The pole vault competition at the Meet of Champions lasted so long Tuesday night that cars had to be brought in to shine extra light on the pit. Photo by Scott Wright, The Oklahoman

 Purcell senior Katy Whitekiller had pole vaulted over 12 feet before. But never in the dark.

So, considering she had already sealed up the gold medal at the Meet of Champions with an earlier vault of 11 feet, Whitekiller wasn’t too disappointed that she missed all three attempts at 12 feet, 1/2 inch, Tuesday night at Yukon High School.

Whitekiller and several other competitors made their final jumps in the dark, with cars parked on each side of the lane to shine extra light on the pit.

A few things led to the odd finish of the girls pole vault at the Meet of Champions. First — something that might be a sign of the growing popularity of the event — 26 boys entered the pole vault competition, which was held before the girls’ portion of the event. The boys started jumping at 5 p.m., but the competition lasted well into the evening, and pushed back the start of the girls’ vault.

Second, the wind was blowing out of the south. Had it been a north wind, the vaulting pit would have been at the opposite end of the lane, almost directly under one of the stadium’s light poles, and thus, it would have had better lighting.

But to allow the vaulters to run with the wind at their backs, the pit was on the north end of the lane, which is in a far corner of the stadium, behind a set of bleachers. So the stadium lights didn’t reach that area as well.

Whitekiller, who will vault at Southeastern Louisiana University next year, finally claimed her gold medal at about 10 p.m. She said it wasn’t the first time she had vaulted with the aid of car headlights.

“I did it once before in practice,” she said. “I was using a new pole, and I was determined to get it done, so my coach had to pull up and turn his lights on for me.

“I think it got to a couple of the girls tonight, but you just had to stay focused and not let it bother you.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Phillips was bitten twice on the calf during the second round of the Class 6A east regional tournament Monday at Emerald Falls in Broken Arrow.

“When it bit him the second time, he looked down and it was still on his leg, so he yanked it off and threw it,” Enid athletic coordinator Steve Chard said. “He didn’t show any of the usual symptoms until late that night. He got pretty sick and his leg was red and swollen, so they gave him two or three doses of anti-venom.”

Multiple bites from a copperhead at one time can be extremely dangerous, though generally not fatal. Chard said Phillips was significantly improved when he got out of the hospital Wednesday.

Several players and coaches, including those from Bixby, Jenks and other schools, called or visited Phillips in the hospital.

Former Santa Fe star Aaron Anderson is returning to Edmond to play at Central Oklahoma after spending his freshman season at Fresno State.

Central Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Terry Evans mined the local ranks for a strong 2013 signing class that includes a couple of players making their return to Oklahoma after some time away.

One of those is former Putnam City standout Garen Wright, who hasn’t played basketball since graduating from high school in 2009. The 6-foot-4 athlete was drafted by the Houston Astros and played professional baseball for three seasons.

Former Edmond Santa Fe star Aaron Anderson is coming home after playing his freshman season at Fresno State. He averaged 15 minutes per game and got 12 starts for the Bulldogs as a true freshman.

The Bronchos signed one of the state’s top scorers, Jacob Richardson of Porter, who averaged 32.2 points as a senior.

Midwest City product Jarrod McDaniel is returning to the team at UCO, and the team signed three junior-college prospects.

In addition to Texas native Phillip Brown of Northern-Enid, Evans signed a pair of local products in Southeast’s Trai Jordan, out of Murray State, and El Reno’s Devante Moore from Connors State, an Oklahoman Super 5 selection in 2011.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Stephen Clark of Douglass is The Oklahoman’s pick for Super 5 Player of the Year. See all of The Oklahoman’s Super 5 and All-State teams in Sunday’s newspapers and at NewsOK.com/Sports.

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The Oklahoman’s postseason basketball honors will be revealed beginning Sunday and running through April 14, but here’s your chance to weigh in. Each day, we’ll present a poll for fans to vote on their choice for Player of the Year in all the different categories — Little All-City, Big All-City and Super 5, each for boys and girls.

It began on Tuesday with the Little All-City boys fan poll, and continues today with the boys Super 5 All-State Player of the Year. Cast your vote for one of the players below, or write in your own in the “Other” box. The poll will close at 2 p.m. Friday, when the fans’ choice for Super 5 Player of the Year will be determined. The Oklahoman staff will also reveal its choice on the Varsity blog and on NewsOK.com/sports.

Here are your choices:
Stephen Clark, Douglass: The reigning Super 5 Player of the Year, Clark averaged 36 points and 12 assists to lead Douglass to its fourth title, and he surpassed the 3,000-point mark for his career.

Jaylen Lowe, Owasso: Lowe averaged 20 points a game, and kept the rest of the Rams’ offense involved as well, leading them to the state semifinals in their first tourney appearance since 2005.

Shaquille Morris, Edmond Memorial: The 6-foot-7 Wichita State signee was a double-double machine, finishing with nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game as the Bulldogs won state for the second time in three years.

Jordan Woodard, Edmond Memorial: An Oklahoma signee, Woodard fought off a lingering hamstring injury to average 17 points and six assists per game for the state champion Bulldogs.

Seth Youngblood, Roland: Youngblood poured in 25.5 points per game, fighting off constant attention from opposing defenses, while leading the Rangers to the Class 4A state title game in an epic showdown with Douglass.

Edmond Memorial big man Shaquille Morris was announced as The Oklahoman staff’s pick as Big All-City Player of the Year. We will have a story posted online shortly. Thanks to all of you who voted in the poll.

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The Oklahoman’s postseason basketball honors will be revealed beginning Sunday and running through April 14, but here’s your chance to weigh in. Each day, we’ll present a poll for fans to vote on their choice for Player of the Year in all the different categories — Little All-City, Big All-City and Super 5, each for boys and girls.

It began on Tuesday with the Little All-City boys fan poll, and continues today with the Big All-City boys. Cast your vote for one of the players below, or write in your own in the “Other” box. The poll will close at 11 a.m. Thursday, when the fans’ choice for Big All-City Player of the Year will be determined. The Oklahoman staff will also reveal its choice on the Varsity blog and on NewsOK.com/sports.

Here are your choices:
Carlbe Ervin, Edmond North: Ervin averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists in helping the turnaround at Edmond North, which went 15-11 and came up just short of reaching the state tournament.

Shaquille Morris, Edmond Memorial: The 6-foot-7 Wichita State signee was a double-double machine, finishing with nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game as the Bulldogs won state for the second time in three years.

Cornell Neal, Midwest City: Anchored a small but tough Midwest City lineup with 14.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.5 steals per game as the Bombers reached the state finals and garnered a national ranking during the season.

Rashawn Thomas, Southeast: A lanky 6-foot-7 senior, Thomas finished with 22.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game to lead Southeast back to state for the first time since 2008.

Jordan Woodard, Edmond Memorial: An Oklahoma signee, Woodard fought off a lingering hamstring injury to average 17 points and six assists per game for the state champion Bulldogs.

Large West
Jerrick Warren, Guthrie; Stephen Clark, Douglass; Bryce Beckett, Lawton MacArthur; E.J. Golightly, Chickasha; Jordan Woodard, Edmond Memorial; Tevin Foster, Lawton; Rashawn Thomas, Southeast; Galen Satoe, Anadarko; David Bush, Putnam City; Cornell Neal, Midwest City.
Coaches: Lonnie Nunley, Cache; Ryan Wagner, Piedmont

Large East
Seth Youngblood, Roland; Julio Hukill, Tecumseh; Jakob Hartsock, Bartlesville; Jaylen Lowe, Owasso; Don Simmons, Tulsa Edison; Zach Norris, Coweta; Juwan Parker, Tulsa Washington; Rico Thompson, Stillwater; Jordan Huffman, Broken Arrow; Delvan Lucas, Tulsa Central.
Coaches: Rick Johnson, Bartlesville; Scott Norris, Coweta

Small West
Branson Daugherty, Merritt; Deric Shelton, Plainview; Jake Regier, Forgan; Trevyn Woolbright, Sterling; Tony Aska, Coyle; Seth Overstreet, Laverne; Tyler Stafford, Cyril; Eric Harris, Coyle; Dallen Mercer, Velma-Alma; John Moon, Crescent.
Coaches: Eric Norton, Walters; Clint York, Lexington

Small East
Jeylyn Sharpe, Ketchum; Evan Anderson, Dale; Stoney Newton, Okemah; Kagen Castlebury, Glencoe; Zac Self, Varnum; Trent Storts, Latta; Jeremiah Winney, Weleetka; Jason Couch, Chouteau-Mazie; Jacob Richardson, Porter; Brady Bradbury, Adair.
Coaches: Brett Thomas, Weleetka; Mitchell Brown, Smithville

On Wednesday afternoon, The Oklahoman announced its winner of the Little All-City Player of the Year award, Douglass point guard and Oklahoma State signee Stephen Clark. Check back soon for more details on our selection.

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The Oklahoman’s postseason basketball honors will be revealed beginning Sunday and running through April 14, but here’s your chance to weigh in. Each day, we’ll present a poll for fans to vote on their choice for Player of the Year in all the different categories — Little All-City, Big All-City and Super 5, each for boys and girls.

It begins today with Little All-City boys fan poll. Cast your vote for one of the players below, or write in your own in the “Other” box. The poll will close at 11 a.m. Wednesday, when the fans’ choice for Little All-City Player of the Year will be determined. The Oklahoman staff will also reveal its choice on the Varsity blog and on NewsOK.com/sports.

Here are your choices:
Tony Aska, Coyle: The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 19.6 points and 12.6 rebounds while blocking 109 shots in leading Coyle to the Class B state finals.

Stephen Clark, Douglass: The Oklahoma State signee posted 36 points and 12 assists per game to carry the Trojans to their fourth state title in a row.

Chauncey Collins, OKC Storm: The 6-foot-1 junior guard averaged better than 23 points and was named MVP of the national homeschool tournament, which the Storm won.

Ashford Golden, Millwood: The 6-foot-4 junior played a central role in the Falcons’ balanced attack, and he provided several key plays in their state title run.

Collin Jennings, Harrah: A 6-foot-4 junior guard, Jennings averaged 17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game in helping the Panthers back to the state tournament for the first time since 2008.

On Wednesday, the OSSAA board of directors approved the ballots that will be sent to the schools for the vote. Though the actual ballots are far more lengthy, and full of legal language, here’s a basic breakdown of the two plans. There is not an option on the ballot to keep 6A football as it is.

Plan I

1. Class 6A will include the 32 largest football playing schools according to ADM.

2. Class 6A will be divided into two divisions.

3. Division I will consist of the largest 16 football playing schools.

4. Division II will consist of the next largest 16 football playing schools.

5. Each division will consist of two eight-team districts.

6. The top four finishers from each district will advance to the playoffs.

7. The playoffs will consist of eight schools from each division.

8. One champion will be determined from each division.

Plan II

1. Class 6A will include the 32 largest football playing schools according to ADM.

2. Class 6A will consist of four eight-team districts.

3. Each school is to play the other schools in the assigned district.

4. Each district will be divided into two divisions, four schools from Division I and four schools from Division II.

5. Division I schools will come from the largest 16 football playing schools according to ADM.

6. Division II schools will come from the next largest 16 football playing schools according to ADM.

7. The top two finishers in each district division will advance to the playoffs (Only games within a team’s district division will count for playoff advancement.).

8. The playoffs will consist of a total of eight schools from Division I and eight schools from Division II.

9. One champion will be determined from each division.

2A girls at State Fair Friday and Saturday

Boys
At Oklahoma City University
Thursday
Latta vs. Talihina, 2 p.m.
Ketchum vs. Chouteau, 3:30 p.m.
Thomas vs. Merritt, 7 p.m.
Haworth vs. Konawa, 8:30 p.m.

-2A boys at OCU Friday, State Fair Saturday

Class 3A
Girls
Thursday at State Fair Arena
Millwood vs. Verdigris, 2 p.m.
Hugo vs. Perkins-Tryon, 3:30 p.m.
Sulphur vs. Lindsay, 7 p.m.
Sequoyah-Tahlequah vs. Adair, 8:30 p.m.

-At State Fair Friday and Saturday

Boys
At Yukon
Sperry vs. Sequoyah-Tahlequah, 2 p.m.
Okemah vs. Crooked Oak, 3:30 p.m.
Hugo vs. Millwood, 7 p.m.
Verdigris vs. Centennial, 8:30 p.m.

-At State Fair Friday and Saturday

Class 4A
Girls
Thursday
At Southern Nazarene
Harrah vs. Cushing, 2 p.m.
Weatherford vs. Fort Gibson, 3:30 p.m.
Anadarko vs. Vinita, 7 p.m.
Mount St. Mary vs. Byng, 8:30 p.m.

-At SNU Friday, State Fair Saturday

Boys
Thursday
At Choctaw
Tulsa McLain vs. Anadarko, 2 p.m.
Muldrow vs. Douglass, 3:30 p.m.
Victory Christian vs. Harrah, 7 p.m.
Roland vs. Tulsa Webster, 8:30 p.m.

-At State Fair Friday and Saturday

Here are the schedules:

Class B
Boys
At State Fair Arena
Thursday
Moyers vs. Big Pasture, 2 p.m.
*Arnett vs. Burlington -OR- Mulhall-Orlando, 3:30 p.m.
Fargo vs. Red Oak, 7 p.m.
Coyle vs. Forgan, 8:30 p.m.

Friday
Moyers/Big Pasture winner vs. Arnett/Burlington/Mulhall-Orlando winner, 9 a.m.
Fargo/Red Oak winner vs. Coyle/Forgan winner, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 7:15 p.m.

Girls
At Carl Albert
Thursday
Timberlake vs. Erick, 2 p.m.
Shattuck vs. Red Oak, 3:30 p.m.
Lomega vs. Leedey, 7 p.m.
Hammon vs. Deer Creek-Lamont, 8:30 p.m.

Friday
At State Fair
Timberlake/Erick winner vs. Shattuck/Red Oak winner, 10:30 a.m.
Lomega/Leedey vs. Hammon/Deer Creek-Lamont winner, 6 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, noon

*-The Burlington/Mulhall-Orlando boys area tournament game has been postponed until 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center in Enid, weather-permitting.

Class A
Boys
At Southern Nazarene
Thursday
Fort Cobb-Broxton vs. Velma-Alma, 2 p.m.
Cheyenne-Reydon vs. Glencoe, 3:30 p.m.
Wright City vs. Sterling, 7 p.m.
Weleetka vs. Laverne, 8:30 p.m.

Friday
At State Fair
Cheyenne-Reydon/Glencoe winner vs. Wright City/Sterling winner, noon
Fort Cobb-Broxton/Velma-Alma winner vs. Weleetka/Laverne winner, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 1:45 p.m.

Girls
At Oklahoma City University
Thursday
Okarche vs. Sterling, 2 p.m.
Frontier vs. Turner, 3:30 p.m.
Fort Cobb-Broxton vs. Kiowa, 7 p.m.
Cheyenne-Reydon vs. Pond Creek-Hunter, 8:30 p.m.

Friday
At State Fair
Okarche/Sterling winner vs. Frontier/Turner winner, 4:30 p.m.
Fort Cobb-Broxton/Kiowa winner vs. Cheyenne-Reydon/Pond Creek-Hunter winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

In addition to the OKC Storm boys and girls teams, the event will also include Sunrise Christian from Wichita, Kan., which is led by Oklahoma commit Jacob Hammond. A 6-foot-10 junior forward, Hammond played last season for the Storm.

Prime Prep Academy, the Dallas-area school started by NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, will participate as well. Both Prime Prep and Sunrise are ranked in most national polls.

Other teams participating include Planet Academy from Phoenix, Word of Life boys and girls from Wichita, God’s Academy boys and girls from Dallas and the St. Louis Patriettes girls team.

Friday’s games will begin at noon, with the first game Saturday to tip off at 9 a.m.

Here is the full Storm Festival Schedule

Friday
Noon: OKC Storm vs Word of Life
1:15 p.m.: OKC Storm Girls vs Word of Life Girls
2:45 p.m.: Sunrise Christian vs Planet Academy
4:15 p.m.: Gods Academy vs Prime Prep
5:45 p.m.: St Louis vs God’s Academy Girls
7 p.m.: OKC Storm vs Planet Academy
8:30 p.m.: Prime Prep vs Sunrise Christian Black

Saturday
9 a.m.: St Louis vs OKC Storm Girls
10:15 a.m.: Word of Life vs God’s Academy
11:30 a.m.: OKC Storm vs Sunrise Christian Black
1 p.m.: St Louis vs Word of Life Girls
2:30 p.m.: Planet Academy vs God’s Academy
4 p.m.: Sunrise Christain vs Prime Prep

This rendering from MA+ Architecture, which is handling the renovation projects at Taft and Speegle stadiums, shows a view from the outside of Taft Stadium after the renovations are completed. The project is slated to begin in May.

On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City community will get the chance to learn about the details and see the final design of the nearly $9.7 million renovation to historic Taft Stadium that will begin in May.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Northwest Classen High School auditorium, located at 2801 NW 27th St. in Oklahoma City.

The meeting is open to students, parents and other community members who wish to learn about the project, which is being paid for by a 2007 district-wide bond issue and other Oklahoma City Public Schools funds.

Taft Stadium, built in 1934, currently hosts football games for Northwest Classen and John Marshall football games, as well as those for multiple OKCPS middle schools. In the past, it hosted everything from All-State games to stock-car races.

The meeting is being coordinated by MA+ Architecture, the firm handling the renovation, as well as the MAPS trust project office. Money from the 2007 bond issue is being managed by MAPS.

OKC’s Speegle Stadium is undergoing a similar renovation, and John Marshall is in the process of building a new stadium on its campus, meaning OKCPS will greatly improve the quality of its stadiums for football, soccer and track in the next year.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Tuesday’s snowstorm wiped out a lot of good basketball games, but Friday’s schedule is packed, too, and we’re giving the fans the chance to pick which matchup The Oklahoman high school sports staff should cover.

The final week of the regular season for the big schools includes several rivalry games around the metro area, while Class 4A and below are in the playoffs already, creating some unique matchups to pick from for the Fans’ Choice Game of the Week.

Fans can vote in the poll now in the poll below. We will have a reporter and photographer at the girls and boys games between the two schools chosen. The poll will close at 4 p.m. Thursday, and game coverage will be included in Saturday’s Oklahoman.

Below is the poll for the Fans’ Choice Game of the Week. We will have a reporter and photographer at the girls and boys game between the two schools chosen. The poll below will close at 4 p.m. Thursday, and game coverage will be included in Saturday’s Oklahoman.

Cast your vote now.

A proposal developed by the rules committee of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association was voted down by the board of directors in December and sent back to the committee for further discussion.

However, a large group of 6A coaches and administrators decided be proactive in developing their own proposal to take to the OSSAA, rather than sitting back to see what happened.

One of the most popular ideas being discussed at the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association clinic Friday and Saturday in Oklahoma City was modeled after Texas’ postseason format, which splits its largest class into two playoff brackets based on enrollment.

The idea would keep Class 6A as the largest 32 schools, and four teams from each district would qualify for the playoffs.

But instead of having one 16-team playoff, the postseason would be split into two divisions. The largest two playoff teams from each district would be put in Division 1 and the smallest in Division 2, making for two eight-team playoff brackets.

Coaches had also been discussing the same idea involving an increase of teams in Class 6A, up to 48 or even 64. And other ideas will be entertained as well.

