Pioneers advance to state semifinals with win against Southmoore

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Everything looked normal when Southmoore lined up for a punt in the fourth quarter, but Stillwater High coach Chad Cawood left his defense on the field just to be safe.

Pioneer senior defensive end Nehemiah Kolone was unsuspecting, too.

“Honestly, I was kinda tired. I was just trying to take the play off, I’m not gonna lie,” Kolone said. “And then when they snapped it, I saw they were faking, and I was like, ‘Are they really going to fake this?’”

The Sabercats sure did. And the ball was thrown right above Kolone’s head, no less. He snatched it and turned upfield.

“From there, it was just a blur,” Kolone said. “I was just trying to dodge shapes and colors, and I did not want to get hawked. That was the No. 1 thing. I’m glad I got to show off the speed, I got to show off the wheels. I’ve got wheels.”

The gap closed as Kolone neared the goal line, but he pushed through and dragged a couple defenders into the end zone with him to cap off a 52-yard pick-six that put an exclamation mark on Stillwater’s 34-9 win against Southmoore in the Class 6A-II quarterfinals Friday night at Pioneer Stadium.

It was the first pick-six of Kolone’s career, which continues next season as a freshman at BYU. Before then, Kolone and his Pioneers are headed to the 6A-II semifinals Friday against Choctaw. But first, Kolone took the time to reflect on making a career play in his final game at Pioneer Stadium.

“It means the world,” he said. “I was really hoping to get some memories and some good plays this week, and went out there and tried our best. We locked in the second half, and we got it done.”

The Pioneers hosted Southmoore two weeks ago in the regular-season finale, and Cawood said he knew it would be another challenge from a program that took a step forward this season. It was.

Before the Stillwater offense got rolling, the defense stood strong. Southmoore drove to the Stillwater 15-yard line on the opening drive, and the Pioneers forced a stop on fourth-and-2.

Three plays into the Pioneers’ first drive, sophomore quarterback Satank Taptto was hit, and he fumbled the ball into the arms of a Sabercat defender in the Stillwater red zone.

“They jumped in a coverage we weren’t prepared for. That’s on me as a coach,” Cawood said. “But we just had to settle down.”

The defense came away with another third-down stop to force a field goal. Three possessions in, Stillwater was scoreless, but the defense held the Sabercats to 3 points.

“Defense played lights out,” Cawood said. “They got some yards and did some things, but kept them out of the zone. That’s what you’ve got to do.”

The run game was the lifeblood of the offense for much of the first half. Pioneer sophomore running back Jaedan Adams rushed for two touchdowns and 90 yards, and junior Bradford Mitchell returned to the rotation in the red zone and put up the Pioneers’ first score of the game on a two-yard rush to go up 7-3 in the second quarter.

“Offensively, we had to work for everything we got,” Cawood said. “We had to chip away and had to find a way to get to the 2 (yard line). You get to the 2, some good things can happen.”

Stillwater scored touchdowns on three of its next four possessions. Senior quarterback Ethan Evans was inserted into the game and sparked the offense during that time.

“He just came in and put a little calmness to it,” Cawood said. “… (Taptto and Evans) both have won big ball games for us, and Ethan just won a big one for us right here. I’m excited for him.”

Evans’ first big connection came on a 53-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Cyrus Johnson down the opponents’ sideline. That led to Bradford’s touchdown rush a few plays later.

On the second drive of the third quarter, Evans found sophomore wide receiver David Thomas down the middle for a 44-yard touchdown catch to break the game open, 20-9, giving the Pioneers their first real breathing room of the night.

Evans also played his final game in his home stadium, and he had a memorable night, finishing 9 of 12 for 159 yards and the TD.

“It was just really fun,” Evans said. “I was happy to go out on this field with these guys. I love these seniors, and I just love all these kids.”

Cawood said every game is tough at this time of year, and he expects nothing less from a rematch with Choctaw, a team the Pioneers beat 21-14 at Pioneer Stadium in Week 7.

First, the Pioneers had to take care of business against Southmoore, and the senior group made sure it left Pioneer Stadium for the final time as winners. And for the eighth consecutive season, the Pioneers are in the state semifinals. That’s a start to the ultimate goal.

“(We’re) 1-0,” Cawood said. “Can’t get any better than that.”

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