Game Preview: Guthrie vs Carl Albert

The district title will not be on the line when the Guthrie Bluejays travel to Midwest City and challenge Carl Albert on Friday night. The friendly, rival game however will be a factor in playoff positioning.

Both teams enter with five wins on the year and both are looking for their first marquee win in 2015.

Carl Albert (5-3) has not won 10 or more games since 2009, but continues to be the blue print in Class 5A football when it comes to winning and sustaining a program. The Guthrie football program has held the Titans as the program they want to model.

The Bluejays (5-2) have followed the model dating back to 2001. The Jays in 2001, won with a last second field goal, stopped a five game losing skid and 11 of the 12 previous meetings. With the 2001 contest, Guthrie has won 10 of the last 14 meetings, including five in a row over the Titans.

If Guthrie wants to make it six straight they will have to find a way to contain senior quarterback Braxton Dickerson. The 6’3 arm slinger has carried the Titans in both the passing and running game.

In a 35-28 setback to McGuinness, Dickerson torched the Irish for 308 passing yards with four touchdown passes and added 102 more yards on the ground.

Dickerson and the Titan playmakers take advantage of their offensive line, particularly their offensive tackles in Tyler Banta and Blake Blanton. Banta has several options to play college football with his 6’4, 284 pound frame.

The Titans will look to get their running back Mike Mitchell and receivers Diego Richards and Marque Luster involved early. All three display quickness that the Jays have only seen a few times in the 2015 season.

Richards is not only a threat to haul in passes, which he has 564 yards and six touchdowns, but has carried the ball nearly 30 times on sweep type plays.

The Titans offense is averaging nearly 40 points a game and has scored 30-plus points in five games.

Carl Albert’s defense has given themselves a chance in each of their losses from Midwest City, McGuinness and last week with Deer Creek. In the three losses, the Titans lost by one score.

Playoff scenarios for District 5A-2

McGuinness 5-0 plays Western Heights and Piedmont
Guthrie 4-1 plays Carl Albert and Deer Creek
Deer Creek 3-2 plays Southeast and Guthrie
Carl Albert 3-2 plays Guthrie and Southeast

– McGuinness clinches the top spot with a win over Western Heights or Piedmont.

– Guthrie clinches the second spot with a win over Carl Albert and Deer Creek. Guthrie clinches the third spot with a win and a loss in their last two games. Guthrie finishes fourth place with losses to both Carl Albert and Deer Creek.

– Deer Creek claims second place with wins over Southeast and Guthrie. Could finish third or fourth. Has tie-breaker over Carl Albert.

– Carl Albert finishes second with a win over Guthrie and Southeast with a Deer Creek loss to either Southeast or Guthrie. Could finish third or fourth.