More quotes on Kenny Young
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
Because of space constraints, I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to into my story about Bishop McGuinness coach Kenny Young, which ran in today’s paper.
The first thing that I couldn’t fit in is the fact that Young coached in his 100th game last weekend, and I’m sure it was a special game. McGuinness came from behind to beat Grove, 29-28 and advance to the Class 4A finals. Young is 81-19 in his career. He has been coach at McGuinness since 2001.
Here are some quotes from the people I interviewed for the story — Young himself, Newkirk coach Barrett Shupe, who coached tight ends and defensive ends under Young at McGuinness in 2004 and current McGuinness quarterback Ryan Randolph.
Barrett Shupe
“He’s very thorough. He’s the hardest working coach I’ve ever been around.”
“That was a good year. I learned a lot about how to treat other coaches. I thought he did a great job of taking care of his coaches; he was very demanding, but he praises you for your efforts.”
“He’s bee around some good coaches. He’s got that inner drive where he doesn’t want to fail at anything, it doesn’t matter if it’s a game of solitaire on the computer; he wants to win.”
“The thing that I learned that has helped me was that you just keep working. You set a routine, follow it, and if you know what you’re doing is right, things will happen for you. He told me to keep my head up, and I think this year it paid off. It was tough for me at first, putting in all that effort and not being successful.”
“I remember one night, we played Carl Albert. We probably should have won that football game, and I remember on the bus I sat next to him. He looked at me and said, ‘Barrett, we’re gonna win some of these big games some day. You watch. We’re gonna win because we’re gonna keep working.’ I’ll always remember that night on the bus.”
“It never shook him. He kept on doing what he believed in. He’s got a system and he sticks with it. I really took that to heart this year; we found some things that we were good at, and I attribute all of that to him.”
“There were some long nights with coach Young, but they were worth it.”
“The kids have bought into his system.”
“I’m a better person and a better coach for having worked with him.”
Kenny Young, McGuinness coach
“The most influential coach on me was Todd Graham, because when Todd came to Carl Albert in 1994, he had a way of doing things that I was not familiar with. He brought a whole different level of preparation and work ethic to us there at Carl Albert. I was just so impressed with his overall knowledge of the game. He knew so much about every position on offense, defense and in the kicking game. It made me realize that there was so much more for me to learn. I got to work with him for 3 consecutive years, and that, I believe, elevated my level of expertise. I just saw the drive and determination. He had such detailed knowledge; it wasn’t just knowledge of every position, but detailed knowledge. I thought, if he can do that, I can do that. I knew that I had to better myself as a coach.”
(He coached under Todd Graham for one year at Carl Albert in 1994, and two years in Allen, Texas)
“We really are a blue collar team at McGuinness, and I’m a blue collar coach. I don’t claim to be the smartest guy out there, but I do know that we work as hard if not harder than any team around.”
“I grew up in southwestern Oklahoma in the 60s and 70s, and I came from a family where we knew nothing but hard work. The only way I saw anybody get anything in life was through lots of hard work; nothing was ever given to anybody that I ever knew. Going 100 miles an hour and going 100 percent is the only way I know how to get anything done.”
“I think there’s a formula for success in high school football. And I think a lot of guys know what the formula is, but aren’t willing to stick with the formula when the going gets tough. You need to play great defense; build your team around your defense every single year. You need to really value special teams, and teach kids about the kicking game and what field position does for you. You’ve gotta spend time working on that. You have to be able to run the football on offense. That is a winning formula in high school football. If you’ll play great defense, kick it well and have the ability to run the football, I think that gives you a chance in every game that you play. We have a defense that we believe in at McGuinness; it’s the defense that I learned from Todd Graham in 1994. People get too caught in schemes on defense. Every defense is a good defense if it’s run correctly. I believe in the 4-3 defense; it’s my personal belief. I like it, I understand it, I know the strengths and weaknesses of it. We are not going to be one of those schools that jumps into a fad defense. We don’t do things because other people do them; we do things because it’s what I believe in. What happens is, when your kids run the same defense every single year, they get to where they know it as good as you do. We’ve had a consistency in our defense and our kicking game. This is the first year we’ve ever made any big adjustments on offense; we had been an under center, I formation team, every year until this year. After we started 0-2, we started looking at who our best players were and realized we needed to get into the shotgun. But the reason a lot of people go to the spread is because they see it on TV all the time. We didn’t feel like it fit our personnel. We waited until we had a group of kids that it fit. It has really, really elevated Ryan Randolph. Because of the shotgun, he’s rushed for almost 1,000 yards. He’s thrown for over 1,400. He’s much more comfortable back there.”
