5A-1 All-District
District 5A-1 All-District
Player of the Year: Luke Davis, Guthrie
Offensive Player of the Year: Dillan Dansby, Carl Albert
Defensive Player of the Year: Landry Chappell, Guthrie
Lineman of the Year: Blake Belcher, Guthrie
First-team
Offense
Quarterback: Raymond Little, El Reno
Running back: Nathan Blakely, Ada
Running back: Darvonte Winston, Carl Albert
Tight End: Kyle Kanady, Deer Creek
Wide receiver: Rashad Copeland, El Reno
Wide receiver: Alex Polston, Carl Albert
Offensive lineman: RayShawn Cato, Carl Albert
Offensive lineman: Cooper Davis, Guthrie
Offensive lineman: Steve Dunham, Carl Albert
Offensive lineman: Matt Eppler, Ada
Offensive lineman: Hayden Seifert, Guthrie
Kicker: Easton Ramsey, Carl Albert
Punter: Sam McCann, Ada
Defense
Defensive lineman: Nolan Boyd, Deer Creek
Defensive lineman: Zack Brown, Guthrie
Defensive lineman: Willis Lusk, Carl Albert
Defensive lineman: Micah Tiger, Ada
Linebacker: John Clark, Guthrie
Linebacker: Kevin Jones, Carl Albert
Linebacker: Jermiah Reed, Carl Albert
Linebacker: John Whitlock, Noble
Defensive back: Tyliq Brazille, Southeast
Defensive back: Taylor Hawkins, Carl Albert
Defensive back: Darion Winston, Carl Albert
Second-team
Offense
Running back: Chase Bowker, Ada
Running back: Tyre LeBlanc, Carl Albert
Tight end: Clint Simek, Guthrie
Wide receiver: Hunter Dinkines, Deer Creek
Wide receiver: Hunter Long, Noble
Offensive lineman: Tristan Clark, Western Heights
Offensive lineman: Malachai Galbrath, Guthrie
Offensive lineman: Grant Oliver, Carl Albert
Offensive lineman: Jacob Stein, El Reno
Offensive lineman: Craig Waters, Western Heights
Kicker: Esau Perez, Guthrie
Punter: Antonio Cueto, Southeast
Defense
Defensive lineman: Darren Colquitt, Carl Albert
Defensive lineman: Clint Edgeman, Deer Creek
Defensive lineman: Michael Holder, Southeast
Defensive lineman: Josh Raper, Western Heights
Linebacker: Austin Ferguson, El Reno
Linebacker: Devonte Henderson, Western Heights
Linebacker: Gumaro Murphy, Southeast
Linebacker: Ian Smith, Deer Creek
Defensive back: Trez Jackson, Carl Albert
Defensive back: Harley Dodd, Deer Creek
Defensive back: Donte Rocco, Western Heights
Final Rankings: Class 5A
Class 5A
1. Guthrie (1)#14-0
2. McAlester (3)#12-1
3. Lawton MacArthur (2)#13-1
4. Tulsa Kelley (4)#8-3
5. Tulsa East Central (5)#10-2
6. Ardmore (7)#8-5
7. Pryor (6)#9-3
8. Carl Albert (8)#9-2
9. Duncan (9)#8-4
10. Coweta (10)#6-5
McAlester had a late lead on Guthrie before losing 28-25 in the semifinals in blustery winds that severely limited their high-powered passing game. That doesn’t mean anything in relation to Guthrie. The Bluejays won the game then went on to win the title. But when put up next to Lawton MacArthur’s 24-7 loss to Guthrie in the finals, I decided McAlester’s resume was better. It was awfully close but the Buffs get the edge. Tulsa Kelley gave Lawton MacArthur all it could handle in the second round and pushed McAlester to the brink as well. The Comets’ defense was very good. Tulsa East Central entered the season as the favorites but lost to Pryor midway through the season to finish second in their district. That led to a second-round matchup at eventual champion Guthrie. Guthrie won 20-14 in another nailbiter. Ardmore was a semifinalists but lost to Duncan late in the season. They did push McAlester but were blown out twice by Lawton MacArthur. The win over Carl Albert was clearly Ardmore’s high point. Pryor was also a playoff victim to Ardmore. Carl Albert, Duncan and Coweta remained in the bottom three spots. All of Coweta’s losses came to teams ranked ahead of them (And 4A champion Wagoner). They also beat Tulsa Central, so their resume was better than any team left out.
