District 6A-1 All-District team
Here’s the 6A-1 All-District team. I also have the 6A-2 team to post a bit later. Have another? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com.
District 6A-1 All-District
Awards
Coach of the Year: Steve Huff, Midwest City
Most Valuable Player: James Flanders, Midwest City
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Corben Jones, Yukon
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian McDonald, Lawton Eisenhower
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Running Back of the Year: Dre Holman, Putnam North
Wide Receiver of the Year: Tae Douglas, Lawton Eisenhower
Defensive Player of the Year: Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Tyrone Beverly, Lawton Eisenhower
Linebacker of the Year: Taylor Lewis, Moore
Defensive Back of the Year: Derek Deeds, Yukon
All-District team
Choctaw: Luke Cotton, LB; Marcese Dickson, LB; Zac Reynolds, OL; Jared Nelson, OL; Jay Styers, WR.
Edmond Memorial: Matt Hickman, LB; Gavin Fouts, RB; Jon Scheihing, OL; Ry Huff, QB; Mac Wilsey, OL; Bryce Robinson, DB.
Lawton Eisenhower: Kacey Totte, LB; Kevin McClain, DB; Nick Shegog, DB; Grayden Gatlin, OL; Devante Baker, LB; Dee Simmons, DB; Dajon Reed, DL.
Midwest City: Ricky Reevs, DB; Zeke Lewis, LB; Ronnie Davis, DB; Austin Roberson, LB; James Flanders, RB; C.J. Smith, DL; Dakota Moran, OL; Chris Shannon, DL; Michael Wisby, WR; Devin Crisp, OL; Deonn McKay, LB; Antonio Martin, DB.
Moore: Brandon Eddins, LB; Grant Linstead, WR; Taylor Lewis, LB; Joe Haddox, LB; Jamal Carter, DL; Corey Reeves, QB; Dakota Gilbert, OL.
Norman North: Riley Nolan, C; Joe Toney, OL; Brad Birchfield, WR.
Putnam North: Daniel Burton, OL; Dre Holman, RB; Bray Humphreys, DL; Gaige Webster, WR; Vidale Grant, DB; Leigh Comfort, OL; J’mon Ratliff, OL.
Yukon: Corben Jones, QB; Derek Deeds, DB; Austin Bevill, WR; Tyrell Barker, DL; Lantz Parks, C; Sheldon Kearby, DL; Hunter Meyn, DB; Tyler Bush, OL; Will Paddock, OL; Zach Hazebaker, OL; Jansen Jarrett, LB.
More 6A game times changed
Edmond North and Yukon had already made the decision to move their playoff game on Friday up to a 7 p.m. start.
Tuesday, at least two more Class 6A games were pushed up 30 minutes: Westmoore at Midwest City and Lawton Eisenhower at Edmond Santa Fe.
This isn’t a surprise as most 6A games on this side of the state start at 7 p.m. during the regular season.
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.
Edmond Santa Fe practice report: Wolves prepping for athletic Lawton Eisenhower
Edmond Santa Fe defensive end Michael Onuoha (81) takes a break from running sprints with teammates at practice on Monday.
EDMOND — I visited Edmond Santa Fe’s practice today, where the Wolves are prepping for a first-round showdown with Lawton Eisenhower at Wantland Stadium on Friday.
Edmond Santa Fe won District 6A-2, and Lawton Eisenhower finished fourth in 6A-1.
Although Eisenhower (4-6, 3-4 in District 6A-1) has struggled this season, coach Lance Manning said they are athletic and dangerous.
Quarterback Adrian McDonald, who has some NCAA Division I offers, is dangerous as a runner and a passer.
“They’re athetic; they run that gun option,” Manning said. “They’re scary. You’ve gotta be in position defensively or they will big-play you.”
Eisenhower is the first option team that Santa Fe has faced this year since Week 1, when the Wolves bested rival Edmond Memorial. But Eisenhower’s style of option is different; they run a veer option offense.
“It’s just a different thing to prepare for,” Manning said.
For his part, senior defensive end Michael Onuoha doesn’t seem too concerned.
“We’ve come across a lot of athletes, and we’ve been able to stop them,” Onuoha said.
It’s true. The Wolves’ schedule featured lots of fast, athletic teams like Putnam City, Edmond North and Lawton.
And Santa Fe (9-1, 7-0) is pretty athletic itself. The Wolves’ only loss this season is in nondistrict play to No. 1 Midwest City.
