AREA FOOTBALL: BARNSDALL, CANEY KS. COPAN, DEWEY, NOWATA, OKLAHOMA UNION, PAWHUSKA
Barnsdall High School’s Tripp Barbee moves the ball in their 54-18 win over Oklahoma Union last Friday at OKU.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Sept. 9, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS
Following are last Friday's game reports:
———
BARNSDALL 54, OKLAHOMA UNION 18
Barnsdall proved again Friday that it’s Gott what it takes to generate big offense.
Panther quarterback Lincoln Gott compiled 310 yards of total offense — while accounting directly for six touchdowns — in the highly-motivated win at Oklahoma Union.
The Panthers (2-0) had an extra emotional jolt with the pitchfork of revenge spearing its emotional behind. Oklahoma Union had routed the Panthers last season.
But thanks largely to Gott and Hayden “The Elk” Collins, Barnsdall bolted out of the gate and worked as quickly as it could to take control of the contest.
Oklahoma Union double-teamed Collins — a 6-foot-4, 190-pound defensive end — for part of the game. He still accumulated 11 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.
In two games he has racked up four sacks and almost double-digit tackles for loss, according to Barnsdall head coach Kylee Sweeney.
“When you have your defensive line and linebackers making most your tackles that’s what you want,” Sweeney added.
He lauded Oklahoma Union’s effort to try to put pressure on Gott with blitzes.
“We had to pick up their blitzes,” he said. “I thought we did a good job of that most the night. … It was definitely a very good night for us offensively and defensively.”
Gott passed for 130 yards and two touchdowns — one each to Tripp Barbee and Bryce Byers.
Gott also rushed for 179 yards and four scores. On defense he amassed six tackles before Sweeney took him out early in the fourth quarter.
Gavin Wood rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. Barbee hauled in four catches for 81 yards.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma Union (0-2) managed to rev up its run game — a positive sign moving ahead.
JoJo Lindner ran for 103 yards, followed by Kane Nash with 79.
“I think our line is figuring out the run game,” said first-year Oklahoma Union head coach Bruce Munden.
But because Barnsdall surged to a big lead early, the pressure became a challenge for sophomore quarterback Aiden Talbott, making only his second lifetime start under center, Munden said.
Colten Wickham hauled in two scoring passes (6, 24) from Talbott.
Nash tallied the other score on a fake punt and 67-yard run.
“He (Talbott) made a couple of really good decisions,” said Munden. “He did not throw any interceptions, but he tucked the ball a little early when he didn’t need to.”
On the defensive side, “we struggled early,” Munden said. “Barnsdall came in with a heck of a game plan.”
Munden praised the work on defense by Brody Shufeldt for Oklahoma Union.
Inexperience is still taking its toll, Munden said, adding: “We will figure it out on the defensive side.”
Next up, Oklahoma Union faces another daunting challenge in Commerce.
_____
Oklahoma Union High School’s first year coach Bruce Munden talks to his players on the sidelines last Friday night. The Cougars fell to Barnsdall 54-18.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
_____
COPAN 48, FOYIL 0
“I thought our effort was good,” said first-year Copan head coach Trent Kallenberger. “We were pretty physical. … I think we cleaned up some of our stuff offensively.”
Defensively, the Hornets (2-0) have yet to give up a point this season. They allowed Foyil only 48 total yards.
Edan Thompson helped set the tone early with a 65-yard pick six.
Just before that, Teegan Caron had broken loose on a 73-yard touchdown burst on Copan’s first possession.
Caron rushed for two touchdowns and 153 yards — on just six carries.
Quarterback Zane Stricklin completed three passes for 112 yards — including an 81-yard scoring connection with Shooter Brewington. He found Payten Call and Thompson for a completion apiece.
Stricklin also ran for 55 yards (on six carries) and a pair of touchdowns.
Weston O’Rourke added 65 yards rushing — on four touches — and a touchdown. He also ran in a two-point conversion.
Elijah Evans added a two-point conversion.
Next up, Copan takes on Depew.
Copan tackles: Call, 11; Brewington, 11; Thompson, 8; Keeghan Smith, 7; O’Rourke, 5; Ashton Jeffers, 5; Slayton Brewington, 5; Destry Blair, 3; Jayden Shaffer, 2.
