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SENIOR RUNNING BACK Mike Coots (29) finds some running
room with help from the Tiger offensive line. Coots eclipsed
the 100-yard mark in rushing for the second time this fall and
added 15 tackles in the 45-20 loss.
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Tigers Make Strides In Second
Half At Hennessey
In a clash of blue-and-white-clad foes that doubled as Homecoming
on a warm, Friday, October 5 evening at Eagles Stadium in Hennessey,
Newkirk High School's Tigers made a better account of themselves
than in the 34-0 blanking they endured when the two District
2A-1 programs tangled at Newkirk last fall. Big plays bolstered
the Tigers' efforts in a 45-20 loss to the #9-ranked Eagles (Tulsa
World poll) and provided some positive signs for the rest of
the NHS squad.
Hennessey's Eagles generated two touchdowns each in the run game
and pass game plus one apiece on defense and special teams to
outdistance the Tigers and heightened their record to 6-0 overall
and 3-0 in 2A-1 play. The Tigers, who withstood a tumultuous
start to fall behind 38-7 at halftime, dropped to 1-5, 0-3 but
may have forged a turning point to the season at halftime.
Second-year NHS Head Coach Barrett Shupe offered, "I think
the Hennessey game was just a tale of two halves from us. The
first half, we went out there and were kind of unenthused, I
thought, kind of a deer-in-the-headlight look, and you hate for
that to continue to happen because it was week six (of the season),
but it was there, and then at halftime, we challenged them and
kind of called them out, and the second half, we hooked it up
and played some football. You sure hate to lose, but the taste
in your mouth is a lot better when your kids play hard and fight
and show some grit, and I was proud of them for that. And we
kind of made a pact together that that's how we're going to play
the rest of the year and for the rest of their careers, when
they suit up. I'm excited about the way we played in the second
half."
At Hennessey, the Tigers produced the longest play of the season
overall when junior wide receiver Anthony McDonald received a
short pass from senior quarterback Chris Aupperle and turned
it into a 74-yard gain. Mike Coots added the longest run of the
season a 53-yarder and the Tigers' longest return
of any kind when he ran back an interception 65 yards to set
up a touchdown. Coots also racked up a team-best 15 tackles on
defense and tallied 106 hard-earned yards rushing on 12 carries,
topping the century mark for the second time this fall in a performance
that featured his team-leading sixth TD of the season. McDonald
became the first Tiger receiver to top the 100-yard mark in 18
games, accumulating 103 on three grabs. Also, Damien Littledeer
contributed the longest kick-off return this fall, running 52
yards.
However, Hennessey's Aaron Pitts ran back the opening kick-off
71 yards for a TD just :14 into the contest. The Tigers were
prevented from countering when HHS kicker Frankie Anaya hammered
the ensuing kick-off into the end zone for a touchback. The Tigers
were forced to punt on their first two series, but Newkirk's
defense responded on Hennessey's first offensive series, which
began on the Newkirk 48-yard line. Coots stopped the first play
for a three-yard loss, then McDonald broke up a pass, and Mason
Pitts applied pressure on the next aerial to cause an incompletion
and force a punt.
But the Eagles started their second possession in Newkirk territory
as well when Miguel Sanchez returned a punt to the Tiger 39.
Sanchez capped the drive with a 14-yard TD reception from HHS
quarterback Clint Cooper. And since the kick failed after the
Eagles' first TD, Cooper went back to the air on the two-point
conversion attempt, hooking up with Seth Streck to make it 14-0
with 4:35 left in the first quarter.
Newkirk retaliated abruptly as on a 3rd-&-9 call, Aupperle
looked to his right on a tunnel screen and found McDonald, who
scurried forward from the Newkirk 23 to the Hennessey three.
Shupe commented on the well-executed play that set up the Tigers'
first TD, describing, "The kids executed it perfectly on
a big third down. The linemen were down field and created a seam,
and Anthony did a great job of trusting that they are going to
block because you have to have some courage to run through there
and catch that ball. Our linemen do a good job of locking up
with people (on screen plays). Ty Goodno made a good block, and
Justin Schaefer did a great job of sealing the other side. We're
pretty darn good at screens, and I don't mind admitting that,
so we're going to keep running them."
The Tigers went back to the air for their TD as on third down,
Aupperle rolled to his right and spotted Littledeer in the end
zone for a three-yard TD. Thomas Rodgers split the uprights on
his extra-point kick to trim the gap to 14-7 with 2:12 left in
the first period.