The OSSAA board of directors meets Wednesday.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Coach of the Year: Jeff Myers, Kingfisher

MVP: Grant Newton, Kingfisher

Offensive Back of the Year: Kazhir Cooper, Bethel

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Mitch Henderson, Kingfisher

Tight End of the Year: Brandon Rakestraw, Newcastle

Receiver of the Year: Chedon Shockley, Heritage Hall

H-Back of the Year: Jake Blair, Kingfisher

Kicker of the Year: Jonathon Avila, Kingfisher

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Trent Saunders, Heritage Hall; Justin Coryell, Newcastle

Lineman of the Year: Colt Lack, Kingfisher

Defensive End of the Year: Cole Cameron, Kingfisher

Linebacker of the Year: Tyler Shepherd, Kingfisher

Defensive Back of the Year: Thomas Scott, Bethel

Return Specialist of the Year: Jared Hendrix, Kingfisher

Special Recognition: J.T. Ketch, Bethel

District Coach of the Year: Joe Medina, Cascia Hall

Player of the Year: Jake Gandara, Ft. Gibson; Abrm McQuarters, Cascia Hall

Offensive Player of the Year: Ben Oberste, Sallisaw; Colton Keith, Muldrow

Defensive Player of the Year: Tate Swab, Cascia Hall

Special Teams Player of the Year: Hunter Neal, Broken Bow; Jay Werner, Broken Bow

All-District Offense

Quarterback: Dawson Floyd, Muldrow

Running Back: Jerry Crudup, Broken Bow; Broc Smith, Cascia Hall; Jerrell Hawk, Stillwell

Receiver: Tad Jackson, Muldrow; Ledger Newman, Broken Bow

Tight End: Ned Adair, Ft. Gibson; Colter Cunningham, Broken Bow

Offensive Linemen: Brett Asher, Cascia Hall; Derrick Johnson, Sallisaw; Trevor Shankle, Poteau; Dalton Julian, Broken Bow; Ryan Nigh, Cascia Hall

All-District Defense

Defensive Back: Steven Harris, Broken Bow; Austin Catron, Stillwell

Inside Linebacker: Devin Herriman, Sallisaw; Charles Cook, Cascia Hall; Kelly Anderson, Broken Bow

Outside Linebacker: Logan Coatney, Muldrow

Interior Defensive Linemen: Andrew Berstel, Ft. Gibson; Will Payne, Cascia Hall

Defensive End: Parker A’Neal, Cascia Hall; Brian West, Muldrow

All-District Special Teams:

Kicker: Dillan Treat, Muldrow

Kick Returner: Ernie McKee, Cascia Hall

All-District Meritorious

Turner Chesbro, Cascia Hall; Kyle Coatney, Muldrow; Lane Johnson, Stillwell

All-District Team

Broken Bow: Zack Wallis

Cascia Hall: Paul Davis, Noah Harris, Colton-Horton Chavez, Dominic Kenneally, McLean Maybrey, Ted Martin, Conner Nelson, Philipp Piplets

Ft. Gibson: Seth Taylor, Jake Farmer, Stoney Tipton

Muldrow: Zac Moore, T.J. Cleland, Alden Butler, Colton Hill, Greg Silva, Issac Vest

Poteau: Blake Johnson, Tyler Tustin, Dylan Gregory, Michael Reynolds, Derek Francis, Zack Hall, Logan Hildebrand, Troy Barnett, Devin Thompson

Tulsa Rogers: LaQurious Taft, A.J. Lewis

Sallisaw: John Sanders, Ethan Gladd, Tyler Morris, Derrick Johnson, Preston Lynch, J.J. Hamilton, Heath Carr, Sean Dodson, Caleb Cluck, Matt Dunlap, Drew Fullbright, Jasper Geier

Stillwell: Jalen Scraper, Brandon Vann, Jack Hudgins, Jacoda Williams

Players of the Year: Wyatt Robson, Ada; Christopher High, Douglass

Offensive Player of the Year: Easton Pingleton, Ada

Defensive Player of the Year: Terry Harris, Douglass

Special Teams Player of the Year: Dakota Jordan, McLoud

Receivers of the Year: John Stout, Ada; Tanner Rickey, Tecumseh; Zaylon Mahtaeene, McLoud

Offensive Linemen of the Year: Brad Wolf, Tecumseh; Cade Stanford, Ada; Rodrigo Saldago, Santa Fe South

Quarterback of the Year: Colton Owen, Tecumseh

Offensive Back of the Year: Mason Girdley, Ada; Chavez Wyatt, Douglass; Julian Tramble, Tecumseh

Tight End of the Year: Kyle Abbott, McLoud

Defensive Ends of the Year: Cody Johnson, Ada; Brandon Givens, McLoud; Jordan Colvin, Tecumseh

Defensive Tackles of the Year: Curtis Hurst, Harrah; Lee Frazier, Douglass

Inside Linebacker of the Year: Nathan Clark, McLoud; Dalton Thompson, Ada

Outside Linebacker of the Year: D’Angelo Dunn, Ada; Gage Trahan, Tecumseh

Safety of the Year: Clayton Adams, McLoud

Cornerback of the Year: Anthony Williams, Douglass

Kicker of the Year: Lorenzo Zuniga, Douglass

Special Recognition: Jake Welt, Harrah; Kyle Price, Glenpool

Coach of the Year: Eric Cardin, McLoud

All-District Team

Ada: Andrew Leach, Dakota Blackwell, Bradley Read, Ryan Billy, Ryan Covington, Jordan Bailey.

Douglass: Glenn Banks, Angelo Jones, Dior Smiley, Trevon Threatt

Glenpool: Patrick O’Toole, Cade Bridge, Jacob Ramos, Andre Seymore, D.J. Womack, Zachary Manley, Sterling Ford, Garrett McGowen, Lincoln Brown, Chris Alverson.

Harrah: Austin Jennings, Caleb Freeman, Seth Fields, Britian Hill, Jesse Crawford.

Mannford: Cale Smith, Seth Garner, Kyle Kacklemeyer.

McLoud: Jason Barnett, Tyler York, Austin Carroll, Dylan Higgins.

Santa Fe South: Angel Madrano, Veto Lopez.

Tecumseh: Michael Anthony, Josh Pope, Ryan Smothermon, Nick Causey.

MVP: Bryan Dutton, Guthrie

Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Cody Chancellor, McGuinness; Joel Blumenthal, Deer Creek

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Nick Jeffreys, McGuinness; Austin Loomis, Deer Creek

Co-Iron Man of the Year: Danny Krenger, McGuinness; Caleb Toney, Carl Albert

Lineman of the Year: David Love, McGuinness

First Team Offense

RB: Brennan Miyake, Deer Creek; Garrett Asher, Carl Albert; Lorenzo Alexander, Northwest Classen.

WR: Bryan Williams, Carl Albert; Jared Rayburn, Deer Creek

TE: Richard Brothers, Guthrie

OL: Evan Plagg, Guthrie; Cory McCalister, Carl Albert; Brandon Wackerly, Deer Creek; Caleb Holland, Carl Albert; Carlos Torres, El Reno.

Second Team Offense

QB: Will Harjo, McGuinness.

RB: Donnie Everheart, El Reno.

WR: Jarvis Moore, Guthrie; Kale Jackson, Deer Creek; Cody Reihs, Guthrie.

TE: Isaiah Beverly, Northwest Classen; Josh Robinson, El Reno.

OL: Sam Marino, McGuinness; Terrance Lowery, Northwest Classen; Jack Dyer, El Reno; Tyler Gilland, Deer Creek.

First Team Defense

DL: Tyler Follis, Deer Creek; Kyler Walker, Carl Albert.

LB: Kooper Ruminer, Deer Creek; Vincent Norris, Guthrie; Vincent Norris, Guthrie; Chad Draper, Deer Creek; Beau Bradshaw; Carl Albert.

DB: J.T. McFadden, Guthrie; Ottugo Ananaba, Deer Creek; Austin Hopfer, McGuinness; Bradley Fritch, McGuinness, Chevin Noone, Carl Albert; Corbin Richardson, Northwest Classen.

Second Team Defense

DL: Cameron Murphy, El Reno; Arthur Rico, Guymon.

LB: Brady Lobue, Deer Creek; Terrance Bias, Northwest Classen; Hunter Freeman, El Reno; Alex Skelton, McGuinness.

DB: Colby Martin, Guymon; Blake Owens, El Reno.

Special Teams

Kicker: Erik Verdoza, Northwest Classen.

Punter: Austin Smotherman, Deer Creek.

Coach of the Year: Nick Warehime, Del City

Player of the Year: Corey Lawrence, Del City

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Derek McKnight, Duncan; Jacob Lamb, Del City

Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Darius Graham, Lawton MacArthur; Diquon Woodhouse, Altus

Co-Defensive Linemen of the Year: Jacoby Brown, Chickasha; Elijah Clay, Ardmore

Offensive lineman of the Year: Jake Warehime, Del City

Co-Defensive Backs of the Year: Markice McCane, Del City; Jeff Surrell, Ardmore

Offensive Back of the Year: John McBride, Del City

Co-Linebackers of the Year: Jake Smith, Lawton MacArthur; Cedric Jamison, Altus

Tight End of the Year: Tavon Cramer, Southeast

Co-Receivers of the Year: Shaq Oliver, Chickasha; Miguel Rosario, Lawton MacArthur

Special Teams Players of the Year: Michael Perez, Altus; Jack Braught, Duncan

All-District Defense

Ends: Derek Block, Lawton MacArthur; Terry Love, Del City; Davonte’ Owens, Capitol Hill

Tackles: Caleb Longest, Duncan; Bobby Martinez, Altus; Cameron McGill, Duncan

Linebackers: Ray Douglass, Southeast; Patrick Carnes, Altus; Cody Merrill, Duncan; Gabe De Luna, Del City

Defensive Backs: Deshawn Young, Chickasha; Adrian Gaines, Lawton MacArthur; Anthony Burris, Lawton MacArthur; Bryson Parker, Del City; Shawn Epps, Del City; Dylan Becks, Capitol Hill; Ryan Haley, Duncan

Specialty: Davy’aun Thomas, Lawton MacArthur; Ryan Mosley, Chickasha

All-District Offense

Quarterbacks: Ricky McCarty, Lawton MacArthur; Micah Hunter, Southeast

Running Backs: Zachary Guess, Southeast; Brantley Ford, Altus

Receivers: Ricardo DeLuna, Southeast; Keilan Torres, Altus; Andrew Peercy, Duncan; Nico Maldonado, Altus

Linemen: Bryan Bradburry, Duncan; Steven Smith, Southeast; Braxton Whatley, Ardmore; Eduardo Carrasco, Capitol Hill; DeShawn Craft, Del City; Dylan Williams, Del City; Darrius Hart, Del City

Punter: Hunter Hixon, Lawton MacArthur

Kicker: David Ureste, Del City

If you have other All-District teams, please email them to raber@opubco.com and swright@opubco.com.

Coach of the Year: Lance Manning, Edmond Santa Fe

MVP: Phillip Sumpter, Edmond Santa Fe

Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Tre Edwards, Southmoore; Zach Long, Norman

Co-Offensive Linemen of the Year: Ryne Yost, Lawton; Zac Uhles, Norman

Running Back of the Year: Karltrell Henderson, Southmoore

Wide Receiver of the Year: Trevan Smith, Edmond Santa Fe

Defensive Player of the Year: Terrance Bonner, Southmoore

Defensive Lineman of the Year: Ben Scott, Lawton

Linebacker of the Year: Blake Dean, Norman

Defensive Back of the Year: Nick Ward, Southmoore

All-District Team Members

Choctaw: Cote Barber, WR; J.R. Coughran, FB; Jacob Cox, DL; Brandon Golden, DL; Scott Collison, DL; Caleb Brinlee, TE.

Edmond Memorial: Sam Kreutzer, S; Evan Helker, P; Tyron Lawson, DB; Jacob Jordan, DL; Lucas Gerdes, OL.

Edmond Santa Fe: Phillip Sumpter, LB; Trevan Smith, WR; Khari Harding, DB; Alvin Bazley, DL; Dale Jefferson, WR; Cornelius Fugett, WR; Carlos Washington, LB; Eric Davis, DB; Sam Jacobsen, LB; Dhaniel Bly, DB; Calvin Harkless, WR; Jason Ihekona, DL.

Lawton: Ben Scott, DL; Curtez Zachary, S; George Ankamah, S; Ryne Yost, OL; Travis Murt, OL; Will Hight, K; Tevin Foster, DB; Dajuan Wojciechowski, RB.

Mustang: Steven Fruit, DB; Jace Eplin, DB; Tucker Calmus, DE; Javon Gray, DL; Jared Chance, DL; Travis Mitchell, WR; Dakota Warrington, WR; Hunter Baskett, OL.

Norman: Zach Long, QB; Imond Robinson, RB; A’erion Hines, RB; Zach Uhles, OL; Blake Dean, LB; Patrick Murray, OL; Ayo Oyesanya, DL; Blake Hull, OL; Boston Lewis, DB; Tywon James, LB; Michael Beard, OLB.

Putnam City West: Ben Holley, OL; Adolfo Dearcos, OL; Keontre Bryant, FB; Michael Martinez, DL; Derian Frazier, DE.

Southmoore: Jackson Stallings, TE; Tre Edwards, QB; Nick Ward, DB; Johnathan Martin, WR; Terrance Bonner, LB; Karltrell Henderson, RB; Cody Earp, LB; Jake Spradling, OL; Tyler Painter, DB.

If you have other All-District teams, please send them to raber@opubco.com and swright@opubco.com.

Coach of the Year: Wade Standley, Norman North

MVP: Jordan Evans, Norman North

Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Gavras, Norman North

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Carlos Freeman, Midwest City

Running Back of the Year: A.J. West, Yukon

Co-Quarterbacks of the Year: John Robert Simon, P.C. North, Luke Hoskins, Edmond North

Co-Wide Receivers of the Year: Jake Higgibotham, Norman North, Codey Sanchez, Yukon

Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Brock Byford, Edmond North, Jaxon Uhles, Norman North

Co-Defensive Linemen of the Year: Evan Coles, Norman North, Kelly Wortham, Yukon

Linebacker of the Year: Beau Proctor, Norman North

Co-Defensive Backs of the Year: Cornell Neal, Midwest City, D.J. Hicks, Norman North

Special Teams Player of the Year: Derek Harris, Moore

Co-Kickers of the Year: Trevor Hunt, Moore, Redford Jones, Norman North

Team selections

Edmond North: Jackson Silver, TE; Sam Delzell, LB; Curtis Woods, DB; Dante Sanders, DB; Sam Brown, LB; Heath Newland, OL; Caleb Prough, OL; Brandon Garrett, OL; John Tygert, OL; Robert Secrest, WR; Jerech Page, ATH.

Lawton Eisenhower: Aaron Williams, OL; R.J. Newton, DB; Ricky Alexander; Dennis Pletcher, OL; Darius Squire, LB; Darius Brown, LB.

Midwest City: Cornell Neal, WR; Qualan Johnson, RB; Carlos Freeman, OL; Victor Sanders, DL; Zac Brannon, WR; Tyler Fuller, DB; Meli Brewer, LB.

Moore: Colin Webb, QB; Adelaja Grayson, DL; Ryan Diaz, OL; Keoni Walter, DB; Ethan Birdwell, OL; Corban Lawrence, WR; Tate Alvarez, LB.

Norman North: Bryan Payne, RB; Channing Meyer, WR; Keaton Haney, DB; D.J. Gasso, S; Zeke Burns, DL; Preston Couch, OL; Jack Davis, OL; Lavonte Doxey, LB; Justin Martin, DL; Corbin Cleveland, WR

Putnam City North: Tae Moore, RB; Roosevelt Turner, DB; Ruben Hunter , LB; Eric Sadler, DE; Matt Custard, OL; Larry Butler, WR; Ryan Hall, DL; Christian Glocke, OL.

U.S. Grant: Bobby Postoak, LB; Raul Moralez, OL.

Yukon: Brandon Andraszek, WR; Zane Nave, DB; Tyler Treadway, WR; Diego Duarte, LB; Blake Biggs, LB; Matt Bennett, DE; Chance Leggett, DB; Brooks McEntire, WR; Jacob Warr, DT; Jedidiah Hall, K.

Please send other All-District teams to raber@opubco.com and swright@opubco.com.

Three incredible performances that led to state championships are up for consideration on the fan poll, which is live at NewsOK.com/Varsity.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Wednesday and the results of the poll will appear in Thursday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Austin Brooks, Oklahoma Christian: Threw for 387 yards and five touchdowns, recovering from three early interceptions to lead OCS to its first state title in its sixth finals appearance, 44-41 over second-ranked Davis.

Jackson Dillon, Ringling: The 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior had 155 total yards, including 133 rushing and two touchdowns, while also causing havoc from his outside linebacker position in a 39-12 win over No. 1 Wynnewood.

Braden Stringer, Blanchard: The running back needed only nine carries to produce 101 yards — better than 11 yards per carry — and two touchdowns, including a 57-yarder that sealed the 28-21 win over No. 1 Kingfisher.

The 3A game between Kingfisher and Blanchard will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. It will air on Cox channel 3 and 703, which are only available to the state’s Cox Communications customers. The 3A game will also stream live online. The OSSAA will release the web address to the public once it is available.

Saturday’s doubleheader will be available to anyone who receives Fox Sports Oklahoma. Ringling faces Wynnewood in the Class A game at 1 p.m. and Davis takes on Oklahoma Christian in the 2A final at 7:30 p.m., both in Stillwater.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Does the Class 7A proposal impact the Jenks/Union football dominance?

The topic of a potential Class 7A in football will be discussed again by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Board of Directors on Wednesday.

The Board agenda includes an item for discussion “and possible action regarding the recommendations from the Constitution and Rules Review Committee.”

That committee made its recommendations on Class 7A among a variety of topics it sought to improve in the OSSAA constitution.

The recommendation made by the committee to the Board would divide the current 32 schools of Class 6A into two 16-team classes for football only.

The goal of the committee was to best address the fact that Jenks and Tulsa Union have won every Class 6A state championship since 1996.

“We want to see if this is a viable option to level the playing field a little more,” Yukon Superintendent Bill Denton said in November. Denton headed the committee and also serves on the Board.

The Board will discuss the issue, with the option to table it for further discussion, amend the plan, and potentially send it to the 32 Class 6A schools for a vote to approve it.

The earliest the new classes could be in place would be the 2014 football season, because the districts are already set for 2013.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

The 3A title game will kick off the weekend at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Stillwater before Saturday’s double-header.

The Class A final between Wynnewood and Ringling will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, with the 2A title game set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday between Oklahoma Christian and Davis.

The list for the NewsOK Varsity Football Performance of the Week is impressive, and fans can vote now at the poll below.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Blake Barnes, OCS: Had seven receptions for 211 yards and two TDs, along with a critical interception to put OCS in its first-ever 11-man championship game.

Trey’Vonne Barr’e, Jenks: Rushed for most of his 292 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Jenks took control on its way to the 6A title.

Blanchard defense: Seven QB sacks and no offensive touchdowns allowed to Jones to reach the finals for the first time since 1979.

Davis defense: Shut down what was the top scoring offense in state history in a 22-0 semifinal win over Vian.

Jackson Dillon, Ringling: The Memphis commit rushed for 109 yards and two TDs in a 35-21 semifinal win over Texhoma.

Trey Knowles, Wynnewood: Rushed for 175 yards and three TDs to rally past Cashion and into the Class A finals.

Grant Newton, Kingfisher: Rushed for 154 of his 181 yards in the second half, including a clinching 73-yard TD to earn a spot in the finals.

Tucker Rolf, Laverne: Rushed for 157 yards and two crucial TDs as Laverne won Class B 50-19 over Pond Creek-Hunter.

Marquiz Simpkins, Clinton: Rushed fro 119 yards and two TDs, including the game-clincher to give Clinton the title.

Steven Thompson, Carl Albert: Rushed for 186 yards with all three Titan TDs, and picked off two passes in the title win.

Josh Torres, Tipton: Rushed for 120 yards and two TDs in a 30-12 win over Forgan in the Class C title game.

Fox Sports released a statement during the second half of Friday’s game, relaying information from DirecTV, which cited a “bandwidth issue” as the reason the broadcast was dropped.

“DirecTV informed us yesterday (Thursday) they wouldn’t be able to carry Friday’s game due to bandwidth issues,” the Fox statement said. “We regret their decision to drop the telecast and the inconvenience it caused their customers to miss the game. DirecTV has assured us they will carry Saturday’s OSSAA championship games on channel 680.”

The 4A and 5A games will air at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on the following Fox Sports Oklahoma Plus channels as well: AT&T U-verse 757 (1757 HD); Cox Communications-Oklahoma City/Tulsa 68 (715 HD); DirecTV 680 (680-1 HD); Dish 446; Fidelity Cablevision-Lawton 33; Pioneer Digital TV 113; Suddenlink-Stillwater/Cushing/Drumright 75; Suddenlink-Enid 73; Suddenlink-Muskogee 33; Suddenlink-Pauls Valley 2; Suddenlink-Perry 53; Suddenlink-Seminole 29; Tahlequah Cable TV 55.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Norman North and Jenks meet for the Class 6A title game at 7:30 p.m. Friday, while Clinton and Anadarko play in the 4A finals at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and the 5A title game between Carl Albert and Tulsa East Central at 7:30 Saturday night.

