Tricky’s play breaks game open
EDMOND — The play was anything but tricky.
Edmond Santa Fe was putting together a drive, reaching midfield for the first time in the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Kanan Hansen dropped back to pass and fired to his left.
But Broken Arrow’s Aaron “Tricky” Stokes was waiting.
“I just saw the slant and I saw the ball released,” Stokes said. “So I made a jump on it and I got it.”
Stokes returned it 66 yards down to the Edmond Santa Fe 1 before he was tackled. The ball came flying out, but safety Bryce Mattioda jumped on it for the Tiger touchdown.
The interception return and touchdown put Broken Arrow up two scores, and it would go on to take down Edmond Santa Fe 35-7 at Wolves Stadium in a battle of the top two teams in district
6A-I-1.
“It’s just like every game,” Stokes said. “If I have an opportunity to make one play, I want to make a play.”
Stokes, who likes to go by Tricky because it was the nickname his late grandmother gave him, made several plays on the night.
He recorded four tackles and two pass breakups to help the powerful Broken Arrow (7-0) defense keep Edmond Santa Fe’s offense stifled from its first drive.
But it was the second quarter interception that gave Broken Arrow some breathing room.
“I was proud of our big plays tonight,” Broken Arrow coach David Alexander said. “We want to physical and we want to play fast and we pride ourselves on stopping the run. That’s who we are.”
Broken Arrow’s offense was led by senior running back Noah Cortes, who came into the game just 11 yards shy of second place on the all-time Broken Arrow rushing list. He picked that up on the Tigers’ first drive.
Cortes finished with 119 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
“That’s one of my dreams, to beat the record,” Cortes said.
Broken Arrow won the field position game against Edmond Santa Fe (6-1), starting four of its drives deep in Edmond Santa Fe territory, while the Wolves’ best starting field position was its own 40.
Hansen, who started the game 10-of-15 for 87 yards, had to be carried off the field right before halftime by the training staff after a Broken Arrow defender landed on his legs. He did not return to the game.
Edmond Santa Fe senior tight end and defensive end Trace Ford finished the night with five catches for 57 yards and a sack on defense. Junior running back Tyler Travis carried it 17 times for 43 yards and the Wolves’ lone touchdown on the night.
“We are hyped up for every game,” Cortes said. “We just need to stay humble and know that we can beat anyone in the state.”