“You have to willing to adapt your kids. This is not the professional level where you get to draft people to fit your system. Sometimes you have to make adjustments.”
“I don’t want to put together a team that just wins a few games. We’re trying to build a team every year that wins a championship. You don’t win a championship unless you commit to playing a good defense. It’s the offense that gets all the highlights on TV and in the newspaper, but I’m telling you, it’s about defense. The old saying that ‘Defense wins championships,’ is still very true.”
“As good as we were on offense in 2006 and 2007, the difference was that during that 28 game winning streak, we had 16 shutouts.”
“People get enamored with offense. Some people think a 10-7 football game or a 1-0 baseball game is boring, but a 1-0 baseball game is a thing of beauty.”
Ryan Randolph
“I think he’s extremely dedicated. Our coaching staff puts in more time than anybody. We come in and they have the game plan down to a T.”
“He never lets you be satisfied with the player you are. He pushes you to be better. That’s why you see all the guys on our team get so much better every year. Our team always gets better as the year goes on.”
Kingfisher young compared to Chandler
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
Kingfisher and Chandler face off in the Class 2A semifinals this week, and one thing has Kingfisher coach Jeff Myers somewhat concerned: Age and experience.
“Right now, our quarterback is a sophomore, one running back is a sophomore, one receiver is a sophomore, we have a secondary kid that’s a sophomore,” Myers said. “Being in a big game, that does worry me a bit.”
But, Myers said, he does like that his young players have had big game experience — even if they weren’t playing in those big games.
“Those kids were part of our team last year as freshman when we played in the state championship game (against Clinton),” Myers said. “These kids have been in some big ball games.”
Morrison looks good, but next year could be rough
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
MORRISON — Morrison could very well win the Class A championship, thus adding to an illustrious football history.
But next year could be a different story.
The Wildcats are graduating 12 seniors, which represents roughly 37 percent of its team. And Morrison only has two juniors on its roster this year — tight end Kyle Dotter and running back Elam Cronquist.
Cronquist got some carries late in Saturday’s 48-10 quarterfinal rout of Christian Heritage. He carried the ball 4 times and finished with minus-1 yards.
This team is senior dominated — both in numbers and talent. Quarterback Shawn Walls throws a beautiful ball, and running backs Cale James and Joey Quinata were impressive in the win over Christian Heritage.
Joey’s little brother, Dylon Quinata, could be the future of Morrison football. He is just a freshman, but in Saturday’s game, the RB/SS had 3 sacks, had a 42-yard run and caught a touchdown from Walls. Quinata took a few snaps late in the game, so it’s possible that he takes over under center for Walls next season.
The quarterback position will be the toughest one to fill for Morrison, so if Dylon Quinata can step in, that would be huge in the transition from these 12 seniors. There are no other quarterbacks listed on Morrison’s roster, so unless there is a stud 8th grader, Dylon or someone else will have to step up.
But, that is all in the future. What’s important right now is that Morrison looks very, very tough. The Wildcat defense gave up just 44 yards on the ground and swarmed Christian Heritage quarterback Grant Lindsey all game. It will be very interesting next week, when Morrison faces Hennessey and electric running back Auggey McCulley.
CHA at Morrison — Does homefield advantage matter?
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
Christian Heritage and Morrison play Saturday afternoon, continuing the teams’ epic series that (still) hasn’t taken a year off.
For more information on that, check out Ryan Aber’s column from Monday’s paper.
The game is at Morrison, which is a big advantage for the Wildcats. The current players have never lost a game at home.
“We’re excited we get to play this game at home,” Morrison coach Cory Bales said. “It’s big that we’re playing at a place that this group of seniors has never lost. Psychologically, that comes into play.”
