Alva Review-Courier -

When the Goldbugs traveled to Millwood to begin district play Friday night, everyone knew the Alva team was facing an imposing opponent. In previous meetings the Millwood Falcons have almost always come out victorious. This game was no exception with Alva falling 66-16.

It didn't help that the Goldbugs were missing a couple of key players. Lantz Mathers sustained an ankle injury in the game against Fairview two weeks ago. Although he might have been able to play, it was decided not to risk it. In addition Aiden Faison was out due to an eligibility issue. Hunter Miller is still on the injured list with a broken collarbone.

Millwood dominated the first three quarters of the game. It wasn't until the fourth period when the Falcons began replacing their starters that the Goldbugs were able to score. That first touchdown came at a high price when quarterback Camron Gaisford sustained an injury. Coach Dave Foster said Gaisford's ankle was injured in a late hit in the end zone. The extent of his injury is unknown pending medical examination, but he's likely to be sidelined for part of the season.

First Quarter

Directed by freshman quarterback CJ Turnbull, the Falcons took possession of the ball at their 35 yard line. Turnbull was stopped for a loss on the first play. A holding penalty against Millwood was declined by Alva allowing the lost yards to stand. Turnbull passed to Xzavier Thompson to advance the ball to the 47. A pass to Iverson McElwee and a handoff to Rickey Hunt, Jr. moved the ball to the Alva 17. The advance broke down when the Falcons were called for a false start. Then Goldbug Reichen Kraft broke through to threaten Turnbull who quickly threw the ball. It was picked off by Alva's Daylon Malone who ran the ball back to the Alva 46 yard line.

The Goldbugs weren't able to capitalize on the interception. They lost eight yards on three plays and had to punt.

A return by William Mayes put the Falcons in a good position. Turnbull passed to Micho Lavine who had a big run to the Alva 9 yard line. Millwood gained one yard on a run by Lavine before Allie Pollock brought him down. Turnbull gave the ball to Hunt who crossed the goal line for the touchdown. Hunt ran for the extra two points, and Millwood led 8-0.

The shallow kickoff put the Goldbugs on their 35 yard line. Drake Wharton was taken down for a one yard loss. Gaisford found room to run for six yards, but Demarkus Wharton was tackled for a loss on the next play. Phillip Randall had to punt the ball away.

At the Millwood 30, Turnbull threw a pass over his receiver, and Drew Glass picked it off. He was tackled at the Millwood 43 where the Goldbugs set up to play. After an incomplete pass, Gaisford gave the ball to Drake Wharton who gained two yards. On the next play, the ball was fumbled and Hagan Wiersig fell on it for a loss of three yards. On the fourth down, Gaisford threw the ball to Drake Wharton who was ushered out of bounds short of the first down.

Starting at their 41 yard line, the Falcons steadily advanced into Alva territory. At the 30 yard line, Turnbull gave the ball to Hunt who wove through three tacklers behind some good blocking and scored the touchdown. The conversion failed, but Millwood led 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the quarter.

In three plays, the Goldbugs advanced only one yard against the formidable Falcon line. Randall punted. Thompson caught the ball at the 15 yard line and returned it 85 yards for the third Millwood touchdown. The two point conversion was good, and the quarter ended with Millwood leading 22-0.

Second Quarter

Alva began on their 39 yard line, advancing mainly on carries by Drake Wharton. At the Millwood 42, Gaisford connected on a pass to Glass who made it to the 15 before being stopped. The ball came loose as Gaisford handed off to Drake Wharton who was tackled. The Falcons recovered.

Millwood advanced from their 14 yard line and scored after 11 plays. Hunt ran the final 41 yards for the touchdown. Hunt took the ball across the line for the extra 2 points. Millwood now led 30-0.

Starting at their 11 yard line, the Goldbugs lost five yards on a false start. After three plays, they had 16 yards to go for the first down so Randall punted. Mayes took the punt and found running room. It looked like he would go all the way, but he was stopped short of the goal line.

With six yards to go, Turnbull pitched the ball to Hunt who scored another touchdown. Hunt took care of the extra two points, and the Falcons increased their lead to 38-0.

