PIONEER PRIDE
No. 1 Stillwater knocks off No. 4 Tulsa Washington to advance
OWASSO — Stillwater quarterback Gunnar Gundy fully intended to run the ball as a hole opened, but then something unexpected happened.
Jack Smithton, a friend since childhood, popped open. As Gundy reached the line of scrimmage, he fired a low pass.
Smithton, with the aid of his knees, pulled in the dart. Touchdown.
And ballgame to No. 1 Stillwater.
“It was a great heads-up play by Jack,” Gundy said.
The Pioneers’ magical season moved to the Class 6A-II state championship game Friday night after a wild 38-28 win over defending champion and No. 4-ranked Tulsa Washington at Owasso High School.
It’s Stillwater’s first championship appearance since 1977. The Pioneers will face No. 2 Bixby in two weeks at a location and date to be determined.
“It’s pretty cool,” Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard said. “Honestly, I don’t know that I’m ready to be all historical about it.”
Barnard’s adrenaline was too high.
Stillwater (12-0) had to fight and claw its way back, using multiple fake punts and fourth-down conversions after falling behind 14-0 to Tulsa Washington (8-4).
“What we did tonight, that’s stuff that we do,” Barnard said. “For us, it’s not really tricks.”
Stillwater scored three times in the third quarter after trailing 21-14 at halftime to take a 10-point lead.
Star sophomore running back Qwontrel Walker scored on a 2-yard run with 4:08 left
in the third for the Pioneers’ first lead. He finished with 250 yards and two TDs on 37 carries.
The Pioneers’ defense also forced three turnovers, two in the second half.
But the Gundy-Smithton connection truly shined.
Gundy threw three TD passes to Smithton while completing 12 of 19 passes for 147 yards. Smithton caught five of those for 90 yards.
“They had Dax Hill and he was covering Anthony (Bland),” Smithton said. “We didn’t really have anyone else to go to, so I guess we went to me.”
The duo has played together since the third grade.
So, Gundy’s over-thetop 38-yard TD pass in the second quarter to Smithton that cut into Tulsa Washington’s 14-0 lead was not surprising. Neither was the 39-yard strike in the third for a 31-21 advantage.
Or the final blow, the 6-yard strike with 5:49 remaining after Tulsa Washington cut the deficit to just three.
Stillwater had converted two fourth-down plays on the 70-yard drive — a fake punt and a pass from Gundy — that kept the ball away at the right time.
Gundy and Smithton did the rest.
“Just had to show no fear,” Gundy said.