Gundy leads in Stillwater win against Memorial
EDMOND — Gunnar Gundy dropped back in the pocket after faking the handoff and immediately let the ball fly.
Down field between two defenders, senior receiver Garrett Leming jumped, snatched the ball and was tackled into the end zone for the first Stillwater touchdown of the season.
“I just saw those guys start to cheat up again and knew Garrett would make a play,” Gundy said. “I just trusted in my guy and he came down with the ball. It was an awesome play by him.”
Gundy, a sophomore, helped lead the Pioneers to the 23-7 victory against Edmond Memorial on Thursday night at Wolves Stadium at Edmond Santa Fe.
Gundy finished the game 10 of 17 for 170 yards and two scores, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to Leming late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for Stillwater.
Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard said Gundy is heady for such a young player and despite early jitters, thought his quarterback settled down and made great plays.
“The game really slowed down for him as it went on,” Barnard said. “What a stage for him to come out on to start the season and play very well.”
While Gundy threw the lone touchdown in the first half, the Stillwater defense made several big plays to shut down the Bulldogs for much of the game.
After Memorial quarterback Blake Burgess connected with senior receiver Chris Pope in the early second quarter for an 11-yard gain, Pope turned up-field but was hit hard by a Stillwater defender and fumbled.
Then again late in the second quarter and down 10-0, Memorial started a drive deep in Stillwater territory and threatening to score before the half ended. Burgess was forced from the pocket and threw an interception to defensive lineman Ivan Porter.
Stillwater held Memorial to three yards rushing in the first half and 67 total for the game.
“I thought our guys really stood up and held their own against a really talented quarterback,” Barnard said. “They got after him and pressured him and really made him make some tough throws.”
Another young standout for Stillwater was freshman running back Qwontrel Walker. The 5-foot-7 speedster checked into the game and immediately made an impact, breaking off a 23-yard run to set up Stillwater in Memorial territory.
Walker rushed 28 times for 135 yards and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Besides the first-half mistake, Memorial quarterback Burgess was having a great game that included a monster 91-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Chris Pope.
But Burgess was forced to leave the game with five minutes remaining after being rolled up on a sack. He finished 16-for-24 with 203 yards and a touchdown pass.