Alva Review-Courier -

Alva fans would have loved to see the underdog Goldbugs pull out a win against No. 1-ranked Millwood Saturday night, but it was not to be. Millwood won 37-0 at the neutral site of Enid High School.

Although it was a shutout, Alva kept the Falcons under 40 points, something that hadn't happened in any of the three preceding playoff games. Millwood scored 63 against Tonkawa, 42 against Dibble and 44 against Vian.

This was only the second trip to the football semifinals for Alva. The last time was in 1949 when Alva lost a semifinal game to Wynnewood in Class B. The 2017 Goldbugs set a new school record with 12 wins in a season, finishing 12-2.

Although it's a sad ending for the seniors, they can be proud of the legacy they're leaving for the younger team members to build on next year.

Millwood will advance to the final championship playoff against Washington. In the other Class 2A semifinal game played Saturday night, Washington defeated Davis 31-21.

Millwood Scores in First

Millwood won the coin toss, electing to receive the kickoff and immediately drew a flag. The Falcons started on their own ten yard line. On the third play, Millwood quarterback Montrell Wilson broke loose running from the 21 to the Alva six where he was tripped up by T.W. Beiswanger.

The Falcons made four attempts to reach the goal line, but the Goldbugs held them off, taking possession of the ball on their own one-yard line.

Mitchell Meyer kept the ball and ran for five yards, then connected on a pass to Beiswanger to make the first down. Dalton Hess ran for another four yards. After an incomplete pass, Meyer again connected with Beiswanger for a second first down. At the Alva 32, Meyer's hand off to Hess went nowhere. Then as Meyer handed off to Hess, the ball was dropped and Millwood recovered.

Millwood took over at the Alva 32 and drew a five yard penalty for a false start. It was first and 15 from the Alva 37 when Wilson threw to Demariyon Houston for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, and Millwood led 6-0.

Alva kept the ball for six plays, advancing from their 37 to the Millwood 46 before running out of steam. Israel Antwine showed he was not only big but quick, breaking into Alva's backfield and tackling ball carriers again and again.

Following the punt by Meyer, Millwood started on their seven. A penalty on Alva gave them a first down. The Falcons managed to get to the 29, but a flag set them back to the 24. With 2:20 left in the first period, Millwood had to punt.

During Reece Martin's runback of the punt, Millwood earned a horse-collar penalty so Alva started on the Millwood 29. Meyer was sacked for a loss back to the 37 on the first play. Then Millwood was penalized for jumping offside and Alva gained five yards. Meyer threw a screen pass to Murrow to reach the 23, and the quarter ended with Millwood leading 6-0.

Two More Falcon TDs

The second quarter started badly for Alva. On a fourth and four, Meyer couldn't find a receiver, he threw the ball away and Millwood intercepted.

In four plays including a penalty setback, Millwood drove 90 yards for their second touchdown. Wilson threw to Houston who broke a tackle and ran for the 77 yard receiving TD. This time the two-point conversion was good, and Millwood was up 12-0.

After the kickoff, Meyer kept the football and ran for two yards. Then as he looked for a receiver he was sacked for a loss of five yards. He attempted a pass that overshot Jacob Faulkner and had to punt on the fourth down.

Millwood was at their 46 and made the first down in one play, a run by Marcus Major to the Alva 43. Wilson attempted a pass, but Davion Murrow tipped it and the pass was incomplete. Millwood drew a five yard penalty for a false start. Wilson kept the ball and ran but was tackled at the 45.

Wilson was injured on the play and didn't come back for the rest of the game. He was replaced by Daniel Howard at quarterback. With a fourth and eleven, the Falcons punted the ball away.

The Goldbugs started from their 14, making the first down on runs by Hess and Meyer. The next run by Hess went nowhere. Meyer elected to keep the ball and gained 13 yards to the 39. There were flags thrown, but each team had a personal foul that canceled each other.

Meyer connected on a nice pass to Beiswanger for a nine yard gain. However, a late hit on Meyer drew a flag against Millwood. Incensed Goldbugs on the sidelines reacted, and Alva also drew a flag. With offsetting penalties, the ball position didn't change.

Starting at the Alva 48, Meyer threw to Beiswanger to get into Millwood territory at the 38. Meyer handed off to Hess who was immediately driven back by Antwine for a loss of two. Another handoff to Hess resulted in no gain. Meyer tried a pass but it was incomplete. On the fourth play, he connected on a pass to Murrow who ran out of bounds at the 35, still seven yards short of a first down.

The Falcons started at their 35, and it took only one play to score. M. Major found an opening and ran 65 yards for the touchdown. There was a flag at the goal line from unsportsmanlike conduct by a Millwood player, apparently in celebration of the TD. That set the Falcons back a bit for their two-point conversion but it was still good. Millwood led 22-0.

The Falcons drew another flag for an illegal block during the kickoff return by Alva. The Goldbugs started on their 35 and gained only one yard in three plays, forcing a punt.

Millwood took over on their 40 and made the first down in one pass play. The next two passes by Howard were incomplete. However, on the third try he found Houston on the sideline for the third Falcon touchdown. The two point conversion was good, and the Falcons led 30-0 as time ran down in the half.

Alva had time for three plays that went nowhere. Meyer punted was tackled after the kick. A roughing the kicker call against Millwood let Alva keep the ball. Meyer's throw was incomplete, and the half closed with Millwood in front 30-0.

Third Quarter Scoreless

The Goldbugs started the second half in possession of the football. Meyer was sacked by Antwine on the first play for a loss of five. A pass attempt was incomplete, so Meyer kept the ball on the next try and gained seven. With eight yards still to go, Meyer had to punt.

Millwood, with Howard at quarterback, made the first down in two plays. Another play put them on Alva's 30 but a flag set them back. Howard handed off to Tre Amerson, but Arturo Cisneros tackled him. Howard kept the ball on the next play but was stopped at the line of scrimmage. It was Millwood's turn to punt.

Alva started at their 21. Three plays resulted in two gains and one loss of yards. At fourth and five on their 26, the Goldbugs punted the ball away.

This time Millwood managed to keep a drive going. As the quarter ran out, the Falcons were within three yards of the goal. The score remained 30-0 in Millwood's favor.

Falcons Make Final TD

The Goldbugs made Millwood work for that last three yards, but the Falcons scored on a two yard run by Isaiah Major. The extra point kick was good, and Millwood led 37-0.

On Alva's next possession, Meyer took a late hit and was out of the game. Murrow took over the quarterback duties for the Goldbugs. A penalty against Alva moved the ball back, and the Goldbugs had to punt.

Lynn L. Martin

This photo shows about half of the Alva crowd that was positioned on the south side of the stadium. The Goldbugs had about five times more fans in attendance than did their opponents.

Millwood drew a flag and penalty for a false start. A play later, Alva was flagged for a personal foul to send the ball the other direction. Howard kept the ball and had a good run before Murrow stopped him at the 14.

On the next play, Millwood picked up a couple of yards but play was stopped for injury to an Alva player. Goldbug Darian Smith was able to walk off the field on his own.

Millwood brought in their third quarterback of the game, sophomore Harold Bagby. A 36 yard field goal attempt was no good.

Meyer returned to the game for Alva as a wide receiver leaving Murrow at quarterback. Murrow kept the ball and ran for a first down. On the next play, sophomore Kellen Claflin was down. The drive fell apart after that, and Millwood took possession on a punt with just over two minutes left.

Millwood managed to draw two more penalties before the clock ran out.