Hornets are as good as advertised

The Booker T. Washington Hornets football team has been dominant in the 2010 season and plenty of that has to do with first year head coach Darrell Hall.

The Hornets and the Guthrie BlueJays will meet up Friday night for the right to play in the state championship game next week. Game time is set for 7:30, inside Pioneer Stadium, at Stillwater High School. The game can be heard on Triple Play Sports Radio (105.1 Fm, 1020 AM, 1580 AM) and streaming world-wide at Guthrie Sports Page.

The Guthrie – Booker T winner will play either Tulsa East Central or Lawton MacArthur, who play Friday night in Norman, in the 5A state title game next week at OSU’s Boone Pickens Stadium.

 The Hornets brought in head coach Darrel Hall, who coached Star Spencer to the Class 4A state championship last season, in late March. Hall was named the 2009 Oklahoma Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Booker T (11-1) has shut-out seven of their last nine opponents, including their two playoff opponents on their home turf; Claremore (43-0) and Deer Creek (23-0). The Hornets are quick, aggressive, and very fundamental especially the front seven.

The Hornets defense is anchored up front by four-year starter nose guard Dillion O’Carroll (6’3, 280). O’Carroll goes hard each play and often finds himself in opponents backfield. O’Carroll has 45 tackles and five sacks on the year, but does a great job of clogging up the middle.

Domonique Alexander (6’1, 195) leads the team with 11 sacks from his defensive end position. The sophomore has 77 tackles and will be a name to remember come signing day in a few years. The Hornets other end is senior Kiondre Martin (5’10, 165) who has piled on nine sacks and 59 tackles.

The middle of the defense is controlled by senior Derrik Alexander (6’3, 240). Alexander is a physical back, who will sneak up to the line of scrimmage when they go away from their base defense. Alexander is the team’s leading tackler with 128 to go with two sacks.

Fellow linebacker Jarvis Hinson (5’11, 200) is second on the team with 118 tackles and four sacks. The third linebacker, Mike Evans (5’9, 170), is just a sophomore, but does have 89 tackles.

Controlling the secondary is senior safety Dante Barnett (6’1, 175) with his five interceptions and 90 tackles. Corner back Tre Jones (5’9, 165) has four interceptions and returned one for a touchdown.

The Hornet defense has seen a pass happy McAlester offense and a run happy Deer Creek team this season. Guthrie will be the most balance team the Hornets will have faced. Entering the game, the Hornets are allowing 8.5 points a game while the offense averages 34.3 points a contest.

The Hornet’soffense will showcase two talented quarterbacks, a stand-out running back, and a quick Division I wide receiver.

Senior quarterbacks Jordy Albert (6’2, 215) and Dominique Sells (6’2, 185) will each take snaps. Albert, who is a Bishop Kelley transfer from a season ago, has completed 44 of 77 passes for 586 yards with 11 passing scores to go with three interceptions. Albert has battled a hand injury this season and was forced to miss the first round of the playoffs.

Sells has completed 55 of 104 pass attempts for 814 yards and is at his best when passing on the run. The quarterbacks will look down field for their two favorite targets in seniors Tyler Lockett (5’11, 165) and Barnett.

Lockett, who will play next season at Kansas State, leads the team with 34 receptions for 607 yards and 10 TD grabs. Barnett has brought in 28 catches (seven for scores) and 342 yards.

With a two-head monster at quarterback, tight end, and wide receiver, the Hornets will attack the run game with two players as well in senior Isaac Bennett (6’0, 190) and junior Dalshawn McFayden (6’0, 185).

Bennett, who missed week one of the playoffs with an ankle injury and had to leave last week’s game in the second half, has 10 touchdown runs and averages just under 10-yards a rush. On the season, he has 103 rushes for 962 yards.

McFayden has similar numbers with 104 rushes and 612 yards to go with seven scores.

Up front in the trenches, the Hornets average out 6’1 and 229 pounds and excel at run blocking.

The Hornets offense will be working against a BlueJay defense that is allowing just 36 yards rushing a game and 132 total yards. In the current nine game winning streak for Guthrie, they are allowing just 5.5 points a game.