Redskins almost complete a perfect undefeated season Redskins Defeat Demons and Advance to State Quarterfinals

Editor’s note: The November 20 Redskin /Demon game occurred after The Madill Record went to deadline last week. The Madill Record had early deadline due to Thanksgiving. The paper prides itself in getting its readers up-to-date information. However, we did not want Kingston fans to miss a game. So, it was decided to put both games in this issue.

On November 20, the Kingston Redskins finally got to begin their trek through the 3A playoffs in 2020. After a first-round bye, the Redskins hosted the Demons from Perkins-Tryon, who were coming off a 56-7 thrashing of Pauls Valley. On a beautiful clear November evening, the Redskins found the Demons a worthy opponent, but ultimately proved that Kingston belongs in Class 3A with a 35-21 victory to advance to the state quarterfinals.

The Demons won the toss and elected to receive, and their first drive looked unstoppable. Led by senior quarterback Austin Mages, who proved to be an elusive runner out of the Demons’ no-huddle spread offense, Perkins-Tryon marched 62 yards on seven plays and Mages scored the game’s opening touchdown from a yard out to take an early 7-0 lead.

Kingston’s initial response was a little more tepid. The Redskins went three-and-out and punted their first drive, but senior Matthew Flesher’s punt pinned the Demons at their own 9 yard line. The Demons came out driving again, but an untimely holding penalty gave them a fourth-and-twenty from their own 40. Sophomore Tanner Dawes’ first punt was partially blocked by Kingston senior Jesse Rose, and Kingston took over with great field position at its own 40 yard line.

This time the Redskins picked up a first down, as Flesher took a handoff up the gut for 25 yards to the PerkinsTryon 33. However, Kingston was unable to move the ball much further, and turned it over on downs at the PerkinsTryon 30, still trailing 7-0 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.

At that point, the Redskins’ defense took over. With a postplay personal foul penalty backing Perkins-Tryon up to their own 19, the Demons struggled to move the ball, and Rose ended the drive sacking Mages on his own 11-yard line. The ensuing punt gave Kingston the football at the Demons’ 48, and the offense went to work.

In the first quarter, Kingston junior running back Brandon Watson had been bottled up by the Demons’ defense, but he would no longer be denied. The second play of the drive, Watson took a handoff and shot through the middle of the Perkins-Tryon defense for a 49-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.

Perkins-Tryon punted again after another three-and-out, and Kingston’s offense took over again with great field position at the Redskins’ 48. From there, the Redskins marched down the field to the PerkinsTryon 19, where they faced third-and-five, and there the Kingston coaches dialed up a trick play. Senior running back A.J. McKinney took a pitch to the right, but then threw a pass back to the left to senior quarterback Jase Hayes who had leaked out into the flat, and Hayes picked up the first down and more, stepping out of bounds at the Demons’ 4. Two plays later, Hayes pushed into the end zone on a quarterback sneak, and Kingston had its first lead of the game, 14-7, halfway through the second quarter.

The second quarter was not over for the Demons, however, no matter how badly they wanted it to be. On the third play of the ensuing PerkinsTryon drive, sophomore defensive lineman Damon Rowe came unblocked through the line and sacked Mages, forcing a fumble. Senior linebacker Bryant Watts picked up the fumble and returned it to the Demons’ 11-yard line. The next play, Watson took a handoff up the middle for the 11-yard score, and Kingston led 21-7.

Perkins-Tryon continued to struggle offensively the rest of the half, going threeand-out on one drive and ending the half with Watts picking off a Mages pass, but the Demons’ defense played just well enough to keep the Redskins from scoring again, so Kingston took its 21-7 lead into halftime.

Kingston received the kick to open the second half, and early on in the drive the Demons showed a new defensive focus. After three plays, on fourth-and-one from the Kingston 28, the Redskins lined up to punt, but backup quarterback sophomore Kiete Finley, who lined up as a blocker in the formation, took a direct snap and threw a pass to junior Cole Morgan for a 32-yard gain. Three plays later, Hayes hit senior tight end Matthew Hawkins on third-and-eight for a 26-yard gain to the Perkins-Tryon 10. Four plays later, on fourth-and-goal from the Demons’ 1, Hayes took it in on another quarterback sneak, and the Redskins led 28-7.

Facing desperate circumstances, down three scores on the road, Mages put the Demons on his back and willed them back into the game. The second play ofthe drive, Mages took off up the middle, picking up 47 yards on a carry to the Kingston 23. Four plays later, Mages scored on the ground from three yards out, and Kingston’s lead was trimmed to 28-14 halfway through the third quarter.

