Snake Bitten: Tolar slithers past Stratford for first state championship berth
VERNON — If Ray Wylie Hubbard is blaring over the speakers, there’s a good chance the Tolar Rattlers are celebrating.
Such was the case Thursday night after Tolar slithered past Stratford for a 35-7 victory in a Class 2A Division I state semifinal matchup at Leo Brittain Field. The Rattlers celebrated the athletic program’s first berth to a state championship game in any sport by shouting the chorus to Hubbard’s “Snake Farm” in the north end zone.
Tolar (14-1) advances to play Timpson for the Class 2A DI title at 7 p.m. Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
“Just look around. There were a lot of people up there in those bleachers. I don’t know if anybody was left in Tolar,” said Tolar coach Jeremy Mullins referring to what this program’s first state championship berth meant to the community. “We’ve been fortunate. We’ve got great kids with great parents and great community support. These people show up no matter the sport or outcome.”
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But while the Rattlers were singing, the Elks were mourning the end of another great season. It’s a position Stratford is more used to putting its opponents in rather than facing itself. The four-time state championship program was hoping to add to its title count but will now look to next season when the Elks should be considered state title contenders after likely dropping to Class 2A Division II.
“These guys mean everything to me,” Stratford first-year coach Jon Murphy said. “I can’t describe it enough. The journey that these guys have had has been really special. Every single thing that these guys have done this year is just being a part of the culture that we’ve grown here. It’s just carrying on the things that are right about Stratford.”
Stratford forced to air it out
It was a physical game with chunk plays coming at a minimum. But Tolar set the standard at the line of scrimmage early, forcing Stratford to put the ball in the air more times than it had all season.
The Elks entered the game averaging 265 rushing yards but were held to 101 by Tolar. Quarterback Bryce Braden led Stratford with 91 rushing yards on 17 carries but threw the ball a season-high 23 times, completing 13 for 122 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions.
“We had to do a few things that we were not in favor of doing in terms of plays being called,” Murphy said. “We love to run the football, but we needed to stay on schedule. Those guys were really, really good. I’ll hand it to them, especially being able to stop our run game. That was key for them.”
Tolar's three-headed rushing attack
Tolar had 320 total yards, including 255 yards rushing behind the three-headed attack of quarterback Isaac Blessing (19-108), Peyton Brown (16-80) and Garrison Nation (14-71). Blessing attempted five passes but two of his three completions went for touchdowns.
Blessing’s longest pass of the night may have been what broke Stratford’s back early. The senior quarterback bought time in the pocket on a third-and-21 long enough for classmate Matthew Behrens to beat double coverage and come open across the middle of the field for a 47-yard TD with 3:41 left in the first half.
And if that didn’t do it, misfortune on the ensuing drive might have done the trick. Stratford lost a fumble on a snap under center at the Tolar 8 with 13 seconds remaining in the half.
Instead of going to half down 21-14, the Elks faced a 21-7 deficit, and Tolar used a 13-play, 68-yard drive to start the third quarter to essentially put the game away.
“We had momentum a couple of times there,” Murphy said. “If we put that one in before the end of the half, it would have set the tone a little bit for the second half. That fumble was huge, no doubt about it. We had other mistakes, too, but that was a big moment for sure.”
TOLAR 35, STRATFORD 7
Tolar 7 14 7 7 -35
Stratford 0 7 0 0 -7
FIRST QUARTER
T – Clayton Stembridge 11 pass from Isaac Blessing (Brooks Stone kick), 8:02
SECOND QUARTER
T – Garrison Nation 2 run (Stone kick), 9:04
S – Julio Valdez 29 pass from Bryce Braden (Omar Jacquez kick), 5:53
T – Matthew Behrens 47 pass from Blessing (Stone kick), 3:41
THIRD QUARTER
T – Blessing 1 run (Stone kick), 4:58
FOURTH QUARTER
T – Peyton Brown 16 run (Stone kick), 5:30
TEAM STATS
First downs: (T) 16; (S) 9
Rushing: (T) 50-255; (S) 27-101
Passing: (T) 3-5-0—65; (S) 15-26-4—157
Punts: (T) 2-42; (S) 2-37
Fumbles: (T) 0-0; (S) 2-1
Penalties: (T) 5-35; (S) 4-55
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: (T) Isaac Blessing 19-108, Peyton Brown 16-80, Garrison Nation 14-71, Team 1-(-4); (S) Bryce Braden 17-91, Josue Licon 4-5, Julio Valdez 3-3, Trey Smith 2-4, Team 1-(-2).
PASSING: (T) Blessing 3-5-0—65; (S) Braden 13-23-4—122, Chase Lanteime 2-3-0—35.
RECEIVING: (T) Matthew Behrens 2-54, Clayton Stembridge 1-11; (S) Valdez 4-71, Lanteime 4-32, Licon 2-18, Izakia Salas 1-17, Tripp Hudson 1-11, Smith 2-5, Lane Uttley 1-3.
RECORDS: Tolar 14-1; Stratford 14-1.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Tolar Rattlers vs Stratford Elks 2023 high school football playoffs
