Roop was the current assistant principal at Altus Intermediate School and previously served as the athletic director. He also played football at Central State and later served as principal at Hoover Middle School in Oklahoma City.

According to Frederick police, Roop fell from a grain car at Tillman Producers Co-Op Fertilizer Plant and was unresponsive. Roop was transported to Memorial Hospital in Frederick, where he later died.

An eyewitness report said Roop was standing on a rail car taking grain samples using a 10-foot brass pole, but at one point hit electrical lines above him. Sparks then started to fly and Roop fell to the ground.

The Altus Times also said an investigator with the State Medical Examiner’s Office is assisting with the ongoing investigation of the accident.

Here is a 2008 story from The Oklahoman archives on Roop’s recovery from pneumococcal meningitis.

The struggles and triumphs of area public schools have been a frequent topic in The Oklahoman through the years. Here are a few of those stories: (Note: Some of the coaches, athletes administrators featured have moved on since the stories were originally written.)

Northwest Classen off to hot start

Sept. 2012  —  None of the players on this year’s team was alive the last time Northwest Classen was 2-0. That was 20 years ago, when the Knights opened with wins over Northeast and U.S. Grant before losing to Capitol Hill.

State Rep. Richard Morrissette brings in Joe Washington to motivate Capitol Hill football team

Oct. 2011  —  After watching Capitol Hill’s 52-0 loss to Ardmore on Oct. 13, Oklahoma State Rep. Richard Morrissette decided he’d had enough. He arranged for the team to tour the state capitol building on Thursday and got Oklahoma legend Joe Washington to speak to the players.
Putnam City West food pantry strives to help high school students battling hunger

Sept. 2011  —  Then-Putnam City West football coach John Jensen, along with fellow coaches, established a small pantry for athletes after noticing a problem of hunger and injuries among players.

U.S. Grant faces an uphill climb in Class 6A

Aug. 2011  —  U.S. Grant is the only Oklahoma City Public School (or Tulsa Public School) in Class 6A. A school with all the challenges of the inner city – large dropout rates, often lack of parental involvement, minimal community support – faces one well-established football program after another. Lawton High. Mustang. Edmond North. Westmoore. Putnam City.

High school coaches know instilling pride is key to turning around a program

Aug. 2011  —  Several of the city area’s struggling football programs have new coaches this season, with new enthusiasm for turning their team around. But most of them seem to know that coaching isn’t among their primary tasks in building a winning football team at places such as Western Heights, Northeast, Northwest Classen, Capitol Hill or U.S. Grant.

Star Spencer’s championship game win over Douglass a night of hoping and believing

Dec. 2009  —  Star Spencer beat Douglass 34-21 in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday night, giving Oklahoma City Public Schools its first football title in 14 years. In a class with perennial powers Weatherford, Bishop McGuinness and Glenpool, the gold trophy is going home with one of the forgottens. One of the schools with inferior facilities and little hope.

The Pride of OKC: Douglass and Star Spencer will meet in a state title game

Dec. 2009  —  In both the Douglass and Spencer communities, people are excited. Not only are the teams playing for the state title, but they’re playing against each other — which is the first time in state football playoff history that two Oklahoma City Public Schools’ teams have met in a championship game. Now, for the first time since John Marshall won the 1995 Class 5A title, the Oklahoma City Public Schools is guaranteed of having a state football champion.

The Future of Athletics for OKCPS

Aug. 2009  —  District athletic director Phil Ingersoll has a plan to make OKC schools more competitive in football.

Home disadvantage for OKCPS teams

Aug. 2009  —  As a football player in the Oklahoma City Public Schools, Ken Berry doesn’t envy the things that other teams have. That might surprise those outside the inner-city schools, but the district has increased its commitment to football and upgraded uniforms, equipment, even facilities in recent years. The locker room that Berry and his teammates use is only a couple years old, thanks to MAPS for Kids, while the No. 22 jersey that the standout linebacker will wear on Friday nights is only a year old. Berry wants for nothing. Except wins.

Coaches at Oklahoma City Public Schools face big hurdles

Aug. 2009  —  Terrell Love admits it won’t be an easy job. The new football coach at U.S. Grant understands the challenges that lie ahead if he’s to help turn the Generals around.

“He’s one of the best players we’ve had come through here,” coach Reagan Roof said of Page. “He’s an enjoyable, great kid. We’re excited about what he’s gonna do this year. He’ll probably be our most valuable player on both sides of the ball.”

Page plays defensive back and receiver, and he also returns punts, where he routinely takes some big hits. But he always bounces back up.

“I started as a freshman and I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder since then,” he said. “If you want something bad enough, size doesn’t matter. Yeah, I’m small, but I make up for it with what’s inside.”

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

Tuesday
Game 1: Southmoore vs. Woodward CM, noon
Game 2: Enid Minors vs. Edmond Stars, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: WW Minors vs. CC Shockers, 5 p.m.
Game 4: OKC Broncos vs. Enid Majors, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday
Game 5: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, noon
Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: OKC Sandlot vs. Game 1 Winner, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

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

Friday
*After Thursday’s play, pairing will be determined by AABC rules
Game 12: TBA vs. TBA, 5 p.m.
Game 13: TBA vs. TBA, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
Game 14: TBA vs. TBA, noon
Game 15: TBA vs. TBA, 2:30 p.m.
Game 16: TBA vs. TBA, 7 p.m.

Sunday
Game 17: Championship, 1 p.m.
Game 18: Championship, 6 p.m. (if necessary)
Champion advances to South Plains National Regional in Fort Worth

Norman Player of the Week: Hayley Scott, Norman North

Norman North girls basketball player Hayley Scott set the tournament single-game scoring record at the Altus Lady Bulldog Classic. The senior scored 35 points in Thursday’s first-round win over Childress (Texas). She scored 12 points in a win over Wichita Falls (Texas) and added 11 in the championship game against Western Heights. Norman North won the tournament title.

Cascia Hall earned the preseason vote, with Heritage Hall taking over last week. Now, it’s Oklahoma Bible Academy, which will put its No. 1 ranking on the line tonight at Bethany.

The Enid-based school is 15-3, coming off a strong run to win the Clinton Tournament in which OBA 8-0 against Oklahoma teams. The only loss was at the hands of Pampa (Texas) HS. And among their victims were 4A’s defending champ, Clinton, No. 4 Cache (twice), No. 8 Corn Bible (twice) and Bethany.

The Trojans also knocked off another top-10 team in Santa Fe South last Tuesday. I’ll be catching up with coach James Ward this week to get his thoughts on the season.

No other major excitement this week in the 4A poll, though Christian Heritage stepped up another spot to No. 4. Big Pasture is in the top 10 with its 13-0 start.

And the 5A and 6A polls stayed mostly the same as well. In 6A, Norman North (11-1) moved up another spot to No. 7.

Shawnee is enjoying the move back down to 5A, jumping up to No. 9. Last year, the Wolves probably would have been state tournament contenders before getting bumped up to 6A just before the season started.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

 As for the football, both teams looked better than I expected. I thought John Marshall would be in for some growing pains with 12 new starters in the lineup. Sure, they had their moments when they looked a little lost, and the coaches were working hard after every play teaching better technique, better positioning, better reading of the situations. But overall, the Bears were farther along than I thought they’d be.

And I thought Bridge Creek’s offensive timing would be a little off, because QB Ryan Spangler had so much going on in the summer between football and basketball camps, AAU tournaments and recruiting. But from the outsider view, he looked sharp. He was intercepted by Alandis Bell and Emmanuel Denson on two throws that were more bad decisions than bad execution.

But Spangler and WR Caden Locke kept hooking up all night, including the three big scoring plays. Spangler was also moving outside the pocket well. RB Blake Henderson is a hard runner who produced a few big gains, but overall, I think John Marshall should be pleased with its run containment.

Of course, that’s going to be the strength of the Bears defeense, with guys like Dejon Brison and Denzelle Johnson in the front seven. Johnson is a big, strong athlete who will help out the offense in some running and receiving situations as well.

Here’s the three-piece roundup from Friday’s paper: 

Big pass plays for Bears, Bobcats

All the four touchdowns scored by the first-team offenses in Thursday’s Bridge Creek-John Marshall scrimmage covered at least 30 yards, topped by a 65-yard hook-up between Bridge Creek quarterback Ryan Spangler and receiver Caden Locke.

Spangler and Locke connected for three TD passes for the Bobcats and John Marshall answered with one, but the Bears came away pleased with the performance in the first scrimmage of the season at Taft Stadium.

“I thought we competed well,” coach Bruce Troxell said.

A four-receiver spread offense like Bridge Creek runs requires some game-planning, but no one’s doing that right now.

“You can’t run your base defense against these guys,” Troxell said. “Once we saw what they were gonna do, I thought our defense picked it up and we were running to the ball well.”

For Bridge Creek coach Jerry Wallis, the early season mistakes stuck out more than the big pass plays by his veteran offense.

“I think we can play a lot better,” Wallis said. “We did a few good things, but we made some mistakes. With the seniors we have, we shouldn’t make those mistakes.

“I want to see some improvement in our offensive line play. We’ve got to run crisper routes and defensively, we had a few breakdowns. But we’ll get better.”

Blue Chip Report: Bridge Creek QB Ryan Spangler

The 6-foot-7 quarterback had a busy summer split between football and basketball, but he was in sync with his wideouts Thursday night.

He was intercepted twice, but connected with Caden Locke on a pair of 30-yard touchdowns, then when Locke got behind the defense, Spangler found him for a 65-yard score.

“(Spangler) is gonna throw for another 3,000 yards,” Troxell said. “If you give him time, he’ll find open receivers, and that’s what happened.”

Filling the Gaps

Having graduated a large senior class from last season’s 9-3 squad, John Marshall coaches are looking at a variety of holes to fill, whether it’s replacing linebacker Ken Berry, who had 172 tackles, or quarterback Brendon Jordan, who rushed and passed for 1,200 yards each.

The linebacker corps, led by senior Denzelle Johnson, was moving to the ball well most of the night.

At quarterback, junior Dion Vickers and freshman Davion Smith both had good and bad moments, highlighted by Smith’s well-placed 35-yard TD pass to Kody Shields.

Troxell was also pleased with the play of his two new starters at cornerback, one of whom is a freshman.

“At the spots where we had question marks on defense, I think the potential is there to really solidify the defense,” Troxell said.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Edmond Santa Fe's Josh Richardson

Edmond Santa Fe’s Josh Richardson is ranked No. 103 on the current Rivals 150 for the basketball recruiting class of 2011.

Richardson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who helped the Wolves to the Class 6A state semifinals last March, is the only Oklahoma player currently on the list. He also ranks as the No. 29 shooting guard in the country.

Playing for Athletes First, Richardson has drawn national attention this summer after a strong junior campaign that earned him a spot on The Oklahoman’s Super 5. Aside from several local and regional colleges that are keeping an eye on Richardson, he also has strong recruiting interest from the west, with programs like Arizona State and UCLA.

Based on a couple of reports from BruinBlitz.com, UCLA really likes Richardson, and vice versa, because of  both the athletics and academics. Richardson is a very intelligent student considering a medical career. And that’s not just talk. The kid already has a basketball scholarship offer from Harvard. Right now, his other offer is Arizona State, but there are more to come.

The Athletes First team will not be able to participate in the Dallas Showtime Tournament this weekend, but on July 12-15, they’re scheduled to be in Augusta, Ga., for the infamous Peach Jam, an invitation-only Nike tournament.

The team includes a lot of talented players, like Richardson, Obi Emegano of Edmond Memorial, Ryan Spangler of Bridge Creek, Nino Jackson of Ardmore, Stephen Clark of Douglass, Matt Christiansen and Joe Edmonds of Bishop McGuinness, and several others.

Star Spencer product and Oklahoma Christian signee Kendre' Talley in the Faith 7 dunk contest.

The Faith 7 game has always been one of my favorite all-star type events, going all the way back to my days working in Shawnee, so getting the chance to go cover it again was a lot of fun, even though most of the fun for Oklahoma ended shortly after the dunk contest.

So let’s start there… Kendre’ Talley was as much fun to watch as any player I saw this year because of all the things he can do, and his performance in the pregame dunk contest showed it.

The Star Spencer product who has signed with Oklahoma Christian is only 5-foot-9, and he even looks shorter than that now that he lost the flat-top haircut. He used his creativity and his leaping ability to earn a second-place finish behind Texas’ Trevor Fuller. After Talley jumped over a kid with his final dunk, Fuller won it by jumping over a taller kid.

I wish that either Xavier McClish or Amric Fields would have joined the dunk contest, because both of them put on a good show at the Big All-City game.

Aside from that, it was fun watching Fields and PC West teammate Tyler Neal play together again.

One of the most impressive high school basketball duos to come through in recent years, Fields and Neal are enjoying their last few opportunities to play on the same team before Fields heads off to TCU and Neal to Oklahoma.

While Neal’s future teammate — fellow Oklahoma signee T.J. Taylor — was on the other side of the Faith 7 Basketball Bowl in Shawnee Saturday night, Neal relished the opportunity to team with Fields again.

Fields played well around the basket on both ends and scored 24 to earn team MVP honors. Neal had 13 with the pair combining for 19 rebounds, though it wasn’t enough for Oklahoma in the 130-88 loss. The PC West duo will be back together for the All-State game in late July.

“Anytime you get to play with somebody like that is fun,” Neal said of Fields. “We play together so well after playing so long together. I’m excited for him. I think he’s gonna do well at TCU.”

Overall, the Oklahoma team wasn’t as bad as the score might sound. It’s just that the Texas squad had more talent, and a lot more guys heading off to D-I programs.

But the Okies had some strong efforts. Muskogee’s Oren Faulk played well, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds. Talley and Garber’s Bryce Lamer combined for 13 points and five assists, and neither missed a field goal try. Oklahoma couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, going 2-of-22 while Texas was 8-of-29.

And Texas hit more than 50 percent of their total field goals. They got to the line more, they didn’t turn the ball over as much… all the things you would expect in such a lopsided game. It was the biggest margin of victory in the game’s 45-year history, which previously belonged to Oklahoma in a 35-point victory in 2007.

In that game, the Okies had future Sooner Cade Davis, future Cowboy Nick Sidorakis, as well as Midwest City star Xavier Alexander who went on to George Washington and is now at Southern Nazarene. Oh, and some kid named Blake Griffin.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

When the Piedmont girls won the 2009 state track title, it was only the second state championship in school history, and the first since the girls basketball team won it all in 1967. Now they’ve got three.

“Winning the first one was special,” Piedmont coach Trinity Johnson said. “This year, with several returning girls from the 2009 team, we had a bull’s-eye on our back. It was very rewarding to see our girls withstand that amount of pressure and rise to the occasion with everything on the line.”

The Wildcats got contributions from the entire team. They scored points in 10 events, with Jori Davis, Sarah Peoples, Madison Berryman, Delarice Staley, Amanda Estes and Raven McDaniel earning gold medals either individually or on relay teams.

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

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

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

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

EQUESTRIAN
Kelly Bovaird, Tulsa Kelley (Kansas State)

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

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

GYMNASTICS
Brittany Harris, Tulsa Union (Oregon State)

ROWING
Courtaney Miller, Jenks (SMU)

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

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

SWIMMING
Dakota Wheeler, Westmoore (South Dakota)

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

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

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

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

This story isn’t posted on the high school blog, so in case you missed it in print, here’s my report on catching up with former Norman High football coach Butch Peters:

NORMAN  —  Butch Peters resigned as Norman High School football coach following the 2007 season. It was the end of a 35-year tenure with the Tigers.

And yet, though nobody could have been more entrenched with the city’s athletic community given the length of time he spent coaching at Norman, since he’s been gone he may be even more up to speed on the local talent. In fact, he’s getting a good idea about the town’s top athletes a lot earlier than most.

“The way it’s worked out, I didn’t really get out of the loop, I just took a different direction,” Peters said.

Peters owns and operates Sooner Trophies and Awards in Norman. And because he’s the contact for team hardware, coaches from pee-wee soccer to both the high schools are in his shop on a regular basis.

“I’m working with a lot of little league coaches in pretty much all (youth league) sports and I get to see coaches from all four middles schools in town and both high schools. And I really enjoy talking to them.”

Parents, too. Peters’ trophy shop, which he runs with his wife and oldest daughter, gets the scoop on the young up-and-comers from all the moms and dads who come in to get more personalized awards for their kids’ teams.

“We make the trophies in the shop. You use component parts and we’re a custom shop that allows people to come in and choose what they want,” said the 61-year old Peters. “You start to recognize a lot of the names of the kids.

“And I’ve even had players I’ve coached come in because they’re coaching teams now, and that’s been pretty neat.”

The list of players Peters coached during his time as an assistant (23 seasons) and head coach (12) at Norman is long and distinguished. More than 35 players who were under his guidance went on the Division I-A careers, including current Oklahoma star receiver Ryan Broyles.

In his time at Norman, Peters also served as the volleyball coach from 1977-1990, winning four state championships, including a 50-0 season in 1990. Peters’ football squads went a combined 75-54 from 1996-2007.

Peters misses the relationship with the players and assistant coaches and, of course, the energy of high school football friday nights.

“After 35 years, that was a real change of pace,” Peters said. “That was the hardest thing for me to do  —  go sit down and watch a football game on Friday nights.

After keeping a little distance in his first season away from the job, Peters returned to Harve Collins Field for home games this year.

“I’ve made several of them,” he said of the Tigers’ games. “If I don’t go, I catch the high school TV games. I try to keep up with the kids that I still know, some of the younger kids from my last year. And there are four or five assistant coaches that I hired that are still there and it’s good to see those guys once a week.”

Peters is also a regular at Alcott Middle School football games, where his grandson Colton is a seventh-grade quarterback. His granddaughter, Ashton, is a second-grader who keeps Peters constantly traveling to Griffin Park for soccer and softball games.

“It’s been a big change,” Peters said. “Some of the things you miss, some it’s good to get away from. But I stay busy and I’m enjoying what I do.”

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

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

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

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

SOCCER
Corbin Campbell, Deer Creek (OBU)

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

TENNIS
Logon Collins, Tulsa Union (Marquette)

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

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

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

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

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

By Justin Harper
jharper@opubco.com

If you’re looking for one eye-popping stat, Austin Haywood won’t qualify as the top player in the state. But look at the number of statistical categories Haywood contributes to and it’s easy to make a case.

Haywood, a senior at Southmoore, has a steady stream of Division I-A recruiters courting him because of his immense athletic ability and his versatility. A 6-4, 250-pounder with speed, agility and strength, Haywood serves many roles for the SaberCats: tight end, defensive end, part-time quarterback and occasional running back.

“He’s the best player in the state in my eyes,” said Southmoore coach Chris Jensen. “And I don’t think I’d get any argument from anyone who has seen him play. He’s a tremendous athlete, who helps us in so many ways. He always has to be double-teamed. The kid is just dominant.”

And in a lot of ways.

As a defensive end, the position he figures to play in college, he racked up 39 tackles, two sacks, caused three fumbles, recovered two fumbles, had two interceptions and batted away seven passes  —  all in just his first four games. Both picks came when he plucked the ball out of the air at point-blank range on the line of scrimmage.

And Haywood doesn’t just come up with turnovers, he comes up with points. He returned one of the two interceptions back for a touchdown (17 yards) and one of the two fumbles for a score (76 yards).

On offense, the SaberCats’ spread the ball around to an array of talented receivers. One of those, Nyko Symonds, does have stats of the eye-popping variety  —  and he deserves to be somewhere in the conversation, too, whenever top players are discussed. The senior averages 27.8 yards per reception and has scored a touchdown on average every 3.6 times he touches the ball (five TDs in 18 grabs). He’s been beat over the top on passes occasionaly, but he has also picked off three passes, returning one for a touchdown. Symond’s also has shown a penchant for making big plays in the clutch and if he can show improvement in the blocking phase of the game, his college offers should grow.

Of course, quarterback Kendal Thompson is a star in the making and cornerback Julian Wilson has already committed to Oklahoma. Plus, receiver Derek Serowski is getting a strong look from Oklahoma State. While it’s obviously tough to be considered one of the top players in the state, just being considered the best player on the Southmoore roster is a feat in itself.

But Haywood is the complete package. He has five touchdown receptions in just 16 catches and averages nearly 15 yards per reception. He also lines up behind center in the wildcat formation and has run for three scores.

So, a little more than halfway through the season, Haywood has run for a touchdown, caught a touchdown, taken an interception back for a touchdown and taken a fumble back for a touchdown.

What, no touchdown passes?

“No,” said Jensen. “But give us time.”

By Justin Harper

Staff Writer
jharper@opubco.com

CHOCTAW  —  Over the course of a sterling athletic career, Brent DeQuasie spent a lot of time dragging people to the ground. These days, he pulls them to safety.

Fourteen years after his playing days came to a close, DeQuasie is still making his mark on the community he grew up in, just in a much different way. Once a star outside linebacker for Midwest City High School and the University of Oklahoma, as well as a two-time state champion wrestler for the Bombers, DeQuasie now serves as a fire fighter at the Midwest City fire department.

“Being a fireman was always a dream of mine,” said DeQuaise. “So somewhere around 2001 or 2002, I decided to just go do it.”

Now 37, DeQuasie played for the Bombers from 1989-91, then became a three-year starter at OU under both Gary Gibbs and Howard Schnellenberger. When his career as a Sooner ended following the 1995 season, he went into business for himself in the automobile accessories field. DeQuaise helped open a Line X Protective Coating franchise in Norman and now owns his own branch in Shawnee.

But it’s his other career that speaks to the character of DeQuasie.

“It’s pretty neat to be able to go back and do something that helps people and to do it in the same place you grew up in,” said DeQuaise, who lives with his wife and three daughters (McCall, 11; McKaelyn, 8 and Abigail, 5) in Choctaw. “Doing this (fighting fires), gives you a great rush. Being a fireman, you’re there to help the community. That’s why the job fits me like a glove.”

Outside of the name Gundy, DeQuasie is probably the most recognized surname in Midwest City. One of his older brothers, Greg, was an All-State football player and wrestler for the Bombers (as a quarterback, his career was sandwiched between those of Mike and Cale Gundy) and he went on to have a stellar career as a strong safety at OU. However, for all the success the DeQuasie brothers enjoyed at MWC, Brent holds a distinction.

“I was the only one of us who won a state championship in wrestling,” he said with a mocking laugh. “Greg made it to the state final three years in a row, but never won it. Be sure to point that out, Greg will love it.”

A pinched nerve in his neck during his junior season at OU gave DeQuasie enough of a fright to begin thinking about life after football, so he was well-prepared for it when it came.

“I hit a guy and my arm went numb,” he said. “I couldn’t lift it over my head for a week. It scared me. My whole senior season I had to watch how I hit people because if my neck went back a certain way, it could pinch something up again.

“I’ve missed playing some because if you’re a competitor you always want to be out there. But there comes a time when your body can’t do it even if your mind says you can.”

He’s still around sports, though, coaching softball and basketball teams for his daughters. And he still attends OU games on occasion, but it doesn’t beat a weekend with his family at the lake.

He lived his dreams as a sports hero. Now he’s living his dream to be a fire fighter. What he sees himself doing next is simple: “Growing old,” he said. “Growing old with my family.”

Football

Donovan Roberts, RB, Norman

The sophomore was a workhorse in the Tigers’ loss to Del City, carrying the ball 27 times and gaining 83 yards.

Others:

Jamar Harrison, RB, Norman North

Only got in a quarter of play against Muskogee before lightning halted the game. Still, Harrison had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff.

Greg Offenburger, LB, Norman

The linebacker was all over the field, leading the team in tackles with 11 against Del City.

Cross country

Megan Johnson, Norman

The sophomore ran the fastest girls time of a field loaded with many of the state’s best runners at the OK Runner Classic. Despite heavy rain, Johnson turned in a time in the low-12s.

Others:

Danielle Riley, Norman North

Also performed well at the OK Runner Classic.

“Derek is our main cog on offense,” Kingfisher coach Jeff Myers said. “Logan is a great athlete and he made things happen at times but he’s not our quarterback. Now we’ve not only gotten weaker at quarterback but we’ve gotten weaker at receiver because we’ve had to move Logan to quarterback.”

His loss had a huge impact on Kingfisher’s offense, albeit against a pretty good defensive team in Tuttle. But how much this impacts  the playoff race in their district  remains to be seen. Nault has some wheels but clearly doesn’t have much feel for playing quarterback which is a huge adjustment for a kid to make on the fly in the middle of the season.

The competition will be divided up with Classes 2A, 3A and 4A in one group and 5A and 6A in the other.

“We’re hosting a regional here (in October), so everyone wants to come run the course before then,” said Norman girls cross country coach Suzi Rojas. “It’s going to be a great meet, so many runners.”

Two of the state’s best girl runners will be competing  —  Piedmont’s Jori Davis and Norman’s Megan Johnson  —  unfortunately, though, they’ll be in different divisions and won’t go head-to-head. It will make for an interesting time comparison, though.

Westmoore’s Toby Bothwell, Edmond Memorial’s Eric Talbert and Edmond North’s Adam Godwin are some of the runners highlighting the boys field.

“They selected us out of a group of schools to come down help work on the sixth and seventh grade locker rooms,” said Dibble coach Charlie North. “It was a really neat deal and we really, really appreciate their generosity.”

Former University of Oklahoma and NFL player J.R. Conrad is an assistant coach at Dibble. His mother works with Lowe’s and suggested the team submit its name for the annual “Hero’s Project” that Lowe’s provides for nonprofit organizations.

“They just drew our name out of a hat,” said North. “It was a nice thing that they did for us and it just makes our facilities even better.”

Start with volleyball. The Timberwolves freshmen host the Norman North Tournament beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Fastpitch softball will play in the OU Tournament Thursday through Saturday at Reaves Park.

The cross country team will run at the OK Runner Classic hosted by Norman High on Thursday starting at 4 p.m. That event will be held on the cross country trail behind Irving Middle School.

As for football, the 1-0 T-Wolves will be at Harve Collins Field for the first time this season, hosting quasi-nemesis Muskogee on Friday. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. as always.

Anyone who knows Young knows he’s as competitive as they come. No scratch that, he’s more so. Anyway, no school in the state has a principal who will be more involved with athletics, more facilitating to coaches and more excited about achieving success.

After all, it’s in his blood. Young was a college wrestler and later a horse racing jockey. He started the Norman North boys soccer program, which is as good as any in the state (many would say the best), and for years was the only coach to bring serious success to Norman North. (OK, the pom squads won a state title or two, give them credit). Anyway, among varsity sports, Young delivered the first two state crowns in school history.

Now that he’s a principal, he’s had to tone it down a little. You can’t operate the same in the real world as you do in sports. Things that are universally accepted as part of the sports world don’t always carry over so well to a regular working environment. But you can’t remove white-hot competitiveness.

That gets us back to Thursday. Though Young has been on the sidelines for two Norman North wins over Norman, this was his first time as principal. When we were talking late in the game, I saw how psyched he was. He was pumped up in a way I hadn’t seen before outside of a soccer game he had just coached. But this was football.

“Well, 1-0 as principal,” I said.

“UNDEFEATED!” he shot back.

Then, just in case anyone had forgotten his roots and/or the only North program that has regularly beaten Norman High, Young proclaimed: “Just like soccer.”

On the fact that this subject has overshadowed Southmoore players this preseason and how his son, Kendal, the Southmoore quarterback, shouldn’t be subjected to this distraction:

“This has been unfair to the kids on the team. It’s not right that my son has to deal with this. He’s out there to play quarterback. And that’s all anyone should be talking about. Being my son shouldn’t be a death penalty.”

On the fact that many high school coaches have had the same declaration that recruiting has been going on:

“All it is, in my opinion, is an attempt to bring down Southmoore by some coaches who haven’t done things the way Chris (Jensen) has. They see where this program is headed and they don’t like how fast it’s happening or that it’s being done in the right way. And maybe they haven’t done it the right way and maybe they aren’t having the success that Southmoore could have.”

On Southmoore player Austin Haywood, a move-in from Anadarko, whose eligibility is being reviewed:

“Austin Haywood moved in and started at Southmoore a long time ago. He played basketball there last year. All these coaches didn’t seem to care when he was dribbling a basketball around. But when they see him on the football field and see that this kid can be a heck of a player, then they want to come in and make it to where he can’t play.”

On the assertion that as many as eight to 10 Southmoore move-ins and/or transfers are players he coached in little league:

“Two. There are others on the team I coached, but they’ve always gone to Southmoore. Of the new guys that those coaches are trying to keep from playing, two played on one of my teams.”

On move-ins/transfers from other schools not getting the scrutiny that Southmoore is right now:

“Kids on other teams have moved from one place to another. Have they been persecuted like these (Southmoore kids) have? We just scrimmaged Broken Arrow and they have a starting quarterback who was the starting quarterback at Muskogee last year. But you don’t hear anything about that.”

About to head out to Mustang for the Pigskin Preview. Just wanted to remind the followers of the teams that if they can’t make it out there, you can follow me on Twitter @BPrzybylo for short scrimmage thoughts.

6 p.m.: Mustang vs. Altus
7 p.m.: Bishop McGuinness vs. Lawton Eisenhower
8 p.m.: Lawton MacArthur vs. Putnam West
9 p.m.: Norman North vs. Midwest City

I’ll post back here late, late tonight for my thoughts on the eight-team battle. Looks like it’s going to be a muggy night, unfortunately.

Every media day, we have these questions for the high school athletes to fill out. Some take it seriously, some take it as a joke, you never know.

Some have great stories to tell and some are just good kids who haven’t really gone through anything rough (that would have been me).

When looking for a good softball story to kick off what will be our weekly Thursday page of softball, cross country and volleyball, I wanted to make sure we started with a bang.

I thought I did so with the story of El Reno senior softballer Connor Bushyhead.

She wrote about overcoming her supraventricular tachycardia (svt) heart condition.

Most of the times, svt is not fatal and can be cured by treatment. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has had treatment for svt a couple of times.

Recently, singer/actress Miley Cyrus said she has battled through svt as well. Age and gender don’t really play a role in it as about 20 percent of adults will go through it at one point, according to a 2007 study.

It’s a lot more serious if there is already a pre-existing heart condition. With Bushyhead, there wasn’t.

Bushyhead, like most people would be, was more scared than anything else. She had torn her ACL as a sophomore and was just trying to get back into the swing of things.

Bushyhead was extremely open about everything, saying surgery was scary her but not as much as having to stay overnight in a hospital.

I could tell by the sound of her voice how conflicted she was about coming back to softball for her senior season. But I also felt I could hear how happy she is that she did come back.

And from what she told me, she’s been pretty healthy ever since, so that’s good news.

