After last season’s injury problems that hampered the Waurika Eagles throughout the 2021 season, Waurika finds itself in a familiar position in recent years – the post-season.
The opening game of the Class B playoffs for the Eagles will be Friday when Waurika will play host to Southwest Covenant. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Norman West Field.
The last playoff victory for Waurika came against Southwest Covenant in 2020. The Eagles fell in the second round of the playoffs that season.
Last year, the Eagles suffered through a bevy of injuries that resulted in a 3-7 record and no post-season activity in 2021.
The 2022 season has been an exciting one for the Eagles as they have compiled a 6-3 mark against another tough schedule.
Two of the losses came at the hands of traditional Class B powers Laverne and Seiling and the other loss was to district foe Velma-Alma.
In the six victories, the Eagles were rarely tested.
The Eagles have used a powerful rushing game to earn the runner up position in District B-4 and host a first-round playoff game.
Treyton Torrez, the veteran Waurika quarterback has been the ringleader of the offense with over 1,400 yards rushing in the nine-game season. Torrez has rushed for 21 touchdowns and has tossed 13 touchdown passes.
Complementing Torrez in the backfield has been Jake Smart, another senior who played with Temple the last three seasons. Smart, who missed a couple of games because of injury, has 597 yards rushing for the season on 67 carries – just under 10 yards a carry.
You should not let the Patriots’ 5-4 record deceive you. Southwest Covenant competed in a tough district and three of the four losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 among Class B schools.
The Patriots will also bring a potent offensive attack to the first-round playoff game. They have scored 50 or more points in three of their last four outings.
The winner of this first-round contest will face the winner of Oklahoma Bible and Balko-Forgan one week from Friday.
If Oklahoma Bible wins, they will host the winner of Waurika and Southwest Covenant. If Balko-Forgan upsets Oklahoma Bible and Waurika wins its first round game, the game would be played at Balko.
Here’s a preview of tomorrow night’s contest:
SW Covenant at Waurika
Time and Place: Friday at 7 p.m. at Cy Sloan Stadium
Ticket Information: Tickets are available for $7 plus $1.35 service fee at gofan.com. You can pay cash but the tickets are $10. Veterans and one guest will be admitted free to the first round of the playoffs.
Records: Southwest Covenant is 5-4 on the year following last week’s loss to Seiling; Waurika brings a 6-3 record into the game after a 36-8 victory over Cyril last week.
District Standing: Southwest Covenant is the third place team from District B-3, while Waurika was the runner up in District B-4.
State Rankings: Neither team is ranked.
Coaches: John Jensen is in his second year at the helm of the Patriots and has a record of 8-10; Joe Allen has been the Eagles’ mentor for five seasons and is 39-17. Allen will not be on the sideline for this game after last week’s ejection against Cyril.
Series History: Waurika leads, 1-0.
Last Meeting: The only meeting with the Patriots was a 58-36 victory by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 Class B playoffs.
Playoff History: Southwest Covenant is making their ninth appearance in the post-season and the Patriots have a 6-8 record in playoff action. The Patriots have advanced to the state championship once – losing to Tipton. Southwest Covenant has made one other appearance in the semifinals.
Waurika will be making its 30th appearance in the post-season and has a record of 30-28-2. Waurika has one state title and has made a total of five appearances in semifinal action. The Eagles are 1-3-1 in those games.
Team Capsules: Southwest Covenant has rebounded from last year’s 3-6 mark to get into post-season for the first time since 2019. The Patriots will bring a high-powered offense to Waurika as they have scored 50 or more points in four of the five victories. The biggest threat for the Eagle defense will be receiver Gabe Ross, who also has a number of carries rushing. Another receiver, Trace Brunk, has eight catches for 219 yards on the year. The Patriots have struggled a bit on defense as they have surrendered 40 or more points four games.
Waurika’s season has gone just about by the script that could have been written before the season. The Eagles’ offense is led by a trio of talented runners Torrez, Smart and Trent Arellano. Smart and Arellano are also threats catching the ball along with receiver Isaac Camarillo. Smart has been an excellent addition to the Waurika offense and Torrez has rebounded from a serious injury he suffered a year ago. The offensive line has been a strength for the Eagles all season. The defense for Waurika has also been steady throughout the season and will have to be performing at a high level to halt the Patriots’ offensive threat.
Outlook: The key to this game will likely be the play of the defense. Whichever team can stop the other will have a great advantage. It is likely the scoreboard will be lit up and certainly both teams will have to avoid giving extra possessions on turnovers. A special teams score or big play will likely be a factor during the game. Look for the Eagles to advance to round two if they can dominate the game on the defense.
Patriots’ 2022 Results
Ok. Bible 48, SW Covenant 20
SW Covenant 36, Alex 8
SW Covenant 70, Summit Chr. 40
Davenport 20, SW Covenant 18
Cov.-Douglas 50, SW Covenant 14
SW Covenant 52, Okeene 28
SW Covenant 54, Canton 52
SW Covenant 52, Waukomis 14Seiling 54, SW Covenant 8
