BARTLESVILLE BRUINS FALL TO NEWCASTLE
Bartlesville High School’s Matthew Sears (5) runs the ball Friday evening at Custer Stadium in Bartlesville. The Bruins fell to Newcastle 51-34.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Sept. 1, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Lights!
Action!
Camera!
Well, that’s a bit of reversal in the process of movie making. But the thrills, thunder and of Friday’s area high school football openers created real life drama.
The cliff-hanging storylines included a significant upset in Dewey, a powerful start but tough second half for Bartlesville, stunning numbers by Bartlesville quarterback Michael Kent in his first varsity season opener and the successful debut of quarterback Kane Foreman for Pawhuska.
Area scores included:
— Newcastle 51, Bartlesville 34
— Dewey 53, Locust Grove 34
— Copan 52, Midway 0
— Pawhuska 60, Nowata 18
— Barnsdall 36, Caney Valley 8
— Colcord 60, Oklahoma Union 14
Following is Bartlesvilles are more game-by-game details:
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Bartlesville High School’s Evan Goad (18) returns a kickoff during Friday’s game at Custer Stadium in Bartlesville. The Bruins fell to Newcastle 51-34.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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BARTLESVILLE
Perhaps the first thing to understand is that Bartlesville’s down-by-down defense played much better than the 50-plus points allowed indicated.
For one thing, Newcastle scored 21 of its points as a result of special teams plays in the 51-34 victory at Custer Stadium.
For another, the Bruin offense produced four turnovers — albeit some of them in crunch-time when Bartlesville was fighting with a sense of urgency in the second half — that helped set up other scores by the visiting Racers.
Truth is this was a tale of two opposite halves. Well, about one half minus three minutes and another half plus three minutes.
Bartlesville — which is coached by Harry Wright — had bolted to a 28-13 lead in the first 20-and-a-half minutes with sophomore quarterback Michael Kent at his slinging best.
Kent turned in a Herculean effort with his arms, focus and legs — 28-of-43 completions for 305 yards, three touchdowns, 103 yards rushing on 17 keepers and one catch for 14 yards.
He did everything but deliver trainer Alan Mount’s medical kit.
By halftime the Bruin passing game had registered 15-of-21 for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Kent himself turned receiver on one play, hauling in a 14-yard completion from Matthew Sears on a trick play that moved the ball inside the Newcastle 40-yard line, leading to Bartlesville’s first touchdown. The Bruins would continue to pull away to a 28-13 lead.
But in the final three minutes of the first half the momentum turned in Newcastle’s favor. A kickoff return for a touchdown and a 47-yard field goal to end the half sliced Bartlesville’s lead to five points, 28-23, at half.
The Racers would add 28 more points in the second half — to one touchdown by Bartlesville — to finalize the 17-point margin.
Despite the loss it was still a prolific offensive outing for Bartlesville — more than 500 yards of total offense.
Kent contributed 422 yards.
Starting tailback Sutton Williams was on his way to a likely 100-yard game after he rushed for approximately 50 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. But he didn’t play much, if at all, in the second half — which might have been a factor why the Bruins scored 28 points in the first half and only six after halftime.
Receiving-wise, Kent utilized the full rotation.
He found three different receivers for touchdowns — Evan Goad, Ivan Griffiths and Daeton Stevens — and connected with at least five others (Williams, Boden Roberts, Sears, Harrison Ketchum and Gavin Thomas).
Thomas racked up more 65 yards of receptions and Stevens scored on a 58-yard touchdown pass. Ketchum led in receptions (six).
On the defensive/special teams side, Williams recovered a Newcastle fumble (to set up Bartlesville’s first touchdown) and Cale Granger recovered an onside kick and also blocked an extra point.
The action overall was frantic and mercurial.
The teams traded fumbles on each of their first possessions to open the game.
On Bartlesville’s second possession — set up by Williams’ fumble recovery — Bartlesville powered the ball 53 yards for a score. The drive opened with Sears hitting Kent for a 14-yard completion. A few plays later, Kent connected with Ketchum to take the ball into the red zone. The drive ended with Williams surging five yards to the end zone for a score. The extra point put the Bruins up, 7-0.
Newcastle then recovered the Bruins’ attempted onside kick and drove 46 yards to paydirt. Racer quarterback Blake Creswell threw an 11-yard pass to finish off the match. Granger blocked the PAT and Bartlesville still led, 7-6.
Kent then directed a classic 80-yard drive on eight plays, highlighted by a 12-yard completion to Roberts and a 44-yard scamper — on a 4th-and-3 play —by Kent. Williams once again ran the ball to paydirt and the Bruins went up 14-6 after Dillon Burson nailed the extra point.
Both teams punted on their next possessions.
Newcastle struck next on a touchdown reception by Kaden Longman, who would be the difference-maker for the Racers.
Seeing their lead but to one point, 14-13, Kent and the offense responded with another lengthy drive, including an 18-yard strike to Roberts to get into the red zone. The march concluded with Kent hitting Goad for a six-yard scoring toss.
Bartlesville then recovered an onside kick to give itself a short field. Kent whipped the ball to Griffiths for a 24-yard scoring pass. Burson’s extra point elevated Bartlesville’s lead to 28-13 with about 3:30 left in the first half.
Then the tide unexplainably changed.
Longman returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and the Bruins saw their advantage shrink to eight points, 28-20.
Bartlesville was driving for another score several seconds later, but Newcastle came up with a red zone interception. The Racers carved out a 66-yard drive to set up Bryan Medrano for a 47-yard field goal try. He put the ball between the uprights to pull Newcastle within five points, 28-23, at halftime.
The bad news for Bartlesville continued right after halftime when Longman pulled in a pass for a touchdown that resulted in Newcastle taking the lead, 30-28.
Then a special teams bust set up Newcastle for an easy score. The Racers blocked a Bruin punt and recovered it at the 11-yard line for the short porch and touchdown. Just like that, with about 2:30 left in the third quarter Bartlesville trailed by two scores, 37-28.
Newcastle grabbed another pick to end the third period, leading to a scoring drive and a 44-28 lead.
But the gritty Bruins refused to relent with more than six minutes left.
They made a lightning strike 79-yard for a touchdown, capped by big pass completions to Thomas (17 yards) and Stevens (58 yards, touchdown). The two-pointer failed and Newcastle led by 10, 44-34.
Disaster struck seconds later, however, when the Bruins’ attempted onside kick was picked up by Longman and returned for a touchdown. The extra point stretched the lead back to 51-34.
Bartlesville’s offense again moved the ball quickly, taking it from the Bruin 20 to the Newcastle 33. But Longman’s interception with around a minute left sealed the outcome. Newcastle ran out the clock.
The Bruins will be working hard this week to fix some things and prepare for next Friday’s home showdown against rival Claremore.