In the lowest-scoring game of the Class C Playoffs in the current decade, Shattuck (10-1) edged out Grandfield (10-1) in the Class C semifinals held Monday night at ASAP Energy Field on the campus of Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. It’s the first time the Indians have advanced to the Class C championship game since they won it all in 2011 against Tipton, 26-6.
A stout defensive effort led the way from the start, as Shattuck held strong facing a Bearcat 4th-and-Goal from their own 8-yard line to start the game. The Indians’ Skylar Pshigoda made good on a 42-yard quarterback keeper, finding the end zone as time expired on the opening stanza. The two-point conversion was good, and Shattuck carried an 8-0 lead into the second quarter.
Both teams pitched a shutout over the entirety of the second and third quarters, though the Indians had a golden opportunity to score following a Grandfield fumble on their own eight that was recovered by Shattuck’s Riley Girton. However, a false start penalty pushed the Indians back on 2nd-and-Goal from the 4-yard line, and Shattuck was unable to punch the ball in over the next three plays.
The fourth quarter looked to be another scoreless one, but a short punt by the Bearcats, followed by a good return by Shattuck, set the Indians up on the Grandfield 5-yard line. Braxton Bruce produced the five-yard carry necessary to put the Indians up by two scores, and though the two-point try was unsuccessful, the score would prove enough to ice the win for Shattuck.
The 14 points scored by the Indians stands as the lowest total number of points scored by a winning team in a Class C playoff game since a 13-12 affair between Tipton and Deer Creek-Lamont in 2011. It is also the fewest points scored in a shutout during the Class C playoffs over the last five years.
The Indians will move on to face Coyle (14-0) in the Class C Championship on Saturday at Newcastle High School at 6 p.m. as reported by The Oklahoman’s Scott Wright.