Despite losing star pitcher Chelsea Jones to Putnam North, the Indians are definitely a team to watch for in Class 5A. Maybe Bushyhead can make her senior season something she’ll always remember.

I’m not sure who did this. I assume it was photographer John Clanton since he took all the shots.

But seriously, this is pretty sweet. Every single photo we shot Wednesday.

Roberts finished fifth in his heat, around 0.6 seconds behind third place Johann Wissman of Sweden. The top three in each heat qualified for the semifinals. Three Americans did qualify, all from different heats than Roberts.

If you’ve read the NewsOK high school sports blog the last two years, then there is no introduction necessary.

If not, my name is Robert Przybylo a.k.a. “The Boneman,” and I am entering year No. 3 of covering high school sports for The Oklahoman.

We’re taking a totally different approach to covering the high school scene this year. One that I think will be a huge success for us as well as for all our readers.

With each writer taking designated zones, this is the place to go for anyone looking for information on the private schools.

It’s a natural transition as it’s been joked that I’ve been the Heritage Hall football writer and McGuinness tennis writer the last two years. Well, let’s just make it official.

To go with the Chargers and Irish, I’ll be reporting on other private schools such as Christian Heritage and OCS, to name some others.

Football practice officially begins today (as do all the other fall sports), so it’s off to work I go. My first stop will be at Heritage Hall, and I’ll be hitting different sites throughout the week. So check back often for all the latest news, opinions and practice reports.

If you’ve read the NewsOK high school sports blog the last two years, then there is no introduction necessary.

If not, my name is Robert Przybylo a.k.a. “The Boneman,” and I am entering year No. 3 of covering high school sports for The Oklahoman.

We’re taking a totally different approach to covering the high school scene this year. One that I think will be a huge success for us as well as for all our readers.

With each writer taking designated zones, this is the place to go for Edmond news. I’ve been hounding the football coaches from the Edmond area: Bruce Gowen (Santa Fe), Justin Merideth (Memorial) and Jeremy Dombek (North) since last season ended in preparation for this season.

I’m familiar with each school (and a short drive away for all of them), and I’m looking forward to the first Edlam game just as much as any Edmond high school fan.

Today marks a new beginning, and it’s going to be a busy few hours. I’ll be hitting all three practice spots today, so keep checking back for all the latest news, opinion and practice reports.

A 1-9 season last year was highlighted only by the fact that the Lions beat new-rival-on-the-block Southmoore 29-26 in week nine. This year, coach Scott Myers hopes for and expects more success. And a wealth of young players will get their chance to make an impact.

As usual, Moore has its share of good athletes. Players like Jonathan Webb and Taylor Gardner gave the Lions offensive punch last year, but new faces at quarterback, running back and receiver means finding replacements during preseason practice will be crucial. Of course, it could be by committee in some cases.

Myers felt like the addition of Southmoore really cut into the talent pool. Still, he doesn’t see that being a problem forever.

“I can say, in two or three years we’ll come back strong,” he said. “It’s going to take a year or two to adjust, to get our junior highs and feeder-schools all on the same page.”

Check back this evening for a post-practice update on the Lions and see what Myers has to say about his leading candidates at QB and RB.

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Returning standouts:

Dominique Jones (6-2, 278) is a dominating defensive tackle with the potential to be one of the top two defensive linemen in the state. He already has offers from Kansas State, Missouri, Tulsa, Louisville and Arizona.

Emmanuel Maxwell (5-11, 200) is another key component of the Bombers’ defense. The OLB has offers from Arizona and Tulsa.

Biggest question:

The offense. Midwest City lost most of its top offensive options from last year’s 12-1 team, including RB Timothy Flanders, QB Jace Chilcoat and several of their top receivers. Midwest City has a pair of players battling for the QB spot and several options at RB but how those players come together will determine if the Bombers can repeat their success of a year ago and even build on it.

Outlook:

Midwest City should win its district again — I have the Bombers No. 3 in 6A to start the season and the next best team in the district, Edmond North, No. 10. But Midwest City has higher hopes this year. There is no doubt Midwest City will have one of the top two defenses in the state. The offense, though, could be a concern. Midwest City won’t score like it did a year ago but they’ll find a way to score enough to advance to the semifinals.

Keep checking the blogs throughout preseason and continuing through the football season for updates on Carl Albert, Douglass, Del City, Midwest City, Millwood, Star Spencer and all of the other schools in those districts. Also, check out our other blogs on Yukon/Mustang/Putnam City (primarily Scott Wright), Edmond/Private schools (primarily Bob Przybylo), Moore/Norman (primarily Justin Harper) and the “Best of the Rest” (primarily Matt Patterson) for the best and most comprehensive high school coverage in the state.

If there’s something you’d like to see featured on the blogs or you have a story idea, feel free to post a comment here or e-mail me at anytime at raber@opubco.com.

District previews: Classes 6A-C

Class 6A
District 6A-1: Lawton’s Sunny Puletasi learns quickly

District 6A-2: D’Juan Brooks stepping up for Edmond Memorial

District 6A-3: Jenks still strong without Jarrett Lake

District 6A-4: Choctaw trying to build tradition

Class 5A
District 5A-1: Coach Tom Cobble says it’s a good time to be in El Reno

District 5A-2: Carl Albert QB J.T. Realmuto could see time on defense

District 5A-3: Tulsa Washington unanimous No. 1

District 5A-4: McAlester poised to rebound; East Central wants more

Class 4A
District 4A-1: McGuinness’ offensive line a concern

District 4A-2: Tecumseh is strong up front

District 4A-3: Home playoff game is Collinsville’s goal

District 4A-4: Broken Bow coach high on Eric Dockins

Class 3A

District 3A-1: Tuttle battling lack of experience

District 3A-2: Madill trio has coach Kerry Roberts looking for big things

District 3A-3: Jody Iams’ Eagles rely on Wing-T

District 3A-4: Metro Christian gains valuable asset in QB Beau Marsaln

Class 2A

District 2A-1: Marc Robinson still growing for Heritage Hall

District 2A-2: Little Axe ready for breakthrough?

District 2A-3: Washington’s Chance Pistole moving to fullback; Bridge Creek rebuilding its line

District 2A-4: Atoka QB commands attention

District 2A-5: Chandler counting on Brandon Cummings

District 2A-6: Toughness key for Valliant

District 2A-7: Verdigris has 15 experienced seniors

District 2A-8: Colcord hoping to build on strong finish

Class A

District A-1: Hennessey avoids logjam at quarterback

District A-1 coaches’ poll

District A-2: OCS’ Jack Warren hasn’t forgotten loss

District A-2 notes: Trio vying for QB job at CHA

District A-3: District loaded with talented teams

District A-4: Bray-Doyle deals with adversity

District A-5: Tough three weeks for Stroud

District A-6: Talihina a cut above the rest

District A-7: Morrison ready to reload

District A-7 notes: Barnsdall seniors looking for wins

District A-8: Commerce looks to preserve streak

Class B

District B-1: Could district dominance repeat?

District B-2: Paoli defense is a strength

District B-3: Weightlifting competition inspires OCA

District B-4: Copan’s secret is out

Class C

Shattuck closing in on record win streak

District C-1: Finding running back key for Forgan

District C-2: Aaron Vondrak to lead Thackerville

District C-3: Seiling to turn QB Zach McDonald loose

District C-4: Maud’s Jarrid Resler works way back

Every coach I talked to before the proposed district realignments for the 2010-11 football seasons Wednesday was a little nervous/anxious about how everything would shake out.

But now that it’s over, it was a whole lot of much ado about nothing. Nobody I talked to seemed to be angry, just a whole lot of “eh.”

Everything will be finalized at an OSSAA board meeting Aug. 11.

Until then, some things that caught the Boneman’s eye from each class.

