Bethany’s Garrett McGrady commits to Arkansas State
Bethany's Garrett McGrady (82) has accepted an offer to grayshirt at Arkansas State.
The recruiting process got a little hectic at the end, but Bethany tight end/defensive end Garrett McGrady ultimately landed a Division I opportunity.
McGrady accepted an offer to join the Arkansas State football program as a grayshirt, he told The Oklahoman on Friday night. That means he will enroll as a full-time student at the school in January 2013.
Sidelined much of the 2011 season because of injury, McGrady caught three touchdown passes and had three quarterback sacks, despite playing in only four games.
He visited the Arkansas State campus in late January, but didn’t receive an offer as the coaching staff waited to see what transpired with some of their prospects on signing day. The grayshirt offer came and McGrady committed on Thursday morning.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound McGrady is a three-sport star at Bethany, also excelling in basketball and as a thrower on the track team.
He was recruited to Arkansas State by defensive coordinator Keith Patterson, and is being projected as a defensive end when he gets on campus next year. However, first-year coach Gus Malzahn has told him he could end up in a variety of spots, either on the defensive line, at tight end or offensive tackle.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Ryley Claborn, Corben Jones and Tyler Bush make college choices
A trio of high school football players on the west side of the metro have made their college decisions this week.
Bethany quarterback Ryley Claborn verbally committed to Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford. Yukon quarterback Corben Jones will sign with Emporia (Kan.) State, and Yukon offensive lineman Tyler Bush has committed to Southeastern State in Durant.
Claborn quarterbacked the Bronchos to the state semifinals and quarterfinals in his final two seasons. As a senior, he threw for 1,883 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, completing 122 of 207 passes (58.9 percent).
As a three-year starter for the Millers, Jones guided the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, snapping a decade-long postseason drought. In his senior year, 1,999 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight picks with a completion percentage of 59.6 (140 of 235). He also rushed for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bush anchored the line of an offense that has averaged 32.2 points per game the last two seasons.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
All-District 4A-2 posteseason honors
Here are the coaches’ selections for All-District in 4A-2:
Player of the Year: Dawson Myers, Cushing
Offensive Player of the Year: Eddie Reynolds, Harrah
Defensive Player of the Year: Cayman Bundage, Douglass
Special Teams Player of the Year: Chris Compton, Douglass
Receiver of the Year: Abraham Luna, Santa Fe South; Eric Delay, Cleveland
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Diamonte McClellan, Douglass; Blaine Atchely, Tecumseh
Quarterback of the Year: Ivan Zavala, Santa Fe South
Offensive Back of the Year: Alton Adkins, Glenpool
Tight End of the Year: Richard Griffin, Harrah
Defensive End of the Year: Brock Hubble, Cushing; Travis Johnson, Harrah
Defensive Tackle of the Year: Josh Smith, Glenpool; Dustin Malloy, Cleveland
Inside Linebacker of the Year: Jas’Sen Stoner, Douglass; Brandon McDonald, Harrah
Outside Linebacker of the Year: Drake Stevens, Glenpool; Kyle Knight, Cushing
Safety of the Year: Phillip Spess, Cleveland; Tanner Shepard, Tecumseh
Cornerback of the Year: Jake Queen, Harrah
Kicker of the Year: Ben Henley, Cleveland
Special Recognition: Blake Murray, Cushing
Coaches of the Year: Barrett Shupe, Cushing; Jerry Braziel, Santa Fe South
All-District by team
Cleveland: Frankie Mackey, Kolton Hansen, Matt Gayle, Josh Casebott
Cushing: Marshal Dilley, Ben Loftis
Douglass: Andrew Bailey, O’Sha Clark, Deonte Childs, Camron Dizer
Glenpool: Zach Parnell, Tyler Harrison, Connor Ferrell, Austin Wills, Matt Lafitte, Matt Meeks, Trent Cleveland, Hunter Green, Tyler Dunn, Taylor Howell, Jordan Bullock, Matt Lena, Cody Marshall
Harrah: Tyler Humphrey, Corey Beder, Houston Ward
Sante Fe South: Daniel Gardado, Abel Hererra, Aaron Johnson
Tecumseh: Jacob Bender, Jackson Ryan
Fall signing day coming Wednesday
This might be the opening week of high school football playoffs, but it also includes signing day Wednesday for sports other than football. Know of an athlete signing? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com or leave it as a comment here. Please include as much information as possible.
