BARTLESVILLE BRUINS FALL TO CLAREMORE; THREE KEY PLAYERS HAVE TWO WEEKS TO HEAL
Bartlesville High School’s Boden Roberts (2) runs after catching a pass during the Bruins 29-20 loss to Claremore on Friday at Custer Stadium.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School’s Harrison Ketchum (17) covers a Claremore receiver during the Bruins 29-20 loss on Friday at Custer Stadium.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Sept. 6, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
A former Bartlesville High School football coach adopted the philosophy that every game is decided by 10-or-fewer plays.
To their regret, the Bruins proved his point Friday night in a 29-20 loss to the visiting Claremore High Zebras.
Bartlesville displayed glimpses of greatness — including a steam-roll 65-yard march for a touchdown on their first possession of the game.
But they wouldn’t score again until the fourth period — after Claremore had built a 29-7 lead. Sparked by the arm of quarterback Michael Kent and the clutch receptions by Boden Roberts, Bartlesville went on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter.
It was just too little too late for the gritty but bad luck-crossed Bruins. Bartlesville fell to 0-2 on the season, both in non-district games at Custer Stadium.
Bartlesville had already been showered by a storm of adversity prior to Friday’s kickoff with starting tailback Sutton Williams and two-way starting lineman John Torres out due to healing.
Fate hammered the Bruins again when defensive lineman Davin Carter — who had sacked the Claremore quarterback twice in the first half — had to come out on what appeared to be a sore leg.
Despite all that, Bartlesville still gave itself a chance. But just before halftime Claremore intercepted a Bruin pass inside the red zone to kill a scoring drive.
Claremore also picked off another pass to set itself up near the Bruin red zone and took the ball in for the touchdown. Take away those two oskies and — all other things being equal — the Bruins played well enough to win.
In fact, this is a team that is so close to turning the corner.
Scoring Bruin touchdowns were Daeton Stevens on two short runs and Roberts on a strike from Kent. After securing the reception, Roberts sliced the final five yards untouched into the end zone.
Bartlesville players produced many other big plays that made this an exciting game for the massive home crowd.
Unofficially, Kent threw for more than 200 yards and rushed for 50-or-more. Through two games he is averaging around 350 yards of total offense a game.
The game-deciding stretch might have been when Claremore mounted a 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, featured 11-straight running plays and a 29-yard touchdown pass by Zebra quarterback Kellen Gaede. Cecil Garrett IV did most of the ground work on a long Zebra drive and ended the night with approximately 150 yards rushing.
The Bruins will have two weeks to heal up until they spring back into action on September 19 at Collinsville.
A follow-up report on this game with more details is planned early next week.