Bixby gets its revenge on Jenks, 28-14; Spartans now will go after Class 6AI title

Spartans break second-half tie with two touchdowns in avenging Nov. 3 defeat

By Mike Moguin | Photos by Christian Potts 

BROKEN ARROW - Painful memories from its Nov. 3 loss and an awareness of Jenks' history of rallies, the Bixby defense made sure the Trojans did not see the end zone in the second half. 

It paid off, and the Spartans got revenge in a hard-fought 28-14 win against the Trojans in a Class 6AI state semifinal game Friday at Memorial Stadium in Broken Arrow.

There was also an array of turnovers in the game and Bixby made its share, but also had to survive some of its miscues.

Meanwhile, the Spartan offense scored two second-half touchdowns to break a tie, with quarterback Connor Kirby throwing for one and running for another.

Once they took the lead in the second half, the Spartans knew that no lead against Jenks is safe.

Not only did the Trojans win the regular season meeting, 38-35, at Bixby, with the game being broadcast by ESPN2 for a national television audience, but they have a history of comeback victories, including 35-34 in overtime against Broken Arrow on Oct. 28 and 34-31 against Mustang in the quarterfinals last week.

In the latter, The Trojans were down, 31-12, headed into the fourth quarter.

“We know they’ll never stop playing,” senior running back/linebacker Jersey Robb said in regards to Jenks. “They have that ‘Jenks Magic,’ but we don’t really believe in that.

"We just kept playing hard, we put our foot on the neck, and put them away.”

Robb, an Oklahoma State wrestling signee, did score on TD on offense that tied the game leading up to a 14-14 deadlock in the second quarter.

Bixby had a chance to take the lead at the break when it had first down at the Jenks 12-yard line. But as Kirby attempted to throw to a receiver in the end zone, he was picked off by the Trojans’ Sam Stone with five seconds left.

Jenks took over at its 20 and let the clock run out.

The Spartans got another opportunity to take the lead when they got the ball to start the second half and they capitalized, using an 80-yard, 10-play drive, with Kirby completing a 5-yard TD pass to Arkansas tight end commit Luke Hasz. Bixby was up, 21-14, and it proved to be the go-ahead score with 9:22 to go in the third quarter.

There was quite the turnover drama leading up to the next Spartan TD.

After an exchange of punts, Jenks began possession at the Bixby 46.

On the first play, Trojan quarterback Ike Owens was sacked for a 2-yard loss, then fumbled before the ball was recovered by a teammate. Jaiden Carroll got the 2 yards back on the next play on a rush; then on third down, threw a deep pass intended for Ty Walls.

Just as it looked as if Walls was going to catch it around the 10, Bixby’s Cale Fugate read the route and moved in front of Walls to make the interception, returning it to the Spartan 45.

“It was a phenomenal play,” Bixby coach Loren Montogomery said. “Cale is incredibly fast, he did a good job breaking on it.”

Bixby moved the ball, looking as if it were going to cash in on the pick, when it reached the Jenks 23, but the Spartans fumbled and it was recovered by the Trojans.

The third quarter closed after that play.

The Trojans started at the 18 as the fourth quarter began, but two plays in, Owens got picked off again, this time by Dylan Hasz, twin brother of Luke Hasz, taking it to the Jenks 36.

Five plays later, Kirby ran for a 7-yard TD with 9:33 left and the score was where it would eventually end.

On Jenks’ last drive, with third-and-7 from the Bixby 44, the Spartan defense sacked Owens for a 1-yard loss. Then from fourth-and-8 at the 45, Owens threw a pass caught by Houston commit Jalyn Stanford, but Stanford could only muster 5 yards before being brought down.

Bixby took over at its 40 with 3:24 left and moved to the Trojan 46, before taking knees.

When both teams met on Nov. 3, Bixby never led.

On Friday, the Spartans got the first lead with Kordell Gouldsby scoring on an 18-yard rush with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

But Jenks eventually got out in front, 14-7, quick.

The Trojans' tying TD came with Owens running to the goal line on a 47-yard keeper about a minute and a half after Bixby’s score. Owens then found Jordan Schelling for a 74-yard TD with five full minutes left in the opening quarter, but after that, there would no more points scored by the Trojans.

It appeared as if Bixby tied the game when Brandon Hobbs returned a Jenks fumble 34 yards to the end zone for a TD, but it was called back due to a blindside block on the return by the Spartans.

Bixby had the ball at the Jenks 44, but it would be intercepted by Stone, who also had a pick later, on the next play.

In the second quarter, an interception by the Spartans' Jakeb Snyder set up Robb’s tying TD from 29 yards on the next play. That came with 5:46 yards left in the second half and the game was tied.

“We put that play in later this week and we knew they were going to fly over the top,” Robb said. “It was a super well-designed play. We knew that was going to hit.

"Everyone did their part, so it made it easy on me to do my part and get in the end zone.”

Bixby advances to the final in its first season in Division I of Class 6A after playing eight seasons in Division II, where the Spartans played in the state final every year, winning seven championships.

“It’s an opportunity to play another week,” Montgomery said. “It’s a big deal for us. I’m real proud for our guys.”