Nocona
The Nocona Indians were able to hold on to win on Thursday night against Alvord on senior night to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Indians won 31-28, having to recover from a bad third quarter and some lighting failures that paused the action in the second quarter.
Nocona owned most of the first half. Quarterback Brady McCasland threw an eight yard touchdown pass to Charlie Fuller in the first quarter. The team was able to get some help from the Bulldogs special teams as a bad snap through the end zone on a punt resulted in a safety to make the score 9-0.
Nocona’s next drive then ended with running back Johnny Stone running in from four yards out to make it 17-0 after a good two-point conversion.
Unfortunately, that momentum was wiped out when one of the lights went out. The game was stopped and after a 30-minute delay some external lights were used to allow the game to continue on.
Unfortunately, that break allowed Alvord the chance to regroup and on the ensuing kickoff, returned the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 17-7.
Nocona was not able to respond before halftime.
Luckily the Indians came out in the third quarter well. McCasland found Fuller again for a touchdown, this time from 14 yards out to extend the lead to 24-7.
Then the Bulldogs scored on their next three offensive possessions all in the third quarter, scoring on short runs twice and once on a 57-yard run. Alvord had flipped the game on its head. Despite Nocona dominating most of the first half, the Bulldogs now led 28-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Indians offense woke up and got a big place at the beginning of the fourth quarter. McCasland found Michael Wetmore for a 64-yard catch and run touchdown pass to retake the lead and make the score 31-28.
There was still 10:36 left to play in the game and with the Indians defense struggling in the third quarter, the three point lead never felt safe.
However, Nocona’s defense was able to hold on for the rest of the game as the Indians won 31-28.
McCasland led the team completing eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 92 yards, two yards short of Stone who had a team high 94 yards and one rushing touchdown. The senior Wetmore added 67 yards on the ground and 62 through the air.
Most importantly, the offense committed no turnovers which it has struggled with all season.
The defense seemed to hold up most of the game besides those three drives in the third quarter. Nocona outgained Alvord 409 to 256 and the defense forced one turnover by recovering a fumble.
The win improved the Indians record to 8-2 on the season and 3-2 in district, good enough to finish second in the district standings behind Tioga.
It is a big step up for the program that has won three games in the previous two seasons. While dropping down to 2A helped, it was also the continued growth of the team and the coaching staff after a rocky start last year.
Nocona is scheduled to play Bangs in the bi-district round of the playoffs, a team that features a talented running back it will be tasked to stop.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Weatherford.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a fun senior night on Friday with their win against Savoy.
The Panthers won 56-0, winning by mercy rule at halftime while getting in all of their seniors playing time.
Saint Jo scored on almost every offensive drive in the game. Matthew Butler-Everson completed five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns to Dylan Brockman and Caleb Workman. Trevor O’Neal rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and also completed one pass for a 38-yard touchdown to Butler-Everson. Brockman and Bear Bower also each ran for a touchdown in the game.
While it was not much of a challenge for the Panthers, it was a good game for the seniors have fun with before heading into the playoffs.
This year Saint Jo heads into the playoffs as a second seed after losing to Union Hill for the district title. This pairs the Panthers up with an undefeated Gordon team that is ranked among the top in the state.
Saint Jo goes into the game as underdogs, but the Longhorns have not been challenged by a tough team all season so far. Coach Mark Stevens thinks the longer the game goes on the better for his team as it has faced teams he thinks are more physical than Gordon.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Peaster High School.

Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears upset the defending state champions on senior night Friday to earn a playoff berth.
The Bears won 45-30 against Strawn at home to finish second in the district standings and go to the playoffs for the second straight year.
It was a win or the season ends for either team entering the game. Both had lost to district champs Newcastle and had beaten Forestburg.
Despite the Greyhounds being a traditional six-man power, graduation had severely limited the this year’s teams talent.
Gold-Burg led for most of the game and it was the best of the season according to Coach Brady Hibbitts.
The team did well to not just lean on talented running back Jayon Grace, but use all of its weapons on offense to keep Strawn off balance.
The win not only gets the team in the playoffs, but gives it a win against the type of program that is revered around the state and raises Gold-Burg’s standings even while removing any stakes from it.
That won’t help in the Bears upcoming playoff game against Throckmorton. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Olney High School.