Class 6A Top 10
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
No rankings in the paper this week but I do a final ranking after the season ends. But I’ll update my top 10 in each class on the blog beginning with 6A:
Class 6A
1. Broken Arrow (2)#11-1
2. Tulsa Union (3)#11-1
3. Jenks (5)#10-2
4. Owasso (7)#9-3
5. Midwest City (1)#11-1
6. Edmond Santa Fe (4)#10-2
7. Lawton (6)#9-3
8. Edmond North (8)#9-3
9. Stillwater (9)#8-3
10. Westmoore (10)#7-4
Picks: Week 9
Ryan picked up another game on Jason and Scott last week on the strenght of his pick of Lawton over Edmond North and Sallisaw over Hilldale. Only Scott missed his lock last week, missing on Wagoner-Catoosa.
Last week:
Ryan: 7-3, 1-0
Jason: 6-4, 1-0
Scott: 6-4, 0-1
Overall:
Ryan: 59-22, 7-1
Jason: 55-26, 6-2
Scott: 52-29, 6-2
Ryan:
Jenks 28, Broken Arrow 24
Edmond North 17, Edmond Santa Fe 14
Lawton 28, Putnam City 9
Norman 28, Muskogee 15
Tulsa Central 26, Coweta 17
Carl Albert 35, Deer Creek 26
Douglass 27, Glenpool 24
Anadarko 33, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 14
Wynnewood 20, Wayne 14
Lock of the Week: Carl Albert over Deer Creek. The Titans offense has steadily improved throughout the season and they have both the secondary speed to hold the Antlers’ receivers down and the front seven to get pressure on Deer Creek’s quarterback.
Jason:
Broken Arrow 27, Jenks 24
Edmond North 21, Edmond Santa Fe 17
Lawton 31, Putnam City 7
Norman 26, Muskogee 17
Tulsa Central 24, Coweta 14
Carl Albert 41, Deer Creek 14
Douglass 17, Glenpool 14
Anadarko 31, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 35, Bethany 14
Wayne 13, Wynnewood 10
Lock of the Week: Anadarko over Tuttle. The Tigers are always a tough, well-coached team under Phil Koons. I expect that Sheldon Wilson won’t be able to run wild like he has all year against Tuttle. But the Warriors, at home, will be too tough,
Scott:
Jenks 30, Broken Arrow 28
Edmond Santa Fe 21, Edmond North 20
Lawton 28, Putnam City 21
Norman 34, Muskogee 28
Tulsa Central 28, Coweta 24
Carl Albert 42, Deer Creek 24
Douglass 28, Glenpool 21
Anadarko 34, Tuttle 28
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 28
Wayne 27, Wynnewood 22
Lock of the Week: Norman over Muskogee. Norman is beyond motivated to finish this season strong after finding themselves facing potentially being left out of the playoffs. I’d look for a big day from Donovan Roberts, as well as the passing attack to give the Tigers momentum heading into the Week 10 battle with Jenks.
Picks: Week 8
Ryan had a big week last week, picking up three games on Jason and four on Scott after picking Kingfisher, Hennessey, Lawton Eisenhower and Weatherford correctly. All three of us missed out on Stillwater’s win over Owasso and Tulsa Kelley’s over Tulsa Washington.
Last week:
Ryan: 8-2, 1-0
Jason: 5-5, 1-0
Scott: 4-6, 1-0
Overall:
Ryan: 52-19, 6-1
Jason: 49-22, 5-2
Scott: 46-25, 6-1
Ryan:
Wagoner 21, Catoosa 18
Douglass 20, Harrah 17
Deer Creek-Lamont 26, Timberlake 20
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Weatherford 21, Tuttle 14
Broken Arrow 40, Norman 14
Lawton 21, Edmond North 20
Sallisaw 21, Hilldale 14
McGuinness 28, Piedmont 21
Putnam City 35, Westmoore 24
Lock of the week: Deer Creek-Lamont over Timberlake. DC-Lamont will finally get pushed but they come out on top in a possible state championship game preview.
