ON TO STATE
McGuinness pushes past adversity to get rematch
McGuinness sophomore Tyler Travis keeps delivering on a promise he made nearly a month ago.
He talks with Irish star running back Dominic Richardson before each game. Richardson, on crutches with his right foot wrapped, has one request. Just win.
“I told him I wouldn’t let him down,” Travis said. “I told him we’re going to win it for him.”
In a postseason that could have gone awry with Richardson’s Week 10 injury, No. 2 McGuinness kept overcoming the doubt and adversity with a 38-10 win over No. 6 Noble during Friday’s Class 5A state semifinals at Western Heights High School.
The victory ends Noble’s magical run to its first semifinal. It also sets up a rematch of last season’s championship game with No. 1 Carl Albert, which won that game 34-29 and won a regular season game this season 21-6.
But to force another matchup with its district rival, McGuinness first had to overcome the loss of offensive tackle Owen Condon, a Georgia commitment, early in the year.
Then Richardson, a budding star, was hurt in Week 10. That thrust
Travis from a little-used backup to starter.
Travis, a 5-foot-7, 151pound speedster, had a fourth straight dominating performance Friday with 236 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
The Irish totaled 350 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
“I knew coming into this game it wasn’t going to be easy so I told myself to run hard,” Travis said. “I love this team. Even with all of the adversity going on, we’ve been working through it in practice and working our butts off.”
McGuinness took a 17-3 lead in the second quarter with a 44-yard run by Travis and a 1-yard run to open the second quarter by Luke Tarman two plays after a 92-yard TD run by Travis was negated by a penalty.
After Noble’s Chance Felchlin made it 17-10 with a touchdown reception late in the half, the Irish dominated the second half.
McGuinness’ defense forced three drives to end on downs, intercepted a pass and forced one punt.
“The unsung hero to what we’ve done this year has been how well our defense has played game in and game out,” McGuinness coach Justin Jones said. “Those guys are playing at a championship level right now.”
The defense led to quarterback Brennan Mullins accounting for three touchdowns in the half to seal another shot at a state championship.
Considering everything McGuinness has gone through, that’s special.
“The biggest thing is these kids continue to respond,” Jones said. “These guys play as a unit and nothing fazes them. They’ve really been able to shake adversity and keep responding.
“That’s the mark of a good football team.”