In last season’s Class 2A, Division II state title game, the Vian Wolverines had four turnovers, three of them leading to Davis touchdowns as the Wolves spoiled Vian’s perfect season with a 28-18 victory over the Wolverines.
The Wolverines played for the gold ball for the second straight season Friday afternoon at UCO as they were trying to end a 54-year drought since winning the state football championship in 1971. Unfortunately, it was turnovers that doomed the Wolverines once more.
Vian fumbled twice and Adair picked off quarterback Cash Trammel three times, including on the game’s final play at the goal line, for a total of five turnovers as the Warriors capped their perfect 14-0 season with a 34-29 comefrom- behind victory. The Wolverines, who entered the game on an 11-game winning streak, saw their season end at 12-2 and a second straight silver ball as two-time state runnersup.
“Turnovers will kill you,” Vian coach Gary Willis said.
Trailing 29-26 after three quarters, the Warriors regained the lead as they scored their second touchdown of the game on a fourth-down play as quarterback Cooper McCord hit Colton Nave for a 6-yard TD pass. McCord then hit Kyler Green on the twopoint conversion to put Adair back ahead 34-29 with 6:25 left to play in the game.
Vian’s Ledger Folsom returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Adair 40.
On fourth down, Trammel threw his second interception of the game as McCord picked off the pass and set up the Warriors at their own 32-yard line with 4:35 remaining to play.
On a gutsy call by the Warriors, they went for it on fourth down and were stopped just inches short of the line to gain. The Wolverines took over at the Adair 42yard line with 2:27 left to play.
The Wolverines got as deep as the Adair 7-yard line with eight seconds left.
On the next play, Trammel’s pass for Masyn Wright just missed the mark in the end zone for what would have been the game-winning score with four seconds remaining.
On the final play of the game, Adair’s free safety Brett Pursley picked off Trammel at the goal line as the horn sounded.
The Warriors took the opening drive and went 76 yards in six plays as Cole Moody hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from McCord. However, McCord was stopped on the two-point conversion to keep Adair ahead 6-0 with 9:05 left in the first quarter.
The Wolverines responded as they went 69 yards in four plays as Draighton Fletcher busted up the middle virtually untouched for a 52-yard TD run. Trammel’s extra-point attempt was blocked by McCord to keep the game tied at 6-all with 7:14 remaining in the period.
The Warriors made it 2-for-2 on touchdown drives as they went 60 yards in eight plays as McCord took it in from two yards out with 3:33 remaining in the quarter. He also scored the two-point conversion as he lunged the ball over the goal line as he was being tackled as Adair regained the lead at 14-6 after a quarter.
The ensuing Vian drive, which had a Wright touchdown run negated on one of two holding penalties called during the possession, Vian was deep in Adair territory as the second quarter began.
The Wolverines got as deep as the Adair 10–yard line. After a loss, Trammel’s pass over the middle was picked off by Adair free safety Ryan Wilson, who returned the interception 29 yards to the Adair 30 with 10:41 left before halftime.
Wilson, the nephew of Sallisaw’s Randy Tonche’, was injured late in the contest after being tackled hard to the turf by a Vian defender. Wilson later was taken to a local hospital where he ended up having lacerations in his spleen.
The Warriors took advantage of the takeaway as they drove 70 yards in nine plays as McCord scored his second rushing TD on a 3-yard run. Once again, McCord was stopped on the two-point conversion, keeping Adair ahead 20-6 with 7:35 left in the first half.
On the ensuing kickoff, Adair kicker Cameron Carlson squibbed it, with Vian’s Trace Sanders picking it up. Sanders was hit at the Vian 47 and fumbled, with Adair’s Jaycob Graves making the recovery with 7:29 remaining before halftime.
For the second straight time, the Warriors took advantage of the takeaway as they went 47 yards in eight plays as McCord threw his second touchdown pass of the game as he hit Eathan Stephens on a 23-yard TD pass on fourth down. McCord’s two-point conversion pass missed the mark, keeping Adair ahead 26-6 with 4:06 left before halftime. The drive was aided by a successful fake punt.
After getting the ball at their own 39-yard line off a kickoff going out of bounds, the Wolverines went 61 yards in five plays as Wright caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Trammel. Wright scored on the two-point conversion to cut the Vian deficit to 26-14 with 2:08 remaining in the first half.
On the ensuing kick-off, Adair’s return man muffed the football. After regaining possession, he was hit, with the ball coming loose and recovered by Vian’s Manny Terrill at the Adair 18yard line with 2:01 left in the first half.
The Wolverines took advantage of the takeaway as Wright scored on a 13-yard TD run with 1:16 remaining before halftime. After Adair was penalized for being offside, the Wolverines decided to go for two points, and Wright made the Warriors pay for their goof as he scored the two points and reduced Adair’s advantage to 26-22 at halftime.
The Wolverines had the first possession of the second half and marched 63 yards in six plays as Wright scored his third touchdown of the game as he ran up the middle three yards for the score with 8:55 left in the third quarter. Trammel kicked the extra point to give Vian its first and only lead of the game at 29-26, which was the score at the end of the period. The drive was aided by a personal face mask penalty on Adair.
“We were able to shift momentum back (with that score),” Willis said. “Things just didn’t turn out our way.”
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Vian fumbled the ball at the Adair 7-yard line, with McCord making the recovery at that spot with 11:17 remaining to play to keep Vian from scoring, which ended up being very costly for the Wolverines.
