Three questions: Guthrie vs. Bixby

Bixby (8-4) and Guthrie (8-4) square off in the semi-finals of the Class 5A race Friday night at Stillwater’s brand new stadium. It’s a mild surprise these two teams are meeting in the semis, but both have played well down the stretch, particularly Guthrie who has won four straight. Here are some questions heading into Friday night’s game.

How will Bryan Dutton and the rest of the underclassmen on Guthrie’s offense hold up? 
Rafe Watkins made a point of mentioning you can’t consider Dutton a freshman anymore. Indeed that is the case with 12 games in, he’s somewhere between rookie and seasoned vet. Dutton has 26 TDs this year and just eight picks. He’s also a decent runner. This is a good match up for him since Bixby’s defensive concepts are very similar to the ones he faces in practice each day. If Guthrie is to lose this one it won’t be because of Dutton or the youth on their OL. Those guys have grown up the hard way this year.

Who must Guthrie stop defensively?
For starters, tailback DeWitt Jennings who has 1197 yards rushing this year averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Jennings is the focal point of Bixby’s offense.  Kevin Lamb (1200 yds passing) is also a capable quarterback but Bixby still prefers hammering opposing defenses with their running backs. A good night against the run equals a win for Guthrie.