Class 5A Top 10
Like my rankings in 6A, this didn’t run in the paper as we stop running rankings after the first round of the playoffs until the postseason is complete. But here’s how the top 10 stands after round 2:
Class 5A
1. Guthrie (1)#12-0
2. Lawton MacArthur (2)#12-0
3. McAlester (3)#12-0
4. Tulsa Kelley (4)#8-3
5. Ardmore (7)#8-4
6. Tulsa East Central (5)#10-2
7. Carl Albert (7)#9-2
8. Pryor (6)#9-3
9. Duncan (9)#8-4
10. Coweta (10)#6-5
The biggest challenge came after the top 3. I decided to keep Tulsa Kelley fourth. They lost to McAlester by one during the regular season and played Lawton MacArthur as close as any 5A team had this season. Ardmore leaped to No. 5. I considered keeping Tulsa East Central ahead of Ardmore as well but East Central fell to Pryor during the regular season while Ardmore was able to pull off the win at Pryor.
Guthrie stays No. 1 in Class 5A
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
In the six days now since the news broke that Guthrie would have to forfeit eight games, I’ve had discussions with plenty of people–coworkers, other high school writers, coaches–about how I would handle the Bluejays in the Class 5A rankings.
Before the ruling came down, Guthrie was No. 1. I left them No. 1 this week and imagine, barring something wild happening in the first round (assuming Guthrie isn’t reinstated), they’ll stay there next week. That will be my last rankings until after the playoffs are concluded.
It’s not a protest vote. Far from it. I considered what I’d seen from Guthrie this year and even with the exclusion of the player ruled ineligible, the Bluejays would not only be undefeated but would still be my pick to win 5A. Their defense is outstanding, especially in the front seven. Their offense is balanced and they get excellent play from the quarterback spot.
Not everyone agreed with that stance, though many did. In The Associated Press poll of writers and broadcasters, just two of eight voters left Guthrie off their ballots. The other six voted the Bluejays No. 1. Barry Lewis from the Tulsa World also left Guthrie atop Class 5A.
Here’s the complete top 10 in 5A:
1. Guthrie (1)#2-8*
2. Lawton MacArthur (2)#10-0
3. McAlester (3)#10-0
4. Carl Albert (4)#10-0*
5. Tulsa Kelley (5)#7-2
6. Tulsa East Central (7)#9-1
7. Pryor (6)#8-2
8. Coweta (9)#6-4
9. Duncan (NR)#7-3
10. Tulsa Central (NR)#8-2
*Guthrie forfeited eight games, including win over Carl Albert, pending Wednesday appeal.
Had I dropped Guthrie out and needed another team to fill my top 10, I would’ve gone with Ardmore (6-4) over Ada (7-3). That decision would’ve been easy. Not only did Ardmore beat Ada head to head, 28-0, on the road to start the season but they played Carl Albert and McAlester much closer than Ada did.
Fall signing day coming Wednesday
This might be the opening week of high school football playoffs, but it also includes signing day Wednesday for sports other than football. Know of an athlete signing? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com or leave it as a comment here. Please include as much information as possible.
What Guthrie forfeits mean for Class 5A
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
Stunning news came down Thursday night that Guthrie, the No. 1 team in Class 5A, would be forced to forfeit eight of their nine wins. The forfeits would knock the Bluejays out of the playoffs and turn the 5A bracket upside down.
Guthrie will appeal the OSSAA’s decision but, barring a reversal by the Board of Directors next week, here are the ramifications:
El Reno and Noble would be alive in the playoff race, with El Reno holding the upper hand. An Indians win over Western Heights would put them in the postseason. Noble’s playoff scenario is very slim. They’d need a win over 8-1 Carl Albert and a loss by El Reno to 1-8 Western Heights to advance.
But although El Reno’s season figures to be extended by a week, the real beneficiaries figure to be the loser of Friday’s Deer Creek-Ada game. That team was slated to go on the road to face District 5A-2 champions Lawton MacArthur, who enter Friday’s game at Northwest undefeated. Instead, the winner of that game will host Ardmore while the loser will go on the road to a Duncan team that stands 6-3 entering the season finale. That sets up a much better draw for the loser.
