Titans weather storm in senior night victory

Carl Albert will host Midwest City in first round

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Stormy weather was about the only thing that could stop Carl Albert last Thursday night.

The Titans scored on their first five possessions against Altus before play was suspended due to lightning with 1:10 left in the second quarter.

When the game resumed about an hour later, Carl Albert (10-0, 7-0) picked up right where it left off. In the second half, Caden Davis ran for a score, Bryon Stubbs caught a touchdown and Joe Thomas added a fumble return for a 52-7 victory on senior night.

“It was a weird night with all the weather. We haven’t experienced that here in a while and I think our kids handled it great,” said coach Mike Dunn.

However, it wasn’t the seniors’ last home game of the year.

Carl Albert will begin the playoffs Friday night as they host Midwest City (5-5, 4-2) in the first round. The Titans shutout the Bomber 49-0 in their season opener.

“That is not an easy first round game by any means,” Dunn said.

The Titans showed their explosive tendencies against Altus (4-6, 3-4) with three touchdowns of more than 35 yards.

Marcus James had a 61-yard touchdown catch and run in the second quarter. Caden Davis added another with a 54-yard touchdown run after halftime. Bryon Stubbs scored on a 39-yard pass from Devin Woodring in the third.

“The kids played explosive tonight,” Dunn said. “Altus does some unique stuff on defense. There are times when you’ll see something new, and they’ll hit you for a loss. But the next play, if we get it shored up, we might hit it for a 40-yard gain.”

On a rainy night, Carl Albert found stability on the ground. LT Simmons and Davis both ran for more than 100 yards. Davis finished with six carries for 120 yards and two scores. Simmons added 101 yards and one touchdown on eight touches. Daniel Newton also had a touchdown run.

Carl Albert got to work quickly. Simmons broke a 31-yard run to the Bulldogs 25. Davis later scored from one yard out on a wildcat formation.

Altus kept the Titans out of the end zone on their next drive but couldn’t keep them off the scoreboard. Ethan Spiwak drilled a 35-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead late in the first.

Newton and Simmons each added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Stubbs rounded out the first-half scoring with a 61-yard touchdown reception to make it a 31-0 score.

The Titans had the ball across midfield when play was suspended due to lighting in the area.

After the break, Carl Albert continued to light up the scoreboard.

Davis blasted around the right end for a 54-yard score. After a three-and-out, the Titans struck again when Stubbs caught a pass across the middle and outran the defenders for a 39-yard score.

“I slipped and fell and missed a catch before and I had to make up for it,” Stubbs said. “When I saw him throw the ball, I had to take advantage of the opportunity.”

The Titans added one more score on defense. Altus fumbled a snap, and the ball bounced into the backfield before

Thomas scooped it and ran 29-yards to the end zone. The junior celebrating with a “Super Mario Brothers” leap into the end zone.

“I saw a few guys missed it and I just pressed it down and scooped it,” Thomas said. “I didn’t want to fall on it. I wanted a touchdown. My teammates were hyping me.”

Altus avoided the shutout with a score in the fourth quarter against the second string defense.

Woodring was 4 of 5 passing for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Stubbs led the team in receiving with two catches for 39 yards and one score.

Spiwak was a perfect 7 of 7 on PATs and had one field goal.