Irish eyes smiling…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
After watching the McGuinness girls tennis team Friday at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions, would it be wrong to crown them the champs now?
Well, yeah, but this is one dynamic squad. There’s no letdown from No. 1 singles to No. 2 doubles, it’s insane. Entering last week, the girls had dropped a total of two games. Now last Monday’s Putnam West Tournament raised that number, but No. 1 singles Peta Lancaster was still perfect.
That’s why Edmond North’s Rachel Mitcham deserves some credit, managing to scratch out four games in the Hhall semifinals. Yeah, she lost 6-2, 6-2, but she broke through.
But then we found out what the OU-signee Lancaster is all about. Clearly frustrated at the start, she quickly regained her composure.
In the final, the senior dispensed of sophomore Julie Labarthe of Heritage Hall. Hmm, a senior taking out a sophomore, sound familiar? Eric West of Union did the same thing to Jenks’ Omar Aly. But Aly and Labarthe will be names to remember for the next three years, says The Boneman.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much for Katelyn Connelly. The No. 2 singles was being played at Casady with all finals being back at the Hall. However, Heritage Hall’s Nicole Holsted had to default because of illness. I was looking for to another Heritage-McG showdown.
As a shock to no one, the Irish swept the girls side. Its best challenge of anyone in the state would come from 4A Tulsa Kelley (who wasn‘t at the tourney). As I’ve said before, I would love to see those Lewis sisters (Andrea, Abby, Amy). I’ll have to take a gander at their schedule, but I want to see how good that trio is.
McGuinness won the girls while Tulsa Union won the boys tournament. An excellent two days of tennis despite being marred by incredibly chilly temperatures on Friday. You know, a day removed from being 80 degrees. And of course the rain/mist that halted play Saturday. Still a great weekend.
Up next on the docket this week, well, we have some conference crowns to be decided. The Mid-State Conference, where Norman North and Edmond Memorial seem to have a leg up, will battle it out. For my Tulsa friends, the Metro Area Tournament begins Monday and could run through Wednesday.
Anxiously awaiting the next installment
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Being based in OKC has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest downers for me is the lack of opportunities to see kids from the Tulsa powers, Union, Jenks, etc. So The Boneman made it his No. 1 priority to be at Heritage Hall all weekend for the Tournament of Champions in tennis.
Boy, I’m glad I did. That was the first time I’ve seen sophomore Omar Aly of Jenks. And wow, I’ll make sure that it is not the final time. What a skill set for only a sophomore. He was absolutely incredible.
In his semifinal match against a very respectable opponent in Cale Hammond from Bishop Kelley, Aly worked his way out of a tough spot in the first set and cruised in the second set.
That set the stage for an epic final against Union’s Eric West. I had briefly seen West last year at the state tournament covering Shawnee, but this was the first time I was actually concentrating on his game. And boy, does he pack a solid game as well.
A rain/mist delayed the tourney for three hours Saturday, leaving all matches to be played under that super tie-breaker rule (first to 10 points). So after West eked out the first set, 7-6, and Aly broke even at 6-4 in the second, we were cheated to just a tie-breaker.
Those first two sets lasted two hours, so there’s no telling what a final set had in store for everyone. My boy, Brandon, was shooting video for the event. After he was done, he could have left. Brandon said the quality of play was so good that even he didn’t want to leave.
Matches that started after the West-Aly match had begun were finishing well before the singles encounter had reached its conclusion.
I talked with both Eric and Omar before their final, and I couldn’t believe that Eric trounced Omar in their first meeting, 6-2, 6-0, at the Jenks Invitational.
In the end, West pulled out the victory, 10-8, in a wild tie-breaker that saw Eric get out to a huge start before Omar rallied to take his first lead at 6-5. For the final point, I thought Omar overhit on a second serve from Eric and dumped it into the net. No shame though.
Jenks and Union may meet up again and Eric and Omar may wage battle No. 3, but I can’t wait to see if the final encounter happens that second week of May at state.
Side note: And down goes my bracket. My gutsy pick of Xavier in the championship did not pan out. Hey, it happens.
Ready for spring…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
With spring break officially over, it’s time for the stretch run of the school year. As for The Boneman, you can find me on the tennis courts. Our first of many big offerings is this weekend with the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions.
