CoachesAid.com - High School Sports

It's a cold afternoon in Stillwater as we're inside Boone Pickens Stadium awaiting the Class 5A championship game pitting Carl Albert against Bixby.

However, with the sun out, it's not nearly as cold as it was for last night's 3A championship. I was on the field a grand total of about 10 minutes and it was so cold I think one of my ears fell off.

MORE ON LAST NIGHT: If you read the 3A championship blog, you're aware that CoachesAid photographer Sean Williams and I got a room at the Residence Inn here in Stillwater.

CoachesAid will reimburse us for the room. However, I don't think they would have reimbursed us for the entire hotel, which almost became necessary.

After the game, Sean and I stopped for a couple of supplies before returning to the room to finish our work. Our room was equipped with a kitchen, a living room area and another room with two queen-size beds.

Well we decided to get a frozen pizza to help us get past our "midnight munchies" and help us finish our work.

However, upon returning to the room, we found out we didn't actually have an oven, only stove top (one of those flat surface types made of glass).

I thought we were doomed, but Sean said he'd just cook it on the stove top. Nothing under the pizza. Just set it down on one of the burners.

I had my doubts about it working, but Sean is a married man with kids. He's got more experience in this department, so I rolled with it.

FAIL!

About 10 minutes later as he was uploading pictures and I was writing a story, I looked up to notice smoke billowing above the stove top. Lots of it. Basically, Sean was burning a hole in the pizza from the bottom up.

Before long, the room was filled with smoke, the smoke alarms were blaring and I was convinced the sprinklers were going to turn on at any second.

The room had four windows, all of which opened (unlike any window in any Las Vegas hotel). However, they only opened about three inches apiece (apparently OSU football fans are still a threat to throw themselves off multi-story buildings...had to get that one in there).

So there we were with a room full of smoke, the night manager knocking on our door, empty stomachs and a bunch of work left to do.

One call and $25 later, we had a Dominos pizza in our room, a room that still smelled char-broiled this morning when we got up.

And now to the night's sleep...if that's what you want to call it.

As I've mentioned dozens of times before, Sean is a notorious snorer. It's ridiculous. It should be criminal. Punishable by law.

However, he claimed to have found some sort of spray that at least limited his snoring. Last night was my first experience with the new-and-improved sleeping Sean.

While I will admit his snoring wasn't as bad in the early stages, he still hit "chainsaw" levels somewhere around 3:30 or 4 o'clock this morning. In other words, he was sound asleep and I was staring at the ceiling contemplating ways to "eliminate" him.

So, yeah, Sean is refreshed and ready to go. I'm hooked up to an IV of Red Bull trying to get me through the day. In other words, nothing's changed.

We're 30 minutes from kickoff. I'll be back with more later.

1st quarter

Bixby gets the ball first and begins its initial possession at its own 24.

On 3rd-and-15 Lamb fumbles on a keeper and CA's Jeremiah Reed recovers at the Bixby 25.

Reamulto scores on a 12-yard run BUT it's called back on a holding call. Titans have 1st and 18 at the Bixby 20 at the 9:09 mark. Timeout Bixby.

That drive was all JT Realmuto. The Titan QB ran the ball eight straight times, the last of which was a 1-yard TD plunge.

CARL ALBERT 7-0 AT 7:45 OF THE FIRST.

That was a nine-play drive. On the first play, Tre Porter lost five yards. After that, the Titans said "screw it" and went with what got them here, which is Realmuto running the ball.

Bixby runs four plays on its next possession and is forced to punt from its own 34

Carl Albert gets it at its own 28 with 5:18 left in the first and up 7-0.

Neither team able to move ball on their next possessions. They trade punts.

Carl Albert at its own 23, 2:38.

Titans are moving down the field, thanks largely to a 36-yard pass from Realmuto to Porter. As the 1st quarter ends, Titans are facing a 2nd and 6 from the Bixby 29, up 7-0.

2nd quarter

2A UPDATE: Lincoln Christian leads Pawhuska 14-0 in the first.

