‘Built like a middle linebacker’: Wagoner QB Kale Charboneau leads Bulldogs in rout of Ada

BETHANY — It took Wagoner a few possessions to get revved up.

Once it did, another berth in the state finals became a mere formality.

“They were stopping our run early, and then we just found our groove,” Wagoner junior quarterback Kale Charboneau said after the Class 4A top-ranked Bulldogs smothered No. 4 Ada, 42-7, in a prep football playoff semifinal game Friday night at Southern Nazarene University Stadium. “Finally just got momentum and started going.”

The Bulldogs (13-0) broke the early scoreless stalemate with two second-quarter touchdowns within a minute and a half. First, a methodical 16-play, 80-yard drive swallowed up nearly seven minutes of clock and ended with a seven-yard Charboneau touchdown run with 7:19 to go until halftime.

On the first play of Ada’s next offensive possession, Wagoner junior linebacker Bryce Steel got the ball back for his offense with a fumble recovery at the Cougars’ 21-yard line. Four plays later, a seven-yard touchdown burst by Wagoner junior tailback Trenton Edwards pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-0.

“That was huge,” Wagoner Coach Dale Condict said. “Start getting that momentum. We created a ton of momentum in the second quarter, going into halftime.”

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Wagoner led at the half, 21-0, after 6-foot-6 receiver Witt Edwards – a Vanderbilt commit – caught a pass from Charboneau and streaked 46 yards to the end zone with less than two minutes before halftime.

“It was really just scramble drill,” said Edwards, who finished with five receptions for 113 yards and also recovered a fumble on defense. “My quarterback ran out of the pocket and I had a little settle route. I just kind of went with him and flushed with him and he saw me right there coming across. My teammate nicked it and I still grabbed it. It was crazy. I didn’t know if I could grab it, but I did. That wasn’t drawn up or nothing.”

Trenton Edwards and Charboneau each added touchdown runs in the third quarter. Edwards totaled 54 rushing yards via 10 attempts and two scores, while Charboneau registered 112 rushing yards, 177 passing yards and accounted for three total touchdowns.

“Tons of experience,” Condict said of Charboneau. “He is extremely tough. He is intelligent. He is a coach’s kid. He has got a great arm and he is built like a middle linebacker, so when he runs the ball at this level he is really hard to tackle. We feel like he is one of the best players around. Just a junior, and man, had a great game again tonight.”

Ada (11-2) entered the 4A semifinal averaging nearly 40 points a game over its last seven contests. But against Wagoner, the Cougars mustered just 215 total yards, seven points and turned the ball over four times.

“We really played hard and we practiced hard all week,” said junior tight end/defensive end Alex Shieldnight, who committed to Oklahoma Nov. 10. “I am just proud of all my teammates and these coaches. I love all these coaches. To come and play that hard is good for us.”

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Charboneau and senior linebacker Keyton Cole both intercepted passes on defense, while sophomore tailback Aven Goodlin added a late touchdown run for Wagoner.

The victory delivered Wagoner to its 10th state championship game overall and ninth under Condict, who has led the Bulldogs since 2005. A win on Thursday at the University of Central Oklahoma against Blanchard (12-1) will give Condict his third state title in four years and seventh overall. The last six times Wagoner has reached the title game – 2022, 2020, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2011 – it has claimed the crown.

“You have got to keep doing what got you here,” Condict said. “We’ll obviously have a game plan that we put in place after watching film. Doing what you do. You can’t get silly or try to do anything too different. We’ll roll with what we have been doing and we think that will give us a great chance to win. And we have been there. So I think that makes a big difference.”