Carl Albert will go from having to play Pryor on the road in the second round as the No. 2 seed (assuming both teams win their playoff openers) to a likely second-round matchup with Tulsa East Central. That game, though, would be played at Carl Albert. It also puts the Titans on the opposite side of the bracket from Lawton MacArthur.
This is the second time in three years that the 5A playoffs have been thrown into turmoil shortly before the postseason began. In 2009, Tulsa Washington had to forfeit two games initially and then had a third added shortly thereafter. The forfeits left the Hornets out of the playoffs. Tulsa Washington won the Class 5A title in 2008 and again in 2010.
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 7
So somehow last week, Jason and I wound up picking 11 games since I apparently can’t count to 10. In the interest of padding the win total, we’ll let that stand and give Scott credit for the extra game (Wynnewood over Rush Springs, which Jason and I picked correctly). Scott needed the help after picking Putnam North and Putnam City to come out with wins. Everybody went with Tulsa Union and Lincoln Christian, leading to losses.
Last week
Ryan: 7-4, 1-0
Scott: 5-6, 1-0
Jason: 7-4, 1-0
Overall
Ryan: 44-17, 5-1
Jason: 44-17, 4-2
Scott: 42-19, 5-1
Ryan
Guthrie 21, Carl Albert 17
Kingfisher 14, Bethany 10
Owasso 41, Stillwater 35
Tulsa Washington 17, Tulsa Kelley 14
Metro Chr. 28, Seq. Tahlequah 21
Hennessey 22, Oklahoma Chr. 14
Lawton MacArthur 40, Duncan 20
Weatherford 13, Blanchard 8
Lawton Eisenhower 28, Edmond Memorial 22
McGuinness 28, Elgin 13
Lock of the week: Hennessey over OCS. Hennessey took some lumps in the non-district schedule but is still among the top teams in 2A. Tonight is their chance to prove that against a solid OCS team.
Jason
Guthrie 24, Carl Albert 16
Bethany 21, Kingfisher 17
Owasso 38, Stillwater 35
Tulsa Washington 24, Tulsa Kelley 17
Metro Christian 24, Seq. Tahlequah 10
Oklahoma Christian 24, Hennessey 23
Lawton Eisenhower 21, Edmond Memorial 13
Lawton MacArthur 31, Duncan 13
Bishop McGuinness 35, Elgin 14
Blanchard 16, Weatherford 9
Lock of the Week: Guthrie over Carl Albert. Both teams are fantastic, and both teams are legitimate Class 5A contenders. But at this point in the season, Guthrie’s defense is just too good for Carl Albert’s still-developing offense.
Scott
Guthrie 21, Carl Albert 20
Bethany 35, Kingfisher 31
Owasso 45, Stillwater 42
Tulsa Washington 21, Tulsa Kelley 14
Sequoyah-Tahlequah 35, Metro Christian 28
Hennessey 30, Oklahoma Christian 21
Lawton MacArthur 48, Duncan 31
Blanchard 14, Weatherford 12
Edmond Memorial 20, Lawton Eisenhower 17
McGuinness 28, Elgin 21
Lock of the Week: Lawton MacArthur over Duncan. Ever since watching the Highlanders in the preseason scrimmage at Mustang, I’ve had a strong feeling that these guys could win it all in 5A. I needed to see some results in the regular season first to support my gut feeling, and they’ve done that — even while battling some nagging injuries. There are a lot of factors left to be determined regarding the gold ball, but I definitely think Mac wins this week.
2001: Guthrie stuns Carl Albert on Russell Rush’s fourth-quarter field goal
Guthrie's Demarko Jones, left, brings down Carl Albert's Herman Burge in the Bluejays' win on Oct. 19, 2001. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
The Oct. 19, 2001 Carl Albert-Guthrie game did two things: It created an intense rivalry that still exists today, and it put Class 5A on notice that a new power was budding.
Guthrie beat the then-four time defending champion Titans 23-22 on a late field goal. Carl Albert would still go on to win their fifth straight championship, but wouldn’t beat Guthrie again until 2004.
