The Beggs Golden Demons and Dewar Dragons will face their toughest tests of the 2018 postseason tonight in their respective quarterfinal contests. The two Okmulgee County gridiron squads, ranked in
The Beggs Golden Demons and Dewar Dragons will face their toughest tests of the 2018 postseason tonight in their respective quarterfinal contests. The two Okmulgee County gridiron squads, ranked in the Top 5 in their respective classes (Beggs is second in 2A, Dewar is fifth in B), will need to knock off Top 10 teams tonight if they are to continue their runs towards state championships in 2018. The two county teams will have the chance to play their quarterfinal games in front of their hometown fans, as both squads will play their third-straight home playoff game tonight. The Demons will look for a second-straight trip to the semifinal round when they play host to No. 8 Kingston in the Class 2A quarterfinal round. The Dragons will have the toughest task of the two county playoff teams tonight when they welcome top-ranked and defending Class B champion Shattuck to town for their Class B quarterfinal matchup. Beggs' quarterfinal opponent, the Kingston Redskins, enter tonight's Round 3 meeting with an 11-1 record and winners of their last nine games. The Redskins' road to the quarterfinals featured back-to-back non-district shutout wins over Hugo (20-0) and Atoka (34-0) to begin the 2018 campaign. Kingston's lone loss of 2018 came in Week 3, falling to the Sperry Pirates by a 16-14 margin in the Redskins' home opener. The remainder of the 2018 regular season saw Kingston defeat its seven District 2A-8 opponents by more than 20 points, outscoring their seven district foes 312-84 - an average of 44.6-12.0. Kingston's seven district wins were as follows:
• Kingston 48, Davis 21
• Kingston 44, Tishomingo 8
• Kingston 42, Coalgate 20
• Kingston 48, Marietta 0
• Kingston 36, Dickson 0
• Kingston 50, Comanche 12
• Kingston 44, Lindsay 23 Kingston began its postseason play November 9 with a 49-13 thrashing of Community Christian, then routed Antlers, who is coached by former Henryetta head coach Kenny Speer, 41-16 last Friday to punch its ticket to tonight's quarterfinal showdown with Beggs. Dewar's quarterfinal opponent, the top-ranked Shattuck Indians, are a perfect 11-0 on the season and have won all 11 of their games by at least 30 points, which includes seven games ending on the 45-point mercy rule. Shattuck has outscored its 11 opponents 570-92 - an average of 51.8-8.4. - and outscored their four District B-1 opponents 191-30 - an average 47.8-7.5. Below are the nine regular-season victories for the Shattuck Indians:
• Shattuck 44, Tipton 14
• Shattuck 56, Destiny Christian 8
• Shattuck 64, Burns Flat-Dill City 14
• Shattuck 60, Life Prep 14
• Shattuck 52, Carnegie 6
• Shattuck 45, Turpin 0
• Shattuck 56, Laverne 22
• Shattuck 36, Seiling 0
• Shattuck 54, Canton 8 The Indians opened postseason play November 9 at home with a 48-0 shutout win over Ringwood, then punched their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 55-6 thrashing of Alex last Friday in Shattuck. If the Demons and Dragons can find ways past their Top 10 opponents, they will move one step closer to achieving their dreams of capturing a state championship in 2018 with semifinal appearances at neutral sites next Friday. Losses tonight will bring the county squads' seasons to a close. Below are offensive and defensive keys to the game for the two county teams competing in quarterfinal playoff games tonight.
Beggs vs Oklahoma Christian Beggs Offensive Keys
The Demons will need to continue to find ways to move the ball effectively down the field with both the run and pass games. The Beggs offense utilized the run game in its first-round win over Wyandotte, rushing for 483 yards. In last week's win over Oklahoma Christian, the Demons finished with 438 yards of total offense with 270 of those yards coming on the ground. The Beggs offense will need to find a way to produce points at a sizeable rate against a Kingston defense that has allowed a little over eight points per game this season. In order to have a chance at a balanced offensive attack, the Beggs offensive line will need to continue opening up running lanes for the run game, while also allowing senior quarterback Dalton Spring time in the pocket to complete passes downfield to his speedy and athletic wide receivers. The Demons will also need to avoid turnovers, penalties, and negative yardage plays if they are to continue their journey towards a second-straight appearance in the state championship game.
Beggs Defensive Keys
The Beggs defense will have to be aware of where the Redskins' two offensive workhorses - senior quarterback Rylee Holmes (6-0, 160) and senior running back Garrett Voyles (5-8, 150) - at all times. The Demons will need to find ways to contain Voyles at the line of scrimmage and disrupt Holmes' rhythm, forcing errant passes that result in incompletions or interceptions. The Beggs secondary will need to keep the Kingston receivers, which features junior wideout Tyler Blanchard (5-8,
165) in front and not get burned defensively on deep passes downfield. The Beggs defense will need to find a way to create turnovers this week to stop any scoring opportunities for Kingston and get the high-powered Beggs offense back on the field as quickly as possible.
Dewar vs Yale Dewar Offensive Keys
The Dewar offense will need to find a way to move the ball effectively down the field against a Shattuck defense that has only allowed opponents to score more than one touchdown four times this season. The Dragons will need to find a way to get an early lead against the Indians and not allow promising drives to stall with negative yardage plays or costly penalties. The Dewar offense will need to find a way to be productive all four quarters and put up points every time the offense is on the field. The offensive line will need to open up running lanes for the run game to develop, while also keeping the aggressive Shattuck defense out of the backfield, allowing sophomore quarterback Joey Fowler time in the pocket to complete passes downfield to receivers Braxton Loyd, Rhett Whitlow, and Ty Whitlow. The Dragons will also need to avoid turnovers that take away scoring chances if they are to come away with their biggest win so far this season.
Dewar Defensive Keys
The Dewar defense will need to find a way to shut down a Shattuck offense that is averaging 35 points per game this season. The high-powered Shattuck offense is led by senior quarterback Gatlin Goodson (5-9, 170). Goodson has a stellar offensive line to work behind, which features senior Preston Thomazin (6-4, 265) and senior Korbyn Schick (6-0, 280). While Goodson is a dual threat at the signal-caller position, the senior quarterback is not the only offensive weapon for the Indians. The Dewar defense will also need to find ways to contain senior running back Bralyn Hill (5-9, 195), keeping the speedy ballcarrier at the line of scrimmage and keeping Goodson's aerial targets - senior tight end Damien Gibson (5-9, 175) and junior wide receiver John Bay (6-1, 205). Bay can also be used in the backfield on running plays if needed. The Dewar defense will need to get into the backfield and disrupt the offensive rhythm of Goodson, not allowing the Shattuck signal caller time to find his receivers downfield or tuck the ball to his side and run for positive yardage. The Dragons will need to find a way to come away with turnovers that take away scoring chances and get the Dewar offense back on the field without any points being put on the scoreboard.