LOCK: Cole Swayze, Purcell too much for Lexington…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Oh, Lexington fans are hating/laughing at me. In each of the first two weeks, I have picked Sulphur and Little Axe to take out the Bulldogs.
And in each of the first two weeks, I have had egg on my face. Well, why stop now? Lexington welcomes Purcell in a bitter grudge match Friday night.
This game is more than a battle between the Dragons’ star Cole Swayze and Lexington’s Travelle Pelkey, but I am interested to see what these two are able to do.
I won’t be in attendance, but it’s definitely important enough that we’re sending our Norman writer James Corley to Lexington.
For those that don’t know, Lexington is a hop-and-skip away from Purcell. Seriously, look it up on MapQuest. It’s 1.45 miles away and a whole 3 minute-drive between the two towns.
Ultimately, I believe Swayze is going to be the difference. But the Dragons do have a lot of other weapons, namely Damian Shea.
Shea has rushed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games. Swayze has put up some gaudy numbers. He’s rushed for 267 yards and three touchdowns. His accuracy hasn’t been great in the passing game, but Swazyze is averaging more than 20 yards per completion with a couple of touchdowns.
This is also a game where some Win-Win week events will take place. If you haven’t been reading, this week is dedicated to cancer awareness, and we’ve been highlighting events through stories and photos.
Somebody’s ’0′ must go, and I say it’s Lexington’s. Coach Waymon Scott has made me look stupid with how this team has played. And they probably still will, but I’m hoping it won’t be this week.
Boneman’s pick: Purcell 31, Lexington 26
Overall: 2-0 (Heritage over Clinton, Guthrie over Duncan)
Softball: Yukon looks like team to beat…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Tuesday is shaping up to be a pretty big day. On one hand, it’s the start of two-a-day football practices. But it’s pretty big elsewhere as the softball season gets officially underway.
Got ya covered with a softball guide in Tuesday’s paper, but here are some more thoughts I have going into this season:
- I don’t know how a team can beat Yukon this year. The loss of Dani Fox was killer last year, but the Millerettes return so many top stars.
Don’t believe me? You could easily argue that Amanda Madden, Kylie Lang, Madi Ellis and Caitlyn Halbert are four of the best players in the state. Madden and Lang are seniors and Madden was already good enough to make my first team All-City last year. Ellis and Mustang’s Kierra Miles might be the two best sophomores.
- Will this be a year of redemption for Purcell? Dragons were so close but got nipped in the championship. Still absolutely loaded with talent like Kayla Wyatt (my Little All-City Player of the Year), Bailey Goldsby, Logan Huey, etc. Nobody is going to be feeling sorry for coach Jamie Roberts anytime soon.
- Are Moore and Broken Arrow still the queens of the circle? I admit I don’t know much about BA but based on what they always do on a yearly basis, gotta think these two teams will be among the eight in October at ASA.
- Tuttle and Blanchard should be a great battle. Lions took out the Tigers in the championship last year. Leslie Miller and Liz Broyles (among others) return for Blanchard. Tuttle still has Caitlin Sill and if healthy, Nicole Workman is incredible. Amazingly, Miller and Sill are just juniors.
- Edmond North is so young, but I don’t think that’s going to matter. With girls like Kady Self and Jordan Dixon leading the charge, Huskies should be knocking on the door again.
- Caught up with Washington coach Bryan Howard at the coaches clinic. He is excited (rightfully so) about this year. Now that he’s in his second year, he’s a whole lot more comfortable. And if you had a pitcher like Lacey Paulk or a senior star like Jill Clemence, you’d want to get out there, too.
- Little Axe will intriguing to watch in all sports. How will the school respond after the devastating tornado in May? Indians got a couple of stars in senior Peyton Watson, a great leadoff hitter, and slugger Lacey Williams.
- And it will be good to see Chelsea Jones back pitching for El Reno. Family issues had her at Putnam City North last season, but she has returned to the Indians.
Got softball news and notes? Send ‘em this way.
Football: SW Air report…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Whew, these summer football camps are going to make sure I don’t put on any weight. Any pounds I might have gained have been drained out of me at this point.
Had a chance to soak in the sights and sounds at the 24th annual Southwest Air QB/WR camp out at Southern Nazarene.
This camp definitely has a different feel than some of the others. You better put on your hard hat when you go to this one because it’s all work all the time. This isn’t a camp to get noticed by Scout or Rivals or places like that.
I enjoyed it because it gave me a chance to see a lot of players and teams I normally don’t get the opportunity to. That chance was pretty dang high as 66 schools have been represented at the camp so far.
It’s been running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the final day will be Thursday. I’d like to get out there, but I don’t know if it will be feasible. Kids from as far away as Boise City and Beaver and Laverne have shown up.
One of the things that sets this apart is the unbelievable coaching that is done here from the likes of Piedmont’s Rob Green and Douglass’ Willis Alexander, among several others.
Green and Mark Little are running the show for a camp that was started by Mike Little all those many years ago. In fact, Alexander spoke to the kids after and mentioned being at the same camp in 1989.
Thoughts and observations
- Kingfisher’s Derek Patterson is easily one of the top QBs involved in the camp. If he can stay healthy, no reason Yellowjackets can’t make some noise moving up to 3A.
- Chickasha is well represented and freaked me out a little when a bunch of kids recognized me. If Patterson is 1a. at this camp, Chicks quarterback Chase Rodgers has got to be 1b.
- Had a chance to get to know Purcell offensive coordinator Andy Gower. All the attention is, of course, on QB Cole Swayze (not at the camp). However, the Dragons are loaded at other positions and should be one of several teams contesting for the 3A crown.
- Alexander really got through to the kids. What he emphasized more than anything was ‘pride.’ Take pride in what you’re doing when you’re out there. “You never know when that play will be your last.” Pretty good example to look up to after the recent success the Trojans have had.
- Cooper Cloud was out there reppin’ Heritage Hall. I think he’ll end up as the team’s quarterback with Sterling Shepard becoming one of the more dangerous kids in space you’ll find. Either way, the Chargers are in pretty good spot as both are solid at WR or QB.
- Tuttle is going to be dang good. Phil Koons’ Tigers are well represented this week and just carry themselves with so much confidence.
- Here is the list of schools the kids are from: Anadarko, Beaver, Bethany, McGuinness, Boise City, Bristow, Cache, Carl Albert, Chickasha, Chisholm, CHA, Comanche, Cordell, Corn Bible, Cov.-Doug., Cushing, Deer Creek, Douglass, Edmond North, Elgin, Enid, Fairview, Frederick, Garber, Heritage Hall, Hinton, Hobart, Hollis, Kingfisher, Lakeview, Laverne, Lawton, Lindsay, Luther, Marietta, Marlow, McLoud, Meeker, Minco, Moore, Morrison, Mustang, Newcastle, Norman, OCA, Okeene, Putnam City, PCNorth, PCWest, Perkins, Piedmont, Plainview, Purcell, Santa Fe South, Sayre, Shattuck, Sharon-Mutual, SW Covenant, Tuttle, Velma-Alma, Washington, Wellston, Wilson, Woodland, Yukon.
- Look for videos with Kingfisher’s Derek Patterson and Chickasha’s Jaree Blakes on NewsOK on Thursday.
Baseball state tournament qualifiers
While waiting for the schedule to be released Monday, here are the state tournament qualifers:
6A
Broken Arrow
Edmond Memorial
Edmond Santa Fe
Jenks
Norman North
Owasso
Putnam North
Tulsa Union
5A
Carl Albert
Chickasha
Claremore
Collinsville
Deer Creek
Duncan
Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa Washington
4A
Berryhill
Clinton
Fort Gibson
Hilldale
Lone Grove
Metro Christian
Newcastle
Weatherford
3A
Beggs
Bethel
Chandler
Eufaula
Sperry
Plainview
Purcell
Verdigris
2A
Dale
Latta
Lincoln Christian
Mangum
Oktaha
Pioneer
Silo
Wister
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
Reimer gets 400th win at Purcell
By Ryan Aber
raber@opubco.com
Purcell boys coach Lee Reimer picked up his 400th win at the school in last Thursday’s 55-52 win at Blanchard.
It didn’t take Reimer long to add onto his wins total as Purcell beat Marlow the next night.
Reimer took over at Purcell for the 1984-85 season, coaching the Dragons to the 1994 Class 3A state championship.
Prior to that, Reimer coached for three seasons at Medford, winning the 1984 Class A title.
Purcell is scheduled to play at Lexington Tuesday night.
Reimer is the second-winningest coach in Purcell boys basketball history. Boney Matthews went 922-245 over a 40-year career, mostly at Purcell, winning three state titles. While not all of Matthews wins came at Purcell, combined, the two coaches have won more than 1,000 games with the Dragons.
Signing List 2010
It’s still a work in progress. Know a signing we missed? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com and we’ll get it added. We’ll run the signing list several times over the next few weeks:
3A basketball district pairings
Here are the Class 3A district pairings:
Note: Districts 3, 4, 7 and 8 play Friday, Feb. 19. Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 play Saturday, Feb. 20. Girls play at 6:30 p.m., boys play at 8 p.m.
AREA I
Dist. 1: Kingfisher at Alva
Dist. 2: Jones at St. Mary
Dist. 3: Meeker at Prague
Dist. 4: ASTEC Charter at Northeast
Dist. 5: Purcell at Riverside
Dist. 6: Lindsay at Millwood
Dist. 7: Comanche at Marlow
Dist. 8: Bridge Creek at Sulphur
AREA II
Dist. 1: Chandler at Perry
Dist. 2: SeeWorth Aca. at Bethel
Dist. 3: Centennial at Lexington
Dist. 4: Oklahoma Christian at Stroud
Dist. 5: Henryetta at Okemah
Dist. 6: Plainview at Marietta
Dist. 7: Kingston at Tishomingo
Dist. 8: Holdenville at Coalgate
AREA III
Dist. 1: Caney Valley at Pawhuska
Dist. 2: Nowata at Verdigris
Dist. 3: Victory Christian at Salina
Dist. 4: Chelsea at Adair
Dist. 5: Sperry at Cascia Hall
Dist. 6: Haskell at Beggs
Dist. 7: Kellyville at Chouteau
Dist. 8: Morris at Hartshorne
AREA IV
Dist. 1: Vian at Kansas
Dist. 2: Wilburton at Valliant
Dist. 3: Antlers at Hugo
Dist. 4: Stigler at Eufaula
Dist. 5: Colcord at Seq. Tahlequah
Dist. 6: Pocola at Panama
Dist. 7: Spiro at Heavener
Dist. 8: Westville at Keys (Park Hill)
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Q and A: Purcell WR Hunter Marcum
Purcell (9-2) upset Elgin 28-27 last week to advance to the second round of the 3A playoffs Friday with a road game to Cascia Hall (10-0). Hunter Marcum has played in all 11 games for Purcell. Here’s a look at his life away from football.
One person in the world you’d like to trade places with for a day?
Deion Sanders, so I could experience having more talent than anyone I would ever line up against in any sport.
What’s on your bucket list?
1. See the Seven Wonders of the World
2. Win a State Championship
3. Sign a letter of intent to play collegiate athletics
4. Beat my dad at pool
5. Make Coach Swayze laugh at practice or in a game
Other than yourself, who is the best athlete in your family?
My dad and sister were both All-State athletes. My sister plays softball at Oklahoma State. My dad played football and ran track at East Central University. They both claim to be the best.
What was your welcome to the varsity moment?
Being injected as the starting quarterback as a 15 year old freshman only two weeks before the season opener.
What’s your hidden talent?
My dancing skills are off the charts.
