The Grove Ridgerunners will wrap up the 2013 football season on Friday when they host the Claremore Zebras at Ridgerunner Stadium.
This will be the third straight season the Ridgerunners have missed the playoffs, but there’s a sense of optimism after last week’s 20-14 win over the Tulsa Central Braves.
Senior linebacker Ty Phillips stepped in front of slant pass thrown by Central’s DeAngelo Brewer on fourth down with just under two minutes left in the game. Phillips’s interception and return to the Braves’ 23-yard line eventually led to his touchdown run from a yard out with eight seconds to play for the winning points.
Phillips scored twice on Friday and led Grove with 31 yards rushing. The Ridgerunners squeaked out the win despite gaining only 181 total yards of offense in part by not turning the ball over. Grove only lost the ball once on the night on a third quarter fumble, the first time this season they’ve committed less than three turnovers in a game.
The Zebras will go into Friday’s game looking to improve their playoff positioning. Last Friday’s 31-24 win over Coweta snapped a two-game losing streak for Claremore, who had led District 5A-4 for most of the season before losing back-to-back games against Pryor and Central. Those losses have left the Zebras in third place in the district with a 4-2 record, a game behind both Collinsville and Pryor. A loss by Collinsville coupled with a win over Grove would put Claremore into second place. Losses by both Collinsville and Pryor with a Clarermore win could create a three-way tie at the top of the standings.
Offensively, the Zebras are led by junior running back Derrick Reliford, who went over the 1,000-yard mark on the season last week and has 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Reliford is complemented by senior quarterback Brinley Brown. In his first year as a starter, Brown has 1, 381 yards passing and 12 touchdowns.
Brown’s favorite targets have been Dustin Basks and Caleb Webster. Basks, a 5-7, 145-pound junior, has 644 yards on 35 receptions this season, including six touchdowns. He also has a pair of touchdowns on kickoff returns. Webster, a 6-2, 182-pound senior, is second on the team with 26 receptions for 551 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Zebra defense has given up at least 20 points in each of their last seven games. Junior linebacker Baron Hope leads Claremore with 130 tackles on the season.
Friday’s game will mark the final contest between Grove and Claremore until at least the 2016 season. The Zebras will be moving up to Class 6A for the next two-year cycle which covers the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
