Class 6A
BOYS
EAST
At Tulsa Rogers
Friday
Winner’s Bracket
Owasso vs. Broken Arrow, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Stillwater vs. Bixby, 8 p.m.

At Catoosa
Winner’s Bracket
Tulsa Union vs. Jenks, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Tulsa Washington vs. Bartlesville, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Catoosa
Stillwater/Bixby winner vs. Owasso/Broken Arrow loser, 8 p.m.
Tulsa Washington/Bartlesville winner vs. Tulsa Union/Jenks loser, 6:30 p.m.

WEST
At Choctaw
Friday
Winner’s Bracket
Midwest City vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Edmond North vs. Putnam City

At Norman North
Winner’s Bracket
Edmond Memorial vs. Putnam City West, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Putnam City North vs. Lawton Eisenhower, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Norman North
Putnam City North/Lawton Eisenhower winner vs. Edmond Memorial/Putnam City West loser, 6:30 p.m.
Edmond North/Putnam City winner vs. Midwest City/Edmond Santa Fe loser, 8 p.m.

GIRLS
EAST
Thursday
At Catoosa
Winner’s Bracket
Muskogee vs. Tulsa Washington, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Jenks vs. Tulsa Union

At Tulsa Rogers
Loser’s Bracket
Broken Arrow vs. Mustang, 6:30 p.m.
Winner’s Bracket
Bartlesville vs. Bixby, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Catoosa
Broken Arrow/Mustang winner vs. Bartlesville/Bixby loser, 1:30 p.m.
Jenks/Tulsa Union winner vs. Muskogee/Tulsa Washington loser, 3 p.m.

WEST
Thursday
At Choctaw
Winner’s Bracket
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Putnam City, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Norman vs. Southmoore, 8 p.m.

At Harrah
Loser’s Bracket
Lawton Eisenhower vs. Choctaw, 6:30 p.m.
Winner’s Bracket
Norman North vs. Edmond Memorial, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Harrah
Lawton Eisenhower/Choctaw winner vs. Norman North/Edmond Memorial loser, 1:30 p.m.
Norman/Southmoore winner vs. Edmond Santa Fe/Putnam City loser, 3 p.m.

CLASS 5A
BOYS
EAST
Friday
At Bixby
Winner’s Bracket
Tulsa Memorial vs. Tulsa Kelley, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Chickasha vs. Guthrie, 8 p.m.

At Sapulpa
Winner’s Bracket
Coweta vs. Tulsa Edison, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Skiatook vs. Noble, 8 p.m.

At Bixby
Saturday
Skiatook/Noble winner vs. Coweta/Tulsa Edison loser, 6:30 p.m.
Chickasha/Guthrie winner vs. Tulsa Memorial/Tulsa Kelley loser, 8 p.m.

WEST
Friday
At Edmond North
Winner’s Bracket
Bishop McGuinness vs. Lawton MacArthur, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Del City vs. Capitol Hill, 8 p.m.

At Edmond Memorial
Winner’s Bracket
Carl Albert vs. Southeast, 6:30 p.m.
Western Heights vs. Piedmont, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Edmond Memorial
Western Heights/Piedmont winner vs. Carl Albert/Southeast loser, 6:30 p.m.
Del City/Capitol Hill winner vs. Bishop McGuinness/Lawton MacArthur loser, 8 p.m.

GIRLS
EAST
Thursday
At Bixby
Loser’s Bracket
Chickasha at Tulsa Edison, 6:30 p.m.
Winner’s Bracket
Tulsa East Central at Collinsville, 8 p.m.

At Sapulpa
Winner’s Bracket
Tahlequah vs. Tulsa Memorial, 6:30 p.m.
Loser’s Bracket
Grove vs. Tulsa Kelley, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Sapulpa
Grove/Tulsa Kelley winner vs. Tahlequah/Tulsa Memorial loser, 1:30 p.m.
Chickasha/Tulsa Edison winner vs. Tulsa East Central/Collinsville loser, 3 p.m.

WEST
Thursday
At Edmond North
Loser’s Bracket
Del City vs. Ardmore, 6:30 p.m.
Winner’s Bracket
Shawnee vs. Piedmont, 8 p.m.

At Edmond Memorial
Loser’s Bracket
El Reno vs. Lawton MacArthur, 6:30 p.m.
Carl Albert vs. Deer Creek, 8 p.m.

Saturday
At Edmond North
El Reno/Lawton MacArthur winner vs. Carl Albert/Deer Creek loser, 1:30 p.m.
Del City/Ardmore winner vs. Shawnee/Piedmont loser, 3 p.m.

Zack Smith, who spent the last nine years as an assistant coach at Del City, is the new football coach at Chandler.

“I appreciate the opportunity,” Smith said. “I think it’s a good move for me right now in my career. It’s definitely going to be a change of pace though.”

Smith succeeds Scott Myers in the position.

Myers died in November at age 45 after a two-year battle with cancer.

The Lions were 5-5 last season, nearly making the playoffs in District 3A-2.

“I’m really excited to keep going on with what Scott put forward and keep this program moving in the right direction,” Smith said. “I’ve been up there a lot in the last few weeks, trying to build relationships with the players and their parents. The kids we have coming back really liked coach Myers and hopefully I can build on the good things he was doing here.”

He helped coach the Eagles defense. Del City went 9-2 this season, winning District 5A-1.

Prior to his time at Del City, Smith spent a year at Pottsboro, Texas, after finishing his playing career at Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Smith is originally from Boyd, Texas.

All right, so here’s the weekly rankings explanation/discussion. Class 6A was once again the toughest, although there were plenty of other interesting choices along the way.

CLASS 6A
1. Tulsa Union (3)#4-2
2. Jenks (5)#4-2
3. Broken Arrow (4)#3-3
4. Edmond North (2)#6-0
5. Owasso (6)#3-2
6. Edmond Santa Fe (7)#5-1
7. Sand Springs (9)#6-0
8. Southmoore (10)#5-1
9. Lawton (1)#5-1
10. Norman North (NR)#5-1

This is one I had to deconstruct completely yet again after the weekend’s results that included Southmoore’s win over Lawton, Putnam City’s win over Westmoore and Edmond North escaping against a now 1-5 Yukon team. I thought it would happen a few weeks ago and it has–Union is the best team in 6A again. The Redskins loss to Owasso looks like the bump in the road that it was last year as Union rolled to another title. Sand Springs gets a big test this week when it plays Union. Play the Redskins tight–even in a loss–and the Sandites move up next week. A win in that game and I’ll vault Sand Springs to No. 1.

CLASS 5A
1. Guthrie (1)#6-0
2. Tulsa East Central (2)#2-4
3. Deer Creek (3)#6-0
4. Bishop McGuinness (4)#6-0
5. Tulsa Kelley (5)#4-2
6. Claremore (6)#5-1
7. Coweta (7)#4-2
8. Del City (8)#4-2
9. Lawton MacArthur (9)#4-2
10. Tulsa Memorial (10)#6-0
*Tulsa East Central forfeited four wins.

This one wasn’t too difficult was Claremore’s 20-19 loss to Tulsa East Central was the only loss in the top 10. Claremore stays above Coweta and Del City because their game against East Central was closer. Claremore-Coweta, though, will get sorted out soon enough as the teams face off Oct. 26.

CLASS 4A
1. Wagoner (1)#5-1
2. Cascia Hall (3)#6-0
3. Anadarko (6)#6-0
4. Ada (4)#6-0
5. Clinton (2)#4-2
6. Douglass (5)#4-2
7. Sallisaw (7)#4-2
8. Fort Gibson (8)#6-0
9. Cleveland (9)#6-0
10. Catoosa (NR)#3-3

Anadarko’s big performance deserved to be noticed, and the Warriors move up three places to No. 3, ahead of Ada, Clinton and Douglass. The only other shuffle came in the final spot as Catoosa slips in ahead of Broken Bow and Poteau. Catoosa beat a ranked opponent (Tulsa McLain) and a few weeks ago nearly knocked off Fort Gibson. That puts Catoosa in even against teams with better records.

CLASS 3A
1. Kingfisher (1)#6-0
2. Tuttle (2)#6-0
3. Berryhill (3)#6-0
4. Seminole (4)#5-0
5. Blanchard (5)#6-0
6. Metro Christian (6)#5-1
7. Victory Christian (7)#6-0
8. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (8)#5-1
9. Verdigris (9)#5-1
10. Cushing (10)#5-1

Nice and easy yet again: Everyone wins.

CLASS 2A
1. Vian (2)#6-0
2. Davis (3)#6-0
3. Frederick (4)#6-0
4. OCS (7)#5-1
5. Millwood (1)#5-1
6. Hennessey (5)#4-2
7. Stroud (6)#5-1
8. Adair (9)#6-0
9. Lindsay (8)#4-2
10. Commerce (10)#5-1

The big mover on the positive side was OCS, who knocked off top-ranked Millwood. The Saints’ only loss so far is to Class 3A Jones. Millwood drops to No. 5, just behind OCS. I also flipped Adair and Lindsay after taking in the totality of their seasons to this point.

CLASS A
1. Wynnewood (1)#5-0
2. Wayne (2)#6-0
3. Thomas (3)#6-0
4. Ringling (4)#4-1
5. Texhoma (5)#5-0
6. Fairview (NR)#6-0
7. Cashion (6)#6-0
8. Crescent (7)#6-0
9. Kiefer (8)#6-0
10. Morrison (9)#5-1

None of the teams in the top 10 lost but I promised a reader I’d break down and reassess this class so I did. What I found, for the most part, is that I liked where I had teams. I feel comfortable in Ringling where they are with their one loss (to Davis) and Morrison with theirs (to Alva). I was OK leaving off Empire, Savanna, Talihina, Warner and Summit Christian even with undefeated records. But going over the rankings and results of the first six weeks, I couldn’t ignore what Fairview has done. Friday, they beat Hooker 71-18. So far, they’ve outscored opponents 303-56. Fairview played three opponents that other top 10 teams had played this year and the matchups were favorable for Fairview. It beat Pioneer 63-8 while Cashion beat Pioneer 52-20. It beat Okeene 49-6 while Cashion won 27-20 and Thomas won 26-6. And finally, it beat Hooker 71-18 on Friday, while Hollis won 45-21. I don’t always matchup scores like that because there are a number of factors that could skew things, but when you’re looking at that many games, I couldn’t ignore it. So Farview goes in at No. 10 while Hollis is the unlucky team to slip.

CLASS B
1. Laverne (1)#6-0
2. Wetumka (2)#6-0
3. Pond Creek-Hunter (3)#6-0
4. Fox (6)#6-0
5. Dewar (4)#5-1
6. Garber (5)#5-1
7. Davenport (7)#4-2
8. Rejoice Christian (8)#5-1
9. Covington-Douglas (9)#4-2
10. Alex (10)#5-1

Garber and Dewar both got beat, but they got beat by teams ranked above them. Fox leap-frogged the pair but everything else remains constant.

CLASS C
1. Tipton (1)#6-0
2. Cherokee (2)#6-0
3. Forgan (3)#5-0
4. Ryan (4)#6-0
5. Sharon-Mutual (5)#5-1
6. Thackerville (7)#4-1
7. Webbers Falls (8)#4-1
8. Maud (9)#4-1
9. Balko (10)#5-1
10. Temple (NR)#3-3

Things were just fine until Wesleyan Christian beat No. 6 Deer Creek-Lamont. The next four just move up one spot, but the No. 10 position gave me a bit of heartburn. Deer Creek-Lamont? It just lost to Wesleyan Christian by 22. Wesleyan Christian? It lost to Bluejacket by 36 just last week. Bluejacket? It lost to Deer Creek-Lamont by 16 a couple weeks ago. So welcome to the rankings Temple. Temple has three losses but they came to Class B No. 4 Fox, Class C No. 1 Tipton and No. 4 Ryan (30-20, Tipton’s closest game all season by 10 points).

Cashion’s Cayden Cochran ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 173 yards and a score in Valdosta State’s 58-10 win over Edward Waters.

Early in the second quarter, Cochran broke off a 59-yard run.

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Ohio kept its hopes of being a BCS buster alive with a 37-34 win over UMass at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Former Norman North standout Beau Blankenship ran for a career-high 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. Both of Blankenship’s touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. The first tied the game while the second put Ohio ahead by 10.

Blankenship tied a school records with 43 carries and his 269 yards is the third-highest in school history.

After missing last week’s game, Norman North’s Tyler Tettleton threw for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tettleton has not thrown an interception in 156 attempts dating back to last year.

Guthrie’s Donte’ Foster had four catches for 55 yards.

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Sam Houston State didn’t need huge numbers out of Midwest City product Timothy Flanders in a 50-6 win over Texas Southern.

Flanders had 10 carries for 49 yards and caught two passes for six yards in the win.

—
Millwood’s Josh Turner had seven tackles, four solo, in Texas’ 41-36 win over Oklahoma State.

Tulsa Central’s Demarco Cobbs had three tackles for the Longhorns, getting the start at SLB.

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Carl Albert’s Christian Smith had two tackles and a pass breakup and Jenks’ Orion Jones had a tackle for a loss in Toledo’s 37-17 win over Western Michigan.

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Lawton’s Cornelius Douglas had  two interceptions and three tackles as Texas Tech’s surprising defense helped the Red Raiders to a 24-13 win over Iowa State.

Douglas returned his second interception 40 yards to the Iowa State 9 with the Red Raiders up by one. Two plays later, Texas Tech extended the lead.

Carl Albert’s Tre’ Porter had four tackles and a pass breakup

Owasso’s Jacques Washington led Iowa State with 12 tackles and had an interception.

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Millwood’s Davion Pierson, making the start at defensive tackle, had three tackles in TCU’s 24-16 win over SMU.

—
Former Jenks quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen threw for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Northern Iowa’s 33-21 loss to North Dakota State.

Del City’s Tim Clark had a pair of tackles.

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Carl Albert’s Joe Stoner had three tackles and a 47-yard fumble return as New Mexico nearly pulled off an upset of Boise State before falling 32-29.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Stoner picked up the fumble and returned it to the Boise State 1. Two plays later, New Mexico scored to pull to within three. The fumble recovery was Stoner’s seventh of his career.

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Lawton’s Tyrequek Zimmerman had eight tackles, Oregon State’s 38-35 win over Arizona.

Tulsa Washington’s Michael Doctor added two tackles.

Douglass’ Cayman Bundage had a tackle for Arizona.

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Lincoln Christian’s Roman Wilson had a 44-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter of Princeton’s 33-6 win over Columbia.

Wilson had three catches for 73 yards.

Tulsa Kelley’s Mark Hayes had a six-yard reception.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Brian Mills had two tackles.

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Muskogee’s Vernon Scott ran for 26 yards in Missouri State’s 17-7 loss to South Dakota State.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Tre Kelley had a five-yard reception.

Norman North’s Nick Canavan had five tackles while Star Spencer’s Jason Fitch added four. Tulsa Union’s Howard Scarborough had three and a fumble recovery.

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Sequoyah-Tahlequah’s Nathan Stanley threw for 187 yards and a touchdown in Southeastern Louisiana’s 31-21 win over Lamar.

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Glenpool’s Codey Zickefoose led Arkansas Tech with seven tackles in the Wonder Boys’ 41-20 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Zickefoose also had a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

Claremore’s Greg Dicks also had one tackle, while Glenpool’s Tim Van Orsdol started on the offensive line.

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Edmond Santa Fe’s Randy Ponder had three tackles, one for a loss, in Missouri’s 21-16 win over Central Florida.

Guthrie’s Kentrell Brothers had a special teams tackle as well.

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Owasso’s Nick Rosa had an 11-yard touchdown reception for Drake in its 35-7 win over Campbell.

Rosa had seven catches for 92 yards to lead Drake in receiving.

Edmond North’s Cam Bohnert had a pair of punts for a 32.5-yard average.

Holland Hall’s Seth Hedman had four tackles.

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Ponca City’s Brent Wilson had eight carries for 20 yards and threw for 42 yards on four completions in Emporia State’s 37-26 win over Lincoln (Missouri).

Muskogee’s Shjuan Richardson had seven catches for 66 yards and Ponca City’s Adam Schlitz had two catches for 36 yards. Richardson also had a pair of kickoff returns.

Midwest City’s Kevin Gaddis returned a kick 27 yards.

McGuinness’ Chris Poston had five tackles. Del City’s Jeff Richards had an interception, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Luther’s Justin Wilson had one tackle.

Norman North’s Lance Uhles and Collinsville’s Trey Rodgers started on the offensive line for Emporia State.

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Bartlesville’s Kirby Schoenthaler had a pair of catches for 14 yards and Muskogee’s Victor Williams had an eight-yard reception in Dartmouth’s 28-21 loss to Penn.

Schoenthaler also returned three kicks for 72 yards.

Verdigris’ Cohle Fowler started on the offensive line for Dartmouth.

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Norman North’s Beau Traber had eight tackles in Bucknell’s 15-10 loss to Cornell.

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Metro Christian’s Rylan Hess had five tackles in Colorado School of Mines’ 54-28 loss to Western New Mexico.

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Tulsa Union’s Terrell Williams had six tackles and Muskogee’s Robert Thomas had one in Arkansas’ 58-10 loss to Texas A&M.

Broken Arrow’s Alvin Bailey started on the offensive line for the Razorbacks.

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Carl Albert’s David Oku ran for 79 yards and  had three catches for 27 yards in Arkansas State’s 26-13 loss to Western Kentucky.

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McGuinness’ Kris Parham ran for 36 yards and had four catches for 25 yards in Weber State’s 37-13 loss to UC-Davis.

Parham also returned four kickoffs for 76 yards.

Edmond Memorial’s Anthony Morales led Weber State with 11 tackles, including one for a loss. Edmond Santa Fe’s Willie Okwuonu had eight tackles, Edmond Memorial’s David James added four, Edmond Memorial’s Connor Myers had three. Edmond Santa Fe’s Trevor Pletcher had two tackles and a quarterback hurry.

Jenks’ Devin Pugh had a pair of tackles and an interception and Putnam City’s Robbie Diamond had one tackle.

Putnam North’s Josh Booker had one carry. Edmond Santa Fe’s Alex Land started at right guard for Weber State.

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Midwest City’s Ricky Reeves had three tackles and a pair of pass breakups in South Dakota’s 34-31 loss to Illinois State.

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Broken Arrow’s Rowdy Harper started on the offensive line in Houston’s 35-14 win over Rice.

Houston had 608 yards of total offense.

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Marlow’s Colt McCauley started on the offensive line in Southeast Missouri State’s 31-16 win over Jacksonville State.

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Bixby’s Michael Nelson started at wide receiver but had no catches in Missouri Southern’s 35-10 loss to Central Missouri.

A look at how Oklahoma high school alums fared in out-of-state college action over the weekend:

A week before Kansas State comes to Norman, a couple of former Oklahoma high school stars turned in big performances in the WIldcats’ 35-21 win over North Texas on Saturday night.

The Mean Green took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when former Tulsa Washington standout Tyler Lockett returned the kick 96 yards to tie the game up.

The next two Kansas State touchdowns were scored by former Jenks standout Tramaine Thompson–one from 38 yards out and the other from 21.

Thompson finished with five catches for 102 yards. Lockett added another 23-yard kick return and a six-yard catch.

Tulsa Washington’s Keenan Taylor started on the offensive line for Kansas State. Dante Barnett (Tulsa Washington), Andre McDonald (Choctaw) and Zach Trujillo (Deer Creek) played but didn’t record any stats in the win.

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This is becoming a weekly staple but once again the Oklahoma connection paid off for Ohio. Norman North’s Tyler Tettleton threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 35 yards, former Timberwolves standout Beau Blankenship ran for 102 yards and Guthrie’s Donte’ Foster had three catches for 30 yards in the Bobcats’ 27-24 come-from-behind win over Marshall.

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Former Tulsa Washington standout Isaac Bennett had two rushes for eight yards and two catches for 14 yards in Pittsburgh’s 35-17 upset of Virginia Tech.

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Not much positive came out of Arkansas’ 52-0 blowout at the hands of Alabama.
Former McGuinness standout kicker Cameron Bryan came up with a nice play on special teams, sprinting down and downing a punt inside the 5 in the first half.

Bryan handled kickoff duties in eight games for Arkansas in 2009 but after Zach Hocker continued to solidify himself in the kicker roll just prior to the season, Brayn asked to be given a chance to play on kick coverage.

You can read more about him here: http://newsok.com/mcguinness-product-cameron-bryan-joins-arkansas-kickoff-coverage-team/article/3707537

Tulsa Washington’s Eric Bennett had six tackles, Tulsa Union’s Terrell Williams had one and Muskogee’s Robert Thomas had a pair of quarterback hurries.

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Former Tulsa Central standout Demarco Cobbs had four tackles and Millwood’s Josh Turner had three tackles in Texas’ 66-31 win at Ole Miss. Cobbs got the start at strongside linebacker.

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Former Carl Albert star David Oku ran for 44 yards and had 11 yards receiving in Arkansas State’s 42-13 loss to Nebraska.

