Kelly Gregg, center, talks to Edmond North football coach Jeremy Dombek, left, after Gregg's jersey was retired Tuesday. PHOTO BY JASON KERSEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

EDMOND — Kelly Gregg was back in his hometown Tuesday night to be honored at a halftime ceremony during Edmond North’s boys’ basketball game.

Gregg’s Jersey No. 71 was retired by the school.

The longtime NFL veteran and former Oklahoma Sooner said he hasn’t officially announced it yet, but will likely retire after spending the 2011-12 season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent the vast majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens.

After Tuesday’s ceremony, he talked about his high school career, his pro career and using his doubters as motivation in a video.

A note about the video: During the ceremony, it was announced that Gregg had the longest NFL career of any former Sooner, and I asked him about it on the video. After doing some research, that isn’t exactly correct. The length of time from when his career began to when it ended is the longest, but he spent a couple years on Baltimore’s practice squad and wasn’t an active-roster player. Tony Casillas played more seasons on an active NFL roster.

Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson is part of an impressive Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Class of 2012. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN

Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson isn’t used to competing for playing time.

After signing Wednesday with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, he’ll have to put in extra work as he fights for carries with other top backs the Norsemen signed.

“I’m gonna love that,” Wilson said. “I’ve never really had to compete for carries, so getting pushed and competing every day will make me better.”

Putnam City running back Casey Curtis, who rushed for 1,805 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, signed with NEO on Wednesday, as did Edmond North’s Jared Benway and Broken Bow’s Eric Dockins.

Wilson rushed for 3,335 yards and set state records with 57 rushing and 64 total touchdowns as a senior on Anadarko’s first state championship football team.

After the season, he was named The Oklahoman’s 2011 All-State Offensive Player of the Year.

Dale Patterson first recruiting class in his second stint as NEO’s coach was impressive beyond running backs.

NEO signed three top Oklahoma high school quarterbacks in McAlester’s Tony Kiefer, Owasso’s Kason Key and Mustang’s Brandon Taylor.

Four Edmond North seniors — Benway, tight end Troy Davis and offensive linemen Trevor Barron and Will Wiedenmann — also signed with NEO.

Other city-area prospects who signed with the Norsemen include Midwest City defensive back Ronnie Davis, Oklahoma Christian School kicker Keegan Carter and Kingfisher offensive lineman Hunter Endres.

The amount of talent NEO signed has Wilson thinking title.

“Looking at these guys, we might be able to win a little championship up there,” Wilson said.

Wilson will be joined at NEO by two of his Anadarko teammates, offensive lineman Randy Martinez and linebacker Wes Satoe.

“That’s really cool to go up there with teammates I know,” Wilson said. “I don’t have to go up there and feel like I don’t know anybody.”

Carl Albert's Gioya Carter shoots over Harrah's Sydney Hessman during the Titans' win Tuesday. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Bishop McGuinness was dealt a tough blow Monday in practice.

Senior Elyse Hight, the Irish’s top scorer and rebounder, suffered a hip injury that will keep her sidelined for the indefinite future.

The defending state champion Irish, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, won its fifth straight game 43-36 over Stillwater on Tuesday.

Senior Kate Andrews, who led McGuinness with 16 points, said the team played for Hight.

“I think anytime you’re challenged with adversity, you have to come out and show you can play with just as much passion,” Andrews said. “We played in honor of her tonight. We really used this challenge to us to pick each other up and grow together.”

Andrews said replacing Hight is much more than making up for her points and rebounds.

“So many people just see the tons of boards and tons of points she puts up, but it was the little things,” Andrews said. “The blocks, steals, energy and leadership were missed.

“But where we lacked with her absence, everyone else really picked it up.”

Junior LaNesha Middleton led Stillwater with 17 points.

Jason’s take: I can’t emphasize enough how important it was for Bishop McGuinness to get this win in its first game without Elyse Hight. The Irish had just gotten a lot of their early-season kinks worked out, and losing a player of her caliber might have caused some teams to crumble. But the Irish got going quickly, shooting the ball well on its way to an 18-point first quarter and, ultimately, a fifth straight win. With Hight out for the foreseeable future,  it’s encouraging for Irish fans to see the team performing well and beating a solid Stillwater team without her.

CARL ALBERT WINS AT HARRAH

Junior Gioya Carter scored 16 points and Class 5A No. 4 Carl Albert won at Harrah 49-35 on Tuesday.

The Titans (7-3) jumped out to a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and led 28-16 at halftime.

Junior Bailey Mack led Harrah (6-5) with 15 points. It was Harrah’s third straight loss.

Carl Albert plays next at Chickasha on Friday, while Harrah travels to Noble the same day.

Jason’s take: It was important for Carl Albert to win this one on the road after losing two of three games in the Westmoore tournament last weekend. For Harrah, it’s a third straight loss after a three-game winning streak. They should pick up a win over Noble, but then Class 5A No. 1 Shawnee looms on Jan. 17.

MASSEY SCORES 33 AS CHRISTIAN HERITAGE TOPS JONES

Junior Maclayn Massey scored 33 points as Christian Heritage held off Jones to win 66-65 at home on Tuesday.

Christian Heritage took a big lead after outscoring Jones 25-11 in the second quarter. But the Longhorns rallied, scoring 40 second-half points, including 24 in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Teddi Homan led the Longhorns with 22 points.

Jason’s take: An impressive performance by Massey, who was the Crusaders’ only returning starter from last year. Maybe the young Christian Heritage team is starting to gain some momentum with experience, and a win like this can only help the team going forward.

EDWARDS LEADS NORTHEAST PAST MILLWOOD

A run that started late in the third quarter gave Northeast enough cushion to hold off host Millwood 53-41.

Northeast’s T’ona Edwards sparked the run, scoring seven of her game-high 20 points in the third as the Vikings stretched a six-point advantage into a comfortable 20-point lead early in the fourth.

“(On Monday), we had practice without a basketball,” first-year Northeast coach Londaryl Perry said. “We had to have a reminder of who was in charge. I think it really brought us back together as a team instead of a bunch of individuals. I think that showed in how we played tonight.”

Shayla Williams scored 14 points and LaNesha Williams added 10 for Northeast. Millwood was led by Quira Demery with 14 points.

Jason’s take: Big thanks to Scott Wright for coverage of this game. Northeast got back on the right track after losing to Holland Hall in the finals of the Stroud Tournament. The Vikings are looking like they could be an awfully special team; their only other loss this year was a seven-point setback to Class 6A power Midwest City. Millwood lost its second straight after falling in the SNU/Bethany Classic finals to Norman North. The Falcons are still playing without junior starting guards Teanna Reid and Daneisha Threatt, who both have been injured all season.

TIP-INS

Senior Courtney Walker, a Texas A&M signee, scored 22 points and Class 6A No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe rolled past Putnam City West 83-30 at home. Santa Fe (12-0) plays at Yukon on Friday. … Class 5A’s top-ranked team, Shawnee, improved to 11-0 with a 55-24 home win over El Reno. Junior Micaela Yu led the Wolves with 18 points, and senior forward Taylor Cooper, an Oral Roberts signee, added 12. … Junior Kaitlyn Peterson scored 18 points and Edmond North (2-7) upset 6A No. 11 Putnam City North 40-37 on Tuesday. It was the Panthers third straight loss. … Senior Kenzie Solberg led Chandler with 28 points as it won 52-47 in overtime at Seminole.

The awards honor 21 coaches in 10 boys sports, 10 girls sports and one other sport that isn’t included in those categories. Doherty won for boys golf while Villaflor won for girls tennis.

Coaches are awarded state and sectional (Oklahoma is in a group with Texas, Arkansas, Colorado and New Mexico) awards before reaching the national level. The NFHS Coaches Association advisory board, consisting of a chair and eight sectional representatives chooses the sectional and national winners.

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)

Edmond Santa Fe sophomore quarterback Justice Hansen is the 2011 All-Edmond Offensive Player of the Year. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

EDMOND — I have planned on putting together an All-Edmond football team for some time, but, for a variety of reasons, am just now getting to publishing it on the blog.

This was an extremely difficult team to put together because so many teams in Edmond had such terrific seasons. Edmond Santa Fe is obviously the team that stole most of the headlines because of its amazing turnaround from 1-9 to 10-2 and District 6A-2 champion, but Edmond North made a quarterfinal run and almost knocked off eventual state champion Tulsa Union at its place.

Deer Creek put up impressive offensive numbers and had some defensive standouts as well. Oklahoma Christian School is also well represented on this team.

And even though Edmond Memorial had a down year and missed the playoffs, the Bulldogs still had players like linebacker Matt Hickman and lineman John Scheihing that deserved recognition.

I apologize for this coming out so much later than the rest of our football postseason stuff. But here it is:

All-Edmond team
Offense
QB — Justice Hansen, Edmond Santa Fe
RB — Brennan Miyake, Deer Creek
RB — Jarion Tudman, Edmond North
WR — Hunter Dinkines, Deer Creek
WR — Tre Kelley, Edmond Santa Fe
TE — Troy Davis, Edmond North
OL — Nick Lovelace, Oklahoma Christian School
OL — Heath Newland, Edmond North
OL — Cole Parsons, Edmond North
OL — Chad Reitz, Edmond Santa Fe
OL — John Scheihing, Edmond Memorial

Defense
DL — Nolan Boyd, Deer Creek
DL — Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
DL — Michael Onuoha, Edmond Santa Fe
LB — Matt Hickman, Edmond Memorial
LB — Clyde Jasper, Oklahoma Christian School
LB — Brynden Pitzer, Edmond North
LB — Kooper Ruminer, Deer Creek
DB — Conner Bays, Edmond Santa Fe
DB — Christian Contreras, Edmond North
DB — Khari Harding, Edmond Santa Fe
DB — Logan Magill, Oklahoma Christian School

Special teams
K — Keegan Carter, Oklahoma Christian School
P — Camden Bohnert, Edmond North
KR — Trevan Smith, Edmond Santa Fe

Offensive Player of the Year: Justice Hansen, Edmond Santa Fe
Defensive Player of the Year: Brynden Pitzer, Edmond North
Coach of the Year: Lance Manning, Edmond Santa Fe

Second team
Offense
QB — Joel Blumenthal, Deer Creek
RB — Zak Anderson, Oklahoma Christian School
RB — Jared Benway, Edmond North
RB — Phillip Sumpter, Edmond Santa Fe
WR — Dale Jefferson, Edmond Santa Fe
WR — Garrett Molinsky, Edmond North
OL — Allston Hadley, Edmond Santa Fe
OL — Taylor Myers, Oklahoma Christian School
OL — Brandon Roberts, Edmond Santa Fe
OL — Will Wiedenmann, Edmond North
OL — Mac Wilsey, Edmond Memorial

Defense
DL — Chris Carter, Edmond Santa Fe
DL — Clint Edgeman, Deer Creek
DL — Russell Sivard, Edmond North
DL — Ian Smith, Deer Creek
LB — Ragan Land, Edmond North
LB — Austin Loomis, Deer Creek
LB — Jerremy Moore, Edmond Santa Fe
DB — Zach Birts, Edmond Santa Fe
DB — Luke Frankfort, Oklahoma Christian School
DB — Christian Peterson, Edmond North
DB — Caden Sander, Deer Creek

Special teams
K — Ken Bingham, Edmond North
P — Matt Freeman, Edmond Santa Fe
KR — Ottugo Ananaba, Deer Creek

EAST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Andrew Hearon, Metro Christian
Tony Kiefer, McAlester

Running backs
Dakota Biswell, Stroud
Caleb Muncrief, Madill
Cole Scheulen, Catoosa
Willie Zackery, Woodland

Wide receivers
Levi Copelin, Broken Arrow
Michael Fraley, Adair
Ty Miller, Caddo
Victor Williams, Muskogee

Tight ends
Matt Gallagher, Owasso
Zac Veatch, Broken Arrow

Linemen
John Connor, Tulsa Kelley
Jeremy Iron, Pawhuska
Lance Kloker, Owasso
Talon Miles-Satepauhoodle, Hominy
Montana Poorboy, Catoosa
Sam Sabin, Jenks
Chris Wallace, Sperry

Punter/kicker
Tom Carwile, Tulsa Washington

DEFENSE
Linemen
Hunter Hart, Cascia Hall
Orion Jones, Jenks
Gcory Rahmings, Broken Bow
Travis Sandlin, Vian
Max Simmons, Lincoln Christian
Gary Wilson, Sand Springs

Linebackers
Patrick Bartlett, Woodland
Jevonte Cross, Tulsa East Central
Aaron Dolan, Berryhill
Connor Sherwood, Cascia Hall
Blace Walser, Tulsa Union

Defensive backs
Kent Booze, Spiro
Adam Boyd, McAlester
Kevin Peterson, Wagoner
Dillon Proctor, Caddo
Jermy Reynolds, Wewoka
Jesse Vester, Stillwater

Coaches
Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Eddy Scott, Pawhuska; Kevin Harmon, McAlester; Darren Melton, Lincoln Christian.

WEST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Corben Jones, Yukon
Garrett Lorah, Elgin

Running backs
Casey Curtis, Putnam City
James Flanders, Midwest City
Josh Way, Wayne
Sheldon Wilson, Anadarko

Wide receivers
Gage Diffee, Bethany
Javis Flynn, Watonga
Tre Kelley, Edmond Santa Fe
Tylor Seabolt, Jones
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall

Linemen
Blake Belcher, Guthrie
Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Devin Dobbins, Millwood
Carrie Farmer, Minco
Adam Kelley, Wynnewood
Cole Parsons, Edmond North

DEFENSE
Linemen
Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Markus Wakefield, Heritage Hall
Braylon Freeman, Lawton MacArthur
Ricky Rodriguez, Clinton

Linebackers
Landry Chappell, Guthrie
Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Payton Marsh, Thomas
Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness
Wes Satoe, Anadarko
Jas’Sen Stoner, Douglass

Defensive backs
Rashaad Copeland, El Reno
Jared Griffin, Duncan
Rico Hogan, Norman
Aaron Holden, Temple
Aaron McCandless, Shattuck
Ivan Moreno, Hennessey
Michael Thomas, Lawton MacArthur

Coaches
Bob Ward, Thomas; Curtis Lorah, Elgin; Tracy Scott, Blanchard; Jeremy Dombek, Edmond North.

Tulsa Union won the title even with a loss to Owasso. Broken Arrow’s only two losses were to Tulsa Union while Jenks’ losses were to Broken Arrow and Union (twice). Owasso had the most impressive wins of the year (Tulsa Union and in quadruple overtime vs. Midwest City) but lost to Broken Arrow (twice), Jenks and Stillwater. Midwest City’s only loss came to Owasso in the second round. The Bombers beat Edmond Santa Fe, whose only other loss was to Jenks in the playoffs.

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.

No rankings in the paper this week but I do a final ranking after the season ends. But I’ll update my top 10 in each class on the blog beginning with 6A:

Class 6A
1. Broken Arrow (2)#11-1
2. Tulsa Union (3)#11-1
3. Jenks (5)#10-2
4. Owasso (7)#9-3
5. Midwest City (1)#11-1
6. Edmond Santa Fe (4)#10-2
7. Lawton (6)#9-3
8. Edmond North (8)#9-3
9. Stillwater (9)#8-3
10. Westmoore (10)#7-4

Last week:
Ryan: 7-3, 1-0
Scott: 7-3, 1-0
Jason: 6-4, 0-1

Overall:
Ryan: 72-29, 9-1
Jason: 69-32, 7-3
Scott: 67-34, 8-2

Ryan
Midwest City 35, Westmoore 21
Owasso 21, Norman 17
Edmond North 21, Yukon 19
Tulsa East Central 32, Tulsa Washington 20
Tulsa Kelley 28, Coweta 14
Duncan 14, Ada 7
Glenpool 35, Piedmont 27
Harrah 21, McGuinness 20
Sequoyah Tahlequah 28, Berryhill 27
Lawton 21, Norman North 14
Lock of the week: Tulsa East Central over Tulsa Washington. East Central won the regular-season matchup at they’ll win again here as their defense slows down the Hornets while their offense continues to roll.

Jason
Midwest City 31, Westmoore 24
Owasso 21, Norman 14
Edmond North 27, Yukon 14
Tulsa East Central 23, Tulsa Washington 14
Coweta 27, Tulsa Kelley 21
Duncan 24, Ada 14
Glenpool 31, Piedmont 17
McGuinness 17, Harrah 13
Sequoyah Tahlequah 35, Berryhill 24
Lawton 31, Norman North 17
Lock of the week: Edmond North over Yukon. Yes, Yukon is fired up because of the way last year’s game ended. But that won’t be enough to make up for the Huskies’ talent. Edmond North wins and moves to a showdown at Tulsa Union.

Scott
Midwest City 35, Westmoore 21
Owasso 28, Norman 17
Yukon 21, Edmond North 20
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Washington 24
Tulsa Kelley 28, Coweta 24
Ada 28, Duncan 24
Glenpool 33, Piedmont 27
Harrah 21, McGuinness 17
Sequoyah Tahlequah 38, Berryhill 28
Lawton 28, Norman North 21
Lock of the Week: Owasso over Norman. Norman RB Donovan Roberts is a game-changer. If he’s able to play, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be at full speed after the ankle injury he suffered last week. And the Tigers need him to be effective to keep the offense balanced. Without that X-factor, Owasso should put this one away.

Tuesday, at least two more Class 6A games were pushed up 30 minutes: Westmoore at Midwest City and Lawton Eisenhower at Edmond Santa Fe.

This isn’t a surprise as most 6A games on this side of the state start at 7 p.m. during the regular season.

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)

Large East
Sadie Schaffner, Bartlesville
Inky Ajanaku, Tulsa Kelley
Cat Roth, Tulsa Kelley
Sydney Eggers, Bixby
Cailyn Burd, Owasso
Aubrey Marsellis, Owasso
Alexa Knox, Tulsa Union
Kylie Johnson, Tulsa Union

Large West
Maddie Reddick, McGuinness
Skylar Conner, Edmond Memorial
Kristen Nashert, Edmond North
Heather Watson, Edmond North
Hannah Holkum, Edmond Santa Fe
Barbara Jackson, Edmond Santa Fe
Lexie Matthews, Norman North
Tori Thomas, Norman North

Small East
Kara Gleason, Lincoln Christian
Evette Allen, Lincoln Christian
Sunny Smarty, Oklahoma Union
Hayley Bryan, Copan
Aryn Dixon, Cascia Hall
Allie Murphy, Cascia Hall
Carolina Arnould, Victory Christian
Mayci Sparkman, Shawnee
Hannah McKenzie, Tulsa Wahsington
Morgan Allison, Catoosa

Small West
Dawnshate Blakes, Chickasha
Taylor Crismas, Oklahoma Bible
Bree Fritschow, Duncan
Danielle McGill, Big Pasture
Sydney Miles, Heritage Hall
Jessica Penner, Corn Bible
Jenny Pratt, Christian Heritage
Lindsey Smith, Big Pasture
Talie Stanley, Cache
Madison Ward, Cache

Edmond Santa Fe's Tre Kelley runs after a catch during his team's 31-21 win over Edmond North on Friday. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

EDMOND — Admitting that I was wrong after an Edlam game that Edmond Santa Fe won. This seems familiar.

The craziest part is that, unknowingly, I predicted Santa Fe to lose both games by the same score (21-17).

In any case, the Wolves beat Edmond North 31-21 on Friday at Wantland Stadium to clinch the District 6A-2 championship, just one year after a 1-9 season.

The game really seemed to swing in Santa Fe’s favor after a few critical errors in the second and third quarters.

With the game tied at 3 late in the first half, Edmond North blocked a Santa Fe punt and had the ball on the Wolves’ 26-yard line. But after three plays, North faced a fourth-and-one on Santa Fe’s 17.

Huskies’ quarterback Jesse Mathews tried to sneak for the first down, but didn’t get it.

On the Wolves’ first play after taking over possession, quarterback Justice Hansen found Tre Kelley for an 82-yard gain. On the next play, Phillip Sumpter ran in a two-yard score to send the Wolves into halftime with a 10-3 lead.

Huskies’ kicker Ken Bingham hit a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter, leading me to believe that, given the opportunity, he would have made the 34-yard attempt.

I can’t say I understand the decision to go for it with the chance to have a halftime lead, especially after all the momentum you’ve gained with the blocked punt.

Edmond Santa Fe coach Lance Manning, though, said he would have done the same thing that his Edmond North counterpart did.

“I feel like, if we’re playing as well defensively as they were at the time, and we’re as big and physical, I can be a little more of a riverboat gambler,” Manning said. “That’s the same thing I would have done to be honest with you.”

The Wolves were able to extend their lead to 24-3 in the third quarter after three Edmond North fumbles. The Huskies were never able to get it back within 10 points.

Regardless, Edmond Santa Fe was clearly the better team and now has the chance for two home playoff games.

The Huskies, meanwhile, are now out of the home-playoff-game conversation. They should easily handle U.S. Grant in the regular-season finale, and will probably end up in third place in the district behind Santa Fe and Lawton.

