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

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

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

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

Coaches: Ken McQueen, OCS; Kory Williams, Piedmont

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

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

Coaches: Chad Trahan, Tecumseh; Travis Owen, Tuttle

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

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

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

Saturday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

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

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

Saturday
Championship game, 2:30 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday
Championship game, noon

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

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

Saturday
Championship game, 1 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The offseason momentum of the 2014 quarterback class kept going Wednesday when Norman North’s David Cornwell and Edmond Santa Fe’s Justice Hansen each picked up new scholarship offers.

Oklahoma State and Miami extended offers to Cornwell, who reported the offers on Twitter. He already had offers from Auburn, Indiana, Tulsa and Washington State.

Hansen added Auburn to his list, which already included Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas and Arizona State.

Cornwell, who played at Jones last year, is applying for a waiver from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Cornwell’s eligibility clock began with the start of the 2009 season, though he didn’t play varsity football until last year and did not play at all in 2011 as he took a mission trip to Africa.

Cornwell is the fifth in-state player offered by OSU for 2014. He threw for 2,742 yards and 27 touchdowns for Jones last year and ran for 755 yards and six scores.

Hansen threw for 3,079 yards with 36 touchdowns, while rushing for 733 yards and 14 TDs.

Norman North sophomore defensive lineman Stelen Covel, the son of country music star Toby Keith, was one of four state players selected for the 2013 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl.

The fifth-annual game will be played Jan. 6 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The other players selected were Heritage Hall’s Luther Harris, a lineman, and running back/linebacker Terrell Love Jr. and Jenks defensive back Austin Quillen. All three are freshmen.

Love is the son of former U.S. Grant and Star Spencer coach Terrell Love.

The four will play for the USA Under-15 team against a team from Canada. The team is coached by former Oklahoma assistant David White.

The four will be presented with their jerseys Saturday at Keith’s restaurant in Bricktown during halftime of the Oklahoma-Iowa State game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nice and easy yet again: Everyone wins.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tulsa Washington’s Michael Doctor added two tackles.

Douglass’ Cayman Bundage had a tackle for Arizona.

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

Wilson had three catches for 73 yards.

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

Edmond Santa Fe’s Brian Mills had two tackles.

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

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

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

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

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

Zickefoose also had a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Holland Hall’s Seth Hedman had four tackles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schoenthaler also returned three kicks for 72 yards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Parham also returned four kickoffs for 76 yards.

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

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

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

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

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

Houston had 608 yards of total offense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sand Springs’ Tyler Smith started at left guard.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Norman North punter Preston Couch and kicker Redford Jones were named the the Prokicker.com watch list for preseason All-Americans.

Couch is the only state punter on the list.

Jones is joined by Copan’s Andrew Rodgers, Hinton’s Gabriel Rui and Broken Arrow’s Parker Stevens.

Tecumseh’s Thornton hired as Norman basketball coach

Matt Thornton’s basketball coaching career is taking a trip along Highway 9.

The Tecumseh boys coach was hired by Norman this week, filling the void created when Jeff McCullough left after two years to return to Texas.

Thornton has been a head coach for five seasons at Tecumseh, reaching the state semifinals in 2011.

Thornton is originally from Moore, and worked as an assistant coach at Westmoore prior to becoming a head coach.

Tecumseh might not be a place you immediately think about for producing top-notch basketball coaches, but the school has turned out some good ones in the recent past.

Jenks’ Clay Martin was a head coach there, as was Del City’s Tim Stogsdill. In addition, Plainview head man Jeremy Stewart was an assistant for the Savages, as was former Edmond Santa Fe coach Shawn Schenk. Now, Thornton adds his name to the list after a successful five-year stint in T-Town.

He takes over a young but talented team at Norman, though the Tigers did lose some valuable, athletic players from last year’s team. On top of that, Thornton is taking over very late, meaning he missed summer leagues and won’t have a lot of time to get to know his new team.

Norman North picks Paul as new AD

In addition to the hire of Thornton, Norman Public Schools officials approved the hire of former Bethel football coach Eddie Paul as Norman North’s new site athletic director.

He will replace Jack Harvey, who has retired. Paul is a long-time coach in Oklahoma and Texas, spending the last two seasons at Bethel.

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

Athletes named to the top prospect list for each camp were individually evaluated and graded on details such as accuracy, timing, and distance.

Couch participated in the ProKicker.com Academy in Dallas earlier this month, winning an award for the best hang time among punters at 4.52 seconds.

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

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

Large East

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

First baseman: Derrick Haworth (Durant)

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

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

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

Large West

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

First baseman: Michael Lowe (Jones)

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

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

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

Small East

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

First baseman: Jonathon Samuels (Rattan)

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

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

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

Small West

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

First baseman: Clayton Brewster (Cheyenne)

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

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

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

The team coaches have at No. 1 in the state, Tulsa Union, is at No. 15 in ESPN’s rankings.

Norman North had an impressive showing last week at the Palmetto Cup, a national soccer tournament in South Carolina, but couldn’t compete for the tournament championship because the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association only allowed it to play three games in the tourney.

One of North’s three wins in the Palmetto Cup was a 1-0 victory over Irmo (Columbia, S.C.), which entered the tournament ranked No. 1 by ESPN.

Norman North is 10-0 on the season entering tonight’s home game against Bishop McGuinness.

Senior Brandon Little Axe leads North with 16 goals this season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coach of the Year: Shane Cowherd, Edmond Memorial

Newcomer of the Year: Terrell Savala, Edmond Memorial

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

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

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

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

District 6A-1 All-District
Awards
Coach of the Year: Steve Huff, Midwest City
Most Valuable Player: James Flanders, Midwest City
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Corben Jones, Yukon
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian McDonald, Lawton Eisenhower
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Running Back of the Year: Dre Holman, Putnam North
Wide Receiver of the Year: Tae Douglas, Lawton Eisenhower
Defensive Player of the Year: Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Tyrone Beverly, Lawton Eisenhower
Linebacker of the Year: Taylor Lewis, Moore
Defensive Back of the Year: Derek Deeds, Yukon

All-District team
Choctaw: Luke Cotton, LB; Marcese Dickson, LB; Zac Reynolds, OL; Jared Nelson, OL; Jay Styers, WR.

Edmond Memorial: Matt Hickman, LB; Gavin Fouts, RB; Jon Scheihing, OL; Ry Huff, QB; Mac Wilsey, OL; Bryce Robinson, DB.

Lawton Eisenhower: Kacey Totte, LB; Kevin McClain, DB; Nick Shegog, DB; Grayden Gatlin, OL; Devante Baker, LB; Dee Simmons, DB; Dajon Reed, DL.

Midwest City: Ricky Reevs, DB; Zeke Lewis, LB; Ronnie Davis, DB; Austin Roberson, LB; James Flanders, RB; C.J. Smith, DL; Dakota Moran, OL; Chris Shannon, DL; Michael Wisby, WR; Devin Crisp, OL; Deonn McKay, LB; Antonio Martin, DB.

Moore: Brandon Eddins, LB; Grant Linstead, WR; Taylor Lewis, LB; Joe Haddox, LB; Jamal Carter, DL; Corey Reeves, QB; Dakota Gilbert, OL.

Norman North: Riley Nolan, C; Joe Toney, OL; Brad Birchfield, WR.

Putnam North: Daniel Burton, OL; Dre Holman, RB; Bray Humphreys, DL; Gaige Webster, WR; Vidale Grant, DB; Leigh Comfort, OL; J’mon Ratliff, OL.

Yukon: Corben Jones, QB; Derek Deeds, DB; Austin Bevill, WR; Tyrell Barker, DL; Lantz Parks, C; Sheldon Kearby, DL; Hunter Meyn, DB; Tyler Bush, OL; Will Paddock, OL; Zach Hazebaker, OL; Jansen Jarrett, LB.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall:
Ryan: 65-26, 8-1
Jason: 63-28, 7-2
Scott: 60-31

Ryan
Heritage Hall 40, Kingfisher 14
Jenks 35, Norman 28
Tulsa Union 35, Stillwater 28
Lawton 26, Westmoore 21
Pryor 17, Tulsa Central 13
Deer Creek 34, Ada 7
Anadarko 42, Weatherford 7
Midwest City 42, Norman North 7
McAlester 35, Tulsa Washington 20
Blanchard 22, Bridge Creek 14
Lock of the week: McAlester over Tulsa Washington. The Buffaloes offense has been just too good this season and the Hornets have struggled at times offensively themselves. McAlester wins the district title and remains undefeated.

Jason
Heritage Hall 31, Kingfisher 17
Stillwater 42, Tulsa Union 38
Jenks 27, Norman 14
Westmoore 14, Lawton 10
Pryor 17, Tulsa Central 13
Ada 31, Deer Creek 28
Anadarko 45, Weatherford 14
Midwest City 42, Norman North 24
McAlester 24, Tulsa Washington 17
Blanchard 14, Bridge Creek 9
Lock of the week: Westmoore over Lawton. Westmoore’s defense has been
impressive all season  -  save for last week’s shootout with Mustang -
and I think the Jaguars can hold the Wolverines out of the endzone just
enough to come away with a win. A Westmoore win would likely throw the
2nd, 3rd and 4th playoff spots into a three-way tie between these teams
and Edmond North. All three teams are close in district points, so such
a scenario favors North, which ends its season with U.S. Grant.

Scott
Heritage Hall 31, Kingfisher 17
Tulsa Union 42, Stillwater 38
Jenks 28, Norman 24
Lawton 23, Westmoore 20
Pryor 28, Tulsa Central 22
Deer Creek 21, Ada 17
Anadarko 42, Weatherford 35
Midwest City 48, Norman North 21
McAlester 34, Tulsa Washington 28
Blanchard 12, Bridge Creek 8
Lock of the Week: Tulsa Union over Stillwater. Often, the loss of a key player at a key time — in this case, the suspension of RB Kendall Holmes, who was having a huge year – seems like it will be devastating for a team. And many times, it is. But many other cases, it becomes a unifying moment. This could have been the last poke the Redskins needed to wake up for a run to the state title.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Ryan Aber

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

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

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

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

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

The principals at Norman and Norman North made a wager on Thursday’s Norman Bedlam matchup between the schools.

If Norman wins, Norman North principal Bryan Young will race in Norman’s alumni 5K run Sept. 25 wearing a Norman High singlet while pushing a baby stroller carrying a replica of the school’s Tiger mascot.

If Norman North wins, Norman principal Scott Beck will sing Norman North’s fight song during halftime of the team’s basketball matchup Jan. 27.

Norman has a 10-4 edge in the series, beating the Timberwolves 24-7 last season.

Thursday’s game will be played at OU’s Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium.

Norman principal Scott Beck and Norman North principal Bryan Young make a wager on Thursday's football opener between the schools.

Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will have X-rays Friday morning on his injured throwing shoulder.

At some point Friday morning, Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor will find out just how bad he hurt his left shoulder on Thursday night. It could be as minor as a bruise, or as major as a broken collarbone, but it will be important news either way for the Broncos.

There are a lot of new receivers and some young offensive linemen, so they need Taylor’s leadership and experience to hold the offense together. That’s not to say sophomore Frankie Edwards won’t be a good fill-in. He’s a talented young kid, but he doesn’t have the experience of Taylor.

I’ll have the news on Taylor’s shoulder as soon as I hear something.

As for Thursday’s scrimmages, Mustang had some tackling issues on defense, and the offensive line is still growing up. At receiver, Travis Mitchell showed some impressive skills, and could be valuable at receiver.

Here are some other thoughts from the Pigskin Preview:

-El Reno showed some promise, and looked a lot better on offense than when I saw them at team camp in Yukon back in June. Rashaad Copeland and Ray Little are two very dangerous athletes who each made some big plays. Copeland has been drawing some college attention from OSU, Kansas and North Texas.

-Norman North is still looking for some offensive continuity at quarterback. Bryan Payne is a talented running back, but the two QBs — senior Chad Ehrhart and junior Peyton Gavras — had some ups and downs Thursday. Defensively, the Timberwolves were strong against Altus, and they’ll need to hang their hat on that side of the ball while the offense comes along.

-Justin Jones’ first preseason at McGuinness has been a rough one. He had five starters sidelined Thursday, including most of his linebackers. No major injuries, but still, those guys are missing valuable time under a new coach. QB Camden Tharp has a good skillset, and I’d look for him to have a good year. The Irish got a good performance from the offensive line, and that will be important as they try to develop the run game.

-Lawton MacArthur looks good. Really good. I know Tulsa East Central has a lot of star power. I haven’t seen them or any of the other top teams in 5A, but Mac has a lot of athletes all over the place, not to mention the best kicker in the state, which is always a nice feature. RB Darius Graham is a big, strong runner, and Michael Thomas is a beast at cornerback. When he gets in press coverage, his WR isn’t getting off the line of scrimmage most of the time. Most of Mac’s linemen are playing both ways, so that’s always an issue with stamina, but they’re going to be a dangerous team.

-Lawton Eisenhower looks vastly different with Adrian McDonald on the field. The athletically gifted quarterback sat out Thursday night’s scrimmage after suffering a rib injury last week. Coach Boone Copeland said he didn’t know when McDonald would be back, but he’s hoping to have him next week for the opener.

-Altus is obviously battling through a transition, like a lot of teams, but the Bulldogs have a more positive attitude than just about any team I’ve been around this year. Diquon Woodhouse — who is in my top five favorite names in HS football this year — made some solid plays, including a pick-six for Altus’ only TD. He doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects from the sprained MCL in spring ball, even though he still wore a brace for protection.

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

Norman North running back Bryan Payne isn’t about to let a little soreness slow him down Friday as the Timberwolves begin practicing in pads.

“I’m excited for it,” Payne said. “I’m a little banged up but I can’t wait. The defense has been talking a lot of trash.”

While Payne said Norman North’s defense will be one of the key to their successes this season, he’s ready to go head-to-head with anybody, even if they’re on the same team.

The biggest improvement he made in the offseason, he said, was learning how to follow his blocks and pick them up on the fly during a run.

“It’s all come together for me and making be a better player,” he said. “I try to take as many reps as I can before the other running backs come in, ask my coach about things I need to adjust to and when there is another guy in, watch what he’s doing so I can correct my mistakes.”

Norman North will hold an intersquad scrimmage Saturday morning as they prepare for Wade Standley’s first season as Timberwolves coach.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

Stillwater vs. Edmond Santa Fe

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deer Creek vs. Bixby

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

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

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

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

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

Midwest City vs. Edmond North

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

Norman North vs. Shawnee

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

Bishop McGuinness vs. Altus

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

Bishop McGuinness vs. Shawnee

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

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

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

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

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

Edmond Santa Fe vs. Bixby

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

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

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

Midwest City vs. Stillwater

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

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

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

Deer Creek vs. Altus

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Norman North coach Wade Standley is a ball of energy.

Every team is different. Each coach brings their own personal touch to the program. And though I truly believe Lance Manning is the right man at Edmond Santa Fe, perhaps it was time for Manning to leave Norman North.

Manning never once coached like it, but I always found it strange he stayed in Edmond instead of moving to Norman. Kinda like a ‘one foot out the door’ mentality. The last two years felt Norman North was loaded with talent but didn’t produce. A change in scenery was might have been the right move for everyone.

With that in mind, had a chance to visit a Norman North practice late last week. That was a fun experience. Not sure how much talent the Timberwolves are going to end up having, but coach Wade Standley is certainly going to bring out the best in his kids. That type of spirit is infectious. He was running around all over that practice.

Standley is coming off a two-year stint at Liberal, Kan., where his teams went 6-12. He was also a former assistant at Tulsa Union.

I look at Norman North, and my attention goes to kicker Redford Jones. He’s going to be big time. Former Norman North stud Daniel Davis was also at practice last week, and he was saying the same thing.

Davis’ younger brother is on the team and said Standley has made a good first impression, especially when it comes to being efficient. Practices are run very smoothly (I can attest to that).

This will have to be a team I get to see in summer camps, but I’m not even going to try to gauge where Norman North is at this stage. But I like where they’re going.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Norman North was on early against Deer Creek pitcher Isaac Hellbusch. The Timberwolves had two hits and a run across the plate by the time Caleb Simpson was up to bat.

Runners were at second and third and Simpson rifled one up the middle. Unfortunately for him, it went right into Hellbusch’s glove and started a double play.

“That was a game changer,” Hellbusch said.

The Timberwolves got one more across via an error and then were stoned by Hellbusch the rest of the way as Deer Creek rallied for a 4-2 victory at the Deer Creek Classic on Wednesday.

Hellbusch didn’t allow another hit the rest of the way and finished the game with 10 strikeouts, including fanning the final two batters of the game.

Hellbusch had an RBI double in the first inning and thought maybe we were headed for a slugfest. Um, we weren’t. The score remained that until the bottom of the sixth when the top-ranked Antlers notched three in the frame without the ball leaving the infield on the run-producing hits.

We had infield hits, safety squeezes, one error, good base running and a 2-1 deficit became a 4-2 advantage for the Antlers.

“We practice for things like that,” coach Ron Moore said. “You have to be able to find a way to win games any way possible.”

The wind, which wasn’t too bad initially, really picked up and there weren’t going to be any HRs hit on this day. In the sixth, George Haaland had an RBI single, Cameron Davis ends up with the game-winning safety squeeze while Haaland scored from second on an infield single by Hunter Dinkines.

Norman North pitcher Ryan Allen was great for five innings. And really, he didn’t throw bad pitches in the sixth but the breaks went against him. He gave up four of the seven hits in the frame and also struck out seven for the fourth-ranked TWolves.

Circumstances beyond either team’s control forced the No. 1 5A team against the No. 4 6A team at 1 p.m. on a Wednesday, but it was well-played and fun to attend.

Norman North has won 17 of its last 19 games. I have seen the two losses. The Timberwolves are going to make sure I don’t come to any more of their games. Deer Creek still has not lost to an in-state opponent.

Norman North had a good strategy by running on Hellbusch as the TWolves had five stolen bases in the first inning. But unable to get many runners on after the first inning, the running attack didn’t play a big role.

Look for a video with Hellbusch on NewsOK. The Classic continues throughout the rest of the week, with the championship Saturday night.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

I did it Monday and saw Putnam City North lose to Yukon. Did it Saturday and saw Norman North lose to Edmond Santa Fe 15-10 in the Edmond Classic championship at Edmond North. Though to be truthful, one streak had to end in the Edmond Classic.

The game was originally scheduled to be played at Memorial, but conflicts (ACTs, Prom, etc) made everybody shuffle things around. So I apologize about saying the game was at Memorial, hopefully that didn’t force anybody to miss some action.

Because in the first two innings, boy, was there a lot of it. How about 16 runs on 12 hits in the first inning? How about a 13-10 Santa Fe lead after the second frame?

But I’m not going to rip Santa Fe pitcher Conor Costello or Norman North’s Paul Reed. We all know they’re much better pitchers than what they threw Saturday. Hey, it was the seventh game in six days for both teams. More about guts than skill at that point.

And both teams had plenty of it. Santa Fe notched 10 in the top of the first, but the TWolves responded with a six-spot of their own.

So when does a three-hour game feel like a short one? When the first two innings took 90 minutes. Everything looks short in comparison. We can all thank Santa Fe’s Easton Mitchell and Norman North’s Caleb Simpson for getting us out of there at a decent hour.

Mitchell threw 4 1/3 innings and struck out six, while allowing just three singles. Clayton Blackburn, who pitched four innings Friday, struck out the side in the seventh. Hey, it was all about guts in this one.

To Simpson’s credit, there wasn’t much he didn’t do wrong. He tired a bit in the seventh, but who could blame him? He threw five innings, giving up two runs and striking out seven.

The loss snapped Norman North’s 12-game winning streak. The Timberwolves ran the table last week and this week until this one. Santa Fe is now in the midst of its own 12-game winning streak.

Kyle Lacy was 3-5 with a triple and 5 RBIs for Santa Fe. Garrett Crain added two hits and drove in three runs. Blackburn had an RBI double among his three hits.

Norman North’s Conner Kohlscheen had four singles. Simpson had a two-run double, while Dakota Shadoan had three hits, including a triple. TWolves also had two homers as Colin Jones hit one out in the bottom of the first and D.J. Gasson had a three-run bomb later in the frame.

And I would be a fool to not comment on the wind. This was insane. If things weren’t bolted down or heavy, they were flying everywhere. It caused a lot of problems for fielders in this one.

Santa Fe is trying to cement itself as the top team on the west side. Pretty good case in the last two weeks. Wolves have a home-and-home with Putnam West this week. Norman North has the same with Moore, beginning Monday.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player of the Year:  Obi Emegano (Edmond Memorial)

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

Offensive Player of the Year: Tilford Thornton (Southmoore)

Newcomer of the Year: Jordan Woodard (Edmond Memorial)

Coach of the Year: Shane Cowherd (Edmond Memorial)

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

In Stillwater, it was Tucker Barnard who is coming from Arkansas to take over for the Pioneers. Norman North has gone north to find its man.

The Timberwolves recently named Wade Standley their head coach. Standley had been the head coach at Liberal High in Liberal, Kan. Standley is no stranger to the state, though, having also been an assistant coach at Tulsa Union. Standley was 6-12 in his two years at Liberal.

Standley is replacing Lance Manning, who is leaving Norman North to become the coach at Edmond Santa Fe.

*Definitely hope to get a Q&A with Standley here in the next couple of weeks.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Ready for a healthy dose of swimming? We’ll start at Norman North where Wilson Wei once again won the 200-yard individual medley. However, what meant a lot more to him was the 200 medley relay team picking up the gold.

Joining Wei on the team were Tomas Elder, Alex Zhu and Aniruddha Parikh.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

11. Davion Pierson, Millwood (TCU) — The other local boy (not on Del City) going to Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs. Pierson’s dedication to his conditioning was key this year.

12. Daniel Davis, Norman North (Pennsylvana) — Went his separate ways with Stanford and has found a home in the Ivy League. Comfortable with decision.

13. Archie Bradley, Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) — Such a great baseball prospect that I would be shocked to see Bradley on OU’s campus in the fall though he said he really wants to be there.

14. Tyler Lockett, Tulsa Washington (Kansas State) — Played the role of recruiter himself in getting teammate Dante Barnett to join him in Manhattan.

15. Kameron Doolittle, Edmond Memorial (Northeastern Oklahoma) — Coaching changes proved crucial at Colorado and Tulsa. Still has a very upbeat attitude about his future.

16. Cody Miller, Lawton (East Central University) — A steal for the Ada-based program. Miller is about as solid as they come. ACL injury hurt his prospects.

17. Hunter Davis, Choctaw (Kansas State) — A late change from Tulsa to KSU, said he felt really comfortable in Manhattan.

18. Trevon Lewis, Midwest City (Texas State) — Midwest City assistant Jason Sexton said Lewis should be signing with Texas State, he’s another late sleeper if you ask me.

19. David Glidden, Mustang (Oklahoma State) — Proving again size doesn’t matter, Glidden could become a household name in a couple of years for the Cowboys.

20. Jake Love, Tonkawa (Kansas) — A solid senior season removed any doubts about Jayhawks taking a chance on Tonkawa product.

Wednesday: Nos. 10-1.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday: Nos. 20-11.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The Timberwolves all-around talent announced he is committing to the University of Pennsylvania.

Davis was once a Stanford commit, having given his verbal to the Cardinal in December 2009. However, after a falling out with the coaching staff in which both parties decided to go their separate ways, Davis was back on the market in November.

A three-star prospect by Rivals.com as a linebacker, Davis was unable to find offers from some of the top schools. Not because of his lack of talent but because most schools did not have any offers to give out.

A positive, Davis said, to committing to Pennsylvania is Ivy League schools do not give out athletic scholarships. So if something happens at a bigger school where a signee drops out, Davis is able to transfer and not be penalized.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I’ll do whatever is asked of me. I’m never going to stop working hard and giving everything I have,” Davis said.

***

Davis had given me every inclination in my interview with him last week that Penn was going to be his destination. You really cannot discount the fact that he is able to get on out if something happens at a major school.