Sophomore quarterback Justice Hansen has been a dual threat, and with receivers Tre Kelley and Trevan Smith and running back Phillip Sumpter, the Wolves’ offense has been dynamic.
“It’s a good matchup,” Manning said. “It’s what makes the high school playoffs so special.”
NOT LOOKING PAST EISENHOWER
The Wolves insisted that they are focused on Lawton Eisenhower and aren’t looking past it to a potential second-round game against Jenks.
“I’m sure some people might have (Jenks) in the back of their minds,” Hansen said. “But the players that are focused are going to keep everyone focused.
“It’s the playoffs. You can’t overlook anybody because if you do, you get beat and you’re done.”
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.
Brandon Taylor’s injury and other thoughts from Mustang’s Pigskin Preview
Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will have X-rays Friday morning on his injured throwing shoulder.
At some point Friday morning, Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will find out just how bad he hurt his left shoulder on Thursday night. It could be as minor as a bruise, or as major as a broken collarbone, but it will be important news either way for the Broncos.
There are a lot of new receivers and some young offensive linemen, so they need Taylor’s leadership and experience to hold the offense together. That’s not to say sophomore Frankie Edwards won’t be a good fill-in. He’s a talented young kid, but he doesn’t have the experience of Taylor.
I’ll have the news on Taylor’s shoulder as soon as I hear something.
As for Thursday’s scrimmages, Mustang had some tackling issues on defense, and the offensive line is still growing up. At receiver, Travis Mitchell showed some impressive skills, and could be valuable at receiver.
Here are some other thoughts from the Pigskin Preview:
-El Reno showed some promise, and looked a lot better on offense than when I saw them at team camp in Yukon back in June. Rashaad Copeland and Ray Little are two very dangerous athletes who each made some big plays. Copeland has been drawing some college attention from OSU, Kansas and North Texas.
-Norman North is still looking for some offensive continuity at quarterback. Bryan Payne is a talented running back, but the two QBs — senior Chad Ehrhart and junior Peyton Gavras — had some ups and downs Thursday. Defensively, the Timberwolves were strong against Altus, and they’ll need to hang their hat on that side of the ball while the offense comes along.
-Justin Jones’ first preseason at McGuinness has been a rough one. He had five starters sidelined Thursday, including most of his linebackers. No major injuries, but still, those guys are missing valuable time under a new coach. QB Camden Tharp has a good skillset, and I’d look for him to have a good year. The Irish got a good performance from the offensive line, and that will be important as they try to develop the run game.
-Lawton MacArthur looks good. Really good. I know Tulsa East Central has a lot of star power. I haven’t seen them or any of the other top teams in 5A, but Mac has a lot of athletes all over the place, not to mention the best kicker in the state, which is always a nice feature. RB Darius Graham is a big, strong runner, and Michael Thomas is a beast at cornerback. When he gets in press coverage, his WR isn’t getting off the line of scrimmage most of the time. Most of Mac’s linemen are playing both ways, so that’s always an issue with stamina, but they’re going to be a dangerous team.
-Lawton Eisenhower looks vastly different with Adrian McDonald on the field. The athletically gifted quarterback sat out Thursday night’s scrimmage after suffering a rib injury last week. Coach Boone Copeland said he didn’t know when McDonald would be back, but he’s hoping to have him next week for the opener.
-Altus is obviously battling through a transition, like a lot of teams, but the Bulldogs have a more positive attitude than just about any team I’ve been around this year. Diquon Woodhouse — who is in my top five favorite names in HS football this year — made some solid plays, including a pick-six for Altus’ only TD. He doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects from the sprained MCL in spring ball, even though he still wore a brace for protection.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Super 30 review: Nos. 25-22
A healthy Cole Swayze is a dangerous Cole Swayze for Purcell.
Well, if you love quarterbacks, assume you have enjoyed the last few days of The Oklahoman’s Super 30 for the class of 2012.
And we’re not done yet for a mini-spoiler alert. But first, a look back at Nos. 25-22.
25. Markus Wakefield, DL, Heritage Hall
I don’t have much to add on Wakefield than what I’ve already said. He’s such a smart player who understands the game so well. His quick feet will also make him a name to watch in the future. You know how much he’s valued by how nice Barry J. Sanders and Sterling Shepard treat him. Always treat the big boys well who are leading the way for ya.
For my story on Wakefield, go here.