Scott’s Weekend Rewind: Putnam City, Clinton show strength; Del City, Piedmont show promise
Putnam City's Casey Curtis has rushed for 1,016 yards and 21 touchdowns during the Pirates' 5-0 start this season.
I had the chance to cover a couple of interesting games over the weekend — one that felt like a blowout, but turned out to be a decent game, and one that looked like a blowout but felt much closer.
The Del City offense kept the Eagles in the game against Putnam City, which went on to win 56-34, while Piedmont’s defense kept the Wildcats close until Clinton got the snowball rolling in the fourth quarter and put the game away, 41-10.
What We Learned: Putnam City-Del City
Well, if you didn’t already know Casey Curtis was really good, you’re behind the game. How many high school running backs would like to have this stat line right now: 616 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s Curtis’ total for TWO of his five games this year. In all, he has 1,016 yards and 21 scores on just 105 carries.
But like I said, you should’ve already known Curtis could play. So here’s what I learned watching the Pirates on Thursday.
The offensive line isn’t big, but they do their jobs well. Teams are going to be loading the box against them all year, and the opponents just keep getting tougher. But the goal for the blockers is to keep their guy occupied long enough for Curtis to find a gap, then go look for somebody else. They don’t have to be overpowering, just technically sound.
Quarterback Devin White isn’t being asked to throw for 300 yards a night, and he runs the team well. He can run the ball, and throw when he needs to, which is the big key for taking a little pressure off Curtis, especially with the tougher schedule ahead.
Del City is more talented than its 0-5 record suggests, but some inconsistencies on both sides of the ball seemed to hinder them. They’d stop Curtis on four or five straight runs, then he’d break free untouched for 79 yards. The passing game would get going for a while, then a few throws would fall incomplete and take the momentum away.
But that type of stuff is typical of a young team, which Del City is. As they develop past those issues, the Eagles could be pretty good.
Piedmont's Cassius Calhoun gives the Wildcat offense a big-play threat in the backfield.
What We Learned: Clinton-Piedmont
Clinton is a complete team. Good balance on offense, with a rushing and passing attack that can hit big plays. The run game has both quickness and power. The defense has talent at all levels, with some good size up front and speed in the back.
How good can they be? Hard to say right now. I think Ryan Aber’s ranking of No. 4 in Class 4A is just about right, though they aren’t far off from what Douglass and Wagoner have shown.
Piedmont is one of the best teams around with only two wins right now. Christian Foster might be one of the best receivers you haven’t heard of, and keep an eye on Darius Burris.
Foster is only a junior, and made several big catches on Friday, including the Wildcats’ only TD. Burris is just a sophomore, and he’s probably a little undersized as a defensive lineman, but the kid just makes plays. He was all over the place making tackles on Friday. Very impressive.
When you add that talent to a solid offensive line, good running back with Division I potential in Cassius Clay, and a great leader at QB in Collin Bricker, you’ve got the makings of a playoff team. The district is tough, but this is a team that could make some noise. They’ll only keep getting better in coach Craig Church’s new system.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Kyle Lewis Memorial Golf Tournament brings Bedlam crowd together
There are few things that can bring Bedlam rivals together in friendly circumstances, but the Kyle Lewis Memorial Golf Tournament did the trick on Saturday.
The fundraiser for the Kyle Lewis Scholarship Fund brought out 46 four- or five-person teams for a golf scramble Saturday at the Shawnee Elks Country Club.
Kyle Lewis of Bethel died in July 2010 in a one-car accident while driving home from the All-State golf tournament in Tulsa.
The scholarship fund created by his parents, Marty and Kelly Lewis, is awarded each year to a high school golfer in Oklahoma. Ardmore’s Seth Morgan was awarded the scholarship in July.
Among those in attendance at Saturday’s tournament were members of the OU golf team, including coach Ryan Hybl. Lewis was set to attend OU as a member of the golf team just a few weeks after his death.
Oklahoma State golfer Ian Davis, a Deer Creek graduate who was close friends with Lewis, also attended the event.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Bethany to honor 1961 team
As part of its homecoming festivities at Friday night’s game against John Marshall, Bethany will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its 1961 football team.
Led by twin brothers Jimmy and Jerry Gilbert in the backfield, and John Kendall at tackle — all selected to The Oklahoman’s Little All-City Team that year — the Bronchos went 7-3, including losses to Choctaw, which went on to play for the state title.
