Oklahoma Class 2A football: Washington smokes Jones, Millwood trounces Victory Christian in semifinals
For the third straight season, Washington will be in the Class 2A state title game.
The Class 2A top-ranked Warriors beat No. 3 Jones 49-14 in the semifinals Friday night at Putnam City, advancing to a matchup against No. 2 Millwood.
Washington (14-0) — the two-time defending state runner-up — has rolled throughout the year, and Friday was no different.
Jones hung with the Warriors early as it scored on passes of 15 and 64 yards from Clayton Creasey to Braydon Scott.
The Longhorns (10-4) even led 14-7 early in the second quarter, but it was all Washington from there.
With quarterback Major Cantrell and tailback Cole Scott leading the offense, Washington dominated, especially on the ground.
Overall, Cantrell ran for three scores, while Scott had four rushing touchdowns.
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“I thought it was going to be maybe a score fest, but I’m very proud of our defense and our coaching staff for settling in,” Washington coach Brad Beller said.
Despite the back-and-forth battle in the first half, Scott and the rest of the team remained confident and knew there was plenty of time for them to break away.
“We knew we just had to keep trying,” Scott said. “Our defense, I knew they could get stops, they knew they could get stops. Our offense, we knew we could run the ball, we knew we could pass the ball. We just had to keep trying and trying and don’t quit. It worked out in the end.”
Following Jones’ last touchdown, Cantrell scored on a 23-yard run and Scott rushed for touchdowns of 12 and five yards as Washington headed into halftime with a 28-14 lead.
The rout was on after the break.
Washington’s defense solidified its dominance, allowing just 81 yards in the second half.
Defensive end Hayden Milner was among the Warriors’ leaders on that side of the ball and frequently caused disruptions behind the line of scrimmage.
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Cantrell and Scott carried Washington offensively in the second half. Cantrell had a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the third, while Scott scored on a 3-yard run later in the quarter. Scott also broke loose for a 56-yard rushing touchdown with 4:47 left in the game.
Cantrell missed part of the year with an injury but returned and has frustrated defenses with his legs late in the season.
“We knew that if we could insert him into the run game that that would take our offense to another level,” Beller said. “Ever since we’ve been doing that — since about Week 8, 9 — our offense has been clicking on all cylinders.”
Now, Washington will turn its attention to Millwood (13-1), which beat Tulsa Victory Christian 54-22 in the other Class 2A semifinal.
The championship game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Chad Richison Stadium in Edmond.
Washington will attempt to win its second title and first since 1996. Millwood will try to claim its eighth and first since 2017.
“Coach (Darwin) Franklin, love that guy,” Beller said. “He handed me my first silver ball in 2017. He does a great job, and they’ve got talent. But I hate when people say Millwood wins because they got talent. Coach Franklin and his coaching staff do an unbelievable job at developing talent.”
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Millwood rolls past Tulsa Victory Christian in Class 2A semifinals
One season after missing the playoffs with a 4-6 record, Millwood has reached the state finals.
The Falcons trounced Tulsa Victory Christian, 54-22, Friday night in the Class 2A semifinals at East Central University in Ada. Second-ranked Millwood carries a 13-game win streak into the state title matchup with undefeated Washington.
“We’re back at work,” said Millwood coach Darwin Franklin. “This is what we wanted. It started with Midnight Madness (practice). We wanted to start practicing as fast as we could so that we could maximize the time and play as late as we can, and shoot, you can’t play no later than Saturday. This is exactly where we want to be.”
After outlasting Sequoyah Claremore in a back-and-forth quarterfinal matchup last week, the Falcons (13-1) didn’t let eighth-ranked Victory Christian have much of a chance. Micho Lavine rushed for a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Rickey Hunt Jr. followed with a 2-yard touchdown run. Millwood’s two-point conversion attempts were good after both plays, creating a 16-0 lead.
Just before halftime, William Mays returned an interception for a 68-yard touchdown, and the Falcons kept rolling. Hunt Jr. led the team with three touchdowns. CJ Turnbull and Xzavier Thompson also reached the end zone, and Dylan Daniels caught a pass for a two-point conversion.
“We’re not trying to be a one-trick pony,” Franklin said. “Everybody has a role. Everybody can be explosive at any time, and we just want to celebrate each other.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS football: Washington, Millwood win in Class 2A semifinals
