Redmond slams door on Wolverines

By Jeff Harrison
Managing Editor

LAWTON – What looked to be a blowout victory over Lawton was quickly coming apart for Midwest City last Friday night.

The Bombers opened a 41-13 lead late in the third quarter, but found themselves clinging to a six-point lead with two minutes remaining in the district opener. The Wolverines scored 22 unanswered points and were on the march one more time. A short run by Miles Davis gave the home team a first down at the Bomber 23.
Midwest City needed a stop.

Jalen Redmond gave them three huge ones in a row.

On first down, the 6-foot-4 senior defensive end burst through the line and sacked quarterback Alias Hopper for an eight-yard loss. He sacked Hopper again on second down for a nine-yard loss.

On third-and-28, a bad snap slipped through Hopper’s hands and Redmond pounced on the loose ball, securing the 41-35 victory.

“It was just the adrenaline and the fact that the game was getting close and I didn’t want us to lose,” Redmond said about the sacks and fumble recovery.

With the Bombers (3-1) seemingly in control, the OU commit planned to sit out the fourth quarter with a sore groin.

“Something happened in the game and I could barely walk,” Redmond said. “After they scored that last one I knew I had to suck it up and come back in.”

Redmond finished the game with a team-high 13 tackles including six tackles for loss and four sacks.

Midwest City came out firing early in the game. Quarterback Preston Colbert and receiver Juwan Walker connected for three touchdowns. Colbert completed 12-of-17 passes for 271 yards with three touchdowns and ran for three more. Walker had a career night with eight catches for 202 yards and three touchdowns. He also had an interception and five tackles on defense.

“I was feeling good today and coach (Paul) Hix told me this should be the best game of your life, and it was,” Walker said.

On the Bombers second offensive play, Colbert found Walker in the flats and the senior dashed up the sidelines for a 64-yard score. A missed extra point made it a 6-0 game with 8:59 in the first.
Lawton (2-2) scored on its next possession, but the Bombers quickly regained control with an 82-yard scoring drive. On the first play, Walker turned a short pass into a 50-yard gain. Colbert later scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead.

The Bombers first two possessions of the second quarter also resulted in touchdowns. Colbert ran for his second touchdown of the night at the 9:42 mark, and later connected with Walker for a 37-yard score with 5:19 left in the half.

Lawton scored again before halftime. Hopper connected with Chris Ross for the second time to make it a 27-13 halftime score.
Midwest City’s offensive assault continued in the second half.

Just five plays into the third quarter, Colbert and Walker connected for third touchdown of the game and a 34-13 lead. Colbert added an 11-yard touchdown late in the quarter to make it a 41-13 Bomber lead.

But a 28-point deficit did little to deter the Wolverines.

Standout running back Miles Davis scored on a 3-yard run late in third quarter and returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth to make it a 41-28 score with 9:43 remaining.
Midwest City had a chance to ice the game with a long drive, but couldn’t move the ball outside their territory. On a bizarre fourth-and-three play from their own 12, Colbert took a snap and was tackled well behind the first down marker. The Bombers were also flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty giving Lawton the ball on the 3.

Three plays later, Davis punched the ball in the end zone from three yards out to make it a 41-35 score with 6:46 remaining.

Midwest City again struggled to move the ball and punted to the Wolverines with just a few minutes on the clock. Lawton used those final minutes to move the ball inside Midwest City territory for one final shot. But it was Redmond who delivered the shots with back-to-back sacks and a fumble recovery to seal the win.

Coach Darrell Hall said he was pleased with the win, but would’ve liked to have seen his team put the game earlier.

“We were truly in control in the first half and the third quarter and we just did things that we can’t do,” Hall said. “I’m proud of my kids. They have never quit on me. It was closer than I wanted it to be but the end result is we won.”

Astin Anderson powered the Bombers running game with 132 yards on 26 carries. Jacob Reed added 40 yards on the ground.

Tommyon Scott also had a big game defensively with 13 tackles. Reed had 12 tackles with one sack.

The Bombers are home Friday night as they host Deer Creek for homecoming. The Antlers (2-2) lost their district opener with Stillwater last week, 41-21.