Bethany rolled up 231 yards with five touchdowns on the ground in the seventh-ranked Bronchos’ 42-7 rout of Harrah Thursday (Oct. 17).

Junior Judson Gilliland rushed for 74 yards on 10 carries, scoring three times. Senior quarterback Jackie Payne added 47 yards on three carries.

Gilliland saw sometime at quarterback against the Panthers and Bethany coach Jon Arthur likes playing both players in that position.

“I think we’ve just, kind of, as we’ve gone through the year, our little wildcat stuff with Judson works really well and Jackie’s obviously flexible in terms of being able to go out and play receiver. He’s played that for us in past years, and so,” Arthur said. “It just gives us a little added element that’s kind of tough to defend with Judson, obviously still capable to throw the ball.”

Payne was efficient in the air, completing 7-of-10 for 160 yards.

Another new offensive element was junior Evenson Malaska, who typically only plays in the defensive backfield for the Bronchos. He had two carries for 72 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run.

“He’s obviously very dynamic with the ball in his hand and he’d been coming back off of an injury in the off-season. I just wanted to make sure he was healthy,” Arthur said of Malaska. “It’s definitely good to get him going and he’s fun to watch and fun to get the ball to.”

Junior Seth Greiner caught three passes for 35 yards. Senior Garrett Johnson added a 31-yard touchdown catch. Malaska had a 26-yard reception.

Senior Wyatt Geissler had a quiet game with a lone 9-yard catch and freshman Breck Brady had a 5-yard reception.

Senior Brock Cross led the defense with 11 tackles and one for loss. Fellow senior Devonta Melton added 10 tackles. Brady had seven tackles with two for loss.

Both Gilliland and senior Cooper Johnson each had six tackles.

Payne had an interception on defense and senior Charlie Tolle had a blocked punt.

BETHANY NEAR THE TOP IN 4A OFF/DEF RANKINGS

The Bronchos are ranked sixth in Class 4A in total offense, averaging 277 yards a game in statistics compiled by the website, IWasAtTheGame.com. Bethany is also sixth in points a game, averaging 39.6 points a contest.

The Bethany defense is third in yards allowed (167 ypg). The Bronchos are also third in points allowed (23.9 ppg). That gives Bethany a point-differential of +15.7, which is good for ninth in 4A.

4A DISTRICT 2	DISTRICT RECORD	OVERALL RECORD
Tuttle	4-0	7-0
Blanchard	4-0	7-0
Bethany	2-2	5-2
Ardmore	2-2	4-3
Harrah	2-2	4-3
Tecumseh	1-3	3-4
Chickasha	1-3	1-6
Madill	0-4	1-6

NEXT OPPONENT: Ardmore

Bethany makes its final road trip of the regular season to meet Ardmore Friday (Oct. 25). The Tigers, fell to fourth-ranked Blanchard, 56-20, Thursday (Oct. 17).

The game is another key matchup as the Bronchos, Ardmore and Harrah are all 2-2 in 4A-2 play, behind the leaders, Tuttle and Blanchard.

The Bronchos have a head-to-head win over Harrah and currently lead on district points.

Among the bottom three teams of the district, Bethany has a win over Chickasha. They will host Tecumseh and Madill in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Photographs courtesy of Kristie Escoe of Life in Action Photography.