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Carl Albert’s Christian Smith had three tackles and Jenks’ Orion Jones had one in Toledo’s 27-15 win over Bowling Green.

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Metro Christian’s Rylan Hess had four tackles in Colorado School of Mines’ 42-19 win over Black Hills State. Hess also had a blocked pass.

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NCAA Division II No. 1 Pittsburg State beat Southwest Baptist 52-9 on Saturday with the help of a few Oklahomans.
Catoosa’s Joe Uzzel had three tackles and Israel Maselera and Dino Teague (Tulsa East Central) had two tackles. Teague had a sack. Darrack Harger (Sand Springs) was 2-for 3 with 18 yards passing and rushed for -6 yards.
Uzzel started at defensive end, while Collinsville’s Chance Riley started at tight end and Sand Springs’ Tyler Smith at left guard.

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Former Millwood star Davion Pierson continues to impress at Texas Christian. Pierson started and had five tackles–1.5 for loss (0.5 sacks)–in TCU’s 20-6 win over Kansas.
Tulsa Washington’s John Williams had three tackles for Kansas. Owasso’s Gavin Howard started on the offensive line for the Jayhawks.

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Timothy Flanders, a former Midwest City star, scored a touchdown late in the first half as Sam Houston State built a lead on Baylor. But the Bears came back to win 48-23. Flanders ran for 84 yards and had another 56 yards receiving in the loss. Former Norman North standout K.J. Williams played for SHSU as well.

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Lawton Sonny Puletasi usually starts for Wyoming at defensive end but made a mark on the other side Saturday, catching a two-point conversion pass in the second quarter of the Cowboys’ game against Cal Poly. It wasn’t enough, though, as Wyoming fell 24-22. Puletasi had three tackles, while Tulsa Washington’s T.J. Smith saw time for Wyoming as well.

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Cayman Bundage, a freshman out of Douglass, didn’t start but saw playing time in Arizona’s 56-0 blowout of South Carolina State. Owasso’s Trent Spurgeon played for the Wildcats as well.

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Brandon Swindall, a Millwood product, played for Utah State as the Aggies nearly pulled off a second consecutive upset, before falling to Wisconsin 16-14.

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McGuinness’ Kris Parham ran for 23 yards and Putnam North’s Josh Booker ran for 9 in Weber State’s 35-21 loss to McNeese State. Parham also had 72 kickoff return yards on three chances. Edmond Santa Fe’s Willie Okwuonu led Weber State with nine tackles–all solo–in the loss. Edmond Memorial’s Anthony Morales had 6.5 tackles, Edmond Memorial’s David James had three, Edmond Santa Fe’s Trevor Pletcher had two, and Putnam City’s Robbie Diamond, Jenks’ Devin Pugh and Edmond Memorial’s Connor Myers had one each.

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Bartlesville’s Kirby Schoenthaler had three catches for 27 yards in Dartmouth’s season-opening 35-7 win over Butler. Muskogee freshman Victor Williams had a carry for three yards and two catches for five yards. Tulsa Union’s Corbin Stall had a sack. Verdigris’ Cohle Fowler started on the offensive line.

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Former Muskogee standout Shjuan Richardson had seven catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns in Emporia State’s 42-14 win over UCO. Ponca City’s Adam Schlitz had four catches for 48 yards and Ponca City’s Brent Wilson had two runs for eight yards in the win.

McGuinness’ Chris Poston had three tackles and an interception, Alva’s Derek Lohmann and Midwest City’s Kevin Gaddis each had five tackles and a forced fumble, Del City’s Jeff Richards had five tackles and Luther’s Justin Wilson had a pair of tackles. Norman North’s Lance Uhles, Collinsville’s Trey Rodgers and Piedmont’s Jordan McAdoo all started on the offensive line as Emporia State racked up 538 yards of total offense. Northwest’s Andre Maupin and Broken Arrow’s Josh Moses also played.

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Lincoln Christian’s Roman Wilson caught a two-point conversion pass with about five minutes left to lift Princeton to within three but Princeton fell to Lehigh 17-14. Wilson had four catches for 40 yards to lead Princeton in receiving and added a 23-yard catch. Tulsa Kelley’s Mark Hayes started at tight end for Princeton while fellow Comet Michael Major saw action.

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Muskogee’s Vernon Scott ran for 46 yards and a touchdown, caught one pass and returned a kick in Missouri State’s 28-23 loss to Murray State. Norman North’s Nick Canavan had seven tackles and Tulsa Union’s Howard Scarborough added three in the loss. Jenks’ Ryan Boatright, Star Spencer’s Jason Fitch and Edmond Santa Fe’s Tre Kelley also saw time for Missouri State.

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Former Heritage Hall star Turner Petersen ran for 47 yards and had 13 yards receiving in the Owls’ 56-37 loss to Louisiana Tech.

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Carl Albert’s Joe Stoner had five tackles in New Mexico’s 49-14 loss to Texas Tech. Another former Titan, Tre’ Porter, played for Texas Tech but did not record any statistics.

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Norman North’s Beau Traber had six tackles in Bucknell’s 19-3 loss to Delaware.

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Owasso’s Jacques Washington had a pair of tackles in Iowa State’s 37-3 win over Western Illinois. Washington started at free safety. Jenks’ Bob Graham also saw time on the offensive line.

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Edmond Santa Fe’s Randy Ponder had five tackles in the Missouri’s 24-20 win over Arizona State. Edmond North’s Xavier Smith had one. Guthrie’s Kentrell Brothers also saw time.

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Owasso’s Nick Rosa scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass and finished with five catches for 60 yards in Drake’s 27-10 loss to Indiana State. Holland Hall’s Seth Hedman had five tackles.

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Bixby’s Michael Nelson had a nine-yard catch in Missouri Southern’s 21-14 win over Lincoln (Mo.). Norman North’s Riley Nolan also played in the win.

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Broken Arrow’s Rowdy Harper started on the offensive line for Houston in the Cougars’ 37-6 loss to UCLA. Norman’s Zach Johnson also saw time.

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Marlow’s Colt McCauley started at left guard for Southeast Missouri in its 35-14 loss to Southern Illinois.

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Glenpool’s Codey Zickefoose, who started at linebacker, had a tackle in Arkansas Tech’s 73-34 loss to Henderson State. Glenpool’s Tim VanOrsdol started at left tackle.

Know someone I missed? Let me know in the comments or with an e-mail.

Large East
Taylor Cooper, Shawnee
U’Knique Gaines, Tulsa East Central
Jodi Glover, Fort Gibson
Devaughn Gray, Tulsa Washington
Lashanda Green McAlester
Kelsee Grovey, Shawnee
Madison Mercado, Sapulpa
Lanesha Middleton, Stillwater
Caitlyn Spurgeon, Vinita
Miranda Taylor, Claremore
Coaches: Carl Treat, Stillwater; Matt Sweeney, Oologah

Large West
Kylie Boggess, Piedmont
Ashley Clark, Midwest City
Alie Decker, Edmond Memorial
Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
Rasheeda Kabba, Westmoore
Toni Smith, Del City
Kati Sullivan, Anadarko
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe
Antoinet Webster, Western Heights
Te’era Williams, Douglass
Coaches: Jeff Mahoney, Elgin; Dandy Peeler, Edmond Memorial

Small East
Courtney Backward, Salina
Kelsey Barnwell, Kansas
Megan Brown, Howe
Hayley Bryan, Copan
Courtney Cowan, Kansas
Pete Douglas, Oktaha
Charitee Evans, Red Oak
Shanna Harrison, Adair
Kenzie Solberg, Chandler
Brooke Watkins, Prague
Coaches: Brandon Lindly, Wright City; Mike Buntin, Verdigris

Small West
Jamie Brown, Chattanooga
Lexie Brown, Hammon
Casi Cornell, Thomas
Kori Fast, Fairview
Jordan Garner, Amber-Pocasset
Bailey McBride, Chattanooga
Lacey Paulk, Washington
Katelyn Richardson, Calumet
Jordynn Van Pelt, Snyder
Shayla Williams, Northeast
Coaches: Cherie Myers, Okarche; Kirk Harris, Marlow

All-Conference
First Team
Ashley Clark, Midwest City
Alie Decker, Edmond Memorial
Carolee Dillard, Midwest City
Taylor Ely, Norman
Bri Kuestersteffen, Norman North
Toni Smith, Del City

Second Team
Brittany Alavinejad, Westmoore
Serithia Hawkins, Southmoore
Sydney Hill, Edmond Memorial
Mariah Jackson, Del City
Kayla Tucker, Southmoore

Third Team
Bethany Cox, Norman
Jami Hensley, Westmoore
Rasheeda Kabba, Westmoore
Amanda Patterson, Moore
Haley Woodard, Norman North

Honorable Mention
Dionna Collins (Del City), Piper Kalthoff (Del City), Jenny Roy (Edmond Memorial),
Alyssa Hand (Edmond Memorial), Jasmine Gaddis (Midwest City), Jasauen Beard (Midwest City), Adrianna White (Midwest City), Reagan Widener (Midwest City),
Tori Thomas (Norman North), Kabria Harkey (Westmoore),

Defensive Players of the Year: Jordan Thomas, Edmond Memorial, and Cornell Neal, Midwest City

Offensive Players of the Year: Jordan Woodard, Edmond Memorial, and Rico Hogan, Norman

Coach of the Year: Shane Cowherd, Edmond Memorial

Newcomer of the Year: Terrell Savala, Edmond Memorial

First Team
James Woodard, Edmond Memorial
Jordan Woodard, Edmond Memorial
A.J. Holland, Del City
T.J. Noel, Midwest City
Rico Hogan, Norman
Cornell Neal, Midwest City

Second Team
Brett Cannon, Del City
Terrell Savala, Edmond Memorial
Connor Madole, Norman
Jordan Thomas, Edmond Memorial
Tripp Fuller, Westmoore

Third Team
Dorian Gigger, Moore
Chris Hobgood, Moore
Steffon Herd, Del City
Trey Ayala, Westmoore
Jamal Mosely, Del City

Honorable Mention:
Sam Kaplan, Norman North
Jourdan Bean, Southmoore
Maurice Davenport, Moore
Kyle Lakin, Westmoore
Beau Palmer, Westmoore
George Kittle, Norman
Daniel Harper, Norman
Keith Glover, Del City
Deonte Long, Del City
Devin Bockhaus, Midwest City
Daryck Jones, Midwest City
Torey Noel, Midwest City
Kesean Brown, Midwest City
Reggie Sloan, Edmond Memorial
Aaron Young, Edmond Memorial

Del City point guard Brett Cannon broke his wrist after attempting a slam dunk in pregame warmups before Saturday's loss to Midwest City.

DEL CITY — Just minutes before Del City’s regular-season finale against rival Midwest City — and days before the team’s playoff opener — the Eagles lost their floor general.

Eagles’ starting point guard Brett Cannon, a sophomore, went up for a slam dunk during pregame warm-ups, missed and fell backward.

Cannon tried using his hands to break the fall, but broke his wrist on impact. He was taken to this hospital and didn’t play in the Eagles’ 68-55 loss to Midwest City.

Del City coach Tim Stogsdill said hours after the game that Cannon might need surgery, but that won’t be clear until the swelling goes down.

Ball handling duties were split between seniors A.J. Holland and Jamal Moseley, who aren’t used to playing point guard, and Del City found itself down 21-10 after the first quarter.

“It threw a little wrinkle in it,” Del City coach Tim Stogsdill said of his offense. “Especially when you’re playing a team like Midwest City that wants to pressure and trap. … With the way they play, they expose that. Brett does a good job handling the ball for us.”

Del City found its rhythm in the second quarter and was down by just four points at halftime.

But the Bombers came out with intensity to start the second half and retook control.

Sophomore Kesean Brown led Midwest City (18-5) with 18 points, and junior Cornell Neal added 16. Holland led Del City (17-6) with 16.

Midwest City hosts Norman North on Friday at 8 p.m. in a regional to open the Class 6A playoffs.

Bombers coach DeWayne Bradley said he’s happy his team won and, more importantly, didn’t suffer any injuries itself.

“Winning against your rival at their place is always big,” Bradley said. “But I’m really grateful we got out of here and everybody’s OK.”

Del City (17-6) wasn’t so fortunate. Stogsdill said point guard duties will continue to be split between Holland and Moseley as the No. 2 Eagles begin the Class 5A playoffs by hosting Durant in a regional on Friday at 8 p.m.

“The team is very confident we will make a run,” Stogsdill said. “Don’t count us out yet.”

Now, after Saturday’s 56-33 win over rival Del City, the Bombers (23-0) are looking towards another state tournament run.

Midwest City, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, opens regional play at home Thursday at 8 p.m. against Moore.

“You’ve got to play back to back in the state tournament, so this was a really good experience for us,” said Bombers coach Art Bode.

Midwest City won the state championship in 2010, and took an undefeated record into last season’s title game before losing to Edmond Santa Fe.

“At this rate, I think it’s very likely that we’ll go (to state),” said senior Ashley Clark, who led all scorers Saturday with 12 points.

“But we’ll have to continue to play well as a team and improve each game.”

Del City (15-8) opens Class 5A regionals Thursday at home against Southeast.

T.J. Noel, left, and Midwest City will play rival Del City on Saturday afternoon. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

The top-10 boys and girls basketball games between Del City and Midwest City will be played Saturday afternoon instead of Tuesday, as they were originally scheduled.

The girls will play at 1 p.m., and the boys will follow at Del City High School.

The last time these schools met in mid-January, the games were also moved to Saturday afternoon.

Del City girls coach Karri Sears said the rescheduling was made by district administrators and that it is a “safety issue.”

The rescheduling will mean a quick turnaround for both schools, which each have games Friday night.

Del City’s boys and girls host Moore on Friday, and Midwest City travels to Westmoore.

Despite the inconvenience of playing back-to-back games, coaches agree that it is good preparation for the playoffs.

“It’s one of those things where Del City is in the same situation,” said Midwest City girls coach Art Bode.

“And when it comes to the state tournament, you need to be ready for a quick turnaround.”

Sears said: “It’s gonna be tough on our kids, but it’ll prepare us for the playoffs.”

Midwest City’s girls (21-0) are ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, and have beaten Del City (14-7), No. 6 in 5A, both times they’ve played this season.

On the boys’ side, Del City (16-5) is ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, and Midwest City (16-5) is No. 6 in 6A. The Bombers won the season’s first meeting at the Del City/Midwest City Holiday Invitational, and Del City won in the regular season at Midwest City.

When the Eagles won on Jan. 14, it was the first time they’d beaten Midwest City in more than a decade.

The 24 boys and girls selected to participate in the All-American Game will be announced at 4 p.m. Feb. 9 on ESPNU. This year’s games will be held March 28 in Chicago, with the girls game tipping off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 8:30.

Only Texas and Iowa had more nominations on the girls side than Oklahoma’s 26.

Boys
Nino Jackson, Ardmore
Terrell Savala, Edmond Memorial
Austin Thrash, Cheyenne
James Woodard, Edmond Memorial

Girls
Kate Andrews, McGuinness
Kelsey Barnwell, Kansas
Ashley Clark, Midwest City
Taylor Cooper, Shawnee
Courtney Cowan, Kansas
Alie Decker, Edmond Memorial
Quira Demery, Millwood
I’Knique Gaines, Tulsa East Central
Mariah Gilliam, Tulsa Washington
Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
LaShanda Green, McAlester
Kelsey Grovey, Shawnee
Elyse Hight, McGuinness
Sydney Hill, Edmond Memorial
Shelley Knight, Wayne
Deena Manning, Wayne
Madison Mercado, Sapulpa
LaNesha Middleton, Stillwater
Bria Pitts, Tulsa East Central
Caitlyn Ramirez, Shawnee
Toni Smith, Del City
Caitlyn Spurgeon, Vinita
Jordynn VanPelt, Snyder
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe
Antoinet Webster, Western Heights
Adriana White, Midwest City

106: Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow) defeated Blake Dauphin (Tuttle)
113: Gunnar Woodburn (Claremore) defeated Ladigo Williams (Rio Rancho, New Mexico)
120: Jake Goodwin (Bishop Lynch, Texas) defeated Gunner Laffoon (Tuttle)
126: Kyle Garcia (Choctaw) defeated Colby Powers (Lawton Mac)
132: Brian Crutchmer (Tulsa Union) defeated Clay Archer (Broken Arrow)
138: Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow) defeated Dakota Head (Tuttle)
145: Tanner Bailey (Broken Arrow) defeated Daniel Carrillo (Rio Rancho, NM)
152: Keilan Torres (Altus) defeated Kyle Ash (Tulsa Union)
160: Ricky McCarty (Lawton Mac) defeated Donaven Roberts (Randall, Texas)
170: Zachary Beard (Tuttle) defeated Drake Martel (Altus)
182: Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union) defeated Joel Dixon (Edmond North)
195: Andrew Dixon (Edmond North) defeated Seth Calvert (Broken Arrow)
220: John Finn (Westmoore) defeated Josh McNaughton (Del City)
285: Kyle Factor (Westmoore) defeated Jose Chavez Del Real (Mustang)

Del City's Jamal Moseley blocks the shot of Edmond Memorial's Jordan Thomas Tuesday night. Del City won the battle of No. 1s, 67-62.

Basketball season has started in a big way around the metro area and I got the chance to take in a No. 1 vs. No. 1 showdown at Del City, with Class 5A’s top team hosting 6A’s best, Edmond Memorial.

Here’s my roundup of some of Tuesday night’s top action, which will appear in Wednesday’s paper — along with some added analysis:

Del City takes down Edmond Memorial

The score hung on every wall of the Del City boys basketball locker room nearly all of last season — 69-29.

That’s how bad Edmond Memorial beat the Eagles on Dec. 14 of last year, and the score was posted as a reminder of how much better Del City needed to get.

Now, it can be viewed as a reference of how far the Eagles have come. Ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, Del City defeated Class 6A No. 1 Edmond Memorial 67-62 Tuesday night at John Smith Fieldhouse.

“We’ve matured,” senior guard A.J. Holland said. “We’re ready to play. We’re ready to go get a ring.”

Holland and Steffon Herd had 15 points apiece to lead the Eagles (6-0) to an important early season victory. Keith Glover scored 12 and Brett Cannon added 10 for Del City.

“Confidence-wise this is huge,” coach Tim Stogsdill said. “The kids believed they could do it, but until they saw that score — they see that the sky’s the limit as long as we come back from this, and stay focused and keep working.”

Memorial’s Jordan Woodard led all scorers with 21 points and James Woodard added 18 for the Bulldogs (6-1), who were coming off a championship at the Edmond Open on Saturday.

Scott’s thoughts: These two teams are No. 1 in their classes for a reason, and they’re going to be around until the end. Guard play is HUUUUGE in March, and they both have plenty. Very few times during the season will either of these teams face an opponent that has guards who are as good as theirs, but both faced that situation Tuesday night.

Del City won Tuesday’s battle, and if you like good guard play, I suggest taking in the rematch at Edmond Memorial Feb. 3.

With two-time defending 5A champion Tulsa Washington now in 6A, Del City is looking like the early favorite for the gold ball. They’re playing with a different level of confidence than they had last year — they expect to win games the way they did Tuesday night. That will pay off down the line.

Edmond Memorial was probably dealing with something of a hangover from a hard-fought championship at the Edmond Open over the weekend, and I don’t think this loss is a sign the Bulldogs are going to underachieve this season. They’re as good as advertised. But on this night, Del City was better.  

Santa Fe holds off winless Choctaw

Edmond Santa Fe’s coach Shawn Schenk wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort Tuesday, but he’ll take the win.

The No. 3 Wolves beat winless Choctaw 55-42, but it took a big fourth-quarter effort to move past the pesky Yellowjackets, who led at halftime and only trailed by three after the third quarter.

“It was a good win,” Schenk said. “But not a great effort on our part.

“I hope we learn from this, because we aren’t good enough to play half way.”

Choctaw, meanwhile, still seeks its first win. Senior forward Carson Clay rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter. It was a big loss for Choctaw, which was trying to hold off the Wolves’ tough interior attack.

Santa Fe junior forward Shaquille Morris finished with 13 points.

Coach Doug Armstrong said that wasn’t why his team lost.

“We were playing well, but we just couldn’t come up with some loose balls late in the game,” Armstrong said. “We’re still young and inexperienced, but that isn’t an excuse anymore.”

Scott’s thoughts: Thanks to Jason Kersey for the coverage of this one. As Doug Armstrong said, the ‘Jackets are young, but they’ve got some talent. It might not click this year, but they will continue to improve.

As for Santa Fe, you get the feeling that ugly wins like this are going to be their specialty. They’ve had a few this year so far, and their team makeup lends to that. Good size all over the floor and a lot of good defenders. They will miss Josh Richardson’s pure scoring ability at all levels.

Shaq Morris is a blossoming star inside with solid post moves and good rebounding ability as a 6-foot-7 junior who is already drawing major college attention. And the Wolves have guards with a variety of skills. So they might not be blowing people out every night, but they’re always going to be in games, and they have the crunch-time experience to come out on top a lot.

