Game preview: Westmoore at US Grant
By Justin Hite and Scott Wright
Westmoore Jaguars (2-2) at U.S. Grant (0-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: U.S. Grant
Westmoore (2-2)
Why the Jaguars can win: It’s true. Westmoore has gone old school. The Jaguars love to pound the ball and play defense. The thing is…they do both pretty well. Aside from a Week 2 game against Southmoore, Westmoore has given up an average of less than 10 points per game. They shut out Edmond Santa Fe last week.
U.S. Grant (0-4)
Why the Generals can win: The new coaching staff put in an offense that was more complex than what any of these kids had run before, so they knew it would take some time to get everybody on the same page. But it will take a defensive performance from the Generals to get it done this week, because Westmoore’s defense is strong, so you can’t expect big points.
Justin’s key matchup: U.S. Grant running game vs. Westmoore front seven. Sure, it’s a tough matchup for U.S. Grant, but if the Generals are going to break through at all, it’s going to have to be here. The only problem is the Westmoore defensive front has gotten better every week.
Scott’s key matchup: In the trenches. Grant just doesn’t have the size a team like Westmoore can utilize, so they’ve got to find a way to neutralize that element of Westmoore’s game. If they let the Jags overpower them at the line of scrimmage on both sides, they can’t expect to pull off the upset.
Justin’s pick: Westmoore 24, U.S. Grant 0. Westmoore picks up its second-straight shutout, but more importantly gains a little bit of confidence in its passing attack.
Scott’s pick: Westmoore 34, Grant 14. The Generals have some playmakers in the backfield who I think will find a way to produce some points, but not enough to win.
Atoka: Can L.T. Pfaff play at the next level?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Atoka's L.T. Pfaff could become the state's new king in passing yards Friday. Needs 118 yards to set the record.
I’ve had my eye out on this story since the end of last season. I don’t know, I just think it’s crazy that Atoka’s L.T. Pfaff is going to set the state passing record Friday night at Hugo.
All he needs is to throw for 118 yards, and it’s all his. He will surpass former Deer Creek and Owasso (and Tulsa) star Paul Smith. The record is 9,574 yards.
How has “Little Terry” Pfaff survived? He’s 5-10 and 152 pounds. He starts at free safety. He’s been starting since Week 4 of his freshman season. How has he done it?
I don’t know, but I think his numbers are impressive, and he deserves some recognition.
Career stats: 103 touchdowns (93 passing, 10 rushing). 9,457 passing yards. 964 rushing yards. 148 tackles, three interceptions.
Look for much more on Pfaff in Friday’s paper.
Anyway, I don’t know if I have the answer of if Justin Mitchell has the answer, but I’ll pose the question: Can/will Pfaff play in college? Mitchell is the publisher of OKVarsity.com, the Oklahoma high school site in the Rivals.com network.
Here’s a Q&A with Mitchell who has seen Pfaff at a number of recruiting camps:
Robert Przybylo: What does Pfaff do well?
Justin Mitchell: When you look at Pfaff, the first thing you see is how nice of a ball he throws. He doesn’t have a cannon, but he has an arm strong enough to make all the throws and he really throws a nice, accurate catchable ball. He also has a great feel for the throw to make. He knows when to put some air underneath the ball or when to put some velocity on it and most importantly, where to throw the football where his receiver is the only person that can catch the ball.
Carl Albert: Home sweet home, at last…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Gonna be a rare sight this season Friday night at Jim Harris Stadium at Carl Albert HS. What do I mean by that? I mean there is actually going to be a football game going on.
Three straight weeks on the road have toughened up the Titans, made me look stupid and proved Gary Rose’s team is going to be knocking on the door for another championship.
It wasn’t just going on the road, but where they went in Weeks 2 and 3. Ardmore was coming off a huge win against rival Ada, and what did CA do? Use its patented stellar defense and running game and earn an impressive 34-6 victory.
The next week was the jaw dropper for yours truly. Going to Duncan against a team that had something to prove looked like a tough task. But behind that offensive line, not a problem in a 42-10 thumping.
Then last week the adjustment was life without Dillan Dansby, who had surgery last week. Again, just get behind the big boys and Kenton Whittington, Tyre LeBlanc, Darvonta Knight and Taylor Hawkins can find the holes. They did in the win against Western Heights.
Now El Reno comes to town. Last year this was a semifinal battle. Time has not been kind to Tom Cobble’s team this year though you know the Indians are going to give everything they got. This should be a good game for Hawkins to get better acclimated at the position.
Game preview: Shawnee at Norman
Shawnee (2-2, 0-1) at No. 10 Norman (4-0, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Harve Collins Field, Norman
Last week: Shawnee suffered a 55-0 setback at home to No. 1 Jenks in its first Class 6A district game in more than a decade. Norman coasted by Sapulpa 38-7.
