williams talked of how proud he was of his team to get to that point of not only making the postseason, but hosting a game in front of the hometown Miner faithful.
"That's what we've been trying to do for the last several years is get this program back to where we can win and be home in the playoffs," Williams said. "These kids did it. I'm just proud to be a Hartshorne Miner."
First up for Hartshorne will be the Black Bears from Pawnee, who finished third in District A-5. The Black Bears are ranked ninth in Class A, and hold an 8-2 record. The only losses for Pawnee this season have been to ranked-opponents Woodland and Hominy.
The Black Bears have an explosive offense that averages 43.6 points per game, while the Pawnee defense holds opponents to an average of 19.5 points per game.
For the Miners (7-3, 6-1), they are in the playoffs for the second-consecutive season. The Hartshorne offense is led by quarterback Jackson Moody, who has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Gus Miller, Brett Lindley, Kannen Osier, Carter Johnson, and Kelby Thomason have led the Hartshorne receiving corps with a majority of those yards. Thomason leads the ground game with more than 600 yards, followed by Acetin Rowell with more than 500, and Moody adding in more than 400 yards.
Defensively, the Miners have totaled up more than 450 tackles and 23 sacks as a unit. Rowell leads the charge with 56 tackles and six sacks this season, followed closely by Treyce Morgan, Moody, Thomason, Osier, Malachi Sunagoowie, and many more Miners.
The winner of the matchup will advance to the second round to face the winner between Central Sallisaw and Quapaw. A win for the Miners would be the first opening-round win since 2016, while a win for the Black Bears will be the first opening-round win since their last playoff appearance in 2021.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
QUINTON AT KEOTA
Quinton will travel to take on Keota Friday in the opening round of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class B State football playoffs.
Keota is 6-4 on the season, rattling off a five-win streak to end the season to be named District B-6 champion and continuing a three-year playoff appearance streak. The Lions average 39.3 points per game, while holding opponents to 24.2 points per game.
Quinton (5-5, 2-3) finished fourth in its district, extending its playoff streak to four-consecutive seasons. The green machine have put plenty of points on the board this fall, averaging 34.8 points per game.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
