The Wilson Tiger varsity football team will kick off their third season August 24 at home against the Eagle Point Christian Academy Eagles. The Tigers hold a 2-0 record against the Eagles, defeating Eagle Point 54-8 for its only win in 2016, then edging the Eagles 66-56 in 2017 - one of three wins for the Wilson gridiron squad last season. Unlike 2016, the Wilson squad needed just four games to record their first win of the 2017 season, edging past the Olive Wildcats 44-42. The 10-point win over Eagle Point came four weeks later, while the third and final victory for the Tigers in 2017 was a 44-10 victory over Life Christian in Week 9. When the Tigers take the field August 24 at home against Eagle Point, they will do so with a new head football coach with Donovan Goodno taking over the reins of the Wilson football club after the departure of Ronnie Titsworth, who guided the Wilson squad the first two seasons of their football existence. Before the August 24 season opener, the Henryetta Free-Lance would like to take a look back at the Tigers' 2017 season. Below are excepts of game articles from each of the Tigers' 10 regular-season contests in 2017.

Dragons bounce Tigers in 2017 opener

Dewar's Fowler tallies four scores in debut

HENRYETTA - The Dewar Dragons opened their 2017 varsity football season this past Friday against county rival, the Wilson Tigers. The Dragons picked up their fourth-straight season-opening win with a 78-6 decision over the host Tigers. Dewar's Joey Fowler had an outstanding 'rookie' debut last Friday. The Dragon freshman quarterback recorded four touchdowns in his first high school football game. Fowler rushed for one score, threw for two more, and also found the end zone on defense. Fowler finished 4 of 5 passing for 135 yards and 2 TDs in his debut as the Dragon signal caller. Junior Rhett Whitlow, who served as the starting quarterback last season, also found the end zone four times during the season-opening win. Whitlow hauled in both TD passes from Fowler and also had a defensive touchdown in the contest. Whitlow's other score came on special teams. Boogie Brown and Josh Maldonado each had a pair of rushing touchdowns for Dewar, while the final tally for the Dragons came from Baylor Selby on defense. In total, the Dragons recorded seven offensive touchdowns, three defensive touchdowns, and one special teams touchdown. Kelby Carter split the uprights with four PAT kicks for Dewar. The Dragons converted four of five 2-point conversions in the contest.

Tigers drop road meeting with Graham-Dustin

Wilson remains winless in 2017 after 66-20 setback

HENRYETTA - The Wilson Tiger varsity football team fell to 0-2 on the year with a 66-20 loss to the Graham-Dustin Chieftains this past Friday night on their home field. The Tigers fell into a huge hole early on and was unable to overcome the large deficit, suffering the mercy-rule setback to the Chieftains. Graham-Dustin improved to 2-0 on the year with the win. The Chieftains began the 2017 season with a 66-36 win over Life Christian Academy on August 25. Graham-Dustin tallied 30 points in the opening quarter for a 30-0 advantage. On the first play of the second period, the Tigers found the end zone on a 25-yard TD pass from Michael McKinney to Malik Thompson. Wyatt Danker crossed the goal line for the conversion to cut the deficit to 30-8 with 11:50 remaining before halftime. As a team, Wilson finished with 168 yards of total offense - 117 passing and 51 rushing. McKinney led the rushing attack for the Tigers with 34 yards on eight carries, while Thompson completed 3 of 9 passes for 92 yards, 2 TDs, and one interception to lead the Wilson passing against Graham-Dustin. John Berryhill was the leading tackler for the Tigers on defense with seven tackles and one forced fumble. The quartet of Danker, McKinney, Gabriel Hebert, and Silas Mitchell were next for Wilson with four tackles apiece. Thompson came away with the only takeaway on defense for the Tigers with a fumble recovery.

