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.

Former Owasso standout Dylan Bundy is ranked No. 2 on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects. AP Photo

Former Owasso right-hander Dylan Bundy is entering just his second full season as a professional baseball player, but his status continued rising Tuesday when he was revealed as the No. 2 prospect on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects.

Former Broken Arrow standout Archie Bradley is No. 24 while former Putnam City and Oklahoma State left-hander Andrew Heaney is No. 81.

Bundy, 20, made his MLB debut last season for the Baltimore Orioles, appearing in two games out of the bullpen. In the minors he started 23 games, going 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 119 strikeouts across three levels.

“His Fastball is easily plus, thrown up to 98 mph, and he maintains velocity deep into his starts with a clean and easy delivery,” MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo wrote. “His curve should be at least above-average in the future, though he’s still learning to throw it consistently. He has good arm speed on his changeup, which should be another above-average or better pitch. He looks every bit the top of the rotation starter the Orioles hoped they were getting when they gave him a Major League contract.”

Bundy spoke via phone with MLB Network on Tuesday and was asked to grade his first professional season.

“I really wouldn’t give it just a grade,” he said. “I would just go on my feel and how I felt all year; I felt good throughout the whole year. I still had the zip on the fastball that I needed, I was still throwing strikes and competing out there.”

Bradley, a Broken Arrow standout who was going to play at Oklahoma before being drafted No. 7 overall in 2011 by Arizona, had a successful first season as a professional. He started 27 games in the Midwest League, going 12-6 with a 3.84 ERA and 152 strikeouts. Perhaps the most glaring statistic is his .181 batting average against.

“His fastball, which tops out at 95 mph, has some serious sink to generate groundball outs,” Mayo said. “His curve has sharp bite to it, though he doesn’t always command it well. He has a feel for a changeup with some fade to it, giving him the chance to have three average or better offerings at his disposal.”

The negative? Bradley also led the league in walks with 84.

Heaney was selected ninth overall in last year’s draft by the Marlins and was able to make six starts in the minors. His overall ERA was a bit high at 4.33, though.

“Heaney’s plus pitchability should let him move quickly, as he has a firm grasp of the strike zone and mixes his pitches well,” Mayo wrote.

Texas Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar is ranked No. 1.

Putnam City caoch A.D. Burtschi with his team after recording his 700th victory Friday night.

Putnam City boys basketball coach A.D. Burtschi won his 700th career game Friday night in a 52-35 victory over Baldwin County (Ala.) at the Wildcat Holiday Classic in Pensacola, Fla.

Burtschi began his career at Mount St. Mary, but is in his 30th season at Putnam City, where the vast majority of his victories have come. Burtschi has won four state championships at PC, and has just 251 career losses.

The Pirates are 9-0 on the season and ranked No. 3 in Class 6A.

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.

—
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.

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

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

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

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

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

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

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

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

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

—
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.

Putnam City (2-1) is one of Class 6A’s top rushing teams through three games, averaging 359.7 yards per game coming off a 46-21 win at Choctaw Friday. Leading the charge is senior quarterback Devin White and junior running back Javone Knox, the younger brother of last year’s Pirate star Casey Curtis.

Behind an offensive line that has been on point recently, White and Knox are averaging better than 10 yards per carry. Knox has 433 yards and nine touchdowns on 47 carries, while White has added 354 yards and four touchdowns on 30 attempts.

White hasn’t needed to throw much in the Pirates’ last two blowout wins, but for the year, he’s 15-of-34 for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Placed in an east-side district for the first time in recent history, the Pirates head into district play at Sapulpa Friday.

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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

—
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.

Putnam City volleyball coach Alica Sexton wasn’t sure how her team would respond after a tough weekend tournament featuring some of the top teams in the state.

The Pirates, went 0-6 in the Heather Harkness Tournament at Edmond Santa Fe, but eanred some payoff for the rough weekend Monday with a straight sets win over Midwest City, 25-24, 25-16, 25-19, in the team’s Win-Win Week fundraiser game.

“It didn’t show much as far as wins this weekend but what we got out of it was well worth it,” Putnam City coach Alica Sexton said.

The Pirates had lost to Midwest City in five sets early in the season.

Sexton was particularly pleased with the play of captains Casey Cox and Haley Cochran.

The Pirates wore pink jerseys and pink ribbons for the event and the money from the gate will be donated to the Win-Win Week fundraiser.

Big game at PC Stadium between Putnam City and Putnam City North tonight, two teams that could really benefit from a 1-0 start.

Three Points

1. Handoff to who? For two teams that had workhorse running backs last year — Casey Curtis at PC and Dre Holman at PC North — they’ll both be turning to less-proven backs this year. Tae Moore was involved in the PC North offense last year, so he’s not totally fresh. He’ll be joined by Nathaniel Ocran and Larry Butler in the run game as well. PC is in a little tougher situation, turning to Javone Knox, Curtis’ little brother, who is a junior. Knox is capable, but the Pirates lost platoon back Devin Colbert to a broken leg last week.

2. Big play or no big play. Putnam City North has some talented, experienced players in the back seven on defense, but in the preseason, they showed some issues with giving up big plays in the passing game — albeit against a couple really good offenses, Lawton and Edmond Santa Fe. Solving those issues will be vital for the Panthers, as PC will be looking to throw the ball more regularly this year.

3. Carrying over from the last point, PC QB Devin White could be the deciding factor in this game. He’s a year more experienced and appears more confident in the passing game. And he has some gifted receivers out there, too. If he can move the offense through the air, and open up the run game for Knox and himself, the Pirates could be looking at a third straight win in this series.

The Pick

Pirates 24, Panthers 20: The PC North offensive line is still growing up, and PC is solid in the front seven on defense, which will make it tough for the Panthers to get the run game going. And as a run-first offense, it will be hard to move the ball consistently. The Panthers have good size up front, so once those guys get some experience, they’ll be better. But right now, the edge goes to Putnam City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The amount of talent NEO signed has Wilson thinking title.

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

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

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

Putnam City's Desmond Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next season.

I was standing on the sideline in the final minutes of Putnam City’s preseason scrimmage against Southmoore when PC running back/linebacker Desmond Tilly tore his ACL.

Saw him writhing in pain on the field. Saw the look on his face when they helped him off.

It was a crushing blow. In one quick moment, Tilly went from a kid who appeared to be on the verge of a breakout year to a spectator. That moment, and a similar one involving Northwest Classen’s Terry Arnold, inspired the story I wrote about the two injured seniors in November.

On Saturday, Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next year, a much-deserved opportunity for a hard-working kid.

Langston sees Tilly as a safety/outside linebacker hybrid, which seems like a perfect fit for the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder.

Earlier in the week, PC running back Casey Curtis committed to NEO, and other Pirates like Elie Rushing could be getting some college opportunities as well.

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

Putnam City running back Casey Curtis announced that he has verbally committed to NEO on Thursday.

Putnam City running back Casey Curtis made his college decision final on Thursday. He told The Oklahoman that he verbally committing to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M junior college in Miami.

Curtis rushed for 1,805 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry as a senior at Putnam City.

Curtis is excited about the opportunity, especially with Thursday’s news that Anadarko running back Sheldon Wilson also plans to attend NEO as well. The two will be competing for playing time in the fall.

“I’m excited to play with somebody like that,” Curtis said. “I love to compete. That’s life. YOu compete with people all the time.”

Curtis, who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash last summer, hopes the junior-college program will help him continue his quest to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship. He was being recruited by multiple D-I schools last year.

Curtis said Oklahoma State coaches stayed in contact with him and expect to recruit him again after his two seasons at NEO.

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

Smith, a 6-foot-2 junior, was the third different player to lead the Pirates in scoring during their three tournament victories. Junior Ronnie Boyce added 15 points and sophomore point guard Dexter Dean had 11 as the Pirates improved to 8-2 on the year.

The Pirates will be idle until the annual Putnam City Invitational, which Putnam City will host Jan. 5-7. PC opens up against rival Putnam City North in a tournament that includes six of the top 12 teams in the current Class 6A rankings.

In addition to all three Putnam City schools, Midwest City and top-ranked Tulsa Union are in the field.

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

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

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

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

Tight ends
Matt Gallagher, Owasso
Zac Veatch, Broken Arrow

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

Punter/kicker
Tom Carwile, Tulsa Washington

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

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

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

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

WEST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Corben Jones, Yukon
Garrett Lorah, Elgin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

District 6A-2 All-District
Awards
Coach of the Year: Lance Manning, Edmond Santa Fe
Player of the Year: Casey Curtis, Putnam City
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Trevor Thompson, Westmoore
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Jarion Tudman, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Linebacker of the Year: Brendon Pitzer, Edmond North
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Conner Bays, Edmond Santa Fe
Co-Defensive Back of the Year: Archie Ocloolee, Westmoore
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Offensive Back of the Year: Jesse Mathews, Edmond North
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Cole Parsons, Edmond North
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Austin Bowling, Westmoore
Co-Wide Receiver of the Year: Tre Kelly, Edmond Santa Fe
Special Teams Player of the Year: Michael Ryan, Mustang

All-District team
Del City: Stephon Herd, WR; Josh McNaughton, DL; Jerel Jeten, DB; Larry Long, DB.

Edmond North: Jarion Tudman, RB; Jared Benway, RB; Cole Parsons, OL; Troy Davis, TE; Jesse Mathews, QB; Russell Sivard, DL; James Duncan, DL; Christian Contreass, DB; Regan Land, LB; Bryndan Pitzer, LB; Christian Peterson, DB.

Edmond Santa Fe: Tre Kelly, WR; Taylor Ashcraft, LB; Chris Carter, DL; Conner Bays, DB; Josh Crouch, DL; Zach Birts, DB; Michael Onuoha, DL; Brandon Roberts, OL; Chad Reitz, OL; Ryan Frazier, LB; Matt Freeman, K; Allston Hadley, OL.

Lawton: Brandon Bartlett, DeMarious Littles, Freddie Taito, Vincent Thomas, Corey Pilgrum, Adam Castro, Jacquan Beck, Dometreas Pyfer, Jordan Gouge.

Mustang: Arron Smith, OL; Derek Garvin, WR; A.J. Ashman, RB; Michael Ryan, K.

Putnam City: Casey Curtis, RB; Rontez Smith, TE; Anthony Hogg, DB; Damion Brown, DL; Elie Rushing, LB; Derrick Rovers, DL; Conner Nichols, TE; Jeff Tanner, DL.

U.S. Grant: Christian Nicholson, DE; Jacob Tavares, OL; Cory Hooks, RB; Derrick Young, DB.

Westmoore: Kyle Factor, DL; Trevor Thompson, QB; Austin Bowling, WR; Archie Ocloolee,. DB; Dalton Craig, WR; Preston Higgins, DL; Blake Martin, DB; Corey Lassiter, OL.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Ryan Aber

Putnam City's Desmond Tilly is close to returning to game action after suffering a preseason knee injury.

I had a chance to swing by Putnam City’s practice earlier this week, and you could tell Desmond Tilly was glad to have the pads on again. After spraining his LCL in the final preseason scrimmage, Tilly just got cleared to return to practice this week, and he might even get in the game Friday against US Grant.

It’s an encouraging sign for coach John Wofford, who will need Tilly’s contributions down the stretch if the Pirates are going to get to the postseason. PC played one game without any of its three starting linebackers. Elie Rushing has returned, and Tilly should certainly be back by the Del City game next week. But Reed Brooks is sidelined by a concussion, so it’s hard to project when he might get back on the field.

Two guys who have essentially stayed healthy have been QB Devin White and RB Casey Curtis, thankfully for the Pirates. Those two, along with a solid offensive line, have anchored an offense that is averaging 51.3 points per game so far.

We knew Curtis would put on a show virtually every week, and he has, rushing for 591 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 68 carries. But White has been a pleasant surprise as a first-year starter at quarterback. The senior big and athletic, showing off his running ability with a couple of big TDs last week. And Wofford has been especially pleased with his decision-making through the first three games.

Getting to the playoffs is a big motivating factor for this team after getting so close last year. And they know that every game counts, so the next seven weeks will be intense, especially next Thursday’s home game against Del City, which I will be on hand for.

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

Putnam City North's Dre Holman is looking forward to his first game against rival Putnam City after missing it the last two years because of injuries.

It feels a little weird trying to gather my thoughts to write the preview for the Putnam City-Putnam City North game, which kicks off tonight at 7 at Putnam City Stadium. And here’s why:

On the field tonight, you’re going to see a team that has a really good running back, a new starter at quarterback who looks pretty athletic, several new starters on the offensive and defensive lines, and a solid defensive backfield with some athletic, experienced players returning.

Which team is it? Take your pick. Both the Panthers and Pirates fit that mold. So trying to differentiate the keys to the game for each team is difficult.

But you can bet that those two running backs — Putnam City’s Casey Curtis and PC North’s Dre Holman — will have a lot to say about the outcome.

It pains me not to be able to see this game, because Curtis and Holman are two of my favorite backs to watch. One opposing coach who saw Curtis in the preseason says he’s the best back in the state, and I think Holman is on the verge of a big-time breakout year.

What to watch for: Putnam City

Putnam City North will have to find a way to keep a handle on PC's Casey Curtis tonight.

I think one of the biggest keys for the Pirates will be linebacker play. Elie Rushing is one of the better middle linebackers in the metro, but you can’t discount how much PC will miss outside ‘backer Desmond Tilly. His speed and playmaking skills would be valuable in this setting. I would expect him back in the next week or two from the sprained LCL, but he will be missed, especially in run support.

So the other outside linebackers and the safeties will be important in helping with stopping the run when Holman gets past the line of scrimmage. They’ll need to fill gaps and not let Holman get going downhill, because that’s when he’s most dangerous.

What to watch for: Putnam City North

I see the most important area for the Panthers tonight being on the offensive line. Left tackle Daniel Burton is one of the top linemen in the state, but most of the line is inexperienced. Keeping pressure off first-year starter John Robert Simon at QB will be crucial, especially early. Simon is a smart, talented athlete, and if he’s able to hit a couple throws early and build some confidence, it will carry him a long way.

Defensively, it’s all about clogging the running lanes. Curtis doesn’t need a big hole to scoot into the open field, and when he gets to the second and third levels of the defense, there aren’t a lot of guys who can wrap him up. So the key is not letting him find a crease.

The Pick: PC North 24, PC 20. I don’t have a good explanation why I think this will happen, it’s just a feeling. The biggest difference I see in the two teams is the extra depth PC North has in the trenches. Both teams have good players up front, but the Pirates will have to use most of their best linemen on both sides of the ball for much of the game. With the importance of the run game for both teams, I think that gives the Panthers the edge tonight.

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

-PC linebacker/running back Desmond Tilly hurt his left knee in the final few minutes of the game. Pirate folks don’t seem to think it’s serious, but it will likely require an MRI once the swelling goes down. The Pirates don’t have a ton of depth, so losing Tilly for any significant amount of time would be bad. He was flying around making plays at outside linebacker and is a great complement to MLB Elie Rushing. Tilly was also running the ball hard backing up Casey Curtis. With Curtis and Tilly each playing both sides of the ball, you need them both at RB to help keep the other fresh.

-Yukon fans might have noticed that Derek Deeds was icing his shoulder at the end of the night. He told me afterward that it was nothing more than a muscle spasm and he’d be fine. Just like Tilly, Deeds is a guy Yukon wouldn’t want to lose. They’re so young at receiver that his presence there is valuable. And he’s an anchor on the back end of the defense as well.

