PLAYOFF RUNDOWN
The Oklahoma state high school football playoffs are now underway
EDMOND — Moore senior quarterback Daniel Hishaw Jr. held the ball out waiting to fake it.
The problem was, senior running back Jayce Gardner had went left when Hishaw turned right. The play was broken. Defenders were swarming.
But Hishaw found room, as he and Gardner seemed to do all night.
Hishaw, a Kansas commit, scampered for an 18-yard touchdown, the clinching score in Moore's 41-28 win at top-seeded Edmond Santa Fe in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A-I playoffs. The Lions (6-5) will face Jenks in the semifinals next week, with a site and time to be determined.
“We (have) the best offense in the state of Oklahoma, period,” Gardner said. “I think anything we put our minds to, we're going to go out and conquer.”
Gardner finished with 33 carries for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Hishaw ran for 67 yards and four scores. The Santa Fe defense wasn't able to stop Moore's rushing attack, which finished with 393 yards on the ground.
Hishaw also played stellar defensively, as he made two tackles for loss on Santa Fe's final possession inside the 5.
He stuffed Santa Fe quarterback Jorgen Olsen twice on designed sneaks.
“It's real nice (to win),” Hishaw said. “But that's what we have been expecting since we came into this program. Our senior year, there wasn't any way we were going to get to the next level.”
Moore s t ar t ed quickly, driving 63 yards on its first series and scored on Hishaw's 16-yard run. On Santa Fe's first play, it tried a hook and latter, only to fumble the ball with the Lions recovering. Then Gardner took over, scoring consecutive touchdowns to give Moore a 20-0 lead early in the second.
Angelo Rankin responded quickly, returning the kickoff
after Gardner's second touchdown for a score of his own. Then Santa Fe's defense got its first stop and sophomore star receiver Talyn Shettron made a leaping 29-yard touchdown. The teams wouldn't score against before half with Baylor holding a 20-14 advantage.
Moore's strong attack continued in the second half, even as Santa Fe narrowed the gap to a one-score game on multiple occasions.
The Lions earned their first semifinals berth since the Class 6A split in 2014.
“It's awesome for this senior class to keep playing,” Moore coach Brad Hill said. “It's what they have been wanting to do since there sophomore year on. It's real special to them.”