Scott’s Weekend Rewind: PC North, Edmond Santa Fe, Douglass with big wins in Week 2
The opening of Yukon's new Miller Stadium was one of many events during a busy weekend of football.
I can already tell this is going to be a long week. Since Sept. 1, I haven’t gone more than two days without covering a high school football game. Friday can’t get here soon enough.
And after the three games I covered this weekend, it’s going to be hard for the next 13 weeks of football to live up to the standard.
On Thursday night, I watched Putnam City North knock off Mustang in double-overtime when sophomore kicker Richard Gallegos booted through a 17-yard field goal to clinch it. Friday brought the debut of Yukon’s new stadium, and a late rally by Edmond Santa Fe to spoil the opener at the Millers’ new home. Then we had the usual amount of drama on Saturday afternoon at the Soul Bowl.
Here’s a look back at what we learned about the teams in those three contests, starting with the double-OT thriller at PC Stadium.
Video: Douglass QB Chris Compton after All-City Preview
Douglass won the All-City Preview championship once again on Friday night, but just like last year, the discussion turned to a much more important trophy than the one the Trojans claimed Friday.
It’s all about another state title for this team, which starts its season Sept. 5 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, against DeSoto High School
It won’t be an easy game, and the Trojans know that. For the sake of comparison, DeSoto’s official enrollment is 2,750. Douglass’ is 495. If you moved DeSoto to Oklahoma, they’d be the fourth-largest school, right behind Jenks (2,843) and just ahead of Owasso (2,604).
I’ll get into the game a little more throughout the week, and I’ll be traveling down to Texas for the game as well.
Here are a few other thoughts from the semifinals and finals of the All-City Preview:
-Millwood still has a lot of talent, and even though they graduated so many Division I players from last year’s squad, I don’t expect to see a ton of drop-off. Dametric Sanders is a very athletic quarterback who is dangerous when he gets to the edge. Marc Robinson didn’t get to play in the scrimmage because of OSSAA rules as he completed his required one year of sitting out after transferring from Heritage Hall. He’ll be a big boost, especially on defense. He and Larry Lambeth will be one of the better linebacker pairs around.
-John Marshall is still young, even though some of those guys, like quarterback Devion Smith, got some good experience last year. Kameron Bryant is a tall, athletic receiver with good ball skills, and he could be in for a big breakout year. He’ll be a tough matchup for any cornerback in that district. Tyler Stamm provides a big, athletic tight end target as well, so look for the passing game to take a step forward this year. Defensively, the secondary is the strenght of the team, but the front seven seems to be coming together.
-Star Spencer coach James Harding always talks about making his players accountable, and he’s clearly going to be a man of his word. The Bobcats opened fall camp with 62 players but had fewer than 40 suited up Friday night. Players who missed practices or got in trouble at school were held out as Harding implements his value system in his new program. On the field, the Bobcats will rely on defense, especially with a couple of athletic, hard-hitting players in the front seven. Kenneth Davis and Derrick Ward are two good leaders and both — but Davis especially — can pop the pads.
Lastly, don’t forget that our state-wide, class-by-class season preview publication will be included in Sunday’s paper. Be sure to pick one up. We have everything from preseason rankings, all-state teams and feature stories on some of the best dynamic duos in the state. It’s a little different than in past years. Instead of having separate sections for OU, OSU and high schools, it’s all one big section together, so don’t miss it.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Midwest City’s Marisha Wallace heading to Northern-Enid
Midwest City's Marisha Wallace, left, will play in college at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Midwest City star forward Marisha Wallace will play in college at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid, she said after Wednesday’s large-school girls All-State basketball game.
Wallace had a fantastic high school career that was marred by two major knee injuries. Six games into her junior season at Midwest City, she tore her ACL, MCL and LCL. Then, 15 seconds into last season’s Class 6A semifinals against Edmond Memorial March, Wallace tore her meniscus.
She was part of two state championship teams — her freshman year at Millwood and her junior year at Midwest City.
Wednesday was her first time back on the court since the meniscus tear. She scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the West’s 73-50 win over the East at the Mabee Center in Tulsa.
Wallace said the knee “felt good” Wednesday and that she’s been working hard to rehab as she prepares to head to Enid for college ball.
Wallace had offers from some smaller NCAA Division I schools, but decided to go to junior college after the menicus tear.
“Coming off two knee injuries, I decided to go to juco because I wanted more options,” Wallace said.
Wes Welker Foundation awards grants
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
The Wes Welker Foundation’s board of directors have approved $29,000 in grant money to four Oklahoma City-area schools, the organization announced Monday.
The grants were awarded to Star Spencer’s volleyball and athletic department, U.S. Grant’s football program, Putnam City West’s football and athletic department and Crooked Oak’s athletic department.
The foundation, founded by former Heritage Hall and current New England Patriots standout Wes Welker, was founded five years ago with the aim of helping underprivileged kids.
