Banner, Sango Lead Broken Arrow Past Har-Ber in Opener
Broken Arrow 34, Har-Ber 7
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Broken Arrow scored five touchdowns and rushed for more than 300 yards in a 34-7 season-opening home victory over Har-Ber Friday at Memorial Stadium.
Har-Ber created the first turnover. Senior defensive back William Krauft intercepted Shamar Banner on Broken Arrow’s second snap, giving the Wildcats possession at the Tigers’ 48. Brice Owens converted a third-and-long with a 20-yard run and moved Har-Ber inside the 20 before Broken Arrow stopped a fourth-down completion at the 16.
The Tigers answered with an 84-yard drive. Banner found running back Corey Sango for a 6-yard touchdown, but the conversion failed. Before the quarter ended, Banner’s 1-yard keeper made it 12-0.
Broken Arrow added two second-quarter scores. Banner hit Payton Lang for a 25-yard touchdown, and Javen Crowley caught the two-point conversion. After Owens’ fake punt extended a Har-Ber possession, the Wildcats pinned Broken Arrow at its 5. The Tigers covered 95 yards before halftime, with Sango scoring from 2 yards and Banner running in the conversion for a 28-0 lead.
Har-Ber’s defense produced two second-half stops. Sophomore linebacker Thaddeus Huckeba sacked Banner during a third-and-long series that ended in a punt. The Wildcats later stopped Broken Arrow on fourth-and-1 with 1:40 remaining. Har-Ber drove from midfield to Broken Arrow’s 21 before a fourth-down completion ended short of the marker.
Sango’s 3-yard fourth-quarter touchdown completed his three-score night and extended the lead to 34-0. Har-Ber answered with a 75-yard drive. Owens completed passes to Breck Roach and Gibson Green, Logan Beck added a third-down run, and Owens found Treyson Reith for a 14-yard touchdown on fourth-and-5. Reed McAllister made the extra point.
Banner completed 12 of 14 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Sango rushed for 69 yards and two scores, while Octavian Roberson gained 80 rushing yards on eight carries.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Broken Arrow – Corey Sango 6-yard pass from Shamar Banner (kick failed), Broken Arrow 6-0
Broken Arrow – Shamar Banner 1-yard run (kick failed), Broken Arrow 12-0
2nd Quarter
Broken Arrow – Payton Lang 25-yard pass from Shamar Banner (Javen Crowley 2-point reception), Broken Arrow 20-0
Broken Arrow – Corey Sango 2-yard run (Shamar Banner run), Broken Arrow 28-0
3rd Quarter
No scoring
4th Quarter
Broken Arrow – Corey Sango 3-yard run (kick failed), Broken Arrow 34-0
Har-Ber – Treyson Reith 14-yard pass from Brice Owens (Reed McAllister kick), Broken Arrow 34-7
Players Who Stood Out
Shamar Banner, Broken Arrow senior QB — Completed 12 of 14 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He threw touchdown passes of 6 yards to Sango and 25 yards to Lang, scored on a 1-yard keeper and added a two-point run.
Corey Sango Jr., Broken Arrow junior RB/SS — Rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns, scoring from 2 and 3 yards. He also caught Banner’s 6-yard touchdown pass and finished with three total scores.
Payton Lang, Broken Arrow senior QB/WR — Caught five passes for 82 yards. His 25-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter extended Broken Arrow’s lead to 18-0 before the two-point conversion.
William Krauft, Har-Ber senior DB — Intercepted Banner on Broken Arrow’s second snap, giving Har-Ber possession at the Tigers’ 48. He also made a tackle on the opening kickoff and downed an Owens punt at the Broken Arrow 5.
Brice Owens, Har-Ber senior QB — Threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Reith on fourth-and-5. He added a 20-yard third-down run, converted a fake punt with a run and delivered the punt that Krauft downed at the 5.