Taylor’s touchdowns send Carl Albert to title game
CHOCTAW — Carl Albert was lined up in a field goal formation when the yellow flags flew.
A delay-of-game penalty on the offense meant the ball was moving back five yards, just a smidge out of field goal range for the Titans.
Skiatook players and fans clapped and cheered, thinking it might make Carl Albert punt for the first time all night.
Carl Albert had different plans.
Head coach Mike Corley
sent his offense back on the field and had freshman quarterback Ben Harris toss one toward the end zone.
The play looked like it was going to sail out bounds, and for most normal high school football players it might have, but Carl Albert put Jason Taylor II at receiver.
The senior leaped over the would-be defender and came down with it, tapping two feet in bounds before skidding out with the ball clutched safely in one hand.
“I didn’t think I was going to get to it,” Taylor said. “I ended up getting up there pretty high and pulled it in. I just wanted to make a play.”
Carl Albert went on to beat Skiatook 42-12, thanks to four touchdowns by Taylor in a remarkable Class 5A semifinals effort.
Taylor ended the night with seven carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns, while also grabbing three catches for 33 yards and a score and tacking on an interception on defense for good measure.
“Jason is just a special playmaker,” Corley said. “He makes the big plays when we need them. But we also had other guys make plays tonight.”
Running back Dadrion Taylor finished the night with 23 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Ben Harris finished 12 of 16 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Dadrion Taylor said when he and his cousin are on the field together, special things happen.
“Our combination of skills clicks together,” Dadrion Taylor said. “We are a tough combo to stop when things are rolling.”
The Carl Albert defense overwhelmed Skiatook all night, holding the Bulldogs to 199 total yards and seven first downs, with the majority of those yards and conversions coming after the game was well in hand.
With the win, Carl Albert will head back to the Class 5A state championship game for the second-consecutive year, this time facing Bishop McGuinness.
“At Carl Albert we expect to be there,” Corely said. “Our kids responded to that and like that.”