Heritage Hall’s Sterling Shepard commits to Oklahoma
Heritage Hall's Sterling Shepard is running his way to Norman. Shepard committed to OU on Monday.
Heritage Hall star wide receiver Sterling Shepard really did intend to wait before making his commitment.
He wanted to be patient and look to see what else was out there, but the truth is his heart has always been with Oklahoma.
Shepard made it official, verbally committing to the Sooners on Monday. Shepard joins Jenks running back Alex Ross as two in-state recruits of the class of 2012 to commit to OU.
“This is where my heart is,” Shepard said. “There is great tradition here. My father, my uncles went here. It was time.”
For the full story, go here.
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Not a shock at all to any that know Shepard. He was genuinely shocked when the offers started to come his way. He just doesn’t think of himself that way. However, he was definitely hoping an OU offer would come his way.
His mother was going to be supportive, no matter what, but the name Shepard means a lot to OU and the Sooners mean a lot to the Shepard family.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Edlam showdown with state on the line
Will Courtney Walker and Edmond Santa Fe be celebrating Thursday night?
Now it’s two straight weeks of the hardwood. I’ve been in the pool and on the mat, now it’s time to close out the winter sports season.
You can find a whole bunch on Class A and B basketball in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK the next couple of days. So I’ma start with some previews of 2A-6A area battles. One category: ‘win and you’re in the state tournament.’ And the other ‘lose and go home.’
Class 6A
Win and you’re in:
Midwest City vs. Norman (Th, 6:30 at Harrah)
Edmond Memorial vs. Edmond Santa Fe (Th, 6:30 at Del City)
Jenks vs. Sand Springs (Th, 6:30 at Catoosa)
Edmond North vs. Enid (Th, 6:30 at Sapulpa)
My eyes automatically go to Memorial and Santa Fe. Their first battle was an epic overtime battle won by the Wolves at Memorial. It should be a great atmosphere …The Bombers just seem to have Norman’s number. Granted, Midwest City has had everybody’s number lately, but the Tigers in particular…I like Jenks in a close one…Intriguing battle between the Pacers and Huskies. Last week I would have picked Edmond North by 20 points. But with Courtney Chelf and Rani Melvin and what Enid did this last weekend (Ws vs. Putnam North and Del City), well, gonna be interesting.
Lose and go home:
Putnam City vs. Mustang (Th, 8 p.m., Harrah)
Yukon vs. Norman North (Th, 8 p.m., Del City)
Sapulpa vs. Del City (Th, 8 p.m., Catoosa)
Claremore vs. Stillwater (Th, 8 p.m., Sapulpa)
Mustang’s balance against the star power of LaShawn Jones of Putnam City. Jones has had big outings before against the Broncos, but Mustang has been able to pull out the wins…Norman North hasn’t had much success against Norman, but the Timberwolves will be favored against the Millerettes…Was a little shocked to see Del City lose at home to Enid. Eagles will have to respond against Sapulpa. Mental mindset will be huge…Same goes with Stillwater. A tough double overtime loss to Sand Springs is not what you want to bounce back from, but that’s what the Pioneers are going to have to do.
UPDATE: I’m an idiot. Dem dang Edmond schools playing each other. Memorial and Santa Fe is at Del City. The BOYS Edlam matchup between Memorial and Santa Fe is at Edmond North. Thanks for the readers pointing that out.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Class A and B basketball state tournament pairings
The Class A and B state tournament brackets have been released.
The Class B girls will be residents of the Big House all week, with Choctaw, Midwest City and Southern Nazarene hosting first-round games for the other three brackets.
Everybody heads to the State Fair Arena for the semifinals and beyond.
Here’s your schedule:
Class A Boys
Thursday’s games at Choctaw
Okarche vs. Fort Cobb-Broxton, 2 p.m.
Stuart vs. Weleetka, 3:30 p.m.
Hydro-Eakly vs. Caddo, 7 p.m.
