by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)11/27/2018 10:54:18 AM
posted in: Articles | 1,973 views
Not to worry, the track is not set to repeat. It only feels like that.
Jenks is going after another Class 6AI gold ball this Friday. This time, it’s not against Union, but instead against a Broken Arrow team that was been on a roll ever since coming out of the chute in August.
It’ll be a traditional power taking on a program that is on the cusp of transforming itself into a traditional power. The Tigers could enter that lofty atmosphere, just one year after Owasso did the same thing.
Meanwhile, in Class 6AII, it’s Bixby against the revolving door. Since the Spartans made a championship game appearance an annual trip since the advent of 6AII, Bixby has taken on varying number of opponents. Twice Bixby has played Lawton, then there was Sand Springs one time and last year it was Booker T. Washington.
In 2018, Bixby will welcome Stillwater into the title fold. The Pioneers, with perhaps the best quarterback-running back duo on Gunnar Gundy and Qwontrel Walker, will chase their first state title in more than 40 years. What a job Tucker Barnard has done in Payne County.
Now, on to the game previews….
*All games scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
Class 6AI
No. 1 Broken Arrow (12-0) vs. No. 2 Jenks (11-1)
Where: Chapman Stadium (University of Tulsa)
Road to the title game
- Broken Arrow: 49-0 vs. Moore in the quarterfinals; 10-7 vs. Owasso in the semifinals
- Jenks: 42-12 vs. Putnam City North in the quarterfinals; 27-24 vs. Union in the semifinals
What to watch for
- Broken Arrow’s Noah Cortes vs. Jenks’ defense: Only two teams have managed to keep the Tigers’ tailback in check all season long -- Jenks and Mansfield (Texas). Cortes finished with 90 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in Broken Arrow’s win over Jenks earlier this season. Cortes has been a man on a mission this entire season, but Jenks is bound to have a few schemes in the works to limit Cortes’ production. It will be a matter of Cortes’ finding room for a big play from scrimmage.
- Jenks’ Ian Corwin efficiency: The Trojan’s senior quarterback has not given the ball away much this season. He has completed 138 of his 226 pass attempts for 2,245 yards and 19 touchdowns. Only eight of those incompletions have gone for interceptions. One of the giveaways was to Broken Arrow’s Bryce Mattioda in the fourth quarter of the game between the two teams in September. In Corwin’s last game -- Jenks’ 27-24 win over Union -- he completed 20 of 34 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns.
- Championship game comfort: Neither team played in last year’s 6AI title tilt, but Jenks’ roster is littered with players used to playing for golden supremacy. The prevailing question is, how will Broken Arrow’s players handle the spotlight? Despite Jenks’ early score to put the Trojans up 7-0 in the matchup in September, Broken Arrow owned much of the first half, and Jenks coach Keith Riggs admitted it. “They played well and got after us, especially in the first half,” he told the Tulsa World after the game. So can Broken Arrow strike early again, or will both teams be forced to grind it out early and often?
Random facts
- On Sept. 20, Broken Arrow beat Jenks, 28-13. The Tigers’ defense stifled Jenks throughout the game and limited the Trojans to 135 yards on offense.
- According to Broken Arrow’s stat tracker, the Tigers managed only seven “chunk” plays against Jenks on Sept. 20. Four of the seven plays came in the second quarter, highlighted by Quintevin Cherry’s 20-yard TD run that gave the Tigers a 14-7 lead. Tate Robards hit Matt Kaiser for two of the plays -- a 25-yard completion in the first quarter and a 15-yard completion in the second period. Noah Cortes had three of the plays with rushes of 13, 16 and 11 yards.
- This will be the second time for Broken Arrow and Jenks to meet in a championship game. The Trojans beat the Tigers, 35-14, in 2015.
- Broken Arrow has never beaten Jenks twice in one season.
- Head coach David Alexander, in his fifth season at Broken Arrow, is 43-16; This is Keith Riggs’ first year as head coach at Jenks after replacing Allan Trimble and his 22-year tenure.
- Jenks is 16-8 in championship games; Broken Arrow is 0-3.
- A title would be …… Jenks’ 17th; Broken Arrow’s first.
Prediction panel
Michael Swisher: Broken Arrow over Jenks - No reason to believe this won't hold true. Sure, BA looked less-than-stellar in its semifinal win over Owasso. However, many a title run have included games where the eventual champ had to win when it wasn't at its best (even in a three-game march to a title). The Tigers are still the most complete team and will send the Jenks-Union drought to a catastrophic second year.
Ben Johnson: Jenks over Broken Arrow - I’ve seen this script before. There was Spencer McIllwain in 2002, then there was Coleby Evans in 2011 and recently it was Cooper Nunley and Dillon Stoner in 2015. I grew up on the Tigers falling short in championship games. This Tigers team is different, from Matt Kaiser to Noah Cortes to Zach Marcheselli to Bryce Mattioda to Andrew Raym. This Broken Arrow roster is loaded. I believe Broken Arrow is fully capable of winning its first gold ball. But I also believe Jenks will give the Tigers all they want in the second meeting between these two this season. I’ve operated under the umbrella that I can’t pick Broken Arrow until I see it win a championship -- just like last year, I wasn’t going to pick against Union or Jenks until I saw someone beat them in a title game. Plus, I’ve been so bad at picking this year that I’m really doing Broken Arrow a solid here.
