From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

TULSA, Okla. — Unbeaten Joplin never trailed in turning back the Tulsa Knights 35-26 in the non-pro Central Football League on Saturday at the East Tulsa Sports Complex.

The defending champion Crusaders, 3-0, entertain the Healdton-based South Oklahoma Roughnecks at 6 p.m. next Saturday at Junge Field.

The Tulsa Knights, 2-1, trailed 21-10 at halftime and were behind 28-10 after three periods.

Clay Lasater’s 1-yard sneak for a touchdown and conversion run by DeJuan Middleton gave the Crusaders an 8-0 lead with 6:30 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Knights retaliated late in the quarter with a short scoring return of a Joplin fumble.

The Knights opted for the conversion kick to trail 8-7.

Middleton scored on a 10-yard run at 9:05 in the second quarter but the conversion run failed. Another Joplin fumble set up a field goal by the Knights at 3:06.

But Joplin came back to score at 1:46 on Jeremy Massey’s 1-yard plunge. Lasater’s completion of about 20 yards to Scott Thompson set up the TD.

Lasater’s 2-yard sneak and Aaron Doll’s conversion kick made it 28-10 at 3:40 in the third.

Tulsa scored on a long pass at 7:09 in the fourth and added the running conversion.

Lasater’s 20-yard scoring pass to Chris Turner and Doll’s boot made it 35-18 at 6:21.

The Knights tallied on a 2-yard run at 4:15 and added the conversion run to produce the final score.

“I thought overall we played well,” co-head coach David Pitts said. “We started the game with a lot of emotion.