Irish vs. Sallisaw (Last Year Rewind)…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Bishop McGuinness (9-2) vs. Sallisaw (10-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Sallisaw (I’ll be there)
If this year’s game is half as good as last year’s second-round game between McGuinness and Sallisaw where the Irish won on a big TD reception by Gabe Ikard, I will be a content Boneman. Here’s to hoping I don’t get lost, but I probably will.
Ikard’s catch lifts McGuinness Irish in thriller over Sallisaw
By Charles Ward, Special Correspondent
Gabe Ikard is a really, really good tight end.
And maybe, as might be suspected of a Bishop McGuinness Fighting Irish, he was just a little bit lucky during the Irish’s 33-30 win over Sallisaw on Friday night in the second round of the Class 4A football playoffs.
Ikard found himself open with about half a minute remaining to play, only to watch a Ryan Randolph pass bounce off a defender — and into his hands.
One nifty move, a stiff arm and 75 yards later, Ikard found himself in the end zone with a touchdown to win the game and erase a furious, fantastic comeback by Sallisaw.
“It bounced, and I said, ‘Where’s the ball?’ ” Ikard said of the score. “I looked right up, and it was right in my hands, and all I had to do was run.”
Matt Oberste and Phillip Leffler almost wrote a different ending for the game, one that would have made the Sallisaw (10-2) faithful much happier. Leffler hauled in a 32-yard lob from Oberste in the corner of the end zone with 50 seconds remaining.
“Mentally, we were definitely shaken,” Ikard said after McGuinness improved to 10-2. “Not broken, but shaken. We knew we had an offense that could make a big play.”
That touchdown capped a 20-point fourth quarter from Sallisaw and turned a 26-10 deficit into a 30-26 advantage.
“When they took the lead right there at the end, we knew we had enough time to punch it in,” Randolph said.
Oberste also scored from 1 yard with 1:16 remaining, bringing Sallisaw within two. The Black Diamonds recovered an onside kick to set up their go-ahead, but not stay-ahead, touchdown.
Ikard only caught three passes, but they were all big ones.
Aside from his game-winner, the Oklahoma oral commit scored on a 40-yard toss in the first quarter. He sandwiched a 20-yard completion between the scores to finish with 135 yards.
“Catches don’t matter,” Ikard said. “It’s getting a win.”
Randolph finished with 190 yards passing and 107 rushing. Teammate LaRone Richardson ran for 114 yards and a score.
McGuinness will face the winner of today’s Grove-Star Spencer matchup in a semifinal game next week.
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