Smith scores 5 TDs; Staley adds to scores as Guthrie coasts to win
Guthrie coasts to win

By Ed Godfrey

Published: September 15, 2007

GUTHRIE — Notre Dame has its green jerseys. Guthrie now has the black pants.

For the first time in school history Friday night, the Blue Jays wore black pants instead of their usual silver threads against Deer Creek. Judging from their performance, they might not take them off, especially junior tailback Clayton Smith, who scored a career-high five touchdowns in a 58-0 romp over the Antlers.

Everyone talks about Guthrie quarterback Kye Staley, who has verbally committed to Oklahoma State University, but on Friday night, the Blue Jays showed they have other weapons, too.

"Clayton Smith is a strong runner. It's not just all about me. It's all about the team,” Staley said. "People underestimate that. It's not Kye Staley's team. It's the Guthrie Blue Jays. We have a strong offensive line, weapons on the outside and a good backfield.”

Smith scored on touchdown runs of 4, 2, 5, 10 and 61 yards and had his first 100-yard rushing game, picking up 167 yards on 16 carries.

Senior wide receiver and defensive back Israel Escoe returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in the first half. In the second half, Escoe picked up a fumble and made a dazzling 75-yard run for a touchdown that was wiped out by a clipping penalty on the play.

"People just don't realize,” Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins said. "Kye is very special, but we've got a lot of good athletes and they showed it tonight.”

However, Staley also did his part against the Antlers. He rushed for 103 yards and scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. On the first play he lined up as a wide receiver, Staley raced by the Deer Creek secondary and caught a 65-yard scoring strike from back-up quarterback Keaton Collins.

It's perhaps a glimpse of the position Staley will play at OSU.

"You could say that,” Staley said. "But it's just a glimpse of what's going to happen in the future in high school. I've been doing it (playing some wide receiver) since game one against Shawnee. It was good to finally (catch a pass) and get a touchdown.”

Class 4A's Deer Creek upset Class 5A power Guthrie last season, and the eighth-ranked Antlers had not been scored upon this season entering Friday night's game against the second-ranked Blue Jays at "The Rock.”

Last year's loss to Deer Creek was a turning point in Guthrie's season, Watkins said. The Blue Jay coaches have been pointing to Friday night's game as an important test, so they surprised the team after pre-game warm-ups with the black pants.

"This was a special night,” Watkins said. "We wanted a little spark, and the kids have been wanting black pants for a couple of years. We are not going to wear them a whole lot.

"Tonight, we came out and warmed up and when we came back in and I said we had black pants, it was the easiest pep speech I have ever given. I don't know what it is about 'em. I think they are ugly.”

So will be the Blue Jays being donning them again next week?

"I doubt we will wear them next week,” Watkins said.

"Maybe at Carl Albert?” asked a fan, referring to an Oct. 26 showdown against the top-ranked team in Class 5A, the Titans.

Probably not, Watkins said.

"We probably won't wear them away,” he said. "We are going to wear them with the blue (home jerseys). I don't like black and white.”

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