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By: Chris Evans
To say that Carl Albert head coach Gary Rose opened up the play book would be an under statement.
Carl Albert used a switched jersey, a season long field goal, and a tip touchdown reception to snap the 20-game winning streak over the top ranked Guthrie BlueJays, 16-13, in Midwest City.
Carl Albert improves to 6-1 and 4-0 while the Jays dropped their first game of the year and fall to 6-1 and 3-1.
Prior to game time, senior stand-out and highly recruited Daytawion Lowe was warming-up and going through pre-game drills in his normal jersey of No. 8, but Lowe switched his jersey, in the locker room, to No. 85 and line-up at tight end on the first play of the game and hauled in a 76-yard touchdown to quickly go up 7-0.
The Lowe touchdown was his first offensive score of the year and just his seventh catch all season.
Lowe told The Oklahoman that he and the Titans lined him up at tight end in the Shawnee game, but was tripped up. Carl Albert, in the past, has used multiple numbers for one player and is legal in high school football.
Rose said they use double numbers, but those numbers were not listed on the game day roster.
The BlueJays got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a 9-yard touchdown reception with Keaton Callins finding tight end Skyler Smith. The Jays drive of seven plays covering 43-yards that took 3:20 to score put the Jays within one, but the point after was blocked and the teams with into the locker room with a Titan 7-6 advantage.
Carl Albert struck again in the third quarter when Titan quarterback JT Realmuto found Tre Porter for a 29-yard reception and increased their lead to 13-6. The extra point was no good.
The Titans got a two lead score when Austin Manger hit a 37-yard field goal that just manage to get over the cross bar to push the Titan lead up to 16-6 late in the fourth quarter. Manger, who missed a field goal attempt earlier in the game, previous season long was a 36-yard field goal and is now 4 of 6 on the year.
Guthrie quickly went to the 2-minute offense and would go on a 12-play drive and 60-yards which resulted in a Josh King 2-yard score. The Jays pulled within three and was forced to go with an on-side kick.
Both teams squander scoring opportunities inside the 10-yard line, in which, Jays head coach Rafe Watkins said was the difference.
Carl Albert recovered the on-side and got two first downs to take the time off the game clock for the win. Carl Albert, with the win, has almost but assured the district championship with wins over Shawnee and Guthrie.
The Jays and Wolves will play next week at the Rock, on Senior Night, and play for perhaps the second and third spot in the district. The top two teams in the district will host first round games.
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