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 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 — 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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

Kingfisher and Fairview will play Friday night for the first time since 1969, but in the late 50s and 60s, the two teams played regularly.

Our records go back to 1950, so if they played before then, we wouldn’t have that information. But within our records, Fairview leads the overall series, 9-6.

1969: Kingfisher, 8-0
1968: Fairview, 8-6
1967: Fairview, 15-6
1966: Fairview 16-6
1965: Fairview, 30-6
1964: Kingfisher, 14-6
1963: Kingfisher, 32-0
1962: Fairview, 8-6
1961: Fairview, 30-6
1960: Fairview, 43-0
1959: Fairview, 38-6
1958: Kingfisher, 20-14
1957: Fairview, 61-7
1956: Kingfisher, 26-6
1953: Kingfisher, 26-7

I posed this question to John Marshall coach Bruce Troxell: “What are some things you can do to slow down Heritage Hall’s offense?”

Troxell’s response?

“Lock the gates and don’t let them in,” he said.

That seems about right. Heritage Hall hasn’t been slowed down all year by anyone, so it’s doubtful that John Marshall will be able to find a way to stop the Chargers.

McGuinness got off to a rough start to its 2008 season.

Consecutive losses to Guthrie and Tulsa Bishop Kelley made people think that McGuinness’ dominance might be over. But now, the Irish have won six games in a row and look like a contender for their third straight Class 4A championship.

“The first two weeks we played some really good teams,” senior tight end Gabe Ikard said. “Even though we got a couple losses, which for the last few years we haven’t been used to, ultimately it made us better. Those were two of the best teams in the state.”

The Irish opened up the last two seasons with Kingfisher, and when Kingfisher didn’t want to continue that series, McGuinness coach Kenny Young put Guthrie in its place.

Playing good competition always makes a team better, and Guthrie is certainly tough. And Tulsa Kelley is always a solid team and a rival to McGuinness.

John Marshall (2-6 overall, 1-4 in District 2A-1) knows it is facing a daunting task on Thursday when it hosts Heritage Hall (8-0, 5-0), but coach Bruce Troxell said it is important for the development of his program.

“These are the people that we want to play against,” Troxell said. “We’ve got to raise the bar to that level.

“They’re an outstanding team in all facets of the game. We’ve got to wrap up, make plays when we get a chance and eliminate mistakes.”

John Marshall has been doing a good job of eliminating some mistakes — the Bears have had just one penalty in each of their last two games.

Well, make that two first ever games.

Bethany and Northeast play on Thursday, and that game will mark the schools’ first ever football meeting.

Interesting…. we have at least two city area games this week that feature teams that are near each other and have never played.

Here is a look at the series history between Bishop McGuinness and Southeast:

1960: Southeast, 52-14
1961: McGuinness, 12-8
1967: McGuinness, 34-20
1972: Southeast, 25-20
1973: McGuinness, 20-3
1976: Southeast, 27-20 (playoffs)
2001: McGuinness, 20-7

Overall series: McGuinness leads, 4-3
 

In what has become a weekly tradition, I will break down the series history of a couple city-area high school games.  

This one is a first for me since I’ve been posting sedries historys. When Heritage Hall and John Marshall meet up Friday, it will be for the first time. John Marshall has traditionally been a bigger school, but was cut in half last year with the creation of Centennial.  

To nominate someone for The Oklahoman’s high school football player of the week,  leave a comment on this post. Here are some early candidates:

Cole Swayze, QB, Purcell: The freshman carried 17 times for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-17 win over Bethany.

Johnny Morton, RB, Chandler: Morton carried the ball 10 times for 151 yards and a touchdown in Chandler’s 52-6 win over Morris.

Dax Dilbeck, QB, Deer Creek: Dilbeck, who is a regular on this post, ran the ball 13 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns and also threw two scores in a 49-14 win over Chickasha.

Jonathan Burton, RB, Enid: The sophomore ran 11 times for 226 yards and five touchdowns — all in the first half — in a 42-0 win over U.S. Grant.

Larone Richardson, RB, McGuinness: Richardson had 13 carries for 95 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-12 win over Guymon.

Justin Fogle, RB, Guymon: Fogle had 24 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to McGuinness.

Chris Carr, RB, Checotah: Carr had 20 carries for 182 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-0 win over Roland, as Checotah continued its undefeated season. 

Ethan Biddy, RB, Tuttle: Biddy had 14 carries for 150 yards and three scores in a 55-3 win over Cache.

Jack Warren, QB, Oklahoma Chr.: Warren completed 13 of 21 passes for 221 yards with a touchdown, and added two rushing scores in his team’s 28-14 win over Cashion.

Andrew Bell, QB, Claremore Christian: Bell completed 23 of 27 passes for 445 yards and five touchdowns in a 60-20 win over Sasakwa.

I had to get some publicity for what might have been the most entertaining game of the night — Drumright at Barnsdall. Now, although I wasn’t there to witness it, it sounds like it was a doozy from what Barnsdall coach Billy Gates said.

Drumright won, 42-41, in overtime after Barnsdall quarterback Casey Cassity ran in a 7-yard touchdown and Gates called an unsuccessful two-point conversion. Barnsdall was looking for its first win of the year.

“The kids were out of gas,” Gates said. “It took all we had to score in the overtime period, so I didn’t think we could have gone with them again.”

Cassity ended with 113 yards rushing, 92 yards passing and four rushing touchdowns.

Shawnee and Guthrie both have great offenses, which means their game Friday could easily turn into a shootout.

Guthrie quarterback Keaton Callins has thrown for over 1,300 yards and 19 touchdowns this year. His primary target, Donte Foster, has 575 yards receiving and eight scores.

“The key is, we’ve got to put up a lot of points because obviously they’re going to have success,” Shawnee wide receiver and defensive back Brett Davis said. “They’re too good of a team to be held out of the end zone all night.”

Guthrie could well say the same thing about Shawnee. Sophomore quarterback Brayle Brown has had a great season so far, as has Davis.

Guthrie wide receiver Donte Foster had kind words for Shawnee star Brett Davis on Tuesday.

Both teams’ defenses will have to find a way to slow down the opposing offense. Both offense are very high-powered and star-studded.

“We’ve got to contain Brett Davis and Brayle Brown when we’re on defense,” Foster said. “We know that Davis can take over a game at any time. In my opinion, he’s the number one player in the state right now.”

That’s a pretty big compliment for Davis from Foster, who has put up unbelievable numbers this year. Through seven games, Foster has 575 yards and eight touchdowns receiving to go with an average of over 16 yards per catch.

Shawnee and Guthrie will square off Friday at Guthrie’s Jelsma Stadium in a key District 5A-2 battle. Throughout this week, I will have posts on the game.

For today, I will look at the series history between these two teams.

1971: Shawnee, 35-18
1986: Shawnee, 9-6 (OT)
1987: Shawnee, 36-20
1988: Shawnee, 7-6
1989: Guthrie, 34-14
1990: Guthrie, 40-13
1991: Shawnee, 25-6
1992: Shawnee, 24-12
1993: Guthrie, 14-7
1994: Shawnee, 34-12
1995: Shawnee, 6-5
1996: Guthrie, 22-6
1997: Shawnee, 21-12
1998: Shawnee, 14-12
1999: Shawnee, 23-7
2000: Guthrie, 21-15
2001: Shawnee, 10-7
2002: Shawnee, 25-14
2003: Shawnee, 28-22
2004: Guthrie, 21-7
2005: Shawnee, 35-7
2006: Guthrie, 19-7
2007: Guthrie, 42-10
2007: Guthrie, 61-34 (playoffs)

Overall series: Shawnee leads, 15-9
Longest Shawnee win streak: 4 (1971, 1986-88)
Longest Guthrie win streak: 3 (2006-present)
Current streak: Guthrie, 3
Playoff games: 1 in 2007 (Guthrie won, 61-34)
Overtime games: 1 in 1986 (Shawnee won, 9-6)

To nominate someone for The Oklahoman‘s high school football player of the week,  leave a comment on this post. Here are some early candidates:

Shane Leiter, RB, Bridge Creek: Leiter had 26 carries for 300 yards, and also caught three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown in Bridge Creek’s 34-20 win over Hobart. 

Randy Ponder, RB, Edmond Santa Fe: Ponder had 125 yards rushing on 24 carries and three touchdowns in Edmond Santa Fe’s 42-14 win over Putnam City North.

Travis Bish, WR, Hobart: Bish had six catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns in Hobart’s 34-20 loss to Bridge Creek.

Ronnell Lewis, RB, Dewar: Lewis, an OU commit, touched the ball five times, and scored five touchdowns. Three were rushing, one was an interception return and one was a punt return.

Darren Madden, QB, Washington: Madden was 15-of-19 for 228 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s 42-7 win over Crooked Oak.

Michael Coats, WR, Bethany: Coats, a senior, caught four passes for 121 yards and four touchdowns in Bethany’s 41-14 win over Dickson.

Chris Potter, QB, Community Christian: Potter completed 28 of 39 passes for 506 yards and seven touchdowns in a 72-66 loss to Destiny Christian.

Arthur Mahoney, RB, Destiny Christian: Mahoney rushed 34 times for 352 yards and five touchdowns in a 72-66 win over Community Christian. Mahoney set a school season rushing record in the effort. 

Matt Mitchell, RB, Sallisaw: Mitchell, a senior, ran 27 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns in Sallisaw’s 31-7 win over Poteau.

Tyler Pelzer, RB, Cement: Pelzer had 34 carries for 224 yards and three touchdowns in Cement’s 52-22 loss to Victory Life. He also had 10 tackles.

Destiny Christian coach Rusty Stone used to be an assistant for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, so he knows an arena game when he sees one. He just wasn’t expecting one Thursday night.

“We showed up for a high school game and an arena game broke out,” Stone said.

Destiny Christian beat Community Christian, 72-66 Thursday.

This game was a big benchmark for the Wildcats, Stone said because Community Christian is a school that has had the kind of consistent athletic success that Destiny wants to have.

But the biggest indicator of how good Destiny really is comes on Oct. 31 when it hosts Corn Bible, who is a Class C power.

Mark that one down as a game to watch.

Well, the Tuttle-Newcastle game wound up not being as good as we had thought, but it did show us just how good Tuttle is.

The Tigers, who beat Newcastle 33-2 Thursday, knocked off another top-five team, and did so again without star running back Bryce “Paco” Moore.

Thursday night, senior QB/DB Sterling Koons was the star. He ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the win, and intercepted a pass on defense.

The season isn’t at all lost for Newcastle. Even though the district title seems unlikely now — Tuttle has now beaten both of its toughest district opponents — the Racers still have a lot to play for.

Namely, a home playoff game. If Newcastle can beat Clinton in Week 10, it will probably finish in second place and host a postseason contest.

And even if Clinton tops Newcastle, the Racers will still finish in third place, which is better than they have finished in the last two years.

Furthermore, the Racers always seem to play better in the playoffs. Two years ago, Newcastle had a few questionable calls go against it in a close loss at top-seeded Purcell. And last year, the Racers were very close to knocking off Justin Blackmon and Plainview, a team that was undefeated in the regular season, in the first round.

How stacked is Tuttle? Save for an early safety, the Tigers were in control of this game from start to finish and are clearly the best team in Class 3A at this point. They beat two top-five teams in a row by 21 and 31 points, respectively, without Moore, so what does that mean for opponents when he comes back?

For more information on last night’s game, check out Ray Martin’s game story.

I talked with great players from both Newcastle and Tuttle’s past to ask them the same question I asked the current players earlier this week — what does this rivalry mean to them?

Jason White, Tuttle class of 1999

“Growing up, even throughout Little League, it was a huge rivalry. Those are the guys you always wanted to beat. You learned the rivalry in Little League by watching the guys in high school play.

“The towns are so close together that you see them all the time.

“It’s a lot like, on a different scale, OU-Texas. Both Tuttle and Newcastle are really good teams, so there’s a lot at stake. There’s also the bragging rights factor; if you lose to Newcastle, you have to listen to it for a whole year before you get a chance to redeem yourself.

“There’s a lot on the line, especially this year. It’s more magnified because of the position both teams are in.”

Trey Sharp, Tuttle class of 1997

“The schools are 12 miles apart. I can remember them coming over on a Friday at lunch talking trash.

“Of all the games, that was probably the greatest game. For a little 3A school, it was packed with 10 deep on the fence.

“It’s a great rivalry. There’s a lot of bad blood, but at the same time a lot of respect.

“Anytime you can play a rivalry that’s that close, even though it’s high school, the schools get excited, the students get excited. And it always carries over into other sports.”

Steven Myers, Newcastle class of 2007

“Playing for Newcastle, what you always have in mind is to win the state championship. But the next best thing you can do in your season is beat Tuttle.

“It seems like players and team are more focused and practice is more intense the week of Tuttle game. Before the game, normally it might take a little bit to get your blood going, to get you in the mood for playing, but nothing has to be said to get you motivated to play Tuttle.”

Sean Iago, Newcastle class of 2006

“It’s a game that you look forward to every year because it’s been such a big rivalry throughout the years.

“When I played, it was a non-district game and it was just for pride and bragging rights.”

(On his brother, Adam, who is Newcastle’s quarterback now)

“I usually try to talk to him throughout the week and tell him different things just to get a few words of encouragement. Being a previous quarterback and free safety, it’s easier for me to tell him because I’ve been there before. I try to help with different schemes because I still have a little bit of knowledge left.”

Lyndel Gibson, Newcastle class of 1983

“When I played, and I would think it’s the same now, it was like we had two state championship titles. One was playing Tuttle, and the other one was actually playing in the finals.”

Today’s post on the District 3A-1 clash between Tuttle and Newcastle will be the opposite of yesterday’s. I will look at the match-ups within the match-up of Newcastle’s offense vs. Tuttle’s defense.

Newcastle’s rushing offense vs. Tuttle’s run defense

Newcastle’s offensive strength is in its running game, and running back Riley Gibson has been outstanding this year. He has rushed for 790 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season, averaging over five yards per carry.

Tuttle’s run defense is tough. It gives up just over 87 yards per game on the ground, and is anchored by preseason All-State linebacker Reno Marical, a senior who has 60 tackles so far this year. Senior Nathan Harp has 52 stops for the season.

Although Gibson has had a great year so far, he is the only running threat Newcastle has shown so far this year. Newcastle’s next highest rusher after Gibson is quarterback Adam Iago, who has 46 yards on 33 carries. 

Advantage: Tuttle

Newcastle’s passing offense vs. Tuttle’s pass defense

Iago has completed over 50 percent of his passes this year and has 627 yards. Not bad for a team that is run-first.

Tuttle gives up an average of just over 61 yards per game through the air. Bryce Ebert has four interceptions on the year.

Iago has thrown four touchdowns this year, but has also thrown five interceptions. But Tuttle’s numbers in interceptions and sacks don’t just jump off the page either. I don’t think this match-up will be much of a factor in this game.

Advantage: Wash

To see all of my blog posts this week about the Newcastle-Tuttle game, click here.

Tuttle senior running back Bryce “Paco” Moore is questionable for Thursday’s game against rival Newcastle, Tuttle coach Phil Koons said Tuesday.

Moore has rushed for over 850 yards and 13 touchdowns this season so far.

Moore suffered a stinger early in last Friday’s win over Clinton and still doesn’t have full range of motion in his arm, Koons said. He hasn’t participated in any contact drills this week at practice.

Koons said a decision on whether Moore will play or not will come Thursday morning.

“It’s not like this is the Super Bowl or the state championship game,” Koons said. “We don’t want to risk him hurting it worse.”

I couldn’t agree more. Of course, it will hurt to not have someone like Moore in your line-up. But, at the same time, it’s not like Tuttle’s run game will be completely stagnant without Moore. Just look at last week’s game against Clinton, when back-up Ethan Biddy came in and carried the ball 45 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

I’m sure Moore wants to play. It would make sense for a kid to want to play every single game he can, and this isn’t just any other game, it’s a rivalry game.

Let’s take a quick look at the series history between Putnam City North and Edmond Santa Fe. The two teams play Thursday at Putnam City Stadium in a District 6A-1 match-up that will have playoff implications for both teams.

This is an interesting series. The two teams have played every year since 1996, and it has been a series of streaks. Putnam City North won the first six match-ups, then Edmond Santa Fe won the next five. Putnam North won last year, so was that the beginning of another streak? We’ll find out Thursday.

1996: Putnam North, 27-19
1997: Putnam North, 23-0
1998: Putnam North, 3-0
1999: Putnam North, 22-7
2000: Putnam North, 28-0
2001: Putnam North, 37-27
2002: Edmond Santa Fe, 13-7
2003: Edmond Santa Fe, 21-6
2004: Edmond Santa Fe, 20-6
2005: Edmond Santa Fe, 28-24
2006: Edmond Santa Fe, 16-13 (OT)
2007: Putnam North, 14-7

All-time series: Putnam North leads, 7-5
Overtime games: 1 in 2006, ESF won, 16-13
Current win streak: Putnam North, 1
Longest PCN win streak: 6 (1996-2001)
Longest ESF win streak: 5 (2002-2006)

Just got off the phone with Putnam City North quarterback Hunter Franz, and he made an interesting observation.

You would think rainy, bad weather would be bad for a football team’s practice, but Franz said it might actually help his team prepare for Edmond Santa Fe.

“Since we run the ball a lot anyway, I think it’s helped us,” Franz said of the weather. I think that because of the weather, the guys are getting a little more focused to make plays.”

I’d never really thought of it that way, but it does make sense.

In today’s Tuttle-Newcastle post, I will examine the match-ups within the match-up of Tuttle’s powerful offense, which averages over 350 yards and 40 points per game, and Newcastle’s rigid defense, which is giving up just 186 yards and seven points per game.

Tuttle’s rushing offense vs. Newcastle’s run defense

Newcastle has been solid at run defense so far this year, giving up an average of just over 78 yards per game. The unit is led by defensive end Ryan Corbin, who has been one of the Racers’ better players over the past three years, and linebacker Chase Stalsworth, who has 47 tackles on the season. The Racer defense hasn’t given up more than 14 points all year.

Of course, it hasn’t faced a running back like Bryce “Paco” Moore yet, either. And when Moore isn’t in, Ethan Biddy is dangerous as well. Last week, when Moore was injured in the first quarter, Biddy carried Tuttle to a victory over Clinton. In that game, Tuttle carried the ball 65 times.

Advantage: Tuttle

Tuttle passing offense vs. Newcastle pass defense

Tuttle doesn’t pass much because it doesn’t need to. Like I mentioned before, Tuttle ran the ball 65 times in last week’s big win over Clinton, and just threw five passes. That’s not to say the Tigers can’t throw when they need to; quarterback Sterling Koons has thrown for six touchdowns this season.

Newcastle’s pass defense has been stellar so far this year.  Sophomore Jeremy McDade has intercepted five passes, and Adam Iago has picked four off. Plus, Tyler Iago, Kyle Crosley and Corbin have each intercepted two throws.

Advantage: Newcastle

I called players from Newcastle and Tuttle to ask a simple question: What does this rivalry mean to them? Here are some responses:

Newcastle senior RB Riley Gibson:
“It’s not like any other game. There’s tension between everyone out there. It’s like OU-Texas.”

Newcastle senior TE/DE Ryan Corbin:
“It’s a big rivalry. We’re five miles apart, and whoever wins is the talk of the town. It’s the first time we’ve ever both been 6-0, and whoever comes out on top is going to be the top dog.”

Newcastle senior LB Chase Stalsworth:
“I’ve lived in the town my whole life, so I’ve seen this game since I was a little kid. It’s one of the most important games to us. And also, they beat Clinton (Friday), so it’s 1 and 2 in the district playing. We see each other at the movies and everywhere, and there’s some smack talk between us all.”

Tuttle senior QB Sterling Koons:
“It’s always a big rivalry game to play those guys. I guess they’re doing pretty well this year, so it should be a good game.”

Tuttle senior LB Reno Marical:
“It’s always a big game. We see (Newcastle players) all the time and talk to them, so it’s a big bragging rights deal. They’re undefeated and we’re undefeated, so it has playoff implications.”

Tuttle senior OL/DT Ethan Reedy:

“It’s all about bragging rights. It’s been pretty long-standing; we’ve been big rivals since before I was playing. Even in junior high, it’s a big rivalry.” 

For this week, I will have a daily post about the District 3A-1 battle between undefeated Tuttle and undefeated Newcastle. This is an intriguing game not only because both teams are undefeated, but because the teams are archrivals.

For the first post, I will look at the series history.

Newcastle and Tuttle have played every year since 1972.

All time series: Tuttle leads, 24-13
(At Tuttle: Tuttle leads, 14-4)
(At Newcastle: Tuttle leads, 10-9)
Playoff games: 1 in 1996 (Tuttle won, 27-17)
Overtime games: 1 in 1980 (Newcastle won, 20-17 in three overtimes)
Current win streak: Tuttle, 4 games
Longest Tuttle win streak: 9 (1995-2002) (Includes a playoff game)
Longest Newcastle win streak: 6 (1989-1994)

Phillip Koons has been Tuttle’s head coach since 1993, and is 13-3 against Newcastle.
Keith Bolles has been Newcastle’s head coach since 2005 and is 0-3 against Tuttle.

(UPDATE: In the original post, I missed the 1996 playoff game between Newcastle and Tuttle. Sorry about that; the records have been corrected to reflect the correction.)

Here are some early candidates:

• Steven Sumpter, RB, Edmond Santa Fe: Sumpter rushed for four touchdowns and caught a touchdown in Santa Fe’s 72-12 win over Southmoore.
• Dax Dilbeck, QB, Deer Creek: The senior carried the ball 26 times for 272 yards and a touchdown in Deer Creek’s 21-14 win over Duncan. Through six weeks, Dilbeck has rushed for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns.
• Darwin Rideau, RB, Star Spencer: Rideau had 10 carries for 232 yards and four touchdown in his team’s 39-7 win over Star Spencer.
• Arthur Mahoney, RB, Destiny Christian: Mahoney carried the ball just five times for 246 yards and three touchdowns. So for in Mahoney’s historic season, he has rushed for 1,812 yards.
• Clint Chelf, QB, Enid: Chelf completed 15-of-25 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns in his team’s 52-24 win over Choctaw.
• Jordan Lukens, WR, Lindsay: Lukens caught 6 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown in Lindsay’s 57-19 win over Bridge Creek.
• Augie McCulley, RB/DB, Hennessey: McCulley ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in Hennessey’s 14-7 win over Texhoma. The yards made him the school’s all-time leading rusher. He also had 12 tackles in the game.
• Cody Phipps, RB, McLoud: Phipps carried the ball 21 times for 110 yards, and added a 20-yard reception for a touchdown. He also recorded seven tackles and an interception in McLoud’s 34-0 win over Tecumseh.
• Riley Gibson, RB, Newcastle: Gibson had 17 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Racers’ 40-7 win over Santa Fe South.
• Cory Dauphin, RB, El Reno: Dauphin had 19 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown in El Reno’s 31-14 upset over Class 5A’s second-ranked Lawton MacArthur.

The word out of Cashion is that quarterback Cayden Cochran’s MRI results are back, and they aren’t good.

In a text message, Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford told me Cochran has officially torn his ACL and will miss the rest of this season.

He hurt his knee on a run against Thomas last Friday.

This is just a shame. Cochran is one of the top quarterbacks in the city area, and maybe in the state. He certainly is the cream of the crop in Class A, as he had 1,019 yards and 13 touchdowns passing through five weeks.

The worst part of all this is that he is a senior who had serious college interest. Shackelford said Monday that college coaches called Cochran on Saturday morning and were telling him to keep his head up, but that has to be hard for Cochran to do.

Hopefully, colleges won’t pull out on Cochran. He is a talented quarterback who suffered an injury and deserves a chance to play at the next level.

Bridge Creek has had several firsts over the past few seasons.

First playoff berth in 2006, first playoff win in 2007 and now, the Bobcats could be on the road to their first district championship in 2008.

Bridge Creek won last week what coach Jerry Wallis and running back Shane Leiter called the biggest win in school history, 31-21 over Washington. That win makes a Bridge Creek district championship much more likely.

Quite a turnaround for a team that was winless not long ago.

“It’s not only been a turnaround for our players, but the community,” Wallis said. “Our school built a new field house and new lights. We have had commitment from our players and community. Turnout has been great for home games and we’re traveling well. People are tailgating before games. We’re trying to do what the good programs do in Oklahoma.”

Wallis won’t take all the credit, but Leiter is quick to give it to him.

“The first day he came our whole attitudes changed,” Leiter, who was in eighth grade when Wallis started, said. “It actually felt like someone cared about us.”

Give Wallis all the credit in the world. This is a group of kids that grew up seeing its high school team lose game after game, but now has a chance to have an undefeated regular season.

Cashion’s star quarterback, senior Cayden Cochran, is likely out for the year after hurting his knee Friday night in his team’s 40-14 win over Thomas.

On the first drive in the second half of that game, Cochran was running up the middle and cut to avoid a safety. He went down with what Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford said is likely an ACL tear.

The MRI was scheduled for this morning, and when those results come back we will know for sure how bad it is. If Cochran is out, sophomore Jeremy Seaton will take over at quarterback. Shackelford expressed full faith in Seaton.

For more, be sure to pick up tomorrow’s Oklahoman.

District 5A-2 is clearly one of the toughest in Oklahoma this year.

Six teams in it — Carl Albert, Guthrie, Shawnee, Ardmore, Noble and Durant — were playoff teams a year ago. With only four playoff spots per district, you can see how this would be difficult.

Three teams seemed to be locks for the playoffs at the beginning of the year: Carl Albert, Guthrie and Shawnee. To me, it has always been a battle between Ardmore, Noble and Durant for that final playoff spot. After Ardmore’s come-from-behind, 27-21 win over Noble last Friday night, things are beginning to shake out.

Noble is in trouble after the loss to Ardmore. And if the Bears lose again on Friday to Durant, they’re pretty much done as far as the playoffs are concerned. If that happens, that fourth playoff spot will likely be determined in Week 10′s Ardmore at Durant game.

Of course, upsets happen all the time. But it’s going to take some big ones to keep Noble in the playoff picture without a win Friday.

Destiny Christian’s Arthur Mahoney, by all accounts, has had an incredible season. Through five games, Mahoney has rushed for 1,361 yards and 21 touchdowns for a stunning yards per carry average of 12.26.

But despite his numbers, Mahoney isn’t talked about much when the top players in the state are discussed.

Why? Because Mahoney plays for an independent school and with a perceived lack of competition.

Is some of that true? Sure. Mahoney hasn’t and won’t face any defenses that even resemble a Norman North. But that can’t be everything in evaluating a player’s talent.

First of all, if it was so easy to put up those kind of numbers against the independent Oklahoma Christian schools, we would be talking about someone every year. Last year, according to NewsOK stats, the leading independent rusher was Wesleyan Christian’s Zeb White, who averaged 6.24 yards per carry. White was listed as a junior last year, and Wesleyan Christian hasn’t submitted any stats this year, so I’m not sure what he has done this year.

Second of all, it is shown all the time that facing weak competition doesn’t necessarily mean a player can’t succeed at a higher level. We are seeing it this year with Enid’s Daniel Barwick, who transferred from Class B’s Pond Creek-Hunter and has had success at the 6A level. Mahoney started the 2007 season at Moore before moving to Destiny Christian, so it would have been interesting to see how he would have developed as a 6A running back. We’ll have to see if he gets any college attention, but I think he deserves it.

Now I want to know what you think. Should independent school players with stellar numbers get the same attention as their OSSAA counterparts?   

See also: “8-man hero Barwick doing just fine in 6A football”, Sept. 17, 2008 By Ryan Aber

John Marshall beat Northwest, 14-8 on Friday night, snapping a 25-game losing streak for the Bears.

Coach Bruce Troxell just called in the score, and said John Marshall held Northwest on a goalline stand at the end of the game to secure the victory.

Go ahead and give it to me. I deserve it.

Norman over Norman North was a bad pick. A horrible pick. Probably the worst pick I’ve ever made or will ever make.

OkieRover, you’re right. And trust me, I’ve gotten it bad from my colleagues at The Oklahoman today.

But, sometimes you’ve just gotta go out on a limb. Upsets happen, and the Crosstown Clash is a big rivalry. Despite North’s recent success, Norman has owned the series historically.

But that doesn’t make it right.

But, to show that I’m not completely incompetent, I did correctly pick Tulsa Washington over Carl Albert. And Muskogee over Owasso (take that, Ray Martin).

I was talking with Tuttle coach Phil Koons this evening, asking him how practices were going and how his team’s first scrimmage against Watonga went last Thursday, and he gave some interesting answers.

There has been a lot of talk in the national media about whether the NFL should have preseason games. Lots of times, all they really do that impacts a team’s season is produce major injuries, like what happened to New York Giants last Saturday night when Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora went down with a season-ending knee injury.

In 2003, the Atlanta Falcons’ season was ruined when Michael Vick went down with an injury in a preseason contest and missed 11 games.

Koons said he approaches scrimmages with a pro-style mentality.

“Play sound defense to where you’re not gonna get embarrassed and try things out on offense,” Koons said. “We know what our tailback (Paco Moore) can do; he rushed for 1,900 yards last year. We don’t have to prove what he can do to anybody.

“I approach it like the pros do. We may look at our ones a little bit, but we want to keep them healthy and look at kids that need to be evaluated.”

I’m sure he isn’t alone in that approach. I would bet that is how most coaches feel.

But to me it begs the question: If some want to get rid of NFL preseason games, are there any people out there who want to give high school scrimmages the axe? I’ve never heard it mentioned before, but it seems like if those people existed, they would have some credence.

Koons never said that; he just got me thinking about it after I hung up the phone. He did, however, say that the first three regular season non-district games are “glorified scrimmages.”

“It’s not like you’re gonna drop out of the BCS Standings if you lose a non-district game,” Koons said.

Now, that said, I don’t necessarily buy that Koons is going to accept a Week 1 loss to Marlow or a Week 2 loss to Kingfisher, a team that has slowly developed into somewhat of a rival for Tuttle.

Anyway, let’s get some input. What does everyone think about scrimmages? Should they be taken seriously, or treated like NFL preseason games? For that matter, should scrimmages be done away with?

Let’s take it a step further. Should non-district games be approached with the same level of intensity as district contests?

Prague quarterback Dakota Harris isn’t shy about what he thinks his team can be this year.

For evidence, he points to last Friday’s scrimmage at Bristow. In 12 offensive plays, the Red Devils threw 11 times. Of those 11 passes, he completed nine of them. And the two incomplete passes were drops, Harris said. And the defense looked solid, he said.

The only thing Harris thinks Prague needs is a little experience for the young guys on the team.

“The younger guys on our team have to be able to step up and go in,” Harris said. “They’re one play away from going in on the varsity team.”

The numbers could be Prague’s Achilles’ heel, because they only have about 30 players on the team, which isn’t much when compared to the other teams they play. But that didn’t stop the team from making a surprising run to the Class 2A semifinals last year. If the Red Devils stay healthy, watch out.

Being in the playoffs can sometimes mean traveling to face teams hundreds of miles away.

The longest such trip in the state this week belongs to Velma-Alma, which must travel 349 miles for its Class A second-round game against Texhoma, a panhandle town which borders Texas to its immediate south. According to Google Maps, that’s a road trip of six hours and 32 minutes and includes a lengthy trek through the Lone Star State.

Honorable mention goes out to Weatherford, located on I-40 in Western Oklahoma, which must travel 320 miles (4 hours, 54 minutes) to Broken Bow, located in southeastern Oklahoma just 20 minutes from Arkansas.

Also making a lengthy trip is Class B’s Laverne, located in northwestern Oklahoma, which must go 272 miles to Dewar (4 hours, 39 minutes).

A score that may have shocked some last night wasn’t an upset, but almost was.

Unbeaten Plainview, a team thought by many to have a legitimate shot at the 3A state championship, survived a scare at home from Newcastle, 40-34.

The surge by the Racer offense is something not many people expected. It’s no secret that Newcastle’s top strength was its run defense, but the Racers hung with the high-powered Plainview offense led my NCAA Division I recruit Justin Blackmon at wideout.

I picked Plainview to win the 3A title, and I stand by that pick, but Newcastle was beaten badly by Kingfisher, Clinton and Tuttle, three other serious state title contenders. Does that say anything about Plainview? Only time will tell.

It’s playoff time in Oklahoma. We’re back with our picks for some big first-round games. Here goes:

Owasso at Broken Arrow
Robert – Owasso; Jason – Owasso; Zach – Broken Arrow
Durant at Tulsa East Central
Robert – Tulsa East Central; Jason – Tulsa East Central; Zach – Tulsa East Central
Mannford at Weatherford
Robert – Weatherford; Jason – Weatherford; Zach – Weatherford
Tuttle at Purcell
Robert – Purcell (LOCK); Jason – Tuttle; Zach – Tuttle
Oklahoma Christian at Alva
Robert – Alva; Jason – OCS; Zach – OCS
Tonkawa at Pawnee
Robert – Pawnee; Jason - Tonkawa; Zach – Pawnee
Burns Flat-Dill City at Laverne
Robert – Laverne; Jason – Laverne; Zach – Burns Flat-Dill City
Grandfield at Sharon-Mutual
Robert – Sharon-Mutual; Jason – Sharon-Mutual; Zach – Grandfield
Putnam City North at Putnam City
Robert – Putnam City; Jason – Putnam City North (LOCK); Zach – Putnam City
McAlester at Tulsa Kelley
Robert – McAlester; Jason – McAlester; Zach – McAlester
Coweta at Shawnee
Robert – Shawnee; Jason – Shawnee; Zach – Shawnee
Noble at Duncan
Robert – Duncan; Jason – Duncan; Zach – Duncan (LOCK)
Anadarko at Star Spencer
Robert – Star Spencer; Jason – Star Spencer; Zach – Anadarko
Marlow at Kingfisher
Robert – Kingfisher; Jason – Kingfisher; Zach – Kingfisher
Chandler at Vian
Robert – Chandler; Jason – Chandler; Zach – Chandler

Will be back later with updated standings.

Kersey’s picks

First round: Shattuck over Ryan; Midway over Waynoka; Medford over Arkoma; Corn Bible over Boise City; Temple over Buffalo; Ringwood over White Oak; Maud over Covington-Douglas; Sharon-Mutual over Grandfield.

Quarterfinals: Shattuck over Midway; Corn Bible over Medford; Temple over Ringwood; Maud over Sharon-Mutual.

Semifinals: Shattuck over Corn Bible; Maud over Temple

Finals: Shattuck over Maud

Comments: Maud is a great story, and I think it would be great if they could pull the upset, but Shattuck is just too good. Shattuck is one of the greatest teams not only in Oklahoma high school football, but in the country.

Przybylo’s Picks

First round: Shattuck over Ryan, Midway over Waynoka, Medford over Arkoma, Corn Bible over Boise City, Temple over Buffalo, Ringwood over White Oak, Maud over Covington-Douglas, Sharon-Mutual over Grandfield.

Second round: Shattuck over Midway, Corn Bible over Medford, Temple over Ringwood, Maud over Sharon-Mutual.

Semifinals: Shattuck over Corn Bible, Maud over Temple.

Finals: Shattuck 62, Maud 14.

Comments: Semis battle with Maud and Temple should be fun…No one stops Shattuck, sorry.

Kersey’s picks

First Round: Pond Creek-Hunter over Tipton; Cashion over Gans; Morrison over Weleetka; Mt. View-Gotebo over Garber; Fox over Timberlake; Porter over Davenport; Dewar over Welch; Laverne over Burns Flat-Dill City.

Quarterfinals: Cashion over Pond Creek-Hunter; Morrison over Mt. View-Gotebo; Porter over Fox; Dewar over Laverne.

Semifinals: Morrison over Cashion; Dewar over Porter

Finals: Morrison 47, Dewar 28

Comments: Morrison is just too good. Dewar is very talented, led by star tailback Ronnell Lewis, but I think the Wildcats leave eight-man with a bang. Next season, Morrison and Cashion both are moving to Class A.

Przybylo’s Picks

First round: Pond Creek-Hunter over Tipton, Cashion over Gans, Morrison over Weleetka, Mt. View-Gotebo over Garber, Fox over Timberlake, Davenport over Porter, Dewar over Welch, Laverne over Burns Flat.

Second round: Cashion over PCH, Morrison over Mt. V-G, Davenport over Fox, Dewar over Laverne.

Semifinals: Morrison over Cashion, Dewar over Davenport.

Finals: Morrison 56, Dewar 26.

Comments: Davenport can equal last year’s miracle run even without Billy Jack Murphy…I don’t know if Cashion overlooked Dewar or if the Dragons are that good, but I know I was anxiously awaiting Cashion-Morrison in the finals…As is, Ricky Holba and Shawn Walls capture another title for Morrison.

Kersey’s picks

First round: Texhoma over Hollis; Velma-Alma over Maysville; Woodland over Crescent; Panama over Afton; Rush Springs over Wynnewood; Apache over Seiling; Commerce over Warner; Luther over Hominy; Stroud over Foyil; Ketchum over Gore; Hinton over Mooreland; Washington over Walters; Pocola over Fairland; Tonkawa over Pawnee; Ringling over Minco; Okeene over Snyder.

Second round: Velma-Alma over Texhoma; Woodland over Panama; Rush Springs over Apache; Luther over Commerce; Stroud over Ketchum; Washington over Hinton; Pawnee over Pocola; Ringling over Okeene.

Quarterfinals: Woodland over Velma-Alma; Rush Springs over Luther; Washington over Stroud; Pawnee over Ringling.

Semifinals: Rush Springs over Woodland; Washington over Pawnee.

Finals: Rush Springs 21, Washington 18

Przybylo’s Picks

First round: Texhoma over Hollis, Velma-Alma over Maysville, Woodland over Crescent, Panama over Afton, Stroud over Foyil, Ketchum over Gore, Hinton over Mooreland, Washington over Walters, Rush Springs over Wynnewood, Apache over Seiling, Commerce over Warner, Luther over Hominy, Pocola over Fairland, Pawnee over Tonkawa, Ringling over Minco, Okeene over Snyder.

Second round: Velma-Alma over Texhoma, Woodland over Panama, Stroud over Ketchum, Washington over Hinton, Rush Springs over Apache, Luther over Commerce, Pocola over Pawnee, Ringling over Okeene.

Third round: Woodland over Velma-Alma, Washington over Stroud, Rush Springs over Luther, Ringling over Pocola.

Semifinals: Woodland over Rush Springs, Washington on Ringling.

Finals: Washington 28, Woodland 20.

Comments: Going on a hunch with Woodland…I think Rush Springs is eventually going to hit that mental wall. Dealing with Justin Barney’s death should catch up to the kids eventually. It’s a great story if it doesn’t…I’ll ride Josh Zimmer as far as he wants to go with Washington…Luther, Stroud, Velma-Alma and Ringling pose real problems, too. 

Kersey’s picks

1st round: Hennessey over Bethel; Bridge Creek over Valliant; Eufaula over Prague; Keys (Park Hill) over Pawhuska; Davis over Hobart; Jones over Perkins; Cascia Hall over Colcord; Morris over Stigler; Henryetta over Spiro; Wyandotte over Verdigris; Heritage Hall over Fairview; Lexington over Tishomingo; Seq. Tahlequah over Nowata; Chandler over Vian; Bethany over Coalgate; Oklahoma Christian over Alva.
Second round: Bridge Creek over Hennessey; Eufaula over Keys (Park Hill); Davis over Jones; Cascia Hall over Morris; Henryetta over Wyandotte; Heritage Hall over Lexington; Seq. Tahlequah over Vian; Bethany over Oklahoma Christian.

Quarterfinals: Bridge Creek over Eufaula; Cascia Hall over Davis; Heritage Hall over Henryetta; Bethany over Seq. Tahlequah.

Semifinals: Cascia Hall over Bridge Creek; Bethany over Heritage Hall.

Final: Bethany 27, Cascia Hall 20

Comments: It’s an East-West state championship game, and I think Bethany comes out on top. Cascia Hall has been ranked number one for much of the year, but I think they fall to Bethany. … Bridge Creek to the semis may seem like a stretch, but I’m really high on the Bobcats this year. Seniors Michael Aska, Craig Hill and Zane Mellinger have been solid all year and I think they will go further than most think.

Przybylo’s Picks

First round: Hennessey over Bethel, Bridge Creek over Valliant, Eufaula over Prague, Keys over Pawhuska, Henryetta over Spiro, Verdigris over Wyandotte, Heritage Hall over Fairview, Lexington over Tishomingo, Davis over Hobart, Perkins over Jones, Cascia Hall over Morris, Seq.-Tahl over Nowata, Chandler over Vian, Bethany over Coalgate, Alva over OCS.

Second round: Hennessey over Bridge Creek, Eufaula over Keys, Henryetta over Verdigris, Heritage Hall over Lexington, Davis over Perkins, Cascia Hall over Morris, Chandler over Seq.-Tahl., Bethany over Alva.

Third round: Hennessey over Eufaula, Heritage Hall over Henryetta, Cascia Hall over Davis, Bethany over Chandler.

Semifinals: Hennessey over Cascia Hall, Heritage Hall over Bethany.

Finals: Heritage Hall 31, Hennessey 13.

Comments: I suppose I’m riding Hennessey far too long. But after talking with the key members of the Eagles for a story in Friday’s Oklahoman, I sense something special…Reading Ryan’s blog, can you believe Lexington was ranked 56th in 2A?…Heritage Hall should be dabbed “ender of dream” as the Chargers will derail Henryetta’s and Hennessey’s magical years…In the end, the winner of Heritage Hall-Bethany takes the crown. Today I say the Chargers.

Kersey’s Picks

First Round: Clinton over Sulphur; Muldrow over Berryhill; Vinita over Roland; Tuttle over Purcell; Plainview over Newcastle; Metro Christian over Seminole; Victory Christian over Seq. Claremore; Kingfisher over Marlow

Quarterfinals: Clinton over Muldrow; Vinita over Tuttle; Plainview over Metro Christian; Kingfisher over Victory Christian

Semifinals: Clinton over Vinita; Plainview over Kingfisher

Final: Plainview 31, Clinton 28

Comments: I’ve been high on the Plainview Indians all season. They are enormously talented, and with the Brandon Allen-to-Justin Blackmon combo they will be difficult to stop. If anyone can slow them down, however, it’s the Red Tornadoes. I think it’s close, but Plainview brings home the title.

Przybylo’s picks

First round: Clinton over Sulphur, Muldrow over Berryhill, Vinita over Roland, Purcell over Tuttle, Plainview over Newcastle, Seminole over Metro Christian, Sequoyah-Claremore over Victory Christian, Kingfisher over Marlow.

Second round: Clinton over Muldrow, Purcell over Vinita, Plainview over Seminole, Kingfisher over Seq.-Claremore.

Semifinals: Clinton over Purcell, Plainview over Kingfisher.

Finals: Plainview 42, Clinton 28.

Comments: Ahh, this is a fun class. I see upsets here early, but there are so many intriguing games…Plainview-Kingfisher would be fun. Again, I could be way off, but I see Plainview as a finesse team that is so explosive that I’d love to see what it would do against Jeff Myers’ Yellowjackets…Talking with Seth Barrett convinced me about Purcell over Tuttle. I think the winner of that game has so much confidence that it downs Vinita in the next round…From talking with Myers, it didn’t appear Kingfisher is down-and-out about the Clinton loss, but man, Marlow is a tough way to open up the road…My boy Jason here has done enough to convince me that Justin Blackmon is the real deal, give ‘em a title on the way out.

Kersey’s picks

First Round: Bishop McGuinness over McLoud; Sallisaw over Oologah; Wagoner over Stilwell; Star Spencer; Glenpool over Guymon; Hilldale over Grove; Broken Bow over Miami; Weatherford over Mannford.

Quarterfinals: Bishop McGuinness over Sallisaw; Wagoner over Star Spencer; Glenpool over Hilldale; Broken Bow over Weatherford.

Semifinals: Bishop McGuinness over Wagoner; Broken Bow over Glenpool

Final: Bishop McGuinness 20, Broken Bow 13

Comments: Broken Bow has an incredible defense, but McGuinness has too much for the Savages to handle. … It’s a shame that McGuinness and Wagoner are on the same side of the bracket. I think that’d make one heck of a state championship game. … I like Hilldale over Grove in the first round in really the biggest upset I picked. The Hornets play in a tough district and just about upset Broken Bow.

Przybylo’s picks

First round: McGuinness over McLoud, Sallisaw over Oologah, Wagoner over Stilwell, Star Spencer over Anadarko, Glenpool over Guymon, Grove over Hilldale, Broken Bow over Miami, Weatherford over Mannford.

Second round: McGuinness over Sallisaw, Star Spencer over Wagoner, Glenpool over Grove, Broken Bow over Weatherford.

Semifinals: McGuinness over Star Spencer, Glenpool over Broken Bow.

Finals: Glenpool 7, McGuinness 3.