The foundation awards grants twice a year to schools and organizations in the Oklahoma City area. It also provides free sports camps for at-risk youth and a coach and leadership development program.
The foundation has given more than $192,000 in grant money in the past four years.
U.S. Grant is a two-time recipient.
Other organizations that have received the grants in the past have included Life Change Academy, Astec Charter School, Douglass High School, Memorial Park Boys and Girls Club and Western Village Academy.
Super 30: Week 1 review
Norman's George Kittle has gone from unknown to sought after commodity.
Saturday began our second annual summer series on the Super 30, a countdown of the top 30 football recruits for the class of 2012.
Last year we announced who they were before the series, not this year. If you wanna know who they are, keep yourself locked in at NewsOK.com/Varsity.
This is going to be a daily countdown until we reach No. 1 on July 24.
30. George Kittle, WR, Norman
Most sons of college coaches get some extra looks as a courtesy. And then when you see Kittle play, you realize it’s not a courtesy thing at all. He is Bruce Kittle’s son, but he’s a lot more than that. Kittle is the real deal on either side of the ball. At 6-4, he could be a wide receiver. He also has the intelligence to lead the defensive backfield. He was 6-0 after his sophomore season and is now 6-4 and close to 200 pounds.
For my story on Kittle, go here.
29. Marc Robinson, LB, Millwood
Just like a couple of guys last year, if Robinson was a couple of inches taller, he’d be in the top 10. No doubt in my mind about that. Nobody is going to play with a bigger chip on his shoulder than Robinson, who is getting back on the field after missing last season. A transfer from Heritage Hall, Robinson is ready to show everybody he still belongs among the elite.
For Scott Wright’s story on Robinson, go here.
And for No. 28, check out Monday’s Oklahoman.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Brandon Swindall’s long wait ends with commitment to Utah State
Millwood star Brandon Swindall is headed to Utah State.
By now, most college football programs are deep into recruiting the class of 2012.
But Brandon Swindall is happy Utah State wasn’t finished with 2011 yet.
Swindall, the Millwood receiver who earned a spot on the Parade All-America team after a stellar senior season, committed to Utah State on Friday, ending a surprisingly long, frustrating recruiting process.
“I can’t even tell you what it was like,” Swindall said. “But I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Everyone was relieved.”
Swindall started drawing college interest last summer and several big-name programs, like Houston, Arkansas and Nebraska, looked hard at him. Tulsa offered early, but fell off. And New Mexico came in later, but the coach who was recruiting Swindall got another job — at Utah State.
That coach was Sallisaw native and Utah State alum Matt Wells, who also spent a few years on the staff at Tulsa. He was brought in to be the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for the Aggies, where he lettered in three seasons playing quarterback.
As the staff looked for the person to fill its final scholarship spot, Wells fought hard for Swindall, with the offer finally coming on Thursday.
“He was recruiting me for a long time when he was at New Mexico,” Swindall said. “Then he went to Utah State, so I had a good relationship with him. He called me a couple days ago and said they wanted to offer me.”
Swindall had more than 1,300 receiving yards and 17 touchdown catches in helping the Falcons to the Class 2A semifinals last season. He set himself apart with his long body, leaping ability, good hands and knack for adjusting to the ball when it’s in the air.
He led the state with 17 interceptions as a cornerback and set a National Federation of State High School Associations record by returning eight picks for touchdowns.
And he’s the third player from last year’s Millwood team to go to a Division I program, along with Josh Turner (Texas) and Davion Pierson (TCU).
Swindall will join another former Falcon at Utah State. Cameron Sanders will be a third-year sophomore and is expected to challenge for a starting spot at cornerback next season after switching from wide receiver before last season.
Swindall also hopes to get on the field in the fall.
“They said I’ll have a chance to play my first year,” Swindall said. “I’ve just got to go down there and work. They throw the ball quite a bit, so it’s gonna be cool.”
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Boys basketball All-City Athletic Conference awards
All-City Athletic Conference Selections
Co-Coaches of the Year: Terry Long(Douglass)and Scott Raper(Centennial)
Co-Players of the Year: Devonte Smith(Douglass) and Tyrone Jones(Centennial)
Newcomer of the Year: Caleb Cryton( Northeast)
First Team:
Dorrian Williams – Douglass, Stephen Clark- Douglass, Ramond Jenkins- Douglass, Romond Jenkins- Douglass, Tre Jordan- Southeast
Second Team:
Jamil Donovan- Northwest Classen, Marcus Johnson- Centennial, Marquis Buxton-Hill- Douglass, Nico Meadows- Capitol Hill, Dre’ Triplett- Millwood,
Third Team:
Korihon Jackson- Northeast, Dominique Manuel- Douglass, Craig Hackney- Centennial, DeSean Carolina- Centennial, DeMontrey Mitchell- John Marshall
Honorable Mention:
Capitol Hill- Josh Thompson, Aaron Brown, Darrin Tucker
Classen- Cameron McClure, Anthony Bolar
Douglass- Darris Mitchell, DeAngelo Clark
U.S. Grant- Anthony Hartfield, G’vonte Bonds
John Marshall- Talmadge Lawrence, Tyler Harrison
Centennial- Darius Lacey, Austin Garner
Northeast- Eric Peabody, Gabe Houston,
NW Classen- Paco Jones, Anthony Hardrick
Southeast- William Brewer, Travis Morris, Jay Gogue
Star Spencer- Gary Ford, Symon Smith
Stephen Clark, Douglass overcome slow start to defeat Millwood
I can cross another thing off the list. Despite the fact I try to roam from one place to another in the Oklahoma City metro area, bound to not hit a few spots.
