One Win Away

Dogs Sweep Past Perkins-Tryon Setting Up Historic Rematch vs. Lincoln Christian

One of the best offenses in the state was stopped cold in its tracks last Friday night, the Bulldogs going on a rampage to swamp Perkins-Tryon the Class 3A semifinals, 35-8.

The win, at Norman North Timber Wolf Stadium, on a chilly, brisk night, vaults the Dogs into the state title game this Saturday against Lincoln Christian in a noon kickoff in Edmond. Both teams are undefeated at 13-0, setting up one of the big-time match-ups of the 2025 Oklahoma high school playoffs.

The game in Norman last Friday had everything but a jet flyover as Sulphur put on a masterful defensive performance combined with electrifying offensive plays to overrun the Demons, a team they met earlier in the season.

Head Sulphur coach, Corey Cole, praised his team, saying it was a big time win on a big stage.

Defense Rises To The Occasion

“We played tough, physical, and chaotic defense last Friday against a very high powered Perkins’ offense,” he said this week. “We were dialed in to the task of keeping Wyatt Atkinson in check and we did just that! He has had an incredible year with over 2,300 yards and over 30 TD’s including over 200 yards against us in our first matchup... this time around we were able to limit him to under 60 yards rushing on 23 carries.”

The Dogs have matured defensively throughout the season and it showed last Friday against the Demons. They made it fairly clear that they were not going to allow Atkinson to roam at will throughout their secondary.

“Our defense was super focused in preparation and trusted some things that we tweaked a little differently than what we did the first time around,” he said. “Our defensive line was outstanding, causing all kinds of problems all night and letting our linebacker’s run and make plays. Colten Cole, Cooper Cole, Jason Gleason, Dylan Gleason, and Acer Dixon played their best game to date as a unit. Landon Woods had his biggest production of the year as well.”

The defining moment for the Sulphur defense came in the second half when they stopped Atkinson on four yards in five attempts from the five-yard-line in perhaps the defensive stand of the year.

The Dogs had to jiggle their defensive line a bit when Connor Sullivan sustained a knee injury forcing coaches to bring in George Martinez, a player they were hoping to get more rested before the state finals.

Leading the Dog’s defensively, according to Cole, were Jason Gleason, who finished the game with eight tackles and a sack, Dylan Gleason, who seven tackles and a sack, and Cooper Cole with six tackles and one for a loss.

“We were able to limit Perkins to only 164 yards of total offense and didn’t give up any big plays, something we have really harped on here lately,” said Cole. “Kash Pickett had a big night with 11 tackles and 2 sacks, Jayden McClure had 9 tackles and a tackle for loss, and Madden Duck chipped in 6 tackles. Our linebackers were all over the place and did a tremendous job of playing downhill fast and closing any lanes that had hurt us last time around.”

Cole said he was proud of secondary who he said played another solid game. “We lined up good and played fast and didn’t give up anything over our heads all night, and were contesting almost every pass.”

The coach praised the play of secondary play of Maddax Mobly (8 tackles), Drake Wood (7 tackles) and Bridge Barrett, who intercepted a pass late in the game to seal the deal.

“Defensively it was arguably our best night of the year considering how explosive their offense is,” said Cole. “Preparation and physicality were the key to the outstanding performance.”

Sulphur Ground Game Once Again In Control

The Dogs amassed 421 yards on the ground in one of their best rushing performances of the season. Cole attributed much of the success to his offensive line who he said, “played a great game against a tough defense.”

He cited several players for their blocking effort, including: Caleb Walker, George Martinez, Caysen Meador, Brody Wallace, and AJ Gordon.

Another player he cited was Colten Cole. “He played his normal great game from his H-back position with big time physical blocking all night to help spring several big runs for the Bulldogs.”

Also, Cole said Michael Morris had a bigger role on the offensive side this week, playing H back in a super set that coaches put in a couple of weeks ago. “He made several big blocks throughout the night.”

Dogs

Carter Cole led the Dogs in rushing with 178 yards in only 10 attempts and 2 TDs, including a 77-yard touchdown run just before half that brought the Bulldog fans to their feet.

The Dog’s Maddax Mobly also stepped up with several big-time runs, including a 70-yard touchdown scamper that put the icing on the cake for Sulphur. He ended up with 112 yards on 12 attempts. The Dog’s JoJo Gray added another 108 yards in rushing on 12 tries to cap off a great night rushing for the Dogs.

“All 3 backs were the benefi ciaries of some big time holes made possible by the guys up front and all 3 backs showed power, strength, speed, and patience on several big long runs,” Cole said.

According to Cole, the Dogs were so dominant with their run game, they didn’t need much passing, but when they needed it, quarterback Kale Brakefield delivered. He had a 3-for-5 night for 118 yards including an electrifying 99-yard strike to Bridge Barrett that was set up by their goal-line stand. Barrett finished with 118 yards on three catches.

Cole said he can’t remember when the Dogs have had three 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver in a single game before last Friday night’s win in Norman.

“Offensively we did a great job of taking care of the ball and controlling the tempo of the game, he said.

“I was super proud of this team and he way we played last Friday. We played as a team and played with a tight bonded brotherhood that is tough to beat. We were focused and ready for the moment. The motto all week was don’t get comfortable, stay on edge, and be physical - The Bulldogs checked off all three of those boxes with an incredible team effort.”

Game Recap

Sulphur opened the game after receiving the kickoff at their own 19 yard-line.

The Dog’s JoJo Gray began the offense with a 5-yard plunge up the middle, then he broke through on a 24-yard gain on the next play for a first down.

