Oklahoma high school football: Blanchard holds off Tecumseh for fourth straight win

BLANCHARD — Whit Carpenter took a handoff on a sweep and outran everyone to the sideline.

As the Blanchard senior turned upfield and reached the next level of Tecumseh’s defense, he sensed the defenders had an angle on him.

So, Carpenter made a quick cut to the middle of the field.

His decision proved to be the right one, and he sprinted into the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, extending Blanchard’s lead to 14 points.

The Class 4A eighth-ranked Lions dominated the remainder of Thursday's game and beat Tecumseh 34-14. 

Carpenter, a wide receiver and defensive back, made big plays when his team needed them.

Along with his touchdown run in the fourth quarter, he returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score in the third quarter to give Blanchard (5-2, 4-0 District 4A-2) a 20-7 lead.  

“He’s real shifty,” Blanchard coach Jeff Craig said. “Hard to tackle, hard to get a grip on. He provides us some opportunities on offense when he can get in open space.”

Blanchard, which has won four straight games, never trailed against Tecumseh (3-4, 1-3).

The Lions led 14-0 at halftime after Colby Langford threw two touchdowns, an 18-yarder to Lincoln Smith and a 25-yarder to Mason Laminack.

But Tecumseh made things interesting after the break.

Star senior running back Kane Ainesworth scored on a 1-yard run with 7:58 left in the third quarter to get Tecumseh on the scoreboard. After a 63-yard touchdown run from Dylan Graham, Tecumseh trailed 20-14.

Blanchard’s defense bounced back and held Tecumseh scoreless the remainder of the game.

Overall, the Lions were outstanding on that side of the ball, allowing just 174 yards.  

“Our guys were gap sound, took care of their responsibilities,” Craig said. “Got down and didn’t get blown out and were able to shut down some stuff.”

Blanchard has a two-quarterback system with Langford -- a lefty -- and Chase Fox.

The seniors combined to complete eight of 23 passes for 48 yards. Each player had one interception.  

Both quarterbacks are effective runners, and Fox scored the last touchdown of the game on an 18-yard scamper.

“They know when to be ready, and they know when they’re going to go,” Craig said. “Both of them are pretty equal in what we do. Colby runs the ball real well, runs real physical. Chase has got some shake and bake a little bit, too.” 

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FINAL SCORE

Blanchard 34, Tecumseh 14

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tecumseh – 0 – 0 – 14 – 0 — 14

Blanchard – 7 – 7 – 8 – 12 — 34

GAME SUMMARY

Blanchard – Lincoln Smith 18 pass from Colby Langford (Emma Price kick) 

Blanchard – Mason Laminack 25 pass from Langford (Price kick) 

Tecumseh – Kane Ainesworth 1 run (Kevin Dodd kick) 

Blanchard – Whit Carpenter 92 kickoff return (kick failed) 

Tecumseh – Dylan Graham 63 run (Dodd kick) 

Blanchard – Safety 

Blanchard – Carpenter 41 run (kick failed) 

Blanchard – Chase Fox 18 run (kick failed) 

TEAM STATISTICS

Tecumseh – Blanchard

7 – First downs – 16

36-62 – Rushing att.-yds. – 34-247

112 – Passing yards – 48

6-15-1 – Passing C-A-I – 8-23-2

1-0 – Fumbles no.-lost – 0-0

4-29 – Penalty no.-yds. – 8-55

3-4 – Team records – 5-2