Going into Thursday night’s District 2AII4 showdown with the Henryetta Knights, Vian Wolverines coach Gary Willis believed this was going to be the toughest district test to this point in the season — and for two-plus quarters it was.

However, in the end, the Wolverines ended up winning going away by a score of 43-14 to take sole possession of the district lead to make it a happy homecoming.

“That was a very tough team,” Willis said about the Knights. “We knew they were quite a bit better than the teams we’ve been facing (in district play). They came in ready to play. They hit us in the mouth early. We responded, and that’s what matters.”

After being forced to punt on their first possession, the Wolverines (7-0 overall, 4-0 in district play) got a gift from the Knights (5-2, 3-1).

Henryetta’s punter had the snap go way over his head. By the time the Knights got the ball recovered, they had set up the Wolverines at the Henryetta 9-yard line with a first-andgoal with 7:49 left in the opening quarter.

On the very next play, Vian’s Masyn Wright scored the first of four rushing touchdowns. Mikayah Mendoza’s extra point sailed just wide right, keeping the Wolverines ahead 6-0 with 7:41 remaining in the period.

After stopping the Knights on their next possession, the Wolverines saw the ensuing drive end with Wright’s second TD run as he took it in from 29 yards out with 3:51 left in the period. Mendoza hit his PAT, upping the Vian advantage to 13-0 after the end of the opening quarter.

On the ensuing Henryetta possession, the Knights were stopped on downs at the Vian 40-yard line with 1:17 remaining in the first quarter.

However, the Knights made a defensive stop on the ensuing Vian possession as Nathan Nail picked off Vian quarterback Cash Trammel at the Henryetta 34-yard line with 28 seconds left in the opening period.

However, the possession could not be cashed in, and the Knights had to punt once more.

Wright returned the punt 22 yards to the Henryetta 46, which saw an additional 15 yards added due to a face mask penalty on Henryetta to set Vian up at the Henryetta 31 with 9:29 left before halftime.

Aided by a personal foul penalty on the Knights, the Wolverines were able to drive as deep as the Henryetta 9-yard line. However, the drive stalled, and the Wolverines settled for a 28-yard field goal by Mendoza to up Vian’s lead to 16-0 with 5:32 left before halftime.

Finally the Knights dented the scoreboard. Aided on the scoring drive by a 63-yard pass from Brady Norman to Will Perez and a pass interference penalty on Vian in the end zone, the Knights scored their first points on Perez’s 4-yard TD run with 41 seconds left. Nail was stopped short on the two-point conversion attempt, keeping Henryetta down 16-6.

The next 41 seconds were the most crucial in the game. On the ensuing Vian drive, Wright fumbled the ball at the Vian 33 with 34 seconds remaining in the first half.

However, Wright atoned for the miscue as he picked off Norman’s pass and returned it 68 yards to the Henryetta 13 with nine seconds left before halftime.

On the very next play, Trammel connected with Tyson Murphy on a 13-yard touchdown pass with a second left on the clock. Mendoza’s extra point put Vian ahead 23-6 at halftime.

“It was huge,” Willis said about the way the first half ended. “It flipped things. They (the Knights) came out and played (well in the second half), but not the same had it practically have been a tied ball game (with Vian either leading 16-14 or 16-12 had the Knights scored off the Wright fumble). That (Wright’s interception return and Murphy TD reception) was a huge play of the game.”

The Knights did score first in the second half as, aided by Norman’s 24-yard pass to Gavin Williams and Norman’s 15-yard pass to Perez on back-to-back plays on the drive, Norman threw his second TD pass of the game, this one a 3-yarder to James Miller. Norman hit Williams for the two-point conversion, cutting the Henryetta deficit to 2314 with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter. Unfortunately, for the Knights, that was as close as they got on this night.

The Wolverines responded immediately as their ensuing drive ended with Wright’s third rushing touchdown of the game as he took it to paydirt from 33 yards out. However, Mendoza missed his second PAT of the night, this kick sailing wide left, to keep Vian ahead 29-14 with 5:16 left in the period.

After the Knights were stopped on their ensuing possession, Wright returned the punt 53 yards to the Henryetta 17. After a loss on the opening play, Wright used his arm to hit Murphy on a 19-yard TD pass with 1:48 left in the period. Mendoza’s extra point put Vian up 36-14 after three quarters.

Vian’s final score came on Wright’s fourth rushing touchdown of the game as he took it in from six yards out with 8:21 left to play. Mendoza hit the PAT.

It was good for the boys,” Willis said about a game from a stiffer team such as the Knights. “It’s a little bit of adversity to get hit in the mouth. We had to adjust, and we went through some pains and stuff out there. We situated things at halftime, and we got back at it (in the second half).”

The Wolverines will hit the road to meet the Wilburton Diggers at 7 p.m. Friday.

••• To Get There — Take Interstate 40 west to Warner. Take Oklahoma State Highway 2 south to Wilburton.