Midwest City Carl Albert rallies to down Guthrie in matchup of undefeated 5A squads

Fourth-down TD pass lifts defending 5A champion Titans to dramatic 24-21 victory

GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA - Through eight games this season, Midwest City Carl Albert had yet to be tested. 

Every team the defending 5A champs have come across, they had dispatched with ease.

That was supposed to change Thursday night when the Titans made their way to Guthrie. The Blue Jays came into the game also sporting an unblemished record, a stingy defense and a hard-nosed running game.

Carl Albert got more than tested. They were pushed to the brink before pulling out a 24-21 victory at Jelsma Stadium.

The Titans took over on their 35-yard line with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 21-17. Quarterback Kevin Sperry hit Tristen Haynes on a deep pass down the field. After a Xavier Robinson run, they had it on the 2-yard line.

The Blue Jays stuffed Robinson and Sperry on back-to-back run attempts to set up a fourth-and-goal from the 5. Sperry rolled to his right, then threw back across the field to a wide-open Marcus James for the game-winning touchdown.

The Titans improved to 9-0 while the Blue Jays dropped their first game of the season to fall to 8-1.

It was the Blue Jays who got on the scoreboard first after their defense came up with a blocked punt in the first quarter. Three plays later, Jaylen Harper plunged into the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown.

Guthrie continued to stuff Carl Albert’s offense across the line of scrimmage. Robinson, who has committed to Oklahoma, had defenders swarming to him each time he touched the ball.

The Blue Jays were just as tenacious against the pass as they harassed Sperry when he dropped back to pass. The junior - also an Oklahoma commit - was unable to connect downfield with his receivers for much of the first half.

Guthrie took a 14-0 advantage when quarterback Hayden Calvert hit tight end Eli Plagg on a 6-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

On the verge of being shutout, the Titans scored right before halftime when Sperry and James hooked up for a 45-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left in the half.

Guthrie led, 14-7, at halftime.

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Carl Albert controlled the clock in the third quarter as they went on long drives. However, all the Titans could muster was a field goal to cut the lead down to four, 14-10.

It was the Titans' special teams that changed the tide of the contest. With 8:51 left in the fourth quarter, Caden Davis blocked a Blue Jays punt to set the Titans up just outside the 20-yard line.

On the very next play, Robinson scampered into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

However, the Blue Jays answered right back with a Calvert 1-yard TD run at the 4:08 mark to set up the final dramatic moments. 

-- Michael Kinney | @SBLive OK