Tigers fall at home to Immanuel Lutheran

Wilson gridiron squad continues to improve despite 62-30 loss

HENRYETTA - The Wilson Tiger football team remains winless in 2017 after suffering a 62-30 loss this past Friday night at home against the Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy Crusaders. Despite the loss, the Tigers continue to improve on the football field in just their second year of gridiron action. In last Friday's meeting with Immanuel Lutheran, Malik Thompson got the scoring started for the host Tigers, crossing the goal line on a 3-yard run at 6:20 of the first quarter. Thompson then bounced into the end zone on the conversion try to give Wilson the early 8-0 advantage. With 1:14 left in the opening frame, Michael McKinney pushed the Wilson lead to 14-0 with a 10-yard TD run. Immanuel Lutheran got on the scoreboard at 10:49 of the second quarter with a rushing touchdown. The try for two was successful to make it a 14-8 advantage for the host Wilson Tigers. Thompson was the offensive leader for Wilson, rushing 15 times for 114 yards and 2 TDs, while also completing 9 of 18 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. McKinney was the leading tackler for the Tigers with 11 tackles. Berryhill was next for Wilson defensively with 10 tackles, one quarterback sack, and a fumble recovery. Demmit had nine tackles for Wilson, while the duo of Silas Mitchell and Gabe Hebert had four tackles each in the loss.

Tigers notch first win of 2017

Thompson finds Cobey Sellers for game-winner against Olive

HENRYETTA - It took the Wilson Tigers six games last season to capture their first-ever varsity football victory. In 2017, the Tigers needed only four games to score their first win of the season. The first win for the Wilson football team in 2017 came this past Friday night at Tiger Field, defeating the Olive Wildcats 44-42 in a thriller that went down to the wire. The Tigers trailed 42-36 with 1:20 left in regulation and needed to go 60 yards for the game-winning score with 10 seconds left on the gameclock. The game-winning score came on a 15-yard pass from Malik Thompson to Cobey Sellers. Thompson then sealed the 2-point win by crossing the goal line on the 2-point conversion attempt. Olive had two chances to spoil the Tigers' win, but both pass attempts fell incomplete to give the Wilson squad the 44-42 victory. The win improves Wilson's season record at 1-3. Thompson finished the contest with a season-best 303 yards passing and 4 TDs, completing 20 of 35 passes with only one interception. Josiah Sellers was the top receiver for the Tigers, hauling in seven passes for 170 yards and two sccores. McKinney was next for Wilson in the receiving department with six catches for 92 yards and two TDs. John Berryhill and Tyler Frank led the Wilson defensive attack with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery each. McKinney was next defensively for the Tigers with eight tackles, followed by Wyatt Danker with seven tackles. Josiah Sellers came away with a fumble recovery on an onside kick and an interception defensively for Wilson in the thrilling victory.

Tigers suffer heartbreaking loss at home

Late touchdown difference in Wilson's 58-50 defeat to South Coffeyville

HENRYETTA - Two weeks ago, the Wilson Tigers scored their first win of 2017 by scoring with 10 seconds left to defeat Olive by a 44-42 decision. Last Friday, the Tigers were once again in a tough battle, playing host to the South Coffeyville Lions in the final game of a 5-game homestand for the Wilson squad. The Tigers led 42-36 with 12 minutes left in regulation, then rallied from a 50-42 deficit with a score with four minutes left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 50-50. Three minutes later, the visiting Lions found the end zone on a 3-yard run to take a 58-50 advantage. The Tigers' hopes for a game-tying score and conversion fell by the wayside with an interception on the first play of the final drive to suffer the 58-50 defeat. Despite the loss, it was the second time the Tigers put up 50 or more points on the scoreboard in a game - second to the 54 scored last year in a 54-8 win over Eagle Point Academy. The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-4 on the year. In last Friday's home game against South Coffeyville, the Tigers got the scoring started with 7:55 left in the opening quarter on a 17-yard interception return by Michael McKinney. The pass attempt on the conversion try was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 6-0, in favor of the host Tigers. An 18-yard TD run by South Coffeyville at the 10:15 mark of the fourth quarter tied the game at 42-42, then the Lions got a 10-yard TD run and conversion at 7:37 to take over the lead at 50-42. With four minutes left in regulation, Thompson raced into the end zone from three yards out, then found Cobey Sellers in the end zone for the conversion to knot the score at 50-50. South Coffeyville got a 3-yard TD run with exactly one minute left in regulation for a 56-50 advantage. The Lions then ran in the conversion attempt to push their lead to eight, 58-50, with 60 seconds remaining in the fourth. An interception on the first play following the score brought the Tigers' late rally attempt to an end with South Coffeyville running out the remaining time off the clock to hand the Wilson squad the 58-50 defeat. Berryhill was the leading tackler on defense for the Tigers with 16 tackles. McQuay was next for Wilson with eight tackles. The Tigers intercepted the South Coffeyville quarterback a total of five times in the contest - two each by McKinney and McQuay and one by Thompson. Gabe Hebert came away with the sixth defensive takeaway for Wilson last Friday, recovering a fumble.

