Glenpool | Edmond North Blog

Rankings Preview: Oct. 3

Posted by Ryan Aber

on October 3, 2009 at 1:59 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#5-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#4-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#4-1
4. Norman North (7)#4-0
5. Edmond North (5)#5-0
6. Lawton (NR)#5-0
7. Southmoore (4)#4-1
8. Del City (8)#4-1
9. Midwest City (9)#3-2
10. Bartlesville (10)#5-0

So last week 5A was the rankings that gave me the most problems. This week it was 6A. Southmoore’s loss to Putnam North, Lawton’s win over Mustang, Edmond North’s allowing 28 points to Norman and Del City’s close win over Edmond Santa Fe all came into play here. Norman North looks like the team to beat in the West, especially after Southmoore’s surprising loss to Putnam North. Putnam North could very well be a top 10 team but Southmoore’s overall resume is better at this point. Southmoore beat Del City and Midwest City and those two wins give the SaberCats the resume to stay ranked. There will definitely be some shakeups here next week as well, with Lawton playing at Del City next week. Jenks is playing at Broken Arrow next week as well but I’d expect Jenks to win that and the top 3 not change. Though with the distractions for Jenks this week, who knows.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa Kelley (1)#5-0
2. El Reno (2)#5-0
3. Shawnee (3)#5-0
4. McAlester (4)#5-0
5. Tulsa Washington (5)#3-2
6. Carl Albert (6)#3-2
7. Tulsa East Central (7)#4-1
8. Lawton MacArthur (8)#4-1
9. Ada (9)#5-0
10. Bixby (10)#2-3

After so much changing around last week, things remain exactly the same here. Two top 10 teams lost but I’ll defend Carl Albert and Bixby staying where they were, as both played close games with higher-ranked, undefeated opponents. Carl Albert lost by 3 to Shawnee and Bixby lost by 4 to undefeated No. 1 Tulsa Kelley. Carl Albert’s two losses have come to Tulsa Washington and Shawnee. Bixby has lost three times but those losses came to Class 6A No. 1 Jenks, Class 5A No. 1 Tulsa Kelley and Class 4A No. 1 Glenpool. I thin that’s a more impressive resume than Pryor’s 5-0 with close games against Skiatook (0-5) and Jay (3-2).

Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#5-0
2. Sallisaw (2)#5-0
3. Weatherford (3)#5-0
4. McGuinness (4)#3-2
5. Douglass (5)#4-1
6. Wagoner (6)#4-1
7. Grove (7)#4-1
8. Poteau (8)#5-0
9. Star Spencer (9)#3-2
10. Broken Bow (NR)#2-3

One change here with a couple teams losing. No. 4 McGuinness loses by a single point to No. 3 Weatherford on the road and No. 10 and previously unbeaten Tecumseh loses to No. 9 Star Spencer. McGuinness is easy to keep in the same position, although I did give consideration to flipping McGuinness and Douglass. Thought about leaving Tecumseh at No. 10 but the 40-0 blowout was too much to overlook. Fort Gibson and Muldrow were considerations but both lost big to top 10 teams this week. So Broken Bow re-enters the picture. Broken Bow’s three losses — Sallisaw, McAlester and Metro Christian — are all to quality opponents.

Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#4-0
2. Tuttle (2)#5-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (3)#5-0
4. Madill (4)#5-0
5. Checotah (5)#5-0
6. Bethany (6)#5-0
7. Metro Christian (7)#5-0
8. Anadarko (9)#5-0
9. Clinton (10)#3-2
10. Blanchard (8)#4-1

Pretty straightforward here as the top 7 stay the same, Anadarko moves up to No. 8 after improving to 5-0 for the first time since the 1920s. Clinton moves up a spot and Blanchard drops two to No. 10.

Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (1)#4-1
2. Davis (4)#5-0
3. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (5)#5-0
4. Lexington (7)#5-0
5. Vian (6)#4-1
6. Heritage Hall (8)#2-3
7. Kingfisher (3)#3-2
8. Millwood (2)#3-2
9. Bridge Creek (9)#4-1
10. Pawhuska (NR)#5-0

The big drop here is Millwood, who falls six spots to No. 8 after losing to Jones. Kingfisher also fell, four spots, to No. 7. Davis jumps up two spots to No. 2. Heritage Hall also moves up two spots. Pawhuska enters the rankings at No. 10 after Sperry’s loss to Verdigris.

