The team coaches have at No. 1 in the state, Tulsa Union, is at No. 15 in ESPN’s rankings.

Norman North had an impressive showing last week at the Palmetto Cup, a national soccer tournament in South Carolina, but couldn’t compete for the tournament championship because the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association only allowed it to play three games in the tourney.

One of North’s three wins in the Palmetto Cup was a 1-0 victory over Irmo (Columbia, S.C.), which entered the tournament ranked No. 1 by ESPN.

Norman North is 10-0 on the season entering tonight’s home game against Bishop McGuinness.

Senior Brandon Little Axe leads North with 16 goals this season.

Twenty minutes into its first game, senior leader Bryan Sanchez tore both of his ACLs.

“It was pretty tough on him,” said coach Jeff Lovett. “It was tough on the entire team. He was a senior, the captain and he had a great year for us last year.”

Sanchez’s injury was especially tough on him because his brother, junior Blake Sanchez, is the Bulldogs’ starting goalie.

“They were excited about playing together this year,” Lovett said.

Lovett said senior Jared Glenn has stepped up and provided leadership for the team. Glenn leads the team in goals.

Memorial is 2-4 this season entering Tuesday’s game at unbeaten U.S. Grant, but one loss was in a shootout, one was in overtime and another was by one goal in regulation.

Allison Worsham, right, is one of four Deer Creek soccer seniors who have signed to play in college. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO

EDMOND — Deer Creek’s girls’ soccer team learned a lot about itself in a humbling out-of-state tournament appearance last weekend.

The Antlers, who host Carl Albert on Tuesday, lost all three of their games at the Heart of America Classic in Kansas City, Mo., but senior Madison Smith said the games were good for her team.

“I thought we did good for the most part against the teams we played,” Smith said.

The tournament features several of the top girls’ soccer teams in middle America. For Deer Creek, it was a chance to play tougher competition.

The Antlers entered the tournament having won each of its last three games 10-0.

“(We learned) the levels of experience on the team,” Smith said. “There’s some pretty wide gaps; we have some freshmen trying to step into important roles.”

At the top, though, Deer Creek has lots of talent and experience. Smith has signed to play college soccer at Oklahoma, and fellow seniors Roman Edwards (Tulsa), Allison Worsham (Oklahoma City) and Maddie Windham (Oklahoma Baptist) will also play at the next level.

The Antlers were the Class 5A runner-up a year ago, and now their focus is squarely on finishing the job in 2012.

“I think all of the seniors have that desire,” Smith said. “I think last year we lacked that, and sometimes that’s how you lose championships — you have talent but not that desire. But now we have that extra hard work on top of everything. We’re coming together pretty good.”

Tuesday, the Antlers will face Carl Albert, which started the season slow but has won four straight games.

“I’m competitive and I want to win terribly bad,” Smith said of Tuesday’s game.

Edmond North soccer player Britani Soesbee is injured. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN

Edmond North’s girls soccer team, which has won two straight Class 6A state titles, has won four straight matches to open district play entering Tuesday’s contest at Yukon.

North is playing without senior midfielder Britani Soesbee, a USAO signee who is injured and will be out another couple weeks, Flanders said.

Thursday, the Huskies will head to Kansas City, Mo., to play in the Heart of America Classic, which will feature several top teams from eight different states.

“It will be a great bonding experience,” said Edmond North coach Theresa Flanders. “It comes at the right time — in the middle of district, right as we’re trying to start peaking. It’s a great time for coaches and players to come together.”

Edmond North opens Thursday at 6:45 against Ray-Pec (Peculiar, Mo).

The Huskies are one of six Oklahoma teams competing in the Classic, along with Norman North, Deer Creek, Jenks, Tulsa Bishop Kelley and Tulsa Union.

Deer Creek opens Thursday at 4:45 p.m. against Lee’s Summit (Mo.), while Norman North begins Friday at 3:45 p.m. against Lee’s Summit West.

6A Boys

West

Oscar Barcenas, Mustang; Ren Caldwell, Choctaw; Luis Carrasco, US Grant; Will Conant, Edmond Memorial; Matt Eckart, Norman; Joshua Garcia, US Grant; Jonathan Hernandez, Putnam City North; Cody Inger, Lawton; Tyler Jester, Lawton; Matt King, Midwest City; Trevor Laffoon, Norman North; Alec Lee, Norman; Nick Lovett, Edmond North; Conner McElveen, Edmond Memorial; Matthew McLain, Yukon; David Nelson, Norman; Jacob Rangel, Putnam City North; Calum Roberts, Yukon; Will Smith, Norman North; Jacob Strassle, Mustang; Jaimie Arnold, Shawnee; George Christie, Yukon

East

Chandler Bennett, Bartlesville; Joel Cordell, Muskogee; Zac Dietert, Bixby; Geoffrey Fries, Broken Arrow; Joshua Fuhrman, Jenks; Sam Guernsey, Broken Arrow; Thomas Gunter, Tulsa Union; Lucas Hess, Stillwater; Kevin Kolibas, Bixby; Andrew LeHew, Broken Arrow; Carson Lynn, Putnam City; J. P. Maciel, Enid; Jordan McIntosh, Jenks; Griffith Poindexter, Tulsa Union; Tyler Rector, Owasso; Kristian Rodriguez, Enid; Michael Shanahan, Edmond Santa Fe; Jimmy Stillson, Owasso; Parker Sturgeon, Bartlesville; Adam Wagner, Edmond Santa Fe

6A Girls

West

Brooke DeGraffenreid, Putnam City North; Taylor Fitzgerald, Norman North; Taylor Gbur, Choctaw; Rachel Hare, Norman North; Abby Hodgen, Mustang; Alissa Jones, Mustang; Jennifer Lang, Lawton; Devon Legaard, Edmond North; Morgan Martinez, Edmond Memorial; Tina Martinez, US Grant; Alexis Richards, Westmoore; Brandi Shuffield, Norman; Peyton Summers, Moore; Chelsea Swisher, Westmoore; Shelby Teel, Norman; Renee Tipton, Edmond North; Mia Vabolis, Westmoore; Megan Wilkerson, Yukon

East

Randa Castleberry, Stillwater; Rachel Coen, Owasso; Katie Edge, Edmond Santa Fe; Allie Glazner, Edmond Santa Fe; Ashley Gordon, Sapulpa; Rachel Harris, Owasso; Jordan Hull, Ponca City; Kenzie Karnish, Ponca City; Abbey Lewis, Jenks; Shelbi Lousch, Sapulpa; Amber Markham, Southmoore; Bella McCorvey, Bartlesville; Cori Parkins, Broken Arrow; Paige Patterson, Jenks; Kaci Power, Bixby; Miriam Rhinehart, Tulsa Union; Sarah Sabala, Putnam City; Kaci Smarinsky, Tulsa Union; Caitlyn Thorpe, Ponca City; Paige Wikle, Stillwater; Courtney Williams, Broken Arrow

5A Boys

West

Jorge Arreola, NW Classen; Ethan Berney, Bishop McGuinness; David Borum, Carl Albert; Jose Caldera, Capitol Hill; Bryce Correra, Altus; Benjamin Franks, Durant; Nathan Gerdts, Chickasha; Lucas Gillette, Duncan; Ace Hall, Lawton MacArthur; Erick Hernandez, Chickasha; Zane Klein, Lawton MacArthur; Justin Laub, Altus; Blake Lawson, Deer Creek; Ronald Lucas, Ada; Rey Mata, Durant; Shawn McLaws, Deer Creek; Luis Meza, Capitol Hill; Connor Moore, Carl Albert; Nick Pugh, Harrah; Antonio Zamarripa, NW Classen

East

Adam Edgren, Pryor; Antonio Escobedo, Tulsa East Central; Bryce Fugate, Skiatook; Zachary Fuller, Collinsville; Seth Havenstrite, Claremore; Matthew Henry, Tulsa Kelley; Jose Martinez, Booker T. Washington; Patrick McIntosh, Tulsa Memorial; Max Moller, Tulsa Kelley; Ivan Nava, Tahlequah; Seun Olaniran, Tulsa Washington; Juan Peralta, Tulsa East Central; Ruben Quezada, Tahlequah; Thomas Ritchie, Tulsa Kelley; Jose Saldivar, Tulsa Washington; Joseph Smith, Skiatook; DJ Spencer, Tulsa Memorial; Bajram Veselaj, Pryor

5A Girls

West

Abbey Akin, Bishop McGuinness; Susana Becerra, Capitol Hill; Kendra Boydstun, Durant; Cheyenne Caraway, Durant; Brianna Choat, Harrah; Alexa Gonce, Bishop McGuinness; Kristina Gonzalez, Ada; Emily Hartshorn, Deer Creek; Aurora Hernandez, Altus; Taylor James, El Reno; Marlie Laferr, Chickasha; Paloma Ochoa, NW Classen, Olivia Polynice, Lawton MacArthur; Ericka Ramirez, NW Classen; Alyssa Ramsey, Carl Albert; Laura Reihart, Ada; Ashleigh Story, Deer Creek; Rachel Tonseth, Bishop McGuinness; Sarah Zeckser, Carl Albert; Rachael Zuccarelli, Altus

East

Avery Boyd, Tulsa Washington; Eva Drew, Tulsa Washington; Sarah Duffy, Tulsa Kelley; Morgan Elliott, Coweta; Chloe Fennell, Tahlequah; Brooke Gassett, Claremore; Peyton Gilbert, Tulsa Memorial; Kaitlen Goddard, Tulsa Kelley; Annie Hull, Tulsa Edison; Yessenia Medina, Tulsa East Central; Stacia Mouse, Coweta; Shay Nash, Skiatook; Melanie Paris, Tahlequah; Lauren Strain, Pryor; Natalie Swingle, Grove; Miranda Thorne, Claremore; Kimberly Utley, Skiatook; Alicia Zuern, Tulsa Washington

4A Boys

West

Logan Brewer, Weatherford; Pedro Briones, Santa Fe South; Jorge Fuentes, Madill; Cody Gray, Heritage Hall; Ruben Gutierrez, Clinton; Taylor Kincanon, Weatherford; Kyle McGoffin, St. Mary; Saul Pina, Clinton; Luis Preciado, Santa Fe South; Sergio Ramirez, Madill; Justice Rheaume, Elk City; Blake Riojas, Newcastle; Jonathan Schlegel, Cache; Marlio Sevilla, Santa Fe South; Cesar Sinecio, Guymon; Gala Soe, Guymon; Zach Stoner, Heritage Hall; Tony Tasetano, St. Mary; Zak Tuggle, Weatherford; Daniel Valdovinos, Harding Charter Prep

East

Cody Albright, Catoosa; Davis Boatright, Metro Christian; Kyle Brown, Verdigris; Alec Brunson, Oologah; Christopher Butler, Cascia Hall; Kris Carroll, Verdigris; Nicholas Daniel, Fort Gibson; Alex Field, Cascia Hall; Trey Flick, Miami; Christian Keller, Stilwell; Forrest Kinney, Fort Gibson; Nic  Lopez, Cascia Hall; Jesus Martinez, Tulsa Webster; Tyler Maxville, Commerce; Brett McVey, Westville; Tristan Mendoza, Wagoner; Ryan Patrick, Fort Gibson; Adam Schmoker, Catoosa; Jordan Schmoker, Catoosa; Tyler Sourjohn, Miami; Joshua Stites, Tulsa Webster; John Weidman, Metro Christian

4A Girls

West

Ciara Arriaga, Clinton; Kaycee Beard, Madill; Chenell Bowers, Guymon; Taler Campbell, Newcastle; Gabrielle Costilla, Guymon; Stephanie Easterly, Oklahoma Christian; Kelsie Gerlach, Cordell; Jana Hardin, Cordell; Elizabeth Jackson, Cache; Kahdeja Henry, Santa Fe South; Laiken Knight, Newcastle; Emily Lee, St. Mary; Izabel Martinez, Elk City; Carson Mathis, Heritage Hall; Whitney Nickel, Cordell; Shy Pullum, Clinton; Aaron Quirk, McLoud; Teresa Ramos, Weatherford; Macy Redwine, Bethany; Magen Verkler, Kingfisher

East

Taylor Allen, Catoosa; Kelsey Allen, Catoosa; Danielle Avis, Metro Christian; Sarah Brekke, Cascia Hall; Danielle Burgess, Catoosa; Cierra Daugherty, Miami; Melanie Fallis, Cascia Hall; Abigail Hahn, Verdigris; Emily Hahn,Verdigris; Tiffany Hale, Westville; Ashlie Holmes, Glenpool; Kaci Hutchinson, Oologah; Ashlee Jaubert, Sequoyah-Claremore; Lindsay Johnson, Oologah; Julia Lapo, Metro Christian; Brittaney Montgomery, Verdigris; Brittney Roberts, Mannford; Libby Schofield, Fort Gibson; Rebekah Stewart, Miami; Amanda Watashe, Glenpool

Class 5A
Tuesday
Semifinals
Boys
Tulsa Kelley 3, Lawton MacArthur 1
Deer Creek 3, Tulsa East Central 1
Girls
Tulsa Kelley 1, McGuinness 0
Deer Creek 5, Coweta 1
Saturday
At Bixby
Championship
Boys: Deer Creek vs. Tulsa Kelley, 1 p.m.
Girls: Deer Creek vs. Tulsa Kelley, 3 p.m.

Class 4A
Tuesday
Semifinals
Boys
Cascia Hall 2, Santa Fe South 0
St. Mary 3, Catoosa 2 (OT)
Girls
Verdigris 3, Newcastle 0
Catoosa 1, Elk City
Friday
At Tulsa University
Championship
Boys: Cascia Hall 2, St. Mary 0
Saturday
At Tulsa University
Championship
Girls: Verdigris vs. Catoosa, 3 p.m.