Jason
Wagoner 31, Catoosa 21
Douglass 28, Harrah 21
Deer Creek-Lamont 42, Timberlake 30
Coweta 21, Pryor 14
Tuttle 17, Weatherford 10
Broken Arrow 42, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 14
Hilldale 24, Sallisaw 20
McGuinness 31, Piedmont 28
Westmoore 27, Putnam City21
Lock of the week: Westmoore over Putnam City. The Pirates have faced one really strong defense all year, Edmond North, and were shut down offensively. Westmoore’s defense has shown itself to be tough all season, and I think they can keep Casey Curtis in check and come away with the win.
Scott
Wagoner 23, Catoosa 20
Douglass 21, Harrah 14
Deer Creek-Lamont 48, Timberlake 33
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Tuttle 27, Weatherford 21
Broken Arrow 38, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 21
Hilldale 28, Sallisaw 27
McGuinness 21, Piedmont 17
Putnam City 30, Westmoore 24
Lock of the Week: Wagoner over Catoosa. This should be one heck of a ballgame, but I think Wagoner has the leadership, the experience and the talent to get back to the title game this year, maybe win it all. Guys like Kevin Peterson and Jeremy Applegate, among others, have been around long enough to help keep the team composed in a big game — and this is a huge one.
Who should be No. 1 in Class 6A?
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
Most weeks, I post my rankings here and try to explain my reasoning for who I ranked where in each class. I haven’t done that–yet–for this week, simply because I agonized over Class 6A. Every class gets careful consideration each week but most weeks in most classes there are clear reasoning for one team over another. Owasso’s 41-38 win over Tulsa Union last week threw that into a tailspin.
There are several teams that have legitimate arguments to the top spot. Here are their resumes, their arguments for being No. 1 and the opinions of Jason Kersey and Scott Wright. Disagree with one of us? Disagree with all of us? Feel free to chime in at the bottom.
Broken Arrow: This was my top pick. Broken Arrow’s only loss came 21-14 to then top-ranked Tulsa Union on Sept. 16 on the road. They’ve beaten Owasso (48-20), Odessa (Texas) Permian (68-26) and Sapulpa (52-19). The Tigers took a healthy Union team down to the wire and showed they could hang. The argument against them is: they’ve lost a game, which a couple other teams we’ll mention later haven’t, and they needed overtime to beat Muskogee, who is 1-5 this season.
Edmond North: The Huskies are undefeated, one of just two Class 6A teams without a loss. They’ve scored 40 or more points four times this season and next allowed more than 13. They beat Southmoore 42-10 to open the season and thrashed a previously unbeaten Putnam City team 35-0 last week. The downside for the Huskies is Southmoore was banged up when they met, Mustang isn’t what it once was and it’s still not clear how good Putnam City is. The Pirates’ hot start could’ve been indicative of a weak schedule. These drawbacks aren’t the fault of the Huskies–they’ve taken care of business–and Edmond North will have plenty of chances to turn around those perceptions in the next three weeks with Westmoore, Lawton and Edmond Santa Fe on the schedule.
Jenks: The Trojans were No. 2 in my poll before last week but I reevaluated and bumped Broken Arrow ahead of the Trojans. Jenks also holds a win over Owasso (49-27) and has blown out every team it has faced other than Union. The argument against the Trojans is simple: they got beat 41-19 by Union. It’s hard to write off Jenks right now after their continued dominance.
Midwest City: Like Edmond North, the Bombers have topped the 40-point mark four times this season. Their closest game was a 21-point win over Edmond Santa Fe in Week 3. The Bombers defense, once again, is among the toughest around and their offense shows unusual balance for a Bombers team that has long relied on the run. James Flanders is giving the Bombers what they expected and more on the ground and junior quarterback Joel Davis is improving steadily and giving Midwest City a solid passing game. The argument against Midwest City is their schedule to this point. The Bombers’ opponents have won just 12 games this season, with five of those coming from Santa Fe. They play Norman North to end the season but the Bombers’ really don’t figure to be tested until at least the first round of the playoffs.