Merritt vs. Cheyenne, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Okarche/Fort Cobb winner-Broxton vs. Hydro-Eakly/Caddo winner, 1:30 p.m.
Stuart/Weleetka winner vs. Merritt/Cheyenne winner, 6 p.m.
Class A Girls
Thursday’s games at Midwest City HS
New Lima vs. Frontier, 2 p.m.
Seiling vs. Cyril, 3:30 p.m.
Calumet vs. Caney, 7 p.m.
Chattanooga vs. Beaver, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
New Lima/Frontier winner vs. Seiling/Cyril winner, 9 a.m.
Calumet/Caney winner vs. Chattanooga/Beaver winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s championship, 7 p.m.
Class B Boys
Thursday’s games at Southern Nazarene
Paden vs. Medford, 2 p.m.
Burlington vs. Red Oak, 3:30 p.m.
Duke vs. Graham, 7 p.m.
Forgan vs. Lookeba-Sickles, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Duke/Graham winner vs. Burlington/Red Oak winner, 10:30 a.m.
Forgan/Lookeba-Sickles winner vs. Paden/Medford winner, 9 p.m.
Saturday’s championship, 8:30 p.m.
Class B Girls
Thursday’s games at State Fair Arena
Timberlake vs. Corn Bible Academy, 2 p.m.
Deer Creek-Lamont vs. Erick, 3:30 p.m.
Hammon vs. Pittsburg, 7 p.m.
Balko vs. Red Oak, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Hammon/Pittsburg winner vs. Deer Creek-Lamont/Erick winner, noon
Timberlake/Corn Bible winner vs. Balko/Red Oak winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday’s championship, 1:30 p.m.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Norman’s Connor Madole video
Norman’s Connor Madole talks about Friday’s win over Yukon, and the Tigers’ great turnaround this season:
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Deer Creek wrestling with consolation surge
UPDATED: Deer Creek 77 points. Altus 74 and Collinsville 72.5. Get ready!
Any wrestling coach will tell you championships are won just as much on the back side as they are in the championship round.
Now I’m not saying Deer Creek is going to win the Class 5A championship, but wow did the Antlers put themselves in a position to pull it off.
The Antlers biggest weakness is that DC only has two championship competitors. Senior Zac Dunlop is taking on Justin Hughes of Duncan at 125 pounds in a battle of No. 1 seeds. Though both were top seeds, gotta favor Hughes in that one.
Junior Nolan Boyd can help the Antlers, while hurting Altus at the same time. In fact, if the chips fall a certain direction, Boyd could be wrestling for his second state championship and the team’s chance at a potential title.
Waiting for the exact point totals heading into the championship, but I believe it will be Deer Creek first, with Collinsville second and Altus third. Deer Creek’s Alex Christensen and Cole Pacheco each earned third place by scoring falls. Sophomore Chad Draper also finished third at 152.
The other team races aren’t as compelling. Perry took control of 3A in this session and holds a good lead over Berryhill. Tuttle is so far up on anybody and has a chance to make a dominating statement tonight. Broken Arrow has jumped Union and is in position to claim the crown once again.
Either way, it should be a great showdown in the 5A neck of the woods.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Connor Madole carries Norman to comeback win over Yukon
For the first 20 minutes, it seemed like Yukon couldn’t miss. For the last 12 minutes, it seemed like the Millers couldn’t hit.
And Norman took full advantage.
The Tigers ignited a 16-0 run that covered nearly 10 minutes of the third and fourth quarters as they turned a 41-30 deficit into a 46-41 lead. They went on to win 50-49 in a thriller.
While Yukon was firing in 3-pointers through the first two-and-a-half quarters, Norman’s Connor Madole hit a few of his own to help keep the game close. His length and ability to play inside or out made for a tricky matchup against the Millers, and he used that mismatch well. He hit five treys on his way to 21 points, but his biggest shot came at the free throw line with 10 seconds left to give the Tigers the final margin.