PC North opens new gym with win

The newly remodeled gym at Putnam City North got quite a christening. Not only were Oklahoma football players Tony Jefferson, Kenny Stills and a few others on hand for the opener, the Panthers won, too.

PC North defeated Mustang 64-54 behind 15 points from Alex Clark on five 3-pointers. Joe Summers added 14 points and Rodney Teal had 10. Up next for the Panthers is a visit to No. 6 Putnam City West on Friday.

Scott’s thoughts: Can’t wait to see all the new gyms around the metro at PC North, Yukon and Westmoore. Based on Twitter talk, OU’s Cali Trio — actually I think they’re calling themselves the California Hot Boys now — enjoyed themselves in the Zoo with the PC North students. And they got to see Alex Clark heat it up. Coach Rick Harris says Clark is playing with a lot of confidence lately.

The coaches’ rankings have PC North at No. 15, and I think they’re better than that. Not sure if they can go win at PC West or not, but the Panthers are at worst a borderline top 10 team.

Mustang is replacing last year’s senior class that played a huge role in building that program under Alan Green, especially David Glidden, who was a four-year starter at point guard. The team has some talent, but not a lot of experience, so look for improvement from the Broncos as the season goes along.

Tip-ins

Behind 25 points from Stephen Clark, Douglass topped Centennial 73-59 in a battle of defending state champions… Guthrie got a put-back from Bailey Nichols — his only basket of the night — at the buzzer to defeat El Reno 43-41… Moore outscored Norman 23-9 in the fourth quarter for a 55-44 win… U.S. Grant’s Anthony Hartfield scored 27 points in a 63-38 win over the homeschool OKC Knights.

Scott’s thoughts: I spoke with a national recruiting analyst about Clark on Tuesday afternoon, and I’ll be sharing some of that conversation in a few days. But get ready for a lot of nights like this from Clark, now that he’s the only experienced scoring option on the floor. His speed, ball-handling and ridiculous range make him one of the top prospects in the country for 2013. Go check him out if you haven’t seen him yet.

That Guthrie win is just the base line of what to expect from many of the Suburban Conference games this year. There’s not a ton of separation in a lot of those teams, so there will be plenty of battles to come.

Big win for Moore, which is trying to build its program back up. I really think Norman will be a top-10 team at the end of the year, so this win could be a sign of good things for Moore.

Hartfield’s numbers aren’t a fluke. This kid is a legitimate Division I prospect, and an interesting story. He moved from Minnesota in the middle of last season, and he’s been putting up big numbers for the Generals ever since. He averaged nearly 25 a game last year, and he’s on the way to more of the same so far this season.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

District 6A-2 All-District
Awards
Coach of the Year: Lance Manning, Edmond Santa Fe
Player of the Year: Casey Curtis, Putnam City
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Trevor Thompson, Westmoore
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Jarion Tudman, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Linebacker of the Year: Brendon Pitzer, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Conner Bays, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Archie Ocloolee, Westmoore
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Offensive Back of the Year: Jesse Mathews, Edmond North
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Cole Parsons, Edmond North
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Austin Bowling, Westmoore
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Tre Kelly, Edmond Santa Fe
Special Teams Player of the Year: Michael Ryan, Mustang

All-District team
Del City: Stephon Herd, WR; Josh McNaughton, DL; Jerel Jeten, DB; Larry Long, DB.

Edmond North: Jarion Tudman, RB; Jared Benway, RB; Cole Parsons, OL; Troy Davis, TE; Jesse Mathews, QB; Russell Sivard, DL; James Duncan, DL; Christian Contreass, DB; Regan Land, LB; Bryndan Pitzer, LB; Christian Peterson, DB.

Edmond Santa Fe: Tre Kelly, WR; Taylor Ashcraft, LB; Chris Carter, DL; Conner Bays, DB; Josh Crouch, DL; Zach Birts, DB; Michael Onuoha, DL; Brandon Roberts, OL; Chad Reitz, OL; Ryan Frazier, LB; Matt Freeman, K; Allston Hadley, OL.

Lawton: Brandon Bartlett, DeMarious Littles, Freddie Taito, Vincent Thomas, Corey Pilgrum, Adam Castro, Jacquan Beck, Dometreas Pyfer, Jordan Gouge.

Mustang: Arron Smith, OL; Derek Garvin, WR; A.J. Ashman, RB; Michael Ryan, K.

Putnam City: Casey Curtis, RB; Rontez Smith, TE; Anthony Hogg, DB; Damion Brown, DL; Elie Rushing, LB; Derrick Rovers, DL; Conner Nichols, TE; Jeff Tanner, DL.

U.S. Grant: Christian Nicholson, DE; Jacob Tavares, OL; Cory Hooks, RB; Derrick Young, DB.

Westmoore: Kyle Factor, DL; Trevor Thompson, QB; Austin Bowling, WR; Archie Ocloolee,. DB; Dalton Craig, WR; Preston Higgins, DL; Blake Martin, DB; Corey Lassiter, OL.

Here are some of the players who are expected to sign this week:
BASEBALL
Blake Estep, Jones (Penn St.)
Isaac Hellbusch, Deer Creek (Arkansas)
Taylor Hawkins, Carl Albert (OU)
Ty Hensley, Edmond Santa Fe (Ole Miss)
Chase Stephens, Deer Creek (UCO)
Jordan Watson, Edmond Santa Fe (OSU)

BOYS BASKETBALL
Aaron Anderson, Edmond Santa Fe (Fresno St.)
Blake Blanchard, Deer Creek (Southwestern)
Matt Christiansen, McGuinness (San Francisco)
Joe Edmonds, McGuinness (San Francisco)
James Woodard, Edmond Memorial (Tulsa)
D’Andre Wright, Lawton Eisenhower (Tulsa)

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Kelsey Barnwell, Kansas (Missouri-Kansas City)
Ashley Clark, Midwest City (Tulsa)
Courtney Cowan, Kansas (Northeastern St.)
Ali Decker, Edmond Memorial (Wichita St.)
Toni Smith, Del City (Fresno St.)
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe (Texas A&M)

GOLF
Taylor Moore, Edmond Memorial (Arkansas)
Abby Thompson, Deer Creek (OCU)

GYMNASTICS
Keara Glover, Putnam North (Auburn)

SOFTBALL
Liz Broyles, Blanchard (Missouri-Kansas City)
Braxton Coil, Edmond North (Missouri St.)
Shalee Cordell, Newcastle (OBU)
Kaylin Hinshaw, Putnam North (Mid-America)
Leslie Miller, Blanchard (OU)
Kady Self, Edmond North (OU)
Caitlin Sill, Tuttle (Tulsa)
Bryana Wade, St. Mary (North Texas)
Brooke Zukerman, Lawton MacArthur (UCO)

TENNIS
Sarah Bowen, Heritage Hall (Hofstra)

VOLLEYBALL
Emily Belz, OCS (Henderson St.)
Sydney Fioretti, Edmond Santa Fe (OBU)
Hannah Holkum, Edmond Santa Fe (North Carolina St.)
Barbara Jackson, Edmond Santa Fe (OCU)

WRESTLING
Matt Manley, Perry (Missouri)

Putnam City's Casey Curtis has rushed for 1,016 yards and 21 touchdowns during the Pirates' 5-0 start this season.

I had the chance to cover a couple of interesting games over the weekend — one that felt like a blowout, but turned out to be a decent game, and one that looked like a blowout but felt much closer.

The Del City offense kept the Eagles in the game against Putnam City, which went on to win 56-34, while Piedmont’s defense kept the Wildcats close until Clinton got the snowball rolling in the fourth quarter and put the game away, 41-10.

What We Learned: Putnam City-Del City

Well, if you didn’t already know Casey Curtis was really good, you’re behind the game. How many high school running backs would like to have this stat line right now: 616 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s Curtis’ total for TWO of his five games this year. In all, he has 1,016 yards and 21 scores on just 105 carries.

But like I said, you should’ve already known Curtis could play. So here’s what I learned watching the Pirates on Thursday.

The offensive line isn’t big, but they do their jobs well. Teams are going to be loading the box against them all year, and the opponents just keep getting tougher. But the goal for the blockers is to keep their guy occupied long enough for Curtis to find a gap, then go look for somebody else. They don’t have to be overpowering, just technically sound.

Quarterback Devin White isn’t being asked to throw for 300 yards a night, and he runs the team well. He can run the ball, and throw when he needs to, which is the big key for taking a little pressure off Curtis, especially with the tougher schedule ahead.

Del City is more talented than its 0-5 record suggests, but some inconsistencies on both sides of the ball seemed to hinder them. They’d stop Curtis on four or five straight runs, then he’d break free untouched for 79 yards. The passing game would get going for a while, then a few throws would fall incomplete and take the momentum away.

But that type of stuff is typical of a young team, which Del City is. As they develop past those issues, the Eagles could be pretty good.

Piedmont's Cassius Calhoun gives the Wildcat offense a big-play threat in the backfield.

What We Learned: Clinton-Piedmont

Clinton is a complete team. Good balance on offense, with a rushing and passing attack that can hit big plays. The run game has both quickness and power. The defense has talent at all levels, with some good size up front and speed in the back.

How good can they be? Hard to say right now. I think Ryan Aber’s ranking of No. 4 in Class 4A is just about right, though they aren’t far off from what Douglass and Wagoner have shown.

Piedmont is one of the best teams around with only two wins right now. Christian Foster might be one of the best receivers you haven’t heard of, and keep an eye on Darius Burris.

Foster is only a junior, and made several big catches on Friday, including the Wildcats’ only TD. Burris is just a sophomore, and he’s probably a little undersized as a defensive lineman, but the kid just makes plays. He was all over the place making tackles on Friday. Very impressive.

When you add that talent to a solid offensive line, good running back with Division I potential in Cassius Clay, and a great leader at QB in Collin Bricker, you’ve got the makings of a playoff team. The district is tough, but this is a team that could make some noise. They’ll only keep getting better in coach Craig Church’s new system.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK

Del City’s 6-foot Toni Smith committed to Fresno State recently after taking an official visit to the school.

“She had a tremendous summer,” Del City coach Karri Sears said. “She played a lot more 3-4 and handled the ball a little bit more. She’s excited about her commitment. It’s a great thing for her and a great thing for Del City.”

Smith, who averaged 11 points and nearly nine rebounds per game last year, is expected to sign in November.

The Eagles drop to 5A this year after making the 6A state tournament a year ago. Smith, who will be a senior, was part of Del City’s state title team as a freshman.

“She wants to bookend her career with titles,” Sears said.

Smith had been drawing interest from Arkansas-Little Rock, Henderson State and Texas A&M-Commerce before her breakout summer.

She’d also talked to Wichita State. Her brother, former Southeast standout Ben Smith, plays for the Shockers.

Player of the Year:  Obi Emegano (Edmond Memorial)

Defensive Player of the Year:  Trez Colbert (Midwest City)

Offensive Player of the Year: Tilford Thornton (Southmoore)

Newcomer of the Year: Jordan Woodard (Edmond Memorial)

Coach of the Year: Shane Cowherd (Edmond Memorial)

1st Team
Obi Emegano  (Edmond Memorial)
Tilford Thornton  (Southmoore)
Brandon Lucas  (Southmoore)
Trez Colbert  (Midwest City)
Trael Colbert  (Midwest City)
Patrick Schaefer  (Norman North)

2nd Team
James Woodard  (Edmond Memorial)
Dorian Gigger  (Moore)
A.J. Holland  (Del City)
Jared Jobe  (Edmond Memorial)
Jordan Woodard  (Edmond Memorial)

3rd Team
Conner Madole  (Norman)
Greg Austin  (Midwest City)
Matt Southard  (Norman North)
Blake Pullium  (Westmoore)
Drew Smith  (Del City)

Honorable Mention
Brandon Southern  (Norman)
Jacques Murray  (Norman)
Jordan Thomas  (Edmond Memorial)
Gabe Bonzie  (Norman North)
T.J. Noel  (Midwest City)
Kody English  (Moore)
Beau Palmer  (Westmoore)

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Though the final scores might not suggest it, I did get to see some good competition at Del City Monday night. The Edmond Memorial girls jumped to a 10-0 lead and stayed in control most of the night on the way to a 60-44 win, but the boys game was much more competitive than the 61-42 final in favor of the Bulldogs suggests.

Del City was within four points midway through the fourth quarter, but Memorial’s depth and aggressive offensive style turned out to be too much.

Let’s break down these two games, then jointly celebrate the end of regular-season basketball, shall we?

Girls

Like I said, Memorial jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. To Del City’s credit, it never cashed it in, and hung around throughout. But the Bulldogs had too many scoring options, with four girls going for double-figures, led by Alie Decker’s 15.

The biggest positive of the night was erasing the bad feelings of last week’s mediocre performance against Southmoore.

“Our game before this against Southmoore, we played very sloppy, just nonchalant in a lot of phases of the game,” Memorial coach Shane Coffey said. “I didn’t want to go into the playoffs with that taste in our mouths. We played team basketball, which I think is critical at this time of the year.

“Being able to get up on them early, it enabled us to gain some confidence playing on the road — this is a tough place to play — and be able to dictate how the game was going to be played. I think they had to do some things defensively that they wouldn’t normally do because we had a lead on them.”

Memorial hosts a regional, opening against Putnam City West, with Choctaw and Putnam City in the other half of the bracket. First-round games start Thursday night.

“It’s a brand new season,” Coffey said. “All three of those other teams have done some quality things over the course of the year. We’re just all eager to get this playoff run started. Hopefully we can put together our best basketball at the right time of the season.”

Boys

In the last three days, I’ve seen two games matching a pair of top-10 boys teams (Edmond Santa Fe-PC West on Saturday was the other one), each pitting a top-tier team against one of the teams that makes up the huge second tier. And all these two games did was prove what I and several coaches have been saying since December: there’s never been more parity in 6A boys basketball than there is this year.

Maybe that’s an outlandish statement, especially considering I can’t really speak to the parity that might have existed in 1964 or ’77 or ’83 or… whenever. But the point is, the equality of the 6A field is hard to comprehend.

Del City was down four in the fourth quarter Monday night. PC West led Edmond Santa Fe in the fourth on Saturday. The only thing separating the top four from the next 12 is a little bit of depth, maybe an extra playmaker here or there, some confidence/calmness in late-game situations, and in the case of Monday night’s game, free throws.

Del City was 3-of-9 at the line in the second half, while Memorial was 18-of-21. Yes, there’s a big difference in the number of times at the line, and yes, the officiating was spotty, but those numbers also are a result of Memorial’s fast, aggressive style of play.

After an ugly first half — the ‘Dogs were up 22-21 at the break — Memorial ran it more in the second half, and controlled the game better.

Jordan Thomas had a game-high 14, with James Woodard and Obi Emegano adding 13 apiece, and Jordan Woodard scored all nine of his points in the second half.

One of the toughest things about the last two weeks for Memorial has been keeping focus on the actual games, after they had already claimed the No. 1 seed in the west for the playoffs.

“The last couple weeks, it’s just been one game after another that didn’t necessarily mean a whole lot, except for pride,” coach Shane Cowherd said. “You want to play hard for your school and for your teammates. But you’re trying to keep your eye on the objective at hand, also knowing it’s just natural to start thinking ahead to the playoffs, and trying to get ready for that, physically and mentally.”

After holding the No. 1 spot most of the season, you can tell that the Bulldogs are glad to have the regular season behind them so they can focus on the task they’ve been waiting for.

“We’re very excited to start a new season. The first season’s over with,” Emegano said. “We’re going into the playoffs ready to win it.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

In Class 6A, there are three games featuring top 10 teams against each other.

No. 5 Edmond North at No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (Friday)
This has my name written all over it. I missed Round 1 because I was at the Hennessey and Davis Class 2A football championship game. The Wolves won in the finals of the Edmond Open.

I missed round two because I hit another rivalry, this time being Heritage Hall and Casady. Santa Fe once again came out on top against North.

Round 3? Yep, not missing this one. Edmond North has really gotten into a groove. Sure the Huskies have five losses but not one of them is a bad loss. Excited to see Oklahoma State signee Elizabeth Donohoe again and really pumped for the atmosphere at Santa Fe.

No. 4 Norman at No. 3 Edmond Memorial (Saturday)
I was at Norman for the very first game of the season between these teams all the way back in November. Figured the Tigers would win, but Memorial played well in a hostile environment to open the year.

Norman, led by guard Kamra King, has won 11 of 13 games. The only two losses are to top-ranked Midwest City. Memorial, meanwhile, is 12-4 and has bounced back after suffering consecutive losses to Edlam rivals North and Santa Fe. Really feel like Alie Decker is starting to come into her own as one of the best in the state.

No. 10 Norman North at No. 7 Del City (Friday)
Intriguing matchup here as well. The Timberwolves are led by Tulsa signee Mariah Turner. However, as I’ve said before, they’re still searching for that signature win. Beating the Eagles would be a good start.

Del City, on the other hand, is coming off a solid road win at Southmoore. This is a team that I feel should be able to make it to the state tournament, especially being sent out East. Del City dominated Norman North at North in November.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

And yes, I hope they do. Here’s my top 7 girls games in the OKC area that need to be made up:

1. Midwest City at Edmond Memorial – Assume this is No. 1 for both the boys and girls. Bombers are still undefeated, while Memorial has shown the ability to play with the big dogs but not yet beat MWC or Edmond Santa Fe.

2. Del City at Norman – Tigers have been lurking. Some early season losses may have had people forgetting about them. Del City was one of those teams to get Matilda Mossman’s girls early. Big statement game for either team.

3. Choctaw at Putnam North – As I’ve written about a lot the last couple of weeks, the Yellowjackets are coming on strong. But so, too, are the Panthers. Both teams are playing their best ball. Hope that delay doesn’t hurt them.

4. Millwood at Star Spencer – One more go-around for the OKCPS rivals. Millwood looks like the early favorite in 2A for the crown, while Sharane Campbell you know wants to lead one last run for the Bobcats.

5. Bethel at Dale – Ye old stompin’ grounds. Back in Shawnee, this was one of the big ones. And you know what? In the state, it’s still one of the big ones. Wildcats have rightfully earned top spot in Class 3A.

6. Shawnee at Carl Albert – Gioya Carter vs. Kelsee Grovey would be a nice matchup/shootout. But really, Tim Price’s club needs this win after losing three of its last four games.

7. Western Heights at Piedmont - Oh, another big Suburban Conference showdown. Dilan Webster is extremely talented, but I think she’s too unselfish for the Jets. Kylie Boggess has been big for the Wildcats.

Will they all get made up? I don’t know. I hope so, but we’ll have to wait and see. If you know of any confirmed makeup dates, please send ‘em this way.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

1. Josh Turner, Millwood (Texas) — A great fit. One of the most selfless, unassuming top prospects I’ve ever met. Ready to make a name for himself.

2. Kendal Thompson, Southmoore (Oklahoma) — Already got a leg up and has enrolled with the Sooners. He’ll play somewhere at OU, unsure if it will be QB.

3. Dylan Dismuke, Duncan (Oklahoma) — Great senior season to send him off to Norman. Lifelong dream come true for the big man.

4. Kentrell Brothers, Guthrie (Missouri) — Took his time and made the right call for himself. Felt he was the best player in the state this year.

5. Tyrequek Zimmerman, Lawton (Oregon State) — Zimmerman and Jabral Johnson are headed to Corvallis and should make a big impact for the Beavers.

6. Domonique Petties, Duncan (Arizona) — Petties was extremely busy making the rounds. He is double-signing with Arizona and NEO. Freakish talent, for sure.

7. Garrett Gladd, Sallisaw (Tulsa) — Switched from Stanford to Tulsa and seems really pleased with his decision. Would have been a force anywhere.

8. Kevonte Richardson, Millwood (Hutchinson, Kan.) — An all-around talent for the Falcons. Can do a little bit of everything on the field on both sides of the ball. Could be QB or could be DB, good at both.

9. Jamelle Naff, Del City (TCU) — Naff will join teammate Chazten Gonzales with the Horned Frogs as team makes leap to Big East. Both are pumped about it.

10. Austin Beck, Nowata (Arkansas) — Tried to early enroll with Razorbacks but was denied. Shouldn’t adversely affect him at all.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

21. Connor Myers, Edmond Memorial (Weber State) — Hit the visit circuit hard this month before deciding on Weber State. A lot of Edmond products are there.

22. Trent Martin, Jenks (Tulsa) — Martin has also put on his recruiting hat in trying to lure some other Tulsa area products to the Golden Hurricane.

23. Emilio Gatewood, Norman North (Undecided) — Senior season didn’t go the way Timberwolves were hoping, but still a great talent.

24. Brayle Brown, Shawnee (Louisiana-Monroe) — What a story. Spends most of the year at WR because of labrum injury and will still play QB. Great heart.

25. Isaac Maselera, Glenpool (Oklahoma State) — Flirted with changing his commitment to Tulsa before deciding to stay with the Cowboys.

26. Derrick Alexander, Tulsa Washington (Tulsa) — A late change from Louisiana-Monroe to Tulsa, but a change you could see coming. On the field, there were few equals to Alexander this season.