———
Copan High School’s Keeghan Smith (8) looks up field during an earlier season game. The Hornets shut out Foyil 48-0 last Friday on the road.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
———
PAWHUSKA 66, MEEKER 13
Remember that scene in the movie “A Christmas Story” when Ralphie’s teacher — in a fit of ecstasy — scrawls a huge ‘A’ on the chalkboard and then adds to it an endless string of plus signs that go across every chalkboard in the room?
Now you can have some idea of how Pawhuska’s defense graded out Friday night.
The Huskies definitely deserved a super-sized A-plus, holding Meeker to almost triple-digits in minus yards and scoring multiple touchdowns.
“They (Meeker) a negative 93 yards against our varsity,” noted veteran Pawhuska head coach Matt Hennesy.
Other defensive highlights included two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, a safety and 17 tackles for loss.
Dane Jensen made a couple of sacks and recovered a fumble, while Logan Cass recorded a pick six. Vann Wildcat added a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Tripp Walker registered an interception and Jaxon Arnett collected a fumble.
On the offensive side, Kane Foreman completed 14-of-17 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception.
How impressive has the first-year quarterback been?
In two weeks he’s thrown more touchdowns (six) than incompletions (five).
On the receiving end of his scoring tosses against Meeker were Jenson Snodgrass (two) and Corlin Cass and Jensen (one apiece).
Wildcat rushed for two short scores on his way to three touchdowns for the game.
Snodgrass also rushed 15 yards to the house to give him three touchdowns on the night. In addition, on his nine kickoffs Meeker never advanced the ball past the 20-yard line.
Pawhuska (2-0) has outscored its first two opponents by a combined score of 126-31.
“I’m most pleased, probably with just the effort of our guys,” said Hennesy. “Our guys are playing extremely hard and they’re playing extremely fast. … They’re fun to watch.”
The Huskies might be facing their toughest test yet when they take on Hominy, which could be the best team in Class A-II and a perennial obstacle for Pawhuska.
During the Hennesy era Pawhuska and Hominy have met seven times, with Pawhuska owning a slim 4-3 series lead. The cumulative point total of the past four meetings is: Hominy 122, Pawhuska 115. Pawhuska won last year’s battle, 46-24.
Pawhuska High School’s team captains like up prior to an earlier season game. The Huskies defeated Meeker 66-13.
Photo courtesy Debbie Formby
_____
PERKINS-TRYON 70, DEWEY 6
Twelve months from now it might well be that Dewey has the experience, better-honed skills and muscles to make Perkins-Tryon sweat down the stretch.
But this season Dewey is still a team in the process of progress — and still in the phase of taking some lumps.
Perkins-Tryon — ranked No. 4 in Class 3A in Oklahoma — more than obliged Friday night in subjecting the Doggers to a course in the School of Hard Knocks.
But a lot of Dewey’s woes are fixable and new first year head coach Scott Sapulpa — he only took charge approximately two months ago — still believes his Doggers are capable of doing some good things this season, including making the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
It starts with building on the lessons learned against Perkins-Tryon.
“On defense, we made a lot of bad reads. … We didn’t fill our gaps,” Sapulpa explained. “Our tackling was horrendous.”
Too often Dogger defenders had their eyes down and missed a tackle, he said.
But all those are areas in which Dewey can better on the practice field and more focus.
Rookie sophomore starting quarterback Braxton Braden connected with senior receiver Jayden Vallen for Dewey’s lone score.
“Overall — the whole team — we kept fighting,” Sapulpa said. “They didn’t quit. Eighty to ninety percent of the boys stayed hooked up.”
At halftime, the Dewey coaches encouraged the player to keep fighting and finish off the game with a strong effort.
“We told them to just keep grinding,” Sapulpa summarized.
The key this week in practice will be “just fixing plays and working on the fundamentals of football,” he added.
Next up, Dewey plays this coming Friday (September 12) at Checotah (1-1).
The Doggers won’t be home again until October 3 when they host Tahlequah-Sequoyah.
_____
WARNER 29, NOWATA 8
The storyline is somewhat amazing.
Despite turning the ball over eight times — and giving up an onside kick recovery — the Nowata Ironmen (0-2) gave up only four Warner touchdowns.
Unfortunately for the Ironmen, their offense produced only one touchdown — on a run by quarterback Adrian O’Dell — in the non-district battle.
