Elgin, Marlow, Tipton left to carry area banner

Tipton has set the bar high when it comes to high school football, owning a long winning streak and two straight Class C state titles and Marlow has long had a glossy playoff history.

Elgin, though, has surged to those same heights over the past two seasons and with a large group of talented seniors leading the way, the Owls are eager to hoist one of those gold balls at the end of the 2024 season.

The Owls host Sallisaw Friday at 7 p.m. and another huge crowd is expected as Elgin chases win No. 12 and a berth in the state semifinals next weekend.

The senior group at Elgin includes some big names, players who are going to play at the next level. However, there are seniors who have joined the large group of “program players” who came into the program as newcomers but soon learned the path to championships starts with hard work in the weight room and on the practice field.

“I came out my freshman year when our family moved here,” senior David Cardoza said. “I came out because I was playing soccer with Adan Delgardo and we both loved kicking the ball. I also have been working at running back and inside linebacker and practice is where I learned what is expected of us in this football program. Ritson (Meyer) is a great back and getting on the field is a challenge but we all have to be ready. He’s helped me a great deal.

“To be able to play behind such a great offensive line is something special. Those guys up front do a great job of communicating and preparing hard each week. We all want to win and we love the challenge to win a championship.”

Cardoza is like many of the Elgin seniors, he wants to attend college, hopefully get accepted into medical school and become a sports medicine specialist.

“The thing about this group is that we are a tight-knit team and we all are working to accomplish that goal of winning a gold ball,” Cardoza said.

The next step toward the title comes tonight when Sallisaw comes to Elgin for a Class 4A quarterfinal contest.

“They are not as big as we are up front but they have a couple of players who have some size,” Cardoza said. “They do have some speed and they look like a well-coached team on video. But we’ve played good teams all season and I feel that will give us an edge against them.”

Sallisaw, which is 9-2, advanced with a 27-26 overtime win over Grove while Elgin blanked Ardmore, 43-0, to climb to 11-0. The Elgin defense has allowed just 48 points in its 11 games and the Owls have produced six shutouts.

Not to be outdone, the Elgin offense has scored 545 points and is averaging 49.5 points a game with a strong running attack led by Meyer and a strong passing attack led by quarterback Tres Lorah who has shattered the school record for career passing touchdowns and career yardage. He has a strong group of receivers led by Brody Morrison, Josh Adesola, Braxten Antuna, Kason Meyer and tight end Adam Eaton.

Marlow, now 9-2, had a tough first-round win over Chisholm, 21-14, and will now have to hit the road to battle Kingston which is 10-1 on the season.

Tipton hosting Welch

Tipton routed Balko, 58-8, last week and will host 10-1 Welch Friday.

The Tigers competed in a tough district and they also had a good battle with Hollis in a non-district contest.

“We had some tough games and that win over Ryan was a big one for us,” Tipton coach Travis White said. “In the Ryan game we trailed until late but we found a way to get a win.”

The Tigers have been a traditional power running team but this year they’ve changed things up.

“We still have a good deal of athletic ability and experience but we don’t have the size like we’ve had in the past,” White said. “We are probably more 60-40 run to pass this year instead of 80-20 like we’ve been in the past.”

Tipton is getting the job done with two quarterbacks, Kaydence Sheffield and Devin Nunley.

“Both can run pretty well and it’s been one of those deal where we’ve just gone with the hot hand,” White said. “We just try and keep our rhythm and since Devin is so valuable on defense, Kaydence has primarily been running the offense in these last few games. Devin started on our ‘22 state champion bunch but had a knee injury last year and he’s also had some issues with concussions.

“Most kids would have probably quit playing but he’s hungry to get out there and compete. Kaydence may be a little quicker and Devin may throw it a little better. When the offense is working well you don’t want to start changing things.”

Mitchell Babcock has been the anchor on the line according to White.

“He’s the only really big guy we have on the line and he’s been a big reason we’ve been able to move the ball,” White said. “He gives us that leader up there and that’s important to have somebody who knows the offense so well. Mitchell is about 190 and is playing center for us. He’s really been responsible for our offense coming around after losing so many talented players.”

As has long been the case, the Tigers will deliver a blow when it comes to defense.

“Dayton Stevens has been playing well at cornerback,” White said. “He’s not very big at 5-11, 145 or 150, but he’s had some really big hits for us; big-time plays that gave us a spark. We also have Chris Addy who is a really good defensive end. He’s 6-4 and is really fast. He ran a 21.0 in the 200 last year in the state track meet. And Nunley is really playing well on defense.”

Welch has enjoyed a solid season, losing one game to Medford, which will host Ryan Friday in another quarterfinal game.

“They have some size up front; that’s the first thing we look at on video,” White said. “They have a couple of big backs, one of those a 6-2, 225-pound fullback. Their quarterback is a good athlete but he didn’t play last week because of an injury. They don’t throw the ball a great deal but we still have to respect that because he can throw it and they have a couple of good receivers.”

White once again has former Snyder head coach Robert Babcock on his staff along with defensive coordinator Gerald White, a former head coach at Central High and a member of state championship teams at Tipton in 2013 and 2014. Brett Thompson, another former Tipton player, is a lay coach for the Tigers.