Five turnovers is normally a sure recipe for a loss on the gridiron, but Durant managed to survive the plethora of giveaways for 14-8 win over Tulsa Edison last week at Paul Laird Field.
The victory evened the Lions’ record at 3-3 for the season and 2-1 in district play with a string of pivotal matchups coming up, including Shawnee at home Oct. 16.
Durant’s offense was a bit limited in production with just 285 yards but only had 44 offensive plays thanks to the five drives that ended in turnovers.
The Lion defense was up to the task however, holding Edison scoreless on three of four red zone possessions including a pair of strong goal line stands. The Eagles finished with 198 total yards.
“It was ugly but it’s a win,” head coach Todd Vargas commented. “An ugly victory is better than a pretty loss. Anything that could go wrong offensively just about did. Anytime we’d make a big play we would have a penalty. Start to put a drive together and turn it over.
“I’ve never won a game with five turnovers until tonight, but it’s a tribute to how well our defense played. We’ve got to clean it up quickly and get better. There’s a lot of parity in the district and we are right there in the mix now after these last two wins.”
Durant got off to a quick start and looked like it might roll to victory as Shajen Davis returned the opening kickoff 70 yards and five plays later Cole Robbins connected with Otto Baskin for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Baskin also booted the extra point to give the hosts a 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the game.
Edison looked to answer as a 47-yard pass moved the Eagles to the Lion four yard line where the DHS defense stiffened, yielding only three yards on the next four plays to preserve the lead.
The first of three Durant thrown interceptions moments later set up the Eagles at the Lion seven. Once again though the defense held strong with a second straight fourth down stop at the one on the first play of the second period.
In the shadow of its own goal, the Lion offense gave up a safety when Kacin Mazey was tackled in the end zone, trimming the margin to 7-2.
On its next possession Durant completed two of its four passes on the night and was aided by two major Edison penalties to move down the field. Holdan Robinson and Joseph Flores had the catches.
Robbins found a crease and bolted 23 yards to paydirt with 7:58 left in the half for what proved to be the final Durant touchdown of the night.
Edison’s ensuing march covered just 25 yards but took a full six minutes off the clock thanks to three penalties assessed to each team. The Lions only had it two plays when they finally got the ball back as an Eagle interception quickly squelched that.
Cleveland Williamson returned the favor for the Lions, snagging his first of two interceptions.
Durant had a third offensive pick deep in its own territory midway through the third frame but the Lion defense stiffened once more, holding Edison on downs at the DHS eight.
After a couple of big plays, the Lions looked to be headed for paydirt but put the ball on the turf with a fumble at the Edison four just before the third quarter ended.
A methodical 96-yard drive for almost half the Eagle offensive production of the night ended on a two-yard scoring burst with only seven minutes remaining.
The Lions answered with their own time-consuming drive that also took off nearly six minutes before stalling deep in Edison territory. Williamson followed with his second interception to seal the victory with a minute to play.
Robbins rushed for a seasonhigh 180 yards on 21 carries with Robinson carrying twice for 45 yards.
It was definitely a night for the defense as the Lions had five players with double figure tackle totals. Axel Thurman was the catalyst with 16 of those. Jaxon Cuesta chipped in 13, Stephen Manhard and Britton Trotter contributed 12 stops each with Aiden Polk adding 10.