But let me also say football doesn’t define Davis. His education, where he looks to focus on business, is probably even more important to him at this point in his life.

Watching Davis play the last two years, I’ve thought he’s among the 10 best all-around players I’ve seen. He’s got the goods and will be able to contribute wherever he goes. If it’s Penn, more power to him. He’s learned a lot about who he is and his character in the last couple of months so I know he’s comfortable in his own skin right now.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

So Lance Manning is going from a Timberwolf to just a Wolf, huh? If I was clever, I would have written something tying that all in. Hence, I’m not and never will be.

Just because Manning taking the Edmond Santa Fe job wasn’t shocking doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right move. Manning had applied for the Santa Fe job two years ago when it went to Bruce Gowen.

Obviously Manning had interest in the job. And frankly, it was the only other job Manning had shown some interest during his years at Norman North. Despite living in Edmond for more than 10 years at this point, Manning wasn’t quick to leave the Norman area.

But Edmond athletic director Mike Nunley was pretty pumped about getting Manning, and you see why. In talking to Nunley, a couple of big things he was looking for were ‘experience running a program’ and ‘character.’

And not that the 90 other applicants don’t have it, but you certainly get both things with Manning running the ship. Now I’m not saying all the sudden Santa Fe is going 11-2 or something like that, but he was the right hire at this time. Norman North had struggled in Manning’s last two years, posting a 4-5 record in 2009 and a 3-7 mark in 2010. So maybe it was just right for everybody to try something new.

Manning has the experience Nunley was looking for, coaching Norman North and Deer Creek. And though you can have several people vouch for someone’s character, the way Nunley described it was Manning’s kids reflected the type of character Manning has.

“It was reflected in how respectful his kids were. How tough those kids were. They would never stop fighting, and he was teaching them lessons that go beyond the football field.”

Manning was in a daze when I talked to him Monday night, but you can definitely sense the eagerness he has for this job. After all, he said it best:

“I’m an Edmond guy. This is the right situation for me.”

And if you’ve listened to me ramble enough this year, you know I expect things to turn around at Santa Fe. Those young kids that Gowen had to deal with are going to be all grown up now for Manning. Should be fun.

Update: I’ve heard from Manning. He’s pumped. He’s ready. You can read a lot more in Tuesday’s paper. And I’ll chime in with my thoughts Tuesday (if anybody cares).

Still waiting to hear from Manning:

***

EDMOND — There were so many applicants that Edmond athletic director Mike Nunley stopped counting.

But in the end, he feels Edmond Public Schools has found the right man. Lance Manning, who has coached Norman North the last six seasons, was approved to become the new Edmond Santa Fe football coach Monday night by the Edmond School Board.

“He has the experience and knowledge of how to run a football program,” Nunley said. “He has a tremendous work ethic, and he makes a strong impact in kids’ lives.”

And he won’t have to move. Manning lives in Edmond and now won’t have to travel to Norman.

Nunley said the choice was difficult because of all the quality candidates. He said there were around 90 applicants from seven different states.

“Lance met all our criteria, and we think is a great hire for Edmond Public Schools, and he’ll fit right in at Santa Fe,” Nunley said.

Manning is 56-52 in his 10 years as a head coach, and the Timberwolves were 3-7 last season.

Manning is replacing former coach Bruce Gowen, who resigned after this season. Gowen was 4-16 in his two years with the Wolves, including a 1-9 record in 2010.

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

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

McGuinness 77, NW Classen 61

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

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

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

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

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

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

Norman North 64, Deer Creek 58

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

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

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

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

Norman 57, Edmond North 41

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

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

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

Guthrie 49, Yukon 47 – OT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NW Classen 67, Deer Creek 56

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

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

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

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

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

McGuinness 54, Norman North 50

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

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

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

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

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

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

NW Classen 58, Norman 57

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

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

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

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

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

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

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

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

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

Norman North 48, Guthrie 38

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

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

Guarantee both teams will have a better showing Friday.

Boys

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

Northwest Classen 58, Norman 57

Deer Creek 57, Yukon 49

Deer Creek*15*11*17*14 — 57

Yukon*13*13*13*10 — 49

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

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

Northwest Classen 58, Norman 57

Norman*13*16*22*6 — 57

Northwest*15*8*17*18 — 58

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

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

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

Norman North 48, Guthrie 38

McGuinness 43, Edmond North 38

Edmond North*9*8*6*16 — 38

McGuinness*8*15*6*14 — 43

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

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

Norman North*3*11*10*24 — 48

Guthrie*4*8*8*18 — 38

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

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

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

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

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

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.

No. 1 Edmond Memorial rallies from 13 down in the fourth quarter to knock off No. 3 Midwest City on its home floor, hitting four of four free throws in the final 13 seconds to avenge the overtime loss to the Bombers in the first round of the state tournament (well, sort of, though let’s not equate December wins to March wins).

Had to be the biggest drama of the night, right?

Wrong.

Three metro-area games go overtime, with Shawnee nipping Western Heights, Norman North taking down Southmoore and the big one — Putnam City West winning 55-51 at No. 4 Edmond Santa Fe.

That’s a huge win for the Patriots, simply to show themselves and the rest of Class 6A that just because Tyler Neal and Amric Fields are gone, the Pats aren’t going to be a doormat.

Guard Kyndall Dudley hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime to spark the win and Dante Lewis had 10 boards and three blocked shots as the pair of seniors carried PC West to the victory.

“All our kids stepped up and made big plays,” first-year PC West coach Lenny Bert said. “They left their heart on the floor. After the game in the locker room, it wasn’t some big celebration. It was like we were supposed to win. It’s good to get that feeling early, because it showed us we can beat a legitimate team and gives us the belief that we can be good if we do what we’re supposed to do.”

Mustang didn’t need overtime to take down No. 2 Putnam City at PC. David Glidden scored only six points in a loss last week, so I wondered if maybe the ankle he injured in the final football game was still an issue. Then he busts out for 20 against the Pirates. Robert Shaw added 14 and Zac Grismer had 13 in the win.

Back to Memorial-MWC… these are two really good teams who will be hanging around in March. Memorial’s Obi Emegano is a horse, but we all knew that. The Bulldogs play some tough defense, too.

Sophomore Jordan Woodard is a budding star who will only get better. For such a young kid to step to the free throw line with 6.1 seconds left and a one-point lead and be able to hit two free throws — he was 2-of-4 at the line before that — was very impressive. He and his brother, James, are both very athletic and will make it tough for teams to figure out how to defend the Bulldogs this year, especially with Emegano.

“It’s hard to guard (Emegano) one-on-one,” Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said. “And if you foul him, he’ll make you pay at the line.”

He certainly did Tuesday, hitting 14 of 16, including two with 12.9 seconds left.

The Bombers look about the same as last year. Not huge inside but very tough on defense to create easy offense, and they can get going on some serious 3-pointer streaks. They might even have a little better depth than last year, too.

There was plenty more drama around the metro area last night, and a few big performances as well. Bridge Creek’s Ryan Spangler had 46 points, 26 rebounds, seven assists and six blocked shots in a rout of Crooked Oak. Armon Provo had his second straight 30-point game, scoring 34 against Choctaw, and his night ended when the Panthers held a 33-point lead after three quarters. And Deer Creek’s Garrett Hermanski scored 38 in a win over Chickasha.

We’re only two weeks into the season. How much better can this year get?

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

If you have All-District teams, go ahead and send ‘em.

6A – 1 All-District Selections

Coach of the Year:            Steve Huff        Midwest City
Offensive Player of the Year:        Louis Durant        Lawton Ike (RB)
Co-Defensive Player of the Year:    Connor Myers        Edmond Memorial (DT)
Co-Defensive Player of the Year:    Dan Davis        Norman North (LB)
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year:    Justin Durham        Lawton Ike (OG)
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year:    Jesse Venzor        Midwest City (OG)
Defensive Lineman of the Year:    Brad Ross        Putnam City North (DT)

Tanner Hessman        QB                Choctaw
Corey Bennett            RB                Choctaw
Aaron Fournier        DB                Choctaw
Hunter Davis            DE                Choctaw
Brandon Drain            DE                Choctaw
Connor Myers            DT                Edmond Memorial
Jared Chambers        DE                Edmond Memorial
Kameron Doolittle        QB                Edmond Memorial
Jacob Wright            OL                Edmond Memorial
Jeff Balkenbush        DB                Edmond Memorial
Will Conant            Kicker/Punter            Edmond Memorial
Connor McElveen        DB                Edmond Memorial
Grant Bohuslavicky        LB                Edmond Memorial
Cale Olbert            RB                Edmond Memorial
Logan Ezell            OL                Lawton Ike
Nathan Locker            RB                Lawton Ike
Wayne  Tanner            OL                Lawton Ike
Adrain Woodard        WR                Lawton Ike
Dillon Pulliam            LB                Lawton Ike
Marty Northern        DL                Lawton Ike
JR. Hernandez            DL                Lawton Ike
Baccari Jackson        DB                Lawton Ike
Deshon Whartley        DB                Lawton Ike
Taylor Scott            DB                Lawton Ike
David Cowan            LB                Moore
Ryan Crain            DL                Moore
Vova Razryvin        QB                Moore
Kevin Ross            OL                Moore
Trystyn Kirby            OL                Moore
Greg Austin            QB                Midwest City
Trevon Lews            DE                Midwest City
Cameron Hishaw        DE                Midwest City
Carlos Morales        LB                Midwest City
Cortrez Colbert        WR                Midwest City
Jesse Venzor            OL                Midwest City
Landen Carson        OL                Midwest City
Cajun Cox            RB                Midwest City
Cortrael Colbert        WR                Midwest City
Ryan Wright            WR                Midwest City
Claude Donald        WR                Midwest City
Dan Davis            LB                Norman North
Raymond Demby        RB                Norman North
Caleb Cline            OL                Norman North
Daniel Moses            LB                Norman North
Derek Morton            DL                Norman North
Emilio Gatewood        DB                Norman North
Zac Pierce            LB                Norman North
Covin Conrady        WR                Putnam City North
Sam Wolfe            RB                Putnam City North
Brad Ross            DL                Putnam City North
Abe Almatasem        DE                Putnam City North
DeQuantae Colbert        DB                Putnam City North
Jace James            QB                Putnam City North
Billy Prater            DB                Putnam City North
Andy Bates            OL                Putnam City North
Eric Granado            WR                Yukon
Kaiden Horn            WR                Yukon
Kollin Retter            WR                Yukon
Jake Doyle            DE                Yukon
Terry Jones            RB                Yukon
Jordan Edwards        DB                Yukon
Ty Garza            DB                Yukon
Carson Mathews        LB                Yukon
Jake Henderson        LB                Yukon
Andrew Edwards        DE                Yukon

Midwest City (9-0) at Norman North (3-6)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Harve Collins Field, Norman

Midwest City (W – Del City; W – Enid; W – ESF; W – Yukon; W – PCNorth; W – Moore; W – Choctaw; W – EdMemorial; W – Lawton Ike)
Why the Bombers can win: Because that defense, whew, is playing unbelievable right now. The key is to keep that intensity in a game that doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Norman North
Why the T-Wolves can win: Because you can take out a year’s worth of frustration in one fell swoop with a win over the Bombers. There are so many great seniors on this team so you know they wanna go out playing their best.

The pick: Midwest City 39, Norman North 15. Bombers haven’t really hit the gas pedal hard all season, incredibly content to win with comfortable margins. Do it again here.

Boneman’s MWC prediction record: 9-0.

Norman North football star Daniel Davis is no longer committed to Stanford, Davis announced earlier this week.

Davis said the relationship with the Stanford coaching staff wasn’t working out and that he wants to go to a university that wants him to be there.

Davis had been a star at defensive end for Norman North the last two seasons. This year he moved to linebacker but has been a force anywhere he has been on the field for the Timberwolves.

He has 78 tackles and one sack on defense as he has adjusted well to his new role. He’s rushed for 116 yards, caught 18 balls for 234 yards and three touchdowns and has averaged 41 yards per punt.

Since committing to Stanford nearly a year ago, Davis has not listened to any other offers from other schools.

