Del City takes down Pryor in first round

Eagles to host Guthrie Friday in 5A quarterfinals

By Jeff Harrison
mwcbeacon@yahoo.com

Del City made sure there weren’t any upsets in the first round of the postseason.

The Eagles (10-0, 7-0) cruised past Pryor Friday night 48-8 in the opening round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Ricklan Holmes ran for two scores and the defense forced three turnovers including an interception return by Ladanian Fields.

The win sets up a quarterfinal matchup between Del City and Guthrie (10-1, 5-1 District 5A-2). The Bluejays beat Lawton MacArthur 49-21 in the first round. Their lone loss this year was a 24-21 setback against Carl Albert.

Del City coach Robert Jones said they’ll be ready for the Bluejays.

“It’s cliché but this is just another big game for us. We’ve been treating the last five or six games as playoff games. We’re mature enough to know that it starts in practice. We’ll take what their defense gives us.”

Del City took control in the first half against a tough Pryor squad.

“Pryor is a lot better than what people gave credit for,” said Jones. “They’re a very good and very physical team. I think they have one of the best offensive lines that we’ve faced.”

River Warren put the first points on the board with a three-yard run around the right side midway through the first quarter. Byron Paramo’s extra point made it a 7-0 score.
The Eagles found the end zone three more times in the second.

On the first possession of the quarter, Warren picked up a big first down with a run on fourth-and-11 from the Pryor 17. The next play, Holmes powered through the defense for a five-yard touchdown run. A missed extra point made it a 13-0 score.

Pryor (5-6) drove into Del City territory on its next possession but fumbled on fourth down. The Eagles then drove 60 yards. Warren capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown strike to Ladanian Fields.

The Eagles quickly got the ball back when Jashawn McCalister stripped the ball on the ensuing kickoff. That led to a one-yard touchdown run by Braelon Adamah with 10 seconds left in the half.

Del City led 27-0 at halftime.

The Eagles extended their lead with a pair of rushing touchdowns by Rodney Fields and Holmes in the third quarter, making it a 41-0 score.

Ladanian Fields rounded out the team’s scoring with a 31-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.

Pryor avoided a shutout with a score in the final minutes of the game. Braden Ward hit Brock Ward for a short touchdown pass. Jacob Couch added the two-point conversion.
Warren finished the game 12 of 15 passing for 121 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 27 yards and one score.

Rodney Field led the team in rushing with 57 yards and one score. Holmes and Jeremiah Miles each had more than 50 yards on the ground.

“They tried to take away our run, just like others have been doing all year,” Jones said. “But we have enough talent with our offensive line, quarterback and receivers that keeps us balanced.”

Ladanian Fields led the team with four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown and had another score on defense.

Del City will host Guthrie at 7 p.m. Friday.