Guthrie picks up slack for Staley

By Brandon Chatmon

Published: October 28, 2007

Carl Albert dared anyone except Kye Staley to beat them on Friday night.

And that's exactly what happened as Clayton Smith and Keaton Callins helped Guthrie to a 24-21 win at Harris Field.

Smith's 142 rushing yards and Callins' two touchdown passes improved the Bluejays to 9-0 and helped them replace Carl Albert as the top-ranked team in Class 5A. The victory also clinched the District 5A-2 title.

"They didn't want me touching the ball,” said Staley, who had 14 carries for 1 yard. "It was frustrating, but we got the win.”

Yet, that's not what Titans players point to as the reason for the loss.

"Turnovers made the difference,” Carl Albert safety Daytawion Lowe said. "We played a good game, we have to not turn the ball over.”

Said running back David Oku: "We know we can execute (better), but you have to take your loss and move on. You can't mope about it.”

Guthrie didn't turn the ball over and forced two turnovers while taking advantage of great field position for much of the night. Those turnovers, field position and Smith's hard running proved to be the difference.

"He was a workhorse,” Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins said of Smith. "He looked as strong at the end of the game as he did at the beginning.”

"Clayton Smith is real good,” said Lowe. "Kye Staley took a lot of the focus and he was able to break open and do his thing. I think we might have focused on Kye Staley too much, but we were still in position to win the game.”

Guthrie (6-0 in 5A-2) next plays at Woodward on Friday. If the Bluejays meet Carl Albert again, it most likely will be in the Class 5A state championship game.

"I'd rather take the loss now,” Oku said. "Everyone says it's hard to beat a team twice, I'd rather take one (loss) during the season.”

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