Owasso's Bill Blankenship gets better of cousin Lee Blankenship
MUSTANG — Even with star running back Isaiah Jacobs sidelined for a fourth straight football game, Ow ass o' s offense remains a potent force, as the Rams showed against Mustang on Friday.
On a raw, soggy night at Bronco Stadium, the Rams — ranked No. 1 in Class 6A-I— mostly played it close to the vest against No. 5 Mustang but still had more than enough firepower to post a 24-10 win in a matchup of coaching first cousins — Bill Blankenship of Owasso and Lee Blankenship of Mustang.
Sophomore running back Derrick Overstreet had 1 6 carries for 104 yards, converted tight end Mario Kirby had eight carries for 40 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Cole Dugger completed 12 of 21 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns for Owasso ( 8- 0, 5- 0 i n 6AI- 2), which still has home games remaining against district contenders Moore (which beat the Rams last season) and Putnam City North.
Mustang (5-3, 3-2) closes with the same two teams, traveling to play Putnam City North, then Moore. The Broncos do have a win over east-side power Tulsa Union in their proverbial pocket, which could prove valuable if district tiebreakers come into play.
Mustang rushed the ball well enough — Harvey Phillips had 25 carries for 141 yards and Khary Brown had 14 carries for 66 yards and the Broncos' only touchdown — but quarterback Hayden Conrad suffered through a tough night, completing only eight of 20 passes for 43 yards.
Jacobs — a Super 30 recruit — has been out with a knee injury sustained in the Rams' win over Tulsa Union on Sept. 27. He played in one series the next game against Edmond North before missing the rest of the game and now has missed complete games against Norman North, Southmoore and Mustang.
Bill Blankenship said Jacobs won't require surgery and remains week-to-week and was proud of the rest of the Rams grinding out the win — it was their second-closest game of the season and their lowest point output of 2019.
“I knew it would take toughness,” Bill Blankenship said. “I thought we had it. I thought we demonstrated it really well. Defensively, we played against a really good Mustang team. That team has scored a lot of points. … Offensively, I thought we were able to get on the ground and kind of grind it when we had to a little bit.”
One key was moving the 6- foot -1,225- pound Kirby — whose eight touchdown receptions are tops on Owasso's squad—into the back field. Kirby recorded his first carries of the season and his first touchdown on Owasso's first drive, a 61-yard march he ended with a 1-yard run.
“I think we've got a lot of pieces,” Bill Blankenship said. “Mario gave us the big-back concept that we needed. I just love what he does for our team. He does so much. He's just a tough guy.”