'Just gotta win one more': McAlester readying for championship tilt with Carl Albert
Nov. 30—The Buffs are ready to leave it all out on the field one more time.
McAlester will play Carl Albert in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class 5A State Championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Central Oklahoma's Chad Richison Stadium in Edmond.
The Buffs will be participating in back-to-back state championships for the first time in school history, and coach Forrest Mazey said he couldn't be more proud of his team."
"My goodness, I'm so proud of this group," he said. "It's one more week. It's time to get it going, and you've got to be good one more time."
Carl Albert (11-2) leads the all-time series against McAlester 4-3, with the Titans taking a 38-7 win in the last meeting during the 2019 quarterfinals.
The Titans advanced to this year's title game after a 55-21 semifinal win over Grove with plenty of big plays.
Junior running back Xavier Robinson led the way with 279 rushing yards and three scores on 14 carries in the win.
Quarterback Reed DeQuasie has amassed 439 passing yards and 581 rushing yards with a combined 10 touchdowns in eight games after his return from injury.
Defensively, the Titans have recorded more than 940 tackles this season, including 107 tackles for loss and 36 sacks.
McAlester powered to the championship game despite losing University of Oklahoma commit Erik McCarty to an ACL injury on Nov. 18.
Senior Blaze Baugh took over at running back and exploded for 258 rushing yards and three touchdowns — the fifth-best single-game performance in program history.
"When you have so many backs, you don't really get to see the full tilt of what he can do," Mazey said of Baugh. "But he's a bowling ball. He's hard to tackle...he's built freakishly. He's a grown man."
Running backs Dakota Moton and Brayden Bumphus also combined for 10 scores on the year.
Junior quarterback Caden Lesnau totals 1,900 yards and 21 touchdowns this season — both already top-10 single-season performances in program history.
Senior Chaz Bradley leads the Buff receivers with 595 yards and five scores, followed by Ethan Watkins with 356 yards for four scores.
Defensively, McAlester has amassed 934 tackles, including 85 tackles for loss and 28 sacks. Bradley has also led the team in interceptions, nabbing eight of the defense's 19 total snags.
Mazey said it's going to be a battle, but he would expect nothing less. And he's excited about having the opportunity to face one final opponent.
"I love the matchup with Carl Albert. I love everything about it," he said. "Just gotta win one more. You've gotta be the better team one time...you've just got to be 1-0."
Mazey again pointed out the toughness of his team.
And while they've seen their fair share this season, he said this team was special as they've found a way to persevere and give themselves a chance to play for it all.
"Everybody counts them out because Erik's hurt, or because we lost to Sapulpa — but that doesn't matter right now," Mazey said. "What only matters is the next man up, and finding a way to win and be 1-0."
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
