Guthrie Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday night, we'll see two top five teams and state title contenders go head to head when 5A's #3 Guthrie hosts 4A's #4 Tuttle. Both teams are undefeated to start the season but Friday night's game is without a doubt the toughest test for either side so far this season. In this breakdown, we take a look at the Blue Jays as they look to remain undefeated before heading into district play in 5A-2. And just like it was last season, that district has the possibility of being one of the toughest in the state, with three teams ranked in the top five of the class, including defending champion Carl Albert.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite these two teams being two of the best football programs in the state over the last two decades, last season was the first time that they met on the gridiron. Guthrie went on the road and used a second half rally to knock off the Tigers. Not only are these two teams two of the best in their respective classes, but they are mirror images of one another. They both have that small town feel where the town shuts down on game days. They both play "old school" football where they rely on a strong running game and an even stronger defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season, the Blue Jays have been one of the best teams in the state, regardless of class. They are 3-0 with wins over Ponca City, Woodward and Duncan. But the impressive part of this start comes on the defensive side of the ball. They've had three shutouts in the first three weeks and in the first two games, they gave up a combined negative 53 yards against Ponca City and Woodward respectively. All three teams that they've faced have had negative yards rushing but that could change against a very talented Tuttle team. But there's no doubt that Guthrie has one of the better defensive units in the state and they'll look to keep that momentum going this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we put a spotlight on four players to keep an eye on for the Blue Jays this week and moving forward throughout the season. This group is headlined by their strong rushing attack but there are a few other names that you should know about when it comes to the undefeated Blue Jays. Like we mentioned, this is the last tune up before district play begins later this month. And Guthrie finds themselves in one of the more competitive districts in the state, regardless of class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["994657"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Guthrie's defense has been the story of the season so far for the Blue Jays. They have been lights out so far this season and it's difficult to spotlight just one player but we'll go with senior [player_tooltip player_id='994657' first='Eli' last='Moroney'] along the defensive line. We caught some of Guthrie's games on replays and the front seven has been incredibly tough to gain any traction. And when you consider the Blue Jays haven't given up positive yards rushing in their first three games, those guys up front are hard to ignore. Last season, Moroney was one of Guthrie's leading tacklers, with 70 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. Moroney will once again be a big key for them on Friday.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["380981"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Guthrie has one of the more experienced quarterbacks in Class 5A this season with the return of senior [player_tooltip player_id='380981' first='Hayden' last='Calvert'] at the QB position. Calvert is off to a great start to his senior year and he's done the majority of his damage on the ground. And when you look at what Guthrie has done to their opponents, he really hasn't had a need to air it out at any point. But as we mentioned earlier, this week's game with Tuttle is certainly going to provide the Blue Jays with their toughest test and that means Calvert will be put in a position where he has to throw the ball. But with his experience as a starter, he'll be ready when that happens.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["448519"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"It was the Tuttle game last season that Guthrie running back [player_tooltip player_id='448519' first='Jaylen' last='Harper'] announced himself as the next playmaker at the running back position. With Isaiah Hammons missing the game with a nagging injury, Harper was expected to split carries but it didn't take long for him to become the best option on offense. As the Blue Jays rallied in the second half to beat Tuttle, that's when Harper did most of his damage. He ran for 103 of his 157 yards after halftime. And Harper has been lights out to start this season. He already has nine rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown this season. He's scored at least three touchdowns in each game so far.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["994659"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Coming into the 2023 football season, we knew what to expect from Calvert and Harper in the running game. But the Blue Jays have another standout that has helped their rushing attack. Sophomore running back [player_tooltip player_id='994659' first='Zane' last='Thomas'] is off to a great start to his sophomore season and has provided the Blue Jays with more depth and it's allowed Calvert and Harper to not have to carry the load. In the first two games alone, Thomas had five touchdowns on the ground. Last week's win over Duncan was the first time Thomas didn't reach the end zone multiple times. He still found it at least once and comes into this week with six touchdowns on the ground.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-650226ef725e0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->