SKIATOOK — You had to know Shae Garner was going to be involved Friday when the Skiatook Bulldogs pulled out yet another wild football finish.
The junior running back caught a tipped, 47-yard pass from Brendon Babb for the deciding touchdown with 1:29 left as the No. 5 Bulldogs pulled out a 17-13 win over McAlester in a battle of Class 5A unbeatens before 4,000 spectators in Hap Dunlap Field.
Garner made three other big plays as the Bulldogs upset McAlester for the second consecutive year and won for the fourth time this season by four points or less.
“I don’t know what it is, but we have some fight in us,” he said.
Garner scored the winning touchdown in a 28-27 win at Shawnee last week and made key plays in the passing game in a 16-13 win over Oologah.
“He’s a playmaker and we’re gonna give him the football and he makes things happen,” Skiatook coach Vance Miller said.
Garner set up another TD with a 49-yard option pass to Jaren Knight, had another key reception in Skiatook’s deciding drive in the fourth quarter and ended McAlester’s final possession by intercepting a pass.
Skiatook improved to 6-0 overall and took sole possession of first place in District 5A-3 at 2-0 while McAlester fell to 5-1 and 1-1. The Bulldogs visit Memorial on Thursday while McAlester hosts Noble.
Both strong running teams were held under 100 rushing yards in the furious defensive struggle. McAlester led 7-3 on Deon Smith’s 1-yard run in the third quarter and Skiatook was running out of ideas about how to get the ball it its playmaker’s hands.
That’s when offensive coordinator Bobby Cooper dug into what he calls his “necessary plays,” Miller said. Garner went right with a pitch from Babb, pulled up and threw an open Knight behind the secondary. Knight carried to the McAlester 2 and Beyen, a rugged linebacker on defense, took a direct snap from center on the next play, putt the Bulldogs ahead 10-7.
“We practiced that play buit we knew we had to find the right time to use it,” Miller said. “We knew McAlester’s defensive backs were gonna come up to tackle when they knew (Garner) had the ball and (Knight) was able to get behind them.”
McAlester surged back in front, 13-10, on Breyden Parker’s 22-yard pass to Mackey Eales and it looked like the Buffs would win when Skiatook faced fourth-and-10 from its 34 with under 1:30 left.
But Garner caught a 14-yarder from Babb. Following a five-yard penalty against the Buffs, the same pair teamed up on the 47-yarder for the deciding score. A defensive back leaped at the goal line and tipped the ball and it fell directly to Garner, similar to a key play he made against Oologah.
“You’ve gotta give it up to ‘em,” McAlester coach James Singleton said. “They’re a great football team and they made plays down the stretch. It was a great high school football game and when you play good teams, they’re gonna make big plays, too.”