Class A
1. Okeene (1)#5-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#5-0
3. Ringling (3)#4-0
4. Hennessey (4)#5-0
5. Stroud (5)#5-0
6. Commerce (6)#5-0
7. Woodland (7)#3-2
8. Talihina (8)#5-0
9. Watonga (9)#4-1
10. Oklahoma Bible (10)#5-0

No changes here as all of the top 10 won. Someone asked me last week about the possibility of dropping No. 1 Okeene and moving up No. 2 Tonkawa after Okeene needed overtime last week against Texhoma. I’ll be keeping an eye on those teams over the next few weeks but for right now, Okeene keeps the top spot.

Class B
1. Garber (1)#5-0
2. Canton (3)#5-0
3. Laverne (2)#3-2
4. Porter (4)#5-0
5. Ryan (6)#5-0
6. Fox (7)#4-1
7. Kiefer (NR)#5-0
8. Weleetka (8)#4-1
9. Alex (9)#4-1
10. Davenport (NR)#4-1

Another complicated one here with No. 5 Depew losing to unranked Davenport and No. 9 Alex beating No. 10 Allen. I dropped Depew out after its loss despite owning a win over No. 8 Weleetka earlier this season. Kiefer deserves to be in after beating Davenport in double overtime in the second week and staying undefeated. That was Davenport’s only loss so far.

Class C
1. Shattuck (1)#5-0
2. Timberlake (2)#5-0
3. Temple (4)#4-1
4. Seiling (3)#4-1
5. Thackerville (5)#4-1
6. Covington-Douglas (6)#3-2
7. Deer Creek-Lamont (7)#5-0
8. Maud (9)#5-0
9. Claremore Chr. (NR)#4-1
10. Boise City (NR)#3-2

EDITED: Temple and Seiling switch places near the top after Seiling loses to Timberlake 52-6. Maud moves up a spot to No. 8 with a win over Sasawka, who drops out. Claremore Christian makes its debut, as does Boise City. Sasakwa and Waynoka falls out. falls out.

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Sept. 26 Rankings

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 26, 2009 at 9:56 am

Decided to sleep on this week’s rankings, especially with Tulsa Kelley’s upset over Tulsa Washington in 5A making me seriously rethink those rankings.

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#4-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#3-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#3-1
4. Southmoore (4)#4-0
5. Edmond North (6)#4-0
6. Mustang (7)#3-1
7. Norman North (8)#3-0
8. Del City (5)#3-1
9. Midwest City (9)#2-2
10. Bartlesville (NR)#4-0

Not a whole lot of shuffling here with just two of the top 10 losing, and both of those dropping games to higher-rated teams. I dropped Del City three spots to No. 8 and moved Edmond North, Mustang and Norman North up a slot. Del City stays just above Midwest City, whose losses came to Southmoore and Del City. Bartlesville, which beat Muskogee 35-30 to improve to 4-0, enters the rankings for the first time. Considered leaving PC North ranked but looking at the teams they’ve beaten in the context of the first four weeks, Bartlesville appears to be the better candidate. Also thought about Lawton for that spot but the only win that stands out for them looking back at things is the win over Lawton MacArthur. But the Wolverines will get their chance to move into the rankings in a big way this week when they host Mustang.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa Kelley (9)#4-0
2. El Reno (3)#4-0
3. Shawnee (4)#4-0
4. McAlester (10)#4-0
5. Tulsa Washington (1)#2-2
6. Carl Albert (2)#3-1
7. Tulsa East Central (5)#3-1
8. Lawton MacArthur (6)#3-1
9. Ada (7)#4-0
10. Bixby (8)#2-2

OK, here’s the one that gave me the most heartburn this week. The only team to lose was Tulsa Washington but their loss to Tulsa Kelley forced me to go through and rethink the entire rankings in 5A. Kelley moves up to No. 1 all the way from No. 9. The Comets’ overall resume is the most impressive. El Reno and Shawnee each move up a spot as Carl Albert, despite its 69-12 win over Capitol Hill, drops to No. 6 because of Washington’s loss. The Hornets beat Carl Albert handily in the season-opener. McAlester also makes a big jump. These rankings are likely to experience some wild shuffling in the next few weeks. Next week’s premier battle in the class comes with Carl Albert traveling to Shawnee. Tulsa Central fell to East Central but likely would’ve been ranked if any other ranked team had slipped up.

Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#4-0
2. Sallisaw (2)#4-0
3. Weatherford (3)#4-0
4. McGuinness (4)#3-1
5. Douglass (5)#3-1
6. Wagoner (6)#3-1
7. Grove (7)#3-1
8. Poteau (8)#4-0
9. Star Spencer (NR)#2-2
10. Tecumseh (NR)#4-0

The top 8 remain the same as all won in Week 4. Star Spencer moves back in the rankings and Tecumseh enters the rankings for the first time this season after a 4-0 start. It came down to Tecumseh and Fort Gibson for the last spot. Fort Gibson is 3-1 but has looked impressive since an opening-week loss to Sequoyah Tahlequah. Broken Bow and Muldrow fall out of the rankings. Broken Bow has lost three games in a row to really good teams they’ve got to prove they can play at that level. They’ve got Hilldale next week, then what should be a comfortable win over Tulsa Webster before finishing up with a brutal stretch that starts at Wagoner, then at Poteau, at home vs. Muldrow and finishing the season at home against Fort Gibson.

Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#3-0
2. Tuttle (2)#4-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (3)#4-0
4. Madill (5)#4-0
5. Checotah (6)#4-0
6. Bethany (7)#4-0
7. Metro Christian (8)#4-0
8. Blanchard (9)#4-0
9. Anadarko (NR)#4-0
10. Clinton (4)#2-2

This is another one that took me a little while to decide how to rank the teams. Clinton obviously had to drop behind Anadarko after getting beat by the Warriors on Friday night (Even if Delans Griffin didn’t play). The big question was what to do about Clinton. It came down to Clinton, Newcastle, Dickson, Berryhill and Bristow for the last spot. Looking at all of the teams resumes, I eliminated Newcastle, Dickson and Berryhill. That left me with Bristow and Clinton. Both have played Chandler, with Clinton winning 28-0 and Bristow winning 7-0. That was partially the tiebreaker. I also still think Clinton’s going to be really good if Delans Griffin comes back healthy.

Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (1)#3-1
2. Millwood (2)#3-1
3. Kingfisher (3)#3-1
4. Davis (4)#4-0
5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (5)#4-0
6. Lexington (7)#4-0
7. Vian (6)#3-1
8. Heritage Hall (8)#1-3
9. Bridge Creek (9)#3-1
10. Sperry (10)#3-1

The only change here to speak of is the flip-flop of Lexington and Vian after Lexington beat SeeWorth 62-8 and Vian lost to No. 5 Sequoyah-Tahlequah 49-28. I did seriously consider switching Kingfisher and Davis. I’m still not sure I made the right call on those two but I’m leaving them where they are for now.

Class A
1. Okeene (1)#4-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#4-0
3. Ringling (3)#3-0
4. Hennessey (4)#4-0
5. Stroud (6)#4-0
6. Commerce (7)#4-0
7. Woodland (8)#2-2
8. Talihina (9)#4-0
9. Watonga (NR)#3-1
10. Oklahoma Bible (NR)#4-0

Another difficult one here after OCS’ loss to Watonga on Friday night. The top four stayed the same, with 6-9 each moving up a spot. The newcomers this week are Watonga and Oklahoma Bible. Watonga’s only loss came to Class 2A No. 3 Kingfisher to start the season. Oklahoma Bible is undefeated, with a 15-0 win over Texhoma two weeks ago. Texhoma took No. 1 Okeene to triple overtime this week. OCS and Apache dropped out.

Class B
1. Garber (1)#4-0
2. Canton (3)#4-0
3. Laverne (2)#3-1
4. Porter (4)#4-0
5. Depew (5)#3-1
6. Ryan (10)#4-0
7. Fox (6)#3-1
8. Weleetka (7)#3-1
9. Alex (8)#3-1
10. Allen (NR)#4-0

A little bit of shuffling ere with Canton and Laverne traded spots. Didn’t give much thought to dropping Laverne lower (specifically below Porter) because I believe that B-1 is the toughest district around at the top. I still think Garber, Canton and Laverne are the top three teams in the class. Allen moves into the rankings.

