Class 2A state final preview: Veteran McCrory club standing in the way of Fordyce's historic title run

The Redbugs are gunning for three straight state championships.

By Kyle Sutherland | Photo by Jimmy Jones

For the fourth time in school history, the McCrory Jaguars will be playing for a state title against the two-time defending 2A champs Fordyce Redbugs at 7 p.m. Friday at War Memorial Stadium.

McCrory fully expected to have a strong season after returning a large portion of last year’s team that fell in the second round of the playoffs, but with Fordyce there were some concerns within their program before the season started.

“It’s kind of a surprise we got back here,” Fordyce head coach Tim Rodgers told the media in a press conference Wednesday. “We lost a lot from last year, but we knew if we could get people in the right position then we might have a chance to get back.”

Both teams advanced to the final by winning defensive battles as McCrory defeated Poyen 20-18 and Fordyce squeezed by Clarendon 7-6. Fordyce also rallied in the quarterfinals against Magnet Cove to win 30-29 after being down 29-15 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 

Fordyce graduated the majority of last year’s team including Purdue signee Ja’Quez Cross, 2A Offensive Player of the Year Jaheim Brown along with all-state performers Josh Harrington and Gary Lewis. 

Despite that, the Redbugs have risen to the occasion, feeding off the leadership of the few veterans they have in quarterback/linebacker Trey Merritt, center Carson Williams (Air Force commit), and nose guard Dakota Wimberly, who have all contributed heavily for the past two state title teams.

Merritt went down in a Week 0 victory over archrival Rison and missed the next four games, forcing the coaching staff to go back to the drawing board. 

“After Trey got hurt, we kind of doubted ourselves a little bit,” Rodgers said. “A lot of other kids stepped up as the season went along, and when he got back against Junction City, we kind of started getting things back together. Having a first-round bye in the playoffs really helped us heal up.”

Rodgers mentioned having anchors on both sides of the trenches in Williams on offense and Wimberly on defense as being key in building the team around. 

“We had so many seniors that were three- and four-year starters,” Rodgers said. “One of the main things that changed things around was Trey hurting his ankle really forced us to have to adjust. Throughout the entire season I don’t believe we have had the same starting offense or defense from week to week.”

Senior Dominic Hammond, a Bearden transfer, filled in at quarterback during Merritt’s absence and also leads the team defensively in interceptions with four.

On the other side, McCrory is feeling 2015 vibes, when it last won a state title, having returned 17 starters.

“The big similarity with the 2015 team is most of the seniors from that team started as sophomores and that is the case with this current senior class,” Jaguars head coach Chris Kennon said. “We have three-year starters at multiple key positions and any time you have that kind of experience it makes a big difference.” 

Though the Jaguars have played a tough schedule, Fordyce poses a different challenge, particularly with the Redbugs’ defensive line that averages over 270 pounds per player. 

“Size-wise we have not played another team who look like these guys,” Kennon said. “As far as physicality, it is hard to compare the type of play like some we saw with other teams.”

The Jaguars are certainly not missing any meals either, averaging around 250 per player themselves on their defensive line.

Cason Campbell, whose brother Cade quarterbacked the Jaguars to the 2015 state championship, has been the signal caller for his entire high school career and Kennon’s son, Reid, has been his backfield mate for the duration. Those two, a seasoned offensive line, and a defense allowing 16 points per game have helped this senior class accomplish 26 wins in in their career and have high hopes of finishing the job Friday night for the biggest victory of their careers.

Kennon mentioned that one thing he has stressed to his team is to just take it one step at a time.

“The biggest challenge with Fordyce is its experience,” Kennon said. “They don’t panic in any situation. I told our kids that you must overcome the moment and not let it overcome you. With that, plus the mystique of the program and them trying to three-peat, our kids just have to go out there, play their game and do what they do, then let everything else work itself out.”

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