The Tigers get Edmond Memorial Saturday night in the regional winner’s bracket final. Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs knocked off Norman 71-36, so the Tigers will try to change their fortunes against the state’s top-ranked team.
I’ll have a video interview with Madole coming soon, so check back for that.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
State wrestling, session 1: Guthrie mounts charge
Like I said before, the team race really in Class 6A and 5A should be decided by teams in the east. However, Guthrie had a great first session here at the state wrestling championships at State Fair Arena.
The Bluejays sent seven to state and six are wrestling in the semifinals. Included in that is ‘my baby’ match between Landry Chappell and Deer Creek’s Alex Christensen. The 215-pound match is a must-see here in a few hours.
Speaking of the Antlers, Deer Creek and Harrah each fared well as the teams qualified four into the semifinals. Other Suburban Conference member, Carl Albert, had a rough few hours. The Titans went 2-6 in the first session though I still think Eric Waggoner has a great shot at winning it all at 135.
Shawnee and Southeast each moved along two to the semifinals, while Kenneth Hartfield is going to represent Western Heights in other local 5A news.
In 6A, good but not great session for Edmond North. The Huskies are bringing back five kids for the semifinals. Stillwater came on late and the Pioneers are sending four tonight.
Solid sessions from Moore and Yukon as Lions and Millers notched three into the semis. The Yellowjackets of Choctaw also advanced three.
And then a bunch of area teams were able to get one across: Edmond Memorial, Edmond Santa Fe, Del City, Mustang and Norman North.
Incredibly early in terms of team races, but Tulsa Union (6A), Collinsville (5A), Tuttle (4A) and Perry (3A) have the edge so far. Berryhill is right up there with the Maroons, though, in 3A. The Friday night session is going to go a long way in seeing what’s up there.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Putnam City wins three-overtime thriller against Choctaw
Sometimes you get a feeling. Sometimes you’re wrong about that feeling, but every now and then, you hit the nail on the head. Going into regional play Thursday, there weren’t too many circle-worthy games.
However, one that definitely was going to be good happened at Edmond Memorial between Putnam City and Choctaw. Didn’t matter that Choctaw had defeated the Pirates three times earlier in the year, knew it would be competitive.
Now I had no idea it would be that competitive, though. None. 44 minutes later and you see just how ‘styles make fights’ can apply to basketball, too.
In the end, it was Putnam City’s LaShawn Jones with an incredible performance in leading PC to a 64-56 win in triple overtime. Putnam City is going to play Memorial for the regional championship Saturday.
I don’t keep track of blocks, but I probably should have during this one. I’ve never seen a player block so many shots the way Jones did against the Yellowjackets.
All that being said, it was Choctaw who dictated the game for most of the way. After Putnam City had 13-11 lead, the Pirates never led again until the second overtime. PC would tie it but then Choctaw would take the lead again.
Finally about midway through the fourth, it was 44-37 for Choctaw. However, Jones tied it up with 8 seconds left and we went into overtime.
The first overtime, eh, well, it happened. Both teams made a free throw and we went into double OT at 45-45. Now this was when both teams were doing the necessary things to win the game.
Putnam City took its first lead at 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Jamiece Nelson. After being quiet, Nelson had the energy most players didn’t in the extra sessions. PC led 50-47 when Sydney Wyatt came off a screen and buried a three to knot it at 50-50.
Then Megan Schrock, who only had four points to that juncture, drove hard to the hole to give Choctaw a 52-50 lead with less than a minute left.
It was Jones again. Not sure of the time (I was shooting the video), but she tied it again and to triple overtime we went.
There Jones was simply sensational. She scored early, dominated on the other end and Choctaw ran out of gas in a great pitched battle. Both teams had players come up big. Both teams had stars foul out. It was a lot of fun.
Great effort by Dandy Peeler’s team. Choctaw came out of nowhere to become a player in 2011 but fell just short.
Senior Jasmine Sievert scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half, while Wyatt had 15 points. Nelson had 16 points to help out PC. Jones had a game-high 26.