Edmond North is still a dangerous team, and will still be a favorite in their first-round game, which looks like it will be at Yukon.

But this was a team that had a legitimate claim to Class 6A’s No. 1 ranking just two weeks ago.

The Wolves only loss is to No. 1 Midwest City, and that 27-6 setback was in Week 3. It would be interesting to see those two teams play again, because I felt that week like Santa Fe left a lot of points on the board.

Santa Fe, which ends the regular season at Putnam City, is looking towards a likely first-round tilt with Lawton Eisenhower.

Last week:
Ryan: 7-3, 1-0
Jason: 6-4, 1-0
Scott: 6-4, 0-1

Overall:
Ryan: 59-22, 7-1
Jason: 55-26, 6-2
Scott: 52-29, 6-2

Ryan:
Jenks 28, Broken Arrow 24
Edmond North 17, Edmond Santa Fe 14
Lawton 28, Putnam City 9
Norman 28, Muskogee 15
Tulsa Central 26, Coweta 17
Carl Albert 35, Deer Creek 26
Douglass 27, Glenpool 24
Anadarko 33, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 14
Wynnewood 20, Wayne 14
Lock of the Week: Carl Albert over Deer Creek. The Titans offense has steadily improved throughout the season and they have both the secondary speed to hold the Antlers’ receivers down and the front seven to get pressure on Deer Creek’s quarterback.

Jason:
Broken Arrow 27, Jenks 24
Edmond North 21, Edmond Santa Fe 17
Lawton 31, Putnam City 7
Norman 26, Muskogee 17
Tulsa Central 24, Coweta 14
Carl Albert 41, Deer Creek 14
Douglass 17, Glenpool 14
Anadarko 31, Tuttle 14
Heritage Hall 35, Bethany 14
Wayne 13, Wynnewood 10
Lock of the Week: Anadarko over Tuttle. The Tigers are always a tough, well-coached team under Phil Koons. I expect that Sheldon Wilson won’t be able to run wild like he has all year against Tuttle. But the Warriors, at home, will be too tough,

Scott:
Jenks 30, Broken Arrow 28
Edmond Santa Fe 21, Edmond North 20
Lawton 28, Putnam City 21
Norman 34, Muskogee 28
Tulsa Central 28, Coweta 24
Carl Albert 42, Deer Creek 24
Douglass 28, Glenpool 21
Anadarko 34, Tuttle 28
Heritage Hall 38, Bethany 28
Wayne 27, Wynnewood 22
Lock of the Week: Norman over Muskogee. Norman is beyond motivated to finish this season strong after finding themselves facing potentially being left out of the playoffs. I’d look for a big day from Donovan Roberts, as well as the passing attack to give the Tigers momentum heading into the Week 10 battle with Jenks.

Going to do it a little different this week, breaking out at least Class 6A into a separate blog. Tell me why I’m right. Tell me why I’m wrong.

1. Midwest City (3)#8-0

If you don’t look at my rankings every week, this might be a little surprising. But it’s consistent with what I’ve done all along: re-evaluating things each week and not be afraid of looking back at the totality of the season with what we know now. I’ll explain Broken Arrow (and Jenks’) fall shortly but it’s as much about what Midwest City has done as about what those teams haven’t. The Bombers have absolutely put it to teams recently. Their “slip” game was a 26-point win against Moore. Their 21-point win over Edmond Santa Fe looks more impressive each week. Thy’ve held seven opponents to seven or fewer points. James Flanders continues to perform in their running game. They make plays on special teams. I’m not saying I’m picking them to win a state championship yet–I’ve made my feelings about that know with respect to Jenks and Union–but right now, they’re the top team.

2. Broken Arrow (1)#7-1

When I saw Broken Arrow put it to Southmoore two weeks ago, I felt pretty comfortable with the Tigers as my top team. But Broken Arrow struggled on the road against a Norman team that Southmoore throttled, needing a late field-goal block to come away with the win. I still really like Broken Arrow, and am leaning toward picking them against Jenks this week, but that’s the second game they’ve barely pulled out against an opponent they should’ve beaten soundly.

3. Jenks (2)#7-1

The Trojans haven’t been pushed much other than their 41-19 loss to Tulsa Union, but their main test is this week when they play at Broken Arrow. Losing Alex Ross really hurts Jenks. Although they’ve put up big offensive numbers in recent weeks, they haven’t played a defense that’s very good since that Union game in Week 2.

4. Edmond Santa Fe (4)#7-1

The Wolves might not be the top team in the state but they might be playing better than anyone right now. Lance Manning has turned around Santa Fe in a hurry. A win this week over Edmond North and Santa Fe goes from 1-9 to district champs in one year.

5. Tulsa Union (6)#7-1

Ask me to pick the state champion right now and I probably go with Union. I still have them here because they do have to prove that their offense has rebounded form the injuries that resulted in Owasso’s comeback. The Redskins probably jump back up steadily the next few weeks but right now, they’re No. 5.

6. Lawton (7)#6-2

Losing Ivan Thomas is a near-backbreaker for them but the Wolverines didn’t seem to hurt without him against a previously unbeaten Edmond North team.

7. Edmond North (4)#7-1

The Huskies have the size up front to compete with anyone. But speed on the edges on either side is going to be a thorn in North’s side. The problem: Santa Fe is another speedy team and could give North problems this week in a game that will go a long way toward deciding who wins that district.

8. Stillwater (8)#7-1

Their offense deserves to be higher than No. 8. The defense, though, probably wouldn’t be in the top 10. The Pioneers have given up 27 or more points five times already and they still have Union on the schedule in a game that will, one way or another, determine the district champion.

9. Owasso (9)#5-3

The Rams have the signature win in 6A this season, beating Union. But they followed that with a home loss to Stillwater. Like the Pioneers, offense isn’t a question. But the Rams have to be able to slow good teams down to make a run and they haven’t been able to do that much.

10. Westmoore (NR)#6-2

The Jaguars pushed Edmond North in Week 7 before the Huskies pulled away in the second half, then beat a one-loss Putnam City team this week to take the Pirates’ spot in the rankings. Their defense has been solid all year and their offense, especially the passing component, continues to come along, lifting Westmoore into the top 10.

Just outside: Norman (6-2)

Last week:
Ryan: 8-2, 1-0
Jason: 5-5, 1-0
Scott: 4-6, 1-0

Overall:
Ryan: 52-19, 6-1
Jason: 49-22, 5-2
Scott: 46-25, 6-1

Ryan:
Wagoner 21, Catoosa 18
Douglass 20, Harrah 17
Deer Creek-Lamont 26, Timberlake 20
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Weatherford 21, Tuttle 14
Broken Arrow 40, Norman 14
Lawton 21, Edmond North 20
Sallisaw 21, Hilldale 14
McGuinness 28, Piedmont 21
Putnam City 35, Westmoore 24
Lock of the week: Deer Creek-Lamont over Timberlake. DC-Lamont will finally get pushed but they come out on top in a possible state championship game preview.

Jason
Wagoner 31, Catoosa 21
Douglass 28, Harrah 21
Deer Creek-Lamont 42, Timberlake 30
Coweta 21, Pryor 14
Tuttle 17, Weatherford 10
Broken Arrow 42, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 14
Hilldale 24, Sallisaw 20
McGuinness 31, Piedmont 28
Westmoore 27, Putnam City21
Lock of the week: Westmoore over Putnam City. The Pirates have faced one really strong defense all year, Edmond North, and were shut down offensively. Westmoore’s defense has shown itself to be tough all season, and I think they can keep Casey Curtis in check and come away with the win.

Scott
Wagoner 23, Catoosa 20
Douglass 21, Harrah 14
Deer Creek-Lamont 48, Timberlake 33
Pryor 20, Coweta 17
Tuttle 27, Weatherford 21
Broken Arrow 38, Norman 28
Edmond North 24, Lawton 21
Hilldale 28, Sallisaw 27
McGuinness 21, Piedmont 17
Putnam City 30, Westmoore 24
Lock of the Week: Wagoner over Catoosa. This should be one heck of a ballgame, but I think Wagoner has the leadership, the experience and the talent to get back to the title game this year, maybe win it all. Guys like Kevin Peterson and Jeremy Applegate, among others, have been around long enough to help keep the team composed in a big game — and this is a huge one.

Smith broke his leg in practice last Tuesday and then died Wednesday night. The cause of death is still unknown.

Edmond North coach Jeremy Dombek and his team bow their heads in a moment of silence to remember Ryan Smith before Friday's game against Westmoore. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

MOORE — The overall goodness of people never ceases to amaze me, especially in the wake of a tragedy.

Friday, Edmond North beat Westmoore 27-13 at Moore Stadium. The Huskies were playing with heavy hearts, as Ryan Smith, their sophomore defensive lineman, died late Wednesday night.

The Westmoore football booster club put buckets at entrance gates and concession stands to collect donations to help Ryan’s family with burial costs.

By halftime, $900 had been raised. And after the game, Westmoore presented Edmond North with $900, and that was just from the donations collected at the gate and at Westmoore-side concession stands. Money donated on the Edmond North side of the stadium had yet to be counted.

This has by far been the toughest assignment I’ve had in my career. Dealing with death is never easy, especially when it is someone as young as Ryan was.  And by all accounts, he was a great kid.

I talked with a few of Ryan’s friends from the Edmond North team last night after the game. Here are their thoughts about their fallen friend.

JUNIOR DAVION WOODFORK

Junior running back Davion Woodfork, who, like Smith, transferred from Edmond Santa Fe before this school year, was one of Smith’s close friends.

“We came over at the same time,” Woodfork said. “We used to always talk about being in the NFL, and he used to be like, ‘I’m gonna block for you.’

“(The win) was good. It was all for him.

“He was a very good friend. He was always motivated. He loved football. He was always there for me.

“He will never be forgotten.”

SOPHOMORE TAEVYON WARREN

Taevyon Warren, also a sophomore on the Huskies’ team and also a first-year Edmond North student, wore a tribute to his friend on Friday.

Warren wasn’t suited up for the game, but wore a white T-shirt with “R.I.P. Ryan Smith #67” written on the back in black marker.

“It’s a tribute,” Warren said of the t-shirt. “We’ll never forget him, and this is my way of showing my respect.”

Warren said Ryan was a great friend and a good listener.

“With both of us being new, we just bonded,” Warren said. “Just his presence, just him being around would make your day.

Warren also raps, and he and his friends recorded a song Thursday dedicated to Smith’s memory.

“We did a remix of a song, talking about how life is short and how you never expect it to end,” Warren said. “We just talked about Ryan and how good a person he was.”

SOPHOMORE LANCE DIXON

Lance Dixon, a sophomore Edmond North football player and wrestler, is out with a bad shoulder injury.

He stood on the sideline during Friday’s win over Westmoore and recalled a fond memory of Ryan Smith from earlier this school year.

He had just been injured, and he and Ryan sat together in the wrestling room and talked while Dixon was a little loopy from the pain medication he had been prescribed.

“We just sat there in the wrestling room,” Dixon said. “He sat there with me and we just talked for an hour about football and about how good our wrestling team was gonna be.

“It’s unbelievable that he’s gone now.”

Dixon said the sophomore class took the news especially hard.

“A lot of sophomores on our team tried to hold it in,” he said, “but almost every single sophomore football player was crying the day that they told us.”

Dixon said he thought it was important that the Huskies played their game Friday against Westmoore.

“I think it was important to play this game to get our minds off of it,” he said. “A lot of people were hit hard by this, and most people didn’t understand why it would happen to such a good person.”

SENIOR TROY DAVIS

Senior Troy Davis said he thinks Ryan Smith helped the Huskies get back on track after a rough first half Friday.

Edmond North trailed 6-3 at halftime, but scored 17 third-quarter points to build a comfortable lead.

“In the second half, it just felt right,” Davis said.

“We felt like we had to go out and do this for him. It picked up the team and brought us closer together. We needed it.”

Davis said he still can’t believe that it happened to one of his teammates.

“It’s just one of those things that you think is never going to happen to you or your teammate, and then out of the blue it just happens,” he said. “It’s surreal. He’s gonna be missed.”

There will be collections taken at the Moore Stadium gate and at concession stands for Smith’s family to help with burial costs, Edmond North football booster club president Lisa Molinsky said.

Smith died Wednesday night, one day after suffering a broken leg during football practice.

You can also send a donation to the Ryan Smith Memorial Fund at:

Ryan Smith Memorial Fund
Citizen’s Bank
Attn: Coffee Creek Branch
P.O. Box 30
Edmond, OK 73083

Most weeks, I post my rankings here and try to explain my reasoning for who I ranked where in each class. I haven’t done that–yet–for this week, simply because I agonized over Class 6A. Every class gets careful consideration each week but most weeks in most classes there are clear reasoning for one team over another. Owasso’s 41-38 win over Tulsa Union last week threw that into a tailspin.

There are several teams that have legitimate arguments to the top spot. Here are their resumes, their arguments for being No. 1 and the opinions of Jason Kersey and Scott Wright. Disagree with one of us? Disagree with all of us? Feel free to chime in at the bottom.

Broken Arrow: This was my top pick. Broken Arrow’s only loss came 21-14 to then top-ranked Tulsa Union on Sept. 16 on the road. They’ve beaten Owasso (48-20), Odessa (Texas) Permian (68-26) and Sapulpa (52-19). The Tigers took a healthy Union team down to the wire and showed they could hang. The argument against them is: they’ve lost a game, which a couple other teams we’ll mention later haven’t, and they needed overtime to beat Muskogee, who is 1-5 this season.

Edmond North: The Huskies are undefeated, one of just two Class 6A teams without a loss. They’ve scored 40 or more points four times this season and next allowed more than 13. They beat Southmoore 42-10 to open the season and thrashed a previously unbeaten Putnam City team 35-0 last week. The downside for the Huskies is Southmoore was banged up when they met, Mustang isn’t what it once was and it’s still not clear how good Putnam City is. The Pirates’ hot start could’ve been indicative  of a weak schedule. These drawbacks aren’t the fault of the Huskies–they’ve taken care of business–and Edmond North will have plenty of chances to turn around those perceptions in the next three weeks with Westmoore, Lawton and Edmond Santa Fe on the schedule.

Jenks: The Trojans were No. 2 in my poll before last week but I reevaluated and bumped Broken Arrow ahead of the Trojans. Jenks also holds a win over Owasso (49-27) and has blown out every team it has faced other than Union. The argument against the Trojans is simple: they got beat 41-19 by Union. It’s hard to write off Jenks right now after their continued dominance.

Midwest City: Like Edmond North, the Bombers have topped the 40-point mark four times this season. Their closest game was a 21-point win over Edmond Santa Fe in Week 3. The Bombers defense, once again, is among the toughest around and their offense shows unusual balance for a Bombers team that has long relied on the run. James Flanders is giving the Bombers what they expected and more on the ground and junior quarterback Joel Davis is improving steadily and giving Midwest City a solid passing game. The argument against Midwest City is their schedule to this point. The Bombers’ opponents have won just 12 games this season, with five of those coming from Santa Fe. They play Norman North to end the season but the Bombers’ really don’t figure to be tested until at least the first round of the playoffs.

Owasso: To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and Owasso did that Friday night with a stunning upset of the Redskins. Owasso’s non-district schedule is as tough as any around and although Owasso went 1-2 in that stretch, they did manage to score 47 points combined in losses to Broken Arrow and Jenks. The Rams have probably the top QB/WR combo in the state with Kason Key and Keon Hatcher. The argument against the Rams is simple: their big losses in non-district should keep them out of the top spot.

Tulsa Union: Union? After that loss? Yes, there’s an argument to be made. The Redskins have win over Jenks and Broken Arrow and they led Owasso big before their quarterback and running back went down with injuries that kept them out of the second half against Owasso. If those two guys get back soon, Union could very well still be the top dog in 6A.

There are the arguments for and against each time. I weighed all of them (and more) before settling on Broken Arrow as the top team with Jenks, Midwest City and Edmond North not far behind. I’m going to continue to reevaluate things week by week but right here, right now, this is where I stand.

Here’s what Jason and Scott have to say about who should be No. 1.

Jason’s pick: Edmond North

I think — at this point — Edmond North is Class 6A’s best team.

The undefeated Huskies really have no weak spots on either side of the ball. Edmond North smacked previously unbeaten Putnam City 35-0 on Friday, holding star running back Casey Curtis to 65 yards on 20 carries.

The Huskies’ offensive dominance all starts up front. Edmond North’s offensive line is huge, which is what gets it noticed, but it’s about more than size. The line is also very strong and athletic.

The line opens up holes for the backfield duo of Jarion Tudman and Jared Benway, who give Edmond North a tough 1-2 punch of speed and strength.

And North couldn’t ask for a better field general. Senior Jesse Mathews, in his first year as a starter, has been nothing short of fantastic through six games. He has shown an ability to make plays with both his arms and legs.

Edmond North’s schedule hasn’t been the toughest, but the Huskies will be tested in their next three games, with Westmoore, Lawton and Edmond Santa Fe in consecutive weeks. If the Huskies emerge from that gauntlet unscathed, there might be no stopping them.

Scott’s pick: Midwest City
First of all, this pick comes with a caveat. I still think Jenks and Union are the top two favorites for the Class 6A gold ball. To quote the great prophet Ric Flair, if you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. But this question isn’t about state championship favorites, it’s about who should be No. 1 right now, in Week 7 of the football season — only the halfway point for those teams that will eventually play for the state title.

So I’m picking Midwest City, with Broken Arrow and Jenks close behind. For all the fancy, exciting spread offenses out there that put up crazy numbers and fly up and down the field, football is still won with defense and run game. And through six games, Midwest City has shown the capability to dominate good teams in those two facets of the game.

A lot of people are probably making the argument for the Bombers at No. 1 because they think they’re the best undefeated team, and an undefeated team should be ranked ahead of a team with one loss, like Union, Jenks, Broken Arrow or Owasso. But this isn’t college football, and basing your argument solely on records is drastically oversimplifying the process.

I’m picking the Bombers as my No. 1 team right now, because I’ve been impressed with what they’ve accomplished on the field, the consistency they’ve displayed, and the overall talent of the team. They have some question marks, like their offensive diversity, but there isn’t a team out there this season that doesn’t appear to have flaws, whether it’s talent-related, injury-related, or whatever. Right now, this week, Midwest City should be No. 1.

Friday
Field 4
Mustang/Broken Arrow winner vs. Moore/Tulsa Union winner, noon
Owasso/Edmond North winner vs. Jenks/Edmond Santa Fe winner, 4 p.m.

Saturday
Field 1
Championship, 4 p.m.

Class 5A
Field 1
Thursday
Carl Albert vs. Coweta, 11 a.m.
McAlester vs. Deer Creek, 1 p.m.
Tahlequah vs. Shawnee, 3 p.m.
Lawton MacArthur vs. Grove, 5 p.m.

Friday
Carl Albert/Coweta winner vs. Lawton MacArthur/Grove winner, 2 p.m.
McAlester/Deer Creek winner vs. Tahlequah/Shawnee winner, 4 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 1:30 p.m.

Class 4A
Thursday
Field 4
Blanchard vs. Bethany, 11 a.m.
Oologah vs. Purcell, 1 p.m.
Fort Gibson vs. Tuttle, 3 p.m.
Berryhill vs. Harrah, 5 p.m.

Field 1
Friday
Blanchard/Bethany winner vs. Oologah/Purcell winner, noon
Berryhill/Harrah winner vs. Fort Gibson/Tuttle winner, 2 p.m.

Saturday
Championship, 11 a.m.

Last week
Jason: 8-2, 1-0
Scott: 8-2, 1-0
Ryan: 7-3, 0-1

Overall
Ryan: 37-13, 4-1
Scott: 37-13, 4-1
Jason: 37-13, 3-2

Ryan
Cascia Hall 14, Berryhill 7
Millwood 28, Jones 26
Norman North 28, Putnam North 24
Edmond North 35, Putnam City 34
Tulsa Union 38, Owasso 16
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 20
Lincoln Chr. 28, Vian 26
Comanche 26, Washington 20
Elk City 20, McGuinness 17
McAlester 38, Tulsa Kelley 20
Wynnewood 28, Rush Springs 14
Lock of the week: Wynnewood over Rush Springs. As things keep progressing in this district, I’m more and more convinced that the Wynnewood-Wayne matchup will determine the district champion.

Scott
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 14
Millwood 38, Jones 34
Putnam City North 24, Norman North 21
Putnam City 52, Edmond North 48
Tulsa Union 31, Owasso 21
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 24
Lincoln Christian 35, Vian 31
Comanche 27, Washington 24
Elk City 28, McGuinness 27
McAlester 24, Tulsa Kelley 14
Lock of the Week: Cascia Hall over Berryhill. Cascia looks like a team on a mission, still stinging from last year’s loss to Bethany in the playoffs. I think they move to 6-0 this week.