27. John-Phillip Hughes, Tulsa Edison (Oklahoma) — A great senior year was taken away from him by injury but still a find at tight end. Said he plans to walk-on for the Sooners.

28. Jabral Johnson, Lawton (Oregon State) — Went from Arizona to Oregon State. Close friends with Zimmerman and two have found a home.

29. Brandon Swindall, Millwood (Undecided) — Nothing more Swindall could have done on a field to show he deserves a shot. Some school is receiving an incredible ‘get.’ Does have an offer from New Mexico, though.

30. Chazten Gonzales, Del City (TCU) — One of the best dual-threat QBs around, he’s been solid with TCU all year and having Naff join him is great for both and TCU.

Tuesday: Nos. 20-11.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Titan Classic
At Carl Albert
Thursday
Boys
Lawton MacArthur vs. Guthrie, 11:30 a.m.
Millwood vs. Wichita North, 2:30
Carl Albert vs. Harvest Life, 5:30
Del City vs. HCYA – Houston, 8:30
Girls
Del City vs. Mustang, 10 a.m.
Carl Albert vs. Putnam City, 1 p.m.
Millwood vs. Stillwater, 4 p.m.
Midwest City vs. Douglass, 7 p.m.

The commits keep coming for the Del City football team. The fourth Eagle offensive player has committed to go with the first player on defense.

Running back/wide receiver Greg Johnson and cornerback Drew Smith have both committed to Sam Houston State, joining QB Chazten Gonzales (TCU), OL Jamelle Naff (TCU) and WR Marquis Walters (Weber State).

“There are a lot of other kids from Oklahoma that go to Sam Houston so it should be a natural fit for both of them. They’re good kids,” coach Nick Warehime said.

Johnson was an all-around threat for the Eagles this year. He rushed for 696 yards and seven touchdowns and added 355 receiving yards and four scores. Johnson said Sam Houston State sees him as a wide receiver and kickoff returner.

Smith had 32 tackles and one interception last season for Del City.

I just had a hunch that Midwest City and Del City was the game to go to Friday night. As much as it hurt to not see Santa Fe and Putnam City, trusted my gut.

But even I didn’t expect an overtime battle like we saw Friday night. If Drew Smith would have drained that 3-pointer as the clock expired, I would have finally had my first buzzer beater on video this season.

Alas, it fell short and Midwest City pulled out a 58-56 win. Heck, if T.J. Noel would have made the put back attempt at the end of regulation, I would have had my first buzzer beater.

Instead, I’ll have to be content in watching another chapter of the Mid-Del rivalry.

I did think it would be good, but I was a little concerned in the second quarter. The Bombers were pulling away slowly at 23-12, but Del City never panicked (even if I was).

Down four at halftime, the Eagles scored the first two baskets and then the teams were not separated by more than three points the rest of regulation.

Del City took its first lead of the game at 43-40 on the first basket of the fourth quarter. The Eagles actually never trailed in the fourth.

In overtime, the Bombers jumped up big as TJ Noel and Cornell Neal each had 3-point plays. It was 56-51 when Anthony Holland drained a 3-pointer.

Then we played the free throw game. Some were made, some were missed. And before you knew it, it was 58-56 with 6.6 seconds left. Smith drove down the right side of the court. Bombers did a great job of pressuring him and trapping him. Smith couldn’t pass and had to force it up. Not sure if it was online from my vantage point but knew it was short.

Heck of a battle.

Trael Colbert, after getting off to a slow start, finished with a game-high 16 points. Twin brother Trez added 11, while TJ Noel scored five of his nine points in overtime.

Del City was balanced all the way through. Brian Cannon had 11. Chris Stevenson pitched in with 10. Smith had 9.

Look for a video with Trael Colbert on NewsOK on Saturday (including the game’s final sequence).

Midwest City 54, Del City 33 (Girls)

I’ll keep this short and elaborate more on a later day. All I’m gonna say is when Reagan Widener and Kaylon Williams combine for five points and you STILL win by 21…uh oh.

Marisha Wallace was a force early, scoring 11 of her 20 points in the first quarter. It was just a gradual margin increase throughout.

Look for a video with Wallace on NewsOK on Saturday, too. When that video is posted, I’ll give my thoughts on Art Bode’s girls.

Closing out my Mid-Del weekend with a trip to the Titan Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday night.

With how explosive the Del City offense was, it was only a matter of time before more Eagles started to commit to play college football.

Wide receiver Marquis Walters committed to Weber State on Monday night, becoming the third Del City offensive player to commit.

Quarterback Chazten Gonzales and offensive lineman Jamelle Naff have already committed to TCU. Gonzales is taking his official visit to the campus this weekend.

Walters averaged more than 21 yards per catch this season. He had 37 catches for 793 yards and six touchdowns.

Del City offensive lineman Jamelle Naff and Millwood cornerback Josh Turner are two of the 45 seniors who have been selected for the Team USA U-19 football squad.

The club will play in the second Team USA vs. Team World game Feb. 2 in Austin, Texas.

Naff, 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, was a first-team selection to The Oklahoman’s All-State team and has committed to TCU. Turner, 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, has committed to Texas and was also a first-team All-State honoree.

A national team exemption granted by the NCAA allows high school seniors to play for USA Football and not have their participation count as one of their two permitted all-star game appearances.

The US team will be coached by Darren Allman, the head coach of Westlake High in Austin, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $8.

***

Interesting concept, but I’m even more intrigued on having a big-time game like this on national signing day. Definitely going to see what Turner and Naff think about this.

Oh, Mid-Del, I won’t get to see as much of you guys. Since Scott Wright is the boys writer and Justin Harper is the girls writer, your three teams are normally one of the games they wanna see. But I’ll try to get out there.

Midwest City
Boys: Scott Wright tells me this team is still searching for those two other starting spots. We know about Greg Austin and the twins (Trael and Trez Colbert). However, the Bombers need No. 4 and No. 5 to come to the surface. Dewayne Bradley will get it all figured out, though.

Girls: The most complete girls team in the state? Coach Art Bode has another dynamite squad, paced by Kaylon Williams. But you can’t key in on her, no sir. Not when you have girls like Ashley Clark and Marisha Wallace. I’m amazed at how they can make what should be competitive battles into one-sided beatdowns. Guess I shouldn’t be shocked at this point. Is MWC-ESF the best potential matchup? I say yes…for now.

Del City
Boys: Solid showings in the early part of the year under first-year coach Tim Stogsdill. A second-place showing at Ardmore was a good way to close the first part of the year. I like Chris Stevenson, but Scott Wright told me to look out for Steffon Herd and Brett Cannon. Well, will do, then.

Girls: The surprise of the first part of the year. I didn’t think Karri Sears’ girls were going to become this good this quickly. In reading Sears’ assessment of her team, umm, she did. She knew what she had coming back, and the Eagles are clearly a top-7-ish team in 6A. Toni Smith is certainly a name to watch for the next two years.

Carl Albert
Oy, not going to pretend I know much about these Titans yet (where did all the familiar names go). Unfortunately, haven’t had a chance to get a whiff of Jay Price’s boys or Tim Price’s girls. I know they’re both incredibly young, and I know the boys picked up some good early-season wins. CA is obviously on my list of teams to see as soon as it is feasible.

Thursday’s Results
Girls
Ardmore 58, Lawton 45, seventh place
Northwest Classen 64, Putnam City West 50, girls fifth place
Mustang 68, Southeast 50, third place
Fort Smith-Northside 54, Yukon 32, championship

Boys
Guthrie 45, Southeast 40, seventh place
Midwest City 62, Ardmore 58, fifth place
PC West 82, Carl Albert 67, third place
Del City vs. Yukon, 7 p.m., championship

4:05 p.m.: The Mustang girls have a 22-point lead on Southeast in the girls third-place game with just under two minutes left to play. More exciting, however, we’re running pretty well on time after a dreadfully long day yesterday that ended around midnight.

5:07 p.m.: After holding a 10-point halftime lead, Putnam City West has started the second half fast and leads 54-35 on Carl Albert midway through the third quarter in the boys third place game.

5:15 p.m.: One thing we’ve learned this week: PC West is for real. They didn’t get lucking in a couple big wins. This is a good basketball team. Kyndall Dudley has hit six 3-pointers. He and Dante Lewis could each go for 20 in this game. The Pats are up 21 as we near the end of the third quarter.

5:40 p.m.: PC West takes third in the boys tournament with an 82-67 win over Carl Albert. Dante Lewis finished with 28 and Kyndall Dudley had 25 for the Pats. The girls title game is a few minutes away.

6:07 p.m.: Northside leads Yukon 8-4 at the end of the first quarter.

6:24 p.m.: Impressive run by the Millerettes gets them a brief lead late in a wildly exciting, fast-paced second quarter, but Northside finishes strong for a 21-17 advantage at the break.

6:50 p.m.: Big third quarter from Northside for a 39-22 advantage heading into the fourth.

7:14 p.m.: Northside takes the girls title, 54-32, over Yukon. The boys title game between Yukon and Del City will get going in about seven minutes.

Here is your girls All-Tournament team: Whitney Dunn, Mustang; Mackenzie York, Yukon; Jade Hardy, Yukon; Mannasha Bell, Northside; Taylor Green, Northside; MVP: Chauntel Terry, Northside.

7:40 p.m.: The first quarter goes to Yukon with a 15-10 advantage on Del City. Yukon’s D’Anthony Perkins has shown he is as athletic as just about any guard in the city area.

7:55 p.m.: A late rally for the Millers gives them a 25-21 edge at halftime. Del City led 21-18 with under two minutes to play in the half.

8:16 p.m.: Del City keeps scoring, and Yukon keeps answering, particularly with 3-pointers — one apiece from Shon Willilams, D’Anthony Perkins and Matt Burton, while Jordan Brown added a three-point play inside. Yukon leads 43-33 after three quarters.

8:32 p.m.: Yukon pulled out to a 49-38 lead, but seven straight points from the Eagles has it down to a four-point game with just over three minutes left to play.

8:47 p.m.: It came down to free throws, and the Millers held on for a 55-52 win.

Boys All-Tournament Team: Kyndall Dudley, PC West; Steffon Herd, Del City; Brett Cannon, Del City; Shon Williams, Yukon; Jacob Koontz, Yukon; MVP: D’Anthony Perkins.

For the Millers, this will be their first time playing for a tournament championship since the current seniors were freshmen.

“It’s gonna be good,” said senior guard Shon Williams, who led the Millers with 16 points Wednesday. “We’ve been working hard, working together for the last four years. We think we can win this, so we’re gonna go out and try our hardest to play well and se if we can win it.”

Added coach Ralph Nigro: “I think it means a lot (to play for a title). We have seven seniors and they’ve been through some bad times. Last year, we won, what, five games? The year before, we won six. So it means a lot to them. I’m happy for them. I’m happy to see them smiling and winning. It’ll be a tough game tomorrow, though.”

Mike Nicholson had 13 points for Yukon, while D’Anthony Perkins and Matt Burton added 10 apiece and Jacob Koontz had nine. Kyndall Dudley led the Patriots with 15 points and Dante Lewis added 14. Kevin House had 11, hitting three of the Pats’ eight 3-pointers.

Here’s the Ardmore Holiday Classic schedule and results, with more game-by-game updates below:

Wednesday’s results
Girls
Northwest Classen 41, Lawton 38
PC West 49, Ardmore 41
Yukon 47, Southeast 28
Fort Smith-Northside 58, Mustang 39

Boys
Midwest City 63, Guthrie 41
Ardmore vs. Southeast, 3 p.m.
Del City 52, Carl Albert 46
Yukon 58, Putnam City West 48

Thursday’s games
Girls
Ardmore vs. Lawton, 11:30 a.m., seventh place (at middle school gym)
Northwest Classen vs. Putnam City West, 11:30 a.m., fifth place
Southeast vs. Mustang, 2:30 p.m., third place
Yukon vs. Fort Smith-Northside, 5:30 p.m., championship

Boys
Guthrie vs. Southeast, 1 p.m., seventh place (at middle school gym)
Midwest City vs. Ardmore, 1 p.m., fifth place
Carl Albert vs. PC West, 4 p.m., third place
Del City vs. Yukon, 7 p.m., championship

Updates below…

4:55 p.m.: Today’s winners so far are the Northwest Classen and Putnam City West girls, who will meet in the fifth-place game Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Midwest City’s boys rolled past Guthrie and Ardmore is up on Southeast 33-26 midway thorugh the third quarter.

5 p.m.: Ardmore standout Nino Jackson is sitting out again today. When I spoke to coach Mark Wilson after the game Tuesday night, he expected Jackson to play today, so I’ll see what the situation is after this game concludes. Ardmore leads 42-32 at the end of the third quarter.

5:15 p.m.: Southeast coach Walt Brewer already had one guard out with a broken foot and he lost another in Tuesday night’s game, so he has had to turn to 6-foot-5 forward Trai Jordan as one of his primary ball-handlers — and he’s doing well. It’s a tough situation for a team with a lot of talented pieces to work with. They’ve got good outside shooters, led by William Brewer, and (when he’s in the paint, not at the point) a strong post presence with Jordan. A floor general with handles is all this team really needs to make a significant jump.

5:57 p.m.: Word out of the Ardmore locker room was that Nino Jackson’s absence today was related to an illness that had him feeling pretty bad at morning shoot-around. Ardmore won by 15. Yukon has an eight-point lead on Southeast in girls winner’s bracket action right now.

6:35 p.m.: Yukon holds a 37-21 advantage on Southeast in the girls semifinals entering the fourth quarter. More stout defense today from Kelly Clarke’s Millerettes.

7:37 p.m.: Mustang trailing Fort Smith-Northside 25-16 late in the first half. We’ll need a Bronco rally if we’re going to get Canadian County Bedlam in the Ardmore final. Of course, the two teams play in Yukon next Tuesday anyway.

8:27 p.m.: FS-Northside up 16 with under a minute left to play, so it’ll be Northside vs. Yukon in the girls final Thursday night at 5:30. We should be underway with the 7 p.m. boys game between Del City and Carl Albert in 15 minutes or so.

8:56 p.m.: Del City grabs the early 13-7 lead on Carl Albert at the end of the first quarter. Six points for Anthony Holland for the Eagles.

9:19 p.m.: Carl Albert pulled back in it to give us a tight one at the break. Del City is clinging to a 25-23 lead. Dondre Brookins has three 3-pointers for the Titans and Holland has nine points for the Eagles as well.

9:50 p.m.: Del City extends its lead to 39-30 at the end of the third. Del City freshman Brett Cannon had a pair of big buckets in the third and has 11 points for the game.

10:05 p.m.: CA and DC all tied up with two minutes to play.

10:15 p.m.: The Eagles take the Mid-Del battle, 52-46. Anthony Holland finishes with 14 points to lead the way. Yukon and PC West are about to get started in our final game of the night.

10:54 p.m.: Yukon takes a 28-18 lead on PC West to halftime. Del City is waiting for the winner in the finals, set for Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s games
Girls
Southeast 34, Lawton 28
Yukon 45, Northwest Classen 36
Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside 69, Putnam City West 30
Mustang 66, Ardmore 27

Boys
Putnam City West 70, Midwest City 62
Yukon 41, Guthrie 34
Carl Albert 66, Ardmore 59
Del City 54, Southeast 35

Wednesday’s games
Girls
Loser’s bracket
Lawton vs. Northwest Classen, 11 a.m.
PC West vs. Ardmore, 12:20 p.m.
Winner’s bracket
Southeast vs. Yukon, 4:20 p.m.
Fort Smith-Northside vs. Mustang, 5:40 p.m.
Boys
Loser’s bracket
Guthrie vs. Midwest City, 1:40 p.m.
Ardmore vs. Southeast, 3 p.m.
Winner’s bracket
Carl Albert vs. Del City, 7 p.m.
Putnam City West vs. Yukon, 8:20 p.m.

Updates below…

2:30 p.m.: Shola Adebayo scored 20 of Southeast’s 34 points on the way to a win over Lawton. The Yukon girls played some good defense down the stretch to hold off a NWC rally. Jade Hardy led Yukon with 17 points. Meshelle Parker had 11 for the Knights and Alysia Whitaker added 10. We’re nearing halftime in the first boys game, where PC West is hanging with Midwest City, trailing 24-23. Cortrael Colbert already has 13 for the Bombers.

2:40 p.m.: PC West closes the first half with a 15-4 run to take a 27-24 lead at the half on Midwest City. Kyndall Dudley leading the Patriots with 12 points.

3:35 p.m.: PC West pulls off the upset, 70-62. Kyndall Dudley hit a pair of huge 3s down the stretch and finished with 24 points. Tavionne Pennon added 16, spoiling Cortrez Colbert’s 27-point outing for the Bombers.

4:12 p.m.: Speedy first half from Yukon and Guthrie. The Bluejays lead 13-10 at the break.

4:53 p.m.: The Millers pull away in the fourth for a 41-34 win. It’ll be Yukon and PC West at 8:20 Wednesday night in the boys semifinals.

5:20 p.m.: Not pretty in the third girls game of the day. Fort Smith-Northside leads PC West 20-2 after one quarter.

6:13 p.m.: Northside takes it 69-30 over PC West. The final girls game of the night, Ardmore vs. Mustang, is just a couple minutes away.

7:10 p.m.: Mustang girls out to a 50-20 lead midway through the third quarter. A win would put Mustang against Fort Smith-Northside Wednesday. Yukon faces Southeast in the first semifinal at 4:20 p.m.

8:20 p.m.: Ardmore and Carl Albert tied at the half, 33 apiece. Nino Jackson has not seen the floor for Ardmore so far.

8:45 p.m.: Carl Albert takes a 45-44 lead to the fourth quarter on top-ranked Ardmore.

9:32 p.m.: Sorry for the delayed update, but Carl Albert pulled off the upset of No. 1 Ardmore, 66-59. Ardmore standout Nino Jackson was held out of action by coach’s decision. He is expected to play in Wednesday’s loser’s bracket game against the Del City-Southeast loser.

9:55 p.m.: Del City boys out to a 30-14 lead on Southeast in the final game of the night.

10:38 p.m.: Del City finishes off the night with a 54-35 win over Southeast. We’ll do it all again tomorrow.

Now this list is done by me. So if you’re upset, yep, come to me on this one. I had fun doing the All-Edmond and All-Private schools team last year. This year I’ve added the Mid-Del and the Best of the Rest. One team per day.

Today, here is your All-Mid-Del football team:

All-Mid-Del team
Offense
QB — Greg Austin, Midwest City
RB — James Flanders, Midwest City
RB — Kenton Whittington, Carl Albert
RB/WR — Greg Johnson, Del City
WR — Marquis Walters, Del City
WR — Trez Colbert, Midwest City
OL — Jamelle Naff, Del City
OL — Kyle Croak, Carl Albert
OL — Anthony Frazier, Carl Albert
OL — Jesse Venzor, Midwest City
OL — Colin Walker, Carl Albert

K — Easton Ramsey, Carl Albert
P — Chazten Gonzales, Del City

Defense
DL — Trevon Lewis, Midwest City
DL — Quincy Johnson, Carl Albert
DL — Chris Stevenson, Del City
DL — Cameron Hishaw, Midwest City
LB — Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
LB — Kevin Jones, Carl Albert
LB — Quintrell Boykins, Del City
DB — Trael Colbert, Midwest City
DB — Alex Polston, Carl Albert
DB — Ricky Reeves, Midwest City
DB — Bryce Freeman, Del City
KR — Dwight Dobbins, Carl Albert

Offensive Player of the Year: James Flanders, Midwest City
Defensive Player of the Year: Trevon Lewis, Midwest City
Coach of the Year: Steve Huff, Midwest City

This felt like a breeze. The oddest choice was putting Gonzales at punter, but he did punt and it allowed Austin to make the team. Seeing this group of kids in a list like this really makes you realize how talented the Mid-Del football players were this season. No doubts on any of my three awards and strong feeling we could see the Offensive POY be a repeat potentially next year.

Thursday: All-Edmond
Friday: All-Private schools
Saturday: All-Best of the Rest

After a year of not playing a role in the 6A picture, Karri Sears’ girls are back. The Del City basketball team made a big statement by winning the Panther Classic at Harrah this weekend.

Gone are Toni Young and Desiree Jeffries that led the Eagles to the title. Now dominating the gym are Mariah Jackson and Toni Smith.

Jackson scored 24 points and Smith pitched in with 17 more as the Eagles defeated Northeast in the championship game. After a slow first quarter, Del City came on with an 18-4 advantage in the second quarter to take control of the game.

Those three wins came off the heels of beating another top 6A team in Norman on Tuesday night. There is reason to be excited once again for Del City girls basketball.

Other contenders

Cherrell Price, Carl Albert: It might take a little bit longer before Tim Price’s girls find their rhythm, but a fourth-place finish at the Panther Classic isn’t the worst result ever.

Marisha Wallace, Midwest City: In a big battle with Edmond Memorial, Wallace was dominant as Bombers blew out a solid Bulldog club.

A.J. Holland, Del City: Panther Classic was also kind to Tim Stogsdill’s boys. Holland led the charge to a third-place outing, beating a very good Woodward team Saturday.

