Hilldale Inches Closer to a Playoff Berth

Originally Published: Oct 29, 2009 10:1 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – The Hilldale Hornets’ playoff plans picked up steam after a big 51-29 win on the road over Webster (3-6, 1-5) Thursday night.

Coming into the night, the Hornets (5-4, 3-3) trailed Wagoner for the fourth and final playoff spot in 4A-4. Hilldale needed to win both of its final games to have a shot at the postseason and is halfway there thanks to some explosive plays on offense against the Warriors.

The Hornets opened the scoring with a long drive, capped off by a 1-yard Dalton Pantle touchdown run to make it 7-0. The Hornets pounded the defense, running the ball on every play during the drive.

On Hilldale’s next possession, the Webster defense stood strong and forced a 4th-and-10 from the 10-yard line. The Hornets passed on the field goal try and instead ran a reverse to junior running back Josh Cullom. Cullom raced to the sideline and dove for the goal line before getting knocked out of bounds. The ball crossed the line and pushed Hilldale’s lead to 14.

On the third play of the second quarter, the passing game took over. Bryant Alexander stepped up in the pocket and fired downfield over the outstretched arms of the defender. Trey McMahan hauled in the pass for a 50-yard score to give the Hornets a 21-point advantage.

When Webster started showing signs of life on offense late in the second quarter, the Hornets’ defense stepped up and made plays. Luke Mills intercepted Doug Wiley’s pass just inside the sideline to swing momentum back to Hilldale. From there, the Hornets ran away from the Warriors.

The win bumps Hilldale into a pretty favorable position heading into the season finale next week at home against Wagoner. The winner of that game will represent the district as the final team in the playoffs.