Tigers shut out at Wesleyan Christian

Wilson fails to score for first time in 8 games in 48-0 loss

BARTLESVILLE - The Wilson Tigers suffered their first shutout defeat in eight games this past Friday night. The last time the Wilson squad failed to reach the end zone in a game was last October 7 in a 48-0 loss to Claremore Christian in the Tigers' home opener. Eight games later, the Tigers found themselves on the short end of another 48-0 shutout loss - this time to the Wesleyan Christian Mustangs. In its first five games of 2017, the Wilson gridiron squad had produced scores of 6, 20, 30, 44, and 50, respectively. The 44-point performance came in Week 3 in a 44-42 win over Olive. The other point totals came in losses to Dewar, Graham-Dustin, Immanuel Lutheran Christian, and South Coffeyville, respectively.

In the first five games of the season, the Tigers' passing game had averaged 170.8 yards per game, including a season-best 303 yards in the win over Olive.

In last Friday's meeting with Wesleyan Christian, the Tigers completed just two passes for a season-low total of 55 yards. The previous season-low passing yards was 62 in the season opener against Dewar.

Since the 62-yard performance against Dewar, the Wilson passing game had seen totals of 117, 161, 303, and 211, respectively, for an average of 198 yards per game.

The longest running play for the Tigers last Friday was a 30-yard run by Kalem McQuay. McQuay was also the leading tackler on defense for Wilson, followed by John Berryhill. Cobey Sellers ended a scoring opportunity for Wesleyan Christian in the contest, recovering a fumble near the goal line.

The host Mustangs put up 30 points in the first 12 minutes of action, then brought the game to close on the 45-point mercy rule at halftime with 18 points in the second quarter for the 48-0 decision.

Tigers fall at Claremore Christian

Wilson squad unable to overcome

early deficit in 64-18 setback

CLAREMORE - The Wilson Tigers dropped to 1-6 on the year with a 64-18 loss to the host Claremore Christian Warriors last Friday night.

Despite the mercy-rule loss, the Tigers were able to find the end zone on three occasions in the contest. All three of Wilson's scores against Claremore Christian came through the air in the second quarter.

Offensively, the Tigers finished with 216 yards of total offense with 187 coming in the passing game. Malik Thompson completed 7 of 23 passes for 177 yards and 3 TDs, while the only other completion came on a 10-yard pass from Cobey Sellers.

Kalem McQuay led the Wilson rushing attack with nine carries for 44 yards.

The top receiver for the Tigers last Friday was Michael McKinney with three catches for 95 yards and a score.

Tigers clip Eagle Point, 66-56

Wilson earns second win of 2017 in 10-point decision

SAPULPA - The Wilson Tigers added another milestone to the record books of varsity football at WHS last Friday night.

The Tigers notched their first 2-win season last Friday with a hard-fought 66-56 victory over the host Eagle Point Academy Eagles.

Last Friday's 10-point win marks the first time that the Wilson football team has earned two victories in one season in school history. The double-digit victory is also the second-straight win over Eagle Point, as the Tigers defeated the Eagles 54-8 last October for their very first high school football victory.

The win over Eagle Point puts the Tigers at 2-6 on the year heading into this week's 'Bye Week'.

The Wilson gridiron squad will return to action next Friday (October 27) at home against the Life Christian Eagles.

In last Friday's meeting with Eagle Point, the host Eagles got the scoring started at 6:51 of the opening quarter with a passing touchdown. The run attempt on the conversion try was good, putting the Tigers in an early 8-0 deficit.

Wilson needed just 13 seconds to answer Eagle Point's score, as Kalem McQuay raced 46 yards to paydirt for the first Tiger score of the contest. Malik Thompson then found Michael McKinney on the conversion try to knot the score at 8-8 with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

Eagle Point regained the lead at 6:23 of the first on a rushing touchdown. The try for two was unsuccessful, as the Wilson defense kept the Eagle ballcarrier out of the end zone to make it a 14-8 contest.