Christian Heritage coach John Merrell said: “I would rather have it at home, but once the game starts that stuff isn’t even on the radar. I just concentrate on the game. Maybe to the players, it matters a little, but it doesn’t to me.”
CHA at Morrison — Series history
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
The series history on the Christian Heritage/Morrison game. The two teams have played every year since CHA has been in existence. This was the first year that the game wasn’t scheduled in the regular season, but oddly enough, they are playing in the Class A quarterfinals.
1980: Morrison, 34-6
1981: Morrison, 46-40
1982: Morrison, 48-20
1983: Morrison, 56-20
1984: Morrison, 36-0
1985: Chr. Heritage, 27-14
1986: Morrison, 29-8
1987: Chr. Heritage, 30-22
1988: Morrison, 50-16
1989: Morrison, 42-13
1990: Morrison, 32-12
1991: Morrison, 43-14
1992: Morrison, 20-6
1993: Morrison, 35-0
1994: Morrison, 46-6
1995: Morrison, 20-0
1996: Chr. Heritage, 22-0
1997: Chr. Heritage, 35-14
1998: Chr. Heritage, 34-8
1999: Morrison, 40-13
2000: Morrison, 32-26 (OT)
2001: Morrison, 24-14
2002: Chr. Heritage, 28-14
2003: Morrison, 38-21
2004: Morrison, 26-22
2005: Chr. Heritage, 18-6
2006: Morrison, 50-6
2007: Morrison, 44-14
All-time series: Morrison leads, 21-7
See also: Ryan Aber’s column from Monday’s paper about the CHA-Morrison series.
Class 3A semifinals: There could be a finals rematch
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
The Tuttle-Cascia Hall game will be fun.
It’s a classic 1 vs. 2 match-up between two teams that have not even come close to being stopped yet this year. It’s a shame this thing is a semifinal game and not the state championship game.
What is interesting is that the Tuttle-Cascia game is between teams that are district champions of Districts 3A-1 and 3A-3, respectively. The other two semifinal teams, Clinton and Seq. Claremore, are the runner-ups in those districts.
Tuttle beat Clinton, 35-14, on Oct. 10, while Cascia Hall beat Seq. Claremore, 34-14, on Oct. 31.
I understand that the bracket is the bracket, and it can’t be changed. But it’s truly a shame that the two clear best teams are playing each other at any time other than state championship week. It would be better if Tuttle played Seq. Claremore and Cascia Hall played Clinton.
“I guess if you look at it on paper, it’s the one seeds playing each other and the two seeds playing each other,” said Tuttle coach Phil Koons. “But I still think that we’re all pretty equally matched. I think that probably if Claremore had a couple breaks, they could have won their game against Cascia, and we had a couple good breaks to beat Clinton.”
A state championship rematch is very possible. Or, two teams could play that haven’t yet this year.
I’m betting on a District 3A-1 rematch – Tuttle vs. Clinton in the state finals.
Northeast at Purcell — series history
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
When Northeast and Purcell play Friday, it will mark the first meeting between the two teams in over six decades.
1937: Purcell, 44-12
1938: Northeast, 20-0
1943: Northeast, 26-19
Week 9 Player of the Week candidates
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
To nominate someone for The Oklahoman’s high school player of the week, leave a comment on this blog post. Here are some early candidates:
Auggie McCulley, RB, Hennessey: McCulley ran 19 times for 318 yards and five touchdowns in Hennessey’s 45-7 win over Chisholm.
Jeff Smith, RB, Oklahoma Chr: Smith had 18 carries for 117 yards, and two catches for 28 yards and two total touchdowns in his team’s 40-13 win over Crescent. He also had 12 tackles and a sack.
Kevin Coulter, RB, Douglass: Coulter had 20 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns in Douglass’ 45-16 win over Woodward.
Chris Perry, RB, Stillwater: Perry rushed 22 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns in Stillwater’s 43-23 win over Choctaw.
Tyler Newman, QB, Elk City: Newman ran the ball 13 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns in Elk City’s 26-14 win over Weatherford.
