State Wrestling: A wild night
By Matt Patterson
mpatterson@oklahoman.com
The 87th Annual Oklahoma High School Wrestling Championships is in the books and it didn’t dissapoint. There were upsets, vengeance and suprises galore.
Here’s a few things that caught my eye:
- Midwest City’s improable championship in Class 5A was the biggest surprise, followed closely by Grove in Class 3A. The Bombers won in different fashion this year, relying on Sand Springs’ Znick Ferell to upset Ponca City’s Reno Redleaf to secure the title. The Bombers wrestled well in both bracekts to put themselves into a position to win.
Coach Jody Marple squeezed every ounce of ability out of his team this year. MWC was hurt by Seth Johnson’s loss in the semi-finals (Johnson was never 100 percent after his elbow injury early in the season) but found a hero in Mark Meyer who won at 152 and Drew Hill who battled his way into the finals.
- Del City would have won the Class 5A t itle had Derrick Jackson been able to pin Stacy McGee in the heavyweight finals. Jackson lost, but the fact Del City put itself into a postion to even have a chance at the title with just six wrestlers is amazing. Mike Brady and Tyler Dorrell came home winners Friday and Zack James placed third.
- This year’s crowd was the biggest I’ve seen in 8 years of covering the tournament. I think the fact that there is an ever growing pool of stars (Chris Perry, Dallas Bailey and Ladd Rupp all have a chance to be 4 time champs next year) contributed to the strong turnout. The arena was virtually full at the beginning of the finals.
- Grove winning 3A came out of nowhere. The Ridgerunners were alone in thinking they could win a championship when the tournament started.
- Star Spencer’s Raymond Lane winning his second title in overtime was perhaps the most dramatic single match of the night and it drew a large crowd on the floor. The Lane-Tyson Yoder storyline is a good one and both are grossly underrated, which is saying something considering Yoder is going to Oklahoma State.
It’s unknown where Lane will end up (he talked to OCU coach Archie Randall after his win) but beating the OSU bound Yoder twice under the lights clearly shows Lane has Division I talent.
Clarke made me a HORSE on his way to the record
By Ray Martin – I went home last weekend. Not to see the family or hang out with old friends, but to play a friendly game of HORSE with my former teammate, and Arkansas signee, Rotnei Clarke. I let Rotnei win, of course, and I interviewed him in the process and asked him about college, the playoffs and closing in on the all-time career state scoring record. Here’s the video, and be sure to read Ryan Aber’s story about Clarke and Keiton Page’s race to the record in today’s Oklahoman.
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The Woodward-Whitbeck reign is over
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Other observations from the pool this weekend: The monopoly is over. No, not the Sam one, but the Woodward-Whitbeck domination. Yeah, Lizzy Whitbeck will still be there but with Sam and Katie moving on, who’s going to take that mantle as the top swimmers with Lizzy? The Whitbecks or Woodward won six of the eight individual girls events while Sam paced two Edmond Memorial relay wins.
Jenks coach John Turner understated his team…big time. When talking to the coach about his team this week, he wasn’t very forthcoming about the stars his boys team had. He said he had a great team, but he didn’t say anything about Frank Radaelli, Andrew Kurtz and David Miller. The Trojans were dominant.
But with 16 seniors gone for Jenks, Stillwater is going to make a charge next year. Alex Barto will be my preseason pick for best boys swimmer.
Overall, I’m not too ashamed of my predictions for the teams and top swimmers. For boys teams, Edmond Memorial exceeded my expectations while Tulsa Union didn’t have its best days.
On the girls side, I had teams 3-6 (Union, Stillwater, McGuinness and Moore) dead-on and was three points away from having 1-6. Jenks pulled it out when it mattered most. In a perfect world, it would have been fun to see Sam and Whitley Taylor decide each team’s fate, but that’s where the planning comes in. Woodward was done while Turner still had his anchor ready to roll.
Speaking of Taylor, Whitley and the Whitbecks did as expected. And I’m giving Riedmann a pass as she placed second in two events. One where Sam set a record and the other where Katie was tops.
