Goldbugs make history with Friday night win

An ecstatic Alva football team doused Coach Taylor Schwerdtfeger with Gatorade Friday night. They were celebrating the first time the Goldbugs have made it into the state football semifinals.

With their 40-8 victory over Adair, the Alva team advances to play Millwood next week. Instead of the usual Friday night contest, the Class 2A semifinals are on Saturday night. Alva takes on Millwood at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at Enid High School.

In the other Class 2A contest, Washington will play Davis at Moore High School. That game is also Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m.

It’s a sweet victory for Coach Schwerdtfeger who graduated from Alva High School.

“I am so proud of these young men and my staff for what was a total dominating performance in a State Quarterfinal game,” he said. “To be able to play this deep in the playoffs in one thing, but to host the game and be able to make school history was an incredible experience.

“It was an amazing atmosphere Friday night and a huge thank you to all the fans and community who came out and shared Thanksgiving weekend with us!

“Again, we dominated the line of scrimmage both sides of ball, and a very impressive outing again from our defense has us playing the best ball we have played all season. We will play Millwood at Enid Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Semifinals. They have been called by some the best 2A football team in recent history and could compete in higher classes for state titles with their talent. They have won 26 in a row including the state title last season. We are excited at the opportunity to go represent Alva in such a big game against such a quality opponent.”

Alva fans have come to expect last minute come-from-behind finishes, but Friday night the Goldbugs took charge early and dominated play throughout the game. No one scored in the first period as the teams traded the football back and forth.

Alva broke the scoring drought in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 14-0 lead. They built that lead to 21 before Adair scored. The Goldbugs answered with another TD, ending the third quarter at 28-8. Two more Alva touchdowns in the fourth quarter sealed Adair’s fate with Alva winning 40-8.

Alva’s defense remained impressive throughout the game, allowing Adair only 203 yards with only 10 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Alva’s offense racked up 512 yards including 302 yards on the ground.

First Quarter Back and Forth

Adair won the coin toss and chose to receive the kickoff. They kept the ball for three plays but managed only two yards of gain.

After the punt, Alva took possession, making a first down in two plays that took them to midfield. On a third and eight, Goldbug quarterback Mitchell Meyer was carrying the ball when Adair's Brock Borin caused a fumble. Max Malchow of the Warriors fell on it.

This time Adair made a first down. On the next play, Lane Scarbrough sacked Adair quarterback Austin Hines for a six yard loss. The Warriors made up 11 yards before giving up the ball on an incomplete pass at the Alva 19.

Alva made only three yards before Meyer had to punt. He kicked the ball to the Adair 30, giving the Goldbugs some breathing room.

Adair started another drive, making it to midfield with some help from an Alva penalty. Then Hines had to punt.

This time, the Goldbug drive fell apart early. A run by Murrow gave Alva some forward progress, but a low snap led to a loss of about seven yards. Then Meyer's pass was picked off by Barrett Bradbury.

Adair started on Alva's 21, but Hines was immediately sacked for a loss of 10. The Warriors were going nowhere. On the fourth down, Hines tried a pass to Bradbury, but the ball was dropped.

Alva started on their 26, and Meyer ran the ball eight yards before the quarter ended.

Alva Offense Kicks In

The second period started off much like the first, but Alva began making a little more progress. After the Goldbugs made three first downs, Meyer was sacked for a big loss. Alva couldn't recover and had to punt.

Adair had to start on their 7 yard line. They ran five yards but a Warrior penalty set them back five. The drive stalled, and they had to punt.

Alva took over on the Adair 37. The Goldbugs made two first downs in carries by Murrow, Dalton Hess and Meyer. They started the next series at the Adair 13. Meyer handed the football to Hess who took it across the goal line. Cameron Gordon's extra point was good, and Alva led 7-0 with about four minutes remaining in the half.

After the kick, Adair started on their 20, losing a yard on the first pass play. Hines threw to Bradbury to advance to the 28. Hines' throw to Lapp went backwards, and Sam Toone tackled Lapp for a loss of two yards. The Warriors were forced to punt.

Starting on the Alva 29, Meyer threw to Lane Scarbrough who broke loose and took the ball to the Adair 23. Murrow carried the ball another four yards. Then Meyer connected on a pass to T.W. Beiswanger for the touchdown. Gordon's extra point was good, and Alva led 14-0.

The Goldbugs had managed a 61 yard scoring drive in just three plays.

Adair kept the ball for three plays and only five yards of progress before having to punt it away.

Alva took over at their 37, and Meyer made a nice 14 yard run to the Adair 49. On the next play, Meyer's pass to Faulkner was incomplete. But the penalty-plagued Goldbugs drew another flag, this time for ineligible receiver. The setback didn't mean much as the half was coming to an end.

