Young, Eagles soar at Big All-City…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again. The All-Star games are some of the more enjoyable moments with the high school kids.
Everyone is so laid back and just having a good time. You get to see their real personalities come through.
It was more of the same Thursday for the Big All-City basketball games at Putnam West.
For the record, the East team dominated both games. Wasn’t shocked that a Del City, Norman, Midwest City-led girls team would reign supreme. But a little shocked that a boys West team with Donte’ Foster (Guthrie), Kyle Hardrick (Putnam City), Fayzon Richey (El Reno) as well as other studs took it on the chin.
Anyway, the highlight of the night was the skills competition. Or in other words: The Del City awards banquet.
It started during halftime of the girls game with a 3-point shooting contest that pitted Del City’s Bobbie Marshall vs. Putnam North’s Shilalie Jones.
I’ve seen Marshall play a couple of times, so “the smart money” was on her.
The contest was whoever could make the most 3s in one minute. Marshall got on a roll early and drained about six in a row before settling for 10.
Jones was comfortable in the initial spot for the shots and never got on track.
Winner: Marshall, DC.
The boys was a real battle between Ismail Calhoun of DC and Keaton Callins of Guthrie.
Calhoun also got on a little roll himself and ended up making 14 attempts. What was impressive for Calhoun was his quick release.
Callins wasn’t too far off at 13. Nobody knew what the score was until after it was over, so there wasn’t that much drama in those final shots.
Winner: Calhoun, DC.
And then during halftime was the slam dunk contest.
El Reno’s Fayzon Richey got it started off right with a nice one-handed dunk that was more about where he took from than anything else.
Guthrie’s Donte’ Foster had Callins sit on the floor and throw it up to him for a nice finish.
Putnam North’s Joy Williamson had some nice finishes as well.
But the star was Del City’s Toni Young. She looked a little gassed, but the crowd got her into it.
Her first dunk I felt was her best. But her final dunk was something she’s never done before: an alley-oop.
The crowd, the judges loved it, making her the easy winner.
So in a clean sweep of all the skills competitions and in the games themselves, it was a good night for Del City.
Here is video of Young and her night of dunks taken by photographer Sarah Phipps.
The modern Renaissance Men…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Tuesday’s story on “The Poetry Club” wasn’t my first effort with that same group of kids.
But to me, it’s pretty amazing that it had been 18 months since this story where we introduced the poetry club.
During that time, I’ve gotten to know a majority of those kids and have written numerous stories about Heritage Hall’s Turner Petersen and Ford Price and McGuinness’ Ryan Randolph.
It feels like the Oklahoma high school scene is losing some great kids (and athletes) this season.
Some of them will most likely be more defined what they do after their athletic career is over, and it’s stories like these that make me think these kids will turn out just fine.
Here’s just a little bit more on “The Poetry Club”
- Turner Petersen, Heritage Hall: Petersen has been putting the time in the weight room since signing with Rice to play football. His dream is to play professional football. If not, a career in medicine is most likely.
- Ford and David Price, Heritage Hall: The cousins are both going to Oklahoma and will focus on business. Ford overcame Ewing’s sarcoma cancer (which can be chronicled here) while David had a tumor removed from the base of his spine as junior.
- Ryan Randolph, McGuinness: He’s chosen to go to OU and will walk-on in basketball. Mike Turpen told me Randolph had same opportunity for OU football as well. I would put Randolph in the Top 5 boys athletes in the state, easily. Football, basketball and tennis and above average in all three. He got out of a traffic ticket by reciting “If” in court as a junior.
- Niki Bray, McGuinness: Also heading to Sooner Nation. Bray’s dream is to become a pilot. He received a full academic scholarship to Oklahoma.
- Johnny Vater, McGuinness: His dream has been to attend the University of Virginia, and that’s exactly what he’ll be doing.
- Patrick Turpen, McGuinness: Going to OU and rooming with Ford Price. Wouldn’t shock me to see Patrick follow in father Mike’s footsteps and make a career in some form of law.
For more on the boys, here is Tuesday’s story and the corresponding video.
Final tennis rankings (boys and girls)
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The tennis season is over and so too is the speculation about all the rankings. Duncan coach Phil Barnes has passed along to me both the final boys and girls rankings as decided by the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Association.
Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness: No surprise here. The Irish won their 11th straight title and totally deserve the honor. If this was an AP football/basketball poll, girls would receive all first-place votes.
2. Bishop Kelley: Won three straight titles before McGuinness came along in 5A and denied it. Andrea Lewis and Meredith Burns don’t have to take a back seat to anybody, and it was a joy to watch them play.
3. Duncan: Yep, when I said 5A was top-heavy all season, wasn’t kidding. First three teams are from the class. Melanie Barnes will anchor the crew next season.
4. Heritage Hall: Three and four are tough. Only because I’ve seen Heritage more would I flip ‘em. The 4A champs will have Julie Labarthe back, Carissa Villaflor grew tremendously as a player this season while Sarah Bowen might end up being one of the most athletic players the state has seen.
5. Edmond North: And here is your 6A champ. Rachel Mitcham will return at No. 1 singles and Huskies should be knockin’ on the door again.
6. Jenks
7. Edmond Memorial
8. Broken Arrow
9. Cascia Hall
10. Shawnee
Only change in my rankings would be Chargers at No. 3 and Duncan at No. 4. That’s it, pretty fair assessment of the season by the rankings committee.
Boys
1. Putnam North: 6A was the cream of the crop in the boys and no team was better when it mattered most than David Diefenderfer’s Panthers. Chris Haworth’s goal: back-to-back-to-back undefeated seasons.
2. Union: Almost as dominating as Haworth, No. 2 singles player Trevor Horstmann couldn’t be touched. Add in some great drama in the doubles play, and Union didn’t relinquish its four-year reign without a fight.
3. Bishop Kelley: Cruised to third straight 5A championship. One more year of Cale Hammond means good times for tennis fans and bad news for the rest of 5A.
4. Cascia Hall: Getting to be as dominant as McGuinness girls. Commandos are a well-oiled machine and Chase Tomlins will be going for that rarity of being a four-time champion next season.
5. Edmond Memorial: A sentimental favorite as I feel no team progressed from the beginning of the year to the end like Bulldogs. Randy Mays will still have a lot of weapons at his disposal next season.
6. Edmond North
7. Metro Christian
8. Ada
9. McGuinness
10. Heritage Hall
Based on familiarity again, would switch McGuinness and Ada. Already looking forward to next season as so many teams were so young this season that next year can’t help but provide even more drama.
Speaking of drama, time for the All-City Team. A little more research, but like I said, pretty confident with the selections.
Cascia ‘commands’ the court again…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I apologize to Class 4A on the boys side as the length of a couple of finals in both 6A and 5A didn’t allow me to watch one final from 4A.
Cascia Hall is a beast, ’nuff said. Chase Tomlins earned his third state championship, this time at No. 1 singles.
And while Cascia did what I expected (winning three of the four titles and earning its eighth straight title), where did Metro Christian come from?
The Patriots were on fire this last weekend. I didn’t get to see freshman Mitchel Knight, but anyone who can go 34-3 and beat Cascia in a championship is definitely someone to be on the lookout for in the future.
Heritage Hall coach Dick Villaflor knew his team was at least a year away, but he has to be happy with their effort.
Can’t stress it enough. Four freshmen and two sophomores may have made this one of Villaflor’s best (and trying) coaching jobs yet as the Chargers placed third.
I like No. 1 singles Luke Howard’s game for Heritage Hall. Give him time, he’ll be fine. Can only get better with all the tennis knowledge at Heritage.
Also, Elizabeth Clower and her OCS Saints continue to be contenders, placing fourth. OCS will lose two seniors but in vital spots. Will be interesting to see if Saints can come of age in the future.
Classen placed sixth and coach Ron Mims was thrilled. Those kids were thrilled to have a story written about them and carried themselves with more confidence than normal, I was told.
I told Mims I was thinking about writing the state preview story on his kids and quickly, most of those boys started calling me and giving me great stories about where the program was to where it is now.
Five of the six Classen boys were sophomores this year and the other one, No. 2 singles, Arturo D’Argence is a junior, so Mims and company should be back stronger next season.
Predicted order of finish: Cascia, Heritage, OCS. Actual finish: 1. Cascia Hall; 2. Metro Christian; 3. Heritage Hall. Scary thing, Heritage and Metro don’t have a senior and Cascia will only lose its No. 1 doubles team.
Tomlins will have a shot at being a four-time champ for the Commandos next season.
