Elk City avenges last season's 4A semifinal loss to Clinton with hard-fought 14-12 win

Elks use two first-half touchdown runs and hold off late rally to get their revenge

By Collin Wieder

ELK CITY - It was sloppy, physical, penalty-filled, chippy and at times ugly, but the Class 4A No. 9 ranked Elk City football team finally got the win it searched for since its bid at a state title came up short in the semifinals last year.

The Elks knocked off I-40 rival and 4A No. 3 ranked Clinton, 14-12, Friday night at home. 

The Elks (4-1 overall, 1-0 in District 4A-1) scored on an 80-yard touchdown run by senior slotback Cooper Patton in the first quarter, added a 10-yard TD run by senior quarterback Austin Jones in the second quarter, then held off a late rally by the Red Tornadoes (3-2, 1-1) to capture the win.

The game definitely featured rivalry-game energy and chaos. The two western powers combined for six turnovers, a bevy of penalties and a couple of ejections, but it was the Elks that came out on top.

Patton accounted for 107 total yards and one TD on seven offensive touches and picked off a pass on defense.

Senior fullback Levy Owens provided tough running on the ground, churning out 61 yards on 16 carries, while junior running back Cooper Garbarino carried six times for 23 yards, including the “Bush-push-esque” run on fourth-and-5 near midfield to seal the win away late in the fourth.

Elk City's defense also held the Reds to just 160 yards of total offense.

The victory checks a lot of boxes for EC and first-year head coach Zac Maynard. First, it clears the slate on a rivalry that’s been dominated by Clinton over the years and in recent seasons. Elk had lost five straight games to the Reds, including two in 2021 (a late-season district matchup and the state semis).

It’s also a marquee win for Maynard, who moves to 4-1 in his debut campaign. He was the team’s defensive coordinator last year and remembers how brutal the semifinal defeat was.

“It’s great for our confidence, and it’s great for our program, town and community,” Maynard said after the win. “We wanted to avenge that loss, and we had a lot of (last season's) seniors that came by earlier (Friday) and saw them. They’re out here somewhere, and I’m sure I’ll hug their necks, too."

EC overcame an abysmal start that could’ve spiraled the other way. The Elks went three-and-out on their opening possession and had their punt blocked after a high snap.

Clinton took over at the Elk 1, and junior quarterback Cooper Sulley took it in himself to give CHS the lead two minutes into the game.

Despite the poor start, Elk City caught a break that would prove massive down the line. Clinton’s ensuing extra point never got off the ground due to a bad snap, holding Clinton’s lead to 6-0.

To make matters worse, a few drives later, CHS recovered a fumble at the Elk 30, but the defense kept Clinton off the scoreboard. The Elks swarmed under the sweep and fullback belly plays that are Clinton’s bread and butter; a trend that became familiar on the night.

The defensive stop led to the biggest play of the night. Elk struggled to get anything going offensively, but Patton flipped the script.

Senior QB Austin Jones faked the fullback handoff up the gut and gave it to Patton on the misdirection. The speedy senior split two defenders, hit the left sideline and made an 80-yard house call and a 7-6 Elks’ lead.

“To be honest, when I get the ball, I black out,” Patton said about his touchdown run. “I kinda remember and kinda don’t.

"I learned this year, just run forward. No juke, no nothing, just try to find the gap and take off.”

A back-and-forth field position battle ensued for a bit, before Elk went on an Owens-heavy drive that made it down to the Clinton 11.

EC faced fourth-and-2, but took the aggressive option. It paid off, as Clinton sold out to stop the fullback dive, and Jones walked in from 11 yards out to extend the lead and score the eventual game-clincher just halfway through the second quarter.

For much of the next two quarters, it appeared Clinton wouldn’t get in the end zone again. The Reds had six drives reach EC territory, but only two netted points.

However, the returning state champs were never out of the fight. Clinton got a possession on the EC 34 and managed to cut the lead down to two.

Sulley found fullback Trey Bennett on a little flare route out of the backfield for a 17-yard gain to ignite the drive. Finally, Sulley finished it off with his second TD rush from 1 yard out, with 9:26 to play in the contest.

However, CHS still needed a two-point conversion to tie the game. Sulley rolled left and lofted one up to senior wideout Javion Hill, who made the catch, but couldn’t keep his feet in bounds due to tight coverage from Patton.

It was the last chance CHS would get. The Elks' defense contained the Reds, and the offense did just enough.

Needing to close out the game late, Maynard chose to go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Elk 46, instead of punting it away.

Garbarino lined up at quarterback in the pistol, with the backs in a wishbone backfield. Garbarino took the snap, faked to Owens, kept it and powered forward for what looked like was only going to be a 1-yard gain.

However, a host of Elks pushed the junior forward for a first down to melt the clock out.

To Maynard, the play encompassed everything football stands for, and Friday, that effort led to a massive win

“To me, that’s what football is all about,” he said. "If I’ve got to pick somebody up to get us there, then by golly, that’s what we’re going to do to be successful.”