The Skiatook Bulldogs (Class 5A #2, 2-0) defeated the Oologah Mustangs (0-2) on Friday, September 7th. It was a game full of lots of turnovers, but a Nick Rutledge scoop ‘n score jumpstarted the Bulldogs en route to a 22-7 victory.

The Bulldogs came into the game following a 26-0 shutout of Glenpool at home after a defensive clinic that involved four takeaways. The Mustangs entered the game after losing 49-0 to Collinsville in the first week and losing two fumbles for scores.

It was a game that should have been lopsided on paper, but that was not the case. On a night full of rain, the run-heavy game was very tight from start to finish.

The first half was very low scoring and there were so many flags flying it seemed like the Fourth of July.

Skiatook finally scored late in the first half when Rutledge made a heads-up fumble recovery touchdown, and two more scores from Korbin McLaughlin in the second half helped the Bulldogs get the win.

Most of the first half was made up of empty possessions ending with the teams either stalling out or fumbling the wet ball. The first excitement came when Skiatook attempted a 38-yard field goal that was blocked, but the Mustangs fumbled on their own 12 two plays later, so the Bulldogs recovered in the red zone.

This fumble was followed by two more—one for Skiatook and one for Oologah—but the Bulldogs caught a break when Nick Rutledge recovered the Mustangs fumble and took it 75-yards to the house. A failed 2 point conversion gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.

A Jayden Garner interception set the Bulldogs up for one more first half drive, and some last-minute heroics by Evans put the Bulldogs in field goal range, setting Derek Eckenfels up for a field goal that gave Skiatook a 9-0 lead as the time expired.

As the conditions dried out a bit in the second half, Skiatook’s offense found a little more traction. Korbin McLaughlin scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third and the Bulldogs went up 22-0.

Oologah’s Dominic Ruff put the first points of the game on the board for Oologah on a pick-six, narrowing the gap to 22-7 as the third quarter closed.

The Mustangs came up with a big stop and tried to put together a late comeback, but Skiatook’s Jeran Seabolt made sure it wouldn’t happen as he came up with a clutch interception to help close out the Skiatook victory.

Skiatook plays next Thursday in Tulsa against Hale.