You might as well just call this the state tournament with all the top teams and players competing. Here’s just a sample:
Boys: 5A No. 1 Jenks and Tulsa Union; No. 3 Edmond Memorial; No. 4 Norman North. 4A No. 1 Tulsa Kelley; No. 4 Shawnee. 3A No. 2 Heritage Hall; No. 3 OCS.
Girls: 5A No. 1 Jenks; No. 2 Edmond North; No. 3 Edmond Memorial; No. 5 Tulsa Union. 4A No. 2 Duncan; No. 3 Ada. 3A No. 1 McGuinness; No. 2 Heritage Hall.
The only prominent names missing would be 4A girls No. 1 Tulsa Kelley with the trio of Lewis sisters (Andrea, Abby and Amy) and 3A boys No. 1 Cascia Hall with dynamite No. 1 singles star Chris Gordon.
This will be a good indicator of what we can expect heading into the state tournament in May. A lot of the top names are gone from last year with new names looking to take that mantle.
Girls play Friday with the boys Saturday. You can watch a day of great tennis and still watch the NCAA Tournament at night, can’t beat that. Davidson in the Elite Eight doesn’t sound as stupid as it did when I filled out my bracket last Sunday. Gotta love Stephen Curry.
Roof steps down as Weatherford football coach
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
After one year back on the sidelines, Woody Roof has resigned as Weatherford’s head football coach to concentrate solely on being the school’s athletic director.
Roof announced the resignation late last week, and immediately turned over head coaching duties to assistant Mickey Seifried.
Roof returned to the gridiron last fall to coach the Eagles for the third time, and 13th season overall. Weatherford finished 8-4, losing to Broken Bow in the state quarterfinals. With a daughter in the sixth grade, Roof said he originally planned on coaching for six or seven more years, but Weatherford’s increased emphasis on fundraising and finding corporate sponsorship for athletics left him with a decision to make.
“I just felt like with the things that I’m going to have to do in the summer time and the things that I’m going to have to do through the season that I couldn’t be there all the time with the kids and they needed me to be there,” Roof said. “I just didn’t think I could be fair with the kids and be both.”
Roof steps down with 206 career wins and five state championships – two of which came at Weatherford (1991, 1992). At 58-years-old, Roof did not rule out an eventual return to the sidelines.
“I just take it one day at a time – that’s the best I can tell you,” Roof said. “I don’t know what’s in store for tomorrow, but right now I’m looking forward to trying to get the fundraisers going and looking forward to getting out and visiting with the people about corporate sponsors and doing the athletic directorship and raising some money for our program.
“We feel like we have an outstanding program here in Weatherford in an excellent community. They want us to be very successful in all sports – and to do that, it takes money. We’ve had great success in the last 20 years and been successful in quite a few sports and want to continue that.”
Seifried has been an assistant for six years at Weatherford, Roof said, and served as the offensive coordinator last season.
“Football is a 12-month around job. You’ve got to run a summer program, you’ve got to get them up and lifting weights, you’ve got to do things to try to keep up with the Joneses. That takes a lot of energy,” Roof said. “I think that’s Mickey’s deal. He’s very energetic. He loves to work in the weight room, he loves to have the time to do it in the summer time … so I think he’ll be a good fit here for us.”
“No, really, we won it”
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
We’re about two-thirds of the way done with the high school sports season. So far, what have been some of your favorite moments?
Was it Jenks and Union showing once again the 6A race for football supremacy is only between two schools?
Was it the insane, see-it-to-believe-it ending between Pocola and Walters for the girls 2A basketball championship?
Was it the major upsets that occurred during the basketball championships? Who could have predicted the Putnam City boys, the Sapulpa and Sequoyah-Tahlequah girls would be denied championships?
Is it more of a team thing? Have you been impressed with the titles won by Guthrie and McGuinness in football and basketball?
Or is it something that doesn’t involve a star or a championship? What has stood out to you so far this year?
For me, my favorite moment was Millwood defeating Sequoyah-Tahlequah for the girls 3A championship a couple of weeks ago.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the Indians losing. I loved watching Angel Goodrich carve up opponent after opponent. How could you not appreciate her game?
But watching Millwood just steady its ship every time it could have folded up its tent and gone home was impressive.