Al Jerkens (play-by-play), Rod Thompson (analyst) and Steve Marshall (sideline reporter) will call Friday’s 6A championship. Marshall will serve as play-by-play announcer for Saturday’s doubleheader with Thompson as analyst.

Fox Sports Oklahoma will televise an OSSAA Championship Spotlight special recapping Saturday’s Class B final between Laverne and Pond Creek-Hunter, and the Class C final between Forgan and Tipton from Southwestern in Weatherford. Dates and times for the highlight show will be announced later.

Here are the Fox Sports Oklahoma Plus channel numbers across the state: AT&T U-verse 757 (1757 HD); Cox Communications-Oklahoma City/Tulsa 68 (715 HD); DirecTV 680 (680-1 HD); Dish 451 (Friday), TBA (Saturday); Fidelity Cablevision-Lawton 33; Pioneer Digital TV 113; Suddenlink-Stillwater/Cushing/Drumright 75; Suddenlink-Enid 73; Suddenlink-Muskogee 33; Suddenlink-Pauls Valley 2; Suddenlink-Perry 53; Suddenlink-Seminole 29; Tahlequah Cable TV 55

The backup QB threw for 331 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Commerce.

Including online and phone voting, Cotten received just 70 more votes than Anadarko running back R.J. Sink.

Here are the final results:
Blake Cotton, Frederick: 1,045 votes
R.J. Sink, Anadarko: 975 votes
Steven Thompson, Carl Albert: 524 votes
Jackson Dillon, Ringling: 423 votes
Doc Harvey, Seminole: 385 votes
Peyton Gavras, Norman North: 140 votes
Brock Lamle, Blanchard: 126 votes
Deaundre’ Carr, Davis: 114 votes
Ty Reasnor, Cashion: 109 votes
Stanvon Taylor, Tulsa East Central: 15 votes
Total: 3,856 votes

The original blog post and online voting results are below.

———————————–

This week, the NewsOK Varsity Football Player of the Week fan poll goes statewide.

And this week, we’ll give 10 players a shot at the honor.

The fan poll is live, so you can vote now by clicking your choice below. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Wednesday and the results of the poll will appear in Thursday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Deaundre’ Carr, Davis: Rushed for 191 yards and two TDs on 17 carries as Davis knocked off Adair in the 2A quarterfinals.

Blake Cotten, Frederick: The backup QB threw for 331 yards and five TDs in a 2A quarterfinal win.

Jackson Dillon, Ringling: Rushed for 155 yards on 18 carries and added 66 receiving yards on two grabs with three TDs to knock off defending Class A champ Wayne.

Peyton Gavras, Norman North: Threw for 395 yards and five TDs to get the Timberwolves into the Class 6A title game.

Doc Harvey, Seminole: Rushed for two TDs, threw for two more and added a pair of two-point conversions in a 34-28 semifinal win over Metro Christian.

Brock Lamle, Blanchard: Guided the Lions to the 3A semifinals for the first time since 1979 with 226 yards passing and three total TDs.

Ty Reasnor, Cashion: Passed for 297 yards and two TDs to get the Wildcats into the Class A semifinals.

R.J. Sink, Anadarko: Powered his way to three touchdowns as the Warriors knocked off defending 4A champion Wagoner.

Stanvon Taylor, Tulsa East Central: The Oklahoma commit scored three TDs, including a game-clinching 57-yard run to put the Cardinals in the 5A finals.

Steven Thompson, Carl Albert: The two-time defending winner of this poll rushed for 200 yards and threw for 108 with five total TDs, and picked off a game-clinching pass in the Titans’ semifinal win over McGuinness.

Thompson rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns, and threw for 131 yards on just three completions as the Titans advanced to the 5A semifinals.

Here are the final results, after adding in the phone voting, which was a new feature added this week. The poll at the bottom shows online voting only:

Steven Thompson, Carl Albert: 436 votes
Jacob Lewis, McGuinness: 338 votes
Jordan Evans, Norman North: 190 votes
Landon Nault, Kingfisher: 150 votes
Levi Hill, Hennessey: 131 votes
Total: 1,243 votes

The schools received permission from the OSSAA to move up kickoff times to keep in line with their start times throughout the year.

Edmond Santa Fe will host Tulsa Union at Central Oklahoma’s Wantland Stadium, while Broken Arrow will visit Norman North at Harve Collins Field.

The Class 6A teams in the Oklahoma City area have chosen to kick off all home games at 7 p.m. over the last two seasons, and teams in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system have recently adopted the idea, which is becoming more popular.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Here are a few players from the Oklahoma City area who helped keep their teams alive in the postseason, and fans can vote to decide which one had the top performance of the week in the NewsOK Varsity Player of the Week fan poll.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll, or write in your own candidate in the comments section of the blog, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman. The Oklahoman’s staff choice will be the subject of a feature story in Tuesday’s newspaper.

Here are the candidates:

David Cornwell, Jones: Avenging the Longhorns’ season-opening loss, Cornwell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more in a 48-12 rout of Perkins.

Jordan Evans, Norman North: The speedy 6-foot-3 senior is dangerous at linebacker, but he showed his skills with the ball, too, rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown, and returning a kickoff 84 yards for a score in a 21-6 win over Southmoore.

J.T. McFadden, Guthrie: Had a 22-yard touchdown run and two TD receptions, including a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter that essentially clinched Guthrie’s 31-13 win at Lawton MacArthur.

Connor McGinnis, Heritage Hall: The Chargers’ sophomore QB is solid in the pocket, and he showed his legs Friday, rushing for 155 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-13 win over Pauls Valley.

Steven Thompson, Carl Albert: The quarterback carried 38 times for 189 yards and all four Titan touchdowns in a 28-21 upset of Del City.

The class would be made up of the 16 largest schools in the state, while the next 16 would make up Class 6A.

Each class would have two eight-team districts, and 12 teams would make the playoffs, with the district champions and runners-up getting first-round byes.

Now, the proposal hasn’t even made it through the OSSAA Board of Directors yet, though it could come up for a vote at their December meeting.

After that, it would go to a vote of the 32 schools currently in 6A. If it gets that far, you’d assume the proposal would pass. The teams in the bottom 16, and some of those who are close to the line, would certainly be in favor of the idea that would greatly increase their chances of competing for a state championship.

If it passes, it would be instituted for the 2014-15 seasons when districts are redrawn. The rules for dividing Class 5A and below would not be impacted by the proposal.

Here are the current average attendance numbers, which are used to determine classifications. These numbers are recalculated after every school year, so these aren’t the same numbers that would be used to determine Class 6A and 7A. Those numbers would come out next July. But just for fun, here’s how the classes would break down, with attendance included.

Class 7A
1. Broken Arrow 4586.21
2. Union 4237.14
3. Jenks 3077.47
4. Owasso 2628.00
5. Mustang 2473.48
6. Edmond North 2445.33
7. Moore 2153.00
8. Yukon 2130.61
9. Norman North 2068.55
10. Edmond Memorial 2048.00
11. Westmoore 1982.00
12. Edmond Santa Fe 1973.00
13. Southmoore 1955.00
14. Putnam City North 1953.16
15. Putnam City 1731.95
16. Norman 1728.94

Class 6A
17. Lawton 1722.00
18. Bartlesville 1700.59
19. Enid 1678.19
20. Sand Springs 1549.63
21. Muskogee 1540.85
22. Ponca City 1477.64
23. Choctaw 1472.53
24. Putnam City West 1464.31
25. Midwest City 1443.35
26. Stillwater 1440.81
27. U.S. Grant 1415.04
28. Sapulpa 1392.89
29. Tulsa Hale 1358.70
30. Lawton Eisenhower 1339.00
31. Bixby 1335.39
32. Tulsa Washington 1287.39

Throughout the day Wednesday, as my Twitter account never stopped buzzing with people offering comments and questions about this idea, I became more and more fascinated by the discussion. I’m still torn about the idea, but I love the discussion.

So jump in and share your thoughts. What positives and negatives do you see in the proposal? What would you have done differently? Or should anything be done at all?

My personal proposal would have been similar to the Texas playoff system. I’d combine the current 5A and 6A classes, making a 64-team class with eight districts of eight teams each. The top four from each district make the playoffs, but the playoffs are split into Division I, made up of the 16 largest schools to qualify for the playoffs, and Division II, made up of the smallest 16 to qualify.

Any other good ideas out there?

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Currently, OSSAA rules require a school to withdraw from the association in all sports, but Sinor and Balenseifen will propose to amend that rule.

Sinor and Balenseifen had worked with Tulsa athletic director Gil Cloud on a larger proposal to reclassify teams in a manner to better level the playing field, taking into account winning percentage over a number of years and percentage of students on free and reduced lunch at public schools.

The focus of the presentation has narrowed to the independence issue, for example, allowing a football team to become independent without forcing the rest of the school’s athletic teams to leave the OSSAA.

“We feel that would be best for everybody,” Sinor said. “We’re proposing a change in the wording of the rule that essentially says if a school wants to become independent in one sport, it has to become independent in all sports for two years.

“This is a safety thing for our kids, and it’s about giving them a chance to be successful. It’s about doing what’s right for the kids.”

The proposal calls for the rule change to be applied statewide, not just to select teams.

It is possible that the Board could call for a vote on the proposal, or they could take it under advisement to be considered at a later date.

The All-State game will be played during All-State week July 28-Aug. 2 in the Tulsa area. The exact date and location will be announced at a later date.

Here are the rosters:

Large West: Kristen Macy, Edmond Memorial; McKenna Qualls, Edmond Memorial; Allison Barr, Edmond North; Mallory Fox, Edmond North; Meghan Hook, Edmond Santa Fe; Mandy Dolph, Edmond Santa Fe; Mariah Wagner, Enid; Madison Dobbs, Westmoore.

Large East: Grace Balcerak, Tulsa Kelley; Claire Kelly, Tulsa Kelley; Abigail Cachero, Broken Arrow; Sarah Mangan, Broken Arrow; Cassicy Chappell, Owasso; Kiley Josey, Stillwater; Peyton Meacham, Stillwater; Christina Stuehm, Tulsa Union.

Small West: Lauren Winslow, Christian Heritage; Elizabeth Tracy, Christian Heritage; Brooke Wayman, Oklahoma Bible; Carter Cloud, Heritage Hall; Magan Castlebury, Elgin; Katelynn Martine, Cache; Carley Rother, Clinton; Courtney Bowie, Bethany; Katie Cogburn, Cement; Zori Curry, Southeast.

Small East: Jaime Rahilly, Cascia Hall; Liesl Spoerl, Cascia Hall; Jasmine Robinson, Shawnee; Haiden White, Catoosa; Stacia Payne, Verdigris; Maggie Lannan, Copan; Bristen Graves, Okay; Paige Perkins, Oklahoma Union; Jane Eagleton, Tulsa Washington; Bailey Bergman, Victory Christian.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

The Oklahoman staff will make its selection for the Player of the Week for a feature story to appear in Tuesday’s paper, but fan voting will continue until 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates

Frankie Edwards, Mustang: Passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 111 yards and two TDs to preserve Mustang’s playoff chances in a 37-34 win over Lawton.

Michael Farmer, Edmond North: Rushed for five touchdowns, including runs of 51 and 93 yards, in a 49-14 win over Midwest City to clinch a home-field playoff berth.

Danny Krenger, McGuinness: Krenger did a little of everything, catching touchdown passes of 25 and 83 yards, and intercepting a pass as the Irish upset No. 1 Guthrie.

Preston Walker, Crescent: Crescent bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 47-13 win over Watonga behind five TD passes and one rushing score from Walker.

Jimmy Wood, Noble: Rushed for 146 yards with two touchdowns and was a threat as a receiver as well, as Noble rallied to beat Durant and keep its playoff hopes alive.

Here are five of the best from Week 8, and fans can vote on who deserves the Oklahoma City-area Player of the Week honor here on our weekly fan poll.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Bryan Dutton, Guthrie: Threw two touchdown passes and ran for three scores, including the game-winning 10-yard score in overtime of a 42-35 defeat of Deer Creek.

Colton Ebers, Wellston: Scored all three touchdowns as Wellston rallied from a 14-0 deficit for a 21-14 win, snapping a 21-game losing streak.

Chris High, Douglass: Only carried the ball nine times, but accounted for 198 yards and four touchdowns in Douglass’ 41-17 win over McLoud.

Ty Reasnor, Cashion: Was 15-of-26 passing for 287 yards and four TDs, throwing a 31-yard, game-winning TD to defeat previously unbeaten Crescent.

Julian Tramble, Tecumseh: Rushed 26 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns in an upset over Glenpool that kept Tecumseh’s playoff hopes alive.

Wand will try to defend his victory in the fan poll, which is waiting for your votes.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Peyton Gavras, Norman North: Threw for 379 yards and five touchdowns, three of which came in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves’ 49-27 upset of previously unbeaten Edmond North.

Justice Hansen, Edmond Santa Fe: The junior starred in the Wolves 68-28 rout of Lawton with 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while throwing for 286 yards and four TDs.

A’erion Hines, Norman: Hines needed only 12 carries to pile up 183 yards and four touchdowns to spark Norman to a 41-28 upset of Southmoore.

T’Quan Wallace, Casady: Threw for 428 yards on 31-of-41 passing with four touchdowns, three in the second half as Casady rallied from 20 points down for a 42-34 win over Dallas Cistercian.

Warren Wand, Edmond Memorial: The sophomore rushed for 360 yards on 25 carries, scoring five touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs pulled away from Choctaw, 56-35.

The fan poll is live online at NewsOK.com/Varsity for fans to cast their votes.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll, or write in your own candidate in the comments section of the blog, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Jacob Blair, Christian Heritage: Blair caught three touchdown passes, all in the second half, as CHA rallied for a 34-20 win over Dibble.

Luke Frankfurt, OCS: Caught three passes for 96 yards, including a 42-yard game-winning touchdown, and intercepted a pass on Millwood’s final drive to seal OCS’ 22-18 upset.

Tae Moore, Putnam City North: Moore finished with 217 total yards and five TDs, but rushed for 161 yards and four scores in the first eight minutes of a 63-27 rout of Midwest City.

Warren Wand, Edmond Memorial: Wand rushed for three touchdowns to key one of the bigger surprises of the week, the Bulldogs’ 41-13 whipping of Mustang.

Colin Webb, Moore: Threw a 40-yard touchdown pass and rushed for two more scores to vault the Lions to a 38-30 win over Lawton Eisenhower.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

So vote, discuss and debate the best performances from Week 5 of the football season around the OKC area.

Here are the candidates:

Cody Chancellor, WR, Bishop McGuinness: Had 359 yards and four touchdowns on six — yes, six — receptions in McGuinness’ 42-32 win over Carl Albert, while playing with a cast protecting his broken left hand.

Tazden Jevons, RB, Dibble: Scored four times, including a 98-yarder, to lift Dibble to its fourth straight win, a 48-15 win over Northeast Thursday night.

Corey Lawrence, WR, Del City: Working double-duty as running back and receiver, Lawrence had 118 rushing yards, 89 receiving yards and three total touchdowns in a win over Ardmore.

London Potts, QB, Millwood: Potts was nearly perfect through the air, going 17-of-19 for 249 yards and four touchdowns in a crucial 48-13 district win over Christian Heritage.

Phillip Sumpter, RB, Edmond Santa Fe: Scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime against Mustang Friday. Also set up a TD with a fumble recovery from his linebacker position.

Celina, one of Texas’ most storied football programs, will face Perryton at Yukon’s old high school stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Celina is about 30 miles east of Denton, Texas, in the north-central part of the state, while Perryton is in the northern tip of the Texas panhandle. Meeting in Yukon will be more than a three-hour drive for each team, rather than a nearly seven-hour drive for one school.

Celina administrators contacted Yukon athletic director David Fisher, who spent seven years coaching football in Texas, to see about the possibility of playing the game there.

“I joked with our fans that they better follow our team out to Norman North for a tough game,” Fisher said. “But for the casual football fan interested in seeing a couple of pretty good 3A Texas teams, they can do it in Yukon.”

This year’s game was scheduled for Celina, and the teams are supposed to play at Perryton next year. Fisher said it’s possible they would return to Yukon once again.

For fans interested in seeing a big-time college prospect, Celina’s Jake Raulerson, 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, is committed to Texas, having received offers from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Celina has won eight state championships and once won 68 straight games. The team was featured in the documentary “The Power, Passion and Glory.” Portions of Kenny Chesney’s “Boys of Fall” music video were shot at the school as well.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

Here are the candidates:

Brandon Carlton, RB, Bridge Creek: Carlton powered Bridge Creek to 428 total rushing yards and scored four touchdowns, including a pair of fourth-quarter scores to seal the 41-35 win over Mount St. Mary.

Colton Hamel, WR, Destiny Christian: Snagged four touchdown passes as Destiny Christian racked up 418 passing yards and 712 total in a 50-42 win over Corn Bible.

Justice Hansen, QB, Edmond Santa Fe: Passed for 272 yards, rushed for 103 and accounted for seven total TDs — five passing and two rushing — in the Wolves’ 53-37 win over Southmoore.

Zach Long, QB, Norman: Long rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass as Norman piled up 511 total yards in a 56-35 win over Mustang.

Jon McBride, QB, Del City: Rushed for two touchdowns and threw two scoring passes as the Eagles shocked third-ranked Lawton MacArthur 41-18.

Millwood quarterback London Potts threw three touchdown passes in the Falcons' 40-12 win over Prime Prep last Friday. Prime Prep is looking for more opportunities to play Oklahoma teams this season.

Deion Sanders said he contacted former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer to help him find opponents for his new Dallas-area high school team, Prime Prep Academy, which is how he was able to line up last week’s game at Millwood.

Now, Sanders is looking for more.

With his team unable to compete in district play in Texas, Sanders is welcoming to the idea of returning to Oklahoma for more games this season.

Prime Prep is not allowed to play games against teams that are part of the University Interscholastic League, Texas’ version of the OSSAA. So they’re in need outside opponents.

In addition to Millwood, which won 40-12 Friday, Prime Prep has played two Texas teams that are part of a private-school league outside the UIL. Sanders said that based on student population, Prime Prep qualified for Class 2A in Texas, though they opted to be in a 3A district.

“We’re willing to come back,” Sanders said. “I think the whole month of October is open.

“We’re not stacking the deck, you can see that. We’re 0-3. We’re just trying to get these guys games to allow them to do what they’re gifted to do.

“Anybody, if you’re out there, please give our babies a game. We just want these kids to play and have a good time.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week Three:

Randal Case, WR, Jones: Caught a pair of 22-yard TD passes from QB David Cornwell, rushed for a score and picked up a blocked field goal to run in for a score as Jones nipped OCS 26-25.

Frankie Edwards, QB, Mustang: Threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for another 152 yards to lift the Broncos to a 36-14 romp over upstart Stillwater.

John Jacobs, QB, Shawnee: Surpassed the 200-yard mark both rushing and passing, also throwing four TD passes to Theo Berryas the Wolves came back to beat Ponca City for coach Billy Brown’s 150th career victory.

Austin Loomis, LB, Deer Creek: By this point, many players would be happy to have 30 tackles for the season. Loomis had that many Thursday night in the Antlers’ win over Edmond Memorial.

Trevor Moore, K, Edmond North: With four field goals, including a long of 42 yards, and two extra points, Moore outscored Edmond Santa Fe himself in the Huskies’ Edlam upset.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week Two:

Steffen Funkhouser, TE, Piedmont: Set a single-game school record for receiving yards with 235, pulling in three touchdowns among his 12 catches in a 29-26 win over Harrah.

Louden Johnson, RB, Wayne: Johnson found plenty of ways to score as Wayne avenged its only loss from a year ago, 46-12 over Minco. Johnson scored on a 93-yard fumble return and a 30-yard interception return to go with two rushing TDs.

Colton Lindsey, QB, Christian Heritage: Rushed for two TDs and threw for another, all in the fourth quarter or overtime of a 20-14 win over Mount St. Mary. Also picked off two passes, one in OT.

Alfonso McMillan, WR, Millwood: McMillan caught five passes for 150 yards, with each reception going for at least 23 yards, in the Falcons’ 18-7 Soul Bowl win over Douglass.

Davyn Thompson, RB, Stillwater: Accounted for nearly half of the Pioneers’ total offense with his 104 rushing yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the week’s biggest upset, 21-18 over Midwest City.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll at the bottom, or write in your own candidate — there were plenty of good ones to choose from — in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

The results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman, and some of the best reader comments might get in as well. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performances from Week One.

