Kingfisher defense `answered the call' after a rough stretch
KINGFISHER — Austin Mages rolled to his left before flinging a pass downfield.
Perkins-Tryon's senior quarterback had an open receiver, but the pass bounced off the grass into his hands. The play happened right in front of the Kingfisher sideline, which euphorically clamored with cheers and players jumping up and down.
Mages' pass fell short on fourth down, giving Class 3A No. 8 Kingfisher the ball back with about 10 seconds left in its eventual 38-31 win against Perkins-Tryon on Thursday. The Yellowjackets relied on their defense late after jumping to an early lead and securing a pivotal district win with only three weeks left in the regular season.
“We've had a couple bad weeks defensively,” Kingfisher coach Jeff Myers said. “We hadn't done the fundamental stuff very well. We challenged our kids this week, and they answered the call.”
Kingfisher ( 5 - 2 , 3 - 0 District 3A-1) remains tied for first in the district with Heritage Hall. The teams face off in Week 9.
The Yellowjackets forced a fumble and poached two interceptions, one from senior Cade Stephenson to end Perkins-Tryon's first offensive possession and the last from senior Jarret Birdwell on the penultimate drive. Kingfisher's defense was on the field for 75 plays, more than twice as many as the Demons, yet it held Perkins-Tryon scoreless on eight of its 13 drives.
Stephenson was stellar, in addition to the interception, he scored four touchdowns, including a 75-yard rushing score on Kingfisher's final play before halftime. He took a pitch from sophomore quarterback J ax Sternberger and sprinted through a gap before running away from the defense.
“The guy can play, ” Myers said. “He's a heck of an athlete.”
Stephenson has worked through some minor injuries this season, but it didn't hold him back Thursday. He finished with 152 rushing yards on 13 carries with three scores while catching three passes for 62 yards and another touchdown.
Perkins-Tryon (2-4, 0-3) fell in a 21-point hole late in the first quarter before senior quarterback Austin Mages scores one of his five total touchdowns. He rushed for three scores and threw for two, a 30-yard pass to Teegan Shepard and a 25-yard completion to Beck Smith.
The Demons closed the gap to 35-31 with eight minutes left before Kingfisher tacked on a field goal, but then its defense held.
“This was a win that we were looking for,” Myers said. “Hopefully we'll come out these next couple weeks with the same type of preparation we had this week and meet those challenges head on.”