ELGIN – Elgin’s runaway 41-10 win over Weatherford Friday night pushed the Owls to a 3-0 record for the first time since 2009 when head coach Chalmer Wyatt was a player.
“I remember that season (2009). Someone mentioned it to me after the game. It was neat to be a part of that group and to be a part of this team,” said Wyatt, who was a junior on the Elgin squad 13 years ago.
Wyatt said he was pleased the Elgin offense jumped out to a fast start with a 63-yard TD run by junior tailback Matthew Lund who finished with 246 yards rushing. The game’s opening 78-yard drive took less than two minutes with the Owls leading 7-0 with 10:39 left in the first quarter.
“That was big, especially with us showing we can do that going into district games,” Wyatt said.
Defensively, Elgin dominated Weatherford in the second half as the Eagles were never able to sustain an offensive drive.
Weatherford, now 1-2, cut the lead to 7-3 with a field goal late in the first quarter.
After the teams traded possessions on two occasions, Elgin’s Toby Parker recovered a fumble by the Weatherford punter at the Eagle 35-yard line. Two plays later, freshman Ritson Meyer rumbled 33 yards to paydirt as the Owls pushed the lead to 14-3.
Weatherford cut the lead to 14-10 when Nick Jett caught a 57-yard TD pass with 4:18 left in the first half. However, the Owls pushed their halftime lead to 21-10 on an 11-yard TD pass from quarterback Tres Lorah to Michael Adesola with 23 seconds left. Adesola broke open in the right part of the end zone as Lorah zipped the ball to the junior wideout.
The Owls blew the Eagles away in the second half with 20 unanswered points, including a sensational 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by sophomore linebacker Colyn Donnelly.
“We’ve been very fortunate to get several three-and-outs and to get a defensive score means you’re probably going to win the game. Our defense has improved with every game,” Wyatt said.
The Elgin defense has intercepted a pass in each game so far and two picks have been returned for touchdowns.
Elgin finished the scoring in the second half with another 11-yard TD reception by Adesola, Donnelly’s interception return, and Lund’s remarkable 84-yard TD run with 8:41 remaining. Lund ran around right end and made it to the sideline where he outran two Weatherford defenders.
“It’s a perfect storm for us right now,” Wyatt said. “These guys up front are jelling and then you have a guy like Lund who makes it really tough on defenses. His 63-yard TD was his first touch of the game so that was awesome.
After three games, Lund has carried the ball 66 times for 578 yards and scored six touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Meyer has rushed 18 times for 172 yards and three TDs. He is averaging 9.6 yards every time he touches the ball.
Elgin also has the ability to throw the ball when the running backs aren’t rumbling down the field. Sophomore quarterback Tres Lorah completed six of 15 passes for 64 yards against the Eagles and threw the two TD strikes to Adesola. After three games, Lorah has thrown for 309 yards and three touchdowns while completing 49% of his passes.
Weatherford still leads the rivalry 6-5 over the 11 years the two teams have played. Last season, Elgin defeated Weatherford 33-27 when the teams played in the same Class 4A district. However, Elgin has since moved to Class 5A.
Elgin hosts El Reno Friday in its first district game of the season. El Reno, 0-3, did not play last Friday night.
