OCA Baseball All-State
Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Baseball
The game will be played July 24 at Oral Roberts (Small school 4:30 p.m., large school 7 p.m.)
Large East
Pitchers: Gabe Coldwell (Stilwell), Jacob Evans (Broken Arrow), Alex Hackerott (Sand Springs)
First baseman: Derrick Haworth (Durant)
Infielders: Donovan Walton (Tulsa Kelley), Mason Mantle (Metro Christian), Brenton Washausen (Claremore), Carter Cumbie (McAlester)
Outfielders: Dylan Helms (Eufaula), Corey Hassel (Stillwater), Adam Boyd (McAlester), J.P. Seifried (Claremore)
Catchers: Kylar Robertson (Sand Springs), Josh Whisler (Owasso)
Large West
Pitchers: Ty Hensley (Edmond Santa Fe), Jordan Watson (Edmond Santa Fe), Carson McPherson (Ardmore)
First baseman: Michael Lowe (Jones)
Infielders: Alex Polston (Carl Albert), Colt Pickens (Yukon), Tanner Dearman (Anadarko), Joe Robinson (Edmond North)
Outfielders: Greg Bruno (Midwest City), Luke Davis (Guthrie), Christian Thaxton (Duncan), T.J. Turner (Lawton MacArthur)
Catchers: Taylor Hawkins (Carl Albert), Dakota Shadoan (Norman North)
Small East
Pitchers: Evan Sanders (Hartshorne), Jacob Lux (Wyandotte), Dillon Proctor (Caddo)
First baseman: Jonathon Samuels (Rattan)
Infielders: Dusty Henry (Afton), Kaleb Matthews (Wellston), Landon Coon (Dale), Ty Miller (Caddo)
Outfielders: Caleb Hill (Wister), Brennon Fuser (Afton), Asa Thomas Manship (Dale), Zach Burns (Tushka)
Catchers: Cash Miller (Coleman), Eddia Lomas (Roff)
Small West
Pitchers: Brett McNaughton (Pioneer), Austin Kretchmar (Okarche), Stetson Buller (Timberlake)
First baseman: Clayton Brewster (Cheyenne)
Infielders: Jason Johnson (Arnett), Brady Baugh (Hennessey), Kent Callison (Lookeba-Sickles), Cameron Nix (Carnegie)
Outfielders: Josh Jackson (Amber-Pocasset), Dillon Almaguer (Granite), Jeff Jackson (Amber-Pocasset), Aaron McCandless (Shattuck)
Catchers: Cody Hunter (Arnett), Landon Larue (Crescent)
Baseball state tournament pairings
CLASS 6A
At Claremore
Thursday
Game 1: Moore vs. Broken Arrow, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Jenks vs. Yukon, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Owasso vs. Edmond North, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Edmond Santa Fe vs. Stillwater, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
At Oral Roberts
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.
CLASS 5A
At Tulsa Union
Thursday
Game 1: Shawnee vs. Claremore, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Skiatook vs. Carl Albert, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Guthrie vs. Durant, 4 p.m.
Game 4: McAlester vs. Deer Creek, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
At Oral Roberts
Championship game, noon
CLASS 4A
At Shawnee
Thursday
Game 1: Berryhill vs. Heritage Hall, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Anadarko vs. Tecumseh, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Hilldale vs. Byng, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Weatherford vs. Oologah, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner. 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 5 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Thursday
At Edmond Memorial
Game 1: Marlow vs. Jones, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Henryetta vs. Metro Christian, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Salina vs. Plainview, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Verdigris vs. Spiro, 6:30 p.m.
At Shawnee
Friday
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, noon
CLASS 2A
At Dolese Park
Thursday
Game 1: Dale vs. Fairview, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Silo vs. Hennessey, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Ketchum vs. Tushka, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Oktaha vs. Wister, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
At Shawnee
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.
Football coach Shannon Watford leaving Hennessey for Purcell
Hennessey coach Shannon Watford hugs running back Ivan Moreno after the Eagles won their second straight Class 2A state championship in December. Watford is leaving Hennessey to become Purcell's coach. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Shannon Watford didn’t have a great day Wednesday, when he told his Hennessey players he was leaving to become Purcell’s football coach.
“It’s been the toughest decision of my career,” Watford said. “Not because I didn’t want to go to Purcell, but because of not wanting to leave Hennessey because of what we’ve been able to do here.
“I’ve had a lot of players hugging and crying in my office today.”
Watford, who led Hennessey to back-to-back Class 2A state championships in 2010 and 2011, will replace Mike Wilson, who retired after 12 seasons as the Dragons’ coach. Wilson was 98-43 during his time at Purcell.
While the decision was tough, Watford knows it was the right one. He is from Tuttle, still lives there and has made the 1 hour, 15-minute drive to Hennessey every day for the past five years.
“It was time to get close to home,” Watford said. “Purcell is a wonderful town in a great location. The program is one that has been successful and will continue to be successful.”
The job also will allow Watford to reunite with Don Schneberger, Purcell High School’s principal and an assistant coach at Tuttle when Watford played there.
Purcell has been to the playoffs the last 11 years, and is coming off a 9-2 season in 2011.