Jason
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 10
Millwood 31, Jones 24
Norman North 23, Putnam North 17
Edmond North 42, Putnam City 35
Tulsa Union 42, Owasso 24
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Central 21
Lincoln Chr. 31, Vian 28
Washington 20, Comanche 17
Bishop McGuinness 23, Elk City 20
McAlester 35, Tulsa Kelley 17
Wynnewood 24, Rush Springs 21
Lock of the week: Norman North over Putnam City North. Both of these proud programs are struggling this season, but I like the Timberwolves because of their running game. Norman North running back Bryan Payne has been good this season, and the Panthers’ run defense has been an Achilles’ heel.

A couple of times a year I throw out my rankings and start fresh, take an overall look at the season and don’t constrain myself with past rankings. This is one of those weeks and while their figures to be other classes that are more drastically affected, there is a bit of that here. The biggest questions in my mind were where to place Edmond Santa Fe (and Lawton) and what to do with Putnam City. I considered dropping Broken Arrow a spot but the Tigers still stand as the only team to really challenge Union this season and I’ll give them their small bump Friday. Edmond Santa Fe goes from just outside to No. 8 after their win at Lawton. The Wolverines drop to No. 10. Owasso stays in at No. 9 but has a tough test this week against Union.

Class 5A
1. Guthrie (2)#5-0
2. Lawton MacArthur (5)#5-0
3. Carl Albert (3)#5-0
4. Tulsa East Central (1)#5-0
5. McAlester (4)#5-0
6. Deer Creek (6)#4-1
7. Tulsa Washington (7)#2-3
8. Tulsa Kelley (8)#3-1
9. Ardmore (9)#2-3
10. Coweta (10)#2-3

There’s no shame in being any one of the top five teams here although there was some definite shaking up as I reevaluated from scratch. Guthrie has won every one of its game by 28 or more points, helping the Bluejays move to the top spot. Tulsa East Central falls to No. 4 after their close call against Coweta. Any of the five teams on top could come out with a gold ball but it was time to make some adjustments there. On the bottom half, it hurts that I can’t include Tulsa Central here but looking over their resumes, I’ve got to leave Ardmore and Coweta in ahead of them. Ardmore has played Carl Albert and McAlester tighter than anyone this season and their other loss was to Lawton MacArthur. Their schedule to start has been tough but they shouldn’t lose the rest of the way. Coweta pushed Tulsa East Central and Tulsa Kelley to the brink and their other loss was a close one to 4A power Wagoner. Tulsa Central gets its chance for a statement this week when it faces East Central.

Class 4A
1. Douglass (1)#4-1
2. Wagoner (2)#5-0
3. Catoosa (3)#5-0
4. Clinton (4)#4-1
5. Harrah (5)#5-0
6. Elk City (7)#5-0
7. McGuinness (8)#3-2
8. Hilldale (10)#4-1
9. Sallisaw (9)#3-2
10. Broken Bow (6)#3-2

There wasn’t much shuffling here, save for Broken Bow and Hilldale. Catoosa and Wagoner are on a collision course toward what should be a very entertaining game Oct. 20. Elk City has been impressive but gets a tough test this week against No. 7 McGuinness. Douglass and Clinton’s losses don’t count against them because of the competition they came against. Hilldale got its statement win at Broken Bow but the Hornets win Week 1 against Pryor is looking better and better and their only loss came to No. 2 Wagoner.

Class 3A
1. Heritage Hall (1)#5-0
2. Anadarko (2)#5-0
3. Cascia Hall (3)#5-0
4. Bethany (4)#4-0
5. Metro Christian (5)#5-0
6. Tuttle (6)#5-0
7. Purcell (7)#5-0
8. Kingfisher (8)#5-0
9. Seminole (9)#5-0
10. Berryhill (10)#5-0

I did the same thing here as in other classes and came up with the same thing I had. I considered swapping Seminole and Berryhill on the bottom end and Kingfisher and Purcell one step above that but didn’t pull the trigger in the end. Berryhill’s win over Glenpool in the first week doesn’t look as strong as it did then (not that it’s not a big win still) and Seminole beat a pretty good Stigler team on the road. Berryhill plays at Cascia Hall this week in what should be one of the week’s best games.

Class 2A
1. Davis (1)#4-1
2. Millwood (2)#4-1
3. Lincoln Christian (3)#5-0
4. Stroud (5)#5-0
5. Jones (4)#5-0
6. Vian (7)#5-0
7. Hennessey (6)#3-2
8. Colcord (8)#5-0
9. Talihina (10)#5-0
10. Frederick (NR)#5-0

Made a mistake last week here dropping Frederick out in the first place. Their win over St. Mary was very similar to Washington’s and Washington has two losses, which pushed Frederick into the rankings. Vian moves up a spot while Hennessey drops while Stroud and Jones switch places. Stroud has still given up just seven points all season and shut out four of its opponents. There are still six undefeated team that remain unranked: Comanche, Talihina, Newkirk, Chelsea, Wyandotte and Adair. All are in districts with ranked teams, though, so they’ll get their chances.

Class A
1. Woodland (1)#4-0
2. Thomas (2)#5-0
3. Wynnewood (3)#5-0
4. Minco (5)#5-0
5. Wayne (7)#4-1
6. Morrison (6)#4-1
7. Mangum (9)#4-1
8. Okeene (10)#3-2
9. Elmore City (8)#4-1
10. Foyil (NR)#3-2

At the top, this class was relatively easy as I was pretty comfortable with the top three. After that, there was some switching around after No. 4 Afton fell to Foyil 33-8. First, I swapped Wayne and Morrison. Wayne’s overall resume is slightly better at this point. Mangum and Okeene move up two spots while Elmore drops one after its loss to Wynnewood. Foyil moves in after an impressive win over Afton, beating out Rush Springs for that final spot despite Rush’s 5-0 record. That was a tough choice but Foyil’s two losses came to a pair of still-undefeated Class 2A teams–Chelsea and Adair.

Class B
1. Caddo (1)#5-0
2. Davenport (2)#5-0
3. Kiefer (5)#4-1
4. Fox (6)#4-1
5. Dewar (7)#3-2
6. Gans (4)#4-1
7. Cherokee (8)#4-1
8. Seiling (9)#4-1
9. Wetumka (10)#4-1
10. Pond Creek-Hunter (NR)#4-1

It was tough to drop Laverne all the way out from No. 3 but looking schedule-by-schedule, it had to be done. Laverne beat Cherokee, 45-8, in Week 2, but fell to Pond Creek-Hunter on Friday night. Pond Creek-Hunter’s only loss came to Seiling, who lost to Cherokee by two on Friday. So Seiling pulls off the rare moving up by dropping a game feat by leapfrogging Laverne. Pond Creek-Hunter has to stay in ahead of Laverne so Laverne falls all the way out but still has Seiling remaining on its schedule. It’s tough to ignore what Welch is doing in B-4 but they’ve beaten just one team that is above .500 to this point. They play Kiefer on Oct. 20.

Class C
1. Deer Creek-Lamont (1)#5-0
2. Timberlake (3)#4-0
3. Temple (4)#5-0
4. Sharon-Mutual (10)#3-2
5. Shattuck (2)#4-1
6. Covington-Douglas (5)#4-1
7. Tipton (6)#4-1
8. Coyle (7)#4-1
9. Forgan (8)#4-1
10. Ryan (9)#3-2

The big change here came due to Sharon-Mutual’s 38-22 win at Shattuck. Sharon-Mutual jumped all the way from No. 10 to No. 4. Its only losses came to Seiling and Timberlake and they remain the only team to score on Timberlake this season (They scored 44 in the loss). Shattuck drops just below Sharon-Mutual while Covington-Douglas, Tipton, Coyle, Forgan and Ryan all drop a spot. Arkoma is the lone undefeated team remaining unranked but Keota is the only over .500 team they’ve beaten.

2. Class A No. 8 Elmore City (4-0) at No. 3 Wynnewood (4-0)
Two of the three undefeated teams in District A-5 go head-to-head.

3. Class C No. 3 Timberlake (3-0) at No. 5 Covington-Douglas (4-0)
A week after squeaking out a win over Tipton on the road, Covington-Douglass gets another big challenge.

4. Class 5A No. 1 Tulsa East Central (4-0) at No. 10 Coweta (2-2)
The Cardinals get another solid test in a rough schedule as the defending runners-up try to solidify their place in 5A-4. Coweta hasn’t won a game by more than six points or lost by more than four.

5. Class 3A No. 9 Seminole (4-0) at Stigler (4-0)
Seminole has scored 41 or more points in all four games thus far while Stigler has topped 42 in three out of four.

6. Class 4A No. 10 Hilldale (3-1) at No. 6 Broken Bow (3-1)
Big win over Poteau last week lifted Hilldale into the rankings while Broken Bow has shut out two opponents last season.

7. Edmond Santa Fe (3-1) at Class 6A No. 6 Lawton (3-1)
Both teams started district play with statement wins and this game will feature two of the best defensive ends in the state in Lawton’s D.J. Ward and Santa Fe’s Michael Onuoha.

8. Class B No. 6 Fox (3-1) at Paoli (4-0)
Fox has shutouts in each of its three wins while Paoli has topped 53 points three times and scored 42 in its other win.

9. Commerce (3-1) at Class 2A No. 8 Colcord (4-0)
Commerce has two shutouts and its only loss came to a Kansas school. Colcord has won games primarily with its offense (41-14 at Salina last week) and with its defense (8-0 vs. Haskell on Sept. 16).

10. Class 4A No. 4 Clinton (3-1) at Piedmont (2-2)
Clinton blew out McGuinness last week at home while Piedmont got a statement win over Elgin.

Other good bets:
Heritage Hall at Tulsa NOAH
Millwood at Luther
Mustang at Edmond North
Woodward at McGuinness
Yukon at Norman North

By Ryan Aber

With Westmoore falling out from No. 8 after its loss to Edmond Santa Fe, there were two logical candidates to take the spot: Edmond Santa Fe, who was ranked before its loss to Midwest City the week before, and Stillwater. I chose the Pioneers based on their recent performances but just barely. Santa Fe gets a tough test next week at Lawton. A good performance there, win or lose, gives the Wolves a chance to move back in.

Class 5A
1. Tulsa East Central (1)#4-0
2. Guthrie (2)#4-0
3. Carl Albert (3)#4-0
4. McAlester (4)#4-0
5. Lawton MacArthur (5)#4-0
6. Deer Creek (6)#3-1
7. Tulsa Washington (7)#1-3
8. Tulsa Kelley (8)#2-1
9. Ardmore (9)#1-3
10. Coweta (10)#3-1

Ardmore and Tulsa Washington still in the rankings at 1-3? Absolutely. I’ve never understood why teams drop in rankings after they lose to a high ranked opponent (in most cases). While Tulsa Washington has plenty to work on, the Hornets are still very talented, especially on the defensive side. They lost to Carl Albert, Abilene, Texas, and Tulsa East Central. They’re going to be right there at the end, regardless of what their record now is. Ardmore is similar. They beat Ada to start the season before running into the murderer’s row of Carl Albert, McAlester and Lawton MacArthur the last few weeks. They shouldn’t lose the rest of the way. Speaking of Lawton Mac, I think next week is the week I totally deconstruct my rankings in this class especially and build from scratch. I think the Highlanders might be the best team in the class right now, although I think all five of the top teams are very good. The team I hate to leave out is Tulsa Central, who is 4-0 going into next week’s game against Grove.

Class 4A
1. Douglass (1)#3-1
2. Wagoner (2)#4-0
3. Catoosa (3)#4-0
4. Clinton (5)#3-1
5. Harrah (6)#4-0
6. Broken Bow (7)#3-1
7. Elk City (8)#4-0
8. McGuinness (4)#2-2
9. Sallisaw (9)#2-2
10. Hilldale (NR)#3-1

McGuinness drops four spots after getting manhandled on the road at Clinton. They might be a better team than that but hard to tell right now as the only varsity team they’ve beaten to this point was Tulsa Kelley, another team I’m not sure what to think of through four weeks. I suspect McGuinness will climb up. Hilldale moves into the rankings after a big win over Poteau gave the Hornets back-to-back blowouts after playing Wagoner pretty tough in Week 2. Piedmont and Cleveland gave me pause in those spots, though. Piedmont because of its offense and Cleveland due to its defense. Cleveland has allowed just 33 points all season. Elgin dropped out after getting thumped by Piedmont

Class 3A
1. Heritage Hall (1)#4-0
2. Anadarko (2)#4-0
3. Cascia Hall (3)#3-0
4. Bethany (4)#4-0
5. Metro Christian (5)#4-0
6. Tuttle (6)#4-0
7. Purcell (7)#4-0
8. Kingfisher (8)#4-0
9. Seminole (10)#4-0
10. Berryhill (NR)#4-0

I’ve been looking to get Berryhill into the rankings for a few weeks but since no team in my top 10 had lost a game through three weeks, I couldn’t do it. Sequoyah Tahlequah finally broke that stretch this week with its loss to Verdigris. Everything else remains the same with Seminole moving up one slot. There are several other undefeated teams in the class right now as well.

Class 2A
1. Davis (1)#3-1
2. Millwood (2)#3-1
3. Lincoln Christian (3)#4-0
4. Jones (4)#4-0
5. Stroud (5)#4-0
6. Hennessey (6)#2-2
7. Vian (7)#4-0
8. Colcord (8)#4-0
9. Washington (9)#3-1
10. Talihina (10)#4-0

Nothing changes here as all of the top 10 teams won last week. Hennessey is ranked at No. 6 because their only losses came close against Jones and to 3A No. 8 Kingfisher.

Class A
1. Woodland (1)#3-0
2. Thomas (2)#4-0
3. Wynnewood (3)#4-0
4. Afton (4)#4-0
5. Minco (5)#4-0
6. Morrison (6)#3-1
7. Wayne (7)#3-1
8. Elmore City (8)#4-0
9. Mangum (9)#3-1
10. Okeene (10)#2-2

Nothing changes here either as all of the top 10 teams won.

Class B
1. Caddo (1)#4-0
2. Davenport (3)#4-0
3. Laverne (4)#4-0
4. Gans (NR)#4-0
5. Kiefer (5)#3-1
6. Fox (6)#3-1
7. Dewar (7)#2-2
8. Cherokee (8)#3-1
9. Seiling (9)#4-0
10. Wetumka (2)#3-1

It’s hard to figure out where to slot Wetumka in here after a previously unranked Gans team beat them 52-22 Friday. I slid Davenport and Laverne up a spot before slotting Gans at No. 4. As I kept going down, comparing schedules, I wound up with Wetumka holding on at No. 10. They might be a bit better than that but of the teams ahead of them, only Cherokee has had a blowout loss (at Laverne). Wetumka isn’t likely to be challenged until the final two weeks of the season when they get zcaddo and Dewar back-to-back.

Class C
1. Deer Creek-Lamont (1)#4-0
2. Shattuck (2)#4-0
3. Timberlake (3)#3-0
4. Temple (5)#4-0
5. Covington-Douglas (6)#4-0
6. Tipton (4)#3-1
7. Coyle (8)#4-0
8. Forgan (7)#2-2
9. Ryan (9)#2-2
10. Sharon-Mutual (NR)#2-2

Covington-Douglas moves up a spot after beating previously fourth-ranked Tipton. Tipton drops a couple of spots to six after the close loss. Coyle continues to move up the rankings to No. 7 but they’ll get a tough test this week with No. 1 Deer Creek-Lamont. Sharon-Mutual moves into the rankings, replacing Thackerville in the final spot.

By Ryan Aber

Edmond North quarterback Jesse Mathews has thrown nine touchdowns through three games this season. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Edmond North senior Jesse Mathews emerged from an intense battle in the preseason with junior Luke Hoskins to win the Huskies’ quarterback job.

So far, he’s been impressive.

Mathews has thrown for nine touchdowns and just one interception — and it was a junk interception at the end of a half — for the 3-0 Huskies.

Mathews almost earned the Edmond North quarterback job two seasons ago as a sophomore, but he lost out to Travis Townsend, who was the starter for the past two seasons.

That quarterback battle was a three-way competition with Mathews, Townsend and then-senior Danny Rossi.

“It was very, very close between all three of those guys,” Huskies coach Jeremy Dombek said. “But we almost went with Jesse because we knew how talented he was, and thought if he could start as a sophomore, just think how good he’ll be by the time he’s a senior.”

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

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

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

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

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

Edmond North RB Jarion Tudman rushed for 176 yards and two TDs in Thursday's win over Southmoore. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

MOORE — After Jarion Tudman was done rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns in Edmond North’s rout of Southmoore, someone finally sprinted after him in hot pursuit and caught up.

It was me, after the Huskies broke out and were headed to the locker room.

Maybe he was jogging and I was sprinting. And maybe, had he been sprinting, he would have been to the Arkansas state line before I made it to the goal post.

Either way, this guy sprinted and caught up with Jarion Tudman. To interview him.

The Edmond North senior was virtually untouchable for much of Thursday evening. He averaged over nine yards a carry and seems to have not missed a beat from last season, when he rushed for 1,299 yards and nine touchdowns.

But even more impressive than his speed is his strength. You may not expect the 5-foot-7, 158 pound Tudman to break many tackles, but he does. And he also has great vision which allows him to see holes and lanes that extend plays.

“He’s really good at keeping the play going,” quarterback Jesse Mathews said. “The play’s never over with him.”

I’ll say. His 60-yard touchdown run was a prime example of that. He went back and forth so many times that he couldn’t even keep it straight.

“I forgot which way I ended up going,” Tudman said when asked to describe the play.

Bottom line: Tudman could be in for a very, very special season. The Huskies have Choctaw at home next Friday.

Edmond North running backs Jared Benway, left, and Jarion Tudman. PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN

MOORE — Who’s excited about the start of high school football season?

I know I am. I’m covering my first game of the season tonight, and it should be a great one.

Edmond North at Southmoore. Two teams; four outstanding running backs.

But it goes deeper than that. Both teams are talented on both sides of the ball, and both teams have the ability to be two dimensional offensively.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: EDMOND NORTH
In the backfield, the Huskies have speedster Jarion Tudman, who rushed for 1,299 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and the powerful Jared Benway, who was hurt all of last season but showed flashes of what he can do as a sophomore.

Senior quarterback Jesse Mathews won the job after a close competition with junior Luke Hoskins, who will back Benway up at fullback. Mathews, who is replacing two-year starter Travis Townsend under center for Edmond North, has a solid group of receivers at his disposal.

Senior Garrett Molinsky had 476 yards and five touchdowns last season. Senior tight end Troy Davis added eight touchdowns a year ago. Other pass-catchers for the Huskies include senior Ken Bingham, a speedy target with good hands, and Rashad Salaam, who at 6-foot-4 provides a big target for Mathews.

Up front, the Huskies should get a big boost from move-in guard Will Wiedenmann (6-foot-7, 336 pounds), who coach Jeremy Dombek said looks like he’s 280 pounds because of his athleticism.

Defensively, Edmond North returns eight starters. The Husky defense’s strong point is its secondary, which is led by senior safety Christian Peterson.

Southmoore running back Andrew Long. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: SOUTHMOORE
Southmoore missed the playoffs last season after injuries to their top offensive stars — now graduated quarterback Kendal Thompson and running back Andrew Long. But the experienced their backups gained could pay dividends this season.

Junior quarterback Tre Edwards got lots of playing time in Thompson’s absense last year. He threw for nearly 1,000 yards last season and rushed for 467 and 12 touchdowns. SaberCats coach Chris Jensen called Edwards a “magician” with the ball in his hands.

Edwards, Long, who rushed for 1,499 yards in just eight games, and junior Karltrell Henderson, who also rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2010, create one of the top backfields in Class 6A.

A big questionmark for the SaberCats’ rushing attack will be their offensive line, which returns no starters.

Edwards also has three returning starters to throw the ball to — tight end Jackson Stallings, who grabbed five TDs last season, and juniors Johnathan Martin and Nick Ward.

Defensively, Southmoore brings back five starters, including linebackers Kaleb Thompson, who had 125 tackles last season, and Terrance Bonner. The SaberCats defense is very talented despite its inexperience, and has the potential to be a strong unit in 2011.

PREDICTION TIME
This could be a classic game because of the two immensely talented offenses. I think it will ultimately come down to which rushing attack has a better showing, and I believe it will be the Huskies’. Edmond North’s defense is more experienced than Southmoore’s, and when you combine that with the SaberCats’ green offensive line, I think it spells a Huskies victory.

Edmond North 27, Southmoore 24.

Will Wiedenmann (6-foot-7, 336 pounds) moved from Statham, Ga., to Edmond.

“He came a couple days after practice started, and asked if we had a spot on the team for him,” Huskies coach Jeremy Dombek said. “I took one look at him and said, ‘I think I can find one.’”

Wiedenmann passed his physical, and the OSSAA cleared him to play last Thursday, Dombek said.

Wiedenmann will be in the starting lineup at left guard when the Huskies open the season on Thursday at Southmoore.

“He’s still learning our scheme, but there’s no doubt that he’s a player,” Dombek said.

“There’s no bones about it — he’s going to raise some eyebrows when he comes off the bus.”

