Southmoore redux: Outtakes on a complicated process
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
I must admit, summarizing the start-up process for Southmoore football into a small enough space to fit the newspaper was no easy task. Thankfully, I was given enough room to do an adequate job, but certain humorous or interesting items still had to be whittled down or cut out completely. Of course, that extra information is why we have a sports blog (or so I’m told), so here ya go.
One of the tidbits that didn’t survive the final cut was the following excerpt comparing Southmoore to Oklahoma City’s Centennial High School, which underwent a similar ‘starting from scratch’ process leading up to this past football season.
When Oklahoma City’s Centennial High School started its inaugural two-a-days last fall, 14 players showed up for the first practice. During a 1-9 opening season, the Bison often played with 20 or so players, and managed to finish the season with 34. Centennial head coach Randy Wilson said, however, that Southmoore has two distinct advantages over the situation the Bison were in. First, with the size of the Moore school district, overall numbers shouldn’t be a big problem. Second, since Southmoore head coach Chris Jensen was hired in December, he has a good head start on player identification and training.
“I was hired late (in May), and I didn’t have an opportunity to identify many of the athletes and get them in our program, and summer pride program,” Wilson said “It’s important to be able to identify your kids and know who they are, and what they can and cannot do. He’s going in knowing some of the kids, and that’s a big positive.”
Another intriguing aspect of the story that hit the cutting room floor was the situation facing the players who have a choice between going to Southmoore or staying at their original school (Moore or Westmoore). As you can see from the following excerpt, many of the players I talked to were torn in their decision, and for good reason. Choosing between the school you’ve grown up with and a new, exciting opportunity is a heavy load for a high school student. (Note: This idea was cut from the story because I’m going to develop it for a new story in a week or so, around when the players have to decide)
After several weeks of administrative discussion, it was decided that all upcoming seniors who live in the Southmoore district will have a choice between staying and switching. The only other players with a choice are upcoming juniors who lettered their first two years of high school.
Knowing which kids can choose, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Tracking them down and convincing them to play is a whole different story, especially when they’re scattered among two high schools and three junior high schools.
“We don’t get to run into them on a daily basis … that’s one of the first things that we’ve had to do is sit down and try to figure out how we’re going to go to four different schools and meet with all of these kids that are potentially Southmoore SaberCats,” Jensen said. “We want to communicate to the kids that we want them to come to Southmoore, but we’ve got to make sure that we can’t make promises that we can’t keep.”
For players who have grown up cheering and playing for Moore and Westmoore, changing loyalties can be extremely difficult. Detrek Wallace, a current Moore sophomore, has gone back and forth for weeks trying to decide.
“A lot of people are going, and I know a lot of people there. But I also know a lot of people here (at Moore),” said Wallace, who indicated he’s about 60 percent in favor of Southmoore. “It’s been one of those choices that you have to make when you grow up.”
When he chose Southmoore, fellow Moore sophomore Kyaunn Thompson felt the sting of disappointing his former teammates.
“Some of them are upset, because they really depended on me to play with them this year. It’s hard leaving because Moore is the first team that I’ve played for, and I didn’t really want to play for another team,” Thompson said. “But I wanted to try a new thing, and I’m hoping that my decision will be a good one.”
One of the more humorous stories came from assistant head coach Jason Melot. This was probably the hardest cut, just because it effectively shows just how overlooking the smallest detail could potentially cause major problems down the road for an upstart football program.
Jason Melot couldn’t believe it. Scanning the inventory – a checklist of 85 items supposedly covering all equipment needed by the team – he couldn’t find one of the most basic football items.
“The one thing I didn’t see was mouth pieces,” Melot said, laughing. “That always comes up late, you know: ‘Where’s the mouthpieces?’”
Sure enough, despite having everything from goal post covers to elbow pads, mouthpieces were nowhere to be found. Thanks to Melot’s catch, the players won’t be short in the mouth department for spring practice. Every item on the list, however, still has to be purchased, with many of them needed by May for 10 days of practice in pads.
Also, just as a reminder, you can go to gosabercats.com for more information on the team.
Aikman surprises Henryetta with pregame speech
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
In the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, Henryetta players needed little motivation going into a second-round playoff game against Verdigris on Friday night.
They got some anyways, as school legend and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman surprised the team by giving the pre-game speech in the locker room. It was the first Henryetta game Aikman had seen in over 20 years, head coach Kenny Speer said.
