In a dramatic comeback on a cool Friday night in Henryetta, the Beggs Golden Demons erased a late fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Henryetta Knights 26-20 in a non-district showdown packed with momentum swings, big plays and grit on both sides of the ball.

Trailing 20-12 with just over six minutes left, Beggs quarterback Boston Bookout delivered under pressure, firing a 10-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Wesley on 4th down to pull the Demons within two. Moments later, Beggs junior Trey Ross turned the tide with a game-changing defensive play – ripping the ball from Henryetta running back Mekko Mc-Nac. Senior Aiden Taylor jumped on the loose ball, setting the stage for the final drive of the night.

With starting quarterback Bookout sidelined, backup Bobby Baker stepped in to lead the offense. Ross followed up his defensive heroics with a 25-yard sprint that brought the Demons deep into Henryetta territory. Jason Nethon capped off the drive with a bruising 2-yard touchdown run, putting Beggs ahead for good with just under two minutes remaining.

Henryetta’s final push came down to a pass into the end zone from quarterback Nakoma Johnson, but the ball fell incomplete as time expired – sealing a gutsy road win for the Demons.

“Both teams played extremely hard,” said Beggs head coach David Shannon, who earned his first win at the

SEE 4TH-QUARTER THRILLER, PAGE B3 helm. “We had several mistakes with penalties that could have cost us the game, but we made up for some of those with the turnovers we created. The biggest being the strip with about three minutes to go in the game which led to our backup quarterback leading us down the field for the game-winning touchdown. Extremely proud of our kids’ resilience and happy for our players, coaches and fans to get a big win on the road.”

— Early action sets the tone

Beggs got on the board first in the closing seconds of the first quarter when Bookout connected with Trey Ross on a deep 44-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed, but the Golden Demons grabbed an early 6-0 lead on the road.

Henryetta answered back in the second quarter, as junior quarterback Nakoma Johnson launched a 34-yard touchdown strike to Gavin Williams, tying the game at 6-6 after a missed PAT. Bookout responded just before halftime, orchestrating a sharp two-minute drill that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Baker. A failed twopoint try left Beggs with a 12-6 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Knights regained momentum in the third quarter, once again behind the arm of Johnson, who found senior Will Perez for a 34-yard touchdown. Though the PAT again failed, Henryetta tied the game at 12-12 and began to seize control with strong defense and time-of-possession offense.

The tide turned fully in Henryetta’s favor early in the fourth, when Perez found the end zone again – this time on the ground – breaking through for a 7-yard touchdown run. He followed that with a two-point conversion, giving the Knights a 20-12 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.

— Scoring Summary 1st Quarter

• Beggs – 0:03 | Bookout 44-yard TD pass to Ross (kick failed)

2nd Quarter

• Henryetta – 3:34 | Johnson 34-yard TD pass to Williams (kick failed)

• Beggs – 0:38 | Bookout 11-yard TD pass to Baker (2-point failed) 3rd Quarter

• Henryetta – 2:20 | Johnson 34-yard TD pass to Perez (kick failed) 4th Quarter

• Henryetta – 7:53 | Perez 7-yard TD run (2-point conversion good)

• Beggs – Mid-4Q | Bookout 10-yard TD pass to Wesley (conversion failed)

• Beggs – Late 4Q | Nethon 2-yard TD run (conversion failed) — Game Stats

Beggs Golden Demons (1-1)

• Total Yards: 370

• First Downs: 16

• Rushing: 23 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD

• Passing: 16-of-24, 227 yards, 3 TD

• Turnovers: 1 Fumble Standouts

• QB Boston Bookout: 15-23, 205 yds, 3 TD

• WR/RB Trey Ross: 8 carries, 65 yds; 3 rec, 58 yds, 1 TD; 1 forced fumble

• RB Jason Nethon: 8 carries, 52 yds, 1 TD; 1 catch, 60 yds

• WR Jordan Wesley: 6 rec, 54 yds, 1 TD

• QB Bobby Baker: 1-1 passing, 22 yds; 3 carries, 22 yds; 5 rec, 41 yds, 1 TD — Henryetta Knights (2-1)

• Total Yards: 308

• Rushing: 46 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD

• Passing: 10-of-19, 163 yards, 2 TDs

• Turnovers: 2 Fumbles, 1 INT Standouts

• QB Nakoma Johnson: 10-19, 163 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

• RB Will Perez: 23 carries, 80 yds, 1 TD; 3 rec, 40 yds, 1 TD

• WR Gavin Williams: 5 rec, 93 yds, 1 TD

• RB Mekko McNac: 16 carries, 68 yds