COPAN HORNETS RUN OVER WEBBERS FALLS WITH 20-POINT SECOND-HALF SURGE
Copan Hornet quarterback Zane Stricklin (1) looks to pass against Webbers Falls last Friday in Copan. The Hornets won 34-14 and remain undefeated.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Copan Hornet Keeghan Smith (8) brings down a Webbers Falls runner last Friday in Copan. The Hornets won 34-14 and remain undefeated.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Becky Burch
Sept. 22, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
The undefeated Copan Hornets erupted for 20 unanswered second-half points to break a halftime deadlock and defeat Webbers Falls 34-14 on Friday at Sheets Field.
The physical victory kept the Hornets’ unblemished record intact and showcased a balanced offensive attack that racked up 265 total yards of offense, including 162 yards on the ground and 103 yards through the air.
Senior quarterback Zane Stricklin paced the air assault, passing for 103 yards, a touchdown and a 2-point conversion despite throwing one interception.
Second-year head coach Trenton Kallenberger noted that the team relied on its raw conditioning and a single strategic tweak to take control of the matchup after the break.
"There wasn’t a whole lot of adjustments," Kallenberger said. "We believed it would be a dogfight early on. If we could weather their storm early, our physicality would break the game open for us."
Shoring up the front line proved to be the turning point for Stricklin and the passing game.
"One change we did make was at our pass protection, and our QB was 100% the second half, so that definitely was [an] improvement from the first half," Kallenberger said.
Edan Thompson served as a primary target in the passing game, hauling in four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown while adding 3 yards on the ground. Slayton Brewington provided crucial scoring extensions, pulling down two receptions for 21 yards and converting a pair of 2-point conversions. Elijah Evans and Ashton Jeffers each contributed to the passing box score by catching one pass apiece.
The ground game ultimately wore down the visitors behind a multi-back rotation. Raydn Martin led the rushing charts with 78 yards on 10 carries, crossing the goal line twice for touchdowns. Evans matched the scoring output with a dominant performance of his own, finding the end zone twice while churning out 61 rushing yards on just five carries.
Presley Zimmerman added 12 yards on two carries to keep the chains moving, while Cael Tagialatela added 8 yards to round out the Hornets' productive ground game.
Defensively, the Hornets choked out the Webbers Falls attack behind dominant performances from several key standouts. Gavin Barnes anchored the unit with a monster performance, racking up 16 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Brewington also had 16 tackles. Rocky Greenfield was everywhere on the field with 12 stops.
Keeghan Smith recorded nine tackles and a team-best two sacks, and Martin added nine tackles and a forced fumble. Evans tallied seven tackles and a fumble recovery, while Thompson chipped in six stops. Jeffers rounded out the defensive pressure with five tackles and a sack, Taglialatela added three tackles, and Jared Purkey contributed a tackle and a sack to lock down the victory.
Next up, the Hornets host Yale on Friday before opening district play Sept. 25 against Depew.
Copan Hornet Rocky Greenfield (6) looks to the sidelines during last Friday’s game against Webbers Falls in Copan. The Hornets won 34-14 and remain undefeated.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports