The Oklahoma City Area Baseball Coaches Association will play its annual all-star game at 6 p.m. Thursday at Palmer Field at Dolese Park.

An all-star team made up from these two rosters will play a Tulsa-area all-star team in a doubleheader at noon Saturday at Bishop McGuinness. OCS’ Ken McQueen and Tecumseh’s Chad Trahan will coach the Oklahoma City team.

NORTH
Starters
Pitchers: Brock Stuber, Piedmont; Parker Rigler, Edmond Memorial; Kyle Stephens, Edmond North
Catchers: Mike Hale, Putnam City North; Jon Denney, Yukon
First baseman: Cody Daylor, Edmond North
Second baseman: Daniel Costello, Edmond Santa Fe
Third baseman: Bryan Dutton, Guthrie
Shortstop: Dalen Edgar, Piedmont
Outfielders: Landon Eason, Yukon; Jack Hale, Edmond Memorial; Cole Lindley, Deer Creek
Utility: Austin Brooks, OCS
Desgnated hitter: Jacob Jerome, Edmond Santa Fe

Reserves: Chiante’ McKee, Star Spencer; Bradley Fitch, Bishop McGuinness; Reed Brooks, Putnam City; Jonathan Sergent, Classen

Coaches: Ken McQueen, OCS; Kory Williams, Piedmont

SOUTH
Starters
Pitchers: Alexander Svetgoff, Westmoore; Gage Trahan, Tecumseh; Nick Ward, Southmoore
Catchers: Lane Paul, Tuttle; Cameron Knight, Westmoore
First baseman: Dylan Mauk, Blanchard
Second baseman: Daniel Herron, Norman North
Third baseman: DJ Gasso, Norman North
Shortstop: Tre Edwards, Southmoore
Outfielders: Chevin Noone, Carl Albert; Hunter Heath, Bethel; Quade Nelson, Blanchard
Utility: Damion Orr, Midwest City
Designated hitter: Joel Davis, Midwest City

Reserves: Cooper Owens, Putnam City West; Colin Webb, Moore; Matt Foster, Norman; Casey Bowlan, Shawnee; Jovanny Hernandez, U.S. Grant; Zack Howry, Capitol Hill; Landon Vodka, Mustang.

Coaches: Chad Trahan, Tecumseh; Travis Owen, Tuttle

The Oklahoma Coaches Association announced its All-State tennis teams Tuesday. The OCA All-State tennis event will be held July 30 at Tulsa Union.

BOYS
EAST
Jayden Black, Henryetta
Josh Ellis, Ada
Chase Gordon, Jenks
Levi Kerr, Grove
Andreas Kutt, Tulsa Union
Cameron Schuessler, Durant
John Stour, Ada
J.T. Tasker, Metro Christian

WEST
Andrew Ahshapanek, Anadarko
Oakes Arceneaux, Heritage Hall
Tanner Chambers, Edmond North
Riley Hale, Bishop McGuinness
Seth Moore, Yukon
Nathan Roper, Edmond North
Matt Taber, Carl Albert
Sylvester Yo, Westmoore

GIRLS
EAST
Mariah Burke, Jenks
Olivia Charvat, Metro Christian
Reynolds Chew, Metro Christian
Courtney Coon, Broken Arrow
Piper Huey, Jenks
Abby Jordan, Cascia Hall
Margo Martin, Ada
Lauryn Sullins, Perry

WEST
Samantha Cassidy, Duncan
Alexandra Dick, Enid
Kathryn Dillingham, Enid
Alex Morales, Ardmore
Ann Pepper, Edmond North
Shali Schoepflin, Edmond Memorial
Brittany Toone, Duncan
Lacie Unah, Anadarko

According to sources, Edmond North’s Jeremy Dombek is expected to be named the new football caoch at Mustang, pending board approval Monday night. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

Edmond North’s Jeremy Dombek will leave to become the new head football coach at Mustang High School, pending the approval of the Mustang school board at its meeting Monday night, sources have told The Oklahoman.

The Mustang school board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Monday.

Dombek will replace Ty Prestidge, who resigned on May 3 to take an offensive coordinator position with longtime friend Todd Dilbeck at Choctaw.

Dombek was expected to address his team at Edmond North Monday morning, according to sources. Pending board approval, Dombek would be able to begin working with his new team at Mustang Tuesday.

Mustang missed the playoffs in 2012, despite a 6-4 record. It was the second straight year the Broncos fell short of the postseason.

Edmond North has reached the second round of the Class 6A playoffs each of the last three seasons under Dombek, and missed the playoffs only once since he took over in 2007.

The move leaves the Huskies scrambling now. Dombek is likely to take some of his assistant coaches to Mustang, so Edmond North could have multiple coaching spots to fill as spring practice begins. Monday is the first day that Class 6A football teams can hold football practices.

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

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association released the state tournament brackets Monday and Tuesday.

CLASS 6A
At Shawnee
Thursday
Tulsa Kelley at Norman North, 11 a.m.
Jenks vs. Yukon, 1:30 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Owasso, 4 p.m.
Edmond North vs. Broken Arrow, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Tulsa Kelley/Norman North winner vs. Jenks/Yukon winner, 4 p.m.
Edmond North/Broken Arrow winner vs. Edmond Santa Fe/Owasso winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

CLASS 5A
At Edmond Santa Fe
Thursday
Noble vs. Deer Creek, 11 a.m.
Guthrie vs. Coweta, 1:30 p.m.
Carl Albert vs. Pryor, 4 p.m.
Chickasha vs. Claremore, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Noble/Deer Creek winner vs. Carl Albert/Pryor winner, 4 p.m.
Guthrie/Coweta winner vs. Chickasha/Claremore winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.

CLASS 4A
At Edmond Memorial
Thursday
Piedmont vs. Byng, 11 a.m.
Tuttle vs. Weatherford, 1:30 p.m.
Plainview vs. Catoosa, 4 p.m.
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Piedmont/Byng winner vs. Plainview/Catoosa winner, 4 p.m.
Tuttle/Weatherford winner vs. Berryhill/Dewey winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
At Shawnee
Championship game, 3:30 p.m.

CLASS 3A
Thursday
At Deer Creek
Verdigris vs. OCS, 11 a.m.
Stroud vs. Vian, 1:30 p.m.
Salina vs. Spiro, 4 p.m.
Marlow vs. Kingston, 6:30 p.m.

At Edmond Santa Fe
Friday
Verdigris/OCS winner vs. Salina/Spiro winner, 11 a.m.
Stroud/Vian winner vs. Marlow/Kingston winner, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, noon

CLASS 2A
Thursday
At Dolese Park
Dale vs. Alva, 11 a.m.
Caney Valley vs. Latta, 1:30 p.m.
Colbert vs. Tushka, 4 p.m.
Silo vs. Ketchum, 6:30 p.m.

At Shawnee
Friday
Dale/Alva winner vs. Colbert/Tushka winer, 11 a.m.
Caney Valley/Latta winner vs. Silo/Ketchum winner, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 1 p.m.

Edmond Memorial’s Chloe Webber and Edmond North’s Hannah Dowell signed to play lacrosse at Oklahoma Baptist University.

Webber is an attacker and Dowell is a midfielder.

“I am excited to add more girls to next year’s roster who are local so that we can continue to grow the sport throughout Oklahoma,” Lady Bison coach Katy Mohr said in a release.

OBU is in its first season of women’s lacrosse. The addition of the sport was announced in 2010 along with the additions of football and swimming.

Oklahoma Baptist is playing an independent schedule this year, going 1-4 through its first five games.

The Lady Bison host Missouri State on March 30.

They’ve also played Texas State, Texas Tech, Midland University and the University of Dallas.

Lacrosse is a club sport at both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stillwater sophomore Kaid Brock leads a group of 10 state wrestlers ranked by WIN magazine in its national preseason rankings.

Brock is No. 2 at 103 pounds.

Two other state wrestlers are in the top in their weight, Tuttle’s Zach Beard, No. 4 at 182, and Altus’ Keilan Torres, No. 5 at 160.

Berryhill’s Davey Dolan is No. 12 at 138, Heritage Hall’s Ethan Walker is No. 13 at 195 and Stillwater’s Joe Smith is No. 20 at 120.

At 113, Broken Arrow’s Markus Simmons is No. 17 while Collinsville’s Davion Jeffries is No. 18.

Two state wrestlers are also ranked at 220, with Edmond North’s Andrew Dixon at No. 13 and Chickasha’s Jacoby Brown at No. 15.

Mike Nunley, the Edmond district athletic director, said Edmond North will host its game on Thursday night, and Edmond Santa Fe would play on Friday.

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

LARGE EAST
P: Whitney Whitehorn, Owasso
C: Nicole Nease, Owasso
1B: Macklin Hitz, Jenks
2B: Sam Reiss, Broken Arrow
3B: Paige Luellen, Jenks
SS: Madison Vaughan, Coweta
OF: Hannah Stirton, Owasso; Britney Johnson, Tahlequah; Samantha Smith, Collinsville
P: Elena Gambill, Broken Arrow; Jessica Walker, Grove
C: Ashleigh Tramel, Grove
U-3B: Taylor Dodson, Grove
U-C: Allie Alvstad, Bixby; Theresa Collins, Broken Arrow
U-1B: Paige Gan, Muskogee
U-SS: Shannon Driggers, Collinsville; Taylor Perdue, Sand Springs
Coach: Shane Eicher, Owasso

LARGE WEST
P: Jordan Dixon, Edmond North
C: Shelbie Smith, Edmond Memorial
1B: Lindsay Littles, Edmond Memorial
2B: Haley Wells, Deer Creek
3B: Madi Ellis, Yukon
SS: Madisyn Long, Carl Albert
OF: Kierra Miles, Mustang; Abby Taliaferro, Edmond North; Rachel Cooper, Duncan
P: Maddy Ellis, Yukon; Summer Leitka, Norman
C: Braden Bradshaw, Southmoore
U-3B: Courtney Moore, Duncan
U-SS: Mariah Peace, Westmoore
U-2B: Caitlynn Hall, Moore
U-OF: Brianna McComas, Edmond Santa Fe; Courtney Chelf, Enid
U-1B: Hannah Lynch, Moore
Coach: Erin Regier, Deer Creek

MIDDLE EAST
P: Jayde Hansen, Perry
C: Kaci Trentham, Coalgate
1B: Anna Crawford, Adair
2B: Kara Lynch, Sequoyah-Tahlequah
3B: Brenna Vise, Poteau
SS: Taylor McElhaney, Oologah
OF: Shelby Standridge, Poteau; Kassi Yazel, Morris; Audrianna Hooks, Bristow
P: Madison Boyd, Chelsea; Jessica Bluebird, Sequoyah-Tahlequah
C: Shyanna Sigman, Tecumseh
U-SS: Sutv Meely, Tecumseh
U-P: Kylar Foshee, Valliant
U-2B: Bailey King, Morris
U-SS: Ashley Williams, Berryhill; Raven Campos, Adair; Ryan Martin, Beggs
Coach: Tommy Howard, Valliant

MIDDLE WEST
P: Andee Frazier, Little Axe
C: Jacie Stephens, Washington
1B: Shelby Robinson, Newcastle
2B: Megan Sanders, Weatherford
3B: Jordan Chism, Piedmont
SS: Samantha Leising, Little Axe
OF: Kaylin Taylor, Purcell; Nikki Horton, Cache; Emma Nelson, Piedmont
P: Shea Coats, Tuttle; Tate Landmark, Cache
C: Kaitlyn Holmes, Harrah
U-3B: Dani Warren, Cache; Tiphani Napier, Plainview; Annamarea Combs, Tuttle
U-OF: Bryanne Knox, Dickson; Ashley Savage, Newcastle
U-2B: Avery Walker, Marlow
Coach: Rodney DeLong, Cache

SMALL EAST
P: Jalissa Gum, Frontier
C: Casey Kelley, Roff
1B: Jadyn Gibbs, Rattan
2B: Cheyenne Been, Dewar
3B: Kelby Alexander, Drumright
SS: Samantha Berry, Dale
OF: Kelly Easterling, Oktaha; Sericca Rider, Red Oak; Sarah Morrison, Caney Valley
P: Kendra Coleman, Red Oak; Taylor Canida, Roff
C: Danielle Dockrey, Dale
U-SS: Kendra David, Caney Valley; Jill Shipman, Stroud
U-P: Taylor Eaves, Panama; Jill Roye, Red Oak; Jaimie Williams, Rattan
U: Victoria Stambaugh, Davenport
Coach: Casey Butcher, Red Oak

SMALL WEST
P: Peyton Walker, Hammon
C: Kori Barrios, Hammon
1B: Selika Shives, Binger-Oney
2B: Sydney Harrel, Leedey
3B: Danielle Hammons, Fort Cobb-Broxton
SS: Kayla Wilson, Mooreland
OF: Larissa Tate, Binger-Oney; Carly Farmer, Pond Creek-Hunter; Bailey Carnes, Merritt
P: Taya Haney, Leedey; Emily Wasinger, Frederick
C: Harli Ridling, Sentinel
U-3B: Jenna Trissel, Leedey
U-P: Ashton Lierle, Fort Cobb-Broxton; Jaci Booker, Cyril; Lakeyna Forsythe, Fletcher
U-SS: Olivia Mason, Fairview
U-2B: Casey Redus, Wayne
Coach: Scott Brewer, Wayne

Edmond North junior Hayden Wood was one of two Oklahoma golfers named to the Rolex Junior All-America list.

Edmond North junior Hayden Wood and Jenks senior Brendon Jelley have been named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association.

Wood had two top-five finishes, finishing second at the Under Armour/Hunter Mahan Championship, and tied for fifth at the Western Junior Championship. He is currently No. 36 in the Polo Golf Rankings and is being recruited by multiple programs, including Oklahoma State and Georgia.

Jelley, who is committed to Oklahoma State, is No. 48 in the Polo Golf Rankings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nice and easy yet again: Everyone wins.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That one ended 27-0 after a strong defensive performance from the Huskies, and ironically, the game was some of the first meaningful varsity action for then-sophomore quarterback Hayden Somerville of Yukon, who filled in after All-Stater Corben Jones was injured.

Second-ranked Edmond North is out to show itself as one of the best teams on the west side of the state, with strength on both sides of the ball. The offense has scored at least 34 points in all but one game, and the defense has allowed less than 14 in all but one as the Huskies compiled their 5-0 record.

Three Points

1. Triple-speed. Yukon has faced some good running teams this year, but not one like Edmond North. The Huskies have three backs — Ezel McIntee, Marque Depp and Michael Farmer — each with at least 344 yards, four touchdowns and an average of seven yards per carry. Containing the Huskies’ run game will be critical for the Millers. Yukon can answer with a solid run game of its own, though it’s more of a one-man show. A.J. West has been a pleasant surprise after sitting out of football for the last couple years. He has rushed for 662 yards and five scores so far.

2. Miller Air. West’s run game will be important to keeping the passing attack open for Somerville, one of only a handful of 6A quarterbacks to pass for more than 1,000 yards to this point. He has completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,182 yards with 13 TDs and six interceptions. He has developed a strong connection with WR Codey Sanchez, who has caught more than one-third of Somerville’s completions, with 37 grabs for 446 yards and six TDs.

3. Future focus. Regardless of what happens to Yukon tonight, the Millers have to keep a positive focus on the future. A loss tonight puts them at 1-5 on the season, but if you take all the 1-5 teams after this week, and rate their percentages of getting to the playoffs, Yukon would probably top the list. The schedule gets significantly easier from here out, and not only could they get in, but they could earn the No. 3 seed. Of course, a win tonight puts them in the running for the No. 2 seed and a home playoff berth for the third straight year. Don’t count that out.

The Pick

Edmond North 28, Yukon 21. I think the Huskies go old-school to win this one. Defense and running game. Those two areas look to be a little stronger than what Yukon has to offer. They’ll be able to limit Yukon’s possessions and avoid too many big plays.

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

One-third of Ohio’s Oklahoma connection missed the Bobcats’ game against Norfolk State on Saturday.

Former Norman North quarterback Tyler Tettleton, who had thrown for 781 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception in Ohio’s first three games, was held out with an undisclosed injury.

USA Today reported that Tettleton’s injury was to his abdomen.

With Derrius Vick in Tettleton’s place, though, the Bobcats didn’t skip a beat.

Norman North product Beau Blankenship ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in Ohio’s 44-10 win over Norfolk State. Blankenship ran for 109 yards, topping 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game.

Guthrie’s Donte’ Foster caught five passes, tying a career high, for 69 yards and two touchdowns, including Ohio’s first less than three minutes into the game. Blankenship’s 24-yard touchdown catch came just three minutes later.

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Carl Albert’s David Oku ran for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Arkansas State’s 56-0 win over Alcorn State. Oku also had a five-yard reception.

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Sequoyah-Tahlequah’s Nathan Stanley hit freshman tight end Taylor Jenkins for a three-yard touchdown pass with 2:39 left to give Southeastern Louisiana a 25-24 upset win over FCS No. 17 McNeese State.

Stanley, a transfer from Ole Miss, was 21 of 35 with 247 yards passing. Stanley also rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown and had a 42-yard punt.

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Millwood’s Davion Pierson, a redshirt freshman, had two tackles and a fumble recovery in TCU’s 27-7 win over Virginia.

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Tulsa Washington’s Michael Doctor had a team-high nine tackles–eight solo–in Oregon State’s 27-20 upset of then-No. 19 UCLA.

Doctor, starting at weakside linebacker, had one tackle for a loss.

Lawton’s Tyrequek Zimmerman, who started at strong safety, added four solo tackles in the upset.

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Midwest City’s Timothy Flanders kept up his big production for Sam Houston State against Central Arkansas.

Flanders ran for  125 yards and a pair of touchdowns and had one reception in the Bearkats’ 24-20 loss in Conway, Ark.

The 100-yard game was Flanders’ 17th of his career at Sam Houston State. He also moved to No. 5 in Southland Conference history in career rushing touchdowns with 39. The conference record is 52.

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Owasso’s Nick Rosa caught a 16-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to put Drake ahead for good in its 28-25 win over Morehead State. Rosa finished with two catches for 22 yards and an eight-yard kick return.

Edmond North’s Cam Bohnert had three punts for a 34-yard average, including one inside the 20.

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Carl Albert’s Christian Smith had four tackles, including a sack, and Jenks’ Orion Jones had three tackles in Toledo’s 38-28 win over Coastal Carolina.

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Muskogee’s Shjuan Richardson had an 11-yard touchdown catch with less than four minutes left to help seal Emporia State’s 30-20 win over Northeastern State. Richardson had three catches for 53 yards and a 23-yard kick return in the win.

Ponca City’s Adam Schlitz had a three-yard reception, Midwest City’s Kevin Gaddis had 44 return yards and Del City’s Jeff Richards had a 23-yard kick return.

McGuinness’ Chris Poston had eight tackles, Alva’s Derek Lohmann, Gaddis and Richards had five each and Luther’s Justin Wilson had two as the Hornets improved to 4-0.

Piedmont’s Jordan McAdoo, Norman North’s Lance Uhles and Collinsville’s Trey Rodgers started on the offensive line, which helped Emporia State post 452 yards of total offense.

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A week after being part of Pittsburgh’s upset over Virginia Tech, the Panthers rolled to a 55-10 win over Gardner-Webb.

Tulsa Washington’s Isaac Bennett scored Pitt’s final two touchdowns in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Bennett ran for 52 yards.

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This one has been covered a bit but Tulsa Washington’s Tyler Lockett had four catches for 37 yards and Jenks’ Tramaine Thompson had three catches for 49 yards in Kansas State’s 24-19 upset at Oklahoma.

Thompson had a third-down reception for a first down on each of Kansas State’s final two drives.

Thompson and Lockett each had one rushing attempt as well as a kickoff return each.

Tulsa Washington’s Dante Barnett had one tackle, while fellow Hornet Keenan Taylor started on the offensive line.

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Carl Albert’s Joe Stoner had four tackles in New Mexico’s 27-14 win over rival New Mexico State. Stoner also recovered a fumble and had a pass break up. The recovery was the sixth of Stoner’s career.

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Glenpool’s Israel Maselera returned a punt for a touchdown to start Pittsburg State’s 59-17 win over Lincoln.

Sand Springs’ Darrack Harger ran for 12 yards and threw for 34 yards.

Sand Springs’ Tyler Smith started at left guard.

Defensively, Tulsa East Central’s Dino Teague had five tackles, Tulsa Washington’s Aries Herrion and Catoosa’s Joe Uzzel had two each. Sand Springs’ Matt Anderson and Maselera had one tackle.

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Tulsa Kelley’s Mark Hayes had a 10-yard touchdown reception but Princeton fell 21-20 to Georgetown. The catch was Hayes’ only reception.

Lincoln Christian’s Roman Wilson had two catches for a team-high 62 yards.

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Heritage Hall’s Turner Petersen scored on a 30-yard run in the first quarter of Rice’s eventual 54-51 loss to Marshall in double overtime.

Petersen had 16 carries for 76 yards on the ground and caught a pair of passes for 20 yards.

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McGuinness’ Kris Parham is a running back but his biggest play in Weber State’s 32-26 loss to Eastern Washington was a pass.

Parham threw a 33-yard completion in the second quarter. He finished with 31 yards rushing on three carries and had a pair of kick returns. Putnam North’s Josh Booker had a single four-yard carry.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Trevor Pletcher caught a late two-point conversion pass.

Defensively, Edmond Memorial’s Anthony Morales led the Wildcats with 16 tackles, three for loss. Another former Bulldogs standout, David James, added six tackles, as did Jenks’ Devin Pugh. Pletcher also had three tackles.

Putnam City’s Robbie Diamond, Edmond Memorial’s Connor Myers and Edmond Santa Fe’s Alex Land had a tackle each.

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Lawton’s Sonny Puletasi had a pair of tackles, including a sack for 11 yards, in Wyoming’s 40-37 overtime win over Idaho.

Puletasi’s sack came in the closing seconds of the first half and he both forced and recovered a fumble on the play.

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Midwest City’s Ricky Reeves had a tackle in South Dakota’s 38-7 loss to Northwestern.

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Edmond Santa Fe’s Randy Ponder had seven tackles in Missouri’s 31-10 loss to South Carolina.

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Verdigris’ Cohle Fowler started on the offensive line for Dartmouth in its 13-10 win over Holy Cross. Bartlesville’s Kirby Schoenthaler had one two-yard reception in the win.

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Tulsa Union’s Terrell Williams had 12 tackles, one for a loss, in Arkansas’ 35-26 loss to Rutgers.

Muskogee’s Robert Thomas added four tackles and Tulsa Washington’s Eric Bennett three.

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Glenpool’s Codey Zickefoose had five tackles in Arkansas Tech’s 31-24 loss to Ouachita Baptist. Glenpool’s Tim Van Orsdol started on the offensive line for the Wonder Boys.

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Tonkawa’s Jake Love and Tulsa Washington’s John Williams had two tackles each in Kansas’ 30-23 loss to Northern Illinois. Owasso’s Gavin Howard started on the offensive line.

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Muskogee’s Vernon Scott had 14 yards rushing and a reception in Missouri State’s 14-6 loss to Southern Illinois.

Norman North’s Nick Canavan had five tackles and Tulsa Union’s Howard Scarborough had four in the loss.

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Norman North’s Beau Traber had four tackles–assisting on a sack–in Bucknell’s 20-14 loss to Lafayette.

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Idabel’s Kevin Rucker had a tackle in Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s 24-21 win over Alabama State.

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Metro Christian’s Rylan Hess had three tackles and a pass breakup in Colorado School of Mines’ 42-37 loss to New Mexico Highlands.

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Marlow’s Colt McCauley started on the offensive line for Southeast Missouri State in its 41-38 overtime win over Tennessee Tech.

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Mustang’s Kyle Webster had two pass attempts with no completions and had 16 yards rushing in Missouri Southern’s 16-13 loss to Southwest Baptist. Bixby’s Michael Nelson had one carry for a seven-yard loss.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I haven’t done this the first two weeks because the rankings have been a mess. It’s hard to tell how much a win means through the first couple of weeks of the season. But here it is for this week. Disagree? Think I’m nuts for putting a team too high or too low in your mind? Let me know. The only thing I ask is for a reason why your team should be higher or another team should be lower.

I’ve never been one to conform to the way some rankings change. If a team in the class loses to No. 1 and No. 2, they could still very well be No. 3.

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

Stillwater and Norman North fall out after losses this week, replaced by newcomer Mustang, who throttled Stillwater and Westmoore, who dropped out last week after losing to Southmoore. Lawton moves up one spot after Edmond North beat Edmond Santa Fe, while North moves up two spots to No. 5. Owasso is 0-2 officially but should be 1-2 after they were handling Muskogee 28-0 before the game was called in Week 2. The Rams are still one of the best teams in the state but had a difficult non-district schedule. Same goes for Broken Arrow and Jenks.

CLASS 5A
1. Guthrie (1)#3-0
2. Tulsa East Central (2)#3-0
3. Lawton MacArthur (3)#2-1
4. Deer Creek (4)#3-0
5. Bishop McGuinness (6)#3-0
6. Tulsa Kelley (NR)#1-2
7. Coweta (5)#2-1
8. Carl Albert (9)#1-2
9. Claremore (NR)#3-0
10. Tulsa Memorial (NR)#3-0

The top four all remain the same. The only loss in the top 5 is Lawton MacArthur’s loss last week to Lawton, one of the top teams in 6A. McGuinness continues to impress in its first season in Class 5A, with a blowout win over Weatherford before it opens district play next week vs. El Reno. Carl Albert justified its continued ranking despite its record with a 31-10 win over previously No. 8 Duncan. Tulsa Kelley, who had losses to Class 6A Bartlesville and to McGuinness coming in, knocked off Coweta to move back into the rankings. Coweta stays in at No. 7, a spot ahead of Carl Albert. Claremore makes an appearance after knocking off McAlester in overtime, while Tulsa Memorial also slides in after its 3-0 start. McAlester, Duncan and Ardmore slide out though all three could find their way back into the top 10 soon.

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

The top part here remains the same after the top seven all won this week. No. 8 Broken Bow fell to 3A Metro Christian, opening things up for a new entrant. Poteau takes the spot by virtue of its wins at Durant and at Van Buren, Ark., especially. The Pirates just edge Tulsa McLain, who got by Tulsa Central this week. Glenpool picked up its first win, starting to justify its continued ranking with a 27-7 win over Sperry. Glenpool had lost to Berryhill and Cascia Hall to start the season.

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

Easy at the top, tough on the bottom. The top four teams won and Sequoyah-Claremore sliding up past Sequoyah-Tahlequah was a no brainer. After that, though, things get complicated. Blanchard jumps Metro Christian for the overall strength of their resume to this point, having won three games pretty handily so far. Victory Christian moves into the rankings after their stunning come-from-behind win over Sequoyah-Tahlequah. The Indians fall four spots to No. 9, just behind Victory. Verdigris is the other newcomer, winning out over other candidates like Lincoln Christian (2-1), Plainview (2-1), Purcell (2-1), Jones (2-1) and others based on the way they’ve blown out each of their opponents thus far. Perkins dropped out after its loss to Verdigris.

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

Let’s start at the bottom first. When I put together last week’s rankings, the score in front of me included Commerce getting hammered. Turned out, the score was reported backwards, and Commerce blew away its opponent. They did the same thing last night to yet another out-of-state opponent. They finally play an Oklahoma team this week when they take on Wyandotte. Hennessey’s loss to Kingfisher isn’t anything to be ashamed of as the Yellowjackets are No. 1 in 3A. They are passed, though, be Frederick, which has scored at least 55 points in each game and has outscored its opponents 194-34 through three games. Stroud and Lindsay move up one spot, jumping OCS. The Saints remain at No. 8 after falling to Jones by one point. Caney Valley, Coalgate, Haskell, Hinton are undefeated and just outside the top 10.

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

Ringling’s going to be all right but after starting 0-2 with a bye week, it had to fall out of the rankings. There’s simply too many solid teams in Class A not to. Texhoma, Cashion, Crescent, Morrison, Minco and Hollis each move up a spot after wins. The newcomer is Kiefer, which has three shutouts to start the season, winning by a combined 104-0. Talihina, Okeene and Ringling are just outside the top 10.

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

The question here was how far Davenport fell after losing to Wetumka. Dropped them below the other undefeated ranked teams. Through about keeping them ahead of Fox but the Foxes have a more impressive resume to this point. Rejoice Christian moves in for the first time after a big win over Coyle. Rejoice Christian’s lone loss came to No. 4 Dewar by just 10 points. Rejoice also beat Coyle by a larger margin than Covington-Douglas did earlier, earning them the No. 8 spot. Ringwood could move into the rankings soon after pushing Pond Creek-Hunter.

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

The biggest heartburn here came in the last spot, where it came down to 1-2 Timberlake and 3-0 Maud. Maud has been impressive, but giving up 50 points to Bowlegs in its opener was a bit concerning. But Maud earns the spot after Timberlake fell to Deer Creek-Lamont. Timberlake has a chance to move back in but a pair of blowout losses in its first two opened things up for Maud. Shattuck falls to No. 8 after losing to Forgan. Not much shifting here outside of those teams.

Things weren’t quite as easy for the group last week as everyone lost at least two games.

Scott Wright: 18-2 (2-0)
Jacob Unruh: 17-3 (2-0)
Ryan Aber: 16-4 (1-1)
Jason Kersey: 15-5 (1-0)

And now for this week’s picks:

SCOTT WRIGHT
Tulsa Union 17, Broken Arrow 14
Edmond Santa Fe 42, Edmond North 31
Jenks 30, Owasso 24
Tulsa East Central 21, Tulsa Washington 14
Duncan 20, Carl Albert 16
Kingfisher 48, Hennessey 28
Christian Heritage 22, Lincoln Christian 17
Norman North 23, Westmoore 20
Shattuck 55, Forgan 49
Stillwater 38, Mustang 35

Lock of the Week: Tulsa East Central over Tulsa Washington. Having seen Booker T. up close in Week 1, I know how talented this team is, but I think East Central puts too many defensive weapons on the field for the Hornets this week.

JACOB UNRUH
Tulsa Union 21, Broken Arrow 18
Edmond Santa Fe 27, Edmond North 14
Jenks 35, Owasso 21
Tulsa East Central 21, Tulsa Washington 20
Carl Albert 24, Duncan 17
Kingfisher 31, Hennessey 21
Christian Heritage 35, Lincoln Christian 28
Norman North 21, Westmoore 17
Shattuck 48, Forgan 42
Stillwater 24, Mustang 21

Lock of the week: Tulsa Union over Broken Arrow. I know Broken Arrow nearly pulled off the upset in last year’s Class 6A title game. The Tigers could even do that Friday night, but I am going with Tulsa Union in a nail-biter. Broken Arrow is without top running back Devon Thomas indefinitely, which is a concern against Tulsa Union.

RYAN ABER
Tulsa Union 28, Broken Arrow 24
Edmond Santa Fe 28, Edmond North 14
Jenks 34, Owasso 7
Tulsa East Central 14, Tulsa Washington 7
Carl Albert 21, Duncan 14
Kingfisher 34, Hennessey 14
Chr. Heritage 27, Lincoln Christian 22
Norman North 24, Westmoore 21
Shattuck 38, Forgan 30
Stillwater 21, Mustang 14

JASON KERSEY
Tulsa Union 34, Broken Arrow 31
Edmond Santa Fe 27, Edmond North 23
Jenks 39, Owasso 20
Tulsa East Central 28, Tulsa Washington 21
Carl Albert 24, Duncan 20
Kingfisher 31, Hennessey 17
Lincoln Christian 34, Christian Heritage 24
Norman North 21, Westmoore 20
Shattuck 35, Forgan 31
Stillwater 20, Mustang 14

Lock of the week: Kingfisher over Hennessey. Jeff Myers’ bunch is hot
right now – with Landon Nault running wild – and Hennessey is struggling
in its first season in the post-Shannon Watford era.

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

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

The Lady Bison won the event with 36 points.

A look back at the weekend in college football involving Oklahoma athletes playing out of state:

Former Carl Albert and Tennessee running back David Oku found a new home at Arkansas State just before fall practices began. Once former Auburn standout Michael Dyer was denied a request for immediate eligibility, Oku immediately shot to the top of the Red Wolves’ depth chart.

Saturday in a 33-28 win over Justin Fuente-coached Memphis, Oku ran for 130 yards and a touchdowns–the game-winner.

Oku also had an 8-yard reception while former Oklahoma signee Josh Jarboe had 101 yards receiving for Gus Malzahn’s team.

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Former Midwest City standout Timothy Flanders became Sam Houston State’s career rushing leader, running for 120 yards and a touchdown in a 54-7 win over Incarnate Word. Flanders now has 2,709 yards for the Bearkats. He also extended his school record for rushing touchdowns to 37. Both of Flanders’ touchdowns came in the first quarter.

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Once again, Oklahoma high school products dominated a win by Ohio, this one a 51-24 win over New Mexico in the Bobcats’ home opener after they beat Penn State a week earlier.

Norman North grad Beau Blankenship rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns, fellow Timberwolves product Tyler Tettleton threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns and Guthrie’s Donte’ Foster had a team-high five catches for 57 yards and a score.

—
A pair of former state standouts played big parts in Oregon State’s 10-7 upset over Wisconsin. Lawton’s Tyrequek Zimmerman had seven tackles, tied for a team high, while Tulsa Washington’s Michael Doctor had three tackles in the win. Both started on defense, Doctor at linebacker and Zimmerman at strong safety. Another Lawton product, Jabral Johnson, saw action for the Beavers.

—
Former Tulsa Central star Demarco Cobbs had five tackles and former Millwood standout Josh Turner had two in Texas’ 45-0 win over New Mexico. Carl Albert’s Joe Stoner had three tackles for New Mexico.

—
Millwood product Brandon Swindall had a pair of catches for 16 yards in Utah State’s 27-20 win over rival Utah. Another former Falcons standout, Cameron Sanders, had a tackle in the win.

—
Tulsa Washington’s Tyler Lockett continues to emerge as a star for Kansas State. Lockett had three catches for 59 yards in the WIldcats’ 52-13 win over Miami. He also had two rushes for 14 yards and returned two kicks for 54 yards. Deer Creek’s Zach Trujillo had a 58-yard catch late in the blowout while Jenks’ Tramaine Thompson had three catches for 57 yards and a 12-yard punt return. Choctaw’s Andre McDonald and Tulsa Washington’s Dante Barnett also saw time.

—
Former Millwood standout Davion Pierson started at defensive tackle and had a tackle for a loss in TCU’s 56-0 win over Grambling State. Del City’s Jamelle Naff also saw action for the Horned Frogs. Both are redshirt freshmen.

—
Owasso’s Jacques Washington, starting at free safety for Iowa State, had six tackles and a 26-yard interception return in the Cyclones’ 9-6 win over Iowa. Jenks’ Bob Graham also saw time for Iowa State.

—
Former Heritage Hall standout Turner Petersen ran for 41 yards and a touchdown in the Owls’ 25-24 win over Kansas. Petersen also had a 14-yard reception. Owasso’s Gavin Howard started on the offensive line for Kansas, while Tonkawa’s Jake Love and Tulsa Washington’s John Williams also saw action.

—
Carl Albert product Christian Smith had five tackles, including two for a loss (one sack) in Toledo’s 34-31 win over Wyoming. Jenks’ Orion Jones also saw action for Toledo. Lawton’s Sonny Puletasi started at defensive end for the Cowboys while Tulsa Washington’s T.J. Smith saw action.

—
Missouri didn’t have much luck in its SEC opener, losing 41-20 to Georgia but Edmond Santa Fe product Randy Ponder had four tackles. Edmond North’s Xavier Smith and Guthrie’s Kentrell Brothers also saw action.

—
Houston lost again, this time 56-49 to Louisiana Tech but Broken Arrow’s Rowdy Harper started on the Cougars’ offensive line that produced 693 yards of total offense.

—
Weber State didn’t do much scoring in its 45-13 loss at BYU but both touchdowns came courtesy of Oklahoma products. Putnam City North’s Josh Booker and McGuinness’ Kris Parham each found the end zone on 1-yard runs. Booker finished with 64 yards rushing, while Parham had 15. Booker also had 17 yards receiving while Parham added a 9-yard catch. Parham also had 5 kick returns for 93 yards, including one for 34 yards. On defense, Edmond Santa Fe’s Willie Okwuonu had eight tackles, Jenks’ Devin Pugh had five, Putnam City’s Robbie Diamond had five, Edmond Memorial’s David James had three, Edmond Memorial’s Anthony Morales had two, Edmond Memorial’s Connor Myers had one and Edmond Santa Fe’s Trevor Pletcher had a pass breakup. Edmond Santa Fe’s Alex Land also started on Weber State’s offensive line.

Humphreys’ second-round 72 was good for a 5-under-par 135 total and just enough to hold off a fierce rally from Weatherford’s Quade Cummins (136) and Edmond Santa Fe’s Drew Ison (137).

Humphreys’ 63 included a stretch in which he was 6 under par over five holes, with four straight birdies and an eagle on Nos. 8-12.

In the girls’ tournament, Deer Creek’s Emily Folsom shot a final-round 67 for a 141 total to come from behind for a two-stroke win over Antler teammate Caroline Goodin.

Reigning Class 6A champion Allison Sell of Edmond North and Durant’s Sydney Youngblood tied for third at 149.

Folsom closed her round with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to seal the win.

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

The game will be played July 24 at Oral Roberts (Small school 4:30 p.m., large school 7 p.m.)

Large East

Pitchers: Gabe Coldwell (Stilwell), Jacob Evans (Broken Arrow), Alex Hackerott (Sand Springs)

First baseman: Derrick Haworth (Durant)

Infielders: Donovan Walton (Tulsa Kelley), Mason Mantle (Metro Christian), Brenton Washausen (Claremore), Carter Cumbie (McAlester)

Outfielders: Dylan Helms (Eufaula), Corey Hassel (Stillwater), Adam Boyd (McAlester), J.P. Seifried (Claremore)

Catchers: Kylar Robertson (Sand Springs), Josh Whisler (Owasso)

Large West

Pitchers: Ty Hensley (Edmond Santa Fe), Jordan Watson (Edmond Santa Fe), Carson McPherson (Ardmore)

First baseman: Michael Lowe (Jones)

Infielders: Alex Polston (Carl Albert), Colt Pickens (Yukon), Tanner Dearman (Anadarko), Joe Robinson (Edmond North)

Outfielders: Greg Bruno (Midwest City), Luke Davis (Guthrie), Christian Thaxton (Duncan), T.J. Turner (Lawton MacArthur)

Catchers: Taylor Hawkins (Carl Albert), Dakota Shadoan (Norman North)

Small East

Pitchers: Evan Sanders (Hartshorne), Jacob Lux (Wyandotte), Dillon Proctor (Caddo)

First baseman: Jonathon Samuels (Rattan)

Infielders: Dusty Henry (Afton), Kaleb Matthews (Wellston), Landon Coon (Dale), Ty Miller (Caddo)

Outfielders: Caleb Hill (Wister), Brennon Fuser (Afton), Asa Thomas Manship (Dale), Zach Burns (Tushka)

Catchers: Cash Miller (Coleman), Eddia Lomas (Roff)

Small West

Pitchers: Brett McNaughton (Pioneer), Austin Kretchmar (Okarche), Stetson Buller (Timberlake)

First baseman: Clayton Brewster (Cheyenne)

Infielders: Jason Johnson (Arnett), Brady Baugh (Hennessey), Kent Callison (Lookeba-Sickles), Cameron Nix (Carnegie)

Outfielders: Josh Jackson (Amber-Pocasset), Dillon Almaguer (Granite), Jeff Jackson (Amber-Pocasset), Aaron McCandless (Shattuck)

Catchers: Cody Hunter (Arnett), Landon Larue (Crescent)

Friday
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
At Oral Roberts
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.

CLASS 5A
At Tulsa Union
Thursday
Game 1: Shawnee vs. Claremore, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Skiatook vs. Carl Albert, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Guthrie vs. Durant, 4 p.m.
Game 4: McAlester vs. Deer Creek, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
At Oral Roberts
Championship game, noon

CLASS 4A
At Shawnee
Thursday
Game 1: Berryhill vs. Heritage Hall, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Anadarko vs. Tecumseh, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Hilldale vs. Byng, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Weatherford vs. Oologah, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner. 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

CLASS 3A
Thursday
At Edmond Memorial
Game 1: Marlow vs. Jones, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Henryetta vs. Metro Christian, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Salina vs. Plainview, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Verdigris vs. Spiro, 6:30 p.m.

At Shawnee
Friday
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday
Championship game, noon

CLASS 2A
At Dolese Park
Thursday
Game 1: Dale vs. Fairview, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Silo vs. Hennessey, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: Ketchum vs. Tushka, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Oktaha vs. Wister, 6:30 p.m.