-In other injury news, Southmoore RB Andrew Long sat out Friday’s action, but only as a precaution, coach Chris Jensen said. Essentially, the SaberCats know what they’re going to get from Long, so there was no need to risk getting him hurt.

-On a sidenote to that, Friday was my first chance to see Karltrell Henderson. The junior had a couple big games at the end of last season to climb up over the 1,000-yard mark. He’s a beast of a runner. Punishes people and has decent moves to go along with it. It’ll be fun to watch those two guys share a backfield this year.

-I know Southmoore QB Tre Edwards has some doubters simply because of his height — probably 5-10 if you count the mohawk — but the kid is a confident player who throws the ball well. He can run the offense, move in the pocket and find the open man. He might not make D-I coaches drool, but he’s going to win a lot of games at Southmoore.

-Speaking of short guys, Yukon is running out some little dudes at receiver this year as they try to replace four of their top five from last season. But QB Corben Jones was excited with their performance Friday, especially when protection broke down. They were making good decisions in situations the team hasn’t worked on yet in practice, and Jones was happy to see that.

-The Millers are auditioning about four different players at running back, and might use multiple guys throughout the season. It was tough to tell a lot Friday, because Yukon only had a couple of regular starters available on the offensive line. The replacements held their own, but with their regular starting five, Yukon will have one of the better O-lines around, and that will certainly make life easier for the RBs.

-Lastly, I was impressed in my first chance to see PC quarterback Devin White in live action. Seeing him at practice last week, he certainly looks the part of a good high school quarterback at about 6-1 and probably 195 pounds. On Friday, he showed that he has a good, accurate arm, and he moves really well. Combine that with Curtis — who had some crazy good runs Friday — and the Pirates should be in good shape offensively. They are using a lot of new guys on the O-line, but they seemed to hold up well.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

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

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

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

***

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other thoughts and observations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Class 6A Baseball
West
At Putnam City North
Wednesday
Game 1: Putnam North vs. Norman, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Putnam City vs. Moore, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 7 p.m. (if necessary)

Here’s how the voting finished:
Obi Emegano, Edmond Memorial 2.51% (128 votes)
Stephen Clark, Douglass 9.54% (486 votes)
Dominique Raney, Putnam City 14.12% (719 votes)
Josh Richardson, Edmond Santa Fe 33.97% (1,730 votes)
Ryan Spangler, Bridge Creek 39.85% (2,029 votes)

Spangler was also The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year. Here’s my Super 5 video interview with Spangler:

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

With that said, more news and notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

After a junior season that put him on the recruiting map, Putnam City running back Casey Curtis is working the camp circuit in hopes of landing some scholarship offers. Curtis, a 5-foot-9 speedster who has bulked up to 182 pounds this spring, was in Houston for a combine in early March, and he’ll be double-dipping in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this weekend.

He’ll be traveling with Yukon prospects DB Derek Deeds and QB Corben Jones as several state players head to Dallas for a Nike combine on Saturday. And Nike is also sponsoring a camp in Fort Worth on Sunday.

“It’s pretty fun,” Curtis said of the camp circuit. “It’s interesting to meet all the different people. I’ve been invited to summer camps at OSU and Missouri, so I’m looking forward to those.”

Curtis said most colleges are still recruiting him as an athlete. He rushed for 1,659 yards and 21 touchdowns last season and started as a slot receiver for the Pirates as a sophomore. He also hopes to show that he could play cornerback at the next level if necessary.

Deeds is staying busy himself. He was in Las Vegas over spring break for a 7-on-7 camp and made a stop at the Arizona State campus to meet the football coaching staff on the drive home.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Coach of the Year: Alan Green – Mustang

Most Valuable Player: Josh Richardson – Santa Fe

Offensive Player of the Year: Dominique Raney – Putnam City

Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Berry – Mustang

Newcomer of the Year: Tavionne Pennon – Putnam City West

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

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

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

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

MVP- Elizabeth Donohoe- Edmond North­­­­­

Offensive- Courtney Walker- Edmond Santa Fe

Defensive- LaShawn Jones- Putnam City

Newcomer- Mallory Brothers- Mustang

Coach of the Year- Paul Bass- Edmond Santa Fe

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

- College football coaches are getting real familiar about where Beggs is as star quarterback Ramsey Hamilton continues to get attention nationwide.

Hamilton, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, has emerged as one of the top quarterback prospects for the class of 2012.

He will compete at an Elite 11 quarterback event April 9 at TCU. Oklahoma signees Kendal Thompson and Archie Bradley were both Elite 11 quarterbacks last year.

The next day Hamilton is going to head to SMU for a Nike quarterback camp where participants made it via invitation only.

In the last couple of weeks, coaches from Missouri and Virginia Tech have visited Beggs.

- As Scott Wright had in Tuesday’s paper, Douglass lineman Cayman Bundage has listed Arkansas as his favorite at this juncture. Bundage is No. 3 on the Super 30. His future is going to be at center at the next level.

I thought it was a little weird for him to come out and say that because I don’t think the interest in Bundage has reached its highest point yet. It will be interesting to see if Bundage commits anytime soon. I do feel schools are going to be busting down his door this summer, but we’ll see.

- A lot of attention for Norman goes to running back Donovan Roberts (No. 5 on the Super 30) but offensive lineman Foster Hare is really picking up some steam here in the last month.

Hare is listed at 6-3 and 300 pounds and is starting to get some interest from some Big 12 schools and smaller Division I schools. Another case where it will be interesting to see if Hare’s stock goes up in the next couple of months.

- Guthrie offensive lineman Blake Belcher is starting to get the attention figured was coming his way. He’s picked up offers from a couple of Pac-10 schools in Arizona and Oregon State. The Beavers, of course, have made some strong strides in Oklahoma with former Deer Creek star Dax Dilbeck, Booker T.’s Michael Doctor and the Lawton boys from last year, Jabral Johnson and Tyrequek Zimmerman.

- Casey Curtis was one of several local recruits to head to a Nike camp in Houston two weeks ago. Never too early to start hitting the camp circuit. Two years ago I would have said it doesn’t matter how many camps you go to because if you’re talented, you’ll be found.

Now? My advice (for whatever it’s worth) would be to go to as many as possible. Get people to know your name and show off the talents as much as possible.

- Quarterback Brent Wilson of Ponca City has also been busy making the rounds. His latest stop was at Kansas State, where he was one of only five quarterbacks in attendance.

Wilson is an interesting case because right now he could be a quarterback or athlete. And early signs are he is OK with being classified at either spot. He can definitely make some plays, though. He is right on the fringe of the Super 30, you could argue he deserves inclusion.

- McAlester athlete Adam Boyd sent me his highlight DVD from last year. I haven’t had an opportunity to watch it but definitely looking forward to it. Boyd is right on the edge and is another kid that I think has a good chance to move up the ranks.

- Any more news and info on the top kids? Let me know.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

However, one that definitely was going to be good happened at Edmond Memorial between Putnam City and Choctaw. Didn’t matter that Choctaw had defeated the Pirates three times earlier in the year, knew it would be competitive.

Now I had no idea it would be that competitive, though. None. 44 minutes later and you see just how ‘styles make fights’ can apply to basketball, too.

In the end, it was Putnam City’s LaShawn Jones with an incredible performance in leading PC to a 64-56 win in triple overtime. Putnam City is going to play Memorial for the regional championship Saturday.

I don’t keep track of blocks, but I probably should have during this one. I’ve never seen a player block so many shots the way Jones did against the Yellowjackets.

All that being said, it was Choctaw who dictated the game for most of the way. After Putnam City had 13-11 lead, the Pirates never led again until the second overtime. PC would tie it but then Choctaw would take the lead again.

Finally about midway through the fourth, it was 44-37 for Choctaw. However, Jones tied it up with 8 seconds left and we went into overtime.

The first overtime, eh, well, it happened. Both teams made a free throw and we went into double OT at 45-45. Now this was when both teams were doing the necessary things to win the game.

Putnam City took its first lead at 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Jamiece Nelson. After being quiet, Nelson had the energy most players didn’t in the extra sessions. PC led 50-47 when Sydney Wyatt came off a screen and buried a three to knot it at 50-50.

Then Megan Schrock, who only had four points to that juncture, drove hard to the hole to give Choctaw a 52-50 lead with less than a minute left.

It was Jones again. Not sure of the time (I was shooting the video), but she tied it again and to triple overtime we went.

There Jones was simply sensational. She scored early, dominated on the other end and Choctaw ran out of gas in a great pitched battle. Both teams had players come up big. Both teams had stars foul out. It was a lot of fun.

Great effort by Dandy Peeler’s team. Choctaw came out of nowhere to become a player in 2011 but fell just short.

Senior Jasmine Sievert scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half, while Wyatt had 15 points. Nelson had 16 points to help out PC. Jones had a game-high 26.

Not sure if this was better than Enid’s double-overtime upset of Putnam North (remember the name Courtney Chelf) but glad I got to see it.

Video of Jones is on NewsOK now.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

But as Lewis drove into the lane, the ball was knocked away, and somehow found its way to Raney, who picked it up and swished the game-winning 3-pointer in a 52-50 victory at Mustang. Not only is Raney one of the state’s top recruits in the 2011 class, he’s been one of the most clutch players the last couple seasons.

Raney had three 3-pointers on the night and finished with 21 points. Lewis had a silent first half, but came alive for all seven of his points and some key rebounds and blocks in the second half. David Bush had 10 points off the bench.

Ben Berry led Mustang with 19 points, playing strong around the rim and knocking down a couple jumpers, too. Zac Grismer had 11 for the Broncos, who fell to 15-3, but should still earn a host berth as a top-four seed for the playoffs. Those seedings will be announced later this week.

Last-second drama aside, this was a huge win for the Pirates, who had fallen to No. 16 in last week’s rankings. The improved to 8-10 with the win in what has been a rocky season with several freshmen and sophomores not only getting major minutes, but starting.

They just needed something positive to happen to maybe spark a turnaround after a five-game losing streak. This team went through a rough patch — not this rough, by any means — last season, and got hot right about now to run to the 6A title. I’m not saying this team is heading for the gold ball, but if they put things together, they’re as talented as anyone out there.

Mustang simply needs to let this one go, and be ready for the rivalry game against Yukon on Tuesday. The Millers have the talent to beat them if they have any type of emotional hangover from this one.

In the girls game, Putnam City’s LaShawn Jones scored 30 points through the first three quarters, but Mustang won the game in the fourth by shutting out the OSU signee and outscoring the Pirates 15-7.

Four Mustang girls reached double-figures in the 69-61 victory, and the Broncos needed the win, having lost eight of the last 10 coming into Monday night.

Mustang has good size and good guard play, which will make them a tough matchup in the postseason, so this was an important win. A loss could have very possibly hurt their playoff seeding.

In some completely unrelated football recruiting news, I got the chance to talk with a couple of players about life on the recruiting trail.

Mustang safety Jon Luckey has not signed anywhere yet, but the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior is still in contact with New Mexico and Tulsa, and could land an offer from either place in the coming days. Luckey is a hard-nosed player with good size and speed. He added about 30 pounds since the beginning of his junior year, and it really made a difference for him.

Putnam City junior running back Casey Curtis has continued to gain momentum on the recruiting circuit and enjoyed his recent visit to Oklahoma State on Junior Day a couple weeks ago. His weight is down to about 170, which he isn’t too happy about after playing at about 177 last season. He hopes to get up closer to 190 for his senior year and doesn’t expect adding weight to hinder his speed. He’s been clocked in the 4.38-4.42 range in the 40 multiple times.  We’ll have plenty more on Curtis and many other junior recruits as we start diving into the Class of 2012 in the days, weeks and months to come.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Titan Classic
At Carl Albert
Thursday
Boys
Lawton MacArthur vs. Guthrie, 11:30 a.m.
Millwood vs. Wichita North, 2:30
Carl Albert vs. Harvest Life, 5:30
Del City vs. HCYA – Houston, 8:30
Girls
Del City vs. Mustang, 10 a.m.
Carl Albert vs. Putnam City, 1 p.m.
Millwood vs. Stillwater, 4 p.m.
Midwest City vs. Douglass, 7 p.m.

So I wanted to take a minute to hit some of the highlights, school-by-school, and look ahead to some potential big moments in the near future as we get ready for what could be a wild second half of the season.

Yukon

Let’s start with the Millers, who have had a roller-coaster 2011. Coming into the year with the momentum of a tournament championship in Ardmore, the Millers lost at home to rival Mustang, then lost three at the McGuinness Classic. But things turned up on Tuesday when Micole Nicholson scored 21 points in an upset of No. 5 Putnam City. Their tournament schedule is complete, but they’ve got big games against Choctaw and Edmond Santa Fe coming soon.

The Millerettes also face Choctaw and ESF before opening tournament play in Moore as Kelly Clarke’s girls try to get back in the top 20. Outside of an ugly loss to Mustang, Yukon has been playing well, and they showed their ability to defend inside by holding LaShawn Jones to nine points in an 11-point win over Putnam City on Tuesday.

Mustang

Sitting at No. 6 in the polls this week, the Broncos are showing that they’re legit. Avenging the loss to PC North from the Duncan tournament final with a 14-point win on Tuesday was a big statement behind 18 points from Robert Shaw and 14 from Ben Berry. Following Edmond North and Choctaw on the schedule is the Deer Creek tournament, which signaled the turnaround for this team last year, when they surprisingly went from No. 7 seed to tourney runner-up.

The Bronco girls looked like they had turned a corner wit the 20-point win at Yukon on Jan. 4, and that might still be the case, even though they’ve lost four straight. There’s not a bad team in the bunch among those four losses, though it certainly hurts confidence, especially the fourth-quarter performance at PC North, getting outscored 9-1 in an eight-point loss. But Robert Foreman will get his team to bounce back, though the schedule doesn’t get much easier, with Edmond North, Choctaw and the ultra-loaded Carl Albert Tournament coming up.

PC North

A tough couple of weeks for the Panthers as they wait to get coach Rick Harris back from his medical issues. Having traded text messages with Harris, I can tell how frustrating it is for him that his recovery hasn’t gone as fast as he’d like and that he isn’t back on the court with his players yet. And there’s no time to rest, with a showdown at PC West coming Friday.

On the girls side, it’s been hard to figure out the Panthers, but Tuesday’s win over Mustang was solid. They’ve got an interesting mix of big wins (or strong performances in defeat) and ugly losses. But with three straight wins and potentially four heading into a big game with Edmond North, we might have seen this team get everyone on the same page. Both PCN squads will be at Deer Creek for tourney play next week.

Putnam City

A.D. Burtschi’s Pirates are one 18-foot jumper away from a three-game losing streak, and they’re still trying to build some consistency. They played well at the PCI, despite losing to Midwest City in the finals, but the loss to Yukon Tuesday was painful. Making things worse, they don’t have what you would consider an “easy” game until February, starting with a top-five showdown against No. 3 Edmond Santa Fe on Friday.

The girls’ schedule is just as dangerous, if not moreso, because they’ve got the Carl Albert tourney in the middle, and as I’ve said, that field is packed with talent. The Chickasha tourney title was big after such a rough start that was in large part a product of a super-tough schedule.

PC West

The Patriots are no fluke. They’ve got four guys who have shown they can go for 15 any night, and Kyndall Dudley continues to put up big games. They’ve got back-to-back PC rivalry games, first PCN then PC, prior to the Bartlesville Tournament next week, so there are a few more chances to make some noise on a large scale.