A three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, the 6-foot-2 and 225-pounder has received strong interest from Missouri and other Big 12 schools.

Davis’ father Chris said in an e-mail the family is already beginning the recruiting process once again. National signing day for football is in February.

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

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

We’re still a long ways from Week 10 against Yukon, but my mind is already running wild with playoff scenario situations for Edmond Memorial.

Seriously, I’ve done at least like 10 different scenarios at this point. Maybe I should just wait until after Week 9, huh? It just feels right now Memorial could be the best team to not make the playoffs (Southmoore would have a good claim, too).

A lot can change in a week. And if you watched the Bulldogs against Norman North, you see why coach Justin Merideth has been so excited about his team the whole year.

Memorial 31, Norman North 14

Set the tone early. First play from scrimmage for Memorial was a nine-yard run by Kameron Doolittle. It announced, “I’m back. I’m a force and good luck stopping me.”

Doolittle actually wasn’t as big of a factor later in the game, but that first quarter was where he made his mark. The Bulldogs fed off that momentum and that offensive line was extremely pumped up.

But give a lot of credit to Ry Huff. A really good game plan by Merideth of using Doolittle early, and then countering with Huff for most of the the final three quarters.

Huff threw a couple of really nice passes, but what the combo does more than anything is give a defense too much to think about. Each can run and/or pass. And heck, we saw one play where Huff threw to Doolittle.

But the turning point of this game was early in the third quarter. Norman North forced a fumble on the first play and was trailing 10-7 with a chance to tie or take the lead.

The field goal was no good. Memorial goes 80 yards in 12 plays and takes a 17-7 lead, and there ya go.

North had Emilio Gatewood at QB at times. Found ways to get it to Daniel Davis and Raymond Demby. Real good scheme as well from Lance Manning, just kinda got caught in the fourth quarter.

Doolittle started the game with a 25-yard touchdown run and closed out the Bulldogs scoring on a 30-yarder. Huff rushed for one score and passed for another.

Boneman’s Breakdown

- Gavin Fouts is another unsung hero right now for Memorial. He’s been great since the loss of Cale Olbert. Not exactly flashy, but he’s not afraid to be a workhorse.

- Gatewood at QB really threw me for a loop. He’s such a dynamic talent that it wasn’t a horrible idea. Demby scored a 27-yard touchdown and those two continue to be a nice one-two punch.

- Still love the effort of Daniel Davis. I would rank him in my top 10 players of the season despite the Timberwolves’ record. He gave everything and has played both ways and shown what true leadership is.

- Huff you are owed a video. I lost track of where he was, and I panicked. Couldn’t find him, sorry.

- Memorial heads to Yukon next week. Ooh boy, should be a good one. We’ll know a lot more about what the Bulldogs need to do to advance by late Friday night. You can still seriously have four teams at 3-4 (Memorial, Choctaw, Putnam North, Norman North) as of Friday morning.

How so? Memorial loses to Yukon. Choctaw beats Yukon but loses to Putnam North. Norman North beats Midwest City. Putnam North beats Choctaw and Moore. Wow, don’t think all of those scenarios are going to happen but…yea, it’s possible.

- Look for a video with Doolittle on NewsOK on Friday.

Norman North (3-5) at Edmond Memorial (5-3)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: UCO’s Wantland Stadium (I’ll be there)

Norman North
Why the Timberwolves can win: This team has thrown me for a loop all season. There is so much talent on this team, but they haven’t been able to put it all together. This is a team that stopped a good Putnam North rushing attack and also lost to Choctaw. The North running attack should keep this interesting.

Memorial (W – Santa Fe; W – Stillwater; W – EdNorth; L – PCNorth; W – Moore; W – Choctaw; L – Lawton Ike; L – Midwest City)
Why the Bulldogs can win: Because if they don’t do it, it’s going to take some district point miracles to get them in the postseason. Memorial is reeling after the last couple of weeks, but coach Justin Merideth has done a good job of keeping the focus of his players.

Key matchup: Battle of the running games. Do you like Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood of North or Ry Huff, Gavin Fouts and maybe some Kameron Doolittle of Memorial? The big boys up front are going to let us know who wins this one.

The pick: Memorial 23, Norman North 15. If there is any chance that Doolittle can be effective, it’s going to be a big lift. Bulldogs pull it out to set stage for Yukon showdown.

Boneman’s Memorial prediction record: 6-2.

Two games left. Where do the Tigers and Timberwolves stand?

Norman (7-1, 4-1)
Games remaining: vs. Muskogee, at Jenks
Prognosis: Incredible from where we were at the start of this season. Like I said in a previous blog, the battle with the Roughers should determine who is third and who is fourth in the district.

It’s senior night, and you figure Norman’s fans are going to be going crazy. Sure gonna be interesting to see what happens between Jenks and Broken Arrow this week, too.

Norman North (3-5, 2-3)
Games remaining: at Edmond Memorial, vs. Midwest City
Prognosis: Not good. Definitely entering the final weeks as the underdogs, especially after the home loss to Choctaw. Not saying it can’t be done, but Lance Manning’s boys have an uphill climb ahead of them.

But if they do win out and Choctaw doesn’t win its final two games, then yep, Norman North would be joining the postseason party.

Norman North (2-4, 1-2) at Moore Lions (0-6, 0-3)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Moore Stadium

Norman North (2-4)
Why the Timberwolves can win: There are signs that this team is heading in the right direction. Last week’s win over Putnam City North is obviously part of that, but the T-Wolves were up in the second half on Yukon the week before and the run game has begun to be more productive. 

Moore (0-6)
Why the Lions can win: Matchups. The Lions are strong upfront defensively and could slow down the Norman North running game. Offensively, it’s been three weeks since the new offense was installed. If the attack ever comes around, it should be soon.

Quote: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions don’t turn it on fire and start scoring some points and we end up winning some games.” — Moore coach Scott Myers

Justin’s key matchup: Moore’s offensive against Norman North defense. The Lions’ offense has to get started sooner or later. If not this week, then it may never happen. Moore’s defense can slow down the Huskies’ offense, but will the Lions’ offense be able to keep up.

Scott’s key matchup: Norman North RBs vs. Moore defensive front. Emilio Gatewood has found a way to make some big plays, providing a home run threat alongisde the pounding Raymond Demby has done. But if Moore can stuff the run, it could be a struggle for the T-Wolves.

Justin’s pick: Moore 20, Norman North 13. If the Moore Lions are going to win a game this might be their last chance. Moore sets up good in this one, but only if its offense comes around. I think it’s likely.

Scott’s pick: Norman North 27, Moore 21. Momentum is big and Norman North is feeling more confident right now than it has all season.

Last week: PC North fell in overtime to No. 5 Midwest City. Norman North held a second-half lead at Yukon before falling 35-17.

Why the Panthers could win: The Panther defense has been sharp all year, and the offense keeps finding the flow better each week. QB Jace James threw four picks in the first two games, but only one since then. Sam Wolfe has been producing big plays all season, and the return of Dre Holman frees him up to be a rushing-receiving threat even more than he has been.

Why the Timberwolves could win: Defensively, Norman North has shown some flashes of being good at times, but outside of the win over Westmoore, they can’t put a full game together. If they can play well and create some turnovers, PC North has shown it can be susceptible to beating themselves with mistakes.

Key matchup: Norman North QB Brad Valentino vs. PC North defense. The T-Wolves have two good running backs in Emilio Gatewood and Raymond Demby, but the passing game has averaged just 64 yards per game. Against the Panthers, Valentino will need to open up the running lanes by throwing the ball a little bit.

The pick: PC North 27, Norman North 13. I can’t understand why the T-Wolves have struggled the way they have this season, but PC North is just too hot right now.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Last week: Norman North fell 27-20 to Lawton Eisenhower. Yukon built a 21-6 lead at Midwest City before the tide turned and the Bombers scored 42 straight for a 48-21 win.

Why the T-Wolves could win: Those offensive weapons — primarily RBs Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood, and tight end Dan Davis — are going to get on track eventually. They’re too good not to. With 20 points in back-to-back weeks, it’s possible that they’re coming together. Demby, Gatewood and Davis are also key defensive players who give the T-Wolves a chance on that side of the ball.

Why the Millers could win: After last week’s second-half performance, you’d expect this team to be ready to take out some frustrations, and a Norman North squad off to a slow start is just in the wrong spot. The Miller offense was virtually unstoppable in the first half last week, and if they play even close to that level, they can put up points on anyone. MWC started scoring and the snowball couldn’t be stopped, so don’t look at that 48 points allowed and discredit the defense. That’s still a good unit, too.

Key matchup: NN quarterback Brad Valentino vs. Yukon secondary. Valentino has been up and down this year, completing 44 percent of his passes with two TDs and two picks. He’ll need to be sharp to keep the Millers from loading up on the run. And Yukon has some playmakers on the back end as well.

The pick: Yukon 31, Norman North 17. I can’t understand why this Norman North team can’t get it going, and maybe this is the week they turn things around. But I think Yukon is just too much.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

An interesting game Thursday night at Moore Stadium between Norman North and Westmoore. I picked the Timberwolves to win it, and I was pretty sure of that pick when it was 14-0 in the second quarter.

But the Jaguars fought back. It wasn’t always pretty, but I loved the effort of both teams. And nobody impressed me more than Westmoore’s Cody Cates. He put on an impressive display of hitting.

However, Norman North never got rattled. And after shutting the Jags down in OT, needed two plays to scored the game-winner in a 20-14 victory. Raymond Demby went nine yards on the first carry. Zac Pierce did the rest on second down.

I like Lionard Fombe at quarterback for Westmoore. He played extremely hard and definitely had some moments back there.

North’s bread and butter is going to be the running game. Demby would not quit Thursday. Emilio Gatewood is explosive, of course, and made some big plays.

Here is a video with Demby, following the win:

Norman North Timberwolves (1-0) at Westmoore Jaguars (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Robert Przybylo will be there)
Where: Moore Stadium

Norman North (0-2)
Why the Timberwolves can win: Norman North brings a talented backfield and a strangely unique offense. The Power-I formation has almost evaporated from high school football, which makes the Timberwolves a difficult team to prepare for.

Westmoore (1-1)
Why the Jaguars can win: Westmoore was within striking distance last week against Southmoore and its change of mentality seems to be paying off. The Jaguars are averaging more than 200 yards on the ground per game and have shown the ability to score from anywhere on the field.

Key matchup: Westmoore running game vs. Norman North defensive front. The Timberwolves have given up 501 yards on the ground in their first two games and the Jaguars love to pound the football.

The pick: Westmoore 24, Norman North 17. It’ll be close, but an emerging Trevor Thompson at quarterback and running back Cody Feuerborn will be too much for the Timberwolves to slow down.

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

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

Del City 41, Norman North 14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boneman’s Breakdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Chargers defeated Cascia at the Broken Arrow Tournament, which was loaded with good competition from all classes.

In 6A, Edmond Memorial held onto the top spot and Jenks jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 after starting the season 9-0. The Trojans have lost two of their last three, including a loss Monday night to Edmond Santa Fe — the team they moved ahead of for the second spot.

The other team to beat Jenks was 5A’s No. 1, Tulsa Kelley, which is facing off with Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe tonight at Memorial. Should be a couple of thrillers.

Other items worth noting in Tuesday’s polls: Following its big win over Heritage Hall last week, Christian Heritage moved up one spot to fifth in 4A… Unbeaten Putnam City (9-0) moved up to No. 7 in 6A, Norman North (10-1) jumped to No. 8 and 8-3 Mustang slipped into the poll at No. 15… In 5A, unbeaten Coweta (9-0) moved into the top 5 at No. 5 and Southeast is No. 10.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Has Norman caught up to Norman North?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regular Norman and Moore blogger Justin Harper is having to leave for personal reasons and temporarily won’t be able to clue you in with what’s going on for the Tigers, Timberwolves, Lions, Jaguars and SaberCats. We wish Justin the best during this tough time.

Starting this week, we have a couple of new bloggers to try to fill the void. For all your Moore information, Justin Hite is going to be your guy. For news from Norman, OU student James Corley will be the man in charge. Here they are in their own words.

