EDMOND —
Grant Gower believes Deer Creek is ready to become an elite football program. The Antlers took a big step in that direction Thursday night as they trounced Edmond Memorial 45-14 at Wantland Stadium.
“That is a very big win for our program, and another step in the right direction,” the Antlers’ head coach said. “These young men have been with me literally since seventh grade and I don’t want to say validation, but it’s satisfying to see us headed in the right direction.”
The win was the Antlers’ first against an Edmond school, and first against a regular Class 6A team. Last year, Deer Creek beat Shawnee, which returned to 5A this year after playing the previous two in the state’s largest class.
“We wanted to make a statement that we’re here and we’re one of the best teams in all of Edmond,” senior quarterback Joel Blumenthal said.
Deer Creek earned the historic win with a ball-hawking defense and potent offense. The Antlers cashed in on four Memorial turnovers, and stretched the Bulldog defense with their spread attack.
“That’s what we talk about consistently is being aggressive on defense, and when we do get that sudden change we want to go attack offensively,” Gower said.
Blumenthal was brilliant against the Memorial defense. The senior completed 14 of 20 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns. He hit five different targets on the touchdowns and completed passes to seven different receivers in the game.
Brennan Miyake led the way with four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. He also gained 62 yards on the ground.
“I thought he was unbelievable tonight and a big, big reason why they were able to beat us tonight,” Memorial coach Justin Merideth said.
Deer Creek’s Alec James and Jared Rayburn each had three catches and a touchdown.
One of the few bright spots for the ’Dogs was quarterback Warren Wand. The sophomore broke three runs of more than 20 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. He finished the night with 208 yards and one score.
While Memorial was solid in the ground game, they had just 16 yards passing. Merideth expects a boost next week with the return of quarterback Justin Holcomb, who was out with injury.
“Warren (Wand) is going to get better throwing the ball, but Tyler will make us more balanced,” Merideth said. “The plan is to put him (Wand) in a little bit at quarterback to run the wildcat offense.”
Despite a couple of costly turnovers, Memorial looked to narrow the gap heading into the half. Trailing 21-7, Wand guided the ’Dogs deep inside the red zone. But the drive stalled on the goal line when Wand was stopped on a 4th-and-1 play. A replay appeared to show him crossing the goal line.
The Antlers quickly drew another blow with a 99-yard scoring drive. Blumenthal capped the two-and-half-minute drive with an eight-yard toss to Rayburn, making it a 28-7 halftime score.
Memorial bounced back with another score to open the second half. Waylan Anderson showed off his speed and power. The tailback broke a 49-yard run and later dragged several defenders on a 16-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 80 yards rushing.
The Antlers slammed the door shut with big plays on defense. An interception by Caden Sander set up a touchdown by Jacob Anderson. Jackson Smith added another interception, which led to a 26-yard field goal by Dillon Noble.
“You can’t do those things against good teams and Deer Creek is a good team,” Merideth said.
Blumenthal later connected with James for the final touchdown of the night.
Deer Creek stays unbeaten at 3-0, while Memorial falls to 0-3. Both schools open district play next week. The ’Dogs travel to Lawton and Deer Creek hosts Carl Albert.
Deer Creek 45, Edmond Memorial 14
1 2 3 4 Total
Deer Creek 7 21 7 10 45
Memorial 7 0 7 0 14
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
DC Alec James 58 fumble return (Dillon Noble kick); 7:37
EM Warren Wand 32 run (Justin Marcha kick); 4:23
Second Quarter
DC Kale Jackson 27 pass from Joel Blumenthal (Noble kick); 11:25
DC Brandon Miyake 21 pass from Blumenthal (Noble kick); 10:21
DC Jared Rayburn 8 pass from Blumenthal (Noble kick); :21.8
Third Quarter
EM Waylan Anderson 16 run (Marcha kick); 8:43
DC Jacob Anderson 29 pass from Blumenthal (Noble kick); 5:35
Fourth Quarter
DC Noble 26 field goal; 7:49
DC James 23 pass from Blumenthal (Noble kick); 2:38
Sports
Related Photos
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond Memorial quarterback Warren Wand tries to outrun Deer Creek defenders Brady Lobue (32), Kale Jackson (7) and Eli Hooks Thursday night in the Antlers' win.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond Memorial's Isaac Nolan forces Deer Creek quarterback Joel Blumenthal out of the pocket Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond Memorial's Warren Wand skips away from a Deer Creek tackle Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek lineman Austin Loomis puts a hit on Edmond Memorial running back Waylan Anderson Thursday evening.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek's Brennan Miyake turns upfield after a catch as Edmond Memorial defender Jason Hand closes in during the Antlers' win Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond Memorial's Colin Simpson tries to avoid Deer Creek defenders Kale Jackson (7) and Eli Hooks on a punt fake that resulted in a first down Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek defenders Brennan Miyake (20) and Brady Lobue take down Edmond Memorial quarterback Warren Wand Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond Memorial's Tasden Ingram knocks down a pass meant for Deer Creek's Alec James Thursday night.
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DREW HARMON | THE EDMOND SUN Deer Creek's Jared Rayburn tries to avoid Edmond Memorial defenders including Charlie Dutton (5) Thursday night.
Discussion
Antlers earn big win over Memorial
Deer Creek scores 28 points off turnovers in 45-14 victory
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