Class 5A playoffs: Quarterback Reed Roberts shines in Guthrie's victory over Collinsville

As Watkins stood on the field Friday in Sapulpa following the top-ranked Bluejays' 45-13 rout of Collinsville, he relished in the fact that Roberts performed so well when needed.

In fact, it was the best performance of the year for Roberts and one reminiscent of former quarterback Bryan Dutton.

“We had to loosen them up by throwing the ball,” Watkins said. “We've said all year long that Reed is certainly capable of throwing the ball, we'd just rather not have to. But tonight we got to the point, and we'll probably have to next week sometime, to where we had to throw the football to win it.”

Guthrie (13-0) plays No. 2 McAlester (12-1) in the Class 5A championship Friday night at 7 in Oklahoma State's Boone Pickens Stadium.

And it'll be another chance for Roberts to shine.

Friday looked like a routine night for Roberts, who completed 7 of 12 passes for 132 yards. But it was his three second-quarter touchdown passes that made his night stand out.

The first touchdown pass was a thing of beauty, a perfectly thrown fade to the back corner of the end zone to L'liott Curry for 15 yards. The ball was thrown high and to the exact spot where only Curry could catch it.