A rare chance to see such a talented team like the Woodward boys in the OKC area. Not a bad set of teams on either side.

Boys
Thursday
Game 1: Chickasha vs. Del City, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: Mustang vs. Northeast, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Woodward vs. Ponca City, 5:30
Game 4: Choctaw vs. Harrah, 8:30

Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:30
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2:30
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30

Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 11:30
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 2:30
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 5:30
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 8:30

Girls
Thursday
Game 1: Putnam City vs. Northeast, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Carl Albert vs. Choctaw, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Del City vs. Ponca City, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Woodward vs. Harrah, 7 p.m.

Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 10 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7 p.m.

Well, the first quarter was not what new Del City boys coach Tim Stogsdill was hoping for against Westmoore.

But after an early deficit, back came the Eagles. Behind Chris Stevenson’s 17 points, Del City got out of Westmoore with a 57-44 victory.

Former coach Allen Dukes had been there so long that it feels strange to think about someone else being on that sideline.

Have a gut feeling Del City is going to be a team that sneaks up on people this season.

Other contenders

Kaylon Williams, Midwest City: Bombers got off to a red-hot start against Norman North to cruise to 70-42 victory. Williams led way with 15 points.

Trez Colbert, Midwest City: The unexpected early loss in football allowed the football kids to get their basketball legs. Colbert notched 19 points in an impressive 31-point win against Norman North.

6A – 2 All-District Selections

Coach of the Year:            Randy Breeze            Lawton
Offensive Player of the Year:        David Glidden            Mustang
Defensive Player of the Year:        Carter Grigg            Lawton
Offensive Back of the Year:        Deaquan Wojciechowski    Lawton
Offensive Receiver of the Year:    Tyrequek Zimmerman    Lawton
Offensive Lineman of the Year:    Jamelle Naff            Del City
Defensive Lineman of the Year:    Tyler Newton            Westmoore
Linebacker of the Year:        Cody Cates            Westmoore
Defensive Back of the Year:        Brent Bowles            Lawton
Special Teams Player of the Year:    Randy Johnson        Del City

Greg Johnson            RB                    Del City
Chazten Gonzales        QB                    Del City
Bryce Freeman        DB                    Del City
Drew Smith            DB                    Del City
Quintrell Boykins        LB                    Del City
Jamelle Naff            OL                    Del City
Ismael Bueno            OL                    Del City
Ryan Adams            LB                    Edmond North
Kyle Aschenbreuer        DE                    Edmond North
Evan Whitt            DL                    Edmond North
Brayden Prough        DL                    Edmond North
Travis Townsend        QB                    Edmond North
Lex Rosson            OL                    Edmond North
Hunter Crutsinger        WR                    Edmond North
Don Quay Hammons        WR                    Edmond North
Phillip White            OL                    Edmond North
Tyrequek Zimmerman    WR                    Lawton
Daquan Wojciechowski    RB                    Lawton
Lee Pigrum            DB                    Lawton
Brent Bowles            DB                    Lawton
Carter Grigg            LB                    Lawton
Kyle Fultz            TE                    Lawton
Eugene DeLoach        LB                    Lawton
Jabral Johnson            LB                    Lawton
Michael Dempsey        Center                    Lawton
Diondrick Tawkoyty        DB                    Lawton
Adam Lambert        Tackle/Punter                Lawton
Cody Inger             Kicker                    Lawton
David Glidden            WR                    Mustang
Jon Luckey            DB                    Mustang
Tyler Webster            RB                    Mustang
Jacob Strassle            WR                    Mustang
Michael Anderson        WR                    Mustang
Cale Witter            DB                    Mustang
Elliot Malanca            OL                    Mustang
Zac McKay            LB                    Mustang
Justus Elliott            OL                    Mustang
Cole Kimmell            DB                    Putnam City
Caleb Lee            QB                    Putnam City
Cody Minor            LB                    Putnam City
Josh Gershon            LB                    Putnam City
Zach Moore            TE                    Putnam City
Caleb McFarland        Center                    Putnam City
Mike McClendon        Tackle                    Putnam City
Allen Zimmerman        DB                    Putnam City
Nate Robertson                            Santa Fe
Brady Bell                                Santa Fe
Patrick Hinton                                Santa Fe
Brandon Reece                            Santa Fe
Lee Glossett                                Santa Fe
Able Blaker                                Santa Fe
Tyler Newton            DL                    Westmoore
Cody Feuerborn        RB                    Westmoore
Cody Cates            LB                    Westmoore
Bryan Norris            LB                    Westmoore
Zack VanDyke        DB                    Westmoore
Justin Smith            OL                    Westmoore
Jake Woods            DL                    Westmoore
Ricky Balogun        DB                    Westmoore
Jordan Davis            OL                    Westmoore

Took too long to get rolling. Honestly, Del City has played some really good ball lately and ends the season on a three-game winning streak. No win was more impressive than the 52-36 victory against Mustang.

It was senior night, and quarterback Chazten Gonzales let it all hang out. The TCU commit threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more in accounting for nearly 400 yards of offense.

He’s had the ability all season, and he’s put it together at times, much like the team. When this team was on, boy, were the good. Too many discipline problems (on the field), the focus wasn’t always there.

For me, though, it’s good the Eagles are gone. I expected so much from ‘em early, and I finish the year a pitiful 4-6 when it comes to Del City predictions. Was fun to watch Greg Johnson, Marquis Walters, etc. Eager to see where OL Jamelle Naff ends up.

Other contenders

The Colbert Brothers, Midwest City: Trael Colbert caught two touchdown passes and Trez Colbert had an INT return for a score in a win vs. Norman North to complete a 10-0 season.

Carl Albert defense: Did what it was supposed to do but doesn’t make it any less impressive in a 63-0 dominating outing against Noble.

Greg Austin, Midwest City: Not his most accurate game, but Austin threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns for the Bombers.

Yo, CA followers, do me a favor. If you have any stats from Friday, lemme know.

Mustang (7-2) at Del City (4-5)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Kalsu Stadium, DC

Mustang (L – Yukon, W – PC North, W – Bixby, L – Lawton, W – Edmond North, W – Edmond Santa Fe, W – Putnam City, W – US Grant, W – Westmoore)
Why the Broncos can win: Confidence. This team is playing with a ton of it during the five-game win streak. In three of those five games, the defense  has allowed 10 or fewer points, and the offense hasn’t been held to less than 39. The Broncos have nothing to gain in the playoff sense, so they might get some subs in early, but they still want the ‘W.’

Del City (L – MWC; W – Nnorth; L- Norman; L – EdNorth; W – Putnam City; L – Westmoore; L – Lawton; W – Santa Fe; W – US Grant)
Why the Eagles can win: Well, they’re only playing for pride now, but they have a lot of it. This season has been a struggle, but the seniors would love to make their last game a victory for coach Nick Warehime.

Key matchup: Mustang passing game vs. Del City secondary. The Eagles have proven they can be worn down in games. Against a Mustang offense, that could produce a lot of problems.

Scott’s pick: Mustang 45, Del City 28. Senior Night — though not the final home game — for a large class that brought the Broncos a lot of success will be enough motivation to carry Mustang to the win.

Boneman’s pick: Mustang 41, Del City 30. Tough to see this one being a low-scoring contest. Broncos have too many weapons for Chazten Gonzales, Greg Johnson and company.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 4-5.

Sorry, Mid-Del fans, I can’t give you ‘great wisdom’ about the district scenarios for your schools. Two of them can’t change regardless of what happens Friday. And the other could have its fate decided Thursday.

- Midwest City is locked in as the district champion. The Bombers will most likely face Westmoore or Edmond North in the first round at Jim Darnell Stadium.

- Carl Albert, heck, there is no drama at all. Gary Rose’s boys will meet Duncan for the second time this season in the first round. This time it will be at Jim Harris Field. This time Duncan won’t have Domonique Petties. CA also won’t have Dillan Dansby as it was against the Demons that Dansby got injured. CA won 42-10 in Week 3.

- Del City, well, better get out there and support US Grant. If Edmond North beats US Grant, then the Eagles are home once again, regardless of what happens Friday vs. Mustang. Too many uneven performances early because Del City has performed pretty well in the last few weeks. If Edmond North loses to Grant, we’ll revisit what the Eagles need to do Friday morning.

FIRST TEAM MID-STATE CONFERENCE
Del City = Kayla Rogers, Rachel French
Edmond Memorial = Lindsay Littles, Alexis Bracaglia, Sommer Peterson
Midwest City = Brooke Hand, Brittany Hand, Shianne Hughes
Moore = Brianna Nunley, Hannah Coker, Raegan Sampson, Caiti Hall
Norman = Caitlyn Cosme, Summer Leitka
Norman North = Andrea Smith, Shelby Tiller
Southmoore = Haley Strawn, Chelsi Hill
Westmoore = Kendra Pierce, Taylor Green, Melaney Anderson

HONORABLE MENTION
Edmond Memorial = Rachel Baker, Charli Kroeker
Midwest City = Tiana Jordan, Carly Suellentrop, Ashlee Gesell
Moore = Hannah Lynch, Tianna Gutierrez, Qiana Harrison, Stephanie Couser
Norman = Catherine Lesser, Sami Alberts
Norman North = Jacy Glover, Michaela Smith, Tanner Moody
Southmoore = Hartley Tyler, Jackie Hilterbran, Katelyn Brown
Westmoore = Destinie Lookout

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.

US Grant (0-8) at Del City (3-5)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Kalsu Stadium

US Grant
Why the Generals can win: It won’t be easy, obviously, but you gotta love the spirit that coach Matt Miller has. He wants to do things the right way, but it won’t happen overnight.

Del City (L- MWC; W – NNorth; L – Norman; L – EdNorth; W – Putnam City; L – Westmoore; L – Lawton; W – Santa Fe)
Why the Eagles can win: Because even though it was only a four-point win, last week’s victory said a lot about the character of this team. Every time Santa Fe scored, Del City responded in a big way, like the good teams are supposed to do.

Key matchup: Del City defense vs. US Grant offense. The defense has taken its lumps, but it’s really starting to turn the corner lately.

The pick: Del City 55, US Grant 9. Good win for the Eagles to set the stage up for a senior night showdown against Mustang.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 3-5.

Obviously this season has not gone the way Del City thought it would. It’s been plagued by inconsistency and turnovers, but Nick Warehime’s kids remain in the playoff hunt.

And ironically, if they can do what they couldn’t do last year, they could be punching their playoff ticket here in a couple of weeks.

Last year Del City was 7-1 and ranked in our top 10. Ryan Aber and myself were gushing about this team. A late-season swoon, and the Eagles were the best team not in the playoffs.

Fast forward to this year where the Eagles haven’t sniffed the top 10 for the entire season. Great outings against Norman North and Putnam City are sandwiched around head-scratchers against Edmond North and Westmoore.

But with a big road win, a true gut-check win against Edmond Santa Fe, the Eagles should be entering the final two weeks with a ton of confidence.

Del City closes out with home games against US Grant and then the huge showdown with Mustang.

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.

Two games left. Where do the Bombers, Eagles and Titans stand?

Midwest City (8-0, 5-0)
Games remaining: at Lawton Eisenhower, at Norman North
Prognosis: Pretty dang good. A win against Ike clinches the district. A loss, and we could be looking at a three-way district point thing with MWC, Ike and Yukon.

Think Friday’s battle with the Eagles is going to be the toughest game of the season for Midwest City. On the road against a team that is peaking right now. Whew, gonna be fun.

Del City (3-5, 2-3)
Games remaining: vs. US Grant, vs. Mustang
Prognosis: It will all hinge on the battle with the Broncos. Last year the Eagles lost their last two games of the year and missed out.

This year? Well, Del City might be able to win its final three games and finish strong. Though most likely, the Eagles would still need a little help and an Edmond North loss.

Carl Albert (6-2, 4-1)
Games remaining: at Deer Creek, vs. Noble
Prognosis: Week 9 will determine its fate. A win at Deer Creek, and the Titans assure themselves of a second-place finish. Not much of a chance to win the district unless Guthrie loses both of its final two games.

Titans are in good position, though.

Del City (2-5) at Edmond Santa Fe (1-6)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: UCO’s Wantland Stadium

Del City (L- Midwest City; W – Norman North; L – Norman; L – Edmond North; W – Putnam City; L- Westmoore; L – Lawton)
Why the Eagles can win: Because as inconsistent as this team has been all season, a win here could be the start of something. If Del City can win out and be 4-3 in district, it’s not crazy to think this team can still make the postseason. But the sense of urgency must be there.

Santa Fe (L – Memorial; L – Yukon; L – Midwest City; L – Westmoore; L – Lawton; L – Mustang; W – US Grant)
Why the Wolves can win: Because they’re coming off their first win and get to come home to try to build off the momentum. Brandon Reece played well last week, and the Santa Fe rushing attack and defense played their best game of the season.

Key matchup: Del City running game vs. Santa Fe defense. Del City running back Greg Johnson can turn a game around in one play. Add in Chazten Gonzales, and it’s a lethal running attack.

The pick: Del City 34, Santa Fe 23. Expect both teams to be able to make some big plays on offense, but the Eagles have too much talent.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 2-5.
Boneman’s Santa Fe prediction record: 6-1.

It could have been a magical weekend for Carl Albert. A football win over Guthrie added with a state softball championship. Could have been.

Instead, the softball team redeemed the weekend. There was no better team in 5A this entire year. And the girls proved it repeatedly and emphatically at the state tournament.

Pryor was up early before CA rolled ‘em. Down 6-0 to Tahlequah, Titans came back to win 12-10. Another win against Tahlequah set up the stage against McAlester and star pitcher Taylor Dewbery.

However, CA was able to touch up Dewbery with three 2-run homers. One by Krista Waggoner and two by Madisyn Long to claim the club’s first championship since 2007 in the 6-4 victory.

Pitcher Whitney Robinson was not great in the circle, but boy was she gutty. She gave us everything she had in the final three days of her high school softball career. She is one of the most complete players in the state and had a great tournament at the plate.

First baseman Molly Davison and Jenni Lane also came up with huge hits. Coach Colin White said once his team got rolling, there was no turning back.

He’s certainly right about that.

Other contenders

James Flanders, Midwest City, Football: With Choctaw stopping the passing attack, Flanders rushed for four touchdowns in the shutout of Choctaw. Read more about Flanders in Tuesday’s paper.

Taylor Hawkins, Carl Albert, Football: It wasn’t the night the Titans were hoping for, but Hawkins threw for a touchdown and rushed for another in the loss to Guthrie.

Greg Johnson and Chazten Gonzales, Del City, Football: Each scored a touchdown though the team came up short against an inspired Lawton club.

Lawton (6-0) at Del City (2-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Kalsu Stadium, DC

Lawton
Why the Wolverines can win: Because they’re slowly getting healthy. Running back Deaquan Wojciechowski needed a week to get better, and the team is adapting to playing without star quarterback Cody Miller. This will be the first big road test without Miller, however.

Del City (L- Midwest City; W- Norman North; L- Norman; L – Edmond North; W – Putnam City; L – Westmoore)
Why the Eagles can win: Because when this team is able to execute, they have some of the most explosive talent in the state. But the problem all year has been turnovers and penalties. A good start is crucial toward a victory here.

Key matchup: Brandon Bartlett vs. Del City defense. Or should I say against the Del City atmosphere. The fans can play a big role in this one in getting the Wolverines frustrated. Cause a couple of turnovers and this game could get interesting.

The pick: Lawton 31, Del City 16. Even if Wolverines struggle a little bit on offense, it’s the defense that is not getting enough attention and should come through here.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-5 (oy).

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.

Del City (2-3) at Westmoore Jaguars (3-2)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Moore Stadium

Del City (2-3)
Why the Eagles can win: Heck, what are you listening to me for? I haven’t been able to figure this team out the entire season. I think last week was a season-saving victory and that this team could build off of it. But I’ve thought that before.

Westmoore (3-2)
Why the Jaguars can win: The Jaguars can play defense. Back-to-back shutouts are nothing to scoff at, no matter the opponent. Westmoore ranks eighth in points allowed in Class 6A and has given up fewer points each week since its Week 2 loss to Southmoore. Meanwhile, running back Cody Feuerborn is only one score away from his 10^th touchdown of the season.

Quote: “We’ll have to make sure we get the D lined up right and make the right reads because you make one mistake against these guys and they’ll take it to the house.” — Westmoore coach Billy Langford.

Boneman’s key matchup: Feuerborn vs. Del City defense. Eagles have not fared well against some good running attacks. Key to stopping the Del City offense is to never let that group on the field.

Justin’s key matchup: Westmoore defensive front vs. Del City running game. The Jaguars have been strong up front the last two contests, but will face talented runners in Chazten Gonzales and Greg Johnson.

Boneman’s pick: Del City 27, Westmoore 19. Eagles hold onto the ball and they’ll win. But the only thing consistent about this club is its inconsistency.

Justin’s pick: Del City 26, Westmoore 17. Both teams are defensive-minded and a key turnover could be the reason for victory or defeat. Del City has a little more speed than Westmoore, and at the end of the day, speed usually wins out. It should here too.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-4 (yea, that’s sorry).

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.

Putnam City (4-0, 1-0) at Del City (1-3, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Robert Kalsu Stadium, Del City (Ryan Aber will be there)

Putnam City (W – PC North 16-7, W – PC West 44-0, W – Choctaw 42-22, W – US Grant 47-0)
Why the Pirates could win: Confidence — the Pirates have it and it would appear the Eagles are struggling in that department. Nearly 72 percent of the total offense Del City has allowed this season has come on the ground. That’s good news for Casey Curtis and company.

Del City (L – MWC 35-13, W – NNorth 41-14, L – Norman 41-6, L – Edmond North 36-21)
Why the Eagles could win: Because the pieces are in place for a team that should be competitive in every single game. Discipline and conditioning has been the downfall so far. But Greg Johnson is a dynamic talent that can change the fate of the game with one play.

Scott’s key matchup: DC quarterback Chazten Gonzales vs. PC front seven. Despite their struggles, the Eagles are averaging 414 yards per game, and Gonzales, a TCU commit, is a big-time QB. Their defensive performance has been something of a surprise from the Pirates, but if they can keep it up this week, they’ll be looking at a 5-0 start.

Boneman’s key matchup: Del City defense vs. PC offense. The last two weeks the Eagles have given up 75 points. Gut-check time for Del City. This could be a turning point game, one way or the other.

Scott’s pick: PC 21, DC 14. The Pirate ship keeps chugging ahead, into a big Thursday night battle with Edmond North next week.

Boneman’s pick: Putnam City 28, Del City 25. I’m done with Del City. I can’t figure this team out. It’s one of the few that I could see just about anything and not be surprised. I expect a close one but who knows?

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-3.

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.

Like I said, I went back and forth on the Del City and Edmond North game all week. I should have went with my pick on Saturday and Monday.

Instead, I went with my Sunday and Tuesday thoughts and going with Del City. Wrong. Jarion Tudman came alive for the Huskies in a 36-21 victory Thursday to get North on the right track in district play.

North 36, Del City 21

North coach Jeremy Dombek said the key was the running game. Not even necessarily the success of the running but more the team not abandoning the plan in the second half.

In the second half, it was a healthy dose of Tudman one time after another. And you can stop him for 1, 2 yards at a time. But eventually, he’s going to break one. He broke two. One was a 62-yard TD in the third quarter. The other a 48-yard TD strike in the fourth quarter.

He rushed for 63 yards in the first half, but the Huskies never went away from him. He finished the night with 212 yards and three touchdowns.

In fact, he had almost every single carry for the team. Troy Davis had a few opportunities, but this was Tudman’s night to prove he had some toughness to go with that speed and elusiveness. The fumble in the first quarter had me thinking Dombek might look elsewhere. But patience prevailed.

Penalties eliminated any chance for the Eagles in the second half. They were going backwards too much in the second half because of holding calls and personal fouls.

However, no penalty was bigger than the offensive pass interference call on Marquis Walters that eliminated an 85-yard touchdown pass from Chazten Gonzales.

In what has quickly become a wide open and fun district, big win for North. The Eagles will get another chance next week to right their ship.

Boneman’s Breakdown

- Dombek said Travis Townsend had a great game. Not throwing the ball but making the checks at the line and getting the running game going. Townsend is good for at least 2-3 offside penalties based on his cadence alone. Does a good job of varying the snap count.

- This game kinda turned on Christian Peterson’s fumble return for a TD. That was set up by Tudman downing a punt at the 1-yard line. Tudman said “I wanted to let it bounce but it almost went too far. But I got there.” Two plays later, Peterson scooped and scored.

- Greg Johnson had an unbelievable game for Del City. He has wowed me with his moves in the past. This time was all about his toughness. He lowered his shoulder and did his things. He was easily the best play for the Eagles on this night and maybe the best player in the game.

- Discipline and conditioning are the issues for the Eagles. It kinda goes together. You get tired, stop thinking straight and start making mistakes. Gonna be a real gut-check next time out.

