Star Spencer: Kendre Talley video…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Star Spencer was one of the more fun teams to watch this season in basketball, and a big reason was the play of point guard Kendre Talley.
He stood out because of his high hair (hey, he wanted to add a couple of inches), but his shot and quickness really made him stand out.
It’s great to see someone of his stature get a chance at the next level as Talley has signed with Oklahoma Christian.
Here is a short video with Star Sepncer graduate Kendre Talley, following the Large West’s 91-67 win in the all-state basketball game Thursday at Oral Roberts.
Football: Weatherford’s Jake Barrios, Clinton’s Delans Griffin ignite win…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
That was the first all-state football game I’ve covered and gotta say it was a lot of fun. Maybe it’s because I didn’t spend the entire night wondering if I had the stats right, but I love getting a chance to watch the game from the sidelines.
Behind Weatherford’s Jake Barrios and a blocked PAT by Carl Albert’s Markell Walker and Watonga’s Trevon Hartfield, the West pulled out a 21-20 victory Friday at Jenks HS.
By the way, that was the first time I’ve been to Jenks. What a strange sight. It seems like a nice little town, and then bam, you’re hit in the head with this HUGE (and beautiful) stadium and athletic facilities.
Wonder how the parking is for regular Jenks games. Sure seemed like a mess Friday, but that’s just my first impression.
Back to the game, rivals became friends again this time with Weatherford’s Jake Barrios and Clinton’s Delans Griffin.
If I was smarter, I would have had the video rolling for the final play of the first half. Alas, I did not.
Barrios rolled out toward the sideline around the 50 yard line. He didn’t have enough strength for it to reach the end zone, but two East defenders deflected the ball right into Griffin’s hands. He went the final 10 yards for an improbable score to make it 14-14 at halftime.
Eh, better to be lucky than good, I guess.
Barrios will move on to play baseball in college, but I really enjoyed watching him play football. Barrios and Kale Sawatzky helped bring the Eagles back to prominence, and those boys brought it every night.
Fun to see Metro Christian’s Beau Marsaln play. He’s got a good arm and that 88-yard touchdown pass to Bartlesville’s Mike Thompson was easily one of the highlights of the night.
Though if you want the moment of the night, hmm, think it’s gotta go to Tulsa McLain’s Kerry Burks. He picked up a fumble and ran nearly 70 yards for a touchdown. Big boy’s got some wheels.
That set the tone for the game. We were scoreless for the first eight minutes and that seemed to either loosen everybody up or get everybody pumped again.
Former Star Spencer coach and now Tulsa Washington head man Darrell Hall was honored as the Coach of the Year while Putnam North’s Dillon Schooley was named Player of the Year. Schooley had an interception Friday.
***
That wraps up All-State week. The memory of Kyle Lewis was present all five days and won’t go away anytime soon. It sure felt strange for me driving by the Stroud exit late Friday night.
Look for a video with Barrios on NewsOK this weekend.
CA and MWC: Kylie Mayes, Tarrington Oakes video…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Yes, it’s true, rivals like Midwest City and Carl Albert can come together, especially when that cause is beating the East.
I always enjoy that aspect of all-state games seeing rivals become friends and that’s what happened as Carl Albert’s Kylie Mayes and Midwest City’s Tarrington Oakes were crucial in a come-from-behind victory Wednesday at the all-state basketball game.
That won’t be the last time they’ll be teammates, either, as both have signed with Central Oklahoma.
Here is a short video with Mayes and Oakes.
Chat Recap: Bob Przybylo
Santa Fe: Josh Richardson, Gunnar Nixon back in spotlight…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Edmond Santa Fe's Josh Richardson now has four offers.
The Edmond Santa Fe boys basketball team surpassed expectations last year. Don’t think anybody thought the Wolves would make a run as deep as they did.
And despite losing in the semifinals and losing some strong senior leadership, senior Josh Richardson said he’s extremely excited about this year group.