Justin Hite, Moore blogger:

The first game I ever covered was between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers in 1994. I mean, I was only 8 years old and it was actually a video game I had just played on SEGA Genesis, but it was a start.

I grew up in northern Virginia and I graduated from Elon University in North Carolina. After covering the NBA, NFL, PGA Tour as well as high school and college sports, I came to Oklahoma to pursue my career. I spent 17 months in Stillwater and then moved to Oklahoma City where I did freelance work for The Oklahoman and the Associated Press.

Now, it’s time for a little high school football. Everything about Moore, Southmoore and Westmoore, you can find here. From the Moore War to the Class 6A state playoffs, I’ll be there.

James Corley, Norman blogger:

You might say football is an obsession of mine. It basically has to be because of how I was raised.

My parents never fought when I was growing up except for one day out of the year: OU-Nebraska. Mom was a Husker and Dad was a Sooner. Eventually I would have to choose sides.

I studied journalism at both schools and worked for both school papers. Now I live in Norman and work for The Oklahoman.

I’ll be all over Norman and Norman North football this season, anything Tiger or Timberwolf. Football’s an obsession and it starts on Friday nights (Boneman’s Note: Or in this week’s case, Thursday

Anyway, there’s a lot of talent there, and as long as they can keep all of them fresh, they could be a pretty good team. A lot of their offensive standouts play defense as well, so finding other guys to mix in and let the starters rest will be important.

Here’s my interview with quarterback Brad Valentino after the Mustang Pigskin Preview on Thursday:

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

If you look at the scores, it might not sound too impressive. Lawton MacArthur’s 9-6 win over Mustang was the night’s high-scoring affair. But it was good, nonetheless, with too much good stuff to get all of it in the paper with all of our scrimmage coverage from Thursday. I’ve got some more items of note below, but first, for all the stuff that made it in the paper, here are the links to…

The Scrimmage Roundup

The Blue-Chip Report

Filling the Gaps

- As for everything else, I’d have to say the team that created the most buzz was Lawton MacArthur. QB Dylan Warner is a talented player with four D-I offers so far, either as a QB or safety. He was throwing the ball well on Thursday, and he has some weapons to work with, both at receiver and running back. There’s a lot of strong teams atop 5A, but look for the Highlanders to make some noise.

And on Thursday, they were without their top WR, Rashaud Foreman, who has a sprained ankle. He’s expected back in time for the opener, or at the latest, the Lawton High game in Weed 2.

- Norman North’s trio of running backs is a scary group, with Emilio Gatewood, Raymond Demby and Brian Payne. I haven’t seen enough of Payne, just a sophomore, to know, but Gatewood or Demby would make a strong featured back. However, both start on defense — Gatewood at corner and Demby at outside linebacker, so having the running back committee really benefits the team pretty well.

There was a close call on Norman North’s near-touchdown against Altus, when it was ruled that QB Brad Valentino’s knee hit the ground before he got in on a sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1 yard line. I’ve got a video interview with Valentino that should be available for viewing soon.

- Mustang QB Brandon Taylor had a hot-and-cold night, but it wasn’t all his fault. His top WR, David Glidden, was sidelined with a sore knee, and his biggest and best offensive lineman, Caleb Schompert, was held out as well. And the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver, Jon Luckey, didn’t play any offense in the mini-games, which gave some other young receivers a chance to work.

Taylor was intercepted once and led two TD drives. He’s athletic enough to make some plays on the move, and the timing of the QB-WR relationship will improve with Glidden and Luckey in the mix. Still, some of the other guys made nice catches. Derek Garvin pulled down a TD catch on a fade route, barely getting his feet down inbounds. And just like last year, Taylor and Garvin were in tune on the short out routes along the boundary.

I mentioned buzz with Lawton Mac. Well, No. 2 on the buzz scale would have been Mustang linebacker Tucker Calmus. The nephew of former Jenks, OU and NFL player Rocky Calmus, Tucker is a beast of a sophomore who laid a few good hits on people Thursday night. I haven’t seen a roster, so I don’t know how big he is, but I’d guess about 6-foot-2 and at least 200 pounds or more.

- With some experienced players returning at running back and receiver, Lawton Eisenhower has the freedom to utilize running back Louis Durant in a number of ways. On Thursday, Durant got the ball on handoffs and caught passes both out of the backfield and as a slot receiver. He was one of the Eagles’ most productive players last year, rushing for 681 yards and eight touchdowns. He is back this year along with quarterback Adrian McDonald, now a junior.

“He’s a solid running back,” coach Boone Copeland said. “We feel good. Offensively, we’ve done well. (McDonald) is an exciting player and our team has a lot of confidence in him.”

- Altus graduated more than 20 seniors off last year’s football team, but this year’s Bulldogs are hoping to fill the holes and keep moving forward.

“We have 17 returning seniors and a few new seniors that didn’t play last year,” senior receiver/cornerback Bob Laub said. “We’re still a young group. They’ve got to fill in the slots.

“Even though we lost a lot of starters, the defense and the offense are both holding together well. I have a pretty good feeling about our defense this year.”

Laub was a key piece in last year’s defense, grabbing eight interceptions, among the best in Class 5A.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Tuesday marked the first day of football, but don’t tell that to some of the state’s best baseball players as Oklahoma HS kids are dominating right now on the national scene.

Oklahoma reps win Area Code challenge

Whether it was Broken Arrow’s Dylan Delso at the plate or Deer Creek’s Michael Fulmer on the mound, the Oklahoma representatives fared well in the Area Code challenge this week in Long Beach, Calif.

Eight Oklahomans were on the Chicago White Sox roster that went 4-1 in the six days and earned the challenge championship.

In the team’s final win, a 9-1 whipping of the Texas Rangers, Delso drove in two runs while Fulmer, Edmond Santa Fe’s Kyle Shaw and Broken Arrow’s Mason Hope combined to pitch five scoreless innings and struck out nine.

The White Sox roster had players from 11 different states and Oklahoma had representatives from Deer Creek (Fulmer and Brian Anderson), Santa Fe (Shaw, Ty Hensley and Clayton Blackburn), Norman North (Caleb Simpson) and Broken Arrow (Delso, Hope).

***

Outlaws taking next step

The Oklahoma Outlaws baseball team had no problems in advancing to the American Legion World Series.

The Outlaws won 8-0 against League City, Texas, and then 7-2 vs. Pontotoc, Miss., on Monday night to earn the American Legion Mid-South championship.

The Outlaws consist of high school graduates from the Mid-Del area, including Choctaw’s Josh Halbert. The team has won the Seniors Division of the American Legion in Oklahoma two years in a row.

The American Legion World Series begins Friday in Spokane, Wash., where the Outlaws will play the Mid-Atlantic champion.

We’re days away from two-a-days starting for football, so consider this the day where I attempt to try to catch up with what else is going on.

Norman North’s Tyler Sergent has had a fine summer in track and field. Sergent won the shot put Wednesday at the AAU Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Va. He also placed 11th in the discus throw.

Sergent didn’t just win the shot put, he dominated the field. His winning toss was 59 feet 11 3/4 inches. The next best throw? 54 feet 8 inches.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Gunnar Nixon is getting ready to leave for Singapore. Nixon will leave Monday and will be gone for three weeks.

Look for much more on Nixon in Friday’s paper. Pawhuska’s Sarah Tolson is also making that trip as she will be competing in the shot put.

A little late on this but trying to catch up on everything. Edmond Memorial upended Norman North 9-5 in the finals of the Pure Prairie League state tournament last weekend in Enid.

Norman North defeated Midwest City in the semis while Memorial ousted Putnam North. And interestingly enough, three of those four teams represented the west side in the state tournament in May.

The only representative not there was Edmond Santa Fe as the Bombers knocked off the Wolves.

“This is a big deal,” Norman North coach Charles Redman said. “These are our high school teams for next year. We looked at this as the continuation of our season.”

The Timberwolves have closed up shop for the summer at 29-8.

Waiting to hear back from Memorial coach Kyle Roberts to see who stood out when it came to the Bulldogs.

Got summer baseball news? Don’t by shy, hit me up in an e-mail. Appreciate it.

***

Got in touch with Roberts, and he said it’s just been an absolute team effort right now by the Bulldogs. The starting pitching has been fantastic, but he didn’t want to single out any of them because it’s been a TEAM thing.

And talking to him found out Memorial is taking on Pryor in the finals of the American Legion Tournament in Enid. It’s a best-of-3 series with Pryor leading 3-1 in the fourth of the first game that was suspended by rain. Keep ya posted.

And down the stretch we come. It’s not that the first half of the Super 30 isn’t an impressive list, but we broke on through to the other side this week.

Starting to look at the kids that either have an insane amount of offers of who have committed to some top-tier schools.

Here’s a look back at the week that was in the Super 30…

No. 18 Trevon Lewis, Midwest City: It’s his time to shine now. With Dominque Jones and Emmanuel Maxwell moving on, Lewis will become the unquestioned leader of what should be another stout Bombers defense. For my story on Lewis, go here.

No. 17 Archie Bradley, Broken Arrow: Making adjustments is pretty easy for Bradley. Whether it was transferring from Muskogee to Broken Arrow or playing football and baseball, the man has a plan for everything. For Justin Harper’s story on Bradley, go here.

No. 16 Hunter Davis, Choctaw: A polarizing figure with great size and speed. Problem was he didn’t play his heart out on every play, now it’s playing a role in the recruiting process. He’s determined to show what he’s made of. For Scott Wright’s story on Davis, go here.

No. 15 Cody Miller, Lawton: The Wolverines have one of the most talented pools of kids in the state. But every team needs that one guy it can look to when the times are tough. For Lawton, that is Miller. For my story on Miller, go here.

No. 14 Tyler Lockett, Booker T.: Another Lockett, another Kansas State commit. His father, Kevin, and his uncle, Aaron, had great careers for the Wildcats.  It wasn’t a slam dunk, but Tyler is ready to add to that legacy. For Scott Wright’s story on Lockett, go here.

No. 13 Daniel Davis, Norman North: Ya know, if Davis’ football career ever goes south, he has a backup plan. The Timberwolves star and Stanford commit is obsessed with swimming pool basketball and is poised for another great year. For Justin Harper’s story on Davis, go here.

No. 12 Kameron Doolittle, Edmond Memorial: He’s been having fun this summer playing basketball and other things like that, but yes, he does realize he is a top recruit. With four offers, Doolittle is in no rush to make a decision. For my story on Doolittle, go here.

We’re entering the top 10 this week. For more thoughts on all the Super 30 kids, including stories, bios, blogs and videos, keep it locked on NewsOK.com.

Gotta be a good time to be a Norman North football fan, right? Ya know those kids are pumped to begin after ending last year on a five-game losing streak.

And the names are impressive. From LB Zac Pierce to QB Brad Valentino to RBs Raymond Demby and Emilio Gatewood (transfer from Millwood), Lance Manning has one stacked group of players.

Oh yea, and then there’s Daniel Davis – the crown jewel of the class. Davis has already committed to Stanford, and you could sense how much that has eased things for him this summer.

I’ve seen Davis play a couple of times and most recently at the Edmond North camp, and he really sticks out in a crowd. At defensive end, he bullies the offensive linemen and hits with force.

But on offense, it was that same determination to not be brought down that stood out. I shudder to even think about playing him in swimming pool basketball.

Davis isn’t alone as Sallisaw’s Garrett Gladd is also headed to Stanford and Davis said he’s been getting to know Gladd better through this process.

Davis (and well, the rest of this year’s crop of seniors) have been lurking in the shadows. This group is ready to make its own name. It’s going to start with Davis.

Hope you guys are enjoying our countdown of the top 30 football recruits for next as much as we are enjoying writing all the stories on the kids.

We’re entering Week 3 with No. 18 on Monday, but here’s a look back at what we saw this last week…

No. 25 Connor Myers, Edmond Memorial: Whether it’s football, powerlifting or Taekwondo, Myers is a competitor in every sense of the word. His Taekwondo background sure is proving its dividends now. For my story on Myers, here ya go.

