A second-chance 30yard field goal as time expired gave Bishop McGuiness a 30-27 win against Guthrie High on Friday in a showdown between two of the top five teams in Class 5A.
But it was a tough pill to swallow after the BlueJays (5-1, 1-1) committed a 15yard roughing-the-kicker penalty on the previous play, a missed field goal, that would have sent the game into overtime.
Altogether, the Bluejays were flagged eight times for 100 yards, while the Irish were called for five penalties for 64 yards.
The first half was a little sloppy as the two teams combined for five fumbles, four by the Irish (6-0, 3-0), and one recovery that led to the game’s opening touchdown by Guthrie’s Xavier Williams on a 54yard return.
Guthrie trailed 14-6 when Jaylen Harper scored at the 10:37 mark of the second quarter to cut it to 14-13 at the half.
Hayden Calvert put the Bluejays ahead 20-14 in the third quarter at the 9:42 mark on a 14-yard run, but the Irish would retake the lead at 21-20 with 7:29 in the third quarter, setting up the wild fourth quarter.
The Irish extended their lead to 27-20 on a 63-yard run at the 10:22 mark but missed the conversion.
Harper then hooked up with Calvert on a 10-yard pass with 4 seconds to go and the PAT was good by Noah French, tying the game 27-27, before the Irish recorded the gamewinning kick after the penalty.
The game was as even as one would expect from the Nos. 4 and 5 teams in 5A. The Irish had 298 yards in total offense and the Bluejays had 297. The Irish ran for 193 yards on 43 carries, while the Bluejays had 34 running plays for 156 yards.
Calvert led the way with 121 yards on 20 carries and also was 12-for-28 with one interception for 141 yards. The Irish were 7-for-19 with one interception for 105 yards.
The Bluejays will host Southeast (4-2, 0-2) from Oklahoma City on Thursday night at 7 before facing Carl Albert on Oct. 21 in which playoff positioning will be critical against either Elgin, Lawton MacArthur or Midwest City battling in District 5A-1.
Carl Albert plays Bishop McGuiness on Friday night in another key District 5A-2 game.