Week 4: What we learned in the Tulsa area…
By Robert Przybylo and Matt Baker
BPrzybylo@opubco.com; matt.baker@tulsaworld.com
Matt Baker of the Tulsa World is back as always on Monday to fill us in on what happened on the east side of the state:
Three quick things we learned in Tulsa from the first week of district play:
* Wagoner is for real. We’ve got the Bulldogs ranked first in Class 4A, and I saw why Friday night. Wagoner shut out a 3-0 Vinita team and scored on its first five possessions. Vinita had only 114 total yards – and would have had even fewer, had Wagoner penalties not kept drives alive.
Quarterback Prince McJunkins is a legitimate D-I prospect, and safety/receiver Jimmy Carter is one of the best playmakers I’ve seen this year. Add in a solid linebacker corps (led by Jeremy Applegate and Nick Cody), and Wagoner is the team to beat in 4A.
* Muskogee quarterback Victor Williams might be the best player you haven’t heard of. The junior is a three-year starter and is having a monster 2010 season. He accounted for four touchdowns in a 41-40 win over Southmoore. He was 13-of-20 passing for 301 yards and rushed for 172 more yards.
He’s a bit undersized to play quarterback at the next level, but he’s got the elusiveness and leadership to become a playmaker at some major-college program.
* Bartlesville is good – but it’s not there yet. I’ve been high on the Bruins since their win at Owasso in the first round of last year’s playoffs. But after an overtime loss to East Central and Friday’s 39-30 loss to a short-handed Owasso team, I’m not sure.
The Bruins have some of the top skill players around, including quarterback Kirby Schoenthaler, receiver Garrett Powell and tailback Jack Wiseman. But depth – especially on the offensive and defensive lines – is a major concern. And it’s an issue that will only become more glaring in the playoffs.
I’ll blog at you next week, but in the meantime check us out at TulsaWorld.com/SportsExtra or follow me on Twitter @MattBakerTW.
Southmoore vs. Muskogee Capsule…
By Justin Hite
Southmoore SaberCats (3-0) at Muskogee Roughers (2-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Muskogee
Southmoore (3-0)
Why the SaberCats can win: Sophomore quarterback Tre Edwards will be behind center for his second career start and the SaberCats’ comfort level with the new signal caller is growing. The offense didn’t lose a beat when Edwards took over for Kendal Thompson against Westmoore and stayed consistent against Moore last week. It could get even better, but the real wild card might be the threat of Thompson suiting up only two weeks after a left knee strain.
Muskogee (2-1)
Why the Roughers can win: The Roughers have a lot of team speed and plenty of talented players — some play on both sides of the ball. Bradley McGee might be the best of them. McGee ran for 93 yards and more than 10 yards per carry in a recent win against Tulsa Central. It’ll also be Muskogee’s homecoming, which adds that much more importance.
Key matchup: Muskogee’s focus vs. Southmoore’s big play ability. It’s an odd matchup, but it fits. Muskogee begins a three-week stretch against the SaberCats, Broken Arrow and Jenks. At the same time, Southmoore has the ability to score on any play. One let down from Muskogee, and Southmoore will be counting six more points in its favor.
The pick: Southmoore 41, Muskogee 33. It’ll be a slugfest with plenty of speed. Whoever blinks first could be going home with a loss. Muskogee’s tough stretch will be too much, and another week under center will help Southmoore’s sophomore quarterback Tre Edwards.
OKVarsity.com camp: QBs come out to play…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
This feels like ages ago after Millwood’s Josh Turner committing to Texas for football and Edmond Memorial’s Drew Dahlberg committing to Oklahoma for baseball all in the same time period.
But a ‘long’ time ago (try Saturday early afternoon), I was pumped about the one-day camp that OKVarsity.com held at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa.
For the record, that was my first time at the Stadium, not bad. More than 50 players participated in the three-hour event.
Without question, the quarterbacks were the story of the day. Not necessarily because of their performances (though they were good), but because six top QBs were there: Del City’s Chazten Gonzales, Jenks’ Sawyer Kollmorgen, Shawnee’s Brayle Brown, Yukon’s Corben Jones, Booker T.’s Jordy Albert and Bridge Creek’s Ryan Spangler.
