Published: December 01, 2008 04:18 pm      

Sulphur Bulldogs suffer defeat Saturday

TULSA — Kent Warren threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and fourth-ranked Lincoln Christian took advantage of early Sulphur miscues and beat the seventh-ranked Bulldogs, 40-0, Saturday night in a Class 2A quarterfinal matchup.

The loss ended Sulphur’s season at 11-2 while Lincoln Christian (12-1) extended its winning streak to 12 games heading into a showdown with top-ranked Heritage Hall Saturday afternoon in Ponca City.

Warren, one of the state’s top passers in any class this fall, completed 9-of-12 attempts for 105 yards and ran his season total to 38 scoring passes with his three Saturday against a Sulphur defense that had surrendered more than 14 points just once all season.

The visiting Bulldogs were outgained 253-88 and dug themselves an early hole with three huge mistakes — two of them on special teams — that enabled Lincoln to build a 19-0 lead in the first six minutes.

A fumble at the Sulphur 13 set up the first Lincoln touchdown of the night, and the visitors gift-wrapped the second on a mishandled snap on a punt that gave Lincoln the ball at the Sulphur 1.

A blocked punt gave the host Bulldogs their third score of the night, and the Lincoln defense shut down the Sulphur offense, which had scored 421 points in the team’s first 12 games.

The yardage total was a season low and the three turnovers were a season high for Sulphur, which had advanced to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2A state title in 2004.

Sophomore Chris Turrobiartes was Sulphur’s leading rusher with just 34 yards on 11 carries.