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No. 1 Union rolls over Enid
September 21, 2007
by: John Ferguson, Tulsa World Sports Writer
(Reprinted with Permission. This is not an endorsement.)
ENID - Union's Jeremy Smith was sporting a new haircut, courtesy of his cousin Reggie Smith, who plays for the University of Oklahoma.
Jeremy Smith may have had a close shave, but his Union Redskins were the ones that buzz cut Enid 34-14 before 4,000 at D. Bruce Selby Stadium on Thursday night.
The Class 6A No. 1 Redskins (4-0, 1-0) won their District 6A-3 opener with a convincing blend of run and pass. Enid (2-2, 0-1) could not stop the running of Smith and throwing of quarterback Brandon Rogers.
Smith ran for 129 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Smith scored on runs of 62 and 11 yards. The fleet back did not play much in the second half or his numbers would have been higher.
Rogers threw for 180 yards on 16-of-23 attempts with one interception. Rogers tossed two TD passes to Anthony Foster.
Foster caught five passes for 93 yards on the night with scores of 75 and 5 yards.
"It was a really good game, and we came out, got it done," said Smith, whose hair was cut in a Mohawk style with his number cut into the back of his head.
Redskin coach Kirk Fridrich likes the way his team has handled the first four games, playing in Ohio, at Chapman Stadium on the University of Tulsa campus, at Muskogee and now Enid.
"We have been road warriors the first part of the season," Fridrich said. "I'm proud of the way they played."
Rogers also did not see much second-half action. When Rogers was in, he ran the offense effortlessly.
"When you've got that much talent behind me, it makes my job easier," Rogers said. "Enid's a good team. We knew we had our work cut out for us."
Smith provided the game's most dramatic moment after Enid scored and cut Union's lead to 14-7 in the second quarter. Smith took the first handoff following the kickoff and raced 62 yards to put the Redskins up 21-7. It knocked the wind out of any Plainsmen upset hopes.
"Jeremy Smith is a workhorse," Fridrich added. "I like the way he ran out on that big run."
Kicker Tress Way had a good game, too. Way kicked all the extra points and added two field goals, of 38 and 25 yards. Way also kicked all but two kickoffs into the end zone to prevent Enid from running it back.
Union's defense surrendered just 70 rushing yards. Enid quarterback Clint Chelf threw for 140 yards and scored on a 1-yard run.
Cody Comacho returned one of four Redskin fumbles for a 58-yard TD late in the game. Union turned the ball over five times - four on fumbles and one Rogers interception.
The Union win was the 12th in a row in the series with Enid. Overall, the Redskins now hold a 12-4 series edge.
Smith, Foster and Way scored all of Union's first-half points for a 31-7 lead.
Smith rushed for 114 yards and TD runs of 62 and 11 yards. He did his early damage with 11 carries.
Foster had four catches for 93 yards in the first half alone. His catches included TDs of 5 and 75 yards.
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