The Durant Lions have depended heavy on junior quarterback Keaton Webb this season and the playoffs will be no different.
Webb’s Lions enter Jelsma Stadium, Friday night, for the first round of the high school playoffs. The winner of Guthrie and Durant advances to play either Bishop Kelley or Coweta next Friday evening.
Durant (5-5) enters with a two game win streak, including a 48-30 win last week over Capitol Hill. The Lions rely heavy on the passing game where they average 161-yards a game and adds 110-yards rushing per game.
Webb, who has taken over duties from stand-out Daryn Alves from a season ago, is completing 58% of his passes and has amassed nearly 1,600 yards with 12 touchdown scores and eight picks in the spread offense. He has added 10 rushing scores for the Lions offense, who average 25 points a game.
Durant head coach Byron Cordell is in his fifth season with the Lions and has a record of 27-26 and finished fourth in their district of 5A-2. Cordell will be looking for his first victory against Guthrie after dropping district games in 2008 and 2009.
The Lions have four receivers with at least 16 catches and leading the way is Josh Brown (5-8, 165), who will line move around in the offense, has 42-catches for 462 yards. He has also rushed for over 200 yards and has totaled 6 scores. Tyler Hendley (6-1, 185) has brought in 22-catches for 323 yards and four TD’s.
Sophomore running back Dakota Diessner (6-0, 155) leads the ground game with 508 yards and five scores while serving as a dual back with 16 grabs for 168 yards and two scores. Webb and Brown follow Diessner in the rushing department.
The entire Durant offensive line returns from a season ago and will look to rotate in and out to stay fresh. Across the line, the Lions average out to 6-0, 246.
Guthrie has been a fast starting team in the first half when it comes to scoring points and Durant has been on the opposite end in the first two quarters by being outscored 195 to 142. The Lions run a 3-4 defense and a defense the Jays have seen multiple times this season.
Junior Andrew Weaver (6-2, 185) leads the defense with 62 tackles and fellow junior Cordell Zalenski (6-3, 260) leads Durant with 9.5 sacks on the year.
The Jays are 6-2 in first round games under the guidance of head coach Rafe Watkins and have won their last five first round games. The only home playoff loss in the first round was in Watkins first season, in 2001, against Altus.
For more on the Jays, listen to the Jays season in review.
The game can be heard on Triple Play Sports Radio 105.1 Fm, or on Guthrie Sports Page. Pre-game show begins at 7 p.m. with Chris Evans and Casey Porter.
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