Lawton Squeaks Past Booker T. To Advance To Second Round

It was a chance to show how far they had come in just one season. Last year an undefeated Lawton Wolverine football squad welcome underdog Bixby to Cameron Stadium for the opening round of the 2015 Oklahoma High School Football Playoffs. That day, the Wolverines looked like anything but a heavy favorite, struggling on both sides of the ball, and they were dealt a 36-6 loss by the visiting Spartans, eliminating Lawton in the first round of the playoffs.

The Wolverines finished the 2016 6A-II season 5-2, ranked #4 in their division, earning another opening round home game, this time welcoming the Booker T. Washington Hornets to Cameron Stadium. Washington finished the season with a 4-2 conference record.

Lawton jumped on Washington early, as Zack Hanna threw two first hald touchdown passes to Dominick Neal, including a 56-yarder, then held off the Hornets to advance to the second round with a hard fought 21-20 win.

With Lawton holding a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, Booker T. Washington answered back as D.J. Jones hauled in a pass from quarterback Phillip Wheatle and took it 66-yards to narrow Lawton's lead to 14-7. The Hornets had a chance to tie the game in the third quarter after Wheatle found Trace Linn for another touchdown pass, but BTW missed the extra point, and the Wolverines held on to a narrow 14-13 lead.

Momentum seemed to have shifted Washington's way, and on their next possession, a punt by the Hornets deflected off of a Lawton player, and after the Hornets' Mahcel Johnson fell on the ball in the end zone, the extra point gave Washington their first lead of the game at 20-14.

Both teams struggled on offense through the fourth quarter until Zach Hanna found Jayquan Lincoln with a little over a minute left, for the game winner, and Lawton narrowly avoids a first round exit for the second straight year, taking down Booker T. Washington 21-20 Saturday.

Hanna was 11 of 22 passing for the Wolverines, throwing for 240 yards on the night. The Wolverine rushing game struggles all night against Booker T. all night, accounting for only 28 yards on 30 carries, led by Tre Curry's 45 yards on 15 carries.

The Wolverines now prepare to take on number two Muskogee in round two. The Roughers, who finished the regular season 5-1 in conference play, emerged a 24-22 winner over Stillwater in round 1, will host the Wolverines next Friday night.