We can all dunk. No, seriously, our whole starting five can dunk. We’re a lot taller than what we’ve been.” Richardson
As for Richardson, things are starting to pick up for the guard. Figured it would only be a matter of time and he now has four offers: Creighton, Missouri State, Arizona State and Harvard.
The last one might throw people off, but Richardson is a solid student. He enters this year with a 3.1 GPA and said he is not content with that.
Richardson is also receiving strong interest from several other Pac-10 schools and said as of now, he does not have any favorites.
***
Also in Santa Fe, track star Gunnar Nixon is back. He was recently named to the All-USA high school track and field team.
Nixon has the top decathlon score in the nation this year and will represent Team USA at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August.
Before Nixon leaves, definitely going to catch up with him and get his thoughts about everything.
All-State basketball recap: Large West dominant…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Yea, not exactly the same environment at the Mabee Center for the all-state basketball games as it was for the large school state championships in March. But still fun.
Girls: Small East 72, Small West 53
Believe it or not, this was actually close in the first half. The East only led 33-31 at halftime but came out strong in the second half and put this baby away.
Pawnee’s Britney Morgan was clearly the best player on the court on this night.
Large West 53, Large East 50
This game was the example of what most all-star games are like. The East actually held a 34-23 lead midway through the third quarter.
And then like in most NBA all-star games, that competitiveness came out.
Sparked by Anadarko’s Ronay English, Midwest City’s Tarrington Oakes and Carl Albert’s Kylie Mayes, the West roared back.
In fact, the final couple of minutes were like a real game with timeouts and everything.
For a video with Oakes and Mayes, here ya go.
Coach of the Year: Steve Odle, Kansas
Player of the Year: Chelsea Key, Norman
Boys: Small East 72, Small West 69
Felt a little surreal seeing Bethel’s Cale Jackson out there. He played well, all things considered. Played hard, and it looked like he was focused on the game.
Scott Wright and myself caught up with him after the game, and you can clearly see his head wasn’t in the game. He was going on pure instinct.
Best player I never saw this year: Plainview’s Gary Inglett. He was dang good. Also fun to see Dane Thrash light it up for a period of time.
Large West 91, Large East 67
On paper, I thought this would be a blowout. First of all, the West had Putnam West studs Tyler Neal and Amric Fields. Secondly, the East’s top name, Cameron Downing of Tulsa Memorial, pulled out.
And then you add in playmakers like Kendre Talley of Star Spencer, Chris Fitzpatrick of Enid and Travon Grant of Capitol Hill, and this is what you get.
Neal and Fields had a couple of real nice dunks while Talley had the play of the night on an alley-oop pass that turned into a 3-pointer. Talking to him after, he said he had been doing that all week from as far as half court.
Look for videos with Bethel’s Cale Jackson and Star’s Kendre Talley on NewsOK on Friday.
Coach of the Year: David Page, Pawnee
Player of the Year: Tyler Neal, Putnam West
Bethel: Spot reserved for Kyle Lewis…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Bethel’s Kyle Lewis is still in everybody’s mind right now. Teammate Cale Jackson wore a warmup shirt with Lewis’ No. 3 on it here at the OCA’s All-State basketball game, and here is that shirt on the bench:
Cale Jackson's warmup shirt with No. 3 for his fallen friend, Kyle Lewis. Photo by Robert Przybylo, The Oklahoman
Ed Memorial: Bulldogs basketball with strong summer…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Memorial's Obi Emegano will lead a strong nucleus for the Bulldogs.
Watching the Edmond Memorial boys basketball team last year, I kept thinking they were one year away. I was actually wrong on that point as Shane Cowherd’s kids advanced to the state tournament.
The Bulldogs lost in overtime in the first round to Midwest City, but the bulk of the stellar team is returning, which should mean good news.
Memorial did take a hit earlier this week as former assistant Brandon Weaver is no longer with the program. Weaver has accepted the head coaching position at Elgin.
Prior to that, Memorial went undefeated in summer ball, but Cowherd was more impressed with the team’s attitude than the results.