In 6A, it’s District 6A-3 that has me curious. Supposedly an “east” district, half the teams are teams us “westerners” are familiar with.

Norman, Putnam West, Shawnee and Southmoore are all in the district to go with Jenks, Broken Arrow, Muskogee and Sapulpa.

Intrigued by 5A-1. Carl Albert and Guthrie stay together, but you add in Deer Creek and El Reno. And as Antlers coach Grant Gower said: “It’s the Suburban Conference plus Southeast and Ada.”

Noble and Western Heights will also be in 5A-1.

The question in 4A was which team, Bishop McGuinness or Douglass, would be making the move from 4A-1 to 4A-2.

Your answer: Douglass. Essentially, the Trojans are just taking the spot vacated by Star Spencer’s move to 3A.

Good balance at the top with the Irish and Clinton in 4A-1 and Douglass and Glenpool together in 4A-2.

Thought 3A was actually pretty balanced. No “super” district, but still a “super” class. If you had to twist my arm, I’d say 3A-3 is the tops: Bethany, Centennial, Heritage Hall, John Marshall, Newcastle, Kingfisher and Justice Alma Wilson.

Actually seeing 2A laid out doesn’t look impressive. Who knows who will be good in two years, but seems like Millwood and Lincoln Christian should be fighting it out for a gold ball. Cupboard looks a little bare in 2A.

District A-7 is still the toast of the class. Tough to top a district with Morrison, Woodland and Hominy.

The 10-team districts in Class B are strange to look at. But if last year holds to form, look for B-1 to reign supreme. Garber, Laverne, Canton and Ringwood are just some of the stalwarts in that district.

And in Class C, will District C-4 start becoming a real threat? It seems that a lot of the teams from that district flame out early in the playoffs. There are a lot of the same names there, so it’ll be interesting to see.

Well, been a fun time in Tulsa but time to head back to Oklahoma City. Fellow chum Ryan Aber will be at the boys basketball games and the football game.

Remember how I wrote Monday was kinda slow? Well, not so much Tuesday. Knew it was a good sign when the first couple of coaches I saw Tuesday were of the football variety.

It didn’t slow down all day, and there were a lot of interesting news and notes from Day 2 of the coaches clinic in Tulsa.

A lot of the discussion is surrounding the re-districting (which will happen Wednesday at 3 p.m., for those wondering).

Purcell coach Mike Wilson said the fact there are 57 teams in the “super” 3A is going to really put a strain on scheduling.

“You’re looking at seven-team districts and that is going to cause a problem,” he said. “I think it’s a poor way to split it up, but we’ll find out.”

Another interesting fact comes from “my boy” Grant Gower of Deer Creek. Apparently, the Antlers can’t stop growing.

Deer Creek’s ADM has it right in the thick in 5A at just under 900 students. Gower told me Deer Creek will have 966 students this year.

Not only that, but plans for more elementary and middle schools are underway. It wouldn’t shock him if a few years from now, Deer Creek is up in 6A.

It’s a good point, but the problem right now with Deer Creek is the football stadium is of a 3A quality. And the press box, well, let’s not even go there.

“That thing would survive the second coming,” Gower said. “Nothing can tear that down.”

Either way, sounds like a real exciting time to be a part of the Deer Creek family.

Moving to Edmond North, and it’s tough to get that smile off of head coach Jeremy Dombek’s face right now.

After a disappointing 4-6 season (and losing its final two games to miss out on the playoffs), Dombek thinks this is his best squad since coming to the Huskies.

And why not? With Joe Aska and Qua’Don Henderson touching the ball and on the field at the same time, don’t be surprised to see Edmond North in the conversation in 6A.

Aska and Henderson didn’t see much time together on the field last year, but that won’t be the case this year.

And it doesn’t stop defensively as cornerback Xavier Smith has committed to Missouri. Smith enters the season as one of the best. He’s going to be a three-year starter and Dombek said there’s not much more Smith can do at this point in terms of learning the position.

Going east, had a chance to check up with McLoud and Eric Cardin. The Redskins are going to be hurting. Can’t believe the names Wayland Moore, Cody Phipps and Cody Ferrell won’t be there anymore.

Dillon Endecott, a DE-turned-QB, is going to lead the way.

McLoud is also the home of the ever-growing powerlifting championships and will be again this spring.

Cardin said 124 schools participated last year, and the numbers keep going up because some of the larger schools are now getting into it. The small schools have always been on board.

Wednesday will, of course, be busy with the districts but also hoping to see some more basketball coaches. Not too many around thus far.

***

And if you know me, you know I was at tennis Tuesday night. The Boneman is in awe of how beautiful the Case Tennis Center at the University of Tulsa is.

Wow.

Players of the year: Andrea Lewis, Bishop Kelley, and Duncan Fugitt, Edmond Memorial. Coach of the year: Skip Griese, Ada.

Had to check up on my summer stars. Putnam North’s Chris Haworth and Heritage Hall’s Julie Labarthe, Sarah Bowen and Carissa Villaflor are all doing well, according to their coaches.

I could watch Bishop McGuinness’ Katelyn Connelly and Lewis play all day. What a good match for the supposed “exhibition.”

Lewis won, 8-6, but I had to keep reminding myself to walk around and talk to people instead of just being camped out there.

A rather uneventful Day 1 from the OCA’s coaches clinic in Tulsa. Don’t remember from last year if that was the case as well, but it didn’t feel like there were as many coaches.

Then again, the setup is vastly different from how it is in Oklahoma City. Displays are scattered throughout the Marriott.

Didn’t see too many football coaches around but did catch up with Kingfisher coach Jeff Myers. And after talking to him about how this year’s team is, quickly turned the conversation to the “super” 3A class in 2010.

“Whoever wins that will definitely have deserved it. It’s going to be a dogfight every week.”

No doubt about that. In most cases in the playoffs, if you’re a top seed, you’re banking on winning comfortably in the first and second rounds.

After that, who knows? But if 3A pans out the way it should, not only will just about every playoff game be crazy in terms of intensity, but there will be a lot of perennial playoff contenders who probably won’t make the cut.

There should be more football and basketball coaches later in the week as it was a pretty slow day in that department.

That doesn’t mean I did find time to talk with people as two of my “babies,” swimming and tennis, here their coaches association meetings.

Big difference in tennis is coaches will be allowed to coach their players at all times as long as it doesn’t interfere with the flow of play.

This was tested out last year and worked during the regular season. It wasn’t utilized at regional and the state tournament.

The OTCA and the OSSAA have approved it, so that will be a new wrinkle. Don’t know why it took this long. I’ve never understood the whole “no coaching” during a tennis match. Where else could you see that?

As for swimming, the biggest cause of concern coming last year’s state tournament was the overcrowded-ness of it all.

Problem solved as Class 6A and 5A will be split up for the finals. The prelims will run the same way.

But for the final, 5A is going to start at 10:15 a.m., followed by 6A at 4:15 p.m. Yep, that means a long day for anyone who has to cover both of them (namely me), but it also means a long day for any coach that does both as Edmond coach Steve Riggs pointed out. He’s not one of them, but there are a few such as the Lawton trio of schools as well as Mid-Del (Midwest City, Del City and Carl Albert).

Also went to the swim meet. Swimming and wrestling have got to be the two sports where you don’t know what kind of shape the kids will be in.

There’s no cutting weight or anything like that and for some of them, it might be like four or five months since they’ve hit the pool or mat.

It was the first time it was at Bixby. Not bad for a school venue and appreciate the support the Bixby staff gave me in making sure I had everything I needed.

Altus coach Linda Wiginton was named the Coach of the Year while Jill Enge of Edmond Memorial and Nelson Head of Union were named the Girls and Boys Swimmer of the Year.

And for the record, the East won both portions of the competition.

I was saddened to learn today that Tulsa World preps writer John Ferguson is retiring after 35 years.

