MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week: Jenks football

It’s that time of year and Jenks (Okla.) football coach Allan Trimble and his Trojans know it.

Going after their 14th state title, Jenks (13-0) wasted little time, scoring the first five times it got the ball in a 46-14 6A state semifinal win over Westmoore Friday night at Miller Stadium in Yukon.

For their continued success and resounding win over Westmoore, the Trojans are the MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.

"We have a great deal of pride and effort on how we prepare for games," said Trimble. "We had tough practices, watched lots of game film, we had repetitions on plays. We tried to make ourselves as mentally and physically ready as we could."

According to newsok.com, Kalen McDavid rushed 23 times for 147 yards, Cameron Booty and Noah Moore each ran for scores and Steven Parker added two touchdown receptions as Jenks moved into the state finals against longtime rival Union.

The two teams have combined for the last 17 6A state titles. The title game is Thursday.

Jenks is the defending state champions and have won other state crowns this decade in 2007, 2006, 2003, 2001 and 2000.

"We really worked hard to repeat that this season," said Trimble. "We have a great group of seniors who helped us get to this game and they played a big role last year. We wanted to carry on the tradition so we have been working hard to get here again."

Jenks, which beat Union 27-23 on Sept. 13, has been balanced all season behind the rushing of Booty and passing of sophomore quarterback Cooper Nunley, who through 11 games completed 92 of 164 for 1,586 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Booty had rushed for 1,019 and 12 touchdowns and Trent Taber had made the most of his 20 carries with nine touchdowns. McDavid (468 yards, 6 TDs) and Darwin Thompson (320, 3), both juniors, have also been strong contributors on the ground.

Parker has been the team’s top receiver all season with 22 catches for 367 yards, though Dylan Harding has been the team’s deep threat with 16 catches for a whopping 501 yards (31.3 per reception) and six touchdowns.

Jenks prides itself on gang tackling and with a remarkable 48 different players with tackles, it’s obvious the Trojans  prioritize defense.

"Our defense is very special," said Trimble. "We've got a majority of them who are three-year varsity starters, who have been playing at this level since their sophomore year. They are a veteran crew who are very experienced. Being seasoned has helped them be so tough on defense."

Leading the squad with 56 tackles is senior Luke Thompson, but contributions are all around, including junior Marquise Overton (41 tackles), senior Taber (39), senior Chris Lilly, senior Steven Parker (33), Jacob Boepple (35) and senior Byrl Foster (31).

Jenks, ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps and 19th nationally, has outscored opponents 501-168 all season. It opened the season with three close wins over Trinity (27-23), Union (27-23) and Owasso (45-28 and 14-10), the latter coming in the first round of the playoffs.

As usual, it comes down to a battle with Union, something players from both squads are used to.

"We are trying to prepare thoroughly," said Trimble. "(Union) is a very talented group with lots of nationally recruited players, so we know we will have to be at our best. We are trying to make the most of our practices and work on what we think they are going to do.

"We know this is a great opportunity for us to be playing in this game and the kids are preparing hard like they always do."

MaxPreps editorial assistant Kirstin Beal contributed to this report.

Do you know a team that deserves consideration for Oklahoma Team of the Week? Email us with your nominations at OKteamoftheweek@maxpreps.com.