And I knocked off two things at once Saturday afternoon. One, I had never been to the Franklin-Spears Gym at Millwood. The placement of the doors on the baseline freaked me out at first.
Two, I had never seen the juggernaut that is the Douglass boys basketball team in action. The Falcons gave the Trojans everything they could have asked for and then some before eventually falling 66-64 on Saturday evening.
I don’t want to say it wasn’t competitive, but 66-64 is also a bit misleading. The Trojans missed a lot of free throws in the final two minutes and tip in at the buzzer by Michael Ervin for Millwood made it 66-64. However, that’s not to say Millwood shouldn’t be thumping its chest right now.
Scott Wright, who has seen the Douglass machine numerous times, said that was the worst first quarter he’s seen as Millwood led 11-8.
At one point, it was 15-10 in favor of Millwood, and then Stephen Clark and company got it going. So much so that at the beginning of the third quarter, it was now 35-22. I thought the rout was on.
No, Millwood hung tough, led by Delford Robinson. There aren’t too many people Robinson cannot take off the dribble. And there isn’t a shot that Clark has seen that he won’t take. He made his fair share of deep 3s before the post game really opened up with the Jenkins twins (Ramond and Romond) and Marquis Buxton-Hill.
Millwood was within striking distance in the fourth but never made that surge. But you add Brandon Swindall and Josh Turner (now focused on basketball) to go with the rest of those guys, hard to see a 2A team taking ‘em down.
As for Douglass, I know I didn’t see their best game, but I get why they’re so good. Look for a video with Clark on NewsOK this weekend.
If nothing else, it felt good to be out at gyms again instead of holed up in the apartment and calling players and coaches about delays.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Top 7 girls postponed games
As Scott Wright and myself have said, it’s going to be a crazy time in basketball in the next couple of weeks. Athletic directors will be working feverishly to try to get everything in.
And yes, I hope they do. Here’s my top 7 girls games in the OKC area that need to be made up:
1. Midwest City at Edmond Memorial – Assume this is No. 1 for both the boys and girls. Bombers are still undefeated, while Memorial has shown the ability to play with the big dogs but not yet beat MWC or Edmond Santa Fe.
2. Del City at Norman – Tigers have been lurking. Some early season losses may have had people forgetting about them. Del City was one of those teams to get Matilda Mossman’s girls early. Big statement game for either team.
3. Choctaw at Putnam North – As I’ve written about a lot the last couple of weeks, the Yellowjackets are coming on strong. But so, too, are the Panthers. Both teams are playing their best ball. Hope that delay doesn’t hurt them.
4. Millwood at Star Spencer – One more go-around for the OKCPS rivals. Millwood looks like the early favorite in 2A for the crown, while Sharane Campbell you know wants to lead one last run for the Bobcats.
5. Bethel at Dale – Ye old stompin’ grounds. Back in Shawnee, this was one of the big ones. And you know what? In the state, it’s still one of the big ones. Wildcats have rightfully earned top spot in Class 3A.
6. Shawnee at Carl Albert – Gioya Carter vs. Kelsee Grovey would be a nice matchup/shootout. But really, Tim Price’s club needs this win after losing three of its last four games.
7. Western Heights at Piedmont - Oh, another big Suburban Conference showdown. Dilan Webster is extremely talented, but I think she’s too unselfish for the Jets. Kylie Boggess has been big for the Wildcats.
Will they all get made up? I don’t know. I hope so, but we’ll have to wait and see. If you know of any confirmed makeup dates, please send ‘em this way.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Battle of No. 1s: Millwood vs. Douglass set for Saturday
Not exactly the most ethical statement ever but…YES!!! Basketball will be played Saturday.
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Millwood and Douglass to be played
Though most basketball games have been postponed or canceled from this week, the Oklahoma City Public Schools showdown between Douglass and Millwood is going to take place Saturday afternoon. The OKCPS announced Friday afternoon that the games will go on as scheduled.
The girls game is going to be played at 2:30, while the boys game will follow at 4 p.m. Saturday’s games between the OKC Storm and Star Spencer have been canceled.
The Douglass boys are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, while Millwood is ranked No. 1 in 2A.
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Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
