High school football notebook: Hilldale rallies to earn 3A quarterfinal berth
BY ZAK PATTERSON & BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writers
Sunday, November 18, 2012
11/18/12 at 6:15 AM
Hilldale overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to rally past No. 3 Verdigris 36-23 in a Class 3A second-round playoff game on Friday night at Hilldale.
Hilldale (11-1) advances to the third round for the first time in the school's history.
"I'm really proud of our guys, and they're really excited," said Hilldale coach Chad Kirkhart. "We weren't intimidated, our guys expected to win. To come from behind to beat a team like Verdigris says a lot."
Junior quarterback Chandler Puckett led the way for the Hornets with 230 yards passing and two touchdowns, and running back Jamaul Cullom had over 200 yards and two scores.
J.D. Hanslovan scored on runs of 47 and 18 yards to help Verdigris to a 20-7 halftime lead.
Hilldale, however, responded with Puckett's 53-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Campbell and Jamaul Cullom's 31-yard TD run to take a 21-20 lead midway through the third quarter. Cullom added a 7-yard TD run with four seconds left in the period for a 28-20 advantage.
Hanslovan kicked a 35-yard field goal that cut Hilldale's lead to 28-23 with 5:35 remaining. Two minutes later, Cullom sealed Hilldale's win with a 63-yard TD run and then caught a two-point conversion pass from Puckett.
Cullom had 14 carries for 122 yards and three TDs. Hanslovan had 174 yards on 21 carries. Campbell had six catches for 220 yards and two TDs.
Hilldale will visit No. 8 Blanchard (10-1) in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Commerce edges Meeker: Sam Alvarado's tiebreaking 25-yard field goal with 7:50 left lifted No. 10 Commerce past Meeker 16-13 in a Class 2A second-round game on Friday night at Commerce.
It was a tale of two halves as the Tigers rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit.
Commerce's Parker Morgan had two fumbles in the opening half, but made up for it, finishing with 17 carries for 106 yards. D.C. Chance had 18 rushes for 122 yards and a touchdown, and led the Commerce defense with 15 tackles.
Chance's 15-yard TD run capped Commerce's first possession of the second half. Blake Jameson's 23-yard TD pass to Angel Landeros tied the game midway through the third quarter.
"I'm very proud of our kids, there were a lot of heads down in the second quarter, but they rallied each other at halftime, and we came out and did what we needed to do to get a win in the second half," said Commerce coach Steve Moss.
After giving up 208 yards of total offense in the first half, Commerce limited Meeker (7-5) to only 28 yards in the second half.
Meeker's TDs in the first half came on Jake Standlee's 10-yard pass to Dallas Jackson and Jesse Weaver's 3-yard run.
Commerce (11-1) will visit No. 8 Frederick (12-0) Friday.
Bradbury lifts Adair: Senior quarterback Brady Bradbury completed 14-of-20 passes for 154 yards and two TDs, and had 16 carries for 164 yards and two touchdowns for No. 5 Adair in a 36-35 win over No. 6 Okemah in a 2A second-round game.
"Brady willed us to victory. The kid is special," said Adair coach Mark Lippe.
Adair (12-0) will host No. 2 Davis (12-0) in the quarterfinals Friday.
Pratt powers Buffaloes: McAlester's Caden Pratt had 294 total yards and accounted for three TDs, but his biggest play arguably came on special teams in the seventh-ranked Buffaloes' 35-27 win at No. 3 Edmond Deer Creek in the 5A quarterfinals.
Pratt blocked an extra-point kick that would have tied the game at 28 with 3:50 left. He then scored on a 32-yard run for a 35-27 lead with two minutes left.
McAlester (8-4) faces No. 1 East Central in the semifinals Friday at Muskogee.
