Audio: Rafe Watkins talks extensively about Guthrie’s case
GUTHRIE — Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins spoke to GuthrieSportsPage.com for about 23 minutes about everything that has gone on the past two weeks.
Watkins had lots of interesting things to say, so this is definitely worth a listen.
Watkins GSP by GuthrieSportsPage
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.
Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins encouraging fans to not attend OSSAA appeal
Guthrie players will not attend Wednesday’s appeal before the OSSAA board of directors, and coach Rafe Watkins is encouraging fans and students to not attend, either.
“We just feel like it’s not in our best interest,” Watkins said. “That place is going to be a media circus anyway, you’re not going to get inside and there’s really not room in the parking lot.”
The Bluejays were forced to forfeit eight games after the OSSAA ruled that senior receiver/safety Clint Simek never make a bona fide move from Prague.
Guthrie’s appeal is on the agenda for the OSSAA’s board of directors meeting Wednesday. The meeting starts at 9 a.m., but Guthrie’s appeal likely won’t be heard until the afternoon.
Guthrie, Clint Simek appeal on OSSAA’s board meeting agenda
Guthrie senior Clint Simek (2) was ruled ineligible by the OSSAA. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Guthrie’s appeal of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association’s ruling on Clint Simek is on the agenda for Wednesday’s board of directors meeting.
Simek was ruled ineligible Thursday after the OSSAA found that his move from Prague was not “bona fide.”
Simek’s family moved to Guthrie in February, but still owned their previous home in Prague and another family member had been living there.
The Bluejays went undefeated and won District 5A-1 before Simek was ruled ineligible. The ruling forced Guthrie to forfeit eight wins, which made its record 2-8. Carl Albert, Ada and Deer Creek all moved up in the district standings and El Reno entered the playoffs as the fourth seed.
Wednesday’s board of directors meeting begins at 9 a.m., but Simek’s hearing may not come until the afternoon. Guthrie’s appeals make up the last two items on the agenda’s “School Problems” section, the fourth section on the agenda. Items on the “School Problems” section of the agenda don’t have times attached to them, but the last item on the preceding section is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Guthrie’s football team is proceeding as if they have a game on Friday. Had Simek not been ruled ineligible, the Bluejays would have opened the playoffs at home Friday against Durant. The Bluejays broke down Durant film on Saturday and will practice Monday and Tuesday.
Audio: Rafe Watkins talks the OSSAA ruling on Clint Simek
GUTHRIE — Guthrie football coach Rafe Watkins said he couldn’t talk too much about the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association’s ruling that Clint Simek is an ineligible player for the Bluejays.
Guthrie was forced to forfeit eight of its 10 wins this season and will, pending an appeal with the OSSAA’s board of directors on Wednesday, miss the Class 5A playoffs.
Watkins didn’t go too much into it, but he did talk some with The Oklahoman after the game, and also did a radio interview with the Guthrie Sports Pages’ Casey Porter. The interview with Porter is embedded below.
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Black and blue: Guthrie gets new jerseys in early
Guthrie quarterback Bryan Dutton runs during his team's 48-0 win over Southeast on Friday. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
GUTHRIE — The one upside to the last few days, Guthrie junior quarterback Bryan Dutton said, was the team’s new black jerseys that it broke out for Friday’s game. The team wore the jerseys with black pants.
The jerseys were ordered several weeks ago and weren’t expected to get in until the second round of the playoffs. But when they came in early, coach Rafe Watkins decided to let the team wear them Friday given the OSSAA’s ruling.
“Not knowing if we were going to make it to the playoffs, he wanted to let our seniors wear it,” Dutton said.
“These last 24 hours have been up and down, and more down than up. I guess the new uniforms were the only up to it. I feel really bad for our seniors. If they turn it around, we can make a run.”
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Guthrie players remaining optimistic after OSSAA ruling
Guthrie players prepare to take the field before Friday's 48-0 win over Southeast. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
GUTHRIE — Now what?
No. 1 Guthrie, as expected, routed Southeast 48-0 Friday at Jelsma Stadium, but now the Bluejays are left wondering what their future holds.
