Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
A look at our first-round playoff picks
While all of us picked the 15 games in the Upickem contest, myself, Bob and Scott picked every game in the state. Here’s a look at the highs and lows of the first week of the playoffs:
Records:
Ryan: 65-15 (6A, 6-2; 5A, 7-1; 4A, 8-0; 3A, 5-3; 2A, 11-5; A, 13-2; B, 8-0; C, 6-2)
Scott: 64-16 (6A, 7-1; 5A, 6-2; 4A, 6-2; 3A, 5-3; 2A, 11-5; A, 14-1; B, 8-0; C, 6-2)
Bob: 63-17 (6A, 7-1; 5A, 6-2; 4A, 7-1; 3A, 6-2; 2A, 11-5; A, 13-3; B, 8-0; C, 5-3)
Three questions: Guthrie at Duncan
Guthrie takes its playoff hopes to Duncan Friday night. The Demons are coming off a hard fought loss to El Reno last week in which their defense did a credible job in slowing down El Reno’s offense led by QB Jakeil Everheart. This week it doesn’t get much easier.
Can Guthrie slow down RB Payton Atchley and QB Brandon Wilson?
Neither player was overly productive against El Reno, but that’s because the Indians played so well on D. Guthrie’s defense isn’t too bad either, and matches up well against Duncan’s offense. Guthrie should be able to hold off Wilson who had just 36 yards in the air, but Duncan did have some success running the ball with 158 yards last week against a tough defensive front seven of El Reno.
How does Guthrie’s offense match up to Duncan’s defense?
Guthrie QB Bryan Dutton has been on fire lately, albeit against teams that have struggled this year. Still, El Reno was able to have a balanced offense last week against Duncan so look for more or the same from El Reno. Statistically Guthrie’s defense is better, giving up just 13 points per game but Duncan has played tougher opponents lately and gives up 15 points per game. Guthrie’s achilees heel all year has been turnovers. If they can limit those then there’s no reason to believe they can’t move the ball on Duncan.
Whose better prepared for the pressure?
Surprisingly it’s more or less a push. When you look at the most important positions on the field, quarterback jumpst to the top. Dutton is a freshman but you can argue after surviving the first 10 games, he’s no longer a rookie. Brandon Wilson is only a year ahead of Dutton so there’s also some inexperience there. A look at each team’s top skill player also shows similarities. Guthrie WR Kentrell Brothers is a junior and so is Duncan RB Payton Atchley. The home field should favor Duncan, but this is an area where neither coach should feel too concerned about having enough veterans in the lineup.
The pick: Duncan 17, Guthrie 14….Duncan’s week 10 battle with El Reno for the 5A-1 title was good preparation for this one as their defense rises to the occassion and gets them a win.
Know of a player signing?
With signing day coming up Wednesday, The Oklahoman is once again compiling a list of players across the state who have signed to play college athletics at any level.
If you have a signing to report, e-mail it to Ryan Aber at raber@opubco.com ro post it on the comments section here (on the main high school blog at http://blog.newsok.com/highschoolsports )
SMQ: El Reno vs. Duncan
Duncan and El Reno met Friday night for the 5A-1 championship. El Reno came away with the win thanks to some heady play by their defense, which has been one of the best in their class all season. Here’s a look back on the way they were……
El Reno
What went right: Its defense held Duncan in check for most of the night, save one drive when the Demons took advantage of a turnover and powered the ball down the field for their only score of the night. El Reno limited Duncan to just 10 yards passing in the first half and 158 on the ground for the game. They also forced a turnover of their own. Overall, it was a night where the Indians defense took over and got the job done as their offense was held in check.
What went wrong: Jakeil Everheart came out swinging but took several ill advised sacks that helped snuff out second half drive. On one play he lost 14 yards and 8 on another. Both were on drop backs. He’ll need to tighten that up in the playoffs and perform better across the board. There wasn’t a lot that was impressive about El Reno’s offense Friday night, with the exception of the two plays Everheart scored on.
Duncan
What went right: Their defense gave them a heckuva chance to win the gam in the second half by shutting El Reno out completely. Everheart had just a handful of passing yards in the second half. The Demons used several misdireection and gadget plays to get their touchdown.
What went wrong: The offense didn’t answer the bell consistently enough, and the defense gave up two big plays in the first half that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. Still, the defensive effort was more than enough to win.
Capsule: Duncan at El Reno
No. 10 Duncan (8-1) at No. 2 El Reno (9-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: El Reno Stadium (2001 Sunset Drive)
On the line: The Class 5A-1 district title and a pair of home playoff games.
