Luther (5-3, 4-1 District 2A-2) will travel to Bethel (4-4, 2-3) tomorrow night for a 7 pm kickoff.
Series History: Luther leads, 7-3. First Meeting: 1986 Let’s start with this: Tomorrow night is Senior Night at Bethel High School. This senior class has won 23 games and lost 16, making the playoffs twice. Only the seniors from 2005-08 have done better. They won 24 and lost 18, also making the playoffs twice.
Head coach Joey Ginn is certainly optimistic that his team, and his seniors, still have a chance to be the best class in history, and the first to make the playoffs three consecutive years. A person might scoff at that, but if your kid were playing for him, wouldn’t you prefer his attitude be that way?
Greater things have happened. NC State ‘83 NCAA basketball, they beat Houston for the National Championship. 2008 New York Giants, they beat the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. Why can’t Bethel shock the State and beat Luther and Jones? The answer is, they can. Go play the game and see.
Bethel’s last victory over Luther was in 2005, my fifth season. We won that night, 20-13. The current senior class was born that year. Sounds lop-sided, but to be fair, the ‘Cats have only played the Lions twice since. Luther won, 40-3, in 2016. Then, in coach Joey Ginn’s first season in ‘17, the Lions won, 60-26.
Luther’s district wins have been impressive: they shut out Crossings, 27-0; they blew out Spencer, 60-6, and Kellyville, 50-19, and last week they survived a shootout with Meeker, 82-61. I think that one was played on the basketball court.
The only blemish on the Lions’ record has been Jones. They lost, 29-7. District 2A-2 is currently well-represented in the Daily Oklahoman’s Class 2A rankings: #7 Jones, #8 Chandler, #9 Luther, and #10 Crossings. That looks to be the way the district will finish as well with its top four as the ‘22 season wraps up and the district unfolds.
Therefore, the Lions will be favored tomorrow night. But that’s why games are played. Upsets happen every week. And the ‘Cats now have nothing to lose.
Head to Head: By the Numbers BETHEL LUTHER 143rd School Size Rank 180th 328 Enrollment 264 4-4 2022 record 5-3 8-3, First Round 2021 record 6-5, First Round 6-4, First Round 2020 record 6-5, First Round 5-5 2019 record 11-2, Quarterfinals Other District 2A-2 games tonight: Crossings (6-2, 3-2) at Meeker (2-6, 2-3), Star Spencer (1-7, 0-5) at Chandler (5-3, 3-2), Jones (5-3, 5-0) at Kellyville (2-6, 0-5) Last Week’s District 2A-2 games: Crossings Christian 35, Bethel 0 Kellyville 42, Star Spencer 14 Luther 81, Meeker 62 Jones 34, Chandler 7 Ginn said, “Luther looks a lot like Meeker. They will have a tight end most of the time. They run the ball well and can hit the big pass if they need to.”
That big pass usually goes to their 6-4 190-pound wide receiver. Ginn said, “Their receiver is really, really good.”
Ginn said their running back is a junior and runs a lot like Meeker’s also, but maybe better. He described their quarterback as “a sophomore, but very athletic, also plays corner for them.”
Another weapon the Lions possess is their kicker. Ginn said he was better than Crossing’s.
Bethel has been out of sync the last couple of weeks due to a plethora of injuries, but those players should all be back this week. With only two guaranteed games left in the season, the ‘Cats are playing for their football lives. Go B-A!
