The Guthrie High School football season gets kicked off Friday night as the Guthrie Bluejays host the Enid Plainsmen inside Jelsma Stadium with a 7 p.m. kick.
Jays head coach Kelly Beeby, who begins his third year as the head coach and 13th overall in Guthrie, will trot out seven to 10 sophomores to help compliment his 14 seniors.
“We (coaches) got to help them from getting rattled,” Beeby said of his talented sophomore group, who will be going up against a high-tempo Enid offense.
“They try to snap the ball every 8-14 seconds so communication, with the defense, will be key,” Beeby said.
Enid, a Class 6A II team that went 3-7 a year ago, enters the 2016 season with high expectations from sophomore running back Will Phillips.
Second year Plainsmen head coach Steve Hayes inserted Phillips, as a freshmen, to the defensive squad, where he started all 10 games. Phillips turned the head of Enid coaches throughout the summer on offense and will rely on his 5’10, 180 pound frame.
In their scrimmage against two-time state champion Bixby, Phillips took a screen pass to the end zone with a 75-yard score.
Enid is expected to display three seniors at wide receiver, but it’s not certain who will be tossing the football.
Quarterbacks Darian Goins and Mason Skrimager both took valuable snaps against Bixby. Hayes says both made mistakes, but overall played well.
For the Jays offense, sophomore quarterback Jackson Waddell will make his debut and will trust his experienced offensive line. Ty Doolin, a senior running back, will also look for guidance from the offensive line.
Left tackle Justin Dutton will looked to be the anchor of the group up front. Center Austin Gellenbeck and guard Seth Dean return to the line. The Jays will get a boost with first year starters Jamaul Ronas and Dalton Freshour.
“The best defense (for our defense) may be our run game,” Beeby said. “We need to get behind that big offensive line and try to control the clock.”
Series renewed with Enid
Guthrie and Enid renew their series after taking two years off. The two ball clubs met four times between 2010-13. The Plainsmen won the first meeting in a back-forth fourth quarter (36-37) back in Enid in 2010. But the Jays won the next three meetings with the closest game being 36-16 in 2013.
New radio home for Guthrie Football is Hot 93.7FM
All Guthrie football games this season can be heard on Hot 93.7 FM and world-wide on Guthrie Sports Page and Guthrie News Page. With the stronger radio signal, all 10 regular season games can be heard on the way, during and after the game with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.
Returning for their 15th season together, Chris Evans and Casey Porter will call the action, along with sideline reporter Phil Nichols and statistician Craig Fleck.
Enjoy the home opener; Jays travel for next three
The first game is always special, especially when they take place inside Jelsma Stadium. However, the home jerseys will go away for a while.
Guthrie will not play another home game until Sept. 30 when they host district opponent McGuinness.
The Jays play at Shawnee next week, at Ponca City the following week and will have a bye week before traveling to Carl Albert.
Schedule change with Northwest Classen
The week six game with Northwest Classen has been moved up one day to Thursday, Oct. 6. The game remains in Oklahoma City with a 7 p.m. kick.
Be the first to comment on "Guthrie and Enid renew series with season opener"