Jesse Mathews, left, will be Edmond North's starting quarterback in 2011. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN

Edmond North senior Jesse Mathews will be the team’s starting quarterback for its first game at Southmoore, coach Jeremy Dombek said Monday.

Mathews had been competing with junior Luke Hoskins to replace two-year starter Travis Townsend.

Mathews was the junior varsity’s quarterback as a sophomore and a starting receiver for the Edmond North varsity team last year. Hoskins was the JV quarterback last season.

The competition had been tight, and Dombek said before last week’s scrimmage at Moore that the decision was getting harder.

Dombek has said that he won’t use a two-quarterback system.

Edmond North safety Christian Peterson broke his wrist during practice last week.

Edmond North senior safety Christian Peterson, one of eight returning starters on the Huskies’ defense, broke his wrist during the team’s intersquad scrimmage Monday.

Peterson didn’t realize how serious the injury was and didn’t leave practice after the injury occurred.

“I didn’t realize what was wrong,” Peterson said. “I just thought it was a bruise or something.”

Peterson has no plans to miss any time, though.  The Huskies’ first scrimmage is tonight at Moore.

“I’m just gonna play with the cast on,” Peterson said. “It’s my last go-round.”

Peterson said his doctor told him that he could play, but not to push it.

Peterson made 76 tackles last season as a junior.

Jason Kersey
jkersey@opubco.com
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Junior Luke Hoskins is competing to be Edmond North's starting quarterback in 2011. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN

Edmond North coach Jeremy Dombek is no closer to making a decision on who his starting quarterback will be in 2011, and the decision isn’t getting any easier to make.

Senior Jesse Mathews and junior Luke Hoskins are competing to replace graduated two-year starter Travis Townsend as the Huskies’ signal caller.

“It gets harder every day because they’re both so good,” said Dombek, who has also said he won’t consider a two-quarterback system.

“I’m not going to lose any sleep over it because no matter who it is, I’m going to feel good about it. They’re both good teammates, and they’re gonna support whichever decision we make because we are making it in the best interest of the team.”

Dombek has said he plans to make his decision after the team’s first scrimmage, which is Friday at Moore.

Edmond North coach Jeremy Dombek likes the experience of his 2011 squad. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Edmond North coach Jeremy Dombek is pleased so far with his team’s practice effort, and he attributes the pace to experience.

“We’re definitely ahead of where we’ve been the past few years,” Dombek said. “That’s what you expect when you have a veteran team returning. I love our pace of practice.”

The Huskies return eight starters on defense and six on offense, including senior running back Jarion Tudman, who rushed for 1,299 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago.

Also back is running back Jared Benway, a senior who was expected to carry the load for the Huskies last year before an early leg injury that cost him his entire junior year.

Dombek said he will really know where his team stands when practice in pads starts Friday.

“You’re so limited in what you can do and how you can evaluate (without pads),” Dombek said, “but we’ll get through (Thursday) and get the pads on Friday and the opening game will be here before we know it.”

The Huskies open on Thursday, September 1 at Southmoore. The team’s first scrimmage is Friday, Aug. 19 at Moore.

Edmond North High School's football field after the Wednesday morning storm.

I just talked to Edmond Public Schools athletic director Mike Nunley again, and after visiting other Edmond schools he has a rough estimate of $50,000 in damages to sports facilities in the district.

An estimated $30,000 of the damages are at Edmond North High School. Much of the damage is from wind screens, which Nunley called “super expensive,”  at the tennis courts being destroyed. Wind screens at Edmond North, Edmond Santa Fe High School and four of the five middle schools were destroyed.

Edmond Memorial High School appears to have sustained no damage to its sports facilities.

The Edmond North play clock was at a 45-degree angle after Wednesday's storms.

I went to Edmond North’s football practice this morning to check in on coach Jeremy Dombek and the Huskies, who have a true dynamic duo at running back and a quarterback battle brewing.

But the Huskies weren’t the story of the day at Edmond North High School. The athletic facilities behind the school had suffered damage from the violent thunderstorm that ripped through Edmond early Wednesday morning.

Edmond athletic director Mike Nunley estimated that the damage is $30,000 at Edmond North alone. He left to go check on other schools in the area.

One of the first things I noticed was the play clock at the football field. It was at a 45-degree angle (see photo). There was the new pole vault pit, which was completely destroyed. The Huskies’ softball field appeared to have suffered no damage, however.

Hopefully the damage  is limited to what I saw.

Back to the topic, the different format for the final day of the camp kinda makes doing scrimmage-by-scrimmage reports pointless. There were so many. If you saw me, I was basically anchored on the 50 yard line and kept my head on a swivel between the two fields.

Midwest City
Bombers had highlight of the day for me. In a hotly contested battle with Stillwater, the Bombers used some of that Bomber Magic on the final play.

Quarterback Ronnie Davis gave it to Cornell Neal, who chucked it into the end zone to Zeke Lewis for the scrimmage-winning score. What made the play, really, was the fact Midwest City got the snap off with 1 second left in the 10-minute scrimmage. But the snap did count.

If you ask me, Stillwater was the darling of this camp. Stillwater opened people’s eyes all three days. However, Midwest City also showed it’s still among the best. And though early indications are that Stillwater is going to be a player this season, the Bombers showed they’re not going away anytime soon, either.

Second highlight of the day: Ricky Reeves of Midwest City one-on-one against Stillwater’s Jesse Vester. How’s that for an early June battle between two of the best athletes in the state?

Stillwater
Like I said, no team impressed me more. Got a chance to talk with Jesse Vester and Jerame Littell during those first two days. Had a good chat with coach Tucker Barnard on this final day. I won’t spoil it because I’m writing a big Stillwater story for Monday’s paper. How’s that for a tease?

Bishop McGuinness
Irish were learning on the job in this camp, said coach Justin Jones. Not only are coach and players still trying to adjust to everything, but the Irish had maybe the least amount of practices coming into the event. Jones said because of dead week during finals, the Irish only had six practices. Or as he put it, ‘three offensive practices and three defensive practices.’ I’m not sold on the McGuinness offense yet, but ya gotta love that defense, especially those linebackers.

Deer Creek
Getting off the mat to finish the job. In a scrimmage against, ooh, I wanna say Stillwater, QB Joel Blumenthal tweaked his ankle on the final play. In the ensuing scrimmage against Bixby, Blumenthal found Hunter Dinkines for a touchdown on the final play. Came away really impressed with Brennan Miyake. He’s already a big boy. Deer Creek was missing some key linemen and had to battle 6A teams for those three days so not going to be too harsh. Coach Grant Gower was extremely pleased and that’s good enough for me.

Norman North
Enjoyed seeing Bryan Payne do his thing. He’s a little dude, but he’s got some game in him. Between him, Emilio Gatewood and Raymond Demby, that was a nice set of backs last year. Payne looks like he’ll have to be the man, but if he can endure the punishment, that’s OK. Coach Wade Standley said it was just Day 12 of the team and him together so like most coaches at this point, happy to get some good reps in.

Edmond North
I really like Luke Hoskins. I’m not sure how the X-and-Os battle is going between Jesse Mathews and Hoskins, but Hoskins has looked good. Also glad to see Jared Benway take some big shots and bounce back up. Really hope Benway can stay healthy. Jarion Tudman was also back in action Friday after being banged up Wednesday. This is another team that I’ll see a lot more of in the future so I didn’t critique the Huskies too much.

OCS
A lot of the names I’ve grown to love with the Saints are gone, but coach Derek Turner is extremely excited about this group. He admits they’re a young squad, but he said the talent in the freshman/sophomore class is some top notch stuff. Hope to see more of the Saints this summer.

- Edmond Santa Fe wasn’t there on the final day. That’s alright, know there will be plenty of other times I’ll catch up with Lance Manning and company…Little Axe coach Ted Dorrell is excited to be a head coach again, that’s for sure. The Indians took a big hit via graduation, but Dorrell has some real fire…McLoud coach Eric Cardin said his team is young, but a camp like this always helps out. Realistically, Redskins are one year away, but Cardin is pumped for the future…Didn’t get to meet with Tecumseh coach Greg George too long. He said he loved the camp, best camp his team goes to. Savages did OK from the action I saw.

- Some of these same teams are out at Boone Pickens on Saturday for the Red Bull Game Breakers. I won’t be there, but I have ‘correspondents’ who will fill me in.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The biggest thing right now for the Edmond North boys basketball program is trust. How do you earn that trust from the kids? They feel like they’ve heard this song-and-dance before.

So when talking to new coach Quinn Wooldridge, was happy to hear him stress how important it is to build the overall program. The Huskies have had some singular great seasons. And then they dip a little bit and fall off the radar. That’s what Wooldridge is looking to stop.

Wooldridge has spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma City University. He’s also coached at McAlester and in New Mexico. He was approved by the Board on Thursday night and accepted the position.

Maybe avoiding the name ‘Jeff’ was the way to go. Jeff Tanner resigned last month for personal reasons. More comfortable move for the Tanner family to go back to Kansas. Before him, it was Jeff Tompkins who left the year before. Again, it was more of a family thing.

Wooldridge hasn’t met with the team yet. It’s been a crazy 24 hours for him, meeting with the administration and the assistants. Plans on meeting the kids for the first time Monday morning.

Interesting to see how the kids respond to Wooldridge. Just not an enviable spot for teenagers to have to keep adapting, keep believing only to see the coach leave. I don’t blame Tanner or Tompkins and enjoyed talking with both guys a lot, but that’s a tough mental hurdle to get over.

Different dynamic at North this year with Karlie Free taking over the girls program and now Wooldridge in charge of the boys.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

A couple in particular, Stillwater and Deer Creek, made goalline, last-second stands to preserve scrimmage victories. I guess if you wanna call them victories.

Stillwater vs. Edmond Santa Fe

Never had I anticipated a 20-minute scrimmage between two 1-9 teams more than what I did as the final scrimmage of the day. Santa Fe looked great against Bixby and Pioneers showed a lot against Midwest City.

This one was as good as I hoped. Midwest City and Edmond North was going on at the same time, but the intensity and battle was just a little bit better with the Wolves and Pioneers so that’s who I stuck with.

Big heart showed by Stillwater QB Jerame Littell. He took a nasty shot that led to an interception. On the next drive, aired it out to Jesse Vester for the touchdown.

Wolves bounced back. With big brother Reggie Smith watching, Trevan Smith showed his speed. Trevan is small, but he’s got a lot of wiggle to him and scored.

Littell led another touchdown drive to set the stage for the final minutes. Justice Hansen threw it in the end zone as time expired, and it was picked off. Big thing that Littell and coach Tucker Barnard stressed was the ability to finish.

When you’re 1-9, at least a few of those games are decided in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. You have to learn how to finish. That’s what the Pioneers are doing so far at Edmond North. Great physical battle.

Deer Creek vs. Bixby

The Antlers had already wrapped up the ‘scrimmage victory.’ Based on rules, Bixby shouldn’t have been allowed one more play. But Deer Creek coach Grant Gower told Bixby to go one more play. He wanted his kids to experience a fourth down-like atmosphere.

Deer Creek stopped the Spartans short of the end zone in a 7-0 victory.

Antlers defense was the star in this one. To go with the last-second stop, Deer Creek stopped Bixby on a fourth-and-one earlier in the scrimmage.

Deer Creek scored on its second play from scrimmage as QB Joel Blumenthal found RB Brennan Miyake cutting across the middle and Miyake did the rest.

Miyake said it was a big boost to be going against Edmond North and Midwest City earlier in the day. It made the Antlers ready for a team like Bixby.

Midwest City vs. Edmond North

Caught glimpses of this. After Christian Peterson picked off a MWC pass, it seemed like the Bombers settled down after that. A lot of stops for losses for Midwest City against Edmond North. Bombers also found the end zone a couple of times. Wish that hadn’t gone head-to-head with Stillwater and Santa Fe.

Norman North vs. Shawnee

Another one that I didn’t get to fully see. A lot of woofin’ in this one. Teams had to separated a couple of times. T’Wolves’ fans, who is No. 3? I’m enjoying watching him work, that’s for sure. I didn’t see either team score in the 10-12 minutes I was able to watch.

Bishop McGuinness vs. Altus

I tried to watch, but what I was really thinking was why was Altus in full pads? Every other team was wearing shorts, but the Bulldogs were padded up. It makes a big difference. The Irish were still able to win, but that was a strange sight to see.

- Got a chance to briefly talk with Little Axe coach Ted Dorrell. I told him I can’t keep track of all 15 teams. He told me ‘try learning your players’ names in an environment like this.’ Dorrell was an assistant at Jones last season.

- Interesting talking with Santa Fe defensive coordinator Kenny Young when Irish were playing. He admits he’s still cheering for McGuinness and always will be. Ten years doesn’t just disappear with a change in jobs.

- Windy as heck out there. Don’t know if videos with Littell and Miyake will be deemed salvageable. If not, just look for some isolated plays from the scrimmages.

- Format change for Friday. Teams will start at 8:30 instead of 8 a.m. Also, more scrimmages. 10-minute scrimmages will begin at 9:40 and go to about 11:30-11:45. Either way, I’ll be out there. My format changes, too. I try to talk with players Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, I’ll be asking coaches what they learned in the three days so probably won’t be any videos.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The format was the same, too, thankfully. Teams go from station-to-station and then 20-minute scrimmages start at 11 a.m.

The first scrimmage I’m always going to be able to sorta give a better account. After that, it gets sketchy because I’m trying to track down players/coaches from the finished scrimmage and also watch the next set of teams.

Bishop McGuinness vs. Shawnee

Not the best start to this one for either team. In fact, that was kind of the general trend where teams started slow and then picked up the pace.

Irish turned the ball over first time in possession, and the Wolves capitalized. However, in final two possessions, Irish looked a lot better. The first was a sustained (well, as sustained as you can get going 40 yards) drive that ended in a Camden Tharp touchdown rush.

And then in the final minute, Tharp threw the ‘scrimmage-winning’ touchdown pass. He said it’s a lot different environment under coach Justin Jones as opposed to Kenny Young.

People are normally quick to say that’s bashing the former coach, but it’s not, if you ask me. Different doesn’t imply anything except that things are ‘different.’

Young was an in-your-face, no nonsense type of guy. Jones is a little more hands on, Tharp said. Tharp admitted it was tough initially in the scrimmage because the Irish were playing a lot of JV. To go from that to Shawnee is a leap, for sure. Gonna have to pick me up a Wolves roster for the next two days. Saying No. 2 and No. 12 had good days doesn’t amount to much, my fault.

Edmond Santa Fe vs. Bixby

This started the trend of things getting chippy. The Wolves are playing with a real chip on their shoulder, for the lack of a better term. The last two years have been tough to endure, and they’re looking to show things are going to be different right from the get go.

Leading that charge is wide receiver Tre Kelley. He was a-woofin’ and hollerin’ all scrimmage. He also backed it up. QB Justice Hansen looked good on a touchdown carry. Really excited to see what Phillip Sumpter and Trevan Smith can do in the open field.

But more than the offense, great day by the defense. Kenny Young has the team playing in a different tempo, swagger, and it showed in Day 1. I wanna say it was Santa Fe 14, Bixby 0 but don’t quote me on that one.

Midwest City vs. Stillwater

Ooh, pumped to see what is happening with the Pioneers right now. Cleaned house with the coaching staff, and the kids just look a little happier to go to work.

Obviously when you talk about Stillwater, it starts with QB Jerame Littell and WR Jesse Vester. Wednesday was no different as Vester made some outstanding plays, and Littell got to showcase his arm.

Stillwater made a nice late charge in this one. Not gonna judge the Midwest City offense too much because a lot of key players to replace. And this was a scrimmage that I was really scrambling to see. Hope to get a better look at the Bombers on Thursday or Friday.

Deer Creek vs. Altus

Deer Creek coach Grant Gower said he was really pleased with the team’s effort. Antlers scored on all three of their possessions.

When you’re talking about DC, Altus and the Irish, you’re looking at 5A teams that are going against 6A teams the entire time until this scrimmage portion. You get to see how much it helps to go against the speed of MWC, Edmond North, etc., when get back down to 5A.

- Look for videos with Tharp, Kelley and Vester on NewsOK. I’ll be keeping tabs on the health of Edmond North RB Jarion Tudman. He landed knee-first on the track on a tackle and had to ice his knee. Goal is to catch a better glimpse of Norman North, MWC, OCS and a couple of others on Day 2.

- And for the record, the 15 teams: Edmond North, Edmond Santa Fe, Midwest City, Bixby, Norman North, Stillwater, Deer Creek, McGuinness, Shawnee, Altus, OCS, Meeker, McLoud, Tecumseh, Little Axe.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

I’ve spent a good time thinking about how big it is that RB Jared Benway will be back after his leg injuries, but he’s just one cog of a lot of solid parts for the Huskies.

It was a long day for North kids. Finals were Friday. They watched film, lifted weights. Basically, nobody was at their best in the hour-long (give or take) scrimmage. However, you see the potential of why this could be the most explosive team North has had in a while.

The combo of Benway and Jarion Tudman could be downright scary. Benway with the power and Tudman with the sprinter’s speed. Tudman never got to see Benway being Benway because of last year’s injury so Tudman admitted he’s pretty pumped about watching Benway. And having Benway block for him won’t be bad.

At receiver, looking at Garrett Molinsky and Troy Davis. No speed burners there, but two incredibly reliable possession receivers. And Heath Newland is anchoring the offensive line.

Defense dominated the day for the most part Friday. I really like the development of Christian Peterson this year, think he’s a budding star in the secondary. Upfront, love the work of Brock Byford. Also will have one of the best kickers around in Camden Bohnert.

Figured Jesse Mathews would have the QB spot wrapped up, but I liked what I saw from Luke Hoskins. Mathews will find his way on the field one way or another, regardless.

In breaking it down, agree with what Dombek said about Friday. It was good effort but not a good evaluation of what the team has. For that, well, we might find out more next week as 15 teams are rolling into Edmond North for a three-day camp (I’ll be there all three days).

Look for video with Tudman on NewsOK this weekend.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The Yellowjackets defensive lineman smoked the field in the bench press with 31 repetitions at 185 pounds. Westmoore linebacker Joshua Morgan had 29, while Edmond North’s Brock Byford did 27.

In the power ball toss, it was Edmond North’s Cole Parsons who stood out with the top toss of 40 feet, 3 inches. Nobody had a better vertical leap than Yukon’s Darius Owens. The Millers defensive back topped out at 38.6 inches. And Bryce Robinson of Edmond Memorial had the best 20-yard shuttle run time at 4.09 seconds.

Curtis of Putnam City had the fastest time in the 40-yard dash at 4.32 seconds. Another combine of the same format is Saturday at Broken Arrow.

***

Give me some time to digest the results, and I’ll come back later in the week with some other nuggets for ya.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Putnam City's Casey Curtis star was on full display with a 4.32 effort in the 40-yard dash Saturday.

Is he really that fast? Yep, Putnam City running back Casey Curtis really is that fast. After posting a sub 4.40 40-yard dash in his first attempt, people were wondering if it was faulty timing.

So the Pirates star lined up and did it again. Five different people were timing him, and bam, 4.32. Yep, 4.32 for Curtis in the 40-yard dash Saturday morning at the OkVarsity.com combine at Yukon’s Miller Pride Stadium.

Fellow chum Scott Wright has been high on Curtis for a long time. I haven’t doubted it, but it was great to see it with my own eyes. We have Curtis currently ranked No. 20 on our Super 30 recruits for the 2012 class. A new list will come out within the next month so it might change.

Curtis was actually a little disappointed with his shuttle run time, but all I had to do was remind him 4.32 and his smile came back.

The 40-yard dash was one component of multi-part combine presented by OkVarsity.com, the Oklahoma high school site of Rivals.com. Players also participated in the power ball toss, shuttle run, vertical leap and had the option of participating in the bench press.

Other thoughts and observations

- First time to see Ponca City quarterback Brent Wilson. This combine isn’t really a skills showcase, but Wilson fared well from what I saw. And like some others, just good to see who some of these kids are after reading so much about him. Wilson said he’s excited about this year because a lot of the Wildcats have grown up.

- This was in Yukon’s backyard so no shock to see plenty of Millers there. However, Valliant and Forgan? Huh? Valliant brought a good chunk of kids and coach Brett Jones was more than happy to make the trek for his kids to get some recognition and get tested.

- Santa Fe’s Trevan Smith had a really good 40 time as well. I wanna say 4.37 but don’t quote me. Wolves brought a good chunk of kids. Tellin’ ya, a lot of talent for Lance Manning and company to mold into a cohesive force.

- Power ball toss just sounds like a World’s Strongest Man competition. A lot of the kids had trouble with the first toss because either had never done it before or were too busy trying to get it high. The key to power ball toss is to chuck that thing forward and not so much about the height. Heritage Hall’s Markus Wakefield said it was weird, at first, because he’d never done anything like that before. I thought he fared well in both tosses.

- Piedmont’s Cassius Calhoun was on hand. The Wildcats running back is making the move from Casady to Piedmont. And Piedmont has a new coach in former Stillwater assistant Craig Church. Calhoun said he is ready to show what he can do. He’s a lot more comfortable and ready to be a leader for Piedmont.