The Oklahoman’s Class 2A All-State
Class 2A
Offense
QB: Michael Lowe, Jones
RB: Dakota Biswell, Stroud
RB: Ivan Moreno, Hennessey
RB: Rowdy Simon, Vian
WR: Tylor Seabolt, Jones
WR: Rylan Russell, Cordell
OL: Gavin Willyard, Alva
OL: Rob Boyd, Vian
OL: E.J. Tillinger, Watonga
OL: Devin Dobbins, Millwood
OL: Martin Torres, Wyandotte
K: Nathan Lee, Jones
KR: Demetric Sanders, Millwood
Defense
DL: Justin Wilson, Luther
DL: Aaron Johnson, Morris
DL: Blake Gordon, Stroud
LB: Chris Humphrey, Jones
LB: Marc Robinson, Millwood
LB: Max Simmons, Lincoln Christian
LB: Taylor Bilyeu, Jones
DB: Orlando Pina, Hennessey
DB: Hunter Eubank, Lindsay
DB: Justin Walton, Wyandotte
DB: Brandon Long, Coalgate
P: Nolan Fanning, Coalgate
OCA All-State
The Oklahoma Coaches Association announced its All-State football team Monday. The OCA All-State Football Game will be played at 8 p.m. July 27 at a to-be-dtermined site in the Tulsa area.
EAST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Andrew Hearon, Metro Christian
Tony Kiefer, McAlester
Running backs
Dakota Biswell, Stroud
Caleb Muncrief, Madill
Cole Scheulen, Catoosa
Willie Zackery, Woodland
Wide receivers
Levi Copelin, Broken Arrow
Michael Fraley, Adair
Ty Miller, Caddo
Victor Williams, Muskogee
Tight ends
Matt Gallagher, Owasso
Zac Veatch, Broken Arrow
Linemen
John Connor, Tulsa Kelley
Jeremy Iron, Pawhuska
Lance Kloker, Owasso
Talon Miles-Satepauhoodle, Hominy
Montana Poorboy, Catoosa
Sam Sabin, Jenks
Chris Wallace, Sperry
Punter/kicker
Tom Carwile, Tulsa Washington
DEFENSE
Linemen
Hunter Hart, Cascia Hall
Orion Jones, Jenks
Gcory Rahmings, Broken Bow
Travis Sandlin, Vian
Max Simmons, Lincoln Christian
Gary Wilson, Sand Springs
Linebackers
Patrick Bartlett, Woodland
Jevonte Cross, Tulsa East Central
Aaron Dolan, Berryhill
Connor Sherwood, Cascia Hall
Blace Walser, Tulsa Union
Defensive backs
Kent Booze, Spiro
Adam Boyd, McAlester
Kevin Peterson, Wagoner
Dillon Proctor, Caddo
Jermy Reynolds, Wewoka
Jesse Vester, Stillwater
Coaches
Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Eddy Scott, Pawhuska; Kevin Harmon, McAlester; Darren Melton, Lincoln Christian.
WEST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Corben Jones, Yukon
Garrett Lorah, Elgin
Running backs
Casey Curtis, Putnam City
James Flanders, Midwest City
Josh Way, Wayne
Sheldon Wilson, Anadarko
Wide receivers
Gage Diffee, Bethany
Javis Flynn, Watonga
Tre Kelley, Edmond Santa Fe
Tylor Seabolt, Jones
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall
Linemen
Blake Belcher, Guthrie
Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Devin Dobbins, Millwood
Carrie Farmer, Minco
Adam Kelley, Wynnewood
Cole Parsons, Edmond North
DEFENSE
Linemen
Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Markus Wakefield, Heritage Hall
Braylon Freeman, Lawton MacArthur
Ricky Rodriguez, Clinton
Linebackers
Landry Chappell, Guthrie
Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Payton Marsh, Thomas
Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness
Wes Satoe, Anadarko
Jas’Sen Stoner, Douglass
Defensive backs
Rashaad Copeland, El Reno
Jared Griffin, Duncan
Rico Hogan, Norman
Aaron Holden, Temple
Aaron McCandless, Shattuck
Ivan Moreno, Hennessey
Michael Thomas, Lawton MacArthur
Coaches
Bob Ward, Thomas; Curtis Lorah, Elgin; Tracy Scott, Blanchard; Jeremy Dombek, Edmond North.
Final Rankings: Class 2A
Class 2A
1. Hennessey (6)#13-2
2. Jones (3)#14-1
3. Millwood (5)#11-3
4. Stroud (2)#12-1
5. Davis (1)#9-2
6. Vian (4)#12-1
7. Lincoln Christian (7)#11-2
8. Lindsay (8)#11-3
9. Frederick (9)#10-2
10. OCS (10)#9-3
Hennessey and Jones are pretty clear 1-2. Stroud and Millwood are virtually interchangeable but Millwood’s wins are a bit more impressive with the Falcons beating former No. 1 Davis and Lincoln Christian in the playoffs. Davis drops to No. 5 with its only losses coming to Heritage Hall and Millwood. Vian, which lost to eventual state champ Hennessey, 18-7, on the road, drops two spots to No. 4 while Lincoln Christian holds at No. 7. Lindsay, a semifinalist, checks in at No. 8. Lindsay was flat blown out by Jones, 63-6, on a neutral field and had a favorable draw to reach the spot with much of the class’ powers concentrated on the top part of the bracket. Frederick and OCS, two teams Lindsay did beat, remain No. 9 and 10.
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.
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.
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.
