Yukon cruises past Edmond Memorial
EDMOND – A generation ago, coach Mike Little turned Yukon from a winless squad into a playoff qualifier in his first season with the Millers. Yukon’s current football coach, Jeremy Reed, is one win away from matching the legendary Little.
Yukon rolled to a 42-15 win over Edmond Memorial on Friday night at Wolves Stadium, overwhelming the Bulldogs with 472 rushing yards and 549 yards of offense overall. Quarterback Perry Olsen was masterful running Reed’s flexbone, rushing for 154 yards and three touchdowns and passing for another.
Now the challenge grows larger for Class 6A No. 9-ranked Yukon (4-3, 2-1 District 6AI-1). To qualify for the playoffs, the Millers will have to beat Jenks, Edmond Santa Fe or Westmoore during the final three weeks of the season. Up next Thursday is a trip to longtime 6A kingpin Jenks, led by another legendary coach, Allan Trimble.
“Sure,” Reed said, when asked about the Jenks game being next. “We don’t care. We’re playing good football. Our kids have experienced victory. When you go through a 14-game skid, we’ve had a little up and down, but now we’re 4-3 and I think playing pretty well. Obviously, we respect Jenks a whole lot, but I’m just proud of our kids for what they’ve done.”
No fewer than six Yukon backs rushed for at least 40 yards against Edmond Memorial (1-7, 0-4), led by Olsen (who had 20 carries), Noah Davis (15 carries for 80 yards) and Parker Kenley (four carries for 70 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown run).
“We say ‘Miller Tough’ for a reason,” Reed said. “We want to be tough in all phases, physically and mentally, and our kids are just getting better.”
Olsen scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to give Yukon an early lead, but the Bulldogs – who have lost seven straight since beating Ponca City in their season opener – took advantage of a fumbled punt, recovering at the Yukon 34 and punching it in. Blake Burgess hit Braden Gaffney on a 16-yard touchdown pass, and a successful two-point conversion gave Memorial an 8-7 lead.
Yukon answered with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Olsen to Carvell McKinley, then pulled off its own successful twopoint conversion, and the rout was on. Kenley’s scoring run – after Yukon held the Bulldogs on downs at the Yukon 3-yard line – put the Millers up 22-8 at halftime.
Olsen had scoring runs of 12 and 6 yards in the third quarter to put the game away.
The Millers’ defense also shined, limiting the Bulldogs to 219 yards of offense and intercepting three passes. Burgess completed only 7-of16 passes and had two passes picked off.