Playing in a classic venue surrounded by an electric environment, two proud communities were able to see Gruver and Stratford deliver a classic football game that won’t soon be forgotten at Happy State Bank Stadium on Friday night.
Down the stretch of the final minutes, it was Gruver getting a late touchdown that was able to stand up as the Greyhounds avenged a loss to the Elks from earlier in the year for a thrilling 19-14 victory to claim the UIL Class 2A Division II state quarterfinal championship.
“This win was a big thing for the team, the town and our school,” Gruver head football coach Kurt Haberthur said. “Everyone in the school works extremely hard for everything that we accomplish and without the support all of this would be impossible. This is hard to do two years in a row with a target on you. We had a lot of adversity and a strong path to get here. We took a lot of shots but we’re a harder team for it.”
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
Gruver advances to the program’s third state semifinal since 2018 and the second in as many years.
The Greyhounds (12-2) are now set for a state semifinal rematch with defending state champion, Muenster (12-2) at 6 p.m., on Thursday back at Happy State Bank Stadium thanks to the Greyhounds winning a flip. The Hornets defeated the Greyhounds 49-26.
Stratford, which were making its 14th state quarterfinal appearance since 1999, sees another stellar season come to an end 11-3.
“We overcome a lot the last couple of years and this team overcame a lot lately,” Stratford head coach Jonathan Murphy said. “I’m proud of this team. They are resilient, and I feel we were more of a family in the locker room than we’ve been in a longtime. That reflected in the second half of this season. We have a lot coming back and I can’t wait for next year.”
The fourth quarter was a game in itself of this amazing state quarterfinal. Gruver had built a 13-0 lead following a Nick Shepard 41-yard touchdown catch from Briggs Satterfield, and then stopped the Elks on a goal line stand late in the third.
However, Stratford stole the momentum in the opening minutes of the fourth when quarterback Chase Lantelme hit a deep ball to Ranger Carroll for 64 yards that sparked the Elks, cutting the deficit at 13-7 with 11:36 to play.
After a defensive stop, Stratford went right back to work marching down the field highlighted by a three-yard quarterback sweep by Lantelme for a score as the Elks took their first lead, 14-13, with 5:06 to play.
Gruver didn’t blink and quarterback Briggs Satterfield showed why he is 36-6 as a starter over the last three years on the ensuing drive. Brock Butler had a solid kickoff return to the Gruver 40, setting the Greyhounds up with good field position. On the first two plays of this key drive, Gruver gained just a yard, setting up a key third and nine. On that third down, Satterfield called his own number on a draw, following his blockers to break loose for a 25-yard run giving Gruver the ball inside the Stratford 30.
“That run was huge and that all goes to the offensive line and the tight ends blocking,” Haberthur said. “We all followed the scheme and it was huge to get that play at that time and get the momentum back.”
Satterfield echoed Haberthur’s comment.
“We go down a point there in the fourth quarter,” Satterfield said. “We knew we had plenty of time left and a chance to go put a special drive together. We just wanted to go down and score and we all came together for one final drive.”
A few plays later, the Greyhounds retook the advantage on a one-yard plunge by Dax Conyers putting Gruver back up 19-14 following a missed two-point conversion with 2:34 left.
Stratford had one final chance with just under two minutes to play, but a Lantelme desperation heave was intercepted by Brock Butler with 1:40 left and Gruver was able to seal the win.
“Everyone showed up and we locked in,” Gruver linebacker Victor Flores said. “We knew it would be tough but we all stepped up and made plays.”
In sports, especially with a fanbase, it’s all about perspective.
They’ll be a different perspective when it comes to looking inside this latest Stratford-Gruver rivalry.
From a Stratford perspective, the Elks didn’t capitalize on opportunities, leaving points on the field having the ball inside the Gruver 5-yard line two times while coming away without a score.
Stratford also had a strong drive going in the second quarter only to have a costly fumble at the Greyhound 21-yard line. That turnover was a killer for Stratford with Gruver getting a 69-yard pitch and catch moments later from Briggs Satterfield to Mason Lankford for the game’s first score making it 7-0 Greyhounds at the 10:16 mark of the second stanza.
From a Gruver perspective, the Greyhounds can see this contest as one of the most resilient efforts of the season.
The Gruver defense bowed their necks on two separate occasions with a goal line stand on Stratford’s opening drive, then another crucial goal line stop toward the end of the third quarter. In the final two minutes of the game, defensive back Brock Butler sealed the victory with a game-sealing interception to put a stamp on an outstanding defensive effort.
“We bent but we never broke,” Haberthur said. “We had big stops on the goal line and that was huge in this game. Defense wins games and offense puts people in the stands. We did a little of both in this one.”
Satterfield finished the night with another typical performance going 9-of-13 passing for 169 yards with two touchdowns to one interception. Satterfield added 97 yards on the ground with 13 carries. Mason Lankford led a skilled receiving group snagging four catches for 104 yards with a TD, and made 12 tackles on defense with a pass breakup. Conyers piled up 61 yards on 13 carries to go with his heroic touchdown.
Defensively, linebacker Victor Flores was all over the field, racking up 14 tackles, two for a loss with a fumble recovery. Butler had nine tackles with that game-saving interception and two pass breakups.
Lantelme led the Elks going 9-of-20 for 134 yards passing with a touchdown and an INT. Darius Jones showed his versatility rushing for 44 yards on 12 carries and catching three passes for 22 yards.
Gruver 19, Stratford 14
Stratford 0 0 0 14 – 14
Gruver 0 7 6 6 – 19
Second quarter
GRU- Mason Lankford 69 pass from Briggs Satterfield (Emmanuel Valverde kick), 10:16
Third quarter
GRU- Nick Shepard 41 pass from Satterfield (Valverde kick failed), 7:55
Fourth quarter
STR- Ranger Carroll 64 pass from Chase Lantelme (Hunter Lee kick), 11:36
STR- Lantelme 3 run (Lee kick), 5:06
GRU- Dax Conyers 1 run (conversion failed), 2:34
Individual Statistics
Rushing – Stratford: Darius Jones 12-44, Chase Lantelme 12-84. Gruver: Briggs Satterfield 17-97, Dax Conyers 13-61.
Passing – Stratford: Lantelme 9-20-1-134. Gruver: Satterfield 9-13-1-169.
Receiving – Stratford: Jones 3-22, Ranger Carroll 2-80. Gruver: Mason Lankford 4-104, Nick Shepard 3-50.