BARTLESVILLE FALLS TO CLAREMORE: SCORES ON FIRST DRIVE; PUTS UP 19 POINTS IN 4TH QUARTER
Bartlesville High School’s Daeton Stevens (21) and Michael Kent (14) move the ball against Claremore during the Burins 29-20 loss to the Claremore at Custer Stadium in Bartlesville.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Sept. 8, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
CLAREMORE 29, BARTLESVILLE 20
One couldn’t have asked for a nice touchdown scoring drive than Bartlesville unleashed on its first possession — 82 yards, eight yards, less than two minutes.
In fact the Bruins delivered three exceptional marches that resulted in touchdowns.
But they struggled to maintain that sync for most of their other possessions and Claremore did what it needed to do to leave Custer Stadium with a 29-20 victory.
Bartlesville made a valiant 13-0 run in the final period but ran out of time and fell to 0-2 to begin the season.
The Bruins — who are coached by Harry Wright — still racked up some pretty nice numbers Friday.
Sophomore quarterback Michael Kent hit on 22-of-35 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a team-best 79 yards on 21 carries, including a 44-yard burst.
Boden Roberts hauled in 10 catches for 155 yards and two TDS.
But the Bruins just didn’t sustain enough drives — and the defense gave up a couple of long touchdown marches it became difficult to bounce back from.
The game’s turning point might have happened late in the second quarter when Claremore mounted a 98-yard touchdown drive — after Bartlesville’s Dillon Burson had unleashed a 46-yard punt to pin the Zebras on their two-yard line.
That score put Claremore ahead, 22-7, at halftime after the Bruins threw an interception inside the Claremore 10-yard line.
Claremore would build a 29-7 lead before the Bruins made a fiery comeback — highlighted by a short touchdown run by Daeton Stevens (his second of the game) and an 11-yard scoring reception by Boden Roberts, who caught the ball at about the five yard line and sliced untouched to the end zone.
Next up, the Bruins take this next Friday off — which hopefully will give some of their ailing starters a chance to heal up. Their next-scheduled game will be September 19 at Collinsville.
Even with first-string tailback Sutton Williams and two-way lineman John Torres out of this game, the Bruins still pushed Claremore hard early.
HIGH FIVE DRIVE
Claremore opened the game with a long scoring march — capped by Cecil Garrett IV’s four-yard touchdown scamper.
But — led by the savvy of sophomore quarterback Michael Kent — the Bruins answered with an efficient and thrill-packed 82-yard scoring thrust.
An 11-yard completion from Kent to Roberts helped jump-start the march. Claremore was called for a major penalty on the next play — a scamper by Kent — to put the ball at midfield.
The Bruins — who were in a hurry-up mode — completed passes to Harrison Ketchum and Matthew Sears to get the ‘kin down to the Claremore 35-yard line.
Facing 3rd-and-5 from there, Kent zipped a corner pass to Roberts who was tackled at the one-yard line. That set up a one-yard plunge by Stevens. Burson’s extra point cut Claremore’s lead to 8-7.
Bartlesville High School football fan Aubrey Snider cheers on the Bruins last Friday against Claremore at Custer Stadium.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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BIG STAND AND BIG OUCH
Late in the first quarter the Bruin defense stopped Claremore inside the red zone. The key play on the stand was Davin Carter’s sack.
The Bruin offense took over at its own 16-yard line and quickly picked up a first down. But five plays later the Bruins gave the ball back on an interception.
That set up Claremore for a short touchdown drive and a 15-7 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, Claremore started its 98-yard scoring drive. It started with 11-straight running plays, including a Claremore holding penalty. But Claremore finished off the march on a 29-yard scoring strike from Gaede to Hudson Lee to put Claremore, 22-7.
Bartlesville nearly answered before halftime. The Bruins powered the ball down to the Claremore five-yard line — but Claremore then intercepted the ball and ran out the clock.
TOUGH THIRD QUARTER START
The Bruins picked up a quick first down on the first possession of the second half. But a few plays later, Claremore’s Landon King sacked Kent, setting up 4th-and-18 and a punt.
