TITANIC WIN
Carl Albert shuts out rival Guthrie
GUTHRIE — Carl Albert junior defensive end Alphonse Joseph had never experienced a rivalry quite like Friday night.
A move-in from Dayton, Ohio, he had heard about the Titans’ battles with Guthrie, especially in famed Jelsma Stadium. He only wanted to be part of the lore.
And he and the rest of the defensive line certainly found a place in the rivalry’s history.
No. 1-ranked Carl Albert shut out No. 6 Guthrie 21-0 in front of a full house at The Rock to move on step closer to a District 5A-2 title.
“Coming from Ohio, it’s different,” Joseph said. “Seeing people here working hard and seeing true family out here is making me feel like I’m
one of the brothers here. We move as one.”
Carl Albert (7-0, 4-0) held Guthrie (6-1, 3-1) to just 78 total yards and forced two turnovers.
The closest the Bluejays came to scoring was a missed 47-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.
The Titans, with 11 new defensive starters, have allowed just 10 points in district play and none in the last two games.
“Really proud of our defense,” Carl Albert coach Mike Corley said. “They showed up and they just flat got after it. They’ve got some good players on their defense, and our defense really showed up and played lights out. To shut them out is a really big deal.”
Carl Albert’s defensive front four, including Joseph, hounded Guthrie quarterback Jackson Waddell all night. He completed just 3 of 12 passes for 9 yards, throwing two first-half interceptions to Reise Collier and Rico Windham.
Waddell also rushed for 53 of the Bluejays’ 69 rushing yards.
“In a big game and emotional game for our school, them coming out and shutting them out was unbelievable,” Carl Albert star running back Dadrion Taylor said. “They’re just getting better. You all haven’t even seen anything yet. We’re just getting better.”
Taylor played his first full game since a Week 1 knee injury and only got stronger throughout the game. He rushed for 116 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown, a 1-yard dive from the wildcat formation with 10:29 remaining.
In the first half, he rushed for just 33 yards as he hesitated on his knee.
But quarterback Ben Harris threw two touchdown passes to Anthony Davis, a move-in from Tulsa Union.
Harris finished 10 for 27 for 154 yards. Davis caught three passes for 75 yards.
But it was the defense that truly shined.
“I feel like we did good,” Joseph said.