The Lawton Blue Devils have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and on eleven occasions since 2006. Despite all of that regular season success, they had never captured a district championship, losing five times in the district finals. Two of those losses occurred in the past two seasons, at the hands of Schoolcraft. With a new opponent, the Union City Chargers, on the docket, their fortunes changed. Lawton rushed the football with success, like they had in the ten weeks prior, securing a 35-6 victory for their first District Championship.
Lawton got out to a fast start in this game, scoring five times before the half. In the opening frame, the rushing duo of Carter Cosby and Jake Rueff found the end zone. Cosby got things going with a 3-yard carry, before Rueff chipped in an 11-yard rushing burst. This gave the Blue Devils a 14-0 lead.
The second quarter scoring began with a quarterback keeper by Landon Motter, a 5-yard carry. Jake Rueff returned the end zone twice with a 24-yard and 1-yard touchdown. A successful conversion attempt on the second score, also by Rueff, brought the game to 35-0 in Lawton’s favor.
As a result of Rueff’s conversion, the running clock was in effect for the duration of the contest. Lawton would not return to the scoring column. Union City was able to prevent the shutout, with a 1-yard touchdown scamper by Garrett Iobe.
Jake Rueff was the featured weapon offensively for Lawton once again. He turned 16 carries into 115 yards and three touchdowns. With this victory, the Blue Devils advance to next week’s regional final, their first since 1985, a game they lost to Schoolcraft (remember that in 1985, there were no districts, only regionals). This time around, Lawton will hit the road to face Muskegon Catholic Central, a program with a storied history. The Crusaders advanced to the regionals by thrashing Ravenna 50-14.