A great two weekends. I loved every minute of it (even the rain and wind). Now comes the All-City selections. I’m actually pretty confident. I’ma do a little more research, but I feel pretty good.
Comets still scorchin’…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
When it came to Class 5A in the boys state tennis tournament, my only question like I said was whether or not Bishop Kelley would sweep in earning its third straight title.
The Comets were denied at No. 2 singles by Jonathan Kraft of Bishop McGuinness, but that’s it.
Because of time constraints and everything going on at once, didn’t really get a chance to watch the No. 1 final of Cale Hammond vs. Evan McElwain of Booker T. Hammond won easier than I thought he would, too. Hammond is a special talent, for sure.
Tulsa Kelley winning wasn’t a shock, but I’ma say McGuinness tying for second was.
There are those that think Vicki Connelly isn’t that great of a coach because of the talent the girls have (think the Phil Jackson comparison in the NBA), but Connelly did a fantastic job this weekend with that boys team.
They played better than I’ve seen from them all year, and she kept Kraft’s head in the game after losing the second-set tie-breaker to Brennan Fox of Bishop Kelley.
The epic Union-Norman North doubles match just concluded, and I went right over to watch the third set of Kraft-Fox.
I’ll tell ya, you look at Kraft and think there is no way he is going to do anything to you. The No. 2 doubles team of Ryan Randolph and Jake Brown could almost step on the kid (maybe that’s too far), but Kraft showed the mental toughness of a senior in his freshman frame.
That third set was a thing of beauty (6-0), and his teammates were loving every minute of it.
Kraft and teammate John Byrne will definitely be on my radar all next season.
There’ll be a lot of votes for Donte’ Foster of Guthrie for being the best athlete in the state (deservedly so), but don’t overlook Randolph.
Quarterback for the football team, forward on the basketball team and a better-than-you-think tennis player. Wasn’t able to grab any more gold balls this year but placed second in all three team sports and placed third with Brown at No. 2 doubles.
Also really impressed by the mental toughness of Carl Albert. The Titans had every right to wither away and mope around after losing Austin Manger to a broken arm.
They fought hard every step of the way.
And Ada, the team the Boneman forgot. Skip Griese did an outstanding job this season of getting the best from his group of kids. Three thirds and a fourth was a best-case scenario for the Cougars.
Predicted Bishop Kelley, Booker T and McGuinness. Actual finish: 1. Bishop Kelley; 2. (tie) McGuinness, Ada; 4. Booker T. Didn’t realize the Hornets weren’t going to have a No. 1 doubles squad.
Academic achievement award goes to Tahlequah…again. This is the fifth year in a row and the fifth year of the GPA being 4.0.
Panthers make history…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Wow, was that Class 6A race at the boys state tennis tournament one of the more exciting things The Boneman has seen in a while.
Seriously, I’m sad it’s all over now. Can’t get me enough of tennis.
In the end, it was a “North” thing that led to Putnam North getting its first team championship.
The Norman North doubles team of Kevin Boyd and Sam Geurkink beat Tulsa Union in a three-set match of the tournament to prevent Union from tying the Panthers for the title.
I watched most of the second and third sets with PCN coach David Diefenderfer. That in itself was quite the experience.
Asked how nerve-racking it was to have his fate decided by somebody else:
Unbelievably. When you have no control over it, it’s worse than watching your team and controlling your own destiny.
It’s been a long time coming. I thought Union was going to be able to do it, but this group is a special group of kids.
As I said in Sunday’s piece, it’s not like Putnam North was handed over the title. Union was a four-time defending champ that went out on its shield.
But in every match possible, the Panthers stepped up. A lot of weight was put on sophomore Chris Haworth’s shoulders, but he came through with a championship and a 38-0 record.
It’ll be tough to duplicate that final match b/w Norman North and Union, though.
I’ve talked a lot with Boyd and Geurkink this season, and they’re just odd. It’s tough to explain.
Guess what I’m trying to say is they’re not from the tennis-heavy schools, so it’s almost like “what are these kids doing here?”
They’re the best Oklahoma HS doubles team I’ve seen in my brief time covering the game, and their attitude was so carefree and loose.
And they’ve been a pleasure to get to know. For more on them, here ya go.
