By Mike Moguin 

Millwood photograph by Michael Kinney

There will probably be an abundance of talent and energy on either side when Washington and Oklahoma Metropolis Millwood meet Saturday afternoon within the Class 2A state championship.

The sport is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Chad Richison Stadium, situated on the College of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond.

Washington (14-0), ranked fourth within the SBLive Oklahoma ballot, is coached by Brad Beller, who’s in his seventh season with the Warriors, whereas No. 12 Millwood (13-1) is led by Darwin Franklin, now in his tenth 12 months teaching for the Falcons.

This is not going to be the primary time these two groups have met to play for a title. They squared off for the 2A title in 2017, with Millwood rolling in a 42-7 rout.

However that was 5 years in the past. These gamers have graduated and gone and the present gamers had been in center faculty at the moment.

Washington has since performed for 2 championships, having misplaced each the final two years. It returns to the Class 2A last for a 3rd straight season with hopes to come back away with the title after developing quick the final two seasons.

The Warriors misplaced in a high-scoring battle towards Metro Christian, 48-37, in 2020. Then got here a 17-13 loss to Marlow final 12 months.

“It’s very particular any time you get an opportunity to play for a state title,” Beller mentioned. “It’s very significant and I don’t suppose it will possibly ever get outdated.

“I do know lots of people are like, ‘Oh, you get there and you have not gained the final three conferences, would you quite not go?’ No. I’d quite be taking part in for all of it; that exhibits the consistency in our program and our youngsters and the way arduous they work to get there, and it’s not straightforward. To get again there for a 3rd consecutive time and a fourth time in six years means loads to the individuals in our neighborhood, and I do know it positively means loads to our youngsters.”

In the meantime, Millwood is again within the massive recreation since successful the gold ball in ‘17.

“It actually means loads,” Franklin mentioned. “It means we’ve completed one other objective we’ve got down to do. We reevaluate them each week.

“As soon as we knew we had been going to be within the playoffs, our objective was simply to win one recreation each week, and now, right here we’re. Now we have that chance.”

Wanting on the key talent gamers for every group, Washington has quarterback Main Cantrell and working again Cole Scott, who mixed for seven touchdowns within the Warriors’ 49-14 win towards Jones in a semifinal recreation final week.

Millwood was led by the efforts of Rickey Hunt Jr., Micho Lavine, C.J. Turnbull, and Xzavier Thompson in a 54-22 romp towards Tulsa Victory Christian within the different semifinal. Defensive again Will Mays additionally returned an interception 68 yards for a TD final week. 

Each groups have been on an analogous sample en path to the state last. They started their seasons with shut battles, then cruised via the majority of it with blowouts, or at the very least that’s what the rating confirmed in response to each coaches, then encountered shut video games within the playoffs.

Washington opened with a 39-24 win towards Vian in Week Zero, then barely beat Sulphur, 27-25, its smallest margin of victory this season, in Week 1.

The Warriors would go on to win their subsequent 14 of 15 video games, together with playoffs, by a median of 28.9 factors. The one recreation that was shut was an 18-11 win towards Oklahoma Christian within the second spherical of the playoffs.

The journey for Millwood had one distinction. The Falcons opened with a 35-28 loss to eventual Class 3A state champions OKC Heritage Corridor of their season opener, however there have been no blemishes since.

They responded with a 45-0 rout towards OKC Douglass in Week 2, adopted by a 30-20 win towards Scott Metropolis (Kansas) Scott. Then got here a streak of blowout wins, apart from prevailing 34-29 towards Crossings Christian in spherical one of many playoffs.

In all different video games, together with the early-season win towards Douglass, Millwood has gained by a median of 38.9 factors.

However neither coach takes these stats severely when getting ready for an opponent. They’ll inform you the video games had been nearer than the rating.

“You’d suppose, should you had been 14-0 and gained a whole lot of video games by a big margin, that it was straightforward and it hasn’t been,” Beller mentioned. “We’ve had a whole lot of accidents this 12 months. At one level, we had seven starters out and that’s robust for a 2A faculty.

“The adversity has made us stronger. Even when a number of the scores might need regarded dangerous, what we needed to overcome was very tough.”

“Each recreation is a problem,” Franklin mentioned. “The factors don’t inform the story. Each week, each opponent is hard.

“We didn’t have a simple schedule. We needed to continuously come out and execute and carry out. We didn’t have any straightforward video games.”

Apart from the efforts of their skill-position gamers, the important thing final result will possible come right down to the trenches between the offensive and defensive traces.

“You bought to be disciplined along with your method,” Beller mentioned. “The best way it’s important to beat the pace and the massive performs they’ve, it’s important to play good method.

“In the event you don’t play good method and also you aren’t disciplined, that’s when groups are going to have success. So, we’ve to be per what we’re doing.”

“They (Washington) are the litmus take a look at,” Franklin mentioned. “What we’ve to do is go in and attempt to match their power and we’ll have an opportunity.”