OKC Millwood continues roll with commanding 40-13 win at Oklahoma Christian School
By Michael Kinney
EDMOND - The Oklahoma City Millwood Falcons opened the season with a loss to Heritage Hall, a rough start to a promising season.
Since then, the Falcons had been rolling through their schedule with ease. But their biggest challenge was still on in front of them when they took a trip to Edmond to face off with the Oklahoma Christian School Saints, who were tied for the lead in District 2A-1.
However, the Falcons were more than ready for the challenge as they overpowered the Saints, 40-13, Friday at OCS Stadium.
“Just a great way to come into a hostile environment, a big game, with a lot of things on the line,” Millwood coach Darwin Franklin said. “A lot of things that if we take care of our business, we can put ourselves in a better situation.
"Our kids responded and were resilient, and they played and worked hard all week.”
With 22 sophomores and 14 freshmen, Millwood could have been expected to come into the contest on its heels. But that was not the case as the Falcons used big play after big play to put the Saints away.
“We work very hard every day,” Millwood’s Rickey Hunt Jr. said. “But to get this ultimate goal is very sweet.”
It was a slow start for both teams in the first quarter, almost as if they were feeling each other out. The only scoring was a 17-yard field goal from the Saints' Jon Michael Crooks.
However, as soon as the second quarter started, the fireworks began. On the first play, Hunt broke off a 68-yard touchdown run down the sideline to put the Falcons up, 6-3.
Millwood’s defensive aggressiveness started to ramp up as well. Micho Lavine and Carlos Strong were getting into the backfield and pressuring the Saints' Garret Wilson into incomplete passes.
“They were just flying to the ball,” Franklin said. “They did a great job of communicating. They were constantly communicating. These guys were getting that unity.”
After another Crooks field goal, the Falcons went back to Hunt.
This time, the former quarterback caught a pass over the middle and bounced off a couple of defenders. While outrunning most of the Saints' defense, he side-stepped a tackle before strolling into the end zone for the 71-yard TD; his second of four touchdowns on the night.
Hunt then lined up in the Wildcat and converted the two-point conversion to give Millwood a 14-6 advantage.
“I want to say the catch was my favorite,” Hunt said. “That was my favorite one, but really it wasn't me, it was God.
"He helped me to get the right ability to make the cuts, the reads, all of that. So, I'm giving him all the good.”
The two teams swapped turnovers late in the second quarter. But the Falcons had the ball with 20 seconds left on the Saints' 42-yard line.
That was enough time for Schuylar Turnbull to hit Xzavier Thompson for a touchdown strike down the middle of the field, as Millwood took a 22-6 lead into halftime.
The Saints got the ball to start the second half, and they were able to run the ball and took almost five minutes off the clock. But their drive stalled and they were still forced to punt.
Millwood took over on its own 12-yard line. On the first play for the Falcons, Thompson sprinted out of the backfield for an 88-yard TD run.
With the game getting out of hand, the Saints tried to open up their offense and get their passing game going. But the Falcons' front four were getting into the backfield and harassing Wilson every time he dropped back to pass.
Hunt scored twice more in the second half to put the contest away.
OCS (6-2, 4-1) will travel to Alva next Friday. Millwood (7-1, 5-0) also hits the road when the Falcons take on Hennessey next Friday as well.