Bethany | Varsity High School Blogs

Rankings Preview: Oct. 18

Posted by Ryan Aber

on October 16, 2009 at 12:29 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#7-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#6-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#5-2
4. Southmoore (5)#6-1
5. Del City (6)#6-1
6. Midwest City (8)#5-2
7. Bartlesville (9)#7-0
8. Putnam North (10)#6-1
9. Edmond North (4)#6-1
10. Mustang (NR)#

A lot of shuffling here with Southmoore and Del City each moving up one spot and Midwest City, Bartlesville and Putnam North each bumping up two spots. The big fallers were Edmond North, dropping from No. 4 to No. 9 after losing 42-13 to Midwest City. Why so much? They hadn’t been convincing in wins they should’ve dominated and their schedule hadn’t been that strong to this point. So their first really big test was against Midwest City and the Bombers dominated, especially against Edmond North’s ground game. Norman North also fell big, going from No. 7 to out of the rankings after dropping a second consecutive game, this time to Del City 42-29. Norman North’s similar to Edmond North. The Timberwolves got a good win against Putnam North in the third week of the season but other than that hadn’t played a team considered among the top in 6A before two weeks ago and the got manhandled by Mustang and then beat by 13 to Del City on Thursday. So Mustang benefits from Norman North’s struggles of late. It’s not like the Broncos had a big test in beating Moore 42-6 but sometimes its just being in the right place at the right time. Lawton was also considered but after their offensive struggles last week, I’m certainly not going to move to Wolverines into the rankings after a loss. I’m still not too convinced on Bartlesville but 7-0 is 7-0. The next three weeks will tell the tale on them. I expect the Bruins to go 1-2, dropping games to Jenks and Broken Arrow, but if Bartlesville can at least stick tight in one of both of these games, it’ll show the Bruins aren’t just a product of their schedule.

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Rankings preview: Oct. 10

Posted by Ryan Aber

on October 10, 2009 at 1:09 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#6-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#5-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#4-2
4. Edmond North (5)#6-0
5. Southmoore (7)#5-1
6. Del City (8)#5-1
7. Norman North (4)#4-1
8. Midwest City (9)#4-2
9. Bartlesville (10)#6-0
10. Putnam North (NR)#5-1

There seems to be about 12-13 teams that deserve to ve ranked in 6A but none outside the top 3 much deserve to be about 6-7. Save the outrage Edmond North fans. I was looking for the Huskies to really put a hurting on Putnam City tonight and they didn’t at all. They beat Mustang by 10 in the second week but outside of that, they really should’ve won by more in each of their other five wins. Now, 6-0 is 6-0 so Edmond North is No. 4 but not real confident in that. The Huskies need some more killer instinct and they’ve got to show it next week. Lawton drops out, mainly because no one else lost (besides Broken Arrow and the Tigers’ only losses are to Jenks and Tulsa Union) and Putnam North deserves a spot after beating Southmoore last week.

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Rankings Preview: Oct. 3

Posted by Ryan Aber

on October 3, 2009 at 1:59 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#5-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#4-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#4-1
4. Norman North (7)#4-0
5. Edmond North (5)#5-0
6. Lawton (NR)#5-0
7. Southmoore (4)#4-1
8. Del City (8)#4-1
9. Midwest City (9)#3-2
10. Bartlesville (10)#5-0

So last week 5A was the rankings that gave me the most problems. This week it was 6A. Southmoore’s loss to Putnam North, Lawton’s win over Mustang, Edmond North’s allowing 28 points to Norman and Del City’s close win over Edmond Santa Fe all came into play here. Norman North looks like the team to beat in the West, especially after Southmoore’s surprising loss to Putnam North. Putnam North could very well be a top 10 team but Southmoore’s overall resume is better at this point. Southmoore beat Del City and Midwest City and those two wins give the SaberCats the resume to stay ranked. There will definitely be some shakeups here next week as well, with Lawton playing at Del City next week. Jenks is playing at Broken Arrow next week as well but I’d expect Jenks to win that and the top 3 not change. Though with the distractions for Jenks this week, who knows.

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Sept. 26 Rankings

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 26, 2009 at 9:56 am

Decided to sleep on this week’s rankings, especially with Tulsa Kelley’s upset over Tulsa Washington in 5A making me seriously rethink those rankings.

