Tonkawa secured a home playoff game for the third year in a row with a 20-8 win over Woodland here Friday night.In 2019, the Bucs didn’t make the playoffs. It was also the third year in a row Tonkawa finishes second in its league. The Bucs won their last district championship in 2018, during their seventh state championship run.Neither team scored in the first quarter. Woodland got the ball first and drove all the way to the Buc 17 before turning it over on downs. Tonkawa took over and got to the Cougar 14 before turning the ball over on downs.That’s when the first big defensive break came for the Bucs. Dalton Pierce rushed the Woodland signal-caller and Ryan Morgan was able to intercept the ball. On first down from the Buc 46, Blake Bristow scored on a dazzling 54 yard run to put Tonkawa up early 6-0.Woodland returned the favor, covering 61 yards in 16 plays to take an 8-6 halftime lead. That would be the last time the Cougars would get into the Buc redzone. After trading punts in the opening quarter of the second half, Tonkawa went the distance. Cam Jackson scored from five yards away, the ninth play in a drive that covered 63 yards. Jackson had runs of 20 and 11 yards in the effort. Morgan spotted a wide-open Luke Shepherd in the endzone for the two-point conversion pass. Tonkawa was ahead 14-8.Bristow put Tonkawa up 20-8 with a two yard run late in the third quater, the fifth play in a 51 yard drive. The big play in the drive came on a second and six play from the Cougar 46 in which Jackson made an epic 39 yard run breaking several tackles setting the Bucs up at the seven with a first and goal.The second big defensive break came in the fourth quarter when Jaidyn Guzman knocked the ball loose from a running Woodland quarterback. Jadin Howard was there to scoop it up and advance it from the 39 to the 22 where Tonkawa took over on offense. After getting a first and goal from the one, Tonkawa couldn’t get into the endzone and ended up giving the ball back to the Cougars at the five.Woodland moved all the way to the Buc 23 before tackle Dom Grein sacked the Cougar signal-caller for a nine yard loss back to the Buc 32, his ...
