Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Junior Wolves Roll Past Stilwell, 50-0
LINCOLN — Stilwell, Okla., came into Lincoln’s Wolfpack Stadium Thursday expecting to throw the football out of their shotgun spread offense, maybe they should have rethought their game plan before kickoff.
Lincoln Junior High head football coach Tyler Dorton predicted opponents relying on a vertical passing game this season would have trouble executing against cornerbacks Daytin Davis and Eli Rich. Stilwell should have paid heed. The Indians’ first two offensive possessions ended in touchdowns — for the Lincoln defense.
First, Davis picked off a Stilwell pass and ran the football back for a touchdown. Lincoln quarterback Tyler Brewer passed to Prairie Grove transfer Caden Redfern for a 2-point conversion.
Then, on the ensuing possession, Stilwell tried the other side with the same result. Rich returned an interception for a touchdown. Both runbacks were better than 50 yards and with Noe Avellaneda’s P. A.T., the junior Wolves were in front 15- 0. They would never look back in this game.
“It makes it an easy night for your offense when your defense can score 15 points before your offense ever gets on the field,” Dorton said, noting Stilwell has run up the score on Lincoln when they had the opportunity.
“They laid it on our seventh grade, they laid it on us last year, Stilwell did and our kids never forgot about it,” Dorton said. “The first teams played great. Everything was sound. The defensive line put a lot of pressure on the quarterback to enable us to get interceptions. The offensive line protected our quarterback that allowed us to throw touchdowns.”
In the second quarter, Lincoln’s offense put on a show of their own, erupting for three touchdowns and 21 points. Avellaneda, who accounted for 121 yards of total offense, began the surge with a 24- yard touchdown run. Brewer threw touchdown passes of 15 yards and seven yards to Davis and the rout was on with the junior Wolves taking a commanding, 36-0, halftime lead.
Brewer completed 8 of 9 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Davis had three receptions for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Cordelle Whetsell had the most yardage of any Lincoln receiver, catching two passes for 65 yards. Marcus Sturgill added a pair of catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. Runningback Abraham Calvillo had a big gain of 44 yards on a single reception. Rich chipped in one catch for 17 yards and Avellaneda caught one pass for 16 yards.
Dorton said Lincoln concentrated on executing offensively, trying to polish and perfect carrying out assignments; rather than coast after taking an early lead.
“We wanted to run our offense,” Dorton said. “It’s the second game of the season. For the most part, we were really pleased. We threw the ball, we threw screens, we even got into our goal line offense.”
Backup quarterback Avellaneda ran the offense in the second half and was 2 of 2 for 61 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown to Sturgill in the fourth period. Neither Lincoln quarterback was sacked or intercepted. They were extremely efficient with a completion percentage of 91 combined.
In the third quarter, Arnold scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Lincoln’s rushing game gained 73 yards on 10 attempts for a 7.3 average. Avellaneda was the leading rusher with 44 yards on three carries. The junior Wolves amassed 274 yards of total offense and played more of a complete game, something Dorton said was lacking in week one. In week one, the junior Wolves beat Westville, Okla., 22-6, getting touchdowns on a 72-yard Brewer pass to Davis, a Rich 27-yard reverse run and an Avellaneda 2-yard run.
“We had a fast start, then kind of throttled down,” Dorton said. “Last week was a tough game. They (Westville) were big and they were physical.”
Dorton said progress was evident in week two. The second- year head junior high coach is clearly enjoying himself at Lincoln, bragging on his linemen with five eighth- graders starting along the offensive front.
“This group believes in themselves,” Dorton said. “In the trenches they played great on both sides. We’ve got a lot of young kids coming together. I keep telling them, ‘We don’t need any pennies, we need a nickel.’”
Dorton noted the junior Wolves were very good at converting third downs and did not punt once against Stilwell.
“They play so well together, they bring positive energy, they’ve got people coming out to watch them, they are so fun to watch,” Dorton said. “It’s cool to see backups and starters encouraging others. They are a self-sustaining team on the field. They are extensions of coaches on the field. This group, our future hinges on them.”
“We’ve got a lot of young kids coming together. I keep telling them, ‘We don’t need any pennies, we need a nickel.’” Tyler Dorton Lincoln Junior High Coach