- Missed out on Jared Benway from Edmond North. He was finishing up as I was still getting a grasp on the format of the day. Very excited to see a healthy Benway. The Huskies are one of my destinations for the second week of spring practice.

- Results, according to OkVarsity.com’s Justin Mitchell, will be available either Sunday or Monday. When I get ‘em, I’ll post them. Good camp, hope the kids took advantage of their opportunity. The Tulsa side is next Saturday at Broken Arrow. Also, look for plenty of videos on NewsOK.com in the upcoming day(s). Able to talk and meet with a lot of kids.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Former boys coach Jeff Tanner resigned Monday night, said Edmond athletic director Mike Nunley.

Tanner came to Edmond from Garden City, Kan., last year. Tanner has decided to move back to Kansas to teach and coach.

This will be the third year in a row the Huskies will have a new coach. Jeff Tompkins left the year before Tanner arrived.

The Huskies hired Karlie Free out of Houston to replace former girls coach Kevin Korstjens two weeks ago. After five seasons, Korstjens resigned last month and has accepted the girls basketball coaching job at Bridge Creek.

***

This is a tough situation all the way around. I enjoyed talking with Tanner and know he knew his stuff. But family comes first. That’s really been the case the last two years with Tanner and Tompkins – family came first.

But how do you expect the boys to gel as a team when there are these constant changes? Edmond North is already playing catch up to Edmond powerhouses Santa Fe and Memorial. And then you add in the coaching carousel, it’s tough to bounce back from everything.

You go from Tompkins’ system one year to Tanner’s system this last year to whatever system the new coach implements this time around. A lot to ask of 14-17-year-old kids.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Out of all the applicants for the two positions, Edmond athletic director Mike Nunley said only about 5 percent of the candidates interviewed for both spots.

The two schools couldn’t have selected two more different candidates as Memorial named former Choctaw coach Dandy Peeler head coach. Edmond North named Karlie Free, a coach out of Houston, as the Huskies leader.

Both coaches were approved Monday night by the Edmond Board of Education and both coaches accepted their respective position.

For the second time in a row, a big position at Memorial has been filled by a former Yellowjacket leader.

The Bulldogs named former Choctaw football coach Bill Bays the athletic director last month.

Peeler has coached at Choctaw and Putnam City.

For the second year in a row, Edmond North has looked out of state to find its basketball coach. Last year the Huskies named Jeff Tanner, formerly of Garden City, Kan., to lead the boys program.

Free had been the coach at the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. Free grew up in Newkirk and graduated from Central Oklahoma.

Both Free and Peeler will come in with high expectations as Memorial and North each made the state semifinals last season. Former Memorial coach Shane Coffey is now an assistant coach at Tulsa University, while Kevin Korstjens resigned at North after five years.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Max McGreevy certainly helped the cause on Monday. He fired a two-round total of 136 at Broadmoore Golf Course in Moore to claim the Metro Conference individual title.

He was two strokes ahead of Edmond North freshmen Nick Heinen at 138 and Sam Humphreys at 139. Edmond North also held the next three spots, with Austen Fuller and Caleb Meyers tied for fourth at 140 and Alec Heinen — Nick’s older brother — in sixth at 142.

Obviously, Edmond North ran away with the team competition at 552, with Choctaw second at 596 and Santa Fe third at 599.

Edmond Memorial’s Taylor Moore won the Mid-State Conference Tournament, firing an 8-under-par 132 (69-63) for the title, just three strokes ahead of Norman North’s Jett Johnson at Belmar Country Club on Monday. Memorial’s team total of 547 was good for a four-shot win over Norman North as well.

It’ll be interesting to follow things in 6A boys golf the next couple of weeks with regionals and state coming up.

All the Edmond schools plus Norman North will go head-to-head in regionals at Oak Tree East, which should make for some thrilling competition. And state is at Cedar Ridge Country Club, which is the home course for a couple of Jenks players, and the Trojans are among a small group of teams that could end Edmond North’s state title run — Memorial and Norman North are probably the only other two who have a real shot.

From the individual perspective, Moore has been strong all year as he tries to repeat, but Colton Staggs at Jenks looks pretty impressive. Johnson, Fuller and Alec Heinen are right there, too, and who knows what some of the young guys like McGreevy, Jenks’ Brendon Jelley and the Edmond North freshmen could do on the big stage.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

So you hope just maybe one time one match at a certain weight class or one match on the court  will determine a championship. It did on Wednesday in the Edmond Tournament.

In this corner, Ann Pepper of Edmond North against Bishop McGuinness’ Ashleigh Chiaf in the No. 1 singles championship. Teams were guaranteed a 1-2 finish, but it was this match that would determine how it went.

Both North assistant Bryan Duroy and Irish head coach Vicki Connelly were very pleased with the effort that saw Chiaf win 6-4, 6-3, to give the Irish the team title. Trinian O’Neil also helped out in the cause by winning the No. 2 singles title.

Maybe it wasn’t fair to write off the Irish after the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. This was a nice statement made by the Irish girls, and I believe between Chiaf, Pepper and Heritage Hall’s Sarah Bowen, you’re looking at the top three players in the Oklahoma City area.

Chiaf is a really a story worth telling (I will, don’t worry). Waiting in the wings since she was a freshman, the Missouri signee is showing that not only can she handle being the top player, she can also handle leading the team.

Hey, just a tough day to pick where you wanted to be. Deer Creek-Norman North baseball? Josh Richardson signing with Tennessee? Top-notch tennis tournament?

Enid won both doubles championships and gotta believe the Pacers are going to play a role in the team race next month.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Thursday
Edmond North vs. El Reno, 10 a.m.
Westmoore vs. Guthrie, 1 p.m.
Noble vs. Norman North, 4 p.m.
Deer Creek vs. Miami, 7 p.m.

Friday
Miami vs. Noble, 10 a.m.
Miami vs. Norman North, 1 p.m.
El Reno vs. Guthrie, 4 p.m.
Edmond North vs. Westmoore, 7 p.m.

Saturday
Times and teams to be decided later based on all teams participating.

Crazy to think Deer Creek and Norman North will play each other. I’ll be there for that one as it’s No. 1 in 5A vs. No. 4 in 6A. Should be fun.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

And though I knew the name, I didn’t know the face. So I got to Kickingbird on Monday and had no idea what Hager looked like. It turns out I was running into him a lot, just had no idea who he was.

He’s easy to miss because you seriously do not think he should be in high school. He has no size on him at all. He’s not tall, he’s not tall, but get him on the court and look out.

He doesn’t overpower you, but he is a human backboard. He gets every shot back and frustrates you. You have to be so mentally strong to be able to beat someone like that. To go with that, he does a great job of playing with precision. In the championship match, you could count his unforced errors on one hand.

And I admit I smiled a little bit because that that was the exact same way I used to play. Shocker of all shocker, but I’ve always been a small guy. I don’t possess power, but I could rally with someone until they forced the action and made the mistake.

But Hager’s is light years better than I was. And it was a treat to watch him work against Bishop McGuinness’ Jonathan Kraft.

Kraft, a two-time state champion, didn’t play badly. He hit a lot of good shots that would have been winners against other players. Hager somehow found a way to get all the shots back en route to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

While Hager opened my eyes, the whole Edmond North team was dominant in sweeping the Edmond Tournament. Hager is undefeated this season. It’s going to be fun to watch him develop as a player in the future.

Look for a video with Hager on NewsOK on Tuesday. You can watch and see that it remains true that you cannot judge a book by its cover. He packs a lot of game in that frame of his.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

After giving up football last year, former Guthrie phenom Kye Staley is back with OSU.

It was a different scene for yours truly Saturday. Initially had plans to cover the finals of the Bill Tipton VII baseball tournament at Carl Albert, I was asked instead to help cover the Oklahoma State spring football game.

And I gotta say, it was great to see former Guthrie star Kye Staley back out there. He looked great in his 11 carries for 55 yards. The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten had a great line about Staley: ‘he should be wearing green pants.’

Quarterback Brandon Weeden was wearing a green jersey to identify that he wasn’t to be hit. Well, with all the problems Staley has had with his knee, the green pants sounded appropriate.

Staley didn’t wear green pants, however. He took some big shots to the knee. But he bounced right back up. Staley is a big boy now. He’s more fullback than running back at this point. He’s about 215 pounds, and you can see that his desire and love of the game is back.

It was tremendous to see and you can also tell how happy his teammates are for him and for the team that Staley is back.

After giving up the sport before last season, Staley’s confidence is back. And that is a good thing for the Cowboys. For my story on Staley, here ya go.

Other spring game thoughts

- They’re all wearing the orange and black of OSU, but to me, they’ll all be known as ‘former (high school) star’ when it comes to the in-state products.

- Former Carl Albert star Daytawion Lowe made a couple of nice plays. He was also beat on a touchdown by Tracy Moore, but Lowe had an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown and had a couple of nice hits.

- Speaking of Moore, the former Tulsa Union star has become a much better college player than I thought he’d be. He is definitely among the top four receivers for the Cowboys. Moore got open a couple of times and had four grabs for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

- Like Moore, former Redskins star Jeremy Smith continues to impress me. I loved watching him play in high school and that hasn’t gone away in college. He had a great touchdown run on a spin move and also caught a touchdown pass. He said his biggest improvement this spring was in the passing game.

- Lo and behold, was that Joe Aska Jr.? Yep, the former Edmond North star running back had a couple of attempts and scored a touchdown. With that loaded backfield, cannot imagine Aska seeing too much time, but it was great to see him land on his feet.

- OK, I do admit Brandon Weeden (Santa Fe), Justin Blackmon (Plainview) and Josh Cooper (Mustang) are known more as Cowboys at this point. They’ve earned it.

- But by far, the biggest change was not having to keep my own stats. I was lost. I still did, but then I was handed a packet of everything you could ask for. And it was nice to be working with fellow chum Brandon Chatmon (@BChatmon on Twitter) again. All ‘n all, a fun way to spend a Saturday.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

With Alie Decker returning and a great supporting cast, Edmond Memorial is the No. 1 vacant spot in girls basketball.

We had two big shakeups in the 5A-6A girls basketball landscape with the resignations of Jennifer Burch at Bishop McGuinness and Kevin Korstjens at Edmond North.

Add those to the departure of Matilda Mossman at Norman and Shane Coffey of Edmond Memorial, and it’s a very interesting time in girls basketball. Mossman is now the head coach at Tulsa, and she took Coffey with her to be one of her assistants.

Memorial and Norman are coming down the homestretch of their coaching searches, while North and the Irish are just beginning. In my opinion, here is how I would rank the four spots.

4. Edmond North (Last year: semifinals)
Despite the fact the Huskies have reached the semifinals the last two seasons, this is going to be a whole new group of girls at North.

The Huskies’ entire starting lineup is gone. Post stars Liz Donohoe and TaNita Dewberry? Gone. Anna Kimsey, the glue of the team? Yep, graduating. Guards Ella Voss and Kayla Anderson won’t even be around. In all, North has seven seniors that are graduating. This program didn’t have a lot of tradition before Korstjens, and it will be tough to keep it up.

3. Norman (Last year: quarterfinals)
Wow, some pretty big names to follow when talking about Sherri Coale and Mossman. You can either see that as intimidating or as a chance to stamp your own name. Tiger tradition is incredible.

Good set of players coming back, such as Jordan Franks and Bethany Cox. She was just a sophomore last year, but I think Cox is going to be a star in the next two years. The Norman administration is (understandably) taking its time and is going to find the right person.

2. Bishop McGuinness (Last year: state champion)
It was surprising to me when Burch called it a day, but I know how much this last year meant to her. And also realized that her life is going in another direction.

If the Irish stay in 5A, this is a good spot. The top part of 5A is incredibly good, but the class as a whole has not had the depth that you see in 4A. McGuinness was the last team by ADM in 5A this year.

When talking who is coming back, Kate Andrews and Stephanie Milligan are a nice supporting class. However, the coach that comes in is going to have a lot of fun watching Elyse Hight do what she does. She’ll be among the best players in the state next year.

1. Edmond Memorial (Last year: semifinals)
This is based purely on the girls that are coming back. Wow, this team is top 3 before the season starts. It’s still going to be tough to compete with Edmond Santa Fe and Midwest City, but Memorial is right there as Coffey had no problem telling me throughout the season.

It starts with Alie Decker. She became one of the more complete players in the state this season and should only get better. However, you throw in Sydney Hill and Alyssa Hand? Look out for the Bulldogs.

Also look for Kelsey Glover and Alison Roy to play bigger roles next season. Edmond AD Mike Nunley said he hopes to have the Memorial coach by the end of this week and then he’ll look at filling the North spot.

It’s a race. All four spots are great, no question, so it will be interesting to see who goes where.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Kevin Korstjens becomes the latest big-time girls basketball coach to resign. After five years at Edmond North, Korstjens has stepped down.

And another one.

***

Every year once the season is done, coaches and players will evaluate things and look to see how they can improve.

Edmond North girls basketball coach Kevin Korstjens would do the same thing regarding his status. Was it time for a change, or was he still content? Korstjens said this time he was ready for a change.

After five seasons of leading the Huskies, Korstjens has resigned as the head coach.

“It just seems like the right time right now,” Korstjens said. “After talking with my family, we felt this would be best.”

In his five seasons, Korstjens helped turn Edmond North into one of the top teams in the state. The Huskies qualified for the state tournament the last three years and reached the state semifinals the last two seasons.

Edmond North was 6-5 this season before winning 15 consecutive games, including being the only team to beat Edmond Santa Fe, the eventual state champion. The Wolves eliminated the Huskies in the semifinals.

Korstjens said he wouldn’t rule out coaching next season but that right now the plan is to stay at Edmond North and continue teaching.

“If the right opportunity arrived, I could see myself coaching,” Korstjens said. “But we’re happy where we are. We’re not going to move to the ends of the earth for a coaching job.”

Korstjens was 86-41 in his five years with the Huskies.

“The kids are what make this job fun, and the kids are what makes these decisions so difficult,” Korstjens. “You never want to leave the kids. They’ve meant so much to me.”

Korstjens becomes the fourth girls state qualifying coach from 6A or 5A teams to resign in the last month and the second girls coach of the three Edmond Public Schools.

Former Norman coach Matilda Mossman is now the Tulsa University head coach. Mossman named former Edmond Memorial coach Shane Coffey as one of her assistants.

And in 5A, former Bishop McGuinness coach Jennifer Burch resigned Monday after 11 years and winning the school’s first girls basketball state championship.

***

But I guess you could look at each decision of the four coaches and rationalize it.

- With Matilda Mossman, she’s been in the college game before. Her son, Matt, is graduating Norman so it was time for Mossman to try something different if it was there. Tulsa was there.

- Always a dream to coach at the next level, and Shane Coffey is no different. This is a tremendous opportunity for Coffey. He’s leaving the ‘best’ team of the four squads who are coming back. Next year’s Memorial squad is a top 3 team, no question.

- Burch is something of a ‘job well done.’ I’ve seen the transformation in her life this year and what married life has given her. It’s given her tremendous balance and a new perspective. She’s fought and clawed for 11 years, reached the top and now wants to spend time with her family.

- Korstjens, well, what a special group this senior class was for North. Seven seniors who helped turn around the program. I know how much this team meant to Korstjens. That scene after the semifinal loss to Santa Fe – you could see how much of his heart and soul he had put into it.

- Well, four top-notch spots are open. Let’s the madness begin (or continue).

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Too early for 2013 class talk? Maybe, but Deer Creek's Joel Blumenthal is one to watch.

Before we get to the weekly news and notes on some of the top recruits, really think some recruiting experts are missing the boat on the class of 2012.

Heritage Hall’s Barry J. Sanders dominates the headlines and has for the last couple of years. And then when a program like Oklahoma offers players such as Jenks’ Alex Ross and Heritage Hall’s Sterling Shepard, that obviously makes people stand up and notice.

Those three again were recognized with Sanders at No. 51, Shepard at No. 85 and Ross at No. 89 of the Scout 300. And then that was it. Really?

No love for Norman RB Donovan Roberts or Douglass OL Cayman Bundage? Or an OL like Blake Belcher from Guthrie? And we might all be sleeping on just how good Ramsey Hamilton of Beggs after how well he has fared in workout/combine atmospheres.

I really like this class. Hey, maybe I’m overestimating how good this class is going to be, but I can tell you that I’m already excited for the fall. Heck, even spring practice.

With that said, more news and notes:

- Edmond Santa Fe has been off the radar lately, but that should change this year. Not only is Ty Hensley a top baseball/football prospect, defensive back Conner Bays performed extremely well at an Under Armour combine last weekend in Houston. It’s going to be a new looks Wolves team so it will be very interesting to see how this team gels together.

- When you start talking about the 2013 class, it starts in Lawton with D.J. Ward, but I’m wondering just how far up the ranks Deer Creek’s Joel Blumenthal is going to go. He performed well at a combine in Dallas in late March and has been invited to Tampa for a top camp in the summer. It is invite only with 25 quarterbacks from 15 different states.

- Mention Casady recruiting for 2011, and you go right to DL Graham Bennett and LB Garrison Lee. However, don’t forget about Mac Katigan. He’s going to Princeton’s Junior Day this weekend and has also been invited to the junior days at Yale and Dartmouth. Dartmouth seems like a natural fit considering his older brother, Austin, is a freshman on the football team.

- Incredibly busy time of year when it comes to combines. Casey Curtis of Putnam City is off to a couple more on this weekend. We won’t call Curtis ‘Scott Wright’s boy,’ but Scott is very high (rightfully so) on the ability of Curtis. With more info, read Scott’s blog.

- OKVarsity.rivals.com is going to have its in-state combines next month. The Oklahoma City area one is May 21 at Yukon, while the Tulsa area is May 28 at Broken Arrow. For much more info, here ya go. I definitely intend to attend both combines but have no idea if I’ll be able to. Justin Mitchell does a great job with the OKVarsity site, and it’s a very well-run exhibition.

- A couple of forgotten kids are starting to make some noise. Edmond North RB Jared Benway missed all of his junior season with a broken leg but is back and looking good. Same can be said for Heritage Hall quarterback Quinn Shanbour. Shanbour left Bishop McGuinness a day before the season opener. HH coach Andy Bogert said Shanbour played a vital role in helping the team practice against opposing QBs last year. Shanbour just returned from a visit to the University of Arizona.

- As always, you got info, drop me a line. You went to a camp? Let me know how it went.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Wednesday
At Memorial
Choctaw 16, Checotah 2
Norman North 7, Choctaw 4
Edmond Memorial 5, Southmoore 3
Edmond Santa Fe 17, Latta 2
At North
Moore 13, Norman 5
Westmoore 5, Moore 2
Edmond North 8, Westmoore 5

Thursday
At Memorial
Checotah vs. Norman North, 2:30
Southmoore vs. Checotah, 5 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Choctaw, 7:30
At North
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Norman, noon
Norman vs. Edmond North, 2:30
Latta vs. Westmoore, 5 p.m.
Latta vs. Edmond North, 7:30

Friday
At Memorial
Southmoore vs. Norman North, noon
Edmond Memorial vs. Norman North, 2:30
Southmoore vs. Checotah, 5 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Checotah, 7:30
At North
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Moore, noon
Moore vs. Latta, 2:30
Norman vs. Westmoore, 5 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Edmond North, 7:30

Saturday
At Memorial
A5 vs. B5, noon
A3 vs. B3, 2:30
A1 vs. B1, 5 p.m.
At North
A4 vs. B4, 2:30
A2 vs. B2, 5 p.m.

Wednesday
At Memorial
Choctaw vs. Checotah, noon
Choctaw vs. Norman North, 2:30
Edmond Memorial vs. Southmoore, 5 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Latta, 7:30
At North
Norman vs. Moore, 2:30
Moore vs. Westmoore, 5 p.m.
Westmoore vs. Edmond North, 7:30

Thursday
At Memorial
Checotah vs. Norman North, 2:30
Southmoore vs. Checotah, 5 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Choctaw, 7:30
At North
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Norman, noon
Norman vs. Edmond North, 2:30
Latta vs. Westmoore, 5 p.m.
Latta vs. Edmond North, 7:30

Friday
At Memorial
Southmoore vs. Norman North, noon
Edmond Memorial vs. Norman North, 2:30
Southmoore vs. Checotah, 5 p.m.
Edmond Memorial vs. Checotah, 7:30
At North
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Moore, noon
Moore vs. Latta, 2:30
Norman vs. Westmoore, 5 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Edmond North, 7:30

Saturday
At Memorial
A5 vs. B5, noon
A3 vs. B3, 2:30
A1 vs. B1, 5 p.m.
At North
A4 vs. B4, 2:30
A2 vs. B2, 5 p.m.

