Midwest City, Northeast: Tournament canceled for boys (Union/Jenks)…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Though it sure would appear things are going to be quite OK here in the Oklahoma City area for Friday tournament games, that’s not the case in Tulsa.
Tulsa Union and Jenks Public Schools are both going to be closed Friday and thus the Union-Jenks Invitational is canceled.
One of the contingency plans, said Midwest City boys coach Dewayne Bradley, was that if the schools were closed, the tournament would be canceled.
“I’ve never had this before,” Bradley said. “Never had a tournament just flat out canceled.”
Midwest City does not play until next Friday so it will be interesting to see if the team is at all rusty. Bradley said his team will practice this weekend. The Northeast boys were the other Oklahoma City area team involved in the boys/girls tournament.
***
Heard Union and Jenks were canceled so I called Bradley. He hadn’t heard anything yet. As we’re talking, Jenks’ Clay Martin texts Bradley to say the tournament is canceled. See, timing is everything even at 10:30 on a Thursday night.
Millwood wins thriller at Northeast
I love when a January basketball game feels like March.
With a packed house at Northeast Saturday night, and two intense teams going at it, there was a playoff feel in the air for Millwood’s 61-55 win over the host Vikings.
Too bad Millwood dropped down to 2A this season, or we might have actually gotten to see this one at the state tournament. Millwood built an early lead, getting up by as many as 10, and Northeast, behind Caleb Crayton and Gabe Houston, fought back to take the lead a couple times early in the fourth quarter.
Kevonte Richardson scored 15 points for the Falcons, the top-ranked team in Class 2A. Drelan Triplett had 12, while Brandon Swindall and Michael Ervin added 11 apiece as Millwood moved to 9-2 on the season.
There won’t be many teams in 3A or 2A who will have seen the type of quickness and intensity these two teams play defense with. Both were pressing much of the game, trapping, forcing each other into turnovers, taking charges.
Millwood is incredibly balanced, which shouldn’t be a surprise, because that’s how they were last year, and it’s mostly the same cast of characters. Delford Robinson is a solid on-court leader, and guys like Swindall, Ervin, Richardson and Triplett all provide potential scoring punch. This isn’t a team that has to hope for 20 from one guy.
Eight players scored for the Falcons, and all of them were on the board in the first half. Northeast had eight guys get in the scoring column, too. Guys like Eric Peabody and Korihan Jackson add to the scoring threat behind Crayton and Houston, who finished with 18 and 19 points, respectively, Saturday night.
Okemah is still No. 1 in 3A, and Northeast lost at Okemah by six points earlier this year, so I don’t think there’s any doubt the fifth-ranked Vikings should be looked at as legitimate state title contenders.
In 2A, it’s hard to say Millwood isn’t the favorite. Talihina is certainly a good team, and Watonga and Pawnee are still unbeaten, but the Falcons’ speed and depth are going to be difference-makers.
Still, it’s going to be fun watching it all play out. Is it March yet?
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
OKC Player of the Week: T’aries Taylor, Northwest Classen
Hard to imagine, but I think the All-City Athletic Conference might be better this year than it was last year. Northwest Classen is a big part of the surge.
The Knights took third place in a loaded field at the Edmond Open over the weekend, with T’aries Taylor leading the team in scoring in two of the three games.
Taylor scored 26 in the opener against Tulsa Central and followed it up with 19 in the third place game against Lawton Mac to earn all-tournament honors at the Edmond Open.
With Taylor providing a reliable scoring option alongside point guard Jamil Donovan, the Knights will be a team to watch in Class 5A this season. At 5-1 on the season, NWC is up to No. 4 in this week’s rankings.
Other contenders
Talmadge Lawrence, John Marshall: Lawrence averaged 18.5 points in a pair of wins over Star Spencer and Bethany last week. DeMontrey Mitchell also scored 19 against Bethany.