“Everyone was surprised, shocked, and excited,” said Colby Blondell, a senior running back who, thanks to family ties with Aikman, was one of the few who knew the former Dallas Cowboy was coming. “He just talked about how he used to be a Hen … and encouraged us to have fun and play hard. A lot of (the players) wanted to play harder and better, to impress him.”
Aikman, who graduated from Henryetta in 1984, has worked as a color analyst for Fox Sports since his retirement from the Cowboys in 2001. Friday night, the three-time Super Bowl winner flew in before the game and flew back out immediately after, Speer said. But while he only was there a short time, his speech definitely impacted the team, who went on to defeat Verdigris 35-0.
“That’s a heck of a deal for the kids for him to come back and show the interest he shows in his old team,” Speer said. “He enjoys football, and he’s proud of what Henryetta has done.”
What Henryetta has done hasn’t been seen in a long time. By winning 2A-5, the team picked up its first district title since 1951. And Henryetta hadn’t finished 10-0 in a regular season since 1942. With the win over Verdigris, Henryetta secured a return trip to the Class 2A quarterfinals, where they will face No. 2 Heritage Hall.
This week, the players plan on writing a thank-you letter to Aikman, in which they will also hint they would like him to return for another playoff game.
“It means a lot to me just to see him coming,” Blondell said. “I’ve been a big Dallas Cowboys fan since I was a kid, and it just means a ton.”
Zach is back with Top 10 picks
Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
Well, this is the first time I’ve posted in about a year or so. That’s kind of what happens when you work full-time and try to finish school - you start forgetting things.
My bad.
Anyways, before I forget why I started to write this post in the first place, here are my Top 10 picks for the week.
Midwest City over Putnam City
Rush Springs over Washington
Texhoma over Okeene
Morris over Henryetta
Corn Bible over Temple
Cashion over Dewar
Seq. Tahlequah over Keys (Park Hill)
Bethany over Lexington
Panama over Pocola
Vinita over Seq. Claremore
Clinton over Kingfisher LOCK
McClenny setting records, leading dominant Rush Springs
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
There’s no denying that Rush Springs senior Dustan McClenny has had a stellar career.
Friday night against Dibble, the running back broke the all-time school rushing record of 4,362 yards that was set in 1989 by Tim Beard, now a coach at Lone Grove.
But while McClenny has always had the stats, he hasn’t always played to his potential. At least, not until this year.
“He’s playing better than he has ever played,” said Rush Springs coach Barry Foster. “We had to stay on him the last couple of years, because you would tell him to do something, and sometimes it just wouldn’t register. But he’s getting it done now. He’s taking on blockers at linebacker. He’s seeing the field like he never has. He’s doing a good job of calling our defenses and getting us lined up right. He’s definitely a leader of our team, and the guys look up to him and depend on him.”
Behind McClenny, the Redskins have dominated, winning five games by a combined score of 182-7. Friday night, however, will provide a tougher test as the No. 4 Redskins travel to take on upstart No. 10 Minco.
“Minco is the best team we’ve played,” Foster said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Is Duncan’s experience stronger than deja vu?
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
While Class 5A’s No. 7 Duncan (4-1, 2-0) is off to its best start in 10 years, coach Jim Holloway isn’t getting caught up in the hype. Heading into the Demons’ crucial match-up with Lawton MacArthur — the winner will take sole possession of first place in the brutal 5A-1 — Holloway is realistic. After all, he’s seen this before.
Just last year, in fact, the Demons were 2-0 in district heading into the Lawton MacArthur game, where they lost 13-7 after officials ruled a last-second fumble recovery came up just short of the goal line. The next week, the Demons lost two key players to injury, and the season snowballed from there to a 4-6 finish, with Duncan missing the playoffs.
But while Holloway knows just how fast things can go south, he also has confidence that this year’s team — with 18 returning starters — has the fortitude and experience to withstand adversity.
“This is a whole different football team on the field this year than what it was last year,” Holloway said. “These kids know how to practice. Three to four of these kids have started every game since (they were) sophomores. Let me tell you — that’s huge. It’s like redshirt seniors on the college level. They bring so much experience.”
That experience helped the Demons stay within striking distance of No. 1-ranked Carl Albert a year after being blown out 50-7 by the Titans. It also helped them hold off fellow upstart Western Heights on Friday night.