Offense seems to be coming around for the PCW girls, having scored 48 or more in two of the last four games, and with a couple of rivalry games on tap, this could be the chance to build some momentum. They’ve also got the Deer Creek tournament ahead, where they will see some good competition as well.

The final two games of the night were decided by two points or less, one with a (controversial) game-winner going in with 1.8 seconds left, and another with the potential game-winner bouncing off the rim just before the buzzer.

Here’s a look at Friday’s scores and Saturday’s schedule:

Friday’s results
Putnam City North 85, John Marshall 53
Stillwater 61, Lawton Eisenhower 48
Putnam City 58, PC West 56
Midwest City 44, Tulsa Union 43

Saturday’s games
John Marshall vs. Lawton Eisenhower, noon (seventh place)
Putnam City North vs. Stillwater, 1:30 p.m. (fifth place)
Putnam City West vs. Tulsa Union, 4:30 p.m. (third place)
Putnam City vs. Midwest City, 6 p.m. (championship)

First, let’s discuss the end of the PC-PC West game. If you were there, I know you have an opinion about it, and feel free to share in the comments section. For those who weren’t, PC’s Dominique Raney drove toward the top of the key, there was contact between he and PC West defender Dominique Carrasco, and Raney pulled up for an open 18-foot jumper that won the game.

Did he push off to create some separation? Certainly possible. Raney didn’t deny it after the game. “It was what it was. I’ll just say that,” he told me.

For a better visual, think back to June 1998, Michael Jordan’s last game as a Chicago Bull. Did he push off on Utah’s Bryon Russell for the winning jumper in Game 6? If you think so, you probably think Raney pushed off, too.

There are really three ways to look at the play:

1) The PC West view — definitely a push-off.

2) The PC view — maybe a little nudge, but not enough for a foul call.

3) The Bad News Bears view (Let them play!) — you’re the person who wants to see a game decided by the players, not the refs, in the final seconds.

Groups 2 and 3 left the gym feeling good Friday night. For Group 1, all I can offer is this: the rest of us should stop being surprised when your Patriots are beating/playing close with really good teams. Three wins over top 10 teams and nearly a fourth? OK, time to accept that these Pats can play. And it’s not a one-man show.

Kyndall Dudley wasn’t scoring like he had been of late, but Kevin House, Dante Lewis and Tavionne Pennon added plenty on the offensive end to keep the Pats in the game.

As for the Pirates, Raney admits that sometimes — like in the second quarter when PC fell behind by 10 — he tries to do too much on his own. The team is much better when he’s getting everyone involved, like he did in the second half. The Pirates have other capable scorers, and getting Raney off the ball helps him get open more often as well.

The biggest thing that came out of Midwest City’s win was another knock against the value of size in 6A this season. Union is a lot bigger than the Bombers, but Midwest City — like several 6A teams around the metro — are quick and can score, even against height.

Putnam City isn’t huge, and their bigs are inexperienced, so Saturday’s title game should be a thriller. Last year’s state final was great, and I think the teams are pretty evenly matched once again.

The third- and fifth-place games won’t be too shabby, either, with a top-10 matchup in the fifth-place game between Stillwater and PC North, followed by Union vs. PC West. This tournament has clearly lived up to the hype.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

And they topped themselves this year.

Seven of the teams are ranked in the top 20 of their class, and the only unranked squad is Lawton Eisenhower, which was a preseason top 10 team, but is playing without 6-foot-8 junior D’Andre Wright, out with a broken leg since the season opener.

Of the seven ranked teams, Tulsa Union and Putnam City West are the only ones outside of the top 10 in their class — and they both won in Thursday’s first round.

So, yeah, this tournament is pretty loaded. Here’s a look at Day 1, with Friday’s schedule out at PC West:

Thursday’s results
Putnam City 59, Lawton Eisenhower 49
Midwest City 69, John Marshall 45
Tulsa Union 65, Putnam City North 64
Putnam City West 65, Stillwater 60

Friday’s games
John Marshall vs. PC North, 2 p.m.
Lawton Eisenhower vs. Stillwater, 3:30 p.m.
Midwest City vs. Tulsa Union, 6:30 p.m.
Putnam City vs. PC West, 8 p.m.

A few things that stood out to me…

– A.D. Burtschi is playing a lot more young/inexperienced guys than you typically see from a Putnam City team. But after losing four players who were full- or at least part-time starters a year ago, that was to be expected. The talent is there, but the Pirates have some growing up to do. With Burtschi’s passion for fundamentals and doing things right, you know he’ll get the youthful kinks worked out by March. Dom Raney and Ron’Quis Lewis are big-time talents, so as long as the other guys come together around them, this team will be fine.

– PC West guard Kyndall Dudley is ready to become a star. He would put some good games together last season, but you always wondered if he would be able to do it without Tyler Neal and Amric Fields drawing all the defensive attention. The answer is yes, loud and clear. He hit a pair of big 3s and a couple very impressive short-range jumpers on his way to 27 on the night.

– PC North just can’t catch a break. Top scorer Armon Provo has played through flu-like symptoms in two games this season, including Thursday night. He missed another with an ankle sprain, and was hampered by the injury in another. On Thursday, the last-second loss to Union came when the Redskin point guard tried to drive the lane, but lost the ball, which bounced to Geb Osifeso for a winning 12-foot jumper. Joe Summers, who also played sick in a game earlier this year, made several big plays and scored 22 Thursday. Oh, and the Panthers are still without coach Rick Harris, who has not recovered from an emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding over the holidays. Assistant Brian Beale has done a fantastic job in his place, but best wishes for a quick recovery to Harris.

– Like I wrote in the paper earlier this week, Midwest City is still looking for the right mix in their starting five and rotation. Coach Dewayne Bradley made a good point when I spoke to him at Ardmore last week. A year ago, he had seniors Kendall Parks and Xavier McClish in the gym all year, and those were his two leaders on the floor. This year, the Colbert twins and Greg Austin are the leaders, but all three played football, so there’s a transition period, especially since the leadership role is a change from last year. I think the team is still trying to get comfortable without a clear point guard, like Parks was last year. But they have too much talent to not be tough night in and night out.

Friday should be fun, too, and I’ll be there for all of it.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

The Yukon boys and girls are both in the finals at the Ardmore Holiday Classic, where I have been camped out the last three days. The Millerettes face Fort Smith-Northside in what should be a good battle of two teams with good size inside and shooters on the perimeter.

The Millermen face Del City in a matchup of two different but equally well-coached squads. Del City is more athletic and

And the Mustang and Putnam City North boys will square off for the title at the Duncan Invitational, pitting two undersized but extremely athletic squads against each other — and two teams off to very good starts with state tournament goals ahead of them.

Should be a fun day, and I’ll try to keep you updated on as much of it as possible.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

But when it all shook out, the Putnam City West victory over Edmond Santa Fe was the biggest win. And senior guard Kyndall Dudley had the biggest impact down the stretch, so POW honors go to him.

It was hard to overlook what Mustang accomplished last week, beating No. 2 Putnam City and winning the Harrah Panther Classic. But I had higher expectations for Mustang than a lot of people, and I knew they’d pull off some wins like beating PC. There were a lot more questions around PC West, so to make that kind of statement in the first week of December was huge.

Dudley hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and two more in overtime of the Patriots’ 55-51 win at ESF last week. He finished with 17 points. Dante Lewis and Deonte Ogles both played key roles in the win as well.

Interestingly, the two teams leading the upset charge last week will face off tonight when Mustang hosts PC West.

Other contenders

Armon Provo, PC North boys basketball: It was hard to deny Provo yet again after he poured in 34 in the Panthers’ second game of the year against Choctaw. Provo tore it up over the summer and he has carried it into the season.

Ben Berry and David Glidden, Mustang boys basketball: Glidden scored 20 in the upset of PC, and Berry was the leading scorer in all three of the Broncos’ victories at Harrah, including a 23-point effort in the opener. Over the three games, he averaged 17.3 per game.

D’Anthony Perkins, Yukon boys basketball: Perkins scored 14 points in Tuesday’s 21-point rout of Edmond North, leading four double-figure scorers.

Ron’Quis Lewis, Putnam City boys basketball: Lewis scored 24 in the loss to Mustang. At 6-foot-6, Lewis already has an offer from Western Kentucky and his stock will continue to climb with games like this.

Ashley Callahan and Amanda Biorato, Mustang girls basketball: Callahan scored 16 and Biorato 15 in the overtime win over Putnam City.

LaShawn Jones, Putnam City girls basketball: Jones had 24 in the loss to Mustang and 34 total over two games at the Harrah tournament.

Joh’Vonna Mitchell, PC North girls basketball: Averaged 14.5 points over four games last week, including 21 in an eight-point win over Durant Friday.

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

A rare chance to see such a talented team like the Woodward boys in the OKC area. Not a bad set of teams on either side.

Boys
Thursday
Game 1: Chickasha vs. Del City, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: Mustang vs. Northeast, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Woodward vs. Ponca City, 5:30
Game 4: Choctaw vs. Harrah, 8:30

Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:30
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2:30
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30

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

Girls
Thursday
Game 1: Putnam City vs. Northeast, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Carl Albert vs. Choctaw, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Del City vs. Ponca City, 4 p.m.
Game 4: Woodward vs. Harrah, 7 p.m.

Friday
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

Saturday
Game 9: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 10 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 7 p.m.

Dominique Raney got off to quite a start himself, scoring 30 in the Pirate victory. The athletic 6-foot-5 senior will be asked to do a lot more on this team, which doesn’t have the interior presence of last year’s squad. He’ll handle the ball a lot more and he’ll be asked to lead the offense.

Raney said he’s letting his father and coach A.D. Burtschi handle most of his recruiting right now so he can focus on the season, but he’s got a chance to be the state’s top recruit this year — especially if he keeps putting up numbers like this.

Other contenders

Armon Provo, PC North boys basketball: Had the Panthers been able to pull off the upset, here’s your POW. Provo poured in 35 in the loss to PC.

Mackenzie York, Yukon girls basketball: York was the only player in double-figures as Yukon opened with a 15-point win over PC West.

Alexis Watson and Joh’Vonna Mitchell, PC North girls basketball: Watson scored 15 and Mitchell had 14 as the Panthers won a thriller in overtime against rival Putnam City.

LaShawn Jones, Putnam City girls basketball: The Oklahoma State-bound Jones scored 18 in the narrow defeat to PC North.

Send West Metro POW nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

6A – 2 All-District Selections

Coach of the Year:            Randy Breeze            Lawton
Offensive Player of the Year:        David Glidden            Mustang
Defensive Player of the Year:        Carter Grigg            Lawton
Offensive Back of the Year:        Deaquan Wojciechowski    Lawton
Offensive Receiver of the Year:    Tyrequek Zimmerman    Lawton
Offensive Lineman of the Year:    Jamelle Naff            Del City
Defensive Lineman of the Year:    Tyler Newton            Westmoore
Linebacker of the Year:        Cody Cates            Westmoore
Defensive Back of the Year:        Brent Bowles            Lawton
Special Teams Player of the Year:    Randy Johnson        Del City

Greg Johnson            RB                    Del City
Chazten Gonzales        QB                    Del City
Bryce Freeman        DB                    Del City
Drew Smith            DB                    Del City
Quintrell Boykins        LB                    Del City
Jamelle Naff            OL                    Del City
Ismael Bueno            OL                    Del City
Ryan Adams            LB                    Edmond North
Kyle Aschenbreuer        DE                    Edmond North
Evan Whitt            DL                    Edmond North
Brayden Prough        DL                    Edmond North
Travis Townsend        QB                    Edmond North
Lex Rosson            OL                    Edmond North
Hunter Crutsinger        WR                    Edmond North
Don Quay Hammons        WR                    Edmond North
Phillip White            OL                    Edmond North
Tyrequek Zimmerman    WR                    Lawton
Daquan Wojciechowski    RB                    Lawton
Lee Pigrum            DB                    Lawton
Brent Bowles            DB                    Lawton
Carter Grigg            LB                    Lawton
Kyle Fultz            TE                    Lawton
Eugene DeLoach        LB                    Lawton
Jabral Johnson            LB                    Lawton
Michael Dempsey        Center                    Lawton
Diondrick Tawkoyty        DB                    Lawton
Adam Lambert        Tackle/Punter                Lawton
Cody Inger             Kicker                    Lawton
David Glidden            WR                    Mustang
Jon Luckey            DB                    Mustang
Tyler Webster            RB                    Mustang
Jacob Strassle            WR                    Mustang
Michael Anderson        WR                    Mustang
Cale Witter            DB                    Mustang
Elliot Malanca            OL                    Mustang
Zac McKay            LB                    Mustang
Justus Elliott            OL                    Mustang
Cole Kimmell            DB                    Putnam City
Caleb Lee            QB                    Putnam City
Cody Minor            LB                    Putnam City
Josh Gershon            LB                    Putnam City
Zach Moore            TE                    Putnam City
Caleb McFarland        Center                    Putnam City
Mike McClendon        Tackle                    Putnam City
Allen Zimmerman        DB                    Putnam City
Nate Robertson                            Santa Fe
Brady Bell                                Santa Fe
Patrick Hinton                                Santa Fe
Brandon Reece                            Santa Fe
Lee Glossett                                Santa Fe
Able Blaker                                Santa Fe
Tyler Newton            DL                    Westmoore
Cody Feuerborn        RB                    Westmoore
Cody Cates            LB                    Westmoore
Bryan Norris            LB                    Westmoore
Zack VanDyke        DB                    Westmoore
Justin Smith            OL                    Westmoore
Jake Woods            DL                    Westmoore
Ricky Balogun        DB                    Westmoore
Jordan Davis            OL                    Westmoore

Putnam City girls basketball player LaShawn Jones signed with Oklahoma State.

At 6-foot-4, Jones has been on the radars of college programs for a while, and she was glad to get her decision made early. Jones signed with Oklahoma State last week, noting that she enjoy’s Kurt Budke’s coaching style. But Jones is still focused on her senior season with the Pirates after averaging 14 points and 13 rebounds last year.

“I really want to improve on my footwork this year,” she said. “We’re ready to make a playoff run.

“I think offense is our strength. We have a good inside-outside game.”

Congrats to all of the West Metro athletes who signed with colleges during the early signing period. Here are the ones I know about. If there are more, e-mail me at swright@opubco.com.

Baseball
Brian Brightwell, Putnam City (Oklahoma)

Girls basketball
LaShawn Jones, Putnam City (Oklahoma State)

Softball
Kayla Kingsley, Putnam North (Missouri)
Kylie Lang, Yukon (Southern Nazarene)

Volleyball
Tori Cox, Putnam City (Baylor)

2010 Metro Athletic Conference Freshman Football All Conference Players

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I told you a few weeks ago about Douglass receiving a No. 7 national ranking from Rivals.com. This week, they come in at No. 25 in the ESNP RISE Fab 50.

Also making the list was Putnam City at No. 41.

Ironically, these are the two teams I’ve been out to watch practice this year, and both are very motivated to repeat as state champs. Plenty more to come in my season preview this weekend.

Here’s the full ESPN top 50.

With another strong performance from the offensive line, RB Casey Curtis posted his fifth 200-yard game of the season. He went for 236 and three scores in the 33-12 win over Santa Fe, which sported one of the better defenses in the district.

Curtis concluded his junior season with 1,659 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has started to gain some recruiting attention from some big schools. His top-end speed and strength in his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame will keep him on the radars of D-I programs through the offseason.