No. 24 Trent Martin, Jenks: He broke his leg last year, but his heart and determination is something any college scout would love. Tulsa jumped on him early, and he committed in February. For Justin Harper’s story on Martin, here ya go.

No. 23 Isaac Maselera, Glenpool: He’ll be a stud in the secondary for Oklahoma State, but he’s a lot more than that to the Warriors. He’s a quiet kid until he steps on the field and lets his play do the talking. For Justin Harper’s story on Maselera, here ya go.

No. 22 Brayle Brown, Shawnee: The Brown family is pretty famous in Shawnee and having to balance being father and coach for Billy to Brayle is a great example of a father-son working relationship. For Scott Wright’s story on Brown, here ya go.

No. 21 Emilio Gatewood, Norman North: Gatewood is making the move to the Timberwolves after excelling for Millwood. It will give him a real chance to see if he can cut the mustard against 6A teams. For Scott Wright’s story on Gatewood, here ya go.

No. 20 Jake Love, Tonkawa: The Kansas commit is one of the most versatile talents in the state. A champion in football, wrestling and track, what can he possibly do for an encore as a senior? For Scott Wright’s story on Love, here ya go.

No. 19 David Glidden, Mustang: Yea, he’s undersized, but he’s one of the most explosive talents in the state. He’s using this summer to rest up and get healthy and will be a name to watch. Committed to OSU. For Scott Wright’s story on Glidden, here ya go.

Keep visiting the Varsity blogs and NewsOK.com for more analysis, videos and stories on the Super 30.

REGION III US Youth Soccer Championships
Baton Rouge, LA
Friday’s games involving Oklahoma teams

BOYS
U14: Lonestar (TX) 96 Red 3, TSC-96 Red (OK) 0
U15: Brentwood (TN) 95 Premier 1, OFC 95 (OK) 0
U16: TSC 94 Black (OK) 3, Dallas Texans San Antonio 94 Red (TX) 0
U17: Celtic 93 Green (OK) 4, KFC Crush 93 Blue (TN) 1; TSC 93 Red (OK) 1, DFW Tejanos 93 Premier (TX) 0
U18: 92 Louisiana Fire Red (LA) 2, Celtic 92 Green (OK) 1; OFC 92 (OK) 6, Dallas Texans Houston 92 Red (TX) 1
U19: Tulsa Soccer Club (OK) 2, Louisiana Fire (LA) 2

GIRLS
U14: East Lake Arsenal (FL) 3, OFC 96 (OK) 0
U15: Hurricane 95 Rhein (OK) 2, BUSA 95 Elite (AL) 0
U16: Solar Red 94 (TX) 2, North OKC OFC 94 (OK) 0
U17: Hurricane FC 93 Shubert (OK) 4, Mandeville Lakers (LA) 0
U18: 91 TFC Navy (NC) 4, Hurricane FC 92 Cussen (OK) 1

Millwood offensive coordinator Kevin Cox gets a little emotional thinking about the fact that Emilio Gatewood won’t be playing for the Falcons this fall after his family moved to Norman North.

And it’s not just that Cox will miss Gatewood’s 8.3 yards per carry.

“I’ll be real honest with you — I love the kid,” Cox said. “I don’t want to say he’s like a son, because I’m not old enough to have any sons his age, but he’s one of those kids I’d do anything for.”

Of course, Gatewood’s value to the Falcons as a running back was pretty strong, too.

“It’s gonna hurt us not having him,” Cox said. “When things got down and we needed a big play or a hard, tough-nosed one-yard run, he wanted the ball. He did everything. We’ve got to find somebody who can do that. The kid’s great.”

Gatewood knows he won’t be the featured back at Norman North, with other upperclassmen entrenched in the offense, starting with senior Raymond Demby. Gatewood has played safety in 7-on-7 with the T-Wolves earlier this month, and a couple of colleges have talked about him being a cornerback at the next level.

With offers from Tulsa and Louisiana Tech already on the table, Gatewood just wants to get on the field and continue to show that he has Division I talent. He’ll get the chance against some stout competition, with Midwest City, Edmond Memorial, Putnam City North and Yukon — all of which went to the playoffs last fall — in the new District 6A-1 with the Timberwolves. 

As for Millwood, Shevin Patton will likely take over as the featured back, with guys like Michael Cole and Josh Turner getting a chance at some carries in addition to their other duties.

“We’re hoping all three of those guys can be what Emilio was by himself,” Cox said.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

It’s much ado about nothing at this point when it comes to conference realignments with the Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, SEC, etc.

Latest word on the street is Texas will make it official Tuesday about joining the Pac-10, and you would assume OU, OSU and Tech will follow its lead. A&M sounds like it might be headed to the SEC.

Then there was a report this morning about the 10 remaining Big 12 schools staying intact after finding a TV deal that appeases everyone. Who knows?

But it’s all speculation at this point. Fun speculation and crazy if you start believing every Tweet you read. And in talking to some of the top recruits (David Glidden, Daniel Davis and Kentrell Brothers), they’re in the same boat as the rest of us.

Glidden of Mustang is an OSU commit and said if OSU goes out west it won’t change a thing for him. In fact, he’s pumped about seeing the west coast. He said he’s been to New Mexico and Colorado back when he was much younger but has never been more west than that.

Sadly, I have him beat. I haven’t been west of Amarillo, Texas.

When Glidden first heard about this, his initial thought was there was no way this could happen. It just didn’t make any sense, but he’s OK with it.

Wanted to get some thoughts from Davis because it would give the Norman North product and Stanford commit a chance to play at home possibly (would depend on the schedule).

Davis admitted it might be good for his friends and family, but he’s pumped about playing at USC and UCLA and places like that. He’s been to OU and OSU his entire life, ready for something different.

When he first about the realignment plans, he thought it was a false write-up. “That’s a pretty big mistake if it’s not true.” He also said the 2011 recruits really shouldn’t be affected too much but future classes sure will be as the recruiting landscape might change.

Brothers, with 14 offers, has been on a cross country tour since his junior year at Guthrie ended. He’s got so many offers from Pac-10 and Big 12 schools that it was interesting to see what someone who hasn’t committed thought about everything.

It’s not changing anything for him, personally, as he is still looking to find the right fit. He understands that a lot of this is about money and TV exposure, but he’s just taking it in stride.

And why not? He hit the west coast this last weekend with visits to Arizona, Arizona State and Washington so he’s already starting to feel right at home.

All three will be featured in future Super 30 profiles as we continue our countdown of the top 30 football recruits for the Class of 2011.

It was a strange year for Norman North last season. The football team was 4-0 before ending the season with a disappointing five-game losing streak and missing out on the postseason.

But that has driven this year’s crop of Timberwolves, that much was obvious this week at the team camp at Edmond North.

Names like Blankenship and Canavan are no longer there, but this group of seniors are eager to put their stamp on Norman North football.

One of those seniors quarterback Brad Valentino, who will be entering his second year as the signal-caller for Lance Manning’s club.

Here’s a short video with Valentino after the second day of the team camp.

What am I going to get up at 8 in the morning for now? The team camp at Edmond North has come and gone, and it was a great experience for the 13 teams.

I decided to cut out some of the video interviews Friday so I could instead watch the scrimmages more intently.

For those that missed it, videos with Hennessey’s Derrick Luetjen, Cashion’s Jeremy Seaton and Norman North’s Brad Valentino are up on NewsOK now.

Thoughts and Observations

- MVP of the camp: Bixby. The Spartans are in 6A and let everyone know about it this week. Bixby concluded the camp by scoring two touchdowns against Norman North while also forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass in the final play of the scrimmage. It was an impressive display by Bixby. Up until that point, thought Norman North had the best camp as TWolves had some great moments, especially hard hits on D.

- In the next scrimmage, Bishop McGuinness was dominant over Deer Creek. Running back LaRone Richardson scored both touchdowns for the Irish as McGuinness also picked off a pass and stifled the Antlers’ offensive attack. The McGuinness kids were probably the most vocal of any group this week, they were really into it with each play.

- The final scrimmage I got to fully see was Midwest City and Edmond North, and the Bombers speed was on full display. It’s tough to grade the Huskies accurately as Jared Benway is going to mean a lot to that team. However, James Flanders did score for the Bombers, and it was also funny to see Trevon Lewis playing fullback, a spot he will play this year.

- Coach Eric Cardin has had McLoud in the playoff hunt on a regular basis, but the Redskins are going to be a-hurtin’ this year because of youth. Cardin did say he’s not worried about the long term future, and he’s glad to have WR Travis Carroll back after dislocating his kneecap last year.

- Really good camp for OCS, said head coach Derek Turner. Where some coaches used the three days as more of a feeling out process, the Saints were looking to find some answers. Turner believes they did so, especially on defense at linebacker.

- Woodward is going to be solid. The Boomers kinda get lost in the shuffle because of where they’re at, but the Boomers looked good this week. That run in basketball last year caught my attention, so I got my eye out for Woodward.

- Couldn’t find a coach/player that didn’t feel better about their respective team after these three days. If you were out there, you’d understand as the players brought it for this being the first week of June.

- And finally I’m giving a shout out to Meeker and MWC players and Deer Creek coaches for wearing BLACK in the hot sun. I was drippin’ in sweat today, it was a hot one. Why in the world would you wear black?

- Look for a video featuring some of the day’s top plays on NewsOK either later today or this weekend. Was hoping to catch up with MWC’s Lewis, but his voice is shot. I mean he can barely get a word out right now.

The rain delayed things a tad for Day 2 of the 13-team extravaganza at Edmond North so we also ended a little bit later than anticipated.

And once the rain was officially out of the way, wow, did it heat up in a hurry.

I felt today would be the best day of three-day camp because you get your feet wet that first day, and you’re dog-tired during that final day. But Day 2? Yeah, you bring the lumber.

In case you missed it, there are videos with Midwest City’s James Flanders, OCS’ Jack Warren and Bishop McGuinness’ LaRone Richardson on NewsOK and here on the blog.

Thoughts and Observations

- Gotta tell ya that right now drinking the Norman North Kool-Aid. Quarterback Brad Valentino really threaded the needle on a couple of the balls today. Raymond Demby looks fantastic, and what more can you say about Daniel Davis? Solid effort from Lance Manning’s kids, punctuated by a great effort by Davis to score on McGuinness during the final play of their scrimmage.

- Interesting year for the Spartans of Bixby. Moving up to 6A is one thing, introducing Loren Montgomery as the new coach is another. Montgomery has a great football mind, really happy to see him land on his feet with a great opportunity. The loss of Kevin Lamb and DeWitt Jennings is definitely being felt, but I think the more explosive offense might work for Bixby. QB T.J. Eckert seemed more poised today in the limited time I got to see them.

- Another solid day for the Antlers, said coach Grant Gower. Deer Creek is the lone 5A school in the camp, but Gower said playing the 6A big boys has helped immensely. Deer Creek closed out today with a scrimmage against Midwest City. TE Kyle Kanady is growing into a security blanket for Alex Christensen and Joel Blumenthal.

- Gotta hand it to the boys at Cashion. The Wildcats were here last year and are only a couple of years removed from playing eight-man. Lynn Shackelford does a phenomenal job of getting that team fired up, and Cashion has fought hard the first two days. QB Jeremy Seaton said there were no wide-eyed looks today, down to business.

- Hennessey is in that same mold as Shannon Watford continues to have that program in contention on a yearly basis here lately. I hope to watch more of the Eagles (among others) on Friday for the final day. Especially would like to see star recruit Derrick Luetjen more.

- Weirdest sight of the day goes to Flanders. Not sure why seeing a talented kid like him with an umbrella to block out the sun was so funny, but I sure thought it was.

- Lovin’ the intensity these teams are bringing. It dies down a little during the 7-on-7 portion but picks right back up in that final half hour.

- Just like Wednesday, look for more videos on NewsOK. Another sights and sounds from the day to accompany vids with Norman North QB Brad Valentino, Hennessey’s Derrick Luetjen and Cashion’s Jeremy Seaton.

- Back tomorrow as we wrap up the camp. Word on the street is Friday will be the hottest day of the three days…oy.

