'That’s what we’re working towards': Eufaula football has had its share of stars, but now it can win a title
Eufaula coach Larry Newton doesn’t let his team forget about the legends that have stepped onto its football field.
He tells them about the Selmon brothers, who each had their jerseys retired by Eufaula in 2012. Lee Roy, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, is considered one of OU’s best players ever. Lucious and Dewey each put together great careers at Oklahoma.
He tells them about J.C. Watts, who led OU to consecutive Orange Bowl victories, became a pro football player, and then the first Oklahoman of African descent to be elected to a statewide office.
He tells them about Joe Golding, who once scored 11 touchdowns in a game for Eufaula before becoming a 1946 All-American at OU and an NFL player.
“I tell them all the time,” Newton said. "Those are our legends. Those are the ones we talk about. But if you become the first team to win the state championship, you all become legends. That’s what we’re working towards. Not just one guy being a legend but the team being a legend."
Newton’s message has only inspired his players this season. Last Friday, Eufaula beat Oklahoma Christian School 31-14 to become the first team in program history to advance to the state semifinals since 2005.
Now, his group is just two wins away from the Class 2A state championship. Even with all of the legends that went through Eufaula, only the 2013 girls golf team has won a state championship for the school.
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“It means a whole lot,” Eufaula quarterback Luke Adcock said about helping lead the football team to the semifinals. “It's what we’ve been talking about, somebody’s going to do it again and our goal obviously is the state championship.”
Battling through injuries, Eufaula lost its first game of the season to Vian. Since then, Eufaula has won 12 consecutive games. In that stretch, the Ironheads averaged 42.9 points per game.
Ironheads offensive coordinator Josh Luna was born in Eufaula. He played linebacker and fullback on a team that made it to the state semifinals. Luna has coached at Eufaula since 2007. He’s noticed the similarities between the team he played on and the team he’s helping coach.
“Their physicality,” Luna said. "How they play as a team and as a brotherhood. That’s how we played when I was in school. We always had the dream of playing for a state championship. Grew up in a small town and we just played backyard football with each other growing up and that’s all we talked about. We got to live it out and just fell short in the semis and these kids here, they’re in the same boat.
“They’ve always had dreams of playing. We’ve had a couple of players after last year say, ‘We will be playing for a state championship next year, you just watch and see.’ They’re very talented, they’re competitive and physical.”
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The Ironheads have many players who have helped lead Eufaula reach this point, including a dominant offensive line. But it’s Khelil Deere, Matt Clover and Adcock who have shined the most.
Deere, a senior wide receiver and defensive back has caught 41 passes for 885 years and 13 touchdowns to go along with four rushing scores and one kick return touchdown. In the state quarterfinals, Deere caught three touchdown passes on offense and intercepted four passes on defense to lead the Ironheads to the win.
“To me,” Newton said, “he’s the best receiver in the state. I don’t care if it's 6A, I’ve seen people and I’ve had to coach against a lot of them. But this kid is a special one. He doesn’t care that we’ve run the football all playoffs because we didn’t have to throw the ball and now he’s surprising people."
Clover, a senior, is a running back who has 1,688 yards and 25 touchdowns on 187 carries.
Adcock, who transferred from Stigler last season, has given defenses trouble with his running and passing. He’s completed 83 passes on 137 throws for 1,529 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He’s also carried the ball 113 times for 697 yards and 11 touchdowns.
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“He came over last year as a sophomore,” Newton said. “We hired his mom and his dad from Eufaula as teachers and that was probably one of the best hires Eufaula has made. Luke is an extremely bright kid and if you watch him, he could go play at the next level.”
Eufaula will take on undefeated Marlow (13-0) on Friday. The Outlaws are led by Jace Gilbert, an Oklahoman's preseason all-state first-teamer.
Newton hasn’t changed anything about this week of practice leading into the game. What he’s done since his hiring in 2012 has worked. It's gotten Eufaula back to prominence. As a Eufaula native himself, it would mean everything if he could lead this team to legendary status.
“When I first got here," Newton said, "we were everybody’s homecoming. But we’ve started progressing and the team started getting better and it didn't take long to where nobody wants to play us on homecoming anymore.
"It's been a challenge but I'm very been blessed with a bunch of kids right now that love to work hard."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: How Eufaula is chasing legendary status