- The passing game never got going for the Eagles, which was a shock to me. Part of it was really good defense on deep balls, a couple of drops and a couple of misreads…and there ya go.

- Great to spend some time with Tudman (and get the correct pronunciation of his first name). Look for a video with Tudman on NewsOK on Friday.

Up next: Edmond North (2-2) is at Mustang. Del City (1-3) can get right back into the district hunt with a win against Putnam City (4-0).

Del City (1-2) at Edmond North (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: UCO’s Wantland Stadium (I will be there)

Del City (L – Midwest City 35-13, W – Norman North 41-14, L – Norman 41-6)
Why the Eagles can win: There was a lot of pressure to open up Kalsu Stadium with a win last week. Away from home, maybe the team can just concentrate on playing their game. The offensive explosion should be back as long as they don’t put the ball on the ground.

North (L- Southmoore 40-19, W – Choctaw 24-13, L – Memorial 17-6)
Why the Huskies can win: Because despite the loss to the Bulldogs, North showed it can get its passing game going. Travis Townsend has a whole bunch of options to pitch-and-catch it all over the place. There should be more holes in the DC defense for the Huskies to exploit.

Key matchup: North secondary vs. Chazten Gonzales. In two ways. One is the obvious about trying to stop his passing attack. But the other is in the running game. Gonzales finds his way to the second level of the defense repeatedly in the run game. North is going to have to make the sure tackle every single time.

The pick: Del City 23, Edmond North 21. Ooh, I went back and forth about three times when it came to this game. Tough to get a read on these two teams. And both need the win, don’t wanna be 1-3 and 0-1 in district.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-2.
Boneman’s North prediction record: 3-0.

I don’t like giving out ‘season’ honors, but Midwest City running back James Flanders has earned that honor through the first three games.

Adding another 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 41-6 victory against the Wolves, Flanders is my Mid-Del Player of the Week.

Flanders has been incredible in the last two weeks, leading the charge in the comeback win against Enid. And sparking the team to the win vs. Santa Fe.

Midwest City has a big test Friday night against fellow undefeated Yukon (Scott Wright will be there).

Other contenders

Kenton Whittington and Darvonta Knight, Carl Albert, Football: One’s got the power (KW), the other has the speed and the moves. Together they’re a big reason why the Titans are 2-1.

Larry Long, Del City, Football: In a tough game for the Eagles, Long caught the only touchdown of the night in a 41-6 loss to Norman.

Brooke Hand, Midwest City, Softball: After a big week at a tournament at OU, the Bombers continued their success with a win against top-ranked Edmond North at the Putnam City Tournament.

A couple of the Mid-Del teams are sitting pretty as we begin district action this week. Let’s take a little look at what’s happened.

Midwest City (3-0)
In between two blowouts was a really good win at Enid. All the expected stars have stepped up for Steve Huff’s club on both sides of the ball.

Quarterback Greg Austin has made some huge throws when he’s needed to. And we knew junior RB James Flanders was going to play a big role, but he’s been even better than expected so far.

The defense is being anchored by Trevon Lewis, but the one name I keep seeing is Carlos Morales. And that’s kinda the theme of the Bombers: Someone new is always going to step up. Morales leads the team in tackles. Lewis has six sacks.

Week 4: The No. 1 game of the week (in my opinion), vs. Yukon on Friday night (Scott Wright will be there).

Carl Albert (2-1)
Was a little skeptical of this team after the 12-10 loss to Booker T., but the offense has shut me up in the last couple of games in dominating 34-6 wins at Ardmore and 42-10 whipping of Duncan.

Problem is this Titans team is going to have find out what life is like without junior Dillan Dansby. Coach Gary Rose said Dansby was coming along beautifully but suffered a knee injury in the third quarter Friday.

Rose isn’t worried about Taylor Hawkins taking over. Hawkins spent most of the summer playing baseball so it will take a while for him to find his groove. He’s got good backs in Kenton Whittington and Darvonta Knight to lean on.

No questions at all about the offensive and defensive lines. And certainly no questions about this defense with Dwight Dobbins and Quincy Johnson leading the charge.

Week 4: vs. Western Heights on Friday.

Del City (1-2)
Coach Nick Warehime said this might be a week-to-week season. So far it has been. One bad week, one great week, one bad week.

In the two losses, the Eagles have scored 19 points. In the one win, put up 41. So which one is a better indication of what we should see the next seven weeks?

I don’t have that answer. Love what DC has with Chazten Gonzales, Greg Johnson and Marquis Walters, but it’s all about execution.

Week 4: at Edmond North on Thursday (I will be there).

Norman (2-0) vs. Del City (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Kalsu Stadium (Ryan Aber will be there)

Norman
Why the Tigers can win: A pleasant surprise through the first two weeks, Greg Nation’s bunch isn’t going to be sneaking up on anybody this week. The defense, led by Greg Offenburger, has been electric in the first two games. They’ve held Norman North and Moore to seven points apiece.

Del City (L – MWC 35-13, W – NNorth 41-14)
Why the Eagles can win: Because this team isn’t going to open the new field at Kalsu Stadium, black out the stadium and wear baby blue ribbons to support coach Nick Warehime and lose, right? Keeping their emotions intact will go a long way to determine how this one is going to go.

Quote:

We had to get tougher. We know we have some great playmakers who can really produce. It’s going to be a learning process each week.” – Warehime

Key matchup: Donovan Roberts and Jaime Myers vs. Del City defense. Chris Stevenson leads a strong group of Eagle defenders that get overlooked because of the high-powered offense. It was the defense that led to the blowout of the Timberwolves.

The pick: Del City 31, Norman 20. Tigers will have some success on offense, but the defense hasn’t seen a group like Chazten Gonzales and company. The speed will be too much.

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-1.

All the Mid-Del schools received new fields this summer. Carl Albert and Midwest City broke theirs in during Week 1, but Del City has had to wait.

After opening on the road the first two weeks, the Eagles welcome Norman to Del City on Friday and will ‘black out’ the stadium.

A lot of schools are ‘pinking out’ their stadium for Win-Win week, a statewide cancer awareness program. This is Del City’s spin on it.

Students and fans will also be wearing baby blue ribbons in support of coach Nick Warehime who is battling prostate cancer. ‘Team Warehime’ shirts will also be available.

There is just a different feeling with this team as they all want to play so hard for Warehime. I won’t be able to make it out there, but Ryan Aber will have you covered for the Eagles and Tigers.

This is a good test for the Norman defense. The Tigers have given up 14 total points in two wins, but good luck against Chazten Gonzales, Greg Johnson, Adrian Fletcher, Marquis Walters and Quinn Ashford. If Norman keeps this group to seven points, that will really say something.

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.

There are picks when you’re just off. And then there’s whatever you would call my pick of Norman North beating Del City on Thursday night.

Shouldn’t that prediction count for two losses? Two minutes into the game, I realized I had made the wrong pick. The Eagles dominated this game for almost the complete 48 minutes.

Del City 41, Norman North 14

Turnovers plagued the Eagles in the Week 1 loss to Midwest City. Against the Timberwolves that wasn’t a concern all night.

Quarterback Chazten Gonzales threw for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns. But more importantly for Del City, he found this year’s version of Donavan Dan and Chris McAlister. Greg Johnson and Marquis Walters showed up to play and maybe MWC was lucky to meet this team in the first week.

Play of the night was Johnson’s 64-yard screen pass for a touchdown in the first quarter. Seriously, if you saw it, you won’t forget it anytime soon. He showed his speed, his elusiveness, his strength, it was all on display in that one single play.

If you have video of that, please upload it and let me know. I was like ‘wow, not bad. That’s a 20-yard screen pass. He won’t go down. Oh what the…he’s still on his feet. He’s going to score, seriously, he will score. Wow, unbelievable.’

Walters and Johnson each had two touchdowns and Walters had more than 100 yards receiving for the second straight game this season.

Coach Nick Warehime’s plan was to get Johnson more involved. He said Johnson played way too much on defense against the Bombers and knew he needed to get No. 5 the ball more.

Gonzales got the ball rolling with his legs at first. He was doing pretty much whatever he wanted and then got it going through the air. Twelve completions for more than 400 yards and more than 525 total yards of offense.

Boneman’s Breakdown

- This was the Del City team I expected last week. The defense, paced by Chris Stevenson, bothered North QB Brad Valentino all night. A nearly flawless performance.

- North’s Daniel Davis played a heckuva game. From rushing to defense to punting, he showed why he is one of the top prospects in the state.

- The Timberwolves have to fix the issues in the secondary. Gonzales was able to pick a part the defense whenever he felt like it really.

- Like North’s running game with Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood. Gatewood only got to show his speed once on a 50-yard TD run, but it was fun to see.

- Johnson is being used at WR more because Adrian Fletcher is doing OK as the No. 1 running back. If Fletcher can withstand the punishment, this team is going to make some noise.

- With these being non-district games, no need to panic yet for Timberwolves fans. But next week is a must in terms of confidence.

Up next: Norman North (0-2) plays Westmoore on Thursday. Del City (1-1) gets to play at home for the first time against Norman next Friday.

Del City (0-1) at Norman North (0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Harve Collins Field (I’ll be there)
TV: KSBI (Cox 7)

Del City ( L – MWC 35-13)
Why the Eagles can win: Because the offense has so many weapons. Chazten Gonzales settled down after a rough start. Greg Johnson is an incredibly versatile talent and Marquis Walters had a big night and is emerging as the top receiving target. Four turnovers was Del City’s undoing last week.

Norman North (L – Norman 24-7)
Why the Timberwolves can win: Because they’re looking for that bounce back win, too. They get the benefit of having to go through it in front of their home crowd. After scoring early and taking a 7-3 lead, North never scored again. TWolves have way too much firepower for something like that to happen again, right?

Key matchup: North running game vs. Del City defense. The running game was supposed to be the strength. With Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood, there wasn’t supposed to be a game where the two couldn’t combine for 100 yards. The team only had 80 yards on 34 attempts last week, less than 3 yards per carry.

The pick: Norman North 22, Del City 16. Timberwolves will look to control the clock in this one with a good ground game. If DC can stop the attack, it’s going to be a fun one. If not, North should be able to grind out its first victory.

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.

Things got a little busy Saturday so it’s your Saturday Morning Quarterback on Sunday. You knew the Midwest City and Del City game was going to be decided with how the Eagles offense fared against the Bombers defense.

If they had success, we were in for a fun one. If MWC carried the day, it might be a long one for Del City.

Midwest City 35, Del City 13

Turnovers dominated the day in this one. The teams traded turnovers in the first three possessions of the game. However, the Bombers settled down and started to take advantage of the turnovers.

Junior running back James Flanders didn’t have the huge game I was expecting, but he was more than solid on this night. He scored once on the ground and also had a receiving score.

The Bombers didn’t look comfortable in the first half but found their groove in the second half. Quarterback Greg Austin got into a nice rhythm, throwing for two scores. Liked how this one ended for MWC.

But the story was the defense. MWC created four turnovers, two picks and two fumbles. One of those picks was returned for a touchdown by Ronnie Mathenia.

Trevon Lewis was a BEAST on the defensive line. I don’t keep tackles (too hard), but I kept thinking ‘there he is again’ a lot of times. He also had two sacks.

Boneman’s Breakdown

- Del City is going to be OK once quarterback Chazten Gonzales gets into a better rhythm with his wide receivers. Del City dropped a lot of passes when the outcome was still in doubt. Gonzales threw the ball well in the first half. One pick was a deflected pass, not his fault. Once the Eagles were chasing the points, it got tougher.

- Never seen so many penalties on extra point attempts. EVER. Felt like there was at least one penalty per attempt, made it tough to get a rhythm going.

- Excited to see what Greg Johnson can do. He moves from running back to wide receiver, can pretty much fit in wherever he needs to for Nick Warehime.

- A lot of chippiness (expected, not a shock) so kinda more pumped to see what these teams do in Week 2 without all that rivalry emotion.

Up next: Del City (0-1) at Norman North (0-1) on Thursday (I’ll be there). Midwest City (1-0) is at Enid (1-0) on Friday night.

Del City at Midwest City
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Jim Darnell Stadium, MWC (late change, I will be there)

Del City
Why the Eagles can win: Because Chazten Gonzales is even better than he was last year. Granted, WRs Donavan Dan and Chris McAlister are gone, but Greg Johnson and Marquis Walters are going to become familiar names. RB Adrian Fletcher is a tough customer to bring down.

Quote:

We’re not happy with how last year ended. We did a lot of things right, but we didn’t finish. This year is all about the finish.” – OL Jamelle Naff

Midwest City
Why the Bombers can win: Greg Austin is comfortable at quarterback. Running back James Flanders knows he’s the No. 1 back, and there are a bevy of wide receivers who can make plays. Oh yea, and the defense should be one of the best units in the state.

Quote:

It’s all about the gold ball. We’re just counting it down until this one begins. This is why you put in all the work.” – DL Trevon Lewis

Key matchup: Well, since I wrote a whole post about it earlier this week, guess I can’t stray from the Del City offense against the Midwest City defense. No singular matchup in the state intrigues me more than this one.

The pick: Midwest City 27, Del City 25. I’m expecting a classic in this one. I’m even going out on a limb and saying Del City is going to need a two-point conversion to tie it late in the game but is denied. Can’t wait to see what this atmosphere is like.

Del City's Chazten Gonzales will play a big role Friday night.

Maybe I’m getting too brainwashed being around all the boys in the Mid-Del Schools because I’m a lot more pumped up for Midwest City and Del City than what I’ve ever been before.

Started to hit me a little bit less than two weeks ago at a photo shoot of all things. I arranged to get Carl Albert’s Dwight Dobbins, Midwest City’s Trevon Lewis and Del City’s Chazten Gonzales together for the cover of the Mid-Del preview that came out last Friday.

Can’t really find a neutral spot, but I picked Rose Field as like a middle ground. How wrong I was. While Lewis was at home in Bomber country, Gonzales and Dobbins, and especially Gonzales, were getting weird looks from passersby.

Del City Red is not welcome in MWC black and gold territory.

When the teams meet up Friday night at, ironically enough, Rose Field, Gonzales won’t be shy. He won’t be gun shy, either, bringing with him an incredibly potent, fun offense to watch.

That works out great as the strength of the Bombers has got to be that speed and power of the defense.

So…who wins?

Del City offense: Gonzales has emerged as one heckuva leader since last year, and he wasn’t even lacking in that department too much last year.

He can beat you with his arm and throws a beautiful deep ball. But he’s just as effective with his legs, and he showed that in the team’s scrimmages. His dual-threat ability is a big reason why he is committed to TCU.

Adrian Fletcher turned my head last year. He’ll ram right into you, and when you add Greg Johnson to that mix, that’s a great running game.

Johnson and Marquis Walters should be the top receiving targets, taking over for Chris McAlister and Donavan Dan. I think Johnson is going to be the wild card to this team all season.

Midwest City defense: This team has to replace Dominque Jones and Emmanuel Maxwell but still might even be better. How do you make sense of that?

The leader is going to be defensive lineman Trevon Lewis. Ryan Aber told me Lewis absolutely dominated last week in the scrimmage against Carl Albert.

If it’s not Lewis, it could be Cameron Hishaw or Jesse Venzor. And you know this group, in particular, is going to be incredibly motivated after what Gonzales did last year in this game.

The secondary is anchored by Ricky Reeves. He came up huge at the Oklahoma Showdown in the summer. And you add James Flanders at corner, this is a stout group.

Friday is loaded with incredible matchups, don’t forget the Mid-Del boys. This should be a fun one.

Every week I will try to have this post up by Sunday or Monday where I’ll tell you the three biggest questions I have for the week in the greater Oklahoma City area.

There are SO many questions with week 1, but here are the three that are standing out the most.

1. How much more will we know about Class 5A by this time next week?

This is the top thing on my mind this week. IMO, we have the top four teams playing against each other with both games in our backyard.

No. 1 Booker T. is at No. 2 Carl Albert while No. 4 Duncan is at No. 3 Guthrie. Both games are Friday night.

The first is a battle of the last two state champions. The Hornets never got a chance to really defend their title last season after all the forfeitures. However, when both teams were at full strength, BTW got the best of the Titans in Week 1 last year.

Carl Albert looks nothing like the team from last year. Dillan Dansby is small but quick compared to the big, rugged J.T. Realmuto. RB Kenton Whittington should have a huge season behind a solid offensive line.

It’s also a quasi-homecoming for BTW coach Darrell Hall, who won the 4A title with Star Spencer last year. Also interesting to see what the Hornets do without QB Jordy Albert, who must sit out two games.

Go north a little bit and head to Jelsma Stadium for the Bluejays and Demons. It’s being billed as Kentrell Brothers vs. Dominique Petties, but it’s a lot more than that.

How is Duncan going to handle the expectations that come with this season? How much has Guthrie QB Bryan Dutton matured?

2. Has Norman caught up to Norman North?

New Norman blogger James Corley will be at Owen Field on Thursday for Norman and Norman North, and he’s being introduced to a very intriguing matchup.

Loved what I saw from the Tigers last Thursday against McAlester. Zach Long might be a little young at quarterback, but when you have RB Donovan Roberts and WR Jaime Myers, life gets a little bit easier.

Timberwolves have all the tools for a memorable year. Daniel Davis is sensational, and I’m expecting big things from QB Brad Valentino and RBs Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood.

I still give the edge to the Timberwolves, but really like what Greg Nation is doing with the Tigers.

3. Will it be two years in a row for Del City over Midwest City?

The tension was there a couple of weeks ago when the Bombers were in attendance for Del City’s scrimmage at Carl Albert, so you know it’s going to be nuts Friday.

The Eagles surprised MWC last year. With this game at Midwest City, definitely expect the Bombers to be even more fired up.

I don’t know if this game is as simple as the Midwest City defense against the Del City offense matchup, but it will go a long way to determining the victor.

Whew, time to take a breath and relax. It’s been a busy, busy time at HQ working on all our high school football previews, but I think you’re going to like what you see come Friday and Sunday.

It feels like we can finally start concentrating on the work at hand instead of all the craziness that came with the previews.

So with that being said, I was at Putnam West on Thursday for the Patriots, Deer Creek and Capitol Hill. And Friday hit up Carl Albert for the Titans, Del City and Owasso.

Three thoughts from Thursday:

1. I like PC West’s Johnny Smith…a lot. The problem for the Patriots the last couple of seasons has been their lack of size. And true, this team doesn’t have a lot of beasts like Smith, but he adds a lot. Smith was dominant against the Antlers and Redskins. He adds another dimension to go with Ray Young.

2. It is incredibly strange to watch the MTV crew follow the PC West team around. It took me about 20 minutes to snap out of it and just do my job. By the way, as Scott Wright reported earlier, nobody with the team or the school is allowed to comment about the documentary being shot. It’s the elephant in the room whenever you talk to those kids. Definitely see a little pep in the step because of it.

3. As someone who has been on the Colten Sander bandwagon since he was a sophomore, it was good to see the Deer Creek senior looking like himself again. That first run was about a 20-yard carry, and you can see all the explosiveness back. But he’s so much bigger than the kid I remember asking ‘what’s your name’ to at a Tecumseh scrimmage two years ago.

Three thoughts from Friday:

1. Del City is legit. Or more specifically, quarterback Chazten Gonzales is the real deal. Sometimes it just takes a little confidence boost to bring out the best in somebody. Committing to TCU has made Gonzales just a different person. That first play, a 65-yard TD to Greg Johnson was a wake up call for everybody, yours truly included. Like what this team has.

2. Where is J.T. Realmuto? Another name that we just got so familiar with. Dillan Dansby is so much smaller compared to Realmuto. However, loved Dansby’s toughness in there Friday. This could be the year Kenton Whittington becomes a household name. Either way, not too worried about the Titans at this point.

3. Midwest City vs. Del City on Sept. 3 is going to be insane. After the Eagles’ first team offense was done for the night, the Bombers in attendance (many were there since MWC scrimmaged Thursday) started making some noise, and we almost had an impromptu meeting between the teams Friday night at Carl Albert. Since nothing happened, I can now say I just love the passion both teams are showing. Should be fun.

What caught your eye in Week 1?

Friday will be our annual zoned preview where we look at all the teams in the greater OKC area. And with that, comes various photo shoots. Much much better photos were taken ace photographer Nate Billings. These are just my teaser photos.

So I ask, would you mess with these guys?

Top: (L to R) - Heritage Hall's Quintaz Struble, Bishop McGuinness' Jamaal Whitney and Douglass' Devante McKinney. Bottom: Midwest City's Trevon Lewis, Del City's Chazten Gonzales and Carl Albert's Dwight Dobbins.

Good stuff early with Carl Albert and Del City and Owasso on Friday night at Carl Albert. Got a little testy toward the latter stages of the scrimmage between the Eagles and rival Midwest City (with a lot of players in attendance).

No harm, no foul. Just adding more fuel to a feud that doesn’t need any more fire when the teams meet in the season opener Sept. 3.

Eagles score on first play

Del City was fired up way before Friday night’s scrimmage against Owasso and Carl Albert at Carl Albert.