“We were learning how to crawl and walk last year. Now at least we’re on our feet, and we’re competitive,” Holloway said.
Of course, if the Carl Albert game showed how good the Demons can be, the team’s inability to hang onto the football in the 34-21 loss showed how much room the Demons have for improvement.
“I don’t think we’ve played that perfect game,” Holloway said. “We played the socks off of Carl Albert, but we turned the ball over seven times. We’ve got a chance to be really good when we’re error free, and that’s going to give us a chance to win every ball game.”
That and having senior Trent Wilkins behind center, of course. The Tulsa commitment has dominated, with 717 yards rushing, 680 yards passing, and 19 total touchdowns. Oh, and his defense isn’t too shabby, either.
“He’s a tremendous safety,” Holloway said. “Make no bones about it, when we’ve got No. 7 back there, we’ve got a chance.”
Boyd declared ineligible, OSSAA to investigate further
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
NOTE: This blog has been updated at several points during the day.
Not only is Norman junior basketball player Terrence Boyd ineligible to play this season, but his amateur status is now under investigation as well, the state athletic association ruled Tuesday.
The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association Board of Directors denied Boyd’s final hardship appeal during a Tuesday morning meeting. During that meeting – an executive session closed to the public – unexpected information came to light that raised a question about Boyd’s amateur status, OSSAA attorney Mark Grossman said. After hearing the information, the board directed OSSAA staff to further investigate Boyd’s amateur standing, OSSAA chairman Danny Rennels said.
“It wasn’t something that was anticipated. No question had been raised before,” Grossman said. “Everybody felt it needed further investigation. We want to get the facts before rumors start flying around.”
Boyd, a 6-5, 225-pound junior and three-star recruit on Rivals.com, needed a hardship waiver to play at
Norman this season because he established eligibility at Oak Hill Academy (Va.) in 2006.
Boyd presented his case Tuesday with his mom, Darla Bell, and a Norman school official. Both Boyd and his mother were visibly upset after the decision — Boyd leaving the meeting with tears running down his face.
Boyd has said before that he would like to play at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., if the appeal was denied. Grossman, however, said the family indicated before the meeting that Terrence intended to stay in Norman.
“After the decision, they did not indicate anything different,” Grossman said.
While the hardship decision was final, Rennels said the OSSAA would reconsider the case if new information came to light in Boyd’s favor.
As a freshman at Norman, Boyd averaged 16.5 points and 9.2 rebounds. He played his sophomore season at Oak Hill.
Carney blasts way into first softball regionals
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
Carney head softball coach Kendra Barnes wasn’t sure what was more amazing – her team of just nine players winning districts for the first time ever, or the way in which it was done.
Last weekend, it was probably both.
In an astounding series of high-scoring contests, the Bulldogs won their Class B district over Paden and Mason. In five games spanning two days, 170 total runs were scored, the most coming in a 28-26 Paden victory over Carney in the first game Friday. In the four games they played, the Bulldogs averaged 18.5 runs and failed to score in only one out of 27 innings.
“It was one of those deals where the teams were scoring six or seven runs each inning,” said Barnes, in her first year as the Carney coach. “That was scary, coming into an inning knowing that you had to score a bunch of runs just to keep up. It was a lot of fun, though. It was better than sitting there walking runs in. They were hitting all over the place.”
After losing to Paden, Carney had to win two straight to advance. After winning the first contest 15-10, they took the second by a seemingly pedestrian tally of 15-7 – the lowest combined score of the tournament.
“We were really pumped going in, but then we got beat on Friday,” Barnes said. “We had to battle back, suck it up and play ball. When it was win or go home, we buckled down and won it. It was absolutely amazing.”
Even more amazing considering the Bulldogs team consists of just five seniors, one junior, two sophomores and one freshman – nine in total. With nary a winning season in school history, Carney is now 14-7 and will play at Red Oak in the regional tournament Thursday.
“When we started the season, we didn’t even know that we were going to have enough to play. Four weeks ago, I didn’t know if we were going to have enough to finish the season,” Barnes said. “Now, we’re pretty excited.”
Other interesting tidbits from the scoring barrage at Carney:
- In Carney’s 28-26 loss to Paden, the Bulldogs’ Robin O’Donnell scored in all seven at-bats, and hit two inside-the-park home runs. Teammate Haley Evans also had an inside-the-park home run in the game.