I’ve only been with The Oklahoman two years now, so I only know Ferguson from this time period. But I tell you, he’s one of the most “real” people I’ve met. Just a real good guy.

You always knew he was genuine. In talking to John Klein for today’s piece, Ferguson openly admits he wasn’t thrilled about covering girls basketball until he got to know the people associated with the game. But once he did, chalk it up to another event he loved to cover.

It’s a personal loss to me because I’ve enjoyed talking with Ferguson about the high school tennis scene the last two years as well as the local and national horse racing scene.

In fact, that’s what Ferguson plans on doing: writing horse racing projects and stuff like that.

At least he’s able to go out on his own terms. Hope nothing but the best for Ferguson in the future and hopefully I’ll see him around during All-State week coming up.

For Klein’s full story on Ferguson, here ya go.

Hey, this is more of a shout out to head football coaches. We’ve sent out our 2009 football questionnaires recently, and if you don’t want to mail or fax the form back, you can always just give it to one of us at our booth this week at the clinic.

Doesn’t matter to us how we get the form back, but we do appreciate the cooperation as it is a major help for us. Leaving for Tulsa tomorrow morning, so stop on by the booth if you get a chance.

Doesn’t All-State week feel like the official beginning of the upcoming school year, or is it just me?

Since us from the Oklahoma City area are making the trip to Tulsa, I guarantee you the Boneman will get lost driving at least once next week.

To go with all the coaches clinic activities, there will be a slew of all-state games.

So as a little precursor of what’s to come, here’s the schedule:

Monday: Golf at 8:30 a.m. at Mohawk Park GC; Small Baseball at 4:30 at J.L. Johnson Stadium (Oral Roberts); Large Baseball at 7 (same location); Swimming at 6 at Bixby High (that’s where I’ll be).

Tuesday: Tennis at 5:30 at the University of Tulsa (that’s where I’ll be); Small Volleyball at 6 at Broken Arrow High; Large Volleyball at 7:30 (same location); Wrestling at 8 at Union High.

Wednesday: At Oral Roberts’ Mabee Center – Small Girls Basketball at 7; Large Girls Basketball at 8:30.

Thursday: At Oral Roberts’ Mabee Center – Small Boys Basketball at 7; Large Boys Basketball at 8:30.

Friday: to cap it off, Football at 8 p.m. at Union High (that’s where I’ll be).

Cheerleading will also go on for the basketball and football events as well.

And before all of that, there will be a Hall of Fame ceremony Sunday at the Southern Hills Marriott Hotel in Tulsa at 6:30.

Ten coaches will be enshrined in the OCA Hall of Fame: Phil Elerick (Cashion); Leo Smallwood (Rattan); Jarel Hansen (Shattuck); Chris Gillespie (Talihina); Dan Crookham (Tulsa Edison); Bill Blankenship (Union); Edward “Buck” Chatham (Lone Grove); Alan Simpson (Byng). And being recognized for Distinguished Service: Charles St. John (Vian).

It would have been easy (but painstakingly long) to list all the teams moving up from Class 2A to 3A for football, starting with the 2010 season.

When you’re making a jump for 32 teams to 57 teams, it feels like the most-balanced class has been created. And of course, a lot of the top 2A teams from the previous seasons, will be making the move up.

Seriously, take a look at the list. That class didn’t need a “star” team like Star Spencer to drop into its lap.

Since the Bobcats did, now look at what we have in 3A: Star Spencer, Tuttle, Heritage Hall, Cascia Hall, Chandler, Kingfisher, Sequoyah-Claremore, Purcell, Metro Christian, Purcell, Eufaula, Weatherford. That’s even leaving out some schools like Newcastle and Bethany, among others.

Very interesting stuff. Schools with some of the lower ADMs in the class (Beggs, Verdigris, Riverside, Nowata, Westville) are going to have to climb quite a mountain.

Briefly spoke with Ryan Aber (who is on vacation but still kinda working, ha), and Morrison caught his eye.

Morrison, of course, won the Class A state championship last year in its first season playing 11-man ball. The school’s ADM is 147.14. Technically, it could have moved back to Class B as the highest ADM there is Depew at 149.65.

Another eyebrow raiser is Santa Fe South. The last four years SFS has been in 3A but with an increase of 21 students (from 494 to 515), all the sudden Santa Fe South hasn’t just jumped 3A but is firmly in 4A.

Also, Del City continues to get closer to the 5A line. The school lost 27 students from last year. It is still comfortably ahead of Bixby and Shawnee in 6A (1,352 to 1,245), but the gap is closing.

The football classifications are not set in stone. In fact, if you checked the OSSAA site Wednesday, you’ll notice a big TENTATIVE has been placed on the top of the sheet.

Talking with the OSSAA’s David Jackson, “it is good to go for today.” He said they want to get it out there early so the association and the schools can work together and fix the mistakes. There really is no rush, but it’s fun to start playing fantasy with some of the potential playoff scenarios in the classes.

I’m not completely done, but here is a small sample of the teams moving up or down for this next season:

Moving up: Shawnee and Bixby (5A to 6A); Grove and Tulsa Central (4A to 5A); Heritage Hall, Metro Christian, John Marshall, Little Axe and Atoka (3A to 4A); Pocola and Stroud (2A to 3A).

Here’s where it starts getting a little hazy for me. Preston, Crowder, Snyder and Pioneer are what I have for A to 2A. From B to A, I gots Garber, Pond Creek-Hunter, Sasakwa, Strother and Chattanooga.

Moving down: Tulsa Memorial and Tulsa East Central (6A to 5A); Harrah and Stilwell (5A to 4A); Bethel, Hugo, Marlow and Victory Christian (4A to 3A); Frederick and Washington (3A to 2A).

Again, gets a little fuzzy: From 2A to A, there’s Howe, Rush Springs and Wright City. From A to B, it’s Frontier, Verden, Agra, Coyle and Waukomis.

Not completely done, so I’ll update it later.

Throw it out to the readers. Out of all the changes, what’s the biggest, most important, etc?

We tried something out last year and did a whole “Off to college” special. It worked out well, so starting Friday, those stories will be back.

I like these stories because this (and stuff like All-State games) gives you a chance to maybe write about that boy/girl you didn’t get the chance to during the season itself.

I’m doing the winter sports portion and heading to Putnam North swimming and diver Amy Kilby.

For those that don’t know, Kilby won the state championship as a sophomore and a junior and was primed to win it for a third time. However, the OSSAA took away the diving competition for her senior season.

Instead of sulking, Kilby still swam for Putnam North and will be back on the diving board again as she has signed with San Jose State.

Fellow chum Justin Harper is handling the fall season (Heritage Hall volleyballer Jessica Adams) while Brandon Chatmon has spring (Casady track runner Nick Bonfiglio) and Ryan Aber is writing the football story (Norman North’s Beau Traber).

We’ve been running signing lists the last couple of Sundays, but please, if you know of any more, send ‘em to either myself or Ryan Aber (RAber@opubco.com).

Back in a bit with more ADM thoughts. More specifically, the chaos (and beauty) that will be Class 3A in football, starting in 2010.

Hey, apologize for the lack of updates from your “beloved” high school staff. We’ve been busy working on postseason awards and happy to say we’re almost there.

And for those wondering, here is how next week is going to shake out:

Tuesday begins everything with your All-City Volleyball awards. Wednesday we move to my stuff with Big and Little All-City Softball. Thursday (Christmas) will be all about All-City Cross Country. Friday we move to football with Little All-City goodies. Saturday (my birthday) will be about the Big All-City. And to cap it all off on Sunday, is the All-State team. We’re doing something different this year and writing a short story on every single kid that made the All-State team.

Of course, I will blog on Wednesday about softball conundrums. I feel better about this team, but there were still some extremely tough moves to make.

As for the Stooges, Ray won the final two games to win the championship. Ray joins Zach from last year as the The Stooges champions.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays as we turn the page to basketball, wrestling and swimming.

