‘It’s a huge win’: Mustang runs past Edmond Santa Fe into Class 6A-I football semifinals
MUSTANG — When Tristen Russell lowered his shoulder into the Edmond Santa Fe defender, he didn’t leave anything left to doubt.
He powered through the defensive back, tumbling over him and into the end zone. It wasn’t even the last score of the game, but it was a microcosm of everything that happened at Bronco Stadium on Friday night.
The score was a punctuation point on Class 6A-I fifth-ranked Mustang’s 37-17 win against No. 6 Santa Fe. Mustang had five rushing touchdowns, Russell’s one paired with Jay Bedford’s four scores, and the Bronco defense shut down Santa Fe playmakers all night long.
Mustang (7-4 overall) will face Jenks in the semifinals next week at P.
“We wanted to be aggressive early,” Mustang coach Lee Blankenship said. “They just gave us a box to run it. We just decided we were going to run the football.”
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Mustang ran for 288 yards on 41 attempts. Bedford had 14 carries for 109 yards, Russell added 71 yards on nine carries and Pryce Burgess also rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries.
“I want to shout out the offensive line,” Bedford said. “None of this is possible without them.”
The Broncos also forced four Edmond Santa Fe turnovers and held standout Santa Fe receiver Talyn Shettron in check. Shettron, who Blankenship called the best receiver in the country, had only four catches for 48 yards.
The only thing that went against Mustang was 15 penalties for 151 yards.
Bedford scored his second touchdown shortly before halftime to give the Broncos a 17-10 advantage at the break. After halftime, Mustang went on a 14-play drive, throwing only two passes, and capitalized when Bedford scored again from 12 yards out.
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Russell’s score came in the fourth quarter to give Mustang a two-score cushion, and Mustang’s defense forced a turnover late to seal the victory.
In Blankenship’s third season as head coach, this is his second playoff win but first trip to the semifinals. The Broncos are also the only west team remaining in the state’s top classification.
To get into the semifinals, they knocked out the defending state runner-ups. It possibly signaled Mustang’s emergence as the west’s top team, but Mustang wants more.
“It’s a huge win,” Blankenship said. “But we have to focus on next week and not get too far ahead.”
Cameron Jourdan covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Cameron? He can be reached at cjourdan@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @Cam_Jourdan. Support Cameron’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSSAA football: Mustang beats Edmond Santa Fe into 6A-I semifinals
