It generally comes down to Guthrie and Carl Albert on the gridiron for the district title and home playoff games. It especially holds true for the Titans on Friday evening when the two programs collide in Midwest City.
A special 60-minute pregame show can be heard on Triple Play Sports Radio 105.1 FM and at Guthrie Sports Page and Guthrie News Page. The show begins at 6 p.m. and leads up to the 7 p.m. kickoff.
Guthrie enters the game at 5-0 while Carl Albert rides a four-game win streak after a setback to Southmoore (37-14) in week one. Depending on which poll you look at, it will feature No. 1 vs No. 2.
The Titans have won back-to-back district games over Deer Creek and McGuinness and with a win over Guthrie will all but secure the district title and home field advantage with much lesser opponents left on their schedule.
Both teams have combined to win 9 of the last 12 state titles in Class 5A and three of the last four seasons. Overall, Carl Albert holds 10 gold balls and Guthrie holds three.
For the BlueJays, it will be a true test between the sidelines to keep their goals of the district title and home playoff games. The Jays so far in the season have been able to run the ball as well as stop the run.
The Guthrie defense will be tested by a large offensive line of the Titans. In fact, Titan head coach Gary Rose admits it’s his biggest o-line he has ever had which is scary when you think about it.
The defending 5A champs are running for 273 yards a game against opponents like Southmoore, Coweta, Duncan, Deer Creek and McGuinness and average 400 yards of offense.
Leading the offensive attack is quarterback Stevie Thompson who is averaging 132 yards on the ground, including 12 touchdowns. The senior has added an additional 637 yards through the air while completing 50 percent of his passes.
Thompson is highlighted by the big running back Chantz Woodberry, who made the move from tight end a season ago. The senior has gained nearly 600 yards in 71 attempts to go with his four scores.
The primary receiving threat for the home favorite Titans are seniors wide receivers Isiah Shawyer and Cole Johnson. The two combined have hauled in 12 catches for 211 yards and two scores. Thompson will also look to utilize tight end Trent Ball, who has five catches on the season.
The BlueJay defense is not allowing positive yards running the ball by holding their five opponents to negative three yards. In week three, Enid was able to capture 105 yards against the aggressive Guthrie front seven.
Leading the defensive charge for the Jays will be linebackers Beau Davis and Conner Howard. The duo has combined for 66 tackles in front of defensive lineman Trevor Blassingame, who has secured a team high 40 tackles.
Carl Albert’s defense is allowing 251 yards rushing while allowing just 91 through the air. They will look to stop the Jays two-headed monster running game with senior Kai Callins and junior Idae Alexander.
Callins has rushed over 100 yards in each of the five games, including a season high 177 against Enid. Alexander has gotten to triple digits twice and averages just over 80 yards per game.
I just love the job Chris Evans has done. The coaching staff, the team, the town! Life is good, let’s go Blue Jays!