That was the first time I’ve seen Jones and Albert so now I get it. Albert was one of the QBs in the Steve Clarkson Dreammaker Tour while Jones is just going to be a junior at Yukon. Spangler is so tall – something you really can’t appreciate until you see him. It will be interesting to see if his future is in football or basketball.
I kinda strayed away from the usual suspects as took this opportunity to get to know some of the Tulsa-area kids who I won’t get to see too often.
Tulsa East Central had a couple of real standouts in WR Dinazzio Teague and DE Ashton Dandy. I felt Teague had one of the best camps of anybody there. But keep in mind, I didn’t get to pinpoint all 50 kids, and it was easier to gauge how the QB/WRs were doing than anybody else.
What impressed me most about Teague wasn’t so much his speed (though he is fast), but it was his ability to get separation from the defenders. Teague is receiving interest from Texas Tech, among others.
Dandy will be playing DE for the Cardinals but looks more suited to be at linebacker in college. Very impressive physically (passed the eye test) and also had a strong day.
Muskogee already has one top DB for this year in Kyler Harris, but I was impressed by the work ethic and ability of junior Victor Williams. For my money (which isn’t much, by the way), Williams and Teague’s battles were the highlight of my day.
Over at Tulsa Edison, it was John Phillip Hughes who caught my eye. He’s a big boy, about 6-4 and 230 pounds or so, but he showed some real good movement.
Some of your Super 30 kids were in attendance: It was good to see Derrick Alexander of Booker T. and Trent Martin of Jenks. Steven Carpenter of Jenks was there but did not participate. He may have stolen the show if he’d been healthy.
Caught some linemen drills, not too much. I admit I couldn’t identify most of the Tulsa-area ones, but it was good to see Westmoore’s Tyler Newton and Bethany’s Darren Davenport and Hennessey’s Derrick Luetjen again. Newton has a real motor to go with his nice size.
There were 15 juniors there, and I paid close attention to Midwest City’s James Flanders and Putnam North’s Dre Holman. Really think before the end of this year those two names are going to be mentioned at all times when talking about the best of 2012.
Special thanks to OKVarsity.com publisher Justin Mitchell for orchestrating the event and all his assistance.
Look for videos with Westmoore’s Tyler Newton, Del City’s Chazten Gonzales and Yukon’s Corben Jones on NewsOK in the next day or two.
Future OU teammates Tyler Neal, T.J. Taylor will square off in Faith 7
The Faith 7 game is a little more than a week away, set for June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee.
For local college fans, there are four players in the game who have signed with the three of the state’s Division I programs. That includes Putnam City West product Tyler Neal, and 6-foot-4 T.J. Taylor of Denison, Texas, who will be opponents next week and teammates the next four years at Oklahoma.
Also playing for Team Texas will be Oklahoma State signee Michael Jamal Cobbins out of Palo Duro High School in Amarillo. A skinny 6-foot-10, Cobbins can step outside and shoot a little, too. And Jordan Clarkson, a Tulsa-bound Texan from San Antonio, is a 6-foot-4 scoring machine. He is the all-time leading scorer at Wagner High School.
Overall, both rosters sound pretty impressive — and big. Texas has five guys 6-foot-8 or taller, and the Okies have five who are 6-foot-6 and up. As for the Oklahoma squad, it seems like a pretty complete team. If y ou were trying to put the best team together — not just the five best players, but fill each position to fit a team’s needs — this would be pretty close to what you’d come up with out of Oklahoma’s class of 2010.
You’ve got a couple of point guards in Star Spencer’s Kendre’ Talley and Enid’s Chris Fitzpatrick who can run an offense and score on their own, as well as a third point guard in Garber’s Bryce Lamer who is a glue guy and will do a lot of different little things to help a team. Xavier McClish is a pure shooter/scorer with good size at the 2-guard, and Tulsa Washington’s Tharone Chilton is a solid combo guard.
