GAMEDAY: Buffs ground Eagles in homecoming win
Oct. 23—Once the Buffs got rolling, they couldn't be stopped.
Top-ranked McAlester (8-0, 5-0) charged out to the 52-17 home win Friday against Tulsa Edison (1-7, 0-5).
Coach Forrest Mazey said he was happy with the result, but said there are things the Buffs will have to work on heading into next week.
"We had too many penalties, just got to clean that up," he said. "But it is what it is, we did what we needed to do."
McAlester started with the ball first and worked deep into the red zone before quarterback Trent Boatright found Lleyton Bass in the corner of the end zone.
After a stop by the defense, the Buffs took back possession and penalties backed them up to their own 26-yard line.
But Dakota Moton leapt out in front of the defense on the way to a 74-yard score.
The Eagles looked to retaliate and found themselves within striking distance before McAlester stopped them on a fourth-down conversion attempt.
McAlester wasted no time with a deep drive and Erik McCarty steamed ahead with a run seemed to come up shy of a score — but the offensive line pushed him forward and he broke the plane for the touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, it'd be the McAlester special teams making the big play. Edison fumbled the football on the return, and the Buffs immediately took possession to earn the turnover.
Although they wouldn't get back into the end zone on that possession, the rocket leg of kicker Kobe Clark sent the ball sailing easily through the uprights to add three more points for the Buffs.
With all of the momentum, McAlester used an onside kick and recovery to continue possession of the football. And the Buffs would be rewarded for their efforts, with McCarty bolting through the defense for the 49-yard touchdown.
He'd later add one more score on a one-yard dozer play, giving McAlester the 37-0 lead at the half.
Boatright is 12-of-20 passing for 134 yards and a touchdown, with Bass leading the receivers with four catches for 52 yards and a score, followed by Barnes with three catches for 29 yards.
In the second half, the defense held the Eagles at bay — forcing another turnover on downs.
On the offensive possession, the Buffs put the ball into the hands of Moton. After powering his way deep into Eagle territory, he used the very next play to swerve around any would-be tacklers for the 15-yard score.
Edison would later answer with a field goal to put itself on the board, trimming the McAlester lead to 45-3 at the end of the third quarter.
The Eagles would add a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the Buffs responded in kind as Caden Lesnau found Carter Lance in the endzone for the exclamation point touchdown.
Although the Eagles would score once more, it wouldn't be enough as McAlester coasted to the win.
Boatright finished the night 12-of-20 passing for 134 yards and a score, followed by Lesnau going 5-of-6 for 85 yards and a touchdown. Lance led the way for the receivers with three catches for 65 yards and a score, followed by Bass with 52 yards and a score, and Killian Barnes with three catches for 29 yards.
Moton led the ground game with 10 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns, followed by McCarty with 146 yards and three scores.
McAlester will next set its sights on Shawnee as the Buffs travel to take on the Wolves on Oct. 29, with the possibility of clinching a district title on the line.
"I think every win is important. Every week we step out here, we want to win and win big," Mazey said. "We've just got to figure it out and get it done. We're more than able...and have a chance for the district championship.
"We want to be peaking at the right time," he added. "We can't be peaking right now, we need to be peaking at Week 11, 12, 13, 14."
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
