Sep. 9 -- In a game that came down to the final possession, Claremore senior Andrew Hancock seized his "one chance" and made it count.
With 23 seconds left and Bartlesville threatening, Hancock embodied the Zebras' Week 1 theme of "One Chance", intercepting a pass from Bruins quarterback Nate Neal to secure a thrilling 35-33 season-opening victory for the Zebras on Friday night at Lantow Field.
"We were in Cover 5, so I was (in deep coverage)," Hancock said. "I'm backpedaling, and I see him (the receiver) break across. I saw Michael Robertson undercut, so I went up top. The ball was thrown high. It felt great to put the game away. Their offense was driving, but our defense was holding. It just felt good to get it over with."
Hancock's game-sealing interception capped off a night where Claremore leaned heavily on standout performances from its offensive stars.
Senior quarterback Brad Hoisington, a transfer from Oologah, was the driving force behind the Zebras' attack, rushing for 194 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing for 91 yards and another score.
Hoisington wasted no time making an impact, accumulating 144 yards rushing and two touchdowns on his first four carries, including an 80-yard score on Claremore's second play of the game and a 28-yard dash minutes later.
"Once I got going, I was like, 'We got this,'" Hoisington said. "Once I got that feeling, it was nonstop from there."
However, he soon faced a tougher challenge after Bartlesville adjusted.
Hoisington managed only 1 yard on his next eight carries as the Bruins defense tightened up, but he refused to be discouraged, eventually breaking through again with a pivotal 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winner.
"It was just trusting my teammates and knowing that they're going to have my back, and I'm going to have theirs," Hoisington said of his mid-game struggles. "I knew that I was going to have one, and that was the one."
Running back Cecil Garrett IV also contributed significantly, adding 139 yards rushing on 15 carries, including a 70-yard touchdown in the second quarter that pushed the Zebra lead to 21-6. Hoisington later found wide receiver Tripp Jackson for a 42-yard touchdown, giving Claremore a commanding 28-12 lead in the first half.
"I'm just proud of our whole team for finding a way to get it done tonight," Zebras coach Jarrett Hurt said. "Our theme this year is 'We Want More.' Our guys proved to me tonight they want some more. And our theme this week was 'One Chance.' I thought we had some guys take advantage of their one chance. Tripp Jackson is one -- he took advantage of his one chance. Andrew Hancock there at the end took advantage of his one chance. Just proud of some guys that stepped up tonight for the first time and took advantage of their opportunity."
Despite the offensive firepower, Bartlesville kept pace behind the electric connection between quarterback Nate Neal and wide receiver Damien Niko.
Neal threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, 259 of which went to Niko -- including a stunning 94-yard score late in the fourth quarter that brought the Bruins within two points.
Claremore jumped out to a 14-0 lead after two first-quarter rushing touchdowns from Hoisington, but Bartlesville fought back in the second quarter with a 2-yard run from Daeton Stevens and a 3-yard score by Sutton Williams.
Despite the Bruins' efforts, Garrett's 70-yard sprint and Jackson's 42-yard reception helped the Zebras carry a 28-19 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Bartlesville continued to close the gap, with Neal finding Niko for a 62-yard touchdown on third down to make it 28-26. The Bruins then recovered an onside kick but were turned away by the Claremore defense on fourth down at the Zebras' 23-yard line.
Hoisington's 37-yard burst early in the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 35-26, but Bartlesville wasn't done.
Neal and Niko connected again, this time on a 94-yard screen pass that electrified the Bruins and made it a two-point game with 2:36 remaining just two plays after Claremore turned the ball over on downs at the Bartlesville 6-yard line.
The Bruins appeared to recover the ensuing onside kick, but officials ruled the player didn't establish possession before stepping out of bounds. Still, Bartlesville had one last chance, gaining possession with 0:56 remaining before Hancock's interception sealed the win.
The Zebras finished with 424 total yards, including 333 rushing, while the Bruins nearly outgained them with 421 total yards thanks to Neal's 325 passing yards.
Although Hurt was pleased with the win, he expressed frustration over missed opportunities in the red zone and offensive struggles after the explosive start.
"I've got mixed emotions," Hurt said. "I'm proud of our guys for getting a big win at home in the home opener against a 6A team, but I feel like we had opportunities to step on the old jugular vein a little bit, but we didn't get that done on offense and put our defense in a bind. We had the ball on the 30-yard line at first-and-10, and if we score it, it's over. We throw the ball three times, dilly dally around and try to get a little too sexy on offense instead of just pounding the rock. Pounding the rock wins. We gotta clean some things up on offense and close things out, especially in the red zone."