Class 2A and A state high school football champs crowned

OWASSO — With less than 5 minutes until kickoff, each Beggs player stood on the field facing a near capacity visitor’s side full of Sperry’s orange and black.

They applauded as Beggs fans in the background stood and cheered during a plaque presentation.

A rematch two communities hoped would be possible — this time with the Class 2A state championship on the line five weeks following the tragic death of Beggs

senior running back Kayson Toliver — had yet to start.

“In the middle of life, there’s going to be football games break out from time to time,” Beggs coach David Tenison said. “When you see the goodness of people and people’s willingness to help someone’s whose heart is broken, to me, that means more than the final score.”

On a night where No. 4 Sperry beat No. 2 Beggs 35-14 for the state championship at Owasso High School, two communities forever linked by tragedy joined together to play another football game.

Beggs’ season could have been derailed the morning of Nov. 1 when Toliver was allegedly shot and killed by his mother, or five days later when his younger sister Kloee died from her gunshot wound.

But the Demons beat Sperry in comeback fashion less than 48 hours later.

Then they battled back to win in dramatic fashion in the quarterfinals and semifinals. But this time the magic wasn’t quite enough.

That was tough to swallow as coaches addressed players huddled inside the hundreds of Beggs fans wearing black and gold in Owasso’s south end zone.

“You brought light and hope to so many people that needed it,” Beggs assistant David Shannon told the players. “It hurts right now, but 10, 15, 30 years down the road you’re going to see this as something great.”

On the morning of Nov. 1, Beggs players awoke to the news of Toliver’s death. After electing to play the game the next night that would determine a district championship, Sperry immediately rallied.

Sperry students wore black shirts with No. 27 — Toliver’s number — on them.

During pregame that night, Beggs players placed roses on the 27-yard line with 60 minutes until kickoff. Unprovoked in the background, Sperry players and coaches knelt in the end zone.

Throughout the playoffs, Sperry rooted for Beggs as it won in dramatic fashion over Kingston and Metro Christian. Beggs pulled for its new friends from the north as the Pirates rolled through four opponents.

That’s why the Demons’ football team remained on the field in pregame.

“They showed what it’s like to be a servant,” Tenison said. “We would have been amiss if we had shown up here and not thanked them for that.”