ELGIN — A strong running game pushed the Guthrie Bluejays to a 17-0 win over the Elgin Owls Friday night in a first-round Class 5A playoff game.
Elgin, which finishes the season 8-3, struggled offensively while the Guthrie rushing attack punished Elgin defenders for most of the game. The Bluejays took a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Noah French with 4:24 left to play in the first quarter.
The teams traded punts several times as the north wind played havoc with the ball. After Guthrie started a possession at its 37-yard line, Elgin got the first break of the game when Brody Morrision intercepted a pass at the Bluejay 47. However, an inefficient Owl offense produced no yards on three plays and was forced to punt.
Guthrie took the 3-0 lead into halftime, but came out in the third quarter and scored its first touchdown on a 61-yard, 11-play drive that ended with a 15-yard TD pass from quarterback Hayden Calvert to Jaylen Chelf. The extra point was good as the Bluejays led, 10-0.
Guthrie’s final TD of the game came on a 5-yard run by Jaylen Harper with 9:30 left to play in the game. Harper’s run culminated a 42-yard, 10-play drive that started after a short Elgin punt.
Elgin gained 54 yards of total offense, including 11 yards rushing and 43 through the air. On several plays, Guthrie’s defenders threw Elgin runners for losses. Meanwhile, the Bluejays rushed for 256 yards and threw for 55 more.
There was also a large disparity in time of possession with Elgin on offense for 14 minutes while Guthrie held the ball for almost 34 minutes.
This was Elgin’s first season in Class 5A. Meanwhile, Guthrie advances to the quarterfinal round and will play undefeated Grove, which swept past Sapulpa 70-28 Friday night.
Elgin started the 2022 campaign with six consecutive wins followed by its first loss, a 32-21 loss to Noble. The Owls won two more games before losing the final game of the season to Midwest City, 23-21. The Bombers were beaten by Piedmont, 60-41, in another first-round game Friday night.
