Ben Whitehead
The Duncan Banner
DUNCAN —
Although the game didn’t go as expected, I thought Friday was a perfect evening for football.
I would first like to say that Guthrie fans showed up in full force, as did a strong Duncan contingent. Jelsma Stadium was packed and hosted a good atmosphere for the opening night of high school football in 2010. Listening to a sports radio station on the way home, I gathered that that was the case at most stadiums across the state.
We couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was clear all day and as the sun set over the west side of the stadium, the temperature dropped to a cool 72-75 degrees. When it’s been 105 or so within the past two weeks, 75 feels like 50.
Having seen the Demons in practice and in their two scrimmages, I must say I was shocked by what I saw on the field at Guthrie.
The Bluejays came out firing on all cylinders on their opening drive and four plays into it, Kentrell Brothers found paydirt. It was like a heavyweight fight where the reigning champion socked his opponent in the mouth in the first 30 seconds and it was clear that Guthrie was going to control the game.
Duncan is much better than a 25-0 loss. Granted, Guthrie is probably much better than people anticipated heading into this season. The Bluejays may be headed for a state championship.
But there is plenty of season to go. And that’s the important thing for DHS football players to remember. All is not lost in Week 1. Certainly, Duncan wanted to get off to a big start and defeating Guthrie on the road would go a long way for the Demons.
Since that’s not the case, here’s a few things to take into consideration.
One, it’s widely-known that the biggest improvement comes between Week 1 and Week 2. Take from this loss the fact that Guthrie is a great football team and there’s no shame in losing to a team like that. You get better by playing good people, as Coach Jim Holloway said earlier in the week. Now that you’ve seen the speed of the game, pick up the pace a little bit and everything from here will slow down.
Two, take a good attitude to practice. You don’t get better by showing up Monday after a loss with the attitude of, “We’re not as good as I thought we were.” Monday is the most important day. Noble is the most important opponent. You can’t change the past, so don’t dwell on it. There are nine games in front of you and those are the ones you can control.
Finally, know that you’ve got a good group of players and supporters around. No one can take away the brotherhood on the team. Everything you’ve put in beginning with spring drills and continuing through summer workouts is still there. You’ve got great parents that support you and a community that no doubt about it wants to see you succeed on and off the field.
I know the coaches will get this team prepared for Noble and I know that what we will see Friday night will be an inspired team. Keep up the hard work, Demons. You hit a bump in the road, but don’t let it slow you down.
— Ben Whitehead is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 165, or via e-mail at ben.whitehead@duncanbanner.com.