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#4-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#3-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#3-1
4. Southmoore (4)#4-0
5. Edmond North (6)#4-0
6. Mustang (7)#3-1
7. Norman North (8)#3-0
8. Del City (5)#3-1
9. Midwest City (9)#2-2
10. Bartlesville (NR)#4-0

Not a whole lot of shuffling here with just two of the top 10 losing, and both of those dropping games to higher-rated teams. I dropped Del City three spots to No. 8 and moved Edmond North, Mustang and Norman North up a slot. Del City stays just above Midwest City, whose losses came to Southmoore and Del City. Bartlesville, which beat Muskogee 35-30 to improve to 4-0, enters the rankings for the first time. Considered leaving PC North ranked but looking at the teams they’ve beaten in the context of the first four weeks, Bartlesville appears to be the better candidate. Also thought about Lawton for that spot but the only win that stands out for them looking back at things is the win over Lawton MacArthur. But the Wolverines will get their chance to move into the rankings in a big way this week when they host Mustang.

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Oddly, a new No. 1 in 6A volleyball

Posted by Scott Wright

on September 22, 2009 at 1:29 pm

Well, my vague prediction in today’s High School Notebook that Edmond Santa Fe would still be No. 1 in Class 6A volleyball was a big dud. And I’m not really sure why.

Since last week’s rankings came out on Sept. 15, Santa Fe was 1-0 with a three-game win over Stillwater. Tulsa Union, the new No. 1, was 2-0 with wins over Sapulpa.

If Union wasn’t going to jump over Santa Fe last week, following two wins over Edmond Memorial, including one in the finals of the Harkness Invitational — Memorial beat Santa Fe in the semis — nothing should have changed this week. Maybe some coaches were a week behind in looking at the scores.

Other than that, no major changes in the OKRankings.com volleyball coaches’ polls, with Santa Fe, Memorial and Jenks rounding out the top four. Bartlesville moved ahead of Edmond North for the fifth spot and Putnam City moved up one spot to No. 9 after defeating North.

In 5A, Tulsa Kelley suffered its first three matches of the year, but all came against out-of-state competition at a tournament in St. Louis. The Comets still held No. 1 ahead of McGuinness, Carl Albert and Tulsa Washington.

If you’re looking for a team making a move in Class 4A, Bethany is up to No. 6 at 18-2. The Lady Bronchos haven’t played an extremely tough schedule, but they’ve got wins over ranked teams Southeast and Santa Fe South.

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Rankings Sept. 19

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 19, 2009 at 1:51 am

Class 6A
1. Jenks (1)#3-0
2. Tulsa Union (2)#2-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#2-1
4. Southmoore (4)#3-0
5. Del City (6)#3-0
6. Edmond North (7)#3-0
7. Mustang (8)#2-1
8. Norman North (9)#2-0
9. Midwest City (10)#1-2
10. Putnam North (NR)#3-0

Owasso drops from No. 4 to out. I try not to be reactionary so I was I bit slower to drop Owasso but the Rams HAVE to show some semblance of offense to prove they belong in the top 10. I know, a lot of that has to do with the loss of Joe Lindsay and Trent Spurgeon, but Owasso just doesn’t deserve it right now. That led to everyone else moving up a spot, including Midwest City, who lose to Southmoore in double overtime. The Bombers proved they belonged in the top 10 with that win, especially scoring 35 on Southmoore’s defense. Moving into the No. 10 spot is Putnam North. The Panthers have won three games big in non-district play. Lawton was the other contender for the spot but they struggled before finally putting away Altus.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa Washington (1)#2-1
2. Carl Albert (2)#2-1
3. El Reno (3)#3-0
4. Shawnee (4)#3-0
5. Tulsa East Central (5)#2-1
6. Lawton MacArthur (6)#2-1
7. Ada (8)#3-0
8. Bixby (9)#1-2
9. Tulsa Kelley (10)#3-0
10. McAlester (NR)#3-0

Tulsa Washington stays in the top spot despite the loss to Class 6A Broken Arrow, though there was no real consideration to dropping the Hornets. They beat No. 2 Carl Albert to start the season and No. 5 Tulsa East Central last week. Bixby finally gets in the win column and moves up a spot, thanks to Carl Albert’s 38-6 blowout of Duncan. Tulsa Kelley also moves up a spot, while McAlester makes its first appearance in the rankings this season after a 26-18 win over Ardmore improved the Buffs to 3-0.

Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#3-0
2. Sallisaw (2)#3-0
3. Weatherford (6)#3-0
4. McGuinness (7)#2-1
5. Douglass (3)#2-1
6. Wagoner (5)#2-1
7. Grove (8)#2-1
8. Poteau (10)#3-0
9. Broken Bow (4)#1-2
10. Muldrow (NR)#3-0

This was a tough one to rank this week with McGuinness’ win over Millwood weighing against Douglass’ last week and Broken Bow, Star Spencer and Wagoner all losing. In the end, Weatherford and McGuinness made big jumps. Both have signature wins and it was hard to have either behind Douglass after what the Irish did to Millwood tonight. Star Spencer drops out although I’d imagine the Bobcats will be back ranked shortly. Poteau moves up two spots to No. 8 and Muldrow is the newcomer at No. 10. Broken Bow hangs in the top 10 after a loss to 3A Metro Christian.

Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#2-0
2. Tuttle (2)#3-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (3)#3-0
4. Clinton (4)#2-1
5. Madill (6)#3-0
6. Checotah (7)#3-0
7. Bethany (8)#3-0
8. Metro Christian (9)#3-0
9. Blanchard (10)#3-0
10. Purcell (5)#2-1

The only change here is Purcell dropping from No. 5 to No. 10 after losing Lexington 20-0. I considered dropping Purcell out but a couple of the candidates to move into the rankings also lost so I kept Purcell in there.

Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (2)#2-1
2. Millwood (1)#2-1
3. Kingfisher (3)#2-1
4. Davis (4)#3-0
5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (5)#3-0
6. Vian (6)#3-0
7. Lexington (8)#3-0
8. Heritage Hall (7)#0-3
9. Bridge Creek (10)#1-1
10. Sperry (NR)#2-1

Another flip-flop at the top with Millwood’s loss and Lincoln’s win. Some people wondered last week when I said Millwood and Lincoln were clearly the top two teams but Lincoln’s loss was to one of the top teams in Arkansas regardless of class. I was surprised by Millwood’s loss tonight but the Falcons have got to find a running game to be successful deep into the playoffs in 2A. Sperry slides in at No. 10 after Sulphur lost to Elgin.

Class A
1. Okeene (1)#3-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#3-0
3. Ringling (3)#2-0
4. Hennessey (4)#3-0
5. OCS (5)#3-0
6. Stroud (6)#3-0
7. Commerce (7)#3-0
8. Woodland (8)#1-2
9. Talihina (9)#3-0
10. Apache (10)#3-0

There’s no change here with all 10 teams winning in the third week. In fact, the only top 10 team with a loss is No. 8 Woodland but they lost to No. 1 Okeene and No. 2 Tonkawa so I’m pretty comfortable with then where they are. I did give some consideration to Pawnee and will keep and eye on the Black Bears, though.

Class B
1. Garber (1)#3-0
2. Laverne (2)#3-0
3. Canton (3)#3-0
4. Porter (5)#3-0
5. Depew (6)#2-1
6. Fox (7)#3-0
7. Weleetka (4)#2-1
8. Alex (8)#2-1
9. Watts (9)#3-0
10. Ryan (NR)#3-0

Porter, Depew and Fox move up one spot each after Depew beats Weleetka. Copan’s loss to Oaks also opens the door for Ryan to move into the top 10 after a 42-14 win over Caddo.

Class C
1. Shattuck (1)#3-0
2. Timberlake (2)#3-0
3. Seiling (3)#3-0
4. Temple (4)#2-1
5. Thackerville (5)#2-1
6. Covington-Douglas (6)#1-2
7. Deer Creek-Lamont (7)#3-0
8. Corn Bible (8)#3-0
9. Waynoka (9)#3-0
10. Maud (NR)#3-0

The top nine stays the same as all of those teams pull off wins. But Forgan’s loss to Shattuck, couple with Maud’s win over Macomb boosts Maud into the top 10.

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Rankings preview, week 2

Posted by Nick Tankersley

on September 12, 2009 at 1:48 am

Got the eight-man rankings added now. 6A, 4A and 2A could get shuffled a bit this afternoon depending on how the games come out.

