Empire rolls to win in season opener, 46-12

EMPIRE -  The Empire Bulldogs got off to a quick start and then cruised the rest of the way to a 46-12 win over visiting Canadian in the season opener for both teams last Thursday.

The Bulldogs were on the verge of ending the game early a couple of times, but they could not get over the hump, especially after quarterback Bryce Shaver went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter. The injury limited the offense’s ability to move the ball.

Shaver led the Bulldogs with his arm and his legs. Shaver threw five touchdown passes and ran for another in the first 1.5 quarters before he was injured while playing defense with Empire leading 46-0.

Shaver, a junior, had thrown two 6-yard touchdown passes to Cale Porter, a 25-yard touchdown pass and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Francisco Garcia, and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cutter Rochell. All of those came in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he found the endzone from nine yards out on a run.

The good news for the Bulldogs is that Hayes said Shaver is expected to be back for this week’s game at Thackerville.

The Cougars kept the game alive with a 15-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter that would prevent the mercy rule from being implemented at halftime. Canadian added its second touchdown of the game in the third quarter.

While missing out on the chance to end the game early, Hayes was still pleased with the way his team played. 

“We started out really well, better than I thought we would, actually,” Hayes said. “It surprised me a little bit, but after Bryce’s injury, we became one-dimensional with just our run game.”

Hayes said his team got tired as the game went on, which he attributes to the players having to play both ways after not having to do that the past couple of years. The loss of a big and impactful senior class in 2024 took away the ability for players to play on just one side of the ball.

“Overall, I thought we played well,” Hayes said. “We watched the film and noticed we had some missed assignments and other things, but they are all things we can learn from and get better.”

Empire went 9-1 in the regular season last year, blowing through most of the competition, but the coach is expecting a tougher fight this year.

“Thackerville is about like Canadian, but Wetumka, Cyril and all the teams in our district were young last year,” Hayes said. “We lost more than everybody else. Hollis is going to be the favorite to win the district again and it could come down to us and Waurika for second and third.”