Peyton Campbell erupts in all three phases as Stillwater rolls Ponca City on homecoming
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When Ponca City sent out the punt team late in the third quarter, Stillwater coach Chad Cawood trotted out senior Peyton Campbell and already knew what was going to happen next.
“Before they ever kicked it, I said, ‘You guys understand, Peyton’s about to return this.’ Because that’s just him,” Cawood said. “He’s a winner, he’s a competitor and he’s been extremely valuable to our team.”
Campbell, also a free safety and receiver, noticed during earlier punts that Ponca City shifted mostly to one side, so he knew he had a chance at a return.
He fielded the punt off the turf, tried the right side, then cut back to the left sideline had blockers ahead. Campbell then turned on the burners and stiff-armed two Wildcats on the way to a 54-yard touchdown.
“I just need the ball in my hands, I’m not gonna lie,” Campbell said. “Anytime the ball is in my hands, I’m gonna do something with it.”
By that point in the game, the punt return touchdown was just a side note in Campbell’s day. He went off for two receiving touchdowns, an interception and then finally the punt return TD to help put an exclamation mark on the No. 1 Pioneers’ 63-14 homecoming win against Ponca City on Friday night.
“He plays lights out,” Cawood said. “He doesn’t miss a beat. He plays both ways and doesn’t leave the field. He’s our kick returner, our punt returner, he’s on punt team. If we needed him to, he would snap punts. He’s one of those guys that can do everything for this football team. We are lucky to have a guy like him.
“Peyton kinda does Peyton things. When you’re a good ballplayer, you can do things that others don’t do.”
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Stillwater senior receiver Peyton Campbell returns a punt for a touchdown in the third quarter Friday against Ponca City.
Stillwater (3-2, 1-0 District 2) had one of the toughest nondistrict schedules in the state, and after sitting on a loss at Owasso for two weeks, the Pioneers were ready to get back on the field for their first home game in six weeks.
The Pioneers and Wildcats (4-2, 0-1) played yearly from 1944 to 2013, but they hadn’t play since then until Friday. Now, they’re back in the same district, and they got to open district play against each other.
“Knowing that we were coming into district play, I just knew that our team would handle our business and just come back into our home stadium and do what we do,” quarterback Satank Taptto said.
That included a heavy dose of Campbell. On the second drive of the game, Taptto connected with Campbell on a screen pass for a 65-yard touchdown. Later in the second quarter, the duo teamed up for a 27-yard touchdown.
With receivers Deakon Jones ruled out for the season with an injury and David Thomas making an offseason move, Campbell was needed on offense. He’s delivered.
“Peyton Campbell’s unreal, man. Everybody’s known him as a free safety for three years, and when David moved and Deakon went down, we knew what we had in Peyton,” Cawood said. “We said, ‘Peyton, it’s time to go play both ways,’ and he never flinched, never said a word. He’s one of those guys that loves to compete.”
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Stillwater receiver Cyrus Johnson reaches for the end zone to cap off a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter Friday against Ponca City.
Campbell finished with four catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, which puts him at nearly 400 yards with five receiving TDs on the season. It might be a new position for him, but he’s more than comfortable.
“Man, I’ve known Peyton was a baller since I first moved here and since we first tapped in when we were younger,” Taptto said. “I’ve played catch with him, and he’s thrown to me when we were younger when I played receiver and he was the quarterback. So, we just have the connection we’ve built up over the years.”
The rest of the offense showed up in a big way, too, after massive early-season tests. The offense only returned three starter from last year, and Cawood said he knew it would take time to develop. Bixby Owasso and Fayetteville, who Stillwater averaged 19 points against, aren’t easy to develop against.
But they were good opportunities for the offense to grow, and that was seen Friday. Taptto was 16 of 21 on the night for 383 yards and six passing touchdowns. All of that but a 10-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the third quarter came in the first half.
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Stillwater receiver Cyrus Johnson, left, celebrates with quarterback Satank Taptto after a touchdown catch Friday against Ponca City.
“Tonight, Tank unleashing and kinda getting going again,” Cawood said. “He missed the Lawton game, so his first three games were against Fayetteville, Bixby and Owasso. And he played well, but tonight it was kinda, ‘Let’s go play ball.’”
Sophomore wide receiver Cyrus Johnson and junior tight end Chandler Johnson, the sons of offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Charlie Johnson, also had big nights. Cyrus had six catches for 125 yards and two TDs, and Chandler caught four passes for 93 yards and a score.
Cyrus has been the team’s leading deep threat, but Chandler – 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds – continues to become a more consistent option. He hight pointed passes Friday and had receptions of 29 and 31 yards. In recent weeks, he’s caught passes in four-verts concepts and on dig routes.
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Stillwater receiver Cyrus Johnson catches a pass and breaks it for a 47-yard game in the second quarter Friday against Ponca City.
“Well, Charlie screwed Chandler. If Chandler could be 6-4 like his daddy, he’s a big-time tight end,” Cawood said. “You see him catching the ball vertical and things like that, but he’s been huge for us.”
The offensive line – already a new unit – has played musical chairs this season because of injuries, and a big focus in the bye week was on gaining comfortability there and getting the running game going.
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Stillwater tight end Chandler Johnson scores a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half Friday night against Ponca City.
It took a couple drives Friday, but the offensive line dominated much of the game. Junior running back Jaedan Adams had his first 100-yard game of the year, rushing 11 times for 116 yards and a touchdown.
“We needed that,” Cawood said. “Because Jae’s a returning starter and as a sophomore had 1,500 yards last year. Granted there’s some different teams on our schedule early on that kinda play a little better ball. So, we needed to get Jae rolling. And it wasn’t anything Jae was doing, we just had to get better up front. We had to grow.”
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Stillwater running back Jaedan Adams breaks a tackle Friday night against Ponca City.
The defense was its normal self, only allowing 14 points and forcing two turnovers. Defensive lineman Rocky Kolone finished with 12 tackles and five tackles for loss, and linebacker Jakoby Petree had 15 tackles.
Friday showed what the full picture looks like when the offense is clicking, too.
The Pioneers aren’t looking ahead, though, and they’re not getting caught up on one game. Stillwater heads to defending state champ Sand Springs on Thursday, and Cawood and Taptto said there’s still plenty to work on.
“We celebrate tonight, and we get ready for the future,” Taptto said.
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Stillwater senior linebacker Kyle Stokes (23) celebrates with the ball after recovering a fumble in the second quarter Friday against Ponca City.
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