Week 8 High School Football Locker Room

Check out what games we'll be going to this week, along with previews of some of the biggest games in the state.

Wednesday, October 23rd 2013, 4:43 pm

By: News 9


It's Week Eight of the high school football and the playoffs are bearing down upon us. While some districts are close to sown up, others are anything but decided. Also on the line are the last playoff spot or two in each district. Almost every district has multiple teams battling for those spots, so the next couple of weeks will become extremely important for those bubble teams.

Just like we do each and every week, we need your help to gather the scores from all the games across the stat. There are plenty of ways to do that, so help us out and send us the score from whichever game you're at each week.

Here are previews of some of the week's biggest games.

Guthrie vs. Deer Creek

At the beginning of the season, District 5A-2 was looked at as one of the deepest districts in the state. Deer Creek, Carl Albert, Guthrie and Bishop McGuinness all made the playoffs a year ago with Carl Albert winning the state title. All had a legitimate shot to claim the district crown and possibly more this season and so far, the competition has been as tight as advertised.

This week, No. 1 Guthrie travels to Deer Creek to attempt to remain undefeated and in control of the district.

The Antlers have already lost twice this season, to Carl Albert and a shocking 40-10 loss to Edmond Memorial early in the season. The Antlers have a very balanced offense, averaging 198 yards on the ground and 172 yards through the air this season which has led to 40 points a game.

Quarterback Caden Sander leads the Deer Creek offense, averaging 82 yards per game rushing with six touchdowns. He's also thrown for 1,181 yards with 10 touchdowns this season. Running backs Alec James and Marcus Coleman don't have gaudy stats, but they are great complements to the passing game.

Cole Verble leads the Antlers' receiving corps with 29 catches for 409 yards.

The defense is a ball-hawking unit. Three players already have over 100 tackles this season, Cole Pacheco, John Keeth and Blake Landon. Elik Hooks leads the team with 12 sacks, while Daniel Smith has eight.

The Blue Jays have dominated opponents so far this year, scoring 49.4 points a game while holding opponents to just nine points and 131 yards per game.

Running back Kai Callins leads a potent rushing attack averaging 274.7 yards per game on the ground so far this season. Callins has already rushed for 868 yards this season along with 17 touchdowns. However, Callins isn't the only potent back in the Guthrie backfield. Ida Alexander is averaging 98 yards per game and has rushed for 14 touchdowns as well.

Quarterback Reed Roberts has been solid in the passing game, throwing for 765 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Donovan Jordan has been his favorite target with 26 receptions for 395 yards and four touchdowns.

As good as the offense is, the stinginess of the defense is what has made Guthrie so dominant this year. The Blue Jays have given up no more than 21 points in a game and have given up six points or less four times. Beau Davis leads the team in tackles with 62 tackles and Trevor Blassingame paces the team with eight sacks.

Deer Creek will be looking to pull the upset against Guthrie, but it won't be easy. The Blue Jays have looked simply dominant so far this year and the Antlers haven't looked quite as good as they were a year ago. Either way, it's clear district 5A-2 is one of the best in the state.

McAlester Vs. Bishop Kelley

Two Class 5A heavyweights will face off in Tulsa on Friday when No. 2 McAlester heads to No. 8 Bishop Kelley.

The hosting Comets are coming off of a lopsided 42-10 home loss against Shawnee but have proven themselves formidable nonetheless, having already beaten 6A Bartlesville and traditional 5A power Bishop McGuinness to start the season. After a puzzling loss to Coweta, Kelley got back on track, outscoring Nathan Hale, Durant and Noble by a combined 107-0 before the loss to Shawnee.

Meanwhile, outside of a Week 2 loss to Booker T. Washington, McAlester has rolled to an impressive 6-1 record. And the Buffaloes haven't been making many of those contests close, winning by an average score of 50-22. The Buffaloes also beat Shawnee 28-14 in Week 5, possibly giving them a mental edge heading into Friday's matchup.

It'll be a matchup of balanced, yet run-oriented offenses. McAlester is a powerful offensive team but prefers to get the majority of its yards on the ground, averaging 290.6 rushing yards per game versus 191.1 in the air. The same can be said for Kelley to a slightly lesser degree, as the Comets averaged 214 yards rushing and 158.4 passing per contest.

The biggest challenge here for Kelley to pull the upset might be if it can establish its rushing attack against a solid McAlester defense that allows nearly 100 fewer yards per game than the Comets average. It will be a stiff test but could shape up as a great matchup between two of the top teams in 5A.

Cascia Hall Vs. Fort Gibson

There's a lot at stake when No. 6 Fort Gibson (5-2) goes to No. 5 Cascia Hall (6-1) this week. This clash of 4A-4 frontrunners could play a big part in playoff seeding as they're both part of a four-team logjam at 3-1 in district play.

Last year's contest saw an emphatic 35-7 Commandos victory over a previously unbeaten Tiger squad. But that was the only loss on the Tigers' regular season resume in 2012. Quarterback J.R. Singleton has thrown for 1141 yards and 10 touchdowns this season to go along with 635 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Cascia Hall's only blemish so far came in Week 5 at Sallisaw, but the Commandos got right back on the horse by beating Muldrow at home and then Poteau on the road last week. Linebacker Reece Lambert is tied for seventh in the state, across all classes, in interceptions with five. Running back Miguel Rosendo has 613 rushing yards and six touchdowns for Cascia.

Here are the games we'll be at this week:

Friday, October 25

News 9 Game of the Week: Guthrie 28, Deer Creek 3

News On 6 Game of the Week: Fort Gibson 34, Cascia Hall 28 OT

Broken Arrow 70, Edison 21

Jenks 56, Muskogee 14

Catoosa 49, Webster 12

Westmoore 26, Sapulpa 23

Sand Springs 44, Stillwater 41

Union 58, Bartlesville 0

Metro Christian 46, Sperry 0

McAlester 38, Bishop Kelley 10

Southmoore 17, Edmond Memorial 3

Douglass 13, McLoud 7

Bishop McGuinness 41, Northwest Classen 18

Norman 28, Edmond Santa Fe 14

Anadarko 27, Piedmont 0

Prague at Bethany 41, Prague 14

Jones 21, Tuttle 19

Wagoner 28, Cleveland 21

 

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