Comments: I’m a believer in Star Spencer although even I gave a second look to the Bobcats beating Wagoner…I would pay money to see Glenpool and Broken Bow. Two tough defenses going at it. A 3-0 game would not shock me. In fact, if anybody broke 14, I’d be amazed…It’s still McGuinnesseseses to lose and just maybe Glenpool wants it a little bit more.

Kersey’s picks

First Round: Lawton MacArthur over Woodward; McAlester over Tulsa Kelley; Bixby over Catoosa; Carl Albert over Western Heights; Guthrie over Ardmore; Shawnee over Coweta; Tulsa East Central over Durant; Duncan over Noble

Quarterfinals: Lawton MacArthur over McAlester; Carl Albert over Bixby; Guthrie over Shawnee; Tulsa East Central over Duncan.

Semifinals: Lawton MacArthur over Carl Albert; Guthrie over Tulsa East Central

Finals: Guthrie 24, Lawton MacArthur 17

Comments: Guthrie won me over in its scrimmage earlier this year against McGuinness, which I covered. Then, I was re-sold on them when they beat Carl Albert without Kye Staley having a big game. … What are sports without upsets? Lawton MacArthur has been overlooked all year, cruising to an undefeated season on a tough schedule that included Duncan, Lawton, Western Heights and Ardmore, and I think the Highlanders shock the mighty Titans. … While I picked Guthrie to beat Shawnee, I think it will be a lot closer than the game the two teams played earlier this season. Since Tucker Brown’s return, the Wolves have been really solid, but I just don’t think they have the guns to keep up with Guthrie.

Przybylo’s picks

First round: Lawton Mac over Woodward, McAlester over Tulsa Kelley, Bixby over Catoosa, Carl Albert over Western Heights, Guthrie over Ardmore, Shawnee over Coweta, Tulsa East Central over Durant, Duncan over Noble.

Second round: McAlester over Lawton Mac, Carl Albert over Bixby, Guthrie over Shawnee, T.E.C. over Duncan.

Semifinals: Carl Albert over McAlester, Guthrie over T.E.C.

Finals: Guthrie 23, Carl Albert 20.

Comments: I’ve loved saying you can’t stop the Brothers White in Durant, but Tulsa East Central is loaded… I also have a soft spot with McAlester. I don’t know, I just think if Herman Walters and Justin Klusak are both healthy, Bryan Pratt’s Buffs are too tough on the road at Tulsa Kelley and Lawton Mac… A sleeper to me is Bixby v. Carl Albert. It’ll be interesting to see how much the physical style of the Spartans takes out of the Titans, if anything at all… Tulsa East Central will give Guthrie a run for its money because the Bluejays are not too familiar (this year) with T.E.C. Guthrie knows what’s up with David Oku and the rest of C.A., but Tulsa East Central is a different animal.

1st round: Norman North over Edmond Memorial; Muskogee over Edmond North; Tulsa Union over Tulsa Washington; Putnam City North over Putnam City; Midwest City over Mustang; Owasso over Broken Arrow; Jenks over Stillwater; Lawton over Westmoore.

Quarterfinals: Muskogee over Norman North; Tulsa Union over Putnam City North; Midwest City over Owasso; Jenks over Lawton.

Comments: Muskogee has already beaten Norman North once this year in Norman, and I think it does it again. While I disagree with coach Matt Hennessy’s blanket statement that “There’s no one tougher than a Rougher,” I think Roughers are tougher than Timberwolves, at least in this context.

Semifinals: Tulsa Union over Muskogee; Jenks over Midwest City

Finals: Jenks 35, Tulsa Union 32

Comments: It’s well documented that the winner of the regular season game in this one loses the playoff match-up. I don’t think that changes this year, and Jenks wins, adding another chapter to this historic rivalry.

Przybylo’s Picks

First round: Norman North over Edmond Memorial, Muskogee over Edmond North, Union over Booker T., Putnam City over PCNorth, Midwest City over Mustang, Owasso over Broken Arrow, Jenks over Stillwater, Westmoore over Lawton.

Second round: Norman North over Muskogee, Union over Putnam City, Midwest City over Owasso, Jenks over Westmoore.

Semifinals: Union over Norman North, Jenks over Midwest City.

Finals: Union 34, Jenks 29.

Comments: I admit 6A is not my specialty. I might be trying too hard to say the west side deserves some love with Norman North and Midwest City in the semis, but I think that would be what’s best for this class as a whole. I could be way off, but I think the Timberwolves’ close loss to Muskogee taught them more than most of their wins. It’s all moot because in the end, it’s round 2 of Union-Jenks. Jeremy Smith is a stud, and he’ll show it again here.

I can’t believe it’s already Week 10 in high school football.

So much is at stake here in the final week of regular season high school football. There are lots of district championships and playoff spots up for grabs.

Midwest City over Putnam City
Washington over Rush Springs
Okeene over Texhoma
Morris over Henryetta
Temple over Corn Bible
Cashion over Dewar
Seq. Tahlequah over Keys (Park Hill)
Bethany over Lexington
Panama over Pocola
Vinita over Seq. Claremore

And a bonus pick that was accidentally left out of our Top 10 games:

Clinton over Kingfisher

The one thing that makes me slightly question that now is the schedule the two teams played. Guthrie has blown away every opponents on its schedule so far this year, but hasn’t really played anyone that was that tough. And the 69-0 drubbing of Noble (who has already clinched a playoff spot and could be third in the district) doesn’t really mean anything because of the huge dropoff after Carl Albert and Guthrie in District 5A-2.

Carl Albert, on the other hand, played a tough non-district schedule and won convincingly in each game (Tulsa Washington, Duncan and Ada).

But, I’m sticking with my pick and taking the Bluejays.  

Guthrie 31, Carl Albert 24

Guthrie over Carl Albert
Wagoner over Grove
Tuttle over Clinton
Ringling over Velma-Alma
Lawton MacArthur over Western Heights
Pawnee over Woodland
Broken Bow over Stilwell
Plainview over Marlow
Norman North over Lawton
Sequoyah-Tahlequah over Wyandotte

Last season after Bridge Creek’s 36-21 win over Lexington, a Lexington player put a needle between two of his fingers before the traditional lined-up handshakes. 12 Bobcats were hit by the needle, and all had to be tested.

While senior receiver/cornerback Craig Hill wouldn’t acknowledge that the Bobcats were still bitter, senior quarterback Zane Mellinger was more blunt.

“This gives us a chance to get a little revenge on Lexington,” Mellinger said. 

Bridge Creek travels to face Lexington this Friday in a game that could be for a home playoff contest. Bridge Creek (7-1, 4-1) can all but assure a home playoff game with a win.

* Bridge Creek set a school record with its win over Little Axe last Thursday. The Bobcats seventh win of the season broke the school mark for wins (6) which was set last year.

While the Clintons, Tuttles and Kingfishers of the world get all the attention in Class 3A, this little school down in Ardmore is flying under the radar. No one seems to talk about Plainview, but that is just fine by Indians coach Corey Cole.

Plainview has won only three district championships in its history. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1999. But I’m telling you, this team is for real.

Consider this: Plainview is averaging 42.5 points per game, which is just below Clinton (46.62) and just above Tuttle (39.38)

Plainview has outscored opponents this year by an average of just over 29 points per game.

The explosive Indian offense can be traced right to its passing game. The unstoppable combo of quarterback Brandon Allen to receiver Justin Blackmon has created problems for Plainview opponents all year.

Even in the Sulphur game, when Blackmon was contained because of double and triple team coverage, he was used to perfection as a decoy.

This week, the Indians have Marlow (6-2, 4-1). Last season, Plainview won the game, 16-14. Lots of people have forgotten about Marlow after the whooping it took from Tuttle in Week 1, but the Outlaws have quietly climbed back into contention. This game Friday between Marlow and Plainview could be for the District title.

The foregone conclusion that one of the powers from District 3A-1 will win the Class 3A state championship this year needs to be reconsidered. Plainview has a good shot to shock some people.  

Midwest City over Westmoore
Tuttle over Kingfisher
McAlester over Shawnee
Putnam North over Norman North
Grove over Miami
Metro Christian over Berryhill
Seq. Tahlequah over Colcord
Tulsa Union over Broken Arrow
Pond Creek-Hunter over Laverne
Shattuck over Sharon-Mutual

Well, well, the Stooges are officially back. Thanks to our folks in Chandler (nice job, Morris) and Berryhill (Blackwell stunned ‘em), we’ve proven our intellecutual capacity, ha ha. This week has a bunch of pick ‘em games involved, meaning we might finally get some separation amongst the group. Without further ado…

Week 7
Hennessey at Alva
Robert – Alva; Jason – Alva; Zach – Alva
Frederick at Bridge Creek
Robert – Bridge Creek; Jason – Bridge Creek; Zach – Bridge Creek  (LOCK)
Cushing at Glenpool
Robert – Glenpool (LOCK); Jason – Glenpool; Zach – Glenpool
Kingfisher at Newcastle
Robert – Kingfisher; Jason – Kingfisher; Zach – Kingfisher
Perkins-Tryon at Fairview
Robert – Perkins; Jason – Perkins-Tryon; Zach – Fairview
Ada at Durant
Robert – Durant; Jason – Ada; Zach – Ada
Broken Bow at Idabel
Robert – Broken Bow; Jason – Idabel; Zach – Broken Bow
Millwood at Bethel
Robert – Bethel; Jason – Millwood (LOCK); Zach – Millwood
Henryetta at Chandler
Robert – Chandler; Jason – Chandler; Zach – Chandler
Fox at Mountain View-Gotebo
Robert – Fox; Jason – Fox; Zach – Mt. View-Gotebo

Last week’s totals – Robert (11-7, 1-0 LOCK); Jason (11-7, 0-1 LOCK); Zach (11-7, 1-0 LOCK)

Overall Standings
1. Jason (59-31, 4-1 LOCK); 2. Zach (58-32, 5-0); 3. Robert (57-33, 4-1)

Plainview faces an eerily similar situation to what OU faced last week.

Heading into their game against Colorado, the Sooners were likely a little unfocused, thinking about this week’s game against Texas. And OU paid for it with a shocking 27-24 loss to Colorado, who was supposed to be a pushover.

Plainview plays Friday against Dickson, a school that’s just about 15 minutes away and is a rival. But coach Corey Cole hopes his team isn’t thinking too much about what looms in Week 7: Purcell.

“We haven’t lost to Dickson in a long time, and on the horizon you’ve got Purcell, so we’re trying to keep the kids focused,” Cole said.

Plainview has a bone to pick with Purcell from 2006 — the 15-14 loss to the Dragons last year cost Plainview a district title.

“(The Dickson) game is the most important one we’ve played all year,” Cole said.

Cole said the OU-Colorado upset couldn’t have come at a better time for Plainview, because the coaches have been using it for motivation.

“Colorado was not a bad football team,” Cole said. “But OU was supposed to win big.”

I’m going out on a few limbs with my Top 10 picks this week.

I picked Muskogee over Tulsa Union earlier this year, and then Matt Hennesy had his problems and I think that might have been distracting to the team.

Hennessy’s problems have been resolved, and I’m going with the Roughers again – this time over Jenks.

The other one that might get me some “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” comments is my pick of Bridge Creek over Bethany. I know Bethany almost beat Tuttle, and I know both team’s respective histories. But I’m telling you, Bridge Creek seems like a team of destiny. I’m not saying they will win the state championship, but I think they get the upset victory this week.

