WARR ACRES — Putnam City set records in its rivalry with sister school Putnam City West with a dominating 75-0 win Thursday (Sept. 4) at Pirate Stadium.

The Pirates (1-0) set records in the most points in a game and the largest margin of victory in the series between the two schools which began in 1974. The previous record was a 55-12 Original victory in 2021. No team in the series had scored more points than that 55-point total until Thursday’s rout.

“I thought we played better,” a very understated Putnam City coach Willis Alexander said. “(We) still haven’t played a clean football game. But, a lot of improvements from the first week and we didn’t make the same mistakes. That means we showed some growth.”

Controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, the Pirates scored early and often, racking up a 34-0 lead after one quarter.

Senior CJ Turnbull, a transfer from Millwood, accounted for five touchdowns – three passing and two rushing – all in the first half.

Turnbull opened with a scoring run around the edge untouched and later added a 1-yard quarterback sneak, before throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass over the middle to fellow senior Mitchell Taylor.

Putnam City added a special teams score after another West drive ended in a three-and-out. West senior punter Victor Melendez boomed a punt into Pirate territory for the first time in the game. Junior Keandre Huffman responded by reversing the field on the return and sprinting down the West sideline for 71-yard score.

The Pirate defense, which had spent most of the night harassing West sophomore quarterback James Janzen and the Patriot running backs, added a turnover for a score.

After going back to pass, Janzen was immediately surrounded in the backfield by three Putnam City defenders. Senior linebacker DeShawn Buford stripped the ball from Janzen and sprinted 26 yards to make it 34-0 with 2:22 left in the first quarter.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter with senior Rodgerick Sloan snagging a touchdown pass and a touchdown run.

Turnbull added a touchdown pass to junior Shawn Jones and Putnam City held a commanding 55-0 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, sophomore Josiah Freeman recovered a Janzen fumble and ran it back 16 yards for a touchdown.

Junior Kahmi Herrera, who spent a majority of the snaps in the backfield with Sloan lined up as a receiver, scored from 29 yards out as Original found different ways into the end zone.

Sophomore Michael Ngugi capped the scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run, breaking tackles near the goal line. He was mobbed by his teammates on the sideline after the score.

In all, nine different Pirates scored in the rout.

West was held without a first down and didn’t cross midfield until the fourth quarter when the Pirates had pulled most of their defensive starters.

PATRIOTS OUTMATCHED AGAINST RIVAL

All Putnam City West coach Rick Lewis could do was wince after the historic loss.

“I think our egos are hurt more than anything,” Lewis said. “That’s where it comes down to me finding a way to get the best out of them on all times.”

Lewis said it was the worst loss he had ever been a part of as a player or coach.

“We were just outmatched, outmanned. It’s a different level of talent right now. We’re just not not there yet, talent-wise,” Lewis said.

Lewis said it was up to his players to avoid a performance at the line of scrimmage.

“It’s going to come down to us. There was no shocks. There were no surprises. 
We knew what was coming,” Lewis said.

Despite the two losses, Lewis sees an upside in his sophomore quarterback, Janzen.

“We just got to give him some opportunity and some time,” Lewis said. “Our O-line played well in spots, but it’s just not enough. When you expect pressure like that, you know what’s going to come.”

SCHOOL	PC DISTRICT RECORD
Putnam City	1-0
Putnam City North	0-0
Putnam City West	0-1

PIRATES EARN FIRST WIN AMONG PC DISTRICT RIVALS

With the win, Putnam City tops the Putnam City school district football standings after the first game between the three sister schools.

The Pirates beat both of their sister schools last year for the title. West won the school district title in 2023.

UP NEXT

The Pirates travel to sister school Putnam City North next Friday (Sept. 12). The Panthers open the season this Friday (Sept. 5) at 5A Shawnee.

The Patriots host 5A Midwest City next Friday (Sept. 12). The Bombers were routed by Piedmont, 53-0, on Aug. 29. Midwest City plays rival Carl Albert this Friday.

Photographs courtesy of Danielle Johnson.

	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City West (0-2)	0	0	0	0	0
Putnam City (1-1)	34	21	13	7	75