Sheldon Wilson headlines impressive Northeastern Oklahoma A&M class
Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson is part of an impressive Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Class of 2012. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson isn’t used to competing for playing time.
After signing Wednesday with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, he’ll have to put in extra work as he fights for carries with other top backs the Norsemen signed.
“I’m gonna love that,” Wilson said. “I’ve never really had to compete for carries, so getting pushed and competing every day will make me better.”
Putnam City running back Casey Curtis, who rushed for 1,805 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, signed with NEO on Wednesday, as did Edmond North’s Jared Benway and Broken Bow’s Eric Dockins.
Wilson rushed for 3,335 yards and set state records with 57 rushing and 64 total touchdowns as a senior on Anadarko’s first state championship football team.
After the season, he was named The Oklahoman’s 2011 All-State Offensive Player of the Year.
Dale Patterson first recruiting class in his second stint as NEO’s coach was impressive beyond running backs.
NEO signed three top Oklahoma high school quarterbacks in McAlester’s Tony Kiefer, Owasso’s Kason Key and Mustang’s Brandon Taylor.
Four Edmond North seniors — Benway, tight end Troy Davis and offensive linemen Trevor Barron and Will Wiedenmann — also signed with NEO.
Other city-area prospects who signed with the Norsemen include Midwest City defensive back Ronnie Davis, Oklahoma Christian School kicker Keegan Carter and Kingfisher offensive lineman Hunter Endres.
The amount of talent NEO signed has Wilson thinking title.
“Looking at these guys, we might be able to win a little championship up there,” Wilson said.
Wilson will be joined at NEO by two of his Anadarko teammates, offensive lineman Randy Martinez and linebacker Wes Satoe.
“That’s really cool to go up there with teammates I know,” Wilson said. “I don’t have to go up there and feel like I don’t know anybody.”
Jason Kersey
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Overcoming injury as a senior, Putnam City’s Desmond Tilly commits to Langston
Putnam City's Desmond Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next season.
I was standing on the sideline in the final minutes of Putnam City’s preseason scrimmage against Southmoore when PC running back/linebacker Desmond Tilly tore his ACL.
Saw him writhing in pain on the field. Saw the look on his face when they helped him off.
It was a crushing blow. In one quick moment, Tilly went from a kid who appeared to be on the verge of a breakout year to a spectator. That moment, and a similar one involving Northwest Classen’s Terry Arnold, inspired the story I wrote about the two injured seniors in November.
On Saturday, Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next year, a much-deserved opportunity for a hard-working kid.
Langston sees Tilly as a safety/outside linebacker hybrid, which seems like a perfect fit for the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder.
Earlier in the week, PC running back Casey Curtis committed to NEO, and other Pirates like Elie Rushing could be getting some college opportunities as well.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Putnam City’s Casey Curtis verbally commits to NEO
Putnam City running back Casey Curtis announced that he has verbally committed to NEO on Thursday.
Putnam City running back Casey Curtis made his college decision final on Thursday. He told The Oklahoman that he verbally committing to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college in Miami.
Curtis rushed for 1,805 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry as a senior at Putnam City.
Curtis is excited about the opportunity, especially with Thursday’s news that Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson also plans to attend NEO as well. The two will be competing for playing time in the fall.
“I’m excited to play with somebody like that,” Curtis said. “I love to compete. That’s life. YOu compete with people all the time.”
Curtis, who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash last summer, hopes the junior-college program will help him continue his quest to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship. He was being recruited by multiple D-I schools last year.
Curtis said Oklahoma State coaches stayed in contact with him and expect to recruit him again after his two seasons at NEO.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Richmarr Smith scores 16 as Putnam City takes title at Florida tournament
Behind 16 points from Richmarr Smith, Putnam City won the Wildcat Holiday Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., with a 73-55 victory over J.O. Johnson High School from Huntsville, Ala., on Wednesday.
Smith, a 6-foot-2 junior, was the third different player to lead the Pirates in scoring during their three tournament victories. Junior Ronnie Boyce added 15 points and sophomore point guard Dexter Dean had 11 as the Pirates improved to 8-2 on the year.
The Pirates will be idle until the annual Putnam City Invitational, which Putnam City will host Jan. 5-7. PC opens up against rival Putnam City North in a tournament that includes six of the top 12 teams in the current Class 6A rankings.
In addition to all three Putnam City schools, Midwest City and top-ranked Tulsa Union are in the field.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
OCA All-State
The Oklahoma Coaches Association announced its All-State football team Monday. The OCA All-State Football Game will be played at 8 p.m. July 27 at a to-be-dtermined site in the Tulsa area.
EAST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Andrew Hearon, Metro Christian
Tony Kiefer, McAlester
Running backs
Dakota Biswell, Stroud
Caleb Muncrief, Madill
Cole Scheulen, Catoosa
Willie Zackery, Woodland
Wide receivers
Levi Copelin, Broken Arrow
Michael Fraley, Adair
Ty Miller, Caddo
Victor Williams, Muskogee
Tight ends
Matt Gallagher, Owasso
Zac Veatch, Broken Arrow
Linemen
John Connor, Tulsa Kelley
Jeremy Iron, Pawhuska
Lance Kloker, Owasso
Talon Miles-Satepauhoodle, Hominy
Montana Poorboy, Catoosa
Sam Sabin, Jenks
Chris Wallace, Sperry
Punter/kicker
Tom Carwile, Tulsa Washington
DEFENSE
Linemen
Hunter Hart, Cascia Hall
Orion Jones, Jenks
Gcory Rahmings, Broken Bow
Travis Sandlin, Vian
Max Simmons, Lincoln Christian
Gary Wilson, Sand Springs
Linebackers
Patrick Bartlett, Woodland
Jevonte Cross, Tulsa East Central
Aaron Dolan, Berryhill
Connor Sherwood, Cascia Hall
Blace Walser, Tulsa Union
Defensive backs
Kent Booze, Spiro
Adam Boyd, McAlester
Kevin Peterson, Wagoner
Dillon Proctor, Caddo
Jermy Reynolds, Wewoka
Jesse Vester, Stillwater
Coaches
Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Eddy Scott, Pawhuska; Kevin Harmon, McAlester; Darren Melton, Lincoln Christian.
WEST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Corben Jones, Yukon
Garrett Lorah, Elgin
Running backs
Casey Curtis, Putnam City
James Flanders, Midwest City
Josh Way, Wayne
Sheldon Wilson, Anadarko
Wide receivers
Gage Diffee, Bethany
Javis Flynn, Watonga
Tre Kelley, Edmond Santa Fe
Tylor Seabolt, Jones
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall
Linemen
Blake Belcher, Guthrie
Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Devin Dobbins, Millwood
Carrie Farmer, Minco
Adam Kelley, Wynnewood
Cole Parsons, Edmond North
DEFENSE
Linemen
Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Markus Wakefield, Heritage Hall
Braylon Freeman, Lawton MacArthur
Ricky Rodriguez, Clinton
Linebackers
Landry Chappell, Guthrie
Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Payton Marsh, Thomas
Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness
Wes Satoe, Anadarko
Jas’Sen Stoner, Douglass
Defensive backs
Rashaad Copeland, El Reno
Jared Griffin, Duncan
Rico Hogan, Norman
Aaron Holden, Temple
Aaron McCandless, Shattuck
Ivan Moreno, Hennessey
Michael Thomas, Lawton MacArthur
Coaches
Bob Ward, Thomas; Curtis Lorah, Elgin; Tracy Scott, Blanchard; Jeremy Dombek, Edmond North.
6A-2 All-District team
Here’s the 6A-2 All-District team. Have another districts awards? E-mail them to raber@opubco.com.
District 6A-2 All-District
Awards
Coach of the Year: Lance Manning, Edmond Santa Fe
Player of the Year: Casey Curtis, Putnam City
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Trevor Thompson, Westmoore
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Jarion Tudman, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Linebacker of the Year: Brendon Pitzer, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Conner Bays, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Archie Ocloolee, Westmoore
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Offensive Back of the Year: Jesse Mathews, Edmond North
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Cole Parsons, Edmond North
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Austin Bowling, Westmoore
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Tre Kelly, Edmond Santa Fe
Special Teams Player of the Year: Michael Ryan, Mustang
All-District team
Del City: Stephon Herd, WR; Josh McNaughton, DL; Jerel Jeten, DB; Larry Long, DB.
Edmond North: Jarion Tudman, RB; Jared Benway, RB; Cole Parsons, OL; Troy Davis, TE; Jesse Mathews, QB; Russell Sivard, DL; James Duncan, DL; Christian Contreass, DB; Regan Land, LB; Bryndan Pitzer, LB; Christian Peterson, DB.
Edmond Santa Fe: Tre Kelly, WR; Taylor Ashcraft, LB; Chris Carter, DL; Conner Bays, DB; Josh Crouch, DL; Zach Birts, DB; Michael Onuoha, DL; Brandon Roberts, OL; Chad Reitz, OL; Ryan Frazier, LB; Matt Freeman, K; Allston Hadley, OL.
Lawton: Brandon Bartlett, DeMarious Littles, Freddie Taito, Vincent Thomas, Corey Pilgrum, Adam Castro, Jacquan Beck, Dometreas Pyfer, Jordan Gouge.
Mustang: Arron Smith, OL; Derek Garvin, WR; A.J. Ashman, RB; Michael Ryan, K.
Putnam City: Casey Curtis, RB; Rontez Smith, TE; Anthony Hogg, DB; Damion Brown, DL; Elie Rushing, LB; Derrick Rovers, DL; Conner Nichols, TE; Jeff Tanner, DL.
U.S. Grant: Christian Nicholson, DE; Jacob Tavares, OL; Cory Hooks, RB; Derrick Young, DB.
Westmoore: Kyle Factor, DL; Trevor Thompson, QB; Austin Bowling, WR; Archie Ocloolee,. DB; Dalton Craig, WR; Preston Higgins, DL; Blake Martin, DB; Corey Lassiter, OL.
Picks: Week 9
Ryan picked up another game on Jason and Scott last week on the strenght of his pick of Lawton over Edmond North and Sallisaw over Hilldale. Only Scott missed his lock last week, missing on Wagoner-Catoosa.
Last week:
Ryan: 7-3, 1-0
Jason: 6-4, 1-0
Scott: 6-4, 0-1
Overall:
Ryan: 59-22, 7-1
Jason: 55-26, 6-2
Scott: 52-29, 6-2
Ryan:
Jenks 28, Broken Arrow 24
Edmond North 17, Edmond Santa Fe 14
Lawton 28, Putnam City 9
Norman 28, Muskogee 15
Tulsa Central 26, Coweta 17
Carl Albert 35, Deer Creek 26
Douglass 27, Glenpool 24
Anadarko 33, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 14
Wynnewood 20, Wayne 14
Lock of the Week: Carl Albert over Deer Creek. The Titans offense has steadily improved throughout the season and they have both the secondary speed to hold the Antlers’ receivers down and the front seven to get pressure on Deer Creek’s quarterback.
Jason:
Broken Arrow 27, Jenks 24
Edmond North 21, Edmond Santa Fe 17
Lawton 31, Putnam City 7
Norman 26, Muskogee 17
Tulsa Central 24, Coweta 14
Carl Albert 41, Deer Creek 14
Douglass 17, Glenpool 14
Anadarko 31, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 35, Bethany 14
Wayne 13, Wynnewood 10
Lock of the Week: Anadarko over Tuttle. The Tigers are always a tough, well-coached team under Phil Koons. I expect that Sheldon Wilson won’t be able to run wild like he has all year against Tuttle. But the Warriors, at home, will be too tough,
Scott:
Jenks 30, Broken Arrow 28
Edmond Santa Fe 21, Edmond North 20
Lawton 28, Putnam City 21
Norman 34, Muskogee 28
Tulsa Central 28, Coweta 24
Carl Albert 42, Deer Creek 24
Douglass 28, Glenpool 21
Anadarko 34, Tuttle 28
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 28
Wayne 27, Wynnewood 22
Lock of the Week: Norman over Muskogee. Norman is beyond motivated to finish this season strong after finding themselves facing potentially being left out of the playoffs. I’d look for a big day from Donovan Roberts, as well as the passing attack to give the Tigers momentum heading into the Week 10 battle with Jenks.
Picks: Week 8
Ryan had a big week last week, picking up three games on Jason and four on Scott after picking Kingfisher, Hennessey, Lawton Eisenhower and Weatherford correctly. All three of us missed out on Stillwater’s win over Owasso and Tulsa Kelley’s over Tulsa Washington.
Last week:
Ryan: 8-2, 1-0
Jason: 5-5, 1-0
Scott: 4-6, 1-0
Overall:
Ryan: 52-19, 6-1
Jason: 49-22, 5-2
Scott: 46-25, 6-1
Ryan:
Wagoner 21, Catoosa 18
Douglass 20, Harrah 17
Deer Creek-Lamont 26, Timberlake 20
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Weatherford 21, Tuttle 14
Broken Arrow 40, Norman 14
Lawton 21, Edmond North 20
Sallisaw 21, Hilldale 14
McGuinness 28, Piedmont 21
Putnam City 35, Westmoore 24
Lock of the week: Deer Creek-Lamont over Timberlake. DC-Lamont will finally get pushed but they come out on top in a possible state championship game preview.
Jason
Wagoner 31, Catoosa 21
Douglass 28, Harrah 21
Deer Creek-Lamont 42, Timberlake 30
Coweta 21, Pryor 14
Tuttle 17, Weatherford 10
Broken Arrow 42, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 14
Hilldale 24, Sallisaw 20
McGuinness 31, Piedmont 28
Westmoore 27, Putnam City21
Lock of the week: Westmoore over Putnam City. The Pirates have faced one really strong defense all year, Edmond North, and were shut down offensively. Westmoore’s defense has shown itself to be tough all season, and I think they can keep Casey Curtis in check and come away with the win.
Scott
Wagoner 23, Catoosa 20
Douglass 21, Harrah 14
Deer Creek-Lamont 48, Timberlake 33
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Tuttle 27, Weatherford 21
Broken Arrow 38, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 21
Hilldale 28, Sallisaw 27
McGuinness 21, Piedmont 17
Putnam City 30, Westmoore 24
Lock of the Week: Wagoner over Catoosa. This should be one heck of a ballgame, but I think Wagoner has the leadership, the experience and the talent to get back to the title game this year, maybe win it all. Guys like Kevin Peterson and Jeremy Applegate, among others, have been around long enough to help keep the team composed in a big game — and this is a huge one.
Picks: Week 6
Ryan lost a game to Jason and Scott last week with his pick of Commerce over Colcord. Everybody missed Broken Bow and Hilldale, but Ryan locked Broken Bow to lose his first lock of the week.
Last week
Jason: 8-2, 1-0
Scott: 8-2, 1-0
Ryan: 7-3, 0-1
Overall
Ryan: 37-13, 4-1
Scott: 37-13, 4-1
Jason: 37-13, 3-2
Ryan
Cascia Hall 14, Berryhill 7
Millwood 28, Jones 26
Norman North 28, Putnam North 24
Edmond North 35, Putnam City 34
Tulsa Union 38, Owasso 16
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 20
Lincoln Chr. 28, Vian 26
Comanche 26, Washington 20
Elk City 20, McGuinness 17
McAlester 38, Tulsa Kelley 20
Wynnewood 28, Rush Springs 14
Lock of the week: Wynnewood over Rush Springs. As things keep progressing in this district, I’m more and more convinced that the Wynnewood-Wayne matchup will determine the district champion.
Scott
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 14
Millwood 38, Jones 34
Putnam City North 24, Norman North 21
Putnam City 52, Edmond North 48
Tulsa Union 31, Owasso 21
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 24
Lincoln Christian 35, Vian 31
Comanche 27, Washington 24
Elk City 28, McGuinness 27
McAlester 24, Tulsa Kelley 14
Lock of the Week: Cascia Hall over Berryhill. Cascia looks like a team on a mission, still stinging from last year’s loss to Bethany in the playoffs. I think they move to 6-0 this week.
Jason
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 10
Millwood 31, Jones 24
Norman North 23, Putnam North 17
Edmond North 42, Putnam City 35
Tulsa Union 42, Owasso 24
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Central 21
Lincoln Chr. 31, Vian 28
Washington 20, Comanche 17
Bishop McGuinness 23, Elk City 20
McAlester 35, Tulsa Kelley 17
Wynnewood 24, Rush Springs 21
Lock of the week: Norman North over Putnam City North. Both of these proud programs are struggling this season, but I like the Timberwolves because of their running game. Norman North running back Bryan Payne has been good this season, and the Panthers’ run defense has been an Achilles’ heel.
Scott’s Weekend Rewind: Putnam City, Clinton show strength; Del City, Piedmont show promise
Putnam City's Casey Curtis has rushed for 1,016 yards and 21 touchdowns during the Pirates' 5-0 start this season.
I had the chance to cover a couple of interesting games over the weekend — one that felt like a blowout, but turned out to be a decent game, and one that looked like a blowout but felt much closer.
The Del City offense kept the Eagles in the game against Putnam City, which went on to win 56-34, while Piedmont’s defense kept the Wildcats close until Clinton got the snowball rolling in the fourth quarter and put the game away, 41-10.
What We Learned: Putnam City-Del City
Well, if you didn’t already know Casey Curtis was really good, you’re behind the game. How many high school running backs would like to have this stat line right now: 616 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s Curtis’ total for TWO of his five games this year. In all, he has 1,016 yards and 21 scores on just 105 carries.
But like I said, you should’ve already known Curtis could play. So here’s what I learned watching the Pirates on Thursday.
The offensive line isn’t big, but they do their jobs well. Teams are going to be loading the box against them all year, and the opponents just keep getting tougher. But the goal for the blockers is to keep their guy occupied long enough for Curtis to find a gap, then go look for somebody else. They don’t have to be overpowering, just technically sound.
Quarterback Devin White isn’t being asked to throw for 300 yards a night, and he runs the team well. He can run the ball, and throw when he needs to, which is the big key for taking a little pressure off Curtis, especially with the tougher schedule ahead.
Del City is more talented than its 0-5 record suggests, but some inconsistencies on both sides of the ball seemed to hinder them. They’d stop Curtis on four or five straight runs, then he’d break free untouched for 79 yards. The passing game would get going for a while, then a few throws would fall incomplete and take the momentum away.
But that type of stuff is typical of a young team, which Del City is. As they develop past those issues, the Eagles could be pretty good.
Piedmont's Cassius Calhoun gives the Wildcat offense a big-play threat in the backfield.
What We Learned: Clinton-Piedmont
Clinton is a complete team. Good balance on offense, with a rushing and passing attack that can hit big plays. The run game has both quickness and power. The defense has talent at all levels, with some good size up front and speed in the back.
How good can they be? Hard to say right now. I think Ryan Aber’s ranking of No. 4 in Class 4A is just about right, though they aren’t far off from what Douglass and Wagoner have shown.
Piedmont is one of the best teams around with only two wins right now. Christian Foster might be one of the best receivers you haven’t heard of, and keep an eye on Darius Burris.
Foster is only a junior, and made several big catches on Friday, including the Wildcats’ only TD. Burris is just a sophomore, and he’s probably a little undersized as a defensive lineman, but the kid just makes plays. He was all over the place making tackles on Friday. Very impressive.
When you add that talent to a solid offensive line, good running back with Division I potential in Cassius Clay, and a great leader at QB in Collin Bricker, you’ve got the makings of a playoff team. The district is tough, but this is a team that could make some noise. They’ll only keep getting better in coach Craig Church’s new system.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
