In a thrilling high school football contest, the Henryetta Knights defeated the Wilburton Diggers 25-12. The visiting Henryetta team dominated early, scoring 18 points in the first quarter, securing their victory despite Wilburton’s valiant efforts in the final minutes.

— First Quarter Domination Henryetta wasted no time, taking the lead with an impressive 75-yard run by Jason Powders at just 11:38 in the first quarter, although the team missed the extra point. The scoring continued with an 88-yard pass from Brady Norman to William Perez at 08:25, bringing the score to 12-0. Henryetta capped off their commanding first quarter with a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Nathan White, though another missed extra point left the score at 18-0. Wilburton struggled to find its rhythm, recording no points in the opening quarter.

— Second Quarter Response The Golden Knight’s offensive surge continued into the second quarter with Nathan White running for a 14-yard touchdown, followed by a successful extra point by Blaze Hill, increasing the visitors’ lead to 25-0 at 05:02. Just before halftime, Wilburton’s Jason Wilkett gave the home crowd something to cheer about, scoring a 10-yard rushing touchdown at 00:02. However, the two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 25-6 going into halftime.

-The second half saw a slower pace, with both teams struggling to find offensive consistency. Wilburton mounted one final comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, as Jason Wilkett scored again on a 39-yard run at 08:55. Unfortunately, the two-point conversion failed again, and the game ended with Henryetta victorious 25-12. Henryetta displayed a well-rounded offense, finishing with 398 total yards compared to Wilburton’s 195 yards. Henryetta dominated on the ground, with 295 rushing yards compared to Wilburton’s 183 yards. Notably, Henryetta’s average per rushing attempt was a whopping 9.8 yards, while Wilburton averaged 4.2 yards per attempt.

In the passing game, Henryetta had 103 passing yards, largely fueled by the long 88-yard connection between Norman and Perez, while Wilburton struggled, managing only 12 passing yards on the night.

— Key Players

• Jason Powders was a standout for Henryetta, rushing for 218 yards on 16 carries, including his explosive 75-yard touchdown run.

• Nathan White added 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Henryetta.

• On the Wilburton side, Jason Wilkett carried the offense with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to break free for long runs.

• In the air, Brady Norman completed 4 of 8 passes for Henryetta, with his 88-yard touchdown to Perez being the game’s biggest play through the air.

— Defense & Penalties

Stats & Totals

• Jason Powders rushed for 218 yards on 16 carries. This gave him a season total of 859 yards (172/per game), no. 1 in Max-Preps Oklahoma (team reporting).

• Will Perez had an 88-yard touchdown reception, which is 2nd all-time since 2000. He also holds the 3rd longest touchdown reception last year at 82 yards. The record is held by Devin Longan, who caught a 90-yard touchdown reception in the 2012 first round playoffs.

• Tayler Hamric lead all tackles against Wilburton with 20 and an 18-yard interception. He leads Class 2A in tackles with 68 and is two short of leading the whole state.

Both teams saw their fair share of penalties, with Henryetta penalized 14 times for 134 yards and Wilburton committing 13 penalties for 107 yards. Defensively, Tayler Hamric led Henryetta with 20 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss. For Wilburton, Floyd Clark struggled under pressure, throwing one interception and gaining minimal yards through the air.

Henryetta’s balanced attack and strong defense proved too much for Wilburton, despite a late push by the home team. Both teams will look to learn from the matchup as they continue their seasons, with Henryetta carrying forward the momentum from this important road victory.

Henryetta’s victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Wilburton, their loss was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-5.

Henryetta will square off against Valliant at 7 p.m. Friday. Henryetta is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 42.4 points per game this season.