Rankings preview: Sept. 24
Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#4-0
2. Jenks (2)#3-1
3. Midwest City (3)#4-0
4. Broken Arrow (4)#3-1
5. Norman (5)#4-0
6. Lawton (6)#3-1
7. Edmond North (7)#4-0
8. Owasso (9)#2-2
9. Putnam City (10)#4-0
10. Stillwater (NR)#3-1
With Westmoore falling out from No. 8 after its loss to Edmond Santa Fe, there were two logical candidates to take the spot: Edmond Santa Fe, who was ranked before its loss to Midwest City the week before, and Stillwater. I chose the Pioneers based on their recent performances but just barely. Santa Fe gets a tough test next week at Lawton. A good performance there, win or lose, gives the Wolves a chance to move back in.
Picks: Week 4
For the second consecutive week, Scott picked up a game on Jason and me last week. Jason missed out on his lock of the week on Millwood’s wild last-second win over McGuinness.
Last week:
Scott: 9-1, 1-0
Ryan: 8-2, 1-0
Jason: 8-2, 0-1
Overall:
Ryan: 22-8, 3-0
Scott: 22-8, 2-1
Jason: 21-9, 1-2
Ryan
Guthrie 28, Deer Creek 14
Clinton 21, McGuinness 17
Norman 35, Sapulpa 30
Wagoner 27, Vinita 14
Ryan 22, Thackerville 18
Purcell 28, Sulphur 26
Seq. Tahlequah 20, Verdigris 13
Westmoore 21, Edmond Santa Fe 17
Seminole 14, Valliant 7
Midwest City 28, Yukon 9
Guthrie 34, Deer Creek 28
Lock of the week: Norman over Sapulpa. Sapulpa will score points on Norman but the Tigers defense has the potential for some big stops in this one that will prove to be the difference.
Scott
Clinton 21, McGuinness 17
Norman 38, Sapulpa 28
Wagoner 28, Vinita 21
Thackerville 42, Ryan 35
Purcell 33, Sulphur 28
Seq. Tahlequah 49, Verdigris 31
Edmond Santa Fe 21, Westmoore 14
Seminole 35, Valliant 24
Midwest City 27, Yukon 24
Lock of the week: Guthrie over Deer Creek. Deer Creek has a lot of talent, and is close to breaking through as a great team. But Guthrie is already there. This will be a close one, but I’ll take the Bluejays’ big-game experience to win out.
Jason
McGuinness 21, Clinton 14
Norman 35, Sapulpa 27
Wagoner 28, Vinita 21
Ryan 35, Thackerville 31
Purcell 38, Sulphur 24
Seq. Tahlequah 31, Verdigris 21
Edmond Santa Fe 27, Westmoore 24
Seminole 34, Valliant 24
Midwest City 35, Yukon 17
Guthrie 28, Deer Creek 17
Lock of the week: Edmond Santa Fe over Westmoore.
I watched Edmond Santa Fe play Midwest City, and while they clearly weren’t better than the Bombers, they showed that they can play with almost anyone. I think the 2-1 Wolves get back on track by winning their district opener at home.
Millwood never quits in incredible win over Bishop McGuinness
Millwood's Marc Robinson runs during his team's 27-21 win over Bishop McGuinness on Friday. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
One of the first things Millwood coach Tony Henry said to me after his team’s incredible 27-21 win over Bishop McGuinness was, “We were your lock of the week, right?”
Yes, coach, you were. And I was wrong. It isn’t the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last.
(Side note: Good to know he reads the blog!)
Henry was good-natured about it, of course, and I’m not at all surprised that he was in a good mood after the win at Pribil Stadium.
The blocked field goal and subsequent return for a touchdown on the last play was unbelievable — one of the best finishes to a football game that I’ve ever seen.
This is the only football game I can think of that I saw in person that had as memorable an ending.
In my view, the Falcons were clearly the better team Friday. They were able to move the ball pretty effectively on McGuinness’ defense — especially in the second half — and the Millwood defense was very impressive against the Irish offense.
Yes, it took a blocked field goal on the last play for the Falcons to win, but if not for a couple of silly mistakes, I think Millwood would have won fairly comfortably.
All three of Bishop McGuinness’ touchdown drives were 10 yards or less, and they came came as a result of bad Millwood turnovers.
The first two were results of bad long snaps on punts. The last one, in the fourth quarter, happened after a Millwood fumble on a bad exchange.
But it felt like every time something bad happened to the Falcons, they answered. After the Irish’s first touchdown in the second quarter, Millwood’s Dametric Sanders returned the kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
Down 21-14 in the fourth quarter, Sheldon Bulock Millwood went for it on fourth-and-one from near midfield. But after the McGuinness defense stuffed running back, the Irish took over possession with just under five minutes left in the game and appeared to have it under control.
But on the very next play, Irish quarterback Camden Tharp was picked off by Millwood’s Marc Robinson, who returned it all the way to the McGuinness 10 to set up a tying touchdown.
I don’t want to take anything away from Bishop McGuinness. They did play a very good game — especially defensively.
The Irish linebackers — senior Brandon Nguyen and juniors Nick Jeffreys and Danny Krenger — did a remarkable job against an extremely tough Millwood rushing attack. Marc Robinson, Larry Lambeth and Bulock were pounding at the McGuinness defense all night, and the Irish held their ground for much of it.
Both of these teams are going to be forces in their respective classes. And both teams open district play next week (McGuinness is at Clinton; Millwood has Alva at home).
It was a fantastic game, and I’m glad to have been there to see it.
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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Game preview: Millwood at Bishop McGuinness
Millwood's Marc Robinson runs during last week's game against Douglass. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN
I’ll be at tonight’s Millwood-Bishop McGuinness game at Pribil Stadium.
Should be a great matchup between two very good teams. When these two teams met last season, Millwood won 48-41. But these teams are both different in 2011, which should make for a different result.
When Millwood has the ball
Millwood has two powerful running backs — Marc Robinson and Larry Lambeth — that will create plenty of problems for opponents throughout the season. Dametric Sanders is a very athletic quarterback and is a dual threat. Bishop McGuinness has a strong defense, and its linebacking core is especially strong with senior Brandon Nguyen and juniors Danny Krenger and Nick Jeffreys.
Millwood won’t face many teams going forward that will be able to slow its run game down, but Douglass last week and McGuinness this week are two teams that can.
“They’re two big, strong running backs,” Nguyen said.
“We have a couple adjustments for them, but the key this week is wrapping up and hitting the running backs low.”
When Bishop McGuinness has the ball
The Irish’s offense this season under new coach Justin Jones is much more spread out and pass-oriented than under former coach Kenny Young. So far, the change has worked out quite well. Quarterback Camden Tharp has several receivers that he can throw to, and the Irish scored 35 points on archrival Tulsa Bishop Kelley in a win last Friday.
Defensively, Millwood’s strong point is stopping the run with Robinson and Lambeth as linebackers. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the Irish probably won’t try to run the ball much.
Prediction time
The matchups are in Bishop McGuinness’ favor this year. Last season, Millwood won a high-scoring shootout, but I’m expecting it to be more low-scoring this year. Bishop McGuinness 28, Millwood 17
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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Week 3 Picks
Scott picked up a game on both Jason and me last week while all three of us were corrects on our locks of the week. Here are our overall records and picks for this week:
Last week:
Scott 7-3, 1-0
Ryan 6-4, 1-0
Jason 6-4, 1-0
Overall
Ryan: 14-6, 2-0
Jason: 13-7, 1-1
Scott: 13-7, 1-1
Ryan
Midwest City 21, Edmond Santa Fe 14
Jenks 28, Owasso 7
McAlester 35, Ardmore 14
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Washington 10
McGuinness 21, Millwood 13
Heritage Hall 42, Davis 17
Bethany 28, Washington 13
Kingfisher 14, Hennessey 12
Ryan 22, Coyle 18
Tipton 33, Thackerville 22
Lock of the week: Kingfisher over Hennessey
This is a tough one for me because there was a lot I was impressed with last week when I watched Hennessey play Jones. But Kingfisher has the depth to wear down Hennessey a bit by the end of the game and the athleticism to not let Ivan Moreno and Levi Hill wear their defense down. The Eagles will be better for having played this game once district play begins but Kingfisher gets it done.
