Published: December 08, 2007 11:57 pm            

Okeene takes Class A title

PUTNAM CITY — Chase Lamle was at a loss for words. Even the Okeene senior linebacker could not believe what he had just seen.

Behind a dominating defensive performance and an effective passing game in the first half, the Whippets rolled to a 31-0 win over Woodland in the Class A state championship on Saturday at Putnam City Stadium.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Lamle said. “I’m kind of speechless.”

The Whippets’ (13-2) play spoke volumes as they became just the eighth school in Class A to win back-to-back state crowns.

“It’s been a dream since I was a little kid,” said junior quarterback Dalton Brewer, who was 12 of 23 passing for 138 yards and ran for 64 yards in accounting for all three touchdowns. “It just feels good.”

With Woodland (14-1) focused on stopping the Whippets’ running game, Okeene turned to its passing attack on the cold, dreary afternoon.

Brewer completed 11 of 17 passes in the first half for 117 yards and a touchdown. Okeene scored three times in the final 31/2 minutes to take a commanding 24-0 halftime lead and leave little drama for the final two quarters.

“We really thought we’d struggle running at them,” said Okeene head coach Jeff Wardlaw. “This weather was a huge concern of mine.”

Leading 7-0, the Whippets used an 11-play drive to take a two touchdown lead. Brewer capped the drive with an 11-yard run around the right side.

Brewer completed three passes for 44 yards on the drive, all to Taylor Hooper.

“He’s a good receiver,” Brewer said of Hooper, who finished with five catches.

The Whippets kept the pressure on as Lamle intercepted J.T. Bartlett on Woodland’s next offensive play. Lamle stepped in front of a pass to Tyler Mashburn over the middle to give Okeene the ball at the Cougars 32.

Woodland came in averaging more than 34 points. Okeene limited the Cougars to 194 yards and forced three turnovers.

“Our coaches tell us ‘do your job and everything will turn out all right,’” Lamle said. “Our defense really played hard the whole game.”

On the ensuing play, Brewer found Brock Wardlaw for a 31-yard completion. Wardlaw eluded one defender, then dragged two more Woodland players down to the 1. Brewer scored on the next play for a 21-0 lead with 2:47 left.

Woodland went three-and-out on its next series, then a bad snap to punter Bo Harrison gave Okeene possession at the Cougar 14. Four plays later, Jacob Parrish booted a 32-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining as Okeene went into the locker room with a comfortable 24-0 advantage.

Okeene’s first score came on its second possession. The Whippets drove 60 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 4-yard pass from Brewer to Morgan Reinert on third-and-goal.

The Whippets’ defense allowed just 60 yards of offense on Woodland’s first five possessions.

Lamle and Tanner Heffel snuffed out a sneak by Bartlett on fourth-and-one, ending Woodland’s first series. Karson Turnham and Kyle Felder dropped Bartlett for a four-yard loss on third-and-three to force a punt on the Cougars’ next possession.

Okeene shut down Woodland’s passing game in the first half as well, as Bartlett completed just two of his first eight passes for seven yards.

Senior defensive tackle Karson Turnham, who recovered one of two Woodland fumbles, said the Whippets were motivated to slow down a potent Cougar offense.

“Everybody was saying they had hung 31 points on everyone,” Turnham said. “We worked so hard in practice to stop their runs.”

Woodland ran for 170 yards, most of which came with the game well in hand.

A pair of second-half turnovers and penalties hurt Woodland as well. The Cougars finished with nine penalties for 85 yards, including six unsportsmanlike flags.

“Our coaches always tell us to not get personal fouls and let our pads do the talking,” Wardlaw said.

One of those personal fouls gave Okeene possession at the Woodland 34 early in the fourth quarter. Six plays later Brewer scored on an 8-yard run with 9:13 remaining.

The win culminated a 28-2 record over the past two seasons for Okeene. And for coach Wardlaw, another gold ball.

“You can’t compare how one (state title) feels to the other,” Wardlaw said. “It’s just unbelievable.”