The East boys clearly were the best this year, mea culpa. While Danny Hatfield and Nathan Bercaw were solid for the Edmond teams, nobody could touch the unstoppable monster that was Jenks.
Really looking forward to seeing those freshmen develop. Wilson Wei, Norman North; Isaac McKnight, Chickasha; Ryan Adams, Edmond North; Bailey McCullough, Stillwater; Megan Myers, Tulsa Union. I’m sure there are more, but those are the ones that stood out on both days.
While it was great to see Katie and Sam dominate, next year’s wide open field is also intriguing. I’m not seeing too many events where you already know “oh, she’s got it.”
Thanks to the volunteers representing Deer Creek, who were so quick at getting me event results and answering any questions.
Well, the only thing left would be the postseason honors. Keep you posted.
“She’s the one ahead of everybody”
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
I really wasn’t trying to be a jerk, but “she’s the one ahead of everybody” was my response to a fan’s question of who is Samantha Woodward at the state swimming championships? I thought the answer sufficed. It was short, precise and accurate.
This weekend was the first time I had the honor to watch Woodward swim. The two biggest things I noticed.
1) She doesn’t take herself too seriously. She doesn’t believe her own hype and she doesn’t carry herself as someone who is eons better than everyone else in the pool.
2) All her competitors have accepted second but hold no grudge at all toward her. In Friday’s Oklahoman, I wrote a short piece about how some of the other top names in the state view Woodward. I was looking for something juicy, something Rory Sabbatini-like about Tiger Woods. Nothing, not one negative word.
After watching her crush the competition again and the way she interacts with everyone afterward, it’s easy to see why there’s no ill-will.
She set three records on Saturday, but the best display of her prowess was the very first event, the 200 IM relay. Because as the butterfly swimmer, the third leg, the lead for Edmond Memorial was not much. But after her swim, I had already penciled the Lady Bulldogs in as the winners.
There was a certain buzz around the 200 free relay because everyone realized it was Sam’s last swim. The whole day I tried to watch Sam’s father, Pete, and his reactions. Because even though he is a certified official, it’s fun to see raw emotion come out every now and then.
And now her high school career is over. There’s something so final to that. A bevy of emotions were flowing from Sam, Pete, other swimmers and Edmond coach Steve Riggs. What do you say about someone who has meant so much to this state for this sport?
I say one thing: good luck and see you in Omaha.
Confusion leaves Selby out of pool
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Despite qualifying for the state swimming championships in three events at last Thursday’s last chance meet, Harding Prep’s Mitchell Selby will not be allowed to participate this weekend.
Paperwork needed to be filed to the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association by Friday afternoon, and Harding Prep did not get the forms in on time.
“We didn’t even know he was swimming,” Harding Prep athletic director Emily White said. “It’s unfortunate that this has happened. He’ll definitely be around next year.”
Selby’s parents asked Edmond coach Steve Riggs if Mitchell could compete a few weeks ago. Mitchell was allowed to and easily qualified for the events.
Riggs said he noticed something was wrong when he was organizing the warm up time for each school to use the pool and Harding Prep was not on the list.
“It’s a shame because it was such a unique story, but we know he’ll be back and better than ever,” Riggs said.
No one is at fault here, but it’s a real shame for Selby. As a kid, he’s not thinking about the rules and regulations. He just wants to swim.
For swimming coaches, they just want to give kids the opportunity, a chance. No one wants to turn away someone who wants it so bad.
And for the OSSAA, well, they’re always the bad guys in these situations. They have to enforce the rules. They’re just following procedure. It’s tough to be the governing body because you never want to open that proverbial Pandora’s Box.
The good thing is Selby is just a freshman. He swims at Chesapeake, so you know he’s swimming with the some of the best in the state. So to reiterate, yep, Selby will be back. We just won’t see him this weekend.
Moore to vote on Myers for football coach tonight
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
The Moore School Board will vote to approve or disapprove tonight of Scott Myers as the next head football coach for Moore High School, according to the meeting agenda.