Other contenders

Jon Luckey, Mustang: The senior WR/DB had TDs of 60 and 50 yards early for the Broncos before Del City pulled away. Luckey bulked up prior to the season and he’s been playing well on both sides of the ball. He’ll be key in run support from his safety position in Friday’s playoff game against Lawton Eisenhower.

Kollin Retter, Yukon: Retter had eight catches for for 129 yards and two touchdowns, though the Millers go into the playoffs on a sour note after the 38-21 loss to Edmond Memorial.

Dre Holman, Sam Wolfe and the PC North defense: The pair of running backs powered the Panther offense to a solid outing and the defense did what it needed to do in order to give the Panthers a shot at the postseason, but they didn’t get the help they needed from Yukon.

Putnam City (5-4) at Edmond Santa Fe (1-8)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Wantland Stadium

Putnam City (W – PC North, W – PC West, W – Choctaw, W – US Grant, L – Del City, W – Edmond North, L – Mustang, L – Westmoore, L – Lawton)
Why the Pirates can win: The Pirate offense is motivated to bust loose. Through the first seven games, they averaged 36 points, and they’ve scored six total the last two weeks. Santa Fe plays some stout defense, so it won’t be easy, but RB Casey Curtis and the offensive line are motivated to move the ball and score some points this week.

Santa Fe (L – Memorial; L- Yukon; L – MWC; L- Westmoore; L- Lawton; L – Mustang; W – US Grant; L – Del City; L – North)
Why the Wolves can win: Because Santa Fe has played well in its last three weeks. Absolutely love this team’s wide receivers and Brandon Reece is a big difference maker.

Key matchup: Santa Fe offense vs. PC defense. Defensively, the Pirates are a little shaken lately. They’re a good defensive team, but they’ve played some really good offenses the last five weeks — all of which have scored at least 22 points. If Santa Fe can put points on the board, it could rattle the Pirates’ confidence.

Scott’s pick: PC 21, Santa Fe 17. The Santa Fe defense will give them a chance to win, but I like the Pirates to pull it out in the end.

Boneman’s pick: Putnam City 28, Santa Fe 13. Casey Curtis has one more great outing to close out the season.

Boneman’s Santa Fe prediction record: 8-1.

Player of the Year – Kady Self, Edmond North
Newcomer of the Year – Kilee Halbert, Yukon
Coach of the Year – Rick Nordyke, Edmond North

First Team
Edmond North: Abby Taliaferro, Madison Nordyke, Jordan Dixon, Sheridan Bond, Braxton Coil
Yukon: Kylie Lang, Madi Ellis, Skylar Leathers, Jade Hardy
Mustang: Courtni Clark, Jamie Rateliff, Kayla Adams
Edmond Santa Fe: Maddie Martin, Karly Nevez, Breezy McComas, Catherine Rodarm
Putnam North: Kayla Kingsley, Taylor Harris, Dani Nissen
Putnam City: Grace Self, Amanda Stevenson, Tiffany Holt
Putnam West: Ashley Tiger, Allyson Hemby
Choctaw: Elizabeth Sandman, Casie Foust

Second Team
EN: Ashton Smith, Brooke Crutchfield. YHS: Amanda Madden, Whitney Ellis, Caitlyn Halbert. MHS: Kyndra Holasek, Kierra Miles, Shelbi Legg. ESF: Kayley Humann, Siara Price, Sydney Brennan, Carly Cowan. PCN: Alli Whittington, Madison Welch, Amy Reynolds. PCO: Kylee Webb, Amber McCullough, Andrea Walling. CHS: Kylie Morgan, Ashley Hopkins, Sadie Marino. PCW: Haley Hemby, Kaleigh Ferrell.

This Speed Read will take a look at what Week 10 means to the teams still alive in the playoff hunt and what will be in store for them in the postseason — you know, the “and beyond” part.

Yukon

Week 10: The No. 2 spot is sewn up, so the Millers are just playing for the gratification of a 9-1 season, and to keep their momentum going into Week 11. Their game still has an impact on the playoff race, but we’ll get to that in the PC North section.

… and beyond: If Edmond North wins at home against US Grant Thursday  night, the Huskies will come to Yukon for the first round of the playoffs. If North loses, it could be Westmoore, Del City or Putnam City visiting Miller Pride Stadium.

PC North

Week 10: Most importantly, the Panthers have to beat Choctaw. If they don’t nothing else matters. But if they do that, it’s time for some scoreboard watching. PC North needs Yukon to beat Edmond Memorial and Midwest City to beat Norman North. The last possible scenario to get the Panthers in requires them to win, Memorial to lose and a Norman North victory in which it gains fewer than seven district points on PC North.

… and beyond: A trip to Lawton would be waiting for the Panthers if they get in. They lost a heartbreaker there in Week 9 last season, and went down there for a scrimmage in August, just for the experience of traveling, because coach Bob Wilson knew there might be a road trip in their playoff future.

Mustang

Week 10: Like Yukon, the Broncos have a No. 2 seed and home playoff berth wrapped up with no chance of improving their situation. So Friday’s game against Del City won’t mean much. Just get through it healthy and move on.

… and beyond: Week 11 was a disaster for the Broncos last year, and being on the home field will be more comfortable this time around. Lawton Eisenhower, which came to Mustang for the Pigskin Preview in August, will be the opponent..

Putnam City

Week 10: The Pirates will know the night before their Week 10 game at Edmond Santa Fe whether they have anything more than pride on the line. US Grant must defeat Edmond North on Thursday night for PC to have a shot at the playoffs. Even if that happens, PC will need a win over Santa Fe and a Del City loss at Mustang with PC  also picking up 17 or more district points on Edmond North and 11 or more district points on Del City.

… and beyond: If all that happens and the Pirates get in as the No. 4 seed, a trip to Midwest City would be in line.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

He scored in each phase of the game, each of more than 70 yards, to help Mustang put away Westmoore and lock up a home playoff bid.

The Oklahoma State-bound Glidden earned POW honors with a 70-yard free kick return TD, a 70-yard receiving TD and a 96-yard interception return TD. He finished with 154 receiving yards and threw a 36-yard pass as well.

The Broncos are at Del City Friday to wrap up the regular season in a game that really doesn’t mean anything for the Broncos. They’ve got the No. 2 spot wrapped up. Del City will know Thursday night if the game has any meaning to them. If Edmond North defeats US Grant Thursday night at Wantland Stadium, the Eagles are out.

Other contenders

Kaiden Horn, Kollin Retter and Ty Garza, Yukon: Horn scored twice in Yukon’s big second half to seal up a home playoff berth. Garza and Retter each came up with a pick-6 to spur that second-half runaway.

Covin Conrady, Dre Holman and Brad Ross, PC North: Conrady and Holman came through with multiple big plays, and Ross scored twice as the Panthers stayed alive in the playoff hunt with a 42-40 win over Moore. 

Emily Helms and Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Helms finished second in the girls 6A state meet and Carroll was fourth in the boys race, but impressive accomplishments at the highest level.

Why Lawton could win: This team is still in the mix for the title of best of the west, and it’s primarily because of their defense. The offense still has plenty of weapons and there are athletes all over the field — enough to match the Pirates’ team speed.

Why PC could win: Last week has to be sticking with this team in a bad way, and they should be desperate to get back on the field and erase that feeling. Casey Curtis is averaging 173 yards per game for the season, and he’s a big play waiting to happen. The passing game had an offf week against Westmoore and will need to bounce back.

Key matchup: PC O-line vs. Lawton defensive front. The Pirates had some struggles up front last week against Westmoore, and Lawton will put even more pressure on the blockers, especially with their talent at linebacker.  

The pick: Lawton 21, PC 7. Westmoore held the Pirates to a TD, and Lawton’s defense is statistically better than the Jags, so it looks like tough going for PC.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Derek Deeds, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior, has been one of the Millers’ most reliable defenders at free safety and got the chance to show how dangerous he can be on offense the last two weeks while starting running back Terry Jones has been sidelined by an ankle injury.

Deeds, who had 11 receptions as a slot receiver in the first six games, has five rushing touchdowns the last two weeks. For the season, he has carried the ball 38 times for 211 yards, virtually all in the last two games.

He also had two interceptions, returning one 76 yards for a touchdown, in Thursday’s win over Moore that assured the Millers of a second straight playoff berth.

Other contenders

Andrew Madison, Mustang: The sophomore receiver had two interceptions and took both back to the end zone, only to have both called back by penalty. There are several sophomores like Madison, Jared Chance, Steven Fruit, Cole Williams, Dakota Warrington, Cory Irwins and Tucker Calmus getting the opportunity to help out the Broncos, and many of them are starting to come into their own.

Dre Holman, PC North: Holman finally broke loose, rushing for 189 yards and a TD (had another erased by penalty) in the loss to Lawton Ike.

Casey Curtis, Putnam City: Like Holman, Curtis had a strong rushing performance — 183 yards and a TD — go by the wayside in defeat at Westmoore.

Emily Helms, Mustang cross country: Won a 6A regional, winning by one second in 11:51. She will be among the favorites at state on Sunday.

Westmoore breakdown: This was my first time to see the Jags, and it was very impressive. Cody Feuerborn runs hard for a 175-pound guy. Heck, he runs hard for a 195-pound guy. The offense was running smoothly, chruning out tough yards, hitting the occasional big play at the right time, and keeping drives alive to milk the clock and keep the Pirates off the field.

Defensively the front four are as good as I’ve seen in person this season. Granted, I haven’t seen everyone, but the Jags were impressive. PC came in averaging 36 points and 352 yards per game and finished with six points and 282 yards — 78 of which came on one play. So on the 47 other plays, PC had barely 200 yards and no points.

DE Tyler Newton has D-I size and athletic ability. He’s getting serious looks from a number of programs, though he says he hasn’t scheduled any official visits yet.

At 4-1 in District 6A-1, the Jags are still in the hunt for a home playoff berth, with Mustang and Lawton left on the schedule — both on the road. Next week’s game at Mustang will be interesting. Coach Billy Langford admitted he’s very excited about the idea of playing the team he helped coach the last four seasons.

Langford was the Broncos’ offensive line coach and also coached running backs while he was there, so he knows the offense well. It’ll be a matchup of strength vs. strength with high stakes.

PC breakdown: Casey Curtis had 183 yards and he earned them all. He was getting hit behind the line of scrimmage, or dodging guys three yards deep. The Westmoore defense was making it tough on the Pirates all night, disrupting run plays and flushing Caleb Lee out of the pocket on pass plays.

In the second half, the Pirates started shooting themselves in the foot. QB sacks, a fumble, a bad punt snap that resulted in a safety. They just never got any momentum going after halftime.

But the Pirates can’t sit around thinking about what went wrong. They’ve got undefeated Lawton at home next week, then a road game at Edmond Santa Fe in which the Pirates’ playoff lives could be on the line.

Friday’s loss is damaging to the Pirates’ playoff hopes, because they are tied with Edmond North at 2-3. But North has remaining games against Edmond Santa Fe and US Grant — two teams with one win combined, that coming when Santa Fe beat Grant last week.

So PC has to assume Edmond North will win out, and thus, finish at 4-3. So the Pirates need to do the same to get in. With three losses in the last four games, the Pirates need to turn things around quickly.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Putnam City (5-2, 2-2) at Westmoore Jaguars (4-3, 3-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Moore Stadium

Why the Pirates can win: Casey Curtis and the offensive line. This PC run game has been ultra-productive, especially lately with Curtis pounding out three straight 200-yard games. The only team to truly stop Curtis was PC North in Week 1, but the Pirates still did enough to win. Curtis was yanked early in blowout wins over PC West and US Grant, or we might be talking about six straight 200-yard games. With his speed, he’s a threat to crib it every time he touches it.

Why the Jaguars can win: Defense. The Jaguars allowed 38 points last week, but most of those points came from their own offense. If Westmoore’s offense doesn’t hurt itself, the Jaguars have one of the best defensive units in District 6A-2. In four district games, excluding last week’s loss to Edmond North, Westmoore only allowed 26 points. That’s barely a touchdown per game.

Scott’s key matchup: PC vs. the scoreboard. Regardless of what Curtis does, this game could very possibly come down to the PC defense. Opponents have scored 121 points on the Pirates the last three weeks, but their defense is better than that. Still, they need to get back on track, create turnovers and limit the Jaguars’ big plays.

Justin’s key matchup: Trevor Thompson vs. himself and the Putnam City defense. Thompson hadn’t hurt the Jaguars all season, until last week when he turned the ball over five times. If the Jaguars are going to get back on the right track towards the playoffs, they need Thompson to right his own ship.

Scott’s pick: PC 28, Westmoore 24. These are two teams that are fired up to be in the middle of the playoff hunt after frustrating seasons a year ago. This will be an all-out brawl.

Justin’s pick: Putnam City 31, Westmoore 25. Putnam City has a go-go offense and scores at a high rate. I don’t know if the Westmoore offense can keep up and I’m not sold on them after last week’s debacle.

Seems like a good time to break down playoff positioning for the five West Metro squads, so here we go:

Yukon, 6A-1
Record: 6-1, 3-1
Remaining games: vs. Moore; at Choctaw; vs. Edmond Memorial
The situation: Right now, this finishing schedule looks as easy as you could get in this district, but that could change with the return of Memorial’s Kameron Doolittle from injury. But still, these are three games the Millers will be favored to win. They’ll need help to get to the top spot because of the loss to MWC, but if they just take care of business, the No. 2 spot — and a home playoff berth — should be wrapped up.

Mustang, 6A-2
Record: 5-2, 3-1
Remaining games: at US Grant; vs. Westmoore; at Del City
The situation: That Westmoore game looks HUGE right now, and will be even bigger if Westmoore tops Putnam City Friday night, with the two teams tied for the No. 2 spot. Mustang’s wins over PC and Edmond North will be key should there be a tiebreaker in their future. Del City in Week 10 could be interesting, because the Eagles could be playing for their postseason lives at that point.

Putnam City, 6A-2
Record: 5-2, 2-2
Remaining games: at Westmoore; vs. Lawton; at Edmond Santa Fe
The situation: Not an easy road to finish the season, especially considering these are the three toughest defenses in the district — not counting PC itself — based on points allowed. The offense, and particularly the run game, will be tested to the max the last three weeks. The good news is that one win in the last three should be enough to get the Pirates into a tiebreaker for a playoff berth, and two wins probably locks them in.

Putnam City North, 6A-1
Record: 2-5, 1-3
Remaining games: vs. Lawton Ike; at Moore; vs. Choctaw
The situation: It’s not a stretch to imagine that the Panthers could win out and get to 4-3 in the district, which might be enough to lock them in and maybe even get them up to the No. 3 slot. But sitting in sixth right now is a tough spot to be in, because it looks like the district is destined for a tiebreaker. Every point counts.

Putnam City West, 6A-3
Record: 1-6, 1-3
Remaining games: at Muskogee; vs. Sapulpa; at Southmoore
The situation: If the Patriots win the next two, it’s possible they could find themselves in a tiebreaker. But it all hinges on beating Muskogee tonight, which won’t be easy. Otherwise the Roughers likely get to 4-3 and out of the Pats’ reach for the fourth spot.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Some weeks are easier than others when it comes to picking the West Metro Player(s) of the Week. This is one of those weeks.

The Yukon Millerettes rolled to the Class 6A state softball championship with an impressive performance.