Class C
1. Shattuck (1)#4-0
2. Timberlake (2)#4-0
3. Seiling (3)#4-0
4. Temple (4)#3-1
5. Thackerville (5)#3-1
6. Covington-Douglas (6)#2-2
7. Deer Creek-Lamont (7)#4-0
8. Waynoka (9)#4-0
9. Maud (10)#4-0
10. Sasakwa (NR)#4-0

The only ranked team to lose was Corn Bible, who fell to Tipton. Waynoka and Maud moved up a spot and Sasakwa into No. 10. Considered Tipton for that spot and will keep an eye on them but, for now, undefeated wins out.

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Rankings Sept. 19

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 19, 2009 at 1:51 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#3-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#2-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#2-1
4. Southmoore (4)#3-0
5. Del City (6)#3-0
6. Edmond North (7)#3-0
7. Mustang (8)#2-1
8. Norman North (9)#2-0
9. Midwest City (10)#1-2
10. Putnam North (NR)#3-0

Owasso drops from No. 4 to out. I try not to be reactionary so I was I bit slower to drop Owasso but the Rams HAVE to show some semblance of offense to prove they belong in the top 10. I know, a lot of that has to do with the loss of Joe Lindsay and Trent Spurgeon, but Owasso just doesn’t deserve it right now. That led to everyone else moving up a spot, including Midwest City, who lose to Southmoore in double overtime. The Bombers proved they belonged in the top 10 with that win, especially scoring 35 on Southmoore’s defense. Moving into the No. 10 spot is Putnam North. The Panthers have won three games big in non-district play. Lawton was the other contender for the spot but they struggled before finally putting away Altus.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa Washington (1)#2-1
2. Carl Albert (2)#2-1
3. El Reno (3)#3-0
4. Shawnee (4)#3-0
5. Tulsa East Central (5)#2-1
6. Lawton MacArthur (6)#2-1
7. Ada (8)#3-0
8. Bixby (9)#1-2
9. Tulsa Kelley (10)#3-0
10. McAlester (NR)#3-0

Tulsa Washington stays in the top spot despite the loss to Class 6A Broken Arrow, though there was no real consideration to dropping the Hornets. They beat No. 2 Carl Albert to start the season and No. 5 Tulsa East Central last week. Bixby finally gets in the win column and moves up a spot, thanks to Carl Albert’s 38-6 blowout of Duncan. Tulsa Kelley also moves up a spot, while McAlester makes its first appearance in the rankings this season after a 26-18 win over Ardmore improved the Buffs to 3-0.

Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#3-0
2. Sallisaw (2)#3-0
3. Weatherford (6)#3-0
4. McGuinness (7)#2-1
5. Douglass (3)#2-1
6. Wagoner (5)#2-1
7. Grove (8)#2-1
8. Poteau (10)#3-0
9. Broken Bow (4)#1-2
10. Muldrow (NR)#3-0

This was a tough one to rank this week with McGuinness’ win over Millwood weighing against Douglass’ last week and Broken Bow, Star Spencer and Wagoner all losing. In the end, Weatherford and McGuinness made big jumps. Both have signature wins and it was hard to have either behind Douglass after what the Irish did to Millwood tonight. Star Spencer drops out although I’d imagine the Bobcats will be back ranked shortly. Poteau moves up two spots to No. 8 and Muldrow is the newcomer at No. 10. Broken Bow hangs in the top 10 after a loss to 3A Metro Christian.

Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#2-0
2. Tuttle (2)#3-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (3)#3-0
4. Clinton (4)#2-1
5. Madill (6)#3-0
6. Checotah (7)#3-0
7. Bethany (8)#3-0
8. Metro Christian (9)#3-0
9. Blanchard (10)#3-0
10. Purcell (5)#2-1

The only change here is Purcell dropping from No. 5 to No. 10 after losing Lexington 20-0. I considered dropping Purcell out but a couple of the candidates to move into the rankings also lost so I kept Purcell in there.

Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (2)#2-1
2. Millwood (1)#2-1
3. Kingfisher (3)#2-1
4. Davis (4)#3-0
5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (5)#3-0
6. Vian (6)#3-0
7. Lexington (8)#3-0
8. Heritage Hall (7)#0-3
9. Bridge Creek (10)#1-1
10. Sperry (NR)#2-1

Another flip-flop at the top with Millwood’s loss and Lincoln’s win. Some people wondered last week when I said Millwood and Lincoln were clearly the top two teams but Lincoln’s loss was to one of the top teams in Arkansas regardless of class. I was surprised by Millwood’s loss tonight but the Falcons have got to find a running game to be successful deep into the playoffs in 2A. Sperry slides in at No. 10 after Sulphur lost to Elgin.