I’m not sure what to call it because there are a lot more teams than Edmond North at this ginormous 13-team camp the Huskies are hosting Wednesday through Friday. So ‘Big Team Camp’ will have to do.

Great first day, saw a lot of familiar faces and got acquainted with some new ones.

Your teams: Edmond North, Midwest City, Norman North, Bixby, Deer Creek, McGuinness, McLoud, OCS, Hennessey, Newkirk, Meeker, Cashion and Woodward.

My apologies to some of the teams as today was more of an intro day for me, and I didn’t get to see every team in an in-depth manner.

However, from what I saw, it was a fun day and actually a rather intense one.

Thoughts and observations

- No question the most intensity was between Bixby and Midwest City. The Spartans and Bombers don’t see each other too much, but there was some tension there, for sure. Good to catch a glimpse of MWC’s James Flanders as he enters his junior year and great to see MWC’s Trevon Lewis. In what little I saw (jumping back and forth all day), Lewis has really stepped up to be the leader.

- The most impressive person I saw was undoubtedly Norman North’s Daniel Davis. Whether it was running the ball or running through blockers, Davis looked like a beast out there today. Definitely going to catch up with Davis in the days to come.

- Edmond North’s Travis Townsend had some really good throws at quarterback. He might be a little small at this point, but his arm looks stronger, and he’s always been pretty accurate. With Jared Benway out with the high ankle sprain, Ryan Hammons stepped in and had some moments.

- Great to see Bishop McGuinness stud LaRone Richardson looking like himself again. That explosiveness is definitely back. He said it took him to around track season to finally start feeling good again. Irish are in good shape with either Camden Tharp or Quinn Shanbour but very interested in how that plays out.

- Ugliest sight of the day was Edmond North’s Brock Byford. The sophomore and younger brother of Colton had a bad turf burn that tore up his knee pretty good. I shot video of that so it will be on NewsOK shortly.

- Deer Creek coach Grant Gower was extremely pleased with how the first day went for the Antlers. Alex Christensen and Joel Blumenthal continued to share the reps at quarterback.

- Real nice format to the day as well. Some 7-on-7, some where the big teams played the small teams and closed out with 10 minutes of hard scrimmaging between teams that should be playing each other. Again, the most intense was Bixby and Midwest City.

- Look for videos with OCS quarterback Jack Warren, MWC’s Flanders and McGuinness’ Richardson on NewsOK.

- Back for Day 2 on Thursday where I’ll try to catch some more action from Hennessey, Cashion, McLoud, etc.

Large East
Pitchers: Jonathon Gray, Chandler; Dillion Endecott, McLoud; Billy Waltrip, Fort Gibson
First baseman: Dusty Harper, Berryhill
Infielders: Jose Olazagasti, Collinsville; Colby Mitchell, Valliant; Griffith Roark, Stillwater; Joe McGee, Tulsa Washington
Outfielders: Ryan Wilson, Owasso; Cayle Shambaugh, Jay; Wade Ambrose, Tulsa Union; Saulyer Salxon, Shawnee
Catchers: Tyler Crabtree, McAlester; Mitchell Osburn, Broken Arrow
Coach: Shannon Dobson, Broken Arrow

Large West
Pitchers: Cale Russell, Norman North; Dillon Overton, Weatherford; Cale Coshow, Deer Creek
First baseman: Jaden Chappell, Guthrie
Infielders: J.T. Realmuto, Carl Albert; Jake Barrios, Weatherford; Dylan Morales, Plainview; Dillon Bryant, Cache
Outfielders: Alec Stand, Norman North; Jordan Lopez, Edmond Santa Fe; John Cotton, Guthrie; Tanner Rainey, Lawton MacArthur
Catchers: Caleb Hillman, Edmond Santa Fe; Tyler Palmer, El Reno
Coach: Ron Moore, Deer Creek

Small East
Pitchers: Cale Elam, Oktaha; Logan Oller, Silo; Tyler Reeves, Latta
First baseman: Wacey Henderson, Latta
Infielders: Dayne Parker, Roff; Brendan McCurry, Roff; Kaleb Hoffman, Ripley; Turner Coon, Dale
Outfielders: Aaron Chalk, Caney; Shane Leach, Oktaha; Dalton Streber, Dale; Zane Nelms, Soper
Catchers: Trevor Bowen, Silo; Dakota Knight, Red Oak
Coach: Chris Burt, Oktaha

Small West
Pitchers: Anthony Bo Hopkins, Granite; Brycen Shoaf, Arnett; Taylor Smith, Fletcher
First baseman: Jerico Rogers, Davis
Infielders: Kas Sandeers, Fletcher; Mason Toole, Mangum; William Caid, Granite; Corbin Nelson, Watonga
Outfielders: Marc White, Arnett; Trey Waldrop, Cordell; Mitchell Gardner, Dover; Jarred Stockton, Mangum
Catchers: Mitchell Brittain, Sterling; Zach Warner, Amber-Pocasset
Coach: Mike Wendt, Mangum

 Five players from the Norman North boys soccer team, which won the Class 6A state championship Saturday, were selected to the District 6A-2 West all-district team.

 Will Smith, Gus Jenson, Trevor Laffoon, JT Harrison and Taylor McCauley gave the T-Wolves the most players of any school selected to the team. All five players are juniors.

 Smith led the state in scoring with 24 goals and scored the game-winner in Norman North’s final three games, including the state final.

 Mustang had four players on the squad in Denny Landrum, Drew McElhaney, John Anderson and Jacob Strassle. Edmond Memorial’s Stuart Turnipseed, Jacob Stivers and Ty Stukey also made the team.

 The rest of the squad is made up of Joshua Garcia and Martin Ochoa of US Grant, Eduardo Caballeros of Putnam City West, Taylor Vanderford of Westmoore, Chris Issac of Lawton Eisenhower and Shawnee’s Colby Anderson.

Former Oklahoma football standout Antonio Perkins will be on hand to sign autographs.

The blood drive will be held at Dimensions Academy (1101 E Main St.) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. To donate contact Donny Griffits at 579-1880 or at donaldg@norman.k12.ok.us.

Much more later, but here ya go:

Class 6A Boys

At OKC Tennis Center

Monday

Team Scoring

1. Edmond North 30; 2. Edmond Memorial 24; 3. Jenks 22; 4. (tie) Putnam City North, Tulsa Union 20; 6. Enid 12; 7. Westmoore 5; 8. (tie) Norman North, Edmond Santa Fe 4; 10. (tie) Lawton Eisenhower, Mustang, Broken Arrow 2; 13. Stillwater 1.

No. 1 Singles

Championship

Chris Haworth, Putnam City North, def. Casey Distaso, Edmond North, 6-2, 6-4

Third Place

Logon Collins, Tulsa Union, def. Sylvester Vo, Westmoore, 6-2, 6-0

Fifth Place

Chase Gordon, Jenks, def. Bryce Merritt, Edmond Memorial, 6-3, 6-3

Seventh Place

Kolt Byerly, Mustang, def. Kevin Boyd, Norman North, 6-0, 7-6

No. 2 Singles

Championship

Nate Roper, Edmond North, def. Bowen Xu, Edmond Memorial, 6-4, 6-2

Third Place

Andre Tardio, Tulsa Union, def. Kole Melton, Putnam City North, 6-2, 6-3

Fifth Place

Gray Whitman, Jenks, def. Owen Fike, Enid, 7-6, 6-2

Seventh Place

Lucas Swisher, Edmond Santa Fe, def. Brandon Hadwiger, Stillwater, 6-3, 6-4

No. 1 Doubles

Championship

Zane Simmons-Brandon Champagne, Jenks, def. Truit Gray-Gavin Dubberstein, Edmond Memorial, 6-3, 6-3

Third Place

Wil Rodwell-Brian Diefenderfer, Putnam City North, def. Nick Jordan-Bryce Lilley, Edmond North, 6-4, 6-4

Fifth Place

Nick Crossley-Josh Coleman, Tulsa Union, def. Devin Glasgow-John Ward, Enid, 6-4, 6-4

Seventh Place

Michael McCoy-Travis Sperr, Lawton Eisenhower, def. Nick Grafton-Austin Strickland, Broken Arrow, 6-3, 6-4

No. 2 Doubles

Championship

Alex Mathieson-Baylor Spring, Edmond North, def. Omar Karim-Bryan Ulrey, Edmond Memorial, 6-2, 6-2

Third Place

Gibson Rose-Matt Worrell, Enid, def. Parker Leach-Josh Mathis, Jenks, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6

Fifth Place

Jacob Allbritton-Andreas Kutt, Tulsa Union, def. Jeremy Ng-Trey Pirtle, Norman North, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6

Seventh Place

Aaron Clarke-Blake Thomas, Edmond Santa Fe, def. D.J. Trainor-T.J. Woods, Broken Arrow, 6-4, 6-3

Thirteen years later, Claros will try to bring more glory to the city’s storied soccer history. This time, though, he won’t be playing, he’ll be coaching. And he won’t be wearing the orange and black of his alma mater, but the hunter green and silver of Norman North.

“It definitely feels different,” said the 31-year old of his new role. “But the goal isn’t.”

Norman North will square off with Jenks for the Class 6A championship Saturday at 3 p.m. at Broken Arrow High School.

In his first season as a head coach on the high school level, Claros has maintained the stout North soccer tradition, but he’s taken a different route than predecessors Don Rother and Bryan Young.

Young, who was an assistant under Gordon Drummond on that 1997 Norman team that Claros played for, started the North program in 1998. He delivered two state championships (2000 and 2003) before leaving and now is the Norman North principal. Rother, a player and assistant for Young, took over and took the T-Wolves to the 2008 state final.

From 2003 to 2009, North made it to at least the semifinals six of seven seasons. Still, Claros infused his own style when taking over this spring.

“There was definitely a period of the players getting used to me and the way I did things,” he said. “And it took some time before we developed that trust you need.”

The T-Wolves started the season 4-3 before embarking on a 10-game winning streak in which they have outscored foes 33-6. To make it to the final, No. 4 North beat the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams in 6A.

“We’ve come a long way,” Claros said. “I think we’ve gotten to where we work incredibly hard, work together and have a toughness we have to have to win the games we’ve won in the playoffs.”

But even with standout offensive play from Will Smith, who leads 6A in goals with 23, and Taylor McCauley and stout defense from players such as Trevor Lafoon and Cole Adkins, Claros knows it takes more than merely skill.

“When dealing with high school playoffs, you have to have some luck and you have to have some clutch players make big plays,” he said. “And we’ve had both.”

Perhaps the biggest change for Claros has been having to stay outside the chalk lines.

“It’s not like as a player,” he said. “You have no control. You can feed the information and put players in the right position, but you can’t execute for them. But on this run, execution has been good.”

Jenks (13-2) is ranked sixth and has won seven straight matches. The Trojans have won five state titles since 1987.

Individuals and teams have begun to tee off, though they’re going off No. 10 this morning, rather than No. 1. That decision was made to allow a little extra time for the grounds crew to get holes 5-8 cleared off after some trees were uprooted by the tornado on Monday. 

Again, the team race is led by Edmond North, with Edmond Santa Fe four back and Norman North six back. Edmond Memorial’s Taylor Moore leads the individual competition after shooting a 2-under 70. Edmond North’s Austen Fuller is a stroke back, and there’s a group of eight guys within five shots.

Most of the leaders have yet to hit the course today, other than individuals Dillion Mooreland of Shawnee, who shot 74 on Monday, as well as Jack Fiscus of Bixby and Kyle Raberding of Norman, both of whom shot 75.

The decision to wipe out between eight and 17 holes played by the entire field on Monday is a little confusing, but that was the decision made.

From a drama perspective, the unfortunate part about Tuesday’s alterations is the move to tee off on No. 10 instead of No. 1. Unlike the choice to erase the second round, this decision couldn’t be avoided without further delaying the tournament, but the 18th would have been a fun finishing hole. No. 18 is a par 5 with sand traps impacting the tee shot. Accuracy is necessary on the second shot to set up a clear look at the green, which lies over a creek to the left of the fairway.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

While most of my boys were out covering golf Monday for the boys state tournaments, I had a chance to catch up with area baseball coaches heading into this week’s state tournaments.

