OCS postseason run ends in quarterfinals

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

EDMOND — With a towel draped around his neck, Oklahoma Christian School coach Derek Turner dabbed his eyes amid a sea of low-hanging heads.

The body language was obvious, but Turner tried his best to keep his players from losing a sense of pride. Just minutes earlier, the Saints were an onside kick away from pulling off a sizable upset.

The final result was as most predicted, a win for Beggs, although it came with some drama, as the Demons held off the Saints’ 20-point fourth-quarter rally in the Class 3A quarterfinals for a 32-26 win.

“Nobody ever expected us to be here,” said a puffy-eyed Turner. “We didn’t get ranked until the 11th game of the year. Our kids just got better and better every week. That’s what made them good. They had a lot of confidence to do it.”

OCS (10-3) trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half. The Saints managed to hang around against a more physical and athletic team.

Between helmet-clanking hits and a stout front seven that neutralized OCS’ rushing attack, the Saints left Friday’s game battered with star running back Mason Arnold leaving the game in the third quarter with a neck injury.

OCS quarterback Calyn Halvorsen kept it close with 261 passing yards and two scores, both of which came on deep passes in the fourth quarter.

Beggs scored four times on the ground with three different runners.

The dagger came on a touchdown pass on third-and-goal with a minute left.

“There’s a reason everybody has picked them to win state,” Turner said. “They’ve got a really, really good shot at it.”