Friday
Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday
At Shawnee
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.

Bishop McGuinness coach Tondrell Durham has been mentioned by sources as a candidate for the Edmond Santa Fe job.

EDMOND — Edmond Public Schools will recommend the hiring of boys basketball coaches for Edmond Santa Fe and Edmond North to the school board Tuesday morning, district athletic director Mike Nunley said.

Edmond Santa Fe is hiring its third-ever boys basketball coach after Shawn Schenk was dismissed in late March.

Schenk was Santa Fe’s coach for six seasons. Last month, the Wolves advanced to the 6A semifinals.

Bishop McGuinness coach Tondrell Durham, Douglass’ Terry Long and Mount St. Mary’s Lenny Hatchett have all been mentioned by sources as candidates for the Edmond Santa Fe job.

Durham’s Irish squad won the Class 5A state championship last month. It was Durham’s fifth title with the school since he became coach in 2001.

Long won his third consecutive 4A title last month at Douglass, while Hatchett has been Mount St. Mary’s coach since 2004.

For Edmond North, it will be the school’s fourth boys basketball coach in four seasons. Quinn Wooldridge, who was hired last summer, resigned to become head coach at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany earlier this month.

Edmond North athletic director Tom Snider said then long-term stability would be one of the main criteria in hiring Wooldridge’s replacement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quinn Wooldridge, who was hired last summer, resigned to become head coach at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany. Wooldridge will replace Mark Arthur, the school’s athletic director who has been basketball coach for 20 years.

Wooldridge was a men’s basketball assistant at Oklahoma City University before taking the Edmond North job, and was previously McAlester’s head coach from 2003-2005.

Edmond North athletic director Tom Snider said Wooldridge’s departure is disappointing because the boys basketball program, which was 5-18 this season, needs stability.

“(Before he was hired), one of the main things we talked about was getting stability with this program,” Snider said. “But, life happens, as they say.”

Snider said he hopes to have a new coach hired before the May school board meeting, and that long-term stability will again be one of the main criteria in making a hire.

“It was hard to go down there and tell those kids that this has happened again,” Snider said. “The kids were really disappointed.”

OKLAHOMA TENNIS COACHES RANKING
CLASS 6A
Boys
1. Edmond North
2. Jenks
3. Tulsa Union
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Broken Arrow
6. Tulsa Kelley
7. McGuinness
8. Enid
9. Muskogee
10. Edmond Santa Fe

Girls
1. Jenks
2. Edmond North
3. Enid
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Tulsa Kelley
6. Broken Arrow
7. Tulsa Union
8. McGuinness
9. Bixby
10. Owasso

CLASS 5A
Boys
1. Metro Christian
2. Heritage Hall
3. Carl Albert
4. Oklahoma Christian
5. Cascia Hall
6. McAlester
7. Shawnee
8. Durant
9. Duncan
10. Ardmore

Girls
1. Duncan
2. Heritage Hall
3. Cascia Hall
4. Tulsa Washington
5. Tahlequah
6. Ardmore
7. Deer Creek
8. Carl Albert
9. Shawnee
10. Altus

CLASS 4A
Boys
1. Anadarko
2. Ada
3. Henryetta
4. Byng
5. Clinton
6. Elk City
7. Oologah
8. St. Mary
9. Seminole
10. Okmulgee

Girls
1. Ada
2. Metro Christian
3. Elk City
4. Perry
5. Midway  
6. Byng
7. Beaver
8. Seminole
9. Oklahoma Christian
10. Anadarko

Second team
106: Cody Logan, Yukon
113: Jordan Armstrong, Edmond North
120: Josh Breece, Edmond North
126: Parker Bohannan, Yukon
132: Frank Smith, Choctaw
138: Kaylob Klingler, Choctaw
145: Mason Stowers, Edmond Santa Fe
152: Taylor Gore, Putnam City
160: Hunter Smith, Edmond North
170: Cason Montgomery, Yukon
182: Walter Smith, Edmond Santa Fe
195: Andrew Brumage, Choctaw
220: Ragan Land, Edmond North
285: Lantz Parks, Yukon

Girls All-Metro Athletic Conference
Most Valuable Player: Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe
Offensive Player of the Year: Layton Hurley, Choctaw
Defensive Player of the Year: Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
Newcomer of the Year: Da’Jah Coffey, Putnam North
Coach of the Year: Karlie Free, Edmond North

First Team
Whitney Dunn, Mustang
Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
Layton Hurley, Choctaw
Kaitlyn Peterson, Edmond North
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe

Second Team
Haley Brown, Yukon
Da’Jah Coffey, Putnam North
Cameerah Graves, Edmond Santa Fe
Tamara Lee, Edmond Santa Fe
Jayden Oliver, Putnam City

All-Metro Athletic Conference
Coach of the Year: A.D. Burtschi, Putnam City
Player of the Year: Joe Summers, Putnam North
Offensive Player of the Year: David Bush, Putnam City
Defensive Player of the Year: Omega Harris, Putnam West
Newcomer of the Year: Justin Jones, Edmond Santa Fe

First team
David Bush, Putnam City
Aaron Anderson, Edmond Santa Fe
Tavionne Pennon, Putnam West
Shaquille Morris, Edmond Santa Fe
Ronnie Boyce, Putnam City

Second team
Omega Harris, Putnam West
J.R. Simon, Putnam North
T.J. Jones, Putnam North
Zach Laurie, Mustang
Tyler Lester, Choctaw

Third team
Justin Jones, Edmond Santa Fe
Kevin House, Putnam West
Ed Baker, Edmond North
Rodney Teal, Putnam North
Orlando Goldsmith, Putnam City

Honorable mention
Choctaw: Carson Clay, Reggie Wright
Edmond North: David Montgomery, Blake Ruben
Mustang: Levi Lum, Robert Shaw
Putnam City: Dexter Dean, Richmarr Smith
Putnam West: Deonte Ogles

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
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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.