December 5, 2009

TULSA — There have been plenty of classic football matchups between Jenks and Tulsa Union in the last 15 years.
Games that have gone down to the wire and even to overtime and earned the rivalry a place among the nation’s best.

Friday night at Chapman Stadium was not one of them.

Tulsa Union took control from the opening kickoff, and Jenks sputtered from the start as the Redskins won their second consecutive Class 6A title with a 52-19 blowout win in front of 10,776 fans.

"We knew we would come out fast,” Union tight end Deonte Morris said. "And we did and after that. They weren’t going to stop us.”

The win caps a roller-coaster postseason for the Redskins, who alternated close calls in the first and third rounds with blowouts in the second round and Friday night.

"We just weren’t focused all the time,” Redskins quarterback Chase Boyce said. "But we came out focused tonight, and it showed.”

The teams’ regular-season meeting was close, with Jenks winning 27-25.

Friday night, though, things got out of hand quickly.

The Redskins set the tone on the first play, as Jacob Rice picked up the opening kickoff, threw the ball laterally across the field to Thomas Roberson, and Roberson went 76 yards for a touchdown. The play was reminiscent of the "Home Run Throwback” that the Tennessee Titans used to beat the Buffalo Bills in a 2000 NFL Wild Card game.

"We knew if they kicked it, they’d kick it short and everyone would fly to that side of the field,” Roberson said. "And it worked.”

Roberson said the Redskins (13-1) had practiced the play every week, but Friday was their first time to try it in a game.

Things didn’t get much better after that for the Trojans (13-1).

Jenks fumbled on its second play; Tulsa Union scored three plays later, and the rout was on.

The Redskins eventually built a 32-0 lead by halftime.

It was the biggest Union win over Jenks in terms of points since the Redskins won the 2003 regular-season matchup 37-0.

The title is Tulsa Union’s sixth overall and its fifth since 2002. The Redskins also won back-to-back titles in 2004-05.

Boyce and Colton Dost, whose career started at Jenks, each rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Boyce also added one to Morris through the air.

Zach Langer, who came in as Class 6A’s leading rusher, finished with 172 yards and a TD, though most of it came after the game was well in hand.

The loss ends a tumultuous season for Jenks, which was forced to forfeit nine wins from the 2008 season and finish the 2009 season under interim coach Loren Montgomery after head coach Allan Trimble was suspended.