How Grady Adamson, Deer Creek football are 'catching a groove' in Class 6A-II playoff race

Grady Adamson had to make a decision.

The Deer Creek junior quarterback fumbled the snap under center and quickly recovered it before contemplating his next move. After parading behind blockers for a few moments, Adamson glimpsed a hole open up at the line of scrimmage — which was the only indication he needed to plant a foot upfield and take off.

"I wasn't really sure what to do initially," Adamson said with a grin about his 41-yard touchdown run Friday night in the second quarter of the Antlers' 49-7 win against Lawton. "It was just supposed to be a small motion jet sweep kind of play to Colton (Neal) originally, but once the snap hit the center's butt I just picked it up and made a play with what our blockers gave me. When you're in a mode like that, you feel comfortable taking chances and it just worked out for the better."

The story from Deer Creek's 25-20 win over Choctaw last week was the exceptional performance displayed by the defense. However, the Antlers' blowout win on Friday was highlighted by the electric play of their quarterback.

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Adamson completed 16 passes for 180 yards and five touchdowns through the air on the night. He also heavily contributed to their ground game, rushing for 80 yards.

The second-year starter is currently weighing Division I offers from Pitt, Tulsa, UNLV and Dartmouth.

"I think in wins like tonight and last week we've just shown how the work we put in all summer and the work we put in everyday practice has paid off," Adamson said. "Each week we've make our hard work worth it and take pride in the culture Coach (Wade) Standley has in place here at Deer Creek."

The Antlers got out to a lead quickly after Adamson found receiver Mason Smith and running back Colton Neal for two touchdown passes on consecutive drives to give Deer Creek a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Following a three-and-out stand by the defense, running back Junior Youmbi found the end zone on a 6-yard run — pushing the Antlers' first-quarter lead to 21.

Of Adamson's five touchdown passes, his final two of the night were thrown to receiver Landon Dunn. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior's back-to-back touchdowns helped Deer Creek further close the curtain on any potential Lawton (2-5) comeback before halftime.

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"I'm confident in us and I think we're getting close to where we'd like to be to accomplish our main goal this year," Dunn said. "Our motivation all summer and all season has been to get a gold ring and win a championship. It hasn't been done here in 23 years and we're catching a groove at the right time — so it'd be cool to see all our hard work pay off and win state."

With the win, the second-ranked Antlers improved to 5-2, further solidifying their spot atop the Class 6A-II standings. As they have three remaining games scheduled against teams currently with a record below .500, Deer Creek already has its sights set on the district playoffs in November.

"I think the biggest thing for us right now is to stay consistent with our approach every single week," Deer Creek head coach Wade Standley said.

Before being hired to coach the Antlers in 2015, Standley led Norman North to the state championship game in 2012. He recently coached Deer Creek to a runner-up finish at state in 2021.

"Around this time of year, it's about continuing to get better and better each day," Standley continued. "The exciting thing about these guys is they committed back in January to give their all to not only this program but to themselves as well. Everything starts with them. From a team standpoint, we continue to play better each week and we'll be in good shape come playoff time if we keep it up."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Deer Creek keep rolling, routs Lawton