Kingston came back and delivered a punishing drive. Hammering away mostly with Watson on the ground, the Redskins drove 65 yards in nine plays, and Watson finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, giving Kingston a 35-14 lead late in the third quarter.

The Demons came right back. Mages continued to mix in occasional passes with his own runs, and Perkins-Tryon put together an 11-play, 70-yard drive, that ended with Mages making the option pitch to senior running back Kendrick Bell for an 11-yard touchdown, cutting Kingston’s lead again to 35-21 with 8:29 left in the final quarter.

Kingston went three-andout on the ensuing drive, and Mages brought the Demons back out ready to lead a miraculous comeback. However, the magic was gone, and his desperate heave on fourth down was picked off by Kingston senior Connor Short, ending any real threat of a comeback. Kingston pounded the ball on its ensuing drive, turning the ball over on downs at the Perkins-Tryon 29, but eating all but 25 seconds ofthe remaining clock. The Demons ran out of time and options, and Kingston moved on with the 35-21 victory.

Hayes led all passers, completing five of his 11 attempts for 92 yards. Watson, after a slow start, with the Demons clearly keying on him, wound up with 192 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns. Flesher led the Redskins in receptions, with two for 13 yards, while Morgan led the Redskins in receiving yards, picking up 32 on his sole catch off the fake punt.

AJ McKinney led the Redskins with 15 tackles, and Rose led the team with two of Kingston’s four sacks on the night. On the other side, Mages completed seven of his 15 passes for 70 yards, but with two interceptions and a crucial fumble. Mages also led the Demons in rushing with 152 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns. Overall, Mages personally accounted for 222 of the Demons’ 274 yards on the night.

Kingston’s victory keeps the Redskins undefeated and puts them in the state quarterfinals for the third straight year. For the second straight year, that game will be played in Kingston on Black Friday, as the 10-1 Stigler Panthers come to town after blowing out Vinita 42-14. Stigler’s only loss coming into the game is to defending state champ Lincoln Christian, who won their district and is also undefeated.

EXTRA POINTS

Kingston’s defense was challenged in this game and rose to the challenge magnificently after the first quarter. While Kingston surrendered yards and points to Mages’ runs, the key stat of the game was that Kingston’s defense forced three turnovers, while the Redskins offense did not turn the ball over all night. While the Redskins only scored off one ofthose turnovers, that mistake-free performance by the offense, coupled with the defense’s ability to get off the field, clearly turned the game in the second quarter and was key to the victory.

One really cool feature in this game was at halftime, when the 1980 state championship team was honored on the 40th anniversary of Kingston=s only football state title. Twelve members of the squad were in attendance and were honored at midfield. One of the most touching features of the ceremony was the team bringing out a photo of Harold “Bulldog” Henry, an assistant coach on that team, to continue honoring his memory. Henry, who passed away in 1990, and whose name adorns the football field, was clearly a beloved figure in Kingston. One can only hope this year’s team honors that squad’s legacy with a state title of their own.

After last week’s firstround games (Kingston had a first-round bye), it was not at all clear that the Demons would actually make the trip. Due to COVID-19 outbreaks, Perkins-Tryon’s school district went all-virtual last week, and under their original policy, that meant a halt to all extracurricular activities, including football. Public outcry after the win over Pauls Valley led to a reversal of that policy, and the Demons were allowed to finish out their season in Kingston. This highlights the ongoing struggles that school districts have had across the state with COVID-19. The outcry is totally understandable; no one wants another shutdown like what happened at Spring Break this year. As a parent, this writer wants nothing more than to see his own senior continue to compete as his high school career comes to a close. However, school officials must be mindful of safety, not only for their players, but for every member of the communities involved, and every school district must make difficult, and often painful, decisions about what to do in the face of the pandemic. Given the often-contradictory information available and the stressful environment in which decisions are being made, one can sympathize with school officials who have to continue to deal with these issues on a daily basis.

Kingston is the last representative of District 2 in the final eight teams. In secondround action, Plainview lost 49-21 to Heritage Hall, Sulphur lost 28-14 to Anadarko, and Lone Grove lost 51-41 to Kingfisher. Dickson had lost 49-8 to Kingfisher and Pauls Valley had lost 56-7 to Perkins-Tryon in the first round. With all four district winners advancing to the state quarterfinals, the Redskins will have their work cut out for them to continue their quest for a state title.

The other three district winners are all private schools: defending champs Lincoln Christian (who won District 3), District 1 champ Heritage Hall, and District 4 champ Holland Hall. This highlights the continuing domination of private schools in Oklahoma high school football, as only one private school, Mount St. Mary, has lost in the 3A playoffs, losing in the first round to Lone Grove 47-17.