Former Oklahoman writer Lynn Garnand was also a senior on the team. He was later inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association and National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fames after a long career as a sportswriter.
The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bethany/Southern Nazarene Stadium.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Piedmont building confidence after win
Heading into last Friday’s game against Western Heights, it was clear that the Piedmont Wildcats were battle-tested.
After scrimmages against Kingfisher and Guthrie, then opening games against Deer Creek and Harrah, the Wildcats of first-year coach Craig Church needed a confidence boost.
It came with a 42-12 win over the Jets, behind 254 passing yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Collin Bricker. Running back Cassius Calhoun added 76 yards and a TD on the ground, as well as a receiving score.
“Those guys have been good for us, but we have different faces stepping up each week, and that’s what feels good,” Church said. “We feel like we’re gaining some confidence.”
Receiver Christian Foster and offensive lineman Jacob Harris are among the other players giving Piedmont a boost.
In a challenging District 4A-1, the Wildcats know the schedule will be tough, starting with Elgin this week.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Bethany running smoothly in win over Washington
Bethany's Brett Gilstrap rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the Bronchos' 48-28 win over Washington in the Children's Center Bowl Friday night.
The week-long festivities of the Children’s Center Bowl came to a close with an impressive performance by the Bethany Bronchos in a 48-28 win over Washington Friday night in Bethany — here’s my game story.
And in case you missed it, here’s my story on the importance and impact of the Children’s Center Bowl for our Friday Night Lights series, along with a video and some amazing photos from John Clanton of the teams’ visit to the Children’s Center on Thursday.
The final tally from the fundraising efforts of the two schools was $11,476 for the Children’s Center in Bethany, quite a performance by everyone involved.
As for the game, Bethany has to be feeling confident with their 3-0 start based on the way they’ve played. The Bronchos were a well-oiled machine on Friday night when their starters were on the field. QB Ryley Claborn threw for five touchdonws and 239 yards on 11-of-15 passing. He only threw one pass — a six-yard completion — in the second half.
Defensively, the final statistics probably show a mediocre Bethany performance, but a lot of the Washington yards came after the Bronchos began to sub on defense. Washington barely had 100 yards in the first half as Bethany built a 34-7 lead. Washington’s only first-half points came off a muffed punt recovered inside the 10-yard line.
When you look at the Bethany offensive line, you don’t see how they could possibly be a top-five team in Class 3A, with a couple of guys who aren’t even sniffing 200 pounds. But they do their job. Claborn only got sacked once, and the run game was effective with a committee of running backs that offer a good combination of speed and power.
The passing game obviously relies a lot on Claborn running the show, but you don’t complete 80 percent of your passes with a bunch of stone-hands receivers, either. Gage Diffee had a big day Friday, but John Page, Blake Collins and others give Claborn plenty of passing options.
Washington has gone through a tough non-district schedule that will pay off down the line, even though it probably doesn’t feel that way now. The Warriors have some young players in key positions, so keep an eye on them as the season goes along. Against Class 2A competition, Brad Beller’s squad should be able to handle themselves well.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Bethany, Washington excited for Children’s Center Bowl week
Bethany was awarded the Children's Center Bowl trophy after defeating Kingfisher in the game last year.
With the fun part of Children’s Center Bowl week still ahead, there’s definite anticipation as the Bethany and Washington football teams prepare to be a part of the unique event.
Throughout the week, the two schools are working together to raise money for the Children’s Center, a private, nonprofit pediatric hospital serving children with complex medical and physical disabilities in Bethany.
Each school is competing in Penny Wars to raise money, which will be given to the Children’s Center on Friday. In addition, the players and cheerleaders from both teams will meet Thursday evening to tour the hospital, meet patients and participate in the Goodwill Games, a friendly competition designed to teach the players about living with physical disabilities.
The football game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Bethany/Southern Nazarene Stadium. Patients, families and staff from the Children’s Center will be on hand to take part in the pregame coin toss, and some will participate with the band at halftime.
“We’re really excited,” Washington coach Brad Beller said. “We visited the Children’s Center last summer. It’s an amazing place and it’s great what they do for children.
“Our whole school is really excited to e a part of it.”
I’ll have a lot more coverage of the Children’s Center Bowl throughout the week, including a feature story in Friday’s newspaper and game coverage in Saturday’s edition.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