Taken from my original Bout Blog post.

For Bout Blog fans, Heather Harkness is neither a boxer nor an MMA fighter. No, she was an Edmond Santa Fe volleyballer.

She died Tuesday morning during the course of an appendectomy. This one hits me a little bit harder. She had her whole life in front of her.

I didn’t know Heather, don’t know what she looked like, what she liked, etc., but I remember my high school days.

My senior year in Springboro, Ohio, I had a classmate die from a car accident. It shook the entire school. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know Karol Stegemoller that well until senior year, it was one of the few times where there were no cliques. We were all just getting through something together.

And I remember the very next day was the start of the state basketball playoffs where we were supposed to advance pretty far. We got trounced in the first round, but I don’t think anyone cared.

I still have a bunch of mementos from that week, remembering Karol. I’ve moved a lot since 2002, but they’re always going to be with me. There was a Memorial Auction for Karol in June back home, good to know she’s not forgotten.

I don’t know how the ESF volleyball team will continue this season. I don’t think I could. My personal opinion is that all Edmond athletic events should be postponed this weekend, including Friday’s Edlam football game with Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe.

I don’t know, I just think the kids should be allowed to grieve. Everyone has their own way of doing so, and I don’t think you should force the kids to go out there and hit each other.

I felt this way last year after Rush Springs’ freshman Justin Barney died right before the Rush Springs/Washington game last season. It’s just not easy to turn that switch back on.

Life goes on and eventually everyone will start to feel like themselves again but don’t rush it. School has to be hard enough to not see your classmate there. Give ‘em a rest and let them do whatever is necessary to cope.

It’s not to say that some of the bigger sports don’t have that community feel, but the top volleyball players and coaches all know each other. Not just from newspaper articles and jersey numbers and shaking hands after a match.

The girls are a tight bunch whether it be on the school team or the club team. But they really get to know each other, really build those relationships.

I’ve been reading tonight on various message boards where people are trading their favorite Heather stories. From places all over the state, not just Edmond. Sounds like we all missed out on someone special.

I’m keeping her friends and family in my prayers as I’m sure all of you are. I hope they can find the strength to get through this difficult time.

The first morning of Heritage Hall two-a-day football practices has come and gone, and head coach Andy Bogert is just happy he has enough equipment for everyone.

The Chargers are experiencing a record turnout for football this year, with over 80 kids arriving for the season’s first official practice.  Bogert said the most kids Heritage Hall had seen previously was around 60.

“We’re close to being out of equipment,” Bogert said. “We got lucky and ordered another 20 extra helmets.”

 Making matters even more interesting, Bogert moved the Chargers’ first practice to the school’s indoor facility because the outdoor fields were too wet. Squeezing 80 kids indoors, however, proved to be a challenging task.

The reason for the influx of players is simple: the Chargers have an enormous freshman class with over 30 players. The group is so large that Bogert plans on fielding a freshman team with its own schedule for the first time, well, ever.

“That helps immensely,” Bogert said. “The more you can get in the mix in a game situation, the more you can progress.”

Other interesting tidbits from Heritage Hall:

*Today marked the first high school practice for Barry Sanders, Jr., the son of former OSU and NFL legend Barry Sanders. Sanders, Jr., a 5-10, 170-pound freshman, already runs a 4.6-second 40-yard-dash and will likely see the field on offense, defense and special teams this year, Bogert said.

“He’s got loads of potential,” Bogert said. “And he’s only going to get bigger, stronger and faster. He’s going to be really good.”

*Quarterback Turner Petersen has fully recovered from a sprained ankle suffered several weeks ago. The injury, which occurred while Petersen was chasing Sanders, Jr., kept the senior out of the Top Gun Challenge in Tulsa. Other than an ankle wrap, Petersen showed no ill effects today.

“It’s fine,” Petersen said. “I didn’t sleep much last night I was so excited for today.”

*Heritage Hall players were difficult to tell apart today, as all wore shirts with the No. 43 to honor teammate Ford Price. Price, a senior, was diagnosed this spring with Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer that has forced him to undergo chemotherapy as well as a recent surgery in Boston. Price will miss the season.

Today, the station announced it would stick with broadcasting high school football games, starting with the Sept. 4 Polo Bowl and Casady between the Cyclones and Heritage Hall.

A complete schedule for KSBI games:

Sept. 4: Heritage Hall at Casady

Sept. 5: McGuinness at Guthrie

Sept. 12: Southmoore at Westmoore

Sept. 19: Midwest City at Southmoore

Sept. 26: Edmond Memorial at Midwest City

Oct. 3: Weatherford at McGuinness

Oct. 9: Mustang at Norman North

Oct. 10: Clinton at Tuttle

Oct. 16: Tuttle at Newcastle

Oct. 17: Fairview at Heritage Hall

Oct. 23: Norman at Westmoore

Oct. 24: Putnam North at Mustang

Oct. 31: Stillwater at Choctaw

Nov. 7: Edmond North at Westmoore

Each broadcast will start with Oklahoma News Tonight at 5:30 live at the game, followed by the Tailgate show leading up to kickoff.

Cox sports has not released its schedule but it is expected once again to broadcast regular-season games. Fox Sports Southwest was awarded the rights to broadcast playoff games for the next three years, beating out bids by both KSBI and Cox.

Last week I wrote a feature on Rick Roop, the Altus athletic director who amazingly recovered from a severe case of pneumococcal meningitis that put him in a coma. You can read that story here. Soon after it was published, I received the following e-mail from the Meningitis Foundation of America, wanting spread awareness about the disease. Here is the information in its entirety.

“The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA), a national organization, would like the public and media to know that information is available regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of meningitis.

MFA was founded by parents whose children were affected by meningitis. In addition to supporting vaccines and other means of preventing meningitis, the MFA provides information to educate the public and medical professionals so that the early diagnosis, treatment and, most important, prevention of meningitis, will save lives.

Meningitis is a dangerous and sometimes fatal inflammation of the brain and/or spinal cord that can leave survivors with serious life-long physical problems such as deafness, brain damage and other disabilities, meningitis can sometimes result in loss of limbs. MFA would like to be considered as a news resource for the disease.

If you would like to arrange an interview please call Jamie Callahan, General Manager of the MFA. For further information, visit the MFA website at www.musa.org.

MFA is proud to announce the new C.I.S.S. Container Identification Scratch System
When we participate in sporting events or mingle at social gatherings it is possible to lose track of our water bottles and/or beverage cans, especially those served in containers that are very similar or identical to a container from which you are drinking.

This carries the risk of transmitting an illness, such as meningitis or the common cold or flu.

The Container Identification Scratch System, or C.I.S.S., is a fun way to make sure you always know your drink from others. Use it at sporting events or at a family gatherings and reduce the waste from forgotten drinks. Simply scratch your number from the C.I.S.S. label and identify your drink.

For more information please contact Bob Gold at Ciss.bob@gmail.com”

Hey hey, how’s everyone’s summer been so far?? With football just around the corner, we’re looking for some assistance from our readers.

If you have or know someone who has an interesting summer job, we would appreciate an e-mail or a comment.

Also, I’m looking for someone who is great at the art of self-promotion. We all know about the David Okus of the world. But what about that guy who isn’t getting the looks? How does he get his name out there? If there’s someone who has mastered the art of sending out highlight DVDs or perfecting your own recruiting Web site, let me know. I used to be pretty handy with a DVD recorder. How far has technology come in the last couple of years?

For any suggestions, ideas, etc, contact the following people:

Ryan Aber: RAber@Oklahoman.com
Brandon Chatmon: BChatmon@Oklahoman.com
Justin Harper: JHarper@Oklahoman.com
Robert Przybylo: RPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Ray Martin: RMartin@Oklahoman.com
Zach West: ZWest@Oklahoman.com

Appreciate all your help in advance.