Against the top-ranked Class 2A-II team in Oklahoma, Beggs knew once the Golden Demons got possession of the football, they had to make something happen.

However, they had to wait until nearly the end of the first quarter to have their first offensive snap, and by that point, the Demons were already trailing on the scoreboard.

Vian used a game-opening 19-play drive that took exactly 10:30 off the clock – all running plays – to take the early lead. The Wolverines then maintained that advantage the rest of the way as they ended Beggs’ turnaround season by handing the Demons a 35-7 defeat in the 2A-II quarterfinals Friday night.

“I thought we played hard early and then we made a few mistakes that didn’t really go our way, and then we kind of got into a hole,” Beggs coach Tyler Blizzard said.

Vian (12-0) ended up carrying the ball 55 times for 272 yards, with two of its backs – Masyn Wright and Draighton Fletcher – combing to rush for 260 of those yards and four touchdowns.

Though the loss was predictably disappointing to Blizzard and the Demons, the coach empha- sized that it in no way diminished what the team was able to achieve in his first season at the helm. Beggs bounced back from a 4-6 campaign in 2023 to a 9-3 finish this season, including a resounding opening-round playoff win at Alva.

“I’m proud of our kids, to be honest with you,” Blizzard said. “Going into this season, we had only two kids on our roster that had been in a playoff game.

“We challenged our seniors, they were 4-6 last year and it was the first time Beggs hadn’t made the playoffs in almost 20 years, and they bought in and became a team together, loved each other and came out here and turned a 4-6 team into a 9-3 team, so I’m proud of our kids for that.”

The Wolverines fielded the opening kickoff and moved 76 yards covering 19 plays for the first TD and a 7-0 lead with 1:30 left in the first quarter. All 19 plays were runs, with the longest run from scrimmage covering 9 yards.

Also on that drive, the Wolverines converted three third-down situations and two fourth downs, including a 6-yard keeper up the middle from Wright for the drive-ending touchdown.

On Beggs’ opening drive, the Demons faced a third-and-short near their 40. But a snap was fumbled, and Vian defensive end Tristan Wiley made the recovery at the 40.

That led to another clock-churning drive, taking six plays and more than three minutes off the clock, ending with a 2-yard TD from Fletcher and a 14-0 Wolverine lead with 8:39 left in the first half.

Near the conclusion of that half, the Demons made a march, advancing inside the Vian 15 before facing a fourth-and-long. They went for a swing pass, but Vian was there to bring down the receiver several yards shy of the sticks.

Vian took over with seconds left in the opening half and ran out the clock to keep its 14-0 lead intact at intermission.

Beggs got the second-half kickoff but was unable to move the ball, and the Demons had to punt.

Vian took over and put together another sustained series, going 44 yards in nine plays. Wright finished things off with his second TD on the night, taking a pitch around the right side, shaking off a would-be tackler and going in from 5 yards out.

After the PAT, Vian went up 21-0 with 6:32 left in the third.

However, the Demons promptly put together their best drive of the night. Beggs got a pass-interference penalty called against Vian on a third-andlong, giving the Demons an automatic first down near midfield.

Then, faced with a second-and-long at the Beggs 43, quarterback Billy Ramsey launched a deep pass that was caught by receiver Jordan Wesley, who was brought down at the Vian 5 but not before the play covered 52 yards, and the Demons were knocking on the door.

One play later, Beggs finally got on the scoreboard as Trey Ross took a handoff and found space, getting in for a 5-yard TD run. The PAT got the Demons within 14, 21-7, with 3:52 left in the third.

Beggs then went for an onside kick, but after taking a bounce, it landed in the hands of a Wolverine player. Two plays later, Vian quarterback Cash Trammel threw a deep pass to Jacob Brannick, who sprinted into the end zone for a 54-yard TD, and the Wolverines went back up by three scores.

Beggs then went for it on fourth down in its own territory, but a keeper play was stopped a yard shy of keeping the drive alive. Vian took over at the Beggs 35 and ran several more plays, and on the first play of the final quarter, Fletcher went in from 2 yards out for the Wolverines’ final TD.

Near the midway point of the fourth quarter, Beggs drove inside the Vian 10 and scored a touchdown, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. The Demons eventually faced a fourth down and attempted a pass, which fell incomplete.

Vian took over with 5:26 left near its 15 and ran out the rest of the clock. The Wolverines advanced to the Beggs 10 before taking a knee for the final plays, wrapping up the win.

For the game, the Wolverines finished with 326 yards of total offense while holding Beggs to 206 yards total.

Ramsey completed 10-of-22 passes for 168 yards, with Wesley making two catches for 104 yards. Ryan Grayson caught three passes for 28 yards and was also the Demons’ top rusher with 38 yards on five carries, and Elijah Johnson also had three catches for 18 yards.

The Demons will be losing 15 seniors who were part of helping get the team back to their customary position of contending for a title. Now, the offseason emphasis for Blizzard is to help get them back to the playoffs and make a serious run at a gold ball.

“One (point of emphasis) is going to always be bigger, faster, stronger, and just continuing to build on team and being the best version of you, because we can’t always control who’s on our team or from year to year, who can play what and those things will come,” Blizzard said. “But if we’re willing to work on us and continue to be that best version of ourselves, then I’ll go to war with anybody with these guys.

“The main thing I teach them is it’s never about the scoreboard, it’s about you becoming a better version of yourself. It’s being the best version of ourselves all the time and it’s letting the scoreboard take care of itself because at the end of the day, we can’t always control the scoreboard, but if we give our best effort, we can walk out of here with our heads held high … That’s the thing I’m most proud of; we had a bunch of kids that really loved each other and loved the process and just became a better version of themselves.”