CADDO – The Caddo Bruins scored on all six first half possessions and added an interception return touchdown to blow past visiting Foyil, 47-0, in the opening round of the Class B Division 1 state playoffs last week.
With the first round playoff triumph for a fourth straight year, Caddo improved to 9-2 on the season and faces another daunting road challenge in round two Friday night, making the 322-mile one way journey to face top-ranked Laverne. The perennial power Tigers have not lost to an Oklahoma opponent this season, including a 28-22 triumph over Seiling, which toppled the Bruins 46-0 in Week 5.
The opening round victory over Foyil was another showcase of the Bruins’ offensive explosiveness on the way to the mercy rule decision in just one half of action. It was an extremely balanced arsenal as Caddo threw for 207 yards while adding 198 yards on the ground for 405 yards of total offense in only two quarters.
Meanwhile, the Bruin defense allowed three first downs and 38 yards on the Panthers’ first series before putting the clamps completely on the visitors’ attack. In total, Caddo yielded only 70 total yards and notched three interceptions.
“Foyil came out trying to burn the clock and limit our possessions,” head coach Jeff Wigington commented. “After we got a couple of touchdowns, they had to get out of that grinding offensive attack. It’s a tribute to the coaches and kids because we played a great, mistakefree game. I’m proud of them and getting to play another week.”
Junior Cale Wigington got the scoring started on just the fourth offensive play for the Bruins with a dazzling 43-yard touchdown burst. Jake McKay’s extra point made it 7-0 with five minutes to go in the first period and the avalanche was on.
The Bruins only needed to maneuver 42 yards on their next possession with Wigington rumbling in from 20 yards out with only 24 seconds left in the first frame.
Wigington hit three passes on the next series, two of which came to Jake Green and the other to McKay, setting up his own seven-yard scoring run. An 11-yard touchdown run by Wigington just three minutes later pushed the advantage to 27-0 and that’s when the defense began a string of takeaways.
Green’s interception set up a short field and resulted in a 14-yard touchdown bolt from Boen Proctor that extended the margin. Proctor also rumbled 28 yards with a swing pass on the next possession and McKay made a couple of Foyil defenders miss on a tremendous 40-yard touchdown grab moments later.
Leading 41-0 with under two minutes left in the half, Caddo looked to be on the verge of extending things to the second half when Green snagged an interception and raced 75 yards down the sideline with 21 seconds to play.
That was all the cushion they needed with Wigington notching the team’s third interception with a pick on the game’s final play.
The Caddo signal caller completed 10 of 13 passes for 207 yards and also contributed 119 yards on nine rushing tries. Proctor posted three carries for 42 yards and Jake Mullens rushed one time for 28.
Green was the top receiving target with four catches for 66 yards while McKay added three receptions for 70. Proctor had the one big grab while Mullens chipped in a catch for 28 yards and Noah Dry had one for 12.
Caddo had three tacklers finish with double figures as McKay tallied 15 stops, Jake Mullens tossed in 14 and Dry added 10. They also got nine stops from Jase Counce along with Bayler Black’s eight and seven by Charles Phillips.
The Bruins now focus on an upset this week and their first trip to the state semifinals since 2011 when they actually beat Laverne, 33-22, in that third-round matchup.
“We know it’s a big challenge,” Coach Wigington said. “Laverne is as good as advertised. They have one of the best running backs in the state so we are going to have to do a great job defensively. Hopefully, we can get a good game plan together and go out and execute after a very long road trip.”
