Tuttle wraps up District 3A-1 title by beating Anadarko
Tuttle 31, Anadarko 0

By Matt Patterson, Staff Writer Comments 0
Published: October 31, 2009

TUTTLE — Missing players such as running back/linebacker Ethan Biddy and several other key players due to injuries, it might have been expected Tuttle would struggle against a good Anadarko team Friday night at Bill Hinkle Field.

Turns out, the opposite happened as Tuttle easily beat the Warriors 31-0 to secure the District 3A-1 championship and a pair of home playoff games.

Biddy has been Tuttle’s best player all season, but he missed Friday’s game with a hip pointer. He is expected to return for the playoffs, or even next week in the regular season finale at Santa Fe South.

"This is one of the most explosive teams we’ve faced,” Tuttle coach Phil Koons said of Anadarko. "They beat Clinton and were right there with Elgin.”

Koons complimented Tuttle players Tanner Koons and Dylan Coppenbarger, who helped make up for the loss of Biddy.

"We weren’t able to have our bull tonight and one of our linemen and another linebacker,” coach Koons said. "We had a lot of pups on defense, and they stepped up to the plate.”

Quarterback Tanner Koons, a 6-foot-1 junior, rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns. He passed for 73 yards and a pair of scores.

For Tuttle, it’s all about someone rising to the occasion.

"We played well,” Tanner Koons said. "You have to face adversity every year. Our linemen stepped up to the plate. They made holes all night.

"Biddy does a lot. He’s vital to us, but it’s not a one-man team. It takes all of us, and I think we learned a little bit ourselves tonight from playing without those guys.”

And while Tanner Koons was doing his thing, running back Coppenbarger was doing his. He rushed for 116 yards on 14 carries. He shares the running back duties with Biddy and saw a little more action than usual Friday night.

"I ran it better than I did last week,” Coppenbarger said.

"I just couldn’t break the big one for a score. That was a little frustrating, but we got the points anyway so that’s all that matters.”

Tuttle’s defense dominated, limiting Anadarko to just five first downs in the first half — all of which came in the final three minutes.

Defensive end Cole Gracey had three sacks. And there was success on special teams, too. Bobby Stonebreaker hit a career-long 52-yard field goal in the third quarter and knocked all but one of his kickoffs out of the back of the end zone for touchbacks.