Faith 7 rosters announced
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
The rosters for the 45th Annual Faith 7 basketball game were recently announced. The game, featuring a team of Oklahoma all-stars against an all-star team from Texas, will be played June 5 at Shawnee’s Oklahoma Baptist University.
Here’s the Oklahoma roster:
Tharone Chilton, Tulsa Wahsington
Cameron Downing, Tulsa Memorial
Oren Faulk, Muskogee
Amric Fields, Putnam West
Chris Fitzpatrick, Enid
Bryce Lamer, Garber
Dylan Lemley, Roff
Xavier McClish, Midwest City
Tyler Neal, Putnam West
Kendre Talley, Star Spencer
OBCA All-Region Teams
Here are the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association’s boys All-Region Teams:
Region One
Chris Fitzpatrick, Enid
Trevon Hartfield, Watonga
Seth Heckart, Woodward
Jabe Karr, Okarche
Bryce Lamer, Garber
Dakota Martin, Chisholm
Chris Mustain, El Reno
J.D. Pugh, Texhoma
Rhett Radcliff, Forgan
Hayden Vencl, Garber
Player of the Year: Tyler Miller, Garber
Coach of the Year: Dusty Torrey, Garber
Region Two
Chris Boyd, Okemah
Patrick Buntt, Frontier
Bryan Champion, Perkins
Tyler Dean, Prague
Jordan Gipe, Yale
John Lazenby, Glencoe
Alex Moore, Cleveland
Chase Mongold, Ponca City
Kalian Watkins, Preston
Dillon Worley, Mason
Player of the Year: Ralston Moore, Pawnee
Coach of the Year: John Lazenby, Glencoe
Region Three
Parker Ballard, Pryor
Robert Boyles, Claremore
Jake Bullard, Vinita
Dakota Caudill, Claremore
Cale Elam, Oktaha
Oren Faulk, Muskogee
Courtney Gaston, Fort Gibson
Jon Griggs, Tahlequah
Devon Rinehart, Gore
Pud Ross, Locust Grove
Billy Waltrip, Fort Gibson
Player of the Year: Courtney Gaston, Fort Gibson
Coach of the Year: Gary Hendrix, Fort Gibson
Region Four
Derrick Bull, Altus
Nick Herrington, Erick-Sweetwater
Tevin Johnson, Binger-Oney
Dee Robinson, Lawton MacArthur
Kas Sanders, Fletcher
Gavan Steinmetz, Fort Cobb-Broxton
Josh Sweat, Big Pasture
Tanner Thompson, Cache
Dane Thrash, Cheyenne
Clay Walker, Hammon
Player of the Year: Levi Richardson, Mangum
Coach of the Year: Jeff Carlisle, Mangum
Region Five
Jared Beal, Norman North
Tanner Bell, Purcell
Blaine Brooks, Blanchard
Corbin Byford, Bray-Doyle
Trey Cohee, Ardmore
Conner Davey, Washington
Kyle Forehand, Lexington
Zach Hibbard, Lindsay
Gary Inglett, Plainview
Shea Longman, Newcastle
Dalen Qualls, Stratford
Player of the Year: Ryan Spangler, Bridge Creek
Coach of the Year: Jason Sanders, Bridge Creek
Region Six
Jordan Burrell, Valliant
Dwight Camp, Red Oak
Jimmy Doolin, Dale
Jordan EagleRoad, Talihina
Kchris Griffin, Haworth
Kolby Johnson, Caddo
Dylan Lemley, Roff
Taggart Lockhart, Talihina
Dayne Parker, Roff
D.J. Shanklin, Hugo
Player of the Year: Cale Jackson, Bethel
Co-Coaches of the Year: Kale Simon, Roff; Troy Miller, Holdenville
Region Seven
Adrien Anderson, Tulsa Memorial
Desmond Butler, Tulsa Edison
Jack Cameron, Tulsa Kelley
Quan Carter, Tulsa Union
Tharone Chilton, Tulsa Washington
Steven Hamilton, Tulsa Edison
Braeton Hightower, Owasso
Damian Hooks, Tulsa East Central
Jake Toupal, Broken Arrow
Drew Wilson, Tulsa East Central
Player of the Year: Cameron Downing, Tulsa Memorial
Co-Coaches of the Year: Eric Savage, Tulsa Memorial; Beau Wallace, Tulsa East Central
Region Eight
Stephen Clark, Douglass
Trez Colbert, Midwest City
Larry Cunningham, Carl Albert
Obi Emegano, Edmond Memorial
Amric Fields, Putnam West
Xavier McClish, Midwest City
Dominique Raney, Putnam City
Josh Richardson, Edmond Santa Fe
Kendre Talley, Star Spencer
Jameel Whitney, McGuinness
Player of the Year: Tyler Neal, Putnam West
Coach of the Year: Terry Long, Douglass
OBCA All-Stars announced
The Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association released its All-Star teams recently. The games will be June 5 at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. The 6A-4A team will be divided into two teams later.