And then I got interrupted by the severe weather. Hope for the best to all those in the damaged areas, especially in Norman, Choctaw and Tecumseh. It was a rough day for everyone.

***

Here are some news and notes from around baseball (Deer Creek, Norman North, Edmond Santa Fe, Carl Albert, Edmond Memorial and Chandler). The 6A-5A tournaments begin Wednesday with 2A-4A starting Thursday.

Fulmer gives Antlers another arm

Everybody knows about Deer Creek senior pitcher Cale Coshow. The Oklahoma signee has been as good as advertised.

However, if the No. 1-ranked Antlers are going to make a run at the state tournament, they’re going to need more than just Coshow’s arm.

Lately it’s been Michael Fulmer stepping up. After a rocky stretch in the middle of the season, Fulmer has been on target. In a 15-0 regional victory against Noble, Fulmer struck out 14 in a five-inning no-hitter.

“The last couple of times, he’s just thrown the ball really well. The big thing is he wants the ball under those pressure situations,” coach Ron Moore said.

Deer Creek plays Tulsa Washington on Wednesday afternoon at Jenks.

Timberwolves fight back again

The Norman North baseball team wasn’t in an unusual position heading into its regional championship against Yukon, but it wasn’t an envious one.

The Timberwolves had to beat the Millers twice at Yukon to advance and did so. It is the third time in coach Brian Aylor’s tenure that North has advanced to the state tournament from the loser’s bracket.

It may be a sign the team has turned the corner. Before regionals, the Timberwolves had alternated between wins and losses in their previous 10 games. Colin Jones and Matt Southard have played big roles for North.

Norman North plays Owasso on Wednesday afternoon at Claremore.

Experience paying off for Santa Fe

It’s nothing new to see Edmond Santa Fe in the state tournament as it is the Wolves’ eighth consecutive appearance, but coach Lonny Cobble said what sets this group apart is its experience.

“Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but we made a real nice run,” Cobble said. “So this year the expectations were different. These kids have played with a focus all season, and I just hope that continues.”

The biggest asset has been the Wolves’ depth all season as several players have stepped up this season.

At regionals, it was senior Caleb Hallman who provided the damage. He hit a grand slam in a win against Southmoore and then had four hits in the championship victory against the SaberCats.

Santa Fe plays Tulsa Union on Wednesday afternoon at Bixby.

Titans power surge not slowing down

If any team is going to beat Carl Albert, it will have to find a way to silence the Titans’ bats.

That hasn’t been easy as Carl Albert has one of the most prolific offenses in the state and showed it at regionals. The Titans, paced by Oklahoma State signee J.T. Realmuto, scored at least 19 runs in their three routs to give the champions a chance to defend their crown.

Carl Albert has scored at least 20 runs in nine games this season and enters with a 10-game winning streak. And experience as seven starters returned from last year’s club.

The Titans play Tulsa Kelley on Wednesday afternoon at Tulsa Union.

Memorial back at state

After a two-year absence, Edmond Memorial finds itself back at the state tournament after defeating Choctaw in the regional championship.

Coach Kyle Roberts said before the season started that he was excited about this group of seniors, and the players have shown why.

The Bulldogs (28-9) really found their groove in late-March and April, winning 19 of 21 games against tough competition.

Senior Drew Dahlberg has been consistent at the two-hole spot while Dylan Keester came up with big hits at regionals.

Memorial plays Jenks on Wednesday afternoon at Claremore.

Chandler bounces back

No team was hotter entering regional play than No. 1-ranked Chandler. However, the Lions had a 23-game winning streak snapped against Cascia Hall in the opening round.

Chandler won four straight, including two against the Commandos, to punch their ticket to state.

Brandon Cummings and Chance Rich have led the way for the Lions as Rich contributed both on the mound and at the plate in the 5-1 championship win.

Before the loss, Chandler’s only other defeat to an Oklahoma team was to Deer Creek, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A.

Chandler has tied the school record for wins in a season (32) and plays Eufaula on Thursday at noon at Choctaw in a 3A quarterfinal matchup.

Edmond North is off to a good start in its Class 6A state golf championship defense on Monday at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course. The five-time defending champs shot a first-round 301 for a four-stroke lead over Edmond Santa Fe. Host Norman North is six back.

Edmond Memorial’s Taylor Moore finished his first round with a 2-under-par 70, one of two golfers under par in the opening round. The other was Edmond North’s Austen Fuller at 71.

Santa Fe’s Cody Reed and Norman North’s Bryce Barnard came in at 73; Tate Williamson, the No. 5 man from Broken Arrow, shot 74, along with Norman North’s Jett Johnson and Shawnee’s Dillion Mooreland, who is playing as an individual. At 75 were Broken Arrow’s Brent Williamson, Edmond North’s Alec Heinen 75, Bixby’s Jack Fiscus and Norman’s Kyle Raberding 75.

Everyone will play between 19 and 28 holes on Tuesday, with the first groups reaching No. 18 in the second round before play was halted. The last group was on the No. 9 tee.

The damage to holes 5-8 could impact play. About one-fourth of the groups still have all or some of those holes to play, because they started their rounds on No. 10.

There was a large tree uprooted on No. 7, which could change the thought process of how a player attacks the hole. Talking to some of the players, the tree prevents many players from hitting driver off the tee, because you need an accurate tee shot to have an open look at the green. Anything on the left side of the fairway was trouble. But without that tree, the hole becomes easier… basically a fairly open, straight par 4, and one of the shorter ones on the course.

But whether or not the Jimmie Austin folks can get the tree removed from the course in time for Tuesday’s action is questionable. That’s not an easy chore, so we’ll have to see what it looks like when everyone returns to the course on Tuesday morning.

Here are the team scores through the first round:

1. Edmond North 301
2. Edmond Santa Fe 305
3. Norman North 307
4. Edmond Memorial 310
5. Tulsa Union 312
6. Broken Arrow 313
7. Bartlesville 315
8. Jenks 318
T9. Putnam City North 321
T9. Stillwater 321
11. Owasso 325
12. Choctaw 326

And here’s the updated first-round individual scoring:

Top Individuals
70 — Taylor Moore, Edmond Memorial
71 — Austen Fuller, Edmond North
73 — Cody Reed, Edmond Santa Fe; Bryce Barnard, Norman North
74 — Dillion Mooreland, Shawnee; Tate Williamson, Broken Arrow; Jett Johnson, Norman North
75 — Brent Williamson, Broken Arrow; Alec Heinen, Edmond North; Jack Fiscus, Bixby; Kyle Raberding, Norman

Others
Edmond North: Eli Armstrong 77, Chase Griggs 78, Caleb Meyers 79
Edmond Santa Fe: Matt Helms 77, Landon Morgan 77, Max McGreevy 78, Brandon Stewart 78
Norman North: Drew Wright 80, Alex Newell 80, Matt Krutz 80
Edmond Memorial: Rex Greene 78, Mason Wright 81, Connor Kurtz 81. Bobby Todd 85
Tulsa Union: Bobby Goben 76, Garrett Hagood 77, Brodie Hinkle 78, Ryan Allen 81, Brady Richardson 89
Broken Arrow: Julian Rom 80, Sam Greenleaf 84, Nathan Swisher 88
Bartlesville: Brad Hager 78, Brandon Wong 78, Braxton Clopp 79, Josh Strimple 80, Clint Jones 81
Jenks: Colton Staggs 77, Brandon Jelley 79, Aaron Davis 81, Will McDonald 81, Hunter Miller 82
Putnam City North: Zach Tucker 76, Tripp Walcher 76, Sawyer McKaughan 84, Conrad Walcher 85, Terry Wiles 89
Stillwater: Tyler Grantham 76, Taylor Onley 76, Parker Dolezal 80, Skyler Patton 89, Brice Clark 91
Owasso: Zach Enzbrenner 79, Austin Clark 80, Ryan Hunninghake 81, Brad Kershaw 85, Cole Morgan 86
Choctaw: Drew Posada 77, Luke Fesner 80, Hunter Eisenhour 83, Heath Vessels 86, Taylor Gossett 93
Lawton: Russell Cozad 79
Lawton Eisenhower: Cullen Stahl 83, Tyler Jimenez 88
Moore: Ryan Harris 84
Muskogee: Stephen Allen 81
Sand Springs: Cole Stephenson 90
Sapulpa: Brody Moses 79
Southmoore: Iain Tesney 86
Westmoore: Garrett Cooley 83, Cory Montgomery 85
Yukon: Adam Cooper 79

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Bracket B
Wednesday
Game 1: Jenks vs. Edmond Memorial, 1:30 p.m.
Game 2: Owasso vs. Norman North, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)

Championship
Saturday
At OneOk Field, Tulsa
Bracket A winner vs. Bracket B winner, 2:30 p.m.

6A
Broken Arrow
Edmond Memorial
Edmond Santa Fe
Jenks
Norman North
Owasso
Putnam North
Tulsa Union

5A
Carl Albert
Chickasha
Claremore
Collinsville
Deer Creek
Duncan
Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa Washington

4A
Berryhill
Clinton
Fort Gibson
Hilldale
Lone Grove
Metro Christian
Newcastle
Weatherford

3A
Beggs
Bethel
Chandler
Eufaula
Sperry
Plainview
Purcell
Verdigris

2A
Dale
Latta
Lincoln Christian
Mangum
Oktaha
Pioneer
Silo
Wister

Friday night, for the second time this season, Norman knocked off Edmond North 1-0. The first win helped the Tigers win their first district title since 2002. Friday’s win, which came via a shootout after a scoreless regulation and two overtime periods, sends Norman to the Class 6A semifinals for the first time since the same year.

Norman keeper Ray Jennings Clark came up big in the shootout to send the Tigers into Tuesday’s match against Jenks and set up the possibility of an all-Norman state final.

The perennial power Tigers, who have four state crowns, last won the title in 1999.

The reasons Norman is being considered such a threat to bag title No. 5 are simple. First, no team is hotter than the Tigers right now. They’ve won eight straight matches to improve to 10-5 on the season. Second, coach Gordon Drummond, the dean of Oklahoma boys soccer, is renowned for his team’s staunch defense. History shows that when Norman has the ability to score goals, the Tigers are as tough of a playoff out as there is.

And with Cal Cornwell and Alec Lee leading the way offensively and keeper Ray Jennings Clark making a case as Oklahoma’s best netminder added to Norman’s always- air tight defense, the Tigers are the team that  nobody wants to play.

Will Smith added to what has been as strong of a season as anyone has had in 6A by taking a feed from T-Wolves standout JT Harrison and sending the ball past PC North’s All-American goalkeeper Bryan Byars barely two minutes into the match.

“When we scored that early in the game, it definitely got us all fired up,” said Smith, whose 22 goals leads 6A. “But we didn’t pack it in and try to make that one goal hold up, we went after more.”

In 87-plus minutes the T-Wolves never got another goal, but they never allowed one either, ending a tremendous PC North season that saw the Panthers rise to the No. 1 ranking in the country in the NSCAA/adidas poll. All the while, Norman North extended its season to the semifinals  —  the sixth time its done so in the past seven seasons, a feat no other school can match.

“Everyone on the back line played a huge part in the win and they deserve a lot of credit,” said Smith, a junior.

PC North, which closed at 13-2, with both losses coming in Norman, pressured the T-Wolves often in the second half and controlled much of the action, but couldn’t get a shot between the pipes.

“This was our best game of the season,” said Smith. “We’ve never played that well and that hard.”

Norman North, 13-3, will face Tulsa Union at home on Tuesday for a chance to play in its second state final in the past three seasons.

Bowles is the top-ranked runner in Class 6A in the 800 meters and is second in the 1,600 meters. The four-year state qualifier has the best time in the state in the 800 by two full seconds at 1:55.6 and is less than than a second off of the top time in the 1,600 at 4:25.5.

Edmond North’s girls, ranked second in Class 6A, bested Norman North 3-0 as Courtney Dike collected a playoff hat trick. Sherri Collins, Camille Sanders and Carly Yates each had assists in the Huskies’ win.

The victory sends Edmond North up against rival Edmond Memorial in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Norman North closes the year at 8-7.