Not sure if this was better than Enid’s double-overtime upset of Putnam North (remember the name Courtney Chelf) but glad I got to see it.
Video of Jones is on NewsOK now.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Star Spencer’s Symon Smith puts on a show
Star Spencer junior Symon Smith made seven 3-pointers to lead the Bobcats to a playoff upset of John Marshall Thursday night.
I didn’t know what to expect from Star Spencer Thursday night. Based on the last time I had seen them play, I knew it could be bad, but you always expect to see a good battle between All-City Conference teams, especially in the playoffs.
Still, it was hard to shake the memory of that 104-26 loss to Douglass back in January the last time I saw the Bobcats.
But Symon Smith helped me put that memory behind me quickly. He came out gunning from 3-point range, and I don’t think he even hit the rim on the first four he made. He hit seven in all and finished with 28 points in the 66-63 upset of No. 13 John Marshall.
This was a huge win for Star. With the season they’ve battled through, these kids deserved something good to happen.
Gary Ford doesn’t have the size some of Star’s big men have had in the last couple years, but he’s long, and he works hard on the boards. He also has the offensive skill to go out on the perimeter, which makes him a tough matchup.
It’s easy to forget how good Star was last year, and the fact that all five starters went on to play college ball somewhere. Not only did they fill up the starting lineup, they ate a lot of minutes, so Smith and Ford were the only two guys who really got a lot of varsity action off the bench.
The most impressive thing Thursday night was that after grabbing the early lead — Star went up 21-9 in the first quarter — and seeing John Marshall slowly chip away at it, the Bobcats never caved in. The Bears’ Tyler Harrison started matching Smith swish for swish from long range, and JM eventually pulled within three points late in the third quarter.
But despite the fact that they had only won five games coming into Thursday night, the Bobcats stayed focused and held on for the win.
Ford finished with 14 points and Anthony Hardimon had 13. Sophomore Jaylen Mustin only scored two points, but his two clutch free throws with less than 20 seconds remaining iced the game for the Bobcats.
“We’re just happy to get this win,” Smith said. “We’re turning it around in the playoffs. It’s been a hard season.
“Everybody’s been counting us out, and that’s why this feels so good.”
The Bobcats will be back in action Saturday night at Harrah against a stout Piedmont team. The Wildcats will pose a tougher matchup, especially with a 6-foot-5 horse like Keith Vick creating a tough matchup. But Thursday’s win guarantees Star a spot in the area tournament next week in Chickasha.
John Marshall faces McLoud in an elimination game tonight at 8 in Harrah, needing two wins to get to area.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Updated: Class 6A, 5A state wrestling pairings
State Wrestling Pairings
As released by the OSSAA
At State Fair Arena
Feb. 25-26
Class 6A
103 — Josh Lindsey, Moore vs. Caleb Burns, Ponca City; Cooper Finch, Yukon vs. Justin Lombardo, Tulsa Union; Hugo Artega, Muskogee vs. Loc Hoang, Westmoore; Gunnar Woodburn, Claremore vs. Zack Edwards, Broken Arrow.
112 — Tray Dorrell, Del City vs. Zeak Naifeh, Bixby; Caleb Clark, Broken Arrow vs. Calib Freeman, Claremore; Josh Walker, Tulsa Union vs. Zac D’Amico, Southmoore; Laramie Allenbaugh, Sand Springs vs. Lloyd Crownovor, Yukon.
119 — Derek White, Edmond North vs. Irwin Adaco, Owasso; Josh Nunley, Edmond Memorial vs. Luke Wolfenberger, Tulsa Union; Lukas Etchison, Muskogee vs. Nathan Clark, Broken Arrow; Brett Dunning, Edmond Santa Fe vs. Parker Bohannon, Yukon.
125 — Kyle Garcia, Choctaw vs. Shea Conley, Sapulpa; Hunter Bright, Edmond North vs. Jared Elmore, Stillwater; Jakob Weis, Jenks vs. Kody Selby, Putnam City; Brian Crutchmer, Tulsa Union vs. Clay Archer, Broken Arrow.
