Josh Stewart (3) crosses the goal line for a touchdown in Guyer's loss to Cibolo Steele in the Class 5A Division II state championship game in 2010. Stewart is now a wide receiver at Oklahoma State and beat his best friend and teammate, another Guyer-ex J.W. Walsh in an NCAA 13 tournament final on Tuesday at Oklahoma State. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)
Seems as if Oklahoma State’s football program had a heated competition today, and it wasn’t done in the searing heat or in pads. Instead, it was a fierce competition played in an air-conditioned room (most likely a very nice room) and most likely on a very large television screen as the Cowboys had an inter-program NCAA 13 tournament, the popular college football video game franchise.
With four Guyer alumni now a part of the Cowboys’ program, the chances are they’re going to be well-represented in the tournament, and sure enough when the championship game rolled around on Tuesday, it was two Guyer-exes squaring off for the title.
In the final, Josh Stewart (playing as Oklahoma State) defeated his best friend J.W. Walsh (playing as LSU) by a rip-roaring score of 16-13, a low-scoring affair for two offensive guys. I guess Stewart’s experience as a defender (remember, he was committed to Texas A&M as a cornerback) was the ultimate difference. Somehow, if everyone had gotten their wish and Oklahoma State and LSU had played in the BCS title game back in January, I doubt that score would’ve been anywhere close to being accurate.
In 2011, Stewart played a good amount as a true freshman, racking up 19 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns, both in Lubbock when he shredded my alma mater. He also added a special teams score in that game. Walsh redshirted and was expected to get the starting quarterback job for the 2012 season before being surprisingly beat out in the spring by true freshman Wes Lunt. Walsh is still expected to see the field in 2012 in numerous special packages.
When asked how he felt about two of his most prized pupils, including his son, squaring off in the title game, Guyer head coach John Walsh said it was bound to be a competitive game.
“Those two will turn a friendly pillow fight into a blood bath,” Walsh said.
So I guess it should be no surprise it was such a hard-fought game.
Can you tell we’re ready for football season around here? Season starts a little more than five weeks from today.