After losing the first set, calmly went back to work. And both Geurkink and Boyd talked about how much they enjoyed that big atmosphere and having all the Putnam North fans cheering them on. Final scored ended up 6-7, 7-5, 7-5.
Also want to give big props to Edmond Memorial No. 1 singles player Duncan Fugitt, who placed second.
I’ve been waiting for him to put it all together and have the tournament of his life. He picked the right time.
Wasn’t shocked he beat Logon Collins of Union in the semifinals but to do it in straight sets and 6-1 in the second was something.
Even against Haworth thought Fugitt might implode a couple of times. But he stayed mentally strong throughout.
Trevor Horstmann of Union dominated the No. 2 singles field while Gavin Dubberstein and Truit Gray of Edmond Memorial did the same at No. 2 doubles.
I predicted Union, PCN, EM. Actual finish: 1. Putnam North; 2. Union; 3. Edmond Memorial.
Memorial also won the academic achievement award again with another 4.0 GPA.
McGuinness girls soccer closes terrific season
Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Tulsa Metro Christian ended one of the most successful seasons in McGuinness girls soccer history.
Coming off the Class 4A state championship they won last season, the Irish dominated the regular season. Ranked No. 1 throughout, McGuinness was 9-0 entering the playoffs, having outscored its opponents 69-2. The Irish won their first two playoff games by a combined 15-0 before their first loss of the season in the semis.
Abbey Akin led the Irish with 24 goals and 19 assists, while Ceynada Guzman added 16 and 12. Alexa Gonce and Rachel Tonseth added a combined 26 goals.
Boys Tennis Preview (what to watch for)
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Once again, we put our fate in the hands of Mother Nature and hope to conclude the boys state tennis tournament this weekend. We’ll see.
It’s been an exciting season so far with several teams/players really stepping up. You can be the best all season, but this is the weekend you need to bring it.
Class 6A
Oh boy, what a three-team race this should be between Putnam North, Edmond Memorial and Union.
I’ve seen Putnam North and Edmond Memorial several times and know how strong they are. Only saw Union once, but coach Kevin Gannon is one of the best in the state.
Player to watch: Chris Haworth, Putnam North. Really, I’m not his PR agent, but it does feel like I’ve written a lot about the sophomore throughout this season.
He’s made a lot of strides since being that freshman that lost a three-set classic to Omar Aly (formerly of Jenks) last year in the quarterfinals.
He’s grown six inches and more than that, he’s dealt with nerves and adversity and has been coming out on top time after time.
What will be interesting is to see if any of the other teams (Edmond North, Norman North, Jenks) upset some of the favorites.
I would not be shocked to see Edmond North, spurred by the girls title, perform better than it has all season.
Some names to watch: EM: Duncan Fugitt (No. 1 S), Omar Karim (No. 2 S). EN: Nick Jordan (No. 2 S), Eric Olson and Baylor Spring (No. 2 D). Norman North: Kevin Boyd and Sam Geurkink (No. 1 D). PCN: Wil Rodwell (No. 2 S). Muskogee: Brandon Finerty (No. 1 S).
Predicted order of finish: 1. Union; 2. Putnam North; 3. Edmond Memorial.
Class 5A
Not as much drama here as Bishop Kelley won’t be playing second-fiddle to anybody in this class.
Cale Hammond, at No. 1 S, leads the most loaded team in the field and the question will be if the Comets can sweep the field.
Player to watch: John Byrne, No. 1 singles, Bishop McGuinness: Don’t the boys have to become better players going against the girls in practice? Seriously, though, the boys are a lot deeper than last year.
I expect to see Byrne playing in at least the semifinals and depending on his draw, if he can upset Hammond or Evan McElwain (Booker T.), might have a real story.
Also fun to watch the Irish doubles team of Ryan Randolph and Jake Brown. The basketball players are athletes first but have learned a lot about tennis in their few years together.
Big blow to Carl Albert, who will be without No. 1 singles star Austin Manger because of injury.
Predicted order of finish: 1. Bishop Kelley; 2. Booker T.; 3. McGuinness.
Class 4A
Another no-brainer here as Cascia Hall should coast to another team title. Chase Tomlins leads the solid Commando group.
Dick Villaflor lost almost his entire team from last year, but you know Heritage Hall will be among the top and competing in championships. That team is about a year away.
OCS, led by Austin Bell, will also be in the mix of things as the battle for second will be very interesting.
