By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
STILLWATER, Okla. – Tulsa Union running back Jeremy Smith was ‘home’ on Friday night in the Oklahoma Class 6A State Championship game against rival Jenks.
Even though the Tulsa area rivals had to travel approximately 80 miles west to Stillwater to lock heads on the campus of Oklahoma State, the future Cowboy played as if he already owns Boone Pickens Stadium. Smith got Tulsa Union off to a quick start against its backyard neighbors as the Redskins claimed their fourth gold ball in the 21st century with a 34-20 victory over Jenks.
Smith rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns in the final game of his stellar Union career. The senior finished the season with 1,663 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
“This is what we wanted. The coaches were telling us that this year it (the state title) was ours. As for the success, I followed my blocks. We never let up. I thank everybody for everything at Union. It is a great way to cap-off my career,” Smith said.
Smith squirted free on a 44-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes gone after kickoff to give the Redskins an early lead. On his second touchdown run, Smith broke through two Jenks defenders and saw nothing but the orange paint of the Boone Pickens Stadium end zone. After the first 12 minutes of play, Smith already tallied 101 yards on seven carries.
Smith picked up where he left off in the second quarter following a 25-yard Cody Mumma field goal for Jenks. Smith scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with 8:07 left before halftime to give Union a 20-3 lead and would finish with 190 first half yards on the ground.
Jenks, however, was not stunned. Like the heart of champion, the two-time defending champions scrapped back.
A 74-yard Tramaine Thompson sprint down to the 7-yard line set-up a quick reply following Smith’s third visit to the end zone. Colton Dost took it from there to bring the Trojans within 10 following the extra-point with 7:43 left before halftime. In the first half, Thompson covered 125 yards on two carries.
After a time-consuming initial drive in the second half, Jenks came away empty-handed. On 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Union’s Jacob Rice broke up a pass attempt from sophomore quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen to Thompson.
Jenks forced Union to punt after four plays and turned near-disaster into points. Union was called for a personal foul penalty during a Cole Way punt, and was forced to punt again with its backs against the wall. On the second effort, Thompson scooped up a near muff and turned it into a 48-yard touchdown. Following Mumma’s point after, the game was knotted at 20 with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter.
From there, junior quarterback Chase Boyce caught fire to allow Union to reestablish control. Boyce linked up with fellow junior Thomas Roberson on a 40-yard touchdown pass with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Way booted through the extra point to give Union a 27-20 advantage. Boyce and Roberson also connected on a key 25-yard hook-up on the drive.
Following another Jenks punt, Boyce hit Smith’s future Oklahoma State teammate Tracy Moore on a 39-yard pass on 3rd-and-9. Boyce nailed Anthony Foster on the next play with a 44-yard strike to give Union a 34-20 advantage with 10:47 left in regulation.
Jenks caught a pair of breaks on one-play with 8:05 left in the game. Union was hit with a pass interference penalty and a personal foul on the same play, moving the ball down to the 6-yard line. It appeared the Trojans would make one more run at Union.
Following the 30 yards of penalties, Randy Stanley swiped a Kollmorgen pass in the end zone to turn away the Trojans. It was a fourth time on the night Jenks was unable to get a touchdown after traveling inside the red zone. On two occasions in the first half, Jenks would settle for a pair of Mumma field goals.
After Way missed a field goal attempt that would have made it a three score game, Thompson was intercepted by Foster at the Jenks 45-yard line on the first play of the ensuing drive to ensure the gold ball would change hands and head back to Union-Tuttle Stadium.
Boyce finished 9-of-18 for 229 yards and two touchdowns for the Redskins and directed the Redskins to 498 total yards in the triumph. Roberson logged 105 yards on three receptions for the Redskins, while Moore added four grabs for 78 yards despite leaving for a short time in the first half due to a minor injury.
“What a special night for our seniors. Our guys really battled back this year. In the second half we held tough on defense in the red zone. On offense Chase did a great job and hit some big plays to give ourselves a cushion,” said Gatorade soaked Union head coach Kirk Fridrich, who moved to 26-2 in his two-year stint at Union.
For Jenks coach Allan Trimble, it was only his fourth loss in 47 playoff games since 1996. If Trimble is going to hoist the gold ball for an unprecedented tenth time, it will have to wait until 2009. Overall, Trimble is 158-19 at Jenks and finished the season with a 12-2 record.
Kollmorgen, who inherited the starting nod at Jenks at the mid way point of the season, finished 13-of-27 through the air for 230 yards. Thompson, an Oregon State verbal, led the Trojans with 137 rushing yards on seven carries while Dost added 88 yards on the ground on 14 totes for the Trojans.
It also marked only the second time in 12 playoff meetings over the past eight seasons that the regular season victor prevailed in the playoffs. On Sept. 12, Union defeated Jenks 24-17 in overtime at Union-Tuttle Stadium.
Tulsa Union’s conquest was its fifth in school history. The Redskins (13-1) broke a 39-year title drought after winning the Class C title in 1963 by winning the state title in 2002. Union followed up the 2002 title by raising the gold ball in 2004 and 2005.
Tulsa Union 34, Jenks 20
| | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | |
| | JENKS (12-2) | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 20 | |
| | TULSA UNION (13-1) | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 34 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Scoring Summary
Union – Jeremy Smith 44 run (Cole Way kick) – 9:56, 1st Qtr.
Union – Smith 32 run (kick failed) – 1:29, 1st Qtr.
Jenks – Cody Mumma 25 field goal – 11:55, 2nd Qtr.
Union – Smith 15 run (Way kick) – 8:07, 2nd Qtr.
Jenks – Colton Dost 7 run (Mumma kick) – 7:43, 2nd Qtr.
Jenks – Mumma 26 field goal – :18, 2nd Qtr.
Jenks – Tramaine Thompson 48 punt return (Mumma kick), 4:18, 3rd Qtr.
Union – Thomas Roberson 40 pass from Chase Boyce (Way kick) – 2:03, 3rd Qtr.
Union – Anthony Foster 44 pass from Boyce (Way kick) – 10:47, 4th Qtr.
