FEATURE his staff are trying to expedite the learning process for the team. “We do return a solid group of starters from the both sides of the ball and look forward to continuing to build our team with a good group of juniors that received lots of playing time last year,” said Fridrich. Keys To Winning
All About the Running Game As cliché as it sounds, it is all about the running game for the Redskins and Trojans. The defensive front of Union has their hands full in stopping Langer and the Trojan rushing attack. This was a key to the state championship game for the Redskins. With Pearson taking over at quarterback, the Skins will rely heavily on Hearron to get the ground game going. If the Trojans young offensive line can develop rather quickly and open holes for Langer, then Jenks will have a big advantage.
Unknown Heroes This game has always brought out the best in the players, and there is always a relatively unknown star who emerges from the contest. Last year, no one really knew about Langer until he scampered for 135 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Trevor Staub is a defensive end for the Trojans and has the ability to make a huge impact. Also Matt McPheters who lines up on the other side of Staub. The receiving corp of the Skins with Hood and Weaver will have plenty of opportunities to make big plays. Also don’t forget about Osifeso. The senior has impressed in camp and in scrimmages and is looking to bust out against Jenks.
Turnovers Are Key Last year, Union turned the ball over five times that ultimately doomed the Skins. In the 23 games since 1994, the team that wins the turnover battle has gone on to win the game 81% of the time. (13-3). The remaining seven games, the two teams had the same amount of turnovers. Protecting the ball will be key and some of those unknown heroes we cited might be responsible for an interception or fumble recovery.
Leadership Kills There are equal amounts of leadership on both sides as Langer and Kollmorgan return on the Jenks offense and Pearson and Walser return for the Redskins. Stanley will also be key in the Redskin secondary as a senior leader. Jenks also has Trent Martin and Brandon Crump at linebacker who will be setting the example for the younger Trojans. VYPE.COM HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
2006 – With 39 seconds left, Brandon Rogers fired a 34-yard TD pass to Brad Wondra that would have erased Jenks’ three-point lead and put Union ahead. However, before the pass was delivered, a penalty flag was tossed for illegal motion in the Redskins’ backfield. Jenks’ defense then held on the next three plays to
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2005 – Isaac Norman scored on a 64-yard pass from Jake Strain with 18 seconds remaining to give Class 6A No. 2 Jenks a 4844 victory over top-ranked 6A Union in the Backyard Bowl before a crowd of 24,110 at Skelly Stadium. Jake Borgsmiller caught three TDs for Union while quarterback Casey Whorton threw for 197 yards and four TDs.
Oklahoma-bound Dominique Franks also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD. Tanner Shuck, Jake Laptad, and Tony Gillespie held on to keep the Redskins at bay for most of the second half. Union went on to win the 2005 state title game against Mustang in decisive fashion. This ended long-time Union coach Bill Blankenship’s era as the Skins coach.
SEPTEMBER 2010
2004 – State Finals For the fourth time in six years the Redskins and Trojans would face off in the 6A State Championship. Brad Glenn, a Union fullback who joined the squad at mid-season, stole the show with 189 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Phillip Dillard and the Jenks
defense could not find an answer as Glenn seemed to slip out of the backfield to catch numerous passes and bulldoze his way into the end zone. Andrew Brewer and company were able to amass 332 yards of offense but that was not enough as Union finally beats Jenks in the state championship 27-17.
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2004 – The Trojans held off a late Union push to beat the Redskins 17-13 before an estimated crowd of 25,000 at Skelly Stadium. Andrew Brewer and Freddie Carolina were the heroes for Jenks as they combined for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Phillip Dillard and the Trojan defense held Tony Moore and the Union offense to 267 yards.
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