A win is a win and any win on the road in district play, against a playoff team, is worth taking. That is the exact formula the Guthrie BlueJay football team and coaches took out of Pontotoc County Friday night.
The Guthrie defense proved to be stubborn for the fourth time this season by keeping Ada out of the end zone and kept the Cougars from having much success offensively. However, this time it was mandatory that the defense came through as the offense was able to manage just 13 points in a 13-7 win, despite the offense accumulating for over 300 yards of offense. Guthrie averaged 34 points per game this season.
The Cougars managed just 3-yards of offense in the first half and finished with 76 total yards in the game with 33 coming on an Ada rare pass connection.
The Jays improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in district 5A-1 while the Cougars fall to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in district play. After Friday nights play, Guthrie and Carl Albert are the only undefeated teams left in the district.
Coming into the Ada match-up, Guthrie had never won a game against the Ada Cougars and never scored more than six points in a single game, but both of those streaks ended on this night. The Cougars led the all time series 4-0 and Friday’s game was the first between the two schools since 1979.
Guthrie got their first six points on their opening possession by marching 51-yards on 12 plays after holding Ada on their opening drive. Senior running back Derrick Kelley scored from one-yard out to give the Jays a 6-0 lead after the missed point after.
Kelley left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury that kept him sideline in the first two games of the season. Guthrie was short-handed to start with in the running back department with Alphonso Wilcots missing his second game in a row due to an injury.
The Jays made it a 13-0 game on the first play in the second quarter when quarterback Bryan Dutton spotted senior wide out Kentrell Brothers for a 6-yard pass and catch. Brothers finished the game with seven catches for 106 yards with assitant Missouri coach Josh Henson watching on the sideline.
However, on the ensuing kick off, the usual highly reliable Guthrie special teams allowed Mason Girdley return an 82-yard kick to the house to cut the Jays lead to 13-7 with 11:42 to play before the half.
Neither team managed any points in the second half, although the Jays had their opportunities, including three empty trips inside Ada’s 10-yard line. Despite not putting any points on the board, Guthrie took 8:05 off the fourth quarter clock with a 14-play drive. The series ended on a missed 21-yard field goal, that would have perhaps iced the game with a two possession lead with less than 90 seconds to play.
The Cougars had one last chance to either tie, or take the lead on their last possession, but went 4-and-out and allowed the Jays to go into victory formation.
Special teams in all missed an extra point, allowed a kick return, missed two field goals which one was block, fielded a punt inside the 5-yard line, and a punt that did not pass the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Rafe Watkins said he was not sure if you add up all the miscues in this first nine seasons combined on special teams, that it would equal the amount in the 48 minutes with the Cougars. Listen to the complete post game radio interview with Watkins.
But again the defense was able to maintain the Ada offense by stopping the run and applying pressure from the edges highlighted by sophomore Richard Brothers and Kentrell Brothers. Richard Brothers finished with two sacks and was named the Farmers and Merchants Bank Player of the Game.
The Jays defense continues to be ranked as the No. 1 defense in 5A and did not hurt their numbers by holding the Cougars to just 34-yards rushing and 42-yards passing.
Guthrie returns back to Jelsma Stadium for Homecoming 2010. Noble will come to town with an 0-4 record and were handled with ease by Western Heights. The Jets got their first win of the season with a win over the Bears Friday night, 47-6.
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