Championships
No. 1 singles: Haworth, PCN, def. Nate Roper, EN, 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 singles: Rodwell, PCN, def. Stein, EN, 7-5, 7-5
No. 1 doubles: Hager-Olsen, EN, def. Hays-Proctor, MC, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 doubles: Lilley-Spring, EN, def. Cohlmia-Shear, HH, 6-2, 6-1

The battle lines have been drawn. Putnam City North has arguably the two best singles players in the state in Chris Haworth and Wil Rodwell. Edmond North has easily the deepest team of anybody in the state.

So when state comes around, might we get something eerily similar to what transpired this weekend? The Huskies playing for all four championships shows just how strong from top-to-bottom that group is.

Haworth bounced back beautifully after the loss in the USTA event Wednesday. If anything, I think that loss should have given him even more confidence. If he can contend on the world stage, he’s going to be able to certainly dictate play at the high school level.

The biggest statement, for me, would be from Metro Christian. The Patriots have had their fair share of solid players and tied for the championship last year. Would not shock me to see Patriots win it outright this time around.

All ‘n all, everything you would expect from this great tournament. A lot of quality play, and you can kinda gauge where the teams are at midway through the season.

Chiaf earns title

It’s evident that the Bishop McGuinness girls tennis team won’t be the dominant force that it’s been in recent years.

But don’t think the Irish still won’t be in the hunt for another state championship. Senior Ashleigh Chiaf earned the No. 1 singles championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Heritage Hall’s Sarah Bowen on Friday afternoon at the Tournament of Champions at Heritage Hall.

It was the first time the girls had played against each other in two years when Bowen had defeated Chiaf at this same tournament.

“It was about ‘want to’ today,” Chiaf said. “I really wanted this win. We always play tough matches, but I was able to persevere in the tough points.”

It is the first year at singles for Chiaf after winning three state championships in doubles.

Bowen had a three-set battle with Piper Huey of Jenks in the semifinals, while Chiaf cruised to the final. Chiaf was really on her game in this tournament. You can tell that she is taking a lot of pride in being a senior and leading this team.

Bulldogs win team championship

If Friday’s competition was any indication of what the state tournament is going to be like, it’s an open field.

Four different teams won the individual championships with Edmond Memorial taking home the team title.

For the Bulldogs, it was about consistency. Every player won at least two matches and No. 2 singles player Megan Montgomery earned the championship with a win against Edmond North’s Annie Hayes.

The Huskies and Jenks tied for second, while McGuinness and Enid tied for fourth in the eight-team field.

Gonna be interesting to see the lineups being tinkered with. Definitely think Edmond North is going to be  fluctuating all season until coach Dee Ann Wallar makes up her mind. A lot of talent there, just about finding the right spot.

Kinda surprised that Edmond Memorial took home the crown but says a lot about what Randy Mays is doing there. You go 9-3 against a field like this, well, you have nothing to be ashamed about.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The last two years, the Mayor’s Cup between the three Edmond and three Moore high schools has been a regular event at the ballpark now known as RedHawks Field at Bricktown.

This season the schedule of games at the park expands with 17 high school and one college game scheduled for the park during April.

The 2011 Mayor’s Cup will be played Saturday with Edmond North and Moore at 11 a.m., Edmond Santa Fe and Westmoore at 2:30 and Edmond Memorial and Southmoore at 6 p.m. (Boneman’s note: I will be at The Brick for the Saturday games).

Crowder and Stuart will play at 7 p.m. Friday to start the series.

World Baseball Outreach will hold a baseball equipment drive during the Mayor’s Cup. Fans are asked to bring new or gently used baseball and softball equipment to help the organization provide equipment to at-risk youth in the state.

Other than the Mayor’s Cup, the other games in the series are free to the public.

Schedule (gates open an hour before game time):

Friday: Crowder vs. Stuart, 7 p.m.

Saturday: Edmond North vs. Moore, 11 a.m.; Edmond Santa Fe vs. Westmoore, 2:30 p.m.; Edmond Memorial vs. Southmoore, 6 p.m.

Tuesday: UCO vs. USAO, 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Amber-Pocasset vs. Cashion, 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 7: Yukon vs. El Reno, 7 p.m.

Friday, April 8: Sterling vs. Elgin, 4 p.m.; Purcell vs. Sayre, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 9: Kansas vs. Westville, 5 p.m.

April 23: Stroud vs. Wellston, 2 p.m.; Cushing vs. Lone Grove, 5 p.m.

April 26: Carnegie vs. Clinton, 4 p.m.; Holdenville vs. Konawa, 7 p.m.

April 27: Carl Albert vs. Shawnee, 7 p.m.

April 28: Jenks vs. Choctaw, 7 p.m.

April 30: Midwest City vs. Muskogee, 2 p.m.; Comanche vs. Velma-Alma, 5 p.m.

Will Josh Richardson overtake Ryan Spangler for NewsOK.com Boys Player of the Year?

Voting ends Friday at 11:59 p.m. for the NewsOK.com Boys and Girls Basketball Player of the Year. So if you haven’t voted for your candidate enough, well, you got four more days to get to it.

As of 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, here are the numbers:

Girls
Sharane Campbell, Star Spencer – 583 votes, 30.9 percent
Ashley Clark, Midwest City – 458 votes, 24.3 percent
Elizabeth Donohoe, Edmond North – 260 votes, 13.8 percent
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe – 532 votes, 28.3 percent
Marisha Wallace, Midwest City – 49 votes, 2.6 percent

Boys
Stephen Clark, Douglass – 452 votes, 9.9 percent
Obi Emegano, Edmond Memorial – 117 votes, 2.5 percent
Dominique Raney, Putnam City – 716 votes, 15.6 percent
Josh Richardson, Edmond Santa Fe – 1,596 votes, 34.8 percent
Ryan Spangler, Bridge Creek – 1,708 votes, 37.2 percent

Thanks for the more than 6,000 combined votes in the boys and girls polls. Once again, the voting closes Friday so you still have a chance.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Coach of the Year: Alan Green – Mustang

Most Valuable Player: Josh Richardson – Santa Fe

Offensive Player of the Year: Dominique Raney – Putnam City

Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Berry – Mustang

Newcomer of the Year: Tavionne Pennon – Putnam City West

1^st Team
Dominique Raney – Putnam City
David Glidden – Mustang
Armon Provo – Putnam City North
Kyndall Dudley – Putnam City West
Ben Berry – Mustang
Aaron Anderson – Santa Fe

2^nd Team
RonQuis Lewis – Putnam City
Joe Summers – Putnam City North
Dante Lewis – Putnam City West
Michael Onuoha – Santa Fe
Matt Burton – Yukon

3^rd Team
D’Anthony Perkins – Yukon
Deonta Samilton – Choctaw
Terrell Savala – Santa Fe
Jacob Strassle – Mustang
Kevin House – Putnam City West

Honorable Mention
Trey Thomas – Putnam City, Zac Grismer – Mustang, Keipher Hotella – Choctaw, Ed Baker – Edmond North, Ricco Smith – Putnam City North, JR Simon – Putnam City North, Zac Brown – Choctaw

MVP- Elizabeth Donohoe- Edmond North­­­­­

Offensive- Courtney Walker- Edmond Santa Fe

Defensive- LaShawn Jones- Putnam City

Newcomer- Mallory Brothers- Mustang

Coach of the Year- Paul Bass- Edmond Santa Fe

1^st Team All Conference:
1.  Elizabeth Donohoe- Edmond North­­­­­
2.  Courtney Walker- Edmond Santa Fe
3.  LaShawn Jones- Putnam City
4.  Joh’vonna Mitchell- Putnam City North
5.  Layton Hurley- Choctaw

2^nd Team All Conference:
1.  TaNita Dewberry- Edmond North
2.  Mallory Brothers- Mustang
3.  Jade Hardy- Yukon
4.  Whitney Dunn- Mustang
5.  Anna Kimsey- Edmond North

Honorable Mention:
1.  Alexis Watson- Putnam City North
2.  Daisha Gonzaque- Edmond Santa Fe
3.  Sydney Wyatt- Choctaw
4.  Cameerah Graves- Edmond Santa Fe
5.  MacKenzie York- Yukon
6.  Sarah Magness- Putnam City West
7.  Allison Altman- Putnam City West
8.  Kelsey Abraham- Putnam City North
9.  Jamie Moore- Putnam City
10.  Jasmine Sievert- Choctaw
11.  Kiersten Deckard- Yukon
12.  Jamiece Nelson- Putnam City
13.  Amanda Biorato- Mustang

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Star Spencer's Sharane Campbell is one of the five finalists for the NewsOK.com Girls Player of the Year.

The response for the NewsOK.com Football Player of the Year was tremendous so we’re going to try it again. Like before, please try to keep it civil as there is a way to cheer for your nominee without bashing the others.

Here are the five nominees for the five best girls basketball players in the Oklahoma City area. Scott Wright is going to unveil his five boys choices Friday.

NewsOK.com Girls Basketball Player of the Year Candidates:

Sharane Campbell, Star Spencer: Put the team on her back and carried them to state. A marvelous career with the Bobcats and leaving in style with coach Janith Johnson. You can’t question Campbell’s toughness and want to and Star’s star (get it?) is headed to Oklahoma.

Ashley Clark, Midwest City: Wow, where did she come from? Clark is the unquestioned breakout star of the season, IMO. She won the Gatorade award as the state’s best player last week and added balance to the Bombers’ size in the post. A natural scorer who also has an all-around game.

Hard to argue with Edmond North's Elizabeth Donohoe as Player of the Year. She's one of the five finalists.

Elizabeth Donohoe, Edmond North: If there’s something to be said about consistency, then the award goes to Donohoe. What more can you say about the Huskies’ star? Averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds, unquestioned team leader, one of the toughest covers in the sport. Headed to Oklahoma State and established a winning tradition at North.

Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe: Lightning in a bottle. Can impact the game in so many different ways.  Improved her outside shot this season to make her even more versatile. Some of the best ball-handling skills I’ve seen from a high school player. Tremendous scorer and a beast on defense in terms of getting steals. Committed to Texas A&M. Helped Wolves to first championship.

Marisha Wallace, Midwest City: With all the talk about Kaylon Williams (OU signee), it was Wallace who became the unstoppable force in the post for the Bombers. Unfortunately missed the last two games with a knee injury and didn’t get a chance to try to lead MWC to another state championship.

Polls are open. And like I said, Scott will be back Friday for the boys.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

103 First Team: Cooper Finch (Yukon)
103 Honorable Mention: Nick Cosgrove (PC West) 

112 First Team: Lloyd Crownover (Yukon)
112 Honorable Mention: Jordan Armstrong (Ed North) 

119 First Team: Derek White (Ed North)
119 Honorable Mention: Brett Dunning (Santa Fe) 

125 First Team: Kyle Garcia (Choctaw)
125 Honorable Mention: Hunter Bright (Ed. North) 

130 First Team: Tanner Hamilton (Mustang)
130 Honorable Mention: Brandon Coleman (Putnam City) 

135 First Team: Connor Adams (PC North)
135 Honorable Mention: Jacob Armstrong (Ed North) 

140 First Team: Weston Slater (Mustang)
140 Honorable Mention: Bryce Hendricks (Ed North) 

145 First Team: Blake Lawson (Choctaw)
145 Honorable Mention: Chris Nelson (Ed North) 

152 First Team: Marshall Dickson (Choctaw)
152 Honorable Mention: Ted Baker (Putnam City) 

160 First Team: Lance Dixon (Ed North)
160 Honorable Mention: Logan Thomas (Yukon) 

171 First Team: Marcese Dickson (Choctaw)
171 Honorable Mention: Mitch Wilson (Putnam City)

189 First Team: Austin Schafer (Ed North)
189 Honorable Mention: Carson Mathews (Yukon) 

215 First Team: Andrew Dixon (Ed North)
215 Honorable Mention: Elie Rushing (Putnam City)

285 First Team: Hunter Davis (Choctaw)
285 Honorable Mention: Lantz Parks (Yukon)

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Now this was a fun a couple of hours. I figured going into state that it was a battle between Edmond North, Jenks and Tulsa Union. Edmond coach Steve Riggs told me Enid would be in the mix, but I had no idea just how much.

The Pacers were playing with the emotions of the other teams as the team didn’t have the depth to compete for a title but had the stars to disrupt the ‘what was supposed to happen.’

Regardless, Edmond North came out early and that 200-yard medley relay told the story of the day. The team of Jess Graro, Amanda Greenlee, Abbie Imes and Kathryn Rykard pulled it out. Using that confidence, the girls never flinched.

And actually, when it was all said and done, had a pretty comfortable victory. You couldn’t pry that state championship award from Rykard so I didn’t try. I let her hold it during the video. Great moment for the girls and great moment for the school in winning its first girls swimming championship.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

OK, maybe that’s a little strong, but you could tell how much Friday’s win at Edmond Santa Fe meant not only to the Edmond North girls but also to the Huskies coaching staff.

In another Edlam showdown that lived up to the hype, Edmond North somehow pulled out a victory despite scoring five points in the fourth quarter. But four of those came in essentially the final minute in a 51-48 win.

After a 17-0 start, it is the first loss of the season for the second-ranked Wolves. North, ranked fifth, is once again a legitimate title contender. Don’t let those early season losses fool ya, the Huskies are going to be around.

You can see why North gives Santa Fe trouble. The Huskies balance in the post is incredible and was on full display Friday. Between Anna Kimsey (14), Elizabeth Donohoe (13) and TaNita Dewberry (13), trio combined for 40 of the 51 points.

All that being said, we nearly had another memorable finish. Santa Fe took over with 27.1 seconds left. Daisha Gonzaque’s three was off the mark. North had it, but the pass was stolen by Courtney Walker. Walker’s 3 was just off target. Loose ball, Santa Fe comes up with it. Gonzaque, with a great pump fake, gets a good look but it wouldn’t go.

Wouldn’t go seems like was the theme of the night. Wolves had a lot of good looks, said coach Paul Bass, but couldn’t convert throughout the night.

North, meanwhile, looked about crisp as possible in the first quarter. That was key, said coach Kevin Korstjens. Edmond North was up 32-19  midway through the second quarter.

From that point, Santa Fe cut the margin to 34-29, but Kimsey hit two big 3s in the third to push the lead out to 42-31. It was 46-38 heading into the fourth.

And it was 46-42 for what felt like eternity. But that was OK, said Korstjens, because even though the Huskies couldn’t find the bucket, they weren’t letting Santa Fe go on one of those patented runs.

Edmond North scored its first point of the quarter with 2:13 left. Santa Fe had scored the first eight. But the Huskies took control late with their transition game. Kimsey and Dewberry both made layups out on the break in the final minute.

Kimsey did an incredible job of tracking Walker all night. Walker ended up with 17 points because you can’t fully stop her, but Kimsey and Peterson made Walker work. Cameerah Graves notched 11 for Santa Fe.

And then there was one. Midwest City is the only undefeated team left in 6A. North, after two previous losses to the Wolves, was able to get one back. “Sometimes you’re battling the jersey. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but Santa Fe has been good for a long time,” Korstjens said.

Don’t look now, coach, but so are your girls. Headed to third-ranked Memorial and fourth-ranked Norman on Saturday night. Told ya, great weekend for girls basketball.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@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

Wonder if Edmond athletic directors Tom Snider (North), Mike de la Garza (Memorial), Barry Blagowsky (Santa Fe) and Mike Nunley will get sick of each other.

The next two days they are going to be seeing each other a lot. I mean, really, a lot. The winter storm that hit the state affected basketball tournament, for sure. However, it is also forced the Edmond schools to reschedule the Three-Dog Night wrestling event.

What was Thursday got moved to Monday. Yep, Monday, the same night as when the three Edmond swimming teams compete against each other at Oklahoma Christian.

I got to cover the Edlam swimming event last year. It’s fun because of how unique it is. Coach Steve Riggs is totally hands off and just lets the boys and girls do their thing. He allows the captains of the respective teams to pick the lineups, and he sits back and announces.

I wish I could be there. And I wish I could be at Edmond North for the wrestling event. The Huskies have dominated the series lately, winning the last nine city championships. Andy Schneider has a dynamite club this year, and I would expect North to walk out with No. 10 in a row Monday.

But…all those weather delays will have me at Deer Creek to finish off the Bruce Gray Invitational. Can’t be in three places at once.

However, Tuesday, bam, I’ll be at Memorial when four of the best boys/girls basketball teams in the state go against each other.

Rivals Santa Fe and Memorial will be going at it. Memorial will look to give the Santa Fe girls their first loss of the season. Santa Fe boys will try to return the favor with the Bulldogs.

Not just the best teams, but you could make some all-star teams with talents like Courtney Walker of Santa Fe and Alie Decker of Memorial and Josh Richardson and Mike Onuoha of Santa Fe and Obi Emegano and Jared Jobe and James and Jordan Woodard of Memorial.

And this is all coming off an Edlam showdown Friday where the North girls dominated the Memorial team, and Memorial boys did the same to Jeff Tanner’s group.

All ‘n all, it should be a fun/crazy couple of days in Edmond, as if they aren’t that way already.

This was a fun story to do. When I heard the last name ‘Dixon,’ there was no way, right? No way this was the softball family of Edmond North.

Yep, more Dixons have come to wreak havoc on the rest of the state. The sport of choice this time around? Wrestling.

Triplets Joel, Andrew and Lance are off to a phenomenal start for coach Andy Schneider. And who knows where they’ll end up? They’re all slated to be as tall as 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8.

Enjoyed talking with them and here is a short video so you can see just how similar they are.

And for my story, here ya go.

Just when it feels like the corner is turned, a setback happens and it’s back to square one. OK, not square one, but the Edmond North boys basketball team took a step backward Saturday in a loss to Norman.

And coach Jeff Tanner wasn’t afraid to admit it.

“We have to get tired of having these results,” Tanner said. “Norman played like a team that was tired of losing. Our energy and our focus has to be there every game.”

For two days, the Huskies looked good. The effort was there, at least. Part of the problem is even though the Huskies started the year with five seniors in the starting lineup, that didn’t necessarily mean those kids had a lot of varsity experience.

I like what I saw from center Brandon Rolfes-Lopez. Tanner said Rolfes-Lopez has come a long way since the summer, and it’s more mental with him and in fact, it’s a lot more mental with a lot of the Huskies.

It may be a funky shot, but it works for Ed Baker. And more importantly, he was able to consistently find his way to the hole or drain a long trey.

I think the X Factor is Christian Peterson. I know him from football, but I think Peterson could really develop into something special. He carries himself around differently. It’s that leadership and swagger this team is going to need.

With Santa Fe coming to town Tuesday, no time to feel sorry for yourself.

“There isn’t a break in our schedule,” Tanner said. “Santa Fe, then Mustang, it keeps coming. We have to keep our head up and keep fighting. I like watching us play and these are great kids. It’s back to work.”

For the second year in a row, McGuinness is king at its own tournament.

51st McGuinness Classic
Saturday
McGuinness 77, NW Classen 61 (championship)
Norman North 64, Deer Creek 58 (third place)
Norman 57, Edmond North 41 – consolation championship
Guthrie 49, Yukon 47 – OT – seventh place

McGuinness 77, NW Classen 61

Um, picked the right teams in the final, wrong winner. And I mean WAY off. Figured NW’s athleticism would cause problems for the Irish. However, when you shoot the way Tondrell Durham’s club did this night, not an issue.

It started in the second quarter after a crisp first eight minutes by both clubs. The second quarter was all McGuinness.

And though Matt Christiansen was clearly leading the way, this was a team effort, no doubt. Everybody was playing a part. Matt Morrissey and Miles Newcomb were draining 3s. Joe Edmonds was taking it to the hole. The defense was stellar. Best all-around performance by the Irish I’ve seen in five games this year.

And the dunk Christiansen had at the end of the first half was incredible. That got everyone up. Strong move and the finish and the foul. Shouldof had my camera working.

At one point it was actually 54-23 in the third quarter. That won’t happen again, believe me. NW is too dang good. Jamil Donovan had a big night as did Keandra Nelson but slow start doomed this one from the beginning.

Christiansen was named MVP. Quinton Hardwick lost a tooth in the fourth quarter on a drive by Edmonds but should be just fine.

Norman North 64, Deer Creek 58

Really liked this game. Two pure scorers in NNorth’s Patrick Schaefer and Deer Creek’s Garrett Hermanski. And did they ever put on a show.

However, Schaefer also had big-time assistance from Matt Southard in the post. Add it up and TWolves walk out with third.

Coach Butch Roberts was very pleased with this weekend. “If you can’t win the championship, you wanna be able to say you went 2-1. We did.”

Just an off night for the Antlers. Managed to hang around and keep it close but didn’t see the comeback coming in this one. Just took too long for Jalen Burnett and Joel Blumenthal to get in a rhythm.

Norman 57, Edmond North 41

That first half was a clinic on passing, I tells ya. Norman isn’t flashy but this team executes well and plays hard under first-year coach Jeff McCullough.

The Tigers were up 15-1 after the first quarter and kept that margin the rest of the way. Interesting team because nobody jumps out at you. Connor Madole is a solid player. Like what George Kittle brings to the table. Brandon Southern is steady.