Class A
1. Okeene (1)#3-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#3-0
3. Ringling (3)#2-0
4. Hennessey (4)#3-0
5. OCS (5)#3-0
6. Stroud (6)#3-0
7. Commerce (7)#3-0
8. Woodland (8)#1-2
9. Talihina (9)#3-0
10. Apache (10)#3-0

There’s no change here with all 10 teams winning in the third week. In fact, the only top 10 team with a loss is No. 8 Woodland but they lost to No. 1 Okeene and No. 2 Tonkawa so I’m pretty comfortable with then where they are. I did give some consideration to Pawnee and will keep and eye on the Black Bears, though.

Class B
1. Garber (1)#3-0
2. Laverne (2)#3-0
3. Canton (3)#3-0
4. Porter (5)#3-0
5. Depew (6)#2-1
6. Fox (7)#3-0
7. Weleetka (4)#2-1
8. Alex (8)#2-1
9. Watts (9)#3-0
10. Ryan (NR)#3-0

Porter, Depew and Fox move up one spot each after Depew beats Weleetka. Copan’s loss to Oaks also opens the door for Ryan to move into the top 10 after a 42-14 win over Caddo.

Class C
1. Shattuck (1)#3-0
2. Timberlake (2)#3-0
3. Seiling (3)#3-0
4. Temple (4)#2-1
5. Thackerville (5)#2-1
6. Covington-Douglas (6)#1-2
7. Deer Creek-Lamont (7)#3-0
8. Corn Bible (8)#3-0
9. Waynoka (9)#3-0
10. Maud (NR)#3-0

The top nine stays the same as all of those teams pull off wins. But Forgan’s loss to Shattuck, couple with Maud’s win over Macomb boosts Maud into the top 10.

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At look at the rankings: Class 6A-A

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 5, 2009 at 1:24 am

Eight-man will have to wait another day as my eyes are about to slam shut but here’s Class 6A-A with a short explanation with each class.

Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#1-0

2. Jenks (2)#1-0

3. Broken Arrow (4)#0-1

4. Owasso (5)#1-0

5. Del City (11)#1-0

6. Southmoore (6)#1-0

7. Edmond North (10)#1-0

8. Mustang (9)#1-0

9. Muskogee (8)#0-1

10. Norman North (13)#1-0

Rankings review

I take a little different approach when formulating rankings. I don’t drop teams every time when they lose. Never understood why a No. 10 team who lost to a No. 1 team had to drop. That’s why you’ll see Broken Arrow moved up a notch in 6A despite losing to Tulsa Union. The Tigers lost in a close game and couldn’t see jumping Owasso (who’s without its regular starting QB) or Southmoore (who struggled to run the ball in its opening win) over Broken Arrow. I struggled with how to order the bottom part of the rankings. Del City’s win was huge so I jumped them ahead of winners Southmoore, Edmond North and Mustang. There were flaws with each of those team’s wins (although I don’t hold North’s against them as much as the other two, since it was a rivalry game). We’ll see some more shaking out in the next couple weeks with some big matchups. Midwest City might still be a top 10 team by the time it’s all said and done. Along with the Bombers, Putnam North and Lawton are bubbling right outside the top 10.

Class 5A Rankings

1. Tulsa Washington (1)#1-0

2. Carl Albert (2)#0-1

3. El Reno (5)#1-0

4. Lawton MacArthur (6)#1-0

5. Bixby (4)#0-1

6. Guthrie (3)#0-1

7. Tulsa East Central (7)#1-0

8. Shawnee (8)#1-0

9. Duncan (11)#1-0

10. Ada (12)#1-0

It was tough at the top of 5A with Nos. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10 all losing. In the end, I decided to keep Carl Albert at No. 2 because I can’t see jumping El Reno or Lawton MacArthur up over the Titans right now. And El Reno win next week would give serious consideration to a jump. Lawton Mac’s win was certainly impressive and the Highlanders could also be moving up with continued wins. I just think Tulsa Washington is heads and shoulders above everyone else in the class right now. It’s hard to judge just where Bixby and Guthrie are right now but we’ll find out soon enough. I don’t drop teams just because tey lost but Guthrie’s offense worries me and Bixby got hammered so I wasn’t hesitant of dropping them behind El Reno and Lawton Mac. Tulsa Kelley and Deer Creek are just outside the top 10, as is Ardmore and Coweta.

