In front of one of the largest and loudest home crowds of the season, the Beggs Junior High Golden Demons overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take down the previously unbeaten Holdenville Wolverines, 22-16 – and they did it in storybook fashion.

With the game – and two undefeated seasons – hanging in the balance, it was Beggs strong safety Saxon Aurthers who stole the show in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 16-14 with just over two minutes to play, Aurthers ripped the ball loose from a Holdenville running back and raced 61 yards down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown, flipping the momentum and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

But Holdenville wasn’t done yet. The Wolverines took over one last time with 2:30 left, determined to spoil the party. They reached the Beggs 20-yard line in just a few plays. But when it mattered most, the Demon defense rose to the occasion.

A 10-yard loss on a third-down run set up 4thand- 11, and fittingly, it was Aurthers again – blanketing the Holdenville receiver and forcing an off-target throw. In a stadium holding its collective breath, the ball hit the turf.

Beggs football. Game over. The Golden Demons ran out the clock and ran off the field still undefeated.

“So proud of the fight our kids have,” said Head Coach David Shannon after the game. “Holdenville is a good team and they like to control the clock. We took advantage of the opportunities we had tonight and our players stayed the course. This is a fun group of kids. Down 10 in the fourth quarter is tough, and our boys found a way to win.”

Holdenville opened the game with a methodical drive down to the Beggs 5-yard line, but a key fourth-down stop turned the tide early. The Demons then marched 95 yards in 17 plays, capped by a 20-yard touchdown run from Zane Long to give Beggs a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The drive chewed up nearly the entire quarter.

Holdenville answered quickly – scoring in just three plays on a 40-yard touchdown run and converting the two-point attempt to lead 8-6 at halftime.

They opened the second half with a successful onside kick, eventually extending their lead to 16-6 after another scoring drive.

Beggs’ offense, limited to just three total possessions, made the most of its second-half opportunities. Taking over at the 45-yard line, Aurthers took over – breaking free for runs of 16 yards and 25 yards, the latter going for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter. Long ran in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 16-14.

Holdenville ran for 8 yards on its next possession before the strip-and-score by Aurthers that flipped the game.

Beggs was led defensively by Aurthers, who finished with 6 tackles, a game-winning fumble return touchdown, and a crucial pass breakup. Zane Long tallied 7 tackles, Michael Cruz had 9 tackles, and Andrew Harvey finished with 6.

With the win, Beggs improves to 6-0 and will travel to face Morris on Monday, Oct. 13.

— Beggs Team Stats

• Rushing: 16 carries, 170 yards

• Passing: 6/10, 55 yards

• Total Yards: 225 — Holdenville Team Stats

• Rushing: 28 carries, 148 yards

• Passing: 1/3, 30 yards

• Total Yards: 178 — Beggs Individual Stats

• Zane Long: 6 carries, 61 yards, TD; 6/10 passing, 55 yards

• Saxon Aurthers: 6 carries, 71 yards, TD, 1 rec, 10 yards

• Michael Cruz: 4 carries, 38 yards

• Jaxon Yandell: 3 rec, 28 yards

• Judah Hughes: 2 rec, 17 yards — Scoring Summary

Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Beggs 0 6 0 16 22 Holdenville 0 8 8 0 16