WARR ACRES — The stage is set for a Week 10 showdown with Lawton, with a home playoff game on the line.
Assuming a Lawton victory over Mustang tonight, the winner of next week’s game will wrap up second place in District 6A-4 after Norman High handed Putnam City West a 50-7 defeat Thursday night.
The eighth-ranked Tigers (7-2, 5-1) scored early and often, using several special teams plays and a pair of big runs from the feature backs in amassing a big halftime lead. The Tigers were able to pull their starters midway through the second quarter and took a 50-0 lead into the locker room.
The Patriots managed a fourth-quarter touchdown amidst a running clock but couldn’t mount a serious attempt to get back into the game.
The win keeps NHS solidly in second place in the district, behind Edmond Santa Fe. Lawton (6-2, 3-2), which plays Mustang tonight, will come to Norman next week in a game that most expect will decide which team will host a home playoff game.
It’s a goal that NHS is striving for, and one that is much closer after the Tigers dismantled the Patriots (1-8, 0-6) on the road. A’erion Hines opened the scoring early with a 30-yard scamper from one side of the field to another before turning it downfield and into the end zone. The Tigers then recorded a safety, credited to Tywon James after he met Putnam City West quarterback Steven Stallings in the backfield.
Imond Robinson followed that up on the next possession with a 47-yard run of his own to push the lead to 16-0, and the rout was on from there.
“We jumped on them and did some really good things,” coach Greg Nation said. “That’s what you want to be able to do in any game and we were able to tonight.”
The Tigers also got help from their defense and special teams. Boston Lewis made a nimble grab on a tipped pass and returned it 28 yards for a pick-six. On the next possession, after forcing Putnam City West back to its own 1-yard line, the Patriots fumbled the punt snap and Spencer Jones recovered it in the end zone. The Tigers also got a 33-yard punt return for a touchdown by Skylar Calhoun.
The game gets the Tigers back into the win column after dropping last week’s game to No. 6 Edmond Santa Fe. Both of the Tigers’ losses this season have come to teams ranked in the top six.
“It feels good to get a win,” Hines said after the game. “Losing last week just made us more hungry, and we’re ready to go into next week and get a win.”
Corbin HoslerFollow me @Chosler88chosler@normantranscript.com
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