Myers has been the head coach at Woodward for the past three years. This year, he led the Boomers to their first playoff appearance in seven seasons. Before his tenure at Woodward, he was an assistant at Moore under Tom Noles from 2001-2004, coaching the secondary. He also served as an assistant at Plainview and Chickasha.
Myers graduated from Chandler in 1985 after leading the Lions to a state title in football his senior season. He went on to graduate from East Central.
Myers was chosen from approximately 25-30 applications and eight interview candidates, district athletic director Carl Franks said.
With the new Southmoore High School (and football program) set to open in the fall, Myers would step into a competitive position. He would replace Bill Bays, who resigned at the beginning of the spring semester and has accepted the head coaching position at Choctaw. Bays — who had an 11-20 record at Moore and one playoff appearance — cited the desire to coach in a district with just one school as a part of his reason for resigning.
The race is on!
By Ray Martin -
Rotnei Clarke and Keiton Page are both likely to break the Oklahoma small-school state scoring record sometime in the next few weeks.
Ryan Aber will have that story in next Sunday’s Oklahoman. Stay tuned for the latest on NewsOk to find out who breaks the record first, and when.
Until then, enjoy this video of Clarke and Page going head to head earlier this season at the Tournament of Champions in Tulsa.
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Rivals heading in same direction
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
For the last two years, they’ve lined up against each other. Next year, they’re hoping to line up beside each other.
Lawton’s Cornelius Douglas and Lawton Eisenhower’s Harrison Jeffers both made it official today, signing with Texas Tech.
While the two may have been on different sides of a bitter rivalry, there was no such contempt from either one of them. In fact, their friendship dates back to elementary school where the two used to run track together as early as third grade.
Douglas took a detour to Norman during his junior high days before moving back to Lawton two years ago. Now his next move will be Lubbock.
“He gave me some business when I told him I’d be going to Tech, too,” Douglas said of Jeffers. “It’s really exciting because we know we won’t be alone.”
For Douglas, it’s a unique opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. While most teams were looking at the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder as a defensive back, the Red Raiders saw potential at wide receiver. That’s strange, said Douglas, because he never played the position in any organized football before.
There were no such questions about Jeffers. He was recruited as a running back and nothing has changed there. The senior led the Eagles with 1,093 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Just as important, he snagged 42 receptions for 489 yards.
“Coach (Mike) Leach has such a great attitude and a great football mind,” Jeffers said. “It’s such a fun offense to be a part of.”
The clincher came when Jeffers attended three Texas Tech games last fall and noticed the running back touched the ball 20-25 times a game. While the Red Raiders love to spread the field with a potent aerial attack, the running back has been a vital member to the receiving corps as well as being the primary running option.
It’s said playing in Texas Tech’s offense is like running a track meet. If so, that’s a good thing for Jeffers because he always thought track was going to be where he made his mark, not football.
“I still don’t know how all this has happened,” Jeffers said. “I still don’t see myself as a great football player.”
That humility was sprinkled a few miles down the road as Douglas put his signature down to join Jeffers.
“It was tough there for a while because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Douglas said. “But I can say I’m thrilled with the way everything turned out.”
While being the starting quarterback for the Wolverines, Douglas threw for 829 yards and nine touchdowns while running for 14 more scores and 413 yards.
But its his elusiveness that will make him stand out, said Lawton coach Randy Breeze.
“We run a play called 47-naked counter,” Breeze said. “And on that play, we don’t block anyone in Cornelius’ direction. We didn’t need to because we knew he would make them miss. He scored six touchdowns on that play this last season.”
The biggest thing swaying Douglas’ mind was the honesty of Leach. For better or worse, he’ll let you know how he feels, Douglas said.
Though slotted at receiver, the Red Raiders nor Douglas have ruled out moving to defensive back. Tulsa, Iowa State and New Mexico were also under consideration for Douglas while Jeffers also took a look at Kansas State.
Not only will the two rivals be at the same school, they’re going to be rooming together.
