Brothers, both PHS grads, on semi-pro football team

With their 15-year age difference, brothers Kurtis Dawson and Quantino Hall may seem like unlikely football teammates — but the former Pawhuska High School players are members of the Oklahoma Thunder, a semi-professional team in the Gridiron Developmental Football League.

The Tulsa-based squad kept its 2016 record perfect Saturday night by walloping the Northwest Louisiana Trojans, 67-6, at Holland Hall Stadium. Through three GDFL contests, the Thunder are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents, 151-21.

Dawson, a 1999 graduate of PHS, played football and basketball for the Huskies. Better known as KD, he has been with the Thunder since 2008 — which was the year the team was formed. Dawson wears jersey No. 5 and has played offense, defense and special teams.

Hall graduated PHS in 2014 and was a key member of the Huskies’ 2012 squad. Although smaller than his older brother, Hall is an equally versatile performer on the field. He is No. 26 for the Thunder.

Mrs. Carter said her younger son played football in Pawhuska Youth Leagues’ player of Coach Joe Tillman (who was recently named as the new head coach of the PHS Huskies).

Under a previous league affiliation, the Thunder was World Bowl Champions in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since joining the GDFL, the Oklahoma squad has won two conference titles and was the GDFL National champ of 2013 — when it finished 14-0.

Thunder stars include wide receiver Prentiss Elliott, a two-time league MVP, and 300-pound defensive lineman Anthony Gillespie.

The Thunder played at Tulsa Washington’s S.E. Williams Stadium in 2008, then Skiatook’s Exchange Bank Stadium in 2009 and Tulsa LaFortune Stadium in 2010-11. After a year at the East Tulsa Sports Complex, the Thunder played the 2013-14 seasons at Bixby High School and are now in the second year at south Tulsa’s Holland Hall Stadium, 5666 E. 81st St.

In its 2016 opener, the Oklahoma squad topped the Arkansas Gators, 25-15, at West Memphis on June 4. On June 11, the Thunder handed their Kansas-based conference foe, the Midwest Titans, a 59-0 defeat in Tulsa. The Titans had entered the contest with a 14-game winning streak.

The Thunder — currently No. 6 in the GDFL Power Rankings — is scheduled to play at Memphis this Saturday and on the road at Kansas City versus the Midwest Blast on July 9. Their next game in Tulsa is to be Saturday, July 16 (opponent unknown), with a home matchup against the Arkansas Gators set for July 23.

There are 28 teams in the GDFL and Oklahoma is one of four teams in the league’s Impact West Division. For more information, go to the team website at oklahomathunder.net or the league website at gdfl.org