Jason
Edmond Santa Fe 21, Midwest City 20
Jenks 45, Owasso 24
McAlester 27, Ardmore 14
Tulsa East Central 24, Tulsa Washington 14
Bishop McGuinness 28, Millwood 17
Heritage Hall 35, Davis 10
Bethany 31, Washington 17
Kingfisher 24, Hennessey 21
Coyle 30, Ryan 27
Tipton 35, Thackerville 30
Lock of the week: Bishop McGuinness over Millwood
The Falcons have a tough power running game that will be tough for future opponents to slow down, but not the Irish. McGuinness’ defense — especially with their outstanding linebacking core of Brandon Nguyen, Danny Krenger and Nick Jeffries. Last season, Millwood won a shootout 48-41, but expect a more low-scoring game this time. Bishop McGuinness 28, Millwood 17
Scott
Midwest City 28, Edmond Santa Fe 24
Jenks 35, Owasso 24
McAlester 35, Ardmore 21
Tulsa East Central 30, Tulsa Washington 21
McGuinness 21, Millwood 20
Heritage Hall 41, Davis 17
Bethany 38, Washington 28
Kingfisher 21, Hennessey 20
Coyle 30, Ryan 27
Tipton 28, Thackerville 27
Lock of the week: McAlester over Ardmore.
Sitting in a press box in El Reno two years ago during the Class 5A semifinals, I began to take note of a talented McAlester team. Then I noticed the amount of young players on the roster, and I realized this was a team that would only keep getting better. Now we’re seeing it come to fruition, and I think this week will be another sign of things to come for the Buffs.
OK Runner Classic is Friday in Norman
Norman's Tanner Satterthwaite, the defending Class 6A champion, is one of several top runners competing in Friday's OK Runner Classic in Norman. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
Over 100 cross country teams will descend upon Norman Friday for the sixth annual OK Runner Classic, which is hosted by Norman High School.
Several of the top runners in the state will compete in the event, including defending Class 6A boys champion Tanner Satterthwaite of Norman and last year’s 6A girls runner-up Emily Helms of Mustang.
High school races begin at 10:30 a.m. with the 2A-4A girls. The last varsity race, the 5A-6A boys, begins at 2:30 p.m.
Here is the full list of race times:
10:30: 2A/3A/4A girls
11:30: 2A/3A/4A boys
1:30: 5A/6A girls
2:30: 5A/6A boys
4:30: Junior high girls
5:00: Junior high boys
jkersey@opubco.com
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Bishop McGuinness ready for archrival Tulsa Bishop Kelley
Bishop McGuinness will travel to face its rival, Tulsa Bishop Kelley, on Friday. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Bishop McGuinness, No. 5 in Class 4A, opened the season against Shawnee’s junior varsity squad after Douglass backed out of their scheduled Week 1 game to play DeSoto (Texas) at Cowboys Stadium.
The Irish beat Shawnee’s JV team 42-0, and the McGuinness players said it was a great way to start the season.
“It was a great morale booster for the beginning of the season,” senior lineman Charlie Evenson said. “Going out and shutting out a team is great, regardless of who they are.”
Senior linebacker Brandon Nguyen agreed, adding that it was good to have a season opener to get ready for this week’s game at Class 5A No. 10 Tulsa Bishop Kelley.
“We really just needed to figure out who we are, with a new coach (Justin Jones) and a new team,” Nguyen said. “We don’t have a ton of returning starters. We needed to show everyone in the state what kind of team we are.
“It’s a good thing that we had a game, so we didn’t have to go to Kelley and have no experience.”
McGuinness and Kelley are archrivals, and the schools play every year for a shillelagh, a wooden Irish fighting stick that serves as a traveling trophy in the rivalry.
“We have that right now hanging in coach Jones’ office,” Nguyen said. “It’s really important for us. You don’t ever want to go out and lose to Kelley your senior year.”
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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Bishop McGuinness’ Brandon Nguyen cleared
Bishop McGuinness senior linebacker Brandon Nguyen will play this week vs. Shawnee's JV team. PHOTO BY ZACH GRAY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Bishop McGuinness linebacker Brandon Nguyen (concussion) has been cleared to play this Thursday in the Irish’s season opener against Shawnee’s junior varsity team, coach Justin Jones told The Oklahoman.
