by Austin Marsman
Martin wrapped up its football season with a tough 29 to 18 loss Friday night at Lawton.
It appeared as though the Clippers had momentum at intermission with a 12-7 advantage and they led 18-7 early in the third period, but eventually, Lawton caught up with and passed them.
Lawton’s Brandon Leighton scored a 70-yard TD and Israel Reyes kicked the extra point, putting the Blue Devils on the board first.
Martin’s Logan Elkins took the following kickoff and give the Clippers decent field position at their own 33-yard line. A few plays later, Junior Hunter Kershaw took the ball straight up the middle for almost 20 yards good enough for a first down. Faced with fourth and long situation, the Clippers elected to go for a first down. Lawton’s Northrup intercepted the pass and then fumbled the ball the next play. The recovery gave the Clippers the ball back and QB Travis Thorne connected with Zeke Dillenbeck for a Martin touchdown.
Lawton led the Clippers 7 to 6 at the end of the first quarter, but not for long. Elkins ran the ball 42 yards for a touchdown, enabling Martin to go up 12-7.
Opening the third quarter, Elkins once again scored, this time on a 52-yard pass from Thorne.
The Blue Devils kept up the perseverance. Nate Brooks was able to score two TDs for Lawton. Martin trailed by just 4 points, 22-18, at that point, but failed to execute a successful drive. A fatal turnover would result in Joel Maynard running in the final touchdown for Lawton to cement the victory as time expired.
Martin is graduating six seniors, Austin Pillars, Canton VandenBerg, Dugan Dortch, Logan Elkins, Payton Hunt and Zeke Dillenbeck. It was an emotional time for the seniors as they took off their helmet one last time to greet their parents and fans after the game.
Neither Martin nor Lawton will be going to the playoffs, needing two more wins for each to do so. The Clippers will turn in a 3-6 record on the season, the second-best season performance since 2007. The team is looking forward to a newly constructed home field next season and strong numbers returning.
(Photos courtesy of Austin Marsman)
COVER: Martin representatives meet with officials and Lawton players for the coin toss.