Heritage Hall, Jenks make moves in volleyball rankings
Only a couple of notable moves in the new volleyball polls released Tuesday morning on OKRankings.com, with Heritage Hall moving ahead of Cascia Hall for the No. 1 spot in Class 4A being the only change in any of the No. 1 slots.
The Chargers defeated Cascia at the Broken Arrow Tournament, which was loaded with good competition from all classes.
In 6A, Edmond Memorial held onto the top spot and Jenks jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 after starting the season 9-0. The Trojans have lost two of their last three, including a loss Monday night to Edmond Santa Fe — the team they moved ahead of for the second spot.
The other team to beat Jenks was 5A’s No. 1, Tulsa Kelley, which is facing off with Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe tonight at Memorial. Should be a couple of thrillers.
Other items worth noting in Tuesday’s polls: Following its big win over Heritage Hall last week, Christian Heritage moved up one spot to fifth in 4A… Unbeaten Putnam City (9-0) moved up to No. 7 in 6A, Norman North (10-1) jumped to No. 8 and 8-3 Mustang slipped into the poll at No. 15… In 5A, unbeaten Coweta (9-0) moved into the top 5 at No. 5 and Southeast is No. 10.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Tennis: Metro/Cascia, Bishop Kelley earn honors…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Those were two of the longest work days in my life, but you know what, it was pretty dang cool. Despite nearly 10 hours of delays in the two days, we’re all but done for the boys state tennis tournament at the OKC Tennis Center. Last match ended at 12:30 on Friday night and just past 11 p.m. Saturday night.
It didn’t look like we would crown any champions Saturday, but we ended up naming three as Cascia Hall and Metro Christian tied for the Class 4A title while Bishop Kelley easily earned the Class 5A championship.
One class left as 6A resumes Monday at 11 a.m. Very interesting as it will be another Edlam showdown between Memorial and North as each squad has three entrants into the championship round.
If the finals are anything like the semis, going to be one fun Monday afternoon.
5A
Thought this would be the year for Booker T.’s Evan McElwain, but the Comets brought their best at the right time as senior Cameron Schoenhofer earned the win at No. 1 singles.
No drama at all in No. 2 singles as Daniel Collins rolled to the title as did the No. 2 doubles team of Taylor Howard and Briggs Westby.
The only blemish was at No. 1 doubles where the Irish duo of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft overcame a rough start to win 13 of the last 16 games to win the championship.
For much more on the Irish, here ya go.
And also the story of the weekend was that of Harrah’s Sam Raglin and how the tennis community rallied around him.
Raglin lost his home in the tornado Monday but still played at the state tournament. Teams from all over the state donated whatever they could to Raglin and more money was raised this weekend.
The Raglin family has a long way to go before there is some normalcy in their world, but it was great to see the generosity from the Oklahoma tennis family.
For more on Raglin, here ya go.
4A
Great battles here as Metro Christian earned the titles at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles while Cascia Hall did the same at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles.
But the match with the best atmosphere was the No. 1 doubles battle between Heritage Hall’s Bear Federman and Luke Howard and Cascia’s Connor Sokolosky and Corey Allen.
In what became a theme in the second half of Saturday, it was a brilliant three-set battle that saw the Chargers come out on top.
From 5 p.m. on, you wouldn’t believe how many great matches were on court one after another in the 6A semifinals and the 4A, 5A finals. You could barely stop to catch your breath.
Chase Tomlins and Neal Johnson-Nick Wood won the titles for the Commandos while Mitchel Knight and Erik Richison-John Brothers did the same for the Patriots.
6A
If you were there, you’ll remember the three-set battle between Edmond North’s Casey Distaso and Union’s Logon Collins.
Collins looked like he was well on his way to victory, up a set and 3-0 (two breaks) in the second. But Distaso showed some kind of mental toughness.
With each point, he got himself more into the match. He was hitting for winners when his game picked up and he had Collins perhaps tightening up.
Distaso came back to win the second set 7-5 and had all the momentum. These two were so evenly matched all year despite Distaso being 3-0 against Collins this season.
The North senior ran away with the third set, 6-1.
Wow. Distaso told me it was the best moment of his career. Not necessarily in terms of the quality, but in terms of the atmosphere and in terms of what that win meant in the team race.
Ironically, all four 6A championships feature the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed. Look for a 6A championships preview blog later Sunday.
Class 5A state baseball pairings
Wednesday
Bracket A
at Jenks
Game 1: Deer Creek vs. Tulsa Washington, 1:30 p.m.
Game 2: Chickasha vs. Claremore, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Bracket B
at Tulsa Union
Game 1: Tulsa Kelley vs. Carl Albert, 1:30 p.m.