North’s bad start was just too much to overcome. Coach Jeff Tanner is seeing some good things, especially from the likes of Ed Baker and Brandon Rolfes-Lopez. Unfortunately, it won’t get any easier with Santa Fe coming to the Siberian Gym on Tuesday.

Guthrie 49, Yukon 47 – OT

A game not worthy of a seventh-place battle. Both teams gave tremendous effort in a tight game throughout. This was finally the day where I got to see what makes D’Anthony Perkins such a threat for the Millers. He was rolling with 24 points. He’s going to be quicker than just about everybody else out there.

However, this was also the day why I believe Guthrie is still a legit state tournament-worthy club. There is too much talent for this team to not put it together.

If you have a five of Kentrell and Richard Brothers, Kai Callins, Tim Zupo and Codee Gross – you should win some games.

Balance will be key for this team, and coach Pete Papahronis said shot selection will go a long way in determining what happens with his team. On this day, Kentrell, Gross and Callins (just a freshman) all scored 11 points. That’s what you want.

All-Tournament Team: MVP – Matt Christiansen, Irish. Team – Mikey Wilson and Joe Edmonds, Irish; Jamil Donovan and Quinton Hardwick, NW Classen; Patrick Schaefer, NNorth; Garrett Hermanski, Deer Creek; Connor Madole, Norman; Brandon Rolfes-Lopez, Edmond North; Kentrell Brothers, Guthrie; D’Anthony Perkins, Yukon.

Boneman’s Super 5: Matt Christiansen, Irish; Patrick Schaefer, Norman North; Garrett Hermanski, Deer Creek; Jamil Donovan, NW Classen; Joe Edmonds, Irish.

With Heritage Hall junior running back Barry J. Sanders and the rest of the top juniors in the area in San Antonio for a national combine, I sure didn’t expect Sanders to play a role in my coverage of the 51st McGuinness Classic.

However, he sure did. More on that in a minute. Here’s your basketball results.

51st McGuinness Classic
Friday
McGuinness 54, Norman North 50
NW Classen 67, Deer Creek 56
Edmond North 65, Guthrie 55
Norman 28, Yukon 22
Saturday
Seventh place: Yukon vs. Guthrie, 1:30
Consolation champ: Edmond North vs. Norman, 3 p.m.
Third place: Deer Creek vs. Norman North, 6 p.m.
Championship: NW Classen vs. McGuinness, 7:30

Well, when the brackets were released, I told anyone that would listen (who listens to me?) that the final would be NW Classen vs. McGuinness. And sure enough, it is. This should be a great one as the last three games between the two have been decided a grand total of five points.

NW Classen 67, Deer Creek 56

This was funny because even though the Antlers got off to a good start, their transition defense was a question mark. And the Knights took full advantage.

Garrett Hermanski had another dynamite game for Deer Creek. He scored 17 in the first half and 11 more in the second for a game-high 28 points. However, the team lost some steam in the third quarter.

NW coach Leroy Combs said, ‘our players realized we were going to have to play some defense to win this one. They did.’

Junior guard Jamil Donovan once again led the way with 13 points, and he made some really nice passes in tight quarters.

DC led 23-16 before being outscored 37-14 in the second and third quarters.

McGuinness 54, Norman North 50

He was 3-of-15 through three quarters. So what? That just doesn’t mean much when it comes to the potential of McGuinness forward Joe Edmonds.

Edmonds scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to stop Patrick Schaefer and the Timberwolves. This was a crisp game, went by extremely fast.

A lot of threes in this one. Schaefer was raining ‘em down. Miles Newcomb had four for the Irish, while Matt Morrissey added three more treys.

Schaefer was incredible on this night, really had his shooting eye on and finished with a game-high 24 points. However, Matt Christiansen won the battle against Matt Southard in the paint and the Irish did a good job of dictating play.

Norman 28, Yukon 22; Edmond North 65, Guthrie 55

Wish I could tell you something about these games, but I was working on my Barry Sanders/Nick Saban story during these two encounters. In fact, I got in touch with Sanders at halftime of DC/NWC and missed the third quarter of that one, too.

Was it a violation by Saban? Maybe, but I don’t think it was a big one. And it’s not something that will play a role (I don’t think) in the recruitment of Sanders. But it might be an eye-opener to us for about what’s to come as it pertains to Sanders in the next 12 months.

Sanders said he had a few people ask about Saban’s visit in San Antonio and teammates Sterling Shepard and Markus Wakefield were asked about it. All three had no idea this was going to become a big deal.

A lot of people point to the photo of Sanders and Saban with no sign of defensive coordinator Mark Adams. Sanders said Adams was right next to them and continued their conversation after Sanders and Saban said ‘hey.’

Ready to conclude the McGuinness Classic on Saturday. And for my story on the Sanders/Saban saga, here ya go.

51st McGuinness Classic
At Bishop McGuinness
Thursday
Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49
NW Classen 58, Norman 57
McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38
Norman North 48, Guthrie 38
Friday
Semifinals
Deer Creek vs. NW Classen, 6 p.m.
McGuinness vs. Norman North, 7:30
Losers’ Bracket
Yukon vs. Norman, 1:30
Edmond North vs. Guthrie, 3 p.m.

I got spoiled. The first set of games Thursday were a couple of good ones. I thought they’d all be like that. Didn’t quite happen like that, but a good start to the McGuinness Classic.

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

Scott Wright told me the Millers like to make/shoot 3s. Um, I didn’t realize what that actually meant until I saw it in person. Yukon had nine 3s through the first three quarters, but the Antlers were doing enough to stay tied.

Great call by Deer Creek assistant Michael Garbutt to go to a box-and-one on Yukon’s Matthew Burton. Burton is a threat as soon as he crosses half court. With him shut down, the Millers looked a little confused as to how to attack the Antlers defense.

Another strong game by Deer Creek’s Garrett Hermanski. If he is hitting early, he’s going to have a great night. He plays with a lot of confidence when he’s rolling (though who doesn’t?). Big contribution off the bench from Joel Blumenthal.

It feels like Blumenthal should start, but he’s in the perfect role of that sixth man who comes in and lights the spark.

Miller games I imagine don’t take too long. When you’re hoisting up threes, you’re not going to get to the foul line. I’m intrigued to see how Ralph Nigro’s team responds against Norman…

NW Classen 58, Norman 57

This was one of those weird games. Though Norman led nearly the entire way, you had that feeling the Knights were going to pull it out.

With players like Jamil Donovan and T’aries Taylor, I just cannot in good conscience count this team out, not even when it was 51-40 at the end of the third quarter.

Jeff McCullough is doing a great job of getting his kids to believe in his system and executing it. Tigers got a little tight in the fourth, and NW pushed the tempo. Paco Jones ended up scoring the game-winner with 15 seconds left.

Excited to see Donovan against Deer Creek’s Jalen Burnett in the point guard battle Friday night.

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

Nice to see Joe Edmonds back. Still not 100 percent and cramping in the fourth quarter, Edmonds energized the Irish faithful with eight points in the second quarter.

I’ll be honest, thought the Irish were going to run away with this one in the third quarter. North coach Jeff Tanner did a good job of keeping his kids’ head in the game, and Matt Christiansen picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter for the Irish certainly helped the Huskies out.

Still, North was down 37-29 in the fourth before Ed Baker tied it up with a 3 at 38-38 with 40 seconds left. Dean Fitzpatrick scored on a nice feed and North was unable to take care of the ball.

Cameron Haley came alive in the fourth for North, but I was scratching my head about the first three quarters. He needs to be a big part. We’ll see what this team brings Friday.

Norman North 48, Guthrie 38

Oy. Not all wins are pretty. But at 24-20 at the end of the third quarter, it was tough to try to paint this into something positive.

Timberwolves’ guard Patrick Schaefer had a big night as did forward Matt Southard. Guthrie had no rhythm and too many times it was just Kentrell Brothers trying to force something in the paint.

Guarantee both teams will have a better showing Friday.

Boys

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

Northwest Classen 58, Norman 57

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

Deer Creek*15*11*17*14 — 57

Yukon*13*13*13*10 — 49

DC — Hermanski 23, Blumenthal 10, Burnett 8, Caudill 5, Blanchard 4, Clark 4, Wayant 3.

YHS — Burton 17, Perkins 11, Williams 10, Koontz 5, Craig 4, Nicholson 2.

Northwest Classen 58, Norman 57

Norman*13*16*22*6 — 57

Northwest*15*8*17*18 — 58

NHS — Madole 15, Southern 14, Saxon 10, Long 7, Kittle 5, Edington 4, Murray 2.

NWC — Donovan 16, Taylor 14, Hardwick 13, Jones 7, Arnold 4, Nelson 4.

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

Norman North 48, Guthrie 38

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

Edmond North*9*8*6*16 — 38

McGuinness*8*15*6*14 — 43

EN — Baker 11, Haley 8, Rolfes-Lopez 7, Peterson 4, Ruben 3, Carver 3, Sanders 2.

BM — Edmonds 11, Christiansen 9, Wilson 9, Fitzpatrick 6, Morrissey 5, Newcomb 3.

Norman North*3*11*10*24 — 48

Guthrie*4*8*8*18 — 38

NN — Schaefer 19, Southard 12, Roberts 11, Kaplan 6.

GHS — K. Brothers 14, Callins 7, Gross 7, R. Brothers 6, Zupo 2, McFadden 2.

It’s that time of year again. Last year’s Love’s Travel Stops McGuinness Classic final between Carl Albert and Bishop McGuinness was one of my favorite moments from last year.

Another stacked field, and I’ll be out there all three days for all 12 games.

McGuinness Classic
Thursday
Game 1: Yukon vs. Deer Creek, 1:30
Game 2: NW Classen vs. Norman, 3 p.m.
Game 3: McGuinness vs. Edmond North, 6 p.m.
Game 4: Guthrie vs. Norman North, 7:30
Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1:30
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30
Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 1:30
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 3 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 6 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7:30

Oh, it’s gonna be some fun times for Edmond basketball teams the next two months. Both boys and girls teams have some incredible talent. Don’t be too shocked if you see me always at an Edmond game down the stretch (sorry).

Memorial
Boys: Clearly the best 6A team in the state…right now. Love this team and hope they keep it together. We knew about Obi Emegano, James Woodard and Jared Jobe, but I think it’s going to be sophomore Jordan Woodard that might push this team. Competition is going to be fierce, though.

Girls: This is the year Alie Decker becomes a household name. She already is in the Edmond circles, but Decker is a top-tier player, for sure. You add in the shooting of Brooklyn Bell and the always-consistent coaching of Shane Coffey, Bulldogs are going to be right in the thick of things.

Santa Fe
Boys: The pieces are there, but they’re just not fitting yet. With Aaron Anderson and Josh Richardson, the Wolves have two incredibly talented players. Trying to find those leaders at the guard position is going to be crucial. I’ll see the Wolves on Tuesday vs. Putnam North.

Girls: Is this the best girls team in the state? I’ve believed for two years Courtney Walker is the best player in the state. The girls are still so young from Daisha Gonzaque to Arielle Cooper to Cameerah Graves, but this team gels well together.

North
Boys: Get my first taste of Husky boys basketball this weekend at the McGuinness Classic. Really want to see what first-year coach Jeff Tanner brings to the table. I know what he’s preaching, now I want to see it in action.

Girls: The loss to Stillwater notwithstanding, no reason for concerns for Kevin Korstjens’ girls. Elizabeth Donohoe remains one of the five best players in the state and TaNita Dewberry gives the team a solid second option.

Deer Creek
Boys: Is this team officially ‘my baby?’ I don’t know, I just love watching these boys play. You try watching coach Matt Bailey for one game and not come away more pumped up than what you were before. Garrett Hermanski and Jalen Burnett are anchoring this club. I’ll also see this team at the McGuinness Classic.

Girls: Rough start for Totsy Manning’s girls. A totally different team from last year’s incredibly talented club. The transfer of Kelsey Glover to Memorial hurt, too. I think this team will turn it around, especially when sophomore Ashley Gibson gets back.

This time we’re heading to Edmond. Very interesting dynamic here with a heavy North offense and a heavy Memorial defense.

Here ya go:

All-Edmond team
Offense
QB — Travis Townsend, North
RB — Alex Christensen, Deer Creek
RB — Jarion Tudman, North
RB — Kameron Doolittle, Memorial
WR — Garrett Molinsky, North
WR — Troy Davis, North
OL — Ross Stracke, Deer Creek
OL — Josh Crouch, Santa Fe
OL — Jacob Wright, Memorial
OL — Paul Kim, Deer Creek
OL — Lex Rosson, North

K — Camden Bohnert, North
P — Will Conant, Memorial

Defense
DL — Kyle Aschenbrenner, North
DL — Connor Myers, Memorial
DL — Jared Chambers, Memorial
LB — Ryan Adams, North
LB — Michael Coleman, Deer Creek
LB — Isaiah Byrd, Deer Creek
LB — Conner Bays, Santa Fe
DB — Jeff Balkenbush, Memorial
DB — Shawn McLaws, Deer Creek
DB — Trevan Smith, Santa Fe
DB — Gavin Fouts, Memorial

KR — Brandon Reece, Santa Fe

Offensive Player of the Year: Alex Christensen, Deer Creek
Defensive Player of the Year: Connor Myers, Memorial
Coach of the Year: Grant Gower, Deer Creek

Yes, I have three quarterbacks starting with Townsend actually playing the position and Christensen and Doolittle at RB. Eh, I think that team would work. Not a shock to see North featured heavily on offense and Memorial on defense. A lot of good players would have made this list but were injured (Phillip Sumpter of Santa Fe, Cale Olbert of Memorial, Colten Sander of Deer Creek, Jeremy Langston of Memorial). No doubts on my three awards, except defense could have been either Chambers of Myers. Knew it would be someone from Memorial. And how about the Edmond kickers? Bohnert, Conant and McLaws? Not too bad.

You could make a lot of arguments for the likes of Courtney Walker of Santa Fe and Elizabeth Donohoe of North, but I’m givin’ it to the youngster, Jordan Woodard of Memorial.

He came up huge in the win Tuesday at Midwest City and also played well in the Edmond Open championship victory against rival Santa Fe.

His upside is tremendous, and he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can become. We’re definitely going to see what he has because the Bulldogs are going to get tested time and time again this season.

Great week for Memorial. The key is to not suffer that emotional letdown, interesting to see the maturity of this year’s group of kids for Shane Cowherd.

Other contenders

Courtney Walker, Santa Fe, Basketball: In a close game, took over with her quickness and defense to lead Wolves to the Edmond Open championship over North.

Elizabeth Donohoe, North, Basketball: There wasn’t much Donohoe didn’t do at the Open, scoring a tournament-high 68 points in the three games. Huskies snapped Cache’s 30-game winning streak Friday.

Obi Emegano, Memorial, Basketball: He missed some gimmes and still finished with 19 points in the championship and also made the Super 5 for the Edmond Open.

Garrett Hermanski, Deer Creek, Basketball: Another good week for the junior. Get a good idea of where this team is at this weekend at the McGuinness Festival.

Andrew Dixon, North, Wrestling: Huskies placed fourth out of 30 teams with Dixon taking second place at 171 in the Mid-America Nationals Wrestling Tournament at Union.

Abbie Imes, North, Swimming: Continues to show she’s one of the best swimmers in the state, winning two individual titles at the Edmond/Norman meet last Friday.

Sorry, wrestling fans, still getting used to being the wrestling writer. Matt Patterson did such a good job, I’ll do my best. And I’ll definitely be hitting wrestling a lot more once football is over.

***

Make it 2-0 for Andy Schneider in the battle of the brothers.

Schneider’s Edmond North squad defeated Yukon, coached by Joe Schneider, on Tuesday. The Huskies also defeated the Millers last year in the first battle of the brothers.

The Huskies won nine of the 14 individual matches but only ended up with a 29-24 victory.

“I would have expected to win the dual by more than five points (winning nine matches) but credit Yukon,” Andy Schneider said. “They were in good shape and in the matches they lost, they never gave up a fall. In only two matches out of the nine wins did we get bonus points.”

The Huskies clinched the win with a major decision victory by Austin Schafer at 215 pounds.

Edmond North is wrestling in the Tulsa Union Tournament this weekend.

Edmond North 29 Yukon 24
103 lbs. Cody Logan-Yukon fall 2:14 Justice Minter-EN
112 lbs. Cooper Finch-Yukon dec. 8-6 OT Jordan Armstrong-EN
119 lbs. Derek White-EN dec. 6-4 Lloyd Crownover-Yukon
125 lbs. Hunter Bright-EN dec. 5-2 Parker Bohannon-Yukon
130 lbs. Jacob Armstrong-EN dec. 6-4 Austin Blanton-Yukon
135 lbs. Jason Ellerbee-Yukon dec. 6-4 OT Sean Scruggs-EN
140 lbs. Hunter Smith-EN dec. 4-2 Bradyn Meyer-Yukon
145 lbs. Bryce Hendricks-EN major dec. 10-0 Cody Powers-Yukon
152 lbs. Chris Nelson-EN dec. 3-2 Dillon Laden-Yukon
160 lbs. Logan Thomas-Yukon fall 5:37 Ragan Land-EN
171 lbs. Joel Dixon-EN dec. 7-2 Garrett Henshaw-Yukon
189 lbs. Andrew Dixon-EN dec. 7-2 Carson Matthews-Yukon
215 lbs. Austin Schafer-EN Major dec. 8-0 Josh Houle-Yukon
HWT Lantz Parks-Yukon fall 1:55 Kevin Orduna-EN

I HATE the Edmond Open…hate it. It’s always that dang week in December where it’s the final week of football, and I can never see the basketball.

It’s that way once again. Busy with football this weekend but hoping that somehow I can see the boys final at 8 p.m. Saturday at Memorial. The girls bracket is dynamite, the semis are going to be insane.

Boys (At Memorial)
Thursday
Game 1: Edmond Memorial vs. Santa Fe JV, 3:30
Game 2: Tulsa Central vs. NW Classen, 6:30
Game 3: Lawton Mac vs. Edmond North, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Tulsa Rogers vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 8 p.m.

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

Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 3:30
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 5 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 6:30
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 8 p.m.

Girls (At North)
Thursday
Game 1: Santa Fe vs. Tulsa Rogers, 3:30
Game 2: Bishop McGuinness vs. Edmond Memorial, 6:30
Game 3: Cache vs. Tulsa Central, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Edmond North vs. Southmoore, 8 p.m.

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

Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 12:30
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 2 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3:30

We are fully entrenched in basketball for the Edmond schools. And frankly, that’s a good thing. There are so many good Edmond basketball teams this year — they’re all going to keep me on my toes.

To start the year no team had a tougher assignment that Shane Coffey’s Memorial girls at Norman. But junior Alie Decker has shown how much she has matured and how she is ready to be the team leader.

Decker scored 19 points in the road win against the Tigers and followed that with a 19-point win against an overmatched Moore team.

All Edmond teams are in for major battles this weekend at the Edmond Open. I hope to get a chance to be there. It will be tough, though, with football still left.

Other contenders

Brooklyn Bell, Memorial: It’s Decker leading the way, but Bell has been dynamite in the first week of the season with her fantastic shooting.

Obi Emegano, Memorial: He’s going to hear a lot of stuff from opposing fans, but he handled it well in Week 1 with impressive outings at Norman and vs. Moore.

Josh Richardson and Courtney Walker, Santa Fe: Did exactly what they’re supposed to do in victories against Stillwater and Mustang. Excited to see the Wolves again.

Jeff Tanner, North: Giving it to the new boys coach. That was the type of statement he was hoping to make, opening with a good win against a formidable Choctaw club.

Garrett Hermanski, Deer Creek: Maybe a game the Antlers lose last year? Hermanski scored 24 points in leading Deer Creek to a tough win against Harrah.

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

Well, the crazy, uneven season for Edmond North finally came to an end Friday at Union. I swear this team had me scratching my head all season.

Some games I thought it would win, it wouldn’t. Then I’d think they’d lose, and they wouldn’t. Kept me on my toes all year.

And leading that charge was senior QB Travis Townsend. This offense isn’t really built for Townsend to rack up insane offensive numbers. But when he was on, he was extremely efficient.

Townsend threw a touchdown pass in the 58-17 loss to the Redskins. More importantly, the Huskies can build off of this after reaching the quarterfinals.

Other contenders

Alex Christensen, Deer Creek: Ever the workhorse to the end. Christensen rushed for 70 yards, but it wasn’t enough in a 23-0 loss at Booker T.

Troy Davis, North: Davis, a transfer from Western Heights, will have one more year with the Huskies. He scored the team’s other touchdown vs. Union.

Clayton Blackburn, Santa Fe, Baseball: Time to get some signings in. Blackburn signed with Oklahoma in a ceremony last week.

Obi Emegano, Memorial, Basketball: Emegano did the same as he signed with Western Illinois last Wednesday in a ceremony.

Taylor Moore, Memorial, Golf: No signing, but a commit. Moore, just a junior, committed to Arkansas over the weekend.

Connor Myers, Memorial, Football: No signing or commit, but Myers picked up offers from Army and Stephen F. Austin this week to give him four offers now.

