Harper runs over the Irish in 20-0 win

In games past this season, the Guthrie defense held opponents to zero points in a rout. On Friday night, the defense held McGuinness to zero points to secure a win late in the fourth quarter.

The Bluejays scored on their opening drive and turns out the seven points would have been good enough for the win as the Jays shut-out McGuinness for a 20-0 win inside Pribil Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Guthrie held a 7-0 at the half and scored twice in the fourth quarter.

The Jays improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in 5A-2. McGuinness falls to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in district action. Guthrie and Carl Albert, who play next Thursday, are the two lone teams without a loss in the district.

The last time the Irish were held to zero points on their home field was in 2014 when Guthrie won that September contest 35-0. The last time the Irish failed to score in a game was in 2019 at Carl Albert (40-0).

In 2014, Idae Alexander rushed for 195 yards on 33 carries while scoring twice. In 2023, Jaylen Harper rushed for 197 yards on 35 carries while scoring three times.

Harper, quarterback Hayden Calvert, and the offensive line were spectacular in the run game, while the passing game struggled throughout the night. The Jays finished with 295 rushing yards and 43 passing.

Calvert finished with 77 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Harper scored all three touchdowns with runs of 23, 24, and 25 yards and now stands with 16 total touchdowns.

Harper’s 195 rushing yards is a career-high and has rushed over 100 yards in all six games.

The defense continues to be the story for the 2023 season.

The Irish managed only 67 yards of total offense and were held to negative 19 yards rushing.

McGuinness had 14 offensive drives and was forced into 9 punts (seven three-and-outs), two fumbles, two turnovers on downs, and the last series that ended the game. The Irish first seven possessions all resulted in punts.

In six games, the Guthrie defense is allowing 52 yards per game and allowing under a point per game (0.5). To dig into more of the dominance, the defense has allowed 43 total first downs, while forcing 40 punts.

Two of the six opponents have been able to finish with positive rushing yards. In total, teams have combined for 9 total rushing yards.