Guthrie: 2008 loss at Booker T. still stings...

By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com

Guthrie (11-1) vs. Booker T. Washington (11-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Stillwater HS (I’ll be there)

Here ya go, it’s your 2007 champions (Guthrie) going against the 2008 champions (Booker T.).

And how did the Hornets get there? By beating Guthrie in an epic three-overtime battle in Tulsa two years ago in the quarterfinals.

“That kick, that kick is what I remember from that game,” Guthrie’s Devonte McCully said. “We have not forgotten about that.

What is McCully talking about? Here’s a blast from the past via fellow chum Ryan Aber, who was there on that day.

TULSA — Tulsa Washington’s players weren’t sure it was ever going to end.

Guthrie’s players thought it was over before much of the drama started.

Washington’s defense stopped Guthrie quarterback Keaton Callins just short of the goalline on the second possession of the third overtime to seal the Hornets’ 34-27 Class 5A playoff win Saturday afternoon at S.E. Williams Stadium.

“After every play I prayed,” Washington defensive lineman Calvin Barnett said. “And I’m not someone who takes that lightly.

“I still can’t believe it.”

It was a wild end for a football game that was a defensive struggle for much of regulation.

The Hornets needed a fourth-down score from quarterback Eric Bennett to extend the game into a third overtime.

Guthrie, though, couldn’t come up with a similar score.

While Washington celebrated the win, Callins lay on the field, frozen just short of the goalline.

Guthrie, last season’s 5A champion, finished 10-2. The Hornets are 11-1 heading into next week’s semifinal meeting with El Reno.