Alva Review-Courier -

Thursday night the Alva Goldbugs were in a contest with Perry to see which team continued to district playoffs. Meeting the Maroons at Ranger Field in Alva, the Goldbugs couldn't take the lead until the final quarter, but when they did a strong defensive effort kept Perry out of the end zone. The Goldbugs managed to sack the quarterback twice, and Hunter Pfleider picked off a pass to stop the Maroons.

Alva won 23-20 securing a berth in the playoffs. In addition, OCS beat Chisholm 48-18 putting the Goldbugs in third seed position for districts. The Goldbugs will travel to Chandler next Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

First Half

Perry was a bit handicapped in the game without their starting quarterback. Jaxon Cunningham was suspended from play because he wore the wrong message on his t-shirt at the game against Chisholm the previous week. The Maroons relied on junior Bronson Bouher to step in at the quarterback spot.

The first quarter was a defensive battle with neither team scoring. However, Perry was at the Alva one-yard line as the quarter ended.

Opening the second quarter, Bouher kept the ball and ran in for a Perry touchdown. The extra point kick was no good, and Perry led 6-0.

On their second possession of the quarter, the Goldbugs moved from their 31 into Perry territory on a six yard pass from quarterback Cambell Gaisford to Aiden Kimberlin. Then Gaisford handed the ball to Lantz Mathers who pulled off a big run from the Alva 37 to Perry's 11-yard line. Gaisford gained five yards on a keeper but was sacked on the second down. Following an incomplete pass, the Goldbugs were on their fourth down with seven yards to go. Kash Shipley lined up and kicked a 25 yard field goal to put Alva on the scoreboard 6-3.

Near the end of the second quarter, Perry had the ball on their 12-yard line. On the first play Bouher was tackled for a four yard loss. Bouher passed to Tajon Williams who had one Goldbug defender between him and the goal line. When the Goldbug went down, Williams went all the way for the touchdown. The Maroons went for two points with Bouher passing to Williams to make the score 14-3 at the end of the half.

Second Half

It was Alva's turn to start with possession of the football. The Goldbugs went back to the spread formation they've used a lot. It paid off as they moved steadily down the field from a start at their 30-yard line, but not without some setbacks.

After a first down on a Mathers' 11-yard run, Gaisford passed to Shipley but the officials called offensive pass interference, a 15-yard penalty. As the Goldbugs lined up, they were again penalized for illegal receiver downfield. The penalties put them back at their 21 with 30 yards to go for a first down. Gaisford connected with Kimberlin, but he was immediately stopped. Then he handed the ball to Mathers who launched a big run to the Perry 18, carrying a few tacklers along the way. Gaisford kept the ball to gain five yards. He passed to Kimberlin who was shoved by a Maroon. The penalty put the Goldbugs at the Perry 7-yard line. Mathers made five yards on his first run, and took the ball in for a touchdown on the second. Shipley's kick was good, and Alva narrowed the point margin to four. Perry led 14-10.

On their next possession, the Maroons launched their own drive. Sophomore Andrew Kukuk had a big run and was stopped at the Alva 7-yard line. Quarterback Bouher was sacked to lose five yards, but He passed to freshman Asher Robinson for a touchdown. The kick failed, and Perry led 20-10.

The Goldbugs were making good progress, mainly on runs by Mathers. Gaisford passed to Kimberlin who was inside the Perry five-yard line when he was tackled and the ball came loose. Perry fell on it for a turnover. They didn't have it long as Daylon Malone intercepted a pass to give Alva possession at the Perry 25.

After three incomplete passes, Gaisford was able to connect with Jantz Heaton for the first down. Then Gaisford's pass was caught by Shipley in the end zone for a touchdown. Shipley's kick was blocked, but the Goldbugs were back within four at 20-16. Perry had moved the ball into Alva territory as the third period ended.

When Perry's drive stalled out, the Goldbugs took over on their 16-yard line. Mathers had another big run to the 41. A pass caught by Malone took Alva to the Perry 29. A pass to Kimberlin and a carry by Mathers put the Goldbugs at the 15. Gaisford connected on a pass to Heaton for five yards. Then he handed off to Mathers who took the ball in for the touchdown. Shipley's kick was good, and Alva took the lead 23-20 for the first time in the game.

On their possession, the Maroons lost nine yards in consecutive sacks by the Goldbugs. Trace Hamilton, Wyatt Tucker and Malone were in on the first sack and Tucker took care of the second one.

Desiree Morehead

Alva's Hunter Pfleider (35) puts his head down and takes out the Perry runner. Alva played Perry Thursday evening for their last home game of the season. The Goldbugs beat the Maroons 23-20.

After a Perry punt, Alva was at their 46. The Maroon defense held the line, and the Goldbugs had to punt. Perry started at their 18 and made it to midfield where Pfleider picked off a pass to give Alva possession.

Mathers made his way up the middle to reach the Perry 11. Two more runs by Mathers put Alva at the Perry four-yard line. With six seconds left, Alva took a timeout. Then Gaisford kept the ball but couldn't make the final yardage. Alva won 23-20.

Wrap-Up

The Goldbugs finish their regular season with a 4-3 district record and 5-5 overall. The Goldbugs advance to the district playoff on the road at Chandler Friday night with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Chandler defeated Luther 37-30 on Friday.

In other district 2A-1 action, Millwood shutout Blackwell 48-0; OCS beat Chisholm 48-18; and Hennessey edged Newkirk 30-28.

Looking at eight-man teams in the area, Ringwood won over Cherokee 46-44, Waynoka beat Tyrone 58-50 and Timberlake defeated Medford 46-16.