Wolverines look to end 53-year drought without state football title
All that stands between the ultimate perfect season for the Vian Wolverines, which is going undefeated and capturing the state championship for the first time in 53 years, is four quarters of football.
The Wolverines (13-0) will meet the Davis Wolves (9-4) in the Class 2A, Division II state championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Chad Richison Stadium in Edmond.
The last loss for the Wolverines was last season’s Class 2A state quarterfinal contest when they lost 47-14 to Washington at Ada’s East Central University the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.
Since then, the Wolverines have been preparing for this moment.
“Their focus and commitment to that time period of work has been great,” Vian coach Gary Willis said. “When school lets out, we usually give them a week off, but we didn’t (this past spring). As soon as school was out, we started that next Tuesday because of Memorial Day. We came in immediately. We didn’t take any time off. This (making the state title game) was our goal. So far, we’ve stood up to that. We’ve met those expectations. We have one more to go.”
Willis said this week of practice, which will be the last one for the 2024 season regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s state final, has been a very good one.
“We’ve been really focused up,” he said. “They’re confident, not arrogant, but they’re confident and focused up. They’ve done everything we’ve asked. It’s been a good week of practice.”
The Wolves reached the state title game by upsetting previously undefeated Stroud 14-6 last Friday night at Noble. The Wolves opened the season by losing all three non-district games — 31-14 to Pauls Valley, 42-7 to archrival Sulphur in “The Murray County Bedlam Game” and 23-13 to Plainview, with all three opponents being Class 3A squads.
Once reaching district play, the Wolves went undefeated through the first five games — beating Dibble 4115, Beggs (which lost 35-7 to Vian in the state quarterfinals two weeks ago at St. John Stadium in the last home game for the Wolverines this season) 28-22, Tishomingo 42-8, Coalgate 56-18 and Comanche 42-7 before losing to then undefeated Holdenville 22-15 — the same Holdenville team that was upset 36-14 in the state quarterfinals at home to Colcord, which lost 35-16 to Vian in last week’s state semifinal game at Wagoner’s Dale Condict Stadium. Davis won its regular-season finale 45-21 over Norman Community Christian School.
In the postseason, the Wolves defeated Hennessey 48-34 and Adair 27-24 before upsetting Stroud last week.
Historically, the Wolves have operated out of the wishbone, which Willis said hasn’t totally changed with this season’s Davis squad.
“They still run some wishbone as part of their offense,” he said. “They do get into shotgun and run a diamond set a lot, but they will do the wishbone. It’s all the same idea. They’re going to run the ball right at you. That’s Davis football. They’ve had success. They’re a traditional football power. They’ve had a down year or two, but now they’re back to where they’re used to being. It’s going to be a very tough, physical game. We have nothing but respect for them and the coaches down there.”
One other Vian opponent this season did some wishbone offense, the Antlers Bearcats — who the Wolverines defeated 48-0 Oct. 4 at St. John Stadium. Willis said the way Antlers did its wishbone offense, and how the Wolves will try to do it in Saturday afternoon’s state championship game are not the same.
“We haven’t gone back to that (Antlers) game, not in the big scheme of things,” he said. “Other than their formation, their schemes are a little different (than Davis). Not to take anything away from Antlers, the physicality and the way Davis does it is something all its own.”
The Wolves will need to try to accomplish two big things Saturday afternoon to try to win that all-elusive state title and gold football trophy — no turnovers and stop the Davis run game.
“We have to have no turnovers to begin with,” Willis said. “We have to win the turnover battle. We have to stop that run game.”
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TO GET THERE — Take Interstate 40 west to Oklahoma City. Take I-35 north to Second Street (U.S. 77) exit in Edmond. Take Second Street west to North University Drive. Turn right and proceed to Chad Richison Stadium.