Whitney Ellis, Madi Ellis and Skylar Leathers all had big RBIs in the title game, but it was a total team effort throughout the weekend to pull of the title. Here’s Robert Przybylo’s story on the finals.

Other contenders

Brandon Taylor, David Glidden and Cole Williams, Mustang: Taylor threw for 338 yards and six TDs, Glidden caught four TD passes and returned a kickoff 84 yards for a score, and Williams came up with two fumble recoveries to set up touchdowns as the Broncos exploded for 59 points in beating Putnam City.

Corben Jones and Derek Deeds, Yukon: Filling in for Terry Jones as he works his way back from an ankle injury, Deeds broke loose for four touchdowns and 91 yards on 17 carries to keep the Yukon offense balanced. Corben Jones was sharp as usual, throwing for 208 yards and completing 19 of 26 passes.

Casey Curtis and Putnam City offensive line: Curtis broke free for his third straight 200-yard rushing performance and his fourth of the year. Behind an offensive line with several seniors, this Pirate run game just keeps churning out big yards.

Jace James and Sam Wolfe Putnam City North: James had his second straight 300-yard passing game and led the offense to a near-comeback victory against Yukon. James threw one TD pass and rushed for another in the fourth quarter. Wolfe rushed for two TDs, including a 64-yarder that sparked the rally. 

Emily Helms and Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Helms won the girls race and Carroll the boys race at the Metro Conference meet — a good sign heading into regionals this weekend and state on Oct. 30.

Scott Massey, Yukon cross country: Finished fourth at the Metro Conference meet.

Send West Metro POW nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

Last week: The Pirates bounced back from their first loss with a 37-22 win over Edmond North. Mustang defeated Edmond Santa Fe 39-10.

Why the Pirates could win: This team is playing with an amazing amount of confidence this season, and if it wasn’t for a bad fourth quarter against Del City, they’d be undefeated. Casey Curtis is establishing himself as another stout running back in the loaded junior class and the defense has shown its ability to make big plays when it has to have them.

Why the Broncos could win: In the same way PC is playing with confidence on offense, Mustang is feeling it in the passing game. Brandon Taylor has been on fire, utilizing all of his receivers, and the offensive line is giving him plenty of time.

Key matchup: Curtis vs. Mustang defense. Curtis is a big-play guy, and if he breaks loose, he’ll give the Pirates the ability to keep up with the high-flying Mustang offense in a shootout. If the Broncos can contain him, they’ll put pressure on the rest of the PC offense.

The pick: PC 35, Mustang 34. I really have no idea who is going to win this game. All I  know is that Putnam City keeps exceeding my expectations of what this team can accomplish, so I’m going with them here. Can’t wait to see this game.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Putnam City at Mustang

Major playoff implications are on the line in Friday’s Putnam City-Mustang game, and regardless of what happens, the two teams are likely to keep statisticians busy.

Each team comes into the game with a junior producing impressive offensive statistics in recent weeks.

Mustang quarterback Brandon Taylor has thrown for more than 800 yards the last two games and is up to 1,784 for the season. He has completed 60.4 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Putnam City running back Casey Curtis is coming off back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances with seven total touchdowns in the last two games. For the year, the 5-foot-8, 175-pound speedster has 942 yards and 15 touchdowns on 123 carries.

The winner has a leg up on the No. 2 spot – and thus, the home playoff berth — in District 6A-2. And in Putnam City’s case, it puts them in good position to get in the mix for the district title, with the No. 4 Wolverines set to visit PC Stadium in Week 9.

Yukon at Putnam City North

Obviously, this would have been a bigger game had the Panthers not been upset by Norman North last week, but that still adds some drama, since PC North must bounce back to keep themselves in serious playoff contention.

Regardless, Yukon can’t let PC North’s loss impact their opinion of the Panthers. This is still a team that beat Edmond Memorial and took Midwest City to overtime — nearly beat the Bombers except for a controversial fumble call at the goal line.

Terry Jones gutted out 22 carries on a bad ankle last week, and more of the same will be asked of him against a tougher defense this week. A win here puts Yukon in great position for the No. 2 seed in District 6A-1.

Meanwhile, a win for PC North would be a huge boost heading into the final three weeks against Lawton Ike, Moore and Choctaw.

PC West at Norman

Coming off the first win since 2007, PC West is facing quite a challenge in a powerful Norman team looking for a 7-0 start.

The Pats are good against the pass, but stopping the run is an issue. And stopping Donovan Roberts has been an issue for everyone all year.

If Johnny Smith can run the way he did last week, this will be an entertaining matchup, with two powerful backs carrying the ball a bunch.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

With the help of a few key plays by other people, Smith essentially carried the Pats on his back to their first victory in three years. He ran for 196 yards on 29 carries, scoring five touchdowns. He pounded out the tough yards in the middle. He punsihed tacklers who got in his way and ran past the ones who didn’t.

Smith just kept making big play after big play, like his two interceptions, one of which he returned 74 yards to the 1 and plunged into the end zone two plays later.

Overall, just an incredibly impressive performance. And congratualtions to the Patriots on the victory.

Other contenders

Casey Curtis and Elie Rushing, Putnam City: Curtis, behind another strong effort from his offensive line, posted yet another 200-yard game as PC knocked off Edmond North Thursday night. Rushing came up with a key tackle inside the 1-yard line to prevent Edmond North from cutting it to a one-score game. The win sets up a huge game at Mustang on Friday night, with major playoff implications on the line.

Corben Jones, Yukon receivers and Carson Mathews: With brother Terry playing on a bum ankle, Corben Jones threw for 280 yards, including TDs of 25, 29 and 41 yards to Kaiden Horn, Jordan Edwards and Eric Granado to carry the Millers to another win. Granado, who hasn’t gotten much notice for his solid play on defense this season, recovered a fumble for a TD to give Yukon its final points. Mathews intercepted a pass that was a huge turning point in the second quarter. It set up the Millers for a TD to take the lead just before halftime.

Brandon Taylor, Jacob Strassle and Tyler Webster, Mustang: Taylor was impressive again, throwing for 366 yards. He hit Strassle twice for TDs and Strassle also converted his first two field goals of the year, from 27 and 37 yards. Webster has been a huge part of the offense lately, accounting for 179 all-purpose yards in Friday’s win over Edmond Santa Fe, including some QB action in the second half.

Jace James and Covin Conrady, PC North: Conrady had another big week at receiver. He’s up to 638 yards and four TDs after grabbing a 47-yarder this week. And James was asked to throw a lot more than usual as PC North only ran the ball 14 times in Friday’s loss. James threw for 310 yards on 28-of-39 passing.

Mustang and Yukon softball teams: No point in singling out individuals here. When you make it to state, it’s a team effort. Yukon won the regional it hosted, while Mustang went to Midwest City as the No. 2 seed and came out on top.

Scott Massey, Megan Wilkerson and Alex Moore, Yukon cross country: Massey finished third in the boys race, while Wilkerson and Moore each finished in the top nine of the girls race at Southwestern Christian last week. Both teams finished third.

Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Carroll finished 10th in the pre-state meet in Edmond.

Putnam City breakdown: There’s an old commercial for a football video game that has always stuck with me where an NFL player is playing the game and gets mad because the game “doesn’t show my breakaway speed!” he screams.

Well, Putnam City running back Casey Curtis has breakaway speed, and he showed it Thursday night. If Oklahoma high school football was a video game, Curtis’ speed would be, like, 90. The kid can fly.

He had crucial rushing TDs of 84 and 38 yards, and finished with 205 yards on 29 carries. But his most impressive run got nullified by a holding penalty behind the play. Curtis went left and beat the pursuit to the edge, then outran a linebacker and beat the backside DB who had the angle on him for what would have been a 55-yard TD run.

His strong running gave Caleb Lee a chance to show his arm, and he was on point when he got the chance to throw. And the improvement of PC’s offensive line from last year to this year has been amazing to watch.

Lost in the shuffle of Curtis’ performance was a defensive performance that included several big plays at key times. Edmond North produced 288 yards, but only two touchdown drives, and the Pirates came up with stops when they had to have them.

This gives the Pirates a leg up in the 6A-2 playoff battle, but there’s a lot of football left. They have to hope that last week’s loss to Del City doesn’t come back to haunt them. And next week at Mustang has the potential to be a huge game.

Edmond North breakdown: In the last two seasons, I’ve only seen the Huskies play twice, and both were in the last seven days. So I’m not going to act like I know this team inside and out.

I’m a big fan of Jarion Tudman. He’s got good speed and some wiggly moves to go with it. He’s gone for 270 yards the last two games, and hardly touched the ball the second half at Mustang last Friday.

The defensive secondary has had its issues the last two games. Mustang put up big numbers and PC hit them for big plays, though they only threw it 11 times.

This loss puts the Huskies in a rough spot in the playoff race, but certainly not out of it. The Westmoore game next week will have a major impact on the district standings. And with the way the Jags’ defense has been playing, it won’t be easy.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Edmond North (2-3) at Putnam City (4-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Putnam City Stadium (Scott Wright will be there)

North (L – Southmoore, W – Choctaw, L – Memorial, W – Del City, L – Mustang)
Why the Huskies can win: Because they have the offensive firepower to compete with anybody. It’s Jarion Tudman one week. It’s Travis Townsend the next. The defense is a concern, but there is no question the Huskies can score with anybody.

Putnam City (W – PC North, W – PC West, W – Choctaw, W – US Grant, L – Del City)
Why the Pirates can win: You’ve got to think this team is fighting to get back on the field after letting a fifth straight win slip away last week at Del City. Now the Pirates find themselves in another game crucial to their playoff hunt. John Wofford will have his team ready for a bounce back.

Boneman’s key matchup: North defense vs. PC offense. How will this group respond after giving up more than 50 points to Mustang? The Broncos have a good offense, but you know that had to hurt their pride last week. Look for Ryan Adams and company to come out pumped up.

Scott’s key matchup: PC’s Casey Curtis vs. North run-stoppers. Along the same lines as Boneman’s matchup, North had to be rocked back by Mustang’s offensive performance last week. But the Broncos didn’t run the ball terribly well — 24 carries for 98 yards. Curtis has established himself as a top 6A back with more than 700 yards and 12 TDs. He’s crucial to the Pirate offense, so if the run game gets stalled out, the game plan changes.

Boneman’s pick: Edmond North 41, Putnam City 32. Think my boy Scott Wright is in for another LONG night and another shootout. Ryan Hammons should come up big for North.

Scott’s pick: PC 28, Edmond North 24. The Pirates are ready to take then next step in the progression of this team. I think QB Caleb Lee could be due a big game.

Boneman’s North prediction record: 4-1.

However you describe it, Brandon Taylor was on fire Friday night. His first half alone would have been a great full-game performance — 22-of-25 for 354 yards and three TDs. He finished 30-of-38 for 442 and four TDs as Mustang coasted to a 56-34 win over Edmond North.

Taylor wasn’t alone in his special performance. The offensive line gave him plenty of time virtually all night. David Glidden pulled in 10 passes for more than 220 yards. Jon Luckey made some big catches and had an interception return TD. Tyler Webster kept the ball moving both running and catching the ball. And Stephen Fruit got his name called a lot on defense, making a lot of tackles.

When the Mustang offense is working like that, it’s fun to watch. Taylor is a big, strong lefty who throws the ball well and he’s starting to get more comfortable with his receivers other than Glidden and Luckey — guys like Michael Andersen, who had a TD Friday, Jacob Mersman and Jacob Strassle.

The offense will get another test this week against a stout defensive team at Edmond Santa Fe.

Other contenders

Covin Conrady, PC North football: If the Panthers had pulled off the upset of Midwest City, Conrady is your POW. The senior receiver had nine catches for 230 yards and a score. In case you missed it, here’s the game story.

Casey Curtis, Putnam City football: Curtis isn’t the type of back you’d expect to be a workhorse type who gets 30-plus carries, but he handled it well, rushing 33 times for 204 yards and four TDs.

Corben Jones, Yukon football: With his brother, Terry, sidelined by an injury, Corben Jones picked up the offense and turned a 17-14 deficit to a 35-17 win. He threw TD passes to Kollin Retter and Eric Granado, and rushed for a 20-yard score as well. He threw for 260 yards.

Jamie Rateliff and Kayla Adams, Mustang softball: The two seniors hit back-to-back home runs to finish off a 12-4 win over Choctaw.

Madi Ellis, Yukon softball: Ellis leads the Millerettes into regionals this week after driving in four runs in a rout of PC West.

Emily Helms and Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Helms won the girls race and Carroll was fourth in the boys race at the Mustang meet.

– Send West Metro Player of the Week nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

Putnam City (4-0, 1-0) at Del City (1-3, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Robert Kalsu Stadium, Del City (Ryan Aber will be there)

Putnam City (W – PC North 16-7, W – PC West 44-0, W – Choctaw 42-22, W – US Grant 47-0)
Why the Pirates could win: Confidence — the Pirates have it and it would appear the Eagles are struggling in that department. Nearly 72 percent of the total offense Del City has allowed this season has come on the ground. That’s good news for Casey Curtis and company.

Del City (L – MWC 35-13, W – NNorth 41-14, L – Norman 41-6, L – Edmond North 36-21)
Why the Eagles could win: Because the pieces are in place for a team that should be competitive in every single game. Discipline and conditioning has been the downfall so far. But Greg Johnson is a dynamic talent that can change the fate of the game with one play.

Scott’s key matchup: DC quarterback Chazten Gonzales vs. PC front seven. Despite their struggles, the Eagles are averaging 414 yards per game, and Gonzales, a TCU commit, is a big-time QB. Their defensive performance has been something of a surprise from the Pirates, but if they can keep it up this week, they’ll be looking at a 5-0 start.

Boneman’s key matchup: Del City defense vs. PC offense. The last two weeks the Eagles have given up 75 points. Gut-check time for Del City. This could be a turning point game, one way or the other.

Scott’s pick: PC 21, DC 14. The Pirate ship keeps chugging ahead, into a big Thursday night battle with Edmond North next week.

Boneman’s pick: Putnam City 28, Del City 25. I’m done with Del City. I can’t figure this team out. It’s one of the few that I could see just about anything and not be surprised. I expect a close one but who knows?

Boneman’s Del City prediction record: 1-3.

Putnam City

I didn’t know what to expect from Putnam City at the start of the season. The district wasn’t too tough, but they lost a lot of key players on the defensive side of the ball and on the offensive line. But once they got past PC North in Week 1, you could see the potential for this 4-0 start.

But at the start of the season, Del City looked like a really strong team, especially with all the talent they’ve got on offense. Now, they’re the team that has some uncertainty surrounding it. So this becomes a winnable game for Putnam City. With Edmond North, Mustang, Westmoore and Lawton coming in the four weeks after this, the Pirates would greatly benefit from a win Friday night.

This PC team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, especially with that run game going the way it is, and Friday night should be a thriller.

PC North

We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks now, but it looks like running back Dre Holman will be back in action this week. That’s what he says. And the impact of his return can’t be understated. Sam Wolfe is a good back, and the addition of Holman gives the Panther offense a ton of options. One back, split Wolfe and Holman, put Wolfe in the slot, where he has been a strong receiver this season. Endless choices.

And Holman provides the team a pounding back who can get the tough yards. Wolfe’s game is based more in his quickness, so the two backs work perfectly together. An improved running game will make the team’s defense that much more valuable, and it should give them some more time to rest on the sideline as well.

PC West

Tough time being the Patriots right now. Broken Arrow last week and top-ranked Jenks this week. So, let’s look at this in a positive light — there’s no way PC West faces a team as tough as these two weeks the rest of the year. It only gets easier.

