Alva Review-Courier -

Judging by the Class 2A District 1 standings, Alva was the likely winner in the Friday night matchup with Perry. Perry was 0-3 in the district while Alva was 1-1. Perry was 3-4 for the season while Alva was 5-1. But the Alva Goldbugs fought hard for their 57-40 victory.

The Perry Maroons shocked the Goldbugs by grabbing their own opening kickoff and quickly put six points on the scoreboard. Alva was able to tie up the score. However, a safety put Perry ahead by two at the end of the first period.

From there it was a dogfight with Alva leading 29-16 at the half. The Goldbugs increased their lead to 43-28 in the third period. But the Maroons weren't ready to quit. They narrowed Alva's lead to three points in the fourth quarter. Then Alva took charge and added two more TDs for the final of 57-40.

Perry First to Score

The Goldbugs started the game on the offense, but that quickly changed. Perry's Connor Williams produced an onside kick that hit an Alva player. A Perry player grabbed it and the Maroons took possession.

Despite an immediate flag against Perry for a false start, the Maroons started on the 46 yard line and moved the ball to Alva's 12 in three plays. The drive stalled out for three plays, but on the fourth sophomore quarterback Mason Drake connected with Santoi Rhodes for the touchdown. The extra point kick was no good, and Perry was on the scoreboard with six points.

Perry seemed fond of onside and squib kicks throughout the game. Alva started a drive on the 45. The Goldbugs went nowhere, and on the third play, Williams sacked Goldbug quarterback Mitchell Meyer. Alva was forced to punt.

The Goldbugs defense kept Perry from completing a first down, and the ball returned to Alva possession on their 25. With assistance from a flag against the Maroons, Alva made a first down. On the next set of plays, the Goldbugs lost yards on a holding penalty but recovered the distance on a pass from Meyer to Davion Murrow that ended on the 5 yard line.

Meyer handed the ball to Dalton Hess who rushed in for the touchdown. Cameron Gordon's extra point kick was low and blocked by a Perry player. The score was tied 6-6.

With three minutes left in the quarter, Perry started at the 25 yard line. Despite a 5-yard penalty on the Goldbugs, the Maroons couldn't make any progress and punted deep with the ball ending on Alva's one yard line.

The Goldbugs lined up adjacent to their own goal line. Meyer kept the football and gained four yards. Meyer couldn't hold onto the ball after the snap and fell on it in the end zone. The safety gave Perry two more points. Perry now led 8-6.

Gordon's kick went out of bounds at the 45, and the Maroons took possession. They couldn't make the first down, and Alva took the ball at their 46 with a few seconds left on the clock. In the first play, Alva was flagged for holding, and the quarter ended with the Goldbugs facing a first and 23 at their own 33 yard line.

Alva Pulls Ahead

With first and 23, the Goldbugs faced an uphill battle to start the second quarter. Meyer's pass was incomplete, so he tried a keeper and gained nine yards on the second play. On the third play, Meyer was sacked for a loss and was forced to punt.

Perry started on their 26. In seven plays, the Maroons were at Alva's 25. Drake connected on a throw to Perry Wilson for the touchdown. The conversion was good, and Perry led 16-6.

Alva took over, and on the second play Hess rushed half the length of the field for a touchdown. Meyer's pass for the conversion was good, and Alva was only two points behind at 16-14.

Gordon's kickoff rolled into the end zone, and Perry started on the 20. They went nowhere on two plays. Drake was pressured and forced to throw. The pass was nearly picked off by Reese Martin. The ball was now on the Perry three yard line. Drake punted. Martin picked it up at the 40 and ran, putting Alva in good position at the 34.

Meyer's pass connected with T.W. Beiswanger in the end zone for the touchdown. Meyer tried to pass for the two-point conversion, but he was tackled and it was incomplete. The play drew a flag on the Maroons, and Alva got a do over. This time Meyer ran it in for two points, and Alva took the lead 22-16.

The Goldbugs drew a facemask penalty on the kickoff return. Drake rolled out his passing game for the Maroons. Big 6 ft. 1 in. receiver Jace Burdick was hard for Alva to bring down. At 6 ft. 2 in., Maroon receiver Blayne Douglas didn't fare so well as Alva's 5 ft. 10 in. Martin made a leap to break up a pass.

Eventually Alva stopped the drive with a quarterback sack by Lane Scarborough, and Perry had to punt. The clock showed less than two minutes to the half, but that's all Alva needed. In three plays, Alva had the first down. Meyer passed to Hess for a five yard gain. Perry was called for a personal foul, and the ball was moved to the two-yard line. From there, Meyer made a quick pass to Beiswanger in the end zone. Gordon's extra point kick was good, and Alva was ahead 29-16 at the half.