Here are the candidates:

Tre Edwards, QB, Southmoore: Completed 16 of 20 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 51 yards in the SaberCats’ surprisingly lopsided win over Carl Albert.

Jennifer Goethe, K, Tecumseh: A week ago, she wasn’t even on the team. Friday night, she made the game-winning field goal for the Savages in overtime against Noble.

Justice Hansen, QB, Edmond Santa Fe: Threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, also ran for two, including a 45-yarder to seal the game.

Brock Lamle, QB, Blanchard: Quarterbacked the Lions to a Week 1 statement win over No. 7 Bethany with five TD passes as Blanchard racked up 477 total yards.

Jacob Lewis, QB, Bishop McGuinness: Life in Class 5A got off to a good start for the Irish, thanks to Lewis’ 236 total yards, with two TD passes and two more rushing scores.

While participation in high school sports among girls grew nationally, girls participation in Oklahoma took a dip during the 2011-12 school year, according to an annual participation study released Thursday.

The High School Athletics Participation Survey is conducted annually by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Nationally, overall participation grew for the 23rd consecutive year, thanks to the growth in girls participants.

More than 33,984 more girls participated in 2011-12 than in 2010-11, according to the survey.

Overall boys participation dipped for the first time since 1992-93, dropping 9,419 to 4,484,987.

In Oklahoma, girls participation dropped from 44,112 a year ago to 42,664 this year.
Boys participation here rose from 42,694 to 44,284 during the time, for an overall growth to 86,948.

Here’s a look at individual sports with the number of schools participating last school year followed by the number of athletes. The 2010-11 numbers are in parentheses:

Girls
Basketball: 481-7,215 (475-7,125)
Competitive spirit squad: 200-4,000 (180-3,900)
Cross country: 275-2,800 (275-2,800)
Golf: 218-1,289 (218-1,265)
Soccer: 114-2,975 (114, 2,500)
Softball, slowpitch: 300-6,560 (300-6,560)
Softball, fastpitch: 450-10.450 (450-10,450)
Swimming and diving: 43-425 (43-500)
Tennis: 114-770 (114-912)
Track and field, outdoor: 369-3,276 (369-5,800)
Volleyball: 121-2,904 (121-2,300)

Boys
Baseball: 427-8,540 (423-6,032)
Basketball: 481-7,215 (473-7,095)
Competitive spirit squads: 20(0)-87 (20-40)
Cross country: 275-2,750 (275-2,750)
Football, 8-man: 75-1,596 (75-1,500)
Football, 11-man: 269-11,298 (269-12,500)
Golf: 247-1,306 (247-1,265)
Soccer: 117-2,850 (117-2,600)
Swimming and diving: 43-420 (43-500)
Tennis: 114-774 (114-912)
Track and field, outdoor: 369-4,368 (369-4,500)
Wrestling: 146-3,080 (146-3,000)

Thursday’s games
At Douglass
Game 1: Centennial vs. US Grant, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Southeast vs. Capitol Hill, 6:45 p.m.
Game 3: Douglass vs. Centennial/US Grant winner, 7:30 p.m.

At Taft Stadium
Game 4: Star Spencer vs. Northeast, 6 p.m.
Game 5: John Marshall vs. Northwest, 6:45 p.m.
Game 6: Millwood vs. Star Spencer/Northeast winner, 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s games
At Douglass
Semifinal 1: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 6 p.m.
Semifinal 2: Winner Game 2 v. Winner Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Consolation finals: Semifinal losers, 7:30 p.m.
Championship game: Semifinal winners, 8:15 p.m.

At Taft Stadium
Game 11: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 12: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5, 5:45 p.m.
Game 13: Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 3, 6:30 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 4, 7:15 p.m.
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 8 p.m.

According to executive director Ed Sheakley, 107 of the 479 member schools have not attended one of the OSSAA’s mandatory eligibility workshops and could face a penalty that includes being prohibited from hosting playoff events at their school.

The OSSAA held five workshops over the summer at various locations around the state, including one at the Oklahoma Coaches Association clinic last month in Tulsa.

A makeup workshop is scheduled for noon Saturday at the lecture hall in Heritage Hall Upper School, located at 1800 NW 122nd St.

If any of the 107 schools do not have an administrator at Saturday’s workshop, those schools will be placed on warning for one year, and not allowed to host playoff contests in the 2012-13 school year.

Sheakley told the Board he knew the penalty might seem stiff to some, but the Board showed its belief that ongoing eligibility issues centering around a lack of understanding the rules need to be curbed.

The workshops are designed to inform and instruct school administrators on how to handle new students regarding athletic eligibility, including the paperwork other information needed by the OSSAA to approve eligibility of a student-athlete.

Bricktown Ballpark to host fall baseball championships again

The fall baseball state championship games will return to the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in October, after the OSSAA Board of Directors approved a motion to keep the games in the facility on Wednesday.

The games were played at the Brick last fall, with popular reviews. The OSSAA is still efforting to get the spring title games moved there as well, but scheduling difficulty remains.

The facility is in regular use in May, between the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Big 12 Baseball Tournament.

Board signs off on ADM numbers

The OSSAA Board approved the finalized the Average Daily Membership numbers that will be used to classify schools in basketball and other sports that do not use a two-year districting cycle.

Those sports, like football and baseball, will not utilize the current numbers, because the current districts in those sports were set for the next two seasons using last year’s average attendance numbers.

Football playoff reimbursements increased

The OSSAA increased its formula for reimbursing football playoff teams for hosting or travel expenses.

Sheakley said schools felt the previous reimbursement formula did not meet the needs for hosting costs, in particular. In all, the OSSAA increased its allotment for reimbursements by $74,000, or more than 50 percent over its previous cost.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

In the span of seven hours Tuesday, I visited three high school practices, where I witnessed pure excitement for a new season at Mustang, pure devastation all across the town of Luther, and pure domination that will be possible from what I rank as the most daunting high school defensive lines assembled in Oklahoma in recent memory.

For those who missed it, here’s what I wrote from Douglass.

And here’s my story and video from Luther.

Mustang, your story is still a day away. Sorry. However, I’m not exaggerating the excitement level at Bronco Stadium Tuesday morning. Offensively, the team is looking forward to a full season under QB Frankie Edwards, who got a few starts a year ago. For Mustang faithful, the offense will go back to looking similar to the Matt Edmonds/Kyle Webster teams in some ways, and different from anything you’ve seen in other ways, essentially in formations, diversity and creativity to get the ball to the best players.

Defensively, the excitement forms around new defensive coordinator Mark Ryan, who has been a head coach in the metro area, most recently at Centennial, where he battled a serious illness that kept him away from the game much of last year. He looks healthy, and he’s taking over a defensive unit with a lot of experience. Many of the current seniors were forced into action as sophomores.

At Douglass, I found myself intently watching non-contact, half-speed lineman drills against air. Typically, something like that would rank somewhere near the excitement level of fencing (either the Olympic sport or actually building a fence).

But I watched and tried to imagine exactly what this DE duo will be capable of. They combined for somewhere between 35 and 400 (exaggeration, not a typo) sacks last year separately. It will be a race to the QB on every third-and-long this season.

As for Luther, I won’t belittle what has happened — and is happening — there by trying to force it into a blog full of football analysis and weakly developed punch lines. To quote Luther coach Shawn Meek, “high school football takes a back seat to real life.” Click the link above to see the story and video, and that tells the story of what I saw in that courageous yet devastated town on Tuesday.

I’ll make the rounds again on Wednesday, including a few hours at the OSSAA for a board meeting, but I’ll be sure to hit a couple practices and share my thoughts once again.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

The All-Staters and Special Olympians took a moment to pose together for a team photo.

Being an All-Stater is a unique and valuable opportunity — not just because of the chance to play in an All-State game.

Here are some photos and a video of All-State athletes spending a day at Oral Roberts’ Mabee Center shooting hoops with athletes from the Special Olympics.

Thanks to the folks with the All-State Games and Oklahoma Coaches Association for the images.

Del City is the largest school in Class 5A, ranking 33rd-largest in the state, with an average attendance of 1,254.20. Tulsa Hale moved into the top 32 schools and will jump from 5A to 6A, swapping spots with Tulsa Edison. Piedmont moved up from 4A to 5A for basketball and other sports that reclassify yearly, switching with Tulsa Central.

Broken Arrow remains the largest school in the state with an average attendance of 4,588.21, while Tulsa Union is second with 4,237.14.

Mustang is fifth overall, and the largest school on the west side of the state at 2,473.48.

Sports that use a two-year district rotation, like football, are not impacted by the current numbers, having used last year’s ADM to set districts for the coming season, as well as the 2013-14.

In other noteworthy changes, Deer Creek continues to climb in attendance, now among the top 10 Class 5A schools. Yukon saw a jump of nearly 200 students with the move to its new campus last year, and ranks eighth-largest in the state.

Douglass saw its attendance drop by 17 students, moving it out of the top 96. That has little impact on the upcoming year, but if it remains in that position a year from now, the Trojans will drop to 3A in football for the next redistricting cycle.

Official classes for the sports that reclassify yearly will be determined next week during the Oklahoma Coaches Association clinic in Tulsa.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Karl Springer isn't hiding his Thunder Pride anymore. He has placed a friendly wager on the NBA Finals with the Miami-Dade County superintendent.

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Karl Springer and Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho are putting their city support in action.

The two have agreed on a friendly wager on the NBA Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat.

The Heat lead the series 2-1 heading into Game 4 Tuesday night in Miami.

If the Heat win the series, Springer will wear a Heat jersey and teach a class on Florida history at an OKCPS school after classes resume Aug. 1. If the Thunder wins, Carvalho will wear a Thunder jersey and teach a lesson on Oklahoma history to Miami-Dade County students in August.

“I am looking forward to seeing the pictures from Miami when Mr. Carvalho wears the OKC Thunder blue,” Springer said. “I have full confidence in our team and this is a great chance for Floridians to learn more about Oklahoma City and our state.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

The small-school game will kick off the action, followed by the middle-sized schools at 1 p.m. and the large schools at 3 p.m.

Here are the rosters for the games:

Small East: Cheyanne Miller, Stonewall; Charitee Evans, Red Oak; Bradianne Daniel, Stonewall; Angela Lawson, Stuart; Kelsey Songer, Soper; Ashley Owens, Maud; Lexi Mercer, Welch; Traycee Buxton, Wetumka; Adriana Worley, Bowlegs; Tamara Thompson, Tupelo; Erin Casey, Asher; Alissa Oliphant, Asher; J.J. Stewart, Roff; Magan Kile, Roff; Monica Roff, Roff; Chelsi Mason, Soper; Sarada Lena, New Lima; Asiah Sumpter, Red Oak; Coach: Kathy Gregson, Roff

Small West: Jennifer Johnson, Fort Cobb; Brya Hannabass, Indiahoma; Mandi Kimble, Indiahoma; Kaylee Sneed, Binger-Oney; Starr Morlan, Leedy; Natalie Eaton, Leedy; Conner Kent, Leedy; Stormi Kelley, Binger-Oneyl Karlee Loula, Binger-Oney; Tancy Williams, Sentinel; Daci Aldridge, Sentinel; Ashton Reimer, Sentinel; Coy Stevens, Covington-Douglas; Sierra Noonan, Covington-Douglas; Haley Hammons, Fort Cobb; Saydi Dawd, Hammon; Jordan Wayland, Arnett; Allison Farmer, Pond Creek-Hunter; Coach: Aaron Swart.

Middle East: Whitney House, Dewar; Bailey Masterson, Oktaha; Siera Green, Latta; Lyndsi Winship, Rattan; Chelsie Drew, Vian; Kaitlin Hisaw, Latta; Kelsie Kelly, Tushka; Taylor Reeve, Colbert; Alexis Olquin, Colbert; Keeli Kessinger, Latta; Kirsten Rogers, Calera; Brooke Stidham, Warner; Katelynn Russell, Rock Creek; Jessica Christian, Liberty; Lavryne Dester, Oktaha; Makayla Young, Hulbert; Beth Loudermilk, Silo; Brianna Akins, Rock Creek; Coach: Davey Durbin, Tushka.

Middle West: Leah Tigert, Davis; Jade Barnett, Dale; Vanessa Yamaguchi, Fletcher; Ciara Kuestersteffen, Konawa; Kelcey Yanez, Wilson; Kylie Lester, Mangum; Emily Garton, Mangum; Alaney O’day, Wellston; Marisa Tinney, Fletcher; Sabrina Fixico, Navajo; Haley Daniel, Navajo; Shelley Knight, Wayne; Kyla Ara, Hobart; Sarah Paxton, Hinton; Courtney Wiley, Healdton; Jordynn Van Pelt, Synder; Taylor Alexander, Ringling; Montana Renaefulton, Rush Springs; Coach: Bill Berry, Fletcher.

Large East: Kelsey Reed, Valliant; Maddie Pilling, Jenks; Sahara Henson, Seq.-Tahlequah; Jessica Blalock, Tahlequah; Jenna Reed, Tahlequah; Co-Co Epps, Muskogee; Brianna Evans, Union; Megan Milroy, Morris; Danielle Bear, Henryetta; Kaila Tehee, Muldrow; Bailey Donathan, Sapulpa; Logan Hinds, Heavner; Taylor Collins, Berryhill; Courtney Dobson, Union; Whitney Whittmore, Tahlequah; Cheyenne Johnson, Ft. Gibson; Sabrina Martinez, Bixby; Taylor Tedder, Antlers; Coach: Matt Cloud, Tahlequah.

Large West: Melaney Anderson, Westmoore; Alysa Phillips, Westmoore; Aliceia Gutierrez, Westmoore; Carly Chambers, Purcell; Michaela Hazlett, Purcell; Michali Thompson, Bethel; Makayla Green, Bethel; Leslie Miller, Blanchard; Liz Broyles, Blanchard; Amanda Edmundson, Little Axe; Samantha Garrison, McLoud; Andria Idleman, Moore; Mckenzie Solberg, Chandler; Rebekah Wade, Norman; Catherine McBay, Shawnee; Lacey Paulk, Washington; Shiann Wickham, Blackwell; Cassidy Hart, Putnam City; Coach: Perry Wilson, Tecumseh.

Wilson was perfect on seven passing attempts, throwing two touchdown passes to earn Oklahoma’s Most Valuable Player honor.

The running back trio of Putnam City’s Casey Curtis, Anadarko’s Sheldon Wilson and Midwest City’s James Flanders combined for 200 rushing yards, each accounting for at least 50.

The 30 points scored by Oklahoma was its most since posting a 38-7 win in 2005.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Maybe it’s a program with “a lot of tradition,” or it’s “heading in the right direction.”

Rarely does and AD find himself with as much ammunition as those looking to fill some of the high-profile boys basketball jobs open right now.

Would you like to take over a program that has won two state titles in the last five years and just went to state with a young team that returns almost every key player? Maybe Guthrie is the place for you.

Maybe you’re looking for a team with two state championships in the last three years and state appearances in five of the last six, with a nationally recruited senior-to-be on the roster? Perhaps Tulsa Washington is your next gig.

If that still isn’t enough, would you be interested a job opening at a school that has won three straight gold balls, led by the best player in the state, who will be a senior next year? Douglass, the latest big-time job to come open, is on your short list.

When you add in the fact that Edmond Santa Fe and Mount St. Mary (eight combined state tournament appearances in the last five years) have both been filled in the last couple of weeks, it’s hard to imagine a more fertile ground for coaches looking for new jobs at established programs. Or ADs looking to lure a great coach to a new location. These aren’t the only jobs open, but they’re certainly the most attractive.

With summer leagues and team camps not far off, these jobs are certain to be filled promptly. But as hires are made for these jobs, more dominoes will fall. And since these positions will draw top coaches, we’re getting ready to see another layer of really good jobs open up — at least a couple of them.

The carousel is spinning, and it isn’t slowing down yet.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Moore, a two-time state champion, Gray, the Class 5A runner-up last week, and Class 4A champion Trent Mewbourn of Heritage Hall will lead the West boys team that includes Edmond North’s Michael Hampton, Oklahoma Christian’s Rustin Purser, Luther’s Ryan Stults and Heritage Hall’s Michael Helton.

Mustang girls June Tigert and Charter Lawson will represent the West, a team that includes Guthrie’s McCandren Lewis, Deer Creek’s Abby Thompson, Purcell’s Megan Gowens and Washington’s Kelsey Stuever.

They’ll compete against an East squad that includes Shawnee’s Kurstyn Mills and Bethel’s Jordan Humphrey.

The All-State match will be played at Cherokee Hills Golf Club in Catoosa on July 23.

Here are the full rosters for the match-play event:

West girls: Kelsey Stuever, Washington; Taryn Smith, Hinton; Ashton Gores, Plainview; Megan Gowens, Purcell; Sarah DeLong, Elgin; Madison Ward, Cache; Megan Blonien, Altus; McCandren Lewis, Guthrie; Charter Lawson, Mustang; June Tigert, Mustang; Amanda Johnson, Duncan; Abby Thompson, Deer Creek.

East girls: Catrina Pearson, Muskogee; Erica Carangalan, Tulsa Union; Kurstyn Mills, Shawnee; Tiffany Thompson, Coweta; Kayla Schroeder, Bristow; Addie Guthrie, Poteau; Hanna Voise, Perry; Jordan Humphrey, Bethel; Jasmine Vasquez, Tishomingo; Haley Day, New Lima; Mikayla Rosser, Broken Arrow; Kaylee Crawford, Henryetta.

West boys: Michael Hampton, Edmond North; Taylor Moore, Edmond Memorial; Jacob Oaks, Ardmore, Logan Gray, El Reno; Trent Mewbourn, Heritage Hall; Michael Helton, Heritage Hall; Will Roberts, Plainview; Rustin Purser, Oklahoma Christian School; Ryan Stults, Luther; Hayden George, Hinton; Cash Campbell, Ardmore; Blake Rhodes, Lawton MacArthur.

East boys: Eric Kline, Ponca City; Jason Goben, Tulsa Union; Seth Wheeler, Durant; Cameron Holder, Tulsa Memorial; Gabe Rogers, Cascia Hall; Blade Knox, Seminole; Jackson Hess, Okmulgee; Zach Oliver, Checotah; Austin Welch, Lincoln Christian; Tyler Martindale, Central Sallisaw; Will McDonald, Jenks; Jackson Stuteville, Durant.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Christiansen and Edmonds will be joined by the likes of James Woodard from Edmond Memorial, Norman’s Rico Hogan, El Reno’s Conner Haydon and Mount St. Mary’s Justin Wagner for the Large West.

The Washington pair of Cal Andrews and Jesse Nixon will play for the Small West, along with Centennial guard Da’Sean Carolina.

The games will be played July 26 at Oral Roberts’ Mabee Center. The Small School game will tip off at 7 p.m. with the Large School game at 8:30.

OCA Boys Basketball All-State Rosters

Large West
Conner Haydon, El Reno; D’Andre Wright, Lawton Eisenhower; Jared Griffin, Duncan; James Woodard, Edmond Memorial; Tyler Melton, Anadarko; Justin Wagner, Mount St. Mary’s; Quinton Paras, Lawton MacArthur; Matt Christiansen, Bishop McGuinness; Joe Edmonds, Bishop McGuinness; Rico Hogan, Norman.
Coaches: Butch Roberts, Norman North; Matt Bailey, Deer Creek.

Large East
J.C. Hartzler, Tulsa Union; Sedrick Johnson, Tulsa Union; Tate O’Grady, Byng; Jake Bullard, Vinita; Ramon Benson, Bartlesville; Kaleb Porter, Tulsa East Central; Dejoun Sanders, Shawnee; Jacob Bittle, Bixby; Ehron Ponds, Tulsa Edison; Cody Crase, Jenks.
Coaches: Tony Roach, Vinita; Mark Vancuren, Owasso.

Small West
Austin Thrash, Cheyenne-Reydon; Jesse Nixon, Washington; Cal Andrews, Washington; Rhett Radcliff, Forgan; Ryan Radcliff, Forgan; Derek Gabriel, Pioneer; Corbin Byford, Velma-Alma; Garrett Butler, Burlington; Gavan Steinmetz, Fort Cobb-Broxton; Da’Sean Carolina, Centennial.
Coaches: Todd Kerr, Forgan; Scott Raper, Centennial.

