Three weeks ago, it looked like the final Edlam game of the season would be a clunker. Edmond Santa Fe was rolling and Edmond Memorial was reeling. Southmoore's Peirce Spead gts by Edmond Memorial's Charlie Dutton during the high school football game between Edmond Memorial and Southmoore at Wantland Stadium in Edmond, Okla., Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman Multimedia Photoview all 17 photos Article Gallery: Plenty on the line in final Edlam showdown NewsOK Related Articles High school notebook: Wellston snaps losing streak 10/20/2012 The Tigers broke a 21-game losing streak by defeating Holdenville, 21-14, in a game where Wellston rallied from a 14-0 first quarter deficit. Week 8 high school football rankings: Deer Creek falls to No. 4 in 5A; Jones enters 3A rankings at No. 10 10/20/2012 After losing to Guthrie in overtime Thursday, Deer Creek dropped to No. 4 in the Class 5A rankings. In Class 3A, Jones is No. 10 after crushing Tuttle on... Memorial seemed destined for a second consecutive season outside the playoffs after an 0-5 start, while Santa Fe was playing like it was expected to before the season — as one of the top teams in Class 6A. Three weeks later, Air Max 95Santa Fe continues to roll after Friday's big win against Norman that pushed the Wolves to the brink of a district championship. Memorial, though, has turned things around in a big way. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive games, beating Mustang, Choctaw and Southmoore to get to the brink of a playoff berth. With two games left — including Friday's Edlam matchup against Santa Fe at Wantland Stadium — Memorial is in a three-way fight with Southmoore and Lawton for two playoff spots. “Finally in the Mustang game, we had some momentum and we were able to get rolling,” Memorial coach Justin Meredith said. “We were able to keep that going, and once we won that game, we got on a roll.” Meredith expected his young team to have some growing pains early in the season, especially with a schedule that included Edmond North, Deer Creek, Lawton and Norman in the first half of the season. “They're really playing well right now,” Santa Fe coach Lance Manning said. “They've been on a huge roll lately.” Manning doesn't expect a letdown from his team, though, even if Memorial's recent success hadn't heightened their awareness of the Bulldogs' explosiveness. “I understand why it would be easy to think that, but I don't think that would be a problem with this team,” Manning said. “They didn't have a letdown last year in games like this, and Memorial is a big game no matter what is at stake.” There is plenty at stake in this one, though, on both sides. For Santa Fe, it's a district championship. The Wolves need one win over the last two weeks — they finish the season at Choctaw — to claim a second consecutive district title. For Memorial, it's a chance at its first playoff berth since 2010. The Bulldogs can clinch a playoff spot with a win against Santa Fe and one to close the season against a one-win Putnam City West team, although winning one of the two gives the Bulldogs a solid chance to get in on a tiebreaker. “It's my goal to keep them calm, keep it in perspective and keep doing what we've been doing so we can give ourselves a chance to win this game,” Meredith said. “Of course, it's a huge game to our kids. Edmond is such a competitive city and school district.”
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