STILLWATER — Coach Wade Standley rushed down the sideline, away from a throng of supporters and reporters who wanted a minute of his time. He stopped 20 yards downfield, where he found quarterback Peyton Gavras and a number of his teammates.
There, with confetti flying and trophies being passed around, coach and quarterback embraced.
It was a poignant end to a season that began with a Crosstown Clash victory and ended with a disappointing loss to Jenks in the Class 6A title game.
Along the way, Norman North made history. The Timberwolves advanced to the first state championship in program history. They won a district title and put together more wins than any other North squad. They were the first west-side team to advance to the state championship since 2005.
But the magic ran out on Friday night. Traditional powerhouse Jenks (12-2) scored early and often to run away with the Class 6A title with a 55-20 victory over North (12-2).
Or, perhaps more accurately, it was Jenks running back Trey’Vonne Barr’e who ran away with the championship. Barr’e took over the game on Jenks’ second possession, taking a simple run play down the middle of the field and turning it into an 88-yard game. The play broke open what looked like it might be a defensive struggle and propelled Jenks to a 6-0 lead when Braden Calip ran it in one play later.
That was only the beginning for Barr’e. He went on to gain 270 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns in the first half alone, with the scores coming on big plays of 35, 53 and 52 yards. He finished the game with 290 yards on 22 carries for an average of more than 13 yards a carry, while sitting most of the second half.
“It’s just a blessing to work with such a good and talented group,” said Jenks coach Allan Trimble, who led the Trojans to their 13th all-time title and first since 2007. “Our offense played well, and the defensive line did a good job getting to their quarterback.”
North was plagued by near-misses all night long. From passes just over the outstretched hands of Timberwolves receivers or Jenks players who just slipped out of the T-Wolves’ reach, North couldn’t quite finish plays. Quarterback Peyton Gavras threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, but a pair of overthrown passes and one play where a receiver slipped, led to three of the five Jenks interceptions on the night.
Despite the inflated final score, North looked more than capable of playing with Jenks for long stretches of time. The T-Wolves recovered a Jenks fumble on the first possession of the game, but were unable to score. After the teams traded stops, Jenks began to get going behind Barr’e, and scored five touchdowns to take a big lead early and a 41-7 lead into halftime.
“We got a couple turnovers early, but we weren’t able to convert,” Standley said. “I saw us out there making plays, but they played well. It was a back and forth game.”
The win continued the Jenks and Tulsa Union championship streak. One of the two east-side behemoths has won every Class 6A title since 1995, when Midwest City won. North became the first west-side school since Mustang in 2005 to advance to the title game.
Corbin HoslerFollow me @Chosler88chosler@normantranscript.com
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