Penalty Flags Fly

Perry started the second half with the ball but made no progress as Alva sacked the quarterback twice. The Goldbugs didn't do much better, and Murrow went off the field due to leg cramps.

On Perry's next possession, the Maroons drew an illegal blocking penalty. Another play ensued, and the Perry coaching staff wanted a facemask call against Alva. Instead, the referees called unsportsmanlike conduct on the Maroons. Alva drew a personal foul penalty then Perry drew two more penalties.

Despite all the penalties, Perry started regaining yards. Then two Goldbugs tipped a Drake pass intended for Burdick. Martin picked it off and ran 65 yards for the touchdown. Gordon's extra point was good, and Alva stretched the lead to 36-16.

In two pass plays from Drake to Burdick, the Maroons went from the 37 to Alva's 20 yard line. Drake connected on a deep pass to Perry Wilson for a touchdown. The conversion failed, and the score stood at 36-22.

It was Alva's turn starting on their 41. On the third play, Hess rushed 39 yards for pay-dirt. The extra point by Gordon was good, and Alva led 43-22 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter.

Perry immediately answered with a 70 yard TD pass play from Drake to Rhodes. The conversion throw was incomplete, and Alva led 43-28.

When Perry kicked off, a Maroon player caught the ball. However, there was a flag and a discussion. Perry was called for interference, and Alva took possession on the Perry 38. Before the Goldbugs could get started, they were called for illegal substitution and a five-yard penalty.

The quarter ended with Alva at fourth and 7 on the Perry 35. Alva was ahead by 15 at 43-28.

Perry Still Fighting

Alva punted to start the fourth quarter. In six plays, Perry was a yard from the goal line. Wyatt Boyd caught a pass for the score, and the conversion was again incomplete. Alva led by nine at 43-34.

Possession of the ball went from Alva to Perry and back again to Alva.

The Goldbugs made a first down, but on the next play the ball came out of Meyer's hands and Perry grabbed it.

After two incomplete passes, Drake threw to a receiver in the end zone. The ball came out of his hands, and the Maroons fell on it. Was it an incomplete pass or a fumble? The referees called it a fumble, and Perry scored another six. The two-point attempt failed. Perry had pulled within three at 43-40 with just over six minutes left in the game.

The Goldbugs started a drive at their 16 with a snap miscue. Meyer picked it up and ran it back to the scrimmage line. Two plays later, Hess found running room and took off. He made a 73 yard rushing TD. Gordon's extra point kick was good, and Alva led 50-40.

In six plays Perry made it to Alva's 23, but Martin got his second interception of the night. In two plays, Alva was eight yards from the goal. Murrow ran in the touchdown, Gordon kicked the extra point, and Alva was up 57-40. That score held for the two minutes remaining.

Coach Schwerdtfeger Comments

"I was really proud of our composure and resilience in a tough road win with huge district implications," said AHS Head Coach Taylor Schwerdtfeger.

"They had some of their best players back healthy, and we knew it would be a different team we would see than the one we had seen in previous weeks on film. Give them credit, they came out and executed well and made plays, but our guys stayed the course and kept fighting.

"Our mental toughness is something that's carrying us through some big games. Hopefully we can continue to improve and look forward to hosting the next two district games here in Alva."

Stats

The Goldbugs ran 50 plays for 488 yards and seven touchdowns in the game. They rushed 34 times for 314 yards and completed 10 of 16 pass attempts for 174 yards. Five TDs were made rushing, and the other two were passing.

In individual stats, Meyer was 10 of 16 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards. Hess carried the ball 14 times for 218 yards and four touchdowns along with catching one pass for 58 yards. Murrow carried seven times for 40 yards and one TD. He caught four passes for 67 yards. Beiswanger caught four passes for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Martin caught one pass for five yards.

Lynn L. Martin

Alva's Reece Martin (7) successfully pulls in the ball on a pass near the end zone as Maroon defender Conner Williams (44) tries to intercept.

Perry had 72 plays for 566 yards and six TDs with two turnovers. The Maroons completed 31 of 51 pass attempts for 554 yards and six TDs with two interceptions. They had 21 carries on the ground for 12 yards.

On the Alva defensive side, five players recorded sacks. Scarborough had three, Daniel Toone two, Murrow one, Taylor Nichols one-half and Samuel Toone one-half. Martin made two interceptions, returning one for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Up Next

Next week is fall break, and Alva will be hosting Pawhuska at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19. Alva's record is now 6-1 for the season and 2-1 in district.

Pawhuska has yet to win a game this season with a 0-3 district record and 0-7 overall. Pawhuska lost to Hennessey 51-8 on Thursday. In the other district matchup, Tonkawa defeated Newkirk 49-15. Chisholm had the week off.