Gundy, Walker lead Stillwater past Norman North
NORMAN — Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard wasn’t surprised by Gunnar Gundy’s flawless and fast start.
“Classic Gundy,” Barnard said.
On a night where Bedlam lineage collided at Harve Collins Field, it was Stillwater’s junior left-handed quarterback who looked like his famous dad on the field.
Gundy, the son of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, completed the first five passes he threw — three for touchdowns — to spark Class 6A-II No. 3 Stillwater to a 44-21 rout of Class 6A-I Norman North on Thursday.
Gundy threw for 217 of his 325 yards in the first quarter, connecting with four different receivers. Three different receivers caught touchdowns.
“Really?’ Gundy said in surprise when told of his fast start. “That’s awesome. But without the O-line and the receivers, they played a great, great game. The runs after catch were big-time for me. they all make me look good out there.”
He opened with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Bland, who caught a short pass and ran 75 yards for the score. Gundy later threw a 16-yard touchdown to Steven Brown, who spun free and into the end zone.
To cap the first, Gundy threw a screen to running back Qwontrel Walker, who broke free for a 40-yard score.
“That’s just classic,” Barnard said. “That’s the way he rolls. The receivers that we have right now out there. It’s just different than what we’ve had. So many guys that can go deep and are good route runners.
“Gunnar, I say it over and over again, but his accuracy. He makes great decisions and he hardly ever makes a bad throw.”
With a 21-point lead, the Pioneers (2-0) turned it over the Walker, who scored three more times on the ground on a night where backup Chris Jones was unavailable due to an injury. Walker finished with 118 yards on 21 carries.
He put the game away after Norman North (0-2) battled back with two touchdowns in the second quarter. Walker scored with 1:10 remaining before scoring twice in the third quarter.
“Either way you get it, you’re going to get a very good player on the field, a player that can make plays,” Gundy said. “Q can make people miss. I think overall we have playmakers all over the field.”
Norman North, led by junior Jacob Switzer, failed to overcome the Pioneers’ fast opening. Switzer, the grandson of Barry Switzer, was limited to just 106 passing yards and a late touchdown to his younger brother Luke. He also threw an interception.
Stillwater was simply too much for a second straight week against a Class 6A-I opponent.
“We’re in that place where we think we can be pretty good, but we’ve got a long ways to go,” Barnard said. “You see flashes of brilliance out of us, but we’ve got a lot of young players on both sides of the ball.”