Class 4A

1. Glenpool (1)#1-0

2. Broken Bow (2)#1-0

3. Sallisaw (3)#1-0

4. Douglass (5)#1-0

5. McGuinness (6)#1-0

6. Grove (7)#1-0

7. Wagoner (8)#1-0

8. Weatherford (9)#1-0

9. Star Spencer (4)#0-1

10. Collinsville (10)#1-0

With just one team in the top 10 losing, the only real question here is how far does Star Spencer fall with its big loss to Millwood. The answer winds up being to No. 9 from No. 4. No. 1 Glenpool’s win wasn’t overly dominant but the Warriors are still No. 1. The others ahead of Star Spencer all had big wins, either in blowout fashion or in McGuinness’ and Weatherford’s cases, wins over highly regarded opponents. Poteau and McLoud are hanging around just outside the rankings.

Class 3A

1. Cascia Hall (1)#1-0

2. Tuttle (3)#1-0

3. Sequoyah-Claremore (4)#1-0

4. Clinton (2)#0-1

5. Purcell (5)#1-0

6. Madill (7)#1-0

7. Checotah (6)#1-0

8. Bethany (7)#1-0

9. Metro Christian (9)#1-0

10. Blanchard (10)#1-0

Another relatively stable class, with Clinton the only top 10 team with a loss. Figured they’need to go fall under at least Tuttle and Seq.-Claremore. Elgin and Newcastle ate just outside the top 10.

Class 2A

1. Lincoln Christian (2)#1-0

2. Millwood (3)#1-0

3. Kingfisher (5)#1-0

4. Davis (6)#1-0

5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (7)#1-0

6. Heritage Hall (1)#0-1

7. Vian (9)#1-0

8. Chandler (4)#0-1

9. Lexington (13)#1-0

10. Sulphur (8)#0-1

Another class with some interesting dilemmas. How far does Heritage Hall drop? What about Chandler? Who fills out the bottom of the top 10? The answers: To 6th because their defense performed well yet they clearly have a ton of work to do on offense. Chandler drops four spots to eighth. Chandler should be significantly better by the end of the year but thhe Lions have to grow up quick. Sulphur stays in the top 10 in large part due to the rash of losses at the bottom and just outside the top 10.

Class A

1. Okeene (1)#1-0

2. Tonkawa (2)#1-0

3. Morrison (3)#1-0

4. Ringling (4)#0-0

5. Hennessey (6)#1-0

6. OCS (7)#1-0

7. Woodland (5)#0-1

8. Stroud (9)#1-0

9. Hominy (8)#0-1

10. Commerce (12)#1-0

I dropped Woodland down two spots after its 31-6 loss to No. 1 Okeene. Woodland’s going to be pretty good by season’s end but needs some ore consistency. Stroud and Hominy switch spots after Stroud beats Chandler and Cleveland beats Hominy.

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Another Henry to KU: Millwood’s Trayvon picks Jayhawks

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 1, 2009 at 2:04 pm

Millwood's Trayvon Henry committed to Kansas on Tuesday

With Millwood linebacker Trayvon Henry picking Kansas on Tuesday, another state player has chosen to go to a Big 12 school other than OU or OSU.

There are now 12 in-state players committed to playing for Big 12 schools.

Kansas: Trayvon Henry, Millwood

Missouri: Xavier Smith, Edmond North

Oklahoma State: Calvin Barnett, Tulsa Washington; Johnny Deaton, Sand Springs; Chris Littlehead, Sequoyah-Tahlequah

OU: Aaron Colvin, Owasso; Bronson Irwin, Mustang; Jarrett Lake, Jenks; Julian Wilson, Southmoore

Texas Tech: Delans Griffin, Clinton; Tre Porter, Carl Albert; Denton Simek, Prague

With Henry’s commitment, that leaves just one top 10 player in the state (according to The Oklahoman Super 30) uncommitted. That is Tulsa Central’s Demarco Cobbs (No. 1). After that, though, there are far fewer committed players. The other uncommitted players on the 30 list include Tulsa Washington’s Eric Bennett, Fort Gibson’s Courtney Gaston, Midwest City’s Dominique Jones, Madill’s Darryl Fields, Midwest City’s Emmanuel Maxwell, Jenks’ Bob Graham, Lawton MacArthur’s Tuswani Copeland, Del City’s Chris McAlister, Southmoore’s Kyaunn Thompson, Muskogee’s Jeremy Burton, John Marshall’s Ken Berry, Star Spencer’s Darren Rideau and Glenpool’s Marco Nelson.