Class 6A
1. Jenks (2)#2-0
2. Tulsa Union (1)#1-1
3. Broken Arrow (3)#1-1
4. Southmoore (6)#2-0
5. Owasso (4)#1-1
6. Del City (5)#2-0
7. Edmond North (7)#2-0
8. Mustang (8)#1-1
9. Norman North (10)#1-0
10. Midwest City (NR)#1-1

Obviously there could be some changes here by this afternoon depending on the outcome of Edmond North-Mustang but here’s an early look into Class 6A. Jenks and Union just switch spots. Close game, not any real thought to doing anything else. These clearly are the top teams in 6A. I jumped Southmoore ahead of 1-1 Owasso and 2-0 Del City. Gave a lot of thought to the order of those three. I think with Southmoore getting those players eligible this week, they vault into the not-quite-Jenks-or-Union group. Dropped Del City a spot not because of anything the Eagles did or didn’t do against Norman but more because of the Sabercats getting those guys this week. I moved Norman North up a spot since they were up 10-0 on Muskogee when that game was called. Yeah, who knows how it turned out but tonight’s results plus looking at Muskogee’s game last week against Owasso adds up to Midwest City in the rankings and Muskogee on the outside looking in. Lawton is simmering just outside the top 10 after an impressive win over Lawton Mac. PC North is there too. Could see Lawton moving into the top 10 if today’s game is a blowout either way.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa Washington (1)#2-0
2. Carl Albert (2)#1-1
3. El Reno (3)#2-0
4. Shawnee (8)#2-0
5. Tulsa East Central (7)#1-1
6. Lawton MacArthur (6)#1-1
7. Duncan (9)#2-0
8. Ada (10)#2-0
9. Bixby (5)#0-2
10. Tulsa Kelley (NR)#2-0

Very tough to figure out how to rank 5A this week after the top 3. Tulsa Washington beats Tulsa East Central handily after beating Carl Albert handily last week, Carl Albert takes care of Choctaw relatively easily, and El Reno hands Guthrie its first shutout in six years. Shawnee makes the big jump with its 46-19 win over Deer Creek. Tulsa East Central actually jumps up two spots with its loss because Lawton Mac lost to Lawton (I do think Lawton’s a near top 10 team in 6A but comparing East Central’s loss to BTW to Carl Albert’s left me thinking East Central is a top five team. Duncan and Ada move up a couple spots after moving to 2-0 with wins over Ardmore and Durant. Bixby is 0-2 but losing to Jenks and 4A No. 1 Glenpool isn’t anything to be down about. I contemplated leaving Guthrie in at No. 10 but the Bluejays lost to McGuinness last week, and then McGuinness got beat by Tulsa Kelley this week, so the Comets are in the top 10.

Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#2-0
2. Sallisaw (3)#2-0
3. Douglass (4)#1-1
4. Broken Bow (2)#1-1
5. Wagoner (7)#2-0
6. Weatherford (8)#2-0
7. McGuinness (5)#1-1
8. Grove (6)#1-1
9. Star Spencer (9)#1-1
10. Poteau (NR)#2-0

Broken Bow drops a couple of places after losing to Class 5A McAlester. Sallisaw and Douglass (for now) are the beneficiaries, though depending on the outcome of Douglass-Millwood later today, that could change. Wagoner and Weatherford move up two spots each after big wins. Grove and McGuinness drop down after losses, though to good teams. Poteau climbs into the rankings after Hilldale knocked off No. 10 Collinsville.

Post Soul Bowl thoughts: Douglass stays where they are. The Trojans defense, despite the bust late, is extremely fast. They gave Kevonte Richardson fits all day. And Antyoun Smith had an excellent game at QB as well. Douglass is going to be all right.

Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#1-0
2. Tuttle (2)#2-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (3)#2-0
4. Clinton (4)#1-1
5. Purcell (5)#2-0
6. Madill (6)#2-0
7. Checotah (7)#2-0
8. Bethany (8)#2-0
9. Metro Christian (9)#2-0
10. Blanchard (10)#2-0

Not a change here as everybody won but No. 1 Cascia Hall and the Commandos didn’t play. Checotah did do a number on rival Eufaula, though, with a 40-0 blowout. No serious threats either, so no change to worry about here.

Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (1)#1-1
2. Millwood (2)#1-0
3. Kingfisher (3)#1-1
4. Davis (4)#2-0
5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (7)#1-0
6. Vian (7)#2-0
7. Heritage Hall (6)#0-2
8. Lexington (9)#2-0
9. Sulphur (10)#1-1
10. Bridge Creek (NR)#1-1

Could be some change at the top here later today depending on what Millwood does. Lincoln lost to a very good Arkansas team so dropping isn’t a given, but if Millwood wins big, I could (well, I will) flip. Sequoyah-Tahlequah also plays tomorrow. Heritage Hall drops another spot after dropping to 0-2 with loss to Weatherford. The Chargers are still going to be good, I believe, but 0-2 is 0-2. They did at least show some offense against a pretty good Weatherford team last night. Chandler drops out. Bridge Creek is the beneficiary, moving into the No. 10 spot with a 70-6 win over Bethel.

Class A
1. Okeene (1)#2-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#2-0
3. Ringling (4)#1-0
4. Hennessey (5)#2-0
5. OCS (6)#2-0
6. Stroud (8)#2-0
7. Commerce (10)#2-0
8. Woodland (7)#0-2
9. Talihina (NR)#2-0
10. Apache (NR)#2-0

Who knows when the last time Morrison wasn’t in the rankings. And I know going from No. 3 to out was pretty harsh but they lost to Barnsdall. Barnsdall was winless last year and I had them ranked No. 76 of 78 in the preaseason. So Morrison’s time in the rankings this time was short. Woodland dropped to 0-2 but stayed second because of the teams they’ve lost to. Apache and Talihina move into the rankings after impressive starts.

Class B
1. Garber (1)#2-0
2. Laverne (2)#2-0
3. Canton (3)#2-0
4. Weleetka (5)#2-0
5. Porter (6)#2-0
6. Depew (7)#1-1
7. Fox (8)#2-0
8. Alex (9)#1-1 LOST to Temple
9. Watts (NR)#2-0
10. Copan (NR)#2-0

There was some shakeup here as No. 4 Davenport and and No. 10 Geary both lost to fall out of the rankings. Davenport’s loss to Kiefer, a team I had No. 19 in the preseason rankings, caused it to drop all the way out. Geary lost to Cherokee, knocking them down a spot from the ranked. The biggest beneficiary was the other ranked team to lose — Alex. Alex was beaten 24-17 to Class C No. 4 Temple. I didn’t hold a loss to another ranked eight-man team against them the way I did Geary and Davenport’s to unranked teams. Watts and Copan join the rankings this week, and Ryan continues to look strong.

Class C
1. Shattuck (1)#2-0
2. Timberlake (2)#2-0
3. Seiling (3)#2-0
4. Temple (4)#1-1
5. Thackerville (7)#1-1 Beat Duke, lost to Fox
6. Covington-Douglas (6)#0-2 Lost to Seiling (12),lost to Garber
7. Deer Creek-Lamont (8)#2-0 Beat Braman, beat Waukomis
8. Corn Bible (9)#2-0 Beat Victory Life, Beat Merritt
9. Waynoka (10)#2-0 Beat Sharon-Mutual, Beat Braman
10. Forgan (NR)#1-1

The top four spots all remain the same as they all win, including Temple, who beat Class B ranked Alex after losing to Ryan last week. Thackerville jumps up a couple spots to five but more for what other teams didn’t do than for what they did. The blew out Duke, which is exactly what was expected of them. Covington-Douglas stays in the same spot despite dropping to 0-2. I still think they’re a No. 6 team, they’ve just had abrutal early schedule that includes Class B No. 1 Garber and Class C No. 3 Seiling. Deer Creek-Lamont, Corn Bible and Waynoka all move up a spot each. Forgan is new to the rankings this week after beating up on Balko. Again, this is more based on what other teams didn’t do. Specifically Buffalo. I didn’t penalize Buffalo last week for losing to Laverne but they took a hit this week with a 34-26 loss to Tyrone. Boise City was also given consideration but they lost to No. 1 Shattuck this week (Although losing to Shattuck 48-24 isn’t anything to be ashamed of).

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At look at the rankings: Class 6A-A

Posted by Ryan Aber

on September 5, 2009 at 1:24 am

Eight-man will have to wait another day as my eyes are about to slam shut but here’s Class 6A-A with a short explanation with each class.

Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#1-0

2. Jenks (2)#1-0

3. Broken Arrow (4)#0-1

4. Owasso (5)#1-0

5. Del City (11)#1-0

6. Southmoore (6)#1-0

7. Edmond North (10)#1-0

8. Mustang (9)#1-0

9. Muskogee (8)#0-1

10. Norman North (13)#1-0

Rankings review

I take a little different approach when formulating rankings. I don’t drop teams every time when they lose. Never understood why a No. 10 team who lost to a No. 1 team had to drop. That’s why you’ll see Broken Arrow moved up a notch in 6A despite losing to Tulsa Union. The Tigers lost in a close game and couldn’t see jumping Owasso (who’s without its regular starting QB) or Southmoore (who struggled to run the ball in its opening win) over Broken Arrow. I struggled with how to order the bottom part of the rankings. Del City’s win was huge so I jumped them ahead of winners Southmoore, Edmond North and Mustang. There were flaws with each of those team’s wins (although I don’t hold North’s against them as much as the other two, since it was a rivalry game). We’ll see some more shaking out in the next couple weeks with some big matchups. Midwest City might still be a top 10 team by the time it’s all said and done. Along with the Bombers, Putnam North and Lawton are bubbling right outside the top 10.

Class 5A Rankings

1. Tulsa Washington (1)#1-0

2. Carl Albert (2)#0-1

3. El Reno (5)#1-0

4. Lawton MacArthur (6)#1-0

5. Bixby (4)#0-1

6. Guthrie (3)#0-1

7. Tulsa East Central (7)#1-0

8. Shawnee (8)#1-0

9. Duncan (11)#1-0

10. Ada (12)#1-0

It was tough at the top of 5A with Nos. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10 all losing. In the end, I decided to keep Carl Albert at No. 2 because I can’t see jumping El Reno or Lawton MacArthur up over the Titans right now. And El Reno win next week would give serious consideration to a jump. Lawton Mac’s win was certainly impressive and the Highlanders could also be moving up with continued wins. I just think Tulsa Washington is heads and shoulders above everyone else in the class right now. It’s hard to judge just where Bixby and Guthrie are right now but we’ll find out soon enough. I don’t drop teams just because tey lost but Guthrie’s offense worries me and Bixby got hammered so I wasn’t hesitant of dropping them behind El Reno and Lawton Mac. Tulsa Kelley and Deer Creek are just outside the top 10, as is Ardmore and Coweta.

Class 4A

1. Glenpool (1)#1-0

2. Broken Bow (2)#1-0

3. Sallisaw (3)#1-0

4. Douglass (5)#1-0

5. McGuinness (6)#1-0

6. Grove (7)#1-0

7. Wagoner (8)#1-0

8. Weatherford (9)#1-0

9. Star Spencer (4)#0-1

10. Collinsville (10)#1-0

With just one team in the top 10 losing, the only real question here is how far does Star Spencer fall with its big loss to Millwood. The answer winds up being to No. 9 from No. 4. No. 1 Glenpool’s win wasn’t overly dominant but the Warriors are still No. 1. The others ahead of Star Spencer all had big wins, either in blowout fashion or in McGuinness’ and Weatherford’s cases, wins over highly regarded opponents. Poteau and McLoud are hanging around just outside the rankings.

Class 3A

1. Cascia Hall (1)#1-0

2. Tuttle (3)#1-0

3. Sequoyah-Claremore (4)#1-0

4. Clinton (2)#0-1

5. Purcell (5)#1-0

6. Madill (7)#1-0

7. Checotah (6)#1-0

8. Bethany (7)#1-0

9. Metro Christian (9)#1-0

10. Blanchard (10)#1-0

Another relatively stable class, with Clinton the only top 10 team with a loss. Figured they’need to go fall under at least Tuttle and Seq.-Claremore. Elgin and Newcastle ate just outside the top 10.

Class 2A

1. Lincoln Christian (2)#1-0

2. Millwood (3)#1-0

3. Kingfisher (5)#1-0

4. Davis (6)#1-0

5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (7)#1-0

6. Heritage Hall (1)#0-1

7. Vian (9)#1-0

8. Chandler (4)#0-1

9. Lexington (13)#1-0

10. Sulphur (8)#0-1

Another class with some interesting dilemmas. How far does Heritage Hall drop? What about Chandler? Who fills out the bottom of the top 10? The answers: To 6th because their defense performed well yet they clearly have a ton of work to do on offense. Chandler drops four spots to eighth. Chandler should be significantly better by the end of the year but thhe Lions have to grow up quick. Sulphur stays in the top 10 in large part due to the rash of losses at the bottom and just outside the top 10.

