EDMOND —
These days, perhaps the only thing more difficult than winning a District 5A-2 championship is capturing a 5A state title.
The Deer Creek football team got the first done Friday night. And with the way the Antlers are playing, the state title could be next.
Deer Creek dominated the fourth period and ran away from previously unbeaten Bishop McGuinness, 25-12, in Oklahoma City. The result is that the Antlers, the Fighting Irish and defending state champion Guthrie each finish with only one loss in district play, but because the final spread was by more than six points, Deer Creek will place first.
“This is huge for our program,” said safety Caden Sander, who sealed the win with a pair of interceptions in the fourth quarter. “Our district is really tough, because you have to beat teams like Carl Albert, Guthrie and McGuinness. And you not only have to win, but you have to get your points.”
The Fighting Irish had a 12-10 lead in the fourth period when the Antlers simply took over. They had 122 yards rushing in the final frame, including two rushing scores, and the defense forced Sander’s two picks.
It was a surprising turn of events against a Fighting Irish team known for its physical nature.
“That’s one of the things our offseason conditioning has done for us,” DC head coach Grant Gower said. “We really didn’t expect that, but we did really run the ball well down the stretch.”
The turning point may have come with less than 11 minutes remaining in the contest. With McGuinness up 12-10, Deer Creek quarterback Joel Blumenthal was chased out of the pocket on a third-and-15 play and threw one up for grabs down the field. Wide receiver Kale Jackson went over a defensive back and managed to get enough of the ball to haul in a reception at the 4. Running back Brennan Miyake punched it in on the next play and the Antlers converted a 2-point conversion pass to make it 18-12 with 10:17 left.
The Fighting Irish failed to get a first down on the next possession, and Deer Creek added the knockout blow on a 42-yard touchdown romp by Alec James. The point-after put the Antlers ahead, 25-12, with 8:58 remaining.
Deer Creek’s defense seemed to only get stronger as the game went along. McGuinness scored on a pair of touchdown runs in the first half, but were shut out the second half, managing only 62 yards and turning the ball over three times.
“You’ve got to credit our defensive staff,” Blumenthal said. “I think our defense felt like they had something to prove, even more than our offense, because everyone had been talking about how McGuinness had the best defense in the state.”
The Fighting Irish had posted five consecutive shutouts, including against previously No. 1 Guthrie, and had given up only 33 points all season — an average of less than 4 an outing.
Blumenthal managed 200 yards on 18-of-26 passing with Jared Rayburn hauling in seven catches for 107 yards. Blumenthal also rushed for 58 yards, while Miyake went for 82 and James had 57.
Blumenthal felt Jackson’s fourth-quarter catch that set up the game-winning touchdown was the spark the Antlers had been looking for.
“We talked at halftime about beating them deep,” he said. “We just needed someone to go and make a big-time play, and he made a big-time play.”
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Related Photos
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek's Alec James outruns a Bishop McGuinness defender for a fourth-quarter touchdown Friday.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek defender Caden Sander looks down field after intercepting a Bishop McGuinness pass Friday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek receiver Kale Jackson, center, beats a McGuinness defensive back for a long catch that set up a touchdown Friday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Antlers quarterback Joel Blumenthal looks for a receiver Friday against Bishop McGuinness.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Antlers running back Brennan Miyake looks for a hole on a touchdown run against McGuinness on Friday.
Discussion
Antlers win district with decisive victory over McGuinness
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Tennis camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Raquet Club is offering a pair of tennis camps beginning May 28.
For ages 5-8, a camp is offered from 8:45-9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for ages 7-15 a tennis camp is available from 6-6:55 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both camps run from May 28-June 13 and cost is $99 per camp.
A camp session for ages 8-16 will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30-9:25 a.m. May 29-June 12 for the identical cost.
For more information concerning these camps and others, call 341-4241. -
UCO winds up 10th nationally
Taylor Neidy fired a final-round 75, but Central Oklahoma failed to move up in the team standings at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday.
The Bronchos closed with a 323 — making 11 double bogeys and three triples — and finished 10th in the four-day, 72-hole tournament with a 1,298 total on the 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International.
Lynn ended Nova Southeastern’s four-year reign as national championships, finishing with a 1,187 total to edge the Sharks by three strokes. -
Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. -
Eagles' season finished; Lopez earns national honor
Southeastern, Fla. eliminated Oklahoma Christian 4-0 om the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio today to advance to the tournament semifinals, while OC closes at 26-26.
OC would have advanced to the semifinals with a win, but completed a terrific turnaround from an 8-34 season in 2012. The Eagles made only the second national-tournament appearance in the program's history, with the other coming in 1972, when OC finished third in the NAIA World Series. -
Multiple baseball camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Schools baseball coaches Kyle Roberts (Edmond Memorial), Jeff Shafer (Edmond Santa Fe) and Karl King (Edmond North) will instruct the Edmond All-Star Baseball Camps starting May 28 at Edmond North High School.
A pair of all-skills camps will take place for kids ages 5 and older from May 28-31 and June 3-6. Times are the same, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
On June 7, a pitcher/catcher camp will be offered for ages 8 and older with the identical time frame. Cost is $35 for the pitcher/catcher camp and $125 for the all-skills camp.
For further inquiries, contact Karl King at 863-3570. -
Arthur Hills eating up Bronchos
Central Oklahoma’s struggles continued at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Friday.
The Bronchos made 10 double bogeys and two triple bogeys en route to a season-high 329 score on the rugged 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International, leaving UCO in 10th place with a three-round total of 975.
Nova Southeastern has an 881 total heading into Saturday’s final round, giving the four-time defending champion Sharks a one-shot lead over second-place Lynn. -
Bronchos will make 12th appearance in national golf championship Monday
No. 18-ranked Central Oklahoma will make its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. next week.
The 54-hole stroke play portion of the tournament runs Monday-Wednesday at the 7,061-yard, par-71 Hershey Country Club East Course, with the top-eight teams from the 20-team field advancing to match play. - More Sports Headlines
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Tennis camps offered in Edmond