And it didn’t take long for the Eagles to strike. On their first play, quarterback and TCU commit Chazten Gonzales connected with senior Greg Johnson for a 65-yard touchdown to set the tone for the night.

“That wasn’t the play that we were supposed to be running, but I saw they had no safeties in the middle of the field,” Johnson said.

Del City coach Nick Warehime said he was pleased with the way the team ran to the ball defensively. The Eagles didn’t allow a score with their first team defense.

Titans come out healthy

It wasn’t better than what Carl Albert coach Gary Rose wanted, and it wasn’t worse. He was pleased the Titans came out healthy and liked the effort.

“The effort was definitely there tonight,” Rose said. “We have some depth issues and have to learn our assignments, but we played hard.”

The Titans were unable to score offensively, but running back Kenton Whittington did have a couple of solid carries.

Filling the gaps

Johnson a versatile threat for Eagles

The biggest question for the Del City offense entering the year is going to be who can fill the shoes of wide receivers Chris McAlister and Donavan Dan.

Senior Greg Johnson showed he will be one part of the equation. He took the first play from scrimmage 65 yards for a touchdown and took several short passes and turned them into big plays.

Johnson will also see time at running back with Adrian Fletcher and in the secondary on defense.

“I’ll play anywhere and do anything that is asked of me,” Johnson said.

Dansby a work in progress

Players didn’t come much tougher than former Carl Albert star J.T. Realmuto. He was a workhorse running and throwing the ball.

The Titans had a different look Friday as junior Dillan Dansby is only 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. However, he displayed good quickness and proved to be elusive when out in open space.

Carl Albert DB Dwight Dobbins

The Tulsa commit showed why he is one of the top defensive backs in the state.

He nearly intercepted one pass against Owasso. On the next play, the Rams went back to Dobbins, and he was right in position to knock it away.

Dobbins was never challenged again during the night.

Del City QB Chazten Gonzales

Gonzales and Greg Johnson almost stole the show with the first play, a 65-yard touchdown, but Gonzales impressed the rest of the night with his legs.

He had a 22-yard touchdown run for the Eagles other score and also added a 37-yard carry.

“There’s definitely room for improvement,” Gonzales said. “We know what we need to do.”

Del City OL Jamelle Naff

Naff catapulted to the top of the recruiting board this summer and showed why Friday night. His 6-foot-4 frame and more than 300 pounds helped pave the way for plenty of big plays for the Eagles.

“He’s a monster, no doubt about it,” Johnson said.

***

Back with more thoughts and analysis this weekend.

The spring and summer have been incredibly busy for Del City offensive lineman Jamelle Naff.

He picked up nine offers in seemingly no time but has narrowed his choices down to Missouri and Texas Christian.

The Tigers were the first team to offer the Eagles star and has been one of his favorites the entire process.

Naff said he hasn’t ruled out any new schools that might offer, but only Missouri and the Horned Frogs remain viable candidates of schools that have offered.

Earlier this summer, the 6-foo-4, 311-pounder said he plans to commit during the middle of his senior season. That is still the case unless something drastically changes.

Naff’s teammate, QB Chazten Gonzales, committed to TCU earlier this summer.

Boy oh boy, are we getting close. We’ve reached the top five of the Super 30, and by this time next week, you will have learned a lot about some of the top kids for the upcoming year.

But before we do that, let take a look back at the week that was for the Super 30…

No. 11 Davion Pierson, Millwood: A quiet kid off the field, Pierson is a beast on it. His stock is soaring thanks in large part to getting in much better shape heading into his senior season. For Scott Wright’s story on Pierson, go here.

No. 10 Austin Beck, Nowata: This Arkansas commit is one of the most imposing figures in the state. He’ll be playing offensive line in college, a position he hasn’t played too much of in HS. For Justin Harper’s story on Beck, go here.

No. 9 Jamelle Naff, Del City: He’s still getting accustomed to the attention and playing the recruiting game. You can’t blame him as less than three months ago, he had zero offers. Naff has eight now. For my story on Naff, go here.

No. 8 Garrett Gladd, Sallisaw: Sometimes it just hits you when you least expect it. Gladd figured he would be staying in the area but became enamored with Stanford on his visit and committed to the Cardinal. For Scott Wright’s story on Gladd, go here.

No. 7 Kevonte Richardson, Millwood: It all started with Richardson a long time ago when he was offered by UNLV as a freshman. A lot has changed since, but he’s still a hot commodity and a leader for the Falcons. For Ryan Aber’s story on Richardson, go here.

No. 6 Dominique Petties, Duncan: He might be the best athlete in the state when it comes to athleticism, and Oklahoma certainly has taken notice. Petties is right at home on a loaded Duncan squad and has several offers. For my story on Petties, go here.

No. 5 Kentrell Brothers, Guthrie: Robert Frost has the ‘road not taken.’ Well, Brothers story is one where every road is being traveled. A leader on and off the field, Brothers has accumulated 15 offers. For my story on Brothers, go here.

For much more on the Super 30 kids, including stories, bios, analysis, videos and more good stuff, keep it locked here on NewsOK.com.

Del City's Jamelle Naff has come out of nowhere to become a top prospect. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Missouri is known as the school that got the whole conference realignment talk started. It’s starting to become known as another thing in Oklahoma recruiting circles.

Just like Guthrie stud Kentrell Brothers, the Tigers were the first school to offer Del City offensive lineman Jamelle Naff. And just like Brothers (whose offer total is now a whopping 15), Naff has become a name for a list of who’s who in schools keeping an eye on him.

I’ve seen Naff play twice, but it felt good to be able to sit down and talk with the Eagles’ beast last week at our photo shoot.

You can tell the recruiting process is fun and stressful at the same time for him. “I’m just so new to it, you know.” In less than two months,  the offer count went from zero to eight. Not bad, huh?

The attention started last year with WR studs Chris McAlister and Donavan Dan, but it carried over in helping Naff and quarterback Chazten Gonzales into getting some looks.

Naff, like most Del City players, cannot wait for this year to start. Missing the playoffs last season is just something burnin’ in all of them right now.

Naff would like to visit Colorado, which I thought was interesting. Like most recruits, he had the ‘it’s good and bad’ approach to the Buffs going to the Pac-10.

He said it would stink, of course, because friends and family can’t see him play, but he would get the chance to go out west and play some new teams and visit new areas.

With Naff leading the way for Gonzales to throw and Greg Johnson to run, August and September cannot get here fast enough for Del City fans.

I’m excited to take over as the Mid-Del beat writer, and stud athletes like Del City’s Chazten Gonzales is just one reason why.

The Eagles were easily the best team to not make the playoffs last year at 7-3, and it’s a fact not lost on this year’s group.

Gonzales openly admits replacing Donavan Dan and Chris McAlister is going to be extremely tough, but he’s a year smarter and should prove to be one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

He committed to TCU last week, saying the biggest reason was the fact Del City and TCU both run the same offense. Right now he’s being looked at as a QB, which he loves. However, Gonzales said he’ll do whatever the team needs.

Gonzales just looked a little more confident at the OKVarsity.com camp and definitely belonged in that bunch. A host of Eagles were there so that may have made it that much easier for him.

Here’s a short video with Gonzales.

Having some real problems with videos right now, so here’s a link to the vid, sorry.

This feels like ages ago after Millwood’s Josh Turner committing to Texas for football and Edmond Memorial’s Drew Dahlberg committing to Oklahoma for baseball all in the same time period.

But a ‘long’ time ago (try Saturday early afternoon), I was pumped about the one-day camp that OKVarsity.com held at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa.

For the record, that was my first time at the Stadium, not bad. More than 50 players participated in the three-hour event.

Without question, the quarterbacks were the story of the day. Not necessarily because of their performances (though they were good), but because six top QBs were there: Del City’s Chazten Gonzales, Jenks’ Sawyer Kollmorgen, Shawnee’s Brayle Brown, Yukon’s Corben Jones, Booker T.’s Jordy Albert and Bridge Creek’s Ryan Spangler.

That was the first time I’ve seen Jones and Albert so now I get it. Albert was one of the QBs in the Steve Clarkson Dreammaker Tour while Jones is just going to be a junior at Yukon. Spangler is so tall – something you really can’t appreciate until you see him. It will be interesting to see if his future is in football or basketball.

I kinda strayed away from the usual suspects as took this opportunity to get to know some of the Tulsa-area kids who I won’t get to see too often.

Tulsa East Central had a couple of real standouts in WR Dinazzio Teague and DE Ashton Dandy. I felt Teague had one of the best camps of anybody there. But keep in mind, I didn’t get to pinpoint all 50 kids, and it was easier to gauge how the QB/WRs were doing than anybody else.

What impressed me most about Teague wasn’t so much his speed (though he is fast), but it was his ability to get separation from the defenders. Teague is receiving interest from Texas Tech, among others.

Dandy will be playing DE for the Cardinals but looks more suited to be at linebacker in college. Very impressive physically (passed the eye test) and also had a strong day.

Muskogee already has one top DB for this year in Kyler Harris, but I was impressed by the work ethic and ability of junior Victor Williams. For my money (which isn’t much, by the way), Williams and Teague’s battles were the highlight of my day.

Over at Tulsa Edison, it was John Phillip Hughes who caught my eye. He’s a big boy, about 6-4 and 230 pounds or so, but he showed some real good movement.

Some of your Super 30 kids were in attendance: It was good to see Derrick Alexander of Booker T. and Trent Martin of Jenks. Steven Carpenter of Jenks was there but did not participate. He may have stolen the show if he’d been healthy.

Caught some linemen drills, not too much. I admit I couldn’t identify most of the Tulsa-area ones, but it was good to see Westmoore’s Tyler Newton and Bethany’s Darren Davenport and Hennessey’s Derrick Luetjen again. Newton has a real motor to go with his nice size.

There were 15 juniors there, and I paid close attention to Midwest City’s James Flanders and Putnam North’s Dre Holman. Really think before the end of this year those two names are going to be mentioned at all times when talking about the best of 2012.

Special thanks to OKVarsity.com publisher Justin Mitchell for orchestrating the event and all his assistance.

Look for videos with Westmoore’s Tyler Newton, Del City’s Chazten Gonzales and Yukon’s Corben Jones on NewsOK in the next day or two.

Team Oklahoma at the Great Southwest Track & Field Classic

First off, thanks to Airick Johnson of Del City for sharing some photos of the Oklahoma team that competed in the Great Southwest Track & Field Classic a week ago at the University of New Mexico.

The Okies came through with some strong performances, including gold medals for a couple of Ardmore kids.

Ryan Minkley won the shot put with a throw of 59-10 1/2 and JyWayne Allen won the 400 meters in a time of 47.86 seconds.

Claremore’s Dwayne Golbeck was second in the high jump at 7-0.  Tuttle’s Aspen Marical was third in the 300 hurdles at 44.37.

The podium of the 110-meter hurdles at the Great Southwest, with Del City's Airick Johnson in second place and Guthrie's Emmanuel Robinson in fourth.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Walter Henderson was second in the Elite 200 meters at 21.50 and sixth in the Elite 100 at 10.81. Johnson was second in the 110 hurdles at 14.14 and Guthrie’s Emmanuel Robinson was fourth in the same event at 14.30. Robinson also took sixth in the regular 100.

That barely touches on all the podium finishes and other standout performances by Oklahomans last week. Here are the full results from this year’s Great Southwest Track & Field Classic.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Well, that didn’t take long. Del City dual-threat quarterback Chazten Gonzales didn’t waste anytime in committing to TCU this weekend.

Gonzales impressed the Horned Frogs at a camp earlier this month and received the offer not too long after.

He turned heads last season (especially early in the year) with his passing and running. This year will be a real test to see what he can do without Chris McAlister and Donavan Dan.

Gonzales’ size and athletic ability made him a hot commodity, but he found a good fit with the Frogs and decided to end any drama.

Looks like it’s going to be a busy summer/fall for the Eagles. To go with Gonzales, Del City has one of the top recruits in the state in OL Jamelle Naff. And as I said Friday, Naff also has an offer from TCU.

With all the attention on Del City wide receivers Donavan Dan and Chris McAlister last year, it was only bound to happen that QB Chazten Gonzales would start to get some love, too.

It’s happening as Gonzales earned his first offer recently from TCU. Gonzales is definitely someone who can hurt you with his legs, but I prefer to see him air it out.

He’s got real good size for a QB at 6-2 so you know the scouts are liking that. Gonzales threw for more than 2,400 yards last year but did have problems with interceptions. It will be crucial for him (and the team) to make that number take a dip. He also ran for more than 400 yards.

Teammate Jamelle Naff, an offensive lineman, has the Horned Frogs as one of his eight offers.

It was such a nice, laid back atmosphere Tuesday night in Moore that none of those track stars minded some skinny little dude coming up to them with a video camera for a short video.

Well, I took a bunch. Just like the All-State football days and stuff, always great to see the kids when they’re totally relaxed because everything is over. No more competitions to worry about, time to have fun.

So here ya go track aficionados (all are links to the videos with the kids):

Michael Ervin, Millwood.

Lacey Rhodes, Mustang.

Emmanuel Robinson, Guthrie.

Airick Johnson, Del City.

Tyler Wisby, Douglass.

Gunnar Nixon, Edmond Santa Fe.

Now for the real fun to begin as a number of these kids will be even busier in the summer than they were in the spring. You can help us out. If you know of big meets either in the area or that Oklahoma kids will be running in, drop us a line.

I almost couldn’t believe it myself Tuesday night at Moore. But yea, that was the first track meet I’ve ever been to. Gotta say, thought it was pretty cool. Tennis and baseball conflicts keep me from seeing track.

Also gotta say that seeing the Tournament of Champions for your first event is the way to go. Had a lot of fun. It’s a great idea and wish more sports would go forward with it. Hope to be able to catch the golf one here in two weeks.

Obviously, the biggest disappointment was the absence of Southmoore. The SaberCats earned the school’s first state championship Monday night at Tulsa East Central and dem boys were a-hurtin’ Tuesday.

Runners from Del City, Guthrie, Edmond Santa Fe, among others, all expressed the disappointment. You always want to see where you stack up against the best of the best and this event gave most a shot at that.

The event kinda became a 4A-A tournament as those boys and girls were quite rested and ready to go. Impressed with the turnout for the event. Moore is a real nice site for the event and thought the passion and desire was still there though the only thing on the line was bragging rights.

That list is now down to one. Never been to a high school volleyball match yet. Hmm, maybe I’ll get a chance in the fall.

Thoughts and observations

- Most impressed with Beggs freshman Regan Ward. She is phenomenal in the distance races. She does some funky things with her hand motions, but she is clearly in a class of her own when it comes to the 1,600 and 3,200.

- Now I get what the fuss is all about with Guthrie’s Emmanuel Robinson. In fact, now I understand about the whole Bluejays team. Guthrie was one of the few 5A-6A squads that came out in full force.

- Most fun to talk to was Douglass star Tyler Wisby. Get her in front of a camera, and she was just having fun. It doesn’t hurt when you’re as dominant as her, either. Also, big kudos to the Douglass 1,600 relay team as they were doing cartwheels and chest bumpin’ and jumpin’ up and down on the podium. Good stuff.

- Danielle Nowell of Plainview is a freak of nature. I mean it’s not even close in the pole vault. Very interesting to see what she will do for an encore her senior year.

- The showdown with Del City’s Airick Johnson and Santa Fe’s Gunnar Nixon was cool in the 110 hurdles. Johnson, just like he did at state, edged the Wolves’ star. Nixon’s anchor leg in the 1,600 relay was one of the best things I’ve seen recently. So smooth, so effortless. Word on the street was he was clocked at a 46.8 split. Sure felt like it from here.

- Really great that this event was brought back. Definitely looking forward to next year where maybe more 5A-6A kids can rest up and be ready to go, too.

Del City offensive lineman Jamelle Naff received his first Division I offer early this week when Missouri extended the senior-to-be an offer.

Naff, 6-foot-4, 311 pounds, played a big part in Del City’s 7-3 season last year.

“It’s a great thing for Del City,” Eagles coach Nick Warehime said. “I expect him to be a dominant offensive lineman for us next year.”

Naff is being recruited to Missouri by former Tuttle and Oklahoma State standout offensive lineman Josh Henson.

It didn’t take Tim Stogsdill long to land on his feet.

Stogsdill, who was fired earlier this month as the boys basketball coach at Putnam West, is expected to be named Del City’s boys basketball coach Monday.

Stogsdill met with the team Friday at the school.

Stogsdill met with the team Friday at the school.

“He seems like he knows how to win and he’s willing to put in the work to be successful,” Eagles junior Drew Smith said. “But at the same time, he’s not all about winning. He knows that there are other important things.”

Stogsdill replaces Allen Dukes, who was fired last month after 27 years as the Eagles’ coach.

Del City looks like a team that could be primed for a breakthrough year soon.

The Eagles went 13-11 last season with a team made up entirely of underclassmen. Del City beat state tournament qualifier Norman North twice.

“We can be very good,” Smith said. “We’ve got great chemistry now and looking for big things.”

Stogsdill was not retained as the Patriots coach despite taking Putnam West to the state tournament for the first time since 1977 and just the second time in the school’s history.

A pair of players from that team have signed to play Division I basketball next year–Tyler Neal with Oklahoma and Amric Fields with TCU.

But the Patriots’ 22-win season was marred by a pair of eligibility issues during the season.

First, West was forced to forfeit five games from December for the use of an ineligible player during the 2008-09 season after the school did not file the proper paperwork on the player.

Then last month, Stogsdill was suspended for the first game of the state tournament after an academically ineligible player suited up for the Patriots first playoff game.

The player did not play and when Stogsdill became aware of the situation, the player did not return to the bench for the second half.

The Patriots won their opener of the state tournament before falling to Midwest City in the semifinals.

After Stogsdill was relieved of his coaching duties at West, Putnam City Schools director of communications Steve Lindley would not comment on whether the action was related to the two incidents.

At Edmond Santa Fe
Wednesday
Game 1: Del City vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Southmoore vs. Putnam City, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m. (if necessary)

Registration for the combine is $35 at the event or $25 online before the event.

Check in begins at 8:30 a.m. and warm ups begin at 9:30.

Athletes participating in the combine will be tested in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical leap, kneeling power ball toss and bench press.

Nearly 150 athletes are already signed up for the event. Last year’s inaugural combine drew more than 170.

Players who stand out at Saturday’s event will be invited to an invitation-only All-State combine in May. That combine will feature position drills, one-on-ones and seven-on-seven drills.

At least four members of the Oklahoman’s Super 30 are signed up for the event, including Edmond Memorial wide receiver Kameron Doolittle, ranked No. 9 on the list.

Midwest City defensive end Trevon Lewis (No. 13), Edmond Memorial defensive tackle Connor Myers (No. 24) and Hennessey defensive end Derrick Luetjen (No. 25) are also signed up for the combine.

Some other notable names scheduled to participate:

Adrian Fletcher, Del City, RB
Chazten Gonzalez, Del City, QB
Dre Holman, Putnam North, RB
Greg Austin, Midwest City, QB
Jamell Naff, Del City, DL
Prince McJunkins, Wagoner, QB
Shon Bridges, Douglass, QB

McCullough graduated in 1997 from Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, where he played basketball for the Savage Storm. He has been the head coach at Sherman High since 2001, leading his team to 25 or more wins four of the last five years and a regional semifinal appearance in 2009. He was named district coach of the year five of the last seven seasons.

Wes Clark resigned in March after eight seasons as the Norman boys coach. The Tigers were 5-17 last season.

Del City and Edmond North are still looking for boys coaches.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

The Mid-Del Player of the Week is Del City track standout Airick Johnson. First, Johnson won both the 110 hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles at Tuesday’s meet at Shawnee’s Oklahoma Baptist University. He ran a 14.31 in the 110, more than a second better than the runner up. Two days later at the Edmond Santa Fe meet, Johnson again swetp the hurdles events, dropping his 110 time to 14.08 and besting the runner-up in the 300 by nearly a second and a half.

His time in the 110 hurdles was the best in Class 6A so far this season. He has the second-best 300 hurdles time in the state this season, set earlier this year.

OTHERS:
Brittany Reid, Midwest City: Reid won the 100 with a time of 12.27 at the Edmond Santa Fe meet, then won the long jump with a jump of 17 feet 7.75 feet. Reid also won the 100 at the OBU meet Tuesday.

Kalicia Williams, Midwest City: Williams won the shot put at both of her meets last week, first taking first at Tuesday’s OBU meet with a throw of 40 feet 11 1/2 inches. She didn’t need as long of a throw to win at Edmond Santa Fe, winning with a throw of 38 feet 4 inches.

Have a Mid-Del Player of the Week nominee? E-mail raber@opubco.com.

The game, featuring all-star teams from Oklahoma and Texas, will be played June 12 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Two players on the Oklahoma team will be heading to Texas to play for Big 12 teams–Clinton’s Delans Griffin (Texas Tech) and Midwest City’s Dominque Jones (Baylor).

Other notable names on the team include Oklahoman All-State running back Darwin Rideau of Star Spencer, Southmoore’s Mason Myers and Del City’s wide receiver tandem of Chris McAlester and Donavan Dan.

