Pick-6 turns tide for Mac in win over Ike

Sometimes in these Lawton intra-city games, underclassmen may struggle with the hype and pressure but MacArthur fans are quickly learning that sophomore Auston Adam is a playmaker as his interception for a Pick-6 late in the third quarter gave the Highlanders a huge lift as they pulled out a tough 27-13 victory over Eisenhower Friday before a standing-room-only crowd.

It sure wasn’t easy as the Eagles scored on their first possession of the second half on a Charlie Trachte pass to Sherri Sheridan in the corner of the end zone. Connor Duffey kicked the PAT and Ike had a 13-6 lead.

Ike’s defense stopped Mac’s next possession but the Eagles couldn’t move the ball and were forced to punt and a short kick set Mac up just 54 yards from paydirt.

A roughing-the-passer penalty aided the drive before Jeremy Hutcheson and Alvin Locklin handled the final 35 yards of the drive with Locklin getting the score on a 1-yard run. Miguel Martinez toed the PAT and it was 13-all with 2:10 left in the third period.

The Eagles set up shop at their own 26 on the ensuing possession but that’s when the tide changed for good. On a 2nd-and-7 play, Trachte tried to hit a receiver in the left flat but Adam stepped in front of the receiver, made the grab and raced 30 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown. Martinez toed the PAT for a 20-13 lead and after that the Eagles were unable to do anything against the fierce Mac defense.

“Our defense played hard. I’m so proud of our defensive coaches and the players,” Mac coach Brett Manning said after the win. “They came up with a good game-plan and executed it. That’s the second game in a row that Auston has done that.”

The Highlanders are far from big up front defensively but they limited Ike’s talented back Rashaud Hurt to just 60 yards on 23 tough carries.

“We know we are a little undersized up there on defense but we put them on the move and attack,” Manning said. “They are tough, they are in shape and they just get after you.”

The first 17 minutes were pretty much a defensive struggle as both offenses failed to get much going.

But when a short Ike punt set up the Highlanders just 42 yards from the end zone Mac wasted little time scoring as quarterback Dane Edwards drilled a bullet into the corner of the end zone where Boux DeLong made a super catch for a 26-yard score.

Mac tried the “swinging gate” to try and catch the Eagles napping but the ball was fumbled and the Highlanders owned a 6-0 lead.

Ike then got something going offensively as Trachte got a hot hand, hitting six straight passes and leading the Eagles to a first down at the Mac 10-yard-line. However, a sack on a 3rd-and-11 forced Duffey to try a 36-yard field goal that hit the left upright hard and bounded away.

But Mac then committed a rare turnover, fumbling the ball and giving Ike possession at the 14. On a 2nd-and-five big Kingston Tito took a direct snap and bulled into the end zone for a score with 2:20 left in the half to force a 6-6 tie at halftime.

Mac’s final score came after a 50-yard drive that featured Jeremy Hutcheson’s tough running and a key pass from Locklin to Dominic Collins that moved Mac to inside the Ike 3-yard-line and Hutcheson got that on two carries and Martinez tacked on the final point for the victory.

Edwards and Locklin took turns running the offense as offensive coordinator Michael Pooschke was able to play to the strengths of both signal callers.

“Both our quarterbacks did some good things,” Manning said. “Dane threw a great pass down there in the corner to Boux DeLong for a score. Then Alvin did a lot of good things with his feet. We think they both bring something good to our offense.”

The Highlanders will have a chance to claim the city championship next Friday against Lawton High School which opened the season with a 32-26 victory over Duncan at Halliburton Stadium.

Eisenhower will try to rebound next week when it faces Altus at Hightower Stadium in Altus. The Bulldogs lost a 19-6 decision to Cache this week.