Claremore cashed in with a 64-yard scoring possession to widen its lead to 29-7.
LAST GASP HURRAH
Kent and his offense pieced together another classic drive — this one covering 76 yards and requiring 17 plays and nearly seven minutes.
It was a wild-and-wooly march — Kent would be temporarily knocked out of the game and later sacked — and needed to convert on four third-or-fourth-down plays.
Through the first six plays the Bruins gained just 21 yards, but two first downs. Kent then came out of the game for two plays.
On his return he whipped a strike to Roberts for a 13-yard gain on 4th-and-7. Later on a 3rd-down play Stevens stampeded 11 yards to the red zone. The drive ended on an eight-yard romp by Stevens on a 3rd-and-goal play.
The Bruin defense did make another spectacular stop, forcing a turnover on downs inside the Bruin five-yard line.
Bartlesville’s offense came on the field with the ball on its own 3-yard line.
Time for one more monstrous drive to paydirt — including conversions on 4th-and-5 and 3rd-and-13.
On the key fourth down play, Claremore was called for an offsides penalty, which moved the chains.
On 3rd-and-13, Kent delivered a strike to Gavin Thomas for a 15-yard gain. Sears then made key back-to-back grabs to put the ball in the red zone. The drive ended on the scoring connection from Kent to Roberts.
That touchdown cut the lead to 29-20 — but there was only 2:17 left on the clock. Claremore recovered the ensuing onsides kick and ran down most of the clock before punting it back to Bartlesville.
But Bartlesville would turn it over on downs and Claremore drained the last few seconds off the clock.
Carter combined with Shaun Thrasher for a key tackle and made two sacks in limited action.
NOTES: The Bruins have scored the final points in both their games; Bartlesville has yet to score in the third quarter; opponents had scored in seven-straight quarters until the fourth period against Claremore.
Bartlesville High School’s quarterback Michael Kent (14) had to leave the game for two plays after a tackle during the Bruins 29-20 loss to Claremore at Custer Stadium in Bartlesville.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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CLAREMORE 29, BARTLESVILLE 20
Claremore: 8-14-7-0 — 29
Bartlesville: 7-0-0-13 — 20
FIRST QUARTER
CLA — Cecil Garrett IV 8 run (Kellen Gaede run 2-pter)
BART — Daeton Stevens 1 run (Burson kick)
SECOND QUARTER
CLA — Jahlem 29 pass from Katy (kick good)
CLA — Hudson Lee 29 pass from Katy (kick good)
THIRD QUARTER
CLA — Garrett 1 run (kick good)
FOURTH QUARTER
BART — Stevens 3 run (Burson kick)
BART — Boden Roberts 11 pass from Kent (2-pt fail)
BARTLESVILLE SEASON NUMBERS
SCORING
DAETON STEVENS: 18 points (58 pass, 1 run, 3 run)
SUTTON WILLIAMS: 12 points (5 run, 8 run)
DILLON BURSON: 6 points (6-for-6 PAT)
EVAN GOAD: 6 points (6 pass)
IVAN GRIFFITHS: 6 points (24 pass)
BODEN ROBERTS: 6 points (11 pass)
SEASON STAT LEADERS
Passing: Michael Kent 50-78-4-559, five TDs; Matthew Sears 1-1-0-14
Rushing: Michael Kent 38-182 (4.8); Sutton Williams 9-45 (5.0), 2 TDs; Daeton Stevens 12-35 (2.9), 2 TDs.
Receiving: Boden Roberts 13-185 (14.2), 2 TDs; Daeton Stevens 5-96 (19.0), 1 TD; Gavin Thomas 7-92 (13.1); Matthew Sears 10-64 (6.5), Harrison Ketchum 8-56 (7.0), Evan Goad, 3-26 (8.7), 1 TD; Ivan Griffith 1-23 (23.0), 1 TD; Sutton Williams 3-17 (5.7); Michael Kent 1-14 (14.0).