We’re far from where we want to be. But the great thing is the kids realize this, and they’re working on it and not being content.” – Cowherd
It might be and Edmond showdown between Santa Fe’s Josh Richardson and Memorial’s Obi Emegano about who the best player in the city area is.
Emegano felt like an automatic double-double all last year. You add him with the great shooting of Jared Jobe and James Woodard, and well, there ya go.
I can tell how excited Kameron Doolittle is about the team. Because even though he is one of the top football recruits, he didn’t miss summer basketball. He was the team’s sixth man last year.
Hennessey: Wide receivers making a name…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The Luetjen family is dominating things at Hennessey lately. Matt was a star who is already in the middle of boot camp at West Point. Derrick is a star in the making with an offer from Army.
However, the Eagles are a lot more than the Luetjen clan. Hennessey will hang its hat on its defense this year, but I was impressed with some of their wide receivers this summer.
Zach Griffin isn’t going to blow by you with his speed, but he definitely has some set of hands. If he can touch it, he can snag it in.
As just a sophomore, Ivan Moreno was named as one of the team’s captains, and this should be the year that people start to know his name.
Also looking for big things from Orlando Pina. He’s the one that will be stretching the field for the Eagles and showed signs of that in the 7-on-7 stuff at Santa Fe.
Under Shannon Watford this team has become one of the more consistent teams around. I don’t think that the consistency is going to go away in 2010.
OCA clinic: Day 3…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Without the drama of the football districts being set up, there was no buzz at all around the Marriott in Tulsa all day Wednesday.
I don’t know what it was, maybe a combination of the heat, being talked out and people still coming to grips with what happened with Bethel’s Kyle Lewis. Whatever it was, the OCA clinic went out with a whimper.
Sat in on the football rules’ meeting. Nothing earth shattering at all. Maybe the most interesting thing was about if a referee collides with a non-player on the sidelines. If that occurs, it will now be a 15-yard penalty. No warning necessary, boom, 15 yards.
It won’t take away from a touchdown, and it will penalize the yards after the play is done (no spot foul type thing).
- The NFHS now says once the point differential has been reached, any eight-man game can be called off. In Oklahoma, that difference is 45 points. The rule has been you must play at least a first half.
It hasn’t been approved in Oklahoma, but if it were, a game could end 45-0 in the second quarter.
- Heritage Hall tennis coach Dick Villaflor said he is not going anywhere in the near future, but the seeds are being planted for when he does.
Villaflor is now the director of tennis for the Chargers. Brian Bogert is taking over as the boys head coach. It was listed that Jenny Ferguson would be the girls coach, but Villaflor said she will in charge of the junior high program.
The school is still looking for a girls coach. Until then, Villaflor will keep those duties.
- Speaking of tennis, you cannot convince it is not the greatest sport. Just seeing Cascia Hall’s Chase Tomlins and Edmond North’s Casey Distaso go at it hard for the all-state match was fantastic. Distaso won a close 8-6 battle. Also one final chance to witness the greatness of McGuinness’ Whitney Ritchie and Mia Lancaster and Heritage Hall’s Julie Labarthe.
- It’s not a new phenomenon by any means, but I always find it interesting to see an all-state who hasn’t participated in their event since the season was over. It happens most, I think, in swimming. I’ve never covered wrestling at all-state, but I bet it happens there quite a bit, too.
- The ADM is definitely still fluctuating. That might mean news for Washington. Talking with Warriors softball coach Bryan Howard, he thinks (not positive) that Washington is going to be bumped up to Class 3A. Washington, right now, is the top enrollment in 2A. Again, the Board will approve everything Aug. 10.
- Camped out at the Mabee Center the next couple of nights. Look for videos on NewsOK about what happened in the girls’ games Thursday and the boys’ games Friday.
- Fellow chum Scott Wright is attending the vigil for Bethel’s Kyle Lewis on Wednesday night. A very trying time for all involved, and I know everyone’s thoughts this week are with Lewis and his family and friends. Lewis died in a car accident Monday, following the all-state golf event.
