Carl Albert starts fast in win over Eisenhower

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

A big halftime lead wasn’t enough for Carl Albert Friday night against Lawton Eisenhower.

The Titans exploded with two quick scores in the third quarter to seal a win on homecoming.

Trystan Haynes took the opening kickoff of the second half 84 yards for a score. The Titans got the ball back on a deep onside kick. Quarterback Kevin Sperry later hit Trey Washington on a fade route in the end zone.

“We practice that kick return in practice, and it felt good to get it,” Haynes said. “We had to keep momentum coming into the second half and make sure they didn’t do anything tricky.”

Carl Albert continued to roll in a 58-9 win in the district opener at Gary Rose Stadium.

The Titans (5-0, 1-0) dominated in all three phases of the game and never let up against a much-improved Eisenhower (3-2, 0-1) squad.

“We asked our kids to keep their foot on the gas and really get after it, and they did both halves,” said coach Mike Dunn. “At halftime, we’re up 28-3 but we see it as a 0-0 game and really turned it back on and made sure there wasn’t a letdown.”

The Titans used a balanced offensive attack. They finished with 261 yards rushing and 201 yards passing.

Xavier Robinson powered the ground game with 215 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. That included a 47-yard score in the third quarter. Sperry was 13 of 18 passing for 202 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

“We’re really deep at the skill positions and our offensive line does a great job of blocking people up and keeping our quarterback clean,” Dunn said.

Carl Albert cashed in on an early turnover. The Eagles fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. On the next play,

Xavier Robinson ran untouched for an 18-yard touchdown.

Eisenhower made up for the miscue with a scoring drive. A big pass play moved the ball inside the red zone. But the Titan defense held, and Eisenhower had to settle for a 32-yard field goal, making it a 7-3 game with 8:01 in the first.

The Titans quickly marched down the field on their next possession. Trey Washington caught a pass near the line of scrimmage and weaved around defenders for a 19-yard gain to the Eagle 2. Robinson then powered his way across the goal line for a 14-3 lead at the 6:37 mark in the first.

After back-to-back interceptions, the Titans got back on the board with another scoring drive. Kevin Sperry hit Trystan Haynes for a 29-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.

The Titan defense flexed their muscle again with another goal line stand in the second quarter. Eisenhower drove down to the 4-yard-line, but the Titans stopped them on four straight plays for a turnover on downs.

Robinson ran for his third touchdown late in the second quarter.

Carl Albert led 28-3 at halftime.

The Titans exploded out of the break with two rapid scores. Haynes scored on a kick return and Washington hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass.

Sperry added a 10-yard touchdown run, and Robinson broke free on a 47-yard touchdown scamper in the third.

Eisenhower scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone to make it a 55-9 score after three.

Ethan Spiwak booted a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, making it a 58-9 final.

Caden Davis had an interception and a fumble recovery. Christian Oku also had an interception.

Carl Albert will face Shawnee Thursday night at Oklahoma Baptist. The Wolves (2-1, 0-1) are coming off a 48-10 loss to Bishop McGuinness. They are coached by former Del City offensive coordinator Jason Madonna.