November 5, 2009
Justin Harper & Robert Przybylo
The Oklahoman
Moore (0-9, 0-6 6A-1) at Edmond Santa Fe (2-7, 1-5 6A-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Wantland Stadium
Santa Fe (L, North; L, Memorial; W, PCWest; L, Mustang; L, Del City; L, Southmoore; L, PCNorth; L, Lawton; W, Norman North)
Why the Wolves can win: Because they are on a roll. The Wolves are on a winning streak for the first time since week 3 and coming off their first district triumph. What’s more, standout running back Brian Mills said the Wolves played their best game of the season last week in a win over Norman North and has finally put it all together on both sides of the ball, special teams and confidence. And, of course, because Santa Fe has a stronger team than winless Moore.
Quote: "It’s senior night, so we’re definitely going to be excited about that. This might be the final time we play for some of us.” – senior Will Long
Moore
Why the Lions can win: Moore avoided a winless season a year ago with a win over Southmoore. Granted, a 1-9 record is far from what Moore players expected, but closing a tough season with a victory would be a tremendous emotional lift and provide an optimistic outlook for 2010. So, an upset over a two-win team isn’t out of the question. Plus, a victory would allow the Lions to escape the district basement as they would swap places with Santa Fe.
Boneman’s key matchup: Santa Fe defense. The Wolves gave up 28 points in the slop at Southmoore and 31 to Lawton with a bunch of bad special teams play and 38 to Mustang and well, who doesn’t give up points in bunches to that club. This defense has a lot of pride and would love to close out with a big statement.
Justin’s key matchup: Moore’s Chris Clark vs. Edmond Santa Fe’s Will Long.
Given that Clark is a hard-hitting linebacker who leads the Lions in tackles with 105, it may seem like his performance vs. ESF stud running back Brian Mills would be the key. However, Moore will sell out to stop the run just like Norman North did against the Wolves last week. With the box jammed packed with defenders, Clark will have a lot of company in clogging Mills’ running lanes. But in that same circumstance last week, Long dusted off Santa Fe’s passing game playbook and did in Norman North through the air. Clark will have triple duty in regards to trying to keep Long in check. First, he’ll have to keep track of Long, who is a capable runner. If the Santa Fe QB decides to tuck and run, Clark is the likely candidate to track him down. Second, he’ll have to drop into coverage and try to keep Santa Fe receivers such as Matt Leavell from turning short receptions into long gainers. Third, Clark is adept at blitzing and could catch Long by surprise with his timing and speed.
Boneman’s pick: Santa Fe 42, Moore 10. It wasn’t the season Santa Fe fans were hoping for. But back-to-back wins to finish the year should end things on a positive.
Justin’s pick: Edmond Santa Fe 38, Moore 24. The Lions have scored a combined 44 points in their last two games, which is 12 more points than they scored in the first seven games total. So, the offense is managing to put points on the board. It will be a tough task, however, to put up enough to win.