Class A

1. Okeene (1)#1-0

2. Tonkawa (2)#1-0

3. Morrison (3)#1-0

4. Ringling (4)#0-0

5. Hennessey (6)#1-0

6. OCS (7)#1-0

7. Woodland (5)#0-1

8. Stroud (9)#1-0

9. Hominy (8)#0-1

10. Commerce (12)#1-0

I dropped Woodland down two spots after its 31-6 loss to No. 1 Okeene. Woodland’s going to be pretty good by season’s end but needs some ore consistency. Stroud and Hominy switch spots after Stroud beats Chandler and Cleveland beats Hominy.

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Week-by-Week in OKC: Best games to check out each week

Posted by Ryan Aber

on August 31, 2009 at 2:49 pm

All right, I wrote this morning on the top games each week across the state. But was thinking earlier about different groups of games. I’ve already posted what I think are the top All-City Athletic Conference Games each week (sticking mostly to city-area games). Here’s my pick for best games to watch in the city-area each week. So if you’re just a fan wanting a good game each week, give this schedule a whirl.

Week 1: Tulsa Washington at Carl Albert. A rematch of last season’s Class 5A state title game, and should be every bit as explosive this year, with Tulsa Washington’s Eric Bennett and Carl Albert’s Tre Porter among the season’s top recruits.

Week 2: Douglass at Millwood (Saturday). The Soul Bowl is always one of the most entertaining games around and this year will be no different with talent (and state championship hopes) overflowing both places.

If you’re really wanting a Friday game, check out El Reno and Guthrie. Tom Cobble did a fantastic jon helping turn around El Reno last season and the Indians should be really good again this year. Rafe Watkins always has Guthrie among Class 5A’s best. Or, if you’re just wanting to see one of the state’s best players in a game that might not be extremely competitive, check out Tulsa Central at Northeast. Central featured Demarco Cobbs, the state’s top overall player.

Week 3: Millwood at McGuinness. Yes, here the Falcons are for a second consecutive week but the non-district schedule the play makes for good games each of the first three weeks. The Falcons should be really good for a 2A team and the Irish should also be competitive at the top of 4A despite losing stars like Gabe Ikard and Ryan Randolph from last year’s team. RB LaRone Richardson and WR Sam Crabtree especially should be fun to watch.

Week 4: Southmoore at Del City. These could be the most improved teams in the state regardless of class. Del City made great strides late in the season last year but just missed a playoff berth. Southmoore was 2-8 last year but had talent, especially on offense. The SaberCats have added to that talent stable with several key move-ins. This game could last 3 1/2 hours.

Week 5: Heritage Hall at Kingfisher. This matchup features two of the top sophomores in the state in Heritage Hall’s Barry Sanders and Marc Robinson. The Chargers, the defending champions in 2A, won’t run over Kingfisher, though. The Yellowjackets were semifinalists last season and return 10 starters.

Week 6: Madill at Bethany. This should be a great game overall but its also a chance to catch some of the best players in the state in a rare trip to the city area. Kerry Robert’s Madill team has senior RB Darryl Fields, junior QB Spencer Bond in addition to a pretty good receiver in Roberts’ son.

Week 7: Double dip this week. Carl Albert at Guthrie (Thursday). This one is always a classic. Last season, Carl Albert snuck Daytawion Lowe onto the field wearing a different number in a play that wound up being a touchdown and wound up making a difference in the outcome. Who knows what craziness awaits this year.

Douglass at McGuinness (Friday). This one featured a wild ending last year that saw McGuinness come out ahead. Douglass has revenge on their minds already.

Week 8: Okeene at Hennessey. Sure, I could tell you to check out Norman North at Southmoore or Guthrie at Shawnee, but there’s a lot to be said for small-school football. Jeff Wardlaw does a great job with the Whippets and Hennessey has plenty of talent to challenge Okeene in this one.

Week 9: Edmond North at Edmond Memorial. This could (should?) be for the Edlam title. Kameron Doolittle is a fun player to watch for Memorial, as are Joe Aska and Qua’Don Henderson for Edmond North.

Week 10: Mustang at Southmoore. If you can make the drive, do it this week, checking out Star Spencer as they head to Glenpool in a game that figures to be for a district title. Otherwise, be perfectly content to stay in the city area and see another game that could face two teams battling for a district title. Southmoore figures to be loaded and Mustang, while losing a good number of starters from last year’s 12-1* team (*Yes, I know it’s 13-0, after considering Jenks’ forfeit), seems to always find a way to be really good.

By Ryan Aber

Twitter: @ryaber

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