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.
Game preview: Class 5A No. 2 Guthrie (3-0) at No. 6 Deer Creek (3-0)
From left to right, Luke Davis, Landry Chappell, Bryan Dutton, and Blake Belcher have Guthrie eyeing a Class 5A championship in 2011. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
EDMOND — A huge District 5A-1 battle is The Oklahoman’s top-ranked high school football game in the state, and I’m fortunate enough to be covering it.
Deer Creek will host Guthrie tonight at 7:30 p.m. in one of the state’s tougher district’s first big game.
Adding to this game’s intrigue is the rivalry aspect. These schools aren’t terribly far apart and several of the players on opposing teams are friends.
Guthrie leads the all-time series 4-2.
Both teams are also extremely well-coached. Deer Creek’s Grant Gower and Guthrie’s Rafe Watkins, who has led the Bluejays to two state titles, are two top-notch coaches.
WHEN GUTHRIE HAS THE BALL
Guthrie has the ability to strike from the air or on the ground. Junior quarterback Bryan Dutton has started since he was a freshman, and put up huge numbers last year as a sophomore. But so far this season, the Bluejays have relied more on the ground game.
Senior Luke Davis has rushed for 306 yards and three touchdowns, averaging just over 7.2 yards a carry. But Dutton has also been a force carrying the ball, as has sophomore Kai Callins.
Guthrie, which has averaged 263 rushing and 115 passing yards a game, isn’t choosing to run more because they can’t throw; rather, the Bluejays have a giant offensive line — anchored by left tackle Blake Belcher (6-foot-5, 280 pounds), a Tulsa commit — that bullies opposing defensive fronts. And with runners like Davis, Dutton, Callins, and others, why would you need to throw?
But if forced to, the Bluejays absolutely could shred opposing secondaries. Dutton has thrown seven touchdown passes through three games and no interceptions. Sophomore Donovan Jordan has caught three TD passes and senior tight end John Clark can make plays in the air game as well. And don’t forget senior move-in Clint Simek, who has quickly made his presence felt for the Bluejays with two TD catches.
But don’t sit on Deer Creek’s defense. The Antlers are extremely talented on that side of the ball — especially up front. Austin Loomis, Kooper Ruminer, Alec James, Clint Edgeman, Nolan Boyd and Ian Smith have all played extremely well for a defense that is allowing just 59 yards rushing per game.
But the Antler defense did collapse in the fourth quarter of a 38-31 win over Piedmont in Week 1 — a game Deer Creek led 38-14 at the end of the third. The Antler defense was great in Weeks 2 and 3, but the opponents (Shawnee and Tecumseh) were teams they should have dominated.
Deer Creek quarterback Joel Blumenthal has thrown six touchdowns this season. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
WHEN DEER CREEK HAS THE BALL
Deer Creek’s offense is much more balanced than it was last year.
I guess that’s what happens when you lose Alex Christensen (1,725 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010).
But the Antlers might be better on offense this year, and it’s because of that balance.
Quarterback Joel Blumenthal, a junior, has thrown for 558 yards and six touchdowns in his first full year as a starter. And he’s got some big-time receivers to throw to, starting with senior Hunter Dinkines, who has caught two TDs. Junior Jared Rayburn, who caught my eye and just about everyone else’s at the Top of the World Classic scrimmage in Norman, is a huge threat who has also caught two TDs.
Blumenthal also has a reliable tight end in senior Kyle Kanady, who has one TD catch this season.
And in the ground game, the Antlers are doing just fine. Junior Brennan Miyake has rushed for 395 yards and six TDs on the season.
The Deer Creek ground game is going to be interesting to watch, because, as Guthrie senior linebacker Landry Chappell said, Deer Creek will be the first team that will try to run the ball on the Bluejays’ defense. Every other opponent Guthrie has faced has been a pass-first team.
Not that it has mattered. The Bluejays have been absolutely dominate on the defensive side of the ball, allowing an average of just over 98 yards a game and a total — that’s right, a three-game total — of seven points all season.
The Bluejays are flat-out stacked at every position, leaving the Antlers with very few safe places to go. And it all starts with Chappell, the unquestioned leader and heart and soul of the Guthrie defense.
Up front, the Bluejays have big size and speed in Trevor Blassingame, Zac Brown, Richard Brothers and Vincent Norris. Not only do these players help stuff the run game, but they will also look to get pressure on Blumenthal — pressure he hasn’t seen yet this year.
Guthrie’s secondary is dangerous as well. One player to watch there is Callins, who started as a freshman at cornerback last year, intercepting five passes, and has only improved.
