By Bruce Campbell, Staff Writer
Garber coach Mark Harmon is accustomed to having rematches in the playoffs.
A year ago, the Wolverines beat B-1 rivals Canton (26-14) and Laverne (30-26) in the semifinals and finals on the way to the state championship.
Those scores give Harmon a message as he prepares his team for another rematch with Laverne at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a Class B semifinal at Woodward High School.
“We didn’t like the fact that when we played those teams for the second time, the second game was tougher on us than the first one was,’’ he said. “We have been all business this week. We want to see if we can overcome that and get better.’’
Garber (12-0) beat Laverne 48-14 on the road Oct. 23, rolling up 222 yards rushing and 202 passing. Laverne’s two scores came against the Wolverines reserves.
Harmon expects Laverne (8-4) to work harder and focus harder for the rematch.
“I feel like our kids have an understanding on what’s on the line,’’ he said.
The winner of the first game in rematches like Saturday’s showdown has to avoid overpreparing, Harmon said.
“You don’t want to throw so much at them that they get confused,’’ Harmon said.
Senior wide receiver-defensive back Tyler Miller is schedule to be examined by doctors today. He missed last week’s 58-12 rout of Kiefer because of a wrist injury.
“We’ll probably get a prognosis for the rest of the season,’’ Harmon said. “If he can go, I’ll sure play him.’’
Freshman Jordan Avants had an interception in Miller’s place Friday. Quarterback Dylan Postier might play some in the secondary if Miller can’t go.
“Jordan did pretty well,’’ Harmon said. “He had some busted coverages which hurt us a little bit, but he’s getting there.’’
Laverne has beaten Caddo, 50-48 and Davenport, 42-28 in the playoffs. Quarterback Jack Taylor has healed up from injuries which slowed him down earlier.
Garber’s first-team defense has yet to allow a rushing touchdown. Taylor directed a Laverne attack that gained 243 yards rushing and 151 yards passing in the title game.
“We’re going to have to chase the ball like we have been,’’ Harmon said. “We have to play assignment football. Our defense has played extremely well. We have a very fast defense, which helps us a lot.’’
Positer has been near perfect for the Wolverines with 32 touchdown passes to only one interception.
Running back Zac Powell scored four touchdowns against Kiefer — three running and one pass reception.
The holidays will not be a distraction, Harmon said. He said he likes playing on Saturday because it gives him and his staff another day to prepare.
“This is one of the best weeks all year to practice,’’ Harmon said. “The only one that’s better is next week for the finals. We’re going to use the extra time that we have wisely.’’
Harmon said he wished the game was closer to Garber, but has no complaints.
“Woodward has nice facilities,’’ he said. “It should be a lot of fun.’’
With Shattuck falling, Garber has the longest winning streak among state 8-man teams with 26 consecutive wins. Garber lost to Morrison 46-6 in the 2007 quarterfinals.
Canton faces Ryan
Canton’s football team will have breakfast with its fans Saturday before going to Norman High School for a 7:30 p.m. semifinal game with Ryan.
“We want to let our fans know they are as much part of this as the boys are,’’ said Tigers coach Robby Davis. “We want the boys to enjoy what’s going on. It’s not often you get treated like a rock star. You got to make the most out of it.’’
A victory would put the Tigers in the state championship game for the first time in school history. A year ago, Canton reached the semifinals for the first time in history, only to lose to eventual champion Garber.
“Our goal is to get to the state championship game and win it,’’ Davis said.
Canton beat the Cowboys 42-8 at Ryan in the first round of the playoffs last season, rolling up 394 yards on the ground.
“We can’t go off what happened last year,’’ Davis said. “No game is a given. Look all the teams that we lost to two years ago that we’re beating now. We don’t want the same thing that happened last year (loss in semifinals).
Ryan is a perfect 12-0, including wins over Pond Creek-Hunter, 48-46 and Depew, 40-33 in the playoffs. Only two teams — Fox (24-0) and Allen (32-26) have held the Cowboys under 40 points.
Quarterback Colby Barrett is an effective option operator. Davis said Barrett is a Tim Tebow-type quarterback.
“He’ll pull it out when you least expect it and run the corner,’’ Davis said.
Ryan runs more of a dive option as opposed to Porter, which ran the speed option in a 38-16 loss to the Tigers last week. Porter came into the game averaging 47 points a game.
Canton quarterback Colby Haigler threw for three TDs and ran for two more.
“We had a dominant performance,’’ Davis said.
Canton will practice Thanksgiving night so the players can spend most of the holiday with their families.
“We’re taking care of business,’’ Davis said. “ The kids are willing to give up their holiday. They are willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship.’’
Davis said he likes the Saturday date because it gives him an extra day to prepare and will allow more people from Canton to come.
The state championship game is scheduled for a Saturday next week.