“We’re pumped up about everything,” Douglas said. “I know he’s got my back, and I got his.”
The Lawton boys will also be rooming with Putnam North’s Joe King.
Showing up late ends up working in favor of Williams, Texas A&M
By Justin Harper
jharper@oklahoman.com
When KJ Williams arrived late at football camp last summer, he temporarily lost his identity. Who knew that would help him find a scholarship?
Williams signed with Texas A&M Wednesday morning, becoming the first football player from Norman North to earn a Division-IA full ride. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder will play tight end for the Aggies.
The way A&M coaches were introduced to Williams is a recruiting tale that no doubt will make the rounds in College Station when the 19-year-old arrives on campus. Williams was a late arrival to a Nike camp in Fort Worth last summer, causing a mix-up at registration. He was given a jersey with a number that was not assigned to a player. So, when this big, unknown kid started putting up big-time numbers in combine drills and making big plays in live action, coaches wanted to know who the mystery stud was. His performance drew coaches attention and his anonymity only raised their curiosity.
“Since my name and number didn’t match, (coaches) were coming up and talking to me,” Williams said. “And before I even got out of the parking lot I had an offer.”
Williams verbally committed to A&M right away. However, when Dennis Franchione resigned as Texas A&M coach in November, Williams briefly thought about looking into other options. And he had plenty as all but three Big 12 schools offered a scholarship.
“Once everything happened with Coach Fran, I started to wonder about some things,” said Williams. “I opened up my options.”
After a visit to College Station on Jan. 11 and a one-on-one meeting with new A&M coach Mike Sherman, Williams knew he would stick with his first choice.
“With Coach Sherman being from the NFL, I wanted to play for someone like that, who has that kind of experience,” Williams said. “And with all new coaches, everyone is starting from scratch. Even the (returning players) will all be in the same position as me in trying to make an impression and win a position.”
Williams, who grew up in Louisiana before moving to Norman prior to his sophomore season, played quarterback when he was younger. He earned All-State honors as a defensive end for Norman North and helped the Timberwolves to the most successful season (9-3) in school history. Williams had 47 tackles, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries this past season. On offense he made four catches, two going for touchdowns.
“I wanted to play tight end (at A&M) and the situation they’re in (at that position) is a good for me,” Williams said. “I made my name on defense, but I can’t wait to let everyone see what I can do on offense.”
Midwest City duo will remain teammates at Tulsa
By Justin Harper
jharper@oklahoman.com
John Flanders was impressed with how Tulsa football has begun to build a tradition as a perennial bowl team. Maurice White was impressed with how Tulsa University has begun building … all over campus.
Flanders, a defensive back, and White, a defensive end, helped Midwest City return to prominence over their careers together as Bombers, concluding with a 12-1 senior season. Wednesday, the pair signed on as college teammates, both accepting scholarships to play for the Golden Hurricane.
“It’s close to family and I like where that program is going,” said Flanders, a state champion sprinter who had four interceptions in his senior season.
White was impressed with all that TU football entails to be sure, but the first thing he mentions when talking about starting his college days has nothing to do with the gridiron.
“When I went up there, you could see all the new buildings they’re putting up and the work they’re putting in to make it a great school, and I liked that,” said the 6-7, 245-pounder. “Just all over campus, there was construction going on everywhere.”
Flanders chose TU after considering Arkansas, Kansas State, Rice, New Mexico and Southern Methodist. Former Oklahoma quarterback Garrick McGee started recruiting Flanders for Northwestern University when he was an assistant at the Big Ten school. But when he got a job as an assistant coach at Arkansas, McGee then talked with Flanders about becoming a Razorback. And the speedster was tempted.
“Yeah, I gave that a long hard thought,” Flanders said. “But I’m glad I chose Tulsa. They told me I have an opportunity to see immediate playing time if I get in there and make an impression in camp.”
White, who had 42 tackles, five sacks and an interception as a senior, also considered Kansas, Missouri State, Central Arkansas and Northern Iowa.