Muskogee over Jenks – UPSET
Lawton MacArthur over Duncan
McGuinness over Weatherford
Bixby over Ada
Anadarko over Guymon
Rush Springs over Minco
Heritage Hall over Millwood
Bridge Creek over Bethany – UPSET
Corn Bible over Thackerville
Glenpool over Mannford

What are your picks for Week 6? Do you think I’m crazy? Leave some comments and let us know.

I wrote a story for Friday’s Oklahoman about a mentally handicapped football player from Newkirk named Kyle Copelin. But he prefers the nickname “Butch,” given to him by his grandpa when he was a baby.

My first thought about this is: What an absolutely wonderful family. His parents – Jay and Jill – were so hospitable and helpful to me when I visited Newkirk last week.

I went up to Newkirk to get a feel for how Butch acts in normal high school football situations, such as weight lifting, film watching and practice. He is a truly special kid who just wants to be part of the team.

But watch out or he’ll “stir your chili!”

This morning (Monday), Jill Copelin called me to talk more about some of the things that happened for Butch after the article was published Friday.

She said it was impossible to find a copy of The Oklahoman in Newkirk. Also, the school received several calls from Oklahoma State season ticket holders who offered their tickets to OSU’s Saturday game against Sam Houston State to Butch. We certainly have some wonderful people in our state. But, all of those fine folks were able to keep their tickets because Butch and his dad go to all the games anyway.

Some people at Oklahoma State saw the story, and noticed that Butch is an OSU fan (according to him, he’s going to play for them). So the OSU people invited him to meet Mike Gundy and the players and participate in “The Walk” tradition done before all OSU home games.

Photographer Matt Strasen was able to get a great picture for the paper of Butch with Gundy on Saturday.

Jill Copelin also told me that a history class at Newkirk High School gets several copies of The Oklahoman everyday, and the kids in the class had Butch come in and sign their papers.

I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to write this story, meet this family and spend a day in that community. Newkirk coach Barrett Shupe was a great help, as were all of his assistants.

Jenks over Owasso (LOCK)
Duncan over Western Heights
Bixby over Shawnee
Sequoyah-Claremore over Berryhill
Alva over Perkins
Morrison over Christian Heritage
Putnam North over Edmond Santa Fe
Midwest City over Edmond Memorial
Douglass over Weatherford

(Zach called in his picks to the office, that’s why this was posted by Jason Kersey)

Jenks over Owasso
Westmoore over Putnam City
Duncan over Western Heights
Shawnee over Bixby
Sequoyah-Claremore over Berryhill
Alva over Perkins
Morrison over Christian Heritage
Edmond Santa Fe over Putnam North
Midwest City over Edmond Memorial
Douglass over Weatherford

Newcastle lost last Friday at Clinton, 42-6, but senior quarterback and safety Trevor Evans said he still feels like the team has a great defense.

“We have a really good defense,” Evans said. “We didn’t really show it last week, but our defense is stacked. Even though Clinton beat us really bad, they couldn’t run up the middle on us at all. That’s something positive we could take from that game; well, it was about the only positive thing.”

Through its first three games, Newcastle gave up just 28 points, and one of them was on a punt return touchdown against Jones. In fact, Jones’ other touchdown was scored after return down inside the Racer 5-yard line.

Justin Blackmon, Plainview’s superstar receiver, didn’t catch a touchdown in the team’s 35-21 win over Sulphur yesterday. It was his first game this season to go without a touchdown, but Plainview coach Corey Cole said he was a big distraction to the Sulphur defense.

“They had Robert Thomas trailing him, and usually had two or three guys on him,” Cole said. “He didn’t have any touchdowns, but his presence was known. It opened up some running lanes for us.”

And running right through those lanes was no problem for the Indians.

Plainview running back Logan Russell ran for four touchdowns, and quarterback Brandon Allen ran for over 100 yards and a score.

* With the win, Plainview has conquered its toughest road test of the year. The other top three teams in the district (Purcell, Marlow and Pauls Valley) all must come to Plainview.

Cole wouldn’t say that Sulphur is the team’s biggest hurdle of the year.

“I still think we’ve got some big games coming up,” Cole said. “I think Marlow and Purcell are going to be very tough. One thing I learned from Coach (Jim) Dixon (of Sulphur) is that anything can happen so you have to stay focused.”

Deer Creek-Lamont over Ringwood
Woodland over Foyil
Plainview over Sulphur
Shawnee over Durant
Midwest City over Yukon
Ardmore over Western Heights

I won’t pick the McGuinness-Douglass game, Edmond Santa Fe-Norman North or the Jenks-Tulsa Washington game because, obviously, they are already over.

I didn’t take any big chances this week. No big upsets will be predicted, because I don’t think any are likely enough to risk being ridiculed by commenters and the Boneman.

I almost picked Western Heights over Ardmore. The Jets look good this year, sitting at 3-0 heading into district play. Also, JoJo Durham, who transferred in from Westmoore, has been spectacular thus far for Western Heights.

But at the end of the day, I think Ardmore is much too talented to be defeated by, while improved, still Western Heights.

How do you see things coming out in Week 4?

A game that has been a little overlooked this week is the District 3A-2 clash between Plainview and Sulphur.

Both teams are 3-0, and both have been very impressive in those wins. Sulphur shut Davis out, which is no small feat, and Plainview’s passing game has been flying high with junior quarterback Brandon Allen and superstar senior receiver Justin Blackmon.

In the three games, Blackmon has caught 17 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns.

As if the game needed any more storylines, it’s a homecoming of sorts for Plainview coach Corey Cole.

Cole grew up in Sulphur, played there and was an assistant there the last three seasons.

“It’s gonna be weird and it’s gonna be different,” Cole said. “I grew up on that other sideline, but it’s definitely going to be exciting; it’s a new challenge. I’m looking forward to it. It’s like I’ve left the wings of coach Dixon (Sulphur’s coach) and now I’m coming back with my guys.”

The game certainly won’t be lacking in star power. Along with Allen and Blackmon, there is Sulphur quarterback Robert Thomas, who has been instrumental in the team’s success.

“There will be three kids on the field (Allen, Blackmon and Thomas) that have a legitimate chance to play NCAA Division I football,” Cole said. “That’s extraordinary. You don’t see that often in Class 3A.”

Then, of course, there’s the fact that it’s a district game. And district wins are precious.

“To have any chance at (a district championship), you’ve gotta get that first district win,” Cole said.

All those storylines together make for one heck of a game.

I’ll be back later with my predictions for our Week 4 top 10 games and area games. I still haven’t decided the Sulphur-Plainview game yet. It’s gonna be a tough one.

Tonight I will be at the Cashion-Community Christian football game in Norman.

This is exciting to me for a couple of reasons — 1. I haven’t covered a game yet this year, and 2. I’ve never seen an eight-man game before.

I know Cashion is a great team, with quarterback Cayden Cochran leading the way. Community Christian is really solid for an independent team, and should at the very least be a good challenge for Cashion.

Cashion is ranked number two in Class B, only behind powerhouse Morrison.

It will take a lot for CCS to pull an upset, but if this year has taught us anything (Appalachian State-Michigan), in football, anything can happen.

Mount St. Mary isn’t exactly known for its football tradition.

But legendary coach Joe Weber, mainly known for his work in Davis, returned to his alma mater in 2002 to try to make it better.

When Weber arrived, however, some things looked familiar to him.

“We had the same facilities as when I graduated in 1962,” Weber said.

Namely, the lights. There was a notebook item about it in the paper the other day, but here’s a story that amplifies the St. Mary light situation even more.

During the fourth quarter of a 2004 game against Newcastle, the lights at St. Mary’s stadium went out completely. The game had to be moved to C.B. Speegle Stadium at Capitol Hill, which is about a mile from St. Mary.

The lights have since been replaced, as has a lot of other equipment. Donations have been made, meaning upgrades for the football program.

It’s unlikely that St. Mary will ever be a state title contender. The school is much more of an academic school that a athletic one. It’s like a Princeton of high schools.

But Weber said the athletics (and all extracurricular activities) are receiving more attention from the school administration. Changes are being made for the better at St. Mary, and there have been some results on the field.

In 2004 (the same year as the lights incident), St. Mary went 4-6, which is its best record since 1994. Since ’04, the Rockets have gone 3-7 and 2-8, respectively.

But this season, St. Mary already has two wins, over Crooked Oak and Crescent.

A third win this week is unlikely. The Rockets open district play with defending 2A state champion Millwood (ouch).

District 2A-2 is a tough one to try to build a program in. Along with Millwood, there is Heritage Hall, Oklahoma Christian, Jones and Bethel.

Quarterback Vincent Ngo will be featured in a story in Friday’s Oklahoman. Be sure to check it out.
* A quick side note: I really like the new look of our blog. Props to the NewsOK.com web team.

So just how good is 3-0 Cache?

We will certainly find out as district play opens this week and Cache travels to perennial power Kingfisher.

Cache finished 4-6 last season, missing the playoffs by two games. But under new head coach Matthew Seid, the Bulldogs have been impressive thus far.

For starters, Cache beat Anadarko in Week 1, and Anadarko went on to beat Chickasha in Week 3.

We’ll get a good idea if Cache is for real this Friday. Kingfisher is 1-2, but is always talented and tough, especially at home.

“Anytime you face a team that’s on a winning streak, they’re gonna have some confidence,” Kingfisher coach Jeff Myers said.

Myers is hoping that the Kingfisher atmosphere and tradition will get in Cache’s head.

“I’m gonna guess that’s in the back of their minds,” Myers said. “They’re going into a program that has had a lot of success, and they know that they’re gonna have to play one of their better ballgames. I think that probably does give us a little mental edge.”

District 3A-1 is stacked at the top. Clinton, Kingfisher and Tuttle are all a step above the rest. But that fourth playoff spot is definitely up for grabs. Newcastle got in last season, but only because of a close, last-second victory over Elgin. And the Racers lost 15 starters.

Kingfisher, meanwhile, has been off to a rough start. Losses to McGuinness and Chandler have left the Yellowjackets 1-2, and it doesn’t get any easier now that it is time for District 3A-1 play.

I would imagine that Kingfisher will finish third in the district, right behind Clinton and Tuttle. Now, as for who’s going to be number one, I’m not even sure.

But, Patrick Peck is back for Kingfisher, so you never know. One of the best high school football games I’ve ever witnessed was last year, Tuttle at Kingfisher. Tuttle won, 12-7, but only after stopping Kingfisher inside the five yard line late.

District 3A-1 is one of my favorite districts in all of Oklahoma high school football, maybe because I’m so familiar with it. I’m excited to see how it turns out.

How do you think 3A-1 will look heading into the playoffs?

1) The effect that Tucker Brown has on Shawnee’s team.

I knew Tucker was good, but he seems to have lifted the overall spirit of Shawnee. To get a win like it did over Rogers (Ark.) is impressive, and likely will erase any memory of Shawnee’s first-ever loss to Noble.

Although I’m of the opinion that Tucker shouldn’t have been allowed another year back, you can’t deny the kid’s talent.

2) Bridge Creek being 3-0.

At the beginning of the season, I certainly thought this was possible. And going into the Bobcats’ Week 3 game against Luther I thought it was possible. But five years ago? No way.

Bridge Creek is having a historic season by its standards. Coach Jerry Wallis has done an outstanding job at the little Grady County school. He has managed to change the mindset that the school is born to lose. This, to me, is like Bill Synder turning Kansas State into a winner. It just seemed that unlikely.

