OKLAHOMA CITY — Putnam City North coach Brian Lockart drew from his experience playing in high school for rival Putnam City West when talking to his team before the 6A-II District 2 matchup against West Friday (Sept. 26).

Lockart, a 1988 West graduate, wanted his team “to play the way I know I had to play (at West), which is relentless pursuit all the time, never stop, no matter what happens, we are all in for the same thing, just fighting for each other.”

Friday night, the Panther offense was rolling. The defense and special teams made West pay for almost every mistake in a 56-0 rout at Patriot Stadium.

North scored three times in the first quarter riding the legs of senior Terry Wilson, Jr., who went to the Panthers from West He rushed 19 times for 153 yards against his former team.

Junior Charlie Bowie capped off an 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. West moved the ball to midfield on the next drive, but muffed snap on a punt attempt by senior Victory Melendez turned into points for the Panthers as junior Gavin Davis picked it up for a 38-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

On the ensuing drive, West sophomore Cadence Smith returned the kickoff 34 yard to near midfield. The Patriots turned it over again two plays later with a botched handoff and North junior Stephen Brown recovered the ball.

North turned it into points with a 5-yard run by senior Josh Lombard to make it 21-0 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

It was a similar script on the next series for West. The drive stalled and a high snap to Melendez took him into the end zone. He was able to punt it but it went straight into the hands of North senior Isaiah Southern at the goal line. He cruised into the end zone to make it 28-0.

On the next drive, another high snap led to a 5-yard punt and the Panthers had the ball at the West 33-yard line.

On the next play, Lombard found Bowie streaking down the Panther sideline past his defender for an easy score to make it 35-0.

Neither team could finish drives for the rest of the second quarter. Patriot senior Xavier Farrar stepped in front of a Lombard pass just before halftime to keep it a five-touchdown deficit.

On the first series of the second half, West’s drive stalled but North senior Bravion Stubbs fumbled on the punt return and West junior Ishmael Fields recovered it. That moved the ball to the North side of the 50-yard line but another bad snap turned into Panther points a few plays later.

The snap sailed over West junior Aizon Robinson’s head. There was a scramble for the ball and North’s Brown picked it up for a 42-yard score to make it 42-0.

Late in the fourth quarter, North’s Wilson finally got in the end zone with a 1-yard score and the lead was 49-0.

Lockart said his players wanted to get a touchdown for Wilson against his former team.

“We got in the huddle and our quarterback is like, ‘let’s get one for TJ,’ ” Lockart said. “That’s what high school sports is about.”

“That’s what I’m preaching. It ain’t about you. It’s about everybody else. So, to see them take that coaching that they hear and make it about doing something for one of their teammates, then I think we’re doing our job.”

The Panthers scored one more time in the game when sophomore Amari Garner ran it in from two yards out with 1:46 left in the game.

Things have changed since Lockart played for West, a power in the ’80s. The Patriots have struggled to regain that glory and Lockart inherited a perennial playoff team in the Panthers.

Lockart told his team of his time at West during his speech.

“They start laughing because they can’t even (fathom that),”

There were lots of school family ties in the contest besides Lockart and Wilson.

West coach Rickey Lewis was North’s defensive coordinator last season before making the move to coach the Patriots. Also, West junior linebacker Anthony Dupree went to West from North.

Patriots ‘back to the drawing board’

For Lewis and Patriots, it was another tough loss.

Since scoring 13 points in the first quarter of the opener against Southeast, West hasn’t scored in 12 quarters. During that period, they’ve been outscored, 183-0.

“Our youth is showing, once again,” Lewis said. “I’m still confident with what I’m doing and what we’re building here. We’re playing teams that are just a little bit more experienced than these guys.”

Lewis is looking for answers after the Patriots moved the ball but turnovers and special teams miscues kept them out of the end zone.

“it just comes down to us finishing drives,” Lewis said. “Tonight it was move the ball, move the ball, turnover, penalty, (We need) execution.”

SCHOOL	PC DISTRICT RECORD
Putnam City	2-0
Putnam City North	1-1
Putnam City West	0-2

PANTHERS SPLIT PC DISTRICT GAMES

Like last season, North went 1-1 in games against its sister schools.

West won the 2023 PC District title, but has lost four straight against its sister schools over the last two years.

UP NEXT

Both teams continue 6A-II District 2 play next Friday (Oct. 3).

The Patriots travel to Muskogee (1-3, 1-0) while the Panthers host Ponca City (0-4, 0-1) next Friday.

Muskogee beat Ponca City, 55-29, Friday.

Photographs courtesy of Richard T. Clifton.

	1	2	3	4	F
Putnam City North (1-3)	21	14	7	14	56
Putnam City West (0-4)	0	0	0	0	0