But Hennessey's 24-point second-quarter barrage decided the outcome.
Stretching back to their final series of the first frame, the
Eagles scored on five consecutive possessions. Matt Simunek capped
a 10-play, 59-yard drive with a one-yard plunge across the goal
line at the 9:52 mark of the second quarter, then A.Pitts intercepted
a pass for Hennessey and ran it back 34 yards to the Newkirk
seven. A penalty moved the ball to the three, and Cooper scored
from there, cruising around the left end. The Tigers failed to
muster a first down, and Hennessey struck again with 5:07 left
before halftime when Cooper hit Streck on a crossing pattern,
and Streck raced down the left boundary for a 59-yard TD. Anaya
added PAT kicks after all three TDs, then he finished the first-half
scoring with a 46-yard field goal.
Littledeer bolted up the middle and cut to his left on the ensuing
kick-off to progress onto Hennessey's end of the field. Shupe
depicted, "Our kids locked up with people, and Damien (Littledeer)
found the seam. He's going to bust one of those (for a TD) before
his career is over at Newkirk High School."
However, the Tigers came up empty in the waning seconds of the
half due to two incompletions and two sacks. Still, the NHS boys
kept plugging away, delivering the best third-quarter performance
of the season and giving the District co-leaders all they wanted
throughout the second half of action. A Newkirk TD in each of
the final two stanzas resulted in the highest point total against
the Hennessey defense this season. The stingy Eagles had allowed
a total of just 46 points through the first five games of the
2007 season and none during second-half action of their first
two District contests. The Tigers' 20-point total became their
second highest output of the season behind 27 in a week-three
win over Drumright.
Hennessey's physical front six made for tough treading, but Coots
opened the second half with a memorable run. He bounced off the
pile at the line of scrimmage and circled back to his right,
discovering open ground on a 53-yard gallop to the HHS 30. A
play later, McDonald hauled in a 13-yard pass from Aupperle to
get into the red zone, but the Tigers missed a chance to cut
into the deficit.
However, Newkirk's defensive unit stymied the Eagles on three
plays, overcoming a penalty when Terrence Summitt and Chris Chace
combined to drop a 3rd-&-3 play for a four-yard loss. After
a short punt, the Tigers took over at their own 41 and trekked
to the end zone in nine plays. Coots keyed it with a 42-yard
tote on another cut-back run.
Shupe credited Coots' determination, assessing, "The first
play of the second half, he had nowhere to go, and it was probably
going to be a negative play, but he just wouldn't go down and
fought to get a couple of people off him and cut back and got
down the boundary. And the toss play, he caught it and just with
instincts and some vision, he saw a lane, and he took it, and
he made a great cut. We ended up punching it in on that drive
and kind of had the momentum. I thought we outplayed them in
the second half, and a big reason why was Mike Coots."
To complete the scoring drive, Aupperle used a play-action fake
to draw the attention of the aggressive HHS defense, then the
savvy senior fired a pass to Micah Powell for a 13-yard gain
to the Hennessey seven. Another grab by M.Powell and a penalty
against HHS moved the ball to the two, and Aupperle carried three
straight times to score from a yard away. It marked Aupperle's
third straight game since returning from injury to score a rushing
TD and first 100-yard passing performance of the season. He finished
with 142 yards through the air, including his first TD pass of
2007, which raised his career count to 10.
After an exchange of punts, the Eagles started in Newkirk territory,
but Coots responded with his first career interception, stepping
in front of a swing pass from Cooper to running back Ethan Bergley
and sprinting down the Newkirk sideline 65 yards to the HHS two.
Cooper saved the TD, and Coots checked out of the game briefly
to catch his breath, but he returned to the lineup on 4th-&-goal
to lunge across the goal line from a yard out.
Shupe proclaimed, "The Hennessey coaches told me Mike Coots
may be the best player they've seen all year. And it's one of
those deals where Mike has just done everything we've asked,
he's bought into it, and he's reaping the rewards of buying into
what we're trying to do. He's just all-out. I mean, he plays
all guts every play. He's having a good senior year, and I think
he's going to be able to carry this experience on into life,
and I think he's going to be successful."
With Coots and McDonald leading the way, Newkirk's defense shut
out the Hennessey offense in the second half. To augment Coots'
15 stops, McDonald charted 11 and forced two fumbles, one that
he ripped away and one that Jimmy Brakey recovered to give the
Tigers a 3-2 edge in the turnover department.
