General | 3/24/2020 9:13:00 AM

 
GOODWELL, Okla. – To help fill the void of the abbreviated athletics season this year, over the next few weeks we are going to present what were, undoubtedly, some of the best moments from the 2019-20 Oklahoma Panhandle State University Athletics.
 
Our first installment is a look back at Aggies Football's thrilling double-overtime victory for Homecoming back on October 12 versus Texas Wesleyan University.
 
The game started out looking like it could be a blowout win in the Aggies favor, as OPSU amassed a 14-0 lead by the early part of the second quarter. After quarterback Tony Brown had scored on a touchdown run in the first, an amazing 38-yard catch-and-run by running back Danny Valverde Jr. on a third-and-10 in the second quarter made it 14-0. Brown took the snap from the shotgun formation, rolled to his left and flipped the ball ahead to Valverde, who hauled it in at the 24 yard line. Valverde caught the ball in stride on the near sideline, twirled to avoid one would-be tackler at the 15, side-stepped another at the six and drug a third with him across the goal line to make it 14-0, after a SportsCenter top-10 nominated effort.
 
However, that second period proved to be a 35-point offensive fireworks display. TWU amassed 21 points and the Aggies 14, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 21-21.
 
The second half – as well as two OT segments – showcased the defenses for both teams. In the end, however, the Aggie stoppers would prevail.
 
The Bulldogs notched the go-ahead score in the third quarter to lead 28-21. That score stood until 5:08 left in regulation, when Panhandle tallied the equalizer. Brown found Jaishone Brown on a seven-yard strike in the right-hand corner of the end zone to make it 28-28 and force the Aggies' first overtime game since the 2015 season.
 
In the first overtime, TWU had first possession and, on a fourth-and-11, elected to go for the touchdown. OPSU's Malik Brown stepped in front of the intended receiver for an interception that thwarted the Bulldogs. But TWU's "D" was equally stingy, send the game to the second overtime.
 
This time, OPSU had the ball first. Brown opened with a 16 yard run down to the TWU nine. That was followed by carries of five, three and finally the one-yard touchdown dive to give Panhandle the lead, 34-28, after the missed extra point.
 
All that remained was for the OPSU defense to keep the Bulldogs' offense chained up. On a first-and-10 from the 14, senior Diamante Pounds had a huge tackle-for-loss of two yards. On second down, Antonio Vaughn had a big pass break-up, followed by to more incomplete passes by TWU, to give the win to the Aggies.
 
It was an exciting finish for the crowd of better than 1,700 fans and alumni, as well as a great moment from our 2019-20 OPSU Aggie Athletics season.