Published: October 31, 2009 06:29 pm      

Moving on

Duncan overcomes itself in win over Western Heights

The Duncan Demons played like a team looking ahead to a match-up with El Reno. And it was still good enough to get the job done.

The Demons turned in a sloppy performance but were never seriously threatened in a 40-14 win over Western Heights. Payton Atchley and Jordan Laskey each rushed for over 100 yards to lead a dominant ground attack that finished with 439 yards.

The win sets up a showdown with El Reno for the District 5A-1 championship. The Indians knocked off Northwest Classen 59-15 to improve 9-0 while the Demons improved to 8-1, 6-0 in district with its win.

“We just went through the motions,” Duncan coach Jim Holloway said. “Kids are going to be kids, they know what is going on next week. From a preparatory aspect, we didn’t give them the respect they deserve.

“We didn’t practice well Monday or Tuesday and you just can’t turn it on at 7:30 p.m. It’s no secret that they have good players and good schemes.”

The Jets were able to cause Duncan problems in the passing game throughout the night. Sophomore quarterback Troy Davis found senior wideout Dustin Giles for a touchdown and several big plays, finishing with 174 yards passing and one interception.

Offensively, Western Heights finished with 298 yards of offense but failed to slow down a Duncan attack that finished with 498 yards of offense.

The Demons’ first touchdown came two plays into their first drive as Atchley found a running lane and carried the ball 71 yards for the score. Jack Braught converted the extra point, his first of three in the first half to stake Duncan to a 7-0 lead.

Late in the quarter, Duncan had an excellent opportunity to add to its lead but Tyler Gay failed to handle a punt, turning the ball over at the Jet 28.

The defense, aided by a holding penalty, forced a three-and-out, giving the Demons the ball back at the Western Heights 39. Atchley scored his second touchdown of the game four plays later on a 25-yard run to extend the lead to 14-0.

Tyler Wilkins recovered a fumble on Western Height’s next possession and the Demons cashed in on a seven play drive. Laskey took the honors for the third score, giving Duncan a 21-0 lead with 7:14 remaining in the quarter.

With every chance to lay down, the Jets, to their credit, came out swinging. Starting at its own 26, Western Heights moved down the field converting two fourth downs. Darius Young carried it in from three yards and Jennifer Ehlers booted the extra point to close the gap to 21-7.

Duncan did little to help itself, turning the ball over on its next drive. The Jets let the opportunity slip by, failing to convert and went into the locker room trailing by 14.

“We let them stay in the game,” Holloway said. “The picked on our cornerbacks and we played soft up front.”

The Demons went about trying to put the game away on their first drive of the first half. Brandon Wilson found Michael Rice in the back of the Jet secondary for a 35-yard score. The extra point attempt failed.

Duncan wasted little time in building momentum, getting the ball back to the offense on a turnover. Bradley Wilson separated Eli Haley from the ball on a sack and James Patton recovered at the Jet 25. Laskey scored on a one-yard run to extent the lead to 34-7 after the Braught kick.

Western Heights was down, but not out. The Jets began to mix the run effectively with the ball and drove down the field, scoring on a 14-yard pass from Davis to Giles, who leaped over Kale Thaxton for the score.

“I hope its the last we see of that type of performance,” Holloway said. “It was a poor job by the coaches and the players. It’s not the type of preparation you want to see going into the playoffs.”

The Demons wrapped up their last scoring drive of the game as Domonique Petties carried the ball down the field on four plays, the last an 11-yard run for a touchdown.

Western Heights put together a couple of more threats but turned the ball over on downs at the Duncan 16 on one drive and turning it over on another. Tyler Wilkins came up with his second turnover of the game on an interception of Davis to serve as a bright spot on an otherwise less than average defensive performance.

“We got to tackle better and we have to cover guys in space,” Wilkins said. “We didn’t come out ready to play. We thought it would be a walk-through and they were better than we thought.

“But I will take a win any day.”