CLASS 6A-4A
Adrien Anderson, Tulsa Memorial
Jerome Beasley, Muskogee
Jarrod Boersma, Norman
Devin Boyd, Tulsa McLain
Blaine Brooks, Blanchard
Brian Brown, Putnam City
Robert Boyles, Claremore
Derrick Bull, Altus
Desmond Butler, Tulsa Edison
Chaunce Carrica, Woodward
Trey Chambers, Roland
John Cooksey, Star Spencer
Larry Cunningham, Carl Albert
Craig Foster, Lawton
Courtney Gaston, Fort Gibson
Braeton Hightower, Owasso
Daniel Lamm, Madill
Xavier McClish, Midwest City
Chris Mustain, El Reno
Dee Robinson, Lawton MacArthur
Kendre Talley, Star Spencer
Jake Toupal, Broken Arrow
Billy Waltrip, Fort Gibson
Jameel Whitney, McGuinness
CLASS 3A
Jordan Burrell, Valliant
Hayden Darst, Antlers
Marlo Harden, Hartshorne
Christian Hill, Mount St. Mary
Gary Inglett, Plainview
Cale Jackson, Bethel
Brandon Kirkland, Heavener
Dalton Newsome, Mount St. Mary
Noah Polk, Haskell
Jordan Woods, Kingfisher
CLASS 2A
Austin Collins, Pioneer
Jimmy Doolin, Dale
Cale Elam, Oktaha
Kchris Griffin, Haworth
Trevon Hartfield, Watonga
Kyle Klaus, Pawnee
Nic Lappke, Cordell
Dakota Martin, Chisholm
Ralston Moore, Pawnee
Dustin Shade, Hulbert
CLASS A
Jabe Karr, Okarche
Zach Medley, Stuart
Tyler Miller, Garber
Andrian Mosley, Porter
Joey Powers, Welch
J.D. Pugh, Texhoma
Zach Samaha, Fort Towson
Dane Thrash, Cheyenne-Reydon
Hayden Vencl, Garber
Jason Wixon, Porum
CLASS B
Dylan Baker, Fargo
Aaron Cornell, Roff
Roper Cunningham, Waynoka
Drew Fischer, Timberlake
Nick Herrington, Erick-Sweetwater
Dylan Lemley, Roff
Adonis Sumlin, Coyle
Josh Sweat, Big Pasture
Colby Walker, Hammon
Dillon Worley, Mason
How about one last Power Poll…
A reader asked me what the boys basketball Power Poll for the big schools (Class 6A-4A) would look like now, and it sounded like a fun idea, so here goes. But first some ground rules: All games are created equal. No bonus points for winning a state title. This is about which teams have the best talent and were playing the best at season’s end (not just the last weekend).
During the season, the Power Poll was about ranking the best teams, not about predicting the state champions. This poll is about ranking the best teams, not rewarding the state champions. They got a gold ball and they get to spend the next 12 months being called state champs. If that’s not reward enough, I’m afraid can’t help you here.