Guthrie, which finished the regular season unbeaten, has been forced to forfeit eight of its 10 wins because the OSSAA ruled that Clint Simek, a move-in from Prague, is an ineligible player.
Guthrie now doesn’t qualify for the playoffs with an official record of 2-8.
Guthrie and the Simek family will appeal the decision before the OSSAA board of directors on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what is about to happen,” junior quarterback Bryan Dutton said of Wednesday’s appeal. “I hope they get it right, because we really didn’t do anything wrong. Clint is one of my best friends, and just to see all the hard work we’ve put in go to waste like this, it’s a shame.”
The Guthrie players remained upbeat after Friday’s game, though, and most said they are optimistic about the team’s chances for a ruling reversal.
“We are undefeated, and getting that news was a big blow to us,” senior running back Luke Davis said. “But we’re keeping our heads up and hoping for the best, and we’ll see what happens Wednesday.
“The glass is half full. If we’re able to play, then this is all the motivation we need. I think our guys are pretty focused right now.”
Senior linebacker Landry Chappell, the team’s unquestioned leader on defense, said he goes back and forth on how he feels the appeal will go.
“Sometimes I think we’re gonna get it and sometimes I don’t,” he admitted.
Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins said the Bluejays will be in the film room, watching Durant, the team the Bluejays would face if they are successful in their appeal, on Saturday morning. Watkins said his team will practice Monday and Tuesday like they have a game on Friday.
Even if the board doesn’t rule in Guthrie’s favor on Wednesday, that isn’t necessarily the end of the road. Guthrie could file for an injunction to stop the Class 5A playoffs before they begin.
Watkins indicated that could be a possibility.
“We’ll go down and have our appeals, and we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “And if we have to go further, we’re gonna go further.”
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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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.
Oklahoma City-area football stadium rankings: No. 1, Guthrie
Guthrie's Jelsma Stadium is the best Oklahoma City-area football stadium. PHOTO BY JOHN CLANTON, THE OKLAHOMAN
GUTHRIE — We finally made it to No. 1 in our rankings of Oklahoma City-area high school football stadiums.
As we announced in Thursday’s edition of The Oklahoman, our pick as the top area stadium is Guthrie’s Jelsma Stadium.
Here is a link to the story I wrote for Thursday’s paper about Jelsma. It was a fun story to report on because of how passionate Guthrie people are about their stadium — as they should be.
Jelsma is a special place. For the reasons why it is on the list, read my story. I’m going to use this blog post to share some quotes about Jelsma that we didn’t have room for in it.
GUTHRIE JUNIOR QB BRYAN DUTTON
“It’s a lot of fun; it’s really loud. There’s people grilling before the game — it’s got that small college atmosphere to it. The stands are real tight. The whole community gets involved. It’s a real great place to play.
“When I see people that I play against at the mall or wherever, one of the first things they want to talk about is the rock wall and the baseball field. It’s just different; there aren’t a whole lot of places like it.”
FORMER GUTHRIE STANDOUT KEATON CALLINS, NOW PLAYING AT FORT HAYS STATE (KAN.)
“It was always loud. The Rock was always something special. There was always excitement.
“My junior year, when we won state, we played Shawnee and Tucker Brown in the second round of the playoffs. It was so loud. Just a back-and-forth game.
“In little league, the championship game was always there. I remember all of us saying, ‘If we win, we get to play at Jelsma.’
“It’s a big thing for Guthrie. I think little kids are probably just like we were, going there and watching the high school team play. It’s just a fun place to be at.”
GUTHRIE COACH RAFE WATKINS
“It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. It doesn’t have a jumbotron; it doesn’t have artificial turf. But as far as atmospshere goes, it doesn’t get any better.
“Before we played Ada, I was painting on Thursday morning, and there was a couple from California that was going through it. They asked if it was the high school stadium and wanted to know about it. Visitors just can’t get over the uniqueness of Jelsma.”
(Watkins said he wasn’t aware of Jelsma Stadium when he was interviewing for the Guthrie head coaching job before the 2001 season).
“It was just a quaint feel. I noticed how the people in this town cherish it. When we were able to remodel it, that added even more to it.”
For all of our stadium-ranking blogs, click here.
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.