"Anthony (McDonald) does a great job at free safety,"
Shupe underscored. "He had a pass break-up early in the
game and almost picked it, and he helps us make tackles in run
lanes ... He's just a pretty stable force back there for us and
keeps everything in front of him."
Coots' total of 15 tackles increased his career count to 222.
Coots and Ty Goodno, a sophomore linebacker who notched nine
tackles at Hennessey, now share team lead this fall with 72 apiece.
Summitt, a sophomore defensive end, logged seven tackles against
Hennessey. Freshman reserve defensive end Jon Powell registered
the first sack of his NHS career, and each Powell brother had
one in the game.
The Eagles held a 249-220 edge in total yards. Their only points
of the second half resulted when Cory Riddle intercepted a pass
and ran it back 41 yards for a TD with 1:47 remaining.
Shupe surmised, "Everybody thinks about 45 points as a lot
to give up defensively, but the opening kick-off was taken back,
and they took an interception back, and then they returned an
interception way down deep inside our five and scored (on that
possession), so right there is 21 points. So I thought our defense
did some good things. I thought we got after their zone scheme
a little bit. Mike ran to the ball well, and him and Ty (Goodno)
made some good plays. Trevor Presson and Joey White, for as small
as they are, play hard, and I really think Terrence Summitt had
a great football game. I thought he grew up, he made some plays,
and he was in there mixing it up. I was very, very proud of Terrence
because he played both ways. ... I couldn't be more excited for
Terrence Summitt."
Senior fullback/linebacker Matthew Vap returned from injury,
but more adversity appeared for the Tigers in the sixth week
of the season when senior lineman Lance White was injured at
Hennessey. Also, freshman Michael Locke, a starter on the offensive
line, left the team in the days leading up to the game, dropping
the Tigers' number total down to 31. As a result, T.Summitt took
on additional responsibilities, becoming a two-way starter along
the offensive and defensive fronts.
Shupe was pleased that his team made strides against such a strong
foe, expressing, "Hennessey is a very good football team.
... Quite frankly, we should have scored another time, and after
Mike (Coots) intercepted it, all of a sudden, it would have been
a 10-point game, and things are kind of interesting. We kept
fighting and kept playing, and that's what I tell the kids: If
you'll fight and play hard, things will go your way. Mike Coots
played as hard as anybody out there. He broke some runs and had
an interception, and Anthony McDonald caused two fumbles. Things
go your way if you play hard and work hard, and I think our kids
saw that finally against a quality opponent. And I'm excited
for us to get out there and play again Friday night."
Next, the Tigers will host the Perry Maroons on October 12 with
the kick-off at Holtby Field slated for 7:30pm. It will be the
first of three home games over the final four weeks of the regular
season. The following week, the Tigers will play on Thursday
(October 18) at Watonga at 7:30pm.
Hennessey's boys posted their eighth straight win, dating back
to week nine of the 2006 season, and improved to 4-0 at home
this fall. The Eagles will play two straight road games, vying
for the 2A-1 title and a high postseason seed with trips to Alva
on October 12 and Perkins on Oct. 18.
Tiger Recognition
Three Newkirk High School football players rank among the state
leaders in tackles, according to the weekly statistics published
in the Tuesday, October 9 edition of the Tulsa World. Senior
Mike Coots and sophomore Ty Goodno each have amassed 72 tackles
through the first six games of the 2007 season, and junior Anthony
McDonald has 52. Coots also ranks among the top scorers in Class
2A with 36 points on six TDs.
Young Tigers Seek Continued
Improvement
This Friday Night At Holtby Field
Last year, the Newkirk High School football team topped a
Perry squad for the first time in 28 years, going on the road
to capture a 19-0 victory. However, the Tigers will encounter
a different opponent when the Maroons come to Holtby Field for
the two schools' 38th all-time gridiron meeting on Friday, October
12 at 7:30pm.
The Maroons have yet to savor a victory in Jeremy Reeder's two-season
tenure as head coach, going 0-10 last season and dropping their
first six games of the current campaign. But with the Tigers
entering with a 1-5 mark and both teams pursuing their first
win inside District 2A-1 competition, Perry's boys will likely
deliver their most spirited effort of the season.
They endured a near-miss on the road in week five, taking Watonga
to the wire in a 21-17 loss, but the Maroons are coming off a
55-0 thrashing at home against Alva. Newkirk's boys wrenched
out a 27-20 triumph over Drumright in the final week of non-district
play but has since dropped its first three District games by
lopsided margins, though the Tigers displayed improvement in
the second half at Hennessey last week.
