It’s definitely familiar territory for the Caddo Bruins on Friday as they look to advance to the Class B1 football state semifinals when they make the long road trip to Laverne.
The Bruins notched a dominant 61-14 thumping of Depew in the playoff opener last week to set up a rematch of last year’s trip to northwest Oklahoma.
“It’s always a little concerning coming off an emotional game like we had against Dewar,” Coach Wigington commented. “We were hoping we could still go out and execute and we were able to do that. We executed what we wanted to offensively. We were a little flat at the start and weren’t flying around as much defensively.
“One of our defensive backs fell down on the one touchdown our first team gave up. We know where we can make adjustments from the first round game. It was a win and we’re not going to complain.”
Caddo rushed for 351 yards in the first round triumph, including a pair of 100-yard runners in Cale Wigington and Bayler Black as they combined for 273 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Bruins built a 28-6 first quarter lead and then roared to 33 more points in the second stanza, cashing in defensive interceptions by Jake McKay and Noah Carvel.
Wigington completed seven of nine passes for 70 yards and added 128 yards on eight carries, four of which went for scores. Black also tallied three touchdowns in 10 attempts for 145 yards. Carvel also ran for 60 yards and a score in five carries.
McKay posted four receptions for 36 yards, Noah Bacon caught two for 23 and Black chipped in a catch for 11 yards.
Four Caddo players notched double figure tackle totals with 12 by Black along with 10 apiece from Jase Counce, McKay and Bladyn Brown.
The Bruin focused quickly moved on to the rematch with Laverne, looking to avenge last year’s nightmare 53-6 loss after the 322mile trek.
While many of the Bruins returned, Laverne has a host of newcomers but the perennial power Tigers have remained a fixture in the Top 5 in the state rankings all season long.
One of the biggest differences however may be the health of the Bruins, who were battling illness and injuries in several areas going into the contest as season ago.
Laverne, meanwhile, has not lost a game since Week 3 of the season to a Kansas powerhouse program.
“The kids are excited about the opportunity again,” the Caddo head coach said. “Our school has taken care of us again with a chartered bus again. I feel like we are healthier and a year older. We are a better football team than last season and will have all our bullets available. It will all come down to execution. If we play well, we have a good chance of winning.
“Laverne has success doing what they do in their scheme. They graduated a lot of players. Their quarterback is a sophomore that is well versed in what they want to do. It’s definitely going to be contrasting styles. We are explosive and a scorefast offense. They are the opposite. They want to bleed the clock and limit possessions so we are going to need to maximize our opportunities when we get the football. We need to do something with it and get points and our defense has to get off the field when they have a chance to. Avoiding turnovers will be a big factor because in games like this turnovers play a huge part.”
