Guthrie must be prepared for Ponca City Friday night

Guthrie head football coach Rafe Watkins has a simple message to his team and BlueJay fans this week as Guthrie prepares to host Class 6A’s Ponca City Wildcats Friday night inside Jelsma Stadium.

“I certainly hope everybody is not coming to this game thinking let’s get this one over with and get to Enid because if we do we will be 1-1 and all that great momentum they we had going will be all for not,” Watkins explained.

Guthrie is coming off an emotional win last week with a 25-0 shut-out over fellow 5A contender Duncan and gaining a lot of press in newspapers and internet sites. Most polls have leaped the Jays to No. 2 in the latest Class 5A rankings behind Tulsa Washington.

“We are coming off an emotional victory and it looked like a big district win because so much had been made of it through the papers, through us beating them last year in the playoffs, and it being the first game of the season with two highly ranked teams,” Watkins said.

“I told my guys ‘if winning the first ball game against Duncan was your goal – then mission accomplished,’ Watkins said. “That was just a small part of it. We want to be undefeated and we want to be state champions you can’t over look anybody.”

The best comparison Watkins could think of when comparing a team who had they proper mind frame in playing hard each week was his 2007 squad that won the school’s second state championship.

“That is why I am so proud of that 2007 team, they never over look anybody, they had great practices every week and every day of ever week, and came out and played hard every Friday night and that’s what this group has to realize,” Watkins further explaining his case.

Guthrie will have the opportunity this week with the Poncan’s coming to town with an 0-1 record with a 34-32 home lost to Sapulpa. A season ago, the Wildcats finished with a 2-8 record playing in a very competitive 6A district.

“They are going to come in with loads of confidence,” Watkins said about Ponca City. “Ponca City is definitely a better team of the two they just didn’t get it done (last week) and a lot of that has to do with the Sapulpa kids that played with a lot of heart and emotion with the loss of their teammate,” Watkins explained about Sapulpa playing for a teammate who tragically died just prior to the start of the first game.

Ponca City will give the Jays a look that they may not see again this season.

“They do something for us that we don’t see the rest of the year. They throw the ball,” Watkins said following a booster club meeting. “They will get in the empty backfield and are throwing it all over the place. We don’t see that normally in our league. We are a black and blue division with power football for the most part with the running game. So this poses a threat for us.” Watkins said.

There is zero doubt who the Jays must contain while on defense in junior quarterback Brent Wilson. Last week in the lost, Wilson threw for 261 yards while completing 19 of 35 passes and throwing for four touchdowns.

In his sophomore campaign, Wilson threw for 1,162 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions while completing 63% of his passes in 2009. That is part why Division I schools are starting to take notice.

Wilson is also a threat to run the ball and did so for 100 yards last week. Watkins has made some similarities to Shawnee’s Tucker Brown.

“He is similar to him in the aspect, do we rush him, or do we make him pass? He is an allusive kid, he has good speed, he has grown some, and has great arm strength,” Watkins said of the six foot, 180 pounder. “If you rush this kid in the open field he is hard to tackle. He has good vision and can give us fits when he gets in the open field,” Watkins concluded.

The Guthrie defense was nearly perfect last Friday by allowing just over 100 yards of total offense to the Demons, and allowing just over 80-yards passing, but the young Jays secondary will be challenged early and often.

“They (secondary) did not get tested real hard last week because we were able to get to the quarterback. I thought they held their own and did a good job for their first time out,” Watkins said of freshmen Kai Callins, Donavan Jordan, and sophomore J.T. McFadden. “Again, a total different type of offense (this week). They are going to do some confusing things with some switch routes and we have to communicate in the secondary.”

For the Ponca City defense, they are looking to improve this season on keeping their opponent out of the end zone. A year ago, the Wildcats allowed an average of 38 points a contest. Last week the Ponca defense allowed 416 yards of offense and 34 points.

Ponca will also look to improve in the penalty department. The Wildcats were flagged for 18 penalties and 155 yards, but Sapulpa was not much better by drawing 18 flags for 150 yards in the yellow storm of flags. 

Get Your Pink On

The Guthrie High School Student Council is asking all fans to wear pink to the game Friday night to help declare victory over cancer in an endorsed event by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association.