I mean, seriously, Sequoyah gave the Falcons its best shot, and Millwood just gutted it out. I especially was marveling at the play of Shea Bowden. Joh’Vonna Mitchell is the future of the team and Brittany Demery was the soul of the team. But there was something about Bowden not wilting against the Indians’ defense.
The quote for the title of the blog was something I overheard a Millwood fan say on their cell phone, seconds after the game was over. It was like even they couldn’t believe it.
There have been numerous great moments this year. But as we head to the spring sports season, Millwood’s triumph stands above them all.
So, how’s your bracket
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Less than an hour away from the Coppin State and Mt. St. Mary’s game, just wondering what our high school readers are thinking for March Madness. Remember, you can’t have a perfect bracket if you don’t win this play-in game. For the record, I have Coppin State.
I was able to track down the Final Four for a couple of notable names. McGuinness stud Daniel Orton has North Carolina, Kansas, Marquette and Duke. In his championship, he has KU over the Dukies.
Putnam City star Xavier Henry believes something will happen that has never happened before: all four No. 1 seeds are making it to San Antonio. He has KU beating North Carolina and Memphis beating UCLA. In the final, Memphis defeats the Jayhawks.
My Final Four consists of two No. 2 seeds, a No. 1 seed and a No. 3 seed. I like Tennessee, Kansas, Texas and Xavier. Yep, the Musketeers. In the championship, I’m crowning Bill Self and Mario “Superintendent” Chalmers the champs with KU topping Xavier.
It’s spring break and raining, so what else are you going to do? Enjoy the Madness.
Some things are more important than the gold ball
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
Saturday was a crazy day of basketball, to say the least. If you read The Oklahoman Monday, I hope you’re convinced it was the best day of high school basketball ever in this state.
So I waited for the smoke to clear to write about this. It’s something that stuck out to me at the Big House. In the midst of post game interviews and racing to make deadlines, I couldn’t get this out of my mind.
When I went to the Sequoyah-Tahlequah locker room following the 3A boys title game Saturday, I saw Chris Little, one of Sequoyah’s seniors, come out of the locker room and start crying. He wasn’t crying because he had just lost in the finals to Verdigris, or because he would likely never play another organized basketball game.
He was crying at the sight of dozens of little kids crowding around him for hugs and autographs.
“No other feeling like this in the world,” Little said while signing a shirt, and tears streaming down his face. “I would rather have this support than any state title.”
Some of the kids had shirts with Little’s name and picture imprinted on them. Others supported “I want to be like Mike” shirts, with Sequoyah guard Mike Soap’s picture in the middle. They were Jordan to these kids, and there is no doubt every move they made on the court that week was observed and noted by kids who want to play in that same title game some day.
“I just hope after four years, I was a good role model to these kids,” Little said while choking up. “They really look up to us.”
Little had just lost the biggest high school basketball game of his career, in front of nearly 13,000 people, and rather than whining about referees and what could have been, like many Sequoyah fans were around that locker room, he was worried about the impressions he made, the minds he molded during his career.
I became a Chris Little fan right then and there.
Some things are more important than the gold ball.
Mayberry is new sheriff in town
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
If you get that Andy Griffith pun, then you’re as bad and hokey as me. After a great opening session at State Fair, it was off to the Ford Center for some 5A girls basketball.
Booker T. Washington vs. Coweta, 5A girls: I was impressed with the Hornets’ Taleya Mayberry. I grew up loving her father’s Arkansas team. Todd Day, Oliver Miller and Lee Mayberry, it pained me to not see that group doing something truly special.
Back to Taleya, one look at the game, and you knew she was a player. Her skills, her composure, she couldn’t be touched. Her shot wasn’t on, but I’ll forgive her for that.
Coweta just wouldn’t die. Give a lot of credit to Jenni Bryan. She didn’t do much from the floor in the second half but made a living at the free throw line.
But that vicious hit on Mayberry was tough to watch. I know you can’t give up a free lay-up at that stage of the game (Booker T. was up 39-38 with under two minutes left), but that was, ugh, borderline dirty.
I guess I can live with the hit, but I didn’t appreciate that Coweta fans were loving watching the replay of Mayberry absolutely get leveled right across the face.