Owasso: To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and Owasso did that Friday night with a stunning upset of the Redskins. Owasso’s non-district schedule is as tough as any around and although Owasso went 1-2 in that stretch, they did manage to score 47 points combined in losses to Broken Arrow and Jenks. The Rams have probably the top QB/WR combo in the state with Kason Key and Keon Hatcher. The argument against the Rams is simple: their big losses in non-district should keep them out of the top spot.
Tulsa Union: Union? After that loss? Yes, there’s an argument to be made. The Redskins have win over Jenks and Broken Arrow and they led Owasso big before their quarterback and running back went down with injuries that kept them out of the second half against Owasso. If those two guys get back soon, Union could very well still be the top dog in 6A.
There are the arguments for and against each time. I weighed all of them (and more) before settling on Broken Arrow as the top team with Jenks, Midwest City and Edmond North not far behind. I’m going to continue to reevaluate things week by week but right here, right now, this is where I stand.
Here’s what Jason and Scott have to say about who should be No. 1.
Jason’s pick: Edmond North
I think — at this point — Edmond North is Class 6A’s best team.
The undefeated Huskies really have no weak spots on either side of the ball. Edmond North smacked previously unbeaten Putnam City 35-0 on Friday, holding star running back Casey Curtis to 65 yards on 20 carries.
The Huskies’ offensive dominance all starts up front. Edmond North’s offensive line is huge, which is what gets it noticed, but it’s about more than size. The line is also very strong and athletic.
The line opens up holes for the backfield duo of Jarion Tudman and Jared Benway, who give Edmond North a tough 1-2 punch of speed and strength.
And North couldn’t ask for a better field general. Senior Jesse Mathews, in his first year as a starter, has been nothing short of fantastic through six games. He has shown an ability to make plays with both his arms and legs.
Edmond North’s schedule hasn’t been the toughest, but the Huskies will be tested in their next three games, with Westmoore, Lawton and Edmond Santa Fe in consecutive weeks. If the Huskies emerge from that gauntlet unscathed, there might be no stopping them.
Scott’s pick: Midwest City
First of all, this pick comes with a caveat. I still think Jenks and Union are the top two favorites for the Class 6A gold ball. To quote the great prophet Ric Flair, if you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. But this question isn’t about state championship favorites, it’s about who should be No. 1 right now, in Week 7 of the football season — only the halfway point for those teams that will eventually play for the state title.
So I’m picking Midwest City, with Broken Arrow and Jenks close behind. For all the fancy, exciting spread offenses out there that put up crazy numbers and fly up and down the field, football is still won with defense and run game. And through six games, Midwest City has shown the capability to dominate good teams in those two facets of the game.
A lot of people are probably making the argument for the Bombers at No. 1 because they think they’re the best undefeated team, and an undefeated team should be ranked ahead of a team with one loss, like Union, Jenks, Broken Arrow or Owasso. But this isn’t college football, and basing your argument solely on records is drastically oversimplifying the process.
I’m picking the Bombers as my No. 1 team right now, because I’ve been impressed with what they’ve accomplished on the field, the consistency they’ve displayed, and the overall talent of the team. They have some question marks, like their offensive diversity, but there isn’t a team out there this season that doesn’t appear to have flaws, whether it’s talent-related, injury-related, or whatever. Right now, this week, Midwest City should be No. 1.
6A-4A softball state tournament brackets
At ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
Class 6A
Thursday
Field 3
Moore vs. Tulsa Union, 11 a.m.
Mustang vs. Broken Arrow, 1 p.m.
Owasso vs. Edmond North, 3 p.m.
Jenks vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 5 p.m.
Friday
Field 4
Mustang/Broken Arrow winner vs. Moore/Tulsa Union winner, noon
Owasso/Edmond North winner vs. Jenks/Edmond Santa Fe winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Field 1
Championship, 4 p.m.