Carl Albert uses a little trickery. Realmuto threw a 3-yard hook pattern to Markell Walker, who lateraled it to Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins covered the final 20 yards for a 14-0 Carl Albert leads with 9:09 left in the half.

Highlight-reel stretch for CA's Taylor Hawkins. After scoring the TD, he leveled Bixby's Donavan Wilson after a short pass (and I mean leveled). Two plays later he picked off Lamb, setting up Carl Albert at the Bixby 26 at the 7:49 mark.

Titans can't capitalize on this one and actually lose yardage after Realmuto called for ground. They punt and Bixby takes over at own 30 with 6:11 to play in the half.

Spartans on the move. Running the ball, they've made their way to the CA 21 with 3:15 to play in the half.

Bixby is still in it. Spartans drive 70 yards in 10 plays, all but one on the ground. Lamb scores from 9 yards out to pull Spartans within 14-7 with 2:14 to play in the half.

Obviously, it will be imperative for them to keep CA from scoring in order to carry the momentum into halftime.

Bixby's kickoff dies at the 12 and Tre Porter had to dive on it there. On the first snap, Realmuto and Porter bobbled an exchange and lost seven yards back to the 5.

Titans facing 3rd and 12 from their 10 with 1:20 play. Bixby timeout.

Bixby takes over at Carl Albert 40 with 1:05 left in the half. Lamb hit Alvstad for a 15-yard gain, but Alvstad didn't get out of bounds. On the next play, Lamb was sacked.

After a timeout, Bixby faced 2nd and 15 from the CA 30 and Lamb hit Schuyler for a 19-yard gain to the 11.

1st and 10 from 11 - Spartans spike it

2nd and 10 - Alvstad catches it, but he's out of the back of the end zone.

3rd and 10 - Fiscus attempts 28-yard field goal with 7 seconds left, but Markell Walker speeds in from the outside and blocks it.

Could have been huge for Bixby to get some points, but CA takes its own bit of momentum (and the lead) into halftime by blocking the kick.

It's 14-7 Carl Albert at the half.

3rd quarter

CA gets the ball at its own 20 to start.

On the second play, Realmuto is picked off by Michael Nelson who returns it 18 yards to the CA 21.

Huge break for Spartans. We'll see if they capitalize.

The answer would be NO!

Markell Walker picks of Lamb's pass in the end zone and returns it out to the 12. Carl Albert can't do much and is forced to punt from its own 21.

Bixby ball at its own 46 with 8:01 left in the third. Spartans punt it down to the 10 with 6:21 left in quarter.

Quite the defensive struggle now. Carl Albert really struggling to move the ball since early on. The Titans punt.

Bixby starts at its own 36, but Lamb fumbles after a five-yard run. Brandon Wright recovers for CA at the Bixby 46.

Titans get  a couple of first downs on Realmuto's legs (he's already over 30 carries for the day). The third ends with CA facing 2nd and 5 at Bixby 22.

4th quarter

CA driving to start the quarter.

Bixby defense steps up again. CA goes for it on 4th and 6 at the Bixby 23, but Realmuto's pass is incomplete.

On Bixby's first play, Lamb looks downfield, but is intercepted (again), this time by Porter at the Bixby 46 with 10:16 left in the game.

Titans are going to the air as they have thrown it all six snaps on this possession. Currently they're facing a 4th and 15 from the Bixby 33 (after a false start).

Realmuto hits Walker for 21-yard gain to the 12 - HUGE!

Surprise surprise. Realmuto does the rest with his legs. It takes him 3 carries to cover the final 12 yards. The TD run - at 7:05 - is a 1-yarder. Kick is good.

CA leads it 21-7 with 7:05 to play. The 10-play drive covered 46 yards and at 3:11 off the clock.

Bixby now facing 4th and 7 from its own 37 with 5:48 to play. Apparently the Spartans are going for it.

False start makes it a 4th and 12 from the 32. Lamb is swarmed and sacked by the CA defense.

Titans take over at Bixby 29 with 5:34 to play.

I'm going to say this one's over and prepare to head down to the field. As always, thanks for reading.