Nguyen suffered the concussion on a helmet-to-helmet collision with Lawton MacArthur running back Darius Graham during the Irish’s first scrimmage on Aug. 18.
Nguyen had 117 tackles last season and is one of McGuinness’ top leaders on defense.
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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Brandon Taylor’s injury and other thoughts from Mustang’s Pigskin Preview
Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will have X-rays Friday morning on his injured throwing shoulder.
At some point Friday morning, Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will find out just how bad he hurt his left shoulder on Thursday night. It could be as minor as a bruise, or as major as a broken collarbone, but it will be important news either way for the Broncos.
There are a lot of new receivers and some young offensive linemen, so they need Taylor’s leadership and experience to hold the offense together. That’s not to say sophomore Frankie Edwards won’t be a good fill-in. He’s a talented young kid, but he doesn’t have the experience of Taylor.
I’ll have the news on Taylor’s shoulder as soon as I hear something.
As for Thursday’s scrimmages, Mustang had some tackling issues on defense, and the offensive line is still growing up. At receiver, Travis Mitchell showed some impressive skills, and could be valuable at receiver.
Here are some other thoughts from the Pigskin Preview:
-El Reno showed some promise, and looked a lot better on offense than when I saw them at team camp in Yukon back in June. Rashaad Copeland and Ray Little are two very dangerous athletes who each made some big plays. Copeland has been drawing some college attention from OSU, Kansas and North Texas.
-Norman North is still looking for some offensive continuity at quarterback. Bryan Payne is a talented running back, but the two QBs — senior Chad Ehrhart and junior Peyton Gavras — had some ups and downs Thursday. Defensively, the Timberwolves were strong against Altus, and they’ll need to hang their hat on that side of the ball while the offense comes along.
-Justin Jones’ first preseason at McGuinness has been a rough one. He had five starters sidelined Thursday, including most of his linebackers. No major injuries, but still, those guys are missing valuable time under a new coach. QB Camden Tharp has a good skillset, and I’d look for him to have a good year. The Irish got a good performance from the offensive line, and that will be important as they try to develop the run game.
-Lawton MacArthur looks good. Really good. I know Tulsa East Central has a lot of star power. I haven’t seen them or any of the other top teams in 5A, but Mac has a lot of athletes all over the place, not to mention the best kicker in the state, which is always a nice feature. RB Darius Graham is a big, strong runner, and Michael Thomas is a beast at cornerback. When he gets in press coverage, his WR isn’t getting off the line of scrimmage most of the time. Most of Mac’s linemen are playing both ways, so that’s always an issue with stamina, but they’re going to be a dangerous team.
-Lawton Eisenhower looks vastly different with Adrian McDonald on the field. The athletically gifted quarterback sat out Thursday night’s scrimmage after suffering a rib injury last week. Coach Boone Copeland said he didn’t know when McDonald would be back, but he’s hoping to have him next week for the opener.
-Altus is obviously battling through a transition, like a lot of teams, but the Bulldogs have a more positive attitude than just about any team I’ve been around this year. Diquon Woodhouse — who is in my top five favorite names in HS football this year — made some solid plays, including a pick-six for Altus’ only TD. He doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects from the sprained MCL in spring ball, even though he still wore a brace for protection.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Bishop McGuinness’ Brandon Nguyen recovering, will sit out this week
Bishop McGuinness senior linebacker Brandon Nguyen suffered a concussion during last week's scrimmage against Lawton MacArthur. PHOTO BY ZACH GRAY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Bishop McGuinness linebacker Brandon Nguyen suffered a concussion during his team’s first scrimmage last Thursday against Lawton MacArthur and will sit out this week at least, he said Sunday.
Nguyen suffered the injury on a helmet-to-helmet collision with MacArthur running back Darius Graham near the goal line on the Irish’s first defensive series.
This Thursday, McGuinness will take part in the Pepsi Pigskin Preview at Mustang.
Nguyen, who made 117 tackles last season and is one of the Irish’s returning leaders on defense, said he hopes to be back and ready for McGuinness’ first game against Shawnee’s junior varsity squad on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
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