3) St. Mary beat Crescent. 31-15

I admit that this one surprised me a little less when I found out that Crescent star running back Shelby Hill didn’t play, but it’s still a little surprising nonetheless.

St. Mary has a heck of a quarterback in Vincent Ngo, who scored three touchdowns on the ground and rushed for over 150 yards in the win. Be sure to read Thursday’s Oklahoman for more information on Ngo.

4) The Bethany-Tuttle game

I admit it.

I thought Robert Przybylo (AKA the Boneman) had lost his mind when he picked Bethany to upset superstar Kyle Ebert his Tuttle Tigers. I started questioning his intelligence (and his outside-of-work activities) when he actually thought there was even the slightest chance that Bethany would beat Tuttle.

But it just about came true. Tuttle beat Bethany, 22-15, but not without a fight worth praise from the Bronchos.

I think I’ll stop questioning the Boneman as much (except his misguided love for the Chicago Bears).

————-

OK, now that you’ve read the things that made me do a double-take from Week 3 of the high school football season, what are some of the things that have surprised you thus far?

Just looking through some schedules, I’ve noticed that there are at least a couple Oklahoma high school football teams that play their entire pre-district schedules against entirely non-Oklahoma competition.

Texhoma played all Texas teams in its pre-district games, and Beaver played all teams from Kansas.

Beaver coach Mike McVay said that, because Beaver is so isolated up in the panhandle, it’s easier just to play Kansas teams sometimes.

“Out here in the panhandle, we don’t have a lot of choices because of travel,” McVay said. “Next year we won’t have to worry about it as much, because we will be in a 10-team district.

“We’re kinda land-locked here and it makes sense to either go north of the border or just south of it.”

That makes sense, but it still just seems strange to be an Oklahoma high school team and not face any Oklahoma competition before district play starts.

I just found that interesting….

Crescent running back and NCAA Division I recruit Shelby Hill sat out the team’s 31-15 loss to St. Mary last Friday with bruised ribs suffered in Week 2′s game against Hennessey.

Hill left the Hennessey game in the second quarter and was taken to the hospital.

Hill said he didn’t practice at all last week, and didn’t play against St. Mary because it was a non-district game. But he said it’s nothing serious and that he’ll be back for the team’s District A-5 opener at Oklahoma Bible.

For more information, be sure to read tomorrow’s Oklahoman.

At the end of the third quarter, Bethany is TIED with Tuttle, 15-15.

Could the Boneman (AKA Robert Przybylo) be right?

Looks like a commenter (and me ) might owe him an apology…….

There are several great games this week. I think there might be a few upsets in the making….

Muskogee over Tulsa Union (UPSET)
Rogers, Ark. over Shawnee (And big)
McGuinness over Millwood
Douglass over Star Spencer
Edmond Santa Fe over Edmond North
Tuttle over Bethany (I don’t know what Bob is thinking on this one)
Norman North over Westmoore
Heritage Hall over Davis
Lawton MacArthur over Lawton Eisenhower
Carl Albert over Duncan

Bridge Creek is emotionally on top of the world right now, and I don’t blame them.

The team is 2-0 for the first time in school history, made the playoffs last season, set a school record for wins last year (6) and appears to only be getting better.

“It feels awesome,” senior quarterback and safety Zane Mellinger said. “I mean, it’s a hard feeling to describe. It’s just exciting, the whole town’s excited. Bridge Creek’s never been undefeated.”

Coach Jerry Wallis seems to have been exactly what Bridge Creek needed.

Wallis inherited a team that had gone winless in back-to-back seasons, and has slowly seen progress until now, when Bridge Creek is a team that could legitimately contend for its district championship.

Wallis has put in a new offense that puts playmakers where they can be the most effective. Quarterback Zane Mellinger has run it to perfection thus far.

“(The offense is) really good,” Mellinger said. “It really puts everybody in the spots they need to be. It’s really hard for defenses to stop.”

I’m not saying the Bobcats are going to be hoisting the gold ball in November, signifying a state championship, but they are a team to be feared by opponents. Now, not only are they talented, but fired up as well.

I guess I never really noticed, but District 5A-1 is full of potential playoff teams.

“There are six teams fighting for four playoff spots,” Chickasha coach Steve Chard said.

And he’s right. Altus, Ardmore, Chickasha, Duncan, Lawton MacArthur and Western Heights are all teams that have potential.

The fact that Western Heights is on that list might surprise some people, but I’m telling you, the Jets have a chance to be good. They are currently 2-0, and have a stud running back in JoJo Durham.

Durham rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries in the team’s Week 2 win over Harrah.

He has rushed for 267 yards on the season and averages 9.89 yards per carry.

Lawton MacArthur is 2-0 and consistently in the state championship hunt.

Ardmore is 1-1 and beat Ada convincingly in Week 1. Chickasha has quarterback Wyatt Kinnamon and lots of other talent, Duncan is 2-0 with a huge win over Weatherford and Altus always seems to hang around.

It should be interesting to see how this district plays out. I would say, to me, this clearly is the best district in Class 5A. 5A-3 is really good, and 5A-2 has Carl Albert and Guthrie, but top-to-bottom, I think 5A-1 stands above the rest.

What do you think?

Defending Class B state champion Morrison is finally getting a chance to play a good, quality opponent.

Not to take anything away from Weleetka and Prue — Morrison’s first two opponents — but they really weren’t much of a test. And the games were at home.

But now, Morrison is traveling to face a dangerous Porter team that is coming off a 50-8 win over Gans.

“We have gotten to hook up and get after it,” Morrison coach Cory Bales said.

Bales also said that his players are excited for a challenge. He was quick to point out, though, that he didn’t want to take anything away from Prue or Weleetka, who Morrison beat by a combined score of 100-0.

Last season, Morrison shut Prue out, 49-0.

Coach Steve Gale’s sons, quarterback Mitchell and wide receiver Tyson, had a special connection Friday night that helped lead Alva to a 27-18 win over Blackwell.

Mitchell Gale completed 10-of-16 passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Six of those completions, 57 of the yards and two of the touchdowns went to Tyson. Alva had over 400 yards of total offense in the game.

The entire Alva offense caught fire in the win. Derek Lohmann rushed 18 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns, and Lewis Nighswonger had 20 carries for 106 yards.

“We had some kids who stepped up,” Steve Gale said.

*Alva gets Laney back: Trent Laney, Alva’s leading receiver from a year ago, played Friday after missing Alva’s season opener against Oklahoma Christian.

Laney had two catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in the game. He also had five tackles on defense from his cornerback position, as well as one forced fumble and one pass broken up.

“It’s nice to have him back,” Steve Gale said.

*Blackwell is improving: Despite the loss, Blackwell is making big improvements from last year’s team that went 3-7.

Sophomore quarterback Beau Marsaln completed nine-of-23 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. And if scores indicate anything, Blackwell has made big strides since last year. During last season’s Alva-Blackwell meeting, Alva won, 34-6.

Steve Gale said Alva turned up the heat on the young Marsaln.

“We blitzed him quite a bit,” Steve Gale said. “We manned up and put pressure on their receivers.”

Although Alva’s pressure appears to have caused some incompletions, it didn’t cause any interceptions, which is a good sign for such a young quarterback.

Bridge Creek continues to accomplish ground-breaking goals in its football program.

The team is 2-0 for the first time in school history, after reaching the playoffs and having a winning record for the first time last year. In Week 1, the Bobcats won 32-13 over Bethel and yesterday won 42-0 over Carnegie.

“I feel like we’re actually gonna do something this year,” senior receiver Michael Aska said.

Aska is a big reason why Bridge Creek just might make some noise in Class 2A.

He scored four touchdowns Friday night against Carnegie — two rushing and two receiving. Last season, Aska rushed for 723 yards and had 519 yards receiving along with 11 total touchdowns.

So what exactly is going on down in the little Grady County town?

“All of our players have gotten more aggressive,” Aska said. “We are doing what we need to do and working 10 times harder than we used to.

When Aska moved to Bridge Creek in the sixth grade, he was a water boy for the high school football team. At that time, talk of a state championship would have been preposterous. But now….

“It’s awesome,” Aska said. “We already have people saying we’re gonna take it to state. When in your first game you win 32-12, and your second game is a 42-0 shutout, you can’t do much better than that.”

Jenks 28, Tulsa Union 24
Muskogee 24, Norman North 14
Lawton Mac 21, Lawton 17
Carl Albert 42, Ada 17 – LOCK
Douglass 31, Millwood 21
Bishop McGuinness 34, Tulsa Kelley 24
Cashion 40, Davenport 32
Bixby 35, Glenpool 21
Edmond Santa Fe 17, Edmond Memorial 10
Davis 24, Sulphur 12

Even the 64-9 rout Carl Albert put on Ada doesn’t make Gary Rose comfortable going into his team’s Week 2 game against the Cougars.

The blowout was one of the more surprising final scores of the season. I remember being taken back when I read that score in the paper last year, because I know Ada is always a good team. The Cougars did make the playoffs last year.

Rose is concerned that game might make his team too relaxed going into this year’s game.

“The only thing (last year’s score) will add is overconfidence,” Rose said. “And that’s my biggest fear (about the game).”

Rose was also quick to mention that last year’s game didn’t get out of hand until the second half. Carl Albert’s lead was just 14-0 late in the second quarter when Ada dropped a tailback pass that would have likely been a touchdown.

Carl Albert running back David Oku is off to an incredible start, rushing for 289 yards and four touchdowns in the Titans’ Week 1, 34-14 win over Tulsa Washington. Ada gave up 238 yards on the ground in its opening loss to Ardmore, but Rose said the Ada defense is more disciplined than Washington’s.

“Ada’s a lot better technique wise and discipline wise than (Tulsa Washington),” Rose said. “(Ada makes) up for their lack of size with their discipline and technique.”

I think Carl Albert can probably be confident going into this one. Beating a talented Tulsa Washington team like Carl Albert did last week shows me that the Titans are going to be tough this year for everyone. Especially with a running back like David Oku.

Woodland, fresh off a close, 15-8 victory over Tonkawa, has had a relatively short week in terms of practicing for Week 2′s game against Hulbert.

On Monday, the Labor Day holiday forced Woodland into practicing early and getting done before a yearly parade.

Woodland co-operates with the small town of Ralston, which has a big Labor Day celebration every year. Ralston contributes lots of key players to Woodland’s team.

Tackle and linebacker Josh Hillsberg, a three-year starter, is from Ralston as well as fullback Stephen Wiggins.

So on Monday, Woodland needed to be done practicing for the 11 a.m. parade. On Tuesday, Woodland had a junior varsity game that forced practice to end early.

“Labor Day is a big celebration around here,” Woodland coach Joe Turner said. “Not to discredit Hulbert, but I’m glad we don’t have a bigger game or a tougher opponent this week.”

When it became apparent Perkins-Tryon quarterback Jake Hart wasn’t going to play in last Friday’s opener at Jones, coach Lloyd Wertman and his players didn’t panic. The Demons knew what they had behind Hart, and now everyone else does, too.

Sophomore Austin Sherm, making his first start, helped Perkins-Tryon to a 21-14 win over the Longhorns.

“That’s a tough environment for a sophomore to make his first start in,” Wertman said of Jones. “(Jones) is very well coached, very strong and they have good skill people. Austin did a fine job.”

Hart, a senior who threw for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 523 yards and four scores a year ago, is back in his starting role.

