FOOTBALL: Gaede, Gaines deliver late as Claremore rallies past Bartlesville
· Yahoo Sports
It had to be Ayden Gaines.
With Claremore trailing by four and facing third down from the Bartlesville 11-yard line with 48 seconds remaining, the circumstances almost seemed predetermined for the senior receiver, whose jersey number matched the exact yardage the Zebras needed to retake the lead.
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Gaines had already spent most of the night proving nearly impossible to stop, and all that remained was for Kellen Gaede to make the game-winning pass.
The senior quarterback took the snap and fired toward Gaines, who leaped high above the defenders and pulled down the pass for their second touchdown connection of the night. The score pushed Claremore back in front and ultimately delivered a dramatic 35-32 victory Friday night over the Bruins at Lantow Field.
It was the program’s fourth-straight victory over the Bruins.
“Coach called slant wheel, and he knew I was going to be open,” Gaines said. “He knew what position he put me in, and he knows I can make that play. That’s what I did.”
It capped a frantic fourth quarter in which the Zebras lost an 8-point lead, committed a costly facemask penalty and fumbled away a potential go-ahead possession before answering with a decisive drive when they had no margin remaining for another mistake.
Fittingly, even Claremore's record now matches Gaines' jersey number, with the victory moving the Zebras to 1-1 following their 20-14 Week Zero loss at Sallisaw. They host Muskogee [2-0] next week in their final nondistrict test.
Gaede completed only 7 of 15 passes Friday, but they went for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. Almost every bit of that production went to Gaines, who hauled in 6 passes for a staggering 215 yards and both scores.
The transfer from Oologah averaged nearly 36 yards per catch.
“I tip my hat to Ayden Gaines,” Claremore coach Jarrett Hurt said. “Two weeks in a row, he was the best player on the field, and it wasn’t even close. Our No. 11 was the best player on the field tonight.”
Their biggest connection before the game-winner came from almost as far away from the end zone as possible.
Claremore led 7-6 midway through the second quarter when Gaede found Gaines open down the sideline. Gaines did the rest, racing for a 93-yard touchdown that extended the advantage to eight.
It was part of a first half in which Gaines accumulated 199 receiving yards on only 4 catches.
“Ever since I moved over here over the summer, we’ve just been connected every day at practice,” Gaines said of his connection with Gaede. “Staying after [practice] and doing stuff, we seem to know each other better.”
The Zebras needed every one of them.
Bartlesville [1-1] amassed 451 yards, including 281 on the ground, while Claremore finished with 444 — 228 rushing and 216 passing.
Bruins quarterback Michael Kent proved especially difficult to contain. He rushed 20 times for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 16 of 28 passes for 170 yards. Claremore did intercept him twice, though.
He announced his presence immediately.
Wyatt Mathis opened Bartlesville's first possession with a 22-yard run before Kent eventually faced fourth down. Rather than merely moving the chains, the quarterback broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown at the 9:25 mark.
The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Bruins ahead 6-0.
The Zebras' response initially looked promising.
Gaede connected with Gaines for 34 yards to the Bartlesville 31, but consecutive 5-yard penalties, a 5-yard loss and a fumble erased the opportunity.
It was an ominous continuation of the issues that plagued Claremore at Sallisaw.
The Zebras committed 13 penalties for 101 yards and lost 2 fumbles in their opener. Friday wasn't much cleaner, as they were flagged 12 times for 109 yards and again lost 2 fumbles.
This time, they overcame them.
“Our kids are resilient, our kids are tough, our kids are fighters,” Hurt said. “They didn’t quit fighting tonight. They wanted to win.”
After the Bruins turned the ball over on downs, Gaede hit Gaines for 47 yards to set up Claremore's first score. Demetrius Cummings powered into the end zone from 2 yards out of the wildcat formation to give the Zebras a 7-6 lead.
Cummings became a factor in all three phases of the game.
The senior rushed for 2 touchdowns, recorded 2 sacks and recovered a fumble while finishing with 54 yards on 12 carries.
His second touchdown came with eight seconds remaining in the half. Cummings again took the direct snap and muscled his way across from a yard out, sending the Zebras into halftime with a 21-12 advantage.
“Our O-line played amazing,” Cummings said. “I love it when they have that intensity and the grit they have. I love it.”
Claremore's defense helped preserve that cushion.
Bo Wolf intercepted Kent at the Zebra 10 midway through the second quarter, and Evan Jameson added another interception in the third.
Bartlesville, nevertheless, kept coming.
Mathis, who finished with 91 yards on 14 carries and 4 catches for 45 yards, scored his second touchdown on a 6-yard run with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter. Kent found Price Lusk for the 2-point conversion, cutting Claremore's advantage to 21-20.
Jameson's interception briefly halted the momentum, but the Zebras went three-and-out. The Bruins took possession at midfield following a short punt before Claremore's defense stiffened again, forcing a turnover on downs at its 26.
Then the game turned chaotic.
Kannon Kinnard opened the fourth quarter by breaking loose for a 32-yard touchdown, coincidentally matching his No. 32 jersey number as well and extending the Zebras' lead to 28-20.
The sophomore emerged as Claremore’s workhorse, rushing 20 times for a team-high 133 yards.
“We’ve been alternating our backs, and Kannon got the hot hand, so we left him in there,” Hurt said. “He sees the hole really well, he’s shifty and does a super job running the football.”
Bartlesville answered with Matthew Sears' 2-yard touchdown run with 7:33 remaining.
The Bruins initially appeared to tie the game at 28 on the ensuing 2-point conversion, but a penalty forced another attempt, and the Zebras stopped it.
Then they gave Bartlesville another opening.
Claremore lost its second fumble at the Bruins' 46 with 5:53 remaining. A facemask penalty on the Zebras later helped Bartlesville advance, and Kent capitalized one play later with a 16-yard touchdown keeper.
Another 2-point attempt failed, but the Bruins had their first lead since the opening quarter, 32-28, with 3:49 remaining.
Claremore needed a touchdown, and Gaede — who had been bottled up on the ground almost the entire night — suddenly supplied the play the Zebras needed.
After managing only 6 yards on his first 12 carries, he broke free for 34 yards to the Bartlesville 30.
“I just went back to trusting my O-line,” Gaede said. “They blocked it up good, and I saw the sideline open up, so I just hit it as hard as I could. I just wanted to make a big play for my team. I wanted to give us a chance, so I made sure to get down there as far as I could.”
Claremore kept moving until it faced third down at the 11 with less than a minute remaining.
One more time, Gaede looked for Gaines. One more time, Gaines delivered.
“It all comes down to confidence every game, and my confidence is at an all-time high right now,” Gaines said.