By Clay Horning
MIDWEST CITY -- If it was a fantasy, Norman High made it come to life at least for a while. If it was a possibility, Midwest City shut the door in a hurry.
Whatever, a Tiger victory wasn't to be Friday night at Rose Field. For that matter, as halftime approached, not even a narrow loss awaited NHS.
Winners of two straight, the Tigers saw their winning streak come to a crashing halt. Though NHS drew first blood, the Bombers were too good on a night they prevailed 63-7.
A blow in the win-loss column, it might also have been a blow to the Tigers' playoff hopes. As is, NHS will face Lawton Eisenhower next Friday at Harve Collins Field for the final playoff spot in District 6A-2.
Ike shocked Westmoore with a last-second field goal Thursday night at Moore Stadium to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Healthy, the Tigers would be a clear favorite over the Eagles. But they're not healthy. At all.
"We're beat up," NHS coach Greg Nation said.
At Rose Field, the Tigers lost sophomore tailback Donovan Roberts, their only home run threat in the backfield, to a hip pointer in the first half that may be more serious.
He did not return.
"They kept me out as a precaution," Roberts said, intimating he'd likely be back for Ike, though his coach appeared to disagree.
"He won't be playing next week," Nation said. "It's a possible hairline fracture."
Approached a second time, to be sure there was no minsunderstanding, Nation cleared nothing up.
"I don't know, that's what the doctors told me," he said. "He might have a torn ACL for all I know."
Also, the Tigers lost linebacker Doug Smith to a groin injury. Already, they were without linebacker Greg Offenburger, who missed his second straight game to a knee injury. Another linebacker, David Nelson, is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
The scariest moment for NHS came in the final minute of the first half when Gavin Edington, upon catching a pass for a 10-yard gain, paid for it with a sandwich hit from the Bomber tandem of Mark Harter and Dillione Johnson.
Eddington tried to get up, took a step or two and fell back to the ground. The game was delayed several minutes while he was helped from the field.
"We're just depleted with injuries," Nation said.
Midwest City took clear advantage.
The Bombers punted twice: on their first and last possessions. In between, they went up and down the field, running for 278yards, led by James Flanders' 131 and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
Bomber quarterback Greg Austin threw for 127 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Cameron Hinshaw returned an interception 75 yards for a score. Midwest City also blocked one punt and sacked NHS punter Logan Hammons on a punt that never occurred.
NHS' shining moment came on its opening drive when it marched 71 yards to score the game's first touchdown. The Tigers converted a pair of fourth downs, faking a punt and throwing complete to Seth Zimmer for 12 yards on the first, and drawing a facemask call on the other.
Quarterback Chad Anderson found Zimmer for 5 yards with 6:57 left in the first quarter, giving the Tigers their only lead.
It was the Bombers the rest of the way, though it quickly ceased mattering. By the half, Midwest City led 35-7.
It all led to one very simple equation.
Beat Ike and Week 10 begats Week 11. Don't beat Ike and the long offseason begins.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