Caleb Crayton, Northeast: Scored 20 in a close win over Centennial, then he and Gabe Houston each had 18 in a win over Chickasha at the Harrah tournament. Crayton had 17, behind 24 from Eric Peabody, on Saturday in a close loss to Choctaw.
Delford Robinson and Michael Ervin, Millwood: Robinson led the Falcons in scoring twice at the Millwood tournament, including 14 in the opener. Ervin had a team-high 12 in the third-place game, an 18-point win over Capitol Hill.
Nico Meadows, Capitol Hill: Meadows had 24 points against US Grant as the sophomore continues to make an early impact for the Redskins.
Tona Edwards and Brianna Pendleton, Northeast: Edwards had 25 against Centennial and Pendleton had 19 in a win over Putnam City. Edwards had 15 against PC and scored 22 of the team’s 35 against Carl Albert. Pendleton led the team with 17 in the championship loss to Del City.
Sharane Campbell and LaKeitha Watson, Star Spencer: Campbell, an OU signee, had 25 in a win over John Marshall and 17 to help Star take third at the Millwood Invitational. Watson had a team-high 20 in the third-place game.
Meshelle Parker, Northwest Classen: Scored 19 points in a win over Classen last Tuesday.
Dayla Threat, Millwood: Averaged 17.5 points over four games last week, helping the Falcons to a runner-up finish at their own tournament.
Te’era Williams, Douglass: Had a team-high 21 against Chickasha on Friday.
All-City Athletic Conference football honors
Here are the All-City Athletic Conference postseason honors for football, as chosen by the coaches:
All-City Athletic Conference Football Team
Coach of the Year – Michael Branch, Southeast
Player of the Year – Marcus Caddell, Douglass; Brandon Swindall, Millwood
Defensive Player of the Year – Devante McKinney, Douglass; Davion Pierson, Millwood
Offensive Player of the Year – Aliston Cobb, Douglass; Kevonte Richardson, Millwood
Special Teams Player of the Year – Josh Turner, Millwood; Carlos Hudson, Star Spencer
Defensive Lineman of the Year – Clifford Lawrence, Millwood
Tri-Linebacker of the Year – Erik King, Douglass; Larry Seals, Millwood; Denzelle Johnson, John Marshall
Defensive Back of the Year – Jay Gogue, Southeast; Brison Currin, Centennial
Offensive Lineman of the Year – Ravi Riley, Douglass
Offensive Back of the Year – Kody Shields, John Marshall
Receiver of the Year – Tyrone Jones, Centennial; Michael Cole, Millwood
All-City Athletic Conference 1st Team Defense
Defensive Line – Dejon Brison, John Marshall; Shawn Hudson, Southeast; Tyrele Pendleton, Centennial; Markus Jackson, Southeast
Linebackers – Ian Robinson, Douglass; Tre Jones, Northwest; Allen Starks, Millwood; Tavin Deloney, Southeast
Defensive Backs – Donnell Ward, Douglass; Stevo Henderson, Star Spencer; Robert Bui, Northeast
Punter – Irving Roa, John Marshall
All-City Athletic Conference 1st Team Offense
Quarterback – Shon Bridges, Douglass
Running Backs – Ontinneil Zavala, Capitol Hill; Anthony Frazier, Southeast
Receivers – Johnny Do, Capitol Hill, Aljone Stringer, Centennial
Offensive Line – Michael Blackmon, Douglass; Kody Stamm, John Marshall; Spencer Davis, Centennial; Ramon Miller, Star Spencer; Kyvonta Smith, Douglass
Place Kicker – Tony Zamarripa, Northwest Classen
Honorable Mention
Capitol Hill – Deantre Williams, Brandon Johnson, Zack Dixon
Centennial – Charles Sebree, Chad Hester
Douglass – Jason Holloway
Millwood – Michael Ervin, Shevin Patton,
Northeast – Alvin Scott, Josh Ray, Justin Moore
Northwest Classen – Larry Mathis, Berkeley Lopez, Tarig Ismil
Southeast – Jovan Ramos, Nelson Williams, Jose Cardoza
Star Spencer – Marcus Singleton, Lashan Penny
Harrah Panther Classic brackets…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
A rare chance to see such a talented team like the Woodward boys in the OKC area. Not a bad set of teams on either side.
Boys
Thursday
Game 1: Chickasha vs. Del City, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: Mustang vs. Northeast, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Woodward vs. Ponca City, 5:30
Game 4: Choctaw vs. Harrah, 8:30
Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:30
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2:30
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30
Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 11:30
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 2:30
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 5:30
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 8:30
Girls
Thursday
Game 1: Putnam City vs. Northeast, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Carl Albert vs. Choctaw, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Del City vs. Ponca City, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Woodward vs. Harrah, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 10 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7 p.m.
OKC Player (Team) of the Week: Douglass football
No reason to nit-pick in trying to find one player who was more valuable to the Douglass Trojans winning the Class 4A state football championship with the 20-13 overtime victory against Wagoner Saturday night in Stillwater.
It could have been Aliston Cobb, with his 240 rushing yards and two TDs. Or Donnell Ward and Marcus Caddell for the passing connection on the winning TD, as well as their stout pass defense, including Ward’s two interceptions. Or Erik King for his interception in overtime to seal the victory. Or the offensive line for their run blocking. Or the defensive front for their seven sacks. Or…
OK, so you get it. A state championship is a team effort, and that was truly the case for the Trojans Saturday night. Everyone played well, and they all get the honor as the OKC Player of the Week… though I’m sure the gold ball is all the congratulations they needed.
Other contenders
Kevonte Richardson and Brandon Swindall, Millwood football: Richardson, the Falcon QB did all he could, overcoming two early interceptions to have a strong performance, despite the loss. Swindall had six grabs for 120 yards and a TD, as well as another interception — his state-leading 18th on the year.
Marquis Buxton-Hill, Douglass boys basketball: The 6-foot-9 senior poured in 27 in the Trojans’ rout of US Grant in the All-City Conference opener.
Eric Peabody, Northeast boys basketball: Peabody had 28 points as the Vikings pulled out a 70-67 win over Wichita Falls-Hirschi.
DeQuante Taylor, John Marshall boys basketball: Taylor scored 18 to lead the Bears to a season-opening win over Heritage Hall.
Nico Meadows, Capitol Hill boys basketball: Scored 23 and 18 points as the Redskins opened the season with a pair of wins.
Te’era Williams, Douglass girls basketball: Williams had 22 in the opener, a 42-point win over US Grant.
Tona Edwards and Brianna Pendleton, Northeast girls basketball: Scored 15 and 14 sports, respectively, in NE’s rout of Wichita Falls-Hirschi.
D’Carla Kirk and Kebrina Hartfield, Centennial girls basketball: Kirk had 16 and Hartfield 14 in the Bison victory over ASTEC.
– Send POW nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com
Game preview: Millwood at Northeast
Millwood (8-0, 4-0) at Northeast (2-6, 1-4)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Moses Miller Stadium, Douglass HS
Why the Vikings could win: They’re playing for their postseason lives and that’s great motivation. Migual Potts, London Potts and Trevyone Willis have been prone to make some big plays, but it’s going to take a lot to knock off No. 1.
Why Falcons could win: They’re the better team and they’re looking to prime up for the playoffs in a couple weeks. It’s getting close to winning time, so I wouldn’t look for the Falcons to be relaxing too much.
Key matchup: Falcon playmakers vs. Northeast defense. Defensively, the Vikes have allowed 40 or more six times this season, so stopping Millwood is asking a lot.
The pick: Millwood 52, Northeast 35. That Falcon offense just has too many weapons. Northeast will be able to score points, but not enough to win.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
OKC playoff prognosis
A lot can happen in the last two weeks, but here’s a look at where some of the OKC teams stand in their playoff races:
Looking good
Douglass (6-2, 5-0)
Remaining games: vs. Glenpool, vs. Cleveland
Prognosis: Win this week and it’s all over. Douglass will sew up the 4A-2 title with a win against Glenpool on Friday. That would put them against the No. 4 from 4A-1, where Woodward and McGuinness are currently tied.
Millwood (8-0, 4-0)
Remaining games: at Northeast, at Lexington
Prognosis: One more win is all it will take to assure the Falcons of a district title and a playoff opener against the No. 4 seed from 2A-1 (right now it would be OCS or Tonkawa). Of course, that’s not what they’re chasing. Their goals are focused in December.
Barely hanging on
Northwest Classen (1-7, 1-4)
Remaining games: at Durant, at Lawton MacArthur
Prognosis: Must win out and get some help. The Knights are sitting in seventh one game behind a three-way tie for the fourth spot.
Northeast (2-6, 1-3)
Remaining games: vs. Millwood, at Jones
Prognosis: The good news is the Vikings could win twice and potentially get in. The bad news is they have to play the two best teams in the district the final two weeks.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
OKC Player of the Week: Kevonte Richardson, Millwood
Some of the stats the Millwood players are putting up this season are just hard to comprehend.
On Thursday, QB Kevonte Richardson was 19-of-30 for 454 yards. That’s 15.1 yards per pass — not per completion, per attempt. Nearly 24 yards per completion. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for another in leading the Falcons to a 53-22 win over Crooked Oak.
Helping him out were Josh Turner (seven rushes for 51 yards and a TD, seven receptions for 98 yards and a TD), Brandon Swindall (five catches for 200 yards and two TDs) and Mike Cole (five catches for 102 yards, one TD and a two-point conversion)
Other contenders
Aliston Cobb, Diontay Washington and the Douglass defense: When Cobb took the first handoff of the game and went 48 yards for the TD, you could tell Harrah wasn’t ready for the Trojans’ speed in the 47-0 Douglass win. Cobb finished with 210 yards and two TDs, while Washington added 102 yards and three scores to back the defense’s shutout of the Panthers — holding them to negative yardage in the second half. Marcus Caddell came up with two big interceptions in the first half as well.
Trevyone Willis, Northeast: Had scores of 88 yards (interception return) and 99 yards (kickoff return) in Northeast’s loss to Oklahoma Christian.
Christian Gorham and the Northwest defense: Gorham threw four TD passes and the Knights’ defense registered its first shutout since 2004 in defeating Capitol Hill 40-0.
Send OKC Player of the Week nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com
OKC Player of the Week: Brandon Swindall, Millwood
More than 200 yards and three touchdowns sounds like a pretty good night for a high school running back, in some cases, even a quarterback.
But Millwood’s Brandon Swindall put up those numbers as a defensive back. The 6-foot-4 senior intercepted four passes and returned three of them for touchdowns of 18, 77 and 87 yards in Friday’s 60-6 win over Luther.
For the season, Swindall has nine total touchdowns — five receiving and four interception returns. He’s among the state’s top receivers with 423 yards, and he’s been a big-play threat all season.
It’s just a matter of time before recruiting explodes for this kid. He’s taller and faster than a year ago, and once teams get a good look at his senior game tape, they’re going to be lining up for him.
Other contenders
Aliston Cobb, Douglass: The senior RB rushed for 187 yards and scored four times as Douglass won its second straight blowout.
Trevyone Willis and London Potts, Northeast: Willis scored three times from 51, 63 and 94 yards in a loss to Christian Heritage. Potts threw to him for the 63- and 94-yard scores. Potts also rushed in for a two-point conversion.
Josh Turner, Millwood: The Texas commit had three TDs and more than 100 yards rushing in the 60-6 win over Luther.
Kody Shields, John Marshall: Shields had a 48-yard TD run as the SeBears pounded out 215 yards on the ground, despite losing to a powerful Kingfisher squad.
– Send OKC Player of the Week nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com
