Washington (5-4, 3-2) played without quarterback Phillip Wheatley but had enough offensive weapons to present problems for the Spartan defense. The Hornets, however, never got untracked against Bixby's dominating defensive line and attacking approach. The Hornets, who were blanked for the first time, finished with 123 total yards, including 42 rushing. The hosts averaged 2.3 yards per play on 53 total plays. In addition, Washington turned the ball over three times, including two lost fumbles. The Hornets moved the ball sporadically in the first half with Bixby's defense answering each challenge. "We didn't come in here thinking shut out. We just tell our kids to do their jobs every snap and put themselves in the best situation to make plays," said a smiling Rodney Flowers, Bixby's defensive coordinator. "Our guys got in the backfield and made some plays on their quarterback. "We knew he wouldn't throw it a lot and we stressed all week about getting 11 guys to the football and hitting them hard and often. That put us in position to make plays because they are fast and athletic. Being able to contain them was most pleasing," Flowers added. Bixby head coach Loren Montgomery was equally proud of the defense and its ability to keep the Hornets from breaking off any long plays. "For the amount of talent they have but to keep them from breaking a long one 00fffd I'm real proud of the defense," Coach Montgomery said. "We knew they were a little short-handed with their quarterback being out but we controlled the line of scrimmage and got a ton of pressure on them when they threw." On its second possession, Bixby went 41 yards in four plays to take the early lead as senior quarterback Tanner Griffin fired a perfect 23-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Nic Swanson, who made an over-the-shoulder grab with 6:24 left in the first quarter. Jason Campbell's point-after kick gave the visitors a 7-0 lead. Washington's best scoring opportunity came minutes later as the Hornets' Rylan McQuarters recovered a fumble by Bixby receiver Brennan Presley at the BHS 48-yard line. In six plays, BTW moved to the Bixby five before quarterback Demarco Jones fumbled attempting a handoff and the Spartans' Cody Adams recovered at the seven. "I feel like every time we step on the field we have a chance to do what we did tonight," said talented senior defensive lineman Brendan Evers, who applied constant pressure. "We have one of the best defenses in the state. I love these guys I play around 00fffd it's definitely been a blessing. "I think when we have pressure like that we bow our necks even more. When we have pressure in a close game we love it. We're going to move on from this win and do the best we can to win district," Evers added. Midway through the second quarter, Bixby went on a 54-yard, 13-play drive before Griffin hit Swanson with a 15-yard touchdown pass with 5:29 showing. Swanson was short of the end zone but battled a pair of defenders before scoring the TD and giving BHS a 14-0 lead. On its next possession, the Hornets converted on a fourth-and-three during a drive to the Bixby 15-yard-line but on another fourth-and-three, Jones fired an incomplete pass with pressure applied by Spartan junior linebacker Coby Tillman. Bixby went to the running game to ice the game, driving 70 yards in seven plays with junior Tucker Pawley, who rushed for 198 yards on 34 carries, racing 17 yards for a touchdown. Campbell's point-after gave BHS a 21-0 lead at the 7:23 mark of the third stanza. "Their defense is good. They've got good cover guys and they get in your face. The ability to be able to run the football the second half was good for us," Coach Montgomery noted. Bixby ended the scoring with 2:18 left in the third quarter as Pawley ignited the drive with a 53-yard burst before being knocked out of bounds at the Hornet nine. Three plays later, Griffin had to scramble while back to pass and sprinted five yards for the touchdown and 28-0 le... Click here to read full article
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