By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
TULSA, Okla. - It was a shame somebody had to lose. In a battle between two neighborhood rivals worthy of the gold ball they coveted, Jenks defeated Tulsa Union 42-24 to win its 12th state championship on Friday night at Chapman Stadium.
To claim its prize, Jenks turned to the two main horses that got them to the final, none other than quarterback Mark Ginther and running back Chris Adkins. Both proved their All-State credentials in the victory. Ginther piled up 202 total yards and three touchdowns, while the Adkins produced a workmanlike 229 rushing yards and a pair of scores for the Trojans.
"We have a lot of pride and tradition at Jenks. We set the bar high this season and wanted to leave the program in better shape than when we got here. We like winning here, so obviously this is a great way to finish my football career," said Ginther, the Gatorade Oklahoma player of the year who is signed to play baseball at Oklahoma State.
On the first play of the second possession for the Trojans, Adkins squirted free for a 69-yard scamper down to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Adkins crossed the goal line from 4 yards away to give Jenks the first points of the game.
Union embarked on an impressive drive down to the Jenks 4 before a pair of penalties forced touchdowns to be negated. The Redskins would have to settle for a 47-yard field goal from Oklahoma commit Tress Way to close the gap to 7-3 with :40 remaining in the opening stanza.
Ginther and his troops responded immediately, needing only six plays to cover the 80 yards in front of them to tack on another touchdown. Ginther showed his athleticism on a 49-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Ginther called his own number on a third down play, taking it 10 yards for the score to give Jenks a 14-3 lead.
Union hit back on another quick strike drive, going 80 yards in five plays. Junior Jeremy Smith scored on a 2-yard run that was set up by a 55-yard pass from Brandon Rogers to Anthony Foster. Smith's touchdown with 8:32 remaining in the second quarter cut the deficit to four for the Redskins.
Back came Jenks. Ginther and Adkins led the Trojans on a 10-play drive, capped off with Ginther hitting fullback Grant Goodwin on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 4:16 remaining in the first half.
On Union's next possession, Jenks' defense turned up the heat on Rogers. A pair of sacks halted the Union drive, forcing a punt. Instead of getting into intermission with an 11-point deficit, Union suffered two separate occasions of bad luck in one play.
Way, one of the top kickers in the nation, misfired on a punt that traveled 3 yards. Union's special teams touched but did not down the punt before Zach Herren smartly took advantage, scooping it up and taking it 18 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-10 in favor of Jenks at halftime.
In the second half, Rogers attempted to do everything possible to bring the Redskins back into the game. With 3:49 remaining in the third quarter, he found Tracy Moore on a 57-yard touchdown strike. Rogers avoided what seemed to be a sack and hit Moore while rolling to his right. Way hit the extra point to bring the count to 28-17 in favor of the Trojans.
Ginther is a talent that many colleges in the country should wish they could have convinced to continue his stellar football career. Facing a fourth down and 12 in the fourth quarter, Ginther calmly struck Alonzo Adams with a bullet in between the numbers for a 32-yard touchdown, helping his Trojans stave-off any potential Union comeback the rivalry is accustomed to over the years.
Smith scored his second touchdown of the game with 8:14 remaining to make it 35-24 in favor of Jenks before Adkins ended all hopes for the Redskins with a 6-yard run with less than three minutes remaining for the Trojans.
"I think experience had a lot to do with our entire playoff run. But we have a great quarterback in Ginther. I love him to death. He clearly deserved the player of the year honor in my mind," said Adkins.
Rogers did not get the result he wanted in his final game in a Union uniform, but he was outstanding. The senior completed 24-of-40 passes for 340 yards. Smith added 118 yards to go with his two touchdowns, and will get another shot at the gold ball next season for the Redskins.
Jenks' victory closes yet another chapter in the nation's greatest rivalry. It was the second straight crown for the Trojans and their 9th since 1996.
Jenks (13-1)...... 7 21 0 14-- 42
Tulsa Union (13-1).... 3 7 7 7-- 24
Scoring
First Quarter
Jenks- Chris Adkins 4 run (Matt Perry kick), 6:50
Union- Tress Way 47 field goal, :40
Second Quarter
Jenks- Mark Ginther 10 run (Perry kick), 10:21
Union- Jeremy Smith 2 run (Way kick), 8:32
Jenks- Grant Goodwin 12 pass from Ginther (Perry kick), 4:16
Jenks- Zach Herren 18 punt return (Perry kick), :54
Third Quarter
Union- Tracy Moore 57 pass from Brandon Rogers (Way kick), 3:49
Fourth Quarter
Jenks- Alonzo Adams 32 pass from Ginther (Perry kick), 11:01
Union- Smith 3 run (Way kick), 8:14
Jenks- Adkins 6 run (Perry kick), 2:56
Statistics
Passing
Jenks: Ginther 10-15, 125, 2 TD, 0 INT
Union: Rogers 24-40, 340, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Jenks: Adkins 26-229, Ginther 6-77, Goodwin 1-3
Union: Smith 23-118, Boyea Lockett 1-9, Anthony Foster 1-4, Rogers 5-minus 20
Receiving
Jenks: Adams 3-49, Dallas Beeler 3-29, Goodwin 2-27, Tramaine Thompson 1-16
Union: Moore 11-164, Foster 8-147, James Roberson 3-20, Tyler Atkinson 2-9
