DUNCAN — Jaxon Gregston thought he timed it just right.
Backpedaling, the Duncan quarterback patiently waited three seconds for JJ Harris to slip into the Guthrie secondary on third-and-goal from the 9-yard line in overtime. Right as Harris got behind the incoming rushers, Gregston threw the ball to his running back.
With Demon blockers taking care of the rest downfield, it looked to be the tie-breaking score Duncan so desperately sought. But the ball never reached Harris.
With the pass midflight, Bluejays defensive end Campbell Leach jumped and deflected the ball to himself with his right hand, juggling it a few times before gaining possession at the 23 and sprinting downfield with no one between him and the end zone.
“I saw he was open, I just threw the ball too much under the line instead of floating it in there, and he jumped up there and tipped it,” Gregston said. “Stuff happens, I guess. I can’t do anything about it now.”
The play was blown dead before Leach could reach the end zone because like extra points, turnovers can’t be returned in high school football overtimes, but that proved to serve as only a quick prelude to Duncan’s eventual demise.
Guthrie kicker David Vargas made a 27-yard field goal on the next play, giving the Bluejays a 23-20 win at Haliburton Stadium in Duncan on Friday night.
No. 8 Guthrie (9-2) plays No. 3 Collinsville (11-0) next week on the road in the second round. The Demons’ resurgent season came to an end with a record of 9-2.
Duncan coach JT Cobble said it was a tough loss to accept, especially after everything the team had been through.
“You hate to lose any game in that fashion, let alone the last one of your year,” Cobble said. “We didn’t execute the way that we needed to, and we had our chances. I told, ‘In life, you’re going to have your chances, and if you don’t take advantage of them, it’s not going to go the way you want it to.’ This team went 3-7 last year, and they went to hosting a playoff game against a tradition-rich Guthrie team, which is what we set out to do.
“Their goal was reached. Everything from here would’ve been gravy. The legacy these seniors left will be something they remember for the rest of their lives.”
Gregston said this result will motivate all the returners to work harder and do even greater things in a Duncan uniform.
“It’s going to push us to go a lot harder in the summer, especially in spring ball,” Gregston said. “We’re going to come out ready to go next year.”
As much as that play will haunt Gregston, perhaps a play much earlier in the game will disturb Cobble even more.
Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Demons’ own 17, Cobble decided to go for it. The gamble backfired, and Guthrie stuffed a quarterback sneak attempt to take over inside the red zone.
The Duncan defense held, though, forcing the Bluejays to settle for a field goal.
It seemed insignificant at the time, especially after Duncan took a 13-3 lead into halftime, but it could’ve arguably been the difference.
Seeing how the game turned out, Cobble said he felt regretful of that decision. Without those three points, Guthrie would’ve been held scoreless.
“If I had to do it over again, I’d probably punt it,” Cobble said. “But we kind of have the mentality here of if you can’t get a yard, you don’t deserve to win the game. I had faith in my offensive linemen, and that’s a really good defense over there.”
The result of that fourth down also directly lead to another decision that didn’t go the Demons’ way.
With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Cobble elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-short from the Guthrie 20.
Unfortunately for Duncan, the Bluejays got a hand on the kick, forcing the game into overtime.
It was the second missed kick of the night for the Demons, for they failed to convert an extra point thanks to a high snap after a 10-yard touchdown run by Harris with 4:13 remaining in the second quarter.
“It was a really hard decision for me to kick the field goal at the end of the game that got blocked,” Cobble said. “But going for it on fourth-and-1 earlier made me kick it then. It’s just a game of inches, and sometimes you make the wrong call, and sometimes you make the right one.”
However, Duncan wouldn’t have even been in position if not for the arm of Gregston and the speed of receiver Javion Dangerfield.
Guthrie had scored 17-straight points to take a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the Demons were in dire need of a big play.
The Bluejays limited Duncan offensively for most of the night, holding the Demons to 256 yard total, but Dangerfield finally got the Demons on the board in the second half when he made an impressive catch over a Guthrie defender and outran the rest for a game-tying 85-yard touchdown.
Dangerfield, a junior who finished with seven catches for 117 yards, was emotional when embracing his teammates, especially the seniors.
“I was just thanking them for everything they’ve done because we had a great season, and I’m going to miss these guys,” Dangerfield said. “I was going back and giving thanks because we had a hell of a season and a hell of a run.
“We have a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of returning people, too. This is just the bar set for next year, and we’re going to try to raise it even more and try to be even better.”