Checotah holds off late Bulldogs rally, escapes with win

For nearly three quarters, Muldrow seemed to be down and out in an important District 3A-3 home contest with Checotah.

Starting with the final seconds of the third, though, the Bulldogs put together a frenzied rally and even got themselves in position to force overtime. However, a 34-yard field goal attempt went wide left at the buzzer, and the Wildcats escaped Marty Rogers Field with a 48-45 win last Friday night to spoil homecoming for the ’Dogs.

“We didn’t put our best half of football together in the first half, and I want to give all the credit to Checotah,” Muldrow coach Logan Coatney said. “They’re an outstanding football team. They came out and executed their game plan.

“(I’m) proud of our kids. I thought the fight in the second half was terrific, and I love to see that — and that’s something we can build on and grow moving forward. We just came up a little bit short.”

Muldrow (4-1 overall, 1-1 in district play) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter, 28-3 the following quarter and also trailed 42-16 with 45 seconds left in the third following a Checotah touchdown.

However on the ensuing kickoff, Muldrow’s Teaguen Collins — who already had scored two TDs — provided a massive spark by going 77 yards to the house.

The Bulldogs then went for two and got it as DeShawn Willson ran it in, getting Muldrow within 18 points at 42-24 with 33 seconds to go in the third.

On the third play of the final quarter, Muldrow crept even closer. Facing a heavy rush from the Bulldogs, Checotah quarterback Cole Rolland rushed a throw that was picked off by Muldrow linebacker Caden Grinstead, who found plenty of room down the left sideline and finished off a 60-yard pick-six. Wyatt Prewett tacked on the extra point to cut Checotah’s lead to 42-31 with 10:52 left.

The Wildcats (4-1, 2-0) reached the Bulldog red zone on the next series, but turned the ball over on downs, with Muldrow taking over at its own 14.

Seven plays later, the Bulldogs went 86 yards to make things even more intriguing.

One play after Collins, the Bulldogs’ quarterback, hooked up with Willson for a 56-yard gain to the Checotah 12-yard line, Collins found Tyson Williams in the back corner of the end zone. Though Collins was stopped short of the goal line on a try for two points, the Bulldogs made it a one-score game at 4237 with 5:36 left.

Checotah seemed to put the game away when senior Elijah Thomas — a University of Oklahoma commit primarily playing receiver and defensive back — took a direct snap and raced 38 yards to the end zone, extending the Wildcats’ lead back to double digits at 48-37 with 2:51 showing on the clock. However, Muldrow, in particular Collins, had a quick response.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Collins found a streaking receiver, Jemauree Palmer, for a 51yard TD. The Bulldogs cut the Checotah lead to three points at 48-45 when Collins hit D.J. Massey on the two-point try.

Momentum continued for Muldrow as the Bulldogs attempted an onside kick, and Williams made the recovery at the Checotah 45-yard line, but on the next play, a deep ball from Collins seemed to hit a receiver in stride, until Thomas made a diving interception inside his own 5.

“(Thomas) is a stud,” Coatney said. “You can see that from the way he walks on the field whether it’s out here in warm-ups, catching punts or playing quarterback or receiver or running back. He made a great play there to get the ball picked off. We had an opportunity and had the corner beat, but he’s the type of kid that can cover more than half the field. So, hats off to him and phenomenal player. He’s committed to OU for a reason.”

Still, the Bulldogs didn’t give in, and were able to force a punt deep in Checotah territory. Collins fielded the kick at the Checotah 34-yard line and returned it to the 18 with 56 seconds left.

Muldrow attempted a couple of running plays that went nowhere, and Collins spiked the ball on third down, setting up a field-goal try in the final seconds, but the Bulldogs’ comeback hopes came up inches short when the kick went wide left.

Collins finished with four total touchdowns. He completed 6-of-14 passes for 181 yards and a TD, rushed for 73 yards on 19 carries and two more touchdowns and had the kickoff return for the other six-pointer.

The two TD runs Collins tallied was a 17-yard keeper late in the first half to pull Muldrow within 18 points at 2810, which was the halftime score, and a 1-yard plunge on Muldrow’s opening series of the second half, finishing off a nine-play, 65-yard drive after Checotah scored on its initial secondhalf possession to go up 34-10.

Before the final minutes of play, the closest Muldrow got was 7-3 when Prewett kicked a 26-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, capping the Bulldogs’ second series on offense.

Palmer caught three passes for 63 yards and Wilson had two catches for 106 yards.

Muldrow now travels to face Idabel next Friday. The Warriors dropped to 1-1 in district after falling to Stigler 2928 in overtime Friday.