OKLAHOMA CITY — Putnam City West started fast but second half mistakes doomed the Patriots in a 21-13 loss to 5A Southeast Friday (Aug. 29) at Patriot Stadium.

“I didn’t see any physical quit, but we just got to get used to figuring out how to win games,” Putnam City West coach Rick Lewis said after his debut.

Junior Aizjon Robinson took the opening kickoff 86 yards for a score. Robinson found a seam in the Spartans’ kick coverage and sprinted down the Southeast sideline. There was a bad snap on the extra point and West led, 6-0.

“I think I dreamed that one,” Lewis said after his debut. “I told my returner, I said, ‘I think you’re going to return the opening kick’. 
And he did.”

After both teams stalled on offense, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty fueled a Southeast scoring drive. On the next play, Spartan junior quarterback Luciano Williams connected with fellow junior Carlton Evans for a 43-yard pass play, weaving through the Patriot defense. With the score, Southeast took a 7-6 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.

West (0-1) answered on the next drive with a big play of their own. The Patriots got to midfield before the drive seemed to stall. On fourth down, sophomore James Janzen connected with junior Obama Bell over the middle for a 41-yard touchdown. West re-took the lead, 13-7 with :54 left in the first quarter.

Southeast (1-0) scored one more time before halftime. The Spartans drove to the West 21-yard-line but faced a third down. An encroachment by the Patriots gave the Spartans a fresh set of downs.

Williams cashed in three players later with a 21-yard touchdown pass to junior Montre McGlugritch. Southeast led, 14-13, with 3:45 left in the second quarter.

The Spartans got the ball back before the intermission and drove into West territory. However, with no timeouts left, Southeast ran out of time before being able to take a shot in the end zone.

The Patriot defense gave the Patriots opportunities in the third quarter. The opening Spartan drive was snuffed out when junior Roshad Adkins Garcia recovered a fumble in West territory.

The West offense couldn’t capitalize, but neither could Southeast. The Spartans drove to the West 21-yard-line but were turned away on fourth down with 1:05 left in the third quarter.

A Patriot drive stalled near the beginning of the fourth quarter and this time Southeast took advantage, giving the Patriots a heavy dose of the run game. The drive was capped off by McGugritch’s second touchdown catch, an acrobatic 14-yard score with 4:30 left.

The drive chewed up over six minutes of game clock in the process.

West lost the ensuing kickoff when Bell, after a strong 25-yard return, had the ball knocked out from behind by Spartan sophomore Kyrin Alvarado. Southeast sophomore Ken’Dre Post recovered the ball.

The Patriots got the ball back four plays later when junior Kendyll Weaver forced a bad handoff from Williams.

The Patriots recovered but went backwards on their final offensive possession and the Southeast sealed the win.

West committed key penalties at inopportune times and the Spartans took advantage.

“It’s just a matter of discipline,” Lewis said. That’s just the whole thing as you start to mature and as you build a program, discipline is one of the first things you try to start with and you try to instill. But it’s also usually one of the last things to stick. You learn the offense, you learn the things, but to change a culture, it’s always about that mental. 
The mental’s the hardest part.”

West was without senior running back Jeremy Steward, who was recovering from a sprained ankle.

UP NEXT

Putnam City West (0-1) travels to sister school and rival Putnam City next Thursday (Sept. 4) at 7 p.m.

The Pirates (0-1) fell to 6A-I Yukon, 48-28, Friday.

	1	2	3	4	F
Southeast (1-0)	7	7	0	7	21
Putnam City West (0-1)	13	0	0	0	13