After a scoreless first half and a weather delay during halftime, Guthrie and Enid found the end zone three times each. However, the Jays out-executed the Plainsmen in special teams in the season opener inside Jelsma Stadium.
Guthrie picked up crucial first downs on their final drive to finally hold Enid 22-19. With the opening week win, Guthrie has now won four of their last five season openers.
The Jays have now four straight and four out of five against the Class 6A Plainsmen dating back to 2010.
Each team showed they could move the ball in the first half only to see drives stall out. Combined, the game saw 12 punts with majority of those coming in the half.
Both teams were kept in the locker for a weather delay as lightning filled the southern sky. The delay was over an hour-long.
Guthrie took the opening drive and need just four plays to find the end zone with a 26-yard pass from Jackson Waddell to Isaac Lewis in the northwest corner of the end zone.
Enid scored the next scores with both coming from talented running back Will Phillips, who took back a punt from 38-yards out and later sprint in for pay dirt on a pass for a 52-yard score.
Guthrie senior Ty Doolin made his way through the Enid line to block the first point after attempt and the Plainsmen failed to score on a two-point try to manage a 12-7 lead with 8:35 left in the game.
Guthrie responded following Enid’s second score with a four play drive.
Waddell found a gap on the left side of the line of scrimmage and used his speed to get past the Enid secondary for a 17-yard touchdown run along the Plainsmen sideline.
The Jays lined up for the point after, but quickly shifted into an offensive formation. Waddell took the snap and went in for the score untouched to give the Jays a slim 15-12 lead with 6:15 left to play.
Guthrie was back in the end zone 48 seconds later.
Senior Brayden Stone chased down Enid quarterback Darian Goins and stripped the ball from behind. Linebacker Troy Branson scooped the football up and dashed in for a 17-yard score to increase their lead 22-12.
The Guthrie defense held Enid’s offense, but the Jays turned the ball over at their own 41-yard line on their first offensive play to give the Plainsmen some hope, which it did.
Enid marched needed four plays to score with Goins finding Colton Troxel for a 28-yard pass. The Jays lead was down to three, 22-19, with 3:08 to play.
On the final possession, Guthrie found several big plays to run the clock out despite Enid using all three timeouts. The first big conversion came when Waddell found Gavin Brison near the Jays sideline. The final straw came when Doolin ran for a first down with just less than a minute left in the game.
Guthrie to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. in Shawnee
Guthrie travels to Shawnee next week. Note, the game will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
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