Lawton Eisenhower field goal decks Westmoore
Lawton Eisenhower 16, Westmoore 14

By Justin Harper Comments 0
Published: October 30, 2009

MOORE — With his team’s playoff life on the line, Colton Rancourt’s fourth-quarter, would-be game-tying extra point sailed wide.

Westmoore quarterback Lionard Fombe, front, is sacked by Lawton Eisenhower’s Dillon Pulliam. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

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Distraught? Hardly.

"That’s the life of a kicker,” said the Lawton Eisenhower junior. "You can’t worry about that last kick. Get your head up, because you never know when you’re going to get another chance.”

That chance came just a few minutes later. And with six seconds left, Rancourt perfectly parted the uprights from 34 yards to beat Westmoore 16-14.

The victory Thursday at Moore Stadium keeps the Eagles, now 3-6 overall and 2-4 in District 6A-2, in the playoff hunt. Unless Norman pulls off a major upset at Midwest City tonight, Lawton Ike and Norman will square off in the last game of the regular season in a winner-take-all showdown for the final district playoff spot.

"We knew we had to win out, but we said all week that we have to start with one,” said Ike quarterback Adrian McDonald. "That second game doesn’t mean anything without winning the first. And we never gave up and we did what we had to do.”

The loss ends any hopes Westmoore had to make the playoffs. That’s a shame, because the Jaguars seemed to have this game in the bag several times in the fourth quarter.

Leading 14-7 on a pair of short touchdown runs by senior fullback Brian Self, Westmoore defensive back Tanner Harper made a terrific play to recover an Ike fumble, racing downfield and plowing into McDonald, who was on the ground with the ball in his arms. Harper’s dive into the QB and subsequent strip gave the Jags the ball just shy of midfield with 7:49 to play. Alas, Westmoore fumbled the ball back two plays later.

Four plays later, Louis Durant ran in for a 5-yard score, and all the Eagles needed for a tie was the point-after kick. But Rancourt’s kick was off target.

"My heart did sink when I missed it,” Rancourt said. "But I thought there was enough time. I didn’t think it was over.”

Westmoore went three-and-out, failing again to run significant time off the clock. After Ike got the ball back and was at the Jags’ 36-yard line, Westmoore senior Stanley West made what could have been a game-deciding play, picking off a McDonald pass with 3:58 on the clock.

Instead, another quick three-and-out doomed the Jags (3-6, 2-4). Ike got the ball with 2:24 left and marched 43 yards to the 17.

After being iced with a pair of timeouts, Rancourt’s kick was long and dead center. It was his fifth field goal in seven attempts this year — but the first game-winner of his life.

"We made a lot of mistakes,” said McDonald, primarily of six fumbles, three of which were lost. "But our defense kept us in the game and gave us a chance. And (Rancourt) came through for us.”

That’s the life of a kicker. And it gave new life to a team on the postseason brink.