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By: Chris Evans
The second ranked Guthrie Bluejays wasted no time to send the message, that indeed they are not over looking any opponents this season, with 13 points within the first four minutes in a 68-0 victory over the Panthers of Harrah, on Evans Field in Harrah.
The Bluejay win improves their season record to 4-0 and more importantly 1-0 in district 5A-2. Harrah with the loss drops their record to 1-3 despite playing hard, and showing unrelentless poise against the far superior Bluejay team.
“(Harrah) Coach Willis had a nice plan for us, and their boys’ did not quit at all,” associate head coach and defensive coordinator Kelly Beeby told Casey Porter in his post game radio interview.
On the night, Guthrie would control the football for 12 official game drives and scored on 10 including their first seven drives of the game. The Bluejay eighth drive started with just :23 seconds before the half, and would result in one of the two drives the ‘Jays did not score on. The other scoreless drive was the last drive of the night when Guthrie was milking the game clock off.
Guthrie would put three scores on the board in the first quarter. Senior blue chip recruit Kye Staley was a major factor in those scoring drives with touchdown runs of 8 and 15-yards, and a passing touchdown to senior Kent McDonald, who finished the night with three catches and two TD receptions.
“He (McDonald) had a little bit of a slow start to the season, but tonight he made him some nice catches and blocked really well,” receivers and special teams coach Ric Meshew said.
Meshew’s response is typical as far as receivers making plays catching the ball, but seems to take greater pride in what he calls his receivers the “skinny linemen” making down field blocks.
Guthrie would not waste any time in the second quarter, ten seconds to be exact, getting on the scoreboard when junior quarterback Keaton Callins found fellow junior wide receiver Donte’ Foster for a 24-yard stop-and-go route in the corner of the south end zone to increase the lead 28-0.
“Last year he was kinda a shaky sophomore and this year he is a very confident junior. He’s done a great job this year and blocks well on the edge,” Meshew said of Foster.
The Harrah defense was stacking the box and forcing Guthrie to throw the ball, and throwing the ball is what Guthrie did. Callins and Staley would combine for 9 of 12 passing for 121 yards and each passing for one touchdown in the first half. The passing attack gave the Bluejays a well balance offensive attack with 186 yards on the ground for 307 yards of total offense in 24 minutes first half action.
Callins, junior Josh King, and senior Ashton Morgan would each score before the half on touchdown runs highlighted by King’s only carry of the night. King would take the ball along the right side of senior linemen Greg Hines for a 23-yard run. Morgan’s 1-yard run gave the Bluejays a 48-0 halftime advantage.
The final 20 points of the contest came in the third quarter. McDonald received a Staley pass for an 18-yard touchdown, Morgan would speed off into the night from 53-yards out for his second touchdown run, and junior running back Doyle Hammons was the seventh and final Bluejay to score on a 4-yard run to end the scoring.
Guthrie would comprise their biggest offensive outing on the season with 68 points and 473 yards of offense. Quite remarkable considering Guthrie averaged starting out on the Panther 43-yard line.
"It's easy to call plays, but we are blessed to have great kids," Guthrie offensive coordinator Scott Mick said when asked about how easy it must be to call plays for this talented offensive club.
Harrah was only able to mustard 24-yards of total offense in the first half and 62-yards of offense in the entire evening. As amazing as the Bluejay offensive numbers against the Panthers and on the season have been, the Guthrie Bluejay defense was and is just as impressive.
Now with the third straight shut-out game in a row, the Guthrie defense now moves their streak of consecutive scoreless quarters to 12. A season ago, the defense put together a string of 18 consecutive scoreless quarters.
Through 16 quarters of the 2007 season, Bluejay opponents have only scored in one of the 16 quarters. Shawnee scored 10 points in the fourth quarter back in Week 1.
Porter in the same interview with Beeby, stated to the Bluejay, mastermind defensive coach that the defense pitched yet another shut-out.
“The main thing is the first district win and the first 15 district points. The fact that we held them scoreless is just icing on the cake,” Beeby said.
Bluejays look to put another layer of icing on the cake this week when they host Southeast for Homecoming 2007 inside the Rock at Jelsma Stadium.