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By: Chris Evans
As expected on Friday night, the second ranked Guthrie Bluejays opened up Jelsma Stadium over a far less superior team in 4A’s Piedmont by routing the Wildcats in a 62-0 blowout.
Piedmont enter the game with the injury bug with up to 13 starters with injuries in which the majority of them did not play in the game including the Wildcats top three running backs and top three linebackers.
However, that did not stop the ‘Jays from showing up and putting the game early. On the opening kick-off junior Josh King would set the tempo with a big hit on the Wildcat return man at the five yard line and then did set the tempo with a 38-yard punt return to the Wildcat 1-yard. Senior Kye Staley would then score on the first play from scrimmage. A high snap on the point after sailed over junior Keaton Callins and senior place kicker J Hensley picked it up and went into the right corner for the two point conversion to take an 8-0 lead less then two minutes in the game.
“I think we had them intimated,” senior linebacker Justin Chappell said.
Guthrie would not waste anytime to get into the end zone again. In fact, 90 seconds later when senior defensive back Israel Escoe intercepted Brad Thrift and returned it to the house from 24-yards out and Guthrie held a 15-0 lead. Piedmont would have a total of five turnovers on the night.
The Wildcats would be forced to punt the ball away on their ensuing drive which set up Guthrie’s next score. The ‘Jays would put together their biggest drive of the night with a six play 58-yard drive highlighted by Staley hooking up with junior receiver Donte’ Foster on an 11-yard touchdown catch. Foster showed off his leaping ability as he went up over a Wildcat double team to haul in his fourth touchdown reception of the year. Guthrie held a 22-0 lead with 3:45 to play in the opening quarter and the ‘Jays were not done in the first quarter. How about 53 seconds later.
The fourth score of the quarter was set-up by sophomore defensive linemen Ty Nicholas. Nicholas appeared he was going to get his first sack of the young season, but his hard hit knocked the ball loose and was able to jump on the loose ball. Two plays later junior running back Clayton Smith scored from 1-yard out, and Guthrie held a 28-0 lead at the end of the quarter.
As impressive as four touchdowns were in the first 12 minutes Guthrie would put five more scores on the board before the half in the second quarter.
Staley would get the first two scores of the quarter with touchdown runs of 15 and 26 yards to push the score 42-0. Meanwhile, Piedmont struggled offensively on the entire night. In last week’s game against Deer Creek, Piedmont had only 79 yards of offense on the night and the ‘Jays defense was stingy by holding the Wildcats to 34 yards on 31 plays. On the other side Guthrie piled up 317 yards of total offense on 39 plays, which is quite impressive considering they worked with a short field all night long. Quarterbacks Staley and Callins were perfect in the air each going 2 for 2 and now are 12 of 15 passing on the season.
Doyle Hammons was the fifth Bluejay to score in the first half when he scampered in from 2-yards out, and Smith would score for the second time in the half to send Guthrie into the locker room with a 55-0 lead.
“There are
a lot of teams who would like to have Keaton Callins as a quarterback. Our
fourth and fifth tailbacks would start for a lot of 5A teams,” Bluejay play
caller
and assistant coach Scott Mick said.
As impressive as the offense was and has been in the past, the Guthrie defense continues to flex their muscle dating back to last season. Defensive coordinator Kelley Beebe’s defense now has allowed 10 points in two weeks this season and his defense a year ago only allowed seven points to the opposing teams, including a stretch of 18 scoreless quarters a year ago.
“When our offense is scoring points and keeping the football that helps our defense a lot. You get people down it takes them out of their game plan so it makes it easier to play defense,” Beebe said. “I am not a big talk about shutting people out. What I tell those guys is play fast play physical and play one play at a time and make the play. The shut out is not the ultimate goal, but it is to play hard on every play.”
So is this defense better then last year’s team?
“I think we need to improve ourselves before we can say anything like that. Like coach Beebe says we take one play at a time and if we do that we will be the best defense in the state, but one play at a time,” Chappell said.
Staley did not play in the second half and finished his short night with just 82 yards rushing on seven carries along with a 2-2 passing night for 27-yards, but did have three rushing touchdowns and one passing score, as well as one reception.
Senior reserve running back Ashton Morgan would be the sixth and final Bluejay to score on the night coming on the opening drive of the second half. Morgan would take off toward the North end zone and would score from 48-yards out and showed off his speed in doing so to cap off the scoring for the night at 62-0. Both teams agreed to a running clock in the second half.
“It’s nice to come out here and pitch a shut out and show that we can play defense,” senior linebacker Michael Harmon said.
Guthrie will play the Deer Creek Antlers in Jelsma Stadium next Friday night to round out district play. Both teams will enter as 2-0 on the season. Deer Creek shut out Tulsa Hale by a score of 26-0 Friday night and defeated Piedmont in Week 1, 40-0. Deer Creek defeated Guthrie in Edmond last season 19-7.
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