Class 2A football: Washington breezes past county rival Purcell in 42-13 Week 4 win

WASHINGTON — Major Cantrell stayed calm under the pressure. 

After dropping back to pass during Washington’s second offensive play against Purcell, Cantrell could clearly see a defender running full speed at him. 

Despite that, the quarterback hung in the pocket and let receiver Kobe Scott finish his route deep down the field. 

Cantrell was pummeled as he pulled the trigger, but the sophomore’s pass was on the money. Scott ran under it and coasted into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown, and the Class 2A second-ranked Warriors went on to dominate the remainder of the McClain Country rivalry game. 

Washington notched a 42-13 home victory Friday night against Purcell, improving to 4-0 on the season. 

Cantrell had an efficient night in the team's District 2A-3 opener, completing 11 of 17 passes for 312 yards and five scores. 

“It actually went opposite of what we thought the game was going to take shape with,” Washington coach Brad Beller said. “We thought we were going to have to run it more. And then when we hit the first pass over the top to Kobe, we came back, struggled running it.” 

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Two of Cantrell’s touchdown throws were to Scott, who finished with four receptions for 105 yards.  

Scott also had a stellar game at defensive back, recording several tackles and making key plays. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior embraces playing on both sides of the ball and enjoys defense just as much as offense. 

“I’m not one to say that I get tired,” he said. “I want to do everything.” 

Along with Scott, senior Luke Hendrix made some big plays at receiver.

Hendrix had two catches for 120 yards in the first half. His first reception was in the second quarter. He caught it over the middle and outran everyone on his way to an 80-yard touchdown, and the Warriors extended their lead to 21-7 after a successful extra-point attempt. 

Scott and Hendrix form one of the best tandems in Class 2A, and they had lots of success on Friday. 

“It’s very important for the outside guys to be a threat, whether it’s a threat deep or short,” Beller said. “They are both. That just takes people out of the box, allows us to run.” 

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Washington finished with 32 rushing attempts for 111 yards, while Purcell (2-2) had 40 carries for 186 yards. 

Quarterback Creed Smith led Purcell, running for 121 yards and one touchdown on 18 attempts. 

But Washington controlled this game from the start and had a 28-7 lead at halftime. 

“Working outside in and stretching the field I really think was the key to our success tonight,” Beller said.

Reporter Nick Sardis covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nick_sardis. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.