Class 5A
Field 1
Thursday
Carl Albert vs. Coweta, 11 a.m.
McAlester vs. Deer Creek, 1 p.m.
Tahlequah vs. Shawnee, 3 p.m.
Lawton MacArthur vs. Grove, 5 p.m.
Friday
Carl Albert/Coweta winner vs. Lawton MacArthur/Grove winner, 2 p.m.
McAlester/Deer Creek winner vs. Tahlequah/Shawnee winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 1:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Thursday
Field 4
Blanchard vs. Bethany, 11 a.m.
Oologah vs. Purcell, 1 p.m.
Fort Gibson vs. Tuttle, 3 p.m.
Berryhill vs. Harrah, 5 p.m.
Field 1
Friday
Blanchard/Bethany winner vs. Oologah/Purcell winner, noon
Berryhill/Harrah winner vs. Fort Gibson/Tuttle winner, 2 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 11 a.m.
Rankings preview: Oct. 1
Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#5-0
2. Jenks (2)#4-1
3. Midwest City (3)#5-0
4. Broken Arrow (4)#4-1
5. Norman (5)#5-0
6. Edmond North (7)#5-0
7. Putnam City (9)#5-0
8. Edmond Santa Fe (NR)#4-1
9. Owasso (8)#3-2
10. Lawton (6)#3-2
A couple of times a year I throw out my rankings and start fresh, take an overall look at the season and don’t constrain myself with past rankings. This is one of those weeks and while their figures to be other classes that are more drastically affected, there is a bit of that here. The biggest questions in my mind were where to place Edmond Santa Fe (and Lawton) and what to do with Putnam City. I considered dropping Broken Arrow a spot but the Tigers still stand as the only team to really challenge Union this season and I’ll give them their small bump Friday. Edmond Santa Fe goes from just outside to No. 8 after their win at Lawton. The Wolverines drop to No. 10. Owasso stays in at No. 9 but has a tough test this week against Union.
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.
Super 30 review: Nos. 21-19
Doesn't that picture tell you all you need to know about Zac Veatch?
Back again for another installment of looking back at our latest Super 30 members. So let’s not waste any time, shall we?
21. Kason Key, QB, Owasso
The Rams were the ‘little team that could’ last year. Seriously expected not one thing from Bill Patterson’s group last year. So it was a huge shock to me to see Owasso in the state semifinals but maybe not to the team itself. One big reason for last year’s surge and this year’s expectations is obviously Key. He’s got great size and a great No. 1 target in Keon Hatcher.
For Anthony Slater’s story on Key, go here.
20. Ronnie Davis, CB, Midwest City
He’s going to be recruited as a cornerback, but I’m starting to be more and more impressed with his ability to throw the football. Got to watch him (and seven other teams) at Edmond Santa Fe on Tuesday, and it sure feels like Davis could be returning to his quarterback roots. Either way, I stand by my story that Davis is going to blow up this year, no matter where he plays.
For my story on Davis, go here.
19. Zac Veatch, TE, Broken Arrow
BA coaches got on me good in February when I didn’t have Veatch on the February list. Consider that corrected and consider that an error on my part in the first place. Veatch is a big boy, no doubt. Easily one of the best tight ends in the state. When I was talking to Norman’s George Kittle about Veatch, yep, that confirmed it. “Oh, he is tough to bring down.” Good enough for me.
For Tariq Lee’s story on Veatch, go here.
Now in the teens of the Super 30. Up next is one of the best linebackers not only of this year but of the last couple of years. Been a name to watch for a while now. Stay with us every day as we unveil the Super 30 for 2012, culminating with No. 1 on July 24.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Archie Bradley over Dylan Bundy for Player of the Year not an easy choice
In an incredibly close decision, Broken Arrow's Archie Bradley (hoisting trophy) was named The Oklahoman's All-State Player of the Year.
OK, the feedback hasn’t been as negative as I thought. There have been questions about the selection but no irrational sentiments voiced so far.