With seconds remaining, the Goldbugs had an incomplete pass. Drake Wharton was taken down for a loss of one yard. Then Alva was penalized for delay of game. One more run by Drake Wharton went nowhere and time ran out. At the halftime break, Millwood led 38-0.

Third Quarter

Alva had possession of the ball to begin the second half. They advanced five yards to their 32 when Millwood drew an offside penalty. From there, Drake Wharton ran to the 40 for the first down. Two more carries by Drake Wharton took the Goldbugs to the 46. Gaisford threw the ball to Demarkus Wharton but a fumble was recovered by Mayes who ran about 40 yards for the touchdown. The Falcons were successful in adding the two point conversion, and Millwood led 46-0.

After the kickoff, Alva started off on their 31. A run by Drake Wharton gained two yards. Then Gaisford passed to with Malone for the first down. The Goldbugs advanced one yard on a Drake Wharton run. After two incomplete passes, Gaisford successfully connected with Malone for another first down. Now at the Millwood 38, Gaisford passed to Malone for a one yard gain. Two successive handoffs to Drake Wharton went nowhere. Gaisford threw the ball to Hunter Pfleider but he was pushed out of bounds before making the first down.

The Falcons took over at their 32. They advanced to the Alva 37 where Kraft tackled Turnbull as he threw the ball resulting in an incomplete pass. Turnbull gave the ball to Hunt who ran across the goal line, but a flag was thrown. Millwood declined the penalty on Alva to keep the TD. The conversion was good, and Millwood led 54-0.

On the next series, Millwood kept Alva contained to the line of scrimmage, and Randall had to punt. At the Alva 44, Turnbull handed the ball to Hunt who found running room and crossed into the end zone. This time the Falcons tried a kick, but it was blocked by Adrian Cenicerios. Millwood now led 60-0

On the kickoff, Drake Wharton ran the ball back to the Alva 49. From there, the Goldbugs advanced to the Millwood 34 before the quarter ended.

Fourth Quarter

Alva started the fourth quarter with a nice run by Drake Wharton for the first down. At the Millwood 25, Gaisford kept the ball and pushed a pile of defenders to gain four yards. He pitched the ball to Demarkus Wharton to advance to the 12 yard. Gaisford handed the ball to Drake Wharton who gained three yards. A pass attempt was almost intercepted but was incomplete. Gaisford gave the ball to Drake Wharton who gained two more yards up the middle. With seven yards to the goal, Gaisford kept the ball and crossed the goal line. However, Gaisford was injured and was helped off the field. Malone took over at quarterback, giving the ball to Drake Wharton who ran in for the extra two points. Alva was finally on the scoreboard, 60-8.

After the kickoff, Josiah Woods took charge as the Falcon quarterback. He tried a keeper, but Trace Hamilton brought him down for no gain. Woods handed off to Dylan Daniels who ran for seven yards. Woods tried another keeper, but he lost a yard. Woods passed the ball to Daniels who completed the 59 yard passing touchdown play. The extra point kick was blocked by Alva. Millwood now led 66-8.

Desiree Morehead

Alva's Jordan Lohmann (10) gets down low to stop the Millwood offense.

At the Alva 41, Malone handed off to Wharton who ran 16 yards for the first down. At the Millwood 43, Malone threw an incomplete pass. Then he handed the ball to Drake Wharton who took it to the 32. A keeper by Malone finished out the first down and took the ball to the nine-yard line. From there, Malone passed to Weston Tucker in the end zone for the touchdown. Malone handed off to Demarkus Wharton for the extra two points. The score stood at 66-16 as time ran out.

Wrap-Up

The Goldbugs are now 1-3 on the season while Millwood has a 3-1 record. Alva will travel to Newkirk next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

In other Class 2A-1 games, Newkirk defeated Chisholm 58-26, Oklahoma Christian School topped Hennessey 35-15, and Perry beat Blackwell 46-6.

Looking at scores from other nearby schools, Timberlake blanked Deer Creek-Lamont 56-0, Waynoka defeated Boise City 56-8, and Cherokee lost to Seiling 64-34.