- As is the case with many small schools, Carney had to rely heavily on just one pitcher during the tournament. Rebeca Scott pitched 18 out of 20 innings on Friday, and while she gave up plenty of runs, she also notched 17 strikeouts in the process.
Rush Springs not perfect … but not far away, either
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
Through four games this year, Class A’s No. 4-ranked Rush Springs has given up a total of one touchdown and outscored its opponents 119-7, notching three shutouts. While that may appear to be about as close to perfection as a team can get, head coach Barry Foster disagrees.
“We’re a good team, and we’re playing pretty well, but we’re not anywhere near where we want to be yet,” Foster said.
Oddly enough, the Redskins have struggled mightily at extra points, and have also had problems forcing turnovers, Foster said.
“It would be easier to count how many we’ve made,” Foster said when asked how many extra points his team has missed. “We’ve just been horrible at that.”
Even that problem appears to be close to fixed, however. After trying several guys as the extra-point kicker, Foster has settled on junior Jeremy Sweat, who hit three out of five attempts Friday night. The other weakness may be in the past, as well. Friday night, Rush Springs notched its first interception of the season, running a pick back for a touchdown.
So while he knows his senior-loaded team can get better, even Foster has to admit that his squad is on a roll.
“We knew we had a chance (to be good),” Foster said. “We take a lot of pride in our defense – we have for years – and we’re just playing pretty well.”
Anadarko back on the winning track
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
The last decade or so hasn’t been kind to the Anadarko football team. The Warriors haven’t finished above .500 since 1994. In head coach Kent Jackson’s first three years after hiring on in 2004, the Warriors won only five games total.
The 2007 Warriors, however, look well on their way to bucking that trend. In Week 3, Anadarko beat Chickasha for the first time since 1994. Friday in a 33-14 road win, the Warriors defeated Elk City for the first time since 1992 and moved to 3-1.
“It was a huge road win for us against a ranked opponent,” Jackson said. “It was a game that we had to win if we want to get into the playoffs.”
Even the Warriors lone defeat was nearly a victory. Anadarko hung tough until the end against Cache in Week 1, losing 21-18 in a hard-fought battle.
So what spurred the sudden resurgence? Well, with 18 returning starters, the Warriors are experienced and confident … and showing that their No. 7 preseason district ranking may have been just a bit off.
“Our confidence is way up,” Jackson said. “The thing that sets us apart from the previous years is that we play through adversity. In the past we used to roll over and let the bad things keep coming. This year we play through the tough times and keep improving.”
The quick-learning of Isreal Williams hasn’t hurt, either. Despite all of the returning starters, the Warriors were lacking at one key area coming into the season – quarterback. Enter Williams, who switched over from running back to take the reigns.
In only his third game as the signal caller, Williams rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and was 7-of-14 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns Friday night.
“He is getting better every week,” Jackson said. “He is making great cuts and helping us win ball games.”
If the Warriors want to finish at .500 or above for the first time in 13 years, they’ll need two more wins. If they want to make the playoffs (also for the first time in 13 years), they’ll likely need more than that. Glancing ahead at their schedule, Anadarko definitely has a shot. Although they will have to face tough opponents in Bishop McGuinness, Douglass and Weatherford, the Warriors also have contests remaining against Piedmont, Northeast and Guymon. While the latter three games are definitely winnable (and Anadarko could be the favorite in all of them), they’re still going to have to keep overcoming history to do so. Friday, the Warriors will start with Piedmont – a team they’ve never beaten in school history. Anadarko is 0-3 all-time against the Wildcats.
“It will take a big effort on our part,” Jackson said. “Piedmont has been a good football program and they really know how to win.”
- Ray Martin contributed to this blog
Zach’s Week 4 “Top 10″ picks
By Zach West
zwest@oklahoman.com
Due to the large amount of games played on Thursday night (I still can’t come up with a rational reason why OU and Tulsa are playing on a Friday night, by the way), the ’Top 10′ is more along the lines of a Top 6. Oh well, I guess that’s less chances to mess up a pick.
Ringwood over Deer Creek-Lamont
Foyil over Woodland
Sulphur over Plainview
Shawnee over Durant
Midwest City over Yukon LOCK
Western Heights over Ardmore UPSET
