Unsung heroes
John Marshall’s offense gets most of the attention, but its the Bears’ defense that has them playing for a state championship.
Nigel Brannon rarely leaves the field, so he completely understands why one part of John Marshall’s game is hardly noticed.
Each week, the Bears’ offense puts up huge numbers behind star Devonte Lee. Points come in bunches. Yards pile up.
The defense, meanwhile, keeps getting the ball back to Lee and Co. It quietly does a job few notice.
“We just bounce back and keep it going,” said Brannon, a defensive and offensive lineman committed to Memphis.
“Blood, sweat and tears. That’s how much you’ve got to prove it.”
As John Marshall heads into its first state championship game since 1995, it’s easy to focus on its offense. But it wouldn’t be playing Beggs at Stillwater High School on Friday without the defense.
The unit is young, talented and capable of locking down an opponent at just the right time. It’s also motivated to force its way into the spotlight.
Last week, it held Class 3A’s top offense — Jones — to just 26 points, the lowest total this season. The week before, it held powerful Idabel to just 20, allowing a secondhalf comeback for the second straight week.
“Everybody looks at the firepower we have with the run game and say nothing about them,” John Marshall coach Rashaun Woods said. “We may have a bust here and there but at the same time when they need to make plays they’ve made them.
“We’ve had some difficult times, but when we’ve had to shore up we’ve done it.”
Woods turned over the defense to his brother, Donovan, who starred at Oklahoma State and won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Donovan has built a force over the past few years, producing multiple Division I players.
Brannon anchors the defensive line. Jaden Mullin anchors the linebackers. Che’Don Caldwell, TJ Spriggs and Daymon Tempson lead a talented secondary.
Donovan pushes them hard, almost to the point he sometimes wonders if he goes too far. But then he remembers the coaching he had as a player at all levels. It’s all necessary. “The kids know that we care,” he said. “Throw football out the window; we care about them as people.”
Now, he’s tasked with stopping a powerful Beggs offense.
Beggs is coming off a masterful offensive performance behind 6-foot4, 225-pound quarterback Dalton Spring. He nearly threw for 600 yards last week. The Demons also run the ball well.
But that hasn’t deterred John Marshall.
“If we’ve got a blade of grass to defend, we expect to stop them,” Donovan said.
After all, this is the perfect time for an overlooked defense to grab the spotlight.
“It doesn’t mean anything if we don’t go out there and take care of business Friday,” Donovan said. “Nobody will remember what we did if we don’t take care of business Friday.”
Martel might get a shot
At some point, there’s a good chance Beggs will make history, and it’s sure to be touching.
Beggs coach Lee Blankenship told The Oklahoman earlier this week that he hopes to get junior defensive lineman Joe Martel III into the game.
Martel is believed to be Oklahoma’s first double-amputee to play high school football.
He was born with tibial hemimelia, which caused him to have no shin bones.
Both legs were amputated when he was 18 months old. He wears prosthetic legs when on the field.