Why Shawnee could win: The best thing Shawnee has going for it right now is that no one really knows what this offense is going to look like. QB Brayle Brown had to move to receiver last week because of a shoulder injury that prevents him from throwing, and Hunter Holley has taken over behind center. The offense didn’t get a chance to show itself against Jenks last week, so Norman comes into this game playing blind just a little.
Why Norman could win: DEEEEE-fense. Three teams have scored seven points against them, and the other only scored six. On top of that, the offense, anchored by the run game of Donovan Roberts, seems to be playing with greater confidence lately, scoring 79 total points the last two weeks. QB Zach Long is only a sophomore, but the son of former OU offensive coordinator Chuck Long is getting the job done. Roberts has 684 yards and 10 TDs for the season.
Key matchup: Shawnee run game vs. Norman defensive front. The Tigers have a lot of experience up front, and two good linebackers, Greg Offenburger and David Nelson, leading the charge in stopping the run. Brown was among Shawnee’s top rushers as well, so there’s some pressure to get the run game going to take some heat off Holley at QB.
The pick: Norman 17, Shawnee 7. There’s no reason to doubt that Tiger D now, especially with the injuries Shawnee is battling — three other two-way starters are out for the year.
Sapulpa vs. Southmoore Capsule…
By Justin Hite
Sapulpa Chieftains (2-2) at Southmoore SaberCats (3-1)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Moore Stadium
Sapulpa (2-2)
Why the Chieftains can win: Sapulpa is odd. So far this season, the Chieftains have played two games at home and two on the road. The strange thing is that their two losses have come at home. By the associative property of football can we determine that Sapulpa is a better road team than home team? Probably not, but their record is better and they’ve had plenty of success away from home.
Southmoore (3-1)
Why the SaberCats can win: Southmoore gets its second-straight Tulsa-area opponent. The difference between Muskogee and Sapulpa isn’t the teams, but that the game is in Moore. That and the Southmoore offense isn’t facing quite as stout a defense. There’s no denying that Southmoore can score points, the SaberCats average just less than 45 points per game. It’ll be nice for Southmoore to return home, but now three weeks out of a knee sprain will quarterback Kendal Thompson play?
Key matchup: Southmoore defense vs. Sapulpa offense. The SaberCats’ defense just got 41 points hung on them by Muskogee and has a few holes to plug. There’s still plenty of room to grow, but the Sapulpa offense may have to find something it hasn’t had yet. Sapulpa averages just more than 13 points per game.
The pick: Southmoore 42, Sapulpa 13. Sure, I’m playing the averages. Southmoore hasn’t scored less than 40 points all year and Sapulpa has been a little dormant on offense. I’ll take those odds, because the Sapulpa offense doesn’t have enough firepower to keep up.
Ed Memorial: Kameron Doolittle should sit this week…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I do my best to not just flat out say what I think a certain team should do. I don’t have that right, and I’m not there in the locker room every day getting a feel of what’s up.
But I feel if Edmond Memorial is going to make a big splash this season, quarterback Kameron Doolittle must ride the bench this week. Heck, maybe even next week.
His ankle injury, from all the times I’ve talked to coach Justin Merideth about it, is not something you can really label. Simply put, ‘it hurts.’ It’s not something you diagnose and say ‘ah, that’s a 1-2 week injury.’ This is a situation you have to play on feel.
And truth is Doolittle probably shouldn’t have played against Putnam North. You know he wanted to, you know Merideth wanted to have his best weapon out there, but it wasn’t happening.
If you make the call early and let Ry Huff know it’s his show now, you would think he would have more confidence. And I don’t think confidence is an issue, from him or Merideth.
Merideth says he doesn’t have any problems with Huff at quarterback. And from the tone of his voice, I believe him. You put Huff and Cale Olbert running in front of that line, Bulldogs should be OK at Moore.
Add in that stifling defense and perhaps a return of DL Alex Crislip, and there ya go. It’s gut-check time for Memorial. Gonna have to prove it can win when it’s not 100 percent. If it can, Merideth’s club is going to be just fine. Officially, Doolittle is day-to-day.
Scott’s lock: It’s in the Cards
When you’re 1-3, sometimes you just need a win to get you feeling positive again. I’m hoping that’s what Tulsa East Central can do for me this week.
I guess I should’ve listened to all those Tuttle fans who told me to lock Bridge Creek last Friday, but that’s hindsight now. Tulsa East Central appears to be among the elite group of five or six teams atop Class 5A that have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack.
I think Coweta is a good team, and I like what Bubba Burcham has done there, now in his third season. But I don’t know that they can pull this one off.
The Cardinals have too many offensive weapons. Receiver Dino Teague is averaging 19.3 yards per catch with five touchdowns, giving QB John McDavid a reliable target. RB Daunte Burge only gets about 15 carries per game, but he’s averaging 6.1 yards. Marcus Dees leads a solid defense, too.