Kingfisher’s Jeff Myers will coach the team.

Last year’s game was canceled due to lightning in the area.

Oklahoma roster

QB: Jack Cameron, Tulsa Kelley; Matt Oberste, Sallisaw

RB: Delans Griffin, Clinton; Darwin Rideau, Star Spencer

WR: Donavan Dan, Del City; Joe Dowdell, Tulsa Kelley; Chris McAlester, Del City; Ronnie Price, Broken Arrow; Trey Wiley, Sallisaw; Jordan Woods, Kingfisher

OL: D.J. Brown, Lawton; Kevin Duke, Shawnee; Cohle Fowler, Verdigris; Alec Henry, Tulsa Union; Mason Myers, Southmoore; Tanner Nerby, Enid; Jarrett Richert, Clinton, John Saint, Tulsa Kelley; James Stephens, Broken Arrow

DL: Justin Butterfield, Bartlesville; Devon Harris, Lawton MacArthur; Dominique Jones, Midwest City; Sonny Puletasi, Lawton; James Renfrow, Broken Arrow; Lamares Shields, Del City; Kyle Williams, Broken Bow

LB: Ethan Biddy, Tuttle; Rhett Blundell, Kingfisher; Mike Lunsford, Catoosa; Emmanuel Maxwell, Midwest City; Jericho Rogers, Davis

DB: Dustin Bohanan, Guthrie; Nelson Medeiros, Edmond Memorial; James Roberson, Tulsa Union; Luke Snider, Tulsa Union; Markell Walker, Carl Albert

K/P: Cole Way, Tulsa Union

Coaches: Jeff Myers, Kingfisher; Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Brad Farrow, Broken Arrow

One notable effect from the change to Saturday rather than Friday for the meet was a drop in fan attendance and athlete participation. In talking to some athletes and coaches, there were a lot of kids gone taking the ACT, and several schools held their prom on Saturday, so some kids chose that over track. I have absolutely no basis for this, only a gut feeling, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go back to Friday next spring.

Anyway, on to the performances. Some of the following has appeared in the newspaper, some if it hasn’t, but all of it was entertaining:

Southmoore blazes to relay, wins team title 

From a coach’s perspective, Southmoore’s boys 400-meter relay run was slowed by a bad start and two poor baton handoffs. On the clock, it was almost a state record.

The team of Julian Wilson, D’Vante Henry, Ethan Baker and Derek Serowski logged a time of 41.10 to win the event, only a fraction off the state record time of 40.96, which is held by Lawton MacArthur’s 1983 state championship relay team.

The SaberCats only earned gold in two other events — taking the top two spots in the 100-meter and 200-meter runs — but that was good enough for 76 team points and a one-point win over Edmond Memorial in the Division 1 boys competition at the John Jacobs High School Track Invitational Saturday at the University of Oklahoma.

John Marshall won less dramatically in Division 2 boys with 138 points, 63 points better than second-place Ada.

The Bears won gold in the 800 and 1,600 relays. Emmanuel Denson won the 300 hurdles and the Bears swept the top three spots in the 400, led by Elijah Gill’s winning time of 50.86.

Piedmont girls seeking repeat

With only seven girls who qualified for the Class 4A state meet last year, Piedmont still found a way to win. Five of those athletes are back this season, and Trinity Johnson’s team is looking for another title.

The 4A girls field is deep, with teams like Douglass, Seminole and last year’s runner-up, Madill. But the Lady Wildcats are off to a good start, winning Division 2 Saturday by 40 points, despite it being just their third meet of the year.

“A lot of things have to happen to win state, but with the girls we have, we should be in the hunt,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a good mixture of sprint and distance runners.”

And they got a boost from Madison Berryman, who won the Division 2 long jump Saturday at 17-0 ¾ in her first meet of the year. She missed the first two while participating with the tennis team. Sarah Peoples (200 meters), Megan Fuller (300 hurdles) and Jori Davis (1,600) all won events and Piedmont took gold in the 800 relay.

Tulsa Union dominated girls’ Division 1 with a 70-point victory, winning in five individual runs and three relays.

‘Eventful day’ for Guthrie’s Robinson

At a typical meet, Emmanuel Robinson would run a leg of the 400-meter relay, but none of the other three sprinters attended Saturday’s event. They were back in Guthrie preparing for prom Saturday night.

“I figured I’d come here, get a few races in, then go to prom,” Robinson said. “This is one of the meets where you see where everybody is, so I wanted to see where I stood.

“It’s an eventful day.”

And a successful one, too. Robinson clocked the best time of any runner in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.46 seconds and won the 100 in Division 2 (Class 5A and below) at 10.97. He didn’t run the 300 hurdles — usually his third individual race — but finished second in the 200, an event he generally doesn’t compete in.

“The 200 is really more like a good workout,” he said. “It helps me in the 100.” 

Battle developing in boys’ 400 meters

Just a sophomore, Edmond Memorial’s Isaiah Duke has won the 400 meters at national junior track meets, but he’s got a battle on his hands if he’s going to win it at state this year.

On Saturday, Duke ran a personal best time of 47.73 seconds, diving over the line just ahead of Southmoore’s Ethan Baker at 47.75.

Both times were better than anything that’s been recorded at a Class 6A meet this season.

“That was a great race,” Memorial coach Chris Lowrey said. “Those two guys will see each other a couple more times, at conference and probably at state.”

Depth carries John Marshall boys

John Marshall’s biggest advantage in Class 4A boys track isn’t just its talent, but the wealth of talent, particularly in the sprints.

Competing in Division 2 (Class 5A and below), the Bears won two of the three relays at the John Jacobs Invitational Saturday, which will be a key in their pursuit of a state title.

The Bears are led by Emmanuel Denson, Miles Jackson and Elijah Gill, all of whom contribute in sprints and relays.

“If you get the big points in the relays, that sets you up,” coach Marvin Dantzler said. “We’ve got some depth. We’re strong in the shot put, the hurdles and the relays. We feel pretty confident with our depth. Our concern right now is staying healthy.”

Helker wins again

Edmond North’s Hannah Helker continues to dominate the 800, winning it again to break up the gold-medal run of Tulsa Union, which won every open run except the 800 and all but one relay.

Del City’s Johnson sweeps hurdles

He only gets to spend about two hours a week practicing on a track while Del City lays a new track surface, but Airick Johnson still found a way to succeed Saturday, winning both the 110 and 300 hurdles in the 6A division.

Because of his limited practice time, Johnson says he uses meets for extra practice to work on his technique, which is vitally important in the hurdles.

Yukon makes most of trip

Coming off two straight team victories at Putnam City and its own meet in Yukon, the Millers didn’t send a full squad to the John Jacobs, but they made their performances count.

Yukon’s Tanner Ramsey (14 feet) and Ethan Coughlan (13-6) took the top two spots in the pole vault. And junior Kollin Retter competed in the 110 and 300 hurdles, scoring points with a fifth-place finish in the 300.

Memorial’s Sammons comes through with big throws

The fact that Edmond Memorial’s Chase Sammons finished second in the discus was pretty shocking, considering his throw of 174 feet, 10 inches was 12 feet farther than any 6A boy had thrown all season. Devin Randall of Bartlesville edged him by 1 foot, 8 inches to win gold, but Sammons turned in a strong all-around performance, also finishing third in the shot put.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Special thanks to Edmond Memorial coach Shane Cowherd for passing along the info. That really tells you about the job Dewayne Bradley did with the Bombers this year. The conference player award went to Obi Emegano of Memorial and the offensive player award went to Southmoore’s Brandon Lucas. But it was the Bombers who were playing for the gold ball.

Conference Player of the Year: Obi Emegano (Edmond Memorial)

Defensive Player of the Year:  Trez Colbert (Midwest City)

Offensive Player of the Year: Brandon Lucas (Southmoore)

Newcomer of the Year: Chris Stevenson (Del City)

Coach of the Year: Dewayne Bradley (Midwest City)

1st Team:
Obi Emegano (Edmond Memorial) JR
Xavier McClish (Midwest City) SR
Brandon Lucas (Southmoore) JR
Austin Haywood (Southmoore) SR
Patrick Schaefer (Norman North) JR
Jared Boersma (Norman) SR

2nd Team:
Trez Colbert (Midwest City)  JR
Chris Stevenson (Del City) JR
Tilford Thornton (Southmoore) JR
Trael Colbert (Midwest City) JR
Jared Jobe (Edmond Memorial) JR

3rd Team:
Dalton Mitchell (Norman North) SR
Austin Pulliam (Westmoore) JR
James Woodard (Edmond Memorial) SO
Colton Coale (Norman) SR
Jarod Beal (Norman North) SR

Honorable Mention:
A.J Holland (Del City) SO
Abram Cobb (Moore) SR
Matt Southard (Norman North) JR
Kalen Parks (Midwest City) SR
Jordan Thomas (Edmond Memorial) SO

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

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

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

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

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

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

So this week it’s a split title with junior Jacob Lusch, sophomore Brandon Hughes, junior Eric Waggoner and senior Jared Porter sharing the honors.

Lusch, at 112 pounds, defeated Durant’s Nate Crawford 4-3 to win the title.

Lusch (26-5) will start his title quest against Miami’s Eli Hale on Friday at the state wrestling tournament.

At 119 pounts, Hughes (22-6) outlasted Altus’ Matt Wilhite 13-8 in the regional final. He will wrestle Tahlequah’s Jacob Russell in the opening round.

Wagoner (26-6) neat out Southeast’s Jemuel Duran 2-1 in the regional final. He’ll wrestle Skaitook’s Alex Allen in the state tournament opener at 130 pounds.

Porter, the lone senior in the bunch and a Western Michigan signee, had a close match with Altus’ Jeremy Delzer in the 145-pound finals, finally beating Delzer 2-1.

Porter (35-1) will take on Harrah’s Richard Griffin in the first round of the state tournament.

Look after the jump for other Mid-Del athletes who had impressive weeks last week:

Others
Trez Colbert, Midwest City: Last week’s Mid-Del Player of the Week had a game-high 24 points in a win over Midwest City, then scored 15 in a win over Norman.

Larry Cunningham, Carl Albert: Cunningham scored 23 in Tuesday’s overtime win over Deer Creek, then scored 18 in a 68-62 win over El Reno in the Titans’ regular-season final on Friday. Both were good for team highs.

Tray Dorrell, Del City: The junior (23-1) qualified for the state tournament as the second seed from the East regional, taking Tulsa Union’s Josh Walker to the wire before Walker came out with a 3-2 win. Dorrell will take on Edmond Santa Fe’s Brett Dunning in the opening round of the 6A tournament.

Mariah Jackson, Del City: Jackson scored nine in a Tuesday win over Norman North, then scored a team-high 18 in a five-point win over Southmoore on Friday.

Richa Jackson, Midwest City: Jackson scored a game-high 15 in a Tuesday win over Norman, then had 20 in a Friday win over Moore.

Blake Lam, Carl Albert: The junior (25-8) qualified for the Class 5A state tournament, where he’ll open against Tulsa Edison’s Patrick O’Brien.

Kylie Mays, Carl Albert: Mays scored a team-high 14 and played dominant defensive on the interior in a win over El Reno on Friday. In Tuesday’s eight-point win over Deer Creek, Mays scored 12.

Xavier McClish, Midwest City: McClish led the Bombers with 16 points in a 29-point win over Norman, a few days after scored 23 in a win over Moore.

Chris Stevenson, Del City: Stevenson scored 47 points in a pair of wins last week, scored 26 in an overtime loss to Southmoore on Friday. On Tuesday, Stevenson had 21 in a 51-46 win over Norman North.

Karlton Tallbear, Midwest City: The Bombers’ senior (24-6) won the Class 6A consolation finals, beating Muskogee’s Dylan Fields 5-3. He’ll open the state tournament against Shawnee’s Zane Talton.

The Mid-Del Player of the week is Midwest City’s Trez Colbert. The Bombers might not be entering the postseason as one of the favorites in Class 6A but Dewayne Bradley’s team has been coming on strong down the stretch.

In a 20-point win over Edmond Memorial on Tuesday, Colbert scored 24 of Midwest City’s 67 points.

He followed that up with a 23-point performance in an overtime win over Southmoore on the road Friday night. The Bombers and Sabercats are likely to meet in the Class 6A Regionals next week.

Others:
Larry Cunningham, Carl Albert: Cunningham scored 30 of the Titans 55 points in a loss to Western Heights on Saturday. He finished the week averaging nearly 20 points in the Titans three games last week.

Richa Jackson, Midwest City: This award could go to Jackson most any week. Last week, the Duke signee scored 23 in a win over Edmond Memorial and then added 21 in a win at Southmoore.

Kylie Mayes, Carl Albert: Mayes scored 13 in a win over Guthrie, then added eight more in Saturday’s win over Piedmont.

Xavier McClish, Midwest City: McClish scored 11 in both Bombers games last week.

Chris Stevenson, Del City: Stevenson averaged nearly 12 points a game last week as the Eagles went 3-0 with wins over Westmoore, Moore and Norman.

Kaylon Williams, Midwest City: Williams averaged 16.5 points in a pair of steady performances last week for the No. 1 Bombers.

The first-round will be played Thursday, Feb. 25

WEST

At Midwest City
Mustang vs. Yukon
Midwest City vs. U.S. Grant

At Putnam City
Norman vs. Moore
Putnam City vs. Lawton Eisenhower

At Edmond Santa Fe
Lawton vs. Southmoore
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Putnam West

At Edmond North
Choctaw vs. Del City
Edmond North vs. Westmoore

EAST

At Norman North
Sand Springs vs. Putnam North
Norman North vs. Bixby

At Jenks
Ponca City vs. Broken Arrow
Jenks vs. Muskogee

At Shawnee
Owasso vs. Enid
Shawnee vs. Stillwater

At Tulsa Union
Edmond Memorial vs. Sapulpa
Tulsa Union vs. Bartlesville

First-round games will be played Friday, Feb. 26

WEST

At Edmond Santa Fe
Del City vs. Lawton
Edmond Santa Fe vs. U.S. Grant

At Midwest City
Southmoore vs. Norman
Midwest City vs. Westmoore

At Putnam City
Lawton Eisenhower vs. Edmond North
Putnam City vs. Yukon

At Putnam West
Choctaw vs. Mustang
Putnam West vs. Moore

EAST

At Broken Arrow
Enid vs. Bixby
Broken Arrow vs. Shawnee

At Norman North
Putnam North vs. Sapulpa
Norman North vs. Sand Springs

At Edmond Memorial
Jenks vs. Stillwater
Edmond Memorial vs. Owasso

At Muskogee
Tulsa Union vs. Ponca City
Bartlesville vs. Muskogee

It’s hard to argue with Justin Harper’s selection of Midwest City standout and Duke signee Richa Jackson as his player of the week.

Jackson has been steady throughout the season and was again in Friday’s 59-35 win over No. 5 Norman North. Jackson had a game-high 18 points, forced six turnovers and was instrumental in a 26-7 third-period run that put the game away.

Jackson isn’t the only reason Midwest City is the favorite to win the Class 6A state championship next month, but she’s a big reason. She’s among 6A’s best in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks.

Others
Larry Cunningham, Carl Albert: Cunningham scored 21 in Carl Albert’s 66-52 win over Shawnee on Friday night.

Airick Johnson, Del City: Johnson won the 55-meter hurdles at the state indoor track championships in Enid over the weekend, with a time of 7.63 seconds.

Dillion Johnson: The Midwest City football standout won the triple jump at the track championships, with a jump of 40 feet, 11.75 inches.

Kendall Parks, Midwest City: Parks didn’t score in Midwest City’s 44-40 win over Norman North but he was instrumental in the No. 8 Bombers coming out with the win. Parks held Norman North’s Patrick Schaefer without a field goal as Midwest City came back from a halftime deficit to win on the road.

Diquan Peace, Del City: Peace won the 55-meter dash at the state indoor track championships in Enid, with a time of 6.62 seconds.

Brittany Reid, Midwest City: Reid won the long jump in the weekend’s state indoor track championships in Enid, with a jump of 16 feet, 4.5 inches.

Darien Roberts, Del City: Roberts won the 55-meter hurdles at the weekend’s state indoor track championships in Enid, with a time of 9.64 seconds.

Jason Thompson, Midwest City: Thompson won the 800-meter run at the championships with a time of 2:06.53.

Kalicia Williams, Midwest City: Williams won the shot put at the state indoor track championships with a throw of 36 feet, 10 inches.

At least three Oklahoman All-Staters have yet to decide where they will play college football.

Still pondering things are Midwest City linebacker Emmanuel Maxwell, Del City wide receiver Donavan Dan and Star Spencer running back Darwin Rideau.

With the possible exception of Dan, the group is likely to end up at junior colleges. Rideau certainly would’ve wound up at a Division I school had he qualified and Maxwell is on the fence academically and would’ve received moer Division I attention had he been a sure-thing qualifier (and an extra couple of inches of height certainly would’ve helped).

Despite some reports, neither Maxwell or Dan have signed with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. NEO is certainly a tempting place but they’re both pondering several options. Dan is considering walking on at a Division I school.

Also, Millwood’ s Trayvon Henry signed at Butler County Communicty College. Henry was briefly committed to OU and was committed to Kansas as well before academic and other issues changed things. If Henry goes to junior college and takes care of things there in the classroom and doesn’t have any other issues, there’s little doubt he’ll wind up with another chance in Division I football. He might’ve been the best defensive player in the state before a suspension after week two kept him out for nine games.

Some quick signing day news and notes from the players who are going out of state to play Division I football:

-The Dallas Morning News counts both Clinton’s Delans Griffin and Carl Albert’s Tre Porter as players that can have an immediate impact at Texas Tech: Red Raiders Make A Case for Defense With Their Class

-From Texas Tech running backs coach Chad Scott: “Delans has great quickness and great hands. He catches the ball well in the flat and has the ability turn upfield quickly. Delans has the speed to get around the end when he carries the ball. We are excited to have him in this offense.”

-From Texas Tech defensive coordinator James Willis: “Tre’Vante is an outstanding football player. He has great ball skills, and when combined with his size and explosiveness, make him a dangerous player. Tre’Vante is the prototypical corner that will do well at the college level.”

-The Waco Tribune-Herald features capsules of Baylor’s signing class, including Midwest City defensive lineman Dominque Jones and Lawton MacArthur defensive back Tuswani Copeland. They also feature comments from Bears coach Art Briles on the two: Meet the New Baylor Bears

-Mack Brown talked about Tulsa Central’s Demarco Cobbs at length:

On Demarco Cobbs playing running back: He and I will make that decision. We’re obviously in a position where we want to run the ball better and we’ve been talking about it and we haven’t done it, so we’re going to find a group of running backs and if we aren’t satisfied coming out of spring, Traylon will be a tailback for us, and we do feel like when you look at Demarco, he can play safety, he could play outside linebacker, I think he’s about 215 [pounds], he could play wide receiver, he could play in the flex position inside or he could play tailback. There are so many things he can do. What I honestly told him, because he’s a quarterback, is just trust me and when you come in we’ll let you play a couple of different spots when you start. He wants to play next year, so I’ll try my best to find a place where he can get on the field and help us. He can return kickoffs or sure, I haven’t seen him catch punts, some can and some can’t, but those are things that he might do as well.

On Cobbs being offered a scholarship as a quarterback: I think everybody offered him like we did. Everybody sees what you saw, and we all have to figure out what he does best. The only thing he told me is, “I want to play early. I’d rather play offense than defense if that chance is available,” and that’s it. He really doesn’t know where he wants to play or what he would play best, he just wants to play.

-The Columbia Tribune quotes Missouri assistant coach David Yost talking about Edmond North’s Xavier Smith: Missouri football recruits

-The Morning News also writes that Madill standout Darryl Fields fills an immediate need for Southern Methodist: Jones says SMU class is best he’s had in college football

-New Mexico football coach Mike Locksley on Del City defensive lineman J.J. Hugine: “J.J. fits coach Rubin Carter’s mold on the line. He is a tall, long athletic kid with good lower-body strength and he can really run. From a skill level, he has an explosive first step as a defensive end. He has tremendous quickness and explosive burst out of his stance. He’s a great pass rusher.”

-Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News Bureau wrote about the Razorbacks’ class, which included several last minute additions from Oklahoma. Former OU standout Garrick McGee, now the Hogs’ offensive coordinator, is a big reason for the Razorbacks’ strong finish in the state: Arkansas gets defensive on signing day

-The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a video that discusses the same thing, with comments from Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, recruiting coordinator Tim Horton and McGee: Arkansas’ McGee, Petrino discuss Oklahoma recruiting

-Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild on Southmoore’s Mason Myers: “He is out of Southmoore High School, right outside Oklahoma City. He is a true center, which is a nice thing to get occasionally, particularly in a class of four linemen. It’s nice to get a true center. He was all-state in the state of Oklahoma, over a 4.0 student, was a power lifter and has a big upside and I think he has a chance to come in here and make his mark pretty early.”

-Wyoming assistant coach Jason Ray on Lawton’s Sonny Puletasi: “A very athletic player that can get off the ball really well.”