Mario Harden, RB, Hartshorne: Harden ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns on just four carries in Hartshorne’s 48-0 win over Spiro.
Matt Mitchell, RB, Sallisaw: Mitchell had 29 carries for 212 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-14 win over Wagoner.
Curtis Dick, QB, Corn Bible: Dick carried the ball 14 times for 183 yards and four touchdowns, and also was 10 of 14 for 146 yards and two touchdowns passing in a 60-32 win over Destiny Christian. On defense he had an interception and 11 tackles.
Nathan Stanley, RB, Corn Bible: Stanley had 15 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 19 tackles.
Wayland Moore, QB, McLoud: Moore completed eight of 13 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 61-32 win over Cleveland.
Jeremy Seaton, QB, Cashion: Seaton had 20 carries for 116 yards and five touchdowns in his team’s 50-32 win over Wellston. He also had 128 yards and a touchdown passing.
Miami QB breaks school record
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
Miami quarterback Trent Turner broke the school record for passing yards in a single game with 401 in his team’s 44-3 win over Pryor.
Turner also tied the school record for touchdown passes in a game with five in the win.
Turner’s final stats, according to coach Chris Risenhoover, were 27-of-34 for 401 yards and five scores.
Pauls Valley at Purcell — series history
By Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
Continuing my series history posts, I will look back at the long history in the series between Pauls Valley and Purcell, which are separated by about 35 miles on Interstate 35.
A special thanks to Kelly Nemecek, who sent me the Pauls Valley-Purcell history. His records go back much further than ours here do.
Pauls Valley and Purcell have a long series history.
1899: Purcell, 16-0
1902: Purcell, 5-0
1902: Purcell, 11-5
1903: Pauls Valley, 10-0
1914: Purcell, 26-0
1914: Pauls Valley, 25-16
1915: Pauls Valley, 13-6
1915: Purcell, 7-6
1917: Purcell, 20-0
1919: Purcell won (no score available)
1920: Purcell, 52-0
1921: Pauls Valley, 7-0
1922: Purcell, 1-0 (forfeit)
1923: Purcell, 19-7
1923: Pauls Valley, 33-0
1924: Pauls Valley, 7-6
1925: Purcell, 7-6
1926: Purcell, 17-9
1927: Purcell, 19-0
1928: Purcell, 27-6
1929: Pauls Valley, 15-0
1930: Purcell, 7-0
1931: Purcell, 12-7
1932: Purcell, 7-0
1933: Purcell, 21-0
1934: Pauls Valley, 21-0
1936: Purcell, 13-6
1937: Purcell, 37-7
1938: Pauls Valley, 7-0
1939: Purcell, 7-0
1940: Pauls Valley, 10-0
1941: Pauls Valley, 14-6
1942: Purcell, 20-7
1943: Pauls Valley, 27-6
1944: Purcell, 14-13
1945: Pauls Valley, 32-26
1952: Pauls Valley, 33-12
1953: Pauls Valley, 19-6
1954: Purcell, 26-6
1955: Purcell, 18-12
1956: Pauls Valley, 26-0
1957: Purcell, 21-19
1958: Pauls Valley, 32-6
1959: Pauls Valley, 28-22
1976: Pauls Valley, 40-6
1977: Purcell, 24-10
1978: Purcell, 9-3
1979: Purcell, 6-0
1980: Pauls Valley, 18-7
1981: Purcell, 23-14
1982: Purcell, 10-6
1983: Purcell, 6-0
1984: Pauls Valley, 28-0
1985: Purcell, 7-6
1986: Purcell, 14-3
1987: Pauls Valley, 15-9
1988: Purcell, 15-13
1989: Purcell, 40-7
1990: Purcell, 32-7
1991: Purcell, 31-28
1996: Pauls Valley, 28-6
1997: Pauls Valley, 40-14
1998: Purcell, 46-30
1999: Purcell, 44-26
2000: Pauls Valley, 35-26
2001: Pauls Valley, 14-13
2002: Purcell, 45-21
2003: Purcell, 24-3
2006: Purcell, 20-14
2007: Purcell, 35-28 (OT)
Overall series: Purcell leads, 44-26