130 — Tanner Hamilton, Mustang vs. Michael Hamilton, Bartlesville; Kaylob Kingler, Choctaw vs. Conner Baxter, Tulsa Union; Michael Williams, Claremore vs. Brandon Coleman vs. Putnam City; Miles Andrews, Muskogee vs. Tanner Bailey, Broken Arrow.
135 — Chase Ferman, Broken Arrow vs. Connor Adams, Putnam North; Frank Smith, Choctaw vs. Jose Depperschmidt, Stillwater; Jordan Boland, Sapulpa vs. Ronnie Schwab, Mustang; Matt Viera, Muskogee vs. Jacob Armstrong, Edmond North.
140 — Weston Slator, Mustang vs. Dylan Fields, Muskogee; Bryce Hendricks, Edmond North vs. Johnnie Walker, Tulsa Union; Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville vs. Derek Sivertsen, Moore; Stuart Spencer, Jenks vs. Tyler Secrist, Southmoore.
145 — Alec Warren, Edmond Memorial vs. Throcon Samuels, Tulsa Union; Dex Hicks, Lawton vs. Ian Hammond, Sand Springs; Nick Haugen, Claremore vs. Blake Lawson, Choctaw; Brannon Warner, Jenks vs. McKale Washington, Moore.
152 — Brock Warren, Broken Arrow vs. Chatin Munsell, Muskogee; Jamie Shawyer, Del City vs. Brannon Hunt, Ponca City; Kyle Ash, Tulsa Union vs. Charlie Armstrong, Westmoore; Austin Eades, Jenks vs. Marshall Dickson, Choctaw.
160 — Zach Skates, Broken Arrow vs. Aaron Lewis, Bartlesville; Logan Thomas, Yukon vs. Andrew Hocutt, Claremore; Kyle Crutchmer, Tulsa Union vs. Ethan Glidden, Moore; Kenny Cleveland, Owasso vs. Lance Dixon, Edmond North.
171 — Marcese Dickson, Choctaw vs. Dalton DeMoss, Sapulpa; Joel Dixon, Edmond North, vs. Blasé Walser, Tulsa Union; Calvin Stephens, Muskogee vs. Mitch Wilson, Putnam City; Jon Barnat, Bixby vs. Seth Calvert, Broken Arrow.
189 — Austin Schafer, Edmond North vs. Edwardo Diaz, Muskogee; Ry Huff, Edmond Memorial vs. Caleb Cotter, Sapulpa; Taylor Woolman, Bartlesville vs. Forest Meyers, Norman; Shelby Krout, Ponca City vs. Cody Sivertsen, Moore.
215 — Cody Johnson, Broken Arrow vs. Daniel Moses, Norman North; Andrew Dixon, Edmond North vs. Chase Duke, Sapulpa; Paul Wilson, Stillwater vs. Kyle Factor, Westmoore; Austin Whitaker, Muskogee vs. Elie Rushing, Putnam City.
285 — Hunter Davis, Choctaw vs. Brandon Johnson, Owasso; Quinn Hulsey, Broken Arrow vs. Travis Morgan, Stillwater; Caleb Cline, Norman North vs. Harrison Madden, Norman; Zach Veatch, Tulsa Union vs. Lantz Parks, Yukon.
Class 5A
103 — Markwae Sanders, Duncan vs. Chris Fairbairn, Carl Albert; Oscar Balderrama, Ardmore vs. Donald Cannon, McAlester; Hestin Lamons, Tahlequah vs. Dylan Bellmard, McGuinness; Chad Dunlop, Deer Creek vs. Andrew Revilla, Altus.
112 — Jimmy Langford, Ardmore vs. Nate Crawford, Durant; Jamie Copeland, Ada vs. Eli Hale, Miami; Gary Wayne Harding, Collinsville vs. Michael Smith, Shawnee; Mitch Sellers vs. Cole Powers, Lawton Mac.