Game 2: Collinsville vs. Duncan, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Championship
Saturday
at OneOkField, Tulsa
Bracket A winner vs. Bracket B winner, noon
Baseball state tournament qualifiers
While waiting for the schedule to be released Monday, here are the state tournament qualifers:
6A
Broken Arrow
Edmond Memorial
Edmond Santa Fe
Jenks
Norman North
Owasso
Putnam North
Tulsa Union
5A
Carl Albert
Chickasha
Claremore
Collinsville
Deer Creek
Duncan
Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa Washington
4A
Berryhill
Clinton
Fort Gibson
Hilldale
Lone Grove
Metro Christian
Newcastle
Weatherford
3A
Beggs
Bethel
Chandler
Eufaula
Sperry
Plainview
Purcell
Verdigris
2A
Dale
Latta
Lincoln Christian
Mangum
Oktaha
Pioneer
Silo
Wister
Oil Bowl rosters announced
The Oklahoma rosters for the 73rd Oil Bowl were released this week.
The game, featuring all-star teams from Oklahoma and Texas, will be played June 12 in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Two players on the Oklahoma team will be heading to Texas to play for Big 12 teams–Clinton’s Delans Griffin (Texas Tech) and Midwest City’s Dominque Jones (Baylor).
Other notable names on the team include Oklahoman All-State running back Darwin Rideau of Star Spencer, Southmoore’s Mason Myers and Del City’s wide receiver tandem of Chris McAlester and Donavan Dan.
Kingfisher’s Jeff Myers will coach the team.
Last year’s game was canceled due to lightning in the area.
Oklahoma roster
QB: Jack Cameron, Tulsa Kelley; Matt Oberste, Sallisaw
RB: Delans Griffin, Clinton; Darwin Rideau, Star Spencer
WR: Donavan Dan, Del City; Joe Dowdell, Tulsa Kelley; Chris McAlester, Del City; Ronnie Price, Broken Arrow; Trey Wiley, Sallisaw; Jordan Woods, Kingfisher
OL: D.J. Brown, Lawton; Kevin Duke, Shawnee; Cohle Fowler, Verdigris; Alec Henry, Tulsa Union; Mason Myers, Southmoore; Tanner Nerby, Enid; Jarrett Richert, Clinton, John Saint, Tulsa Kelley; James Stephens, Broken Arrow
DL: Justin Butterfield, Bartlesville; Devon Harris, Lawton MacArthur; Dominique Jones, Midwest City; Sonny Puletasi, Lawton; James Renfrow, Broken Arrow; Lamares Shields, Del City; Kyle Williams, Broken Bow
LB: Ethan Biddy, Tuttle; Rhett Blundell, Kingfisher; Mike Lunsford, Catoosa; Emmanuel Maxwell, Midwest City; Jericho Rogers, Davis
DB: Dustin Bohanan, Guthrie; Nelson Medeiros, Edmond Memorial; James Roberson, Tulsa Union; Luke Snider, Tulsa Union; Markell Walker, Carl Albert
K/P: Cole Way, Tulsa Union
Coaches: Jeff Myers, Kingfisher; Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Brad Farrow, Broken Arrow
Defending 5A champion wins Irish Easter Classic
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
Altus’ Megan Blonein had been in the situation before.
Edmond North’s Carly Yates had not.
Blonein, who won the 5A state title last year as a freshman, parred the first hole of a playoff to beat Yates and win the Fifth Annual Irish Easter Invitational at Quail Creek on Monday.
For Blonein, it was her third playoff. Yates had not been in a playoff in high school.
Blonein’s drive on the playoff hole went left on the par 4 No. 1. But she safely punched her second shot out of the trees to just in front of the green and finished off the tournment win after Yates’ second shot sailed over the green, then wound up a bunker with her third shot.
Yates posted her round of 78 about three hours before the playoff, while Blonein finished not long before the playoff.
Blonein got off to a rough start, shooting a 42 on the back nine where she started. But she quickly bounced back on the front side, with back-to-back birdies on holes three and four to get back in the tournament.
“I’m a late starter,” Blonein said. “It takes me awhile to get started.”
The tournament featured many of the state’s top golfers, playing on a longer course than most the girls play on during the season.
Mustang won the team title, 13 strokes ahead of second-place Altus.
Here are the top 10 individuals:
Irish girls golf hosts tourney Monday
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
McGuinness’ girls golf team will host the Irish Easter Invitational on Monday at Quail Creek.
The tournament will feature most of the area’s top high school golfers, including the defending Class 3A champion, Kingfisher’s Bethany Darrough.
