Del City soars into Class 5A final behind River Warren to LaDainian Fields connection
NOBLE — LaDainian Fields extended his arms above his defender and immediately grabbed the football as if a magnetic force pulled it toward his hands.
The contested touchdown catch might have impressed spectators, but those within Del City’s football program know to expect dazzling moments from Fields.
That’s why senior quarterback River Warren kept throwing to Fields with a state finals berth on the line. Del City coach Robert Jones put his full faith in the senior receiver/defensive back, too.
“Overall, he’s the best player in the state,” Jones said. “So, anything he does doesn’t surprise me. I’ve seen it all this year.”
The “all-around best player” title remains up for debate in Oklahoma high school football, but Fields undeniably boosted his campaign Friday afternoon in the Class 5A state semifinals. With his contributions on both sides of the ball, the second-ranked Eagles soared past No. 3 Claremore, 34-13, to reach the state finals for the first time since 1976, setting up a matchup with either Carl Albert or Bishop McGuinness.
Fields, a TCU commit, led Del City with 209 yards and three touchdowns on 10 receptions, averaging 20.9 yards per catch. He capped the Eagles’ opening drive with a 30-yard touchdown reception, and, less than three minutes later, reeled in a 35-yard pass from Warren to take a 14-0 lead.
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Later, after a scoreless third quarter, Fields sparked Del City’s offense again with his 15-yard contested grab. The Claremore (11-2) defense played man free coverage, dropping a safety over the top to try to prevent a deep touchdown pass, but Warren said when the ball left his fingertips, he could tell Fields had it.
Throughout the season, Del City’s scout team has prepared Fields to make those tricky catches.
“They just go hard every play,” Fields said. “It’s like a game at practice every day.”
The Warren-to-Fields connection looked as if it had existed for years, yet this is their sole season as teammates. Fields arrived in the spring from Southeast, while Warren came to Del City from McGuinness. Quickly, they had to synergize their talents.
“There’s a lot of work behind it,” Jones said. “As soon as they got over here in the spring, we worked so hard – working on the weekends, talking on the phone. That’s what I love about this team. We communicate off the field so much that it seems like we’ve been together for four years just because of how well we communicate.”
The Eagles’ synchronized approach showed on defense, too, as they held an opponent below 14 points for the eighth time this season. Del City (12-0) limited Claremore to 195 yards of offense, including only 42 on the ground, while recording four sacks for a total loss of 24 yards.
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Del City accumulated 156 rushing yards and 259 passing yards, adding balance to the offense with multiple playmakers. After Fields scored twice, senior running back Braelon Adamah bolted for a 35-yard touchdown on fourth down and 4, making an agile leap to clear his path.
Oklahoma State commit Rodney Fields Jr., LaDainian’s cousin, also reached the end zone on a 19-yard run, inflating Del City’s lead to 27-7 with 4:01 until halftime.
Warren had a solid day through the air, completing 14 of 21 pass attempts for 259 yards and three scores.
Although he connected with four receivers, every touchdown went to the same guy.
“LaDainian’s a baller,” Warren said. “There’s no other word to really describe him. You can try to double-team him, but I don’t know if it’s gonna do anything.”
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Del City beats Claremore
