Giles helps Lawton Mac recover, beat Western Heights

Lawton MacArthur turned a halftime deficit into a 24-14 win over Western Heights, thanks to quarterback Austin Giles.

The senior ran for a 23 yard touchdown in the third quarter to give Lawton MacArthur a 17-14 lead after it trailed by seven points at halftime.

"I told them (only being down a touchdown) was a positive,” Lawton Mac coach Ernie Manning said of his halftime talk with players. "More than anything, we tried to calm them down and tried to get them back to playing the way we wanted to play.”

Giles led Lawton MacArthur's comeback. He ran for 49 yards on eight carries. Giles completed 8 of 18 passes for 120 yards, but he threw four interceptions. Still, his completions to teammates helped set up each of the Highlanders' scores.

Just before halftime, Lawton MacArthur junior running back Javon Harris got his team on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown run. In the second half, Lawton MacArthur further chipped away at Western Heights' lead with a 30-yard field goal by Colton Rainey. Lawton MacArthur wide receiver Brad Harmon ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 2:07 left in the game to give his team a 24-14 lead.

Western Heights coach Mark Ryan said his team was able to jump to an early lead after Lawton MacArthur had two turnovers to start the game.

"We jumped out in front of them,” Ryan said. "Our kids can play with anybody. I don't care who they are.”

The second turnover, an interception by Western Heights' Robert Hanson, led to the game's