It’s Senior Night in Mustang as the Broncos host the Norman Tigers tonight at Bronco Stadium.
With just two games remaining in the 2024 regular season, Mustang is looking to position itself for a deep postseason run. The Broncos enter the game with a 2-3 record in 6A-1 District 1, coming off a 64-35 loss to the district-leading Bixby Spartans last Friday.
The Tigers are 4-1 in district play and currently sit in third place behind Bixby and the Jenks Trojans. Norman’s only loss this season came at the hands of Jenks – 31-12 on the road on Oct. 4. Coach Rocky Martin’s squad is coming off a big 54-27 victory over the Deer Creek Antlers.
Can MHS bounce back from its blowout loss to Bixby? Or will the Tigers continue to roll and win their fourth straight game since falling to the Trojans?
Check out this week’s pregame primer and find out who The Mustang Sports Review thinks will come out on top:
WEEK 9 PREVIEW: VS NORMAN
- WHO: Mustang Broncos (5-3, 2-3) at Norman (7-1, 4-1)
- WHEN: Tonight at 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Bronco Stadium at 430 W Forster Dr. in Mustang, Okla.
- LAST MATCHUP: Norman 27, Mustang 19 (2023)
- LAST WEEK (MUSTANG): Bixby 64, Mustang 35
- LAST WEEK (NORMAN): Norman 54, Deer Creek 27
- WATCH LIVE: Watch live at www.MHSBroncoSports.TV as play-by-play host Ryan Booth and The Mustang Sports Review’s Trey Hunter bring you the action from the press box.
- LISTEN LIVE: Listen to Chris Needham’s call on the radio at 99.7 The Wolf FM
MUSTANG OUTLOOK
Mustang’s offense totaled 436 yards against Bixby last Friday night, including 250 rushing yards on 42 attempts. Quarterback Trajan Williamson (Sr.) passed for 186 yards.
Williamson is up to 1,620 passing yards this season with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He aired it out for a season-high 34 attempts against the Spartans, facing much more man-to-man coverage on the outside with just one safety than he has seen most of the year.
Running back Taven Brown (So.) rushed for a team-high 147 yards with one touchdown last week vs the Bixby Spartans. (Photo by Ron Lane / Lane Images)
Running backs Taven Brown (So.) and Latin Everheart (Sr.) combined for 228 yards on the ground, including two touchdowns. Brown finished with a season-high 147 yards with one score while Everheart rumbled for 81 yards and a TD.
The Broncos have been a strong rushing team all year with 1,747 yards and 23 touchdowns. They average 6.26 yards per carry.
MHS continues to feature one of the top wide receiver corps in the state.
Jaden Johnson (Jr.) leads the team with 524 receiving yards while Ben Patkowski (Sr.) is second with 500. Jaytee Johnson (Jr.) is close to eclipsing the 500-yard mark with 435. Derek Straughn (Jr.) missed part of the season with an injury but is now up to 112 yards.
Jaytee Johnson leads the team with seven TDs while Jaden Johnson has four, Patkowski has three, and Straughn has two.
Defensively, four Broncos have recorded over 40 tackles this season.
Linebacker Kaden Bachus (Jr.) leads the team with 65 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. Fellow linebacker Josiah Stevens (Jr.) is second on the team with 54 tackles, including two sacks and one tackle for loss. Position mate Parker Sorrell (Jr.) has 53 bringdowns with three tackles for loss.
Safety Blaine Fulmer (Sr.) leads the secondary with 43 tackles, including one tackle for loss.
The Broncos have been one of the top teams in the state at picking off opposing quarterbacks. They have 13 total interceptions, including three apiece by Fulmer and cornerbacks Waleed Gaines Jr. (Sr.) and Tucker Brown (So.). Safety Tayten Duncan (So.) and Jaytee Johnson each have one pick.
Defensive tackle Louie Jones (Sr.) and linebacker Kaden Bachus (Jr.) will look to lead the Broncos defensively as they host the Norman Tigers on Friday night. (Photo by Ron Lane / Lane Images)
Louie Jones (Sr.) and Onesi Ngalo (Sr.) lead the team’s defensive front. Jones has recorded a team-high three sacks and four tackles for loss while Ngalo has 26 total tackles with five quarterback hurries and one tackle for loss.
NORMAN OUTLOOK
Offensively, the Tigers have passed for 2,351 yards with 25 TDs and have rushed for 1,542 yards with 15 scores. They average 293.9 yards through the air and 192.8 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Phoenix Murphy (Sr.) has passed for 2,290 yards while completing 138 of 228 attempts for a 61-percent completion percentage. He has 24 touchdown passes with seven interceptions.
Murphy is also second on the team with 405 rushing yards and leads his squads with six TDs on the ground.
Two NHS running backs have carried over 70 times this season, including Anthony Johnson (Jr.) who has carried 73 times for a team-high 512 yards with two TDs. Kam Donald (Sr.) has rushed 79 times for 391 yards with two touchdowns.
Crew Noles (Jr.) has added 154 yards on 30 carries with five scores. Noles also has 32 receptions for 540 yards with six TDs.
Ryder Murphy (Jr.) leads the team in receiving yards with 866 and touchdowns with 11. Haynes Hartsock (Jr.) has 402 yards on 27 catches with four touchdowns while BJ Randle (Sr.) has 364 yards on 24 catches with two scores.
Defensively, the Tigers have held opponents to 122.6 passing yards, but have given up 155.8 rushing yards per game. They have allowed 28 total touchdowns, including 17 on the ground.
Linebacker Noah Hoelzer (Jr.) leads the team with 83 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and five sacks. Linebacker Behr Boyd (Sr.) is second on the team with 76 total tackles and leads the Tigers with 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and two interceptions.
Safety Jaxon Ford (Sr.) leads the team’s secondary with 53 tackles, including three for a loss, one sack, and one interception.
PREDICTION: MUSTANG 31, NORMAN 28
The Broncos are looking for a statement win in the final weeks of the regular season. Look for Williamson to pass for over 200 yards with two TDs while also rushing for at least 50 yards with a score.
The Johnson brothers, Patkowski, and Straughn will all make their presence felt against Norman’s secondary. Everheart and Brown will combine for over 150 yards on the ground for a second straight week.
