Alex outlasts Laverne in Class B championship

By Jordan Beech

WEATHERFORD – Class B was the only division in Oklahoma prep football to have two undefeated teams featured in the season finale. Alex emerged victorious over Laverne, claiming its first-ever state championship with a 68-64 win in the championship at Fast Lane Field on the campus of Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford Saturday night.

Featuring two of the most high-powered offenses in Class B, it was a contest to see who would blink first. No. 1-ranked Laverne came in with a 40-game winning streak dating back to November 25, 2011 and a chance to win a third straight title. The Tigers averaged 55.5 points per game coming into the game. On the other side of the ball, No. 3-ranked Alex was playing in its first title game in 57 years while putting up 55.9 points per game.OSSAAlogo

The shootout began with Alex jumping out to a 14-0 lead through the first 8:56 of the game thanks to long runs by quarterback Dalton Alcorn and running back Kyler Thornburg. Laverne would answer back in the final minute of the quarter on a two-yard dive by quarterback Tanner Allen to pull within six points at 14-8.

The second quarter featured three lead changes, as the Laverne offense got rolling for four touchdowns, including an 80-yard pick-six by Tiger defensive back Hunter Person with 8:57 left in the half. Thornburg continued his dominant performance, answering Laverne’s touchdown just 19 seconds later on a 60 yard burst from the line of scrimmage. The Longhorns took back the lead with 5:03 remaining in the game on an 83-yard connection between Alcorn and tight end Jacob Otey to go up 28-24. Laverne responded with a 49-yard strike of their own 40 seconds later to reclaim the lead 32-28 going into the half.

Alex again rose to the challenge, coming out of halftime on a one-yard rush by Thornburg. There would be four more lead changes in the quarter, going into the pivotal final frame with Laverne up 56-48. Thornburg ripped off the first two scores of the fourth with rushes of 46 and 64 yards respectively to go up 62-56. Laverne scored their only touchdown of the period on a five-yard Allen run to take a 64-56 lead with 3:56 remaining.

The Tigers looked to have sealed the victory when Person got onto the end of an errant Alcorn pass, but dropped a sure interception with 3:04 remaining in the game. The Longhorns responded by marching 67 yards over the next six plays. Alcorn scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:46 remaining on a 21-yard run. Laverne then fumbled on their second play after the touchdown, with the ensuing ball recovered by Alex to seal the 64-62 victory.

The Longhorns’ Thornburg was an unstoppable force all night. Of Alex’s 809 total offensive yards, he accounted for 504 yards. His 478 yards on the ground set an Oklahoma playoff record among all classes, per VYPE Sports. His six touchdowns also tied for the third most in a playoff game. Alcorn also excelled in the game, gaining 329 total yards, including 143 on the ground and 186 through the air on 8-13 passing to score 4 total touchdowns.

Laverne found most of its 663 yards of offense through the air. Allen threw for 337 yards, connecting on 72.2 percent of his passes. He was also the Tigers leading rusher, gaining 163 yards on the ground to finish with 500 total yards and 6 total touchdowns (3 rushing, 3 passing). Ihzan Castillo was the main beneficiary of Allen’s aerial performance, hauling in nine passes for 307 yards and three scores.

The two teams combined for a whopping 1472 total offensive yards. There were also 17 combined touchdowns for a total of 132 points. Both teams ended with over 11 yards per play.

The Longhorns complete their undefeated season at 14-0. The Tigers, on the other hand, were handed their first defeat in 1107 days. With the victory, the gold ball will head to Alex for the first time in program history.

 

Scoring Summary:
1st 07:24 AHS – Dalton Alcorn 74 yd run (TEAM pass from Dalton Alcorn), 2-72 0:36, LHS 0 – AHS 8
03:04 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 59 yd run (Kyler Thornburg rush failed), 2-61 0:22, LHS 0 – AHS 14
00:30 LHS – Tanner Allen 2 yd run (Hunter Person rush), 7-80 2:34, LHS 8 – AHS 14
2nd 08:57 LHS – Hunter Person 80 yd interception return (Tanner Allen rush), , LHS 16 – AHS 14
08:38 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 60 yd run (Kyler Thornburg pass failed), 1-60 0:13, LHS 16 – AHS 20
05:23 LHS – Tanner Allen 10 yd run (Ihzan Castillo pass from Tanner Allen), 8-63 3:08, LHS 24 – AHS 20
05:03 AHS – Jacob Otey 84 yd pass from Dalton Alcorn (Jacob Otey pass from Kyler Thornburg), 1-84 0:14, LHS 24 – AHS 28
04:23 LHS – Ihzan Castillo 49 yd pass from Tanner Allen (Tanner Allen rush), 2-66 0:32, LHS 32 – AHS 28
3rd 07:34 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 1 yd run (Dalton Alcorn rush), 13-73 4:16, LHS 32 – AHS 36
06:48 LHS – Dalton Birch 46 yd run (Tanner Allen rush), 3-68 0:38, LHS 40 – AHS 36
04:11 AHS – Dalton Alcorn 20 yd run (Kyler Thornburg rush failed), 7-70 2:25, LHS 40 – AHS 42
02:19 LHS – Ihzan Castillo 39 yd pass from Tanner Allen (Tanner Allen rush), 4-49 1:51, LHS 48 – AHS 42
00:48 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 48 yd run (Kyler Thornburg rush failed), 5-65 1:31, LHS 48 – AHS 48
00:29 LHS – Ihzan Castillo 74 yd pass from Tanner Allen (Tanner Allen rush), 1-74 0:11, LHS 56 – AHS 48
4th 11:13 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 46 yd run (Kyler Thornburg rush), 4-57 1:05, LHS 56 – AHS 56
07:11 AHS – Kyler Thornburg 64 yd run (Dalton Alcorn pass failed), 5-75 2:03, LHS 56 – AHS 62
03:56 LHS – Tanner Allen 5 yd run (Trenton McConne pass from Tanner Allen), 6-70 3:06, LHS 64 – AHS 62
01:46 AHS – Dalton Alcorn 21 yd run (Dalton Alcorn pass failed), 7-67 2:04, LHS 64 – AHS 68

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *