BULLPUPS, HUSKIES REMAIN UNDEFEATED WHILE LOCAL RIVALS PREP FOR FRIDAY SHOWDOWNS
Caney Valley Kansas Bullpup quarterback Layne Denny looks to pass during a game last season. The Bullpups defeated Humboldt 44-0 last Friday and remain undefeated. The Bullpups head to Baxter Springs Friday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
Nowata Ironmen Draven Swalley (2) and Bode Smith (10) hone in on a runner during last Friday’s game against Ketchum in Nowata. The Ironmen fell 40-7 and travel to Caney Valley, OK, Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
By Becky Burch
Sept. 25, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
From dominant shutout victories on the gridiron last week to crucial district openers on Friday night, here is how area high school football teams fared and a look at what lies ahead.
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CANEY VALLEY KANSAS 44, Humboldt 0
The Caney Valley Bullpups put on a clinic on both sides of the ball, cruising to a dominant 44-0 shutout victory over Humboldt.
Caney Valley’s explosive offense struck early and often, putting up 36 points in the first half alone while the defense suffocated Humboldt to pitch a perfect clean sheet. With the win, the Bullpups improve to 3-0 and have yet to allow a single point, outscoring opponents by a staggering 157-0 over three weeks, including shutouts of Eureka (58-0) and Fredonia (55-0).
Caney Valley opened the scoring in the first quarter when Jace Buckley found the end zone on an 8-yard touchdown run. Moments later, the Bullpups extended their lead with a massive play through the air, as Layne Denny connected with Connor Paulie for a 78-yard touchdown strike. A successful two-point conversion run by Traxcyn Garton pushed the first-quarter lead to 14-0.
The second-quarter onslaught belonged entirely to the Bullpups. Garton opened the frame with a 7-yard touchdown run, followed by a second touchdown run from Buckley, this time from 10 yards out. Right before the intermission, Denny struck again through the air, throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jacob McVey to send Caney Valley into the locker room with a commanding 36-0 halftime cushion.
The Bullpups capped off the night’s scoring in the third quarter when Boone White punched it in from 1 yard out. Buckley ran in for the two-point conversion.
Caney Valley outgained Humboldt 309 to 124 in total yardage. The Bullpup ground game was unstoppable, racking up 182 yards on 30 carries, while the passing attack was highly efficient, completing 4 of 8 attempts for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bullpup defense completely locked down the line of scrimmage, forcing four fumbles and utilizing a relentless pass rush to erase Humboldt's ground game, holding the Cubs to a meager negative net rushing total on the night.
The Bullpup defense was anchored by a stellar performance from Austin Freisberg, who led the team with 6.5 tackles on the night. Angel Martinez and Keith Ellison heavily disrupted Humboldt's game plan upfront, logging four tackles apiece, while Samuel Denton added a critical quarterback sack to help preserve the shutout. Drake Roberds also came up huge for the defense, single-handedly stalling two Humboldt drives by recovering a pair of fumbles.
“Our defense is playing really well," said veteran head coach Criss Davis. "They’re very disciplined and very coachable. We take every game one day at a time. We go in knowing we can be beat at any time. Baxter Springs puts the ball in the air a lot, so our defense will be tested.”
Next up, the undefeated Bullpups will look to keep their perfect defensive streak intact as they travel to take on Baxter Springs (1-2) this Friday night.
Official Box Score & Statistics
Line Score
Caney Valley: 14 | 22 | 8 | 0 — 44
Humboldt: 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 — 0
Team Statistics
First Downs: Caney Valley 11, Humboldt 5
Rushing (Carries-Yards): Caney Valley 30-182, Humboldt 26-(-17)
Passing (Attempts-Completions-Interceptions-Yards): Caney Valley 8-4-0-127, Humboldt 8-19-0-107
Total Offensive Yards: Caney Valley 309, Humboldt 124
Punts: Caney Valley —, Humboldt 2-47 (23.5 avg)
Penalties: Caney Valley 2-30, Humboldt 4-25
Fumbles-Lost: Caney Valley 2-0, Humboldt 4-2
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter (7:44): Jace Buckley 8-yard run (Run failed) — Caney Valley 6-0
1st Quarter (:56): Hayne Denny 78-yard pass to Connor Paulie (Traxcyn Garton run) — Caney Valley 14-0
2nd Quarter (5:31): Traxcyn Garton 7-yard run (Traxcyn run) — Caney Valley 22-0
2nd Quarter (2:56): Jace Buckley 10-yard run (Pass failed) — Caney Valley 28-0
2nd Quarter (:32): Hayne Denny 14-yard pass to Jacob McVey (Jace Buckley run) — Caney Valley 36-0
3rd Quarter (7:47): Boone White 1-yard run (Jace Buckley run) — Caney Valley 44-0
Individual Statistics
Rushing (Carries-Yards)
Traxcyn Garton: 9 carries, 100 yards
Jace Buckley: 8 carries, 43 yards
Boone White: 4 carries, 27 yards
Gunner Franklin: 1 carry, 10 yards
Gabe Prince: 2 carries, 3 yards
Garrett Eycheson: 1 carry, 2 yards
Cash Berg: 1 carry, 2 yards
Bradley Vargas: 1 carry, -3 yards
Layne Denny: 2 carries, -8 yards
Receiving (Catches-Yards)
Connor Paulie: 1 reception, 78 yards, 1 TD
Traxcyn Garton: 1 reception, 21 yards
Jacob McVey: 1 reception, 14 yards, 1 TD
Boone White: 1 reception, 14 yards
Defense
Drake Roberds: 2 Fumble Recoveries
Austin Freisberg: 6.5 Tackles
Angel Martinez: 4 Tackles
Keith Ellison: 4 Tackles
Samuel Denton: 1 QB Sack
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PAWHUSKA 57, Woodland 20
The undefeated Pawhuska Huskies beat Woodland 57-20 last week.
Senior quarterback Jadon Spicer completed 5 of 9 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Jenson Snodgrass added 59 rushing yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, while Tripp Walker caught five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
The Huskies (4-0) travel to Colcord (3-1) on Friday for their first Class A-I District 3 matchup of the season.
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Woodland 63, OKLAHOMA UNION 8
The Oklahoma Union Cougars (0-4) fell to host Woodland 63-8 on Thursday in the Class A-11 District 4 opener for both teams.
Oklahoma Union drops to 1-3 overall with the road loss. The Cougars return home next week to host Fairland.
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BARNSDALL 48, Drumright 19
The Barnsdall Panthers defeated Drumright 48-19 last week in Barnsdall. The Panthers are 3-0, have outscored their opponents 138-37, defeating Caney Valley and Allen, in addition to Drumright.
On Friday, they travel to Fairland (1-2) for their district opener.
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Foyil 42, SOUTH COFFEYVILLE 20
The South Coffeyville Lions (1-2) fell to visiting Foyil 42-20 last week. The loss follows a 36-32 victory over Claremore Christian the previous week.
The Lions travel to Covington-Douglas (2-1) on Friday to begin district play.
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Nowata Ironmen Asiah Saxton weaves through the Ketchum defense last Friday. The Ironmen fell 40-7 and travel to Caney Valley, OK, Friday night.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
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FRIDAY’S PREVIEWS
NOWATA at CANEY VALLEY OK
The Caney Valley Trojans (2-2) look to improve their record tonight when they host rival Nowata in a Washington County-Nowata County showdown. Caney Valley is playing an independent schedule this season to help rebuild its program. Last week, the Trojans shut out Allen 45-0.
Nowata (1-2) lost to Ketchum 40-7 at home last week. The Ironmen's lone victory came against Chelsea on Sept. 11, when Asiah Saxton rushed for four touchdowns and 315 yards on 14 carries.
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DEWEY at Crooked Oak
Fresh off a bye week, the Dewey Bulldoggers (2-1) look for their third victory Friday when they travel to Crooked Oak (2-1) in the Oklahoma City area for the district opener for both teams.
The Bulldoggers, led by second-year coach Scott Sapulpa, defeated Chouteau-Mazie 42-12 on Sept. 11 and Newkirk 26-18 on Sept. 4. Their only loss came against Vinita in Week 0, a 26-6 defeat to the Hornets.
Fenix Bolding leads the Bulldoggers on the ground, averaging 91.7 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Braxton Braden is averaging 133.7 passing yards per game, while Marshall McDaniel averages 88 receiving yards. Defensively, Donovan Espana averages 12.7 tackles per game, and Pierce Butler is averaging one sack per game.