I still think the Pats win a game this season, but it won’t be this week. The biggest key is coming through Friday night without any major injuries, then get ready for the final five weeks of the season.

Mustang

The offensive line has really come together for the Broncos, and that’s been a big key for the improvement of the offense. Last week was different, because Lawton’s defensive front is stronger than most. But the Broncos still found a way to give Brandon Taylor time to throw, and opened some holes for Tyler Webster in the run game.

But with the 0-1 start in district play, there isn’t much room for error the rest of the way. The district is very hard to predict, but it looks to be very competitive in the middle. So if Mustang puts together a string of wins, they could re-emerge as a favorite for the second home playoff berth behind Lawton.

Yukon

This week is just as important as last week at Midwest City. Norman North has had some struggles early this season, so that might seem like an overstatement, but I really don’t think it is. Losing to MWC didn’t hurt the Millers’ credentials. The Bombers are really good.

But a loss or a lackluster win could hurt their image and take away from what they’ve done to this point in the season. It will start to raise questions again. The Millers are a top 10 team, but it’s important that they play like it this week, or people will stop thinking they are one. Considering the way the offense has moved the ball against everyone, and the defense’s strong play for 3 1/2 games, I don’t think it will be an issue.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

That’s why they’re the collective West Metro Players of the week. Memorial had 223 total yards, mostly coming on the ground, and the Panther D even poked in a touchdown on Daniel Grimes’ 39-yard fumble return.

After the 0-2 start, the Panthers certainly look to be getting things together. Don’t be discouraged by only scoring 10 offensive points against the Memorial defense — they’re legit.

After turning the ball over nine times in the first two games, the Panthers didn’t turn it over once on Friday, which was huge. And the long TD connection between Jace James and Rico Griffin should be a welcome sight. Griffin is an inexperienced receiver who is very talented and could give the passing game a boost by providing an option opposite Covin Conrady.

Other contenders

Brandon Taylor and Tyler Webster, Mustang football: Taylor threw for 300 yards in the second straight game and Webster kept the offense rolling with an effective run game, though the Broncos fell 30-29 at Lawton.

Casey Curtis, Putnam City football: Curtis got the Pirates off to a strong start in their fourth straight victory. He scored two early touchdowns on the way to PC’s rout of US Grant.

Yukon football team (first half version): The whole Miller football team gets noticed for their performance in the first half of the 48-21 loss at Midwest City. That team was unstoppable. Unfortunately that team didn’t show up for the second half.

Emily Helms and Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Helms finished third — first among Oklahoma girls — and Carroll was sixth in the boys meet at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater.

Madi Ellis, Yukon softball: Ellis had three RBIs in the Millerettes’ 6-5 win over No. 1 Edmond North last Tuesday.

– Send West Metro POW nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

Last week: Grant suffered a 63-6 setback to Ada. Putnam City finished off its non-district schedule with a third straight win, 42-22 over Choctaw.

Why US Grant could win: Under Matt Miller, this team is looking for an opportunity to make a statement. The Generals have a stout running game, led by GaVonte Bonds, and QB Ryan Ward is a dual-threat guy who is running a new offense that is more complex than what Grant ran last season. So there’s a learning curve, and the Generals will continue getting better every week.

Why PC could win: This Pirate team is on a mission out of the gate this season. They’ve only gotten better each week, with the offense putting up big numbers the last two games. The defense allowed seven points over the first two games, and didn’t give up big points against Choctaw until the game was in hand.

Key matchup: PC run game vs. Grant defensive front. As Choctaw learned last week, if you can’t stop Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilly, it’ll be hard to beat the Pirates. Curtis went for 200 and Tilly for 100 against the Yellowjackets and it was a one-sided contest.

The pick: PC 42, Grant 24. Grant is an improving team, but the Pirates are playing with too much confidence and too much momentum right now.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

This week’s Speed Read takes a look at what lies ahead in district play for Yukon, Mustang and the PC3.

Yukon (3-0)

The 6A-1 schedule is still brutal, even though Norman North is struggling at the star of the year. There are still five playoff teams from last year doing battle, and the fight for the two home playoff games between Midwest City, Edmond Memorial and the Millers will be wild.

The Millers’ hot start won’t be diminished by a loss to Midwest City this week, and neither will their chances of getting one of those home playoff games.

Week 4: It doesn’t get any bigger than the Bombers and Millers. I’m pumped for this one. To paraphrase the ESPN line — Is is Friday yet?

Putnam City (3-0)

Everything we thought we knew about 6A-2 is scrambled up entering the first week of district games, and at a pretty solid 3-0, the Pirates are right in the mix for the postseason. The key will be the defense, which has been solid all year. There are a few really good offenses in the district and the Pirates will need to knock one of those teams off to move up in the pecking order.

Week 4: The Pirates open with US Grant at home, and if they take care of business, they should be looking at a 1-0 start to district play. And the confidence of a 4-0 start overall could produce more happy results down the line.

Mustang (2-1)

There’s a lot up in the air in this district because of Mustang’s scattered performances to begin the year, and Lawton losing its QB, Cody Miller, to a torn ACL. So that makes this week’s district opener that much more crucial.

Week 4: The Broncos seemed to get the offense back on track last week against Bixby, but doing that against the Lawton defense will be more difficult. The defense will have quite a task, not only trying to contain all of Lawton’s playmakers at running back and receiver, but also preparing for a quarterback they’ve never seen.

Mustang is putting a lot of miles on the buses lately. Bixby last week, Lawton this week — just the way it worked out with the district shuffle this season, making the Broncos go down to Cameron Stadium two years in a row.

Putnam City North (1-2)

For as well as I thought I knew this team before the season, I found out I really knew very little about them. We’ll see if they get it together and come back to the level I expected them to be at — a fringe top 10 team and definite playoff team.  

The Panthers still have a good shot of getting to the postseason, though right now, it looks like three spots are spoken for in 6A-1, with Midwest City, Edmond Memorial and Yukon. But Dre Holman’s return should provide the offense with a spark, and the defense has been reliable all year.

Week 4: The Panthers are at No. 7 Edmond Memorial Friday night, a defense that will pose a challenge for the shaky Panther offense. But the Memorial offense is having its own issues with QB Kameron Doolittle bothered by a bum ankle. So I’d be looking for a defensive slugfest in this one.

Putnam City West (0-3)

The toughest thing for PC West entering district play isn’t the strength at the top of their district. At the beginning of the year, 6A-3 looked top-heavy, with Jenks, Broken Arrow and Southmoore. But some of the other teams are stepping up and making it look like a pretty loaded district.

Shawnee is a good team, and Norman looks to be the real deal, especially with a strong defense and run game. So it’s a tougher future ahead for the Pats than we might have thought at the start of the season.

Week 4: Tulsa Union is about the only team in the state that could go through what  PC West will face the next two weeks and come out with a victory. In fact, Union went 1-1 against this same schedule earlier in the month. PC West hosts Broken Arrow Friday, then travels to Jenks next week.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

This time around, the 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior lowered the boom on Choctaw, rushing for more than 200 yards in Thursday’s 42-22 defeat of the Yellowjackets.

He had three touchdowns and four runs of 20 yards or more, incluing his last two touches before heading to the bench for a well-deserved break.

Honorable mention to PC’s offensive line, and Curtis’ backfield runningmate, Desmond Tilly, who surpassed the 100-yard mark on Friday as well. The run game will be a big part of what the Pirates do as they try to make a run at the postseason, starting this week with a Thursday home game against US Grant.

Other candidates

Brandon Taylor and the Mustang offensive line: The Bronco front five gave their quarterback ample time to throw, and the result was 25 completed passes in 30 attempts for 313 yards. And give credit to senior receiver Michael Andersen, who had seven catches for 117 yards, providing Taylor with a reliable target as teams try to take away David Glidden.

Sam Wolfe, Putnam City North: Another strong week from Wolfe has him among the top rushers in Class 6A with 417 yards on 54 carries (an average of 7.7 yards per carry) with two TDs.

Yukon’s Jones brothers, Terry and Corben: Running back Terry Jones exploded for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns behind another stout effort from the Miller offensive line, and QB Corben Jones completed 14 of 24 passes for 232 yards, including scoring tosses of 51 (Eric Granado), 64 (Kollin Retter) and 18 yards (Jake Doyle). He also rushed for a TD in the win over Stillwater.

Tori Cox, Putnam City volleyball: The Baylor commit anchored the Pirates’ run to the finals of the Bartlesville Bruin Invitational.

Andy Carroll, Oscar Barcenas and Lucas Goble, Mustang cross country: All three runners finished in the top 11 at one of the metro area’s top meets, the Edmond Dog Pack, on Friday. The trio each finished between 17:12 and 17:24.

Emily Helms, Mustang cross country: A contender for the 6A girls state individual title, Helms was second at the Dog Pack. She finished the 3,200-meter run in 11:59, just 14 seconds off the winning pace.

Scott Massey, Tyler Baxter and Thad Dies, Yukon cross country: The Millers dominated the PC North meet at Woodson Park, with Massey winning gold, Baxter the bronze and Dies finishing foruth. Clay Mattox and Kelby Watson also finished in the top 10 for the Millers.

Send West Metro Player of the Week nominations to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

Choctaw breakdown: I don’t understand why this team isn’t better. They’ve got athletes, size, strength, offensive weapons. The defense obviously had a rough night on Thursday, especially in key situations.

PC scored twice on fourth-and-short plays from outside the 20-yard line. The Pirates were in second-and-22 and Caleb Lee looked like he was going to be sacked before breaking free for a 40-yard TD run. And there were other instances when Choctaw gave up a big play to let PC out of a jam. And it was second-and-15 when Casey Curtis broke free for a 64-yard TD run.

Big plays at the worst possible times for Choctaw. The offense got going in the second half, but it was too late by that point. Corey Bennett finished with 197 yards, including a 66-yard score. Tanner Hessman is an impressive athlete and a hard runner.

But something’s obviously missing for the ‘Jackets. It just eludes me what it is.

Putnam City breakdown: Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilly were fantastic, combining for 307 yards on 32 carries, and the offensive line was giving them huge holes to run through all night. They used a tight end at times to help out on Choctaw DE Hunter Davis, which was beneficial.

But the PC defense was the thing that was hidden by the strong offensvie performance. The 22 points and 333 yards were season highs, but that doesn’t tell the story. The Pirates allowed 129 yards and nine points in the first half. And the Pirates were up 35-9 before Choctaw put any more points on the board.

And that performance came with PC losing one of its top defensive linemen, Deondre Gray, to an ankle injury. That led to a few more players rotating in on the defensive line. You kept hearing the names of Cody Minor and Allen Zimmerman on the PC back seven, and the front got good pressure on Hessman when he dropped to throw.

The Pirates have to be viewed as a potential playoff team in a district that looks very uncertain right now. They’ll try to move to 4-0 with a Thursday visit from US Grant. After that comes a crucial stretch of the schedule where the Pirates will probably need to pull out at least one win in consecutive games against Del City, Edmond North and Mustang.

Up Next: Choctaw opens district play against Moore next Friday, while the Pirates host US Grant on Thursday.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Last week: Choctaw held an early lead before falling to Edmond North, 24-13. Putnam City rolled past rival Putnam City West 44-0.

Why Choctaw could win: Choctaw is a big, physical team, and that might give them a little bit of an advantage in the trenches against a PC team that doesn’t have a lot of size or depth up front. Tanner Hessman is a tough, dual-threat QB, and he has a strong RB combo back there with him in Corey Bennett and Aaron Fournier.

Why PC could win: The Pirates are riding high after back-to-back wins over their PC rivals, North and West, to open the season. The defense has been the biggest surprise, giving up just seven points so far, despite having very few returning starters. And the offense has shown the balance it wants, with the efficient pass game of Caleb Lee and the running back duo of Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilley.

Quote: “I like the offense this year. We run it more. Run it down their throat, throw a touchdown pass. (Tilley and I) like playing together. We’re a one-two punch.” – PC junior RB Casey Curtis

Key matchup: PC run game vs. Choctaw defensive front. This is where the size advantage could benefit Choctaw the most. The defensive line is led by end Hunter Davis, a Tulsa commit, who is strong and athletic in a 6-foot-4, 255-pound frame. He’s a linebacker in a D-end’s body, so he can run plays down and shut down one side of the field. So the Pirates will have to work to cover him and keep the running backs freed up.

The pick: Putnam City 24, Choctaw 21. PC won this game 30-27 last year, and it’s hard to go against the momentum they’ve built so far. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Choctaw overpower them and pull this one out, but the gut says Pirates.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Putnam City

Putnam City is off to a 2-0 start with wins over its two sister schools, PC North and PC West, so morale is peaking for the Pirates. But with a physical Choctaw team visiting Putnam City Stadium tonight, they know they have to stay focused.

The defense has allowed just seven points and fewer than 400 yards through two games, but Choctaw brings a potent backfield with three players — running backs Corey Bennett and Aaron Fournier, and QB Tanner Hessman — who have rushed for more than 100 yards apiece so far this season. And Hessman can throw it around, too. He’s 16-of-36 for 224 yards and two TDs.

Yukon

Yukon is at Stillwater Friday night in the kind of game that should scare Miller fans a little bit. You avoided the post-Mustang letdown, and there’s a HUUUUUGE game — and a huge opportunity to prove yourselves as one of the west side’s top teams — waiting in Week 4 with the district opener at Midwest City.

The Millermen beat Stillwater 17-14 last October in Yukon. Based on the first two weeks, it looks like the Pioneers are about the same team as last year, while the Millers have shown some serious improvement. So it’s a game Yukon folks probably think they should win — and accurately so. In Vegas, they call it a trap game. Will the Millers fall into the trap?

Putnam City North

Some good news on the injury front for the Panthers, who learned on Tuesday that backup QB Joe Summers would miss only 4-6 weeks with a partial tendon tear — not a torn ACL. And running back Dre Holman could return this week from mid-August surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee after suffering the injury on the first day of practice. But I wouldn’t expect him to be used full-time for at least a game or two.

Holman’s presence would not only aid the rushing attack, but also give the Panthers the chance to use Sam Wolfe in the slot more often. He was dangerous there last week at Mustang, catching six passes for 72 yards while rushing for 104.

Mustang

The Broncos are still growing up. They had two really good offensive series and only one big mistake — the Pick-6 at the end of the first half — in the win over PC North. The run blocking was outstanding at times and Tyler Webster ran hard, pounding out 93 yards on 26 carries.

You’re going to see gradual improvement from this team every week, with so many young players and first-time starters on the field. And they need some other receivers to step up as well. Jacob Mersman and Michael Andersen made some good catches last week, as did Jacob Strassle. Derek Garvin and Corey Irwins could be back from injuries this week or next, and that will help, because getting the ball in David Glidden’s hands has been tough so far, with secondaries keying on stopping him.

Putnam City West

I paid a visit to Patriot practice early last week, and there was a sense that the focus wasn’t there. The frustration in the coaches’ faces was obvious, and you just got a feeling that things might not go well against Putnam City. The 44-0 loss — which was actually more competitive than the score would suggest — probably didn’t surprise some of the coaching staff, despite the great week of work the Patriots put in before the opener against Choctaw, and the positive results it produced in defeat.

So this week, I would expect better effort from the Patriots in practice and on Friday night against PC North. PC West has a strong senior class of leaders, so look for those guys to get the team refocused.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

PS: Here’s a link for those of you too young to know who the Micro Machines Man was.