Josiah Sellers hauled in a 25-yard TD pass from Thompson at 1:51 of the first to tie the score at 14-14 after the first 12 minutes of action.

With 11:34 left before halftime, the Tigers took their first lead of the contest, as Thompson found Josiah Sellers on a 58-yard aerial strike. The sophomore quarterback then connected with Wyatt Danker on the conversion attempt to make it a 22-14 advantage for the visitors.

Twenty-one seconds later, Thompson crossed the goal line on a 3-yard TD run, then completed the 2-point conversion pass to McKinney to push the Wilson advantage to 30-14 with 11:13 remaining in the first half.

A 3-yard run by McKinney at the 7:11 mark of the second quarter extended the Tiger lead to 36-14.

The host Eagles notched a rushing touchdown at 5:06 of the fourth to cut the Wilson lead to 58-48.

That was as close as Eagle Point got to defeating the Tigers in the contest, as Thompson completed a 51-yard TD pass to Cobey Sellers with 2:57 left in regulation. Thompson then finished off his stellar passing night by finding Braden Bowen on the conversion attempt to push the Tiger lead to 66-48.

The host Eagles returned the ensuing kickoff for a score with 2:40 left and added the conversion to make it a 66-56 contest.

The Wilson offense ran out the remaining time off the game clock to walk away with the hard-fought 66-56 victory and record the Tigers' first 2-win season in school history.

The Tigers finished with 534 yards of total offense in the contest, including 362 yards through the air. Thompson was 17 of 28 passing for 347 yards with 6 TDs and two interceptions. Cobey Sellers accounted for the other pass completion - a 15-yard pass to Thompson. Thompson was the top rusher for Wilson, finishing with 94 yards rushing on 17 carries and one score. McKinney was next in the rushing department for the Tigers with 57 yards rushing on six carries and one touchdown.

The top receiver for Wilson in the 10-point win was Josiah Sellers with five catches for 178 yards and 4 TDs. McQuay was next with four catches for 87 yards and one score.

Defensively, McQuay and Berryhill were the top tacklers for the Tigers with 16 tackles apiece. Danker was next with 12, followed by Tyler Frank with 10 and Cobey Sellers with eight.

The Wilson defense came away with two takeaways in the contest. McQuay intercepted a pass, while McKinney recovered an Eagle Point fumble.

Tigers rout Life Christian for third win of 2017

Wilson passes for 433 yards in 44-10 victory

HENRYETTA - The Wilson Tigers continue to add to their football history books in 2017.

The Tigers recorded their third win of the season last Friday night with a 44-10 victory over the visiting Life Christian Eagles.

The 44-point total is the fourth time that the Wilson squad has posted 40 or more points in a game this season. The other 40-plus point totals by the Tigers this season are 44 in a win against Olive, 50 in a loss to South Coffeyville, and 66 in a win over Eagle Point.

Against Life Christian, the Wilson offense recorded a total of 537 yards, including 433 coming through the air. Four different players combined to complete 14 of 27 passes with 5 TDs and one interception.

Malik Thompson was the top passer for the Tigers, completing 7 of 14 passes for 231 yards with 2 TDs and one interception. Cobey Sellers was next in the passing game for Wilson, completing 6 of 11 passes for 167 yards and 3 TDs. The only other pass completion for the Tigers belonged to Josiah Sellers and went for a 35-yard gain.

The top receiver for Wilson was John Berryhill with four catches for 168 yards and one score. Josiah Sellers was next with 122 yards on three catches and a touchdown. Other Wilson players with at least one reception in the contest were Thompson, Cobey Sellers, Kalem McQuay, and Michael McKinney.

McKinney got the scoring started for the Tigers in last Friday's home finale, scoring on a 12-yard run with 8:21 left in the first quarter. Thompson then found Berryhill on the conversion attempt to lead 8-0 in the early part of the opening frame.

Life Christian found the end zone on the offensive side of the football with 5:10 left in the third on a 15-yard pass play. The conversion was good as the Eagle ballcarrier crossed the goal line on a run attempt, making it a 28-10 contest at the end of three quarters of action.

