Jays looking to avoid Demons for second straight year

Regardless of what preseason publication you may read, the Guthrie BlueJays and Duncan Demons are expected to make deep playoff runs. Perhaps a preview of another post season battle will take place in week one Friday night.

Duncan leads the overall series with the Jays 12-2

The Jays and Demons will meet up after last years opening round of the playoffs. Guthrie traveled down to Stephens County and came out of Halliburton Stadium with a 20-12 win to advance and move on to the second round.

One would think that the Demons have been waiting for this Friday night to come like a Christmas morning?

“I don’t think much of it as a revenge factor or getting even,” Duncan head coach Jim Holloway said in a radio interview with GSP. “I think our players are excited about it and obviously they remember what happen last year. We have not talked about beating Guthrie; we’ve talked about being disappointed that we did not get to go to the second round, we talked how we need to get better. Our players are going to be excited more in the fact that it is going to be opening week and it just happens to be Guthrie and that’s makes it all the better,” Holloway concluded.

Guthrie’s defensive coordinator Kelly Beeby says while Duncan may be motivated to face the Jays, Guthrie will be motivated too.

“Opening up with a very, very strong opponent like Duncan is a good motivator for you because when you are lifting weights, running in the summer its easy to tell those kids that you have Duncan week one,” Beeby said. “So we are real excited about the opportunity, we are thankful they’re at home, and it will be a great ball game. “We are excited and can’t wait to get on the field.”

A season ago the Demons led Class 5A in rushing with 240 yards on the ground while averaging 24 points a game, but could only muster 96 yards against the Jays and were held to minus three in the second half. Opposing teams and coaches should expect nothing new in the 2010 season in the Duncan philosophy.

“For years we ran the wishbone and it was run first, run second, run third, and pass it every now and then,” Holloway said as he prepares to start his 35th season as a head coach. “We really try to be balance, but if the running game is there we are going to run the football there’s no doubt about it and everybody that we play knows that too.”

Holloway has many reasons to be confident in running the ball as much as the Demons do. A good reason is a combine 1,273 pounds of a senior, experienced offensive line. The tackle book ends are gathering not only leverage, but Division I offers.

Dylan Dismuke (6’7, 301), the Demons senor right tackle, was the first offensive lineman to give his verbal commintment to the University of Oklahoma this past June for the 2011 class. Dismuke has battled injuries throughout his career, but enters as healthy as he has been.

The Demons senior left tackle, Dylan Laurens (6’4, 278) continues to pile up Division I offers has taken advantage of Dismuke with the attention he has garnished.

Duncan's Tyler Wilkins looks on with Guthrie's Kentrell Brothers in last years playoff game.

The line will look to lead the way for  four running backs and their signal caller, who has bulked up over the summer.

Brandon Wilson (6’0, 202) won the quarterback job just prior to the first game last year and threw for nearly 1,ooo yards, but the junior is best known for his running style. In last season’s game with the Jays, Wilson took off on a 44-yard run that resulted in a Duncan touchdown.

Junior running back Payton Atchley (5’6, 181) is the main ball carrier for the Demons. The short, but quick back can hide behind the monsters up front and did so for 750 yards and 9 scores. Junior Jordan Laskey (5’5, 168), senior Dominique Petties (6’0, 206), and junior Jonathan Berry (5’4, 135) are expected to get some touches as well in the run happy offense.

“That is one thing that got us in trouble last year when we played Guthrie. We could not run the football and we did not execute very well in the passing game and most of that had to do with Guthrie,” Holloway said as the difference in last seasons lost to the Jays.

 Holloway said Wilson has improved his passing ability over the summer and throwing catchable footballs. Wilson’s main targets will be junior Daniel McCoy (6’2, 174), twin brother Bradley Wilson (5’11, 198), and senior tight end Michael Rice (6’1, 196). Rice is projected as one of the tight ends in Class 5A.

Defensively, Duncan continues with the future college star power with defensive back Petties. Labeled as a top 10 state player, Petties, a linebacker and safety, has multiple offers from Big 12 schools, is a big hitter and has tremendous speed that allows him to make plays.

The Demons are looking for depth on both sides of the ball as Dismuke and Laurens will have to take naps on both the offense and defensive line. Bradley Wilson and Atchley may be more important on the defensive side then offensive at their linebacker positions. Atchley finished with 106 tackles last season.

The Demon defense will try to contain the Jays offense that proved to be very balance in last years game with 113 yards in the air and 109 on the ground.

“The people who come to this ball game are going to get to see two fine teams play,” Holloway recalls on last years match-up,” Holloway said.

You can listen to the game on Triple Play Sports Radio 105.1 FM, or streaming world-wide at www.GuthrieSportsPage.com. The pregame is set for 7:00 with Chris Evans, Casey Porter, and Craig Fleck.