Soccer
Class 6A
Boys
Quarterfinals
Norman 1, Edmond Memorial 0
Jenks 3, Tulsa Union 1
Broken Arrow 2, Owasso 0
Norman North 1, Mustang 0
Semifinals
Tuesday
Jenks at Norman
Norman North at Broken Arrow
Girls
Quarterfinals
Edmond North 4, Yukon 0
Broken Arrow 2, Jenks 0
Tulsa Union 1, Owasso 0
Mustang 2, Norman North 1
Semifinals
Tuesday
Edmond North at Broken Arrow
Mustang at Tulsa Union

Class 5A
Boys
Quarterfinals
Lawton MacArthur 1, Northwest Classen 0
Tulsa Kelley 11, Skiatook 1
Tulsa East Central 4, Tulsa Washington 1
Deer Creek 2, Southeast 0
Semifinals
Tuesday
Tulsa Kelley at Lawton Mac
Deer Creek at Tulsa East Central
Girls
Quarterfinals
Bishop McGuinness 5, Durant 0
Tulsa Kelley 5, Tulsa Washington 0
Coweta 1, Claremore 0 (2 OT)
Deer Creek 6, Carl Albert 0
Semifinals
Tuesday
Tulsa Kelley at McGuinness
Deer Creek at Coweta

Class 4A
Boys
Quarterfinals
St. Mary 3, Madill 1
Catoosa 4, Metro Christian 1
Cascia Hall 3, Poteau 1
Santa Fe South 4, Bethany 0
Semifinals
Tuesday
St. Mary at Catoosa
Santa Fe South at Cascia Hall
Girls
Quarterfinals
Newcastle 5, Clinton 1
Verdigris 5, Glenpool 0
Catoosa 1, Cascia Hall 0
Elk City 1, Bethany 0 (OT)
Semifinals
Tuesday
Verdigris at Newcastle
Elk City at Catoosa

Class 5A
Boys
First Round
Lawton MacArthur 5, McGuinness 2
Northwest Classen 5, Carl Albert 0
Tulsa Kelley 7, Tulsa Memorial 0
Skiatook 4, Tahlequah 2
Tulsa Washington 3, Pryor 0
Tulsa East Central 3, Tulsa Edison 0
Deer Creek 8, Durant 0
Southeast 2, Altus 0
Quarterfinals
Friday
NW Classen at Lawton Mac
Skiatook at Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa East Central at Tulsa Washington
Southeast at Deer Creek
Girls
First Round
Durant 5, Harrah 1
Bishop McGuinness 7, Chickasha 0
Tulsa Kelley 10, Tahlequah 0
Tulsa Washington 3, Skiatook 0
Coweta 2, Pryor 0
Claremore 2, Tulsa Edison 1
Deer Creek 10, Noble 0
Carl Albert 6, Northwest Classen 0
Quarterfinals
Friday
McGuinness at Durant
Tulsa Washington at Tulsa Kelley
Claremore at Coweta
Carl Albert at Deer Creek

Class 4A
Boys
First Round
Madill 3, Weatherford 2
St. Mary 4, OKC Dove Science 2
Metro Christian 1, Oologah 0
Catoosa 6, Heavener 1
Cascia Hall 5, Sequoyah-Claremore 0
Poteau 3, Fort Gibson 2 (OT)
Santa Fe South 5, Heritage Hall 0
Bethany 2, Classen 1 (2OT)
Quarterfinals
Friday
Madill at St. Mary
Catoosa at Metro Christian
Poteau at Cascia Hall
Bethany at Santa Fe South
Girls
First Round
Clinton 5, Classen 0
Newcastle 3, Heritage Hall 0
Glenpool 3, Metro Christian 2
Verdigris 8, Wagoner 0
Cascia Hall 1, Westville 0 (OT)
Catoosa 2, Sequoyah-Claremore 1
Elk City 3, Oklahoma Christian School 0
Bethany 2, Cache 1
Quarterfinals
Friday
Newcastle at Clinton
Glenpool at Verdigris
Catoosa at Cascia Hall
Elk City at Bethany

Class 5A Soccer

Girls

First Round

May 3

Harrah at Durant

Chickasha at Bishop McGuinness

Tahlequah at Tulsa Kelley

Skiatook at Tulsa Washington

Pryor at Coweta

Tulsa Edison at Claremore

Noble at Deer Creek

Northwest Classen at Carl Albert 

Class 5A Soccer
Boys
First Round
May 3
Bishop McGuinness at Lawton MacArthur
Carl Albert at Northwest Classen
Tulsa Memorial at Tulsa Kelley
Skiatook at Tahlequah
Pryor at Tulsa Washington
Tulsa Edison at Tulsa East Central
Durant at Deer Creek
Southeast at Altus

Girls
Play-in Round
April 29
Game 1: St. Mary at Classen
Game 2: Woodward at Heritage Hall
Game 3: Glenpool at Inola
Game 4: Wagoner at Keys (Parkhill)
Game 5: Westville at Mannford
Game 6: Oologah at Catoosa
Game 7: Cordell at Elk City
Game 8: Harding Charter Prep at Cache
First Round
May 3
Winner Game 1 at Clinton
Winner Game 2 at Newcastle
Winner Game 3 at Metro Christian
Winner Game 4 at Verdigris
Winner Game 5 at Cascia Hall
Winner Game 6 at Sequoyah-Claremore
Winner Game 7 at Oklahoma Christian School
Winner Game 8 at Bethany

Girls
First Round
May 3
Edmond Memorial at Edmond North
Yukon at Westmoore
Sapulpa at Jenks
Bixby at Broken Arrow
Southmoore at Tulsa Union
Edmond Santa Fe at Owasso
Putnam City North at Mustang
Norman North at Norman

If you have any, send ‘em this way (bprzybylo@opubco.com).

First up? Deer Creek. The Antlers had four (two boys, two girls) sign to play soccer.

Deer Creek's Emily Hartshorn (Middle Tennessee), Blake Lawson (West Texas A&M), Arianna Pugliese (UCO) and Shawn McLaws (Coastal Carolina).

Oh yea, it’s not in football, though. Bishop McGuinness junior Elyse Hight has verbally committed to play soccer at Notre Dame.

I know Hight as the dominant post presence for the Irish girls basketball team, but she made her name first as the goalkeeper. She was being recruited by various schools at both sports but decided she wanted to stay ‘Irish.’

“I’m excited about joining the Irish in the future,” Hight said. “It’s a great opportunity to play for Notre Dame’s soccer team and attend the university.”

If going to ND wasn’t enough, the soccer program has never been hotter. The Irish won the national championship last year, defeating top-ranked Stanford in the title game. That path to the championship was paved on the road with five wins away from South Bend, Ind.

Hight attended Notre Dame’s soccer camp last summer and fared well, being named to the camp’s All-Star team. She was already one of the state’s best goalkeepers as a sophomore and that shouldn’t change this year.

Coming off the heels of Signing Day, yep, we have to wait a long time before Hight can officially sign with Notre Dame.

Is it already time for OSSAA board meetings? Yes, summer is officially over.

A couple of things in looking at the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting: the ADM will be up for approval.

I’ve heard some rumblings about some minor changes. However, any minor change might affect one school in a huge way. The biggest thing I’ve heard is Washington will be moved up to 3A instead of being the top dog in 2A.

We’ll see.

And of course, it will be very intriguing to see what happens with the two Verdigris girls soccer championships.

The Cardinals were ruled to have two players ineligible because of dual residency their junior and senior years and had to forfeit all wins the last two years.

Executive secretary Ed Sheakley said when it happened that deciding what to do with the championships would be extremely tough because any team that lost to Verdigris in the playoffs the last two years has a legitimate beef about being the champion.

And there are plenty of appeals scheduled. The most publicized one is at Idabel with K.J. Rucker. Right now, the senior star is ineligible for seven games because of violations that happened in his sophomore year.

Add that with two-a-days starting up, and we are officially back in session.

For the complete agenda, here ya go.

The OSSAA has ruled the Verdigris girls soccer team must forfeit its back-to-back state championships because a pair of players have been deemed ineligible because of dual residency.

Because of the ruling by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, all games in which the sisters played had to be forfeited, including playoff games that came out to be 33 total games.

The sisters and their family owned a home and resided within the school district during both seasons, Verdigris school officials said in a press release. While awaiting job-related transfers, the parents continued to work and reside part time in the Houston area, which by OSSAA rule constitutes a dual residence.

“We recently learned of it and asked Verdigris to investigate it,” OSSAA executive secretary Ed Sheakley said. “I would like to applaud the way the Verdigris administration handled things. They were very cooperative.”

Verdigris defeated Sequoyah-Claremore for this year’s title and beat Metro Christian for the 2009 title.

Verdigris superintendent Mike Payne said the situation and ruling was “unfortunate and devastating for our team, school and community.”

Sheakley said the OSSAA has not decided what it will do with the two championships. That matter will be addressed at the next Board of Directors meeting Aug. 10.

“We don’t know what we’re going to do yet,” Sheakley said. “All of the teams that got beat by them along the way in the playoffs could lay claim to being the champion.”

Sheakley said the OSSAA did not have to do too much in this matter as the Verdigris administration conducted a thorough investigation.

“They knew they were at fault,” Sheakley said. “They said, ‘we are going to comply and take ownership.’”

The players had attended elementary school in Verdigris prior to a job-related move, the school said. The family was to be transferred back to Oklahoma in the fall of 2008. The family decided to begin the academic school year at Verdigris in expectation of the family’s upcoming move but the transfers were delayed.

*Tulsa World reporter Eric Bailey contributed to this report

REGION III US Youth Soccer Championships
Baton Rouge, LA
Friday’s games involving Oklahoma teams

BOYS
U14: Lonestar (TX) 96 Red 3, TSC-96 Red (OK) 0
U15: Brentwood (TN) 95 Premier 1, OFC 95 (OK) 0
U16: TSC 94 Black (OK) 3, Dallas Texans San Antonio 94 Red (TX) 0
U17: Celtic 93 Green (OK) 4, KFC Crush 93 Blue (TN) 1; TSC 93 Red (OK) 1, DFW Tejanos 93 Premier (TX) 0
U18: 92 Louisiana Fire Red (LA) 2, Celtic 92 Green (OK) 1; OFC 92 (OK) 6, Dallas Texans Houston 92 Red (TX) 1
U19: Tulsa Soccer Club (OK) 2, Louisiana Fire (LA) 2

GIRLS
U14: East Lake Arsenal (FL) 3, OFC 96 (OK) 0
U15: Hurricane 95 Rhein (OK) 2, BUSA 95 Elite (AL) 0
U16: Solar Red 94 (TX) 2, North OKC OFC 94 (OK) 0
U17: Hurricane FC 93 Shubert (OK) 4, Mandeville Lakers (LA) 0
U18: 91 TFC Navy (NC) 4, Hurricane FC 92 Cussen (OK) 1

Fort Gibson's Jamie Orr makes it official. Photo provided

Once you hit spring, it’s always that time of year for signings, and we’ve been flooded with them. If you know of any, don’t hesitate to ship them along to any of us. And if you have a photo from the ceremony, go ahead and send it.

Here’s one from Fort Gibson as soccer standout Jamie Orr will play for Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee.

Orr, a defender, was All-State honorable mention and All-District while leading Fort Gibson, under coach Gabe Ellis, to the state quarterfinals and a 13-2 overall record.

Orr plans to major in missions and journalism at OBU.

Orr said she chose OBU because, “Everyone has close relationships with each other and with God, which will help me in my own walk of faith.”

Here ya go:

The Oklahoma All-State soccer rosters have been released for games that will be played June 10-12 at Sand Springs High School.

Class 4A boys and girls will play on Thursday, followed by 5A on Friday and 6A on Saturday.

The girls begin at 6 p.m., and the boys play at 8 p.m. each day. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.

6A Boys
West
Josh Thomas, Mustang; Edgar Pineda, Mustang; Irvin Rocha, US Grant; Luis Ruiz, US Grant; Kevin Cabello, Putnam North; Matt Bray, Putnam North; Bryan Byars, Putnam North; Blake Rodgers, Yukon; Colby Anderson, Shawnee; Jacob Stivers, Edmond Memorial; Stuart Turnipseed, Edmond Memorial; Khalil Benalioulhaj, Norman North; Cole Adkins, Norman North; Ian Sanders, Edmond North; George Jackson, Edmond North; Adam Salas, Putnam West; Dylan Farmer, Lawton Eisenhower; Ray Clark, Norman; Dacota Sanor, Norman; Cal Cornwell, Norman.

East
Matt Mason, Bartlesville; Garron Hayes, Tulsa Union; Santos Rosales, Edmond Santa Fe; Ricky Tran, Southmoore; John Beckman, Stillwater; Andrew Quinn, Bartlesville; Devin Wanner, Putnam City; Omar Mata, Tulsa Union; Carl Salazar, Broken Arrow; Ryan Sanders, Broken Arrow; Brandon Reed, Owasso; Drew Hall, Edmond Santa Fe; Bobby Behrens, Sand Springs; Austin Stephenson, Ponca City; Ryan Cochran, Owasso; James Gross, Jenks; Michael Diaz, Muskogee; Hector Herrera, Bartlesville; Max Krapff, Bixby; Brian Keester, Jenks.

6A Girls
West
Bailey Boulware, Mustang; Kasey Phipps, Mustang; Madison Hillis, Edmond Memorial; Katelyn Howard, Norman North; Sherri Collins, Edmond North; Hayley Harryman, Edmond North; Carley Yates, Edmond North; Jennifer Wallace, Westmoore; Caycee McKee, Shawnee; Somer Helms, Yukon; Chandler Murphy, Norman; Lisa Hinkle, Putnam North; Ashley Bechtold, Putnam North; Jordan Taylor, Norman; Meghan McMahon, Putnam North; Elizabeth Wardlow, Yukon; Jordan Parsons, Shawnee; Rochelle Bohuslavicky, Edmond Memorial; Allison Swyden, Westmoore; Kelsey Visor, Moore.

East
Jenna Taylor, Bartlesville; Jessica Sisney, Broken Arrow; Jessica Phillips, Bartlesville; Brooke Hinch, Jenks; Alex Comer, Stillwater; Kelsey Killion, Broken Arrow; Heather Roach, Sapulpa; Cayli St. Gemme, Owasso; Blair Huffman, Jenks; Emily Megee, Bartlesville; Natalie Crosslin, Bixby; Allison Bonner, Edmond Santa Fe; Meredith Thornton, Bixby; Shelby Martin, Tulsa Union; Jennifer Abernathy, Tulsa Union; Erin Bechtel, Ponca City; Tatum Lynn, Putnam City; Haley Boettier, Southmoore; Bradi Hinch, Jenks; Savannah Torres, Ponca City; Miriam Poole, Bartlesville; Taylor Brooks, Owasso.

5A Boys
West
Elias Smirlis, Deer Creek; Magdi Ismail, NW Classen; Matt Anderson, Western Heights; Piero Valmassoi, Chickasha; Josh Torres, Chickasha; Chris Cudjo, McGuinness; Michael O’Hare, McGuinness; Ari D’Acunha, Harrah; Quyen Bahn, NW Classen; Cole Mount, Deer Creek; Keinan Smith, McGuinness; Jordan Coleman, Durant; Mathew Levenson, Lawton MacArthur; Jonathan Constantino, Capitol Hill; Benito Olvera, Capitol Hill; Dillon Stupka, Carl Albert; Timothy Thomson, Carl Albert; Brandon Alt, Lawton MacArthur; Jose Gomez, Altus; Hunter Murphree, Durant.

East
Preston Langholz, Tulsa Washington; Adam Richardson, Claremore; Jake Litterell, Claremore; Fernando Casarrubias, Tulsa Rogers; Luis Penaloz, Tulsa Memorial; Ramin Rahmani, Tahlequah; Jack Miller, Tulsa Washington; Luke Hydrick, Tulsa Edison; Oscar Ruvalcaba, Tulsa East Central; Marshall Gilbert, Tulsa Memorial; Chris Rice, Tahlequah; Tyler Cates, Claremore; Sam Diacon, Tulsa Washington; Tony Her, Collinsville; Robert Simpson, Tulsa Kelley; Marvin Escalante, Tulsa East Central; R. Walker Botts, Grove; Correy Whoolery, Guthrie; Alex Tecle, Coweta; Kyle Craft, Tulsa Kelley.

5A Girls
West
Taylor Ellis, Carl Albert; Lauren Snyder, Deer Creek; Kathryn Perry, McGuinness; Mayra Balderas, Capitol Hill; Camila Carranza, Harrah; Ali Vaughan, McGuinness; Brittany Coxsey, Durant; Ariel Bayatfar, Ada; Jordan Brittian, Noble; Gina Mengwasser, Deer Creek; Ashlee Cunningham, Harrah; Kayla Brown, Chickasha; Ashley Martinez, Altus; Amely Anderson, Lawton MacArthur; Miranda Davis, Lawton MacArthur; Courtney Worsham, Deer Creek; Jordyn Richards, Altus; Amy DeLeon, NW Classen; Michelle Hidrogo, NW Classen.

East
Bailey Franklin, Tulsa Edison; Brittany Pearsall, Pryor; Ashley Womack, Guthrie; Kaitlin Hannaford, Tulsa Edison; Mykal Brogan, Skiatook; Amy Petrikin, Tulsa Kelley; Claire Walker, Tulsa Washington; Sydney Penrod, Guthrie; Saige Truhn, Tulsa East Central; Lindsay Lofton, Skiatook; Kailey Pettay, Claremore; Courtney Walker, Coweta; Jordan Harris, Claremore; Sabrina Hale, Tulsa Memorial; Tara Garrett, Claremore; Kristen Kelley, Tulsa Kelley; Grace Walker, Tulsa Washington; Christina Horkey, Tulsa Memorial; Mandy McCrory, Tulsa Kelley.

4A Boys
West
Ramiro Becerra, Santa Fe South; Austin Smith, Heritage Hall; Mac McDaniel, Oklahoma Christian; Jake Baker, Newcastle; Andrew Middleton, Classen; Ricardo Vasquez, Guymon; Alvin Aldaz, Elk City; Derek Martinez, Madill; Alex Laughlin, Bethany; Omar Mesta, Guymon; Roberto Guardian, Madill; Grannon Billingsley, Cache; Gabriel Hernandez, Santa Fe South; Konner King, Bethany; Steve Rodriguez, Clinton; Kedrin Coleman, Woodward; Nic Leppke, Cordell; Kevin Morales, Woodward; Manny Garcia, Woodward; Kenny Johnson, Weatherford.

East
Aaron Miller, Fort Gibson; Patrick Harman, Poteau; Ethan DeLano, Miami; Ryan Piper, Summit Christian; Dustin Howard, Catoosa; Tyler Hanslovan, Verdigris; Casey West, Fort Gibson; Andrew Stone, Cascia Hall; Chase Ford, Poteau; Will Spears, Metro Christian; Marco Hernandez, Verdigris; Samuel Duininck, Summit Christian; Kyle Rice, Webster; Michael Burma, Oologah; Matt Boyle, Cascia Hall; Joel Penner, Wagoner; Hunter Muskrat, Stilwell; Jeremiah Sheppard, Metro Christian; Joshua Hewitt, Wagoner; Quenton Quiroz, Miami.

4A Girls
West
Kerri Courtney, McLoud; Hope Hall, Elk City; Hillary Hardin, Weatherford; Brittany Jefferson, Clinton; Sita Alarcon, Kingfisher; Katie Portman, Heritage Hall; Stephanie Borjas, Santa Fe South; Maria Flores, Madill; Meridith Harris, Heritage Hall; Lauren Klein, Weatherford; Ines Ramirez-Cibes, Cache; Candace Odom, Elk City; Jessica Hopkins, Bethany; Elizabeth Balderas, Santa Fe South; Christiana Hendrick, Bethany; Michelle Medina, Crooked Oak; Ava Puckett, Classen; Shayla Bowers, Guymon; Mackenzie Barnes, Oklahoma Christian; Ashley Winchester, Madill

East
Stephanie Doherty, Stilwell; Lyndzey Goff, Glenpool; Addie Tipton, Metro Christian; Cara Thompson, Porter; Magen Lawrence, Stilwell; Tiffany Russell, Fort Gibson; Hillary O’Dell, Metro Christian; Mallary Schaub, Verdigris; Brianna Shamblin, Miami; Kristin Bunch, Verdigris; Whitney Brannan, Victory Christian; Rachel Nunez, Fort Gibson; Shayla Beene, Porter; Cassandra Pearce, Sequoyah-Claremore; Halen Borron, Oologah; Jordan Johnston, Metro Christian; Hailey Haynes, Sequoyah-Claremore; Kathryn Sunny, Catoosa; Megan Toppins, Summit Christian; Rachel Hunter, Glenpool.

 Five players from the Norman North boys soccer team, which won the Class 6A state championship Saturday, were selected to the District 6A-2 West all-district team.

 Will Smith, Gus Jenson, Trevor Laffoon, JT Harrison and Taylor McCauley gave the T-Wolves the most players of any school selected to the team. All five players are juniors.

 Smith led the state in scoring with 24 goals and scored the game-winner in Norman North’s final three games, including the state final.

 Mustang had four players on the squad in Denny Landrum, Drew McElhaney, John Anderson and Jacob Strassle. Edmond Memorial’s Stuart Turnipseed, Jacob Stivers and Ty Stukey also made the team.

 The rest of the squad is made up of Joshua Garcia and Martin Ochoa of US Grant, Eduardo Caballeros of Putnam City West, Taylor Vanderford of Westmoore, Chris Issac of Lawton Eisenhower and Shawnee’s Colby Anderson.

If you read my Edmond post earlier today, well, get ready for another copout. No Private Schools Player of the Week because we had championships and great outings left and right in this final week.

Who did you think deserved it?

I could have went with the Oklahoma Christian School boys golf team. The Saints were beyond dominant, winning by 66 strokes. Jackson Ogle was great, winning the individual championship. Rustin Purser had the hole-in-one on No. 5, what more could you want?

Well, Heritage Hall did all it could as the Chargers claimed the 3A championship. And Bogert’s boys held off Cascia Hall by 19 strokes.

Max Meyers was tied for fourth while Michael Helton was sixth and Bennett Beard was tied for eighth to lead Heritage, and it was the only class to go the full three rounds.

In soccer, the Irish girls had a dream season but fell short. McGuinness had beaten Bishop Kelley earlier in the season but the Comets earned a 3-1 win in the championship final.

Really good season for the girls, paced by Abbey Akin and Alexa Gonce as the primary goal-scorers with one of the better goalkeepers in the state in Elyse Hight.

To tennis we went where it was a great end of the season for the McGuinness doubles team of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft.

The duo capped a great season with a state championship, beating Bishop Kelley in straight sets on a wild, delayed weekend.

Heritage had two runners-up and two third-place finishes to end up third as a team. Any other team would be thrilled with that, but the Chargers and Dick Villaflor always expect more. The Saints came out of nowhere to place fourth as well.

So really, who would you give it to? OCS boys golf? Heritage boys golf? McGuinness’ Byrne and Kraft? Not an easy answer. Kudos to all.

No Edmond Player of the Week this time around. I mean how am I supposed to choose in what was some fabulous results across the board for the Edmond squads?

We started last week with golf and that meant another title for Edmond North.

The Huskies, led by Austen Fuller, won their sixth consecutive team championship by six strokes over Norman North.

However, Memorial joined in on the fun as Taylor Moore ended up as the individual champion, beating Fuller by three strokes. And Santa Fe actually finished ahead of Memorial with Cody Reed and Matt Helms leading the way.

Over in 5A, Ian Davis of Deer Creek was solid but was three strokes off of being in the fun playoff. Davis, of course, is headed to Oklahoma State.

In baseball, three Edmond squads made state (Deer Creek, Memorial, Santa Fe) but unfortunately for their followers none of them won a championship or made the championship game.

Did we overestimate how good the West was or underestimate how good the East is?

Soccer, always a bridesmaid, never a bride – NO MORE. The Edmond North girls finally got that elusive state championship as Courtney Dike scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Union at Broken Arrow.

They end their phenomenal season at 17-1 and without losing to an in-state opponent.

We went to tennis Monday where North earned its first team title in seven years, paced by championships by Nate Roper and the doubles team of Alex Mathieson and Baylor Spring.

And who did they need to beat? Memorial. The Bulldogs had three finalists but couldn’t pull out any titles and placed second in the team battle.

Then track closed out the Edmond sports year as the North girls finished second while the Santa Fe boys duplicated that feat.

Edmond had championships in the girls from Hannah Helker (800), Miranda King (pole vault) and the 3,200 relay while Santa Fe earned the 1,600 relay title.

In the boys, Adam Godwin had a crazy-good day with titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 for North. Gunnar Nixon of Santa Fe earned a title and two runner-ups while Memorial had a championship from Vashon Williams of Memorial in the long jump.

Deer Creek joined the fun when Taler Buck earned the championships in the 1,600 and 3,200.

So, how am I supposed to pick among all that? Congrats to all, great way to close out the school year.

Thirteen years later, Claros will try to bring more glory to the city’s storied soccer history. This time, though, he won’t be playing, he’ll be coaching. And he won’t be wearing the orange and black of his alma mater, but the hunter green and silver of Norman North.

“It definitely feels different,” said the 31-year old of his new role. “But the goal isn’t.”

Norman North will square off with Jenks for the Class 6A championship Saturday at 3 p.m. at Broken Arrow High School.

In his first season as a head coach on the high school level, Claros has maintained the stout North soccer tradition, but he’s taken a different route than predecessors Don Rother and Bryan Young.

Young, who was an assistant under Gordon Drummond on that 1997 Norman team that Claros played for, started the North program in 1998. He delivered two state championships (2000 and 2003) before leaving and now is the Norman North principal. Rother, a player and assistant for Young, took over and took the T-Wolves to the 2008 state final.

From 2003 to 2009, North made it to at least the semifinals six of seven seasons. Still, Claros infused his own style when taking over this spring.

“There was definitely a period of the players getting used to me and the way I did things,” he said. “And it took some time before we developed that trust you need.”

The T-Wolves started the season 4-3 before embarking on a 10-game winning streak in which they have outscored foes 33-6. To make it to the final, No. 4 North beat the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams in 6A.

“We’ve come a long way,” Claros said. “I think we’ve gotten to where we work incredibly hard, work together and have a toughness we have to have to win the games we’ve won in the playoffs.”

But even with standout offensive play from Will Smith, who leads 6A in goals with 23, and Taylor McCauley and stout defense from players such as Trevor Lafoon and Cole Adkins, Claros knows it takes more than merely skill.

“When dealing with high school playoffs, you have to have some luck and you have to have some clutch players make big plays,” he said. “And we’ve had both.”

Perhaps the biggest change for Claros has been having to stay outside the chalk lines.

“It’s not like as a player,” he said. “You have no control. You can feed the information and put players in the right position, but you can’t execute for them. But on this run, execution has been good.”

Jenks (13-2) is ranked sixth and has won seven straight matches. The Trojans have won five state titles since 1987.

Drummond, who has coached the Tigers since the sport’s debut at the school in 1984, guided Norman to state titles in 1986, 1993, 1997 and 1999. This season, he led Norman to the 6A semifinals and an eight-game winning streak after a 2-5 start.

Norman had a team-high five players named to the all-district squad, Ray Jennings Clark, Cal Cornwell, Dacota Sanor, Alec Lee and Matt Eckart.

Putnam City North had four players chosen in Tyler Groh, Matt Bray, Bryan Byars and Kevin Cabello.

The remainder of the team is as follows  —  Spencer Falcon, Nick Lovett, Garrett Molinsky (Edmond North); Matt McClain, Kris Godwin (Yukon); Alexis Velasco (Choctaw), Anthony Buchannan (Midwest City), Cody Inger (Lawton), Zach Holetzky (Moore).

Even a slightly tired, confused writer realizes when a great talent is being seen. I still don’t understand all the intricacies of soccer, but I know that Verdigris junior Emily Hahn has to be among the best players in 4A, if not the state.

She dominated against a very stout Heritage Hall defense en route to a 4-0 win for the Cardinals at Heritage Hall on Tuesday night in the semifinals.

Hahn had a great chance in the first half but couldn’t come through. However, within the first two minutes of the second half, she had an open net and rifled it in. The Cardinals scored three goals in less than 13 minutes to ice the match.

It was a big win for Verdigris (obviously), ranked No. 1 in the state. Verdigris plays sixth-ranked Sequoyah-Claremore in the championship Saturday at 5 p.m. at the University of Tulsa.

Following the win, caught up with Hahn.

Well, 2A boys golf in Hinton ended a lot earlier than I thought (dominated by OCS in every way possible) so I figured why not give this whole soccer thing another attempt with Heritage Hall and Verdigris in a Class 4A girls semifinal?

Chargers had the momentum as the boys won the 3A golf championship but once the game started, Verdigris showed why it is ranked No. 1 in the class.

The Cardinals dominated the second half, scoring four goals en route to a 4-0 victory at Heritage Hall to advance to Saturday’s championship.

Heritage had one real good scoring opportunity as Alex Hickey rifled a shot that bounced up on GK Abby Hahn, hit the post and trickled harmlessly out of play with 28 minutes left in the first half.

From that point on, it was all Cardinals, and more specifically, junior Emily Hahn. She controlled the game throughout and gave her team a number of great chances though Verdigris couldn’t capitalize.

One of those was a great stop by Heritage’s Meridith Harris to bail out GK Vandrea Davis with nine minutes left in the first half.

We were scoreless through the first, but it would take Hahn less than two minutes to find the net in the second half.

I had a lot of time and a wide open net. I wanted to make sure I just got it in because I had a chance in the first half, and I didn’t make it.” – Hahn

The Cardinals would score three goals in 13 minutes as Mallary Schaub also put one in.

Heritage attempted to mount a comeback, but GK Abby Hahn was up to the challenge and stopped Alex Hickey’s penalty kick attempt.

Brooke Bogert had a header that was denied by a Verdigris defender and that pretty much deflated the Chargers from that point on.

The Chargers end the year at 12-3, and I was impressed with a couple of girls. Hickey was outstanding while Katie Portman has a motor that just doesn’t stop.

Taylor McNeil was injured and tried gamely to come back in the second half for Heritage, but it just wasn’t her or her team’s night.

Look for a video with Emily Hahn on NewsOK on Wednesday.

Verdigris 4, Heritage Hall 0
Verdigris – 0-4-4
Heritage – 0-0-0
Emily Hahn, Mallary Schaub, Own Goal, Lexie LaValley.

The Edmond North girls tennis team would have loved to have won the title outright. But if you would have told the team before the season, they would tie for the championship with Jenks, they sure would have taken it.

Sparked by a budding star (Ann Pepper) and girls who played their best when it mattered most (Reagan Reed and Natalie Price), the Huskies earned their second straight tennis title albeit sharing with the Trojans and the Edmond Player (Team) of the Week honor.

Senior Rachel Mitcham had a grueling Saturday after losing the first set in the semifinals, but she fought back. And every point became crucial in the team race.

Pepper and the doubles team took out Jenks’ foes in solid battles as well.

The boys have a great chance at taking home their own title Saturday.

Other contenders

Caleb Hallman, Santa Fe, Baseball: Hallman had a phenomenal regional and is one big reason Wolves are back at state for eighth year in a row.

Dylan Keester, Memorial, Baseball: Bulldogs had to scratch and claw to fend off Choctaw but did so to advance to the state tournament.

Michael Fulmer, Deer Creek, Baseball: No drama for the Antlers, highlighted by a five-inning, 14-strikeout no-hitter by Fulmer.

Abby Thompson, Deer Creek, Golf: Antlers placed fourth as a team while Thompson was third, nine strokes away from the title.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Shot a team-best 177 at state as Huskies placed sixth in team race.

Lindsey Moore, Memorial, Golf: Shot a team-best 179 at state as Bulldogs made late move to earn fifth place.

Camille Sanders, North, Soccer: Just another classic Edlam battle as Sanders scored game-winner in 3-2 win in quarterfinals vs. Memorial.

Shawn McLaws, Deer Creek, Soccer: Antlers had a real battle with McGuinness, winning a shootout in which McLaws had two goals.

Hannah Helker, Nicole Underwood, Kaitlyn Peterson, Miranda King, Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Huskies placed second and third.

Tara Lewis, Gloria Mosely, Brandon Sampler, Vashon Williams, Bryce Burget, Memorial, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Bulldogs won both boys and girls competitions.

Jasmine Hinton, Haley McDaniel, Walter Henderson, Gunnar Nixon, Santa Fe, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Wolves won both boys and girls competitions.

Tiarra Roberts, Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Track and Field: Both won at least one event at regionals as Antlers placed third and fourth.

There were some pretty good choices this week, but the dominance of the Bishop McGuinness girls tennis team cannot be matched by any team in any sport.

So for that reason, the whole team is being recognized as Private Schools Player (Team) of the Week.

The girls once again went undefeated as the Irish won their 12th consecutive team title and Whitney Ritchie and Emily Conrad became four-time champions while Mia Lancaster and Ashleigh Chiaf are now three-time champions.

Doubles players Trinian O’Neil and Abby Hodges also won titles. It’s sorta the end of an era with Ritchie, Conrad and Lancaster all moving on.

The No. 1 doubles team of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft have a great chance of their own for a title Saturday.

Other contenders

Caitlin Farris, Irish, Golf: Just a freshman, Farris won the state championship by nine strokes as McGuinness had four of the top 10 placers.

Bob Kraft, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Errors plagued the Chargers at regionals, but Kraft and the team had a phenomenal season after being unranked.

Braden Klein, Irish, Baseball: Tough pill to swallow for the Irish, who lost to Newcastle at regionals but Klein had a stellar year.

Heritage Hall girls tennis team: Another team title and three individual titles made this another great year for Dick Villaflor and his girls.

Hickey, Heritage Hall, Soccer: In a barn burner, she scored the game-winner in overtime at Elk City in a 1-0 victory.

CC Guzman and Alexa Gonce, Irish, Soccer: McGuinness is rolling right now in the soccer playoffs, Guzman and Gonce had three goals apiece in a 11-1 rout of Chickasha in the quarterfinals.

Abbey Akin, Mary Beth Canfield, Mary Kate Roy and Lissy Fuller, Irish, Track and Field: The girls won the 3,200 relay at the 4A state championships in Ardmore.

LaRone Richardson, Irish, Track and Field: Placed third in the long jump at state championships.

Price Foerster, Heritage, Track and Field: Placed fourth in the high jump at state championships.

Friday night, for the second time this season, Norman knocked off Edmond North 1-0. The first win helped the Tigers win their first district title since 2002. Friday’s win, which came via a shootout after a scoreless regulation and two overtime periods, sends Norman to the Class 6A semifinals for the first time since the same year.

Norman keeper Ray Jennings Clark came up big in the shootout to send the Tigers into Tuesday’s match against Jenks and set up the possibility of an all-Norman state final.

The perennial power Tigers, who have four state crowns, last won the title in 1999.

The reasons Norman is being considered such a threat to bag title No. 5 are simple. First, no team is hotter than the Tigers right now. They’ve won eight straight matches to improve to 10-5 on the season. Second, coach Gordon Drummond, the dean of Oklahoma boys soccer, is renowned for his team’s staunch defense. History shows that when Norman has the ability to score goals, the Tigers are as tough of a playoff out as there is.

And with Cal Cornwell and Alec Lee leading the way offensively and keeper Ray Jennings Clark making a case as Oklahoma’s best netminder added to Norman’s always- air tight defense, the Tigers are the team that  nobody wants to play.

Will Smith added to what has been as strong of a season as anyone has had in 6A by taking a feed from T-Wolves standout JT Harrison and sending the ball past PC North’s All-American goalkeeper Bryan Byars barely two minutes into the match.

“When we scored that early in the game, it definitely got us all fired up,” said Smith, whose 22 goals leads 6A. “But we didn’t pack it in and try to make that one goal hold up, we went after more.”

In 87-plus minutes the T-Wolves never got another goal, but they never allowed one either, ending a tremendous PC North season that saw the Panthers rise to the No. 1 ranking in the country in the NSCAA/adidas poll. All the while, Norman North extended its season to the semifinals  —  the sixth time its done so in the past seven seasons, a feat no other school can match.

“Everyone on the back line played a huge part in the win and they deserve a lot of credit,” said Smith, a junior.

PC North, which closed at 13-2, with both losses coming in Norman, pressured the T-Wolves often in the second half and controlled much of the action, but couldn’t get a shot between the pipes.

“This was our best game of the season,” said Smith. “We’ve never played that well and that hard.”

Norman North, 13-3, will face Tulsa Union at home on Tuesday for a chance to play in its second state final in the past three seasons.

Third-ranked Mustang topped the Jags 2-0 to advance to the 6A semis. The Broncos will face Tulsa Union Tuesday for a berth in the finals.

With Lauren Vabolis and Mia Vabolis leading the way, Westmoore overcame a 1-4 start to the season by winning seven of nine games prior to Friday’s loss. Two of Westmoore’s three losses since the month of March came to the powerful Mustang squad and the other was by the narrowest of margins to Norman North in a shootout. The Jags close out at 8-7, but exit as one of 6A’s hottest teams at the end of the year.

Lauren Vabolis and Mia Vabolis each ended the season with a team-best tying 12 goals. Mia added a team-high eight assists. Chelsea Swisher added eight goals and five assists for the Jaguars.

Edmond North’s girls, ranked second in Class 6A, bested Norman North 3-0 as Courtney Dike collected a playoff hat trick. Sherri Collins, Camille Sanders and Carly Yates each had assists in the Huskies’ win.

The victory sends Edmond North up against rival Edmond Memorial in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Norman North closes the year at 8-7.

Mustang got a historical monkey off its back with a 3-1 victory over longtime nemesis Norman Tuesday in the opeing round of the Class 6A girls soccer playoffs.

Mustang moved to 14-1 and will meet Westmoore in Friday’s quarterfinal round. But to get there the Broncos had to beat a team that knocked them out of the playoffs seven times in a 10-year span and once (from 1991-1995) ended Mustang’s season five straight years by a combined score of 30-0.

Tuesday, Tyler Barajas scored a goal and had an assist, while Bailey Boulware scored her 20^th goal of the season and Alissa Jones had two assists.

Perennial power Norman stayed even with the Broncos in the first half as Lauren Goodman scored off an assist from Mackenzie Burkhart. The seven-time state champion Tigers close the season at 10-4.

PC North, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A all season, walloped an Edmond Memorial squad  —  which was ranked second for much of the season  —  3-0 in an opening-round match.

Meanwhile, Norman North blasted Yukon 8-1, setting up a quarterfinal meeting between the T-Wolves and Panthers Friday night at Norman North.

“That’s a dream game isn’t it?” said PC North coach Tom Pecore. “It will be a great game. The playoffs are extremely competitive this year. This was the best first round (of games) I’ve seen.”

Jaccob Rangel scored a pair of goals and center back Kevin Cabello added his team-best 12^th score of the season. The win moved the Panthers to 13-1 on the season.

“It was a great game,” said Pecore. “The wind kept it closer than it should have been. But Kevin Cabello once again proved he is the best big man in the state and the boys played terrific. The wind hurt both teams, but as far as the run of the game, it was us all the way.”

Taylor McCauley scored twice, while JT Harrison, Jordan Moxley and Gus Jenson added one each. The T-Wolves put almost half of their 19 shots in the goal and scored four goals in each half. The win puts Norman North at 12-3 and sends the T-Wolves into a quarterfinal matchup with 13-1 Putnam City North.

Friday’s match will be played at Norman North and is slated for a 7 p.m. start.

Smith leads Norman North in goals with 21.

The injury seemingly sidelined her for the season. However, if the Panthers reach the state final  —  which will be played on May 15  —  Bechtold would be cleared to play. PC North finished the regular season at 10-3 and oipens the playoffs Tuesday against Edmond Memorial.

It’s the final week of Player of the Week honors that won’t involve state champions, so I wanted to give some kudos to people that may have been overlooked this year.

The obvious winner would have been Heritage pitcher Bob Kraft, but I think we’ve more than covered his great 20-strikeout outing against Casady. So went in another direction.

This week’s honor goes to Heritage Hall freshman Nikoli Jezdan, who had a big outing at the track and field regional at Watonga.

Jezdan placed fourth in the shot put and third in the discus throw for the Chargers. Sophomore Quintaz Struble placed fifth in the discus. The Chargers will compete at state in Ardmore this weekend.

Other contenders

Cale Shivers, Casady, Baseball: Been a vital part to the turnaround of the Cyclones in football and baseball. He was a gutsy quarterback that was never afraid to put himself out there. On the diamond, he’s the same way as a pitcher, unafraid to challenge the best of hitters.

Whitney Ritchie, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: The way she has handled transition from No. 1 singles to No. 1 doubles has been admirable. Ritchie, now teaming with Trinian O’Neil, is now a part of the most dominant doubles team in the state and will be gunning for her fourth state title Saturday.

Cody Haines, OCS, Soccer: Haines came up with big save after big save as OCS eked out a tough 1-0 win against Mt. St. Mary’s in a first-round playoff matchup. It doesn’t get any easier at this point as the Saints play at OKC Dove Science on Tuesday night.

***

EDIT: Casady’s Graham Bennett had a huge weekend as well, winning the discus throw (147-4) at the SPC Championships. It is Casady’s first gold medal in track since 2005.

Here ya go:

Class 6A Boys
Tuesday, May 4
U.S. Grant at Norman
Edmond North at Mustang
Stillwater at Jenks
Bartlesville at Broken Arrow
Bixby at Tulsa Union
Edmond Santa Fe at Owasso
Edmond Memorial at Putnam North
Yukon at Norman North

Class 6A Girls
Tuesday, May 4
Norman North at Edmond North
Putnam City North at Edmond Memorial
Edmond Santa Fe at Jenks
Bixby at Broken Arrow
Sand Springs at Ponca City
Tulsa Union at Owasso
Westmoore at Yukon
Norman at Mustang

Class 5A Boys
Tuesday, May 4
Capitol Hill at Durant
Lawton MacArthur at NW Classen
Tahlequah at Tulsa Kelley
Claremore at Tulsa Memorial
Collinsville at Tulsa Washington
Tulsa Rogers at Tulsa East Central
Noble at Deer Creek
Bishop McGuinness at Carl Albert

Class 5A Girls
Tuesday, May 4
NW Classen at Carl Albert
Durant at Deer Creek
Coweta at Tulsa Kelley
Skiatook at Tulsa Edison
Pryor at Tulsa Washington
Tulsa Memorial at Claremore
Lawton MacArthur at Bishop McGuinness
Harrah at Chickasha

Class 4A Boys
Friday, April 30
Newcastle at Classen
Weatherford at Heritage Hall
Summit Christian at Fort Gibson
Cushing at Stilwell
Seq. Claremore at Wagoner
Oologah at Verdigris
Bethany at Woodward
Oklahoma Christian at St. Mary

Tuesday, May 4
Newcastle-Classen winner at Guymon
Weatherford-Heritage Hall winner at Madill
Summit-Fort Gibson winner at Metro Christian
Cushing-Stilwell winner at Miami
Seq. Claremore-Wagoner winner at Cascia Hall
Oologah-Verdigris winner at Poteau
Bethany-Woodward winner at Santa Fe South
OCS-St. Mary winner at OKC Dove Science

Class 4A Girls
Friday, April 30
Cache at Crooked Oak
Guymon at Heritage Hall
Catoosa at Cascia Hall
Porter at Westville
Stilwell at Wagoner
Oologah at Glenpool
Cordell at Clinton
Classen at St. Mary

Tuesday, May 4
Cache-Crooked Oak winner at Elk City
Guymon-Heritage Hall winner at Newcastle
Catoosa-Cascia Hall winner at Metro Christian
Porter-Westville winner at Verdigris
Stilwell-Wagoner winner at Fort Gibson
Oologah-Glenpool winner at Seq. Claremore
Cordell-Clinton winner at Oklahoma Christian
Classen-St. Mary winner at Bethany

Alec Lee, Norman

Boys soccer

The junior scored the game-winning goal as Norman upset a Putnam City North team that was unbeaten and ranked first in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings. Lee, who had two game-winners this season, helped the Tigers win the program’s first district championship since 2002.

Jade Staggs, Westmoore

Girls golf

Even while playing in swamp-like conditions and heavy winds, Staggs won the Mid-State Conference championship. Staggs carded a 1-under par 70 at Westwood Park Golf Course and ran away with the title by 10 strokes.

The junior missed the T-Wolves’ 12-2 win over Shawnee and their regular-season finale against US Grant Tuesday.

“I may get to play some in the first round of the playoffs,” Laffoon said. “But it probably won’t be much and I’ll have to be real careful.”

Laffoon suffered the concussion going for a header when his head hit an opponent’s shoulder. The blow left him unconscious for eight minutes and required him to be transported to the hospital. When he does return, Laffoon will wear a soft protective headgear.

Senior goalkeeper Hayley Harryman has posted nine shutouts in the Huskies’ first 13 games, giving her 18 shutouts in two seasons. The Oklahoma State signee allowed just five goals as a junior and has limited foes to five this season as well.

Shutdown defenders Camille Sanders and Carly Yates have both signed with Oklahoma.

The Huskies will face No. 8 Putnam City North Tuesday for the Class 6A District 1 title. PC North beat Norman Friday to force a winner-take-all match for the district crown.

It will be a tough task for the Panthers. No team has scored more than two goals on the Huskies all season. What’s more, North has allowed just one goal in its last eight games.

Ranked fifth in Class 6A boys soccer, Norman North meets No. 9 US Grant with a chance to lock up the 6A District 2 title and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Norman North, Edmond Memorial and Mustang are all tied for the district lead and each has one win and one loss to the two other teams. However, the T-Wolves hold a three-goal lead in marginal points. If all three end up tied, marginal points will be the tie-breaker.

Alec Lee logged the game-winning kick for the Tigers against PCN. Norman improved to 7-5 with their fifth consecutive victory following the win over the Bombers.

Norman, ranked 10^th in 6A, can win the 6A District 1 title with a win over Lawton Tuesday night.

This is me killing two birds with one stone. The Deer Creek baseball team was solid in winning the East-West Classic, and I wanted to get this video of Andrew Harlan up here on the blog.

Harlan had the game-changing hit in the championship victory with an inside-the-park home run to lead the Antlers to the 10-4 win against Guthrie.

But his outing was one of several worth mentioning as Brian Anderson had a big game. Pitcher Michael Fulmer, in only his fifth plate appearance of the season, hit a grand slam against Miami on Friday. Cale Coshow was steady on the mound.

There are so many players on this team that can come up big on any given day. It’s almost scary to think what could happen if ALL of them were clicking at once.

As is, the Antlers have been No. 1 in Class 5A ever since winning at Carl Albert and are in great position to try to claim the state title.

Other Contenders

Ty Hensley, Santa Fe, Baseball: Don’t have too much to add from his 11 K outing vs. rival Memorial, just fun to see someone grow up in front of your eyes.

Trey Reynolds, Memorial, Baseball: Reynolds came up huge in a 7-6 win against Southmoore last Tuesday, notching the game-winning hit.

Casey Distaso, North, Tennis: Distaso beat Union’s Logon Collins in a near three-hour match at the Edmond Tournament as Huskies are now ranked No. 1 in 6A.

Truit Gray, Memorial, Tennis: Bulldogs are a consistent bunch and Gray was able to break out for a victory at the Edmond Tournament.

Rachel Mitcham, North, Tennis: Been able to bounce back from early struggles as Huskies are right there in the race.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: Another week, another great outing by the Oklahoma State signee. The 5A title chase will be intense.

Matt Helms, Santa Fe, Golf: The Wolves have been knocking on the door all season and Helms placed fourth at the Edmond North Tournament.

Allison Sell, North, Golf: Just a freshman, having brilliant season and won the PC North Invitational on Thursday.

Jacob Romig, Deer Creek, Soccer: Antlers clinched the district with the 4-0 win against Capitol Hill, Romig had two of the scores.

Miranda King and Hannah Helker, North, Track and Field: Each won an individual title at the Edmond North meet Thursday.

Gloria Mosely, Memorial, Track and Field: Continued her stellar season with a win in the discus throw at the North meet.

Tiara Roberts, Deer Creek, Track and Field: The freshman won the 300 hurdles at the North meet.

Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: Distance runner extraordinaire won the 1,600 and 3,200 at the North meet.

Chase Sammons and Bryce Burget, Memorial, Track and Field: Each won an event at the North meet and give ‘Dogs a great chance at the field events.

If all Bishop McGuinness girls soccer player Alexa Gonce did was score the game-winning goal against Deer Creek last week, she would have been in the conversation for Player of the Week.

But she had two goals in that one AND added two more in a 4-0 win against Metro Christian on Thursday. And she’s been solid all season and easily gets this week’s honor.

The Irish are in great shape heading into the playoffs (that begin next week), having defeated No. 1-ranked Bishop Kelley and No. 2-ranked Deer Creek.

Paced by Gonce and Abbey Akin and goaltender Elyse Hight, the Irish might have all the components necessary to make that run this year.

Other Contenders

Ryan Shelley, Casady, Baseball: Shelley came up huge against rival Holland Hall. He had a home run and three RBIs. Might he top it Monday vs. Heritage? (I’ll be there)

Kyle Ahmad, Irish, Baseball: Ahmad busted out of his slump at the Deer Creek Classic, getting multiple hits in games and using his speed to get things going.

Nathan Bowker, Heritage Hall, Baseball: The Chargers are still rolling at 20-2 and Bowker has added pitching depth to go with Bob Kraft.

Levi Fisher, Heritage, Track and Field: Fisher was dominant in winning the discus throw at the Route 66 Classic at Chandler.

Sam O’Brien and Caitlin Farris, Irish, Golf: O’Brien has been consistent all season for McGuinness while Farris placed second at the Altus Invitational last week.

Jackson Ogle, OCS, Golf: Won the Enid Tournament last week and has been involved in three scorecard playoff ties for championships this year.

Collin Groves, Heritage, Soccer: Chargers blanked Bethany last week as Groves added a goal and has been a strong scorer all season.

Emily Conrad, Irish, Tennis: After three years of being in doubles, Conrad, an Abilene Christian signee, has done well at No. 2 singles.

Hmm, always interesting when one gender wins the title but the other doesn’t in a certain year. When the Deer Creek girls soccer team won the championship last year, there’s no doubt the boys were proud.

And maybe a little envious, wanting to join their classmates. The boys are playing with that motivation this season as both soccer clubs are ranked No. 2 in Class 5A and the boys just clinched the district title with the 4-0 win against Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Deer Creek was 2-2 after a loss in the Bishop Kelley Invitational in early March. That was a long time ago as Deer Creek has rallied off 10 straight wins.

That would be impressive enough but no team has scored more than one goal in those 10 matches and the Antlers have earned six shutouts in that streak.

Leading the way has been Shawn McLaws and Jacob Romig. These wins haven’t just come against outmatched opponents.

Included in this streak are wins against Booker T. (No. 7), NW Classen (No. 5) Edmond North (6A No. 10) and an 8-1 domination at Bishop McGuinness.

Will Smith, Norman North

Boys soccer

Smith scored a combined five goals and added an assist in the T-Wolves’ last two games. The junior midfielder, who leads Norman North in scoring with 13 goals on the season, netted a career-high four against Lawton Eisenhower on Friday.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Shawnee at Norman North, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

Softball: McLoud at Norman North, 4:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Edmond Memorial at Norman North, 7 p.m.

Softball: Norman North at Little Axe, 4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Norman North at Edmond Memorial, 7 p.m.

Soccer: Norman North at US Grant, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

Baseball: Norman vs. Cache at Optimist Tournament

Soccer: Putnam City North at Norman, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Norman vs. Lawton at Optimist Tournament, 4:45 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Southmoore at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Norman at Southmoore, 6:30 p.m.

Soccer: Norman at Lawton, girls at 5:30 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.

Softball: Putnam City West at Norman, 4:30 p.m.

THURSDAY

Baseball: Mustang at Norman, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Southmoore at Muskogee, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

Softball: Southmoore at Moore, 6 p.m.

Baseball: Southmoore vs. Putnam City at NW Optimist Tournament, 10 a.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Southmoore vs. Tulsa Union at NW Optimist Tournament, 2:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Southmoore at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Southmoore at Washington, 5 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Norman at Southmoore, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Edmond Memorial at Westmoore, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

Softball: Purcell at Westmoore, 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Westmoore at Broken Arrow, 12 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Moore at Westmoore, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Wayne at Westmoore, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Putnam City at 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Westmoore at Moore, 6:30 p.m.

Soccer: Mustang at Westmoore, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

Baseball: Moore at Enid, 7 p.m.

Soccer: Moore at Choctaw, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

Softball: Southmoore at Moore, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Moore at Clinton, 12 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Moore at Westmoore, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Purcell, 5 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Westmoore at Moore, 6:30 p.m.

Soccer: Moore at Midwest City, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

I’ll be knee-deep in tennis and slowpitch softball when the state soccer tournament rolls around, but I sure would like to see Deer Creek and Bishop McGuinness girls play again.

Of course, Bishop Kelley might have something to say about that as a couple of Comet supporters have pointed out to me, but that’s a trio of teams to keep tabs on, for sure.

A couple of people remarked that I didn’t think Deer Creek was all that good. I’ll tell ya what impressed me most about that team was how YOUNG it is and yet how good the girls are.

Looking up and down over who I thought played well (again, my definition is probably different than someone with soccer expertise) almost every single girl that made me take a double take was either a sophomore (Allison Worsham, Madi Smith, Holly Blackwell, Roman Edwards) or junior (Emily Hartshorn, Arianna Pugliese)…that’s scary.

It was a great crowd and great atmosphere for the 3-2 Irish overtime victory as Alexa Gonce scored the game-winner with 5:35 left in the golden goal portion.

Before Tuesday’s game, the teams had combined to give up JUST one goal in the eight matches they’ve played in April…insane.

Anyway, here is a short video with Gonce following the win.

It also completely tangled up the Class 6A District 2 standings.

Edgar Pineda hit the game-winner for the sixth-ranked Broncos, handing Edmond Memorial its first loss of the season. The Mustang win creates a three-way logjam atop the standings between the Broncos, Edmond Memorial and Norman North  —  all of whom have beaten one of the other two and lost to the other. And all three matches  came by 1-0 counts (Memorial beat Norman North, Norman North beat Mustang).

Should the teams remain tied, marginal points would be used as a tie-breaker. With two games remaining, Norman North has three more marginal points than Mustang and Edmond Memorial, who are tied.

As expected, the midfielder leads the team in assists. But he has done more than set up the forwards, he also leads the team in scoring with 18 goals. The senior’s goal tally is 13 more than the second-leading scorers, David Medrano and Luis Preciado.

Becerra, who was The Oklahoman’s All-City runner of the year as a sophmore, has helped Santa Fe South to a runner-up finish in cross country as well as the title in soccer.

Santa Fe South is ranked No. 1 in 4A and has a 9-2 mark. The Saints’ regular-season finale is April 27 at home at 8 p.m. against Classen SAS.

I’ve been making fun of myself all week after deciding to go to the Deer Creek-Bishop McGuinness girls soccer game as I don’t know too much about soccer.

Well, you don’t have to know a lot about anything to know that Tuesday night’s game was phenomenal and might be a preview of the state championship.

McGuinness’ Alexa Gonce scored the game-winning goal with 5:35 left in the first overtime to give the Irish a 3-2 victory in a battle of two of the top three teams in Class 5A.

I really didn’t think it was going to go in. I thought she was going to stop it.

This was definitely the hardest game of the season. Everyone played their hearts out. It was a great game.” – Gonce

Deer Creek got on the board first with what I would term a fluke goal as Roman Edwards got it past a charging Elyse Hight and it just kinda trickled in.

However, the fact that it was just 1-0 Antlers at half was crucial as Hight was phenomenal after that goal. Deer Creek had at least three solid scoring opportunities while the Irish really didn’t have any in the first 40 minutes.

McGuinness played with a lot more passion and urgency in the second half and Abbey Akin tied the game up with 28:11 left in the second (or is it referred to as the 52nd minute?).

Then things got weird (especially for me). With the entire Deer Creek team just kinda standing around, Gonce took a throw in and scored her first goal of the night with 25:31 left.

I was on the Antlers sideline, and it looked like nobody (coaches included) thought the ball should have been ready to throw in yet. Any soccer gurus out there that can clear that up would be much appreciated. (EDIT: The reason the Deer Creek girls were “just kinda standing around” when Goncie scored, was that they believed the referee had halted play as they had requested for a teammate that was bleeding.  Thanks for the info.)

Instead of sulking, Deer Creek scored less than a minute later when sophomore Allison Worsham beat Hight on a penalty kick. The Antlers played with a chip on their shoulder after the Gonce goal, and you knew that wasn’t going to determine the outcome.

Then it was time for Antlers’ goalie Gina Mengwasser to step in as she made crucial saves on repeated attempts from CC Guzman and Rachel Tonseth. Tonseth was phenomenal on free kicks, nearly connecting on two of them during the game.

And one time when Mengwasser was beat, somebody (EDIT: Ashleigh Story) stopped a potential game-winner by Gonce with 11 minutes left. I was getting ready to chalk it up for Alexa when I realized somebody stopped it.

After being outshot 6-2 in the first half, McGuinness held a 13-11 advantage after the second half and seized momentum.

In the 10-minute golden goal portion, thought fatigue started to play a little role and Gonce took advantage in what I think was the Irish lone shot attempt in OT.

Fantastic game. Definitely understand why the Irish are ranked third in 5A and Deer Creek No. 2. Akin, Gonce and Guzman are a real joy to watch while I really loved the balance of Deer Creek’s team.

Caught up with Gonce following the win so that video should be on NewsOK on Wednesday.

Chickasha midfielder Kelsey Taylor is having a major impact in Class 5A in her first season. The freshman is among the leaders in goals and assists.

Friday, when No. 11 Chickasha faced No. 8 Durant, Taylor netted the game-winning goal to keep the team in contention for a district title and home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Taylor also collected her first career hat trick against Altus.

I swear this wasn’t planned that we just happened to pick the right week to write a big story on Santa Fe track star Walter Henderson.

Henderson had an incredible week on the track at both OBU and the Edmond meet, winning both the 100 and 200 in both events and setting personal bests times with each performance. And with that comes the honor of the Edmond Player of the Week.

Henderson said this year’s Wolves team is so focused to take that track championship. And when you add him to a group that includes Gunnar Nixon, Travis Hinton, Brian Mills, among others, and you start to see why.

Santa Fe has all the tools to make it happen, just have to show up on that weekend in May.

Other contenders

Drew Dahlberg, Memorial, Baseball: Is he ever going to slow down? He was sensational again as the Bulldogs are now 22-5 after being 4-3.

Clayton Blackburn, Santa Fe, Baseball: Good week on the mound (W vs. North) and at the plate at Stillwater Invitational.

Michael Fulmer, Deer Creek, Baseball: It was a personal gut-check for him and responded with 12 Ks in a 10-0 win against Guthrie.

Jared Benway, North, Baseball: Not too many bright spots for Huskies, but Benway did hit a three-run HR in a loss to Santa Fe.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: A little quiet so far, Davis had a banner week that included a victory in last Monday’s Bishop Kelley Invitational.

Shelby Sewell, North, Soccer: Weather wreaked havoc on things this weekend but Sewell scored twice in a 2-0 win against Moore.

Edmond North boys tennis: Team keeps changing up its lineup but hasn’t mattered as Huskies are looking like the favorite in 6A.

Hannah Helker, North, Track: She’s been phenomenal all season and was once again, winning the 400 and 800 at the Santa Fe meet Thursday.

Tara Lewis, Emme Scott and Gloria Mosely, Memorial, Track: Each girl won an individual title at the Santa Fe meet as Bulldogs placed third.

Travis Hinton, Santa Fe, Track: Hinton gets a little lost in the shuffle with the Wolves’ stars, but he won the 400 at the Santa Fe meet.

Chase Sammons, Memorial, Track: Doesn’t matter what event, Sammons has dominated the discus and shot put and did so again last Thursday.

Chase Thackerson and Geoffrey Johnson, Memorial, Track: Each won an individual championship as Bulldogs placed second.

Courtney Walker, Santa Fe, and Elizabeth Donohoe, North, Basketball: The girls were rightfully picked for first team Big All-City and Super 5. They’ll be back next year.

It’s easy to get enamored with hitting in baseball. It makes for great highlights and sound bytes as we found out a long time ago ‘chicks dig the long ball.’

But you’re going to need some pitching if you’re really going to make a run, and that’s why I feel Heritage Hall has a great chance in Class 4A.

Leading that charge is Bob Kraft, who has been sensational on the mound all season and is a huge reason the team is 17-2 entering this week.

I’m hesitant to say Heritage is ranked No. 11 because I think it might move up a spot or two when the rankings are released here shortly.

Kraft has overpowered hitters, leading the team in strikeouts and has yet to face defeat and is earning the Private Schools Player of the Week. Though the offense deserves a nod as the Chargers scored at least 11 runs in all four wins last week.

For a look at how sophomore Barry Sanders came to love baseball, here is my story from Sunday’s paper.

Other contenders

Abbey Akin, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: The Irish have a lot of deadly scorers but Akin might be the most feared one of the bunch. McGuinness hasn’t been challenged lately but will receive a big one Tuesday when Deer Creek is at the Irish (I’ll be there).

John Ratliff, Casady, Golf: Among all the top names in the state at the big events, his name keeps on sneaking up on the leaderboard. Would love to get a chance to see Ratliff in action one of these days.

(weather kept the list a lot shorter than normal, but if you know of anybody, let me know)

Smith scored a career-high four goals in a 7-0 victory over Lawton Eisenhower. The midfielder, leads the No. 6 T-Wolves with 12 goals on the season. He also had a hat trick against Westmoore earlier this season.

Kyle Allen, Brandon LittleAxe and Josh Phillips also found the net for North, now 8-3. The T-Wolves host Putnam City West Tuesday at 8 p.m.

The Norman North girls topped Ike 8-0 with Nicole Antonio, Mariah Bernhardt and Annie Longcrier each scoring twice.

The event will be held from June 10 through June 13 at the Indian Springs Sports Complex.

Oklahoma City hosted a regional in 2007.

“We cannot wait to host the 2010 US Youth Soccer Region III President Cup in Broken Arrow and provide the teams and their families with the perfect environment for this great event,” said Tom Wedding, Oklahoma Youth Soccer Association second vice president. “Oklahoma Soccer Association is excited about the significant economic impact the Region III Presidents Cup will bring to Broken Arrow and the experience we will be able to provide to our guests from across the southern region.”

More than 2,000 players, 120 teams and 6,000 fans are expected. Under-13 through Under 17 boys and girls teams will compete. Winners will advance to the national tournament, to be played July 8-11 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

It’s a good time be a part of Bishop McGuinness athletics, especially if you’re a girl:

Irish girls dominating

Bishop McGuinness goalie Elyse Hight is one of the loneliest soccer players lately.

In the last five games, the Bishop McGuinness girls soccer team hasn’t even come close to being tested, outscoring opponents 39-0.

The Irish beat El Reno 9-0 on Tuesday and the Indians failed to get a shot off. Abbey Akin continues to dominate, scoring four of the goals and adding an assist.

McGuinness, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, will get a huge test Tuesday against third-ranked Deer Creek.

Irish looking for new tests

The Bishop McGuinness tennis teams weren’t on the court that much during the first month of the season. A combination of scheduling issues and cancellations had kept the Irish from playing.

Coach Vicki Connelly has always tried to play in the same tournaments every year as a sign of respect to the other teams competing, but the girls did something different this year by going to the Claremore Tournament on Thursday.

“We’re always looking for the best competition,” Connelly said. “We want to play the best, but it’s been tough this year with tournaments being canceled.”

THURSDAY

Baseball: Putnam City at Norman North, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Lawton Eisenhower at Norman North, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

Baseball: Choctaw at Norman North, 4:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Lexington at Norman North, 4:30 p.m.

Baseball: Norman North at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

Softball: Westmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

Soccer: Putnam City West at Norman North, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

Baseball: Moore at Norman, 5 p.m.

Softball: Norman at Norman Festival, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Softball: Norman at Newcastle, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Edmond North at Norman, 5 p.m.

Soccer: Norman at Midwest City, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Norman at Moore, 2 p.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Norman at Midwest City, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Midwest City at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Norman at Moore, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Norman Festival, 12:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Hall of Fame Classic, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Soccer: Southmoore at Owasso, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Hall of Fame Classic, 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Lawton at Southmoore, 12 p.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Southmoore at Edmond Memorial, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

Softball: Bridge Creek at Southmoore, 4:30 p.m.

Baseball: Edmond Memorial at Southmoore, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Baseball: Southmoore at NW Optimist Tournament, 10 a.m.

THURSDAY

Softball: Westmoore at Norman Festival, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic, 1:45 p.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Tulsa Union, 6 p.m.

Soccer: Westmoore at US Grant, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Baseball: Edmond North at Westmoore, 2 p.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Norman North at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

Softball: Westmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY

Baseball: Moore at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Weatherford Tournament

FRIDAY

Softball: Moore at Weatherford Tournament

Soccer: Edmond North at Moore, girls at 6 p.m.; boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: US Grant at Moore, 12 p.m.

Baseball: Norman at Moore, 2:30 p.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Harrah at Moore, 4:30 p.m.

Softball: Norman at Moore, 7 p.m.

Baseball: Moore at Del City, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Del City at Moore, 6:30 p.m.

Six different players scored in a win over US Grant, four of whom scored twice (Boulware, Hodgen, Taylor Jester and Emily Witty). In the 10-0 win over Putnam City West a whopping eight players found the back of the net, with Hodgen and Witty each tallying twice.

As a result of the balanced scoring, Mustang is the only team in 6A with five players with four or more goals. Boulware, an Oklahoma signee, leads the way with 13, while Hodgen, who has committed to OU, leads in assists with 10 and had 12 goals.

Parker Bowles, Norman

Track

The senior distance runner continued what has been a dominant season, winning a pair of golds at the John Jacobs Invitational.

Bowles placed first in the 800-meter run and the 1,600 meters. Bowles’ time in the 800 was 1:56.10, two seconds ahead of the field.

Others:

Greg Offenburger, Norman

Baseball

The standout linebacker showed he’s adept at two sports, helping lead Norman to a 13-1 romp past Edmond North on Saturday. The junior recorded a double and a triple as the Tigers avenged a 6-1 loss to Edmond North a day earlier.

Carmen King, Norman North

Track

The T-Wolves speedster placed first in the long jump and third in the 100-meter dash at the John Jacobs Invitational.

Cale Russell, Norman North

Baseball

After whiffing 11 Norman batters in a Crosstown Clash triumph a week earlier, the T-Wolves’ ace came back even stronger with 14 strike outs in a victory over Edmond North.

Alec Lee, Norman

 Boys soccer

Lee booted the game-winning goal in the Tigers’ 1-0 victory at Edmond North Friday night. Cal Cornwell assisted on the goal.

Michael Moore, Moore

One of the school’s best all-around athletes, Moore placed first in the long jump and second in the high jump (although no one cleared a height greater than what he did), leading the Lions’ field event athletes.

Moore logged a leap of 22-11.75 to edge Tulsa Union’s Luke Snider by less than a full inch in the long jump. In the high jump, Moore cleared 6-foot, four-inches, the same height as winner Atavian Blakely of Putnam City, but Blakely was awarded the gold by virtue of judges ruling.

Others:

Julian Wilson, Southmoore

Track

Wilson led Southmoore to the boys team title at the John Jacobs Invitational with a gold in the 200-meter run and a runner-up finish in the 100.

A football signee for Oklahoma, Wilson posted a time of 22.60 to win the 200 and ran a 10.90 in the 100, just five-tenths of a second off of the winning time.

Ethan Baker, Southmoore

Track

Baker, a standout safety for the SaberCats’ football team, won two goals and a silver at the John Jacobs Invitational. Baker placed first in the 200-meters and ran a led in the SaberCats’ winning 400-relay team. The senior also was runner-up in the 400.  

Derek Serowski, Southmoore

Track

Serowski took first place in the 100 meters for the second time in two meets. The senior posted a time of 10.85 at the John Jacobs Invitational to take the gold and edge teammate Julian Wilson, one of the fastest sprinters in the state.

Any other week, I mean ANY OTHER WEEK, and Drew Dahlberg’s performance for the Edmond Memorial baseball team would easily be enough.

But not this week. Not when Santa Fe junior Gunnar Nixon earns the second best decathlon score by a high school athlete EVER. EVER.

Nixon and Kevin Lazas of Brentwood, Tenn., had a battle for the ages with Nixon edging him out by 63 points at the Arcadia Invitational.

It’s not just how great Nixon is (though he really is unbelievable), but it’s what he’s done for the Wolves team and their attitude.

In talking to Walter Henderson and coach Carl Hawkins, they both have stressed just how much Nixon’s work ethic and attitude has spread to the rest of the team.

So even on a weekend made for track and field (John Jacobs at OU), it’s Nixon in California who is earning the Edmond Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Drew Dahlberg, Memorial, Baseball: He ignites the team, and they gave out MVP awards, easily would have won it as Bulldogs won Edmond Wood Bat Tournament.

Thomas Rudd, North, Baseball: Rough week for the Huskies, but Rudd did throw a fine game in a 6-1 win against Norman on Friday.

Jordan Lopez, Santa Fe, Baseball: Had a great tournament minus the championship and is always a threat to make something happen.

Brian Anderson, Deer Creek, Baseball: In a three-hour marathon with McGuinness, Anderson was 3-for-4 with a home run in the 16-12 win.

Matt Helms, Santa Fe, Golf: Helms tied for second as boys earned the title at the Deer Creek Invitational.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Sounds like a broken record, but this two-sport star continues to do it all for the Huskies.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: A week old at this point but had good showdown with Carl Albert’s Talor Gooch and Chickasha’s Taylor Williams at conference.

Ann Pepper, North, Tennis: Making big strides and has played her way to earn the No. 1 singles spot during this last week.

Maddi Hillis, Memorial, Soccer: Notched two goals as Memorial took out Shawnee 5-0.

Brittany Soesbee, North, Soccer: Tallied huge goal as Huskies were playing w/out Britny Dike in a 2-0 victory against Norman.

Memorial, North, Santa Fe, Girls, Track: A collective effort as North placed second, Santa Fe third and Memorial sixth at John Jacobs. For full results, go here.

Memorial, North, Santa Fe, Boys, Track: A collective effort as Memorial placed second, Santa Fe fifth and North 11th. For full results, go here.

Josh Richardson, Santa Fe, Basketball: The junior was picked by Scott Wright for the boys Super Five. It’s possible we’ll be seeing him there again next year.

It’s tough for me to understand just what this senior year by these Casady kids has meant to the school. I start to get a much better understanding when I talk to them.

One of the boys leading the ‘redeem team’ has been Austin Katigan. And Katigan had a dream come true last week, being accepted into Dartmouth where he will play football.

Katigan is looking at either being a punter or wide receiver. That’s funny that they’re asking him to try out for both as they’re two very different positions.

Like I said last week, former Oklahoma receiver Jarrail Jackson has opened up the Dartmouth campus to Oklahoma recruits. Jackson is an assistant for Dartmouth.

Katigan won’t be going to Dartmouth alone as Bishop Kelley’s Joe Dowdell is also heading there.

Katigan and Dowdell will be heading to the campus in two weeks for the spring football game. For now, he’ll have to be content with being named the Private Schools Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Barry Sanders, Heritage Hall, Baseball: The Chargers have been one of the biggest surprises, entering the 4A rankings at No. 15 this last week. Sanders’ versatility is one reason why.

Dax Maroney, Bishop McGuinness, Baseball: The Irish lost a three-hour marathon at No. 1-ranked Class 5A Deer Creek 16-12, but Maroney had a great game.

Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall, Tennis: The senior lost one game in the championship match, winning the Ada Tournament at No. 1 singles.

Mia Lancaster, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: Lancaster has earned the No. 1 singles spot and has been dominant this season.

John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: This No. 1 doubles team might be the favorite to win the 5A championship.

Lizzy Whitbeck, Irish, and Narayan Naik, Heritage, Swimming: The swimmers were named Swimmers of the Year by me and deserved it for a great year. Good luck at Arkansas and Wyoming, respectively.

Caitlin Farris and Hannah Tubbs, Irish, Golf: The duo makes up one of the best one-two combos in the state and were solid in two tournaments last week.

Alexa Gonce, Irish, Soccer: The girls are taking care of business as Gonce had a big game in a 10-0 victory against Western Heights.

Quintaz Struble, Heritage, Track: Struble won the discus throw at the Bethany meet on Saturday. Levi Fisher placed third.

Foerster, Heritage, Track: My Heritage friends, need help with the first name as Foerster won the high jump at the Bethany meet.

Erin Gaffney, Irish, Track: Won the 3,200 at the Bethany meet while Swink won the pole vault.

With two freshman and a sophomore among the leaders in goals and assists in Class 5A and with a record of 8-2, Chickasha is making waves in the present. Hannah Elrod, just a ninth-grader, leads the team with 14 goals and has added five assists. Sophomore Kylie Williams has eight goals and five helpers, while another freshman, Kelsey Taylor, leads the team in assists with 7 and has five goals.

That trio has accounted for all but four of Chickasha’s goals and all but four of the team’s assists. The threesome accounted for all the team’s goals in a 7-1 win over Altus Friday, including a hat trick by Taylor.

Coach Steve Scott’s club faces its biggest challenge of the season Tuesday, visiting Class 5A No. 5 Carl Albert at 5:30 p.m.

Scoring three goals in a soccer game is quite a feat on its own, doing it in the rapid-fire style Norman North’s Will Smith did this week is almost unheard of.

Smith, a junior midfielder for the Class 6A fifth-ranked T-Wolves, logged a hat trick in a total of seven minutes in a victory over Westmoore. All of his goals came in the second half. His first came at the 49:00 mark, the second at 55:00 and the last just one minute later. Smith’s nine goals lead the team.

Shiloh Farris, Norman

Girls soccer

Farris scored the winning goal for the Tigers in a 1-0 victory over Yukon Thursday. Norman outshot the Millerettes 11-3, but could only break through once as Farris netted the second-half game-winner.

Others:

Cale Russell, Norman North

Baseball

Russell struck out 11 batters and had a pair of RBIs as the T-Wolves knocked off rival Norman.

Quincy Taylor, Norman

Girls track

Taylor, ranked in the top five in Class 6A among hurdlers, placed second at the Moore track meet on Friday. Taylor ran a 17.2 in the 100 intermediate hurdles, finishing less than a full second off of the wining time.

Al Maeder, Norman

Boys track

Mader ran a 10:05 in the two-mile run at the Moore Invitational last Friday, winning first place by seven seconds.

Taylor Painter, Westmoore

Girls track

Painter took first in three events at the Moore track meet Friday. The senior won the 800-meter run in 2:30, the 1,600 in 5:32 and the 3,200 in 12:02.

Others:

Lauren Vabolis, Westmoore

Girls soccer

The junior forward recorded a hat trick in the Jaguars’ win over Putnam City West on Thursday to raise her teamleading scoring total to five goals.

Vabolis led Westmoore to a win over Putnam City as well, scoring a goal and helping the Jags snap a two-game losing streak.

Derek Serowski, Southmoore

Boys track

Serowski placed first in the 100-meter dash at Friday’s Moore track meet, breaking the tape in 10.38. The senior also took second in the 200.

Heritage Hall had a couple of really good choices this week. But since I’m going to write a feature about her for Thursday’s paper, figured I’d go with tennis player Sarah Bowen.

I love the confidence of this sophomore. Even when she was a freshman, she wasn’t bashful or anything like that.

Now with some experience under her belt, she is definitely on her way to becoming the next great tennis player for Dick Villaflor and the Chargers.

At the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions, Bowen came up with one of the biggest singles victories in her career. She defeated Jenks’ Gabrielle Siegler (a great player as well) to earn the No. 2 singles title and Private Schools Player of the Week.

For more on Bowen, check out Thursday’s paper.

Other contenders

Julie Labarthe, Heritage, Tennis: Bowen’s partner in crime as Labarthe was dominant at No. 1 singles in earning the title.

Bob Kraft, Heritage, Baseball: The pitcher has been a huge reason for the tremendous start for the Chargers. He enters this week with a 4-0 record.

Cooper Cloud, Heritage, Baseball: Cloud’s bat (especially in a win against Perry) has helped Heritage to a fantastic start.

Andrew Murphy, Bishop McGuinness, Baseball: A light week for the Irish squad, but coach Bryan Wade has said Murphy’s leadership has been one of the reasons for the recent roll.

CC Guzman, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: This team is absolutely loaded, and Guzman came up big Tuesday. Soccer guru Justin Harper named her the Player of the Week last week.

Matt Silver, Casady, Baseball: Silver is incredible. I’m really hoping I can find an excuse to see the Cyclones play because Silver’s stats are amazing.

John Ratliff, Casady, Golf: In a loaded field featuring some of the best players around, Ratliff placed second last Tuesday.

Tiatjah Johnson, Casady, Track and Field: Johnson easily won the 200-meter dash at the Kingfisher meet and was the only girl to run under 28 seconds.

Bobbe Chafin, Casady, Track and Field: Also at the Kingfisher meet, Chafin placed second in the 100 and the long jump.

Victoria Vaughn, Mt. St. Mary’s, Tennis: Vaughn was impressive in winning the No. 2 singles title at the Central Oklahoma Classic at Harrah.

This was one of the tougher ones I’ve had to deliberate on. I pretty much knew someone from the Memorial baseball team deserved this honor, but who?

I’m giving it to Landon Hallam for his masterful performance on the mound Thursday against Enid.

Facing a tough road test, the Bulldogs won 2-0, thanks to Hallam’s brilliance. Memorial scored two runs in the first and let Hallam do the rest, earning him the Edmond Player of the Week.

But it could have easily went to Alex Hill for his pitching outing against Westmoore. Or Drew Dahlberg for how he has been on fire at the plate since moving to the two-hole.

Either way, the Kyle Roberts’ teams is scary right now. Figure when the rankings come out, the ‘Dogs should get a nice bump up for the second week in a row. Looking forward to getting to see plenty of Edmond baseball action at the Wood Bat Tournament this week.

Other contenders

Stuart Turnipseed, Memorial, Soccer: Last week’s winner did it again, scoring the game-winner in the huge showdown with Norman North on Thursday.

Taylor Moore, Memorial, Golf: Moore finished tied for second at the Memorial Invitational last Tuesday.

Gavin Dubberstein-Truit Gray and Bowen Xu-Omar Karim, Memorial, Tennis: Doubles teams are doubly tough as Bulldogs’ tandems each won the doubles titles at Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions.

Jared Benway, North, Baseball: The Huskies are struggling a bit, but Benway was brilliant in two games against Putnam City, going 7-for-8 with two HRs.

Nate Roper, North, Tennis: The whole boys team, really, as the Huskies won the prestigious Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. Roper, just a freshman, placed third at No. 1 singles.

Clayton Blackburn, Santa Fe, Baseball: His performance on the mound in a 5-1 win against Moore made sure Edmond took the Mayor’s Cup this year.

Siara Price, Santa Fe, Soccer: Big outing for the sophomore as she scored three goals and had an assist in a 10-0 victory against Del City.

Cale Coshow, Deer Creek, Baseball: It’s a week removed, but man that game against Carl Albert was ridiculous, going 5-for-5 with two two-run HRs.

Norman, ranked sixth in Class 6A, has 13 goals in seven games with three players tied for the team lead with three apiece. Mackenzie Burkhart, Shiloh Farris and Ally Renfroe have combined for nine goals and Lauren Goodman has two. Overall, seven players have tallied goals for the 6-1 Tigers.

Of course, defense has been an obvious strength this season, allowing just three goals. The Tigers play Choctaw Tuesday before a battle at No. 2 Edmond North at 6 p.m. Friday. Both the Tigers’ and Huskies’ lone losses on the season came to out-of-state foes in tournaments.

Through eight games, McLaws has already piled up 12 goals and added seven assists for the Antlers, who are ranked third in 5A. McLaws’ sister, Melissa McLaws, helped Deer Creek’s girls team to the 2009 5A title and now plays collegiately for Army.

In the biggest match of the regular season to this point, Turnipseed put the ball in the net just four minutes into the Bulldogs’ win over the T-Wolves. The game was tight the rest of the way  —  Edmond Memorial and Norman North each had 12 shots after Turnipseed’s goal  —  but the tally held up as Memorial moved to 6-0 on the season with its third straight win over Norman North dating back to the 2008 state final.

Turnipseed, a senior forward, has seven goals and four assists this season. The Bulldogs shouldn’t be challenged in their next three matches, but play No. 6 Mustang on April 16.

First full week of spring sports is in the books, and it was an eventful one. It’s always interesting to see who will start to be among the common names you’re going to see throughout the season.

Definitely have one at Casady in Matt Silver, who is this week’s Private Schools Player of the Week. Whether it’s with the bat or on the mound, Silver has been huge for the Cyclones.

He had three hits in a big win against Oklahoma Christian and on did a little bit of everything in a 4-1 win against All Saints on Saturday.

He was the winning pitcher and added three hits with an RBI.

Other contenders

Ryan Shelley, Casady, Baseball: A warrior all year battling that wrist injury, Shelley had two hits and a home run in a loss Friday.

Barry Sanders, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Not too bad with a bat in his hand as he is with a football. Sanders had three hits and a home run in a big win against Bethany.

Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Guess it’s a natural transition from being a quarterback to a pitcher as Cloud was solid on the mound in a 9-1 win against Kellyville.

Brendan Dye, Bishop McGuinness, Baseball: Dye is off to a great start on the mound for the Irish as Bryan Wade’s team is coming out of the gates fast.

Alexa Gonce, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: The Irish girls team was involved in a fun, tight Bishop Kelley Invitational, but Gonce gets it for his six-goal outing against Capitol Hill.

Abbey Akin, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: A dynamite player in her own right, Gonce and Akin are an electrifying duo for Sally Cole’s team.

Jake Peace, Mt. St. Mary’s, Baseball: Peace had two hits, including a home run as the Rockets rolled Oklahoma Christian 16-4.

Carissa Villaflor and Sarah Bowen, Heritage Hall, Tennis: The Chargers, led by Julie Labarthe, could sweep once again and this No. 1 doubles team is one of the best, regardless of class.

He’s set the bar early for Player of the Week honors during the spring as Edmond Memorial soccer star Stuart Turnipseed had a tremendous outing in a win against Broken Arrow.

In a showdown of two of the best teams in the state, the Bulldogs made an early statement with a convincing 6-0 victory.

Memorial scored five goals in the second half. Turnispeed notched three of them in earning the first hat trick of his brilliant career.

There’s going to be a great showdown Thursday with Memorial and Norman North, should be fun.

Other contenders

Jacob Romig, Deer Creek, Soccer: The Antlers are one of the best teams in 5A and Romig scored the game-winner in a thrilling 2-1 victory against Lawton MacArthur.

Allie Glazner, Santa Fe, Soccer: It’s been a rough start for the Wolves, but Glazner got things going by scoring two goals in a 2-0 victory against Putnam City.

Austin Place, Santa Fe, Soccer: The Wolves have had to battle this year at 3-3, but Place notched two goals in Santa Fe’s 3-0 win against Moore and Santa Fe ended with two wins in the Bronco Cup.

Alec Heinen and Austin Fuller, North, Golf: The boys tied for second place and the Huskies won the team title at the Timberwolves Invitational.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Welcome back to the course, Yates. She finished tied for second in her first tournament of the year.

Arial Ruffin, Haley McDaniel and Courtney Walker, Santa Fe, Track and Field: All three girls earned individual titles while the Wolves earned team honors at the Memorial Invitational.

Gloria Mosely and Tara Lewis, Memorial, Track and Field: Each girl won an individual championship as Bulldogs placed second.

Haley Hammond and Nicole Underwood, North, Track and Field: Outshined by Santa Fe and Memorial, the pair of girls also won individual titles.

Gunnar Nixon and Matt Leavell, Santa Fe, Track and Field: Nixon won three titles while Leavell added one as Wolves placed second.

Chase Sammons and Isaiah Duke, Memorial, Track and Field: Sammons won two titles and Duke pitched in with one as Bulldogs won the team competition.

Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: Godwin took first in the 3,200 run at the Memorial Invitational.

Jon McNeill, North, Baseball: Huskies had a rough week at Tiger/Trojans Invitational, but McNeill has been solid.

Tyler Price, Deer Creek, Baseball: One of the more overlooked contributors, Price has been most consistent performer for Antlers.

Eric Olson, North, Tennis: Olson won the No. 2 singles title and Huskies won team title at Muskogee Tournament.

Rachel Mitcham, North, Tennis: Senior still going strong, winning No. 1 singles title at Muskogee Tournament.

FRIDAY

Girls soccer: Norman North at Tulsa Kelley Tournament

Girls golf: Norman North at Ardmore Invitational at Lakeview Golf Course

Baseball: Norman North at Putnam City, 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Girls soccer: Norman North at Tulsa Kelley Tournament

Girls tennis: Norman North at Muskogee Tournament

Track: Norman North at Gregg Byram Track Classic at Norman High, 10 a.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Norman North, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Norman at Norman North, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

Softball: Norman North vs. Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Boys golf: At Edmond Invitational, KickingBird Golf Course, 8 a.m.

Baseball: Norman North at Norman, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Boys soccer: Norman vs. Jenks at Bronco Cup (Mustang High School), 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Choctaw at Norman, 12 p.m.

Boys soccer: Norman vs. Southmoore at Bronco Cup (Mustang High School), 11 a.m.

Track: Norman hosts Gregg Byram Track Classic, 10 a.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Norman at Norman North, 7 p.m.

Boys golf: Norman hosts Tiger Trails Invitational at the Trails Golf Club, 8 a.m.

Softball: Putnam City at Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Softball: Noble at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Norman North at Norman, 7 p.m.

Softball: Norman vs. Norman North, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Southmoore at Mustang Tournament

Tennis: Southmoore at Muskogee Tournament

Softball: Norman at Southmoore, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Soccer: Southmoore vs. Norman at Mustang Tournament, 11 a.m.

Tennis: Southmoore at Muskogee Tournament

MONDAY

Golf: Southmoore at Norman Invitational at the Trails Country Club

Tennis: Southmoore at Owasso Tournament

Softball: Southmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

Soccer: Southmoore at Sand Springs, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

Boys soccer: Westmoore at Mustang tournament vs. Putnam City, 2 p.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Broken Arrow Tournament

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic

Boys tennis: Westmoore at Muskogee Tournament

SATURDAY

Boys soccer: Westmoore at Mustang tournament vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 11 a.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Broken Arrow Tournament

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic

Girls tennis: Westmoore at Muskogee Tournament

Track: Westmoore at Gregg Byram Track Classic at Norman High

MONDAY

Baseball: Westmoore at Midwest City, 6 p.m.

Boys golf: Westmoore at Norman Invitational at the Trails Country Club

Girls tennis: Westmoore at Owasso Tournament

TUESDAY

Baseball: Midwest City at Westmoore, 5 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

Boys tennis: Westmoore at Owasso Tournament

FRIDAY

Baseball: Moore at Chickasha Tournament

Boys soccer: Moore at Mustang Tournament, 4 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Hall of Fame Classic

SATURDAY

Baseball: Moore at Chickasha Tournament

Boys soccer: Moore at Mustang Tournament, 9 a.m.

Softball: Moore at Hall of Fame Classic

Track: Moore at Greg Byram Classic at Norman High School, 9 a.m.

MONDAY

Girls tennis: Moore at Owasso

Boys golf: Moore at Norman Tournament at the Trails

Track: Moore at Edmond Memorial

Baseball: Southmoore at Moore, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Boys tennis: Moore at Owasso

Boys golf: Moore at Edmond Tournament at Kickingbird, 8 a.m.

Baseball: Moore at Southmoore, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

Junior Alexa Gonce scored six goals in a 10-0 win for Bishop McGuinness against Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Gonce scored four unassisted goals and also had two assists for the Irish.

If it wasn’t Gonce, it was junior Abbey Akin picking up the slack. Akin scored three goals and had two assists.

McGuinness, ranked seventh in Class 5A, begins plays in the Tulsa Kelley Invitational on Friday.

***

The girls had an incredible season last year before losing to Metro Christian in the semifinals, so you know they’ve been using that as motivation.

And while last year the girls had a target on their back, that’s not the case this year. That might allow them to play loose and play at their best.

Cornwell has half of Norman’s six goals on the season and is coming off a junior year where he tallied seven goals and six assists. With his three goals this season, Cornwell has raised his career total to 18.

Coach Gordon Drummond’s Tiger squad, 2-1 on the season, plays Mustang Thursday at 8 p.m., Jenks Friday at 6 p.m. and Southmoore Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Mustang tourney.

Tuesday
Baseball: Santa Fe South at John Marshall
Soccer: Capitol Hill at McGuinness
Soccer: Southeast vs. U.S. Grant at Speegle
Tennis: Capitol Hill at Millwood
Tennis: Centennial at Northwest
Tennis: Classen at Northeast
Tennis: John Marshall at Douglass
Tennis: Star Spencer at Southeast

Wednesday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Classen vs. Harding at Taft Stadium

Thursday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Capitol Hill at Edmond North
Tennis: Douglass at Classen
Tennis: John Marshall at Capitol Hill
Tennis: Northeast at Star Spencer
Tennis: Southeast at Northwest
Tennis: US. Grant at Centennial

Friday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Capitol Hill boys at Kings of the South Tournament at Speegle Stadium

Saturday
Baseball: Northwest at Mustang
Soccer: Capitol Hill boys at Kings of the South Tournament at Speegle Stadium
Track: John Marshall at Tiger Track Classic at Stroud

Today
CA Baseball: at Noble
CA, MWC Girls Tennis: at Duncan Tournament
Del City Baseball: At Southmoore
MWC Baseball: at Norman North

Tuesday
CA Baseball: vs. Noble (4); vs. Chickasha, 6:30
Del City Baseball: vs. Southmoore
Del City Soccer: at Tulsa Union
MWC Baseball: vs. Norman North

Wednesday
CA, MWC Boys Tennis: at Duncan Tournament
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

Thursday
CA Baseball: at Stillwater
CA, MWC, Del City Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
Del City Baseball: at Guthrie
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

Friday
CA Baseball: at Lawton MacArthur
CA, MWC, Del City Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
CA Girls Tennis: at Ada Tournament
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament
MWC Track: at Tulsa East Central

Saturday
CA, Del City, MWC Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
CA Boys Tennis: at Ada Tournament
Del City Baseball: vs. Christian Heritage
Del City Track: at Norman
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

Below are Q&A’s with West Metro athletes who attended our spring sports media day:

Kris Godwin, Yukon boys soccer

What do you do to get away from sports?

Hang out with family and friends but even then I end up playing soccer or football.

What was your “Welcome to Varsity sports” moment?

Being a sophmore and playing at the varsity level of competition.

What is your hidden talent (not including sports)?

Organizing events such as raffles, fundraisers, etc.

Other than you, who is the best athlete in your family and why?

My father. He began as a soccer player but then excelled in wrestling.

What has been the most life-changing event in your life so far?

The passing of my cousin last year.

Playing favorites – List five items that are your absolute favorite things in your personal life:

Family, friends, Playstation3, truck, iPod Touch.

Bucket list – List five things you must to do in life:

1.Visit Mount Rushmore 2. Swim with sharks 3. Go to another country 4. Go to a World Cup 5. Go to a safari in Africa.

List one person you want to trade places with for a day and why:

Wayne Rooney. He is a game changer and is one of the elites when it comes to the game of soccer.

Karson Bizzell, Mustang girls golf

What do you do to get away from sports?

I hang out with family, my boyfriend and friends, going to movies, skiing, and riding horses. I love to get pedicures and manicures.

What was your “Welcome to Varsity sports” moment?

It was my very first high school tournament and I shot a 117. We were playing at Aqua Canyon in Guthrie and it was freezing with gusting winds. It was horrible but I am glad I endured it to start off my golf career.

What is your hidden talent (not including sports)?

I am great at telling jokes and making people laugh.

Other than you, who is the best athlete in your family and why?

My Uncle David Bizzell is probably the best athlete in our family. He held several records in track in Arkansas. My Uncle Tony Kyle played college basketball. My dad Karl Bizzell played football.

What has been the most life-changing event in your life so far?

When I accepted Jesus Christ into my life.

Playing favorites – List five items that are your absolute favorite things in your personal life:

1. God 2. Family 3. Boyfriend 4. Friends 5. Pets

Bucket list – List five things you must to do in life:

1. Get married and have kids 2. Play on the LPGA Tour 3. Conquer my fear of heights 4. Open my own bakery 5. Learn to surf.

List one person you want to trade places with for a day and why:

Paula Creamer – to experience the thrill of playing on the LPGA Tour and excelling at my dream.

Armoniey Moore, Putnam City girls track

What do you do to get away from sports?

I don’t really do anything to get away from sports, but I do love to cook.

What was your “Welcome to Varsity sports” moment?

When I skipped JV and went straight into Varsity track. I knew then that I might be pretty good at this. And the moment really hit me when I started breaking school records!

What is your hidden talent (not including sports)?

I love to cook and I like to sing.

Other than you, who is the best athlete in your family and why?

My sister, because we both run track and we love to compare our times.

What has been the most life-changing event in your life so far?

The murder of my uncle in a home-invasion in 2007.

Playing favorites – List five items that are your absolute favorite things in your personal life:

Being on the Step Team for my school, running track, my family, my friends and cooking.

Bucket list – List five things you must to do in life:

Go to college, run track, take care of my family… I can’t think of anything else.

List one person you want to trade places with for a day and why:

God, so that I can see how the world is from a different perspective.

Mario Caballeros, Putnam City West boys soccer

What do you do to get away from sports?

I like to play sports, but when I’m not playing sports it’s usually because I’m doing homework or I’m working in some type of school activity. I put my education before sports.

What was your “Welcome to Varsity sports” moment?

It was when I first practiced with the team. The practice was a little bit different than U14 level, the workout and the drills were a little different. That’s when I realized it was going to take dedication in order to maintain a good level of soccer. I also felt welcome in the assemblies, with all the students cheering the varsity team.

What is your hidden talent (not including sports)?

I like to help, being able to be a volunteer and help someone in need is a talent and a gift. I also like math, that’s one of the subjects i never get tired of.

Other than you, who is the best athlete in your family and why?

My two brothers and my sister are athletes, but I would have to say my brother Eduardo. He also plays soccer for the school. He has been playing soccer with me since we were little kids. We both practice really hard and try our best on the field.

What has been the most life-changing event in your life so far?

The event that changed my life so far would have to be the Leadership Retreat I attended almost three years ago. This retreat was a week long at Tulsa. Within that week I practiced how to communicate with people better. Before that retreat I was a really shy guy. That retreat encouraged me to be part of other leadership activities, and today I still have a little bit of trouble speaking in front of people, but I have improved in the last three years. I like to be part of activities that require speaking to groups of people so I can practice and face my fear.

Playing favorites – List five items that are your absolute favorite things in your personal life:

A picture of my family, a soccer ball, architecture book, cell phone, computer.

Bucket list – List five things you must to do in life:

Obtain a college diploma (at least a four-year degree). Help my parents with everything they need later on in life. Get married to a smart, decent woman, raise a family my own, serve God as much as possible.

List one person you want to trade places with for a day and why:

I would like to trade places for one day with the FC Barcelona soccer player Keita, because I would like to experience a day surrounded with great soccer players and being able to play with them.

Casey Coyle, Putnam City North baseball

What do you do to get away from sports?

I go to church as much as I can so I can get more involved and I pray about everything I need to do in my life.

What was your “Welcome to Varsity sports” moment?

My 10th grade year, the baseball team had our first game of the season and it was my first game to ever play at Varsity level. It was my first at-bat, my first EVERYTHING, and I get hit right in the lip and had to go to the hospital.

What is your hidden talent (not including sports)?

Singing.

Other than you, who is the best athlete in your family and why?

My cousin, Zach. He went to Piedmont High School and was a soccer player but that school didn’t have a soccer team so he played football and was the kicker. In his first game he kicked a 61 yarder!

What has been the most life-changing event in your life so far?

When my mother went to prison and me realizing that she wouldn’t be there for anything.

Playing favorites – List five items that are your absolute favorite things in your personal life:

Go to church, play baseball, listen to music, sit at Lake Hefner watching the water as the sun goes down and just thinking, and last is trying to lead people to Christ.

Bucket list – List five things you must to do in life:

Sky dive, go on a Cruise ship, make it to the MLB, try out for American Idol, and do something noone has ever thought about doing.

List one person you want to trade places with for a day and why:

Sam Bradford because I truly know him as a person and considering I signed with OU to play a sport I would like to see how he holds himself up in his faith and how a normal day is in Norman for someone.

“Now the hard works starts,” said Pecore. “We are a target for every team we play.”

Norman North’s boys team, also 3-0, is also in the national rankings at No. 7. The T-Wolves are playing without standout junior Jack Coleman, who is concentrating on his national team commitments. North also has a new coach as Don Rother resigned after last season. Former Norman soccer All-Stater Geo Claros replaced Rother.