Jelsma Stadium will shine for Guthrie and Piedmont

By: Chris Evans

               

                The second ranked Guthrie Bluejay football team will showcase Jelsma Stadium for the first time in the 2007 season, as they play the Piedmont Wildcats, Friday night. Piedmont dropped their opening game to arch rival Deer Creek, 40-0 in Edmond.

            Guthrie, coming off a dominating victory in Shawnee, won the contest 42-10 and was in complete control from the get go. However, Piedmont was on the opposite side of being in controlled. In fact, Piedmont was only able to amass 79 yards of total offense against Deer Creek. Piedmont did not pick up a first down until the fourth quarter.

            In part to the unsuccessful start of the season might allude to the fact that Piedmont has been bitten with the injury bug and that might be an understatement.

            Piedmont may play in tonight’s game without the service of 13 starters due to injuries. Last week highlighted the injuries when running back Evan Heath was injured against Deer Creek. The Wildcats will be without their top three linebackers and top three running backs. It’s never a good time to lose any player, but 13 starters when you are about to face Guthrie and Ardmore in back-to-back weeks does not serve as a good recipe.

            “For any of us I don’t care where whether it is 4A or 6A it is going to hurt you,” Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins said about Piedmont’s situation with the number of injured starters. “You can be Jenks or Tulsa Union and you have 13 starters out then you are just going to be a shadow of your former self.”

            Piedmont comes off a disappointing 5-5 season from a year ago, and missing the play-offs. The Class 4A team not only lost all-stater quarterback George Meiwes, all-stater DeMarco Bledsoe, and top receiver Brock Drum, but they also lost their head coach Jason Robinson.

            Trinity Johnson is now the head man for the Wildcats. Johnson was Robinson’s top assistant coach, and in last season’s contest Guthrie defeated the Robinson led Wildcat team 23-7. It was a 7-0 game at the half in the battle of two top five teams.

            Johnson has turned to junior quarterback Brad Thrift. Thrift replaces Meiwes, now playing at Southern Nazarene University, who struggled in his debut with three of nine passing for just seven yards. Thrift was intercepted twice, but did have 48 yards rushing on just six carries. However, Thrift may be unavailable for the game tonight with an injury. Piedmont may be forced start their third string quarterback.

            “This is where you will find out if you are a championship team,” Watkins replied when asked about his team staying focus and doing the right things and still improve.

“Our key tonight is to come out and dominate early and do things properly. I don’t care who you are playing. You have to approach this like it is the state championship, and I will be very disappointed if we don’t”

            The Wildcat defense gave up 268 yards on the ground and 24 in the air last week. Deer Creek attempted very few passes as they held a first quarter lead of 17-0 and a halftime lead of 30-0.

            Guthrie piled up 333 yards of offense against the ninth ranked Wolves. The Piedmont defense will certainly be tested once again this week as they try to come up with the formula of containing the high octane offense. Senior Kye Staley had 122 yards rushing, junior Donte’ Foster had three touchdowns, junior quarterback Keaton Callins had two passing and one rushing touchdowns in Week 1.

            Guthrie and Piedmont will kick off at 7:30 inside Jelsma Stadium. This will be the second season for the remodeled stadium that was originally built in 1936.

            “There is not a better place for a high school atmosphere. Our stands will be packed, and we are going to get after it and I promise the kids are going to play hard and we are going to get better,” Watkins explained.

Hot 93.7 FM KSPI will have the call of the game. The pregame show will be at 7:00 p.m. with Chris Evans, Casey Porter, Chris LeGrande, and Craig Fleck with the post game immediately following the contest.

 

Game Notes:

 

v     Portable bleachers will be on hand for the Piedmont Wildcat band to allow more seating. Jelsma Stadium holds an estimated 5,000 fans and Piedmont fans travel well. Home openers and Homecoming games are usually the most populated attended games of the season.

 

v     Booster Club will be out and about outside the stadium with the tail-gating party.

 

v     Season passes are on sale for all Guthrie High School athletics for the 2007-2008 season. Passes are for regular season games. The sports pass is available for adults at $50 and students for $15. Call GHS for more details at 282-5906.

 

To leave your comments about this story please and thoughts on the Bluejay victory please go to the Guthrie Sports Page blog site.

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