Stratford extends win streak to 19 games with thrilling 40-35 win over Panhandle

Shawn Moran, Amarillo Globe-News

October 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM·4 min read

Stratford’s Bryce Braden (4) prepares to pass the ball in a District 1-2A Div I game against Panhandle, Friday, October 14, 2022, at Sam Bass Stadium in Stratford. Stratford won 40-35.

STRATFORD — The Stratford Elks needed a big play.

Sophomore quarterback Bryce Braden and the Elks' offense delivered.

The talented dual-threat option behind center for the defending Class 2A Div. II champions followed his strong offensive line and hit the hole hard before sprinting his way into the end zone from 27 yards out to put the blue and white ahead of Panhandle 40-35 with just under six minutes to play.

Stratford's defense made a crucial stop and forced a turnover on downs before kneeling out the rest of the clock and claiming victory in their 19th straight game.

"Panhandle does a great job," Stratford coach Matt Lovorn said. "We have so much respect for those guys. They're very well-coached and for them to come up here we knew it was going to be one heck of a football game. … We got the score to go ahead and then we leaned on our defense like we have all-season long. That last drive we came up with some good plays and our defense stepped up."

Panhandle’s Wyatt Brookshire (25) runs with the ball in a District 1-2A Div I game against Stratford, Friday, October 14, 2022, at Sam Bass Stadium in Stratford. Stratford won 40-35.

It was a back-and-forth game between two District 1-2A Div. I rivals who were riding impressive winning streaks heading into Friday night's contest. The Elks had won 18 straight overall games dating back to early in the 2021 season while the Panthers had prevailed in 12 straight district matchups.

One of those streaks had to come to an end in the second week of the district schedule and it was only fitting that it took all 48 minutes to decide a winner.

Panhandle struck first with two touchdowns in a total of 10 plays on its first two offensive possessions of the night. The Elks never went away, however, as they used their strong one-two rushing combination of Braden and senior Zane Burr to wear down the Panther defense and close the gap to two points at halftime.

"We were just trying to get as many yards as we could and just play," Burr said. "We got into a heavy [formation] and started running all over them. That's what Stratford is all about – putting it on the ground and just running over everybody. It was a little closer than we were actually wanting but we did well and stood our ground."

Panhandle’s Landyn Hack (12) scrambles with the ball in a District 1-2A Div I game against Stratford, Friday, October 14, 2022, at Sam Bass Stadium in Stratford. Stratford won 40-35.

Stratford exploded out of the locker room and extended its lead to two touchdowns in the third quarter. First, Burr broke loose for a 20-yard touchdown run and then on the next drive Braden executed a hesitation pass play to perfection to his older brother, Luke, for a 34-yard score.

The Panthers scored two touchdowns in a span of 19 seconds on runs from Landyn Hack and Wyatt Brookshire. Following Hack's score, the Elks fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up a short run by Brookshire.

Both teams jousted for the remaining 12 minutes before the Elks were left standing as the winner of this Class 2A Division I heavyweight bout.

"That's an outstanding football team," Panhandle coach Dane Ashley said. "I knew that was an outstanding football team. Leaving this game, I think we're a really good football team. That's the best defense, I think, in the region. We were able to move the ball up and down the field a couple times. I feel like we stopped ourselves and had some bad penalties. I feel like we can score with anybody. Hats off to Coach Lovorn, he's a great coach and came out with a great plan in the second half."

Up next: Stratford (7-0, 2-0) will hit the road to take on Sanford-Fritch next Friday night while Panhandle (5-2, 1-1) is set to host West Texas High.

Stratford’s Zane Burr (8) runs the ball in a District 1-2A Div I game against Panhandle, Friday, October 14, 2022, at Sam Bass Stadium in Stratford. Stratford won 40-35.

STRATFORD 40, PANHANDLE 35

Panhandle 14 0 8 13 -- 35

Stratford 6 6 16 12 -- 40

Scoring summary

First Quarter

PAN – Wyatt Brookshire 19 rush (Landyn Hack kick); 10:41

STR – Bryce Braden 3 rush (Antonio Duran kick missed); 4:43

PAN – Cooper Neil 39 pass from Landyn Hack (Hack kick); 3:41

Second Quarter

STR – Zane Burr 1 rush (two-point failed); 9:23

Third Quarter

STR – Zane Burr 20 rush (two-point successful); 7:22

STR – Luke Braden 34 pass from Bryce Braden (two-point successful); 3:51

PAN – Landyn Hack 4 rush (two-point successful); 0:18

Fourth Quarter

PAN – Wyatt Brookshire 1 rush (Hack kick missed); 11:59

STR – Zane Burr 1 rush (Duran kick missed); 8:54

PAN – Landon Durst 12 pass from Landyn Hack (Hack kick); 7:04

STR – Bryce Braden 27 rush (two-point failed); 5:40

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Stratford: Zane Burr 23-211, Bryce Braden 21-174, Santiago Ibarra 2-11, Vicente Morrillon 2-0. Panhandle: Wyatt Brookshire 18-186, Landyn Hack 16-62.

Passing – Stratford: Bryce Braden 5-7-0-109. Panhandle: Landyn Hack 16-30-0-195.

Receiving – Stratford: Luke Braden 2-75, Santiago Ibarra 2-28, Zane Burr 1-6. Panhandle: Cuyler Mize 9-124, Cooper Neil 2-50, Landon Durst 1-11, Wyatt Brookshire 2-10, Kelby Olson 2-0.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Stratford extends win streak to 19 with thrilling win over Panhandle

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STRATFORD 40, PANHANDLE 35

Individual Statistics

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