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Shawnee’s Wolves begin their second and last trip up the District 6A-3 highway tonight with a stern challenge against perennially powerful Jenks.
The Wolves, in their second year of 6A competition, will return to the 5A ranks in the 2012 campaign.
Winless at 0-3 and outscored 95-18 by its non-district foes, Shawnee faces a Jenks squad ranked third and possessor of a 2-1 mark.
The Wolves will suit up 36 players. Jenks has 98 players listed on its roster.
“We practiced with 36 players Tuesday and Wednesday,” Shawnee coach Billy Brown said. “We’ve had some players quit, some are ineligible and some are injured. It has been a buffet of things.”
The Trojans pinned a 54-13 defeat on Bixby in their opener before falling to top-ranked Tulsa Union, 41-19, in Week 2. The Trojans rebounded for a 49-27 victory over eighth-ranked Owasso last Friday night.
Shawnee, losers to Bartlesville (34-12), Deer Creek (37-0) and Ponca City (24-6), will face a severe size disadvantage on both sides of the ball.
“They have a huge offensive line. All of them are about 6-2, 275. They all look about the same,” Brown said.
Jenks is so deep that it has averaged 40.6 points on the offensive end despite the limited availability of Alex Ross, one of the state’s premier running backs.
Ross, who has committed to Oklahoma, has carried the ball just 28 times for 219 yards because of a preseason ankle sprain. One of his three rushing touchdowns was an 85-yarder against Union.
Trey’Vonne Barr’e (5-9, 160) has filled the void, rushing for 464 yards on 67 carries, including five touchdowns. Barr’e also returned a punt for a touchdown.
Jenks’ depth has been further illustrated by its quarterback situation.
Starter Kyle Alexander, who played most of the first two games, racked up his knee and could be lost for the season.
In his absence, Hunter Collins hit 13 of 14 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns against Owasso. Collins had attempted just one pass — completing it — in the first two games.
Trey Michalczewski has averaged 20.3 yards on nine receptions for 183 yards, including three touchdowns. Fellow junior Jordan Smallwood has 11 catches for 107 yards, including two touchdowns.
“When you can run the ball like they do, averaging about 9 yards a carry, those play-action passes look pretty good,” Brown said. “Their quarterback gets plenty of protection and wide-open receivers.
“They are probably not as good this year at the quarterback position because they lost a three-year starter. But their running game is better and their defense is better. They are really better everywhere else than they were last year.”
Shawnee’s Wolves begin their second and last trip up the District 6A-3 highway tonight with a stern challenge against perennially powerful Jenks.
The Wolves, in their second year of 6A competition, will return to the 5A ranks in the 2012 campaign.
Winless at 0-3 and outscored 95-18 by its non-district foes, Shawnee faces a Jenks squad ranked third and possessor of a 2-1 mark.
The Wolves will suit up 36 players. Jenks has 98 players listed on its roster.
“We practiced with 36 players Tuesday and Wednesday,” Shawnee coach Billy Brown said. “We’ve had some players quit, some are ineligible and some are injured. It has been a buffet of things.”
The Trojans pinned a 54-13 defeat on Bixby in their opener before falling to top-ranked Tulsa Union, 41-19, in Week 2. The Trojans rebounded for a 49-27 victory over eighth-ranked Owasso last Friday night.
Shawnee, losers to Bartlesville (34-12), Deer Creek (37-0) and Ponca City (24-6), will face a severe size disadvantage on both sides of the ball.
“They have a huge offensive line. All of them are about 6-2, 275. They all look about the same,” Brown said.
Jenks is so deep that it has averaged 40.6 points on the offensive end despite the limited availability of Alex Ross, one of the state’s premier running backs.
Ross, who has committed to Oklahoma, has carried the ball just 28 times for 219 yards because of a preseason ankle sprain. One of his three rushing touchdowns was an 85-yarder against Union.
Trey’Vonne Barr’e (5-9, 160) has filled the void, rushing for 464 yards on 67 carries, including five touchdowns. Barr’e also returned a punt for a touchdown.
Jenks’ depth has been further illustrated by its quarterback situation.
Starter Kyle Alexander, who played most of the first two games, racked up his knee and could be lost for the season.
In his absence, Hunter Collins hit 13 of 14 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns against Owasso. Collins had attempted just one pass — completing it — in the first two games.
Trey Michalczewski has averaged 20.3 yards on nine receptions for 183 yards, including three touchdowns. Fellow junior Jordan Smallwood has 11 catches for 107 yards, including two touchdowns.
“When you can run the ball like they do, averaging about 9 yards a carry, those play-action passes look pretty good,” Brown said. “Their quarterback gets plenty of protection and wide-open receivers.
“They are probably not as good this year at the quarterback position because they lost a three-year starter. But their running game is better and their defense is better. They are really better everywhere else than they were last year.”
Receiver Theo Berry has two of Shawnee’s three touchdowns. His 31-yard scoring reception put the Wolves up 6-0 against Ponca City, but the Wolves’ offense faltered thereafter.
Shawnee’s other touchdown came on a 2-yard run by Jeremy Barrientos against Bartlesville.
Jenks has won 12 state titles since 1979. After claiming the 1979 crown in the state’s second-largest class, the Trojans have won 11 straight titles in the largest class: 1982, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2007.
Tulsa Union has taken the last three 6A championships. Union also won the 2002, 2004 and 2005 titles.
“We don’t see any weak links in Jenks,” Brown said. “We will line up and give what we’ve got. That’s all you can do.”