How El Reno can win: Have Jakeil Everheart play the best game he’s had all year. The defense controls Payton Atchley and the rest of the Demon offense and limit turnovers and penalties.
How Duncan can win: Strike early, build up confidence in a hostile envorinment and move the chains which keeps the ball out of Everheart’s hands.
The pick: El Reno 20-17. Indians eek out a win.
Three questions: Duncan at El Reno
A huge game this week in 5A-1 as Duncan and El Reno battle in a winner take all game for the district title. This has to be an interesting feeling for El Reno especially, who has played extremely well wire to wire and yet find themselves in a dogfight to win the district in the final game of the season.
Can El Reno stop Duncan RB Payton Atchley and quarterback Brandon Wilson?
The pair have combined for nearly 2,000 yards total offense this year so it will be a challenge. Atchley in particular is a load, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. The Demons average 28 points per game which means they can move the ball but not as well as other teams in the class like Shawnee and Carl Albert. Still, they have more than enough in the tank to give El Reno plenty to worry about on defense that is among the best in 5A.
It it all on Jakeil Everheart’s shoulders?
In many ways it is. Everheart is the leader of the offense, and he’s also the team’s leading rusher. He needs to play a tight game for El Reno to win. That’s part of playing the postion and Everheart has been up to the challenge all season. This will be a tough test though, and you can argue that Duncan is signficantly better than anyone else on El Reno’s schedule this season.
What happens next?
Both teams have built up plenty of confidence this season, but one will walk away with that confidence shaken after Friday night’s game. The bottom line is you can’t win them all. The losing coach will have to get his team focused in a hurry because the next loss ends the season. That’s a tough place to be late in the year. Conversley the winners walk in with their confidence backed up and ready to take on the playoffs.
Where’s Duncan and El Reno?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I woke up this morning to see my inbox bombarded (OK, too strong a word) with legit questions as to why El Reno (9-0, 6-0) and Duncan (8-1, 6-0) was not included in the Top 10 games of the week.
Huh?
After consulting with ace reporter Ryan Aber about this (who compiles the list), hey, we flubbed up on this one. It was a mistake.
This game is definitely in the 2-4 range. Glenpool and Star Spencer is big, Mustang and Southmoore deserves its spot and Bartlesville and Broken Arrow should be a fun one.
But after that, yea, this game deserves its place.
And while we forgot about it for the top 10 games, we most certainly didn’t forget about it for Friday night’s coverage as Matt Patterson will there live and in living color for the District 5A-1 championship.
El Reno’s defense is ridiculous this year, allowing just over 10 points per game. Duncan has quietly gone under the radar.
Think some fans forgot about this team after the Carl Albert loss. Hey, that was just one of those nights. This team is dang good.
I gotta tell ya while I hate when we make a blunder like this, I love the outpouring of support from both sides. I’ve had e-mails from Duncan and El Reno fans about this one. Obviously the teams and their supporters are fired up. I am, too, for this one.
Rankings preview: Nov. 1
Here’s the weekly preview for the rankings.
Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#9-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#8-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#7-2
4. Southmoore (4)#8-1
5. Midwest City (6)#7-2
6. Bartlesville (7)#8-1
7. Mustang (9)#7-2
8. Del City (5)#7-2
9. Lawton (10)#7-2
10. Edmond Memorial (NR)#6-3
The main shift here came with Del City dropping three spots to No. 8. Midwest City and Bartlesville move up a spot each, while Mustang jumps up two spots. Edmond North drops out after losing for the second time in three games, and not looking particularly impressive in the one win during that stretch. Lawton moves up a spot to No. 9. Edmond Memorial makes its debut. I considered Owasso for that spot, and went back and forth but Memorial’s streak and the way the Bulldogs’ defense has played this season, even in losses, wins out over the Rams.
What are the most impressive streaks in state HS sports?
With Shattuck about to break Morrison’s record of 90 consecutive wins, I’m wondering what are the other streaks in the state that are most impressive?
Here’s a few I’ve come up with. Let me know, either through a comment here or an e-mail (raber@opubco.com), if you have any others.
I’m sure there are plenty more I’ve missed but here are a few:
- Morrison and Shattuck’s 90-game winning streaks in football
- Tulsa Union’s and Jenks’ stranglehold on the 6A football title
-Asher and Owasso baseball dominance
-McGuinness girls cross country
-Bethel girls basketball state tournament streak
-Bartlesville boys swimming
-El Reno wrestling
-McGuinness girls tennis
-Cascia Hall boys tennis
