Brett Manning isn’t a nostalgic person — he never was.
So when El Reno, leading 53-42, notched its second interception of MacArthur quarterback Racer Felter with 1:33 remaining on Nov. 2, it didn’t take the Highlanders coach long to accept the reality of the situation.
For the first time in his 10-season career, he wouldn’t be taking part in Week 11 festivities with 175 other teams from around the state. Only four years after hoisting the Gold Ball, Manning must watch the playoffs from the stands instead of from the sideline.
“(It hit me) with about a minute left in the El Reno game when it was obvious that that’s what was going to happen,” Manning said. “I accepted it pretty quickly. I’m not very nostalgic; it is what it is. There’s no sense in looking back or worrying about it. We’re already in the process of determining what we can do better and how to improve for next year.”
If not playing in the playoffs wasn’t bad enough, Manning and the coaching staff now must take on the thankless job of officially wrapping the season up. That includes completing a long list of chores and duties, which lacks the glamor of dissecting film and game-planning for the next opponent.
“It’s not a very fun time of year,” Manning said. “Discussing inventory and which coaches handle which part of it, checking in equipment, cleaning out lockers — it’s my least favorite time to be a coach. It’s a lot of paperwork and stuff like that that’s not very much fun.”
Although the time for wearing headsets and strategizing play calls has come to pass for Manning and his coaching staff this season, that didn’t stop them from enjoying some Friday night lights last week.
Manning, along with offensive coordinator Michael Pooschke and defensive coaches Max Plunk and Leo Holmes, made the short trip to Haliburton Stadium in Duncan to watch the No. 6 Demons take on No. 8 Guthrie in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
The group considered watching other district teams as well, but Manning said Duncan’s proximity to Lawton and the likelihood of a good game was the deciding factor in where to go.
“It was close — 20-25 minutes away from us — and I knew it’d be a good game,” Manning said. “I knew they were two really good defensive teams, and I wanted to watch Guthrie. I hadn’t seen them all year long on film or anything, and our defense was kind of inspired by theirs. And obviously it was a great game.”
Duncan and Guthrie’s battle was arguably the game of the week in Class 5A, taking overtime for one of the teams to finally separate from the other. All other games in the class were decided by an average margin of 26.4 points.
After the Bluejays came away with a turnover on the first drive of the extra period, Guthrie coach Kelly Beeby went for the field goal and the win on first down, a decision Manning both agreed with and appreciated.
The kick paid off, resulting in a 23-20 win for the Bluejays at Haliburton Stadium, and Manning said he faced a similar situation back in his first season as the Mac head coach in 2009.
“We had an overtime game against Eisenhower, and overtime lasted two plays,” Manning said. “We had an interception on the very first play of defense, and we kicked the field goal on first down when we were on offense. I thought it was interesting because most people don’t choose to kick it on first down, but coach Beeby did.”
Manning said he felt the teams were evenly matched, but Guthrie surprised him with its ability to rally from 10 points down against Duncan’s stout defense.
The Bluejays outscored the Demons 20-7 in the second half.
“It surprised me how much offense Guthrie was able to put together in the second half,” Manning said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Duncan’s defense, and I thought Guthrie maybe didn’t play that well in the first half because their offense didn’t look very good.”
Another game featuring a district foe Manning was invested in was El Reno at No. 1 Carl Albert.
The Indians defeated the Highlanders for the final playoff spot out of District 5A-1, and they put up a better fight against the undefeated Titans than many expected.
The teams were tied at 7 at halftime, and Carl Albert eventually pulled away for a 28-7 victory.
“Like everybody, I thought Carl Albert would have an easier time with them than they did,” Manning said. “After it’s all said and done, though, I believe El Reno was tied with Ardmore at halftime also. They might’ve even been up on Duncan at halftime. The only game they didn’t play very well from the very beginning was Altus — Altus just killed them (49-0). Other than that, they were either up or tied at halftime against the good teams they played.”
With Duncan, Altus and El Reno all losing, No. 2 Ardmore is the only team from the district still alive, and Manning said he believes that’ll remain the case until state championship weekend.
If the Tigers can get past Coweta (6-5), which upset No. 5 Tahlequah last week, they will likely be matched up with the winner of No. 4 McGuinness and No. 7 Bishop Kelley in the semifinals.
“Unless they really mess up, I think it’s Carl Albert and Ardmore in the finals,” Manning said. “They seem like the best two teams to me, but I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge of the eastside. I’ve just heard throughout the year that the east doesn’t have near as many good teams as the west side of the state. It’ll be a heck of a game, and I hope it happens because I’d like to watch it.”
Who wins the matchup between the top two teams in Class 5A is anyone’s guess, but Manning has been high on Ardmore all season, especially after the Tigers defeated Mac, 40-14, in Week 4, and he isn’t softening his views.
Manning said though the Titans will have won 35-straight games if they reach the title game, he believes Ardmore’s sheer size and physicality on both sides of the ball will be enough to dethrone the two-time defending champions.
The Tigers haven’t won a state title since 1992.
“I’m going to stick with our district and say Ardmore,” Manning said. “Their skill guys are as good as Ardmore’s skill guys always are, but what’s so impressive about them this year is the size and the strength and the quickness and the nastiness of their offensive line and defensive front. But Carl Albert, how can you pick against them in the playoffs? They’re undefeated, and coach (Mike Corley) hasn’t lost a game. They’ve got great athletes, and they’re well-coached just like Ardmore.
“I’ll say 28-24, Ardmore.”