“It’s always comforting to know that you have a quality back-up,” Wertman said. “We’re extremely glad that Jake is back, but it’s a great feeling as a head coach and a staff that he’s just a sophomore. We’ll have him for two years after this year.”

Plainview’s Justin Blackmon is off to a hot start.

The senior had four catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns and had a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown. He is also Plainview’s kick and punt returner, although he wasn’t given the chance to do any damage that way.

Oh, and he can punt, too. Blackmon pinned Blanchard inside the five-yard line twice.

Blackmon went to camps at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this summer. OSU contacts him weekly, but he has been relatively unknown to most college coaches.

Last season, Blackmon had 697 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, as well as four interceptions on defense.

“I think it’s just because (Plainview is) a small school,” Blackmon said. “People think I wouldn’t be able to do it up with the big classes. I think that’s what it mostly is.”

Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford said this week is what football is all about.

Preparing for a top-notch opponent (and somewhat of a rival) makes football fun.

Cashion faces Davenport this week in a re-match of last year’s state semifinal game. Davenport beat Cashion, 42-36 in overtime. But in Round One last year between the teams (Week 2 of the season), Cashion stomped Davenport, 40-6.

“This is one of those weeks that really makes football fun,” Shackelford said. “You want to prepare for a big game. You want to be on center stage. There’s a lot more focus when you’re playing a game like this, at least that’s been my impression over the last few years. When our kids are involved in a big game, there is a different mood.”

* Shackelford said revenge won’t be the focus Cashion’s gameplan, although it does provide motivation.

“Anytime someone beats you, and you get an opportunity to play them again this soon, that’s gonna be motivation,” Shackelford said. “But this is a completely different year and two completely different teams.”

Sure, everything doesn’t come back to revenge. But I can just about guarantee that playoff loss won’t be left out of coach Shackelford’s pre-game speech.

* Shackelford said the two teams are extremely used to one another. Besides the two games played against each other last year, Cashion and Davenport also went to a summer camp together.

“It’s kinda like playing yourselves in a way,” Shackelford said. “That’s one of the reasons the game was so close last year, the familiarity with each other. We’ve faced each other so much that there aren’t really a lot of surprises.”

It was reported both in the paper and on this blog that during last week’s Newcastle-Pauls Valley game, an inadvertent whistle possibly cost Pauls Valley a win.

“Late in the third quarter with Newcastle nursing a 9-7 lead, Pauls Valley linebacker Tyler Harding stripped the ball away from a Newcastle ball-carrier at around the Pauls Valley 15-yard line. Harding began sprinting down the Pauls Valley sideline with the ball, far away from anyone in a Racer uniform.

However, the official who threw the beanbag indicating a fumble also blew an inadvertent whistle, meaning the play was dead after the change of possession. The game ended with Newcastle winning by that same score — 9-7.”

I just talked with Newcastle coach Keith Bolles, and he said that while the whistle did happen, he still feels his team would have come out on top.

“The inadvertent whistle did happen,” Bolles said. “It was just one of those things. Do I think it cost them the game or won us the game? No. That’s the way football works. I would never blame an inadvertent whistle on anything. I believe if we had fallen behind, we would have worked hard to score and re-gain the lead. It’s just football.”

* Bolles and I also briefly discussed his team’s upcoming game with Jones, which beat Newcastle, 14-6 last season.

The two teams are much different this season than last. Newcastle returns only seven starters and Jones lost running back Tyrone Jackson, who rushed for 1,822 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.

Bolles said Jones is more wide-open this year on offense, relying on more one-back sets.

If that means Jones passes more this year, I think that’s advantage Newcastle. Of the four defensive starters that return from last year, two are safety Trevor Evans and corner Jeremy Hey. Evans picked off four passes last year, and Hey is 6-foot-3.

Bridge Creek opened its season with a 32-13 win over Bethel Friday night.

The win marked the first time the Bobcats have opened their season with a win since 2001, when it won 7-0 over Davenport to start the season.

“We felt like we had a good offseason,” Bridge Creek coach Jerry Wallis said. “The kids were well-prepared. We had some breakdowns but we still were able to execute pretty well. There were some normal first-game things.”

It was a tight ballgame until the fourth quarter. Bridge Creek led 6-0 at halftime and just 12-0 at the end of the third quarter. Wallis said quarterback Zane Mellinger’s development made a difference. Mellinger finished the game with 164 yards passing and two touchdowns and 112 yards rushing and a score.

“Zane Mellinger played a lot better in the second half,” Wallis said. “That half of experience made a difference; he was a little nervous in the first half but he settled down in the second.”

Receivers Michael Aska and Craig Hill certainly helped make it easy for Mellinger. Hill had 79 yards receiving and a touchdown and Aska caught a 43-yard touchdown and ran a 46-yard score.

Ponca City lost a heart-breaker to Sand Springs Friday night, 21-19, in which the Wildcats roared back from a 21-7, fourth quarter deficit and missed what would have been a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Despite the loss, coach Bo Hannaford said he sees something in his team that it didn’t have last year: Perseverance.

“I was proud of (the team),” Hannaford said. “Last year, we would have folded when we were down. The kids rallied together and made the comeback.”

It was a true team effort, as 10 different Wildcat receivers caught passes from quarterback Adam Schiltz.

Schiltz finished the game 12-of-22 for 87 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

After taking an early 7-0 lead on an interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Rob Davis in the first quarter, the Wildcats gave up 21 consecutive points over the first three quarters. 

After clawing back into the game, sophomore kicker Brady Baird missed a field goal with about 20 seconds left in the game to seal the two-point loss.

* Linebacker Ben Harrison, who has been hampered with a foot injury, played Friday night and played well. He had seven tackles and a key interception that set up the Ponca City touchdown that brought the team within two points in the fourth quarter. Hannaford said he is still noticeably sore, but is getting better day by day.

Clinton used a strong, quick defense and running game to whip Weatherford, 30-8, Friday night.

Senior linebacker Brayden Lockhart, the team’s captain, had 20 tackles, 16 of which were unassisted.

“I just studied all week and knew what they were going to run out of the different formations,” Lockhart said of his performance.

Clinton coach Mike Lee was impressed with his team’s performance, but said his offensive line needs to be more consistent.

“I was impressed with our abillity to run and chase on defense,” Lee said. “I thought we looked quick and got to the ball well.”

Sophomore running back Delans Griffin rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

“We’re inexperienced on the line,” Lee said. “We were a little inconsistent at times.”

Pauls Valley is feeling a bit slighted after a controversial whistle possibly it a Week One win over Newcastle.

Late in the third quarter with Newcastle nursing a 9-7 lead, Pauls Valley linebacker Tyler Harding stripped the ball away from a Newcastle ball-carrier at around the Pauls Valley 15-yard line. Harding began sprinting down the Pauls Valley sideline with the ball, far away from anyone in a Racer uniform.

However, the official who threw the beanbag indicating a fumble also blew an inadvertent whistle, meaning the play was dead after the change of possession. The game ended with Newcastle winning by that same score — 9-7.

“It probably cost us a touchdown,” Pauls Valley coach Mike Terry said. “Officials make mistakes, but in a 9-7 ball game it doesn’t make you feel very good.”

Terry said his players were hurt, but are resilient.

“I told the kids (after the game): ‘I know you’re hurting and I don’t want you to feel good about a loss, but these first three games are non-district and aren’t going to affect our position for the playoffs,’” Terry said. “The kids are pretty resilient, a lot more so than adults are. I talked to some of them (Saturday), and they’re still down but the sun came up and they’ll be more games.”

Blackwell coach Rusty Harris said his sophomore quarterback, Beau Marsaln, played “pretty good” in the team’s Week One 50-9 win over Perry.

Marsaln completed 14-of-27 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

Marsaln played his freshman year at Blackwell’s District 3A-3 rival Locust Grove, where he threw for over 2,500 yards and 28 touchdowns. His father, Frank, was head coach at Locust Grove and left to be a receivers coach at Muskogee. Beau Marsaln was in the running to be the Roughers’ quarterback before his father took the offensive coordinator position at Blackwell.

Alva experienced a flash back to last year’s Week One win over Oklahoma Christian with this year’s.

The Goldbugs beat OCS, 19-9 last night in a game that was eerily similar to the affair last season.

Oklahoma Christian went into halftime with a 6-0 lead, and in 2006 the Saints led 3-0 at the break.

“It was a rough first half,” Alva coach Steve Gale said. “They ran quite a few more plays than we did. It was like déjà vu of a year ago. But we made our adjustments and our offense got rolling.”

Gale said Alva used its rushing attack to wear down the OCS defense. Sophomore running back Lewis Nighswonger had 80 yards on 21 carries, and Derek Lohmann had 66 yards on seven carries. Most of Lohmann’s yards came on a 43-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Cashion started this season off with a 45-0 win over Alex in under three full quarters.

Due to the “45 point rule,” the game ended about a quarter and a half early.

Cashion ran just 22 plays in the entire game, averaging 18 yards per play.

Heralded quarterback Cayden Cochran completed four-of-five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Travis Seaton needed just five carries to gain 126 yards and two scores.

All in all, an outstanding start to the season for Lynn Shackelford’s squad. Next week, however, comes a huge test. The Wildcats go on the road to face Davenport and freak running back Billy Jack Murphy. Last season, Cashion won the regular season meeting handily but fell to Davenport in the playoffs.

More on that match-up to come this weekend when I get a chance to talk with Shackelford.

While I didn’t cover the annual Crosstown Clash between Norman and Norman North Thursday night at OU, I did attend the game as a spectator.

Norman North is absolutely loaded. Even without quarterback Tyler Tettleton, the Timberwolves look like they will be tough this season. Running back Beau Blankenship rushed for 137 yards, and it seemed like Norman just flat couldn’t stop him.

North replacement quarterback Jake Damrill threw three interceptions, which makes me think that had Tettleton played, this thing would have been even more lopsided than it wound up being.

Two of Damrill’s interceptions were just poor decisions, and both of those resulted in 10 Tiger points.

The first one was thrown deep in North territory and set Norman up for an easy touchdown drive, and the second was thrown into a well-covered area and Norman turned it into a field goal. The third was a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.

Blankenship was hurt during the game, and I still haven’t heard how serious the injury is. But it could be bad news for North if it is serious.

That said, even without Blankenship and Tettleton, I still think North is a playoff team. Some of Blankenship’s runs were the result of HUGE holes made by the North offensive line. And the Timberwolves’ defense looks tough.

Norman was just plan outmatched Thursday night. But I still believe with its district, it will be a playoff team.

Yesterday, I wrote on here that Ben Harrison, a linebacker for Ponca City, might not play in Friday’s season opener at Sand Springs. Well, I just got off the phone with coach Bo Hannaford and he told me that Harrison will play.

“He did a lot of things today,” Hannaford said. “He’ll play, I don’t know how much yet, but he will play.”

Harrison had 42 tackles and five interceptions last season.

Perkins-Tryon quarterback Jake Hart won’t play in the team’s season opener Friday at Jones.

Hart bruised his calf in Perkins-Tryon’s second scrimmage at Chandler. He was cleared by doctors today, but likely won’t see any playing time at quarterback.

Coach Lloyd Wertman said he will probably kick for the team, though.

Sophomore Austin Shirm will start in Hart’s place. Hart threw for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and rushed for 523 yards and six scores.

Perkins-Tryon fell at home in last year’s opener to Jones, 20-17.