Jones returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a TD, and that gave the Millers a quick burst of momentum, making sure there would be no post-Mustang letdown. From that point on, Jones and his blockers worked in tandem to finish off Edmond Santa Fe with the power run game that produced two straight TDs in the fourth quarter after Santa Fe pulled within 21-19.

Jones finished with 148 rushing yards and four total TDs, nearly five until he fumbled into the end zone and it was recovered by Parks.

Other contenders

David Glidden and Jacob Strassle, Mustang football: Glidden was quiet much of the night as he has become the No. 1 focus of opposing defenses. But the OSU commit came up with the game’s biggest play, intercepting a pass and returning it 92 yards for a TD to seal the Broncos’ win over Putnam City North. Strassle continues to make major progress in his first season of football — ever. He caught a TD pass that put Mustang ahead in the fourth quarter.

Covin Conrady, Sam Wolfe and DeQuante Colbert, PC North football: Conrady is among the state leaders in receptions this year with 18 for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He had eight catches Friday, accounting for 66 yards and the Panthers’ only offensive touchdown. Wolfe rushed for 104 yards and had six receptions for 72 yards out of the backfield. Colbert, a key player in the young secondary, had an interception which he returned for a TD just before halftime that gave the Panthers the lead.

Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilley, Putnam City football: The junior running back duo powered the Pirates to 286 rushing yards in a 44-0 rout of Putnam City West, moving PC to 2-0 entering Thursday night’s game against Choctaw.

Emily Helms, Mustang cross country: The sensational sophomore won one of the biggest meets of the young season at Norman last week. She finished the course in 12:28, 15 seconds ahead of her closest follower. Only four runners finished under 13:00.

Scott Massey and Megan Wilkerson, Yukon cross country: Both runners earned gold medals in their division at the Putnam City meet at Dolese Park last week.

Madi Ellis, Kendal Smith and Skyler Leathers, Yukon softball: The trio was among several Yukon hitters who powered the Millerettes to five wins in six games last week.

– To nominate an athlete for West Metro POW, e-mail Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com

Why PC could win: The Pirates are riding high after last week’s victory, and the offense certainly showed more balance than last year. The PC defense looks to be farther along than we might have expected, having to replace so many starters. Another big rivalry game should help to prevent any letdown from last week.

Why PC West could win: The Patriots are clearly improved over last year, and PC won’t outsize them in the trenches as much as Choctaw did. PC West scored 26 on a good Choctaw team last week, and it wasn’t a bunch of mop-up time points. The game was tied at 14, and PC West was down 28-20 at one point in the second half. So this team is making strides, and there isn’t much time left before they find themselves in the win column.

Quote: “At the end of the night, we just want to have the win. Our defense is swarming to the ball and they’re a lot more aggressive. This is another big game.” – PC running back Desmond Tilley

Key matchup: PC West linebackers vs. PC run game. Putnam City was willing to pound the run game, with hopes of finding the big play in the passing game last week. That approach could be different this week with the Patriots lining up a talented secondary. But PC West has less experience at linebacker, where Tilley and fellow Pirate RB Casey Curtis will attack on the ground. The Pats will have to stop the run to pull off the victory.

The pick: Putnam City 24, PC West 20. I think this will be a battle to the final play, but it looks like the Pirates are just a little ahead of PC West right now.

Putnam City West

There was a lot of rivalry excitement in the West Metro last week, so PC West’s strong effort in defeat to Choctaw was lost in the mix. For the teams on the Patriots’ schedule, don’t ignore these guys. In talking off the record with a couple different coaches who have taken a deeper look at this team than other coaches probably have, both guys said the Pats are much better than last year. Size in the trenches is still an issue, but the talent is there, especially with QB Ray Young, RB Johnny Smith and the receivers.

From what I’ve seen of the Pats in practice this season, Young’s throwing ability is far improved from last year, and the receivers are definitely more comfortable in their routes. I haven’t seen Smith in action a lot, but he’s got good size and speed, and went for 150 yards and a TD last week. I know Putnam City isn’t overlooking Friday’s meeting at PC Stadium.

Mustang

There’s an obvious level of frustration after the 43-28 loss at Yukon last Friday. Now, they’ve got to get ready for Putnam City North, which is also coming off a loss to its rival. The thing Mustang is lacking most right now is experience. Their young players are talented, but they had some mistakes. They’ll get past it, but it’s a question of when. The schedule isn’t exactly easy. After PC North, it’s a pair of long bus trips to Bixby and Lawton, followed by Edmond North, Edmond Santa Fe and Putnam City.

Yukon

Talking to some people at Mustang, the Broncos were as impressed with the Yukon O-line as I was, but they also were impressed by the play the Miller defensive ends, Jake Doyle and Andrew Edwards. Those two, along with others on the defensive front, were making it hard for QB Brandon Taylor find a rhythm in the passing game, and they really came alive in the second half, with four sacks, including a safety.

The Millers are on TV Thursday night at Edmond Santa Fe (Cox 3) as they try to follow up the big Week 1 victory.

Putnam City

In case you missed it, here’s my story on PC receiver/kicker Carson Lynn. And while Lynn was the most interesting story of the week for PC following their upset of PC North, it was the defense that deserved the most praise. The five turnovers they created were HUUUUUGE.

“We’ve been focused on getting nine or 10 hats to the ball and we were ready for whatever they could throw at us,” defensive back Cody Minor said. “If one guy misses a tackle, there’s three or four more guys there to make the tackle. We practice pursuit every day.

“We can’t get big-headed. PC West has a reputation of not winning too often, but that doesn’t matter. We’ve got to maintain our intensity. We can’t slack.”

Putnam City North

Bob Wilson was frustrated by the turnovers, and not too happy with the offense in general, but the Panthers outgained PC last week. They just shot themselves in the foot over and over again. So the goal is an obvious one this week at Mustang — don’t give the ball away.

The defense was a bright spot, but PC didn’t throw a lot to attack that young secondary. So those guys will be on the spot a little more this week.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

The group has only two returning starters, Travis Henning and Lantz Parks, with only one of them — Henning — being a senior. Other guys like Tyler Bush, Logan Schantz and Will Paddock have done well stepping into roles on the Yukon front.

Behind them on Friday, the Millers got 120 rushing yards from Terry Jones and 72 more from quarterback Corben Jones, who had good protection all night in the passing game as well.

Other contenders

David Glidden and Jacob Strassle, Mustang football: Other than Glidden’s more than 200 return yards, including a 95-yard TD, Strassle was one of the only other players to make a significant impact Friday night for the Broncos. He joined the team to be a kicker, and he made all four of his extra-point tries, while putting a couple of kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. And he caught two passes for 41 yards on the Broncos’ only significant offensive touchdown drive.

Carson Lynn, Putnam City football: Last year’s version of Strassle, Lynn joined the football team to help the kicking game, but soon became a receiving option as well. This year, with a full offseason under his belt, he will be one of the team’s top WRs. He scored a TD and kicked a late field goal in the 16-7 win over Putnam City North.

Scott Massey, Yukon cross country: Massey won the Shawnee Canadian River Run on Thursday, 19 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. Teammate Tyler Baxter was fourth.

Emily Helms and Andy Carroll, Mustang cross country: Carroll finished third to lead Mustang in the boys competition at Edmond Santa Fe, and Helms, a sophomore, won the girls competition.

Madi Ellis, Yukon softball: Ellis had a two-run double to help third-ranked Yukon edge Edmond Santa Fe 5-4 last week.

Shaundra Hicks, Putnam City volleyball: Hicks is a reliable player who holds the Pirates together. She and hitter Tori Cox have led PC to the No. 7 spot in the rankings after a hot start.

Jordan Cox, Mustang volleyball: The Broncos have made a move to get into the top 15 early in the season, including winning their own tournament. Despite a pair of losses in the last week to top teams PC and Edmond Santa Fe, Mustang is making some noise, and Cox’s hitting ability is a big reason why.

– If you’d like to nominate a West Metro player of the week, e-mail information to Scott Wright at swright@opubco.com.

Why PC could win: The run game should be improved, which should make things easier on QB Caleb Lee, who struggled with INTs in this game last year. The offense should have some much-needed balance, which will give the Pirates the opportunity to attack PC North’s young secondary. If they can exploit that youth, there are some big plays to be made.

Why PC North could win: Though Dre Holman is still sidelined for another week or two, Sam Wolfe and Jace James give the Panther backfield plenty of firepower. The receivers other than Covin Conrady are new to the starting lineup, but James is an accurate passer who gives his WRs the chance to make plays. Defensively, the front seven will be the strength, so it should test PC’s run game.

Key matchup: PC North run game vs. PC defensive front. Last season was frustrating at PC, finishing 3-7, but the defensive front seven was underrated for that squad. Replacing those guys won’t be easily done, and if the new starters aren’t consistently solid in covering their responsibilities, the Panther offense will take advantage.

The pick: PC North 28, PC 20. It’s a rivalry game, so it’s always a toss-up, but I think the Panthers’ offensive talent will be the difference. Strange having this one as the opener, since it’s usually a Week 2 attraction, but it should be a wild one.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Yukon

Originally, I thought it’d be a good idea for Yukon and Mustang to swap hosting the game the next two years, so that Mustang could have it at their new stadium for the first game this year, and Yukon could have it at their new place when it opens next season. But for the 100th year, it seems right for this game to kick off the season at Miller Pride Stadium. 

As for football, I’m interested to see Yukon’s secondary in action against the Mustang spread this Friday night. Yukon has a lot of talent back there, but some of them are playing new positions, so it might take some game time for everyone to get on the same page. Wilson said defensive coordinator Steve Chard was happy with the team’s performance against Del City last week, and he said the team tackled much better than the previous scrimmage. 

Mustang 

I expect Mustang to be one of the top teams on the west side of the state by the time the season ends. However, I’m a little curious to see what the offense looks like in Week 1 at Yukon. It seems the Broncos have less depth at receiver than they expected, but the talent is there with David Glidden, Jon Luckey, Derek Garvin and some other less experienced young players. 

The most interesting twist in Mustang has been the players’ enthusiasm about the defense. One player told me last week that the defense is farther along right now than it was in Week 7 last year.  

Putnam City West 

The Patriots put in a new defense to get more defensive backs on the field, and if the secondary is comfortable with the new assignments, it should make a difference. And the offense should be much improved from last year, with experience at quarterback and deep talent at receiver and running back. 

Choctaw is a winnable game, but it will come down to line play on both sides. Guys like Grayson Buchanon and Cameron Sisco are leaders up there who will be heavily relied on.

Putnam City

In talking to John Wofford, his biggest concern is developing some depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Some of the starters on the offensive line will have to put in double time on the defensive line. And that will wear on kids who are going against guys half as tired as they are.

The Pirates seem to be pretty excited about the developing run game with Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilley. The pair of juniors give the backfield a nice mix, with Curtis coming from the scat-back mold and Tilley a bigger, straight-ahead runner.

Putnam City North

There’s one big question facing the Panthers as they head into the opener against Putnam City on Friday, and that’s the development of the secondary. Only junior Dequantae Colbert has any real experience, and there are at least a couple sophomores looking at significant playing time back there.

“JR Simon looked pretty good (in last week’s scrimmage),” coach Bob Wilson said. “Roosevelt Turner is another sophomore playing back there. We’re just so young, and that’s a tough place to play when you’re young, because if you mess up back there, everybody knows.

“Colbert is really the only guy on the back end that’s played on Friday nights. He’s got to be a leader. We’ve challenged him to do that and he’s trying to.”

– 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

Then again, scrimmages are for making your team better, not showing off your talent.

The early portion of the scrimmage, when all four teams were going on half-fields, had more action than the mini-games. Thompson and Jones were throwing downfield more. Thompson took off on a few impressive runs. It was good stuff.

Broken Arrow’s run game was pretty solid, breaking free for multiple long runs with three different backs, and Bradley made some nice throws, though he was obvioulsy not back to full form after missing some time for an all-America baseball game in California last week.

Yukon’s defense has some guys in new positions, and I think it will improve as they get more comfortable. I spoke briefly with Derek Deeds after the game and he talked about being a little lost at times, with it being his first scrimmage at free safety.

Here’s the breakdown from Saturday’s paper, all in one place:

QBs take a backseat in Moore

A pretty impressive collection of quarterbacks were on hand for the four-team scrimmage between Southmoore, Yukon, Putnam City and Broken Arrow.

But on many plays those quarterbacks were little more than spectators as all four teams had other plans for Friday night’s meeting at Moore Stadium.

Southmoore’s Kendal Thompson participated in the early part of the scrimmage, but played only one series at QB in the mini-game against Yukon, which Southmoore won 14-7.

Yukon is working to develop its young offensive line, and didn’t throw as much as it will during the season. Putnam City and Broken Arrow are both trying to get a feel for what kind of run game they will have to compliment strong throwing QBs.

PC line improving

In an offense geared to run the ball more reliably than last year, Putnam City is seeing progress from its mostly new offensive line, despite Friday’s 14-0 loss to Broken Arrow.

Junior running backs Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilley provide a good combination of speed and power, two good weapons if the offensive line comes together as the coaches think it can.

“I feel it went pretty good,” senior tackle Jay Hura said. “Everyone needs to get better. We have a lot to work on, but there were some things we did well. We had a few breakdowns that we’ll be fixing before we face Putnam City North (in the season opener).”

Yukon defense building around experience

Yukon defensive coordinator Steve Chard has some solid pieces to build around as he puts his defense together. He must find two defensive tackles, and he has moved some players around in the secondary — where the Millers have plenty of talent — to find the right mix.

But it helps that he has both defensive ends back in Andrew Edwards and Jake Doyle, along with linebackers Jake Henderson and Carson Mathews.

Senior Kollin Retter started at free safety last year, but has moved into a linebacker/safety hybrid position, getting the hard-hitting tackler closer to the ball.

Southmoore’s Edwards gets lots of action

Sophomore quarterback Tre Edwards of Southmoore had an idea he might get a lot of playing time Thursday night and he was right.

The backup to starter Kendal Thompson quarterbacked all but one series in the mini-game against Yukon, leading both touchdown drives.

“We feel really good about Tre and his abilities,” Southmoore coach Chris Jensen said. “This was a great opportunity to get him some reps.”

Junior running back Andrew Long also played just one series for the SaberCats.

“We know what those guys can do,” Jensen said. “We saw some great things out of them in the scrimmage earlier in the day. We wanted to let the other guys get some reps.”

Filling the gaps

Yukon

The Millers have three holes on the offensive line vacated by long-time starters, and with so many weapons in the backfield and at receiver, Yukon could benefit greatly from the offensive line growing up fast.

Yukon running back Terry Jones had some success running the ball Friday night, scoring the team’s only touchdown in the mini-game aginst Southmoore. And that group of offensive linemen is motivated to prove it won’t be a weak spot for the Millers.

“We’re trying to establish the run and make the offensive line known, instead of being that question mark,” said junior right tackle Tyler Bush, whose play was praised by coaches along with another newcomer, Logan Schantz. “We’re playing with a chip on our shoulder.”

Southmoore

The SaberCats have a few spots where they need to replace talented players, but one of those spots looks to be in good — albeit young — hands.

Sophomore tight end Jackson Stallings caught a 38-yard touchdown pass that gave Southmoore a 14-0 lead in the first half.

At 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, Stallings isn’t cut from the same mold as the man he replaces, 6-foot-5 Austin Haywood, but he showed Friday that he can be a viable receiving target for the SaberCats.

