Watonga Drops 2nd Straight at Tonkawa

TONKAWA — The Watonga Eagles made one of their longest trips of the season Friday night to Tonkawa, and couldn’t overcome an early deficit in a 26-18 loss to the Buccaneers.

The defeat was Watonga’s second in a row and brings the Eagles to 0-2 in district competition after rolling 4-0 through non-district play.

Quarterback Joe Jackson and receiver Deondre Dunn had a big day for the Eagles, accounting for all three of the team’s touchdowns. Jackson completed 19 passes on 37 attempts for 303 yards, and Dunn caught 12 passes for 174 yards.

Sophomore receiver Chris Sanders also had 118 yards Friday on five catches.

The game started slowly for the Eagles, who took the opening kick but suffered a three-and-out on their opening possession. Tonkawa took over from near midfield and embarked on a 51-yard scoring drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock, converting third-and-16 and fourth-and-five plays along the way.

Watonga wasn’t able to seize the momentum on its next drive, or even pick up a first down, as a Jackson pass was snagged by Tonkawa’s Jake Randall for a turnover near midfield.

The Buccaneers went three-and-out, though, giving Watonga new life. Taking over on their 17, the Eagles responded with their initial first down of the game.

The game rolled into the second quarter and Watonga converted a fourth down with a Jackson three-yard keeper, then another one with an 11-yard catch by Dakota Morris. But a holding penalty stalled the Eagles deep in Tonkawa territory; they couldn’t overcome it and turned the ball over on downs without any points to show.

This time, Tonkawa took advantage, capping its long drive with an 18-yard completion that was nearly intercepted in the end zone. On its next possession, Tonkawa got great field position and went up 20-0 on a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-10.

Finally, just before the half, Watonga made its move. Taking the ball at its 32 with under a minute left in the second quarter, Jackson found Sanders for a 9-yard gain, then a 67-yard gain. One play later, a short completion to Dunn gave Watonga its first points of the night; it was a three-play drive that demonstrated just how quickly the Eagles can score, and gave the team some much-needed momentum before halftime.

That momentum continued on the other side of the break, after Tonkawa’s Homecoming ceremony, when Watonga’s Elijah Lauminick recovered a Tonkawa fumble on the Buccaneers’ very first play of their drive. That turnover resulted in another Eagles touchdown, a 12-yard Dunn reception that narrowed Watonga’s deficit to eight, 20-12, after a failed twopoint conversion.

The teams then traded touchdowns, with Tonkawa adding a score on its next drive to go up 14, and Watonga responding with a huge 71-yard Dunn reception to make the score 26-18.

Unfortunately, though there were still more than 6 minutes to play in the third quarter, those would be the last points of the game for either team.

Watonga nabbed its second fumble of the game on Tonkawa’s next drive, this time recovered by senior Wyatt Steed. Seeking a drive that could tie the game up, Watonga took over near midfield and immediately picked up 12 yards on a Caymon Wieczorrek carry.

But that drive ended plays later on consecutive Jackson incompletions.

Early in the fourth quarter, Watonga strung together another long drive. The Jackson-to-Dunn connection earned the Eagles three first downs, and then the Eagles overcame a holding penalty with a 21-yard completion to Sanders that put them on the doorstep, at the Tonkawa 24.

But on fourth and 10, Jackson was forced out of the pocket, scrambled to his right and launched a pass 10 yard downfield that fell incomplete for another turnover, negating the holding penalty that would have been called even if the Eagles had been successful.

That proved a backbreaker, as the Eagles had spent most of the fourth quarter on that drive. Tonkawa’s effective rushing attack was able to eat most of the remaining 5 minutes-and-change.

After the game, Watonga Head Coach Skylar Watson commended his team for staying in the fight.

“Our kids came out and competed. They played well,” Watson said. “It’s just one of those deals where we made more mistakes, and at the end of the day, they capitalized. We dug ourselves into a hole that we weren’t able to dig ourselves out of.

“We’re going to come back. These kids have battled week in and week out. We’ll go back, watch the film, work on it, and grow from here.”

The Eagles return to action on Thursday, Oct. 14 with a home game against Crescent. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.