With a few less giveaways and few more yards Nowata might have leapfrogged to victory.
“There was a lot of positives to take from this game,” Nowata head coach Chance Juby said. “Offensively, we just couldn’t get anything going.”
But the Nowata defense “played their butts off,” Juby said. “We’d get the ball back, give it up and then we’d stop them and get the ball back. Overall, our defense played lights out.”
Juby estimated his defense stayed on the field for 85 percent of the game.
Leading the way was outside linebacker Brett Malone, who made 14 tackles, multiple sacks and multiple stops on third downs.
Perhaps Nowata’s biggest challenge had more to do with milk shakes and sloppy joes than with X’s and O’s.
Whereas Warner boasted a humongous offensive line, up to 300 pounds, Nowata started three linemen who weighed less than 175 pounds and a freshman.
“We faced 300 pounds versus 175 pounds … Every week we’re trying to get better up front. … You can see their growth.”
Unfortunately that growth is in maturity and not in pounds — for the time being. Juby is looking forward to increasing the beef quotient up front but is happy with the effort and performance of the crew.
“We’ve got a lot to build off of,” Juby summarized about the Ironmen’s potential.
_____
CANEY VALLEY (Kan.) 38, Humboldt 0
Goodbye curse, hello reverse.
That might have been the blissful mantra for the CV Bullpups after they hammered the Humboldt Cubs like a square-headed spike.
How sweet it was for the Pups, who had lost their last three meetings against the Cubs by a combined score of 80-20.
The puts turned it around Friday night by utilizing an offensive strategy rarely associated in years past with a Criss Davis offense.
Balance.
Davis’ native offensive roots are buried deeply in the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust glory days — when colorful legendary ball carriers such as Red “The Galloping Ghost” Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Brown, Gale “Kansas Comet” Sayers and Bill “Boom-Boom” Brown smashed, sliced, swiveled and sometimes ran-to-daylight through shell-shocked defenses.
Davis no doubt would have been as happy as jelly on peanut butter to be back in the era of the “Four Horsemen,” of Notre Dame lore, “The Seven Blocks of Granite” of Fordham legend, or “Mister Inside and Mister Outside,” of Army fame.
But, all hyperbole aside, during the years Davis has used the passing attack as a strategic option — perhaps just not as much as he had in the past season or so.
On Friday, the Pups turned the pass into a major weapon — thus the balance.
The final numbers reflected that — 20 rushes for 167 yards, 14 completions for 140 yards, three rushing scores, two aerial touchdowns.
“For us to be balanced like that was a big issue,” Davis said.
However, as impressive as the offense looked, the defense drew the bigger spotlight in Davis’ estimation.
“I was really, really, really happy with the way the defense played,” he said. “They (Humboldt) were big. They had two kids more than 300 pounds up front. Then they went 270 and 250. Their little guy was 225.”
Although not as big, the Pups answered with physicality and quickness.
“My two linebackers were my two leading tacklers,” noted Davis, referring to Austin Freisberg (10 tackles) and Jayden Buckley (nine).
While the defense swallowed up the Cubs’ offense like a tsunami, the offense slowly put the game out of reach.
Two touchdowns in the first quarter (Traxcyn Garton, 49-yard run; Drake Roberds 72-yard catch and run), one touchdown in the second period (Garton, 4-yard run) and two in the third quarter (Buckley, 15-yard run; Roberds, 20-yard reception).
Garton and Buckley added two and one two-point conversions, respectively.
Layne Denny completed 6-of-13 passes or 134 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Bradley Vargas completed another pass for six yards.
In addition to their five touchdowns, Caney Valley had two others negated by penalties. Cutting down on flags will be a priority going forward for Davis.
Next up, the Pups take on Erie (Kan.).
Some key numbers:
Total offense: CV 307, Humboldt 76.
Rushing: CV 20-167, Humboldt 36-72
Penalties: CV 10-65, Humboldt 3-20
CV rushing: Garton 4-58, Buckley 5-49, Freisberg 3-49.
CV receiving: Roberds 3-101, Brayden Martin 1-23.
CV tackles: Freisberg 10, Buckley 9, Brentley Martin 5.5, Angel Martinez 4.
CV sacks: Martin (2), White (1), Devin Roberds (1), Jace Wren (1).
Note: This was the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Caney Valley has won its season opener.