Small East
Quinton Threadgill, Haworth; L.J. Ross, Victory Christian; John Lazenby, Glencoe; Brendon Johnson, Varnum; C.J. Cole, Sperry; Johnathon Buckley, Kellyville; Kolby Johnson, Caddo; Chance LeBlanc, Preston; Dwight McElroy, Chouteau-Mazie; Caleb Smith, Weleetka.
Coaches: Joel Dickerson, Wright City; Lance Kight, Sperry.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

The Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association announced its six All-State teams Friday after a week of tryouts.

The three OGBCA All-State games, which are scheduled for Saturday, June 2 at Weatherford High School, will feature small, middle and large schools.

LARGE SCHOOL ROSTERS

WEST

Courtney Walker (Edmond Santa Fe); Alie Decker (Edmond Memorial); Ashley Clark (Midwest City); Antoinet Webster (Western Heights); Sydney Hill (Edmond Memorial); Elyse Hight (Bishop McGuinness); Toni Smith (Del City); Daisha Gonzaque (Edmond Santa Fe); Adrianna White (Midwest City); Toni Cheadle (Carl Albert).

Coaches: Paul Bass (Edmond Santa Fe); Karri Sears (Del City).

EAST

Kelsee Grovey (Shawnee); Madison Mercado (Sapulpa); Taylor Cooper (Shawnee); Devaughn Gray (Tulsa Washington); U’Knique Gaines (Tulsa East Central); LaNesha Middleton (Stillwater); Miranda Taylor (Claremore); Chelsie Keys (Muskogee); Lashanda Green (McAlester); Taylor Hurd (Jenks).

Coaches: Richard Bassett (Grove); Doyle Roland (Muskogee).

MIDDLE SCHOOL ROSTERS

WEST

Quira Demery (Millwood); Te’era Williams (Douglass); Lacey Paulk (Washington); Kati Sullivan (Anadarko); Jennifer Williams (Clinton); Madison Ward (Cache); Courtney Robinson (Blanchard); Amalea Hunter (Woodward); Kylie Boggess (Piedmont); Ashlyn Carroll (Chisholm).

Coaches: Kevin Kelly (Blanchard); Kirk Harris (Marlow).

EAST

Kelsey Barnwell (Kansas); Caitlyn Spurgeon (Vinita); Jodi Glover (Fort Gibson); Kenzie Solberg (Chandler); Courtney Cowan (Kansas); Brooke Watkins (Prague); Courtney Backward (Salina); Megan Ritter (Jay); Ashleigh Hutchings (Berryhill); Kardriunna Young (Idabel).

Coaches: Matt Sweeney (Oologah); Rick Ott (Inola).

SMALL SCHOOL ROSTERS

WEST

Jaime Brown (Chattanooga); Lexie Brown (Hammon); Casi Cornell (Thomas); Nikki Hager (Sayre); Jordan Garber (Amber-Pocasset); Haley Halcomb (Pond Creek-Hunter); Kori Fast (Fairview); Bailey McBride (Chattanooga); Jessica Penner (Corn Bible); Katelyn Richardson (Calumet); Lindsey Smith (Big Pasture); Hannah Stevens (Turner); Rylie Swanson (Alva); Jordynn VanPelt (Snyder); Shayla Williams (Northeast).

Coach: Terry Fellenstein (Corn Bible).

EAST

Pete Douglas (Oktaha); Megan Brown (Howe); Haley Bryan (Copan); Darian Black (Frontier); Tiffany Young (Frontier); Anna Eslinger (Ripley); Tiffeny Layton (Kiowa); Cydney Dillard (Central Sallisaw); Charitte Evans (Red Oak); McKenzie Cranford (Tonkawa); Hannah Thomas (Oklahoma Union); Shelley Swicegood (Colcord); Whitney Brown (Oktaha); Landry James (Talihina); Taylor Benson (Oklahoma Union).

Coaches: David Tinkler (Latta); Scott Lowe (Central Sallisaw).

6A

EDMOND SANTA FE VS. EDMOND MEMORIAL, 1:45 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Edmond Santa Fe

I honestly wouldn’t be completely shocked if Edmond Memorial pulled this one off. The Bulldogs are playing at a high level right now, but after the way Courtney Walker and the Wolves came back in the semifinal win over Midwest City, it’s impossible for me to pick against Santa Fe.

5A

SHAWNEE VS. TULSA EAST CENTRAL, 6 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Shawnee

After watching the beginning of Tulsa East Central’s semifinal win over McAlester, I really thought the Cardinals had what it takes to beat the Wolves. But then, leading scorer and rebounder Bria Pitts tore her ACL. In all likelihood, I would have picked Shawnee either way, but I definitely have to pick the Wolves now. Shawnee finishes up an unbeaten season and wins its first-ever girls’ basketball state title in a close one.

4A

ANADARKO VS. FORT GIBSON, 12:15 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Anadarko

Lakota Beatty is not only one of the state’s top juniors, but one of Oklahoma’s best players. Now that Anadarko finally got past Vinita, I expect the Warriors to take down the defending champions.

3A

MILLWOOD VS. PRAGUE, 7:30 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Prague

I picked Prague before the state tournament started, and they’ve done nothing to force me to change the pick, However, after Millwood’s semifinal win over Kansas, I gave serious consideration to switching this pick to Arnelia Spears’ Falcons. But ultimately, I have to stick with my original instinct. The Red Devils bring it home.

2A

NORTHEAST VS. FAIRVIEW, 2 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Northeast

The Northeast-Snyder semifinal had me glued to Twitter while simultaneously trying to pay attention to the Edmond Memorial-Sapulpa game I was covering. Nothing against Fairview, but it’s really too bad that game wasn’t the state title game. In his first year at the helm, Northeast’s Londaryl Perry, a former Putnam City West standout himself, has done one of the best coaching jobs in the state this year with the Vikings, regardless of Saturday’s outcome. Northeast beat Fairview in an area final, and I think they do it again.

* Nothing terribly surprising in Class 6A. The Edmond schools and Midwest City are clearly the three best teams in Class 6A, and I think we’ll get Edlam in the title game on Saturday.

* Give it up to Nikki McCann’s Mustang team. They were overmatched Thursday against Sapulpa, but getting to the state tournament with this young team is a big accomplishment. McCann has the proud Bronco girls’ basketball program headed back in the right direction, and with juniors Kendall and Mallory Brothers and freshman Bailey Flynn, this team will be good next year and should be back in the state tournament.

* Anadarko vs. Vinita in the Class 4A semifinals. That should be fantastic. Vinita has beaten the Warriors out in the first round the last three years, so Anadarko will enter this one with some extra motivation. But Caitlyn Spurgeon, who scored 33 in Thursday’s win over Jay, is a tough matchup. This game tips off at 1:30 p.m. at State Fair Arena.

* Te’era Williams’ career at Douglass ends with a disappointing loss, but that shouldn’t take away from the season she had. I mean this as no disrespect to the other Trojans players, but without Williams, Douglass wouldn’t have sniffed the state tournament. She’s a great talent, and I fully expect her to have a fine career at Grambling State.

* Like Mustang, you have to admire the job Amanda Tims did in her first year as coach at Piedmont. The Wildcats were in their first state tournament since 2001, and got a tough first-round matchup with No. 1 Fort Gibson. Piedmont loses Kylie Boggess for next season, but brings back very talented juniors Ashley Almond and Sarah Parker.

* Mount St. Mary almost got a win in their first state tournament game ever. Even with the heartbreaking loss, the Rockets’ state tournament appearance itself is a huge success. Mount St. Mary moved up to Class 4A and started three sophomores and a freshman, but still made it and almost won a game. That’s a testament to coach Rory Hamilton and the job he’s done. Expect the Rockets to be back in contention next season.

* I admit I was surprised when I saw the Kansas-Chandler score. It’s impressive that the Lions were that close to knocking off the favorites.

* Sulphur’s first state trip since 1923 started well, with a 45-43 win over Salina. Now it gets a tough semifinal matchup with No. 2 Prague, which was my state champion pick.

* Millwood will have its hands full with Kansas, but I like the Falcons to win it and get to their fifth straight state championship game.

* I’m perfectly happy to be in Tulsa for the big schools tournaments, but I really, really wish I could see tomorrow’s Northeast-Snyder Class 2A semifinal game. The defending state champs against the Vikings, who, in Londaryl Perry’s first season, have looked like the team to beat, at least in my opinion. Northeast beat Amber-Pocasset 74-46 Thursday, which I was a little shocked by. I expected the Vikings to win (they were my state pick, after all,) but not like that.

6A

EDMOND SANTA FE VS. MIDWEST CITY, NOON

Jason’s pick: Edmond Santa Fe

The Bombers are a tough team, and it’s too bad this can’t be the championship game. But I think the Wolves will be just too tough.

EDMOND MEMORIAL VS. SAPULPA, 7:30 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Edmond Memorial

The Bulldogs are hot right now. We get a third Edlam matchup between Santa Fe and Memorial for the 6A championship.

5A

SHAWNEE VS. CARL ALBERT, 10:30 A.M.

Jason’s pick: Shawnee

Carl Albert is a good team, but Shawnee is a great team. Kelsee Grovey, Taylor Cooper and the Wolves pick up another win on their way to the state title.

TULSA EAST CENTRAL VS. MCALESTER, 6 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Tulsa East Central

Cardinals are too athletic, talented and experienced to lose this one.

4A

FORT GIBSON VS. PERKINS-TRYON, 10:30 A.M.

Jason’s pick: Fort Gibson

Defending champs take care of business and get back to the title game.

VINITA VS. ANADARKO, 1:30 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Anadarko

Warriors finally best Caitlyn Spurgeon and Vinita to earn title game berth.

3A

SULPHUR VS. PRAGUE, 6 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Prague

The Red Devils were my state champion pick, and I’ll stick with them.

KANSAS VS. MILLWOOD, 7:30 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Millwood

Kansas got all it wanted from Chandler, and Millwood is even better. The Falcons advance to their fifth straight state title game with a close win.

2A

NORTHEAST VS. SNYDER, 6 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Northeast

Snyder has great talent, is well-coached and has experience. But there’s just something about this Northeast team that I like. The Vikings win on their way to the state title.

THOMAS VS. FAIRVIEW, 7:30 P.M.

Jason’s pick: Thomas

Terriers knocked off No. 1 Snyder in the area final and then beat Tonkawa in the quarterfinals. Thomas rides momentum to the title game.

* You have to feel terrible for Kate Andrews. The Bishop McGuinness senior had a really rough final high school basketball game. She had three first-half fouls, picked up her fourth less than a minute into the third quarter and sprained her ankle in the fourth. Andrews had a fantastic career and this game shouldn’t take away from that.

* The Carl Albert-Bishop McGuinness game was fun to watch and entertaining, but both teams really struggled shooting the ball. Or maybe both teams were just really good on defense. Either way, there wasn’t a lot of scoring. The Titans shot 28 percent from the field, and the Irish shot 30 percent.

* Carl Albert coach Tim Price on his team’s struggles to score this season: “We’ve had our struggles scoring throughout the year, so we’re not going to be able to outscore somebody when a game gets to the mid-50s. We’ve got to keep the score down and battle.” Mission accomplished on Thursday, but will the Titans be able to do the same Friday against Shawnee?

* Carl Albert is playing in its eighth straight girls state tournament, but is advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Titans lost close games the last two seasons in the first round.

* Shawnee has been my pick to win Class 5A since the beginning of the season, and I saw nothing Thursday to change my mind, although a matchup with Tulsa East Central could be interesting. The Wolves didn’t look great early against Claremore, but I think that is more of a testament to the Zebras’ effort.

* Shawnee senior guard Kelsee Grovey is one of the best players in the state, regardless of class. The things she does on defense change the game and makes her team win. She doesn’t necessarily light up the box score, but if I was starting a team, she’d be one of the players I’d want on it. The last time she guarded Carl Albert’s Gioya Carter, Carter was severely limited. Will Grovey be able to do it again?

* Speaking of superlatives, Del City’s Karri Sears is one of the best coaches around. She got more out of this Del City team than I think a lot of people expected, and for that she deserves to be recognized. The Eagles lost players to injuries, played a tough schedule and suffered some tough losses, but when it came playoff time, Sears got her team to the state tournament and almost won Thursday. I would argue that if Del City hadn’t gotten in foul trouble as quickly as it did in the third quarter, it just might have beaten McAlester.

* Del City senior Toni Smith wrapped up her terrific career with a 16-point, 12-rebound effort against McAlester. Now she moves on to Fresno State.

* I’d never seen McAlester guard LaShanda Green play until Thursday, but I mentioned her as a player to watch in our 5A tournament preview video. She impressed me on Day 1. It will be interesting to see how she performs Friday against a much tougher Tulsa East Central team.

* Tulsa East Central was a machine Thursday. If it is indeed Shawnee vs. Tulsa East Central in the championship game, that could be big-time good.

* Altus was 6-15 a year ago, and finished this year 17-10 and with a state tournament berth. That’s what I’d call a very successful turnaround season.

For Class 4A-2A, all championship games will be played at State Fair Arena on Saturday. Class 4A boys and 3A girls will remain at outer locations for Friday’s semifinals. All other classes will play at the Big House Friday and Saturday.

Class 6A
Girls at Oral Roberts Mabee Center
Edmond Santa Fe. Vs. Tulsa Union, 2 p.m.
Muskogee vs. Midwest City, 3:30 p.m.
Sapulpa vs. Mustang, 7 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Jenks, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Muskogee/Midwest City winner vs. Edmond Santa Fe/Tulsa Union winner, noon
Sapulpa/Mustang winner vs. Edmond Memorial/Jenks winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 1:45 p.m.

Boys at Skiatook
Tulsa Edison vs. Putnam City, 2 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Bixby, 3:30 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Bartlesville, 7 p.m.
Tulsa Union vs. Lawton Eisenhower, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At Mabee Center
Tulsa Edison/Putnam City winner vs. Edmond Memorial/Bixby winner, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7:45 p.m.

Class 5A
Girls at Sapulpa
Carl Albert vs. Bishop McGuinness, 2 p.m.
Shawnee vs. Claremore, 3:30 p.m.
Del City vs. McAlester, 7 p.m.
Tulsa East Central vs. Altus, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At Mabee Center
Carl Albert/Bishop McGuinness winner vs. Shawnee/Claremore winner, 10:30 a.m.
Tulsa East Central/Altus winner vs. Del City/McAlester winner, 6 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 6 p.m.

Boys at Catoosa
Del City vs. Guthrie, 2 p.m.
Tulsa East Central vs. Ardmore, 3:30 p.m.
Carl Albert vs. El Reno, 7 p.m.
Bishop McGuinness vs. Tulsa Central, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At Mabee Center
Tulsa East Centra/Ardmore winner vs. Del City/Guthrie winner, 9 a.m.
Carl Albert/El Reno winner vs. McGuinness/Tulsa Central winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, noon

Class 4A
Girls at Choctaw
Douglass vs. Anadarko, 2 p.m.
Fort Gibson vs. Piedmont, 3:30 p.m.
Perkins-Tryon vs. Mount St. Mary, 7 p.m.
Vinita vs. Jay, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Fort Gibson/Piedmont winner vs. Perkins-Tryon/Mount St. Mary winner, 10:30 a.m.
Vinita/Jay winner vs. Douglass/Anadarko winner, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 12:15 p.m.

Boys at Carl Albert
Tulsa McLain vs. Roland, 2 p.m.
Cascia Hall vs. Vinita, 3:30 p.m.
Anadarko vs. John Marshall, 7 p.m.
Douglass vs. Piedmont, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At Carl Albert
Anadarko/John Marshall winner vs. McLain/Roland winner, 6 p.m.
Douglass/Piedmont winner vs. Cascia Hall/Vinita winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
At State Fair Arena
Championship, 5:45 p.m.

Class 3A
Girls at Yukon
Verdigris vs. Prague, 2 p.m.
Millwood vs. Adair, 3:30 p.m.
Sulphur vs. Salina, 7 p.m.
Kansas vs. Chandler, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At Yukon
Sulphur/Salina winner vs. Verdigris/Prague winner, 6 p.m.
Kansas/Chandler winner vs. Millwood/Adair winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
At State Fair Arena
Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Boys at Southern Nazarene University
Victory Christian vs. Kingfisher, 2 p.m.
Washington vs. Sperry, 3:30 p.m.
Keys (Park Hill) vs. Centennial, 7 p.m.
Millwood vs. Haskell, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Keys (Park Hill)/Centennial winner vs. Millwood/Haskell winner, noon
Washington/Sperry winner vs. Victory Christian/Kingfisher winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 10:30 a.m.

Class 2A
Girls at Oklahoma City University
Thomas vs. Tonkawa, 2 p.m.
Snyder vs. Colcord, 3:30 p.m.
Northeast vs. Amber-Pocasset, 7 p.m.
Fairview vs. Oktaha, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Northeast/Amber-Pocasset winner vs. Snyder/Colcord winner, 6 p.m.
Thomas/Tonkawa winner vs. Fairview/Oktaha winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 2 p.m.

Boys at State Fair Arena
Northeast vs. Oktaha, 2 p.m.
Preston vs. Carnegie, 3:30 p.m.
Hennessey vs. Watonga, 7 p.m.
Pioneer vs. Haworth, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Northeast/Oktaha winner vs. Preston/Carnegie winner, 9 a.m.
Hennessey/Watonga winner vs. Pioneer/Haworth winner, 9 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 9:15 p.m.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

No. 1 Snyder (22-3): Cyclones, the defending champions, were upset by Thomas in area final but bounced back to clinch state berth Saturday.

No. 2 Northeast (24-2): Junior T’ona Edwards leads Northeast, which earned state berth in coach Londaryl Perry’s first season at the helm.

No. 3 Oktaha (29-0): Coach Chester Pittman seeks his third state championship in his 23 years as Oktaha coach.

No. 4 Amber-Pocasset (29-1): Panthers were unbeaten until area final loss to Oktaha, but rebounded with win Saturday for state berth.

No. 5 Tonkawa (27-1): Suffered first setback of the season in area final loss to Colcord, but beat Dale on a buzzer-beater Saturday to advance.

No. 6 Fairview (26-2): A semifinal team last season, Fairview hopes to win its first state title since 1974.

No. 7 Thomas (23-2): A semifinal team last year, Thomas seeks its seventh-ever state title. The Terriers upset No. 1 Snyder in Friday’s area final.

No. 13 Colcord (18-6): Improvement throughout the season is shown by win over Adair on Feb. 10. Colcord opened the year with 33-point loss at Adair.

No. 1 Kansas (23-2): Last year’s runner-up, the Comets seek their fourth-ever state championship.

No. 2 Prague (25-1): Three four-year starters lead the Red Devils, who were a semifinal team in 2011.

No. 3 Sulphur (25-1): Young team returned four starters from last year. Bulldogs seeking first-ever state title.

No. 4 Millwood (21-6): Last year’s Class 2A runner-up suffered first loss since Jan. 21 in area final vs. Sulphur, but rebounded by beating Davis to advance.

No. 5 Salina (21-6): Returned all five starters from last year’s team and are in the state tournament in Tony Rosebrough’s first year as coach.

No. 6 Verdigris (23-5): Mike Buntin leads the Cardinals to the state tourney in his first season as coach.

No. 8 Adair (20-7): Warriors return to the state tournament for the seventh straight season.

No. 10 Chandler (21-7): Senior Kenzie Solberg has the Lions dreaming of their first state championship since 1933.

Douglass senior Te'era Williams led the Trojans to their first state tournament since 1992. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Here is your Class 4A girls’ basketball state tournament field.

No. 1 Fort Gibson (26-1): Defending state champions’ only loss came on Dec. 30 to 5A No. 2 Tulsa East Central in the Tournament of Champions finals.

No. 2 Anadarko (25-1): Only loss this season is to 5A’s top-ranked team, Shawnee. Warriors have lost to Vinita in the first round of the last three state tournaments.

No. 3 Vinita (24-3): Arkansas Tech signee Caitlyn Spurgeon leads Hornets back to state tournament for fifth straight year.

No. 7 Perkins-Tryon (23-5): Move up in class didn’t stop Perkins-Tryon, a 3A semifinal team in 2011, from earning 4A state berth.

No. 9 Piedmont (21-7): Wildcats’ are led by senior Kylie Boggess and juniors Sarah Parker and Ashley Almond. This is coach Amanda Tims’ first season.

No. 13 Jay (19-9): Lost by two points to No. 1 Fort Gibson in regional final, but bounced back, winning three games in the last three days to earn state berth.