The Tigers made it a 36-10 contest at 7:30 in the fourth when Cobey Sellers hooked up with McKinney on a 25-yard pass play. Cobey Sellers then raced into the end zone on the conversion attempt to push the Wilson lead to 26 points.

The final tally for the Wilson squad in the home finale came with 1:10 left in regulation. Cobey Sellers completed his 3-touchdown night by firing a 42-yard aerial strike to his older brother, Josiah. Danker then bulled his way into the end zone for the conversion to put the finishing touches on the Tigers' 44-10 victory.

Tigers finish 2017 with loss to Graham-Dustin

Wilson drops regular-season finale

despite balanced offensive attack

WELEETKA - The Wilson Tigers ended Year 2 of their high school football program this past Friday night against the Graham-Dustin Chieftains.

The Tigers fought valliantly but found themselves on the short end of a 60-30 outcome to the host Chieftains. Ronnie Titsworth's Wilson squad finishes 2017 with a 3-7 record, making the Tigers 4-14 in their first two years of existence.

Against Graham-Dustin, the Tigers finished with 300 yards of total offense. The Wilson offense carried the football 17 times for 88 yards and completed 13 of 39 passes for 212 yards with 5 TDs and two interceptions. Two senior players - Silas Mitchell and Kalem McQuay - saw their high school careers at Wilson come to a close with the 30-point loss to Graham-Dustin.

Last Friday's contest was also the final game where all of the Tigers' contests were against non-district opponents. Beginning in 2018, the Wilson squad will move into an 8-team district - C-4 - and will battle the other seven teams for one of the four playoff spots next season. The Tigers will be joined in District C-4 by Graham-Dustin, Bowlegs, Bokoshe, Midway, Paoli, Sasakwa, and Webbers Falls.

In last Friday's regular-season finale against Graham-Dustin, the host Chieftains got the scoring started at the 10-minute mark of the opening quarter on a 25-yard TD pass. The Chieftains ran in the conversion attempt to take an early 8-0 advantage.

The Tigers got on the scoreboard for the first time in the contest with 9:02 left in the first on a 5-yard TD pass from Malik Thompson to Cobey Sellers. The conversion was unsuccessful, making it an 8-6 contest.

Wilson took over the lead at 12-8 at the 4:40 mark when Thompson found John Berryhill on a 19-yard pass play.

Graham-Dustin regained the lead at 14-12 at 1:10 of the first on a 12-yard TD run.

Twelve seconds into the final frame, Graham-Dustin made it a 60-24 contest with a 21-yard touchdown pass and successful conversion run.

The final tally of the contest came with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard pass from Thompson to Cobey Sellers.

The Tigers were unable to get any closer in the final nine minutes of regulation, suffering the 60-30 defeat. McQuay led the defensive stats for Wilson with a team-best 17 tackles. Berryhill was next for the Tigers with 15 tackles and a forced fumble, followed by Cobey Sellers with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Mitchell and McKinney recorded nine and eight tackles, respectively, for Wilson in the regular-season finale.

(All game articles written by Henryetta Free-Lance sports editor Larry Owen)

---

2017 Wilson Tiger Football

Record: 3-7

Game Results

Aug. 25 - Dewar 78, Wilson 6

Sept. 1 - Graham-Dustin 66, Wilson 20

Sept. 8 - Immanuel Lutheran Christian 62, Wilson 30

Sept. 15 - Wilson 44, Olive 42

Sept. 22 - South Coffeyville 58, Wilson 50

Sept. 29 - Wesleyan Christian 48, Wilson 0

Oct. 6 - Claremore Christian 64, Wilson 18

Oct. 13 - Wilson 66, Eagle Point 56

Oct. 20 - Bye Week

Oct. 27 - Wilson 44, Life Christian 10

Nov. 3 - Graham-Dustin 60, Wilson 30

---

2018 Schedule

Aug. 24 vs Eagle Point; 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 @ Wesleyan Christian; 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 vs Watts; 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 @ Life Christian; 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs Sasakwa; 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 @ Paoli; 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 vs Bowlegs; 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 @ Webbers Falls; 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs Graham/Dustin; 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 @ Midway; 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 Off Week