Bulldog quarterback Kale Brakefield fired off a 15-yard strike to receiver Bridge Barrett’s to give the Dogs another first down.

The Bulldogs appeared to be in good position to mount a long drive at that point, but a penalty stopped their momentum and they were forced to punt, with Perkins-Tryron taking over at their own 35.

After gaining one first down, the Demons had to punt right back to Sulphur, the Dogs taking over at their own 30.

It was mostly all Gray on this series. He broke through the line for gains of 4 and 23 yards, then he found a seam and took it to the house on a 21-yard scamper to give the Dogs their first score. Sulphur decided to go for two on the extra-point conversion, and quarterback Kale Brakefield found the end-zone to give the team an 8-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Sulphur’s defense did not budge on the Demons’ ensuing possession. They held P-T to a total of two yards in three plays, forcing them to punt back to a Bulldog offense eager for more points.

And, that’s exactly what happened.

The Bulldogs took over at their own 19, and got one yard on first down before penalties, one on Sulphur and one on P-T, put Sulphur near their original line of scrimmage after the punt.

The Dogs went with a direct snap to Carter Cole, playing as quarterback, and he raced through a gap for 32 yards.

Brakefiled lost 18 on a quarterback sack on the next play, but he made up for the loss on the ensuing play, gaining 17 yards to the Sulphur 47. On fourth down and three, the Dog’s Maddax Mobly, plunged through an opening four yards and a precious first down at midfield.

Gray and Mobly then moved the Dogs to the 36 on short runs, then Carter Cole found a seam up the middle and sped 33 yards to the Demons’ 3. Cole then negotiated the final three yards on the next play to give Sulphur a two score lead well into the second quarter.

Sulphur’s PAT kick was blocked, but they now enjoyed a 14-0 lead.

The Demons returned the ensuing kickoff near midfield, but a 15-yard Sulphur penalty gave them great field position at the Dog’s 33.

After gaining only short yardage on first three tries, the Demons completed a 10-yard pass and picked up a first down. They gained four on the next play, but the Dog’s stopped them cold in their tracks on a 10-yard quarterback sack.

Acting as though they might go for it on fourth, the Demons kicked out of an offensive formation and pinned the Dogs back at their own 6-yard line.

Mobly picked up 7 on first down, getting the team in better field position, then Gray picked up 10 and a first down to the 23.

The Sulphur crowd was then electrified when Carter Cole took a snap in the backfield, cut to his left, and raced 77 yards for the score, giving the Dogs an important 3-score lead. The PAT run gave Sulphur a 22-0 lead with just seconds left in the second quarter.

Both teams traded punts twice to start the third quarter, the Dogs finally taking over at their own 25.

Dog quarterback Brakefield was sacked on first down, resulting in 6-yard loss, but Gray made up the ground on a run back to the original line of scrimmage.

Sulphur then tried an inside reverse handoff to Mobly, but the exchange was fumbled, the ball bouncing perilously close to the goal-line. Sulphur managed to recover the ball at their own 5, and were able to get off a punt from their own end-zone out to their own 39.

Perkins completed a 10-yard pass, then Sulphur dug deeper into the hole with a 15-yard penalty to 14.

The Demons’ star running back, Wyatt Atkinson, ran off tackle for 9 yards to the Sulphur 5, and it looked gloomy for the Dogs.

Then it was showtime. In one of the best goal-line stands of the year, the Dogs stopped Atkinson, one of the state’s best running backs, to four yards in five attempts and held them out of the end-zone as the third quarter was winding down.

There was only one problem. The Dogs were pinned at their own 1, their backs to the wall.

Mobly got almost a yard on first down, giving them a little more room to navigate, but barely.

On second down, Brakefield dropped back deep in the endzone, spotted one-on-one coverage, and fired off a long pass to Bridge Barrett. The senior made an over the shoulder catch near midfield, shed off the defender, and raced into the end-zone, completing a 99-yard play. It was Barrett’s second cross-country adventire in two games as he went 100 yards on a kickoff return against Holland Hall.

Sulphur now enjoyed a 29-0 lead after the PAT kick, but there was still more than a quarter left in the game.

The Demons returned the kickoff to the 31, but on the second play of the series, the Dogs were flagged for a15-yard penalty. That moved P-T out to the 45.

Atkinson then went to work with two big gains of 12 and 15 yards, the Demons moving inside the Sulphur 20 in a couple of plays. Their big receiver, Myers, then negotiated the final distance on a pass, cutting Sulphur’s lead to 21 with 10:47 left in the game.

The Demons attempted a funky onside kick, but were flagged for an illegal formation, and got another attempt. This one was good as the kicker nipped it end-over-end and recovered it at the Bulldog 45.

With new life, the Demons moved deep inside Sulphur territory on two passes, but their third pass of the series was picked off by the Dog’s Barrett, who ran out to the 30 of Sulphur.

The Dogs were quickly flagged for another 15-yard penalty on the play, but still maintained possession.

Beginning at their own 15, Mobly and Carter Cole moved the Dogs out to the 30 on a couple of runs. Mobly then got the call and sped 70 yards for the score that all but turned out the lights in this semifinal game as Sulphur hammered out a 35-8 win.

Although the PAT kick failed, Sulphur had extended their playoff run to next Saturday’s state championship game opposite old nemesis Lincoln Christian, a team a they lost to in last year’s final by a single point, 28-27,

Sulphur vs. Lincoln Christian Saturday, Feb. 13 - Noon

Chad Richison Stadium, Edmond