Also be keeping my eyes on Classen. Sparked by freshman Melissa Dang last week, the boys are pumped to equal her success.
Player to watch: Chris Chan, Classen. I remember being impressed with him as a freshman last year at No. 2 singles. He’s made the jump up to No. 1, and it’s a tough field. Don’t know how far he’ll go, but I know the team will be out there in full force to give him support.
For much more on Classen, read Friday’s Oklahoman.
Predicted order of finish: 1. Cascia Hall; 2. Heritage Hall; 3. OCS.
See ya out on the courts.
In case you missed it (softball)…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Mix in an early rain delay with some long games, and quickly an eight hour day turns into a 12-hour marathon at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
That was the story for me yesterday with the Class 6A-3A state slowpitch championships. By the time Muskogee, Bethel, Washington and Wilson had claimed their championships, several notable early outings became mere footnotes.
But here are some memorable moments from the first two rounds:
- Moore entered as the top team in 6A and had run-ruled Harrah in two meetings this season. But in the first round, Harrah had an 8-1 lead.
However, Moore charged back to win 12-9. Brandi Burna had a three-run HR while Leslie Martini pitched in with a two-run shot in the rally.
- Most entertaining game of the first round (maybe tournament) was Sequoyah-Tahlequah and Antlers in 5A.
The two teams traded one big inning after another big inning. Finally, Shayla Martin hit a two-run walkoff home run to give Antlers a 17-15 victory.
- In beating Union, Westmoore freshman Alysa Phillips had a good game, I guess. She has two home runs and five RBIs. Unfortunately for Westmoore and its followers, the bats were silenced against Muskogee in a 12-2 loss in the semis.
- A lot of drama in the first round game between Dewar and Merritt. Dewar was ranked No. 1 entering the tournament but was down 13-9 entering the bottom of the seventh.
The Dragons notched two and had the game-winning run up at the plate but lost 13-11.
- And Moore was involved in another wild one against Jenks in the semifinals. After taking a 3-0 lead, Jenks stormed back to take a 7-3 advantage.
In the top of the seventh, trailing 7-4, Moore’s Holly Genzer hit a three-run home run into the wind to tie it up. The Moore side was going nuts. Seemed like it was meant to be for another Moore title.
However, Jenks regrouped and scored in the bottom half of the inning to advance to the championship vs. Muskogee.
I’m parked here at ASA again for 2A and A action. It’s hot, it’s windy, so expecting some crazy scores.
The Boneman Tennis Invitational…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
This will never happen, but it’s been itchin’ at me lately how some of the best tennis players are in the wrong class, and we don’t get to see the epic showdowns we deserve to see at the state tournament.
Since I have so much “power,” I have devised my eight-girl singles tournament with the right to be called “The Boneman’s Champion.” It’s an extremely prestigious honor that would rank right up there with a state title. No, seriously, it would.
No. 1 seed Whitney Ritchie, McGuinness, vs. No. 8 seed Jennifer Buntz, Jenks
The Class 5A champ (Ritchie) vs. the 6A runner-up (Buntz). Because of weather and scheduling, McGuinness and Jenks never met this season, oddly enough.
No. 4 seed Mia Lancaster, McGuinness vs. No. 5 seed Meredith Burns, Bishop Kelley
A match so great at the state tournament (Lancaster won) that we get to see it again. Like and appreciate the game of both girls immensely.
No. 3 seed Andrea Lewis, Bishop Kelley vs. No. 6 seed Rachel Mitcham, Edmond North
Here we have the 5A runner-up (Lewis) vs. the 6A champion (Mitcham). How would Lewis respond to the constant high-ball game of Mitcham and how would Mitcham respond to the power of Lewis?
No. 2 seed Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall vs. No. 7 seed Melanie Barnes, Duncan
And finally the 4A champ (Labarthe) vs. the third-place winner in 5A (Barnes). Since it’s my tournament, Barnes’ wrist is completely healthy, and we get to see her at her best. Labarthe’s arsenal is on full display every match, doesn’t matter who the opponent is. That makes her one of the favorites, easily.
One qualifying statement: the girls had to play singles this season at the state tournament. So as much as I would like to see Katelyn Connelly (McGuinness), Sarah Bowen (Heritage Hall) and Gaby Siegler (Jenks) compete in this “all-star tournament,” it wouldn’t happen.