24. Corben Jones, QB, Yukon
Among the incoming seniors I’ve seen in person, Jones is the best pure quarterback I’ve seen. The qualifier to that, of course, is we don’t get to see a lot of Tulsa area kids as much as we used to, but Jones is about as good quality as they come. With a new stadium and a bevy of weapons to choose from, this year should just build on a solid 2010 season.
For Scott Wright’s story on Jones, go here.
23. Cole Swayze, QB/ATH, Purcell
Tempted to remove the ‘QB’ tag from Swayze. Pure coincidence that Swayze wears No. 23 in football and basketball, and he’s No. 23 on the countdown. Scott Wright raved about his time with Swayze, said he was one of the best kids he’s talked to. The elephant in the room is his health. Coming off yet another major injury, Swayze has to show he can do it for a full season. Still holds an offer from Oklahoma State and appears ready to put past injuries behind him and come up big in the fall.
For Scott Wright’s story on Swayze, go here.
22. Adrian McDonald, QB/ATH, Lawton Eisenhower
OK, the ‘QB’ label should be taken away from McDonald. You watch him in the open field, yea, that’s not a quarterback, my friends. McDonald forced us to take notice of him with how well he played last season in leading Eisenhower to a quality season. Sometimes that ‘tweener’ label of being good at so many spots can hurt a kid so we’ll just have to see how it all plays out.
For Tariq Lee’s story on McDonald, go here.
Who is No. 21? It’s another quarterback is all I’m going to say. Find out in Monday’s Oklahoman. And if you’ve missed out on any of the previous installments, the Super 30 page is here.
***
Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
All-Centennial Conference boys basketball postseason honors
Here is the All-Centennial Conference team as selected by the coaches from the conference members, Lawton, Lawton Eisenhower, Enid, Stillwater and Ponca City.
Player of the Year – Jordan Pound, Stillwater
Coach Of the Year – Michael Davis, Stillwater
All-Conference Team
Alex Budke, Stillwater
Austin Brinker, Stillwater
Zack Brown, Lawton Eisenhower
Dominique Perkins, Lawton Eisenhower
Mitchell Foote, Enid
Alex Patterson, Enid
Brent Wilson, Ponca City
Cole Hibler, Ponca City
Kendall Suttles, Lawton
Richard Sheperd, Lawton
Honorable Mention All–Conference
Josh Pierre, Stillwater
Connor Lamb, Stillwater
Delvonte Pierre, Lawton
Jalon Jackson, Enid
Brandon Wilcoxson, Ponca City
Sherief Stafford, Lawton Eisenhower
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Wild Day 1 at the PCI
I remember looking at the bracket for last year’s Putnam City Invitational and thinking it was a great tournament.
And they topped themselves this year.
Seven of the teams are ranked in the top 20 of their class, and the only unranked squad is Lawton Eisenhower, which was a preseason top 10 team, but is playing without 6-foot-8 junior D’Andre Wright, out with a broken leg since the season opener.
Of the seven ranked teams, Tulsa Union and Putnam City West are the only ones outside of the top 10 in their class — and they both won in Thursday’s first round.
So, yeah, this tournament is pretty loaded. Here’s a look at Day 1, with Friday’s schedule out at PC West:
Thursday’s results
Putnam City 59, Lawton Eisenhower 49
Midwest City 69, John Marshall 45
Tulsa Union 65, Putnam City North 64
Putnam City West 65, Stillwater 60
Friday’s games
John Marshall vs. PC North, 2 p.m.
Lawton Eisenhower vs. Stillwater, 3:30 p.m.
Midwest City vs. Tulsa Union, 6:30 p.m.
Putnam City vs. PC West, 8 p.m.
A few things that stood out to me…
– A.D. Burtschi is playing a lot more young/inexperienced guys than you typically see from a Putnam City team. But after losing four players who were full- or at least part-time starters a year ago, that was to be expected. The talent is there, but the Pirates have some growing up to do. With Burtschi’s passion for fundamentals and doing things right, you know he’ll get the youthful kinks worked out by March. Dom Raney and Ron’Quis Lewis are big-time talents, so as long as the other guys come together around them, this team will be fine.
– PC West guard Kyndall Dudley is ready to become a star. He would put some good games together last season, but you always wondered if he would be able to do it without Tyler Neal and Amric Fields drawing all the defensive attention. The answer is yes, loud and clear. He hit a pair of big 3s and a couple very impressive short-range jumpers on his way to 27 on the night.