No. 16 Mount St. Mary (20-6): Rockets advance to first-ever state tournament in coach Rory Hamilton’s fifth year.

UR Douglass (16-11): Trojans started their run with an upset at Cushing, then beat the Tigers again Saturday. It is Douglass’ first state tournament appearance since 1992.

Shawnee, with sisters McKenzie, left, and Taylor Cooper, are unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in Class 5A. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN

After Saturday’s final area games, the field is set for next week’s Class 5A girls’ basketball state tournament in Tulsa.

Here are the qualifiers:

No. 1 Shawnee (26-0): Wolves lost Tulsa signee Caitlyn Ramirez to preseason ACL tear, but fellow D-1 signees Taylor Cooper (ORU) and Kelsee Grovey (Tulsa) have led Shawnee to unbeaten record and clear favorite status in Class 5A.

No. 2 Tulsa East Central (25-3): Cardinals appear to be the top challenger to favorite and top-ranked Shawnee.

No. 4 Carl Albert (21-5): OU commit and junior Gioya Carter headlines the Titans, who enter the state tourney on a five-game winning streak.

No. 5 Del City (18-8): Fresno State signee Toni Smith leads the Eagles, who have labored through injuries and inconsistency but topped No. 3 Deer Creek in area final for state berth.

No. 6 Bishop McGuinness (21-6): 2011 champs started season slow and were upset by Durant in regional final, but bounced back and beat No. 3 Deer Creek on Saturday for chance to defend title.

No. 10 Altus (17-9): Lost close game to No. 5 Del City in regional final but won two straight for state berth one year after going 6-15.

No. 12 McAlester (19-7): Had five-game win streak snapped by Carl Albert in area final, but made state by beating Grove on Saturday.

No. 15 Claremore (14-12): Entered postseason with losing record, but only lost by 1 point to No. 4 Carl Albert in playoffs. Upset Tulsa Kelley on Saturday for berth.

But one thing really stood out about Goodman: Her free-throw shot. It would be hard for me to describe, so just watch the video below. (Ignore the first free-throw; I was in bad position to see her motion.)

After the game, I asked Goodman about it. She said that’s just how she’s always shot free throws. Goodman, for the season, is about a 68 percent free-throw shooter.

Frontier plays Copan in the Class A semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at State Fair Arena.

Okarche’s girls made 14 of 19 free throw attempts in Thursday’s 48-36 Class A quarterfinal win over Stonewall.

Stonewall, by comparison, got to the line just four times, making all of them.

“That was our plan,” said Okarche coach Cherie Myers. “We wanted to attack them; we thought we could have some success doing that in the lane.”

Freshman post Madison Lee, who led all scorers with 17, made eight of her 10 free throw attempts.

CHATTANOOGA’S MCBRIDE HAS KNEE SCARE

Chattanooga senior Bailey McBride tore her meniscus as a freshman, and the left knee has given her occassional problems ever since.

During the third quarter of Thursday’s Class A quarterfinal 33-27 win over Seiling, McBride fell to the floor, clutching the left knee.

McBride left the game, was looked at by the team doctor and returned when it was determined that she had hyperextended it.

“When it happened, I was scared,” said McBride, who finished with 3 points. “But I calmed down a little bit and realized that if I want to win the gold ball, I have to get through it.”

KIOWA’S ARMSTRONG HURTS KNEE, CARRIED OFF COURT

Kiowa junior Jordan Armstrong, who entered the state tournament averaging 7 points and 7 rebounds per game, had to be carried off the court late in the second half of Thursday’s 52-48 loss to Frontier after suffering what coach Wade Daniel said was a hyperextended knee.

Armstrong scored three points and did not return.

CHATTANOOGA’S BROWN FOULS OUT LATE

The top-ranked Chattanooga girls lost their leading scorer to fouls late in Thursday’s 33-27 Class A quarterfinal win over Seiling, but the loss of Jaime Brown actually made little difference.

Even though Chattanooga was clinging to a single-digit lead, Brown, a post player who averages 18.8 points per game, was probably about to come out of the game anyway, coach Marty McBride said.

“At that point, it was gonna be keep away and free throws, so she was about ready to come out anyway,” McBride said. “It really wasn’t an issue.”

Brown finished Thursday’s game with 10 points.

The exciting shot shouldn’t have counted, though.

According to Mike Whaley, the OSSAA’s director of officials, if there is less than 0.3 second remaining, a player cannot take possession of an inbound pass and take a shot.

A shot with less than 0.3 seconds remaining off an inbound pass can only count if it is the result of a tip-in.

Late in the fourth quarter, Chattanooga was clinging to single-digit leads and it appeared the incorrect call could be a difference if Seiling managed to retake the lead.

A controversy was averted, though, when Chattanooga won by six points, 33-27.

Small-school state tournament brackets

Class A Boys
At State Fair Arena
Thursday
Glencoe vs. Weleetka, 2 p.m.
Merritt vs. Velma-Alma, 3:30 p.m.
Cheyenne vs. Sterling, 7 p.m.
Okarche vs. Wright City, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Cheyenne/Sterling winner vs. Glencoe/Weleetka winner, noon
Okarche/Wright City winner vs. Merritt Velma-Alma winner, 9 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 8:45 p.m.

Class B Boys
Thursday
At Carl Albert
Fargo vs. Arnett, 7 p.m.
Lomega vs. Burlington, 3:30 p.m.
Varnum vs. Kinta, 2 p.m.
Forgan vs. Hammon, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Forgan/Hammon winner vs. Lomega/Burlington winner, 6 p.m.
Fargo/Arnett winner vs. Varnum/Kinta winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 3:15 p.m.

Class A Girls
Thursday
At Southern Nazarene
Okarche vs. Stonewall, 2 p.m.
Chattanooga vs. Seiling, 3:30 p.m.
Frontier vs. Kiowa, 7 p.m.
Turner vs. Copan, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Okarche/Stonewall winner vs. Chattanooga/Seiling winner, 10:30 a.m.
Frontier/Kiowa winner vs. Turner/Copan winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 1:30 p.m.

Class B Girls
Thursday
At Choctaw
Red Oak vs. Timberlake, 2 p.m.
Hammon vs. Arnett, 3:30 p.m.
Corn Bible vs. Lomega, 7 p.m.
Balko vs. Deer Creek-Lamont, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Red Oak/Timberlake winner vs. Hammon/Arnett winner, 9 a.m.
Corn Bible/Lomega winner vs. Balko/Deer Creek-Lamont winner, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.

If you haven’t seen the video of Vinita’s full-court alley-0op off a made free throw with one second left, it’s definitely worth it to click below and check it out. Garret Maxey throws the inbounds pass, which bounces once, into perfect position to hit Jake Bullard in stride for the slam.

Now, when I initially heard the story, I was told it was also a game-winning dunk, which would have made it the play of the decade. But Vinita actually won the game 54-40. Still, a phenomenal play. And Class 4A folks around the OKC metro area will want to keep an eye on Vinita anyway. After reaching the state semis last year, they returned virtually everyone and will be one of the top contenders to end Douglass’ run of two straight titles.

Austin Garner and Centennial came up with a big win at John Marshall on Tuesday night.

I can’t remember a night during the regular season with so many great boys basketball games. Someone on Twitter told me I should have been at Edmond Santa Fe vs. Putnam City North, and he was right. And I should have been at Centennial vs. John Marshall, which turned out to be less of a game than I expected. And I should have been at Douglass-Southeast, which turned out to be more of a game than I expected. And I could have seen Deer Creek, Carl Albert, Del City, Northwest Classen, Westmoore and a few other teams pull out valuable victories as playoff seeding draws near.

And if I had been at any of those games, I would have missed No. 2 Edmond Memorial pull out a narrow win at No. 5 Midwest City.

Simply put, it was a phenomenal night of basketball in the city and around the state. Here’s a look at some of the best action in the OKC metro area from Tuesday night, with some additional analysis.

Edmond Memorial holds on at MWC

In an intense, if not artistic, battle between top-five teams, second-ranked Edmond Memorial came away with a hard-fought 48-46 win at No. 5 Midwest City Tuesday night.

After a first half highlighted by a flurry of 3-pointers from both teams, grinding, defensive basketball won out in the second half as Memorial rallied from seven points down late in the third quarter to win its 10th straight game.

“We’ve got to take these games and apply it in the future, like for the state tournament, because it’s gonna get tougher from here on out,” said Bulldog senior James Woodard, who had a game-high 12 points. “We didn’t play very well, but we gutted it out and got the win.”

Midwest City made seven 3-pointers — three by junior Daryck Jones — in the first half to take a 33-29 lead, but Memorial’s balanced scoring was too much in the second half.

Terrell Savala and Jordan Thomas combined for 11 of the Bulldogs’ 18 second-half points.

Jones and Torey Noel led Midwest City with 11 points apiece.

Scott’s take: As I tweeted during the game, I thought there was some questionable officiating. I think both teams had some legit gripes about calls throughout the game, including a couple late calls that could have had an impact on the end of the game.

That is not to be taken as a vague commentary on the non-call on Midwest City’s shot in the final seconds. From my spot on the scorer’s table, I was partially blocked from the play, so I couldn’t tell you with any kind of certainty if there was enough contact to warrant a foul call or not. In general, I’m a fan of officials letting the game play out, unless there is an obvious foul.

Midwest City has grown up a lot in the last 4-6 weeks, and they’ve got the talent to be right back at the Mabee Center for the state tournament once again.

Memorial’s balance is more impressive every time I see them. Reggie Sloan and Aaron Young made two 3-pointers apiece in the first half, and as I wrote, Thomas and Savala each came through with big buckets in the second half.

This was two totally different games. The teams were up and down the floor in the first half and combined for 12 3-pointers between them. But the second half was defense and more defense. Intense and fun to the end.

Anderson’s layup lifts Santa Fe

Edmond Santa Fe guard Aaron Anderson raced the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer to lift the fourth-ranked Wolves to a 59-57 overtime win at No. 11 Putnam City North.

Shaquille Morris led the Wolves with 23 points. Anderson, a Fresno State signee, finished with seven points.

T.J. Jones and Joe Summers had 15 points apiece and John Robert Simon had 14 for the Panthers, who erased a 20-point deficit to force overtime.

Scott’s take: Obviously, Santa Fe did a good job of exploiting the size advantage of Morris inside, and Anderson did a great job of making a play on the spot with the game on the line. After Jones tipped in a game-tying bucket, Anderson took the inbounds pass and went coast to coast for the winner. Pure instinct and reaction.

This game certainly would have been an amazing way for PC North coach Rick Harris to get his 200th win, but he’ll have to wait. The Panthers are at Mustang on Friday.

Smith lifts Douglass

The scoring rampage came from a different player this time, but the result was still a victory for Class 4A No. 1 Douglass.

Sophomore De’Angelo Smith scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Trojans to a 73-67 win over Southeast.

William Brewer scored 25 points to lead Southeast, and Rashawn Thomas had 24.

Scott’s take: Southeast had a three-score lead in the third quarter, so that issue of closing out a win returned for the Spartans. Coach Walt Brewer talked a lot about that when I spoke with him at the Shawnee Invitational two weeks ago.

As for Douglass, if they start getting this kind of contribution from other players — especially on nights when Stephen Clark isn’t dropping 30 — it’s only going to make them more dangerous than they already are. Other than Clark and Dydrell Post, no one on this roster had played any varsity ball until this season, so it’s no surprise that those players are starting to show up a little more now. This was Smith’s second straight 20-point game.

CHA upsets Dale

An 18-2 second-half run lifted Christian Heritage to a 49-46 upset of fifth-ranked Class 2A Dale, which missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Each playing a key role down the stretch, Sammy Dowds and Adam Curtis finished with 13 points apiece for CHA.

Scott’s take: As big as this win was for CHA, it would have had a much more valuable impact a week ago — and in the same way, it would have been more damaging for Dale. But since 2A postseason ranking votes are already in, it’s mostly just a morale boost for CHA as the postseason nears. Playoff pairings for 2A, 3A and 4A come out later this week, so be on the lookout for those.

Sanders, Shawnee escape

Western Heights’ Tim Tullis scored 29 of his 31 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to beat Shawnee, which got a game-winning jumper from Dejoun Sanders in the closing seconds of a 63-61 victory.

Sanders finished with 24 points and Dillion Mooreland had 21 for the Wolves.

Scott’s take: That’s a good win, and a needed win for Shawnee, but another tough loss for Western Heights. That team has been through a lot this year, which I wrote about a couple weeks back. To keep working as hard as they have says a lot about the kids and coach Dusty Walden.

Centennial snaps John Marshall win streak

John Marshall’s eight-game winning streak, which began with an 18-point win over Centennial, ended against the same opponent.

Centennial got 16 points from Nick Burnett in the 58-42 revenge win over John Marshall. The Bison put the game away by outscoring John Marshall 21-9 in the fourth quarter.

James Pendleton led the Bears with 16 points.

Scott’s take: Centennial is a much younger team this year, but it’s clear the Bison still have a lot of talent. Scott Raper did an amazing coaching job last year to get this team from outside the top 15 to state champs, and the Bison will be back in the mix come March.

John Marshall seems a little underrated in my opinion. I think they’re a state tournament team, even after a tough loss Tuesday. 

Tip-ins

Garrett Hermanski had 21 points to lead Deer Creek to a 64-61 win over Harrah… Trell Harris’ 18 points led four Northwest Classen players in double-figures as the Knights defeated Millwood 75-66… Three Carl Albert players had at least 15 points in a 71-57 win over Guthrie… Brett Cannon’s 18 points led Del City past Norman, 54-49… Colin Adney scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help Mount St. Mary to a 68-59 win at Crooked Oak… Bethany defeated Purcell 61-56 in overtime behind 19 from Ryley Claborn.

Scott’s take: It’s amazing to see so many good games left at the end of the roundup. Frustrating, too, because they all deserved a little more space in the paper.

Deer Creek is looking like a serious ballclub. They’re putting together some good wins the last few weeks.

That Carl Albert-Guthrie showdown could be a playoff preview — on the east side of the bracket, oddly enough. The Titans and Blue Jays were sent east to slim down the power struggle on the west side. Capitol Hill will also be going east, which gives the west a great chance at having more than half of the teams in the state tournament. The east side in 5A was really hurt by Tulsa Washington and Edison getting bumped to 6A this year, and it only made the west side stronger with Del City coming down.

Bethany and Mount St. Mary are right there with a large group of 4A teams hoping to get their shot at Douglass. They’re both teams that have good balance and can do damage in multiple ways, and that’s what it’s going to take to knock off the Trojans.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Douglass point guard Stephen Clark is averaging 51 points per game in his last three games and 42.4 for the month of January.

Sitting at dinner on Friday night, I still hadn’t decided which basketball game I would be attending. Should I go see the intense rivalry game between Putnam City and Putnam City West, or go see if Douglass PG Stephen Clark would go off again, and drop some ridiculous number on Millwood?

Ultimately, I chose what I thought would be the better game over the better individual performance. Here are all the details in Friday night’s roundup:

PC West holds off Putnam City rally

Coming off three frustrating losses, Putnam City West was ready for something positive to happen.

The Patriots’ good fortune almost ran out in the second half, but with some clutch free throw shooting in the fourth quarter, they hung on for a 72-68 win over visiting rival Putnam City Friday night.

Seniors Kevin House and Tavionne Pennon combined to go 12-of-14 at the free throw line down the stretch to close out the victory.

“We fought hard in practice all week, and we came out and got the win,” House said. “This was a big win. We lost three straight, and that wasn’t good.”

Putnam City had a fierce second-half rally that included a 19-5 run, eventually cutting a 21-point deficit to 70-68 with six seconds to play. Junior David Bush sparked the rally, scoring 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.

But PC West was able to get to the line when it counted, and convert the free throws.

“We worked very hard to get this win,” sophomore Omega Harris said. “We work on free throws every day, and we know we can hit those free throws.”

Harris, a 6-foot-2 guard, was key in building the Patriots’ big lead. He made three first-half 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 26 points.

Scott’s take: I remember standing next to Omega Harris at this time a year ago, and he appeared to be about 5-foot-10. I know he was shorter than me, and I’m 6 feet on a good day. Interviewing him after the game on Friday night, I can tell you he’s a legit 6-foot-2 — 6-5 if you count that hair. Only a sophomore, he should keep growing, too.

But his height isn’t what makes him impressive. He has the full range of skills. He can score from anywhere on the court, handles the ball well, incredible vision. I was impressed with him last year as a freshman at Midwest City, and he was hardly asked to score on that team. Now, he’s showing all of his offensive tools.

Add in his athletic ability and strong work ethic, he could be on his way to top 100 stature in the recruiting world. Kansas and Oklahoma are among the programs already showing interest in him.

All that said, it was House and Pennon who locked up the win on Friday. Free throws were huge, and Pennon had some big boards as well, finishing with 10 in all.

Watching the PC3 battle it out this year has been, and will continue to be, tons of fun. To recap, PC beat PC North, PC North beat PC West and PC West beat PC. And there’s still more to come.

Moore bounces back

Three nights after having its six-game win streak snapped by Midwest City, Moore got back in the win column with a 44-38 defeat of Southmoore.

Moore’s Chris Hobgood scored a game-high 17 points and Dorian Gigger added nine for the Lions, who have won seven of their last eight games and moved into the top 20 in the coaches’ rankings this week.

Scott’s take: On my list of biggest surprises so far this season, Moore probably makes the top three. Maybe top two. I think Stillwater currently has the top spot locked up, but the Lions are right there. I knew Gigger was a solid player, but the team performance so far, especially bouncing back from an 0-2 start, has been really good.  

Douglass cruises behind Clark’s 37

Douglass guard Stephen Clark continued his red-hot January, scoring 37 points in the Trojans’ 88-66 win over Millwood.

Clark is averaging 51.0 points per game over the last three games, and 42.4 per game for the month.

Scott’s take: Just for fun, our Thunder beat writer Darnell Mayberry took in Clark’s performance on Friday, and based on his Twitter reaction, he was impressed. Douglass plays Northeast on Saturday, then it’s off to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Basketball Classic. There will be some tough competition down there, and Clark will be asked to do a lot of scoring once again. So keep an eye out for more big numbers.

Deer Creek tops Piedmont

Continuing a string of solid performances, Deer Creek defeated Piedmont 49-33 for its fifth win in six games.

The Antlers were led by Garrett Hermanski, who scored a game-high 22 points. Deer Creek’s stout defense allowed only 18 points through the first three quarters.

Scott’s take: These guys are playing well of late, and they seem to be especially good at winning the ugly ones. Piedmont is a talented, athletic team with good size and the ability to put up some points. So holding them to 18 through three quarters is solid work.

Tip-ins

Carlbe Ervin scored 17 points as Carl Albert defeated Chickasha 63-58… Southeast knocked off star Spencer 75-70 in overtime, despite 29 points from Star’s Symon Smith… Jesse Nixon scored 22 points in Washington’s 65-45 win over Purcell… Capitol Hill had three players score at least 17 points in an 80-39 rout of the OKC Knights, with Nicco Meadows leading the way with 22.

Scott’s take: That’s two straight good scoring performances in victories from Ervin, who is very athletic. Carl Albert relies a lot on balanced offense and tough defense, but when Ervin has his offensive game going, he’s fun to watch.

A 41-point win doesn’t tell us much about Capitol Hill, but I think they are going to be a team to watch down the stretch. A young team grew up a lot last year, and by March, they could be ready to take the next step.

In a bit of news that didn’t make the roundup, apparently Edmond Memorial’s James Woodard had a nasty dunk in the Bulldogs’ easy win over Norman North. They’re promising video will be posted online sometime Saturday, and I’ll share it on the blog. I don’t know if any dunk can live up to the Twitter hype this one was getting on Friday night, but still, I can’t wait to see it.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Matt Christiansen and Bishop McGuinness had a fight on their hands with Stillwater Tuesday night.

Tons of good basketball action on Tuesday night… too  much to fit into the roundup for Wednesday’s paper, but I did my best. Here’s a look at some of the games I touched on, along with a few extra thoughts.

Douglass’ Stephen Clark scores 51 on Star Spencer

Douglass point guard Stephen Clark picked up where he left off in Louisiana.

In his first game since scoring 65 points at a tournament in Bossier City, Clark had 51 points in a 114-71 win over Star Spencer on Tuesday night.

Clark, who already has scholarship offers from more than a dozen Division I colleges, didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter, with Douglass holding a 31-point lead. It wasn’t just a scoring barrage for Clark. The junior finished with 15 assists and eight steals as well.

