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By: Chris Evans
Guthrie Bluejay head football coach Rafe Watkins dreaded homecoming week, but by the end of Friday night he was dreading the way the game was going to end between Guthrie and Southeast.
After securing 41 points in the first quarter, Guthrie coaches had to pull back the reins on the Southeast Spartans, and ended up winning the homecoming game by a final score of 69-0.
The Bluejays improved their record to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in district play. Meanwhile, Southeast dropped their season record to 1-4 and 0-2 in the district, and now have dropped their last four games.
Guthrie did not waste any time getting on the scoreboard as the opening kick-off was fumbled by Southeast and then recovered by Bluejay junior Josh King. Two plays later junior Clayton Smith scored from 1-yard out just :45 into the game.
Guthrie would take 2:24 off the clock before making it a 14-0 game when senior Kye Staley hooked up with Donte’ Foster, wide open in the end zone, for a 17-yard touchdown reception.
Exactly 1:20 later, the score would be increased to 21-0 when King would return the Spartan punt from 55-yards out. King broke two tackles, but the source for the score was the wall of blockers that King had in front of him along the Bluejay sideline.
Just past the midway point of the first quarter, Guthrie would make it a 27-0 contest after Staley walked into the end zone from 5-yards out. The score was set-up by a Spartan turnover. Southeast would give the ball away five times on the night.
The first quarter scoring marathon continued when Foster took a 3-yard bubble screen to the house for a 73-yard touchdown for his second score on the night. Foster would be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for diving in the end zone, but senior J Hensley was still able to knock the PAT through from 35-yards out to push the score up to 34-0.
The final score of the opening quarter came from Smith this time from 2-yards out and Guthrie held a 41-0 first quarter lead. A first quarter that seemed to never go away.
Guthrie would get two more scores before the half and both coming from junior quarterback Keaton Callins. Callins first connected with senior Kent McDonald to make it 48-0, and then Hensley for a 17-yard touchdown to make it a 55-0 game at the half.
As many can imagine the first half numbers were amazing. Guthrie ran a total of 14 plays from scrimmage, which seven of those were Bluejay touchdowns. Staley and Callins were a perfect 4-4 passing for 112 yards and all four passes were touchdowns. Adding to the numbers, Guthrie rushed for 136 yards on just 10 carries.
Southeast, unable to get anything going all night against the stingy Bluejay defense, had just 6 yards of offense in the first half including negative 17 yards rushing.
The second half featured a running clock to move the game along and did just that as the game lasted only two hours and four minutes.
The ‘Jays would get two scores in the second half from Smith and from junior Alfred Ratcliff. Ratcliff scored on a 3-yard run and became the seventh different Bluejay to score on the night for the second consecutive week.
Southeast would manage 62 yards of offense in the game, in which they were in the negative column for a part of the fourth quarter, but were able to get some yards on the second defensive unit. Southeast ran 41 plays on the evening and finished with 49 yards rushing.
Not be over shadowed in the scoring parade, the Bluejay defense pitched another shut-out. This marks the fourth consecutive game to do so and pushes the scoreless quarter streak to 16. Last year the Bluejay defense had a streak of 18. Guthrie now has played in 20 quarters and have held opponents scoreless in 19 of those.
The Bluejays will hit the road this week when they travel to El Reno to take on the Indians. El Reno is currently 0-5 on the season and dropped Friday’s game to Carl Albert 41-7.
Note:
If you would like to hear the interview with Rafe Watkins please go to the podcast page to hear what the coach had to say in the homecoming win.