September 10, 2006 12:53 am
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By Scott Mooreand Jeff Johncox
Transcript Sports Writers
WASHINGTON — The Warriors pretty much took Dibble to school Friday, winning 55-10. They scored 22 points in the first quarter and led 37-7 at halftime.
But what Washington coach Dennis McCray was watching the most was the battle in the trenches. And in that respect, the Warriors did well. They aren’t where they need to be, but they did well.
“We cleaned up some of the mistakes that we made last week against Bethany,” McCray said. “That was our primary goal”
The did well enough to roll up 228 yards rushing and 193 yards passing.
Washington (2-0, 1-0 District A-4) returns three starters on the line and one part-time starter, so that’s four guys with experience. So why is the line a concern?
The Warriors have changed their offense a little since last year.
The Warriors, with Tanner Roberson at the helm, was more of running team. This year, with Tyler Hancock calling the signals, the Warriors throw a little more.
That means different formations and blocking schemes. The Warriors are more of a one-back set now, using zone blocking techniques.
“You just have to change your philosophy a little depending on your personnel,” McCray said. “You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. This offense suits (Hancock).”
Returning linemen Jeff Tompkins (5-0, 190), Nick Taylor (5-11, 290) and Jason Bridwell (5-10, 225), along with part-timer Colton Hyde (6-3, 285) protected Hancock long enough for him to complete 11-of-15 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns Friday.
“Our pass protection was a little shaky (at Bethany),” McCray said. “We knew Dibble would use a lot of line twists and stunts, so it was a concern.”
The new offense is also a change for running back Tyler Simmons, who was the fullback last year.
He gained 221 yards on 25 carries with two scores against Dibble.
“He’s had to learn to be patient,” McCray said. “As the fullback, he’s used to hitting the hole at 100 miles an hour. He’s the guy back there, now.”
With the new system, it’s been so far, so good for the Warriors. But tougher tests linger down the road. They will be at archrival Wayne (0-2) Friday.
“We’re not struggling with (the new system), but it’s taking a while,” McCray said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there.”
Shawnee 41,Noble 18
SHAWNEE — It’s been two games and two losses for Noble. But coach Ray Crawley said it’s too early for the Bears to lose confidence.
“We have seen some progress,” Crawley said. “We have good players, and I think our guys know they have a chance to be really good.”
But it will take time. Friday, Shawnee overwhelmed the Bears at Jim Thorpe Stadium.
It was the first game back for Shawnee quarterback Tucker Brown, who was suspended for last year’s Class 5A semifinal game against Tulsa East Central.
Brown rushed for 109 yards and completed 8-of-13 passes for 185 yards as the Wolves built a 41-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“We couldn’t tackle him,” Crawley said.
Shawnee outgained Noble 322-245. Noble scored all of its points in the final 9 minutes against Shawnee reserves.
The good news is the district season hasn’t started yet. But Crawley still wants to see some improvement when the Bears play at Ada Friday. The Cougars are 1-1 and suffered a 64-9 loss at Carl Albert last Friday.
“We’re still trying to find ourselves on offense,” Crawley said. “We didn’t score (against Shawnee) until the start of the fourth quarter. We started to move the ball a little bit, which is a good sign, I would hope.”
St. Mary’s 27,Little Axe 18
OKLAHOMA CITY — Little Axe Indians couldn’t completely put the past behind it as it traveled to St. Mary’s Friday night.
The Indians, trying to go 2-0 for the first time in almost a decade, took a two-point lead into halftime, but allowed the Rockets to put together a big third quarter en route to a victory.
The loss dropped Little Axe to 1-1 on the season.
Indian running back Antwone Burden ran for 105 yards and two 1-yard touchdowns, and quarterback Paul Davis threw for 115 yards and ran in for a touchdown.
But Little Axe lost four fumbles and Davis tossed one interception to give St. Mary’s plenty of opportunities.
The Rockets scored 17 third-quarter points to pull away, and a late Little Axe score wasn’t enough to pick up the road victory.
“We should have won this game,” Little Axe assistant Jeremy Johnson said. “But it’s hard to win when you give it over five times.”
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