How 'new faces’ are propelling Bethany football to District 4A-2 success

BETHANY — With one agile leap, Wyatt Geissler brought Bethany’s offense into Harrah territory.

The junior receiver prepared for liftoff and smoothly reached above a defender to snag a deep pass from Jackie Payne.

For electric, big-play highlights, the Bronchos could rely on the Payne-to-Geissler connection.

But when they needed someone to tenaciously churn out a few yards, Judson Gilliland had his time to shine. The sophomore quarterback/running back capped that drive with a 1-yard touchdown, rumbling into the end zone on fourth down after a few gritty goal-line stands from Harrah.

Balanced strengths lifted the Bronchos to a 38-14 home victory over Harrah on Thursday night, keeping them in the District 4A-2 title chase. While Bethany’s versatile approach resembles last year’s system, the core cast of contributors has changed.

“I was talking to somebody before the game and just saying we have a lot of new faces, guys that hadn’t played as much,” said Bethany coach Jon Arthur. “We just graduated a really good class last year. It’s just taken us some time to get these guys some game reps.”

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Bethany (6-2 overall, 4-1 district) entered this season with only two returning starters, losing significant playmakers. Taylor Heim, one of the most mulitfaceted players in the state last season, moved on to the University of Oklahoma. Quarterback Cale Wetwiska and running back Jaden Gilliland also graduated, further depleting the offense.

But the next group of leaders is starting to peak at the right time.

Throughout this season, Arthur has alternated between junior Payne and Judson Gilliland, Jaden’s younger brother, at quarterback. In the Harrah game, each guy occupied a specific role. Payne showed his skills as a dual-threat quarterback, while Gilliland took direct snaps in the wildcat formation.

Together, they accounted for five touchdowns.

“This was kind of the first time we’ve done that more wildcat-type scenario with Judson,” Arthur said. “I think it fits him pretty well there.”

After striding into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown to open the second quarter, Gilliland added two more on short gains.

“It’s been kind of hard because I’m young, but I’m settling in,” Gilliland said of his increased role. “As we’ve played more and more games, I feel like I’m just getting better and better each game.”

Geissler also operated comfortably in Bethany’s offense, fueling the receiving game with team highs of six catches and 108 yards.

In the third quarter, he hauled a 21-yard pass from Payne into the end zone for Bethany’s final touchdown.

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Geissler, who played last season but has more responsibilities this year, said he loves working with Payne and Gilliland at quarterback.

“They’re both two great, incredible players,” Geissler said. “So you got to get them both the ball. It just opens everything up because Judson will run it, and Jackie can do both, so it’s great.”

Geissler’s second-quarter leaping reception went for 48 yards, and that wasn’t his only chance to show off his hops.

As a defensive back, he secured Bethany’s third and final interception, using his basketball skills to take flight on the football field.

While the Broncho defense was disruptive through the air, Harrah (4-4, 1-4) channeled its offense primarily through one guy on the ground. Senior running back Devon Macaraig rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, but Bethany stopped him enough to keep the Panthers from taking the momentum.

After dropping two early games to Class 2A Jones and district rival Tuttle, the Bronchos’ rising stars are putting the pieces together. Bethany carries a four-game win streak into next week’s pivotal district game at Blanchard.

“We go win these next two games; we got a chance at a district title,” Payne said. “It’s something that means a whole lot to us. We really need to put our foot on the gas right now. This is when we gotta turn up and go make plays.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: 'New faces' propel Bethany past Harrah