Guthrie on the road to Skiatook for second round

The Skiatook Bulldogs have seen the lowest of times and the highest of times in the last few seasons. The roller coaster ride has landed them on top of Class 5A and hosting the defending state champions in round two of the high school football playoffs.

The Guthrie BlueJays travel to Skiatook for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff for a battle between two teams with identical 10-1 records. The game can be heard on Triple Play Sports Radio 105.1 FM or on Guthrie Sports Page or Guthrie News Page.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-7 season a year ago and just two seasons ago finished 0-10, but have rallied this season behind head coach Vance Miller’s system.

The Bulldogs, now playing their ninth season in 5A, grabbed the state’s attention in week six when they defeated McAlester, 27-26, on the road and the previous week Shawnee needed a late score to hold off the ‘Dogs for a one-point win. Along with the McAlester win, Skiatook added a week three win over Collinsville, who won the district 5A-4 title.

Skiatook advanced to the second round with a 28-0 shutout win over Tahlequah..

Leading the charge is running back Kyle McLaughlin who for the second straight year has rushed for over 2,000 yards. The senior, who is the nephew of Guthrie High School assistant principal Dusty Throckmorton, has added up 2,206 yards to lead Class 5A and has a whopping 29 touchdowns.

Guthrie running back Idae Alexander is second best in the class with 1,878 rushing yards. Alexander has added 22 scores in a Jays offense averaging nearly 40 points an outing.

McLaughlin will be challenged by the stingy defensive unit of the BlueJays, who allow only 38 rushing yards per game. Last week in a 47-17 first round win, the Jays allowed Altus, a dominant running game offense, to 149 yards on 40 attempts.

Skiatook, who is the top-ranked team in the class according to the Tulsa World, will also look to feature wide receiver Stephen Upton. The junior has 42 catches and 706 yards and is coming off a season in 2013 with nearly 600 yards.

The Bulldogs, who ended a 14-game losing streak last year in week four, averages 36.5 points a game and their defense is holding their opponents to an impressive 14.2 points per game.