"I think Perry is much improved over last year," second-year
NHS Head Coach Barrett Shupe explained. "We saw them at
team camp (at Sand Springs in June), and they were getting after
people. I think Coach Reeder does a very good job, but they're
just kind of snake-bitten at times, and some bad-luck type things
have happened to them. ... It's going to be a tough challenge
for us."
Energy and enthusiasm could be critical components in determining
the outcome as well as turnovers and proper execution. And Shupe
pointed to effort as the Maroons' greatest strengths, assessing,
"Quite honestly, I think they like to play football, and
I think their kids play hard. And I think that's a testament
to Coach Reeder because as much I want to complain about winning
enough, unfortunately, his kids haven't won anything yet, and
they're still playing hard for him. They play hard and they're
sound. I think their offensive spread set gives them a chance
to get people out in space and make them miss tackles. They do
a really good job with those kids."
The Maroons line up in a spread offense but will also employ
the I-formation at times. Junior David Collins (6'0", 195,
#1) is the feature running back, a converted quarterback playing
the position in place of junior Brad Yenor (5'6", 160, #25),
who is nursing a hand injury and could be back for this week's
match-up. With Collins' move, sophomore Tyler Schovanec (6'0",
170, #14) stepped in at quarterback.
Perry blends the run and pass almost equally. Shupe assessed,
"They're very, very diverse in what they do, and it's going
to be a tough challenge for our defense."
Reeder revealed that his Maroons passed for more than 200 yards
at Fairview. The next week at Watonga, they topped the 200-yard
mark in rushing. "We're better than last year, but our record
doesn't show it," Perry's coach assessed. "We've played
pretty well at times."
Senior Tylor West (5'10", 150, #40) leads Perry's receiving
corps with 26 catches through the first six games. Sophomore
Chad Scott (6'2", 160, #11) is also a threat in the pass
game.
Shupe added, "Their quarterback does a pretty-good job,
and all their receivers can catch the ball. So we have to do
a good job of covering everybody and getting to our spots and
getting our heads on swivels. We have to do a good job of tackling
and being assignment-sound. We have to play on our toes and go
attack the ball-carrier and gang-tackle, just be relentless in
our pursuit of the football."
On defense, the Maroons utilize an aggressive, 4-4 scheme. Reeder
stated, "We're small, so we have to change looks up front
a lot to disguise our stuff."
Sophomore Carl Conrad (5'9", 165, #55) is a key player for
PHS at inside linebacker, and senior Nathan Schwandt (6'0",
185, #10) has snared three interceptions from his outside linebacker
post. Reeder has been pleased with the play of his defensive
ends senior Jesse Tearney (6'1", 175, #57) and sophomore
Brayley Running (5'10", 165, #42).
Last year, Newkirk quarterback Chris Aupperle passed for 182
yards and two touchdowns in the win at Perry. This fall, Mike
Coots leads the Tigers in rushing with 493 yards and six TDs.
Aupperle passed for 142 yards last week at Hennessey 103
to junior wideout Anthony McDonald.
"We have to do a better job of establishing the line of
scrimmage," Shupe declared. "When we're on offense,
we have to push the line of scrimmage towards their linebackers,
not towards our running backs. And if we do that, we have a shot
to control the game."
Defensively, Coots and sophomore linebacker Ty Goodno share Newkirk's
team lead in season tackles with 72 apiece. McDonald snared two
interceptions last year at Perry and this year, he has accrued
52 tackles.
The Tigers will try to make use of home-field advantage to start
a late-season charge at a playoff berth. "We need a District
win, and it's never over, I truly believe that," Shupe emphasized.
"You never know what's going to happen. You can only control
your effort, your attitude, and your actions, and we have to
worry about the Newkirk Tigers. If we take care of ourselves,
then chances and possibilities are out there for us. The main
thing is we have to come out and play football in the first half
and give ourselves a chance in the second half. It's about each
play, and we have to do our best, then move onto the next."
In looking forward to the match-up, Reeder asserted, "I
think it's going to be a battle. Coach Shupe gets his young guys
to play extremely hard, and they've really improved quite a bit
since we saw them at team camp. Our coaching staff is really
impressed with their quarterback (Aupperle). He's a tough kid,
and #50 (Goodno) at linebacker is a really good player."
Shupe finished with his thoughts on the Perry tilt, offering,
"I really like our chances if we play like we did in the
second half against Hennessey. ... I think it's going to be a
good football game, and the team that plays and works the hardest
is going to win."
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