Skiatook hosted Altus for the 5A State Quarterfinals and what was one of the most significant home playoff games in recent years. The teams were eerily similar: both teams are the Bulldogs, both teams came into the game 10-1, and both teams’ only loss was to another team that remains in the playoff hunt.

In many ways, Skiatook and Altus seemed to be twins, split only geographically by the panhandle state.

The biggest difference of the season came down to this: only one could move on to the semi-finals.

And it was Skiatook. By a 20-7 landslide.

Jayden Garner was the offensive x-factor for Skiatook, rushing for 108 yards on 5 carries, and senior T.K. Wilkerson added 78 yards and a touchdown of his own.

The story of the night, however, was the Skiatook defense. Chandler Perigo, a defensive anchor, said that Skiatook came out of the gate “committed and determined to finish.” He also said, “Altus was a strong physical team, but there was no way we were going to lose this game. I’m humbled to be playing November football and blessed to be a part of this team.”

Jeran Seabolt, Jaxson Down, and the rest of Skiatook’s defense played the best game of the year, shutting down the dangerous Altus offense and forcing seven fumbles throughout the game—three of which were recovered by Skiatook..

Altus looked shaky from the start. Two of those fumbles came the first four plays. They managed to recover the first fumble, but lost the second—a botched long snap on a punt— to Jaxson Dohn, and that set up Skiatook to score on the first offensive play of the game. Wilkerson powered into the endzone from 12 yards out and Skiatook went up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.

After running out almost a quarter and a half, another long snap mishap on Altus’s third possession led to Skiatook recovering on Altus’s 30.

This time, it was Altus who made a defensive play. Korey Miller, Skiatook’s senior quarterback, threw a fade into the quarter of the endzone for Garner, but the slightly underthrown ball was intercepted and Altus earned a touchback with 4:50 left in the half.

Altus couldn’t get much going on offense, so Skiatook took a 7-0 lead into halftime despite only having a total of 29 offensive yards.

That quickly changed in the third. Skiatook stretched that lead out to 14-0 with 10:20 on the clock when sophomore Jayden Garner took a reverse 61 yards to the house, blazing past the Altus secondary.

At the 2:02 mark in the third, Korey Miller’s QB keeper touchdown from 6 yards out seemed to be the score that broke Altus’ back. With the score suddenly 20-0 and a larger deficit then they’d seen all year, Altus looked worried.

Their first score of the night came with 6:58 left in the game with a pitch on a desperate 4th and 24 than ended up turning into a 40-yard touchdown.

Still, it was far too-little, too-late for Altus. They couldn’t stop Skiatook, who exhausted the clock, winning 20-7.

There was only room for one Bulldogs team in the state semi-finals, and that spot is saved for the Skiatook Bulldogs.