“He loves football and he’s done what he needed to do to give himself a chance to be successful at a young age,” coach Chris Jensen said. “We’re really pleased with his progress so far.”

Blue-chip report

Southmoore QB Kendal Thompson

Southmoore and Oklahoma Sooner fans alike can breathe easy after seeing QB Kendal Thompson watching most of the mini-game against Yukon from the sidelines Friday night. The Oklahoma commit wasn’t injured. Instead, coach Chris Jensen chose to rest him and running back Andrew Long.

“We know what Kendal can do, and we don’t have to keep him on the field to prove anything,” the coach said. “We made the decision to play him in one series and get him out.”

Both players made some spectacular plays in the scrimmage portion of the evening, including a 35-yard TD pass from Thompson to Long, who was running deep out of the backfield.

Broken Arrow QB Archie Bradley

Another Sooner-bound quarterback, Bradley is still trying to get in the flow of football after joining his team only a week ago. A top-level pitcher on the Broken Arrow baseball team, he was invited to San Diego to participate in the AFLAC All-America baseball game.

“He’s really rusty right now,” coach Steve Spavital said. “But he’s coming along very quickly.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

During my visit to PC practice on Friday, you can see there’s progress being made in both areas. Wofford was pushing his D-line hard, and the group has some good size. The linebackers don’t look bad either. Wofford’s defenses have been solid even back before he became the head coach last season. As the defensive coordinator the four years before that, PC posted some strong numbers defensively.

Deondre Gray is the only returning starter in the box, and guys like Dalinte Johnson, Allen Zimmerman and Cody Minor give the back end plenty of experience.

“Those are the guys we’re counting on, that we know can play in 6A,” Wofford said. “But the rest of them, we’ve got some questions.”

Lee was constantly under fire from opposing defenses during the second half of last season as teams were able to eliminate the PC run game, but with Casey Curtis getting the chance to move from the slot to tailback, the Pirates will have their most dangerous ball-carrier in the backfield taking handoffs.

Only a junior, Curtis isn’t huge, but he’s outplayed his size his whole life. And RB is a more comfortable position for him.

“I’ve been a running back since the fourth grade,” he said. “I like it a lot. I just want to win.”

Lee is happy to see Curtis next to him in the backfield, too.

“Casey’s been working real hard this summer,” Lee said. “He’s really quick and he’s gonna give us a good run game this year. That’ll open up the pass game for us, hopefully. The offensive line looks good, too. I’m excited to see what they can do this year.

“We need to be more balanced. Not all run or all pass — be able to do a little bit of both.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Nothing goes better with a 110-degree heat index than two-a-day football practices, and even with the crazy heat, high school kids across the state are jacked up for the start of practice on Tuesday. There seems to be quite a bit of excitement around the West Metro, and I’ll visit all five schools over the next few days.

But to get the juices flowing, here are some thoughts on big issues or interesting story lines in camp at Yukon, Mustang and the Putnam City trio:

PC West: Despite two winless seasons, there’s a genuine excitement at PC West, a type of excitement among the players that wasn’t there last season. Don’t get me wrong, last year’s team wanted to win, but heading into coach John Jensen’s fourth year, you sense the program is close to turning a corner. 

There’s a solid group of seniors leading the way, and numbers are up across the board. The offense will have a slightly different look, but Ray Young seems to be coming into his own at quarterback. He has plenty of receivers to work with, and he’s dangerous with his legs, too.

Yukon: Time for the Millers to show last year’s playoff appearance was a piece of the team’s growth rather than the peak of their progression. And though they’ve got to develop a few offensive linemen, the rest of the offense has a lot of weapons, starting with the Jones boys, QB Corben and RB Terry.

Then you’ve got the stacked WR group with guys like Kollin Retter, Kaiden Horn, Eric Granada and Derek Deeds. As long as the O-line comes along, that offense could be scary.

Steve Chard’s defense lost a lot of starters, but with guys like Jordan Edwards stepping into full-time roles, the team speed should be improved over last year.

Putnam City: There’s one big need in PC camp, and that’s the development of the run game. The Pirates feel good about the passing ability of Caleb Lee, and there’s a good group of athletic receivers to utilize. But without a run game to take some pressure off, they’ll be facing a lot more blitzing defenses with one thing on their minds.

Casey Curtis has a chance to be the answer in the run game. He was the team’s most elusive player as a sophomore slot receiver last year, and getting some carries in the backfield should benefit everyone. He’s not a big guy, but he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands.

The defense will get some serious attention in camp as well, after losing a good chunk of the front seven, which was the strength of last year’s team.

Mustang: Everyone nows about David Glidden, and those who don’t know about Brandon Taylor soon will. There’s no big-name guy like Bronson Irwin on the offensive line, but the Broncos have good size and strength up front once again. And there are some young or inexperienced receivers ready to step in, like Derek Garvin and sophomore Corey Irwins.

Developing the secondary, primarily at cornerback, will be key, because coach Ty Prestidge would prefer to keep Glidden off the field as much as possible on defense. And the defense lost a lot of the front seven, but that seems to be a yearly story line in Mustang, which reloads more often that it rebuilds these days.

PC North: Last year, the Panthers were full of experience and returning players at WR/DB. But all those guys were seniors, and this fall, the story is just the opposite. Most everyone else is back, but virtually all of the Panthers’ wideouts and defensive backs will be new.

But there are some solid pieces on the offensive line, and the running back duo of Sam Wolfe and Dre Holman will be strong. And Jace James seems far more comfortable at QB than he was a year ago at this time. Covin Conrady is the top name back at receiver, and he came on strong last season.

The defense will be interesting for the Panthers, with a few key players coming back — again, mostly up front. Developing that defense will be a big key to getting back to the playoffs this fall.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

The last time we checked in with Bridge Creek’s Ryan Spangler he had several offers and the interest was picking up with each passing week.

After checking in with Bishop McGuinness assistant Andy Fisher this week, he said Spangler might be the most sought after prospect in the state.

Fisher said Penn State and Gonzaga saw Spangler play one time, and that was all it took for those teams to offer the forward (who also stars at quarterback).

Spangler now has 11 offers. He’s not a bad little QB, either. Well, maybe little isn’t the word to describe Spangler.

- A couple of Irish boys are also tearing it up on the summer circuit as Matt Christiansen and Joe Edmonds are both starting to receive interest from top schools. Both will only be juniors and Christiansen is ranked in ESPN’s top 100 for 2012.

- Another team to watch for, said Fisher, will be Putnam City. Think everybody knows about Dominique Raney, but the summer has been very kind to senior RonQuis Lewis and junior guard Tre Payne.

- The Southmoore girls team is taking a huge hit with the loss of Sidney Cook (who has moved to North Carolina), but the interest in the boys team has picked up with the play of Brandon Lucas. He was someone I circled last year after watching him play twice. He’s got the goods.

- And another familiar name (for Edmond followers) as Fisher said Memorial star Obi Emegano has impressed scouts with his play this summer.

- I’d love to see Ardmore’s Nino Jackson in action as I had several coaches at the OCA clinic talk about how Jackson is the real deal. An offer from Kansas is enough for me.

- And of course, you can’t talk boys basketball without mentioning Douglass. It seems like everybody in the Trojans’ lineup will be fielding offers left and right.

A torn labrum derailed what should have been a promising junior season for Putnam City baseball player Brian Brightwell.

But an impressive summer put Brightwell back in the spotlight, culminating with Brightwell committing to Oklahoma this weekend.

“Brian can hit. He can hit with anybody,” Putnam City coach Jim Drummond said. “He’s a real coachable kid.”

Brightwell hit .389 as a sophomore. And despite not playing half of last season, still managed to bat .350.

Putnam City's Dominique Raney

After leading Putnam City in scoring on the way to the team’s second consecutive state basketball championship, Dominique Raney’s future has only gotten brighter.

Several schools have already extended scholarship offers to the 6-foot-4 guard as he prepares for his senior season with the Pirates. His offer list is topped by Oklahoma State and Wichita State, with Oklahoma strongly recruiting him, though their scholarship situation for the 2011 class is uncertain.

“You really enjoy it at first, with all those schools talking to you,” Raney said of the recruiting process. “But it gets old real fast. I don’t want to say it’s a burden, because I’m not taking it for granted, but there’s schools calling all the time.”

Raney averaged 17.5 points per game as a junior, but he wants to use the next year to show he’s more than a scorer.

“When I get to college, I want to be a combo guard. I like playing point guard,” said Raney, who is playing this summer with the Dallas Slam, formerly Team Texas. “I’m working out, trying to get bigger. I want to show people everything I can do, show them my full game.”

He should have some opportunities to run the offense for coach A.D. Burtschi next season, with one point guard, Trey Thomas, returning. Of course, the tough thing for a 6-foot-4 point guard is defense, because they usually end up guarding a much smaller player. But Raney is committed to improving his quickness.

He also wants to show people he can pass the ball, a criticism he has heard at times in his career. If he can take that next step and prove he has point guard potential, Raney could shoot up the recruiting lists. He already has the outside shooting and slashing ability to be a D-I player. Add in point guard skills

A great night for Oklahoma high school basketball Thursday with the NBA Draft. Ekpe Udoh (Santa Fe), Xavier Henry (Putnam City) and Daniel Orton (Bishop McGuinness) all went in the first round.

How about a trip down memory lane?

Before Udoh was the sixth pick of the draft by the Golden State Warriors, he was tearin’ the house down for the Wolves.

Ekpe Udoh (back in his Santa Fe days). Udoh was selected sixth by Golden State in the NBA Draft. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

Henry, the former stud at Putnam City, was next at No. 12 by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Xavier Henry has always been a cool customer. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

Xavier Henry in 2005, our first photo of him. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

And then Orton, formerly of the Irish, closed things out at No. 29 by the Orlando Magic.

Daniel Orton five years ago. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

Daniel Orton, center, was selected in the first round at No. 29 by the Orlando Magic. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

Congrats to all three.

That frustration was a good motivator for some of the younger players who are stepping into leadership roles this spring and summer.

Last year’s defense was loaded with senior talent, and those will be some tough guys to replace, but coach John Wofford is pleased heading into his second year.

“We got some good work at the Yukon team camp (on Tuesday and Wednesday),” the coach said. “We have some good defensive linemen and linebackers to replace, but we have some young kids that are stepping in and playing hard.”

Deondre Gray, Taye Smith and Caleb McFarland had good spring efforts in the box on defense and should be able to fill some of the vacancies.

The offensive line also has some gaps to fill, with four of the five starters graduating from last year’s team. But despite having some new faces up front, Wofford thinks they might be a little bigger than last year’s group.

“We had a good spring in the weight room,” he said. “We’re young and inexperienced, but we’re thicker.”

Quarterback Caleb Lee and the passing game will still be heavily featured in the offense, with some big-play ability in receivers Dalinte Johnson and Carson Lynn. Running back was an issue throughout the season and has been an area of focus this spring.

Casey Curtis and some other youngsters have been given a look back there. Curtis was dangerous with the ball in his hands last year as a slot receiver, and he’s been much the same at RB this spring.

In addition, the Pirates might get out of the four-wide sets and show some two-back (which they used a little last year) and tight end (which they never used last year) sets to boost the run game.

“We’re used to having a 1,000-yard rusher here,” Wofford said. “We feel like we’ve got a good passing game, but we want to accent that with a good run game.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

At Edmond Santa Fe
Wednesday
Game 1: Del City vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 1 p.m.
Game 2: Southmoore vs. Putnam City, 4 p.m.
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m. (if necessary)

Putnam City grad Bryan McCann signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted rookie free agent out of SMU.

The influx of players from Putnam City Schools in the NFL keeps growing.

Following the draft of former PC North players Sam Bradford and Deji Karim, a former Putnam City football player has found his way into an NFL camp.

Former PC defensive back Bryan McCann was signed to a free-agent deal by the Dallas Cowboys following a solid career at SMU. With his versatility as a defensive back and kick returner will give him a chance to make the squad. He finished at SMU as the active career interceptions leader in Conference USA.

Last season, he had three interceptions, was sixth on the team in tackles with 54 and was third on the team in all-purpose yards with 867 yards (824 on kickoffs and 43 on interception returns). He also led the team with 13 passes defended.

There could still be another PC North alum to land a free agent offer. Ole Miss kicker Joshua Shene is expected to get a chance with an NFL team in the coming days.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com

Chris Haworth continues to dominate for the Putnam City North tennis team at No. 1 singles, winning again this week at Duncan. But a key piece in the Panthers’ state tournament hopes is No. 2 singles player Kole Melton.

At Duncan, Melton earned a top finish, which put the Panthers tied with Jenks for the team title.

Both of these guys will be in the mix down the stretch, and it should be fun to watch.

Other contenders:

June Tigert and Charter Lawson, Mustang girls golf: Looking more and more like an unstoppable force, the Mustang girls golf team finished with the top score at its eighth straight tournament last Thursday at Lake Hefner North. Tigert was second individually at 77 and Lawson third at 78.

Kyle Covey, PC North baseball: Covey drove in the winning run as No. 8 PC North knocked off No. 6 Yukon on Tuesday in a crucial top-10 matchup.

Ty Hill, Yukon baseball: Hill had a spectacular outing at the Northwest Optimist Tournament, including a five-hit, four RBI performance in a 10-2 win over Norman on Thursday.

Shaydestiny Johnson and Jamee Moore, PC girls track: Running against one of the deepest fields before the state meet, Johnson won the 100 meters  in 12.07 seconds at the Edmond North Invitational on Friday. Moore was second in both the 100 and 200.

Lacey Rhodes, Ashton Adams and Mariah Garcia, Mustang girls track: Rhodes was first in the high jump (5-4) and third in the long jump (17-1 1/2) at Edmond on Friday. Adams was second in the 300 hurdles (48.64) and Garcia was second in the discus (125-8). 

Atavian Blakely, PC West boys track: The senior tied for second in the high jump (6-4) and finished fourth in the long jump (21-0) at the Edmond North meet.

Edgar Pineda, Mustang boys soccer: Pineda scored the only goal in Mustang’s 1-0 win over second-ranked and previously unbeaten Edmond Memorial on Tuesday.

Bailey Boulware, Mustang girls soccer: Boulware, the OU signee, scored twice, including the golden goal in a 4-3 OT win over Edmond Memorial.

Kollin Retter, Tanner Ramsey and Ethan Coughlin, Yukon boys track: Retter won silver medals in the 110-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles at Ardmore on Friday. Ramsey (14-0) and Coughlin (13-6) were second and third in the pole vault.

Ashley Fox and Jordan Smith, Yukon girls tennis: Fox at No. 1 singles and Smith at No. 2 singles each finished as the runner-up at the Metro Conference Touranment, helping the Millerettes to a second-place team finish.

Putnam City’s boys basketball team used an ineligible player in last month’s Class 6A state basketball tournament but the infraction will not cost the Pirates a championship.

The Pirates used the player, who was academically ineligible, at the end of their 59-41 first-round win over Jenks. He did not play in their final two games of the tournament, including their win over Midwest City in the title game.

The player did not affect the outcome of the game, Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Executive Secretary Ed Sheakley said.

“As long as he was not a contributing factor in the game, it wouldn’t cost them a forfeit,” Sheakley said. “The player had very insignificant playing time at the end of that first game.”

Putnam City self-reported the violation.

Sheakley will report regarding the violation to the OSSAA’s board of directors at their meeting Tuesday.