Rushing game scores six times in season opener

By: Chuck Chaney
Special to GSP

When breaking in a new quarterback, you have your worries. However, tonight, Guthrie (1-0) had zero worries breaking in new starting quarterback, Reed Roberts. Roberts had his running back tandem of Kai Callins and Idae Alexander giving him support, Roberts and the BlueJays opened up the 2013 season with a big win over Duncan.

Alexander, a junior, rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries. He scored three touchdowns, including two in the first half that help cement Guthrie’s lead for good.

The game started out in Guthrie’s favor after Duncan had a botched punt, which ended up giving Guthrie their first possession at the 13-yard line.

Not a bad way to start your season.

Roberts handed the ball off to Callins, and he raced to the corner of the end zone, and Guthrie jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead with just two minutes gone in the first quarter. Guthrie answered on their following possession with the first of Alexander’s three touchdowns, off a one-yard run. He also was able to take in the two point conversion, giving Guthrie a 15-0 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Duncan (0-1), really had no answer for the Guthrie running game all night. Guthrie ran for 180 yards on 36 carries, including six touchdowns on the ground. Coming into tonight’s game with the BlueJays, Duncan hadn’t scored on Guthrie since the current group of Guthrie seniors were in the eighth grade. That finally changed after Duncan quarterback, Connor Kelly, found Nathan Clark for the 45-yard touchdown strike.

It seemed after struggling for most of the first half, Duncan had found a way to break the sturdy BlueJay defense. Momentum was turning. That’s when the F&M Bank Statement of the Game happened. Donovan Jordan returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the touchdown. Just like that, any momentum that the Demons had built up over the previous drive was wiped out.

Alexander scored again on Guthrie’s next possession. That gave Guthrie a 32-6 lead with 3:14 remaining in the first half. They would go into the locker room at the break with that lead.

Despite the explosion of offense by the BlueJays, they really didn’t manage too many yards. They might’ve dropped 46 points on just 41 plays. However, they really grinded out their drives and made the demons pay for their mistakes. Twice Guthrie forced big fumbles, leading to big negative yardages for the Demons. It helped pin a very vanilla Demon offense into their own end zones.

Defensively, Guthrie was just an image of great past defensed that you’ve all come to love. They limited the Demons to just 99 yards of total offense. Even though the Duncan offense basically only ran same eight plays. The Guthrie front seven found a way to shut it down, outside of one or two breakdowns.  They also held the Demons to just 24 yards on 35 carries. That includes the entire defense contributing nine tackles for losses.

The second half was more of a grinding it out pace. Guthrie won the overall time of possession, despite running less plays, and having to drive the ball much shorter distances. It was the physical ground game that coach Rafe Watkins loves to see.

Alexander punched in his third touchdown in the third quarter on a three-yard dive into the endzone, putting Guthrie up 39-6 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

That was all set up by a brilliant run by Callins. He had a gorgeous 47-yard scamper along the Duncan sideline before he was finally pushed out at the six-yard line.

Guthrie newcomer, Tanner Merideth let the Blue Jay reserves to a score late in the fourth quarter, as he found the endzone on a fourth-and-2 from the two-yard line of Duncan.

The only really negative spot of tonight’s game were the penalties. Guthrie couldn’t stay disciplined and it cost them. They finished the night with 10 penalties for 75 yards.

Guthrie returns home to Jelsma Stadium to take on the Ponca City Wildcats on Friday Night. Game will start at 7 p.m.