Warriors Finally Score

It was Alva's turn to receive the kickoff to start the second half. The Goldbugs needed only three plays to score. Hess carried the ball two yards to the 29. On the next play, Meyer passed to Reece Martin. A tackle by Jacob Faulkner cleared the way, and the speedy Martin ran to the 42. Then Meyer handed to Hess who found a hole and ran for a 58 yard touchdown. Gordon's kick was good, and Alva led 21-0.

Adair kept the ball for four plays. Hines was running with the ball and took a hit. The ball popped loose, and Daniel Toone recovered for Alva.

The Goldbugs took over on the 49 and made it to the 31 when Alva drew their eighth penalty. Despite that, the Goldbugs made another first down. But the drive fizzled on the next set of plays. Murrow substituted at quarterback for a couple of plays after Meyer was shaken up on a play.

Adair took over and Bradbury broke loose for an 87 yard touchdown. Garrett Long carried for the two-point conversion. With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, Adair had some points on the board at 21-8.

The Goldbugs started off with a penalty on the first play. Alva gained nine yards on a throw to Beiswanger. Then Meyer threw to Martin who ran for the 59 yard touchdown. Again Gordon made good on his kick, and Alva led 28-8.

Adair made one first down, but had to give the ball back on the second drive.

Alva took over and made a little progress before the third quarter ended.

Two More TDs

While 28-8 was a nice lead, the game certainly wasn't over. Meyer ran the ball to Adair's 49. Hess made the next first down in one run. Murrow did the same, but it didn't count because more flags flew. This time they were offset with one for Alva (holding) and one for Adair (facemask). The count was 10 penalties on the Goldbugs and two on Adair so far. The referees called for a do over.

Meyer handed to Murrow who was dropped for a six yard loss. Meyer threw to Scarbrough who advanced the ball to the 19. Then Meyer connected on a pass to Beiswanger in the end zone for a fifth Alva TD. Gordon's kicks had been perfect to this point, but this attempt missed. Alva led 34-8.

Adair kept the ball for two plays, drawing a holding flag. Then Beiswanger picked off a pass and made it to the end zone. It didn't count as the referees called pass interference against Alva.

Adair took possession on their 19. They managed a first down in three plays. Then a pass by Hines was picked off by Murrow, and it was Alva's ball.

With a little over seven minutes left, things were looking bleak for Adair. Alva started on their 26 and in six plays had moved to Adair's 16. Hess rushed the 16 yards for the touchdown. The snap for the kick went awry, and Alva's extra point attempt was no good. Alva led 40-8.

Adair stayed in the game, making a couple of first downs. Daniel Toone came in for a quarterback sack on Hines at midfield. Then Scarbrough picked off a pass.

Alva took possession with a couple of minutes left on the clock. That's when some Goldbugs on the sideline crept behind Coach Schwerdtfeger and gave him a Gatorade bath. Getting in the spirit, other Alva players emptied their water bottles over assistant coaches.

With time still on the clock, Meyer knelt at midfield. Eventually he had to kick it away. Adair ran one play as time ran out.

Stats

Alva ran the ball 38 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns. Alva threw the ball 11 times for 210 yards and three TDs. The Goldbugs had 512 yards total on 54 plays, scoring six touchdowns. Alva had two turnovers.

The Goldbugs held Adair to just 10 yards rushing in 19 carries and caused one fumble. The Warriors made 16 of 31 pass attempts for 193 yards and one touchdown. Alva intercepted two passes.

Meyer ran 10 times for 74 yards and connected on 11 of 16 pass attempts for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Hess ran 19 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Murrow ran nine times for 53 yards and caught two passes for 18 yards. Beiswanger caught four passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Martin caught three passes for 86 yards and one TD. Scarbrough caught two passes for 49 yards.

Scarbrough had two sacks and one interception. Arturo Cisneros had two sacks. Daniel Toone had one sack and one fumble recovery. Samuel Toone caused one fumble. Murrow had one interception.

Up Next

The Goldbugs are now 12-1, a new record for Alva football. They move on to play Millwood next week. Game time is 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Enid High School. Millwood defeated Vian 44-0 Friday night.

In other quarterfinals in 2A, Washington topped Commerce 63-21, and Davis narrowly defeated Holland Hall 28-27 in overtime. Washington will meet Davis Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at Moore High School. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Alva-Millwood contest for the state title.

In Class C, Tipton defeated the Timberlake Tigers 56-8 in a semifinal at Weatherford. The other semifinal in Class C was played Saturday afternoon at NWOSU in Alva between Tyrone and Pond Creek-Hunter.

Local fans yearning for Friday night football will have the chance to watch a Class A semifinal next week. Crescent will take on Hooker Friday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. at NWOSU's Ranger Field in Alva.