Let’s get to it:
1. Douglass, 4A: The Trojans are 30-0 and might be on their way to 60-0. They might not have gone undefeated against a schedule like Putnam City or Edmond Memorial played, but they’re good. Really good. And they’ll only get better. With all the tools they have, there’s no ceiling for this team next year.
2. Putnam City, 6A: In mid-February, the Pirates finally found themselves and started playing together, which made all the difference. They won their last 10 games, defeating the two teams that accounted for all four of their losses.
3. Midwest City, 6A: Nobody was playing better than the Bombers during the playoffs, but shots didn’t fall in the title game. The defense they play is as tough as anyone, and they have a good group of returning players for next season, including the Colbert twins.
4. Putnam City West, 6A: Over the course of a full season, I think PC West is a better team than Midwest City, because Tyler Neal and Amric Fields are good enough to have an off night and still beat most teams. That said, the Pats weren’t the same team after Neal’s second ankle injury. His outside shot never returned to form and things seemed out of sync for the whole team. And a head-to-head matchup with MWC is a disaster, because it the Bombers are too strong and athletic at guard, particularly with their trapping and defensive pressure.
5. Edmond Santa Fe, 6A: The Wolves might have peaked too early, or maybe they were a victim of their schedule, playing all their tough opponents at home first, then going on the road for those games late in the season. Their guard play was solid and they were good enough inside to mask the fact that they didn’t have a lot of size.
6. Tulsa Memorial, 5A: Like I said, all games created equal. The Chargers, with their athletic guards and 6-foot-9 Cameron Downing in the middle, were the best team in 5A, despite the finals loss to Tulsa Washington. They beat the Hornets three times before that, and beating someone four times in a season is darn tough, a fact PC West will agree with.
7. Edmond Memorial, 6A: This team lingered in the back half of the top 10 most of the season after a strong start, and they got the job done on the east side, reaching the state tournament, nearly knocking off the eventual runner-up, Midwest City, in the first round. The Bulldogs never really had those eye-catching wins, but they didn’t draw attention with bad losses either. They were just solid all year, and they only started one senior, so they’ll be back next year.
8. Tulsa East Central, 5A: What, another team that lost to Tulsa Washington ranked ahead of the Hornets? Yes, Washington had four losses in the final month of the season. Sure, they avenged two of those in the semifinals and finals, but over the course of the season, East Central was a better team. Damion Hooks was very impressive at state, despite the Cards losing in the semifinals.
Rounding out the top 15: Tusla Washington (5A), McGuinness (4A), Woodward (4A), Muskogee (6A), Norman North (6A), Star Spencer (4A), Western Heights (5A).
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Guthrie’s Brothers gets second offer, other recruiting tidbits
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
Earlier this year, Guthrie defensive end Kentrell Brothers received his first Division I offer when Missouri extended an offer following his performance at the U.S. Army All-American Combine in San Antonio.
This week, Brothers reveived another offer when Duke offered Brothers.
Brothers had 95 tackles, 17 sacks and 4 interceptions for the Bluejays last year. As a wide receiver on offense, Brothers racked up 1,122 yards and 12 touchdowns on 62 catches.
Some other recruiting notes:
-Duncan ATH Dominique Petties was the star of OU’s Junior Day in January, coming from seemingly out of nowhere to earn an offer from OU. Since, Petties has added offers from Missouri, Texas Tech and Tulsa.
-Heritage Hall sophomore Barry Sanders has offers from Tulsa and Texas Tech already.
-Former Muskogee DT Robert Thomas, who signed with Arkansas last year but wound up at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, is reportedly strongly interested in Arkansas once again. Thomas, who redshirted in 2009, is likely to graduate in December and would have three years of eligibility remaining.
-Another Coffeyville DT, former Jenks standout Tony Gillespie, is also likely to draw strong Division I attention.
MWC’s Jackson makes McDonald’s All-American
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
Midwest City’s Richa Jackson is the lone state player represented on the McDonald’s All-American Game roster released earlier this week.
Jackson, a Duke signee, averages more than 16 points and 8 rebounds per game for the Bombers.
The McDonald’s All-American Game will be played March 31 in Columbus, Ohio.
