It started with both of them getting an offer and orally committing to Oklahoma, and ended with the SaberCats earning their first district title and those two accounting for all three touchdowns.
Haywood caught a 52-yard touchdown pass with 5:35 left to give Southmoore a 22-19 victory over Mustang on Friday night at Moore Stadium.
"This was a big week for us. There was a lot of attention from everyone,” Haywood said. "We were able to have good practices. This is huge for the program.”
Southmoore (9-1, 6-1 in District 6A-1) entered this season as one of the most talented teams on paper. But to ask for this type of season from a second-year school almost seemed like too much to put on the kids.
Turned out Chris Jensen’s club was ready for the pressure.
Tested time and time again this season, Southmoore came through. And when they needed a big play, the SaberCats knew who to look to.
It didn’t matter that Thompson had only completed two passes for total of minus-2 yards in the second half. On a second-and-26, Thompson looked to his favorite target. And Haywood, as he has so many times before, came through.
"That’s why it’s a 48-minute game,” Thompson said. "We knew it was going to be tough. I just had to keep my head in it.”
The two also had a hand in clinching the game. Facing third-and-16, this time it was Haywood completing a 32-yard pass to Thompson in the final minute.
"I had been asking coach all night to run that one,” Thompson. "We knew it would catch them off guard.”
The defense played a role as Southmoore had four sacks and forced two turnovers.
With the loss, Mustang (7-3, 5-2) goes from being the district champion to going on the road to Edmond Memorial for a first-round matchup.
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