Choctaw turns the tables on Edmond Deer Creek in showdown of 6AII contenders
By Michael Kinney
CHOCTAW - The last time Choctaw and Edmond Deer Creek faced off, everything was on the line.
Those two teams met in the 2021 postseason and it was the Antlers who came away victorious and ended the Yellowjackets' season.
CHS senior quarterback Steele Wasel had not forgotten that feeling. So when the two teams faced off Friday, the memory of last year’s defeat fueled the Yellowjackets to a 28-16 victory at Bill Jensen Field.
“It was a big one,” Wasel said. “They took us out last year in the playoffs.
"We’ve had this one circled for a while. We’re going to keep riding this momentum all the way to the playoffs.”
While the win didn’t erase or make up for the playoff loss, it did go a long way to show the rest of the Class 6AII field that Choctaw is a team to be reckoned with.
“Stop sleeping on us,” said Choctaw’s Will Smith. “Stop sleeping on us. We are here for the state championship.”
It was with that sense of urgency that the Yellowjackets played the entire game.
Choctaw took only four plays to score on their opening possession of the game. It ended with La’Trell Ray plunging 2 yards into the end zone.
Despite several opportunities, the Yellowjackets didn’t score again until midway through the second quarter. On a drive that featured personal fouls, two ejections and constant chatter from Deer Creek’s Tre Miller and Smith, CHS once again scored on a short dive into the end zone for a 14-0 advantage.
“Ray is a special player,” Wasel said of Ray. “He can come out of the backfield, he hits the hole hard, he will run you over for the first down. He is an electric player for sure.”
Twice in the first half, Deer Creek drove deep into Choctaw territory and ended up with fourth-and-goal situations. Both times the Antlers decided to go for it instead of kicking the field goal.
Each time, the Yellowjackets' defense stiffened, and the Antlers came away with zero points.
But with less than a minute left in the half, the Antlers once again found themselves within scoring distance. On fourth-and-3 from the 22-yard line, DC coach Wade Standley decided to go for it again.
This time, Choctaw’s Jacoby McClain pressured Antler quarterback Grady Adamson into an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs to close out the half.
Deer Creek started the second half by driving through the Choctaw defense and into Choctaw territory once again. When the Antlers found themselves with another fourth-and-short, they settled for a 32-yard field goal to close the gap to 14-3.
The Antlers attempted an onside kick, but the Yellowjackets recovered it at midfield.
Choctaw made Deer Creek pay with a Wasel touchdown run. The ensuing two-point conversion extended the Yellowjackets' lead to 22-3, their biggest advantage of the night.
When it seemed like Deer Creek might fold, Miller came up with the Antlers' biggest play on defense.
After Nathan Keifer caught a pass out in the flats, Miller rushed in to make the tackle. During the scrum, Miller wrestled the ball loose.
The senior cornerback then scooped up the fumble and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown, as the Antlers trailed, 22-10, with 5:39 left in the third.
The Antlers needed another defense stop if they were really going to threaten the Yellowjackets. Unfortunately for Deer Creek, Choctaw didn’t give them the opportunity.
Choctaw ran the rest of the clock down in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets then ran another four minutes off the clock to start the fourth quarter before Wasel scored from a yard out to put the game away.
“We are a program built on effort,” Choctaw coach Jake Corbin said. “They showed that (Friday).
"I feel like our kids played really, really hard, which is a mark of our football program. It always has been and always will be.”
Deer Creek (5-1, 2-1) travels to Lawton next week to face the Wolverines. Choctaw (5-1, 3-0) is at Northwest Classen.
