Panther wrap-up: PC North should be proud
I know there were high expectations at Putnam City North, and the idea of being proud of their accomplishments when they fell short of those goals probably doesn’t sit well with Panther players, coaches or fans.
But let’s take a trip back to August with the ghost of football past.
Coming into the year, the Panthers were starting a new offense with a new quarterback, a new running back and almost an entirely new offensive line that lacked the size of what PC North is accustomed to. They were deep and talented at receiver, and the same at defensive back. But the defensive front seven was mostly new and also not that big.
So they were undersized at the line, inexperienced at just about every crucial position on the field and running a new, no-huddle offensive scheme.
That’s no way to compete in Class 6A football. But the Panthers did it, and finished the regular season with a performance worthy of top-10 notice.
No, the Panthers didn’t win the state title they set out to capture. But they accomplished more than they might realize at this point.
Looking ahead, 6A-1 should again be the best district in the state and PC North will be in the mix. Here’s the new district for 2010-11:
Putnam City North
Yukon
Midwest City
Edmond Memorial
Norman North
Moore
Lawton Ike
Choctaw
Obviously, the losses at WR and DB will hurt the most, with guys like Dillon Schooley, Antonio Jenkins, Antonio Johnson, Casey Coyle and others. Same with linemen Dylan Hall and Taylor Prather on the offensive side and Jeremy Tillman on the defensive side.
But the core of returning players is strong. Daniel Burton will be a building block for the offensive line after a strong sophomore year. Jace James will be even better at QB, and if both of his running backs stay healthy, it could be scary. Sam Wolfe was impressive before he went out for the year with a broken collarbone, and Dre Holman burst onto the scene as a sophomore with a good mix of power and speed. Covin Conrady is back at receiver after coming on late in the year.
On defense, linebacker Ricky Johnson had come on strong, especially late in the season, and will be missed. But brothers Brad and Nathan Ross were solid in the middle with good size and ability. DBs Billy Prater and DeQuantae Colbert played well over the course of the year as well.
One big loss that can’t be undervalued is that of kicker Kevin Cabello. I only saw a couple of his kickoffs that didn’t make it into the end zone, and that’s a huge weapon at the high school level. Nullifying the return game and forcing offenses to go 80 yards to score is invaluable.
But overall, looking at the amount of returning experience and talent, the Panthers should have high expectations again in 2010.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
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Comments
We are proud of what PC North accomplished. The hilights would obviously be giving Southmoore their only loss, so far, in what was an awesome game and the way we dominated Del City in the final regular season game. You are correct in saying the players, coaches and fans were disappointed by not reaching their goals but overall it was a good year. I just hated to see the clock run out in the MWC game. We do appreciate your coverage, Mr. Wright, of high school sports and in particular, Putnam City North.
Big Will, thanks for the kind words.
Joe, next year’s 6A-1 might not be as strong as this year’s version, but that was an aberration. Aside from Midwest City, Edmond Memorial is a team on the rise, with several juniors playing major roles on this year’s team.
Putnam City North has been better for more than five years and Yukon was better than they got credit for this year, because not many people saw them playing in an east district. We haven’t even mentioned Lawton Ike, which made drastic improvements at the end of the year to get in the playoffs and almost knock off Southmoore, or Norman North, which would have been a playoff team in any district other than 6A-1 and actually held a top-five spot in the rankings at one point.
Looking at next year’s districts in 6A, District 2, with Mustang, Edmond Santa Fe, Edmond North and Lawton, comes close to matching the depth of District 1, and both are pretty strong at the top. I certainly wouldn’t call either of them weak.
– Scott
isn’t there an article on Mustang?
Patience, Chuck. It’s coming Monday, then we’ll start looking at basketball season around the West Metro.
-Scott
That is not a great district next year really only Midwest City is a strong program with PC North being a pretty good program last 5 years or so…PC North should be thankful to be in that district losing Santa Fe, Southmoore and not having to add Union or Jenks. Adding Choctaw and Yukon is much weaker than keeping Santa Fe and Southmoore.