By Mike Kays
Phoenix Sports Editor
October 28, 2008 07:46 pm
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Ready or not —and there’s lots of reasons to suggest our home boys may not be — trick or treat, here comes Jenks.
After three weeks of creepiness — a 23-point fourth-quarter rally by Sand Springs, a date with Claremore minus an offensive touchdown the entire evening and five turnovers and 120 yards of penalties against a winless Sapulpa team — the unbeaten-in-district Muskogee Roughers can now set their sights on a District 6A-3 championship showdown with that horror show of 6A, Jenks. The Trojans have spooked Muskogee 17 straight times since a 29-28 victory on the Trojans’ home field in 1992. Some of these Roughers weren’t born the last time Muskogee won.
How appropriate that this game is on Halloween night. While Jenks is Muskogee’s Darth Vader, the Roughers have had their own haunting grounds this year. Just ask Broken Arrow and coach Ron Lancaster, now 0-2 against his former defensive coordinator, Matt Hennesy. Because of that stunning Cole Chapman catch in the corner of Tiger Stadium, the Tigers are saddled with hitting the road in the first round of the playoffs rather than wondering about defending the No. 1 statewide ranking they lost with that catch.
It was the fourth straight spook house the Roughers had run through to begin the season. Young offenses would cower at the experience, but Muskogee split the four games, beating Owasso on a late boot by of all people, a freshman kicking his first field goal.
But after that experience, what could a Sand Springs or Sapulpa possibly do? There was plenty of evidence left on the field Friday to suggest this team has simply played to the level of their opponent, and has so for a month.
Somewhat encouraging should be that Friday’s battle is a home game, and Muskogee has been competitive with the Trojans of late. Two seasons ago, the 52-35 semifinal was 28-all going into the fourth quarter. Jenks advanced and beat Enid in the championship game. Last year at Indian Bowl, Jenks jumped in front 21-7 and the teams traded touchdowns five times the rest of the way in a 50-35 contest.
Muskogee scored 35 points last week. Spooky coincidence? Could it be a pattern? Can the offense strike for 35 points without coughing up the football like it did last week? Can the defense play to coordinator David Heath’s preseason belief that it could be the best defense he’s ever had?
For eight weeks, I’ve picked the home boys in the Game Day section's Pick-It Line. That cost me a pair of games but they covered for me against BA as I stood alone. But last week, someone I didn’t quite recognize suggested my painting the last few weeks as scrimmages against junior high teams has puffed some heads to the point of making helmets fit painfully.
Maybe so. But I write what I feel, and 18-year-olds are free to react however they wish. I didn't do what I do to get Erik Howell to interrupt a defensive meeting calling for applause just days after the BA pick that even some coaches high-fived me on that night, nor do I believe as a former Phoenix writer does that a high school player's ego comes crashing to earth if their team doesn't get love from the Pick-It Line.
I don’t know what I’ll come dressed as, but I’m going to offer this up with my pick of Jenks by a field goal: If Hennesy’s look is a treat and the Roughers walk away victorious, I’ll show up at their team meeting next Sunday with a razor in hand, sit in a chair and let Howell and the gang give me the Hennesy hairstyle. Forget the mustache I offered as a sacrifice in a must-win game against Owasso last year -- and remember, it came off — but this thin graying growth that keeps my brains in place is on the chopping block.
That in itself ought to be a frightful sight.
Let it motivate. I’ll take one for the team. If not, perhaps I'll chase down my Pick-It-Line nemesis, Tommy Cobb.
And if I can't, we'll both finish in second place.
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