The Colcord (Okla.) Hornets rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit with 35 unanswered points in the second half in a 35-14 home victory against Stroud on Friday in the opening round of the Oklahoma Class A playoffs.
The victory earned the Hornets (9-1) a second home playoff game this Friday as they host Konawa (6-2) in the second round.
"Our big motto is, 'Are you satisfied?'" said Colcord coach Austin Martin, who's in his third season at his alma mater. "No matter what happens, if we get a win or win five in a row, we don't ever want to be satisfied. Even with a home playoff win last week, we don't want to be satisfied. We want to keep it going."
The playoff win for the Hornets was their first since 2015, and it was the first home playoff game since 2014. That's also the last time Colcord started off its season with a 9-1 record.
Martin said he's pleased with how the Hornets have navigated this season with all the uncertainties regarding the covid-19 pandemic.
"You've just got to give all the credit to the kids," he said. "Once we got the green light to start working out and do more football stuff, they were there and ready to go. They've put a lot of time into it."
The Hornets started off the season with five straight wins before a 39-15 setback at District A-8 champion Gore on Oct. 9. Since then though Colcord has won four straight.
"We're as good as we have been all year right now," Martin said. "We're healthy. We've got kids in some spots who are making plays. Defense and special teams and offense -- all three are probably playing the best they've played all year. I just think with the mix of all that, we have a really good shot. It's do or die in the playoffs, but with everything being said with the players being healthy and all three parts of the game, I think it gives us a great chance to win another home playoff game."
Colcord quarterback/free safety Stormy Odle and sophomore tight end/linebacker Eyan Williams have set the tone on offense and defense lately for the Hornets.
Odle rushed for three touchdowns in the second half in the come-from-behind win against Stroud, including a pair of 37-yard TD runs. Overall had 14 carries for 197 yards.
Odle also completed 7 of 14 passes for 93 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown pass to Williams, who finished with four catches for 75 yards.
On the season Odle has rushed for 967 yards and 16 touchdowns on 106 carries. He's also completed 31 of 67 passes for 510 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. Stone Mayberry also has played quarterback and completed 48 of 106 passes for 808 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Junior running back Trey Duncan has rushed 57 times for 333 yards and eight touchdowns.
Senior Dylan Davis leads the Hornets with 408 receiving yards on 17 receptions, while Williams leads in receptions with 27 for 396.
Martin said senior offensive lineman Michael McCain has done well throughout the year.
Defensively senior linebacker Hayden Duncan leads with 68 total tackles, while freshman Asaskey Pendry has 56, senior George Phillips 41 and Williams 38.
Senior linebacker Trent Lynch has played well and Martin praised the efforts of sophomore Jesse Martinez on special teams.
Kowana went 3-2 in District A-7 and defeated Canadian 60-14 last week in the first round of the playoffs.
"They're going to be very comparable to us," Martin said. "They remind me a lot of ourselves. They have a fast quarterback, good running back and a couple of guys at receiver. They have pretty good team speed. They're going to be almost like a mirror image of ourselves so it should be a pretty good game."
The winner of the Colcord-Konawa game advances to the third round on Nov. 27 against the winner of Pawnee and Quapaw. The Class quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 4-5, the semifinals Dec. 11-12 and the finals Dec. 19 at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Oaks-Mission
Oaks received a forfeit win from Deer Creek-Lamont/Billings last week and advanced to this week's game at Timberlake, which had a first-round bye.
Oaks is 5-4 on the season, including a 44-42 win at Bowlegs on Nov. 6.
Oaks had two games canceled because of covid-19.
Timberlake went 10-0 during the regular season and scored at least 48 points in every game.