The Blue Devil Beat

Cordell’s win sets up home playoff game

  • LEFT: Senior Adden Zanghi charges through the Mangum defenders en route to a touchdown. PHOTOS BY FLORA WALTERS
    LEFT: Senior Adden Zanghi charges through the Mangum defenders en route to a touchdown. PHOTOS BY FLORA WALTERS
  • BOTTOM LEFT: Cordell football players Bode Gallagher and Blaine Larsen lock arms triumphantly. The Blue Devils beat Magnum 39-12.
    BOTTOM LEFT: Cordell football players Bode Gallagher and Blaine Larsen lock arms triumphantly. The Blue Devils beat Magnum 39-12.
  • BOTTOM RIGHT: Junior Blaine Larsen surprises the Mangum quarterback, sacking him in the backfield.
    BOTTOM RIGHT: Junior Blaine Larsen surprises the Mangum quarterback, sacking him in the backfield.
  • The Blue Devil Beat
    The Blue Devil Beat
  • Cordell senior Gavin Jasmer demolishes a Mangum ball carrier in his team’s 39-12 win. The victory set up a Cordell home playoff football game on Friday night. PHOTO BY FLORA WALTERS
    Cordell senior Gavin Jasmer demolishes a Mangum ball carrier in his team’s 39-12 win. The victory set up a Cordell home playoff football game on Friday night. PHOTO BY FLORA WALTERS

The Cordell Beacon’s Blue Devil Beat is proud to bring you weekly updates on many school activities, such as upcoming games, fundraisers, club meetings, and much more. This special section will keep you updated on all of the important things happening in and around our school. We will feature interviews from teachers, coaches, and students, giving you an inside look on what is going on at Cordell Public Schools.

It’s now playoff season, folks, and the Cordell Blue Devils set the tone for things to come with another dominant win, 39-12, Friday night against the Mangum Tigers at Cordell Stadium.

The Cordell defense set the tone, forcing four Mangum interceptions.

But a busted punt play got Cordell on the board, first.

Senior Adden Zanghi scored first for the Blue Devils with a touchdown with 9:39 left in the first quarter when a bad spike forced him to run for it instead of forcing a punt with defenders closing in on him.

Near the end of the first quarter, Zanghi struck again, this with scoring the first defensive touchdown of the night on an interception return.

Freshman Danny Corbin set the tone for the second quarter of the game, intercepting the ball for a touchdown within the first minute of the quarter. This defensive touchdown was followed by an extra point kick by senior Raydon Kuehne, bringing the score to 19-0 with 11:25 left in the half.

The Tigers eventually managed to creep their way back up the field, slipping into the endzone halfway through the second quarter. The Tigers opted for a two-point conversion but failed to score, leaving the score at 19-6.

The Cordell boys quickly regained their 19-point lead, thanks to Senior Dane Corbin spinning his way out of a Mangum defender’s grasp and into the endzone with 3:15 left in the half. Just a few moments after Corbin’s great escape, Junior Blaine Larsen intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the Mangum 1-yard line, giving Kuehne the perfect opportunity to zip into the endzone. The Devils, confident in their team, opted for a two-point conversion, which was successfully completed by Zanghi, bringing the score to 33-6.

Despite the constant pressure Cordell put on the Tigers, and a quarterback sack in the backfield from seniors Gavin Jasmer and Bode Gallagher, the Tigers were able to catch a pass in the endzone, scoring their second and final touchdown of the night with only 13 seconds left in the quarter.

The Devils continued to work hard in the second half of the game, stopping the Tigers from making their way into the endzone. Midway through the third quarter, a big tackle from Junior Danny Corbin finished off Mangum’s starting quarterback, who had already taken a few too many hard hits in the first half of the game. This injury caused a change in Mangum’s lineup, making it easier for Zanghi to push them back into their own territory with a big run.

Within the first 10 seconds of the quarter final quarter, the Devils had pushed the Tigers far enough back for Zanghi to catch a pass and fly into the endzone, putting another six points on the board for Cordell. The Devils held the Tigers for the remainder of the game, ending the battle with a final score of 39-12.

Cordell finished the game with 247 yards of total offense, with 60 yards passing and 187 rushing. Besides the four interceptions, the defense allowed only 186 yards of offense.

Cordell finished the regular season with a 2-4 overall record, and 2-2 in district play.

Head coach Zane Tramell said his team made him proud this season, playing like they mean it and working hard to be respected.

According to Trammell, the boys played with enthusiasm, passion and a good demeanor, allowing them to secure a fourthplace district seat with this victory.

The Devils will host their first game of the playoffs on Nov. 13, which will be a rematch between the Cordell Blue Devils and the Burns Flat-Dill City Eagles.

• ACADEMIC TEAM SHINES: In other news, the Cordell Blue Devil High School Academic team won two of the five rounds they played in their meet on Wednesday. The team will go on to compete in the regional academic bowl on Nov. 12th, the results from this competition will determine whether they will qualify for the Area competition.