Whitt Carter: Broken Arrow over Jenks - This was my pick at the start of the playoffs and I'll stick with it. I've been on the Broken Arrow train since August and was feeling great about it, until last week. The Tigers were seriously challenged by an Owasso team they had already beaten by four touchdowns earlier this season. The Tigers will have an even tougher test in a Jenks squad that has rolled since Broken Arrow beat them 28-13 in September. I think it'll be another close one this week and like last week, I think the Broken Arrow defense comes up with a big play or turnover late in the game that turns out to be the difference.
Class 6AII
No. 2 Bixby (11-1) vs. No. 1 Stillwater (12-0)
Where: Owasso Stadium (Owasso High School)
Road to the title game
- Bixby: 70-14 vs. Lawton in the quarterfinals; 24-21 vs. Midwest City in the semifinals
- Stillwater: 48-13 vs. Muskogee in the quarterfinals; 38-28 vs. Booker T. Washington in the semifinals
What to watch for
- Qwontrel Walker against Bixby’s defense: Qwontrel Walker -- 1,968 yards and 33 touchdowns on 254 carries in 11 games -- has been slowed down in only one game this season. Oh, also, that was a game he didn’t play in. Walker was forced to sit out the Lawton contest after some shenanigans in the Choctaw game in the week. But the point remains, Walker has been a force with the ball in his hands. Also a force? Bixby’s defense. The Spartans were able to slow down Midwest City’s Preston Colbert and Co. just enough to advance out of the semifinals. Prior to that, the Spartans’ defense had made life miserable for offenses at Booker T. Washington, Bartlesville, Sand Springs, Muskogee and Lawton. Brody Sartin leads in tackles (127), Ethan Hall has 12 sacks and Brennan Presley has snagged the most interceptions (six).
- Mason Williams’ big stage: Tanner Griffin handed the torch off to Staton King, and now Mason Williams is driving the Bixby quarterback bus. And what a sophomore season he’s had. All he’s done is complete 67.8 percent (198 of 292) of his passes for 3,140 yards and 36 touchdowns. And just eight interceptions. The Spartans offense is full of youngsters, but Williams has taken the reins and commanded a Spartans’ offense that has averaged 43.6 points per contest.
- Stillwater’s overlooked defense: The Pioneers’ offense features Gunnar Gundy, Anthony Bland and Qwontrel Walker. But Stillwater’s defense has managed to limit Midwest City to 13 points and Del City to 21. Winston Watkins leads with 119 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. Then there’s Kobe Holley, Garrick Martin and Cedrik Frazier, all of whom have four interceptions apiece.
Random facts
- Bixby head coach Loren Montgomery took over in 2010. He’s gone 67-38 over the course of nine years now.
- Stillwater head coach Tucker Barnard took over in 2011. He’s gone 50-37 over the course of eight years now.
- Bixby’s leading rusher this season is a freshman, Braylin Presley, who has collected 716 yards and 12 touchdowns on 94 carries.
- Stillwater quarterback Gunnar Gundy has thrown for 2,348 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 135 of his 208 pass attempts this season. He’s only thrown four interceptions, and he’s only been sacked three times.
- Stillwater wideout Anthony Bland is 74 yards away from 1,000 this season. He has 926 yards and 10 touchdowns on 51 catches -- and none bigger than his game winner against Lawton to wrap up Stillwater’s 23-20 win on Oct. 12.
- Not long ago it seemed like Bixby might never win a title, going 0 for 8 in championship games after a loss to Carl Albert in the 2009 Class 5A title game. Then the Spartans won the 6AII title game in 2014, and now they are going for their fourth in five seasons.
- Stillwater’s last appearance in a championship game was in 1977 in the 3A title game against Duncan. The Pioneers’ last victory in a title game was in 1967.
- A title would be ….. Bixby’s fourth; Stillwater’s second.
Prediction panel
Michael Swisher: Bixby over Stillwater - Just like 6A-I, I see no reason to change my prediction from the beginning of the playoffs. If Qwontrel Walker can have a massive game, I give the Pioneers a puncher's chance. But I think Bixby still has the best defense of the two and that's what it will come down to. Spartans reclaim their throne.
Ben Johnson: Bixby over Stillwater - We a have a rarity -- the two teams I picked to be in the title game are actually here. What’s crazy is Stillwater has the star power in Qwontrel Walker, Gunnar Gundy and Anthony Bland, but this could be Mason Williams’ true coming out party. He’s been great for the Spartans, but this will be one everyone around the state takes notice. Another scary fact about both of these teams: neither team graduates a lot of players, so I may go ahead and predict a repeat title game for this time next year.
Whitt Carter: Bixby over Stillwater - This was another one I picked before the playoffs and I'll stick with it. I think Stillwater has a great chance with the weapons they possess on offense. But Bixby has been in this position every year since the start of 6A-2 and I think that means something. The Spartans have turned heads all year long with their consistency. They have the ability to score with just about anyone and their defense makes life tough on people, even Stillwater. I think it will be close in the third quarter, but look for Bixby's experience and coaching to rise up late in the game and give the Spartans another 6A-2 state title.