– PC North just can’t catch a break. Top scorer Armon Provo has played through flu-like symptoms in two games this season, including Thursday night. He missed another with an ankle sprain, and was hampered by the injury in another. On Thursday, the last-second loss to Union came when the Redskin point guard tried to drive the lane, but lost the ball, which bounced to Geb Osifeso for a winning 12-foot jumper. Joe Summers, who also played sick in a game earlier this year, made several big plays and scored 22 Thursday. Oh, and the Panthers are still without coach Rick Harris, who has not recovered from an emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding over the holidays. Assistant Brian Beale has done a fantastic job in his place, but best wishes for a quick recovery to Harris.
– Like I wrote in the paper earlier this week, Midwest City is still looking for the right mix in their starting five and rotation. Coach Dewayne Bradley made a good point when I spoke to him at Ardmore last week. A year ago, he had seniors Kendall Parks and Xavier McClish in the gym all year, and those were his two leaders on the floor. This year, the Colbert twins and Greg Austin are the leaders, but all three played football, so there’s a transition period, especially since the leadership role is a change from last year. I think the team is still trying to get comfortable without a clear point guard, like Parks was last year. But they have too much talent to not be tough night in and night out.
Friday should be fun, too, and I’ll be there for all of it.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
District 6A-1 awards…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
If you have All-District teams, go ahead and send ‘em.
6A – 1 All-District Selections
Coach of the Year: Steve Huff Midwest City
Offensive Player of the Year: Louis Durant Lawton Ike (RB)
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Connor Myers Edmond Memorial (DT)
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Dan Davis Norman North (LB)
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Justin Durham Lawton Ike (OG)
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Jesse Venzor Midwest City (OG)
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Brad Ross Putnam City North (DT)
Tanner Hessman QB Choctaw
Corey Bennett RB Choctaw
Aaron Fournier DB Choctaw
Hunter Davis DE Choctaw
Brandon Drain DE Choctaw
Connor Myers DT Edmond Memorial
Jared Chambers DE Edmond Memorial
Kameron Doolittle QB Edmond Memorial
Jacob Wright OL Edmond Memorial
Jeff Balkenbush DB Edmond Memorial
Will Conant Kicker/Punter Edmond Memorial
Connor McElveen DB Edmond Memorial
Grant Bohuslavicky LB Edmond Memorial
Cale Olbert RB Edmond Memorial
Logan Ezell OL Lawton Ike
Nathan Locker RB Lawton Ike
Wayne Tanner OL Lawton Ike
Adrain Woodard WR Lawton Ike
Dillon Pulliam LB Lawton Ike
Marty Northern DL Lawton Ike
JR. Hernandez DL Lawton Ike
Baccari Jackson DB Lawton Ike
Deshon Whartley DB Lawton Ike
Taylor Scott DB Lawton Ike
David Cowan LB Moore
Ryan Crain DL Moore
Vova Razryvin QB Moore
Kevin Ross OL Moore
Trystyn Kirby OL Moore
Greg Austin QB Midwest City
Trevon Lews DE Midwest City
Cameron Hishaw DE Midwest City
Carlos Morales LB Midwest City
Cortrez Colbert WR Midwest City
Jesse Venzor OL Midwest City
Landen Carson OL Midwest City
Cajun Cox RB Midwest City
Cortrael Colbert WR Midwest City
Ryan Wright WR Midwest City
Claude Donald WR Midwest City
Dan Davis LB Norman North
Raymond Demby RB Norman North
Caleb Cline OL Norman North
Daniel Moses LB Norman North
Derek Morton DL Norman North
Emilio Gatewood DB Norman North
Zac Pierce LB Norman North
Covin Conrady WR Putnam City North
Sam Wolfe RB Putnam City North
Brad Ross DL Putnam City North
Abe Almatasem DE Putnam City North
DeQuantae Colbert DB Putnam City North
Jace James QB Putnam City North
Billy Prater DB Putnam City North
Andy Bates OL Putnam City North
Eric Granado WR Yukon
Kaiden Horn WR Yukon
Kollin Retter WR Yukon
Jake Doyle DE Yukon
Terry Jones RB Yukon
Jordan Edwards DB Yukon
Ty Garza DB Yukon
Carson Mathews LB Yukon
Jake Henderson LB Yukon
Andrew Edwards DE Yukon