Edmond North (6-5) at Tulsa Union (10-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Union-Tuttle Stadium, Tulsa

North
Why the Huskies can win: It won’t be easy, that’s for sure. It also hurts that the Huskies lost two vital cogs to their defensive line last week, too. The offense is dynamic, though. Jarion Tudman is a great back, and we all know about the multiple targets Travis Townsend has at his disposal.

Quote:

This has been a strange group to work with. That happens with young kids. It’s been great to watch them grow and come together. And we’re playing as well as we can at this point.” – coach Jeremy Dombek

Union
Why the Redskins can win: Because if it’s not against Jenks, how in the world can you beat against Union? Since the thriller against Bartlesville, Union has returned to dominance.

Key matchup: The line play. It’s that simple. If Union gets pressure and forces the North offense backwards, it’s going to be a long night. And if the North defense cannot find a way to stop the Redskins attack, well, it will be a long night.

The pick: Union 40, North 19. Would love to see the Huskies at full strength in this one, but that is simply not possible. But it’s baby steps for the program.

Boneman’s North prediction record: 7-4.
Boneman’s Union prediction record: 10-1.

Hey, if you got signing day photos, send ‘em. No signing is too small. If you’ve earned the right to play your sport in college, you should be proud.

Scott Wright and myself would love to hit more of these, it’s tough to juggle with everything else, tho.

Here are some:

Alec Heinen of Edmond North signs with Wichita State to play golf.

Here’s another:

Austen Fuller of Edmond North signs with OU to play golf.

And another:

Kendra Mann of Harrah signs with Oklahoma City U. to play golf.

I called him out in the five-minute guide, and he showed me up on Friday night. Edmond North running back Jarion Tudman rushed for 222 yards and a touchdown to shut me up in the Huskies’ 28-21 win at Yukon.

Tudman is deadly with the ball when he holds onto it. He held onto it against the Millers and became the workhorse he always has the potential to be.

It was a spirited effort by North, who has rebounded nicely from that 2-4 start. Is the upset possible? North is at Union on Friday.

Look for more on Tudman later this week.

Other contenders

Shawn McLaws, Deer Creek: Always around to play a big role. Fumble return for a touchdown, kicking field goals. He did a little bit of everything in the 19-12 road win at Ardmore.

Kameron Doolittle, Memorial: The senior closed out a tremendous career for the Bulldogs by rushing for more than 100 yards as Justin Merideth’s gritty bunch kept it close before losing to Lawton.

Travis Townsend, North: Senior quarterback wasn’t about to call it a career just yet, accounting for two touchdowns in the win.

Deer Creek offensive line: Less than five minutes and with the ball, Antlers line did its job as Deer Creek ran out the clock behind Alex Christensen and the offensive surge.

Will Conant, Memorial: Been regarded as one of the best kickers by yours truly for two years and showed it with two big FGs vs. Lawton.

Elizabeth Donohoe, North: You’ll be seeing that name a lot in the next couple of months as she signed with Oklahoma State last week.

Edmond North (5-5) at Yukon (8-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Miller Pride Stadium, Yukon (Scott will be there)

North (L- Southmoore; W – Choctaw; L – Memorial; W – Del City; L – Mustang; L – Putnam City; W – Westmoore; L – Lawton; W – Santa Fe; W – US Grant)
Why the Huskies can win: Because they’ve answered the challenge of their coach. They have a tremendously balanced offense. When Travis Townsend is on, he is absolute money with all his targets. RB Ryan Hammons has become a good second banana to Jarion Tudman.

Quote:

It’s all about creating a winning tradition. Last year’s club started it, this one has continued it. Now we need to make that next step.” – coach Jeremy Dombek

Yukon (W – Mustang, W – Edmond Santa Fe, W – Stillwater, L – Midwest City, W – Norman North, W – Lawton Ike, W – PC North, W – Moore, W – Choctaw, L – Edmond Memorial)
Why the Millers can win: The double-threat offense. Whether it’s Corben Jones and his bevy of talented receivers, or Terry Jones and the Miller O-line, a.k.a. the Pit Crew, Yukon can find ways to move the ball. The Edmond North defense has been susceptible to both at times this year. Terry Jones’ ankle is getting closer and closer to 100 percent, and I’d look for Miller Pride Stadium to be rockin’ for the first home playoff game in Yukon since 1998.

Key matchup: North secondary vs. Yukon passing game. Scott hit the nail on the head earlier this week when asking about the secondary. This will be a big game for Christian Peterson and the rest of the Huskies defensive backs to come up big when it matters most.

Boneman’s pick: Yukon 35, North 20. I have a hard time seeing the Millers not show up and bring their best in this one, especially after being blanked in the second half last week.

Scott’s pick: Yukon 35, North 31. If the Huskies can hold Yukon below 35, it gives them a much better chance at the upset, but it’s not an easy task. Only Midwest City and Edmond Memorial have done it this year.

Boneman’s North prediction record: 7-3.

2010 Metro Athletic Conference Freshman Football All Conference Players

Putnam City — Offense: Gerrell Murray, Davion Wisby. Defense: Jamie Flowers, Jeremiah Hall, Kris Dorsey.

Santa Fe — Offense: Charles Wade, Cameron Westbrook, Chris Morgensen, Jon Wynn. Defense: Justice Hansen, Chase Hillmon, Marshawn Mills.

Choctaw — Offense: Derrick Briggs, Dallas Hamlin. Defense: Dalton Fittro, Caleb Shimp.

Mustang — Offense: Franklin Edwards, Colton Hadlock, Jaden Ray, Garreth Ballard, Joey Snodgrass. Defense: Josh Head, Tristin Hill, Logan Reed.

Edmond North — Offense: Josh Garbrecht, Blake Snow, Ezel McIntee, Lindell Tate, Joel Dixon. Defense: Mark Piatt, Noah Johnston, Lance Dixon, Andrew Dixon.

Yukon — Offense: Shawn Anderson, Tyler Bowling, Logan Parks. Defense: Josh Bedell, Andre Dowuona-Hammond, Bradyn Meyer.

Standings: 1. Edmond North; 2. Mustang; 3. Santa Fe; 4. Yukon; 5. Putnam City; 6. Choctaw; 7. PC West. 8. PC North.

Edmond North beat Westmoore in the Bi-Conference championship aka the X Game.

Edmond North (5-5) at Yukon (8-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Miller Pride Stadium, Yukon (Scott will be there)

Scott Wright: What sparked the mid-season turnaround for this team that enabled them get to the postseason?

Robert Przybylo: A challenge and a change in philosophy by coach Jeremy Dombek. He’s never really believed in having two-way starters. But he started to after the Putnam City loss. And it’s not so much about players like Jarion Tudman or Kyle Aschenbrenner going both ways as much it woke up the players in practice. It got them to practice harder and start looking over their shoulder. They knew that from that point on, they had to bring it every day…and they have.

Wright: The run game is obviously the key to the offense, but can the passing game carry them if they get behind?

Przybylo: I’d argue the running game is the key. They would like it to be the key, but Troy Davis has been injured. Ryan Hammons didn’t play early. Tudman has been injured and has dropped the ball. If Tudman doesn’t fumble, this team is a different animal. If he does, the game is in Travis Townsend’s hands. And that’s OK because he has SO many options to hit. Want the big play — hit DonQuay Hammons. Want the sure hands — hit Garrett Molinsky. Great options for the Huskies.

Wright: With Yukon’s love of the pass, who are the key players to watch in the Huskies’ secondary?

Przybylo: A couple of names to watch are Camden Bohnert and Christian Peterson. Especially Bohnert. He is someone who is starting to really hit his stride. Secondary has been the question mark for this team all year so the Millers attack is definitely going to push these kids. The key will be for Ryan Adams, Aschenbrenner and company to get some pressure on Jones.

Edmond North (5-5) at Yukon (8-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Miller Pride Stadium, Yukon (Scott will be there)

Robert Przybylo: Did last week’s loss give a recipe of how to beat this team? Is team at all concerned about Corben Jones throwing two interceptions in the second half?

Scott Wright: I don’t think the interceptions are a concern. The team was extremely flat in the second half. Maybe the early lead got them feeling a little too comfortable. As for a recipe, I suppose if you can have two guys rush for 319 yards on 32 carries, that’s probably a good start. The Millers are still two-dimensional on offense and the defense is good enough to get the job done. I don’t think last week’s game changes anything.

Przybylo: Speaking of the Jones family, what’s the status of Terry Jones? Is he 100 percent again? If he’s not, what kind of role will Derek Deeds play?

Wright: Hard to say if Terry Jones is back to 100 percent, but he’s had 188 yards total the last two weeks since coming back from that ankle injury. He’s the guy they like to feed in the run game, but Corben Jones will run some, and look for Deeds to get in on the rushing act with some Wildcat — Wild Miller? — snaps.

Przybylo: We hear all the time about how explosive this offense has been. What can you say about the defense at this point of the season?

Wright: The defense got hit for some big plays last week, and they’ve had a couple of other second-half lapses this season, vs. Midwest City and PC North. But overall, they’ve been solid. The line can pressure the quarterback. Their linebackers, Carson Mathews and Jake Henderson, are hard hitters, and the five-man secondary has good speed. Watch out for linebacker/safety hybrid Eric Granado on the blitz.

At 10:30 p.m. Friday, I thought for sure I had my Edmond Player of the Week. There was no way anybody could top the effort I had just witnessed from Deer Creek’s Alex Christensen.

You could make the argument it wasn’t topped, but with the whole season on the line, Memorial’s Gavin Fouts came up with the game of his life.

I had a feeling it would be his night. I mentioned him as the player to watch in the key matchup, but I never thought he would do what he did.

Fouts ended up with 163 rushing yards, a touchdown and most importantly on this night, two interceptions in the second half to give the Bulldogs a 38-21 win at Yukon to send them to the postseason.

That’s how you clinch a playoff spot. I’ll be there Thursday against Lawton.

Other contenders

Alex Christensen, Deer Creek: He was incredible. Running around and through tacklers all night in rushing for three touchdowns in a 31-28 win against Ada.

Jesse Mathews, North: Huskies were supposed to dominate US Grant, and they did. Mathews threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another to help North to a first-round date at Yukon.

Patrick Hinton, Santa Fe: He’s been a heckuva wide receiver all season, and he was able to score his first touchdown of the season in the last game as the Wolves finished a disappointing 1-9.

Kameron Doolittle, Memorial: Back to 100 percent is Memorial’s stud. He rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns in the come-from-behind win.

Jarion Tudman, North: Notched another two rushing touchdowns but must find a way to not put the ball on the ground.

Brennan Miyake, Deer Creek: Definitely deserves some mention. Saved the game with his interception in the final minute.

I’ma keep this short. It’s a Friday Morning Quarterback on a Thursday night. Good win for Edmond North against US Grant. Did what it’s supposed to. Generals played hard, and I was pretty impressed by the size of the crowd for Grant’s senior night.

North 66, US Grant 0

- A concern for the Huskies has to be Jarion Tudman’s ability to handle the ball. He scored two touchdowns, but he also fumbled twice and lost one of them. He’s a heckuva talent, but I don’t think I’ve seen a game where Tudman didn’t put it on the ground.

- Ryan Adams and Kyle Aschenbrenner really carried the day in this one. Sometimes being motivated against the team you’re supposed to beat is tough. These two made sure the defense was focused on the task at hand.

- Like every coach says about Grant, the team doesn’t quit. You never see those kids down about things. Quarterback Anthony Ortiz and RB Derrick Young took some hard hits tonight (and prob have all season), but they kept going back out there.

- Coach Matt Miller never stopped, either. Down 45-0, Miller called timeout with 2 seconds left in the first half to get one final play in. Confused me at first as I had already begun tallying up the half’s stats, but I get the message he is trying to send.

- Now we look ahead for Edmond North. Talking with coach Jeremy Dombek after the game, it is kinda amazing to think this year’s team could be in the same spot as last year’s club. Last year’s team was so memorable, but the 8-2 record was only good enough for third.

This year’s 5-5 team has fought through a lot and just needs a Lawton win Friday to secure the very same third-place outcome. If the Wolverines win, the Huskies will find themselves at Yukon. If Westmoore pulls off the upset, to Midwest City will go Dombek’s boys.

Edmond North (4-5, 3-3) at US Grant (0-9)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Speegle Stadium (I’ll be there)

North (L- Southmoore; W – Choctaw; L- Memorial; W – Del City; L – Mustang; L – Putnam City; W – Westmoore; L- Lawton; W – Santa Fe)
Why the Huskies can win: Need to get healthy in this one. Been banged up the last month, and it has shown at times. This should be a really big night for Ryan Hammons if Troy Davis and Jarion Tudman are still a little banged up.

US Grant
Why the Generals can win: Coach Matt Miller is doing it the right way, but it is going to take some time. I don’t get a sense that he is going to abandon this program anytime soon, though.

The pick: North 49, US Grant 6. Huskies just have to come out of here healthy. A win and a Westmoore loss would make North third place with a trip to Yukon.

Boneman’s North prediction record: 6-3.

Player of the Year – Kady Self, Edmond North
Newcomer of the Year – Kilee Halbert, Yukon
Coach of the Year – Rick Nordyke, Edmond North

First Team
Edmond North: Abby Taliaferro, Madison Nordyke, Jordan Dixon, Sheridan Bond, Braxton Coil
Yukon: Kylie Lang, Madi Ellis, Skylar Leathers, Jade Hardy
Mustang: Courtni Clark, Jamie Rateliff, Kayla Adams
Edmond Santa Fe: Maddie Martin, Karly Nevez, Breezy McComas, Catherine Rodarm
Putnam North: Kayla Kingsley, Taylor Harris, Dani Nissen
Putnam City: Grace Self, Amanda Stevenson, Tiffany Holt
Putnam West: Ashley Tiger, Allyson Hemby
Choctaw: Elizabeth Sandman, Casie Foust

Second Team
EN: Ashton Smith, Brooke Crutchfield. YHS: Amanda Madden, Whitney Ellis, Caitlyn Halbert. MHS: Kyndra Holasek, Kierra Miles, Shelbi Legg. ESF: Kayley Humann, Siara Price, Sydney Brennan, Carly Cowan. PCN: Alli Whittington, Madison Welch, Amy Reynolds. PCO: Kylee Webb, Amber McCullough, Andrea Walling. CHS: Kylie Morgan, Ashley Hopkins, Sadie Marino. PCW: Haley Hemby, Kaleigh Ferrell.

Week 9 was survival week for Edmond North and Memorial. Both teams had to win, both did and now the real fun begins in Week 10.

First, Edmond North:

Edmond North: Third with win and Westmoore loss. Fourth with win and Westmoore win. Fourth with loss, Westmoore win, Del City win and Putnam City loss. Fourth with loss, Westmoore loss, Del City loss and Putnam City loss. Fourth with loss, Del City loss and Putnam City win where Edmond North loses 7 or less district points to Del City and 16 or less district points to Putnam City.

Huskies are in a very favorable position. Take care of business against US Grant and hope for a Westmoore loss, and North is going to Yukon. Westmoore is at district champion Lawton on Friday so North fans have to like that scenario.

This is a good week to get healthy. Troy Davis and Jarion Tudman have been banged up. The line has suffered some trouble. Make a statement early against Grant and get ready for the first round.

Now, Memorial:

Edmond Memorial: Fourth with win. Fourth with loss and Choctaw win. Fourth with loss, Putnam North win and Norman North win where Putnam North gains 6 or less district points on Edmond Memorial.

Forget about those two final scenarios. Justin Merideth’s club knows if it beats Yukon, the Bulldogs are going to Lawton. Very interesting how everything plays out Friday. The Millers have NOTHING to play for. Yukon is locked in at second place.

However, you know the Millers aren’t just going to roll over and play dead. A lot of pride that comes with a 9-1 season. Scott Wright will be there, should be a good one.

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

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

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

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

Other contenders

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

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

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

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

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

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

I predicted 19-10. Guess 17-10 isn’t bad. Edlam was every bit what I expected it to be. Knew it would hard hitting. Knew it would competitive. Knew it would feature some mistakes as both teams have some flaws.

In other words, knew Edlam was going to live up to its billing. It did. Others may have not cared about the showdown, but a great crowd and the intensity that was shown by those kids tells me all I needed to know.

North 17, Santa Fe 10

Wow, did the Wolves come out firing. Especially the defense. North running back Jarion Tudman couldn’t do anything and put it on the ground.

Santa Fe had a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, but Edmond North kinda got its bearings together after a rough start.

Quarterback Travis Townsend bounced back after an uneven first half and got the offense moving. It was almost as if he needed to throw an interception to relax and find his groove.

And that he did. The Huskies have so many targets and that has become the biggest reason for their success. You can fire it to Troy Davis, Hunter Cleveland, DonQuay Hammons, Garrett Molinsky, Kyle Aschenbrenner, etc.

Townsend threw a couple of touchdown passes and let the defense do the rest. Santa Fe was hurt by an injury to Ryan Frazier in the third quarter. Ty Hensley also didn’t finish the game as Justice Hansen played down the stretch at quarterback.

Santa Fe never quit, but it didn’t have the firepower to pull off a late comeback. I kept thinking if Santa Fe would have scored, would coach Bruce Gowen go for 2 and the win like he did last year?

Boneman’s Breakdown

- Santa Fe wide receiver Dale Jefferson had a heckuva game. Big catch after big catch. Only a sophomore and definitely a name I will be watching in the future.

- All hail the defenses, especially on the ground. The teams combined for less than 70 yards rushing. Ryan Adams had a nice game for North. Brandon Reece and Quintin James each had an interception for Santa Fe. Physical game between rivals.

- Love what I saw from Hensley. He’s a gamer, if nothing else. Needed to come up with a big throw time and time again, and he would find Patrick Hinton or Jefferson time and time again.

- Penalties hurt the Wolves in the fourth quarter, especially an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that made a 4th-and-10 into a 4th-and-25 in the final minutes.

- Up next: North will try to clinch a playoff berth with a win at US Grant. Santa Fe closes its season against Putnam City.

Edlam: Santa Fe (1-7) at North (3-5)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: UCO’s Wantland Stadium (I’ll be there)

Santa Fe (L- Memorial; L – Yukon; L – Midwest City; L – Westmoore; L – Lawton; L – Mustang; W – US Grant; L – Del City)
Why the Wolves can win: Because much like last year, Santa Fe is starting to find its groove late in the season. The defense has given up 14 points in the last two weeks, while quarterback Ty Hensley had made tremendous strides.

Quote:

This is Edlam. This is what we play for.” – wide receiver Patrick Hinton

North (L – Southmoore; W- Choctaw; L – Memorial; W – Del City; L – Mustang; L- Putnam City; W – Westmoore; L- Lawton)
Why the Huskies can win: Because the offense should give Santa Fe fits. The balance of the running game and passing game is incredibly tough to match. And the defense will be fired up after what happened at Lawton.

Quote:

This is our final shot. We weren’t able to beat Memorial but to beat Santa Fe two years in a row would be a nice way to end things.” – quarterback Travis Townsend

Key matchup: Santa Fe running game vs. North front seven. How do you stop a balanced offense? Don’t let them touch the ball. The Wolves have lot of running backs in their arsenal, and we should see them all.

The pick: Edmond North 19, Santa Fe 10. I can’t see a high-scoring game here, but I think the Huskies win pretty comfortably despite the low score.

Boneman’s Santa Fe prediction record: 7-1.
Boneman’s North prediction record: 5-3.

Santa Fe (1-7, 1-4) at North (3-5, 2-3)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: UCO’s Wantland Stadium (I’ll be there)

At the Oklahoma Showdown in July, North got the best of Santa Fe in one of the most intense 7-on-7 matchups of the two-day event.

But the Wolves showed they could hang, at least in the skilled positions. However, where Bruce Gowen’s team lacked was in its line play, and it’s shown this season. Not because of skill or effort, but the kids are young, and the team has gone through too many injuries.

Santa Fe is coming off its two best performances of the season, a 61-0 wipeout of US Grant and a narrow 14-10 loss to Del City.

Quarterback Ty Hensley remains a threat to run over somebody just as fast as he is to throw deep on somebody. Santa Fe has a deep running attack, led by Ryan Frazier.

But the strength of the team has been the defense. It’s a tough group that though undermanned has played about as good as you could possibly expect.

The defense, led by Nate Robertson, is going to have a big challenge against the Huskies. North has one of the most well-balanced offenses in the state.

Quarterback Travis Townsend has come a long way since his first meeting with Santa Fe (Week 1 in 2009). And he has a ton of different targets to play pitch and catch with.

Townsend said this season has been a little frustrating because they feel they should be better than the 3-5 record they’re taking into Friday’s matchup.

For example: Putnam City beat Edmond North, North whipped Westmoore and then the Jaguars dominated the Pirates. There is no real logic to how this season has played out.

If North can pull out the win Friday, the Huskies close out with US Grant with perhaps a playoff berth on the line. On the flip side, Santa Fe finishes the year with Putnam City and could really build some late-season momentum.

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

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

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

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

Other contenders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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