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Week-by-Week in OKC: Best games to check out each week

Posted by Ryan Aber

on August 31, 2009 at 2:49 pm

All right, I wrote this morning on the top games each week across the state. But was thinking earlier about different groups of games. I’ve already posted what I think are the top All-City Athletic Conference Games each week (sticking mostly to city-area games). Here’s my pick for best games to watch in the city-area each week. So if you’re just a fan wanting a good game each week, give this schedule a whirl.

Week 1: Tulsa Washington at Carl Albert. A rematch of last season’s Class 5A state title game, and should be every bit as explosive this year, with Tulsa Washington’s Eric Bennett and Carl Albert’s Tre Porter among the season’s top recruits.

Week 2: Douglass at Millwood (Saturday). The Soul Bowl is always one of the most entertaining games around and this year will be no different with talent (and state championship hopes) overflowing both places.

If you’re really wanting a Friday game, check out El Reno and Guthrie. Tom Cobble did a fantastic jon helping turn around El Reno last season and the Indians should be really good again this year. Rafe Watkins always has Guthrie among Class 5A’s best. Or, if you’re just wanting to see one of the state’s best players in a game that might not be extremely competitive, check out Tulsa Central at Northeast. Central featured Demarco Cobbs, the state’s top overall player.

Week 3: Millwood at McGuinness. Yes, here the Falcons are for a second consecutive week but the non-district schedule the play makes for good games each of the first three weeks. The Falcons should be really good for a 2A team and the Irish should also be competitive at the top of 4A despite losing stars like Gabe Ikard and Ryan Randolph from last year’s team. RB LaRone Richardson and WR Sam Crabtree especially should be fun to watch.

Week 4: Southmoore at Del City. These could be the most improved teams in the state regardless of class. Del City made great strides late in the season last year but just missed a playoff berth. Southmoore was 2-8 last year but had talent, especially on offense. The SaberCats have added to that talent stable with several key move-ins. This game could last 3 1/2 hours.

Week 5: Heritage Hall at Kingfisher. This matchup features two of the top sophomores in the state in Heritage Hall’s Barry Sanders and Marc Robinson. The Chargers, the defending champions in 2A, won’t run over Kingfisher, though. The Yellowjackets were semifinalists last season and return 10 starters.

Week 6: Madill at Bethany. This should be a great game overall but its also a chance to catch some of the best players in the state in a rare trip to the city area. Kerry Robert’s Madill team has senior RB Darryl Fields, junior QB Spencer Bond in addition to a pretty good receiver in Roberts’ son.

Week 7: Double dip this week. Carl Albert at Guthrie (Thursday). This one is always a classic. Last season, Carl Albert snuck Daytawion Lowe onto the field wearing a different number in a play that wound up being a touchdown and wound up making a difference in the outcome. Who knows what craziness awaits this year.

Douglass at McGuinness (Friday). This one featured a wild ending last year that saw McGuinness come out ahead. Douglass has revenge on their minds already.

Week 8: Okeene at Hennessey. Sure, I could tell you to check out Norman North at Southmoore or Guthrie at Shawnee, but there’s a lot to be said for small-school football. Jeff Wardlaw does a great job with the Whippets and Hennessey has plenty of talent to challenge Okeene in this one.

Week 9: Edmond North at Edmond Memorial. This could (should?) be for the Edlam title. Kameron Doolittle is a fun player to watch for Memorial, as are Joe Aska and Qua’Don Henderson for Edmond North.

Week 10: Mustang at Southmoore. If you can make the drive, do it this week, checking out Star Spencer as they head to Glenpool in a game that figures to be for a district title. Otherwise, be perfectly content to stay in the city area and see another game that could face two teams battling for a district title. Southmoore figures to be loaded and Mustang, while losing a good number of starters from last year’s 12-1* team (*Yes, I know it’s 13-0, after considering Jenks’ forfeit), seems to always find a way to be really good.

By Ryan Aber

Twitter: @ryaber

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