DEWAR - The Dewar Dragons inched closer to their second-straight district championship last Thursday with a 55-6 win over the visiting Gans Grizzlies.

The latest mercy-rule victory puts the Dragons at 7-1 on the year, 3-0 in district play.

The Dewar squad currently sits at the top of the District B-6 standings with the Keota Lions. Sitting just below Dewar and Keota in the district standings are the Porum Panthers at 2-1, Gans at 1-2, and Cave Springs and Arkoma at 0-3.

Dewar will have a chance at moving one step closer to the district championship this Friday when the Dragons travel to Keota to battle the Lions in a Week 9 contest.

A win over Keota will put the Dragons in the driver's seat for the district championship with one regular-season contest remaining.

A loss to the Lions on Friday will drop the Dewar squad into second in the district standings, heading into next week's regular-season finale against Porum.

In last Thursday's win over Gans, the Dragons balanced their scoring attack through the first three quarters.

The Dewar scoring got started at the 7:57 mark of the opening frame with a 90-yard run by Kameron Wadley. Joey Fowler crossed the goal line on the conversion attempt to give the Dragons the early 8-0 advantage.

With 5:28 remaining in the first quarter, Fowler connected with Rhett Whitlow on a 65-yard aerial strike for the next Dewar score. Fowler then completed a pass to Braxton Loyd on the conversion attempt to push the Dragons' lead to 16-0.

The final Dewar tally of the opening frame came on a 64-yard scamper by Fowler at the 2:31 mark. The PAT kick was off the mark, putting the host Dragons in front by a 22-0 margin at the end of the first 12 minutes of action.

A 41-yard pass from Fowler to Ty Whitlow with 6:38 left in the first half, followed by a successful extra-point try by Brett Hays, expanded the Dewar lead to 29-0.

Fowler then capped off the second-quarter scoring with a 45-yard pass to Rhett Whitlow at the 5:22 mark. Loyd then completed a pass to Anthony Tabers for the 2-point conversion, extending the Dragons' margin to 37-0 at the halftime break.

The third quarter saw three scores in a span of 23 seconds.

The first touchdown in the third quarter came on a 21-yard TD run by Dewar's Thomas Brownfield at the 8:31 mark. The PAT kick was unsuccessful, making it a 43-0 advantage for the host Dragons.

Gans broke up the Dragons' shutout bid nine seconds later when Drextyn Brown took the ensuing kickoff 73 yards to paydirt.

Trisden Melder followed suit for the Dragons, returning the Gans kickoff 83 yards for a special teams score, regaining the 43-point advantage for the host Dewar squad, 49-6, with 8:08 left in the third quarter.

The Dewar defense ended the contest on the 45-point mercy rule when Rhett Whitlow stepped in front of a Gans pass attempt at the Gans 45 and returned the interception 45 yards for the game-ending score with 5:22 remaining in the third, giving the Dragons the 55-6 victory.

The top rusher for the Dewar squad was Wadley, who had 150 yards on seven carries and one score. Fowler was

Second Quarter

Dewar - Ty Whitlow, 41-yard pass from Fowler (Brett Hays kick); 6:38

Dewar - Rhett Whitlow, 45-yard pass from Fowler (Braxton Loyd pass to Anthony Tabers); 5:22

Third Quarter

Dewar - Thomas Brownfield, 21-yard run (Kick Failed); 8:31

Gans - Drextyn Brown, 73-yard kickoff return (Run Failed); 8:22

Dewar - Trisden Melder, 83-yard kickoff return (Kick Failed); 8:08

Dewar - Rhett Whitlow, 45-yard interception return (No Attempt); 5:22

Dewar Team Stats

First Downs: 19 Rushing: 26-311 Passing: 9-10-0 219 Total Offense: 530 Fumbles: 3-2

Penalties: 2-15

Dewar Individual Stats

Rushing: Kameron Wadley 7-150, TD; Joey Fowler 4-71, TD; Marshall Been 6-49; Thomas Brownfield 3-28, TD; Shawn Maxwell 3-11; Trisden Melder 2-3; Rhett Whitlow 1-(-1).

Passing: Joey Fowler 9-10-0 219, 3 TDs. Receiving: Rhett Whitlow 6-138, 2 TDs; Braxton Loyd 1-22; Kameron Wadley 1-18; Ty Whitlow 1-41. next for the Dragons with 71 yards on four carries and one touchdown. Fowler also completed 9 of 10 passes for 219 yards and 3 TDs.

The top receiver for the Dragons was Rhett Whitlow with six catches for 138 yards and 2 TDs. The other three completions went to Loyd, Wadley, and Ty Whitlow.

Defensively, the Dewar squad was led by James Brison, who recorded 10 tackles - one for loss - with two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Loyd and Tabers also recorded 10 tackles on defense for the Dragons with Tabers also recording a pair of quarterback sacks and three tackles for losses. One of Loyd's 10 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage.

Hays and Shawn Maxwell each had six tackles apiece for Dewar, while the trio of Fowler, Marshall Been, and Jacob Mooney each recorded three tackles.

Besides Whitlow's interception return for a touchdown, the only other defensive takeaway for the Dragons was a fumble recovery by Thomas Brownfield.

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Dewar 55, Gans 6

Gans - 0 - 0 - 6 - xx (6)

Dewar - 22 - 15 - 18 - xx (55)

First Quarter

Dewar - Kameron Wadley, 90-yard run (Joey Fowler run); 7:57

Dewar - Rhett Whitlow, 65-yard pass from Fowler (Braxton Loyd pass from Fowler); 5:28

Dewar - Fowler, 64-yard run (Kick Failed); 2:31