PREDICTION TIME
Deer Creek is a really good team. The Antlers will make noise in the district and are a shoo-in for a playoff spot. But Guthrie is a great team, a state title contender and will be too much for the Antlers to handle. Guthrie 28, Deer Creek 17.
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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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.
Deer Creek’s Austin Loomis visits Indiana
Deer Creek's Austin Loomis visited Indiana this weekend. PHOTO PROVIDED
Deer Creek junior linebacker Austin Loomis took an unofficial visit to Indiana this weekend for the Hoosiers’ game against South Carolina State.
He has also received interest from Air Force, Tulsa, Missouri, Kansas State and Ball State.
Loomis and the Antlers, ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, face a stiff test this week when it hosts No. 2 Guthrie to open district play.
Deer Creek linebacker Kooper Ruminer’s first college visit ends in disappointment
TULSA — Deer Creek junior linebacker Kooper Ruminer was excited for his first visit as a college football recruit.
Unfortunately, that first visit happened to be at Saturday’s Tulsa-Oklahoma State game.
Ruminer, who has gotten some interest from the Golden Hurricane, was on an unofficial visit. He talked to players, stood on the field and got a tour of facilities.
But after a three-hour-plus weather delay, Ruminer decided to go home.
Ruminer, who has season tickets to Oklahoma football games, said he was disappointed that his first college visit ended that way. But he was happy that he at least got to see the Golden Hurricane play two weeks ago in Norman.
The ill-fated visit came one day after another big individual performance by Ruminer. He had 10 tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered one in the Antlers’ 49-14 win over Tecumseh on Friday. Through three games, Ruminer has 37 tackles this season.
Deer Creek’s offense nice and balanced
Deer Creek's Joel Blumenthal had a big day in his team's Week 1 win over Piedmont. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Deer Creek’s offense, which was more run-oriented last season, is off to a good and balanced start after Friday’s 38-31 win over Piedmont.
“The way it worked out, we were about 52 percent run and 48 percent pass,” Antlers coach Grant Gower said. “It was very good to see the production we had through the air and on the ground. Obviously, everybody hopes to have that balance offensively.”
Junior running back Brennan Miyake accounted for 306 total yards in the win, rushing for 238 yards and two touchdowns and grabbing six receptions for 68 yards.
Quarterback Joel Blumenthal, also a junior, threw for 205 yards and two scores and ran for 45 yards and one touchdown.
Deer Creek coach Grant Gower expects stadium to be ready
Deer Creek coach Grant Gower, left, expects the stadium will be ready for Friday' s home game against Shawnee. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Because its stadium expansion wasn’t complete, Deer Creek was forced to relocate its season opener against Piedmont to Yukon’s old stadium.
Deer Creek is undergoing a massive stadium improvement project that will take several years to complete.
Last year, the stadium got artificial turf, new lights and a track. This year, the home side is expanding to seat 3,500 fans.
Coach Grant Gower said that, while he can’t make any guarantees, he expects this week’s home game against Shawnee to go on as planned.
“I just got out of a construction meeting, and things are looking very good for this Friday,” Gower said Saturday. “They are making a lot of headway.”
Deer Creek vs. Piedmont game moved to old Yukon stadium
EDMOND — Friday’s game between Piedmont and Deer Creek has been relocated to Yukon’s old stadium, Antlers coach Grant Gower said. It will still begin at 7:30, as scheduled.
The game was moved because renovations at Deer Creek’s stadium aren’t completed yet.
“Right now it just isn’t feasible to play it there, so we decided to go ahead and move it (to Yukon),” Gower said.
The Antlers have another home game scheduled for next Friday, September 9, against Shawnee, and Gower said he hopes the stadium is ready by then.
Deer Creek has undertaken a massive athletic expansion project that will span several years. Last year, the stadium added new lights, artificial turf and a track around it. This year’s project is expanding the home stands to seat about 3,500 more people.
The next phase, which has already begun and is set to be completed by next summer, is adding a new field house west of the stadium.
Deer Creek’s Blaine Powell is the Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Deer Creek Blaine Powell, right, and Taler Buck finished first and second, respectively, at the Guthrie Cottonwood Flats Invitational meet on Saturday. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
Deer Creek’s Blaine Powell won the Class 5A-and-below, three-mile boys race at the annual TIG Guthrie Cottonwood Flats Invitational, and the performance earned him The Oklahoman’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.
Powell ran the race in 15:31 for a five-second victory over teammate Taler Buck. The Deer Creek boys placed six runners in the top 10, winning the race as a team. The Deer Creek girls also won their race as a team.
