Cushing makes huge statement in Class 4A with decisive win against Wagoner
By Christian Potts
CUSHING - The Cushing Tigers put all of Class 4A on notice Friday night.
Facing one of 4A's traditional powerhouses and their biggest challenger in District 4A-3, the Tigers kept their perfect season going in an emphatic manner, taking down Wagoner, 42-0, at O'Dell Field.
"We're not something to mess with," said senior receiver/defensive back Camden Crooks. "I think going forward, people are going to have more respect for us."
"We knew how big this game would be," added senior quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. "We just couldn't get caught up in the moment. We just had to come out and execute and play to our level."
That happened, and then some, on both sides of the ball.
Cushing featured its version of the triplets in this game from a trio of its seniors.
Berlowitz, who has committed to New Mexico State, completed 23-of-33 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns, with Crooks catching nine of those passes for 138 yards and two scores. And Noah Jones added 115 yards on 13 rushes and two touchdowns of his own.
The Tigers piled up 507 yards of total offense in the game.
"It's so fun, we just sling it around, we run it, we make people guess on what we're going to do," said Crooks, who now has 850 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches as Berlowitz's top target on the season.
"Sometimes (opposing defenses) might know, but they still can't stop it, because I feel like we have too many guys to cover."
The Cushing defense was equally effective, making Wagoner's run-first, physical offense work for a lot of what it got. The Bulldogs managed just 232 yards of total offense, although even that number is deceiving, with 57 of the yards coming in the game's closing minutes with backups in for both sides.
The Tigers were focused on Wagoner's versatile star Gabe Rodriguez, who lined up at different times at quarterback, running back and receiver.
Rodriguez managed 74 yards on 15 carries and caught three passes for 15 yards, but had only one play over 20 yards, a 22-yard run early in the third quarter in a promising drive that ended with Cushing stopping Wagoner on downs.
"We had to come in with a dog mentality," said Jones, who also starts in the Cushing secondary. "We couldn't show them that we're soft, so we just came out pressing and coming hard at them."
Cushing set the tone in the first half, when the Tigers raced out to a 28-0 lead while out-gaining the Bulldogs, 334-105.
Berlowitz and Crooks hooked up on a 9-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 midway in the first quarter, and that was still the score early in the second with the Bulldogs trying to work a field position advantage.
But Jones negated that in one play, a sweep running to his right, following several blocks and racing 89 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
"I saw Cam (Crooks) and Brody (Berlowitz) get their blocks, and they told me before the play that they've got me, so they did their job and I did mine," Jones said.
That was a big blow, putting the Bulldogs down multiple scores, not an ideal situation for a team that likes to run and play a more methodical tempo.
That score sparked both sides of the ball for Cushing, as the Tigers stopped Wagoner two straight times - aided a bit by a brisk north wind the Bulldogs were facing - and scored on back-to-back drives, with Jones plunging in from a yard out before Crooks and Blaze Berlowitz combined on a 29-yard scoring pass.
The Bulldogs had a strong drive just before halftime to try to get on the scoreboard, but Crooks intercepted Wagoner quarterback Kale Charboneau near the goal line.
Wagoner twice drove into Cushing territory in the third quarter, but twice was pushed back on downs. Then Berlowitz went back to work, hitting Lane Yaunt on a 53-yard bomb to set up an 11-yard touchdown toss to Brady Matheson.
The Tigers capped the scoring just before the end of the quarter on Jones' third score, from 7 yards out.
The win gives Cushing a 6-0 start and a 3-0 beginning in District 4A-3 play, while the Bulldogs slip to 3-3, 2-1. While there still is a lot of season left, the two squads already look to be the likely top two squads in the district race.
And they could be two of the best in all of Class 4A after a wild night around the state that saw defending state champion Clinton upset by Weatherford and defending state runner-up Tuttle fall to Blanchard, while Poteau ripped Hilldale in a key contest in District 4A-4.
Featuring a senior class of more than 20 men deep, the Tigers have a big group trying to make their last year of football together a memorable one.
"We're all brothers, we're all very tight, so we just enjoy every minute," Berlowitz said. "We enjoy practice together, the grind together, we grew up together, so we just enjoy playing."
And perhaps never more than this night, taking down one of the state's best teams while affirming their own spot as one of the best.
"It feels so good," Jones said. "Some people had their doubts about us; they thought that (Wagoner) was number one, and we just had to prove them wrong."