Knew it was going to be an eye-opener to select Broken Arrow’s Archie Bradley instead of Owasso’s Dylan Bundy as The Oklahoman’s All-State Baseball Player of the Year.
Ryan Aber and myself did not make this selection to cause a stir, believe me. It was a tough one, and I still blame Ryan for why there will never be co-players of the year.
It stems back to the senior seasons of Keiton Page at Pawnee and Rotnei Clarke of Verdigris. Both won state championships. Clarke set the state scoring record. Incredibly tough. Ryan chose Page as the Player of the Year.
Since then, no matter what, it’s eliminated Co-Players of the Year. Though this is close to that, Page over Clarke is about the best case for the co-player honor.
I felt it last year in tennis with undefeated state champions (and clearly the two best singles players in the state) Mia Lancaster of Bishop McGuinness and Julie Labarthe of Heritage Hall. Picked Labarthe, definitely irked some but that’s OK.
So that brought us to this year. We were convinced on Bradley. Then Bundy was named the Gatorade Player of the Year. Then Bundy was named the National Player of the Year. Oy. But I’ve always viewed this as a high school award.
It’s what you did on the field/court/mat, etc. It’s not about potential. Bundy is projected to be the higher draft pick and that’s fine. And heck, it’s been great to see the genuine friendship between the two so I don’t feel there is a real rivalry.
Owasso's Dylan Bundy and Broken Arrow's Archie Bradley - two of the better Oklahoma HS pitchers in a LONG time.
This could have kinda been settled in April when the two teams were scheduled. It was rained out. This could have been settled at OneOK Field in Tulsa in the Class 6A state championship. Bundy didn’t pitch. Bradley did. And he pitched, maybe not his best, but the most important game of his life. He was dominant with 14 strikeouts and leading the Tigers to the state championship.
I don’t hold it against Bundy or his coaches/advisers that believed it was in Bundy’s best interest to not pitch. Heck, maybe it was after the backlash of what happened in 2010 with Bundy’s arm.
But I also wasn’t going to use it against Bradley for going out there and getting the job done on the biggest high school stage possible.
If you wanna play the stat game, Bundy was slightly better than Bradley in most major categories on the mound and at the plate. There weren’t many glaring differences between the two. You’re talking about hundredths separating ERAs. Three earned runs for Bradley compared to two for Bundy.
It’s nitpicking no matter which way you slice it. So instead of trying to knock down Bundy or Bradley to give out the honor, I chose to reward Bradley for an outstanding season that culminated with a magical outing on that Saturday in May.
Obviously expect both players to hear their names called Monday night, and it should be an incredible feeling for both of them. But I also feel the right choice was made for the All-State Baseball Player of the Year.
And if you wanna read even more on Bradley and Bundy, here is a tremendous piece by Matt Baker of the Tulsa World. Baker spent the majority of this week with the super studs to see what’s on their minds hours away from their lives being changed forever.
- All-State Player of the Year, Archie Bradley of Broken Arrow
- Big All-City Player of the Year, Michael Fulmer of Deer Creek
- Little All-City Player of the Year, Blake Estep of Jones
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Owasso is No. 1 HS baseball team in nation
In the latest Baseball America rankings of the top 25 high school baseball teams (released Tuesday morning), the Owasso Rams have made the jump to the No. 1 spot.
Let that sink in for a moment. Wow, gotta say that’s pretty cool. Owasso, led by uber-star pitcher Dylan Bundy, went from No. 4 in the last rankings to the top slot.
Broken Arrow went from No. 5 to No. 8. Of course with OKRankings.com rankings completed last week, yes, you can say Owasso is No. 1 in the nation and not even No. 1 in the state. That’s not a bash on anybody, but it is certainly weird to say.
The Rams are 26-1 and have been simply dominant all season. And like Deer Creek (No. 1 in 5A), Owasso has not lost to an in-state opponent. That was true of Broken Arrow until third-ranked Edmond Santa Fe won at BA on Saturday night.
The Baseball America rankings are released every other week, and it just happened to be at the right time for Owasso and its supporters.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
