EDMOND — Edmond Santa Fe coach Kyle White believes Tulsa Washington has a three-headed monster people aren't talking about.

They talk of a star-powered duo — Rylan McQuarters, the son of former Oklahoma State star R.W. McQuarters and Dax Hill, the brother of OSU running back Justice Hill.

White believes senior receiver Dewayne Cooks also belongs in that conversation. And it was easy to see why Friday night.

Cooks was unstoppable in Class 6A-II No. 2 Tulsa Washington's 35-21 victory over Class 6A-I No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe.

The 5-foot-11 receiver caught 10 passes for 146 yards and two second-half touchdowns, including a backbreaking 42-yarder with 10:40 remaining.

“You worry about McQuarters and Hill, and then here comes this kid,” White said. “He's a really good receiver and he runs really good routes and he's fast. It puts you in a bind. We just never found an answer for whatever reason.

“He's special and not just because he put on a show. In my opinion, he belongs up there with those two.”

Cooks had eight receptions in the second half, six of which came in a dominant third quarter that put Tulsa Washington in control after Santa Fe had rallied to tie the game after halftime.

Cooks certainly worked well with senior quarterback Phillip Wheatley.

“He was my go-to last year,” Wheatley said. “Chemistry on the field is big, but chemistry off the field is also important. Same youth group; we do things together all of the time, so we know where each other is going to be.

“I told him at halftime let's go out there and have fun.”

They certainly did.

Wheatley finished 24 of 31 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball well — a wrinkle Santa Fe struggled to contain — with 42 yards on 14 carries.

“I was more confident in myself,” Wheatley said. “Man, just trusting what I'm capable of. Last year, I didn't do that. Tonight, it showed. Man, I'm just so happy.”

Even with Santa Fe's inability to contain Cooks, McQuarters also scored two touchdowns.

The Wolves also committed two big turnovers. Running back Mbari Snoddy fumbled inside the 10 in the first half. Later, a bad snap over quarterback Kanan Hansen's head on a fourth-down play was recovered by Tulsa Washington.

Hansen never looked comfortable, completing just 17 of 28 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He did rush for 64 yards on 10 carries. Snoddy, meanwhile, caught both TD passes and rushed for another.

Still, it wasn't enough to stop Tulsa Washington's trio.

“Most of what happened tonight is in our control to correct,” White said. “We've just got to get better at securing the football. We were sloppy. Some of that's youth, some of that's first time and some of that's being sloppy and not paying attention to what you're doing.”
