Elk City stays undefeated in district with win at Weatherford

By Collin Wieder 

Big plays mixed with a gutsy effort helped lead the way for Class 4A  No. 2 ranked Elk City in a 22-12 road district win Thursday night at Weatherford.

As it’s been many times this season, it wasn’t perfect or pretty, but the Elks (7-1, 4-0 District 4A-1) showcased a little bit of everything in the win. The Elks' flexbone attack pounded the rock at Weatherford (4-4, 3-2) 49 times for 185 yards led by senior fullback Levy Owens’ 15 carries for 72 yards.

Despite EC being a run-heavy team, senior quarterback Austin Jones came out firing and accurate in his limited clutch-time attempts. Jones completed just 2-of-4 passes but for 92 yards and two TDs, both of which were placed in the perfect spot.

He also rushed for the Elks’ other score, powering in for a 1-yard TD.

Defensively, the Eagles sliced up the EC secondary a little bit in the passing game. Weatherford senior QB Reece Villines (7-of-13 for 167 yards, two TDs and one interception) found sophomore wideouts CJ Nickson and Nick Jett for gains of 71, 29 and 28 yards in the loss.

Weatherford looked at times like it was ready to break out but stalled on too many drives that started in Elk territory.

Elk City’s run defense got gashed early for two 20-plus yard runs, but held the Eagles to just 34 yards on 17 carries after that.

Elk City coach Zac Maynard said Weatherford has always had his respect. He said the Eagles' constant movement pre-snap on offense and scheme on defense had his team scrambling, but he was proud of the way the Elks responded.

“I said it before the game, but in my opinion, that’s one of the premier coaching staffs in the state,” Maynard said. “They had us schemed up offensively and defensively. When they were on offense, they had our head spinning with all the motions and shifts; all the things they were doing to try and create numbers.

"Defensively, with all their different looks and fronts, I think it confused us there early."

Maynard admitted a bad move on his part, going for a fourth-down gamble in Elk territory that backfired. But as it turned out, it didn't affect the Elks.

“I made a bad decision going for it on fourth-and-2 from our own 30, but I thought we were going to get it, so I went for it," he said. "Anyways, our kids did a great job responding to some adversity.

"We fought back, and overall I’m proud of their toughness and mental fortitude to continue to grind a tough one out, even though we didn’t play real well at all times. Good football teams find ways to win, and we did that (Thursday).”

As Maynard mentioned, the game couldn’t have started out worse for the Elks. They made the decision to go for it on fourth down on their own 30 on the game-opening drive and failed to pick up the first.

The Eagles jumped at the chance to take the lead. Villines rolled the offense down the field with a couple of completions and then connected with Nickson for the 13-yard score.

A missed extra point made it a 6-0 WHS lead.

EC regrouped quickly and mounted a hard-nosed, 65-yard scoring drive led by Owens. EC got down to the one, where Jones scored to even the game at 6-all late in the first quarter.

What unfolded next was a battle of field position and ill-timed turnovers.

A Weatherford drive that featured a third-and-18 conversion completion from Villines to Blakely Rother down the right sideline stalled out at the EC 29. The defensive stop mattered little, as EC fumbled the snap a few plays later and Weatherford recovered to get the ball back.

Just as quickly as that occurred, Elk City defensive back Cooper Patton high-pointed a Villines’ pass to pick it off at the EC 15. A few drives later, EC finally ended the field position battle with the tie-breaking score.

Facing a third-and-20 from its own 23, Elk City went to the air. Jones dropped back and acted like he’d thrown deep ball dimes in a spread offense all his life, laying up a beautiful long ball down the sideline to Kaden Holder.

The receiver hauled it in and sprinted the rest of the way for a brilliant, 77-yard score. EC’s 14-6 lead held through the half and the third quarter.

The Elks played tough defense and boasted a 15-play, 70-yard drive on offense that netted zero points. Although it didn’t end in any score, the drive drained the third quarter almost entirely and physically punished the Eagles up front.

A few minutes into the fourth, it looked like Elk would finally put the game on ice. A fourth-and-5 at the Weatherford 15 wasn’t too big of a moment for Jones. He once again dropped back and tossed a perfect pass to Tucker Garza over the shoulder for the 15-yard score and the 22-6 lead.

Weatherford countered with a Nick Jett 71-yard TD reception via a post pattern on the next drive, but it was as close as Weatherford would get.

The Elks’ defense pressured Villines and never allowed him time to lead a comeback drive. EC secured a major road win.

Weatherford coach Reagan Roof was pleased with his team’s effort, but saw old issues resurface from the team’s 1-3 start to the season. The loss also ends a three-game win streak for the Eagles.

“I’m proud of their effort, but I’m disappointed in the mistakes we made,” Roof said. “We made some of the mistakes that we made earlier in the year with penalties and turnovers.

"Physically, I thought we matched them toe-to-toe and were able to get some stops. I thought our defense played well; offensively, we just weren’t consistent enough to sustain drives and overcome some of our penalties."

The Elks' remaining games are against the bottom two squads in 4A-1 - Woodward and John Marshall.