We’ll see if I can get things turned around, or if I’m far more powerful than I thought and can change the fortune of teams simply by picking them to win.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
West Metro Speed Read: Big week for Pirates; PC North’s Holman coming back
This is the Speed Read. It’s fast and informative… you know, the opposite of Bill Simmons when he co-hosts ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.
Putnam City
I didn’t know what to expect from Putnam City at the start of the season. The district wasn’t too tough, but they lost a lot of key players on the defensive side of the ball and on the offensive line. But once they got past PC North in Week 1, you could see the potential for this 4-0 start.
But at the start of the season, Del City looked like a really strong team, especially with all the talent they’ve got on offense. Now, they’re the team that has some uncertainty surrounding it. So this becomes a winnable game for Putnam City. With Edmond North, Mustang, Westmoore and Lawton coming in the four weeks after this, the Pirates would greatly benefit from a win Friday night.
This PC team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, especially with that run game going the way it is, and Friday night should be a thriller.
PC North
We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks now, but it looks like running back Dre Holman will be back in action this week. That’s what he says. And the impact of his return can’t be understated. Sam Wolfe is a good back, and the addition of Holman gives the Panther offense a ton of options. One back, split Wolfe and Holman, put Wolfe in the slot, where he has been a strong receiver this season. Endless choices.
And Holman provides the team a pounding back who can get the tough yards. Wolfe’s game is based more in his quickness, so the two backs work perfectly together. An improved running game will make the team’s defense that much more valuable, and it should give them some more time to rest on the sideline as well.
PC West
Tough time being the Patriots right now. Broken Arrow last week and top-ranked Jenks this week. So, let’s look at this in a positive light — there’s no way PC West faces a team as tough as these two weeks the rest of the year. It only gets easier.
I still think the Pats win a game this season, but it won’t be this week. The biggest key is coming through Friday night without any major injuries, then get ready for the final five weeks of the season.
Mustang
The offensive line has really come together for the Broncos, and that’s been a big key for the improvement of the offense. Last week was different, because Lawton’s defensive front is stronger than most. But the Broncos still found a way to give Brandon Taylor time to throw, and opened some holes for Tyler Webster in the run game.
But with the 0-1 start in district play, there isn’t much room for error the rest of the way. The district is very hard to predict, but it looks to be very competitive in the middle. So if Mustang puts together a string of wins, they could re-emerge as a favorite for the second home playoff berth behind Lawton.
Yukon
This week is just as important as last week at Midwest City. Norman North has had some struggles early this season, so that might seem like an overstatement, but I really don’t think it is. Losing to MWC didn’t hurt the Millers’ credentials. The Bombers are really good.
But a loss or a lackluster win could hurt their image and take away from what they’ve done to this point in the season. It will start to raise questions again. The Millers are a top 10 team, but it’s important that they play like it this week, or people will stop thinking they are one. Considering the way the offense has moved the ball against everyone, and the defense’s strong play for 3 1/2 games, I don’t think it will be an issue.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Douglass hoops planning Opening Night Tip Off Party
The first chance to see the 2010-11 Douglass Trojans basketball team comes Friday night at 9 p.m. at the Opening Night Tip Off Party at the Douglass gym, sort of a Midnight Madness-style event on the first day of practice.
There will be lots of interactive events for the fans, including a dunk contest, 3-point shootout and half-court shot contest. The team will be selling T-shirts, posters and their famous sweatsuits.
One player on the team, Dorian Williams, already has committed to Missouri State, and multiple others have scholarship offers as the Trojans try to follow up on last year’s 30-0 run to the Class 4A state championship.
Douglass coach Terry Long has put together an unbelievably tough schedule this season. Aside from hosting their own classic with some strong out-of-state teams coming in, the Trojans will play in the Dallas/Fort Worth Thanksgiving Hoopfest, the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach, S.C. the week after Christmas and the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., in early January. And of course, there’s that always tough All City Conference schedule.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Harrah: Matt Grice headlines Harrah event in two weeks…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The Harrah wrestling booster club and Shape Fitness are teaming up for Harrah Fight Night II on Oct. 16 at the Harrah Gym.
I was there for the first one in the summer of 2009. It’s been moved to October because there was nothing anybody could do to survive the heat on that day. It was a good a blend of up-and-coming amateurs fighting and seasoned pros competing.
Looks like it will be that way again, according to Harrah coach Bryan Miller. The ticket seller is going to be four-time state champion from Harrah and UFC competitor Matt Grice. He’ll be competing in the main event.
Some other former Panthers will be on the card as well, including Tony Quintero, Levi Queen and Jordan Queen. There will be 14 fights total.
It will be at 6:30 p.m., with six pro fights and eight amateur bouts. Admission is $20 for general seating, $30 for floor seating and $500 for VIP table seating (10 per table, meal included).