The Trojans have a busy weekend, visiting Millwood on Friday and hosting Northeast on Saturday, before heading back to Louisiana next week. Douglass will take part in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Basketball Classic in New Orleans Jan. 19-21.

Scott’s take: There is not thesaurus big enough for me to keep coming up with adjectives to describe Clark’s performance this season. If you combine his second half from Bossier and first half from Tuesday, he scored 81 points in four quarters. The kid is for real. We get to watch him for another year-and-a-half, so if you haven’t seen him yet, pick a game and get out there.

McGuinness holds off Stillwater in OT

In a game when Bishop McGuinness struggled from the free throw line, it’s ironic that foul shots are how Tuesday’s 38-33, overtime win over Stillwater was sealed.

Joe Edmonds’ two late free throws in overtime gave the Irish a four-point lead, and Matt Christiansen added another as McGuinness eeked out a close victory over Stillwater (9-2), which continues to surprise given its lack of returning experience.

McGuinness missed nine of its 17 free throw attempts in the game.

“It came back and bit us, but we won,” said Edmonds, who himself missed a late free throw in the fourth quarter.

Christiansen and Edmonds, both seniors and San Francisco signees, scored 15 and 10 points, respectively, for McGuinness.

Junior John Holcomb led Stillwater with 13 points. Holcomb was the Pioneers’ leading returning scorer from last year, averaging just under three points in 2010-11.

“They’re a good team,” said McGuinness coach Tondrell Durham. “They’re a tough team, and we are very fortunate to win this game.”

Scott’s take: Gracias to Jason Kersey for doing the work on this one. McGuinness is a team full of guys who don’t mind doing the dirty work, and that’s a great quality to have. Beating Norman last week was impressive, and taking down Stillwater — one of the hottest teams around right now — was as well.

Stillwater might be the biggest surprise of the season so far. Hardly anyone with significant experience returning, but Michael Davis has them playing at a high level already. Keep an eye on the Pioneers the rest of the way. Jason is working on a VERY interesting story about what is at the heart of their team chemistry. You won’t want to miss it.

Northeast tops Millwood in OT

Northeast showed exactly how to win a game with free throws on Tuesday night.

The Vikings outscored Millwood 8-0 in overtime — all eight points coming at the line — to seal a 50-42 win.

Millwood rallied from an early double-figure deficit to take the lead in the third quarter, but the fourth quarter saw six ties and four lead changes.

Four Northeast players scored from the line in overtime, with senior point guard Gabe Houston making three of four as the Vikings closed out the win. Houston finished with a team-high 16 points and C.J. Jones had 11 as both teams struggled to make field goals.

“This is always a big rivalry game,” first-year Northeast coach Garland Parks said. “One of our goals is to do well in the conference, and Millwood is always tough, so this is a good win for us, especially on a night when we couldn’t put the ball in the basket. It was an ugly game, but we got the win.”

Wayne Jackson led the Falcons with 21 points, but he fouled out in the final minute of regulation.

Scott’s take: Glad I was finally able to catch a Northeast game. Once I saw they were dropping to 2A one season after playing for the 3A title, I knew that the time was right for them to strike. Garland Parks is a solid coach who seems to have a good handle on his new team.

The Vikings won this one without making many jumpers, and without a big contribution from senior Caleb Crayton, who spent much of his night battling inside with Wayne Jackson. Crayton is a very athletic 6-foot-3 swingman who will get a chance to play at a decent college next year. Houston Baptist was on hand to see him play Tuesday, and he has had some interest from some mid-major D-I programs as well.

Jackson was huge for the Falcons, but he fouled out on an interesting call late in regulation. He was whistled for an intentional foul. From my angle on the opposite end of the floor, it appeared the foul was because he got a little too rough during a tie-ball situation. Tough call to make at that situation of the game, especially with how physical the second half had been. Northeast tied the game with the free throws from the intentional foul.

Edmond Santa Fe fights off PC West

Aaron Anderson had a game-high 15 points and Edmond Santa Fe’s stout defense powered a 56-45 win over Putnam City West in a battle of top-10 teams.

The eight-ranked Patriots were led by Deontee Ogles with nine points. Phoenix Bills contributed 11 for fourth-ranked Santa Fe.

Scott’s take: Santa Fe hasn’t always looked pretty, but they have the talent to win big games. When they can get some decent point production, they are going to be tough to beat. The job they did on PC West’s top three scorers — holding each of them to eight or fewer — is impressive.

Trier’s 37 points power Storm

Freshman Allonzo Trier scored 10 of his game-high 37 points in overtime as the OKC Storm defeated Tulsa Central. Trier only had six points in the first half, but exploded to help the Storm rally from a 12-point halftime deficit.

The Storm’s Jacob Hammond, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, made a layup in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.

Tulsa Central was led by Revey Norton with 18 points.

Scott’s take: According to Barry Lewis of the Tulsa World, Central coach Eli Brown III called Trier the best guard his team has played all year. Based on the freshman’s performance in crunch time, it’s easy to see where that opinion originated. I’m going to be writing in-depth about Trier soon. He’s not your typical freshman, and his life story is going to be a fun one to tell.

Tip-ins

Conner Haydon scored 30 points to lead El Reno to an 83-72 win over Shawnee, which got 31 points from Dejoun Sanders… Heritage Hall’s Tanner Tepe scored 13 in a 50-49 win over Casady… Choctaw picked up a 60-51 win over Yukon behind 27 points from Reggie Wright… Carl Albert junior Carlbe Ervin had a game-high 26 points as the Titans downed Harrah 63-54.

Scott’s take: This should tell you how fun a night it was in high school hoops. These games had to be relegated to the “Tip-ins” section: Dueling 30-point scorers, a one-point Heritage Hall win, and a couple kids scoring in the upper 20s to lead their teams to important victories. It’s only the second week of January. This can only get better.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Here’s the roundup from Thursday night, along with some extra thoughts:

Putnam City pulls out OT win

Putnam City North made a late comeback in regulation, and nearly pulled off another in overtime, but Putnam City was able to hold on for a thrilling 64-62 overtime victory in the first round of the PC Invitational Thursday night.

Ronnie Boyce made a 3-pointer, then Putnam City got buckets from David Bush and Richmarr Smith to build an early lead in the overtime period. PC North’s rally fell short when Panther players missed their final three free throw attempts of the game.

PC North was led by T.J. Jones with 21 points, and Joe Summers added 17.

Juniors Boyce and Bush scored 14 points apiece to lead Putnam City, while sophomore Stephen Edwards had 10, eight of which came after halftime.

PC will face Midwest City in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday in a rematch of last year’s PCI championship game, which Midwest City won.

PC West downs Ike

With only one player on the roster taller than 6-foot-4, Putnam City West gained some confidence in Thursday’s 62-52 win over Lawton Eisenhower, which boasts 6-foot-9 Tulsa signee D’Andre Wright and 6-foot-7 freshman Douglass Moore.

Of course, it was still the Patriots’ talented collection of guards who did the most damage in their first-round game at the PC Invitational, with senior Kevin House scoring 17 points, while Omega Harris and Tavionne Pennon had 13 apiece.

At 6-foot-4, Pennon was asked to do most of the defensive work inside on Wright, who finished with 19 points.

“This win was important, going against one of the best big men in the state,” Pennon said. “It was about speed, getting back down the court and making sure we swarmed him when he touched the ball.”

Ultimately, it came down to free throws, with the Patriots hitting 10 of 12 tries in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

PC West will take on No. 1 Tulsa Union at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Every game of the PC Invitational is being streamed live online at www.zpreps.com.

Scott’s take: The PC trio can play some ball. All three of those teams are good, and the PCI field is incredible. Lawton Ike and PC North will both be playing in the loser’s bracket on Friday, and not because either of them were upset by inferior teams. The field is just that good.

PC West vs. Union in one semifinal, and PC-Midwest City in the other will make for a fun evening. PC West proved it can handle going against size with Lawton Ike on Thursday, but Union is a different animal. Lots of size everywhere, and good athletes who do things right. There’s a reason the ‘Skins are No. 1 in the coaches’ poll right now.

PC and MWC are two teams with a lot of young guards who play fast and with a lot of confidence. They’re both playing at a higher level than I expected of them this early in the season. You expect them to be good in the final month of the season, but I thought there would be some growing up to do for both of them, and they seem to have gotten that out of the way quickly.

Guthrie’s Parker sinks game-winner

A blown lead and a busted final play were all forgotten when Shron Parker’s last-second 3-point attempt swished through to give No. 9 Guthrie a 71-69 win over No. 8 Northwest Classen in the McGuinness Classic.

Guthrie led by as many as 18 points in the second half, before Northwest Classen rallied to take a 69-68 lead on Terry Arnold’s putback with seven seconds left.

As Guthrie point guard Jerrick Warren dribbled up the court, he found himself trapped by two Knight defenders about 28 feet from the basket. But he was able to find an open Parker, who launched the game-winner as the horn sounded.

“At first, all I was thinking was that the play wasn’t going to work,” Parker said. “I got open and just shot it, and it went in.”

Parker finished with 13 points. Guthrie was led by Codee Gross with 19 and Warren with 17. Paco Jones had a game-high 28 points for Northwest Classen and Jamil Donovan added 19.

McGuinness, Norman advance

Possibly on a crash course for a championship showdown, both Bishop McGuinness and Norman advanced with first-round wins at the 52nd annual McGuinness Classic.

McGuinness’ Matt Christiansen scored 12 points in the Irish’s 45-24 win over Yukon. The Irish scored the game’s first 13 points and never looked back, building a 28-8 lead by half.

Norman scored the last 11 points of the first half to turn a deficit into an eight-point lead by the break, beating Edmond North 52-40 at the McGuinness Classic. The Huskies led 24-21 before the barrage, which included five points from Rico Hogan.

Scott’s take: Thanks to Ryan Aber for the help in covering the night session at McGuinness. I think McGuinness and Norman have a slight edge on the rest of the field at the Classic, but don’t count out Guthrie. I really didn’t see them handling Northwest Classen, but they did, despite nearly letting it slip away.

Guthrie has an incredibly balanced offense, but they don’t have a lot of size, which McGuinness has plenty of — Christiansen at 6-foot-8 inside and Joe Edmonds at 6-foot-5 on the wing, for starters.

Norman seems to be playing with a lot of confidence lately, and I think they’re only going to keep getting better. They battled some health issues early, and they’re incorporating a talented new point guard in Rico Hogan (who you can read more about right here).

Douglass wins big in Louisiana

Douglass point guard Stephen Clark had 25 points, nine assists and four steals, sitting out the fourth quarter of the Trojans’ blowout win over Booker T. Washington of Shreveport, La., in the showcase portion of the Bossier (La.) Invitational. The actual tournament begins Friday.

Scott’s take: Umm… Stephen Clark is good. Really good. A college scout once described him to me as a more athletic version of Keiton Page. In other words, he can dribble, shoot and pass. Great basketball savvy. And he’s lightning-quick. In case you missed it, here’s my story from Dec. 26 on Clark’s transformation into a point guard.

There will be lots more coverage to come on Friday, and if you’re interested in keeping up with scores and other info as I travel around the metro for all the hoop action, I suggest following along on Twitter.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Take a few minutes to watch the following five videos, and cast your vote.

No. 1: Jones’ Tylor Seabolt won’t be stopped for a TD in the 2A state title game:

No. 2: In a 21-21 game, Millwood’s Marc Robinson blocks a potential game-winning field goal and Larry Lambeth returns it 90 yards for a TD on the game’s final play:

No. 3: Moore’s Corey Reeves hits Grant Linstead for a 99-yard TD on fourth-and-10 to force overtime vs. Yukon:

No. 4: OCS’ Clyde Jasper scoops up a blocked punt and returns it for a game-winning TD in the final minute:

No. 5: Woodward’s Garrett Roach returns a fumble 99 yards in the final minute for a game-winning TD in the playoffs:

Voting will end at 5 p.m. Jan. 7 and the results will appear in The Oklahoman on Jan. 8.

Guthrie's J.T. McFadden shoots over Harrah's J.J. Jaworski during Tuesday's game.

A short schedule means a short roundup on the last night of hoops before the holiday break for most teams. There are a lot of intriguing holiday tournaments coming up, but let’s not skip too far ahead. Let’s get right to Tuesday’s roundup:

Guthrie too quick for Harrah

Powered by a speedy, balanced lineup, Guthrie is beginning to show itself as a team to watch in Class 5A.

Led by Jerrick Warren with 19 points, five Bluejays scored at least eight Tuesday night in a 75-55 home win over Harrah to move Guthrie to 3-0 on the young season.

Senior Codee Gross scored 17 for Guthrie, while Kai Callins added 14, as the Jays’ short but quick lineup proved too much for Harrah.

“We’re not big, but we have some quickness with a lot of guys who work hard,” Guthrie coach Pete Papahronis said. “I’m very happy with where we’re at. Any guy on any night can step up and give us points.
“We believe we can compete. Time will tell how good we can be.”

Guthrie flashed its speed in building an early lead, which only grew the rest of the night. Harrah was able to hang around through the first half, thanks to the hot shooting of Adam Keiffer, who had 13 of his 17 points before halftime.

But Warren, a junior guard, went to work in the second half with 13 points, including 11-of-14 at the free throw line.

My take: With wins over El Reno and Piedmont — two teams that went to state last year — to open the season, I was curious about Guthrie, and they came through with another solid win. Gross will be the go-to guy when they need someone, but in general, their ability to get points from several different players will be key.

There are probably a couple teams at the top of 5A that are a notch above the rest of the field, but there’s not a lot of separation from 5-15 in the rankings. Guthrie is going to make some noise.

Memorial rolls in Edlam

Senior Terrell Savala scored 15 points and Class 6A No. 3 Edmond Memorial bounced back from its first loss last week to rout crosstown rival Edmond North 69-39.

The Bulldogs (7-1), the defending 6A state champions, lost to Class 5A’s top-ranked team, Del City, on Dec. 13.

“You always want to come back and play well after a loss,” said Memorial coach Shane Cowherd. “We learned from it.”

Brothers James and Jordan Woodard scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Memorial, which jumped out to a 23-8 lead after the first quarter.

Savala, who transferred this summer from Edmond Santa Fe, has added another dangerous weapon to the already stacked Bulldogs.

“He’s come in and worked hard,” Cowherd said. “He’s working to adapt to the Memorial culture.”

My take: Thanks to Jason Kersey for the coverage of Edlam in his first chance to see the Memorial boys. It was clear that the Bulldogs were anxious to get back on the court after last week’s loss to Del City and it didn’t take them long to get going. I think Quinn Wooldridge is a good guy for the Edmond North job, but this will be a tough year, win-loss-wise, as he tries to build his program.

PC advances to finals

David Bush and Ronnie Boyce powered Putnam City to a 70-61 win over Baldwin County (Fla.) in the semifinals of the Wildcat Holiday Classic in Pensacola, Fla., putting the young Pirates in the tournament finals.

Bush scored 26 points and Boyce had 20, with Orlando Goldsmith adding 11, as Putnam City erased a six-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Pirates outscored Baldwin County 22-7 in the final period.

Boyce also scored 20 in Monday’s first-round win, 84-45 over Pensacola-based Escambia.

The Pirates will play for the tournament title at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

My take: Not much to add here, beyond what I wrote about the Pirates in Monday’s paper. These guys are looking good so far.

Tip-ins

T.J. Jones scored 21 points as Putnam City North knocked off Yukon 67-47… Stroud had four scorers in double-figures in a 90-45 win over Jones… Christian Foster had a game-high 18 points in Piedmont’s 46-44 win over Woodard.

My take: PC North hit the Oklahoma sports trifecta with a visit from Justin Blackmon at Tuesday’s game. They had OU football players at last Tuesday’s game, then the Thunder scrimmaged before their win Friday at PC West, now the OSU star. Blackmon’s visit wasn’t just a coincidence. PC North’s Rick Harris coached Blackmon at Plainview.

Beating Woodward is a solid win for Piedmont. I’m still convinced the Wildcats are going to be one of the better teams in 4A, but they’re also very young, so that will play a factor in their early season development. Keep an eye on them in March and beyond.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Think about it for a minute before you skip ahead to read the answers. The first two should be easy.

Jenks and Tulsa Union are no-brainers. But the third is a little less obvious.

A hint, this team will be playing for a state championship this weekend.

You might have guessed one of these five programs, which have made the semifinals in three of the last four seasons: Guthrie, Lawton MacArthur, Heritage Hall, Cascia Hall and Shattuck.

And the winner is…?

The Hennessey Eagles, who will try to defend the Class 2A state championship against Jones at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, are the only other team to reach the semifinals the last four years.

“It’s something special,” Hennessey coach Shannon Watford said. “You’re talking about a program that floundered in obscurity. It’s really special, and it’s tough to get there. It’s a good group of kids, man. They’re fighters.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

This cartoon appeared alongside Daily Oklahoman sports editor John Cronley's column on Nov. 3, 1953. The column lambasted the Oklahoma Highschool Athletic association's decision to abolish high school playoffs for the 1954 season. FROM THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

What started as research for a story turned into a fascinating look into one odd year in Oklahoma high school football.

In October 1953, the Oklahoma Highschool Athletic association voted to abolish football playoffs.

The playoffs had been around for nine seasons, and would go on as scheduled for 1953. But in 1954, there were no crowned state football champions.

On the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities’ Association website, on the page where it lists past football state champions, 1954 says, “No championship due to membership vote of ‘too much football.’ Had regular season games only, but were reinstated the next year.”

According to Daily Oklahoman archive stories, common reasons given to abolish the playoffs were 1) too much emphasis on winning; 2) increased pressure on coaches; 3) a longer season.

The vote was taken the association’s annual business meeting, but, according to reports, representatives from a large number of schools weren’t present at the meeting.

A Nov. 3, 1953 Daily Oklahoman column by sports editor John Cronley reported, “with more than 200 schools playing the grid game, only 122 votes were cast.”

The official vote was 78-44, in favor of abolishing the playoffs.

Cronley’s column went on to lambaste the association’s decision. Here are some excerpts:

… Where is the harm in giving the boys something extra to play for, a giant goal each year, an added incentive to strive for, an objective of which to be so proud if achieved?”

Why not decide on the field of battle just what teams are supreme? Isn’t that the basic aim of all sports?

Now it will be back to that ‘mythical’ business, with nothing settled entirely to the satisfaction of all.

(That remind you of anything?)

It all makes for more youngsters playing a better brand of football, and in some places the big kid program is sold primarily on the grounds of being something for the after school hours rather than roaming of streets.

Now ask yourself, what is the youths’ goal from grade through highschool if it isn’t the hope of some day being able to claim he played on the best darn prep team in the country?

So it may be that the die is cast permanently. If so, let the voters answers these queries — If a moderate helping of football is good for a boy, is more of it bad, and if football playoffs are undesirable, why allow to stand such practices in basketball and baseball?

The playoffs were abolished with a simple majority vote, but to reestablish the playoffs would take a three-fourths vote, which was considered all but impossible.

The association tried something different in December 1953 that was as confusing as it was unlikely to work.

The association’s secretary, Lee K. Anderson, and the board of control devised a plan that would have schools vote on having playoffs by classes.

Here was the catch, though: If a majority of schools in any class voted to reestablish playoffs for their class, another vote was conducted of all football playing schools, and that vote would require a three-fourths majority.

A Dec. 8, 1953 Daily Oklahoman article read: “Anderson said the board took the view that most school administrators would take action to give any class the playoffs if schools in that class indicated they wanted the championship series.”

Some classes did vote to reestablish their playoffs, but the wider vote failed, and there were no playoffs in the 1954 season.

Polls and the general sentiment of Oklahomans at the time were firmly for a playoff system.

A Nov. 15, 1953 column by Daily Oklahoman sports writer Lew Johnson said: “In our travels around the state, and during chats with coaches, players and fans, we have found the people to be angry and disgusted with the association.”

Here are excerpts from a Nov. 8, 1953 letter to the editor from Ada resident W.A. Hubbard:

Personally, I am of the opinion that the playoff system was the most progressive move made by the Oklahoma Highschool Athletic Association in the past 20-odd years and its abolition the most retarding.

With the playoff setup, every, the players, student body, and fans, had something to anticipate: competition, honor to be gained and a goal to be reached. Without the playoffs, what’s left? A conference title over a small portion of the state; a rearrangement of schedules; a mythical championship, perhaps, which proves nothing.

