 |
|||||||||||||||
|
By: Chris Evans
The Guthrie Bluejays have many scenarios’ working for them as they get set to play the El Reno Indians, on Friday night, inside Memorial Stadium, none of which will help win the game.
Guthrie enters the game 5-0, and El Reno stands at 0-5. Guthrie averages 59.8 points a game, while El Reno averages 9 of their own. Guthrie has allowed 10 points all season and the Indians have allowed 118. Bluejay head coach Rafe Watkins has never lost to an El Reno team in his seven seasons while El Reno coach Dal Nichols has never beaten the ‘Jays.
So, when the two teams square off for a 7:30 p.m. kick off, Guthrie will look to take advantage of a young El Reno team that starts a total of 11 sophomores, including their quarterback and tailback. The Indians lost quarterback Cory Powell and wide receiver Alex Weaver, who helped the Indians make the second round of the play-offs a year ago when they went 9-3.
Jakeil Everhart won the quarterback job just prior to the season over Colby Hudson. El Reno coaches took their time in deciding who would led the team, but at the end they went with the more explosive run threat as opposed to the drop back passer Hudson.
So far, at times in the season, El Reno has struggled putting points on the board. The highest scoring output for El Reno was 14 points in a, 21-14, loss to Noble. In last week’s Carl Albert game, in a loss to the Titans, the Indians scored with six seconds left and lost by a final score of 41-7.
Despite the 0-5 start to the season, El Reno has endured a healthy schedule featuring Western Heights, Chickasha, Elk City, Noble, and Carl Albert, all teams that have a strong chance of making the play-offs. The combined record of the El Reno opponents is a healthy 16-9, compared to the Bluejays opponents of 7-18.
A closer look at the five losses for the Indians show that three were by seven points or less. Until last week’s game with the Titans, El Reno had not allowed more then 4 scores in a game.
El Reno, led by senior C.J. Raney, who missed the first three games due to a dislocated wrist in a Star Spencer scrimmage, will play fullback and nose guard. Last season Raney registered 72 tackles, 17 of which went for a loss. Another defensive factor Guthrie will have to deal with is senior defensive end Dillon Hughey. Hughey was the teams leading tackler a year ago with 80 tackles and 12 sacks. Hughey has nearly 40 tackles and five sacks on the season.
El Reno will be young in the secondary with two sophomore cornerbacks,a sophomore free safety, and two other sophomores will start on the defensive line. The young defensive team will have the daunting task of containing a Bluejay offense that averages 387 yards of total offense per game.
Guthrie defeated El Reno last season 42-0 at Jelsma Stadium, but the last time the Bluejays payed the Indians a visit, it took four quarters to secure the win. Michael Harmon, a sophomore at the time, secured the victory with a fourth quarter interception, giving his team a 28-23 win.
Be sure to listen to the game on Hot 93.7 FM KSPI. as Chris Evans, Casey Porter, Chris LeGrande, and Craig Fleck bring you all the exciting action. The pre-game show starts at 7pm and the extended post game show follows the conclusion of the game.
Game Notes: