Former Edmond North runner Hannah Helker, now at Oklahoma Baptist, was named the NAIA National Women’s Cross Country Runner of the week for Sept. 3-9.

Helker, a sophomore, helped lead OBU to a season-opening victory at the Central Oklahoma Land Run on Sept. 8. She finished in 18:06, more than 58 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher on the 5K course.

The Lady Bison won the event with 36 points.

The award recognizes outstanding athletic performance as well as academics and character. The award puts him up for Gatorade’s National Boys Runner of the Year award.

Satterthwaite won the Class 6A state championship as a junior, and finished fourth at the state meet as a senior, helping Norman claim the 6A team title.

He was Oklahoma’s best finisher at the 2011 Nike Cross Nationals South Regional championships, placing 26th. He also won the Oklahoma Meet of Champions and the Oklahoma-Arkansas All-Star Cross Country Meet.

Satterthwaite remains undecided on a college choice.

Mustang cross country runner Emily Helms.

Mustang’s Emily Helms won the 5A and 6A varsity girls race at last week’s OK Runner Classic in Norman and is The Oklahoman’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

Helms, last year’s Class 6A runner-up as a sophomore, finished almost 30 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Edmond Memorial’s Tara Lewis.

Norman's Tanner Satterthwaite, the defending Class 6A champion, is one of several top runners competing in Friday's OK Runner Classic in Norman. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

Over 100 cross country teams will descend upon Norman Friday for the sixth annual OK Runner Classic, which is hosted by Norman High School.

Several of the top runners in the state will compete in the event, including defending Class 6A boys champion Tanner Satterthwaite of Norman and last year’s 6A girls runner-up Emily Helms of Mustang.

High school races begin at 10:30 a.m. with the 2A-4A girls. The last varsity race, the 5A-6A boys, begins at 2:30 p.m.

Here is the full list of race times:
10:30: 2A/3A/4A girls
11:30: 2A/3A/4A boys
1:30: 5A/6A girls
2:30: 5A/6A boys
4:30: Junior high girls
5:00: Junior high boys

Edmond Santa Fe cross country runner Arya Bahreini.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Arya Bahreini won the varsity boys 5K run at the seventh annual Wolf Run Cross Country Race, and is The Oklahoman’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

He ran the race in 16:07, 25 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Deer Creek’s Taler Buck. Bahreini was Edmond Santa Fe’s highest individual at last year’s Class 6A state meet.

Norman cross country runner Tanner Satterthwaite is the defending Class 6A boys individual champion.

NORMAN — The Norman boys cross country team, which was Class 6A’s runner-up last season, competed last weekend at the Greenhill Relays in Dallas.

Tanner Satterthwaite, the defending Class 6A individual state champion, and the Tigers finished fourth at the event.

“We went up against some of the best teams from Texas and still got fourth,” Satterthwaite said.

This weekend is the Brookhaven Run, a road race in Norman that also serves as a fundraiser for the team. The Brookhaven Run isn’t a high school meet; it is open to runners of all ages.

The next weekend, however, the Tigers return to high school competition in the OK Runner Classic.

Norman only lost one runner off of last year’s runner-up team, so Satterthwaite said his biggest concern in 2011 is overconfidence.

“Our team is really united,” Satterthwaite said, “but our biggest worry is overconfidence since we returned so many guys and were so close to winning it last year.”

Deer Creek Blaine Powell, right, and Taler Buck finished first and second, respectively, at the Guthrie Cottonwood Flats Invitational meet on Saturday. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

Deer Creek’s Blaine Powell won the Class 5A-and-below, three-mile boys race at the annual TIG Guthrie Cottonwood Flats Invitational, and the performance earned him The Oklahoman’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.

Powell ran the race in 15:31 for a five-second victory over teammate Taler Buck. The Deer Creek boys placed six runners in the top 10, winning the race as a team. The Deer Creek girls also won their race as a team.

Lincoln Christian's Jordan Masterson won the Lincoln Christian Cross Country Meet on Saturday in Tulsa. PHOTO BY CORY YOUNG, TULSA WORLD

Cross country action was limited across Oklahoma last week, but Lincoln Christian junior Jordan Masterson is The Oklahoman‘s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the week of August 14-20.

Masterson won the two-mile Lincoln Christian Cross Country Meet on Saturday with a time of 10:30.35.

Last season, Masterson finished fifth as an individual in the Class 3A state meet, and the team finished fifth overall.

Action picks up this week, with 10 meets across the state.

Westmoore cross country runner Noemi Hernandez saved her best performance for her final one.

Ranked in the top five all season, Hernandez won the Class 6A state individual championship and was named the Gatorade/ESPN RISE Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for Oklahoma.

“She was important to our success in more ways than just her athletic abilities,”  coach Laura Clay said. “She has such a positive outlook on her running, life and work ethic. Family and respect are very important to her, and you can see that in the way that she carries herself.”

Westmoore finished third as a team. Hernandez has signed with Oklahoma Christian.

We’re knee-deep in football playoffs, but here is your schedule for the All-City teams in volleyball, softball and cross country.

Wednesday - Volleyball
Thursday - Big and Little All-City Softball
Friday - Boys and Girls Cross Country

Look for stories, capsules and the complete roster for each sport in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK. UPDATE: This might change. Space is kinda tight for the next couple of days. Just know we’ll try to get these in and fast as we can.

Few performances would have outranked the return of Southmoore quarterback Kendal Thompson. But Westmoore cross country runner Noemi Hernandez did.

In 11:26, Noemi Hernandez not only set a new career-low in the last race of her career but also won the Class 6A girls’ state cross country championship. She is the first Jaguar to do so since Summer Suchy won in 1998.

Hernandez defeated Mustang’s Emily Helms for the first time all year and has now made the All-State team in back-to-back years.

Hernandez spent two years behind Katelin Cherry and Taylor Painter. Despite accomplishing something neither of them did, Hernandez still feels that they will always be superior.

“I think, in my mind, they are always going to be better than me,” she said. “It feels pretty awesome. I feel like I gave everything to my school and I represented really well.”

Others in consideration:

Kendal Thompson, Southmoore football: After missing six straight weeks, Thompson returned triumphantly. He threw a touchdown on his first play and scored twice in only three drives. Southmoore scored every drive he was in the game.

The Lions’ offense, Moore football: The Lions put up more points than they had in the previous four weeks combined despite falling 42-40 to Putnam North last Friday. After 8 losses, kudos goes to an offense that still pushed hard until the very end.

This was a good battle for the honor this week. In one corner, you had Sterling Shepard and Cooper Cloud leading a comeback win at Bethany.

In the other corner, you had Mt. St. Mary’s wide receiver Jake Peace, who caught the game-winning touchdown to give the Rockets their first victory of the season.

The winner? Peace…by that much. Coach Dal Nichols has raved about Peace all season. He said bluntly he feels if MSM was a better team, more colleges would be taking a look at Peace.

Peace caught the game-winning TD with 26 seconds left. Rockets added an INT return for a score and won 28-20 against Comanche.

Other contenders

Cooper Cloud and Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall, Football: Down at half, the duo connected for both touchdowns in a huge 14-7 road victory at Bethany.

LaRone Richardson, McGuinness, Football: Richardson notched another three touchdowns and turned a sluggish 7-3 halftime lead into a comfortable 27-3 victory against Cache.

Cassius Calhoun, Casady, Football: Look out for the Cyclones in 2011. All those juniors are going to be something special. Calhoun scored both touchdowns in the 35-14 loss to Holland Hall.

Christian Heritage returns: Crusaders had a pair of them. Kenny Wooldridge took an INT back for a touchdown. Bryant Hodge returned a punt for a score.

Irish cross country teams: Solid all season, the girls placed third and the boys finished fourth at the state meet at Mitch Park.

Marie Mason, Rhodes College (Casady), Field Hockey: Rhodes is 15-1 and has clinched the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. Mason was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week.

So close. Deer Creek was dominant at the boys cross country regional. And at the state meet, the Antlers weren’t that far off but fell just short.

Deer Creek took second as Guthrie earned the team championship at the state meet. However, Taler Buck did earn the championship and was pretty impressive in doing so.

Buck beat out Guthrie’s Zack Cates by more than 12 seconds to claim the individual title. Deer Creek’s Jake Verdin and Kody Ewing also placed in the top 10.

The girls, paced by a sixth-place finish by Courtney Maichak, earned fourth.

Other contenders

Ry Huff, Memorial, Football: Looked a lot more comfortable with Kameron Doolittle back and accounted for two touchdowns in the Bulldogs win vs. Norman North.

Travis Townsend, North, Football: Forgettable first half erased by a great second half, throwing for 231 yards and a couple of scores in 17-10 win vs. Santa Fe.

Dale Jefferson, Santa Fe, Football: First time I’ve seen him in person, and he is dang good. A little small at WR but was the best one on the field.

Meredith Farley, North, Cross Country: Farley placed 10th individually in leading the girls to a fifth-place finish in the team race at the state meet.

Arya Bahreini and Alex Skinner, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Each placed in the top 10 to help pace the Wolves to finishing sixth.

Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: Lewis placed 11th while the Memorial girls were brilliant in earning second place.

Oh baby, what a performance. I picked Midwest City to win. I picked 37-32, but I was extremely unsure about the selection. I thought the long bus ride combined with a fired up Lawton Eisenhower team was going to prove to be an extremely difficult task for the Bombers.

They showed me and made their most impressive statement of the season. Sparked by that stellar defense, Midwest City blanked Lawton Ike 28-0 at Cameron Stadium.

Eisenhower was held to less than 200 yards of offense. Midwest City picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. The Bombers were up 21-0 at halftime and never let their guard down in clinching the district championship.

Other contenders

James Flanders, Midwest City, Football: Another big night for the junior as Flanders had three rushing touchdowns. It got better Saturday as older brother John picked off a pass in the end zone to cement Tulsa’s win over Notre Dame.

Greg Johnson and Adrian Fletcher, Del City, Football: Each had a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Eagles blanked US Grant.

Carl Albert rushing game and offensive line: Darvonta Knight, Kenton Whittington and Tank Richmond all scored rushing touchdowns as Titans rushed for more than 300 yards in big road win at Deer Creek.

Shameka Sanders, Del City, Cross Country: Only Eagle runner at the state meet last week and did pretty well, placing 18th.

The Westmoore cross country team tries to run at Mitch Park in Edmond any time there is an event at that course. All those attempts are for this Saturday when the Class 6A cross country championship is held that the same course.

“A course that we ran already, a course that we try to run as many times as they have meets there so we are more familiar with it,” Westmoore coach Laura Clay. “The great thing is, it’s a course that we really like. It’s one thing to run a course over and over every time you are there. Mitch Park is a course that my kids really enjoy running.”

Clay said that her team likes many things about the course. They like that it’s downhill at the start and that it’s very open.

 “That’s real good because I can get to where I can talk to them at five or six different points,” Clay said. “That’s beneficial for us. They can see the competition really well because there’s a lot of straight-aways so they can actually look and see quiet a distance in front of them. When they turn, they can come back and glance. That’s on of the reason we like it. And we run really well there, that might be another reason they like it.”

The Westmoore girls’ team finished second at the Norman regional, while the boys’ team finished sixth. Both qualified for Saturday’s race.

The Moore Player of the Week was going to a Westmoore Jaguar this week. Whether it would be a football player or a track star was the only question. After Friday night, the only question was which football player.

Five turnovers and a big loss is a lot to come back from for a young quarterback only a few games into his starting career. But that’s exactly what Westmoore junior Trevor Thompson did Friday against Putnam City in a 30-6 victory for the Jaguars.

Thompson went 11-for-18 for 108 yards and two touchdowns to lead Westmoore (5-3, 4-1) back into the win column after a horrendous game against Edmond North seven days ago.

For that, Thompson is this week’s Moore Player of Week. He’s also given the Jaguars a shot at the 6A-2 title.

Others in consideration:

Cody Feuerborn, Westmoore football: The powerful running back took a lot of pressure off Thompson on Friday but also put a lot of pressure on Thompson for the PoW award. Feuerborn ran for 258 yards on 33 carries and had two touchdowns, one of which was an 82-yard score — surprisingly long for the big back.

The Jaguars’ defense, Westmoore football: One week after giving up 38 points, the Jaguars held Putnam City to its lowest point total of the season. Senior linebacker Cody Cates was the leader with 10 tackles, but Addison Staggs picked off a pass and Brad McKay recovered a fumble. The team also forced a safety in the fourth quarter.

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore cross country: Hernandez finished third in the Class 6A regional cross country meet Saturday in Norman. Edmond North edged the Jaguars by two points for the regional title. Hernandez ran in a time of 12:02.

Guess James Flanders was upset with me not giving him the honor last week, huh? For the second straight week, Flanders was phenomenal. Well, for the whole season he’s been dang good, but he just happened to have this latest performance with me in attendance.

Flanders rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the victory against Edmond Memorial. And those that saw his 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter won’t forget it anytime soon.

It sure looked like at least a couple of Bulldog defenders had the angle to take him down or force him out of bounds. But one Flanders put on the jets, whoop, he was gone.

I agree with one commenter said about this Bombers team. Don’t know if they’re the best, but man do they have a whole heckuva lot character and heart.

Other contenders

Taylor Hawkins, Carl Albert: Redemption is thy name. Hawkins was great on the ground and through the air in accounting for five touchdowns in a 55-12 whipping of Ada.

Chazten Gonzales, Del City: In a game the Eagles had to have, Gonzales rushed for more than 100 yards and two touchdowns and threw for more than 100 in a 14-10 win at Edmond Santa Fe.

Dwight Dobbins, Carl Albert: Had a long touchdown run and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the Titans rout.

Myles Hogg, Midwest City: I can’t quantify his stats, but if you saw him play defense in the second half against Memorial, then you know why he is here.

Andrew Thomsen, Carl Albert, Cross Country: At the 5A regional in Norman, Thomsen helped Titans to a fourth-place finish by placing seventh.

In a game against Noble that Deer Creek was supposed to win, it was senior linebacker Isaiah Byrd who set the tone early.

Byrd had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown that led to the 43-0 victory and has the Antlers ready for this week’s mega-showdown with Carl Albert.

I remember when Byrd burst onto the scene as a sophomore. He’s been a solid, consistent player the last three years and has been healthy again after being banged up as a junior.

The Antlers haven’t just won four consecutive games since the Guthrie loss but have won in dominating fashion in all four contests.

Other contenders

DonQuay Hammons, North: Hammons had a long touchdown reception early, but the Huskies couldn’t keep it up in a loss to Lawton.

Cord Moore, Santa Fe: The Wolves are going running back-by-committee, and Moore was the one to punch it in the end zone against Del City.

Ry Huff, Memorial: Huff picked up his game in the second half through the air after scoring twice on the ground in the first half of the loss to the Bombers.

Joel Blumenthal, Deer Creek: The sophomore threw two touchdown passes as the Antlers have been able to find success through the air the last couple of weeks.

Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Wow, DC went 1-2-3-4-8 at the 5A regional in Norman. So yea, this goes to Buck, but it could go to that whole team.

Meredith Farley, North, Cross Country: In an absolute battle with Westmoore, Farley and her sixth-place finish helped the Huskies to a regional victory.

Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: A favorite this weekend? Lewis placed fourth as the Bulldogs placed fourth at regionals.

Arya Bahreini, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Wolves placed third at the 6A regional with Bahreini leading the charge in fifth.

Gonna keep this short because you can read much in Tuesday’s paper. I thought I had lost my chance to name LaRone Richardson the best player of the week.

Seriously, how do you top his five-score outing in a loss to Millwood? Um, well, he did. Richardson found the end zone six times in a dominating win against Piedmont.

Always one of my favorite kids to talk to, look for his story in Tuesday’s paper.

Other contenders

Garrison Lee, Casady: Found out the day before the game he would be playing defensive line, and he was one of the best players on the field in the loss to Bellaire Episcopal.

Chris Easterly, OCS: Playing running back just because the Saints have no one left. How’d he do? Five touchdowns in the OCS win against Northeast.

Josh Bivens, OCA: I was really pumped about this team until the Parker Randell injury. Bivens notched four touchdowns in the win against Macomb, the Eagles’ first of the year.

Ray Frazier, Mt. St. Mary’s, Cross Country: Frazier was impressive at the state meet, placing fourth overall as the Rockets earned seventh.

Maddy Hill, McGuinness, Cross Country: The Irish girls were dominant at the 5A regional, placing second, third, fourth and sixth in winning the event.

Note: No Heritage contenders because SeeWorth Academy forfeited the game last week.

Westmoore senior Noemi Hernandez has waited patiently. She’s seen the success of her predecessors. She watched Katelin Cherry and Taylor Painter go before her and lead the Jaguars to conference, regional and state championships.

Now, it’s her turn.

“For this to be her standout year, it’s been really exciting for her and for us,” Westmoore coach Laura Clay said.

Hernandez is fresh off a Mid-State Conference individual title and is ranked as the fifth-best Class 6A runner by OHStrack.com. She’s never finished worse than sixth in a race this year, Despite this being her first win of the season, Hernandez has finished second three different times. What makes this year that much more impressive for the 2009 all-stater is that she’s getting better.

Hernandez has dropped time in each of the last six races including a career-low 11:37 in her conference championship run.

“Ever since we ran at Mustang, she broke 12 and hasn’t looked back,” Clay said. “It’s been real exciting for her. She’s a very coachable kid. She’s gaining confidence in herself and believing in herself.”

This week’s Moore player of the week choice was a tough one. On one hand, there was an athlete accomplishing something she’d never done before. On the other hand, there was an athlete who chose to do something I’d never seen before.

It was tough, but in the end I had to go with Noemi Hernandez of Westmoore.

Hernandez won the individual Mid-State Conference championship while leading the Jaguars to a team title by one point. Westmoore edged Edmond Memorial 47 to 48. It was Westmoore’s fourth-straight conference championship.

Hernandez finished with a time of 11:37, a career-best.

Others in consideration…

Vova Razryvin, Moore football: Razryvin jumped back behind center when starting quarterback Corey Reeves went down with an injury and threw for three touchdowns and 181 yards. He also ran for 82, but Moore still lost to Norman North.

More importantly, when Norman North’s D.J. Hicks was injured and being driven off in an ambulance, it was Razryvin that quickly organized a game-wide prayer at midfield.

“I go church every Sunday and every Wednesday I get a chance to,” Razryvin said. “I saw that hit and it didn’t look good. I just thought, ‘Hey, we can’t do anything but God can.’ And just prayed for him.”

Andrew Long, Southmoore football: In a 56-28 loss to Broken Arrow, Long rushed for three touchdowns and 154 yards against a tough Tigers’ defense. He also caught three passes for 15 yards. Long has been key for the SaberCats as quarterback Kendal Thompson continues to miss games.

Caleb McKee, Westmoore cross country: McKee finished in fourth at the Mid-State Conference meet and led the Jaguars for a third place finish. He ran in a time of 17:05.

Moore softball: Raegan Sampson’s game-winning hit Thursday looked like a sign of good things to come. However, the Lions were bounced by Jenks and finished another great season.

They had the target on their backs all season. They had to deal with Micha Hancock missing time for the Youth Olympics. And Mattie Burleson missing matches because of an OSSAA rule about traveling teams.

But frankly, none of that mattered last weekend in Shawnee and Oklahoma Baptist for the Edmond Memorial volleyball team. The Bulldogs were almost beyond dominant in winning another state championship.

How good were they? They didn’t drop a game in the state tournament. They were never pressed to play beyond 25 points in a game though Santa Fe gave ‘em a good 25-23 game in the final.

It’s one thing to be expected to be the best all season, and it’s totally another to be able to go out there every single night and bring it. And that’s what they did all season.

For Scott Wright’s coverage of the championship, here ya go.

Other contenders

Edmond Santa Fe football: Wolves picked up first win of season with 61-0 win vs. US Grant. A colleague told me Ty Hensley played well. Santa Fe fans, help a Boneman out. Any stats you got from Friday sure would be appreciated.

Troy Davis and Travis Townsend, North, Football: In the first must-win game of the season, each accounted for three touchdowns in the 38-15 victory against Westmoore. Defense also forced six turnovers.

Deer Creek offensive line: Once again, the Antlers were able to spread out the wealth with its rushing attack. Alex Christensen, Joel Blumenthal, Luke Bradshaw and co., another solid outing in win against Western Heights.

North softball: Just ran into a hot hitting team in Jenks. With only one senior that saw significant playing time, this team should be back contending for the state championship last year.

Santa Fe volleyball: Just one of dem years, you know? Alex Hodges and the rest of the girls probably win against the rest of 6A – just not this Memorial squad.

Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Buck dominated at the Suburban Conference meet and then helped the Antlers to an eighth-place finish at the event in Fayetteville.

Alex Shook, Memorial, Cross Country: Shook led the charge for the Bulldogs who placed 15th at the same Fayetteville event.

Meredith Farley, North, Cross Country: Farley placed second at the Metro Conference meet and the Huskies couldn’t be touched in the team race.

Westmoore’s defense showed on Friday that it is big-time. The Jaguars held Del City to only 6 points, but forced six-straight turnovers to end the game. One of the key forces on that defense is Tyler Newton, who is the Moore Player of the Week.

Newton finished the game with 9 tackles and two recovered fumbles. The second of the two fumbles was also the first touchdown of his career. He also gets the award for being one of the leaders on the defense.

To go along with Newton, Ricky Balogun, Bo Hurst, Cody Cates and Bryan Norris all had double-digit tackles.

Others in consideration:

Andrew Long, Southmoore football: Long rushed for 140 yards and scored three touchdowns in a loss to Norman. What makes this performance standout is that the junior almost led his team to a come-from-behind win. Two of his three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. He also had one catch for 41 yards.

Zach VanDyke, Westmoore football: VanDyke factored into Westmoore’s victory in two ways. He returned a punt for a touchdown in the first half and intercepted a Del City pass in the second half as the Jaguars took control off the game. He also had 6 tackles out of the secondary.

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore cross country: Hernandez set a new season-low as she finished fourth at the Edmond Pre-State meet. Hernandez ran in a time of 11:54.27 as Westmoore edge Jenks to win the event by less than two seconds.

Caleb McKee, Westmoore cross country: McKee finished seventh overall at the Edmond Pre-State 5k and posted a 16:43.33. It bettered his previous season-best by nearly 10 seconds.

Moore softball: What a shock (not really). Stephanie Riley’s girls are headed back to the state tournament, and it’s a wide open field

How pumped are you for Carl Albert and Guthrie? I’ll tell ya right now I have a lot planned for every day this week on the blogs and in The Oklahoman.

And it starts with the Mid-Del Player of the Week. This week’s honor is going to QB Taylor Hawkins for the Titans.

He was the starting strong safety for this team when Dillan Dansby was running the show. Of course, Dansby was injured and it’s been Hawkins leading the way.

In the last two games (albeit against teams CA should have taken care of), Hawkins and the passing game have come alive for Gary Rose.

Hawkins threw for four touchdown passes as the Titans put up 30 in the first quarter en route to a 72-0 victory against Southeast.

He’s got a different skill set than Dansby, but he’s no less effective. The Titans rolled up 539 yards of offense in the blowout win. Friday night can’t get here soon enough.

Other contenders

Midwest City defense: No comebacks necessary in this one as the Bomber defense did what it needed to do in blanking Moore 32-0.

Chazten Gonzales, Del City, Football: Gonzales scored the Eagles’ lone touchdown in a disappointing 30-6 loss to Westmoore.

Dwight Dobbins, Carl Albert, Football: Dobbins is making his name on defense, but he caught a pair of touchdowns in the win Thursday.

Carl Albert softball team: Colin White’s girls are ranked No.  1 and are one of the favorites to claim the 5A championship this week.

Shameka Sanders, Del City, Cross Country: Against a good field, Sanders placed second at the pre-state meet at Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday.

Ooh this was a tough one. But in the end, his numbers were too good to be overlooked. So Deer Creek’s Alex Christensen gets the Edmond Player of the Week, just edging out the Memorial defense.

In talking with coach Grant Gower, he had no idea Christensen had THAT many carries. Christensen ended up with 38 carries for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a big road win against El Reno.

Gower said El Reno was unable to stop his big QB so he didn’t go away from it. I’ve compared Christensen as a beast before, and well, that might work for this week.

Good bounce back the last two weeks by the Antlers following the loss at Guthrie.

Other contenders

Memorial defense: Aw heck, the whole team in the second half. Playing inspired because of the loss of Cale Olbert, teams turned a 7-7 game at halftime time to a 47-7 win against Choctaw. Jeff Balkenbush and Ry Huff were part of the charge leading the way.

Jesse Mathews, North, Football: Once upon a time he was a contender for the QB job, but Mathews has made a nice transition and had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Putnam City.

Jeremy Moore, Santa Fe, Football: Wolves dropped their sixth consecutive game, but Moore did pick off two passes in the loss to Mustang.

North softball: Here we go. This is what they’ve been waiting for. Rick Nordyke’s girls are ranked No. 1 heading into this week’s state tournament.

Memorial, North, Santa Fe volleyball: Gotta think the Bulldogs are heavy favorites, but Shawnee will be Edmond east this weekend for the 6A volleyball tournament with all three teams.

Alex Shook and Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: Lewis was second and Shook was fourth at the pre-state run at Mitch Park.

Arya Bahreini and Alex Skinner, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Bahreini was third and Skinner was fifth as Wolves placed fifth at the pre-state run.

One solid week after another. Really, did this group give me any other choice? I have to give the Carl Albert offensive line the honor of being the Mid-Del Players of the Week.

After scoring 12 points in Week 1, the Titans have scored at least 34 in their four wins since. And they’ve had to make a transition from the quickness of Dillan Dansby to Taylor Hawkins at quarterback.

It’s been pretty seamless. The line keeps opening up holes for Hawkins and Kenton Whittington and Darvonta Knight, and the yards and Ws keep piling up for Carl Albert.

Led by All-State-caliber linemen Kyle Croak and Anthony Frazier, Carl Albert earned more than 500 yards of total offense in a blowout of El Reno.

Other contenders

Chazten Gonzales, Del City, Football: Gonzales was back to his old tricks, accounting for four touchdowns in a season-saving win against previously undefeated Putnam City.

Trez Colbert, Midwest City, Football: Another case of Bomber Magic? Colbert scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter and then topped it by catching the game-winner in overtime vs. Putnam North.

Carl Albert cheerleading: The girls earned another state championship on Saturday at Skiatook.

Jamie Lock, Midwest City, Cross Country: Lock was the Bombers’ best finisher at the Mustang meet last Thursday.

Well, tried to not do it, but we have our first repeat winner of the year. Just a little too tough to not give Edmond Memorial’s Cale Olbert another honor as the Edmond Player of the Week.

In a game the Bulldogs had to have in district play, Olbert was a beast. He rushed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in leading Memorial to a 21-6 win against Moore.

It’s a mental test more than anything else as the Bulldogs are trying to survive without their captain (Kameron Doolittle) at 100 percent.

Olbert doesn’t mind having to carry the load. He’s got some real nice help with that defense, too. The defense hasn’t let this team down yet.

Other contenders

Travis Townsend, North, Football: It was a long night for the Huskies in a loss to Mustang, but Townsend was able to throw for four touchdown passes.

Alex Christensen, Michael Coleman, Shawn McLaws and Brennan Miyake, Deer Creek, Football: All four had two touchdowns for the Antlers in a 69-13 blowout win vs. Southeast.

Trevan Smith, Santa Fe, Football: Smith continues to be a bright spot for the Wolves, who have been shutout three times this season.

Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Add another honor to an incredible season, winning the individual title at Holland Hall against great teams from the Tulsa area.

Tara Lewis and Alex Shook, Memorial, Cross Country: No shock here as Lewis and Shook continued their stellar seasons at Mustang on Thursday.

Meredith Farley, North, Cross Country: Farley was team’s best finisher as Huskies won the team competition at Mustang.

Arya Bahreini, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Bahreini helped the Wolves to a fourth-place finish and placed third individually.

Jordan Dixon, North, Softball: Dixon is one big reason why the Huskies are ranked No. 1 and should punch their ticket to state this week.

As his quarterback continues to miss games, Southmoore running back Andrew Long does nothing but carry his team more and more. In a 51-27 victory against Sapulpa last Friday, Long rushed for 215 yards on 32 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 12 yards as he earned the Moore Player of the Week honor.

Long also eclipsed the 1,000-yard and 10-touchdown mark for the season and is averaging 11.3 yards per carry.

Others in consideration:

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore cross country: Hernandez led the Westmoore Jaguars to a second-place finish in Mustang last Thursday. With a time of 11:56.50, Hernandez finished in second place. It was also Hernandez’ best time of the season.

Hernandez has finish in the top-6 in all fives races this year and has finished in second place on three separate occasions.

Bryan Norris, Westmoore football: As the Jaguars earned their second-straight shutout, Norris hauled down 11 ball carriers. The senior linebacker led the team in total tackles as well as solo tackles — he had six.

He’s set the bar so high for himself that’s it has become increasingly tough to be surprised at the skills of Heritage Hall junior Barry J. Sanders.

But what he did Friday night in a blowout of Tulsa NOAH had my jaw dropping again. Sanders rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns as the Chargers continue to make a statement in Class 3A.

Sanders has routinely put two- or three-touchdown outings that I don’t bat an eye at those. However, this was the type of statement that sure silence some critics. And in the short term, it’s this performance that has earned him the Private Schools Player of the Week.

The Chargers have  another big test this week with Newcastle (I’ll be there).

Other contenders

Jamaal Whitney, McGuinness, Football: Whitney broke through for a big one with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 21-14 victory at Woodward.

Mac Katigan, Casady, Football: Gets better with every game. Katigan is proving to be a solid running option for the Cyclones, rushing for three touchdowns in the Dallas Greenhill thumping.

Cassius Calhoun, Casady, Football: The workhorse for the Cyclones was at it again with 160 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown.

Tom Frantz, Irish, Cross Country: Frantz placed eighth in leading McGuinness to a second-place finish at Holland Hall.

Mt. St. Mary’s softball: Back to the state tournament go the Rockets. Definitely a contender for the 3A championship.

The Westmoore Jaguars girls’ cross country team got its first taste of the teams in the western half of the state and they must have enjoyed it Saturday at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.

The Jaguars finished third, but were the best Oklahoma finisher by 50 points. The second-best team, Jenks, is one of the Jaguars’ primary competitors for the Class 6A state title.

“We’ve finally seen all the schools that are the dominant schools in cross country, both male and female,” coach Laura Clay said. “Now, we know how we stack up and we know what we need to work on. We know what else we have to do to attain the goals that we had at the end of the season.”

Westmoore has won twice this season and the third-place finish last weekend is the worst finish of the season.

I’ll be keeping this one brief because you can read a whole lot more about this in Tuesday’s paper. But I thought it was a misprint to see Oklahoma Christian win and not see the name Jack Warren.

He’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Saints. But he wasn’t there last week, out with a concussion. So in came a sophomore who has never played quarterback. And all Austin Brooks did was a throw a couple of touchdowns and run for another in a shutout win against Chisholm.

For making the most out of a difficult situation and showing OCS fans the future is bright, Brooks is the Private Schools Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Barry J. Sanders, Heritage Hall, Football: Sanders added another four touchdowns, all in the first half, as the Chargers routed Centennial.

Cooper Cloud, Heritage, Football: He didn’t throw many passes, but the ones he did he sure made count. Cloud threw three touchdowns in the win.

LaRone Richardson, McGuinness, Football: Rushed for a touchdown and more than 100 yards in a 29-14 loss for the Irish to Clinton.

Garrison Lee, Casady, Football: With Cassius Calhoun taking over at RB, it’s allowed Lee to dominate on defense. He had 15 tackles in the Cyclones 10-7 win against Irving Cistercian.

Aimee Rischard, Mt. St. Mary’s, Cross Country: The freshman’s great year continued Saturday at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, placing eighth in the 3A-A girls competition.

Gabby Marion, Casady, Cross Country: Marion was the highest finisher for the Cyclones who placed 15th in Stillwater.

The Bishop McGuinness boys cross country team: What more can be said about this group? They’ve been great all year and dominated at the Jamboree. How good were they? Larry Ressler (4th), Frank Frantz (5th) and Tom Frantz (6th) were all in the top 10. The girls, paced by Mary Kate Roy, took fifth.

The best of the best in the state (and some out of state clubs) for cross country were in Stillwater this weekend for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree.

And while Bishop McGuinness earned the 4A-5A boys title, nobody could touch Deer Creek’s Taler Buck in the individual competition.

Buck won the event by a staggering 18 seconds. And his time would have been good enough to place him fourth in the 6A competition, giving him Edmond Player of the Week honors.

The Antlers have one of the deepest squads in 5A and placed second to the Irish. Blaine Powell was 11th and Kody Ewing took 16th.

Other contenders

Jarion Tudman, North, Football: Welcome to Oklahoma, Tudman. The transfer from Amarillo came alive for 212 yards and 3 TDs in a win against Del City.

Ry Huff, Memorial, Football: Might see even more time this week and showed glimpses of what he can do with a touchdown in a 17-7 loss.

Abby Taliaferro, North, Softball: Taliaferro has been one of the best hitters for Rick Nordyke’s club all season and has done it in the biggest games.

Alex Hodges, Santa Fe, Volleyball: If it wasn’t for Memorial, we’d be talking about Hodges and the Wolves who are ranked No. 2 in 6A.

Taylor Melchert, Deer Creek, Cross Country: The girls placed sixth at the Jamboree with Melchert leading the way earning 36th.

Arya Bahreini, Santa Fe, Cross Country: His stellar season continued in Stillwater, too, placing fourth as the Wolves earned 10th.

Alex Shook, Memorial, Cross Country: Six was the magic number as Shook earned it individually and the team did the same at the Jamboree.

OK, I felt a little pressure Friday night. Went out and said Midwest City was my LOCK of the week over Yukon. And when Scott Wright was keeping me posted Friday, was starting to sweat.

And then Greg Austin took over. In the blink of an eye, a 21-6 deficit became a 48-21 victory. Austin came up huge, throwing for 256 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another.

With his performance, the Bombers showed they’re still the team to beat in the OKC area and has earned Austin the Mid-Del Player of the Week.

Other contenders

James Flanders, Midwest City, Football: After being shutdown in the first half, came alive to rush for more than 100 yards and a touchdown.

Greg Johnson, Del City, Football: Nobody played harder on the Eagles squad than Johnson, who did all he could in a 36-21 loss to Edmond North.

Carl Albert offensive line: With all those touchdown runs by the Titans last week, can’t just pick one. This line has absolutely dominated the competition the last three weeks.

Madisyn Long, Carl Albert, Softball: Titans survived another week as the top-rated team and Long had a six-RBI game against Guthrie.

Joshua Metcalf, Carl Albert, Cross Country: Metcalf was the Titans’ best finisher at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater.

Jamie Locke and Matt King, Midwest City, Cross Country: Top finishers for the Bombers at Oklahoma Baptist this weekend.

Don’t do this too often, but he certainly deserved it. It’s rare that a losing team gets the Player of the Week honor, but I’m not going to deny what Bishop McGuinness RB LaRone Richardson did against Millwood.

Last year it was six touchdowns. This time it was ‘only’ five. Richardson must wish he faced the Falcons every week as he just seems to be able to handle that team.

In a 48-41 loss, Richardson ran for three touchdowns, threw for another and caught another. Trailing 20-0 at one point, the Irish stormed back to make it one of the best games of the week.

Richardson has been healthy this season so far and that’s one big reason why the Irish are contenders for the 4A gold ball. Up next is a Friday district opener against Clinton (I will be there).

Other contenders

Barry J. Sanders, Heritage Hall, Football: Added three more touchdowns to his total as the Chargers earned a tough 21-12 win at Davis.

CHA offensive line: Crusaders rushed for 342 yards, averaging nearly 10 yards a pop, in big 42-25 win against rival Oklahoma Christian.

Meredith Zerby, Heritage, Cross Country: Zerby was the leading runner for the Chargers, placing 12th at the Kingfisher meet.

Jack Bickford, Casady, Cross Country: Bickford finished 10th in the small schools run at the Edmond Dog Pack meet on Friday.

This might be the first time a Player of the Week honor is going to someone who didn’t score a touchdown. Yes, it’s true that Edmond Memorial RB Cale Olbert did not punch it in Friday in the win against rival Edmond North.

But you know what? He did just about everything else. With Kameron Doolittle hobbled, Olbert was the workhorse time and time again and has earned the Edmond honor.

Olbert is going to have to play a big role if the Bulldogs are going to continue their hot start. He adds a perfect blend to the offensive game. And we know how good that defense is.

Other contenders

Grant Bohuslavicky, Memorial, Football: Scored a touchdown and made big catches all night in the win against North.

Travis Townsend, North, Football: For three quarters, deadly accurate. Made good decisions all night long against Memorial.

Ty Hensley, Santa Fe, Football: Hensley scored the Wolves’ touchdown in a 41-6 loss at Midwest City.

Michael Coleman, Deer Creek, Football: Defense caused seven turnovers against Tecumseh and Coleman had an INT return for a touchdown.

Maddie Martin, Santa Fe, Softball: Wolves don’t have the numbers they’ve had in the past, but Martin is proving to be a stellar player.

Mattie Burleson, Memorial, Volleyball: You tend to forget how great she is with Micha Hancock also on the team, but Burleson is incredible at the net.

Tara Lewis and Alex Shook, Memorial, Cross Country: Surprise, surprise. Shook was second and Lewis fifth at the Edmond Dog Pack event at Mitch Park.

Hannah Helker and Anna Kimsey, North, Cross Country: In a good battle, Helker and Kimsey helped Huskies to win against Westmoore and rest of field at Edmond Dog Pack run.

Taler Buck and Courtney Maichak, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Girls won the smaller school competition and Buck was fourth in boys event at Edmond Dog Pack run.

Arya Bahreini and Alex Skinner, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Bahreini was third and Skinner seventh at the Edmond Dog Pack run.

I was all set for Garrison Lee to become the star running back for Casady this season. But when I talked to him, he mentioned a fella by the name of Cassius Calhoun.

Say wha? I know why now. Calhoun, a transfer from Richardson, Texas, brings the goods every game and had that bust out performance Friday in a win against OCS.

Calhoun scored three times as Casady earned its first win with an impressive showing against the Saints. He’s earned the Private Schools Player of the Week.

Just a junior, Calhoun is one of several crazy-talented 11th graders on this team. Oh, and Lee? Well, he’s become one of the unquestioned leaders on defense.

Other contenders

Nick Callaway, Bishop McGuinness, Football: I know him on defense, but he wrote his name in Irish lore with the TD reception with :17 left against rival Bishop Kelley.

Barry J. Sanders, Sterling Shepard and Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall, Football: Each in one way or another accounted for two touchdowns in a win against Clinton.

Mac Katigan, Casady, Football: His numbers won’t blow you away, but Katigan is doing an effective job running and passing for the Cyclones.

Zach Peak, OCS, Football: In a losing effort, Peak scored both of the Saints’ touchdowns.

Meredith Zerby and Trevon Ivory, Heritage, Cross Country: The top girls and boys finishers for the Chargers at Deer Creek.

Larry Resler, Bishop McGuinness, Cross Country: In a field of top 6A teams, it was the Irish that won the OK Runner Classic event in Norman. The girls placed seventh.

Aimee Richard and Ray Frazier, Mt. St. Mary’s, Cross Country: Look out for the Rockets. Richard placed fourth and Frazier second at the OK Runner Classic.

Know any more nominations? Let me know.

I guess 525 total yards and 5 TDs is worth a Player of the Week honor for Del City's Chazten Gonzales

What a tough, tough choice this week in the Mid-Del sector. And honestly, it became a battle of three Eagles. Del City’s Chazten Gonzales, Greg Johnson and Marquis Walters are all deserving of being named the Mid-Del Player of the Week.

But Johnson and Walters couldn’t have done what they did without Gonzales. And Chazten added more than 100 yards on the ground, too, in accounting for more than 530 total yards and five touchdown passes.

That Eagles attack just couldn’t be stopped Thursday against Norman North. Gonzales looked so calm, so relaxed and so confident. He is so comfortable doing what he’s doing right now, it’s ridiculous.

Del City finally gets to play on its new turf with undefeated Norman coming to town.

Other contenders

Greg Johnson and Marquis Walters, Del City, Football: Both had more than 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns and are dynamic playmakers.

James Flanders, Midwest City, Football: After being down 17-0, spurred by Flanders and an INT return by Trevon Lewis, the Bombers came back and won 34-27.

Dillan Dansby, Carl Albert, Football: With one more week under his belt, Dansby started to show what he can do. He scored twice as Titans won an impressive 34-6 game at Ardmore.

Shameka Sanders and Brian Wilke, Del City, Cross Country: Sanders was second and Wilke was third at the Deer Creek event this weekend.

Molly Davison, Carl Albert, Softball: The Titans finally lost a game but are still an incredible 22-2. Davison leads the team in doubles (11) and is tied in RBIs (28).

Know any more nominations? Send ‘em this way.

His numbers may not be up to Player of the Weeks standards, but the feat Southmoore’s Tre Edwards pulled off earns him the spot. The sophomore quarterback filled in for Oklahoma-commit and senior quarterback Kendal Thompson midway through the third quarter and went on a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter to give the SaberCats a permanent lead.

Thompson led the SaberCats back against Westmoore and finished the game with 91 rushing yards and 108 passing yards. He ran for two touchdowns and three for a third in the 49-27 victory.

Others in consideration:

Tyler Thompson, Westmoore, Football: Thompson performed at a top level against one of the Jaguars’ toughest opponents of the season. In the Southwest Showdown, Thompson threw for 125 yards and rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown. He threw for two touchdowns.

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore, Cross Country: Finished second at the OK Runner Classic in Norman with a time of 12:43. She led the Jaguars to a second consecutive first-place finish.

Brianna Nunley, Moore, Softball: The Lions are roaring again under Stephanie Riley. Nunley is leading the charge in the circle.

Volleyball fanatics are probably saying ‘it’s about time.’ And hey, you’re probably right. But now that I’ve had the opportunity to watch Micha Hancock of Memorial play the game, I get it.

Like I said last week, I was amazed by her skills. The Tuesday wins in the Edmond Triangular would have been enough for her to earn the Edmond Player of the Week.

However, when you add in the fact the Bulldogs swept the field at the 2nd annual Heather Harkness Invitational over the weekend, that clinches it.

Memorial is easily the best team in 6A and would only get a legit argument from Bishop Kelley in terms of being the best in the state. Should be a fun rest of the season for the girls.

Other contenders

Kameron Doolittle, Memorial, Football: Only added two rushing scores and two passing touchdowns to his long list of accomplishments in a win vs. Stillwater.

Phillip Sumpter, Santa Fe, Football: Get ready to see this name a lot. He did everything but score in proving to be the future at RB for the Wolves.

DonQuay Hammons, North, Football: A 99-yard touchdown reception will get you here every time. Says he ready for the Edlam battle with Memorial.

Alex Christensen, Deer Creek, Football: Tough loss for the Antlers at Shawnee, but Christensen was able to find the end zone twice.

Alex Hodges, Santa Fe, Volleyball: The best player on the second-ranked Wolves team impressed me with her abilities and leadership.

Santa Fe softball: Biggest winner of the week with the OSSAA eliminating the game limit rule, allowing the Wolves to have a JV team for the rest of the year.

Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Won the boys competition at Deer Creek this weekend as Antlers had the top five runners.

Arya Bahreini and Shannon Ray, Santa Fe, Cross Country: The top finishers for boys and girls at the OK Runner Classic event in Norman.

P.J. Osburn and Hannah Helker, North, Cross Country: The top finishers for boys and girls at the OK Runner Classic event in Norman.

Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: Placed fourth at the OK Runner Classic event in Norman.

Have more nominations? Send ‘em this way.

Southmoore eyeing school first

After a solid finish in Edmond on Friday, the SaberCats have coach Adam Helms focused on a big achievement.

Southmoore cross country hasn’t even started its speed work — used to drop times significantly — and Helms already feels that the SaberCats are primed to make regionals.

“I think that’s a pretty good accomplishment personally,” Helms said.

It all comes from the last week of work. Last week, Helms and Southmoore got to see a significant chunk of the teams that will run at regionals and got a guideline to follow. This week, the SaberCats will run at the OK Runner Classic in Norman. Norman is also the site of the regional race.

“That’s the reason why we scheduled it, because of the ability to run on it before regionals so the kids have an idea of what they are up against,” Helms said.

Southmoore hasn’t made the regional race in its three years of existence.

Helms started the season slowly because of the heat, but sounds rather confident in his team when he says things like…

“It seems like the runners are starting to get it figured out,” he said. “While we’re not in great shape and haven’t work on any of our speed work to get our times down, I’m very happy with where everybody is right now.”

There seems to be a lot of room to grow in Southmoore.

With a weekend full of big runners, there was one that stood out the most. Westmoore Noemi Hernandez finished second at the 3.2-kilometer race at Edmond Santa Fe with a 12:24.00 and led the Jaguars to a first-place finish. Westmoore beat Edmond North by 21 points in the first recorded meet of the season.

Behind Hernandez, Westmoore picked up 5 of the top-15 spots against an extremely tough field. The race featured Edmond North, Edmond Santa Fe and Edmond Memorial. Hernandez is the Moore Player of the Week.

Westmoore runs again on Friday in the OK Runner Classic in Norman.

Others in consideration:

Cody Feuerborn, Westmoore, Football: Feuerborn carried the Jaguars to a 21-14 victory in the Moore War and scored all three touchdowns.

Andrew Long, Southmoore, Football: With the SaberCats trailing by 13 through the first quarter, Long turned 28 first-quarter yards in a game total of 324 and three touchdowns. Behind touchdown runs of 75 and 80 yards, Long brought Southmoore back for a 40-19 victory.

Caleb McKee, Westmoore, Cross Country: As Westmoore finished in second place as a team, McKee’s 16:54.00 was good enough for a individual fifth-place finish.

Raegan Sampson, Moore, Softball: The Lions remain one of the top teams in the state and Sampson is a big reason why. She’s hitting .486 with 15 RBIs.

There were some good Mid-Del football performances in Week 1, but I know we’re going to see better. And right now, the Carl Albert softball team is on a huge roll.

Since losing the second game of the season against perennial power Moore, the Titans have rallied off 16 consecutive victories.

And might, just might be No. 1 in 5A when the new poll comes out Tuesday. Leading the charge is senior pitcher Whitney Robinson.

In three games last week, Robinson earned two victories and came on in relief in the other. But it’s not just in the circle where she is shining. Robinson is also the team’s best hitter with a .594 average and leads the teams in runs scored with 31. Robinson has earned the Mid-Del Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Chazten Gonzales, Del City, Football: Plagued by four turnovers, Gonzales did show signs of why he is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the state. He threw a TD in the 35-13 loss to Midwest City.

Trevon Lewis, James Flanders and Greg Austin, Midwest City, Football: Hard to pick between the three so all get nominated. Lewis dominated on defense while Flanders and Austin each accounted for two touchdowns.

Taylor Hawkins, Carl Albert, Football: Still rounding into football shape, Hawkins had the Titans sole touchdown in a tough 12-10 loss to Booker T.

Andrew Thompson and Jessica Green, Carl Albert, Cross Country: Thompson led the Titans to a seventh-place finish at the Edmond Santa Fe meet by placing 13th. Green paved the way to a 10th-place result for the girls.

Anyone else deserve recognition? Let me know.

When healthy, he’s one of the most passionate players you’re going to find in the state. The key is going to be staying on the field for Heritage Hall’s Sterling Shepard.

He showed what he can do when he is on the field in a 35-16 win against Casady. Pick a way to score and Shepard did it. He had three touchdowns – one receiving, one rushing and one INT return. He has earned the Private Schools Player of the Week.

The Chargers made a big statement against their rival, catapulting to No. 3 in the Class 3A rankings. It doesn’t slow down as Heritage welcomes Clinton to Pop Murray Field on Friday.

Other contenders

Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness, Football: Defense dominated the day in a 9-7 win against Douglass and Nguyen made several key plays.

Graham Bennett, Casady, Football: A sensational defensive performance in a loss. Had many tackles, a sack and ran down Barry J. Sanders in the open field.

Barry J. Sanders, Heritage, Football: Didn’t play most of the second half but still ended up with almost 300 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

Jake Peace, Mt. St. Mary’s, Football: In a 30-28 losing effort against Crooked Oak, Peace was incredible with three receiving touchdowns.

Jack Warren and Logan Magill, OCS, Football: The two accounted for both touchdowns in a tough 19-17 loss to Metro Christian. Magill also had 14 tackles.

Caleb McGehee, CHA, Football: In a 33-0 win against Maysville, McGehee led the charge with three rushing touchdowns.

Bryana Wade, MSM, Softball: Wade is playing a huge role in why the Mount is ranked No. 3 in Class 3A and has a big showdown with Little Axe this week.

Jack Bickford, Casady, Cross Country: Was Cyclones best runner at Edmond Santa Fe meet and Casady placed 10th.

McGuinness volleyball: Irish picked up a big win against rival Heritage Hall last Tuesday.

Anyone else deserve recognition? Let me know.

Going to keep this one kinda short because you can read much more on Colten Sander in Tuesday’s paper. However, Sander deserves special mention for being the Edmond Player of the Week.

Sander was sensational in a win against Piedmont, rushing for 231 yards and three scores. Wildcats hung in there early, but Sander and the rest of the team carried the day in the second half.

Sander was banged up all last season with a concussion and foot injuries but appears to be back on the right track now.

Other contenders

Kameron Doolittle, Memorial, Football: There wasn’t much scoring in a 14-0 win against Santa Fe, but Doolittle provided a big spark with a 65-yard TD run.

Troy Davis, North, Football: Showed great versatility catching and running the ball and scored a touchdown in a 40-19 loss to Southmoore.

Ty Hensley, Santa Fe, Football: Hensley is the future for the Wolves, which should be incredibly bright. However, Week 1 was not kind to ESF.

Alex Christensen, Deer Creek, Football: Caught a couple of passes from Joel Blumenthal and also rushed for two touchdowns.

Madison Nordyke, North, Softball: The Huskies are on a roll right now, and Nordyke is a big reason why. She pitched beautifully in an Edlam win against Memorial.

Micha Hancock, Memorial, Volleyball: Back after claiming silver at the Youth Olympics, Hancock and the rest of the girls pulled out a fun five-game battle with Bishop Kelley.

Alex Shook and Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: Shook won the 5K run at Santa Fe and helped lead the Bulldogs to a team title. Lewis placed third.

Arya Bahreini, Santa Fe, Cross Country: Bahreini placed second as the Wolves finished fourth.

Hannah Helker, North, Cross Country: Helker led the Huskies’ charge with a fourth-place finish. The team placed second.

Have any more? Send ‘em this way.

Moore boys run the road

The Moore Lions ran their first race of season this past weekend in the Moore War Run. In the 5-kilometer road race, coach Chad Mashburn had four runners finish in less than 20 minutes. Mashburn was extremely pleased with the times this early in the season from a team that made the Class 6A state meet last year.

“It’s hard to say right now how far we are going to be able to go,” Mashburn said. We’ve got 7 guys who are capable of running really well.

“… I know our top-4 guys are going to be top of the class. They can finish in the top-25 in my opinion. They’ve got to go out and run. A lot of things can happen between here and the state meet.”

The Lions will be running in the Brookhaven Run in Norman this weekend, another road race.

Moore girls playing the numbers game

Moore coach Lori Morgan has more runners out for the girls’ cross country team than ever before. She’s hoping that it turns into a Class 6A state meet berth by the end of the season.

“Our goals are sometimes a little bit simpler,” Morgan said. “I think we really have a chance to qualify as a team at state.”

Last year, Moore only had individuals qualify.

Sophomore Haley Gee is one of the leaders on the team, which will compete Friday at Edmond Santa Fe. Moore finished third in its first meet last Saturday at Guthrie.

Krepel, a senior, is one of the favorites to win a Class 3A championship in as many as four events. A year ago, the 18-year old finished third in the 800 meters, 1,600 meters and 3,200 meter relay at the state meet. Krepel also runs the 3,200.

During cross country season, Krepel placed first or second in five meets, won the regional title and made All-State by placing ninth at state.

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.

Painter took first individually in the 800-meter run in 2:30, the 1,600 in 5:32 and the 3,200 in 12:02. She also led the Jags to first place in the 3,200 relay.

Westmoore’s girls team placed second in the team standings to Midwest City.

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.

Alas, though I don’t cover track, Krepel does compete in the sport. That gave me the opportunity to write her story for the track season preview. It will be in Sunday’s sports section. If you miss it in print, I’m including it here.

It’s nice that everything worked out because Krepel deserves the recognition. She’s overcome a lot and hasn’t sought the spotlight. For now, it’s going to be on her. Likely, it will be again come state meet time in May.

Enjoy the story:

In describing Katie Krepel, Kingfisher track coach Alan Palesano offers that she’s one of the hardest workers he’s ever coached.

A compliment of high measure to be sure. Then again, Krepel’s not hard to find words for  —  best, brightest, toughest, bravest would all have been as accurate.

Krepel, a senior distance runner, heads into the track season as one of the favorites to win a Class 3A championship in as many as four events. A year ago, the 18-year old finished third in the 800 meters, 1,600 meters and 3,200 meter relay at the state meet. Krepel also runs the 3,200.

She has a chance to better those finishes this season. Which stands to reason, seeing as how it won’t take what Krepel considers a miracle for her to run well this time around.

“Going into the meet last year, I was not in the shape that I had been the previous year by all means,” Krepel said. “I just kind of gave it to God because I knew I couldn’t do what I had done the year before.

“When I finished it was kind of a miracle what I had done. I couldn’t have run the way I did by myself.”

Krepel’s miracle was being able to compete at her highest level just a few months removed from an appendix rupture that became life threatening and required major surgery.

“I ran just a half second off of my career best time,” Krepel said of posting a 5:27 in the mile. “I just couldn’t believe that because when I was in the hospital and when I started slowly running again, I started wondering whether I would be able to get back to the level I was at before.”

Krepel, also a cross country standout, had her first signs of trouble during the state championship cross country meet in October of her junior year.

“I was in 10^th after the first mile,” she said. “But then I could tell something was wrong. I didn’t feel right. I finished in 53^rd place and I pretty much collapsed at the end.”

A trip to the doctor drew a diagnosis of iron deficiency. But a few weeks later, Krepel was getting sick at her stomach and having severe abdominal pain. An emergency room visit resulted in another misdiagnosis, which exacerbated the problem considerably.

“They sent me home … said I had the flu,” Krepel said.

The pain caused Krepel to miss a week of school before a return trip to the hospital. This time, more than a month after her symptoms began, a ct scan was ordered.

“When my mom and I were waiting for the results, a doctor looked at it and basically started freaking out,” Krepel said. “I guess it was that bad. They knew my appendix had ruptured. I was taken to Deaconess Hospital and they drained seven pounds of junk out. That was supposed to be the end of it.”

The symptoms returned and the day after Christmas Krepel was back at the hospital.

“I went to the emergency room to get another ct scan and the nurses looked at me like I’m an idiot for being there with nothing wrong,” she said. “Then they freaked out just like the doctor had. I had radical surgery. They cut my whole stomach down pretty much.”

Krepel’s toughness and excellent physical condition from running was part of the reason was misdiagnosed, she was told.

“One doctor said the reason he didn’t think it was my appendix is because I didn’t jump off the table when he pressed on it,” Krepel said.

One of Krepel’s older brothers also had his appendix removed, with the resulting typical two-inch scar. Katie’s goes six inches down her stomach. She had to have a foot taken off of her large intestine and half a foot taken off her small intestine.

Nevertheless, four months later, she was not only running in the state meet, she was collecting a trio of bronze medals.

This past October, Krepel, whose sister Grace is also among the top runners in 3A, placed first or second in five cross country meets, won the regional title and made All-State by placing ninth at state. And with personal-best times 2:24 in the 800, 5:27 in the mile and 12:04 in the two-mile, she looks to do even better this season in track. Fortunately, this time, it won’t take a miracle.

Deer Creek’s Garrett Sullivan was an interesting case. It’s tough to move during the middle of any school year, but to do it in the middle of your junior year is really tough.

But he made the most of it when he moved from Texas to Edmond, and it all culminated with the senior offensive lineman signing with Central Oklahoma on Wednesday.

Sullivan talked about how important his family has been in helping him deal with everything and being close to home was definitely an added bonus with UCO so close.

Football coach Grant Gower couldn’t stop gushing about Sullivan and kicker Cole Mount, who signed with Washburn.

The Antlers were hammered with injuries or else there is no doubt in my mind they would have been playing in the postseason.

Mount is a sensational kicker and punter and actually probably could have dabbled in some of the skilled position spots.

The other Antler to sign was cross country runner Hillarie Kessler. She’s been a star in all four years for Deer Creek. Looking forward to seeing what she can do in her final go-around in the spring. She inked with Western State in Colorado.

Good stuff and love the organization of the Deer Creek ceremonies, makes it easy.

Look for a video with Sullivan on NewsOK in the next day or so. His journey always stood out to me, so even though it isn’t one of the major signings, Sullivan deserved it.

FOOTBALL
Henry Alexander, Ardmore (SEOSU)
Jake Alexander, Jenks (Tulsa)
Jamaal Allen, Lawton (SNU)
Joe Alston, Berryhill (NSU)
Daryn Alves, Durant (NSU)
Gerard Anderson, Tulsa Central (NEO)
Matthew Anderson, Sand Springs (Pittsburg State)
Joe Aska, Edmond North (Garden City)
Brad Avery, Madill (SWOSU)
David Balenseifen, Mustang/NEO (SNU)
Tyler Barnes, Enid (SNU)
Calvin Barnett, Tulsa Washington (Arkansas)
Josh Barrett, Wayne (SNU)
Skylar Bartlett, Ringling (SNU)
Jason Bear, Stillwater (SNU)
Eric Bennett, Tulsa Washington (Arkansas)
Que’Shaun Bennett, Enid (NWOSU)
Matt Berrey, Purcell/NEO (ECU)
Ken Berry, John Marshall (ECU)
Ethan Biddy, Tuttle (Air Force)
Michael Billingsley, Southeast/NEO (Nichols State)
Qumain Black, Ada (NEO)
Kenyad Blair, Northeast/NEO (Nichols State)
Kenneth Blake, Davis (ECU)
Mason Blake, Lindsay (NWOSU)
Rhett Blundell, Kingfisher (NWOSU)
Brenton Bogar, Muskogee (Tulsa/NEO)
Hunter Bohannan, Yukon (Southwestern, Kan.)
Zach Boren, Southmoore (NEO)
Austin Brasher, Edmond North (BYU)*
Julian Brockington, Del City (NEO)
D’Juan Brooks, Edmond Memorial (NEO)
Brenden Brown, Norman North (ECU)
LaBron Brown, Southmoore (NEO)
Jon Bullock, Broken Arrow (UCO)
Jeremy Burton, Muskogee (La.-Monroe)
Justin Butterfield, Bartlesville (NSU)
Troy Buffington, Southmoore (SNU)
Tate Byers, Tulsa Kelley (Washington, St. Louis)
Colton Byford, Edmond North (UCO)
Irvin Caldwell, Star Spencer (NEO)
Chris Campbell, Enid (NWOSU)
Nick Canavan, Norman North (Missouri State)
Michael Cane, Okmulgee (ECU)
Chance Carey, McAlester (ECU)
Londre Carson, Muskogee (NEO)
Luke Chalfant, Hinton (SWOSU)
Mark Chestnut, Miami/NEO/OSU (Pittsburg State)
Keldin Choate, Shawnee (ECU)
Chris Clark, Moore (NWOSU)
Arthola Clarke, John Marshall (NWOSU)
Colton Cline, Norman North (Sam Houston State)
Alex Cochran, Broken Arrow (SWOSU)
Demarco Cobbs, Tulsa Central (Texas)
Aaron Colvin, Owasso (OU)
Tuswani Copeland, Lawton MacArthur (Baylor)
Jacoby Crowley, Lawton Eisenhower (SEOSU)
Nathan Crownover, Del City/NEO (SNU)
Dakota Crumbie, Tulsa Washington (ECU)
Clayton Cunningham, Ringwood (NWOSU)
Roper Cunningham, Waynoka (NWOSU)
Steven Daniels, Tulsa East Central (UCO)
Robert Dansby, Tulsa Memorial (McPherson)
Nolan Davenport, Seminole (Southwestern, Kan.)
Dakota Davis, Broken Arrow (SWOSU)
Dalton Davis, Tulsa Union (SNU)
Niko Davis, Millwood (NEO)
Ryan Day, Tulsa Union (SNU)
Johnny Deaton, Sand Springs (OSU)
Gregory DeLozier, Seq. Claremore (Pittsburg State)
Terrance Dixon, Sand Springs (NSU)
Colton Dost, Tulsa Union (Western Kentucky)
Joe Dowdell, Tulsa Kelley (Dartmouth)
Brandon Downing, Edmond North (Washburn)
Alex Dowty, Mustang (Washburn)
Dalton Duckett, Tulsa Union (NSU)
Stephen Eastham, Dewey (NEO)
Bryce Ebbs, Vinita (NEO)
Cole Eddy, Midwest City (UCO)
Jordan Edwards, Washington (NEO)
Brandon Elmore, Blanchard/Coffeyville (SWOSU)
Josh Engert, Nowata (NEO)
B.J. Evans, Tulsa Union (Garden City)
Ryan Feller, Altus (SWOSU)
Darryl Fields, Madill (SMU)
Aaron Fisher, Tulsa Central (Ga. Southern)
Drew Fischer, Timberlake (NWOSU)
Blake Fogle, Caney Valley (NWOSU)
Kevin Forbes, Douglass (Langston)
Adam Ford, Broken Arrow (NEO)
Teontez Fortune, Douglass (Langston)
Donnie Fuston, Enid (NEO)
Ruben Gaines, Muskogee (UCO)
Eric Gardner, Lone Grove (ECU)
Jake Garrett, Tuttle (SNU)
Courtney Gaston, Fort Gibson (Arkansas)
Blake Gatewood, Edmond North (UCO)
Kimes Gilbert, Southmoore (SWOSU)
Jaimon Gilstrap, Tulsa East Central (NSU)
Zakk Gipson, Pryor (NWOSU)
Cord Gothard, Velma-Alma (SWOSU)
Gimo Grace, Tulsa East Central (Emporia State)
Bob Graham, Jenks (Iowa State)
Cale Grauer, Lincoln Christian (Mo. Western)
Delans Griffin, Clinton (Texas Tech)
Logan Grinstead, Sulphur (UCO)
Colby Hager, Sayre (NWOSU)
Justin Harmon-Brewer, Edmond Santa Fe (SNU)
Rowdy Harper, Broken Arrow (Houston)
Demantre Harris, Del City (Garden City)
Devante Harris, Duncan (SEOSU)
Halston Harris, Marlow (SEOSU)
Michael Harris, Edmond Santa Fe (Washburn)
Austin Haywood, Southmoore (OU)
Haden Hedges, Pioneer (SNU)
Alec Henry, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Trayvon Henry, Millwood (Butler County)
Aries Herrion, Tulsa Washington (Pittsburg State)
Rylan Hess, Metro Christian (Colo. School of Mines)
Steven Hopper, Broken Arrow (Vian)
Brett Horn, Waynoka (NWOSU)
J.J. Hugine, Del City (New Mexico)
Caleb Hulva, Enid (SNU)
Chris Hummingbird, Seq. Tahlequah (NEO)
Dalton Hunter, Maysville (ECU)
Derrick Hurst, Millwood (NWOSU)
Taylor Inman, Seq. Claremore (SWOSU)
Bronson Irwin, Mustang (OU)
Royal Isokariari, Tulsa Memorial (McPherson)
Rico Ivy, Douglass (Langston)
Miles Jackson, John Marshall (ECU)
Aaron James, Douglass (UCO)
Ethan James, Gore (NSU)
Franky Jamison, Star Spencer (NEO)
Antonio Jenkins, Putnam North (NEO)
Dewitt Jennings, Bixby (Tulsa)
Kenny Johnson, Weatherford (SWOSU)
Jace Johnson, Bethel/ECU (SWOSU)
Tyler Johnson, Berryhill (NEO)
Willie Johnson, Tulsa Memorial (NEO)
Dominque Jones, Midwest City (Baylor)
Emmitt Jones, Star Spencer (NEO)
Gus Jones, Wagoner/OU (NSU)
Brendon Jordan, John Marshall (NEO)
Jordan Karriman, Grove/NEO (La.-Monroe)
Jacob Keller, Tulsa Union (La.-Monroe)
Jake Kelley, Beggs (Peru State)
Brandon Keplinger, Watonga (NWOSU)
Kyle Keplinger, Watonga (NWOSU)
Johnny Ketterman, Timberlake (NEO)
Drake Keys, Skiatook (SWOSU)
Chris King, Jenks (UCO)
Cecil Kirkendoll, Clinton (SWOSU)
Jarrett Lake, Jenks (Arkansas)
Alex Land, Edmond Santa Fe (Weber State)
Ricky Lawyer, Edmond North (NEO)
Justin Lepley, Seq. Tahlequah (NEO)
Chris Littlehead, Seq. Tahlequah (OSU)
David Lore, Jenks (Air Force)
Matt Luetjen, Hennessey (Army)
Randy Mack, Edmond Santa Fe (Washburn)
Tyler Mackey, Afton (NEO)
Dalton Mahoney, Alva (NWOSU)
Mike Major, Tulsa Kelley (Princeton)
George Mallett, Southmoore (SNU)
Beau Marsaln, Metro Christian (NEO)
Dominique Massengil, Lawton (ECU)
Mason Mathews, Yukon (Mid-America Nazarene)
Ty Matthews, Choctaw (SNU)
Chris McAlister, Del City (Central Arkansas)
Ryan McCaul, Moore/NEO (La.-Monroe)
Shawn McIntosh, Lawton MacArthur (SNU)
Nelson Medeiros, Edmond Memorial (Fort Hays State)
Ryan Merrill, Cordell (NWOSU)
Clifton Miller, Atoka (SEOSU)
Lucas Miller, Capitol Hill (NEO)
Brian Mills, Edmond Santa Fe (Princeton)
Corey Mitchell, Douglass (Weber State)
Deonte Morris, Tulsa Union (Tulsa/NEO)
Cory Mosely, Midwest City (Hutchinson)
Cole Mount, Deer Creek (Washburn)
Mason Myers, Southmoore (Colorado State)
Cody Nall, Ardmore (ECU)
Josh Napper, Lawton Eisenhower (SEOSU)
Carlos Nazario, Lawton (ECU)
Nic Nealy, Douglass (Grambling State)
Marco Nelson, Glenpool (Tulsa)
Chase Neuman, Dewey (SWOSU)
Jordan Newby, Southmoore (SNU)
Tanner Newby, Enid (NEO)
Justin Nole, Washington (SNU)
Alex Oden, Victory Christian (NEO)
Terence Olds, Star Spencer (NEO)
Cade Oller, Billings (NWOSU)
Tyler Ott, Jenks (Harvard)
Johnny Pack, Seminole (Southwestern, Kan.)
Dustin Parks, Waukomis (NWOSU)
Chris Patterson, McAlester (NEO)
Chris Peoples, Vian (SEOSU)
Richard Peoples, Norman North (ECU)
Gordon Perry, Weatherford (SWOSU)
Brandon Piercy, Muskogee (NEO)
Tre Porter, Carl Albert (Texas Tech)
Zac Powell, Garber (NWOSU)
Scott Powers, Sperry/NEO (Emporia State)
Ronnie Price, Broken Arrow (NEO)
Cody Pritchard, Stroud (NWOSU)
Sonny Puletasi, Lawton (Wyoming)
Chris Ramey, Wagoner (Arkansas Tech)
Sean Reed, Shawnee (ECU)
James Renfrow, Broken Arrow (NSU)
Joel Reser, Del City (NEO)
Sean Rigney, Shawnee (ECU)
James Roberson, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Thomas Roberson, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Kevin Roberts, Madill (SWOSU)
Brady Robinson, Broken Arrow (NEO)
Howard Roebuck, Tulsa Washington (Prairie View A&M)
Carl Salazar, Broken Arrow (Air Force)
Ian Sanders, CHA (SNU)
Kale Sawatzky, Weatherford (OU)*
Austin Schultz, Chisholm (SNU)
Taylor Schuyler, Bixby (Central Arkansas)
Tye Scott, Salina (NEO)
Derek Serowski, Southmoore (UCO)
Burgess Shaw, Sand Springs (ECU)
Tyler Shaw, Edmond Santa Fe (ECU)
Lamares Shields, Del City (ECU)
Denton Simek, Prague (Arkansas)
Ethan Simpson, Claremore (Pittsburg State)
D.J. Sims, Edmond Santa Fe (ECU)
Richard Sims, Edmond North (Dordt)
Kyler Skinner, Weatherford (SWOSU)
Ryan Smith, Muskogee (NEO)
Travis Smith, Durant (NEO)
Tyler Smith, Sand Springs (Pittsburg State)
Xavier Smith, Edmond North (Missouri)
Luke Snider, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Anthony Sparks, Stillwater (NEO)
Trent Spurgeon, Owasso (Arizona)
James Stephens, Broken Arrow (UCO)
Matt Stevenson, Edmond Memorial (Baker)
P.J. Stimson, Pryor (NWOSU)
Tyler Stitt, Mustang (NWOSU)
Ray Stovall, Tulsa Washington (La.-Monroe)
Jake Streck, Kremlin-Hillsdale (NWOSU)
Ricky Streck, Kremlin-Hillsdale (NWOSU)
Casey Strate, Dewey (NEO)
Clint Strate, Dewey (NEO)
Ryan Stringer, Clinton (SWOSU)
Caleb Sullivan, Seminole (Deer Creek)
Garrett Sullivan, Deer Creek (UCO)
Jon Swanfeld, Tulsa Union (SNU)
Nyko Symonds, Southmoore (OU)*
Kwame Tate, Elgin (UCO)
Dylan Taylor, Vian (NSU)
Matthew Tingle, Putnam North (NEO)
Robert Thomas, Sulphur/Cowley County (ECU)
Andre Thompson, Douglass (Langston)
Mike Thompson, Bartlesville (Pittsburg State)
Taylor Thurman, Seq. Claremore (Haskell)
Reuben Tiller, Ardmore (ECU)
Corey Todd, Hilldale (NWOSU)
Kobey Trower, Hominy (NEO)
Zach Trujillo, Deer Creek (Kansas State)**
Hayden Vencl, Garber (NWOSU)
Eddie Venters, Muskogee (NEO)
Markell Walker, Carl Albert (ECU)
Dillion Wallace, Tulsa East Central (NEO)
Patrick Wallace, Tulsa Central (NEO)
Nick Walters, Edmond Memorial/NEO (Arkansas)*
Davis Walton, Tulsa Kelley (NEO)
Raphael Watts, Capitol Hill (NEO)
Cole Way, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Clifford Weatherford, Muskogee (NEO)
Dane Weippert, Guymon (Panhandle State)
Stanley West, Westmoore (SNU)
Scott Whitaker, Norman North (Drake)
Norris White, Douglass (Weber State)
Jameel Whitney, McGuinness (ECU)
Ryland Widener, Southmoore (Northern Colorado)
Blair Williams, Beggs (NEO)
Kyle Williams, Broken Bow (SEOSU)
James Williams, John Marshall (NEO)
Terry Williamson, Broken Arrow (UCO)
Julian Wilson, Southmoore (OU)
Roman Wilson, Lincoln Christian (Princeton)
Ray Wolber, Tulsa Kelley (Drake)
Josiah Woodard, Stillwater (SEOSU)
Jordan Woods, Kingfisher (NWOSU)
Jeff Wright, Star Spencer (Langston)
Clayton Yancy, Seminole (Southwestern, Kan.)
Collin Yeary, Norman North (NEO)

BASEBALL
Wade Ambrose, Tulsa Union (Northeast Texas CC)
Tyler Carter, Ada (NOC-Enid)
Caden Cleveland, Christian Heritage (Morehead State)
Braden Cook, Chickasha (Connors State)
Cale Coshow, Deer Creek (OU)
Casey Coyle, Putnam North (OU)
John Davenport, Jay (NOC)
Luis DeJesus, Collinsville (EOSC)
Cale Elam, Oktaha (Wichita State)
Brad Fisher, Jenks (ORU)
Jonathan Furlong, Bixby (Neosho)
Nick Goza, Collinsville (EOSC)
Jonathan Gray, Chandler (OU)
Josh Halbert, Choctaw (Wichita State)
Landon Hallam, Edmond Memorial (Seminole)
J.R. Head, Midwest City (NOC-Enid)
Mason Justice, Holland Hall (Kansas State)
Shane Kinnear, Tulsa Union (Harding)
Jordan Lopez, Edmond Santa Fe (Texas Tech)
Joe McGee, Tulsa Washington (Connors State)
Jose Olizagosti, Collinsville (Seminole)
Mitch Osburn, Broken Arrow (Seminole)
Dillon Overton, Weatherford (OU)
J.T. Realmuto, Carl Albert (OSU)
Jacob Rice, Tulsa Union (Arkansas)
Dillon Robinson, Broken Arrow (Fort Scott)
Brandon Ruiz, Yukon (NOC)
Garrett Schaede, Owasso (Neosho)
Taylor Schneeberger, Broken Arrow (Connors State)
Cayle Shambaugh, Jay (OU)
Andrew Smith, Tulsa NOAH (Coffeyville)
Tyler Smith, Kelleyville (NOC)
Logan Taylor, Jenks (Texas Tech)
Billy Waltrip, Fort Gibson (New Mexico State)
Ryan Wilson, Owasso (Seminole)
Kyle Wood, Owasso (Fort Scott)

BOYS BASKETBALL
Will Baysinger, Owasso (MIT)
Cameron Downing, Tulsa Memorial (Buffalo)
Amric Fields, Putnam West (TCU)

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ashlie Baker, Tulsa East Central (Fort Scott)
Jimi Blagowsky, Edmond Santa Fe (Air Force)
Desiree Bradley, Carl Albert (USC)
Brenna Burnett, Dale (Palm Beach Atlantic)
Y’Cedria Devers, Bixby (Pittsburg State)
Lindsey Hammer, Seq. Tahlequah (Mercer)
Meagan Henson, CHA (TCU)
Whitney Hocutt, Claremore (NOC)
Aianne Hunter, Putnam North (Dartmouth)
Ebonie Jackson, Tulsa East Central (Friends)
Richa Jackson, Midwest City (Duke)
Kortni Kendrick, Kansas (John Brown)
Christian Key, Victory Christian (ORU)
Kalie Lucas, Harrah (Missouri Southern)
Sophia Mahmoodjanloo, Edmond Santa Fe (State Fair College)
Mylie Mayes, Carl Albert (UCO)
Jessica McCarville, Sulphur (Southwestern, Kan.)
Ashlee Pitts, Tulsa East Central (SW Baptist)
Cara Pugh, McGuinness (OCU)
Lacy Reinke, Lawton (Cameron)
Hannah Ritter, Jay (Fort Hays State)
Kendra Suttles, Lawton (OSU)
Morgan Toben, Owasso (New Mexico)
Talor Ward, Beggs (Okla. Christian)
Kala White, Claremore (Labette)

EQUESTRIAN
Kelly Bovaird, Tulsa Kelley (Kansas State)

FIELD HOCKEY
Amanda Adwon, Holland Hall (Michigan)
Maggie Brady, Holland Hall (Brown)
Lauren Hauge, Holland Hall (Michigan)
Natalie Hood, Holland Hall (St. Louis)

GOLF
Lindsey Bensch, Broken Arrow home school (UCO)
Tressa Brumley, Chouteau (UCO)
Ian Davis, Deer Creek (OSU)
Macy Douglas, Broken Arrow (SNU)
Talor Gooch, Carl Albert (OSU)
Brad Hager, Bartlesville (NSU)
Matt Helms, Edmond Santa Fe (Wichita State)
Lauren Michael, Jenks (Drury)
Taylor Neidy, Clinton (UCO)
Cody Reed, Edmond Santa Fe (NSU)
Jade Staggs, Westmoore (OSU)
Shelby Stavely, Sallisaw/Harding (NSU)
Zach Tucker, Putnam North (NSU)

GYMNASTICS
Brittany Harris, Tulsa Union (Oregon State)

ROWING
Courtaney Miller, Jenks (SMU)

SOCCER
Jennifer Abernathy, Tulsa Union (ORU)
Ashley Bechtold, Putnam North (Missouri Southern)
Bobby Behrens, Sand Springs (John Brown)
Ashlynn Betts, Jenks (William Penn)
Leah Bickers, Victory Christian (ORU)
Rochelle Bohuslavicky, Edmond Memorial (Troy)
Bailey Boulware, Mustang (OU)
Whitney Brannon, Victory Christian (ORU)
Matt Bray, Putnam North (Missouri State)
Devon Bullard, Sand Springs (Rogers State)
Corbin Campbell, Deer Creek (OBU)
Sara Chalmers, Tulsa Kelley (Abilene Christian)
Sherri Collins, Edmond North (UCO)
Madison Cook, Tulsa Union (SWOSU)
Kyle Craft, Tulsa Kelley (Notre Dame)
Natalie Crosslin, Bixby (SWOSU)
Jessica Dale, Wagoner (Neosho)
Sam Diacon, Tulsa Washington (Missouri S&T)
Sam Duininck, Summit Chr. (Liberty)
Krista Dyess, Broken Arrow (NSU)
Kelsey Godfrey, Tulsa Union (SNU)
Tyler Groh, Putnam North (Missouri State)
Austin Gross, Jenks (Memphis)
Ashley Haines, Jenks (NSU)
Drew Hall, Edmond Santa Fe (OCU)
Mary Kate Halsmer, Jenks (ORU)
Jordan Harris, Claremore (UMKC)
Hayley Harryman, Edmond North (OSU)
Garron Hayes, Tulsa Union (Rogers State)
Hailey Haynes, Seq. Claremore (Central Arkansas)
Madi Hillis, Edmond Memorial (Kansas)
Bradi Hinch, Jenks (Tulsa)
Tyrell Jackson, Tulsa Union (Rogers State)
Morgan Jones, Jenks (Mid. Tenn. St.)
Kristen Kelley, Tulsa Kelley (OSU)
Kelsey Killion, Broken Arrow (Tulsa)
Preston Langholz, Tulsa Washington (Stanford)
Logan Lax, Putnam North (OBU)
Loren LeForce, Coweta (Rogers State)
Lindsey Lofton, Skiatook (NSU)
Omar Mata, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Sally Matthews, Owasso (NSU)
Shelby Martin, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Meghan McMahon, Putnam North (OCU)
Tori Peters, Tulsa Union (Tulsa)
Amy Petrikin, Tulsa Kelley (OU)
Caitlin Phillips, Claremore (UCO)
Jessy Phillips, Bartlesville (NSU)
Kristin Pollard, Broken Arrow (Central Arkansas)
Brandon Reed, Owasso (Drury)
Stephanie Romera, Tulsa Kelley (Lipscomb)
Aubrey Roth, Tulsa Union (SWOSU)
Camille Sanders, Edmond North (OU)
Ryan Sanders, Broken Arrow (OCU)
Brianna Shamblin, Miami (Rogers State)
Jessica Sisney, Broken Arrow (Rogers State)
Dillon Stallings, Putnam North (OBU)
Alex Starrett, Tulsa Kelley (Arkansas)
Andrew Stone, Cascia Hall (St. Edward’s)
Jeremy Swift, Bixby (Rogers State)
Jenna Taylor, Bartlesville (Harding)
Alex Tiem, Broken Arrow (Rogers State)
Addie Tipton, Metro Christian (USAO)
Claire Walker, Tulsa Washington (Penn)
Carley Yates, Edmond North (OU)
Miranda Zoller, Jenks (Tulsa)

SOFTBALL
Kacey Acker, Guthrie (SNU)
Jessica Barnes, Pawhuska (Pittsburg State)
Shelby Blanton, Newcastle (Tulsa)
Kristin Blasingame, Carl Albert (Rogers State)
Page Boling, Hilldale (Connors State)
Sierra Bronkey, Edmond Santa Fe (Arkansas)
LaDarra Brown, Muskogee (Carl Albert)
Tiffany Brown, Catoosa (Pittsburg State)
Julie Brunk, Mustang (SNU)
Bailee Cartwright, Moss (Northwestern St., La.)
Tara Chatkehoodle, Tulsa Rogers (Haskell)
Jordan Clark, Muskogee (Carl Albert)
Kylee Cole, Collinsville (NEO)
Lacie Cook, Collinsville (Labette)
Aimee Creger, Mustang (Tulsa)
Morgan Deerinwater, Savanna (Carl Albert)
Kaiti Dutton, Tulsa Union (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
Hannah Edmiston, Coweta (Independence)
Allison Edwards, Duncan (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
Katie Ellington, Tulsa Kelley (NOC)
Lindy Fluman, Cleveland (NEO)
Shelby Foreman, S. Coffeyville (Coffeyville)
Dani Fox, Yukon (Washburn)
Devon Frazier, Little Axe (St. Gregory’s)
Sydney Garcia, Moore (OCU)
Shaylee Griffin, McAlester (OCU)
Sutton Halferty, Harrah (St. Gregory’s)
Meagan Hardy Fry, Checotah (Haskell)
Ashley Harper, Drumright (Carl Albert)
Haley Henshaw, Catoosa (Tulsa)
Javen Henson, Red Oak (OU)
Paige Hightower, Chickasha (Washburn)
Whitney Hocutt, Claremore (NOC)
Jordan Jones, Skiatook (Connors State)
Hannah Justus, Catoosa (UCO)
Candace Kellar, Coweta (Rogers State)
Jamie King, Tulsa Union (NEO)
Miranda Kiser, Tulsa Union (NEO)
Kayce Long, Moss (Carl Albert)
Beth Manship, Harrah (Southeastern)
Mya Mahsetky, Little Axe (NOC)
Mary Kate McKay, Madill (Angelo State)
Alex Milligan, Moore (Cameron)
Taylor Mills, Fort Gibson (Austin Peay State)
Holly Mock, Drumright (Carl Albert)
Candace Monigold, Broken Arrow (NEO)
Shelby Morose, Seq. Claremore (Concordia)
Ashlee Nation, Tulsa Union (William Jewell)
Jeneva Nelson, Frontier (Lipscomb)
Shylar Nichols, Carl Albert (USAO)
Caitlin O’Hagan, Midwest City (St. Gregory’s)
Sam Oxford, Adair (Fort Scott)
Katie Parsons, Pryor (NWOSU)
Ashley Paxton, Mustang (Okla. Christian)
Sarah Peoples, Piedmont (Okla. Christian)
Allyson Pogue, Claremoer (NEO)
Lauren Poole, Putnam North (Seminole State)
Natalie Powers, Holland Hall (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
Hillary Price, Moss (Carl Albert)
Sarah Raunikar, Coweta/Connors State (Central Baptist)
Shelbi Redfearn, Stillwater (Baylor)
Madison Reed, Muskogee (Missouri Southern)
Megan Robison, Catoosa (NEO)
Morgan Rockwell, Coweta (Rogers State)
Kylee Rounsaville, Mustang (OCU)
Meghan Russell, Bristow (Farleigh Dickinson)
Kenna Self, Madill (OBU)
Carly Skinner, Verden (UCO)
Megan Sullivan, Broken Arrow (NEO)
Cheyenne Thomas, Coweta (Labette)
Jessica Turner, Broken Arrow (Santa Clara)
Lauren Tyndall, Edmond Memorial (Northwestern, Ill.)
Tara Underhill, Henryetta (Central Arkansas)
Shelbie Wagnon, Beggs (NEO)
Brianna Walker, Rogers (Haskell)
Emily Wares, Morris (Connors State)
Hillary Weatherford, Carl Albert (Washburn)
Shelby Wheeler, Westmoore (St. Gregory’s)
Kala White, Claremore (Labette)
Hannah Wilkinson, Coweta (Rogers State)
Briana Williams, Midwest City (Western Illinois)

SWIMMING
Dakota Wheeler, Westmoore (South Dakota)

TENNIS
Brandon Champagne, Jenks (OSU)
Logon Collins, Tulsa Union (Marquette)
Ashley Coleman, Owasso (Seminole State)
Emily Conrad, McGuinness (Abilene Christian)
Casey Distaso, Edmond North (Georgetown)
Cale Hammond, Tulsa Kelley (Duke)
Mia Lancaster, McGuinness (OU)
Evan McElwain, Tulsa Washington (Cornell)
Whitney Ritchie, McGuinness (OU)
John Harry Warden, Tulsa Union (OU)
Danielle Whitehorn, Tahlequah (OU)

TRACK AND FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY
Beau Brown, Edmond Santa Fe (Bethany)
Dewayne Golbek, Claremore (Arkansas)
Jenna Griffin, Pawhuska (Southwestern, Kan.)
Rozlyn Hamilton, Idabel (Okla. Christian)
Brock Hime, Woodland (Cowley County)
Hillarie Kessler, Deer Creek (WOSC)
Michelle Marcha, Altus (Okla. Christian)
Ryan Minkley, Ardmore (Tulsa)
Erin Patterson, Tulsa Union (ORU)
Rachel Roberts, Guthrie (Harding)
Darren Ross, Edmond Memorial (Okla. Christian)
Michael Spencer, Edmond Memorial (Okla. Christian)
Emma Steele, Holland Hall (Dartmouth)
Antonio Taylor, Northwest (Okla. Christian)
James Turner, Plainview (Okla. Christian)

VOLLEYBALL
Ashley Acklin, Carl Albert (Radford)
Tyler Cockrell, Tulsa Washington (Gardner-Webb)
Jordan Cook, Broken Arrow (NOC)
Sarah Groesbeck, Jenks (SNU)
Tate Hardaker, Edmond Santa Fe (UCO)
Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall (Quinnipiac)
Sallie McLaurin, Carl Albert (OU)
Laura Taylor, Tulsa Union (ORU)
Alyssa Wilson, Clinton (Northern Colorado)

WRESTLING
Christian Bailey, Davis (OCU)
Ronnie Balfour, Tulsa Union (OU)
Justin DeAngelis, Jenks (OU)
Greg Delk, Skiatook (OCU)
Quincy Mondaine, Muskogee (OU)
Dax Perrier, Pawhuska (OU)
Jared Porter, Carl Albert (Central Michigan)
Dustin Reed, Choctaw (OU)
*Will walk on
**Graduated last year, currently enrolled at Kansas State

Bothwell has maintained a 4.77 weighted GPA in the classroom, scored a perfect 36 on the ACT and ranks No. 1 in his class. 

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best runner in the state, and he was consistent,” said Suzy Rojas, head coach of rival Norman High. “He was the most consistent from the beginning of the season to the end, and he improved a lot. Besides his obvious ability, I know how he carries himself. I saw him in a really, really competitive race against three All-Staters, and you could see the way he reacted afterward with his opponents. He’s always the first one to extend himself, and win or lose he’s consistent in the way he responds to his opponents.”

Bowles’ time of 4:22.24 equaled the indoor record time set by Scott Crocker at the Myriad in 1981. The 4:22 clocking also is faster than any 1,600 time posted in Oklahoma last season. Bowles also ran a 1:59.48 in the 800 at the Arkansas High School Invitational to place second.

In the past, the All-City teams have run all in a week in late December. Decided to change it up a bit this year. Starting Wednesday, your All-City teams for softball, volleyball and cross country will be running.

It’s been a busy time for us whether it’s been football playoff stuff or getting ready for the winter sports season or honoring our fall heroes.

Here is the schedule:

Wednesday: Big and Little All-City Softball. My BAC Player of the Year was a slam dunk, but the LAC, boy, that was a tough one. I stand by my pick, but it was close with two extremely talented candidates. Much more in a blog Wednesday.
Thursday: All-City Volleyball by Scott Wright.
Friday: All-City Cross Country by Justin Harper.

So while you’re enjoying your turkey and recuperating Friday from all the food, dig in to your All-City teams all this week.

Here are the ones I have so far:
BASEBALL
Cale Coshow, Deer Creek (OU)
Casey Coyle, Putnam North (OU)
Cale Elam, Oktaha (Wichita State)
Brad Fisher, Jenks (Oral Roberts)
Josh Halbert, Choctaw (Wichita State)
Mason Justice, Holland Hall (Kansas State)
Jordan Lopez, Edmond Santa Fe (Texas Tech)
J.T. Realmuto, Carl Albert (OSU)
Jacob Rice, Tulsa Union (Arkansas)

BOYS BASKETBALL
Cameron Downing, Tulsa Memorial (Buffalo)
Amric Fields, Putnam West (TCU)

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jimi Blagowsky, Edmond Santa Fe (Air Force)
Brenna Burnett, Dale (Palm Beach Atlantic)
Meagan Henson, CHA (TCU)
Kalie Lucas, Harrah (Missouri Southern)
Ashlee Pitts, Tulsa East Central (SW Baptist)
Cara Pugh, McGuinness (OCU)

GOLF
Tressa Brumley, Chouteau (UCO)
Ian Davis, Deer Creek (OSU)
Talor Gooch, Carl Albert (OSU)
Matt Helms, Edmond Santa Fe (Wichita State)
Lauren Michael, Jenks (Drury)
Cody Reed, Edmond Santa Fe (NSU)

SOCCER
Corbin Campbell, Deer Creek (OBU)

SOFTBALL
Shelby Blanton, Newcastle (Tulsa)
Sierra Bronkey, Edmond Santa Fe (Arkansas)
Tiffany Brown, Catoosa (Pittsburg State)
Bailee Cartwright, Moss (Northwestern State, La.)
Dani Fox, Yukon (Washburn)
Shaylee Griffin, McAlester (OCU)
Haley Henshaw, Catoosa (Tulsa)
Javen Henson, Red Oak (OU)
Hannah Justice, Catoosa (UCO)
Beth Manship, Harrah (Southeastern)
Mary Kate McKay, Madill (Angelo State)
Lauren Poole, Putnam North (Seminole State)
Natalie Powers, Holland Hall (Tenn.-Chatt.)
Shelbi Redfearn, Stillwater (Baylor)
Kylee Rounsaville, Mustang (OCU)
Kenna Self, Madill (OBU)
Lauren Tyndall, Edmond Memorial (Northwestern, Ill.)
Hillary Weatherford, Carl Albert (Washburn)
Briana Williams, Midwest City (OCU)

TENNIS
Logon Collins, Tulsa Union (Marquette)

VOLLEYBALL
Ashley Acklin, Carl Albert (Radford)
Tate Hardaker, Edmond Santa Fe (UCO)
Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall (Quinnipiac)
Sallie McLaurin, Carl Albert (OU)
Alyssa Wilson, Clinton (Northern Colorado)

WRESTLING
Ronnie Balfour, Tulsa Union (OU)
Justin DeAngelis, Jenks (OU)
Greg Delk, Skiatook (OCU)
Quincy Mondaine, Muskogee (OU)
Jared Porter, Carl Albert (Central Michigan)
Dustin Reed, Choctaw (OU)

FOOTBALL

Nick Canavan, Norman North
Though the T-Wolves were upset by Edmond Santa Fe and subsequently eliminated from the playoffs, Canavan was a force on both sides of the ball. He scored North lone TD and was all over the field defensively. But the biggest reason Canavan is recognized here is because the kid played with heart from kickoff through the final horn. Canavan ran hard, broke tackles and popped out of a gang tackles all night. At linebacker, he never let up on any play. An impressive show of moxie from one of the best all-around athletes in 6A.

Others:

Seth Zimmer, Norman
While the Tigers ended up on the wrong end of a blowout against Midwest City, Zimmer scored the first touchdown of the game on a pass from quarterback Chad Davis.

CROSS COUNTRY

Dustin Barrier, Norman North
The junior placed high all season and figured to be a top-15 placer at the Class 6A state championships. However, running his best race of the season, Barrier placed third and became the school’s first All-Stater in cross country. What’s more, he kicked in the final 50 yards and sped in one second ahead of the fourth-place runner.

Others:

Tanner Satterthwaite, Norman
Satterthwaite capped a tremendous late-season surge that saw him win the Mid-State Conference title and a 6A regional crown. The sophomore placed fourth at state and will head into the 2010 season as one of the favorites for the 6A title.

Megan Johnson, Norman
It’s rare that a 35^th-place finish warrants runner of the week mention, but Johnson deserves it because of her fantastic season leading up to state. The top runner in 6A all season, Johnson was hit with the flu in the week leading up to state, missed several days of school and had fever up until two days before the race.

The illness prevented her from running anywhere near full strength. And it was a testament to the respect she has from other runners that several came up to her after the race to say they were sorry she had to incur such bad luck as getting sick just before the biggest race of the year.

Moore Zone

FOOTBALL

Austin Haywood & Kendal Thompson, Southmoore
How can you choose between these two considering the performances they put forth against Moore and the subsequent result of their brilliant performances.

First, let’s start with what happened on the field Friday against Moore. Haywood scored four touchdowns and threw for another. The tight end/defensive end caught three TDs and ran for another before throwing a touchdown.

Who caught the touchdown. Thompson of course, who also threw for four other TDs.

That alone is reason enough for the recognition of player of the week. But they also did it on a night that OU football coach Bob Stoops and assistants Josh Heupel, Bobby Jack Wright and Kevin Wilson were there to watch them play.

Clutch. That’s big-time. A lot of player would have tried too hard in that situation. Instead, these two sparkled.

By Saturday each had an offer from OU and by Monday, both had committed to the Sooners.

Considering Southmoore DB Julian Wilson had already committed to OU, that’s three players from one team going to play for the Sooners. Rare and impressive as could be.

Others:

Chris Clark, Moore
The senior running back/linebacker plays all out every game for a winless team. It should be a given than anyone who goes through the rigors of practice, film study, conditioning drills, weight lifting, etc., would always go all out on Friday nights. But, for whatever reason, that’s not always the case. Clark does each and every game, regardless of the Lions’ record.

In a lopsided loss to Southmoore, Clark scored two touchdowns on the ground and played stout defense as always.

Stanley West, Westmoore
The senior defensive back/receiver intercepted a Lawton Eisenhower pass late in the fourth quarter that should have sealed the deal for the Jaguars. Westmoore led 14-13 when West swiped Adrian McDonald’s pass in the end zone. One first down may have been enough to run out the clock, two definitely would have. Instead, a three-and-out ended allowed Ike to come bac and kick a game-winning field goal with six seconds left. Nonetheless, West made the play of the game for the Jags and probably should have been the hero.

Tanner Harper, Westmoore
The Jags’ defensive back also made a great play that could have easily been the game-winner for Westmoore had the offense been able to run off a little clock. Harper recovered a fumble at the Westmoore 45-yard line with a little over six minutes left. But the recovery was anything but routine. After a shotgun snap sailed over the Ike QB’s head, Harper sped after the ball, only to arrive when Ike’s quarterback fell on the ball and wrapped both arms around it. Refusing to give up on the play, Harper dove into McDonald and ripped the ball away. Great hustle play that in a lot of other circumstances could have decided the game.

CROSS COUNTRY

Taylor Painter & Toby Bothwell, Westmoore
The pair of seniors each placed second at the Class 6A state cross country meet. Painter, who had been a top-5 finisher all season and was an All-Stater last year, stepped up and beat the two favorites to win the title as well as a handful of other strong runners. She saved her best for last.

Bothwell was a different story because he was disappointed in finishing second. And he had good reason. There’s no better runner in the state. Winner Victor Others of Ponca City is a deserving champion, so take nothing away from him. But Bothwell had been stricken by the flu bug and was not 100 percent. That’s a shame to happen at the biggest race of the season. Still, he had a dominant season, which included a win over Others.

Well, I’m going to let the cat out of the bag a little early on this one. Mt. St. Mary’s football coach Dal Nichols was out last week with the H1N1 flu, so he didn’t make the trip to Newkirk.

The Rockets, who are playing their most inspired ball of the year, went out and won 28-21 to move to 3-6, 2-4 in district and give the Tigers only their second district loss.

That’s not why MSM is earning the Team of the Week honor, oh no. It’s what those seniors decided to do Saturday morning that wins them this award.

I’ve written a lengthy piece about this for Tuesday’s paper, so I’m just going to say the seniors decided they would all go over to coach’s house Saturday morning and give him the game ball.

It’s something Nichols said he will never, ever forget. It’s a type of feel-good moment that you really can’t get enough of nowadays.

Check back Tuesday, and I’ll post the link so you can read the whole story. What a cool move by those kids and what a heartfelt, genuine moment that must have been.

UPDATE: It’s Tuesday, so here ya go.

Other contenders

Camden Tharp, QB, Bishop McGuinness: Tharp was efficient in a 37-22 win vs. Southeast. He ran for a touchdown, threw for another and was 9-of-13 through the air.

Jameel Whitney, RB/QB, McGuinness: I kid about the “QB” label, but Whitney did throw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the Irish win.

Barry Sanders, RB, Heritage Hall: Sanders scored the lone touchdown and rushed for 128 yards in a 12-7 loss to John Marshall.

Parker Randell, RB, Oklahoma Christian Academy: Randell was good for four rushing touchdowns as OCA once again knocked off Prue.

Bryant Hodge, QB, Christian Heritage: Solid game from Hodge who ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more in a 38-15 win against Thomas.

Jack Warren and Jeff Smith, Oklahoma Christian: They’re almost connected at the hip at this point. Smith rushed for three scores and caught another while Warren threw four touchdown passes in a 55-14 victory over Crescent.

Mary Kate Roy, McGuinness, Cross Country: The Irish were stunned in the team race, placing second. Roy led the individual charge with a fourth-place finish.

Frank Frantz, McGuinness, Cross Country: The Irish were good enough to take third in the team race with Frantz placing eighth.

Some weeks you’re scrambling to find that player of the week. Um, last week wasn’t one of those times.

It was a great week in Edmond sports, and I don’t want to single out a defensive star here or a runner there, so I’m giving the honor to Memorial’s defense and the North girls’ cross country team as Teams of the Week.

We’ve covered Memorial and its defense at this point in the 10-0 win vs. North. The Bulldogs have given up 17 points in the last five games, earned hosting a first-round playoff game, etc.

I’ve written it before, not much to add at this point. Strong at every line of defense and Nelson Medeiros is a stud no matter where he’s playing.

North was hoping for the clean sweep in cross country, but the boys placed second. The girls were dominant all year, led by Meredith Farley (6th) and Anna Kimsey (8th).  North was 21 points better than second-place Westmoore.

Two of the top eight is impressive, four of the top 12 is insane as Ashley Webb was 11th and Hannah Helker finished 12th.

Memorial and Santa Fe were pretty solid, too. The Bulldogs placed fourth in both while the Wolves were seventh in both competitions.

Other contenders (and winners any other week)

- Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: This is how stout Edmond was this week. Buck won the 5A state championship and helped pace the Antlers to a second-place finish. He was 12 seconds better than anyone else. Crazy. Aaron White was third for DC.

- Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: She finished a superb season by placing fourth in the 6A event. She was .45 away from placing third as her time was 12:03.74 while Jenks’ Paige Barnes was at 12:03.30.

- Adam Godwin, North, Cross Country: Best finisher for the Huskies, placing fifth while the team took second.

- Will Long, QB, Santa Fe: It’s been a trying year for the senior, but he played his best game of the season in a 24-7 win at Norman North. He threw two touchdowns and didn’t have an interception.

- Colton Byford, DE, North: The North defense certainly didn’t lose that game and Byford was all over the field during Edlam.

Barrier, a Norman North junior, became the T-Wolves first All-Stater with his third-place finish at Saturday’s Class 6A cross country state championship in Edmond. While Barrier has been strong all season, he generally placed between fifth and 10^th. To jump up to third at state, that’s saying something.

And North coach Mike Ramsey will bring all but one runner back next season, so the future looks bright. And Barrier will head into the 2010 season as one of the favorites to win the state title.

Satterthwaite, a Norman sophomore, charged up from the pack late in the season, getting better every week. He peaked last week with a 6A regional championship and he went to state with the top time of regional winners.

Satterthwaite placed fourth Saturday. Ironically, he and Barrier battled right to the line with Barrier coming in a mere second ahead. Expect some great races between these two standouts in the future.

Illness made it impossible for Toby Bothwell to be his best, but he was still ever so close to being the state’s best.

As it was, the Westmoore teammates each garnered second-place finishes at the Class 6A cross country state meet at Mitch Park. And each felt a lot different about their runner-up status.

“I’m very thankful I came in second,” said Painter. “Last year I didn’t think this was possible. I feel like I am at my peak and I felt good running today. I think I hit the nail on the head.”

Though one of the top runners in 6A all season, Painter (nor champion Jacquelynn Skocik of Jenks) were expected to do this well at state. Norman’s Megan Johnson and Tulsa Union’s Sarah Daggett have been the state’s best performers all season and were clear favorites. Add to that mix Jenks’ Paige Barnes, last year’s 6A state champ.

But Barnes slipped to third, even with a great two-mile time of 12:03, because Skocik (11:49) and Painter (11:54) went under the 12-minute mark. Daggett fell to sixth, in 12:07. And a flu-ridden Johnson, who had posted sub-12-minute marks in all but two races, finished 35^th in 13:04, more than a minute and 10 seconds slower than her usual times.

Painter got stronger rather than fading, posting her second-best time of the season. And Skocik had her best performance of her career.

Meanwhile, like Norman’s Johnson, Bothwell had the misfortune of getting the flu a week before the biggest race of his senior season. Nevertheless, having entered the race as the co-favorite with Ponca City’s Victor Others (the two split in head-to-head meetings this season), Bothwell nearly gutted out a state crown.

Others took individual medalist honors, covering the 5K course in 16:09. Bothwell came in just four seconds behind. To understand the magnitude of his performance, consider that Bothwell’s time in a weakened state was more than 16 seconds better than both the 5A and 4A champions.

“I definitely wasn’t 100 percent,” Bothwell said. “It was just bad timing to get sick when I did. It’s disappointing because I ran with everything I had, but I know I can be faster. I’ve been faster on a harder course. That’s just the luck of the draw I guess.”

Runner-up was a theme for Westmoore. The jags collected three as the girls squad was second in the team competition.

Edmond North repeated as girls tem champions and the Huskies’ boys squad was runner-up to Broken Arrow.

In the boys race, Norman North’s Dustin Barrier had his career-best performance , placing third, one second in front of Norman’s Tanner Satterthwaite, who came into the meet with the top regional-winning time in 6A.

She ended up placing 35^th and took over 13 minutes to finish for the first time in her career. This is a girl who ran every race but two in under 12 minutes.

Johnson and Tulsa Union’s Sarah Daggett were the favorites to win, but Daggett was off Saturday and placed fifth. How Johnson would have done if healthy is impossible to predict. But consider this: If she had posted the time she had in any race but two this season, she would have won. Those are pretty good odds.

Another shame is that a lot of people shrugged it off, saying “She’s just a sophomore. She’s got plenty of time to win a state title.” That’s not good logic. You never know what’s going to happen. The sport of girls cross country more than any other is littered with runners who excelled as freshmen and progressively got worse. It’s a common thing in the sport, unfortunately.

Now, that’s not likely to happen to Johnson. And, in fact, she does already have a state championship (in the 3,200 meters in track). But it’s just a case of misfortune that Johnson didn’t deserve. Those things happen in sports. True to her character, she didn’t make any excuses after the race.

But it would have been great to see what Johnson could have done full strength.

I have looked at just about every Edmond North player at this point, one way or the other this week.

But there’s one I’m saving. He hasn’t played a down this season but might be the biggest inspiration to the team.

To find out more about who he is and his story, check out Friday’s paper with our Friday Night Lights series.

***

It’s been a great fall sports season for Edmond schools. Softball had North and Santa Fe reach the state tournament. Volleyball had all three schools in the semis and Memorial winning the championship.

Now this weekend is Edlam to the extreme with not just the football game b/w North and Memorial. But also a tight race for state cross country supremacy as all three schools will be battling it out for individual honors as well as team honors. And not just the boys as both the girls and boys teams are among the best.

Tellin’ ya, a fun time to be associated with the Edmond sports scene.

One case that hopefully won’t alter a season’s worth of success is a big topic in the cross country community right now.

Westmoore senior Toby Bothwell has dominated all season long, winning all but one race before two weeks ago. The only race he didn’t win was against Ponca City’s Victor Others, Bothwell’s biggest competition for the 6A title. However, Bothwell came back to beat Others in their next meeting.

But, after winning races and posting times in the low 16-minute range all season, Bothwell has been under-the-weather at the wrong time.

Starting with the Mid-State Conference meet on Oct. 13, Bothwell’s winning streak came to an end, placing third in 16:39. Then, in Saturday’s west-side Class 6A regional in Norman, he ran a 17:05 and had his lowest placing of the season, seventh.

Seeing as how Bothwell has run a 16:14, it’s clear he has the ability to win a state title. While having to play through illness happens to a lot of athletes, it would be a shame for Bothwell to be hampered in the biggest race of his career. I’ll be posting another update on Bothwell’s status Thursday.

North coach Mike Ramsey is building a program that will no doubt gain more recognition in the next few years. Ramsey is doing what the best cross country coaches do, he’s building the program by using middle school athletes as the base. All the top cross country programs, such as Watonga, Plainview and Edmond North, succeed because they get runners started in the sport in the sixth or seventh grade instead of waiting until they are freshmen.

With the help of coach Jay Coleman at Whittier Middle School, Ramsey’s program is taking off. The Norman North boys team qualified for Saturday’s Class 6A state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond. Led by runners Dustin Barrier and Kyle Wardwell, the T-Wolves placed seventh at the west-side Class 6A regional last week.

Barrier has been strong all season and placed sixth and was just three seconds off placing third.

Wardwell, who has come on strong late in the season, placed ninth and was just four seconds behind Westmoore’s Toby Bothwell, who has been the favorite to win the 6A title all season.

As for the girls, the team placed eighth at regional and narrowly missed a state berth. However, Danielle Riley qualified individually with a 21^st-place finish at regionals. Riley has been the T-Wolves No. 1 runner all season and  —  odd as it sounds  —  may finish higher at state than she did at regionals. That’s because she routinely posts times in the mid-12 minute range and she ran a 13:08 at regionals.

At any rate, Ramsey has the cross country program on the rise. Just the latest sport to become a factor in Class 6A for Norman North.

Friday

Football: Edmond Santa Fe at Norman North

Saturday

Cross country: Class 6A cross country state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond, 2 p.m.

Thursday

Football: Norman North at Lawton, 7:30 p.m.

Friday

Football: Norman at Midwest City, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Cross country: Class 6A cross country state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond, 2 p.m.

Friday

Football: Lawton Ike at Norman, 7:30 p.m.

Friday

Football: Southmoore at Moore, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Cross country: Class 6A cross country state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond, 2 p.m.

Friday

Football: Mustang at Southmoore, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

Football: Lawton Ike at Westmoore, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Cross country: Class 6A cross country state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond, 2 p.m.

Friday

Football: Westmoore at Edmond North, 7:30 p.m.

Friday

Football: Southmoore at Moore, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Cross country: Class 6A cross country state championships at Mitch Park in Edmond, 2 p.m.

Thursday

Football: Moore at Edmond Santa Fe, 7:30 p.m.

Soccer is a logical choice. But wrong. Soccer didn’t even start at NHS until 1985.

Football? Well, the Tigers were always strong during those years, but only among the state’s very best a handful of years.

Basketball, track and baseball were all among the best (after all, Norman was the biggest school in the state for most of the 80s). But never at the level of the sport in question.

Give up? (May as well. You’ll never get it I’m as much of a Norman sports historian as there is and I hadn’t a clue until I did the research this week).

Cross country. Yep, the old forgotten sport of the fall. Norman flat out ruled for a long, long time.

From 1970 to 1988, the Norman boys and girls combined to place first or second at the state meet 13 times in 19 seasons.

The boys team had the individual champion twice in the 80s.

The girls had the individual champ five times in a span of eight years. That’s unreal. It started with Rhona Ray winning in 1976 and 1977. Linda Maguire took the title in 1980. Then Laura McCoy went back-to-back in 1982 and 1983.

The boys team had a nearly as impressive span, winning one team championship and finishing runner-up four times in six seasons. Also, incredible. The Tigers were state runner-up in 1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980 and state champs in 1977. Norman’s boys also were state runner-up in 1970, 1986 and 1993.

As for individual champs, Cary Brady (1983) and Tommy Green (1988) won boys titles. Brady and McCoy gave NHS a very rare sweep of the individual titles in 1983.

Teamwise, the Norman girls won titles in 1980 and 1981 and were runner-up in 1979, 1982, 1986 and 1988.

But other than that 1993 boys runner-up squad, the state meet success has dried up since the end of the Regan era.

That brings us to this season. The 2009 Norman boys and girls could make history Saturday at the Class 6A state meet in Edmond.

The Norman girls have the 6A favorite in sophomore Megan Johnson. The Tigers have one of the favorites in the boys race in sophomore Tanner Satterthwaite, who heads into state with the best regional time in 6A. And the Tiger boys have a shot at winning the team title after placing second to No. 1-ranked Edmond North by just a single point at regionals.

The glorious past of cross country is basically unknown at the school. Sure, former (and longtime) coach Pat Lenington is no doubt well aware. But the current runners had no idea. There aren’t banners and trophies or any of those massive, billboard-like team pictures in the gym like there is for other sport state championship squads.

But, that could all change this Saturday.

Here’s a few I’ve come up with. Let me know, either through a comment here or an e-mail (raber@opubco.com), if you have any others.

I’m sure there are plenty more I’ve missed but here are a few:

- Morrison and Shattuck’s 90-game winning streaks in football
- Tulsa Union’s and Jenks’ stranglehold on the 6A football title
-Asher and Owasso baseball dominance
-McGuinness girls cross country
-Bethel girls basketball state tournament streak
-Bartlesville boys swimming
-El Reno wrestling
-McGuinness girls tennis
-Cascia Hall boys tennis

FOOTBALL

Chad Anderson, Norman
The senior quarterback led the Tigers to a critical victory over Westmoore to bolster their playoff chances. Anderson ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for two more in the 34-14 victory. Also hit on 10 of 13 passes for 145 yards.

Others:

Jaime Myers, Norman
The multi-threat had his usual all-around game. The junior provided strong defense from his cornerback spot, caught a 49-yard touchdown as a receiver and returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown. He also had a pair of long punt returns that set up scores.

Donovan Roberts, Norman
The sophomore running back ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ clutch win over Westmoore.

Seth Zimmer, Norman
Zimmer provides plays as a fullback and tight end and caught a TD pass from Anderson against the Jags.

Richard Peoples, Norman North
Led the T-Wolves in rushing with 89 yards in a loss to Southmoore and also scored a touchdown.

Jamar Harrison, Norman North
Made several big plays from both the slot receiver spot and as a running back. Scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on a four-yard run.

CROSS COUNTRY

Tanner Satterthwaite, Norman
Continued a major late-season surge in which he’s emerged as one of the top runners in Class 6A. Satterthwaite placed first individually in the Class 6A regional at Norman and advances to state with the top time of any runner in either of the 6A regionals. The sophomore ran the 5K course in 16:31.

Others:

Megan Johnson, Norman
One of the favorites to win the 6A title, Johnson was the runner-up at the 6A regional in Norman. It was the first time all season she has not won a meet against in-state competition. Her two-mile time of 12:08 marks just the second time all season she has not posted a sub-12 minute time.

Parker Bowles, Norman
Bowles hasn’t had as strong of a season as guessed, but is coming on at the right time. Bowles ran a 16:48 to place third at the 6A regional and heads to state as a top-10 favorite.

Dustin Barrier, Norman North
Ran a 17:01 5K to notch a seventh-place finish and qualify for state.

Kyle Wardwell, Norman North
Gave North two top-10 regional placers by finishing ninth in 17:09.

Danielle Riley, Norman North
Placed 21^st with a two-mile time of 13:08 to lead the Norman North girls.

FOOTBALL

Austin Haywood, Southmoore
The tight end/defensive end who is quickly rising in recruiting value, scored three touchdowns to lead the SaberCats to a victory over Norman North. Haywood had two touchdown receptions and one run. He also recorded eight tackles on defense.

Others:

Kendal Thompson, Southmoore
The quarterback accounted for four touchdowns against Norman North, two through the air and two on the ground.

Austin Brooks, Southmoore
Defensive back had an interception and numerous tackles in the win over the T-Wolves.

Austin Reece, Southmoore
Another defensive back who was all over the field making stops for the SaberCats.

Vova Razryvin, Moore
The junior quarterback threw for three touchdowns and led the Lions to their highest scoriung output of the season, 30 points, against Del City.

Dalton Hilliard, Moore
Made his usual solid contribution on defense from his linebacker spot and also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Chris Clark, Moore
Like Hilliard, Clark is a steady and strong performer on defense and he also ran for a touchdown against the Eagles.

Jordan Martin, Moore
Scored Moore’s first touchdown against Del City, hauling in a TD pass from Razryvin.

Jonathan Rhodes, Westmoore
Running back ran for a game-high 124 yards on 27 carries against Norman.

Kevin Rodriguez, Westmoore
Caught a team-best five passes for the Jags. His receptions made up almost half of the team total.

CROSS COUNTRY

Taylor Painter, Westmoore
Senior led the Jaguars girls team to a runner-up finish at the Class 6A regional at Norman and placed fourth individually in a time of 12:17.

Others:

Lauren Robinson, Westmoore
Placed seventh at regionals to help Jags place second at regionals and advance to state.

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore
Gave the Jaguars three top-10 finishers by placing ninth at regionals.

Toby Bothwell, Westmoore
The Jaguars top placer in the boys race at 6A regional.

Josh Ramirez, Moore
Led the Lions runners at regional with a 13^th place finish.

There were any number of Chargers to pick from. Sophomore Brandon Moews had two interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. Sophomore Barry Sanders (remember, no Jr.) rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns, caught another and had an interception.

But in the end, I think the play of Sterling Shepard was the thing that got Heritage rolling in a 49-7 victory against Newkirk to earn him the Private Schools Player of the Week.

Shepard’s stats weren’t outstanding (one passing TD, two rushing scores), but he set the tone early. He is making better decisions with each game and threw some of his best balls this year. The Chargers are starting to find some balance to go with the running game.

Newkirk wanted to stack the box, but once Shepard found Cale Courtney a couple of times for big gains, Tigers were left in a bind. And Shepard becomes another running back when he decides to just take off and run.

That’s back-to-back solid passing games from Shepard, which is a great sign if you’re a Chargers fan.

Other contenders

Bishop McGuinness defense: There will be a story on Jay Lester and Jameel Whitney in Tuesday’s paper and a litany of Irish players could be deserving, so I’m just giving it to the D in a 34-0 win at Guymon.

Cale Shivers, QB, Casady: Cyclones played their heart out against a great Houston Episcopal team. Shivers threw for two touchdowns in a 24-15 loss.

Dalton Newsome and Aaron Smith, Mt. St. Mary’s: The duo was electric as MSM scored a season-high 35 points in a 35-21 win against Fairview.

Other winners (cross country)

Mary Kate Roy, McGuinness: The Irish were dominant at the 5A regional with Roy leading the way. Team placed first and three of the top six finishers (Mary Beth Canfield and Erin Gaffney).

Frank Frantz, McGuinness: Boys weren’t too bad, either. Frantz placed fourth overall and Irish placed second overall.

Virginia Ratliff, Heritage: Will lead team into state this weekend and was also named Homecoming Queen last week at the football game.

Back-to-back losses to Duncan and El Reno had Deer Creek reeling. Going on the road to Chickasha to face the explosive offense led by Chase Rodgers certainly wasn’t a picnic.

It was as close to a must-win game for the Antlers as possible. And having to try to win such a crucial game without a vital component again (Colten Sander), well, the task seemed daunting.

But with each passing game, quarterback Alex Christensen has matured and looked more natural at the position.

Christensen’s never played bigger than what he did Friday in a 26-16 win and earns Edmond Player of the Week honors.

Christensen ran for more than 200 yards and a touchdown while also throwing for another score.

It’s not just the 200 rushing yards by Christensen, it’s the way he did. He’s a tough, physical kid that just wasn’t going to take no for an answer in this district battle.

Deer Creek has Altus coming up this week. With a win, the Antlers, despite all their injuries, have put themselves in solid playoff position.

Other contenders

Virgil Walker, LB, North: The Huskies needed a bounce back game vs. PCWest after the Midwest City loss, and Walker was there to do it. He had two sacks and four additional tackles for loss in a 36-6 win.

Jacob Stivers, WR, Memorial: When Memorial needed a big play, it was Stivers that delivered, catching the eventual game-winning touchdown in the third quarter of a 14-7 win vs. Lawton Eisenhower.

Brian Mills, RB, Santa Fe: Senior continues to show there is no give up in this team. Rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Other winners

We are coming down the stretch of the cross country season, and the Edmond teams were three of the first five for the boys at regionals and three of the first four for the girls.

Adam Godwin, North: Placed second individually and helped North the narrowest of regional victories, topping Norman by one point.

Eric Talbert, Memorial: Placed fifth overall and helped Memorial to solid third-place finish.

Arya Bahreini, Santa Fe: Solid outing, leading the Wolves with a 10-th place finish and the team took fifth.

Tara Lewis, Memorial: Bulldogs may have placed third in the team race, but nobody was better than Lewis individually.

Meredith Farley, North: Farley (5th) and Anna Kimsey (6th) paced North to regional title.

Rachel Davis, Santa Fe: Top finisher for Wolves at 12th while Santa Fe finished respectable fourth.

Taler Buck and Aaron White, Deer Creek: First and second in 5A regional as Antlers cruised to regional win.

FRIDAY
Football: Norman North at Southmoore, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Cross country: at Class 6A Regional, Irving Middle School in Norman. Girls, 2 p.m. Boys, 2:45 p.m.

FRIDAY
Football: Westmoore at Norman, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Cross country: at Class 6A Regional, Irving Middle School in Norman. Girls, 2 p.m. Boys, 2:45 p.m.

FRIDAY
Football: Norman North at Southmoore, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Cross country: at Class 6A Regional, Irving Middle School in Norman. Girls, 2 p.m. Boys, 2:45 p.m.

FRIDAY
Football: Westmoore at Norman, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Cross country: at Class 6A Regional, Irving Middle School in Norman. Girls, 2 p.m. Boys, 2:45 p.m.

FRIDAY
Football: Moore at Del City, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Cross country: at Class 6A Regional, Irving Middle School in Norman. Girls, 2 p.m. Boys, 2:45 p.m.

The Edmond teams are definitely among the best cross country clubs in the state, both the boys and girls teams.

And with the state meet approaching next week, here’s a short Q&A with one of Santa Fe’s best runners, senior Alyssa Nale.

What was your “welcome to Varsity” sports moment?

Nale: Running cross country at state during my freshman year and experiencing all the excitement.

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

Nale: My older brother because sports just come so natural for him. He was a great football, basketball and baseball player. He was blessed with the natural ability of being athletic.

Bucket List time. What are some of the things you want to do?

Nale: Go skydiving, marry a “future” Olympic decathlete, go on a cruise and graduate from college.

If you could trade places with one person, who would it be and why?

Nale: Shawn Johnson because she is cute, sweet and small, and I would to be able to experience the world of gymnastics and to be an Olympic gold medalist at the age of 17.

FOOTBALL

Donovan Roberts, Norman

The sophomore running back piled up a career-high 267 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 36-33 double-overtime win over Putnam City.

Others:

Chad Anderson, Norman

Tigers QB passed for 97 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. The senior completed 7 of 9 passes in the game.

Roger Kelley, Norman

Kelley caught a 30-yard touchdown in the Tigers’ victory over PC.

Logan Hammons, Norman

The Tigers’ kicker booted the game-winning field goal in double-overtime to give Norman a 36-33 triumph. Hammons also scored Norman’s first points of the game on a 25-yard field goal.

Greg Offenburger, Norman

Linebacker standout and leading tackler for Norman, Offenburger helped the Tigers hold Putnam City’s high-powered rushing game to 148 yards and just one touchdown.

Nick Canavan, Norman North

The linebacker/running back caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. The senior also ran for 33 yards on four carries and neared double digits in tackles.

Richard Peoples, Norman North

Senior running back ran for a game-best 159 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown in the T-Wolves’ loss to Del City.

Austin Johnson, Norman North

Johnson came off the bench to replace injured quarterback Brad Valentino and completed 6 of 9 passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Jamar Harrison, Norman North

Before leaving the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury, the senior scored North’s first touchdown on a terrific catch and run for 45 yards. Harrison caught an 8-yard pass, broke two tackles and juked two more defenders before outrunning everyone to the end zone.

Scott Whitaker, Norman North

Senior receiver caught four passes for 41 yards.

CROSS COUNTRY

Tanner Satterthwaite, Norman

The sophomore posted his best time of the season and won the Mid-State Conference championship. Satterthwaite ran the 5K course in 16:24 and bested the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked runners in 6A for the title.

Megan Johnson, Norman

The superb sophomore continued to dominate, winning the conference championship by 11 seconds. For the first time all season, Johnson did not post a sub-12 minute time. But she couldn’t have been any closer, covering the two-mile course in 12:00.

Others:

Danielle Riley, Norman North

The T-Wolves top placer at the conference meet placed ninth in 13:05.

Dustin Barrier, Norman North

Barrier placed fourth at the conference meet, running the 5K course in 16:47.

Kyle Wardwell, Norman North

Wardwell continued his late-season surge, placing fifth at the Mid-State meet in Norman.

FOOTBALL

Kendal Thompson, Southmoore

The junior quarterback had just three incompletions in 19 pass attempts and accounted for five touchdowns in the SaberCats’ 46-28 win at Lawton.

Thompson threw for 217 yards and two TDs, with no interceptions, and ran for three scores.

Others:

Austin Haywood, Southmoore

The tight end caught a pair of touchdown passes against Lawton, one from nine yards out and another from 13, and provided his usual superb defensive play. For the game he had four catches for 65 yards.

Andrew Long, Southmoore

Long backed up a career-high 173 yards against Edmond Santa Fe with 143 yards on 29 carries. The sophomore ran for  a 13-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion. He also had seven receptions for 89 yards.

Sam York, Southmoore

The SaberCats’ kicker booted a 24-yard field goal and five extra points in the win over Lawton.

Ryland Widener, Southmoore

The senior defensive tackle helped Southmoore stuff Lawton’s run game, holding the Wolverines to just 54 yards on 31 carries.

Brandon Eddins, Moore

Eddins came in for starting quarterback Vova Razryvin and threw his first touchdown pass of the season in a loss to Mustang.

Grant Linstead, Moore

Scored the Lions’ lone touchdown in a 42-6 loss to Mustang on a 10-yard reception.

Justin Tran, Westmoore

The Jaguars kicker accounted for the teams only points in a 26-3 loss at Edmond Memorial. Tran booted a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter.

SOFTBALL

Hannah Coker, Moore

Coker had a two-run triple in Moore’s victory against Tulsa Union at the state tournament.
Alex Milligan, Moore

Milligan, the best power hitter on the team, had a two-run double in a loss to Mustang at the state tournament.

CROSS COUNTRY

Taylor Painter, Westmoore

The senior standout placed second at the Mid-State Conference meet with a time of 12:11 and led the Jags to the team championship.

Others:

Lauren Robinson, Westmoore

Placed fourth at the conference meet in  12:33.

Noemi Hernandez, Westmoore

Placed fifth at Mid-State meet in 12:39.

Ashley Sparks, Southmoore

Team’s only top-10 finisher at Mid-State Conference meet. Placed seventh in 12:58.

Lauren Parenica, Moore

Team’s top placer at conference meet, placing 12^th.

Toby Bothwell, Westmoore

Even while having  an off race for him and a slower time than usual, Bothwell, the top-ranked boys runner in Class 6A, still placed third at the conference meet.

Josh Ramirez, Moore

Team’s highest placer at conference meet, 10^th.

Going into the Bishop McGuinness and Douglass game, it wasn’t going to be that hard to figure out who was going to win. If the Irish stopped the Trojans running game, it was going to be a W for Kenny Young’s club.

And there’s no doubt Douglass put up some yards, but for the most part, McGuinness held it in check in a 14-7 win.

Biggest reason? Senior linebacker Jameel Whitney. Whitney has been a stud all season but never more than Friday night. He had 21 tackles, yep, 21 in an outstanding performance in a game the Irish needed for any hopes of another district crown. His rushing touchdown also proved to be the game-winner.

Think the biggest misconception for McGuinness is that it is not a tough, physical team. While the Irish can finesse you, make no mistake that there is some hitting going on with this club.

A huge win after a couple of tough, one-point losses earlier in the season.

Other contenders

- Barry Sanders Jr., RB, Heritage Hall: Sanders had another four-touchdown performance in a 41-0 win at Fairview. He also had two scores called back because of penalties.

- Camden Tharp, QB, McGuinness: Numbers don’t stand out, but a huge win for the sophomore in such a pivotal district encounter.

- Jack Warren, QB, OCS: The Saints are on a collision course with Cashion this week and are 6-1 after Warren threw for three touchdowns in a 37-8 win vs. Minco.

- Austin Katigan, WR, Casady: Caught the Cyclones only touchdown of the game in a 28-7 loss at Houston St. Johns.

- Ian Sanders, K, CHA: Would love to see this kid kick once. Made a couple of field goals in a 22-15 victory against Crescent.

Other winners

- Bryana Wade, Mt. St. Mary’s, Softball: Wade had an RBI double in the Rockets’ 2-1 loss to Purcell at the state tournament.

- Cassie Iser, McGuinness, Volleyball: Was named to the All-Tournament team and helped lead Irish to 5A state finals but lost to the incredible Bishop Kelley team.

- Frank Frantz, McGuinness, Cross Country: In the loaded field at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., Frantz placed 30th and was fourth among Oklahoma runners.

Saturday night in Sapulpa seems like it was one special scene for the Edmond Memorial volleyball squad.

After the huge disappointment from last year, the Bulldogs club was squarely focused on this year.

And led by arguably the best player in the state, junior Micha Hancock, Memorial was able to outlast Tulsa Union in a five-game slugfest to take back the Class 6A championship.

Hancock is one of the hardest hitters and saved her best stuff for when it mattered most.

Though Hancock is getting the Edmond Player of the Week, all of Edgar Miraku’s girls deserve the recognition.

Memorial and Union both went through the quarterfinals and semifinals without losing a game.

But the final was a classic back-and-forth affair with Memorial coming out on top 25-12, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20 and 18-16. Junior Caitlin Scott landed the winning kill.

It is Memorial’s third championship in five years.

For more, fellow chum Scott Wright had this to say in Sunday’s paper.

Other contenders

- Kameron Doolittle, RB, Memorial: There’s that man again. Doolittle rushed for 109 yards and threw two touchdowns in a 26-3 win against Westmoore.

- Brian Mills, RB, Santa Fe: And there’s that man again. Mills has been phenomenal in every way possible despite a 1-6 record. He rushed for 127 yards and a score in a 17-14 loss to Putnam North.

- Tyler Price, RB, Deer Creek: Six turnovers killed Grant Gower’s club, but Price was able to score the lone touchdown on a direct snap in a 30-7 loss to El Reno.

- Joe Aska Jr., RB, North: Aska was bottled up most of the night but scored two times in a 42-13 loss at Midwest City.

Other winners

- Sierra Bronkey, Santa Fe, Softball: Guts to the nth degree for the senior, who laid everything on the line to try to put the Wolves in the hunt for a title.

- Abby Taliaferro, North, Softball: Hit a two-run home run vs. Santa Fe but wasn’t enough for the young Huskies at the state tournament.

-  Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Cross Country: Was the top Oklahoma finisher at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.

- Tara Lewis, Memorial, Cross Country: Second-highest Oklahoma finisher at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.

Norman produced both individual winners. One was thoroughly expected, the other far from it.

Megan Johnson, who is unbeaten against in-state competition, continued her dominating ways. The sophomore won the girls individual crown by 11 seconds over the runner-up and 23 seconds ahead of the third runner through. However, for the first time this season, Johnson didn’t post a sub-12 minute time on a two-mile course  —  but just barely. Johnson ran a 12:00.

Tanner Satterthwaite made it a Norman sweep with his stunning win in the boys race. Running on his home course, Satterthwaite posted his best time of the season on a 5K rout, 16:24. More impressively, he won the conference crown over Westmoore standout Toby Bothwell, who had placed first every race but once this season. Bothwell ran a 16:39 to place third. Edmond Memorial’s Eric Talbert was runner-up, nine seconds off of Satterthwaite.

Taylor Painter, runner-up in the girls race, led Westmoore to the team title. The Jags placed four runners in the top 10. Lauren Robinson (fourth), Noemi Hernandez (fifth) and Morgan Roberts (eighth) helped the defending Class 6A state champions cruise to the title by 16 points over Edmond Memorial. Allison Swyden was just out of the top 10 (by three seconds), placing 11^th for the Jags.

Edmond Memorial and Norman each placed three runners in the top 10, but the Bulldogs won the team crown on the strength of putting all seven of their runners in the top 17.

Megan Johnson, who is unbeaten against in-state competition, continued her dominating ways. The sophomore won the girls individual crown by 11 seconds over the runner-up and 23 seconds ahead of the third runner through. However, for the first time this season, Johnson didn’t post a sub-12 minute time on a two-mile course  —  but just barely. Johnson ran a 12:00.

Tanner Satterthwaite made it a Norman sweep with his stunning win in the boys race. Running on his home course, Satterthwaite posted his best time of the season on a 5K rout, 16:24. More impressively, he won the conference crown over Westmoore standout Toby Bothwell, who had placed first every race but once this season. Bothwell ran a 16:39 to place third. Edmond Memorial’s Eric Talbert was runner-up, nine seconds off of Satterthwaite.

Norman North had a strong showing in the boys race as Dustin Barrier and Kyle Wardwell led the T-Wolves to a third-place showing in the team standings. Barrier placed fourth, running the 5K in 16:47. Wardwell came in fifth at 17:00.

As for the Norman North girls, Danielle Riley paced the team as she has all season. Riley placed ninth, running the two-mile course in 13:05.

Taylor Painter, runner-up in the girls race, led Westmoore to the team title. The Jags placed four runners in the top 10. Edmond Memorial and Norman each placed three runners in the top 10, but the Bulldogs won the team crown on the strength of putting all seven of their runners in the top 17.

Megan Johnson, who is unbeaten against in-state competition, continued her dominating ways. The sophomore won the girls individual crown by 11 seconds over the runner-up and 23 seconds ahead of the third runner through. However, for the first time this season, Johnson didn’t post a sub-12 minute time on a two-mile course  —  but just barely. Johnson ran a 12:00.

Tanner Satterthwaite made it a Norman sweep with his stunning win in the boys race. Running on his home course, Satterthwaite posted his best time of the season on a 5K rout, 16:24. More impressively, he won the conference crown over Westmoore standout Toby Bothwell, who had placed first every race but once this season. Bothwell ran a 16:39 to place third. Edmond Memorial’s Eric Talbert was runner-up, nine seconds off of Satterthwaite.

Taylor Painter, runner-up in the girls race, led Westmoore to the team title. The Jags placed four runners in the top 10. Edmond Memorial and Norman each placed three runners in the top 10, but the Bulldogs won the team crown on the strength of putting all seven of their runners in the top 17.

THURSDAY
Football: Southmoore at Lawton, 7:30 p.m.
NOTE
Cross Country: Next meet, Oct. 24 at Norman’s Irving Middle School, Class 6A Regionals

THURSDAY

Football: Del City at Norman North, 7:30 p.m.
NOTE
Cross Country: Next meet, Oct. 24 at Norman’s Irving Middle School, Class 6A Regionals

THURSDAY

Football: Norman at Putnam City, 7:30 p.m.
NOTE
Cross Country: Next meet, Oct. 24 at Irving Middle School, Class 6A Regionals

FRIDAY  

Football: Westmoore at Edmond Memorial, 7:30 p.m.
NOTE
Cross Country: Next meet, Oct. 24 at Norman’s Irving Middle School, Class 6A Regionals

THURSDAY

Football: Mustang (4-2) at Moore (0-6), 7:30 p.m.

Softball: Class 6A state tournament at Hall of Fame Stadium: Moore vs. Tulsa Union, 12 p.m. (Field 3)

Moore win: Moore vs. Mustang-Bartlesville winner, 4 p.m. (Field 2)

Moore loss: Moore vs. Mustang-Bartlesville loser, 4 p.m. (Field 3)

FRIDAY  

Softball: Class 6A state tournament at Hall of Fame Stadium. Game and opponents dependent on Thursday’s results.

Winners bracket game: 2 p.m. (Field 4)

Losers bracket game: 10 a.m. (Field 4)

If-necessary game: 6 p.m. (Field 4)

SATURDAY  

Softball: Class 6A state tournament at Hall of Fame Stadium. Game and opponent dependent on Friday’s results.

State championship game: 1 p.m. (Field 1)

NOTE
Cross Country: Next meet, Oct. 24 at Norman’s Irving Middle School, Class 6A Regionals

Football

Andrew Long, Southmoore
The sophomore running back ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns, leading the SaberCats to a 28-12 victory over Edmond Santa Fe. Long’s performance was particularly vital to the team’s success beause Southmoore only passed for 16 yards in a downpour.

Cody Feuerborn, Westmoore
The running back piled up 166 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries in the Jags’ victory over Putnam City West.

Jonathan Rhodes, Westmoore
Splitting carries with Feuerborn, Rhodes ran for 151 yards on 18 totes.

Brian Self, Westmoore
The senior noseguard and fullback averaged 10 yards a carry and scored Westmoore’s first three touchdowns against PC West.

Zach VanDyke, Westmoore
Recorded an interception that led to a touchdown against the Patriots.

Nyko Symonds, Southmoore
Recovered a teammates’ fumble to maintain possession on a key drive and had an interception on defense.

Austin Haywood, Southmoore
Returned a fumble 74 yards for a touchdown and scored a 16-yard touchdown on Southmoore’s only completed pass of the game.

Vova Razryvin, Moore
Quarterback scored the Lions’ only touchdown in a loss to Putnam City North.

Softball

Brianna Nunley, Moore
Was strong in the circle as Moore walloped Lawton Ike and Edmond Memorial twice by a combined score of 30-0 to win the regional crown and advance to state. Nunley has an ERA of 0.76 in 24 starts for the season.

Others:

Michelle Keppel, Westmoore
Pitched the Jaguars to a 3-1 victory over Norman North in a Class 6A regional tournament game. Then came back to beat the T-Wolves again 2-1, allowing just three hits.

Kendra Pierce, Westmoore
Had a double in the Jags’ regional win over North.

Shelby Wheeler, Westmoore
Had a double in the Jags’ regional win over North.

Volleyball

Madison Dobbs, Westmoore
Dobbs recorded a match-high 17 kills and also had 18 digs in the Jaguars’ loss to Lawton in the Class 6A regional tournament.

Rebecca Wood, Moore
Moore had a team-high three assists and 10 attack attempts in the Lions’ loss to Owasso.

Football

Jon Johnson, Norman North
Aside from being in on numerous tackles, the linebacker intercepted a pass and returned it to the 3-yard line in the T-Wolves’ loss to Mustang. The interception return led to a touchdown on the next play. Late in the game, Johnson got in some time with the offense and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Others:

Scott Whitaker, Norman North
The receiver caught a 59-yard touchdown pass in his return to the field after missing a game because he dislocated his kneecap.

Chad Anderson, Norman
The senior quarterback connected on 9 of 14 passes in the Tigers’ loss to Edmond Memorial.

Cross country

Danielle Riley, Norman North
The junior placed first in the Southwestern Christian University Invitational. Her winning time in the 3,200 meter run was 13:26.

Others:

Dustin Barrier, Norman North
Barrier placed third at the Southwest Christian meet, running the 5K course in 17:32.

Kyle Wardwell, Norman North
Wardwell placed fourth in the Southwest Christian meet, running the 5K course in 17:35.

Note: Norman High did not compete in a cross country meet last week as the Edmond Pre-State meet was canceled.

Volleyball
Lexie Matthews, Norman North
Matthews led Norman North to a victory over Norman in the regular-season finale. The sophomore recorded 14 kills and four blocks.

Others:

Grace Valliere, Norman
Had a match-best eight blocks against Norman North.

Tori Thomas, Norman North
Had 12 digs for the T-Wolves against Norman.

Softball

Kayla Putnam, Norman North
Putnam pitched the T-Wolves to an 11-0 victory over US Grant at the Class 6A regional tournament.

THURSDAY
Softball: Class 6A Regional tournament at Mustang
Volleyball: at Class 6A Regional tournament at Owasso

FRIDAY
Football: at Mustang, 7:30 p.m.
Cross Country: at Pre-State Meet at Mitch Park in Edmond, 3 p.m.
Volleyball: (TBD) at Class 6A Regional tournament at Owasso

TUESDAY
Cross Country: at Mid-State Conference meet at Irving Middle School, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY
Softball: (TBD) Class 6A State Tournament at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
Football: Del City at Norman North, 7:30 p.m.