Mayberry told me after the game she doesn’t remember if Jenni said anything to her. I hope she did. They were the two best players on the floor that entire game. A play like that didn’t need to take away from great outings from both on the biggest stage.
I know the hit fired up the Booker T. crowd and definitely did the same for Taleya. She took over in that fourth quarter. It’s tough living in your dad’s shadow and the boys’ team shadow (13 teams championships vs. none for the girls to that point), but Taleya made Saturday night her own.
Pocola vs. Walters, 2A girls: Wow. Yep, that’s it. I wasn’t there, didn’t see it. I had Ryan Aber call me about it. I had Justin Harper call me about it. I had Blake Jackson tell me all about it later that night. I watched Blake’s video today. Wow. That was all the Millwood-Sequoyah game was missing. Had Lorin Hammer made her half-court shot at the buzzer, we might still be talking about that game.
Quickly, would have been fun to Verdigris win and to see the Star Spencer girls but can only be at so many places at once. Same goes for Guthrie’s boys and Tulsa Union’s girls.
Tulsa Memorial vs. Putnam North, 6A boys: I feel for Bill Robertson. A great man, a great coach but still without that title. Hey, give credit to Dominick Cornelius making all those tough free throws down the stretch.
An outstanding weekend of basketball. Soak it in, fellas, you may never see another one like it.
Hangover from The Big House
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
That’s all I can really say to try to describe what transpired Saturday and the way I felt today. There are a few times when you know you’re witnessing history. Saturday was one of those days.
I won’t dwell too much into games I didn’t see, but here’s what I can tell you. On my predictions, I was 3-1. I picked Tulsa Union to beat Sapulpa in 6A girls. I was right about Guthrie and Tulsa Washington winning titles in 5A. The only one I missed, well, I think everyone missed Putnam City.
Millwood vs. Sequoyah-Tahlequah, 3A girls: I was “on the job” for this one, but as the fourth quarter was winding down, I was a fan. Not of the Falcons or Indians, but of the game. I knew this game was a classic.
Whether it was the stellar point guard play of both Angel Goodrich for Sequoyah or Shea Bowden for Millwood. Or the bombs away shooting from Millwood’s Tijiasha Reid or Sequoyah’s Lorin Hammer. This game had just about everything you look for.
Mea culpa on this one as I told Berry Tramel before the game, “Sequoyah by at least 15.” Oy.
A fantastic game that could have played a great script had Goodrich won her fourth title by hitting the game-winner. But the Falcons winning was incredible. Like I said, the emotions of seeing teenage girls jumping and hollering compared to that of the grizzly ol’ veteran who has seen it all, coach Arnelia Spears.
Kudos to Millwood’s fans. A great and knowledgeable bunch that were rightfully going nuts while still showing respect.
Sequoyah-Tahlequah could have won its fourth title in a row. Instead, Millwood stole the spotlight and opened what would be a weird and wacky day at State Fair Arena.
Pawnee vs. OCS, 2A boys: I admit it, I’m a fan of Keiton Page. He’s got more of a game that I used to have (a looonnng time ago). I love his court vision. He’s a great shooter but some of his dimes were quite a sight to see.
McGuinness vs. Southeast, 4A boys: Now I wasn’t rooting for Southeast, but I was hoping for a nice competitive game. The Irish ended any threat of that. I guess I couldn’t feel bad because Southeast even making it to the finals is a great credit to Walter Brewer and company.
Lasting thought about this game was seeing McGuinness team manager Tyler “T-Fred” Frederickson being carried off on the shoulders of Daniel Orton. Dream come true for that youngster.
Then I headed to the Ford Center…
Can anyone stop the Indians?
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
I have spent a day and a half at State Fair Arena watching the 3A boys, and I know one thing for sure: If anyone other than Sequoyah Tahlequah is going to win this thing, they have to stop Mike Soap and Bucky Ross.
It’s a tall order, and I’m not so sure any can get it done.
Soap and Ross have combined for 86 points in two state tournament wins, and Sequoyah has cruised in both.
Sure, that’s not so impressive compared to Rotnei Clarke doing the same thing on his own, but the Indians have a host of role players. Good ones.
The Indians came from behind to beat Millwood today, and will take on the winner of John Marshall/Verdigris tomorrow at 5:45 at the Big House.
Keep checking NewsOK for updates.
