On Thursday, Norman faced Moore in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Norman Tigers came out on top against the Moore Lions by a score of 42-35. The Tigers pushed the score to 35-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the Lions cut but never quite recovered from.
Phoenix Murphy was his usual excellent self, rushing for 69 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, while also throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per attempt. Another player making a difference was Crew Noles, who gained 188 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Norman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 237 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Moore's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Malikai Miller, who threw for 259 yards and a touchdown on only 19 passes, and Elijah Moon, who rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries. Miller's passing game has become a key predictor of Moore's success: the team is 3-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. Jaeden Williams was in the mix too, providing Moore with two touchdowns.
The victory made it two in a row for Norman and bumps their season record up to 6-1. As for Moore, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Norman will host Deer Creek at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Deer Creek will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Norman surely won't give up without a fight. As for Moore, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Jenks at 7:00 p.m. Jenks will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
