Sep. 16 -- OOLOGAH -- The Battle of Rogers County became a block party for Claremore's defense on Friday night.
Only two weeks into the season, the Zebras have shown they can win in different ways. After a shootout victory against Bartlesville in Week 1, they relied on a dominant defense to take control against Oologah, setting the tone early and never letting up in a 23-6 road victory.
The first half was a defensive masterclass by Claremore, with each of Oologah's five drives ending with a blocked kick or an interception.
Michael Robertson blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt on the Mustangs' opening drive, and the momentum only grew from there. Graham Williams followed with a punt block, and interceptions from Andrew Hancock and Hayden Lee derailed Oologah's next two drives.
Josh Feliciano capped the defensive onslaught by blocking another punt before halftime, completely shutting down any offensive rhythm for the Mustangs.
"We have guys who can make plays," Zebras coach Jarrett Hurt said. "We're excited to make plays like blocking kicks in the kicking game, and we're excited to get interceptions. When we can get more turnovers than they get, you have a good chance to win on Friday night. We won the turnover battle, and we've been limiting our turnovers on offense all year long."
That string of defensive plays gave Claremore's offense prime opportunities, and quarterback Brad Hoisington took full advantage.
The former Oologah standout showcased his versatility, rushing for two touchdowns and leading the Zebras' balanced attack. Hoisington finished with 60 yards on 13 carries and added 131 yards through the air on 11-of-16 passing.
Claremore's offense was powered by its ground game, with senior running back Cecil Garrett IV carrying the ball 22 times for 102 yards while Grimett chipped in with 24 yards on six carries to complement Hoisington's dual-threat capabilities.
Jaxon Burton opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal late in the first quarter, and the interception by Hancock served as a catalyst to Hoisington's 11-yard scramble with 9:39 remaining in the second period. The quarterback then followed with a 10-yard touchdown run at the 6:32 mark, giving the Zebras a comfortable 16-0 lead.
Grimett added a 1-yard touchdown run three plays after Lee's interception, putting the Zebras up 23-0 before halftime.
Although Claremore's offense went quiet in the second half, the defense continued to frustrate Oologah, holding the Mustangs to 173 total yards -- including only 50 yards on the ground.
"It went well, but we gotta clean up some things," Hoisington said of the bout against his former team. "I was definitely a little disappointed in the second half. We had a lot of opportunities to score, and we just failed. That's the disappointing part. In the end it's a win, and that's all you can ask for."
The second half saw a shift in strategy for the Zebras, opting to play conservatively to protect their lead rather than risking injury to key players like Hoisington.
They continued to outgain Oologah but did not add to their score.
"We had 23 points at halftime, and we were looking to build on that in the second half, but it just didn't work out for us," Hurt said. ""They were just loading the box and really daring us to throw the ball. We were working on our run game and didn't want to run Brad in the second half. We didn't want to call any designed runs for him because we were up 23 points, so we didn't think that was needed. They were able to load up in the box and tee off on our tailback a little bit, but that's OK because there may be nights where you have to run the ball when the box is loaded. Our passing game will continue to improve, and our guys on offense will come back and have a great week next week."
Oologah managed to avoid the shutout with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Grady Voegle to Jaden Tanner with 3:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, spoiling the Zebras' bid for their first shutout since 2021 and first clean sheet of the series since 1995.
However, it was too little, too late.
The Mustangs finished with 123 passing yards and struggled to find consistency against Claremore's relentless defense.
"We wanted that shutout pretty bad," Hurt said. "Our kids played hard, and you gotta give credit to Oologah -- their kids played hard, too. That's what happens in a rivalry. We knew they would be motivated, but our kids are motivated, too. We're excited to be 2-0. Beating one of our rivals is always a great thing when you can do that on a Friday night, so we're tickled to death to get out of here 2-0."
The Zebras are now 2-0, with a defense that has proven capable of making game-changing plays.
Although Hurt acknowledged there is still work to do, especially in finishing drives on offense, Claremore's ability to win both high-scoring and defensive battles bodes well for the rest of the season.
The Zebras host Hilldale on Friday night at Lantow Field for Homecoming. The Hornets are coming off a 28-13 loss to Fort Gibson.
"Our kids were playing hard, but our theme of the week was 'Finish,'" Hurt said. "At times, we didn't finish things tonight. We didn't finish drives, and we didn't finish plays. We still have to continue working on finishing, especially in the red zone when we have opportunities to score. But we have two returning starters from last year, so there's a lot of new faces out there. We're still trying to find the right combination on the offensive line and still trying to find the right combination in our receiving corps.
"We've got a lot of work to do, but we're pleased with our progress."