The Irish, playing in their fourth event of the season, feature Caitlin Farris and Hannah Tubbs at the top of their lineup.
Farris, a freshman, has finished third in two of McGuinness’ three tournaments so far, including the tournament in Granbury. Texas.
Tubbs, a senior, has finished in the top five at state each of the past two years.
Monday’s tournament also features plenty of 6A talent as well, including Mustang, last year’s 6A runner-up, all three Edmond schools and Westmoore.
5A Girls Playoffs
The OSSAA released the Class 5A girls playoff brackets today. The first round will be played Thursday, Feb. 25.
WEST
At Carl Albert
Lawton MacArthur vs. Northwest
Carl Albert vs. Capitol Hill
At Western Heights
Ada vs. Ardmore
Western Heights vs. Guthrie
At El Reno
Altus vs. Duncan
El Reno vs. Chickasha
At Deer Creek
Southeast vs. Durant
Deer Creek vs. Noble
EAST
At Tulsa East Central
Skiatook vs. Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa East Central vs. Tulsa Hale
At Tulsa Edison
Claremore vs. Tulsa Rogers
Tulsa Edison vs. Pryor
At Tulsa Memorial
Coweta vs. Collinsville
Tulsa Memorial vs. Tahlequah
At Tulsa Washington
Grove vs. McAlester
Tulsa Washington vs. Tulsa Central
Irish: A healthy Matt Christiansen = trouble for 4A…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
All the postponements have disrupted the basketball season, that’s for sure. But it also gave all those who needed some time to rest an opportunity to do so.
Take Bishop McGuinness sophomore Matt Christiansen. He was back to being himself as the Irish held off rival Bishop Kelley for the win on homecoming.
Bishop McGuinness 52, Bishop Kelley 41 (Boys)
There is standing room only, and then there is whatever was at McGuinness on Friday. Kids were getting in the way of refs on the sidelines, cheerleaders were smacking me with pom poms.
If you had a seat, you were a lucky one as I don’t know how many more people could have fit into the gym. It did lead to a great atmosphere.
The Irish came out strong as senior Jameel Whitney was firing on all cylinders and Christiansen was establishing himself in the post.
Christiansen suffered a shoulder injury in New Mexico over the winter break and really hadn’t been the same since. He was back to being a beast, a confident beast at that.
The Irish took a comfortable 30-15 lead into halftime, but the Comets came out scorchin’ after the homecoming festivities and got it down to 36-35.
McGuinness took care of business in the fourth to take the 2-1 season edge vs. Kelley.
Christiansen finished with 12 points, and coach Tondrell Durham said he had around 10 rebounds. But the story was his will in this one. He came out looking to make a statement and did so.
Durham said Christiansen did a great job on making his moves in the post. And more importantly, he was decisive with his actions.
Whitney led all scorers with 15 while Joe Edmonds had 11 for the Irish. Joe Dowdell paced the Comets with 13 points.
Irish 39, Kelley 35 (Girls)
The first half was forgettable (12-11 Irish), but the second half gave us some fun and drama.
Irish sophomore Elyse Hight came up huge on this night, scoring 20. She was strong with the ball and kept derailing every Kelley run.
And boy did Kelley show some heart. The Irish have a great swarming defense and at 33-22 in the fourth, I had pegged this one as over.
But the Comets dug deep and cut it to two points on three occasions but ran out of gas (and time).
I’m more impressed with Hight each time I see her. She’s already creepin’ up on Cara Pugh and Alexa Lienhard. Can’t say enough about someone who is so strong with the ball and can convert when she’s hit in the post.
McGuinness make ups: The Stillwater game will not be made up while the Irish will travel to Lawton MacArthur next Saturday, Feb. 13.
Full-contact alumni games looking for players
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
Alumni Football USA is looking for former players from at least 30 local high schools to participate in full-contact alumni football games in May.
Cost for the game is $75 per player with equipment provided. The first 40 players to register from each school will be accepted.
Among the rivalry games open for registration are: Millwood-Douglass, Moore-Westmoore, Carl Albert-Guthrie, Casady-Heritage Hall, Del City-Midwest City, Putnam City-Putnam West, Southeast-Northeast, Norman-Norman North, Yukon-Mustang, Edmond Santa Fe-Edmond North, McGuinness-Tulsa Kelley, Edmond Memorial-Putnam North, John Marshall-Star Spencer, Little Axe-Washington and Tuttle-Blanchard.
Additional games may be added if there is interest.
There will also be a series of games featuring Tulsa area high school alumni, also in May.
To register or for more information, call 877-578-8576, e-mail tjcavender@sbcglobal.net or register online at AlumniFootballUSA.com.
