Bartlesville Bruin EJ Belisle (13) is tackled by a Ponca City player last Friday at Custer Stadium. The Bruins won 52-21 and head to Muskogee Friday for a crucial district matchup.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
Bartlesville Bruin Nizyah Abraham (33) assists in tackling a Ponca City ballcarrier as the Bruin defense halts a play last Friday at Custer Stadium. The Bruins won 52-21 and head to Muskogee Friday for a crucial district matchup.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report
By Becky Burch
Oct. 30, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
The Bartlesville High football team kept its unbeaten district record intact last Friday night with a commanding 52-21 victory over Ponca City at Custer Stadium during senior night.
The Bruins improve to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in district play, securing a winning regular season in head coach Matt Hennesy’s first year at the helm. The victory also guarantees Bartlesville a first-round home game in the postseason.
"I was proud of our team for their effort and discipline," Hennesy said. "We stressed that all week. The coaches had a great plan and the boys came out and executed it."
The game carried extra meaning for the upperclassmen playing their final regular-season contest on their home turf, as the victory also returned a rivalry trophy to the Bruins' case.
"It was important for our seniors to show on senior night the change in our culture," Hennesy said. "They are the foundation of what we are building here, and they wanted to prove that. Not to mention get the trophy back."
The triumph keeps the prestigious ConocoPhillips Bowl trophy in Bartlesville, marking a milestone victory for the senior class.
Bartlesville piled up 464 total yards of offense on the night. Quarterback Michael Kent spearheaded the dominant performance, passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-36 attempts, while adding 82 yards on the ground.
The Bruin rushing attack complemented Kent's efforts, led by Wyatt Mathis, who picked up 64 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Logan Goins added 14 yards on the ground, and Nizyah Abraham contributed 12 yards.
Through the air, Boden Roberts paced the receivers with 74 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Price Lusk caught six passes for 48 yards, while Eman George added four receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown. Goins caught a 38-yard pass, Matthew Sears finished with three receptions for 37 yards, and EJ Belisle added three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. Abraham also contributed to the air raid with three receptions for 20 yards.
Defensively, Bartlesville stayed aggressive throughout the night. Kyler Godinez recorded a team-high 18 tackles, followed closely by Drake Ford with 15. Landen Shaw finished with nine tackles, and Carter Sauer added seven. Mathis, George, Davin Carter, and Belisle all chipped in with six tackles apiece, while Sonji Ketiku logged five. Roberts also got into the backfield to log a sack.
The Bruins hit the road this Friday night to face third-place Muskogee (5-3, 2-1) in a high-stakes matchup where a victory would lock up a first-round playoff bye in Class 6A-II.
Beyond the postseason implications, the trip to Muskogee carries plenty of off-field familiarity for the Bruin coaching staff. Hennesy previously served as the head coach for the Roughers earlier in his career, and two other members of the current Bartlesville staff were coaching in the Muskogee program as recently as last season.
Even with a massive road test ahead, Hennesy emphasized that the program's daily focus remains fixed.
"Our plan does not change moving forward... it is to outwork everyone and continue to improve daily," Hennesy said. "We say all the time, 'we didn't come this far to just come this far.' We have a huge game at Muskogee this week. They are a very talented team. We will have to bring our A game to compete with them."
Bartlesville will wrap up its regular-season schedule next week on the road at Stillwater.
Bartlesville Bruin Boden Roberts (2) tackles a Ponca City ballcarrier last Friday at Custer Stadium. The Bruins won 52-21 and head to Muskogee Friday for a crucial district matchup.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports Report