Panthers head into playoffs with romp over Yale

The Barnsdall High School Panthers smacked the Yale Bulldogs, 50-14, on Friday to earn their first home opening-round playoff game since the early 1990s.

Barnsdall  (7-3) will hunker down this Friday to host Prue to start their Class B playoff journey.

During a large chunk of the years between 2000 to 2015, Barnsdall's football program represented little more than an afterthought when it came to conversation about the mighty small-school grid powers.

But since the arrival in 2016 of Kylee Sweeney as head coach, things have change mightily.

With Friday's rout of Yale, Barnsdall recorded its fourth 7-3 regular season in five years during the Sweeney era.

Not only that, but the Panthers have an opportunity to win a playoff opener at home for the first time since at least 1992.

That could happen next weekend when they host Prue High in the first round of the Class B postseason party.

Quarterback Keegan Marin averaged 27 yards per completion during a compressed but combustible passing performance against Yale.

He connected on 5-of-7 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown pass each to Josh Weber (48 yards) and Brock Eckert (23 yards).

Marin also rushed for 140 yards — and three touchdowns — on 12 carries.

Carson Auschwitz ran for 80 yards and a touchdown; after the jayvee unit took the field for Barnsdall, freshman Jackson Howell ran for 42 yards and a score.

Primary tailback Hunter Auschwitz saw limited action, due to an ankle injury but still ran for 20 yards and a two-point conversion.

Bryce Shores sparked the Barnsdall defense, racking up eight tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks.

Kendall Owens added four tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Barnsdall's defense held Yale to 83 total yards — and the Bulldogs gained 65 of that on a run late in the game on the Panther jayvee defense.

Sweeney said the focus this coming week in practice will be to get healthy in aiming for what could be an historic playoff win.