119 — Jordan Litton, Altus vs. Hayden Contreras, Lawton Mac; Austin O’Connor, Guthrie vs. Will Steltzlen, Collinsville; Mark Carter, Tulsa East Central vs. Colby Powers, Lawton Mac; Jacob Lusch, Carl Albert vs. Yahola Jones, Shawnee.
125 — Jazer Duran, Southeast vs. Jake Bradbury, Deer Creek; Aaron Guery, Western Heights vs. Patrick O’Brien, Tulsa Edison; Dylan Helm, Collinsville vs. Connor Kelly, Duncan; Matt Jager, Carl Albert vs. Jake Todd, Ada.
130 — Justin Hughes, Duncan vs. Collin Harrington, Collinsville; Michael Varner, Western Heights vs. Brandon Hughes, Carl Albert; Zac Dunlop, Deer Creek vs. Timothy Shannon, Ardmore; Jimmy Roach, Grove vs. Jemuel Duran, Southeast.
135 — Austin Goyette, Harrah vs. Raymond Prescott, Deer Creek; Brok Williams, Lawton Mac vs. Trey Bowman, Durant; Eric Waggoner, Carl Albert vs. Corey Todd, Shawnee; Zack Abkemeier, Collinsville vs. Kanyon Weldon, Altus.
140 — Bryan Dutton, Guthrie vs. Cole Pacheco, Deer Creek; Daylan Stuteville, Shawnee vs. Blake Lam, Carl Albert; Spencer Rutherford, Grove vs. John O’Neal, Lawton Mac; Tyler Shearer, Tulsa Kelley vs. Sam Schrader, Ardmore.
145 — Keilan Torres, Altus vs. Caleb Jones, Coweta; Devin Bilyeu, Guthrie vs. Tanner Lackey, Deer Creek; Bryce Armstrong, Grove vs. Ricky McCarty, Lawton Mac; Josh Pennington, Collinsville vs. Jeremiah Pearce, Ardmore.
152 — Kenneth Hartfield, Western Heights vs. Mason Davis, Coweta; Dennis Murphy, Guthrie vs. Corey Delk, Skiatook; Colton Craig, Tulsa Kelley vs. Kanyon Cunningham, Altus; Chad Draper, Deer Creek vs. Payton Atchley, Duncan.
160 — Jeremy Delzer, Altus vs. Zack Dobbins, Coweta; Taylor Trabert, Chickasha vs. Austin Cook, Skiatook; Dylan Ussrey, Tulsa East Central vs. Brennan Trimble, Lawton Mac; Benny Steffenson, Grove vs. Richard Griffin, Harrah.
171 — Drake Martel, Altus vs. Isaac Dyer, Collinsville; Jake Welt, Harrah vs. Jonathon Gerrior, Pryor; Nolan Boyd, Deer Creek vs. Vincent Opuiyo, Western Heights; Blake Clodfeather, Grove vs. Desmond Block, Lawton Mac.
189 — Max Adair, Lawton Mac vs. Rocco Brittingham, Durant; Michael Conner, Guthrie vs. Kentrell Pierson, Carl Albert; Austen Brooner, Pryor vs. John Jones, Duncan; Keenan Priddy, Collinsville vs. Tyler George, Altus.
215 — Landry Chappell, Guthrie vs. Newt Salisbury, Collinsville; Ben Copeland, Duncan vs. Alex Christensen, Deer Creek; Rich Gerow, Tulsa Edison vs. Matt Hasty, Harrah; Garet Henning, Pryor vs. Jacoby Brown, Chickasha.
285 — Kyle Farley, Chickasha vs. Jake Gibson, Pryor; Curtis Hurst, Harrah vs. Kyle Croak, Carl Albert; Josh Friend, Grove vs. Evan McGee, Ardmore; Zack Hargrove, Tulsa Edison vs. John Davison, Guthrie.