Here is Oklahoman correspondent Murray Evans’ game story from that night.
GUTHRIE — If the Guthrie Bluejays keep this up, these kind of football games won’t be considered upsets much longer.
The unranked Bluejays probably won’t be that way for much longer after they knocked off Class 5A’s No. 2 team, Carl Albert, by a 23-22 count on Friday night before a capacity crowd at Jelsma Stadium.
Russell Rush’s 30-yard field goal with 17 seconds left lifted the Bluejays to their biggest win since they upset then-4A No. 1 Duncan 30-6 on Sept. 20, 1991. That was also the last year Guthrie beat Carl Albert.
“I’ve tried to tell people all year long, when we play to our capabilities, we’re a pretty talented football team,” first-year Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins said. “There have been times that we sure haven’t shown it… but we’re getting better. We’re coming along.”
Guthrie is 6-2 overall and 4-1 in District 5A-2. The Titans fell to 5-2 and 3-2, and the four-time defending 5A champions likely will face a road trip in the first round of the playoffs.
“You’ve got to give (the Bluejays) credit, because they played a great game,” Carl Albert coach Gary Rose said. “But if we don’t make the mistakes we made, they don’t win the game. I’m not sure we deserved to win the game, as it is, but we did what we wanted to do well. But our tackling was atrocious. Our ball security was atrocious. We’ve just got to go back and get better.”
The Titans led 22-13 after a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andre Daniel to Brandon Smith with 11:34 left. Daniel, who completed 11 of 15 passes for 151 yards, called an audible at the line of scrimmage to take advantage of Guthrie’s 1-on-1 coverage of Smith.
Guthrie needed just six plays to score. A 78-yard pass from quarterback Michael Hayes to Andrew Knight set the Bluejays up at the Carl Albert 2. Two plays later, Hayes hit Jason Shoemaker on a 3-yard touchdown pass, making it 22-20 with 8:48 left. Hayes finished 7 of 14 passing for 211 yards.
The Bluejays re-gained possession at the 4:30 mark, and marched 57 yards in 11 plays before Rush’s field goal. Guthrie did face fourth-and-8 at its own 32, but Carl Albert’s Marcus Allen was flagged for roughing Rush as Rush punted, giving the Bluejays a first down.
Rush’s kick, out of Hayes’ hold, split the uprights.
“I was a little bit worried,” Rush said. “I just went out there and hit it. I tried not to think about it.”
On Carl Albert’s first play after the ensuing kickoff, Guthrie defensive end Robert Harmon hit Daniel as he threw, and fellow lineman Kyle Smith intercepted the pass on a play reminiscent of Roy Williams’ hit on Chris Simms and Teddy Lehman’s interception for Oklahoma in its win over Texas.
Guthrie struck on the game’s first play. The Bluejays lined up with five receivers, and Hayes hit Demarko Jones – who also plays QB at times — on an 80-yard touchdown pass. Thirteen seconds in, the Bluejays led 7-0.
“We drew that up last week,” said Jones, who had three catches for 114 yards. “We were going to come out and get right on top. That’s what it did for us. It opened up the game.”
Guthrie vs. Carl Albert: A quick look at the rivalry’s last 10 years
Carl Albert coach Gary Rose.
Since Rafe Watkins became Guthrie’s coach in 2001, the team’s annual game against coach Gary Rose and Carl Albert has become one of the state’s top rivalries.
The Bluejays (No. 1 in Class 5A) and the Titans (No. 3) meet Friday at Guthrie’s Jelsma Stadium in Week 7′s top Oklahoma high school football game. Here is a quick year-by-year look at the rivalry since 2001.
2001 (at Guthrie): Guthrie 23-22
2002 (at Carl Albert): Guthrie 22-19, OT
2003 (at Guthrie): Guthrie 28-21
2004 (at Carl Albert): Carl Albert 25-7
Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins
2005 (at Guthrie): Guthrie 33-14
2006 (at Guthrie): Carl Albert 26-21
2007 (at Carl Albert): Guthrie 24-21
2008 (at Carl Albert): Carl Albert 16-13
2009 (at Guthrie): Carl Albert 40-7
2010 (at Carl Albert): Guthrie 32-14