Momentum began building to bring back the playoffs between the 1953 and 1954 football seasons.

And by the Oct. 29, 1954 business meeting, the restoration of the playoffs in Classes A, B and C was No. 1 on the agenda.

(Class 2A schools remained firmly against a playoff and didn’t have one again until the 1956 season).

A Ray Soldan Daily Oklahoman column, which ran five days before the board meeting, listed six reasons why the playoffs should be restored:

1) The players themselves want the playoff
2) Fans favor them
3) A better brand of football is produced under the playoffs because there is an added incentive for coaches and players alike
4) Clear-cut state champions are determined
5) It actually shortens the season for all schools except the playoff participants. And those schools certainly don’t mind a lengthened campaign
6) Other assets include financial gains for the schools and increased salaries for the coaches.

Morris superintendent John B. Turner led the charge, speaking passionately at the meeting before the balloting. Turner first began lobbying for a playoff system in 1943.

Saying he represented the fans and student-athletes that weren’t present, Turner went into a impassioned plea for the playoffs while blasting the “slovenly approaches to football players in Oklahoma,” according to a Oct. 30, 1954 Daily Oklahoman article.

He went on to blast school officials for, “not supporting coaches who sweat for two hours every day, and thereby hold your jobs and get raises in pay for you by producing winning teams.”

He continued, saying that playoffs are, “a full expression of democratic process,” and that adding “manly competition in football stops juvenile delinquency.”

After Turner’s speech, Classes A, B and C voted to restore football playoffs for the 1955 season.

In a Dec. 5, 1954, football postseason column, Soldan called the lack of playoffs that season the “Disappointment of the year.”

“With fans, players and coaches like rallying to the defense of the playoff system, the highschool officials saw the error of their previous decision and overwhelmingly voted the football championships back in for the 1955 season,” Soldan wrote.

The 1955 season would be memorable for two reasons — the return of the playoffs, and the first season where black and white athletes played together in many schools, according to Soldan’s Sept. 4, 1955 column.

Then, at the association’s business meeting in October of that year, Class 2A playoffs were restored.

So there is your Oklahoma high school football history lesson for the day.

I love history, so once I started to realize how interesting this was, it became my Sunday evening.

Hope you enjoyed this little trip back in time. I sure did.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

The results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week 3 of the playoffs:

Bryan Dutton, QB, Guthrie
Scored a rushing touchdown and threw for two more TDs to help seal Guthrie’s spot in the Class 5A state championship game with a 28-25 win over McAlester on Saturday.

Hennessey defense
Vian came in having scored at least 34 points in every game, and at least 47 in eight of their last nine, but Hennessey gave up just over 200 yards and just seven points to advance to the Class 2A semifinals.

Michael Lowe, QB, Jones
Threw a touchdown pass and rushed for another score, both in the fourth quarter of Jones’ 29-28 comeback win over Stroud in the Class 2A quarterfinals. Lowe also had another rushing TD earlier in the game.

Marc Robinson, RB/LB, Millwood
Rushed 16 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns, while also helping the Millwood defense shut down the Lincoln Christian run game in a 40-14 Falcon win in the 2A quarterfinals.

Barry J. Sanders, RB/DB, Heritage Hall
Sanders got it done on both sides of the ball, scoring from the running back position, and also with a pick-six as the Chargers routed Seminole 49-20 on Friday to advance to the 3A semifinals.

Class 6A
Semifinals
Owasso vs. Broken Arrow at Muskogee, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Jenks vs. Tulsa Union at Stillwater, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class 5A
Semifinals
Guthrie vs. McAlester at Sapulpa, 1 p.m. Saturday
Lawton MacArthur vs. Ardmore at Yukon, 1 p.m. Saturday

Class 4A
Semifinals
Wagoner vs. McGuinness at Sapulpa, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Clinton vs. Catoosa at Putnam City, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class 3A
Quarterfinals
Metro Christian at Anadarko, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Berryhill at Plainview, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Cascia Hall at Bethany, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Heritage Hall at Seminole, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class 2A
Quarterfinals
Vian at Hennessey, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Lincoln Christian at Millwood, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Jones at Stroud, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Lindsay at Pawhuska, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class A
Quarterfinals
Thomas at Dibble, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Woodland at Ringling, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Minco at Wayne, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Carnegie at Foyil, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class B
Semifinals
Laverne vs. Caddo at Del City, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Davenport vs. Kiefer at Bristow, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Class C
Semifinals
Temple vs. Shattuck at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, 1 p.m. Saturday
Sharon-Mutual vs. Tipton at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors. There were a ton of good choices this week, some of whom couldn’t make it onto the poll, so sound off for your pick.

The results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from the opening round of the postseason:

Seth Hamby, RB, Dibble
Turned in yet another outstanding performance, rushing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns to help Dibble advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Dametric Sanders, QB, Millwood
Carried the ball 16 times for 211 yards and all three Millwood touchdowns in a 20-7 upset at top-ranked Davis. His 93-yard TD run in the second quarter set the tone for the win.

Tylor Seabolt, WR/DB, Jones
Caught two touchdown passes and returned an interception 99 yards for a score to preserve a shutout in Jones’ 38-0 win over Comanche.

Camden Tharp, QB, McGuinness
Threw for 246 yards and all four Irish touchdowns as McGuinness advanced to the 4A semifinals with a 28-14 win at Sallisaw.

Josh Way, RB, Wayne
With five touchdowns and 311 yards, Way powered Wayne to the Class A quarterfinals with a 48-18 win over Morrison.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors. There were a ton of good choices this week, some of whom couldn’t make it onto the poll, so sound off for your pick.

The results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from the opening round of the postseason:

Luke Davis, RB, Guthrie
Regardless of your feelings about the OSSAA’s ruling on Guthrie, you had to be impressed with Davis’ performance. He rushed for five touchdowns and 179 yards to carry the Bluejays through a rout of Durant and cap off one of the most tumultuous any high school football team could experience.

James Flanders, RB, Midwest City
In the face of a stiff Westmoore defense out to land a huge upset of the Bombers for the second straight year, Flanders turned in yet another workhorse effort, rushing for 195 yards and two touchdowns to push Midwest City to a 28-14 win.

Chris Golden, RB, Bridge Creek
On Oct. 20, the Bobcats were 2-6, barely hanging onto a postseason hope. But with two straight wins they were able to reach the postseason as a No. 4 seed, and Golden’s three-touchdown performance helped them knock off district champion Purcell 46-14.

Justice Hansen, QB, Edmond Santa Fe
Welcome to the big stage, Justice Hansen. The sophomore playing in his first postseason game threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26 of 33 attempts. He also rushed for a score to lead the Wolves to their 10th win of the season and showing why he’s already becoming a known name on the recruiting circuit.

Blake Woodard, QB, Newcastle
After nearly pulling an upset of Bethany in the final week of the season, Newcastle showed why District 3A-3 is perhaps the toughest around, upsetting 3A-4 champ Perkins 35-28. Woodard threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another to keep the Racers alive.

Here are the results of this week’s poll:

Chris Golden, RB, Bridge Creek 42.69% (1,640 votes)
Justice Hansen, QB, Edmond Santa Fe 32.72% (1,257 votes)
Luke Davis, RB, Guthrie 18.48% (710 votes)
Blake Woodard, QB, Newcastle 4.22% (162 votes)
James Flanders, RB, Midwest City 1.9% (73 votes)

Total Votes: 3,842

Midwest City players paint their shoes gold.

Jenks players die their hair bleach blond.

So, what does your school or community do when the playoffs start? We want to know. Tell us about your playoff tradition, and if you know any details about it — when it started or why it started, for example — we’d love to know that, too.

Email me at jcarlson@opubco.com, and you might see your school featured in this Friday’s edition of The Oklahoman.

Both teams have started all of their games this season at 7 p.m., and Yukon athletic director David Fisher wished to maintain that routine. Edmond officials agreed, and the change was made. This will be Yukon’s first playoff game in its new stadium, which opened in September.

Most Class 6A teams around the metro area scheduled 7 p.m. kickoffs this season, and it is possible that others will make the change this week as well. We will pass those along as we learn about them.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors. The Oklahoman staff will make its own selection for Player of the Week and that player will be featured in a story for Tuesday’s newspaper.

The results of the poll will appear in Wednesday’s Oklahoman, and some of the best reader comments might get in as well. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week 10:

Brandon Carlton, WR, Bridge Creek
Carlton had four catches for 80 yards, none bigger than his last one, a 39-yard grab on a desperation heave with 3.4 seconds left to give the Bobcats an 18-14 win and earn them a playoff berth.

Cale Courtney, WR, Heritage Hall
Had four touchdown catches and 128 receiving yards to lead the Chargers to a 35-27 win at Kingfisher to finish off an unbeaten regular season.

Joel Davis, QB, Midwest City
Threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns as Midwest City capped its perfect regular season with a 48-35 win over Norman North.

Derek Deeds, RB/WR, Yukon
Deeds shifted to running back in the second half with Yukon leading 7-0 and rushed for three touchdowns and 130 yards on 10 carries as Yukon sealed up a home-field playoff berth with a 35-0 win over Edmond Memorial.

Corey Reeves, QB, Moore
Reeves threw for 326 yards and three touchdown passes, while rushing for two more scores as Moore piled up 472 yards of offense in a 34-26 win over Lawton Eisenhower.

Football fans, it’s time to let us know who you thought was the Player of the Week in Week 9 of the high school football season around the Oklahoma City area.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

The results of the poll will appear in Tuesday’s Oklahoman, and some of the best reader comments might get in as well. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Monday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week 9:

Tre Kelley, WR, Edmond Santa Fe
The big, fast wideout came through with big play after big play as the Wolves clinched the city championship and a district title. Kelley had 185 yards and a TD on five catches, including 82- and 67-yard grabs to set up TDs.

Austin Richards, RB, Westmoore
Several Westmoore players starred in the 55-42 win over Mustang, but Richards’ 221 rushing yards kept the offense balanced, and his 92-yard TD run sparked the Jaguars’ comeback from 21 down in the second quarter.

Quinn Shanbour, QB, Heritage Hall
It’s hard to pick just one player for the Chargers, but Shanbour was on top of his game in Friday’s 55-10 win over Bethany. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 293 yards and six TDs, with only two pass attempts coming after halftime.

Dior Smiley, RB/WR, Douglass
He only had three receptions and four rushing attempts, but he made all of them meaningful, accounting for 142 total yards and three TDs — also a couple other crucial third-down catches — as Douglass knocked off Glenpool 33-30 to put the Trojans in position to seal up another district title.

Josh Way, RB/LB, Wayne
Going against a Wynnewood defense that had allowed 40 total points through eight games, Way rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns, then returned an interception for a score as Wayne clinched the district title with a 47-42 win.

Millwood’s L.W. Good Stadium and Leodies Robinson Field is full of tradition, from the hills surrounding the field, to the winning football being played on it.

The Falcons have won four state championships in the last 11 years and five in all, while playing dominant football on the home field. With the field surrounded on three sides by steep grass hills, the stadium has a feel like no other.

The field at L.W. Good Stadium was named after legendary coach Leodies Robinson.

The setup allows it to accommodate more fans than the bleachers will actually hold, and the concrete ramp in the southeast corner provides one of the most unique entrances for the home team coming onto the field.

How to get there from downtown OKC: Take I-40 eastbound to I-235 North. Follow I-235 to I-44West and exit on Martin Luther King Blvd. Take MLK north and the stadium will be on the right.

Millwood’s remaining home schedule: The Falcons host Northeast on Friday and Lexington in Week 10.

Germany died last week at age 25 after suffering a pulmonary embolism.

The service will take place gym, located on the school campus at 5300 NW 50th St. Germany was a football and basketball player at Putnam City, graduating in 2004. He was a key member on the 2003 Pirate football team that reached the state semifinals.

A memorial service will also be held at Peoples Church at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, located at 800 E. Britton Rd.

A service was held in the Tulsa area on Monday. Germany was a four-year starter for Tulsa University from 2004-07.

Three members of Tulsa’s 2007 football team have died in the last eight months, including former Oklahoma Christian School standout Wilson Holloway, who died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in February. Former TU linebacker George Clinkscale died last month after suffering injuries in an unsanctioned boxing match.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

I don’t have a good answer. I can offer plenty, but none of them are incredibly convincing. So last week, I started looking for another way to determine who is No. 1. I went back to my preseason feelings, then looked at everybody’s wins, and everybody’s losses since then.

I fully admit there is very little logic to my argument, and the formula makes even less sense. But to me, it’s the only way to make sense of a crazy season among the state’s best teams.

So here’s how I came to my pick for No. 1:

My preseason choice as the best team was Jenks.

But then, Jenks lost to Tulsa Union.

And Union lost to Owasso.

Owasso lost to Stillwater.

Stillwater had previously lost to Tulsa East Central, which lost to Pryor.

Pryor had lost to Hilldale, which previously lost to Wagoner.

And on Thursday night, Wagoner lost to Catoosa, unbeaten and very impressive on both sides of the ball.

So they get my vote for No. 1. At least for this week. From now on, I’m viewing this like the heavyweight boxing title — or pro wrestling, whichever you prefer (it’s just about as wacky as a WWE story line). Catoosa has the belt this week, and could lose it at any time.

Do I think Class 4A Catoosa is the most talented team in the state? No. Do I think Catoosa would have a chance to beat 6A squads like Jenks, Union, Midwest City, Broken Arrow or Edmond Santa Fe? Probably not.

But I’ve run out of ways to make my mind compute the bizarre season we’re currently experiencing at the top of Class 6A. During my 10 years in sports media, I can’t think of a time before now when I would have said either Jenks or Union didn’t deserve to be No. 1. In my mind, they’re still the favorites for the 6A title, but the “Who’s No. 1?” argument is a different story right now.

So I’m sticking with Catoosa. Until someone takes the belt away from them. Or until the football season returns to some form of normalcy — but I kind of hope that doesn’t happen. Crazy is more fun.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

This was probably the toughest week so far to pick the entries for the poll. So pick one of the five selections below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors.

The results of the poll will appear in Tuesday’s Oklahoman, and some of the best reader comments might get in as well. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Monday.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week 8:

James Flanders, RB, Midwest City
After the season he’s had, it’s hard to imagine this kid doing something that really catches your eye at this point, but he did it with a 192-yard, six-touchdown performance in a rout of Edmond Memorial — with 19 of his 20 carries coming in the first half.

Jerame Littell, QB, Stillwater
The same thought applies to Littell and the Pioneer offense, which has been posting crazy numbers all year. But Littell threw seven TD passes on just 15 completions for 283 yards in a 52-28 win over Enid.

Trevor Thompson, QB, Westmoore
In a game his team had to win to keep the postseason possibilities in good standing, Thompson threw for 283 yards and three scores in a 28-12 win at Putnam City.

Tuttle defense
The Tigers held Weatherford to just 128 yards — including five rushing yards on 20 attempts — for a valuable 14-6 victory.

Dion’Tay Washington, RB, Douglass
Washington rushed 18 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard burst in the fourth quarter that turned out to be the deciding score in a 27-21 win over fourth-ranked Harrah.

Here is the story about the two football players from Harrah, who died one day apart, and how the team is dealing with the losses.

Pick one of the five selections from the poll below, or write in your own candidate in the comments section, where you can tell us why your choice deserves Player of the Week honors. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Monday.

The results of the poll will appear in Tuesday’s Oklahoman, and some of the best reader comments might get in as well.

So cast your vote, discuss and debate the best performance from Week 7:

Collin Bricker, QB/LB, Piedmont
The senior threw four 238 yards and four touchdowns, forced a late fumble to snuff out an Elk City rally, and a 57-yard run to set up the clinching TD in a 42-34 win.

Bryan Dutton, QB, Guthrie
The Bluejays junior QB completed 12 of 13 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 108 and two scores, with four carries of 18 yards or more in the thrilling 38-35 win over Carl Albert.

Joe Foster, QB, Pauls Valley
Threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, adding another TD on the ground as Pauls Valley upset unbeaten Purcell 38-34.

Landon Nault, RB, Kingfisher
Accounted for 240 total yards — 181 rushing — and both of the Yellowjackets’ touchdowns in knocking off fourth-ranked Bethany 16-14.

Devin White, QB, Putnam City
Provided the perfect complement to running back Casey Curtis (252 yards, 5 TDs) by completing 9 of 12 passes for 256 yards and three TDs, while adding two rushing scores and accounting for 347 all-purpose yards.

Douglass High School's Moses F. Miller Stadium is No. 4 on our rankings of the Oklahoma City area's top high school football stadiums.

The Oklahoma City-area high school football stadium rankings reaches No. 4 with a stadium that has plenty to offer, no matter what you’re looking for. This week, we take a look at Douglass High School’s Moses F. Miller Stadium.
 
We based our rankings on facilities, uniqueness and home-field advantage. We will unveil a new stadium every week, wrapping up with our pick as the top area high school football stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Why Moses F. Miller Stadium is on the list: Built in 2007 to replace the old Moses F. Miller Stadium, which was demolished in 2003, the new version has a strong architectural design and plenty of seating to accomodate the large Douglass fan base. It’s a tribute to the past with a modern feel.

But more than anything, opponents fear it. There aren’t many stadiums in the state with a better home field advantage, thanks to the combination of a great crowd and a talented team. The Trojans are 20-3 since the new stadium opened, including nine straight wins on the home turf.

How to get there from downtown OKC: Take Interstate 40 East to Interstate 35 North. Exit at NE 10th St., and head West. The school campus is on the corner of NE 10th and Martin Luther King Blvd.

Remaining home schedule: While the Trojans are in the running for a home playoff game, the last chance to catch them at home during the regular season is Thursday, when they host Harrah.

Class 6A
Friday
At Catoosa
Tulsa Kelley vs. Norman North, noon
Tulsa Union vs. Edmond Memorial, 1:45 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Bishop McGuinness, 3:30 p.m.
Owasso vs. Edmond North, 5:15 p.m.

Saturday
At Claremore
Semifinals
Tulsa Kelley/Norman North vs. Tulsa Union/Edmond Memorial, 1:30 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe/McGuinness vs. Owasso/Edmond North, 3:15 p.m.
Championship match, 7:15 p.m.

Class 5A
At Claremore
Friday
Tulsa Washington vs. Cascia Hall, noon
Christian Heritage vs. Shawnee, 1:45 p.m.
Victory Christian vs. Oklahoma Bible, 3:30 p.m.
Heritage Hall vs. Catoosa, 5:15 p.m.

Saturday
Semifinals
Victory Christian/Oklahoma Bible vs. Heritage Hall/Catoosa, 10 a.m.
Christian Heritage/Shawnee vs. Tulsa Washington/Cascia Hall, 11:45 a.m.
Championship match, 5:15 p.m.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

As part of that, I compiled this list of Jenks and Union’s losses to teams other than each other over the last 15-plus seasons, since they took a stranglehold on the 6A gold ball.

Here’s a look at the two powerhouse teams’ losses to other teams since 1996 (*-denotes playoff game):

Tulsa Union
*Tulsa Washington 21, Union 17 (Nov. 22, 1996, second round)
Muskogee 25, Union 13 (Oct. 31, 1997)
*Stillwater 43, Union 42 (Nov. 14, 1997, first round)
*Putnam City North 42, Union 28 (Nov. 24, 2001, semifinals)
Hoover, Ala., 34, Union 7 (Sept. 1, 2006)
Muskogee 21, Union 7 (Sept. 15, 2006)
*Muskogee 20, Union 18 (Nov. 10, 2006, first round)
Broken Arrow 24, Union 9 (Sept. 5, 2008)
Owasso 41, Union 38 (Friday)

Jenks
Broken Arrow 17, Jenks 14 (Nov. 1, 1996)
Tulsa Washington 28, Jenks 27 (Sept. 4, 1998)
Springdale, Ark., 34, Jenks 24 (Sept. 21, 2002)
Broken Arrow 24, Jenks 23, OT (Sept. 27, 2002)
*Westmoore 14, Jenks 10 (Nov. 23, 2002, second round)
Broken Arrow 24, Jenks 7 (Sept. 26, 2003)
Springdale, Ark., 44, Jenks 0 (Sept. 16, 2005)
*Sapulpa 24, Jenks 21 (Nov. 11, 2005, first round)
Tulsa Washington 43, Jenks 37, OT (Sept. 15, 2006)

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK