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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Villaflor was the only Oklahoma coach to win a national honor.

“I was kind of stunned,” Villaflor said. “This is really pretty amazing.”

Villaflor led Heritage Hall to another Class 4A state championship. The year was also special for Villaflor as it was the final time he would be able to coach one of his kids.

His daughter Carissa, who has signed to play at Newman University in Kansas, won her third state championship.

There were eight Oklahoma coaches up for the national honor. In order to be considered, each had to earn the Region 5 award, which includes Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The other Oklahoma coaches considered were Okmulgee’s Danny Morgan (athletic director), Red Oak’s Trey Booth (baseball), Capitol Hill’s Donny Tuley (boys basketball), Bethel’s Jerry Johnson (girls basketball), Ardmore’s Steven Ross (golf), Barnsdall’s <strong>Joe Gilbert (softball) and Muskogee’s Bobby Jefferson (wrestling).

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Here are the rosters for the Oklahoma Coaches Association’s All-State tennis match. The match will be Tuesday, July 26 at the University of Tulsa

Boys
West
Brandon Cohlmia, Heritage Hall; Truit Gray, Edmond Memorial; Chris Haworth, Putnam City North; Wil Rodwell, Putnam City North; Eric Olson, Edmond North; Cooper Shear, Heritage Hall; Cole Trippet, Beaver; Bryan Ulrey, Edmond Memorial.
East
John Brothers, Metro Christian; Will Edwards, Cascia Hall; Ethan Ferguson, Durant; Robert Jackson, Ada; Matthew Medcalf, Ada; Connor Sokolosky, Cascia Hall; Raymond Westby, Tulsa Kelley; Tyler Wollmershauser, Tulsa Kelley.

Girls
West
Safaa Aly, Edmond Memorial; Ashleigh Chiaf, Bishop McGuinness; Lexie Maytubby, Anadarko; Trinian O’Neil, McGuinness; Natalie Price, Edmond North; Taylor Spradlin, Duncan; Carissa Villaflor, Heritage Hall; Mackenzie Zaloudek, Enid.
East
Annie Best, Broken Arrow; Laura Fillmore, Tahlequah; Shelby Fraser, Bartlesville; Taylor Haddad, Shawnee; Michelle Mesmer, Cascia Hall; Lauren Mitchell, Tahlequah; Gabrielle Siegler, Jenks; Lisa Waldron, Jenks.

The future is now for Edmond North's David Hager, who won his first championship Saturday.

We’re minutes away from ending the spring sports championship season. Been camped out (as always) at the OKC Tennis Center for the state tennis tournament, and it was another great weekend.

Some things went as expected (looking at you, Chris Haworth). Some things caught me off guard (looking at you, Heritage Hall, tying for the championships). But through it all, great two days.

6A
- How good is this Edmond North team? With Putnam North star/legend/icon Haworth now leaving to attend at Oklahoma State, you could realistically see the Huskies sweep 6A the next couple of years. Heck, only Haworth prevented that from happening this year.

And it wasn’t because Nate Roper didn’t give it his all. That first set Roper came out firing. He wasn’t frozen by the moment at all. That’s all you ask. Eventually his play dipped a little and Haworth did what he’s done all four years with the Panthers and found a way. Score was 6-4, 6-1.

On the court right next to him, Edmond North’s David Hager was engaged in an entertaining battle with Putnam North’s Wil Rodwell. I promise to stop mentioning Hager’s size, but it was among the most talked about things this weekend. Teams that had never seen Hager got an understanding of what he’s all about.

This match turned at 6-2, 1-4 in the second set. Rodwell hit a beautiful winner but started cramping. And then he started cramping in the other leg. And before you knew it, a 4-1 advantage became down 5-4 and match point. On Hager’s second match point, he closed the show.

I enjoyed this match immensely. The patience of Hager vs. the power of Rodwell. That final game saw points that lasted more than a minute. I videoed them, I know. Heck of a battle.

And on the court next to him, the doubles team of Bryan Lilley and Eric Olson were claiming their title against Norman North’s Nick Hardersen and Trey Pirtle. Edmond North beat Norman North in the other doubles title match.

And a fond farewell to Putnam North coach David Diefenderfer, who is calling it a career after 38 years of coaching.

5A
Felt it would be Bishop Kelley edging out McGuinness in this one but turned out the other way with the Irish edging the Comets. Irish No. 1 singles player Riley Hale had an incredible day. Five sets, biggest margin of win in any of them: 6-4.

He went more 3 1/2 hours with Tyler Wollmershauser of Kelley. It was 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. Hale said he actually had a lot more than he anticipated in the final against Robert Jackson of Ada. Jackson won 7-6, 7-6.

Great day for the Suburban Conference with Carl Albert and Shawnee each winning a doubles championship. The Titans, wow, that will be a group to watch next year. Junior Matt Franks and Ryan Mullins smoked the Irish in the final. Shawnee’s duo of Anthony Davis and Dalton Stewart were only consistent with their inconsistency. Pulled it off 6-1 in the third set.

4A
Welcome to coaching tennis in the spotlight, Brian Bogert. His first official year of running the Heritage Hall program, and he made a gutsy call late in the year.

Paid off in a tie for a championship with Metro Christian. Great drama in the No. 2 doubles championship of Heritage vs. Cascia Hall. A win by the Chargers would force a tie. A loss, and the Patriots would claim the title.

It didn’t start out well with Cascia winning 7-5 but the Chargers came back to win 6-1, 6-3 way out there on court No. 21. The theme has been to win it for the seniors this year (Brandon Cohlmia and Shear), and that’s what they did.

- Big ups to the way the tournament is being run. Under the second year of new management/leadership, that was about as smooth as anybody could possibly hope. A lot of the kinks were worked out. Great atmosphere as always and can’t wait to do it again.

- Look for videos with Haworth and Hager on NewsOK later in the weekend. Battery ran low and couldn’t get the others, sorry.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

One of the sights to remember at the state tennis tournament as father (Dick Villaflor) and daughter (Carissa) embrace after Carissa's 3rd title.

If you’ve known me long enough, you know the four days of the state tennis tournament are among my favorites ones in the entire year.

Halfway home, and the girls lived up to the billing. Jenks, Bishop McGuinness and Heritage Hall all earned another championship.

Thoughts and observations

- Wow, Madison Westby of Bishop Kelley is the real deal. Just a freshman, she bounced back from losing the first set to beat three-time champion Ashleigh Chiaf of Bishop McGuinness in the championship. What impressed me more than anything was how hard Westby hits the ball. Love watching powerful ground strokes. After a battle in the first two sets, Westby turned it on for a 6-0 win in the third set.

- Duncan is close, and I would make the Demons the No. 1 team for next year, but the Irish were able to get title No. 13 in a row. Trinian O’Neil won the championship at No. 2 doubles, but what turned out to be key was the young doubles teams being able to reach the finals. The Demons won both doubles championships, but the Irish were able to hold on for a 30-29 points edge. Fun stuff as always.

- 6A became an absolute mess after the semifinal round. But off the strength of its incredible singles players of Stephanie Wei and Piper Huey, Jenks was able to claim the crown. Edmond Memorial coach Randy Mays made all the right moves that resulted in a doubles title for Megan Montgomery and Safaa Aly and a team runner-up finish. And Enid was right there in the mix. Love how Darrell Herndon runs that program.

- 4A was an emotional moment for the Villaflor family. The last Villaflor kid is done at Heritage Hall. Carissa went out on top with her third state championship. She’s got three, Caleb and Natalie each have one. It was a touching scene to see Carissa and her father and coach, Dick Villaflor, embrace after the match. Such a sense of finality. All those years of coaching and that’s the final time. Very similar to what the scene was a couple of years ago at McGuinness with the Connelly family.

- Academic champions: Heritage Hall (4A), Tahlequah (5A), Muskogee (6A).

- Look for videos with Villaflor, Chiaf and Montgomery-Aly on NewsOK. Boys regionals are Monday, followed by the state tournament Friday and Saturday. You know I’ll be there.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Class 6A
Boys
1. Edmond North; 2. Tulsa Union; 3. Edmond Memorial; 4. Jenks; 5. Broken Arrow; 6. Putnam City North; 7. Norman North; 8. Enid; 9. Edmond Santa Fe; 10. Mustang.
Girls
1. Jenks; 2. Edmond North; 3. Enid; 4. Edmond Memorial; 5. Broken Arrow; 6. Owasso; 7. Bartlesville; 8. Muskogee; 9. Mustang; 10. Edmond Santa Fe.

5A
Boys
1. Bishop Kelley; 2. Ada; 3. Bishop McGuinness; 4. Durant; 5. Duncan; 6. Carl Albert; 7. Deer Creek; 8. Shawnee; 9. McAlester; 10. Tulsa Washington.
Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness; 2. Duncan; 3. Bishop Kelley; 4. Tahlequah; 5. Ada; 6. Tulsa Washington; 7. Shawnee; 8. Ardmore; 9. Deer Creek; 10. Guthrie.

4A
Boys
1. Metro Christian; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Heritage Hall; 4. Oklahoma Christian; 5. Byng; 6. Henryetta; 7. Anadarko; 8. Elk City; 9. Kingfisher; 10. Beaver.
Girls
1. Heritage Hall; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Metro Christian; 4. Perry; 5. St. Mary; 6. Elk City; 7. Byng; 8. Seminole; 9. Anadarko; 10. Midway.

So you hope just maybe one time one match at a certain weight class or one match on the court  will determine a championship. It did on Wednesday in the Edmond Tournament.

In this corner, Ann Pepper of Edmond North against Bishop McGuinness’ Ashleigh Chiaf in the No. 1 singles championship. Teams were guaranteed a 1-2 finish, but it was this match that would determine how it went.

Both North assistant Bryan Duroy and Irish head coach Vicki Connelly were very pleased with the effort that saw Chiaf win 6-4, 6-3, to give the Irish the team title. Trinian O’Neil also helped out in the cause by winning the No. 2 singles title.

Maybe it wasn’t fair to write off the Irish after the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. This was a nice statement made by the Irish girls, and I believe between Chiaf, Pepper and Heritage Hall’s Sarah Bowen, you’re looking at the top three players in the Oklahoma City area.

Chiaf is a really a story worth telling (I will, don’t worry). Waiting in the wings since she was a freshman, the Missouri signee is showing that not only can she handle being the top player, she can also handle leading the team.

Hey, just a tough day to pick where you wanted to be. Deer Creek-Norman North baseball? Josh Richardson signing with Tennessee? Top-notch tennis tournament?

Enid won both doubles championships and gotta believe the Pacers are going to play a role in the team race next month.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

And though I knew the name, I didn’t know the face. So I got to Kickingbird on Monday and had no idea what Hager looked like. It turns out I was running into him a lot, just had no idea who he was.

He’s easy to miss because you seriously do not think he should be in high school. He has no size on him at all. He’s not tall, he’s not tall, but get him on the court and look out.

He doesn’t overpower you, but he is a human backboard. He gets every shot back and frustrates you. You have to be so mentally strong to be able to beat someone like that. To go with that, he does a great job of playing with precision. In the championship match, you could count his unforced errors on one hand.

And I admit I smiled a little bit because that that was the exact same way I used to play. Shocker of all shocker, but I’ve always been a small guy. I don’t possess power, but I could rally with someone until they forced the action and made the mistake.

But Hager’s is light years better than I was. And it was a treat to watch him work against Bishop McGuinness’ Jonathan Kraft.

Kraft, a two-time state champion, didn’t play badly. He hit a lot of good shots that would have been winners against other players. Hager somehow found a way to get all the shots back en route to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

While Hager opened my eyes, the whole Edmond North team was dominant in sweeping the Edmond Tournament. Hager is undefeated this season. It’s going to be fun to watch him develop as a player in the future.

Look for a video with Hager on NewsOK on Tuesday. You can watch and see that it remains true that you cannot judge a book by its cover. He packs a lot of game in that frame of his.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

6A Boys
1. Edmond North
2. Tulsa Union
3. Jenks
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Broken Arrow
6. Enid
7. Putnam City North
8. Norman North
9. Mustang
10. Norman

No complaints here. Edmond North is clearly the best team. Like I said before, Putnam North prob has the best singles players, but nobody can touch depth of Huskies.

6A Girls
1. Jenks
2. Edmond North
3. Enid
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Broken Arrow
6. Owasso
7. Bartlesville
8. Muskogee
9. Mustang
10 (tie). Edmond Santa Fe, Sand Springs

Gets a little interesting. Edmond North will be tinkering with that lineup until regionals. Once it is set, again, think the Huskies are the best. Enid is a dangerous team that doesn’t quite have the depth but will cause chaos at state.

5A Boys
1. Bishop Kelley
2. Ada
3. Bishop McGuinness
4. Durant
5. Carl Albert
6. Duncan
7. Ardmore
8. Shawnee
9. Deer Creek
10. McAlester

Tough to bet against the Comets here. Ada is always in the mix, but this would appear to be Bishop Kelley’s to lose.

5A Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness
2. Duncan
3. Bishop Kelley
4. Tahlequah
5. Booker T. Washington
6. Ada
7. Ardmore
8. Carl Albert
9. Tulsa Edison
10. Durant

The big question mark in the state, if you ask me. Will the Irish hold off Duncan for their 13th consecutive team title? This is not a slam dunk this year, no sirree.

4A Boys
1. Metro Christian
2. Heritage Hall
3. Cascia Hall
4. Oklahoma Christian School
5. Anadarko
6. Oologah
7. Beaver
8. Sperry
9. Piedmont
10. Elk City

The Patriots should have all the confidence in the world after recent performances. Solid group that is poised to own outright title.

4A Girls
1. Heritage Hall
2. Cascia Hall
3. Perry
4. Byng
5. St. Mary
6. Anadarko
7. Metro Christian
8. Elk City
9. Seminole
10. Clinton

Chargers feel like they should cruise to the championship, but we’ll all have to wait and see. A lot of experience for Dick Villaflor’s girls.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

Championships
No. 1 singles: Haworth, PCN, def. Nate Roper, EN, 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 singles: Rodwell, PCN, def. Stein, EN, 7-5, 7-5
No. 1 doubles: Hager-Olsen, EN, def. Hays-Proctor, MC, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 doubles: Lilley-Spring, EN, def. Cohlmia-Shear, HH, 6-2, 6-1

The battle lines have been drawn. Putnam City North has arguably the two best singles players in the state in Chris Haworth and Wil Rodwell. Edmond North has easily the deepest team of anybody in the state.

So when state comes around, might we get something eerily similar to what transpired this weekend? The Huskies playing for all four championships shows just how strong from top-to-bottom that group is.

Haworth bounced back beautifully after the loss in the USTA event Wednesday. If anything, I think that loss should have given him even more confidence. If he can contend on the world stage, he’s going to be able to certainly dictate play at the high school level.

The biggest statement, for me, would be from Metro Christian. The Patriots have had their fair share of solid players and tied for the championship last year. Would not shock me to see Patriots win it outright this time around.

All ‘n all, everything you would expect from this great tournament. A lot of quality play, and you can kinda gauge where the teams are at midway through the season.

Chiaf earns title

It’s evident that the Bishop McGuinness girls tennis team won’t be the dominant force that it’s been in recent years.

But don’t think the Irish still won’t be in the hunt for another state championship. Senior Ashleigh Chiaf earned the No. 1 singles championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Heritage Hall’s Sarah Bowen on Friday afternoon at the Tournament of Champions at Heritage Hall.

It was the first time the girls had played against each other in two years when Bowen had defeated Chiaf at this same tournament.

“It was about ‘want to’ today,” Chiaf said. “I really wanted this win. We always play tough matches, but I was able to persevere in the tough points.”

It is the first year at singles for Chiaf after winning three state championships in doubles.

Bowen had a three-set battle with Piper Huey of Jenks in the semifinals, while Chiaf cruised to the final. Chiaf was really on her game in this tournament. You can tell that she is taking a lot of pride in being a senior and leading this team.

Bulldogs win team championship

If Friday’s competition was any indication of what the state tournament is going to be like, it’s an open field.

Four different teams won the individual championships with Edmond Memorial taking home the team title.

For the Bulldogs, it was about consistency. Every player won at least two matches and No. 2 singles player Megan Montgomery earned the championship with a win against Edmond North’s Annie Hayes.

The Huskies and Jenks tied for second, while McGuinness and Enid tied for fourth in the eight-team field.

Gonna be interesting to see the lineups being tinkered with. Definitely think Edmond North is going to be  fluctuating all season until coach Dee Ann Wallar makes up her mind. A lot of talent there, just about finding the right spot.

Kinda surprised that Edmond Memorial took home the crown but says a lot about what Randy Mays is doing there. You go 9-3 against a field like this, well, you have nothing to be ashamed about.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

The two met in the first round of the USTA/Jackie Cooper BMW Oklahoma Open at the OKC Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon. Score was 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

I was able to see the first two sets, but I was unable to stay for the third but heard Haworth loss. When covering the tennis state tournament, I have to wander from court to court and keep up with many different storylines and schools.

Wednesday was nice because I just stayed with Haworth the entire way. After the first serve of the match by Nikoloz, I thought Haworth was in trouble. But Haworth was able to read Nikoloz’ serve well en route to a 6-2 victory in the first set.

Up 2-1 in the first set, Haworth saved two break points to take the 3-1 lead. Trying to serve out the set, Haworth was unflappable and showed no nerves.

In the second set, Nikoloz got off to a big lead only for Haworth to battle back. Knotted at two games apiece, Nikoloz won the the fifth game that saw six deuces. Nikoloz eventually built up a 5-2 lead before Haworth mounted his charge.

Serving at 4-5, Haworth saved one set point, held and broke Nikoloz for a 6-5 lead. Up 30-15 in the ensuing game was big call. I thought (and Chris thought) Nikoloz’ shot was wide. It was called in and the match went from double match point to 30-30.

Nikoloz brought his ‘A’ game in the latter part of the second half and definitely in the tiebreak, which he won 7-4. He started to use the drop shot very effectively and started to slam home some clean winners.

I watched Haworth win the first game of the third set before I had to leave. Great effort by Haworth, who received a wild card entry from tournament organizers.

Haworth, of course, is the two-time defending champion at No. 1 singles for the Panthers and has signed with Oklahoma State.

Like I said, haven’t been able to get in touch with Haworth yet. But when I do, I will update.

***

Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com

6A Boys
1. Edmond North
2. Tulsa Union
3. Jenks
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Broken Arrow
6. Enid
7. Putnam City North
8. Norman North
9. Mustang
10. Norman

6A Girls
1. Jenks
2. Edmond North
3. Enid
4. Edmond Memorial
5. Broken Arrow
6. Owasso
7. Bartlesville
8. Muskogee
9. Mustang
10 (tie). Edmond Santa Fe, Sand Springs

5A Boys
1. Bishop Kelley
2. Ada
3. Bishop McGuinness
4. Durant
5. Carl Albert
6. Duncan
7. Ardmore
8. Shawnee
9. Deer Creek
10. McAlester

5A Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness
2. Duncan
3. Bishop Kelley
4. Tahlequah
5. Booker T. Washington
6. Ada
7. Ardmore
8. Carl Albert
9. Tulsa Edison
10. Durant

4A Boys
1. Metro Christian
2. Heritage Hall
3. Cascia Hall
4. Oklahoma Christian School
5. Anadarko
6. Oologah
7. Beaver
8. Sperry
9. Piedmont
10. Elk City

4A Girls
1. Heritage Hall
2. Cascia Hall
3. Perry
4. Byng
5. St. Mary
6. Anadarko
7. Metro Christian
8. Elk City
9. Seminole
10. Clinton

Bishop McGuinness senior Ashleigh Chiaf signs to play tennis for Missouri.

It’s like a tennis factory there at Bishop McGuinness. They take them from the assembly line, teach them and send them off to a Division I school.

OK, maybe that’s overstating it, but what the Irish girls program has done there is incredible. Twelve consecutive team championships and most of them haven’t even been close.

It will be weird to not see Mia Lancaster, Emily Conrad and Whitney Ritchie out there, but Ashleigh Chiaf still remains.

As a freshman, she never once corrected the spelling of her first name. I had it ‘Ashley’ the entire way. I don’t make that mistake anymore as many times as I’ve typed it.

She’s a three-time champ, gunning for No. 4 this spring.

Harrah's Sam Raglin after surviving his fall from Elk Mountain.

Hopefully, Sam Raglin can enjoy the rest of his summer. After what he’s been through the last two months, that’s not much to ask, is it?

I was introduced to Raglin, who will be a senior at Harrah this year, in May when his family’s home was destroyed by the tornado. He still played at the state tournament.

For that info, go here.

But something just as scary happened to Raglin less than 10 days ago. While hiking, Raglin fell and stumbled down Elk Mountain.

He suffered some horrible injuries but managed to survive. Not just survive but almost act as if nothing even happened to him.

Act as if he did not have a fractured skull or bleeding in the brain, a broken pelvis and some punctured lungs – which were his worst injuries.

No, Raglin says he’s really doing quite fine now. His aunt sent me an e-mail a couple of days ago letting me know Sam is fine and resting right now.

Really an incredible story. Here is Matt Dinger’s piece from the incident…incredible.

Your All-City Tennis Players of the Year, Chris Haworth of Putnam North and Julie Labarthe of Heritage Hall. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman

Never in my three years of doing this gig have I had a tougher decision than who to select for this year’s All-City Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

You could make the argument for three players: Heritage Hall’s Julie Labarthe and Bishop McGuinness stars Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie.

Lancaster beat Ritchie in the challenge matches to become the No. 1 singles player so now we’re down to two.

And what a duo the girls are. It’s amazing that in the three years they’ve played in the same state, Labarthe and Lancaster never ever met in a high school match.

This year was sure to be the year at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. They would come in as the top two seeds and all order would be restored in my universe.

Nope. As we all know, the Tournament fell on Easter weekend and there are no extracurricular activities played by the Irish on that weekend.

They both went undefeated. Labarthe was 28-0, Lancaster was 27-0. Both won individual and team state championships.

Against common foes, they were both stellar. They both beat two of the best girls in the state, Duncan’s Melanie Barnes and Edmond North’s Ann Pepper, rather comfortably. And Lancaster didn’t lose a match in her three years with the Irish after having won state as a freshman in Texas.

So why not co-players of the year?

It’s in jest, but I blame Ryan Aber. When he chose Keiton Page of Pawnee over Rotnei Clarke of Verdigris, that was it. You could never ever make the case for a co-player award again. If you didn’t do it there when both had won state titles and set scoring records, it was never going to be done.

So I went to the coaches. I won’t tell you which coaches or what they said, but it was great insight.

What it came down to, for me, was the maturity (on and off the court) of Labarthe. She realized it was her senior year and played with such passion. She wasn’t taking this for granted.

Her focus was incredible this year, and you can see it when you realize she had 36 love (6-0) sets this year. That’s ridiculous. That means in only 20 of her 56 sets did any one earn a game against her.

There is no wrong answer in this equation but wanted to give you my .02. It’s a season award, not a career one. Labarthe faced tougher girls as McGuinness had bad luck with tournaments being canceled or teams pulling out, etc.

Truth is in a perfect world the two would duke it out for the championship in a Tournament of Champions that golf and track have done after their respective season. Since that won’t happen, went with my gut.

Congrats to both girls as Labarthe is headed to Quinnipiac and Lancaster is OU bound. For the record, the choice for boys (Chris Haworth of Putnam City North) took less than one second. We still have one more year with him.

For Labarthe’s story, go here. For the girls’ first team, go here. For the girls’ complete list, go here.

For Haworth’s story, go here. For the boys’ first team, go here. For the boys’ complete list, go here.

Looked at moments 15-8 on Saturday, let’s finish the countdown. Like I said before, I had to witness these moments for them to be included.

No. 7 – Perry’s Ian Fisher and El Reno’s Cory Dauphin become four-time state champions

I always feel like Saturday night wrestling finals take forever, but they really don’t. Dauphin was absolutely incredible in his four years with the Indians while Fisher was so steady with almost like stoic presence. The two became No. 26 and No. 27 as Oklahoma four-time champions. Neither had any difficulty in achieving the feat.

No. 6 – Casady beats Heritage Hall 7-0 in 2OT

The term ‘Redeem Team’ wasn’t coined here, but this was the moment where you knew Casady was not going to be a pushover this  season. This game was full of great defense. Heritage’s Cale Courtney almost scored on a long fourth down run before the Cyclones finally found the end zone on a TD pass from Cale Shivers to Travis Hibdon.

Star vs. Douglass was memorable for many reasons - one of them was Darwin Rideau's performance. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

No. 5 – Championship Monday: Boys Tennis

Even if they’re not, when events run longer than they’re supposed to, it gives that feeling of being special. And for me, the tennis nut, this was like a dream to just go back and forth from four courts to watch one championship after another. Putnam North’s Chris Haworth reclaim his title, Nate Roper of Edmond North show he’ll be a force in years to come and the Huskies finishing a crazy-good season.

No. 4 – All-OKCPS Class 4A football championship (Star Spencer beats Douglass)

Maybe Stillwater wasn’t the best site for the two schools, but it was still a magical night at Boone Pickens Stadium. I don’t know if we’ll ever see anything like that ever again. It was a track meet in the first half before Terence Olds and Darwin Rideau powered the Bobcats to the victory and the state championship. Truly a great night for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

No. 3 – Edmond Santa Fe girls basketball beats Memorial in OT (aka the Arielle Cooper game)

Not only was this one of the best moments of the year, it was easily the best basketball game I saw the entire year. This was phenomenal with both teams taking shots at each other. Memorial is more than Alie Decker and Santa Fe is more than Courtney Walker, but they were phenomenal. Cooper, a sophomore, banked in a 3 to send the game into OT where the Wolves pulled it out. Even Memorial coach Shane Coffey couldn’t say anything bad about this one.

No. 2 – Booker T. boys basketball team wins state championship

Under Shea Seals, the Hornets had been so close in the last couple of years. Then this year, they clearly weren’t supposed to win against Tulsa Memorial. But Tharone Chilton and the rest of the BTW kids didn’t care about losing three times to the Chargers in the regular season. What sets this moment apart was the great celebration that included all the students there in the stands singing while the team had the gold ball. Really a special moment.

No. 1 – Edmond Memorial defeats Edmond North in biggest regular season Edlam game ever

OK, admit a little bias here. Being the Edmond writer, I admit to seeing the Bulldogs and Huskies (and Wolves) more than any other school. But this game had the feel of a big-time moment. North was 7-1 and off to its best start ever. Memorial was 5-3 and on a four-game winning streak. It was a battle for second in District 6A-2. And it was a defensive performance by the ‘Dawgs for the ages, culminating in Nelson Medeiros intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter and returning it for a touchdown in a 10-0 victory. It wasn’t a fluke as Memorial advanced to the quarterfinals and was tied with Jenks in the fourth quarter. And perhaps attending many practices and a pep rally for this game had my psyched as I remember saying this to one of my best friends: “I’m more pumped about Edlam than I was about OU-Texas. Is there something wrong with me?”

Now that we’ve looked back, time to look ahead to what should be a great 2010-11 high school sports year.

Well, we did it. We’re through another great year of high school sports. A lot of great moments, a lot of special kids, here is just a small sample of some of my favorite memories.

Qualifying statement: I had to see these in person. I know I missed a lot of great moments so these can only be the ones I actually saw.

Here we go.

One of the best moments of the year was Casey Distaso's three-set battle of wills victory against Union Logon Collins in the semis. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

No. 15 – Bethel repeats as slowpitch softball state champions

This was a wild game against Purcell in the championship. At first, you thought the Wildcats were going to run the Dragons right out of the park. Purcell fought back, but it was still 12-4 entering the seventh inning. Then things got wacky. Purcell had hit after hit after hit only to lose 12-9. Bethel’s Brittany Watson is one of the best softball players I’ve seen in my three years of covering the game.

No. 14 – Edmond North boys swim team ekes out 200 individual medley relay

This is more of a personal one as I was gassed after all the 5A championships. However, this relay woke me up and had me ready to roll for the next hours. Edmond North just barely edged out Union by .06 for the title. Of course, Jenks would sweep both the boys and girls championships as Jacob Pearce had a memorable Saturday.

No. 13 – Buzzer beaters (Western Heights’ D.J. Taylor and Holland Hall’s Kwame Sexton)

There was a span of a couple of weeks where I just happened to be lucky enough to have my video camera with me. Taylor hit a 3-pointer to give the Jets a thrilling win against Deer Creek in the Bruce Gray Classic. Sexton drained a 3 at the buzzer to beat rival Casady after the Cyclones connected on 3 seconds earlier to tie the game.

No. 12 – Edmond Santa Fe goes for 2-point conversion vs. Edmond North and fails

Heck of a way to start your head coaching career, no? Bruce Gowen, in his first game with the Wolves, elects to go for a two-point conversion and the win. The Wolves were down 14-0 but rallied to make it 14-13. Gowen was riding momentum and had total confidence his boys could pull it off. North’s Rickey Lawyer intercepted the conversion attempt.

No. 11 – Edmond North’s Casey Distaso upends Union’s Logon Collins in three-set marathon

You know I’m a tennis aficionado, for better or worse. This was everything everybody thought it would be in the state semifinals. Collins earned the first set and was up 3-0 in the second. But Distaso, who decided to play specifically for this weekend, rallied back to earn the second set, 7-5. He never looked back in winning the third.

No. 10 – Bishop McGuinness boys basketball beat Carl Albert in OT in finals of McGuinness Classic

I love the basketball tournament weeks and this was no exception. The atmosphere was insane for the Irish and Titans and McGuinness’ Kevin Caruthers and CA’s Caleb Price were going back and forth in making one big shot after another. A Jameel Whitney block in OT spurred McGuinness to the victory.

Moment No. 8 saw Heritage pitcher Bob Kraft strike out 20 vs. rival Casady. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

No. 9 – Bishop McGuinness’ Emily Conrad and Whitney Ritichie become four-time champions

I feel like I’ve watched these two grow up the last three years. The Irish girls were dominant in all four years of their careers, never losing a match. Phenomenal stuff every time they went out there. Conrad will play at Abilene Christian while Ritchie will become the latest Irish player to play at OU.

No. 8 – Heritage Hall’s Bob Kraft strikes out 20 against Casady

Sometimes you stumble onto the greatness. Sure felt like it with this moment. Kraft struck out seven in two innings so figured it would be something special. He ended up recording 23 outs as two Ks got by the catcher. His variety of pitches is easily his strength. Heritage won, 8-1.

Moments 7-1 on Sunday.

It’s sad, isn’t it, knowing the tennis season is over? Oh well, we’re all just going to have to move on.

Here are your All-State teams and the final rankings by the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Association.

OTCA All-State Teams
Tuesday, July 27, 5:30 p.m.
Case Tennis Center at University of Tulsa

Boys
West
Kevin Boyd, Norman North; John Byrne, Bishop McGuinness; Brian Diefenderfer, Putnam City North; Casey Distaso, Edmond North; Gavin Dubberstein, Edmond Memorial; Nick Jordan, Edmond North; Austin Manger, Carl Albert; Bowen Xu, Edmond Memorial.

East
Logon Collins, Tulsa Union; Reider Hunt, Tulsa Kelley; Evan McElwain, Tulsa Washington; Erik Richison, Metro Christian; Cameron Schoenhofer, Tulsa Kelley; Chase Sheffield, Ada; Zane Simmons, Jenks; Chase Tomlins, Cascia Hall.

Girls
West
Kaylyn Baker, Clinton; Melanie Barnes, Duncan; Caitlin Bell, Edmond Memorial; Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall; Mia Lancaster, Bishop McGuinness; Kate LeValley, Duncan; Rachel Mitcham, Edmond North; Whitney Ritchie, Bishop McGuinness.

East
Bernadette Clement, Cascia Hall; Samantha Fuller, Cascia Hall; Brooke Gunter, Claremore; Niki Haddad, Shawnee; Erica Poe, Ada; Cydney Ramirez, Shawnee; Kristin Richardson, Claremore; Rachel Scroggs, Jenks.

Coaches — East: Josh Michael, Durant; West: Mike Lewis, Lawton Eisenhower.

Final OTCA Rankings
Boys
1. Edmond North
2. Tulsa Kelley
3. (tie) Cascia Hall, Metro Christian
5. Edmond Memorial
6. Jenks
7. Putnam North
8. Tulsa Union
9. (tie) Ada, Heritage Hall

Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness
2. Duncan
3. (tie) Jenks, Edmond North
5. Heritage Hall
6. Enid
7. Edmond Memorial
8. Broken Arrow
9. (tie) Bartlesville, Shawnee
11. (tie) Perry, Cascia Hall

I first saw Nate Roper at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. All I could think was ‘who does this freshman think he is’?

He played with such poise against some of the best the state has to offer. He didn’t back down at all vs. Putnam North’s Chris Haworth. He wasn’t a star in the making…he was already there.

At No. 1 singles, Roper and Logon Collins of Union would have been a great battle. But at No. 2 singles, well, kinda felt like he was the favorite.

He was only 7-0 in the position coming into last weekend as he had spent the bulk of his season at No. 1 singles, playing whenever Casey Distaso elected to not play. Roper was right at home at No. 2 singles and was brilliant all tournament.

Getting 16 points from Roper (champion) and Distaso (runner-up) was a huge reason why the Huskies are walking around as champs right now.

Caught up with the freshman following his first (of what could be many) championships.

I wonder if Putnam North’s Chris Haworth got bored. Being undefeated for nearly two years in a row if just maybe he grew a little complacent.

The loss at regionals to Union’s Logon Collins woke up the sleeping giant. I have never seen Haworth play as well as he did in those three days.

He made some changes that didn’t turn out well and reverted back to his old self – good call. There was a passion and a focus I hadn’t seen from him since last year.

In the championship, he battled a great opponent (Casey Distaso), a solid crowd of Edmond North supporters and withstood every charge Distaso had. He was already a champion, but I felt Haworth grew up this year and especially in the championship.

Following his second title in a row, caught up with Haworth, who ends the year a ridiculous 41-1.

It’s tough to make a statement as a boys tennis player for Bishop McGuinness. There’s always going to be that cloud hanging over your head.

You know, the girls and their 12 consecutive state titles definitely make it tough to impress and make your own name.

But that’s exactly what the doubles team of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft did all season. The duo were great singles players but when I found out they’d be teaming this year, kinda penciled them in as champs already.

And they played like it all year as they never lost to 5A competition and finishing the year at 28-3 and a straight-set victory in the championship.

Following the win and after being congratulated by the girls and former players, caught up with Byrne and Kraft.

If you read my Edmond post earlier today, well, get ready for another copout. No Private Schools Player of the Week because we had championships and great outings left and right in this final week.

Who did you think deserved it?

I could have went with the Oklahoma Christian School boys golf team. The Saints were beyond dominant, winning by 66 strokes. Jackson Ogle was great, winning the individual championship. Rustin Purser had the hole-in-one on No. 5, what more could you want?

Well, Heritage Hall did all it could as the Chargers claimed the 3A championship. And Bogert’s boys held off Cascia Hall by 19 strokes.

Max Meyers was tied for fourth while Michael Helton was sixth and Bennett Beard was tied for eighth to lead Heritage, and it was the only class to go the full three rounds.

In soccer, the Irish girls had a dream season but fell short. McGuinness had beaten Bishop Kelley earlier in the season but the Comets earned a 3-1 win in the championship final.

Really good season for the girls, paced by Abbey Akin and Alexa Gonce as the primary goal-scorers with one of the better goalkeepers in the state in Elyse Hight.

To tennis we went where it was a great end of the season for the McGuinness doubles team of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft.

The duo capped a great season with a state championship, beating Bishop Kelley in straight sets on a wild, delayed weekend.

Heritage had two runners-up and two third-place finishes to end up third as a team. Any other team would be thrilled with that, but the Chargers and Dick Villaflor always expect more. The Saints came out of nowhere to place fourth as well.

So really, who would you give it to? OCS boys golf? Heritage boys golf? McGuinness’ Byrne and Kraft? Not an easy answer. Kudos to all.

No Edmond Player of the Week this time around. I mean how am I supposed to choose in what was some fabulous results across the board for the Edmond squads?

We started last week with golf and that meant another title for Edmond North.

The Huskies, led by Austen Fuller, won their sixth consecutive team championship by six strokes over Norman North.

However, Memorial joined in on the fun as Taylor Moore ended up as the individual champion, beating Fuller by three strokes. And Santa Fe actually finished ahead of Memorial with Cody Reed and Matt Helms leading the way.

Over in 5A, Ian Davis of Deer Creek was solid but was three strokes off of being in the fun playoff. Davis, of course, is headed to Oklahoma State.

In baseball, three Edmond squads made state (Deer Creek, Memorial, Santa Fe) but unfortunately for their followers none of them won a championship or made the championship game.

Did we overestimate how good the West was or underestimate how good the East is?

Soccer, always a bridesmaid, never a bride – NO MORE. The Edmond North girls finally got that elusive state championship as Courtney Dike scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Union at Broken Arrow.

They end their phenomenal season at 17-1 and without losing to an in-state opponent.

We went to tennis Monday where North earned its first team title in seven years, paced by championships by Nate Roper and the doubles team of Alex Mathieson and Baylor Spring.

And who did they need to beat? Memorial. The Bulldogs had three finalists but couldn’t pull out any titles and placed second in the team battle.

Then track closed out the Edmond sports year as the North girls finished second while the Santa Fe boys duplicated that feat.

Edmond had championships in the girls from Hannah Helker (800), Miranda King (pole vault) and the 3,200 relay while Santa Fe earned the 1,600 relay title.

In the boys, Adam Godwin had a crazy-good day with titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 for North. Gunnar Nixon of Santa Fe earned a title and two runner-ups while Memorial had a championship from Vashon Williams of Memorial in the long jump.

Deer Creek joined the fun when Taler Buck earned the championships in the 1,600 and 3,200.

So, how am I supposed to pick among all that? Congrats to all, great way to close out the school year.

My car after the hail storm. At least tennis wasn't played Sunday, huh? Monday was a great day of 6A finals.

Sorry for taking so long. But as you can see, I’ve got some other issues to do deal with, too.

With that being said, how great was Monday’s tennis? That was some fun stuff though incredibly tough to try to track it all down.

No. 1 Singles – Chris Haworth, Putnam North, def. Casey Distaso, Edmond North, 6-2, 6-4

This was the best match I’ve seen Haworth play. And lemme tell ya something, that is saying a lot. He went back to the basics after a surprising regional loss to Union’s Logon Collins.

Haworth was on fire in this one, early and often. I truly believe Distaso played a solid match and would have beaten any other competitor on this day.

Distaso has so much fire in him. You have to be mentally tough to take him out because there is no quit at all with the Georgetown signee.

On this day, Haworth brought his A game. Fantastic stuff. His decision making was phenomenal in this one.

No. 2 Singles – Nate Roper, Edmond North, def. Bowen Xu, Edmond Memorial, 6-4, 6-2

The first set made me think we were in for a three-hour epic. Turned out we weren’t as once Roper collected himself and got over the state nerves, he was impressive.

Roper had a 5-2 lead in the first, but Xu showed why he was the No. 1 seed coming into the tournament. Xu has a real nice forehand that was giving Roper trouble.

Roper found his groove in the second set. He started to dictate play and finished in style. Distaso came out and gave Roper a huge hug following the match.

This was the key (in my opinion) to why the Huskies won the team title. Because Distaso was at No. 1 singles, Roper was able to slide to No. 2 and earn the championship.

No. 1 Doubles – Brandon Champagne-Zane Simmons, Jenks, def. Gavin Dubberstein-Truit Gray, Edmond Memorial, 6-3, 6-3

Didn’t get to see too much of this match, but I was a little surprised at how well the Bulldogs duo was able to hang with the Trojans.

However, there would be no stopping the Jenks duo. Champagne and Simmons have been so good all year. All the expectations didn’t weigh them down. They got stronger and stronger as the year progressed.

No. 2 Doubles – Alex Mathieson-Baylor Spring, Edmond North, def. Omar Karim-Bryan Ulrey, Memorial, 6-2, 6-2

It seemed like the real battle was just getting here. Once the Huskies got to the final, they were possessed. The teams are so familiar with each other that there wasn’t much of a feeling out process.

Very impressive display by North.

***

Great crowd Monday. Loved all the Edmond North students coming out, showed great support for their team. It was still weird to be playing Monday, but the atmosphere was fantastic. And more importantly, how great was the weather? Good stuff.

Look for videos on NewsOK with Haworth and Roper.

Much more later, but here ya go:

Class 6A Boys

At OKC Tennis Center

Monday

Team Scoring

1. Edmond North 30; 2. Edmond Memorial 24; 3. Jenks 22; 4. (tie) Putnam City North, Tulsa Union 20; 6. Enid 12; 7. Westmoore 5; 8. (tie) Norman North, Edmond Santa Fe 4; 10. (tie) Lawton Eisenhower, Mustang, Broken Arrow 2; 13. Stillwater 1.

No. 1 Singles

Championship

Chris Haworth, Putnam City North, def. Casey Distaso, Edmond North, 6-2, 6-4

Third Place

Logon Collins, Tulsa Union, def. Sylvester Vo, Westmoore, 6-2, 6-0

Fifth Place

Chase Gordon, Jenks, def. Bryce Merritt, Edmond Memorial, 6-3, 6-3

Seventh Place

Kolt Byerly, Mustang, def. Kevin Boyd, Norman North, 6-0, 7-6

No. 2 Singles

Championship

Nate Roper, Edmond North, def. Bowen Xu, Edmond Memorial, 6-4, 6-2

Third Place

Andre Tardio, Tulsa Union, def. Kole Melton, Putnam City North, 6-2, 6-3

Fifth Place

Gray Whitman, Jenks, def. Owen Fike, Enid, 7-6, 6-2

Seventh Place

Lucas Swisher, Edmond Santa Fe, def. Brandon Hadwiger, Stillwater, 6-3, 6-4

No. 1 Doubles

Championship

Zane Simmons-Brandon Champagne, Jenks, def. Truit Gray-Gavin Dubberstein, Edmond Memorial, 6-3, 6-3

Third Place

Wil Rodwell-Brian Diefenderfer, Putnam City North, def. Nick Jordan-Bryce Lilley, Edmond North, 6-4, 6-4

Fifth Place

Nick Crossley-Josh Coleman, Tulsa Union, def. Devin Glasgow-John Ward, Enid, 6-4, 6-4

Seventh Place

Michael McCoy-Travis Sperr, Lawton Eisenhower, def. Nick Grafton-Austin Strickland, Broken Arrow, 6-3, 6-4

No. 2 Doubles

Championship

Alex Mathieson-Baylor Spring, Edmond North, def. Omar Karim-Bryan Ulrey, Edmond Memorial, 6-2, 6-2

Third Place

Gibson Rose-Matt Worrell, Enid, def. Parker Leach-Josh Mathis, Jenks, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6

Fifth Place

Jacob Allbritton-Andreas Kutt, Tulsa Union, def. Jeremy Ng-Trey Pirtle, Norman North, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6

Seventh Place

Aaron Clarke-Blake Thomas, Edmond Santa Fe, def. D.J. Trainor-T.J. Woods, Broken Arrow, 6-4, 6-3

Oh boy, this is what we live for. Monday will see the championship round of the boys 6A state tennis tournament at the OKC Tennis Center at 11 a.m.

It’s going to come down to an Edlam showdown as North and Memorial are in three finals apiece and play each other in two of them.

Here’s a preview:

No 1. singles – Chris Haworth, Putnam North (40-1) vs. Casey Distaso, Edmond North (22-2)

Haworth has played like a man possessed this weekend after losing to Union’s Logon Collins at regionals. Distaso’s only two losses this year have come against Haworth.

For Distaso, the key is to not be content with that memorable come-from-behind win against Collins. He’s played Haworth tight the previous two times.

Haworth told me he feels great, following his semifinal win while Distaso has all the momentum going with him right now.

Prediction: Haworth in three sets.

No. 2 singles – Bowen Xu, Memorial (20-1) vs. Nate Roper, Edmond North (10-0)

Ooh, a little contempt in this one. North felt Roper deserved the No. 1 seed at 2 singles. Xu has been great all year while Roper spent a good part of the year at one singles because we didn’t know if Distaso would play.

Xu has played like a true No. 1 seed while Roper has had three convincing wins of his own and both have clearly earned their spot.

I’m wondering if nerves will play any role. Xu is a senior while Roper is a freshman. He hasn’t played like a freshman, but he’s never been involved in that final state match. We’ll see.

Prediction: Roper in three sets.

No. 1 doubles – Brandon Champagne-Zane Simmons, Jenks (30-0) vs. Gavin Dubberstein-Truit Gray, Memorial (9-0)

I don’t want to say the Trojans are just going to roll through, but I think they just might. Champagne and Simmons have been the team to beat all season.

They actually had their toughest match in the first round and have only seemed to get stronger with each additional match.

Dubberstein and Gray are a formidable duo that didn’t play much together this year before this weekend. They’re definitely going to bring it, but it won’t be enough.

Prediction: Champagne-Simmons in two sets.

No. 2 doubles – Alex Mathieson-Baylor Spring, Edmond North (15-2) vs. Omar Karim-Bryan Ulrey, Memorial (18-3)

This might be the one that decides the team championship. Both teams went deep into the night to win their three-set battles in the semifinals Saturday.

The familiarity of this one will be interesting. These four kids know each other – strengths and weaknesses. Think it’s going to be that team that settles down first. Tough to not get caught up in the moment, but that will be key.

If I had to pick this match 10 times, I’d prob go 5-5. This time? I’ll go Huskies.

Prediction: Mathieson-Spring in three sets.

***

The interesting part (from what I’ve been told by the OSSAA’s Ron Etheridge) is that all four championships will be going on at once. It will be tough to ping pong back and forth from court to court. I know the kids can’t wait, but I can’t wait, either.

Those were two of the longest work days in my life, but you know what, it was pretty dang cool. Despite nearly 10 hours of delays in the two days, we’re all but done for the boys state tennis tournament at the OKC Tennis Center. Last match ended at 12:30 on Friday night and just past 11 p.m. Saturday night.

It didn’t look like we would crown any champions Saturday, but we ended up naming three as Cascia Hall and Metro Christian tied for the Class 4A title while Bishop Kelley easily earned the Class 5A championship.

One class left as 6A resumes Monday at 11 a.m. Very interesting as it will be another Edlam showdown between Memorial and North as each squad has three entrants into the championship round.

If the finals are anything like the semis, going to be one fun Monday afternoon.

5A

Thought this would be the year for Booker T.’s Evan McElwain, but the Comets brought their best at the right time as senior Cameron Schoenhofer earned the win at No. 1 singles.

No drama at all in No. 2 singles as Daniel Collins rolled to the title as did the No. 2 doubles team of Taylor Howard and Briggs Westby.

The only blemish was at No. 1 doubles where the Irish duo of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft overcame a rough start to win 13 of the last 16 games to win the championship.

For much more on the Irish, here ya go.

And also the story of the weekend was that of Harrah’s Sam Raglin and how the tennis community rallied around him.

Raglin lost his home in the tornado Monday but still played at the state tournament. Teams from all over the state donated whatever they could to Raglin and more money was raised this weekend.

The Raglin family has a long way to go before there is some normalcy in their world, but it was great to see the generosity from the Oklahoma tennis family.

For more on Raglin, here ya go.

4A

Great battles here as Metro Christian earned the titles at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles while Cascia Hall did the same at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles.

But the match with the best atmosphere was the No. 1 doubles battle between Heritage Hall’s Bear Federman and Luke Howard and Cascia’s Connor Sokolosky and Corey Allen.

In what became a theme in the second half of Saturday, it was a brilliant three-set battle that saw the Chargers come out on top.

From 5 p.m. on, you wouldn’t believe how many great matches were on court one after another in the 6A semifinals and the 4A, 5A finals. You could barely stop to catch your breath.

Chase Tomlins and Neal Johnson-Nick Wood won the titles for the Commandos while Mitchel Knight and Erik Richison-John Brothers did the same for the Patriots.

6A

If you were there, you’ll remember the three-set battle between Edmond North’s Casey Distaso and Union’s Logon Collins.

Collins looked like he was well on his way to victory, up a set and 3-0 (two breaks) in the second. But Distaso showed some kind of mental toughness.

With each point, he got himself more into the match. He was hitting for winners when his game picked up and he had Collins perhaps tightening up.

Distaso came back to win the second set 7-5 and had all the momentum. These two were so evenly matched all year despite Distaso being 3-0 against Collins this season.

The North senior ran away with the third set, 6-1.

Wow. Distaso told me it was the best moment of his career. Not necessarily in terms of the quality, but in terms of the atmosphere and in terms of what that win meant in the team race.

Ironically, all four 6A championships feature the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed. Look for a 6A championships preview blog later Sunday.

We’re just about through the quarterfinals of all classes here at the OKC Tennis Center. Got a little down time as the losers’ bracket matches are next up.

Technically, these matches were supposed to start at 8 a.m. so we’re actually gaining ground after the long delays we had Friday.

For those that don’t know (and don’t follow me on Twitter), the last match between Perry and Beaver ended right around 12:30 Friday night/Saturday morning.

Friday’s 8 a.m. matches started at just before 3. Then we were hit with a small mist delay Friday afternoon. All told, I think we were about eight hours behind.

Made up a lot of ground by playing to the late late hours. Also turned out to be a beautiful day after how cold and wet it was during the early hours.

Experienced a two-hour mist delay this morning. It’s not cold or wet, but it’s extremely slick out on those courts because of the constant mist.

It looks like the weather is going to hold up, but your favorite tennis writer (that’s me, right?) will definitely be camped back out here Monday.

As of now, can’t really gauge when play will be stopped. OSSAA representative Ron Etheridge said they’re going to go for as long as they can.

I seriously doubt any finals will be played today, but the Class 5A semifinals should get in and maybe even some of the 4A semis.

For your team races, Edmond North is looking solid in 6A. Casey Distaso had an interesting Friday. He won his match in less than 30 minutes and headed straight over to graduation where he was the speaker. Union, Jenks and Memorial also have solid opportunities.

Class 5A is a good battle between Bishop Kelley and Ada. The schools have all four in the semifinals while schools like Booker T., McGuinness and Carl Albert could disrupt everything.

In 4A, it’s a three-team battle with Cascia Hall, Metro Christian and Heritage Hall. I’m not going to sign off on the ninth title for the Commandos just yet as the Patriots have a real good shot right now. Should make for some fun, intriguing battles down the stretch.

On a selfish note, I hope all finals are played Monday, but we’ll see. It will be weird seeing matches like Distaso vs. Union’s Logon Collins late at night, which is what will happen if they play through as long as they think.

Collins is in another world right now. He played lights out in giving Putnam North stud Chris Haworth his first loss Monday at regionals. Collins is extremely focused.

Keep ya posted.

I guess I have angered ye tennis gods as we aren’t even close to starting the first round of the boys state tournament here at the OKC Tennis Center.

I admit I’ve needed some time to recover after getting home from Shawnee at a little before 2 a.m. from Class 4A baseball.

I thought for sure those games would be washed out at Memorial Park, but the Shawnee players and staff did a great job of getting the field ready. We were behind a good three hours, and the Fort Gibson victory against Lone Grove technically happened Friday, but we got it in.

- That was the first time I’ve seen Weatherford star Dillon Overton. He lived up to the hype in striking out 10 in five innings in a 7-0 win against Newcastle. He left with a no-hitter and struck out the side twice. Newcastle was overmatched vs. Overton.

- I like Berryhill to play Weatherford in the 4A finals. Pretty impressive to see the Chiefs go down 5-0 only to win 13-9 against Metro Christian.

- All that hard work by the Shawnee crew goes wasted as the 2A-4A games have already been postponed. Too much rain in one week. Not too bad as the 3A-4A semis will go Saturday at Shawnee with 2A at Dolese. Championships will be Monday.

- Here at tennis, we’re hoping for a 1 p.m. start. It’s not likely. It’s not a heavy rain, but a constant rain is a killer for tennis. I tried (one stupid time) to play in a light rain and nearly broke my ankle. Not fun just slippin’ and slidin’ like that.

- Hope to watch some tennis. The plan would be to do a round today, a round Saturday and semifinals/championships Monday. Here’s to hoping. Keep ya posted.

This is one of my favorite (and one of the longest) weekends of the year. Once again oh ye tennis gods, all we ask is to get the boys tournament in Friday and Saturday.

After a fun girls tournament, it’s the boys turn at the renovated OKC Tennis Center. Play begins Friday at 8 a.m. and offers a lot more drama.

Here are some of the things I’ll be watching for:

6A

Is Putnam North’s Chris Haworth beatable? I’ma still say no, but Edmond North’s Casey Distaso has played Haworth well this season. Haworth has so much variety in his game and is so good, though. Plus he knows how to perform on this stage.

As I said earlier this week, the addition of Distaso makes the Huskies a pretty big favorite (in my opinion) to take the title.

Union has some solid singles (Logon Collins). Jenks has a dynamite doubles team in Brandon Champagne and Zane Simmons. PC North has Haworth and a good No. 1 doubles team of Wil Rodwell and Brian Diefenderfer. Memorial has some real talent at doubles as well.

But no team has the complete package like North. I like freshman Nate Roper to take home the No. 2 singles championship as well.

5A

This one should be fun as I remain hopeful that at least three or four teams are going to be celebrating Saturday afternoon.

I like Bishop Kelley to walk away with the team championship pretty comfortably but getting there should be a fun ride.

Real good battle at No. 1 singles. I would have to think this is the year for Booker T’s Evan McElwain. He’s been knocking on the door for so long. Deer Creek’s Jordan Phillips has played well and might throw a wrench into things.

Also excited to see what Carl Albert’s Austin Manger is able to do. For more on Manger, check out Friday’s Oklahoman.

At No. 1 doubles, can the Irish duo of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft pull it out? Bishop Kelley has a dynamite team at that spot, too. Going to be fun.

4A

Cascia Hall will dominate. Done.

No, no (I’m never done), but the Commandos should walk away with yet another team title. No. 1 singles player Chase Tomlins should cruise his way to a title.

The battle will be for second place between Heritage Hall and Metro Christian. I favor Metro at this point, but you know Heritage coach Dick Villaflor is going to get the best out of his kids this weekend.

It will be interesting to see how Classen performs. They’re a solid, gritty bunch and might derail things for some of the favorites.

Follow me on Twitter @BPrzybylo all day Saturday for updates.

It was the biggest question I had all tennis season: what would Edmond North’s Casey Distaso do? He’s been the face of the boys tennis team the last three years.

However, he is also the valedictorian and the graduation speaker and has signed with Georgetown. So yea, he’s got other things going on, too.

After all the debate and a lot of back and forth, saw Distaso’s name on the regional results Monday so he is in. And to the shock of no one, he earned the regional title.

The 6A regional Earlywine was able to be completed before the severe weather swept through the state late Monday afternoon.

With Distaso at No. 1 singles, a strong unit just got a whole lot stronger. Freshman Nate Roper, who has been solid at No. 1 when he’s had his chances, now moves to No. 2 and would have to be considered the favorite there.

The doubles teams of Nick Jordan and Bryce Lilley and Alex Mathieson and Baylor Spring also won the regional as the Huskies swept the board.

Have to give North the edge heading into this weekend’s state tournament. And have to give some real kudos to Eric Olson. One of the better players in the state and he won’t even crack the top six for the Huskies and has accepted it.

I’ll have much more to say in terms of a state preview, but there are a lot of regionals that need to be completed Tuesday.

Distaso has taken Putnam North’s Chris Haworth to the brink a couple of times. I’d still say Haworth is the heavy favorite, but the North team is going to be one tough out this weekend at all four spots.

Heritage’s golden girl.

No. 1 singles player Julie Labarthe. Two-time undefeated state champion, both at No. 1 singles. Season record: 28-0. School record with 36 love sets (that earned her Lady GaGa tickets from her parents for not losing a game at state). Chargers earned team title for second year in a row. Signed with Quinnipiac in Connecticut.

The future queen of the courts?

Edmond North No. 2 singles player Ann Pepper. State champion as just a freshman, not losing a set at the state tournament. Season record: 30-1. North tied with Jenks for team title.

Bishop McGuinness No. 1 singles player Mia Lancaster. Three-time undefeated state champion at No. 1 doubles, No. 2 singles and No. 1 singles. Season record: 27-0. Signed with Oklahoma.

McGuinness No. 2 singles player Emily Conrad. Four-time undefeated state champion, three in doubles, one in singles. Season record: 21-0. Signed with Abilene Christian.

The Edmond North girls tennis team would have loved to have won the title outright. But if you would have told the team before the season, they would tie for the championship with Jenks, they sure would have taken it.

Sparked by a budding star (Ann Pepper) and girls who played their best when it mattered most (Reagan Reed and Natalie Price), the Huskies earned their second straight tennis title albeit sharing with the Trojans and the Edmond Player (Team) of the Week honor.

Senior Rachel Mitcham had a grueling Saturday after losing the first set in the semifinals, but she fought back. And every point became crucial in the team race.

Pepper and the doubles team took out Jenks’ foes in solid battles as well.

The boys have a great chance at taking home their own title Saturday.

Other contenders

Caleb Hallman, Santa Fe, Baseball: Hallman had a phenomenal regional and is one big reason Wolves are back at state for eighth year in a row.

Dylan Keester, Memorial, Baseball: Bulldogs had to scratch and claw to fend off Choctaw but did so to advance to the state tournament.

Michael Fulmer, Deer Creek, Baseball: No drama for the Antlers, highlighted by a five-inning, 14-strikeout no-hitter by Fulmer.

Abby Thompson, Deer Creek, Golf: Antlers placed fourth as a team while Thompson was third, nine strokes away from the title.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Shot a team-best 177 at state as Huskies placed sixth in team race.

Lindsey Moore, Memorial, Golf: Shot a team-best 179 at state as Bulldogs made late move to earn fifth place.

Camille Sanders, North, Soccer: Just another classic Edlam battle as Sanders scored game-winner in 3-2 win in quarterfinals vs. Memorial.

Shawn McLaws, Deer Creek, Soccer: Antlers had a real battle with McGuinness, winning a shootout in which McLaws had two goals.

Hannah Helker, Nicole Underwood, Kaitlyn Peterson, Miranda King, Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Huskies placed second and third.

Tara Lewis, Gloria Mosely, Brandon Sampler, Vashon Williams, Bryce Burget, Memorial, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Bulldogs won both boys and girls competitions.

Jasmine Hinton, Haley McDaniel, Walter Henderson, Gunnar Nixon, Santa Fe, Track and Field: All won at least one event at regionals as Wolves won both boys and girls competitions.

Tiarra Roberts, Taler Buck, Deer Creek, Track and Field: Both won at least one event at regionals as Antlers placed third and fourth.

There were some pretty good choices this week, but the dominance of the Bishop McGuinness girls tennis team cannot be matched by any team in any sport.

So for that reason, the whole team is being recognized as Private Schools Player (Team) of the Week.

The girls once again went undefeated as the Irish won their 12th consecutive team title and Whitney Ritchie and Emily Conrad became four-time champions while Mia Lancaster and Ashleigh Chiaf are now three-time champions.

Doubles players Trinian O’Neil and Abby Hodges also won titles. It’s sorta the end of an era with Ritchie, Conrad and Lancaster all moving on.

The No. 1 doubles team of John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft have a great chance of their own for a title Saturday.

Other contenders

Caitlin Farris, Irish, Golf: Just a freshman, Farris won the state championship by nine strokes as McGuinness had four of the top 10 placers.

Bob Kraft, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Errors plagued the Chargers at regionals, but Kraft and the team had a phenomenal season after being unranked.

Braden Klein, Irish, Baseball: Tough pill to swallow for the Irish, who lost to Newcastle at regionals but Klein had a stellar year.

Heritage Hall girls tennis team: Another team title and three individual titles made this another great year for Dick Villaflor and his girls.

Hickey, Heritage Hall, Soccer: In a barn burner, she scored the game-winner in overtime at Elk City in a 1-0 victory.

CC Guzman and Alexa Gonce, Irish, Soccer: McGuinness is rolling right now in the soccer playoffs, Guzman and Gonce had three goals apiece in a 11-1 rout of Chickasha in the quarterfinals.

Abbey Akin, Mary Beth Canfield, Mary Kate Roy and Lissy Fuller, Irish, Track and Field: The girls won the 3,200 relay at the 4A state championships in Ardmore.

LaRone Richardson, Irish, Track and Field: Placed third in the long jump at state championships.

Price Foerster, Heritage, Track and Field: Placed fourth in the high jump at state championships.

Well, one of my favorite weekends of the year is in the books. There didn’t look like there would be much drama in the Class 5A and 4A girls tennis team race.

There wasn’t.

Bishop McGuinness rolled in 5A while Heritage Hall earned three of the four championships Saturday at the new look OKC Tennis Center.

Now if you’re talking 6A, yea, that was some fun as Jenks and Edmond North tied for the championship. North earned two titles while Jenks earned one and was the runner-up in the other spots.

6A

That was fun. Admittedly, I wasn’t able to get to see as much of the 6A stuff as I would have liked to. However, did enjoy watching the Huskies and Trojans battling it out on side-by-side courts as North’s Ann Pepper defeated Gabrielle Siegler while Jenks’ Lisa Waldron returned the favor against Rachel Mitcham.

The race went about as expected and big ups to Enid as the Pacers earned third place, highlighted by a dominating weekend by No. 1 doubles Kathryn Dillingham and Mackenzi Zaloudek.

Waldron made tremendous strides this year and really became the heart of that Jenks squad. That second set vs. Mitcham was some intense stuff as neither held more than a two-game lead the entire way. Great battle.

That championship experience paid off for North’s No. 2 doubles of Reagan Reed and Natalie Price. The girls didn’t win regionals but did when it mattered – for the second time in a row.

Look out for Broken Arrow, that team is going to be good next year.

For your 6A notes, here ya go.

5A

No surprise that McGuinness dominated. But it might be the last year…might. I mean how do you replace Mia Lancaster, Emily Conrad and Whitney Ritchie?

At any rate, 12 straight titles is impressive. And when the lights shone brightest, the girls played their best. Ritchie and Trinian O’Neil didn’t lose a game in the final.

Lancaster, playing a really good and healthy Melanie Barnes of Duncan for the first time, dropped one game in each set while Conrad was almost beyond impressive. The No. 2 doubles team Ashleigh Chiaf and Abby Hodges rolled as well.

Duncan once again was the hard-luck loser as the Demons prob would have won the championship in the two other classes.

And I’ma give credit to the Carl Albert doubles team of Sallie McLaurin and Laura Miller for beating the Edison duo of Haley Martin and Abby Tolson. I didn’t think they would, but the placing worked out just like the seeding.

For 5A notes, here ya go.

4A

The Chargers did what they thought they would do, but it was a great story out of Perry as the Maroons tied for second with Cascia Hall. That’s a program that is really on the rise.

As for Heritage, it begins with Julie Labarthe. She didn’t lose a game in all four of her matches and set the school record with 36 love (6-0) sets in a season.

Junior Carissa Villaflor has really started to turn my head. She used to be a nice supporting player, but she’s turning into a monster as well, cruising to the title.

The No. 1 doubles squad of Sarah Bowen and Kelsey Grace played a tough, tough match with Cascia’s Bernie Clement and Michele Mesmer. Real good stuff from both teams with Heritage pulling it out. Cascia returned the favor at No. 2 doubles where Cascia’s Samantha Fuller and Abby Jordan took out Heritage’s Sarah Gretsch and Sarah Moll.

For 4A notes, here ya go.

***

The renovated OKC Tennis Center is on its way. There are still some big kinks to work out (namely when it comes to results), but it was a real pleasant atmosphere this weekend.

The clubhouse area is great and like how much more visible it is to find a court now. Everything was completed Thursday and came out OK.

Look for all the tennis videos you can handle on NewsOK this week. Talked with McGuinness’ Emily Conrad and Mia Lancaster, Heritage’s Julie Labarthe and Edmond North’s Ann Pepper.

Boys regionals Monday with state Friday and Saturday.

It was dubbed by me as the tennis match worth the price of admission. And if you had a chance to watch it on Court 8, you might tend to believe that.

However, the Bishop McGuinness doubles team of Whitney Ritchie and Trinian O’Neil did not allow there to be any drama in a 6-1, 6-2 victory against the very talented team of Haley Martin and Abby Tolson of Tulsa Edison.

The key was the start as the Irish absolutely blitzed the Eagles early, taking a 5-0 lead before you could even blink. In particular, Ritchie (gunning for her fourth state title), came out ready to dominate.

This was the first time I’ve seen Martin, and she really is as good as advertised. She has some solid ground strokes. Most importantly, she knows how to keep the ball low, which is so crucial against players with the talent of McGuinness.

After the Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the second, McGuinness closed it out in style by winning the final five games. There was one absolute ridiculous point where Ritchie was able to get to a ball near the fence and force a Martin error. Tough to explain.

We’re rolling along here on Day 2, but it will be tough to beat that type of buzz that was in the air for that one. The drama should be in 6A, though, where who knows who will win it between Edmond North and Jenks.

Oh ye tennis gods, all I ask is a weekend of no rain and getting everything in. Friday begins the state tennis tournament at the OKC Tennis Center (my home away from home).

Here’s some thoughts and insights on what I believe will happen. And look for a story on Edmond North’s Ann Pepper in Friday’s paper.

6A
Last year’s champs: Edmond North

The Huskies have a great shot at repeating this year. I’m expecting an all Edmond North-Jenks singles final with Rachel Mitcham against Lisa Waldron of Jenks at No. 1 and Pepper vs. Gabrielle Siegler of Jenks at No. 2.

Broken Arrow’s Jodi Blackim will have something to say about that and Enid might go and mess up everything, too.

Edmond Memorial was able to earn both doubles regional titles against rival North, which I found very interesting. The Bulldogs might end up keeping the Huskies off the top spot.

Prediction: Jenks wins a nail-biter, followed by Edmond North, Enid and Edmond Memorial.

5A
Last year’s champs: Bishop McGuinness

There is no drama in this as the Irish should cruise to their 12th straight state championship. However, there will be drama at No. 1 doubles with Whitney Ritchie and Trinian O’Neil of McGuinness who could possibly take on Tulsa Edison in the championship.

Edison has Haley Martin, one of the best players in the state (and nation, for that matter). Martin has had Ritchie’s number on the Missouri Valley circuit, so it would make for one heckuva championship. Martin is teamed with Abby Tolson.

Also will be interesting to see how Duncan’s Melanie Barnes does if she gets a crack at Mia Lancaster of McGuinness. The depth and dominance of the Irish can’t be questioned, though.

Ritchie and No. 2 singles Emily Conrad are going for their fourth state titles while Ashleigh Chiaf and Lancaster are gunning for their third championship. Insane.

4A
Last year’s champs: Heritage Hall

Definitely expect the Chargers to take at least three of the four titles here. Nobody can touch Julie Labarthe and Carissa Villaflor should be able to handle things at No. 2 singles (though I got a hunch Mt. St. Mary’s Victoria Vaughn and Perry’s Lauryn Sullins will play a role).

At No. 1 doubles, Sarah Bowen of Heritage is so strong that it doesn’t matter too much who her partner is though Kelsey Grace is dang good in her own right.

Should be a fun weekend, and you’ll know I’ll be back each night with thoughts.

It’s the final week of Player of the Week honors that won’t involve state champions, so I wanted to give some kudos to people that may have been overlooked this year.

The obvious winner would have been Heritage pitcher Bob Kraft, but I think we’ve more than covered his great 20-strikeout outing against Casady. So went in another direction.

This week’s honor goes to Heritage Hall freshman Nikoli Jezdan, who had a big outing at the track and field regional at Watonga.

Jezdan placed fourth in the shot put and third in the discus throw for the Chargers. Sophomore Quintaz Struble placed fifth in the discus. The Chargers will compete at state in Ardmore this weekend.

Other contenders

Cale Shivers, Casady, Baseball: Been a vital part to the turnaround of the Cyclones in football and baseball. He was a gutsy quarterback that was never afraid to put himself out there. On the diamond, he’s the same way as a pitcher, unafraid to challenge the best of hitters.

Whitney Ritchie, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: The way she has handled transition from No. 1 singles to No. 1 doubles has been admirable. Ritchie, now teaming with Trinian O’Neil, is now a part of the most dominant doubles team in the state and will be gunning for her fourth state title Saturday.

Cody Haines, OCS, Soccer: Haines came up with big save after big save as OCS eked out a tough 1-0 win against Mt. St. Mary’s in a first-round playoff matchup. It doesn’t get any easier at this point as the Saints play at OKC Dove Science on Tuesday night.

***

EDIT: Casady’s Graham Bennett had a huge weekend as well, winning the discus throw (147-4) at the SPC Championships. It is Casady’s first gold medal in track since 2005.

It’s the final Player of the Week honor that won’t include state champions, so I wanted to reward one person from each school that may have been overlooked this year.

It wasn’t that these kids didn’t do special things all year, but they sometimes picked the wrong time to do them as picking the Edmond stars has been one of the toughest parts of the job.

With that said, let’s give the honor to North’s star distance runner Adam Godwin this week. Nothing Godwin did at the Metro Conference Championships should shock anybody. He easily won the 1,600 and the 3,200, winning the 1,600 by nearly 4 seconds and the 3,200 by more than 2 seconds.

Godwin has been incredibly consistent all year and has put North in a great position to make some serious noise at the state championships.

Other Contenders

Tyler Price, Deer Creek, Baseball: Coach Ron Moore can’t say enough about this kid. Price has been Mr. Versatility for this team for years and proved it once and for all on senior night. Price played all nine positions in the Antlers’ 18-2 victory. Price will play at Hutchinson JC in Kansas.

Tara Lewis, Memorial, Track: Lewis, a lot like Godwin, has been sensational all school year for the Bulldogs. She continued her fine season by earning victories in the 800 and 1,600. In the 800, she won by more than 3 seconds and the 1,600 by just under 3 seconds.

Lucas Swisher, Santa Fe, Tennis: When you think of strong tennis programs, Santa Fe doesn’t exactly come to mind. However, Swisher has been a bright spot for the Wolves, both on and off the court. Swisher placed second at the Braver Invitational at Heritage Hall in his latest effort.

The Heritage Hall boys tennis team was in a rare spot this year as all six players from last year’s team returned. Now they’re starting to see the dividends.

The Chargers won three of the four titles and the team title at the Braver Invitational at Heritage Hall on Friday.

Junior Brandon Cohlmia defeated Lucas Swisher of Edmond Santa Fe for the No. 2 singles title in a tight 7-5, 6-3 match.

The No. 1 doubles team of Luke Howard and Bear Federman had the most impressive tournament, only dropping three games in the championship.

Santa Fe placed second while Carl Albert was third. The Titans received a No. 1 singles title from Austin Manger.

Braver Invitational
Friday
At Heritage Hall
Boys
Team scoring: 1. Heritage Hall 34; 2. Edmond Santa Fe 27; 3. Carl Albert 26; 4. Anadarko 16; 5. OCS 14; 6. Oklahoma Bible 12; 7. Edmond Memorial JV 8; 8. Guthrie 6.
Championships
No. 1 singles: Manger, CA, def. Borsky, HH, 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 singles: Cohlmia, HH, def. Swisher, ESF, 7-5, 6-3
No. 1 doubles: Federman-Howard, HH, def. Bowers-Tong, ESF, 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 doubles: Arceneaux-Shear, HH, def. Clark-Thomas, ESF, 7-5, 6-4

Now you know I love tennis, love it. But even I would not have wanted to play in the wind Thursday. That was almost beyond ridiculous.

But there was a pretty good tournament going on as the Betsy Braver Invitational was happening at Heritage Hall. The girls played Thursday, the boys play Friday.

Almost had a Heritage Hall-Carl Albert finals sweep, but Anadarko’s Lexi Maytubby earned her way into the No. 1 singles final. Heritage’s Julie Labarthe beat Maytubby, 6-0, 6-1 in the championship.

The Chargers also earned titles at No. 2 singles with Carissa Villaflor and the No. 1 doubles team of Sarah Bowen and Kelsey Grace.

Heritage easily earned the team title with Carl Albert placing second. The Titans could make a run for third in 5A if the girls bring their best game. A very experienced group for CA (all six played at state last year and are in the same positions).

Braver Invitational
At Heritage Hall
Girls
Team scoring: 1. Heritage Hall 34; 2. Carl Albert 29; 3. Perry 21; 4. Edmond Santa Fe 18; 5. Anadarko 16; 6. Edmond Memorial JV 11; 7. OCS 11; 8. Guthrie 6.
Championships
No. 1 singles: Labarthe, HH, def. Maytubby, Anadarko, 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 singles: Villaflor, HH, def. Conover, CA, 6-1, 6-0
No. 1 doubles: Bowen-Grace, HH, def. McLaurin-Miller, CA, 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 doubles: Beechum-Nichols, CA, def. Gretsch-Moll, HH, 6-2, 6-3

We’re officially a week away from the girls state tennis tournament and two weeks from the boys. And we STILL do not know if Edmond North’s Casey Distaso is going to play.

I’m not even sure if the coaching staff really knows. Neither coach Dee Wallar or assistant Bryan Duroy will commit one way or the other.

If Distaso doesn’t play (electing instead to give the graduation speech at North), the Huskies will still make a big run at state, namely because of their versatility.

That versatility was on display Wednesday at the McGuinness Tournament as No. 1 doubles team of Nate Roper and Baylor Spring won an excellent match against the Irish duo of Jonathan Kraft and John Byrne. North won all four titles in the tournament.

Following their 10-7 win in the super tie-breaker, I caught up with the North boys.

Well, not much moving or a-shakin’ this week in the tennis world. Teams are really starting to assert their dominance and lineups are starting to become finalized heading into regionals and state, which is coming up faster than you think.

As always, appreciate Duncan coach Phil Barnes for sending the rankings in.

Class 6A Boys
1. Edmond North; 2. Putnam North; 3. Edmond Memorial; 4. Tulsa Union; 5. Jenks; 6. Norman North; 7. Broken Arrow; 8. Enid; 9. Shawnee; 10. Muskogee.
Class 6A Girls
1. Jenks; 2. Edmond North; 3. Enid; 4. Edmond Memorial; 5. Broken Arrow; 6. Shawnee; 7. Tulsa Union; 8. Owasso; 9. Mustang; 10. Bartlesville.
Class 5A Boys
1. Tulsa Kelley; 2. Ada; 3. Carl Albert; 4. Bishop McGuinness; 5. Tulsa Washington; 6. McAlester; 7. Ardmore; 8. Durant; 9. Duncan; 10. Deer Creek.
Class 5A Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness; 2. Duncan; 3. Tahlequah; 4. Claremore; 5. Carl Albert; 6. Tulsa Washington; 7. Ada; 8. Tulsa Kelley; 9. Durant; 10. (tie) Ardmore, Altus.
Class 4A Boys
1. Cascia Hall; 2. Metro Christian; 3. Heritage Hall; 4. OCS; 5. Classen; 6. Oklahoma Bible; 7. Anadarko; 8. Beaver; 9. Seminole; 10. Byng.
Class 4A Girls
1. Heritage Hall; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Perry; 4. Byng; 5. Seminole; 6. Clinton; 7. Chouteau; 8. Classen; 9. Anadarko; 10. Mt. St. Mary’s.

The girls tennis championships at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament were all over by 2:30. For the boys, none of the championships at the Santa Fe Racquet Club had even taken the court yet by that time Wednesday.

But once they did, it sure was fun as there were two high quality finals. And if it wasn’t for super tie-breakers, who knows how much longer those two could have played?

The Edmond North boys returned the favor of the Irish girls by sweeping all four titles. And the McGuinness boys traded spots with the North girls and placed second.

There were two dynamite matches going on right next to each other. The No. 1 doubles final pitted North’s Baylor Spring and Nate Roper against McGuinness” John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft.

The Huskies took the first set, 6-4, but the Irish duo found their groove in the second set. McGuinness won the final four games of the second to earn the 6-3 edge.

In the super tie-breaker, McGuinness took an early 5-2 lead, but North would not be denied. With the Huskies up 8-7, North received a kind bounce from the net to earn a match point and closed the deal 10-7.

I caught up with Spring and Roper following the match and both said what we already knew: that was a dang good match.

At No. 1 singles, it was the third seed, Jordan Phillips of Deer Creek, taking on Nick Jordan of Edmond North. Now this match had some drama and ebbs and flows to it.

Jordan raced out to a 4-1 lead before Phillips rallied to tie it 5-5. On Jordan’s serve, he was down Love-40 and got back to deuce only to lose. Phillips took the set, 7-5.

A little controversy in set two. Jordan once again had a 4-1 lead and it looked like they were heading to deuce. Phillips thought he had won the game. I’m still not sure who was right. I had ‘em at deuce, but you never know.

Anyway, after clearing that up, Jordan bounced back to win 6-1 and take the super 10-4. Good stuff all the way around.

Bishop McGuinness Tournament
Boys
1. Edmond North 36; 2. McGuinness 24; 3. Norman North 23; 4. Deer Creek 18; 5. Mustang 17; 6. Westmoore 14; 7. (tie) Putnam City, McGuinness JV 8.

I was in unchartered territory Tuesday while watching tennis (Bishop McGuinness Tournament). That is the first time I’ve seen an indoor high school match.

Wow. Without the wind changing how the kids have to play, these girls can absolutely rip it indoors.

The main match that caught my eye was the No. 1 singles final between Mia Lancaster of the Irish and Edmond North’s Rachel Mitcham. That was some sweet stuff.

Lancaster won 6-1, 6-0, but the quality from both was great to see. Lancaster has some powerful ground strokes when she’s allowed to just hit.

Mitcham didn’t play bad, not at all. In fact, a lot of the shots that Lancaster got back are prob going to be winners against some of the other top 6A players.

Edmond North freshman Ann Pepper also played outstanding in a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Emily Conrad of McGuinness. It’s Pepper’s first loss at No. 2 singles, but she played really well.

Irish No. 1 doubles team of Trinian O’Neil and Whitney Ritchie were dominant, not losing a game in the championship match. That match was the lone championship contested outdoors.

McGuinness won all championships while Edmond North placed second in everything. Mustang ended up placing third.

Kinda an incomplete tournament as some of the teams weren’t able to field their best because of testing at school. Still fun, though.

Look for a video with Lancaster on NewsOK on Wednesday.

The boys portion of the tournament is Wednesday. The Huskies should definitely be considered the favorite heading into that one.

Bishop McGuinness Tournament
Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness 36; 2. Edmond North 28; 3. Mustang 19; 4. McGuinness JV 15; 5. Norman North 14; 6. (tie) Yukon, Putnam City. 8. Westmoore 9.

A week before the girls tennis state tournament, we’re going to get a pretty good look at two of the top three teams in Class 4A on Thursday.

No. 1-ranked Heritage Hall and third-ranked Perry (among several others) will be in the Braver Invitational at Heritage Hall.

The Maroons have been solid all season, winning six of the seven tournaments they’ve participated in. What makes that more impressive has been the injuries they’ve had to deal with, most recently at No. 1 doubles with Tori Wilde.

As a group, the Perry girls are 50-8, and the No. 1 singles will be a showcase of the best 4A has to offer with Krysta Mitchell (Perry), Lexi Maytubby (Anadarko) and the favorite, Heritage Hall’s Julie Labarthe. Labarthe has been untouchable the last couple of years, but this is an opportunity to step up and make something happen.

The No. 2 singles should also be intriguing, especially if Sarah Bowen gets the call for the Chargers (though it could be Chandler Bair). Perry’s Lauryn Sullins is 20-1 this season and should make a really good run at state next week.

This is me killing two birds with one stone. The Deer Creek baseball team was solid in winning the East-West Classic, and I wanted to get this video of Andrew Harlan up here on the blog.

Harlan had the game-changing hit in the championship victory with an inside-the-park home run to lead the Antlers to the 10-4 win against Guthrie.

But his outing was one of several worth mentioning as Brian Anderson had a big game. Pitcher Michael Fulmer, in only his fifth plate appearance of the season, hit a grand slam against Miami on Friday. Cale Coshow was steady on the mound.

There are so many players on this team that can come up big on any given day. It’s almost scary to think what could happen if ALL of them were clicking at once.

As is, the Antlers have been No. 1 in Class 5A ever since winning at Carl Albert and are in great position to try to claim the state title.

Other Contenders

Ty Hensley, Santa Fe, Baseball: Don’t have too much to add from his 11 K outing vs. rival Memorial, just fun to see someone grow up in front of your eyes.

Trey Reynolds, Memorial, Baseball: Reynolds came up huge in a 7-6 win against Southmoore last Tuesday, notching the game-winning hit.

Casey Distaso, North, Tennis: Distaso beat Union’s Logon Collins in a near three-hour match at the Edmond Tournament as Huskies are now ranked No. 1 in 6A.

Truit Gray, Memorial, Tennis: Bulldogs are a consistent bunch and Gray was able to break out for a victory at the Edmond Tournament.

Rachel Mitcham, North, Tennis: Been able to bounce back from early struggles as Huskies are right there in the race.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: Another week, another great outing by the Oklahoma State signee. The 5A title chase will be intense.

Matt Helms, Santa Fe, Golf: The Wolves have been knocking on the door all season and Helms placed fourth at the Edmond North Tournament.

Allison Sell, North, Golf: Just a freshman, having brilliant season and won the PC North Invitational on Thursday.

Jacob Romig, Deer Creek, Soccer: Antlers clinched the district with the 4-0 win against Capitol Hill, Romig had two of the scores.

Miranda King and Hannah Helker, North, Track and Field: Each won an individual title at the Edmond North meet Thursday.

Gloria Mosely, Memorial, Track and Field: Continued her stellar season with a win in the discus throw at the North meet.

Tiara Roberts, Deer Creek, Track and Field: The freshman won the 300 hurdles at the North meet.

Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: Distance runner extraordinaire won the 1,600 and 3,200 at the North meet.

Chase Sammons and Bryce Burget, Memorial, Track and Field: Each won an event at the North meet and give ‘Dogs a great chance at the field events.

If all Bishop McGuinness girls soccer player Alexa Gonce did was score the game-winning goal against Deer Creek last week, she would have been in the conversation for Player of the Week.

But she had two goals in that one AND added two more in a 4-0 win against Metro Christian on Thursday. And she’s been solid all season and easily gets this week’s honor.

The Irish are in great shape heading into the playoffs (that begin next week), having defeated No. 1-ranked Bishop Kelley and No. 2-ranked Deer Creek.

Paced by Gonce and Abbey Akin and goaltender Elyse Hight, the Irish might have all the components necessary to make that run this year.

Other Contenders

Ryan Shelley, Casady, Baseball: Shelley came up huge against rival Holland Hall. He had a home run and three RBIs. Might he top it Monday vs. Heritage? (I’ll be there)

Kyle Ahmad, Irish, Baseball: Ahmad busted out of his slump at the Deer Creek Classic, getting multiple hits in games and using his speed to get things going.

Nathan Bowker, Heritage Hall, Baseball: The Chargers are still rolling at 20-2 and Bowker has added pitching depth to go with Bob Kraft.

Levi Fisher, Heritage, Track and Field: Fisher was dominant in winning the discus throw at the Route 66 Classic at Chandler.

Sam O’Brien and Caitlin Farris, Irish, Golf: O’Brien has been consistent all season for McGuinness while Farris placed second at the Altus Invitational last week.

Jackson Ogle, OCS, Golf: Won the Enid Tournament last week and has been involved in three scorecard playoff ties for championships this year.

Collin Groves, Heritage, Soccer: Chargers blanked Bethany last week as Groves added a goal and has been a strong scorer all season.

Emily Conrad, Irish, Tennis: After three years of being in doubles, Conrad, an Abilene Christian signee, has done well at No. 2 singles.

Melton picks up win for Panthers

If Putnam City North has a chance at repeating as boys tennis champions, it will need a big outing from No. 2 singles player Kole Melton.

The Panthers got that this weekend as Melton won the championship at the BancFirst Tournament in Duncan.

Paced by Melton and Chris Haworth’s championships, the Panthers tied with Jenks for the team title. The No. 1 doubles team of Wil Rodwell and Brian Diefenderfer placed second. Jenks earned both of the doubles championships.

Duncan earns tennis title

If the Duncan girls were in any other class, the Demons would be contenders for the state title. But in Class 5A with Bishop McGuinness, it’s an uphill battle.

However, that doesn’t mean Duncan has stopped competing as the girls won three of the four titles and the team title at the BancFirst Tournament at Duncan this weekend.

Senior Melanie Barnes earned the No. 1 singles title while Duncan also earned championships at both of the doubles positions.

The No. 1 doubles team of Taylor Spradlin and Kate LeValley are now 21-2 this year. Duncan played Jenks in all four finals and the Trojans placed second.

Here are the results, special thanks to Duncan coach Phil Barnes for the assistance.

BancFirst Tournament
Girls
1. Duncan; 2. Jenks; 3. Ada; 4. Duncan II; 5. Seminole; 6. Anadarko; 7. Ardmore; 8. Putnam North; 9. Guthrie; 10. Norman.

No. 1 Singles: 1. Melanie Barnes, Duncan; 2. Lisa Waldron, Jenks; 3. Lexie Maytubby, Anadarko; 4. Margo Martin, Ada.

No. 2 Singles: Gaby Siegler, Jenks; 2. Samantha Cassidy, Duncan; 3. Alex Morales, Ardmore; 4. Jennifer West, Ada.

No. 1 Doubles: 1. Spradlin and LeValley, Duncan; 2. Huey and Scroggs, Jenks; 3. Poe and Whitworth, Ada; 4. Powell and Powell, Guthrie.

No. 2 Doubles: Hartzell and LeValley, Duncan; 2. Decker and Cawley, Jenks; 3. Fulton and Scott, Duncan II; 4. Dinsmore and Ly, Seminole.

Boys
1. (tie) Putnam North, Jenks; 3. Ada; 4. Norman North; 5. Anadarko; 6. Duncan; 7. Henryetta; 8. Ardmore; 9. (tie) Norman, Oklahoma Bible.

No. 1 Singles: 1. Chris Haworth, PCNorth; 2. Robert Jackson, Ada; 3. Sam Cannon, OBA; 4. Gray Whitman, Jenks.

No. 2 Singles: 1. Kole Melton, PCNorth; 2. Dillon Etter, Jenks; 3. Matthew Medcalf, Ada; 4. Jeremy Ng, Norman North.

No. 1 Doubles: 1. Gordon and Simmons, Jenks; 2. Diefenderfer and Rodwell, PCNorth; 3. Scheffield and Stout, Ada; 4. Hudson and Wehrenburg, Guthrie.

No. 2 Doubles: 1. Leach and Mathias, Jenks; 2. Burkhart and Robinson, Ada; 3. Ashapanek and Ashapanek, Anadarko; 4. Burke and Ketner, PCNorth.

If Thursday’s Metro Conference tennis battles are a prelude of what’s to come, better strap in and get ready for some fun here in a couple of weeks.

Edmond North and Putnam City North have developed quite the little rivalry in the last few years, and the Huskies were able to get the team edge while the Panthers had some individual glory.

The Huskies and the Panthers met in three championships. PCNorth 2, Edmond North 1.

At No. 1 singles, Panthers junior Chris Haworth continues to do what he does best: win. Haworth beat Casey Distaso in a competitive match in the final. Still think everyone is playing for second when it comes to Haworth.

The Huskies had the edge at No. 2 singles as Nate Roper took out PCN’s Kole Melton. If Distaso plays (still a big ‘if’), Roper and Distaso is a formidable one-two punch.

Then at No. 1 doubles, Brian Diefenderfer and Wil Rodwell of PCN beat Nick Jordan and Alex Mathieson of Ed North for the title. Dief and Rodwell are going to have a great chance at winning state though there is a big logjam at the top there.

The difference for the teams is at No. 2 doubles where the Panthers can’t compete right now. The Huskies team of Bryce Lilley and Baylor Spring cruised to the title.

Girls

Not nearly as much drama here as the Edmond North girls continued North’s great week by sweeping all four titles at the conference title after holding off Enid at the Edmond Tournament.

The lineup is still TBD, but coach Dee Wallar may have found something with Rachel Mitcham and Ann Pepper at the singles spots.

The Huskies didn’t drop a set in winning all four conference titles Thursday.

Will Smith, Norman North

Boys soccer

Smith scored a combined five goals and added an assist in the T-Wolves’ last two games. The junior midfielder, who leads Norman North in scoring with 13 goals on the season, netted a career-high four against Lawton Eisenhower on Friday.

The latest batch of tennis rankings by the OTCA. Special thanks to Duncan coach Phil Barnes for passing them along.

Class 6A Boys
1. Edmond North; 2. Putnam North; 3. Edmond Memorial; 4. Union; 5. Jenks; 6. Norman North; 7. Broken Arrow; 8. Enid; 9. Shawnee; 10. Muskogee.

Boneman’s take: Huskies rightfully take the No. 1 spot from the Panthers. Those top four teams all have the potential on a given day to be the best. Can’t wait for next month. Only sure thing is Chris Haworth (PCN) winning the No. 1 singles title.

Class 6A Girls
1. Jenks; 2. Edmond North; 3. Enid; 4. Edmond Memorial; 5. Broken Arrow; 6. Shawnee; 7. Union; 8. Owasso; 9. Mustang; 10. Bartlesville.

Boneman’s take: This should be a tight battle as well. Jenks appears to have the most talent, but Ed North came up huge last year. Enid will definitely be in the conversation, too.

Class 5A Boys
1. Bishop Kelley; 2. Ada; 3. Carl Albert; 4. Bishop McGuinness; 5. Booker T.; 6. McAlester; 7. Ardmore; 8. Durant; 9. Duncan; 10. Deer Creek.

Boneman’s take: This is going to be interesting as though feel the Comets should win the team title pretty easily, could envision three different teams getting a championship next month.

Class 5A Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness; 2. Duncan; 3. Tahlequah; 4. Claremore; 5. Carl Albert; 6. Booker T.; 7. Ada; 8. Bishop Kelley; 9. Durant; 10. (tie) Ardmore, Altus.

Boneman’s take: Still the biggest sure bet in the state, only question will be if the Irish drop a set at state. Duncan could end up in all four finals, if that’s any consolation.

Class 4A Boys
1. Cascia Hall; 2. Metro Christian; 3. Heritage Hall; 4. OCS; 5. Classen; 6. Oklahoma Bible; 7. Anadarko; 8. Beaver; 9. Seminole; 10. Byng.

Boneman’s take: Yea, not much surprise here as Cascia is clearly the class of the group. The real battle should be between Metro and Heritage for second.

Class 4A Girls
1. Heritage Hall; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Perry; 4. Byng; 5. Seminole; 6. Clinton; 7. Chouteau; 8. Classen; 9. Anadarko; 10. Mt. St. Mary’s.

Boneman’s take: My biggest question is will the Chargers be able to sweep the field this year and where will Sarah Bowen end up playing at state might help determine that. Perry remains the dark horse.

And as always, you know I luv me some tennis news. If you have some, pass it along.

When this tennis season started, really thought Putnam City North was your favorite to repeat with Union looking like the second best team.

But as the season has gone on, there is no doubt right now that Edmond North is the best team in the state – or at least in Class 6A.

The Huskies have proven it time and time again, and it continued Monday with a win at the Edmond Tournament.

There were 16 teams there, but it easily could have just been an Edlam dual between North and Memorial as the teams faced each other in three of the four finals. The Huskies won two of the three and three of the four overall titles.

At No. 1 singles, Casey Distaso beat Union’s Logon Collins for the second time this season. Still not sure if Distaso will play at state, but if he does, might guarantee a team title.

Collins has the game to be No. 2 in the class, but Distaso is definitely showing he still has the game to compete. Very interesting to see what happens.

The Huskies have seven boys (Distaso, Nick Jordan, Eric Olson, Nate Roper, Alex Mathieson, Baylor Spring, Bryce Lilley) that will make up their six at state. It’s an impressive group.

Mathieson and Spring beat Memorial’s Gavin Dubberstein and Bowen Xu at No. 1 doubles while Lilley and Roper took out Omar Karim and Bryce Ulrey at No. 2 doubles.

Memorial did receive a No. 2 singles title from Truit Gray, defeating Jordan in the finals.

Santa Fe also acquitted itself well. The Wolves not really known as a tennis power received another strong effort from Lucas Swisher, who has been the unquestioned leader and most consistent performer.

The girls portion of the tournament is Wednesday (wish I could be there).

Team standings
1. Edmond North 62
2. Edmond Memorial 55
3. Union 52
4. Enid
5. Edmond Santa Fe

I swear this wasn’t planned that we just happened to pick the right week to write a big story on Santa Fe track star Walter Henderson.

Henderson had an incredible week on the track at both OBU and the Edmond meet, winning both the 100 and 200 in both events and setting personal bests times with each performance. And with that comes the honor of the Edmond Player of the Week.

Henderson said this year’s Wolves team is so focused to take that track championship. And when you add him to a group that includes Gunnar Nixon, Travis Hinton, Brian Mills, among others, and you start to see why.

Santa Fe has all the tools to make it happen, just have to show up on that weekend in May.

Other contenders

Drew Dahlberg, Memorial, Baseball: Is he ever going to slow down? He was sensational again as the Bulldogs are now 22-5 after being 4-3.

Clayton Blackburn, Santa Fe, Baseball: Good week on the mound (W vs. North) and at the plate at Stillwater Invitational.

Michael Fulmer, Deer Creek, Baseball: It was a personal gut-check for him and responded with 12 Ks in a 10-0 win against Guthrie.

Jared Benway, North, Baseball: Not too many bright spots for Huskies, but Benway did hit a three-run HR in a loss to Santa Fe.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: A little quiet so far, Davis had a banner week that included a victory in last Monday’s Bishop Kelley Invitational.

Shelby Sewell, North, Soccer: Weather wreaked havoc on things this weekend but Sewell scored twice in a 2-0 win against Moore.

Edmond North boys tennis: Team keeps changing up its lineup but hasn’t mattered as Huskies are looking like the favorite in 6A.

Hannah Helker, North, Track: She’s been phenomenal all season and was once again, winning the 400 and 800 at the Santa Fe meet Thursday.

Tara Lewis, Emme Scott and Gloria Mosely, Memorial, Track: Each girl won an individual title at the Santa Fe meet as Bulldogs placed third.

Travis Hinton, Santa Fe, Track: Hinton gets a little lost in the shuffle with the Wolves’ stars, but he won the 400 at the Santa Fe meet.

Chase Sammons, Memorial, Track: Doesn’t matter what event, Sammons has dominated the discus and shot put and did so again last Thursday.

Chase Thackerson and Geoffrey Johnson, Memorial, Track: Each won an individual championship as Bulldogs placed second.

Courtney Walker, Santa Fe, and Elizabeth Donohoe, North, Basketball: The girls were rightfully picked for first team Big All-City and Super 5. They’ll be back next year.

North and Memorial boys after finishing 1st and 2nd at Ada Tournament. Photo by Jill Jordan

Odd weekend in the high school tennis world. A lot of weekend competitions weren’t what they could have been because of either ACT testing or prom.

At the Ada Tournament, it was Edmond North standing strong in both the boys and girls. The North and Memorial boys look to be 1a. and 1b. at this point.

The Huskies edged the Bulldogs (55-53) in Ada, paced by a No. 2 doubles title by Alex Mathieson and Baylor Spring. Memorial received a No. 2 singles championship from Bowen Xu.

The problem with trying to see the teams is the travel, and Memorial coach Randy Mays explained that to me. Yes, Memorial and North (and Santa Fe, for that matter) could play each other every week and further develop the rivalry.

But the atmosphere they’re trying to create is an ‘us vs. them’ attitude of west vs. east, and that’s why the Edmond teams (and a lot of others ones) aren’t afraid to travel. Plus, it gives you a chance to see the best and to figure out how to set your lineup.

The teams were back in action Monday at Broken Arrow albeit not with their normal six kids. North brought a couple of JV kids while Memorial only brought Omar Karim and Bryan Ulrey. That doubles tandem earned the No. 2 title.

North’s Nick Jordan won the No. 2 singles championship. Jordan, like a lot of good, versatile threats, is in a tough spot. He’s been bouncing back and forth from No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles, depending on what the team needs for that day. He has the maturity and skills to adapt, and it’s a big reason why North is looking great this season.

Interesting note that Casey Distaso did not play in either tournament. Distaso and the coaching staff have declined to comment on what Distaso will do. For what it’s worth, I heard Distaso’s graduation speech was phenomenal, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Any other week, I mean ANY OTHER WEEK, and Drew Dahlberg’s performance for the Edmond Memorial baseball team would easily be enough.

But not this week. Not when Santa Fe junior Gunnar Nixon earns the second best decathlon score by a high school athlete EVER. EVER.

Nixon and Kevin Lazas of Brentwood, Tenn., had a battle for the ages with Nixon edging him out by 63 points at the Arcadia Invitational.

It’s not just how great Nixon is (though he really is unbelievable), but it’s what he’s done for the Wolves team and their attitude.

In talking to Walter Henderson and coach Carl Hawkins, they both have stressed just how much Nixon’s work ethic and attitude has spread to the rest of the team.

So even on a weekend made for track and field (John Jacobs at OU), it’s Nixon in California who is earning the Edmond Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Drew Dahlberg, Memorial, Baseball: He ignites the team, and they gave out MVP awards, easily would have won it as Bulldogs won Edmond Wood Bat Tournament.

Thomas Rudd, North, Baseball: Rough week for the Huskies, but Rudd did throw a fine game in a 6-1 win against Norman on Friday.

Jordan Lopez, Santa Fe, Baseball: Had a great tournament minus the championship and is always a threat to make something happen.

Brian Anderson, Deer Creek, Baseball: In a three-hour marathon with McGuinness, Anderson was 3-for-4 with a home run in the 16-12 win.

Matt Helms, Santa Fe, Golf: Helms tied for second as boys earned the title at the Deer Creek Invitational.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Sounds like a broken record, but this two-sport star continues to do it all for the Huskies.

Ian Davis, Deer Creek, Golf: A week old at this point but had good showdown with Carl Albert’s Talor Gooch and Chickasha’s Taylor Williams at conference.

Ann Pepper, North, Tennis: Making big strides and has played her way to earn the No. 1 singles spot during this last week.

Maddi Hillis, Memorial, Soccer: Notched two goals as Memorial took out Shawnee 5-0.

Brittany Soesbee, North, Soccer: Tallied huge goal as Huskies were playing w/out Britny Dike in a 2-0 victory against Norman.

Memorial, North, Santa Fe, Girls, Track: A collective effort as North placed second, Santa Fe third and Memorial sixth at John Jacobs. For full results, go here.

Memorial, North, Santa Fe, Boys, Track: A collective effort as Memorial placed second, Santa Fe fifth and North 11th. For full results, go here.

Josh Richardson, Santa Fe, Basketball: The junior was picked by Scott Wright for the boys Super Five. It’s possible we’ll be seeing him there again next year.

It’s tough for me to understand just what this senior year by these Casady kids has meant to the school. I start to get a much better understanding when I talk to them.

One of the boys leading the ‘redeem team’ has been Austin Katigan. And Katigan had a dream come true last week, being accepted into Dartmouth where he will play football.

Katigan is looking at either being a punter or wide receiver. That’s funny that they’re asking him to try out for both as they’re two very different positions.

Like I said last week, former Oklahoma receiver Jarrail Jackson has opened up the Dartmouth campus to Oklahoma recruits. Jackson is an assistant for Dartmouth.

Katigan won’t be going to Dartmouth alone as Bishop Kelley’s Joe Dowdell is also heading there.

Katigan and Dowdell will be heading to the campus in two weeks for the spring football game. For now, he’ll have to be content with being named the Private Schools Player of the Week.

Other contenders

Barry Sanders, Heritage Hall, Baseball: The Chargers have been one of the biggest surprises, entering the 4A rankings at No. 15 this last week. Sanders’ versatility is one reason why.

Dax Maroney, Bishop McGuinness, Baseball: The Irish lost a three-hour marathon at No. 1-ranked Class 5A Deer Creek 16-12, but Maroney had a great game.

Julie Labarthe, Heritage Hall, Tennis: The senior lost one game in the championship match, winning the Ada Tournament at No. 1 singles.

Mia Lancaster, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: Lancaster has earned the No. 1 singles spot and has been dominant this season.

John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft, Bishop McGuinness, Tennis: This No. 1 doubles team might be the favorite to win the 5A championship.

Lizzy Whitbeck, Irish, and Narayan Naik, Heritage, Swimming: The swimmers were named Swimmers of the Year by me and deserved it for a great year. Good luck at Arkansas and Wyoming, respectively.

Caitlin Farris and Hannah Tubbs, Irish, Golf: The duo makes up one of the best one-two combos in the state and were solid in two tournaments last week.

Alexa Gonce, Irish, Soccer: The girls are taking care of business as Gonce had a big game in a 10-0 victory against Western Heights.

Quintaz Struble, Heritage, Track: Struble won the discus throw at the Bethany meet on Saturday. Levi Fisher placed third.

Foerster, Heritage, Track: My Heritage friends, need help with the first name as Foerster won the high jump at the Bethany meet.

Erin Gaffney, Irish, Track: Won the 3,200 at the Bethany meet while Swink won the pole vault.

I was going to make a big deal of my 1,000th post this week. However, it came on a serious matter regarding Edmond North softball coach Rick Nordyke and the complaints against him.

So this one is my 1,006th post. And if you’ll keep reading, I’ll keep writing. I enjoy the interaction with the readers through these blogs, so looking forward to that 2,000th post.

Let’s look at the week that was in tennis…

- The 6A boys race has the potential to be just as fun and tight as last year. Putnam North is strong 1-4, and nobody can touch Chris Haworth at No. 1 singles yet. The No. 2 doubles is going to be a struggle, so they’re going to have to get their points from the top four.

Union has great singles players, led by Marquette signee Logon Collins, but its doubles teams are lacking a little something. Opposite is true at Jenks as the Trojans have one of the best doubles teams around.

Also could be an Edlam showdown between North and Memorial. The Huskies are balanced while the Bulldogs’ doubles teams are top notch.

- Liked what I saw from the Jenks girls team last week. I’m giving the Trojans the slight edge on Edmond North right now, with Enid just a little far behind in third. If Lisa Waldron can play like she did last week, real good shot at a state championship.

- Bishop McGuinness isn’t going to be touched on the girls side. After watching them against Edmond North on Tuesday, the talent level has not dropped off. And why would it with Mia Lancaster (OU), Whitney Ritchie (OU) and Emily Conrad (Abilene Christian) anchoring that squad.

- Carl Albert is going to sneak up on some teams in 5A. Austin Manger is solid and the boys team represented itself well at the Heritage Hall Tournament. Titans didn’t win many matches, but they were involved in some tight battles. Their girls team has put itself in a great spot as well with so many of the same girls in the same spots as last year.

- Duncan is going to need a healthy Melanie Barnes if it is going to make a serious run. I hope she can be 100 percent as I don’t think I’ve seen her at her best yet despite all the times I’ve seen Duncan compete.

- Perry girls and Heritage girls are faring well against top-flight competition as well. Heritage is ranked No. 1 while Perry is at No. 3.

- Have more tennis news or know of a player that isn’t getting their deserved recognition? Let me know.

It’s been a quiet year for the Bishop McGuinness girls tennis team. No, it’s not because they’re any less dominant than what they’ve been. But they haven’t seen a lot of action.

So I was thrilled that the tennis gods allowed me to see the Irish and Edmond North on Tuesday in a dual between two of the best teams in the state.

McGuinness coach Vicki Connelly strongly believes in the challenge system, and Mia Lancaster beat Whitney Ritchie twice and therefore is the No. 1 singles player this year. Lancaster was dominant in winning her match Tuesday.

And after three years of being in doubles, senior Emily Conrad has stepped in at No. 2 singles. That leaves Ritchie and Trinian O’Neil at No. 1 doubles. That’s just how deep the team is.

The Irish have had a couple of tournaments canceled and really haven’t gotten to be out on the court as much as the other teams.

It didn’t show as the girls easily won 4-0 against North. Conversely, the boys of North took a 3-1 win, losing only at No. 1 doubles.

That match was easily the match of the day as McGuinness’ John Byrne and Jonathan Kraft won 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2) to beat Nick Jordan and Bryce Lilley. If it would have went to a third, I wouldn’t be writing this right now – would still be out there.

Byrne was No. 1 singles last year and Kraft was state champion at No. 2, so interesting to see them paired up. Without question, they have a great chance at winning state. Heck, Jordan and Lilley do, too. I’ve seen them lose tough matches to the Irish and Memorial here in the last few days, but they’ve been two of the better matches I’ve been able to see (if that’s any consolation).

Interesting to see Casey Distaso out there. He didn’t comment on his situation. On a selfish note, I hope he plays because he’s one of the best players in the state. But it’s his call.

And just as the tennis was finishing up, Yukon took a 9-3 win against North on the diamond. Not sure how, just know the Millers scored five in the first and never looked back.

Putnam City North tennis player Chris Haworth is starting to get accustomed to the pressure of being THE guy.

Haworth, the undefeated champion last year, is taking everybody’s best shot this season. So far, it hasn’t worn him down.

In one of the best tournaments of the year, Haworth fought his way to the title at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions.

Here is a short video with Haworth following the win.

Special thanks to Duncan coach Phil Barnes for sending the rankings in.

The Oklahoma Tennis Coaches rankings:

Class 6A
Boys
1. Putnam City North; 2. Edmond North; 3. Edmond Memorial; 4. Union; 5. Jenks; 6. Norman North; 7. Broken Arrow; 8. Enid; 9. Shawnee; 10. Muskogee.

Girls
1. Jenks; 2. Edmond North; 3. Enid; 4. Edmond Memorial; 5. Broken Arrow; 6. Shawnee; 7. Union; 8. Owasso; 9. Mustang; 10. Bartlesville.

Class 5A
Boys
1. Bishop Kelley; 2. Ada; 3. Carl Albert; 4. Bishop McGuinness; 5. Booker T.; 6. McAlester; 7. Ardmore; 8. Durant; 9. Duncan; 10. Deer Creek.

Girls
1. Bishop McGuinness; 2. Duncan; 3. Tahlequah; 4. Claremore; 5. Carl Albert; 6. Booker T.; 7. Ada; 8. Bishop Kelley; 9. Durant; 10. Ardmore.

Class 4A
Boys
1. Cascia Hall; 2. Metro Christian; 3. Heritage Hall; 4. OCS; 5. Classen; 6. Oklahoma Bible; 7. Anadarko; 8. Beaver; 9. Seminole; 10. Byng.

Girls
1. Heritage Hall; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Perry; 4. Byng; 5. Seminole; 6. Clinton; 7. Chouteau; 8. Classen; 9. Anadarko; 10. Mt. St. Mary’s.

This was one of the tougher ones I’ve had to deliberate on. I pretty much knew someone from the Memorial baseball team deserved this honor, but who?

I’m giving it to Landon Hallam for his masterful performance on the mound Thursday against Enid.

Facing a tough road test, the Bulldogs won 2-0, thanks to Hallam’s brilliance. Memorial scored two runs in the first and let Hallam do the rest, earning him the Edmond Player of the Week.

But it could have easily went to Alex Hill for his pitching outing against Westmoore. Or Drew Dahlberg for how he has been on fire at the plate since moving to the two-hole.

Either way, the Kyle Roberts’ teams is scary right now. Figure when the rankings come out, the ‘Dogs should get a nice bump up for the second week in a row. Looking forward to getting to see plenty of Edmond baseball action at the Wood Bat Tournament this week.

Other contenders

Stuart Turnipseed, Memorial, Soccer: Last week’s winner did it again, scoring the game-winner in the huge showdown with Norman North on Thursday.

Taylor Moore, Memorial, Golf: Moore finished tied for second at the Memorial Invitational last Tuesday.

Gavin Dubberstein-Truit Gray and Bowen Xu-Omar Karim, Memorial, Tennis: Doubles teams are doubly tough as Bulldogs’ tandems each won the doubles titles at Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions.

Jared Benway, North, Baseball: The Huskies are struggling a bit, but Benway was brilliant in two games against Putnam City, going 7-for-8 with two HRs.

Nate Roper, North, Tennis: The whole boys team, really, as the Huskies won the prestigious Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. Roper, just a freshman, placed third at No. 1 singles.

Clayton Blackburn, Santa Fe, Baseball: His performance on the mound in a 5-1 win against Moore made sure Edmond took the Mayor’s Cup this year.

Siara Price, Santa Fe, Soccer: Big outing for the sophomore as she scored three goals and had an assist in a 10-0 victory against Del City.

Cale Coshow, Deer Creek, Baseball: It’s a week removed, but man that game against Carl Albert was ridiculous, going 5-for-5 with two two-run HRs.

Time to look at the host school for the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions. The boys are a year older while the girls are still a cut above the rest.

Heritage has two big-time stars in senior Julie Labarthe and sophomore Sarah Bowen, that can’t be denied.

The two were dominant in winning the singles’ titles, not losing a set in all three matches.

A notch below is junior Carissa Villaflor. Villaflor and Bowen can alternate between No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles flawlessly, giving the team a lot of flexibility.

Bowen is a character. From her pink hair to her rocker-like attitude, she is a breath of fresh air.

It’s a shame Bishop McGuinness wasn’t at the tournament because seeing Mia Lancaster and/or Whitney Ritchie against the Charger girls would have been worth the price of admission.

And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Irish and Chargers are going to meet up at all this season.

Labarthe said though that’s disappointing, that’s not something they have any control of. “We can only play the girls that are in the tournament.”

The boys are so close to making that break through. Players like Brandon Cohlmia and Jonathan Borsky are starting to get there.

The 4A boys race should be Cascia Hall’s to lose, with Heritage and Metro Christian battling it out for second.

And special thanks to all the volunteers at Heritage for all the food and drinks this weekend. This tournament isn’t just a great gauge of where the teams are, but it’s the best example of trying to get the best teams together for one weekend. It certainly delivered yet again.

Let’s continue the team-by-team look at some of the local squads at the big tennis tournament at Heritage and move on to Edmond Memorial.

I wasn’t sure how Edmond Memorial was going to replace singles star Duncan Fugitt. And the truth is I’m still not sure how the Bulldogs will.

However, it’s not as big a concern as I thought as this team is deeper than it was last year and has a real chance to mess up things in 6A this year.

The boys had a tremendous showing at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions, placing second. Technically, it was a tie with Union but a head-to-head tie-breaker gave it to Memorial.

Seeing double is definitely why Memorial did as well as it did as the doubles teams are going to be contending, no matter who comprises them.

Any combo of Gavin Dubberstein, Truit Gray, Bowen Xu and Omar Karim is going to be tough for teams to handle.

The No. 1 doubles (Dubberstein-Gray) and No. 2 (Xu-Karim) each won the championship and showed what this team can do when it plays up to its potential.

Coach Randy Mays is a tremendous coach, and I love the way he approaches the game and his teams. It was fun/uplifting to just hear him imparting his wisdom this weekend. No notes taken, just listening.

The girls aren’t as strong as the boys, but they’re still a solid bunch. Think there will be a lot of lineup changes before this is all said and done. And when it is all said and done, Memorial will be around the 5^th-place range in 6A.

Ah, that first sun of the spring is coming back to bite me right now. I’m red and hurtin’ all over but have no fear as I can still type.

Let’s start a team-by-team look of the Edmond and private schools at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions with the boys’ champions: Edmond North.

Going in, thought this would be a battle between North, Union and Putnam North. The Huskies are a funny team because I’m not sure if there is a championship-caliber player on the squad.

What they lack in standouts they more than make up for with a complete and balanced team. You could see it at the tournament where the No. 1s placed third and the No. 2s placed second.

I was impressed by freshman Nate Roper. In such a big spot at No. 1 singles and was incredible, defeating two solid players in Carl Albert’s Austin Manger and Metro Christian’s Jason Proctor.

There were a lot of new challenges out there, but I felt like I played good and had some real good matches. It was fun to be a part of this.” – Roper

The elephant in the room is Casey Distaso. Coach Dee Wallar declined to comment on Distaso’s situation this weekend. With Distaso, a strong team only gets stronger. Without him, well, we’re already seeing what they can do.

Distaso is on the fence about playing because state Saturday is also graduation Saturday and Distaso is the Valedictorian for the Huskies. It’s a tough call. No right or wrong answer here, but it puts the team in a tough spot.

There is not a weak link on this team, ranging from players like Nick Jordan to Eric Olson. This is a good, good team.

On the girls side, definitely a little disappointing effort. Well, at least in the first round and coach Wallar was quick to point that out. The girls finished strong but a fourth-place finish felt more like the status quo than anything else.

Senior Rachel Mitcham is really getting pushed at No. 1 singles, but No. 2 singles Lexus Reed has stepped up her game since the last time I’ve seen her.

Going to get another chance to check out the Huskies on Tuesday as Edmond North hosts Bishop McGuinness. Defending champs (Huskies) vs. defending champs (Irish) on the girls side.

Some people don’t understand my love of tennis. After back-to-back days at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions and all the great matches I saw…that’s why I love tennis.

I would have loved to have taken somebody who has never been there and have them watch all the terrific matches this weekend with me.

The boys was incredibly close and won by Edmond North. Now it’s not that nuts to think the Huskies could win, but it is kinda weird for them to win without earning one of the four titles.

It was balance and consistency that got the job done. Nobody placed higher than second or lower than third, tremendous TEAM effort.

Team scoring
1. Edmond North 26; *2. Edmond Memorial 25; 3. Union 25; 4. Putnam North 22; 5. Metro Christian 18; 6. Heritage Hall 16; 7. Carl Albert 9; 8. Ada 7.
* Memorial wins head-to-head tie-breaker for second

No 1 Singles: Chris Haworth, PCN, def. Logon Collins, Union, 6-3, 6-4

Phenomenal match, expected nothing less. Haworth makes you bring your best game. Because if you don’t, you’re hitting the showers early.

Collins, a Marquette signee, fought back and showed a lot of heart in this one. I don’t want to say I counted him out early in the second set, but…yeah, I counted him out.

The seventh game of the second set (tied 3-3) was incredible. I’m not sure how many deuces it went to (at least seven) before Haworth pulled it out.

Look for a video with Haworth on NewsOK on Sunday or Monday.

Third: Nate Roper, EN; Fourth: Jason Proctor, MC; Fifth: Austin Manger, CA; 6. Bryce Merritt, EM; 7. Jonathan Borsky, HH; 8. Robert Jackson, Ada.

No. 2 Singles: Andre Tardio, Union, def. Eric Olson, EN, 6-2, 6-4

A three seed gets the win. Tardio looked real dominant in this one though Olson gave a real good effort there in the second set.

Olson is a real steady player for the Huskies but not too surprising because the Redskins are extremely talented in the singles’ positions.

Third: Brandon Cohlmia, HH; Fourth: Kole Melton, PCN; Fifth: Memorial; Sixth: MC; Seventh: Ada; Eighth: CA.

No 1 Doubles: Truit Gray-Gavin Dubberstein, EM, def. Brian Diefenderfer-Wil Rodwell, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3

The final match of the tournament, and it was everything you would want it to be. Each team’s semifinals match was sensational, so you knew the finals were going to be.

Memorial coach Randy Mays has done a tremendous job with this team, and I think the Bulldogs have rightfully put themselves in the 6A conversation.

Third: Edmond North; Fourth: Metro Christian; Fifth: Heritage Hall; Sixth: Union; Seventh: Ada; Eighth: Carl Albert.

No. 2 Doubles: Bowen Xu-Omar Karim, EM, def. Alex Mathieson-Baylor Spring, EN, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2

Another three-set marathon, and another Memorial victory. I admit to not getting to see too much of this as it was going at the same time as the No. 1 singles final.

But I did catch up with Xu after the match and can see the sense of relief/happiness in his face. Definitely sore, that’s for sure. Edlam in any sport is fun and this was no different.

Third: Union; Fourth: Metro Christian; Fifth: Heritage Hall; Sixth: Ada; Seventh: Carl Albert; Eighth: PC North.

Great stuff, hope you had a chance to get out there. The Class 6A boys race is going to be extremely intense next month at the state tournament.

We are wrapping up the girls portion of the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions tennis event, and it was very eventful.

Still disappointing to not have Bishop McGuinness in it, but nothing that could be done about that. In a tight race until the end, Jenks edged out Heritage Hall for the team title.

It was a tournament where just about all teams could feel pretty good about the results. There were a couple of surprises along the way but not that many.

Team scores
1. Jenks 28; 2. Heritage Hall 27; 3. Duncan 24; 4. Edmond North 20; 5. Enid 18; 6. Broken Arrow 13; 7. Edmond Memorial 11; 8. Shawnee 7.

Championships
No. 1 Singles: Julie Labarthe, Heritage, def. Lisa Waldron, Jenks, 6-0, 6-3

It didn’t take long for there to be an upset here as defending 6A champion Rachel Mitcham was knocked out by Broken Arrow’s Jodi Blackim rather easily at 6-2, 6-1.

Mitcham did bounce back and looked good in her final two matches to place fifth, but Blackim has a lot of power to her game. It’s tough to overpower her, and she’s not afraid to go for her shots.

In the championship, Labarthe was dominant early but Waldron started to frustrate Labarthe a little in the second set. Very good effort from the top Jenks player.

Disappointing end as Melanie Barnes of Duncan had to withdraw during the semis and defaulted in her third-place match. It was a knee this time. Last year it was a wrist injury that kept us from seeing her at her best.

Third: Blackim, BA; Fourth: Barnes, Duncan; Fifth: Mitcham, North; Sixth: Dick, Enid; Seventh: Montgomery, Memorial; Eighth: Calder, Shawnee.

No. 2 Singles: Sarah Bowen, Heritage Hall, def. Gabrielle Siegler, Jenks, 7-5, 6-2

This was the match of the day (at least from the ones I watched). Bowen was up early but Siegler fought back. Would love to see this match again, but I don’t know if that is really possible.

Bowen turned it on in the second set, dictating play and coming out with one of the bigger singles’ victories in her brief career.

Look for a video with Bowen on NewsOK later this weekend.

Third: Reed, North; Fourth: Toone, Duncan; Fifth: Haddad, Shawnee; Sixth: Wright, Enid; Seventh: Bergmann, BA; Eighth: Hale, Memorial.

No. 1 Doubles: Dillingham-Zaloudek, Enid, def. LeValley-Spradlin, Duncan, 6-4, 6-1

This is a great sign for Enid. Duncan came in as the top-seeded doubles team, so it’s a minor upset. Enid has very solid program on a consistent basis.

Third: North; Fourth: Jenks; Fifth: Heritage; Sixth: Broken Arrow; Seventh: Memorial; Eighth: Shawnee.

No. 2 Doubles: Burke-J. Siegler, Jenks, def. Hartzell-LeValley, Duncan, 6-2, 6-1

Admit I didn’t get to see much of No. 2 doubles. The first two rounds were at Casady, and then other championships were going on at the same time. However, with the point differential, this ends up being the tie-breaker.

Had Jenks lost, Heritage would have won.

Third: Memorial; Fourth: Heritage Hall; Fifth: North; Sixth: Enid; Seventh: Broken Arrow; Eighth: Shawnee.

As much fun as this was, Saturday should be even better. This boys’ competition is unbelievably stacked. Should make for a real interesting day of tennis. Plus, there shouldn’t be rain to delay things a good two hours like we had this morning.

The girls are the defending state champions and the boys are off to a terrific start as the Edmond North tennis teams continue to be one of the top programs in the state.

Led by defending champion Rachel Mitcham at No. 1 singles, the Huskies are solid at the singles spots.

The doubles’ positions are still a work in a progress, but a big showing at Friday’s Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions would go a long way in fixing that.

There are no such issues for the boys, who have won four tournaments this year. Anchored by Casey Distaso and Nick Jordan in the singles spots, the Huskies are one of the deepest teams in the state.

The top three teams for the boys (Putnam City North, Tulsa Union and Edmond North) will all be at Heritage on Saturday.

People weren’t sure how the program was going to do with Dee Wallar taking over a couple of years ago. Those days are gone as Wallar has done a great job.

She admits she’ll never be 100 percent comfortable with tennis, but she has shown as much dedication in trying to learn more about the game as the kids have out on the court.

All I ask is that the rain go away Friday. Too many gloom and doom predictions.

I asked for more tennis news, and I got some. Seriously, you can never send me enough.

In the lower classes, it’s easy to get enamored with private school tennis. But the Perry girls are showing there is some solid play outside of the private realm.

The girls placed third last year and have won all four tournaments they’ve participated in this year, including the US Grant Invitational at the OKC Tennis Center (my home away from home) on Wednesday.

Perry earned titles from Lauryn Sullins (No. 2 singles), Trisha Punneo and Tori Wilde (No. 1 doubles) and Emily Brown and Nicole Sadler (No. 2 doubles). No. 1 singles player Krysta Mitchell placed third.

Sullins is 12-0 this season, and the future has to be bright for the program as Sullins and Brown are both just freshmen.

Perry is back Friday for the Guthrie Invitational at the OKC Tennis Center. Should be a great test as it is a Class 5A-heavy field: Guthrie, Deer Creek, Ada, Carl Albert, Altus, Stillwater and Duncan JV.

Getting ready to cover my third Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions tennis event this weekend, but it definitely feels a little different.

Bishop McGuinness will not be there and that almost makes me want to put an asterisk * next to all girls’ winners. The Irish do not compete in athletic events on Easter weekend, no matter what. I understand. As a Catholic, it will feel weird watching tennis on Good Friday.

But this isn’t a religious discussion, it’s a tennis one. And just because the Irish aren’t there, doesn’t mean all the other top teams won’t be.

Special thanks to Heritage coach Dick Villaflor for sending me the teams.

Girls: Heritage Hall, Edmond Memorial, Edmond North, Shawnee, Broken Arrow, Duncan, Jenks and Enid.
Boys: Heritage Hall, Edmond Memorial, Edmond North, Putnam City North, Union, Carl Albert, Ada, Metro Christian.

That boys field is really fun and loaded. I’ll be out there all day Friday (girls) and Saturday (boys). Hope it doesn’t rain Friday, but that’s the word on the street. Enid, Edmond North and Jenks is a great preview of the Class 6A race.

I’ll predict Putnam North’s Chris Haworth takes the No. 1 singles title and Heritage Hall’s Julie Labarthe does the same on the girls side, but that’s all you’re getting from me. Looking forward to it.

- In other news, Harrah coach Jim Miller sent me results from the Central Oklahoma Classic, and the eye-popper is seeing Tulsa Edison’s Haley Martin at No. 1 doubles.

I would have bet the farm that she would be No. 1 singles and challenge McGuinness’ Whitney Ritchie for the Class 5A championship. Martin still might as we all know spots can change multiple times during the season.

Mt. St. Mary’s won the girls competition while Harrah was able to claim the title for the boys. Nice mix of teams at the tournament at Harrah.

- Jarrett Ferguson may be the future of Norman tennis, but Kevin Boyd isn’t ready to give it up yet. The Norman North stud defeated Ferguson last week in the Crosstown Clash – tennis edition.

- The Heritage Hall girls have been off to a fantastic start. Everyone knows about Julie Labarthe, but the No. 1 doubles team of Sarah Bowen and Carissa Villaflor is a pretty frightening tandem. Intrigued to see if they can take the title this weekend.

- Lurking in the shadows are the Irish girls. McGuinness really hasn’t done much since getting back from spring break. Hoping to get a chance to see the girls next Tuesday at Edmond North.

- Know of more tennis stars/stories? Can never have too much tennis news, let me know.

Track and field

Johnson took gold in two events, the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters. The sophomore, who placed second last year at state in the mile and is the two-mile state champion, paced the Norman girls to a dominating victory in the team competition Saturday at the Gregg Byram Track Classic.

Other standouts:

Parker Bowles, Norman

The senior took twin titles in the 800 and 1,600 meter runs at the Gregg Byram Track Classic. Bowles is the No. 1 ranked runner in Class 6A in both events.

Kevin Boyd, Norman North

Boys tennis

Boyd topped Norman’s Jarrett Ferguson 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 doubles as the T-Wolves blanked their Crosstown Clash rival Tigers 6-0.

First full week of spring sports is in the books, and it was an eventful one. It’s always interesting to see who will start to be among the common names you’re going to see throughout the season.

Definitely have one at Casady in Matt Silver, who is this week’s Private Schools Player of the Week. Whether it’s with the bat or on the mound, Silver has been huge for the Cyclones.

He had three hits in a big win against Oklahoma Christian and on did a little bit of everything in a 4-1 win against All Saints on Saturday.

He was the winning pitcher and added three hits with an RBI.

Other contenders

Ryan Shelley, Casady, Baseball: A warrior all year battling that wrist injury, Shelley had two hits and a home run in a loss Friday.

Barry Sanders, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Not too bad with a bat in his hand as he is with a football. Sanders had three hits and a home run in a big win against Bethany.

Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall, Baseball: Guess it’s a natural transition from being a quarterback to a pitcher as Cloud was solid on the mound in a 9-1 win against Kellyville.

Brendan Dye, Bishop McGuinness, Baseball: Dye is off to a great start on the mound for the Irish as Bryan Wade’s team is coming out of the gates fast.

Alexa Gonce, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: The Irish girls team was involved in a fun, tight Bishop Kelley Invitational, but Gonce gets it for his six-goal outing against Capitol Hill.

Abbey Akin, Bishop McGuinness, Soccer: A dynamite player in her own right, Gonce and Akin are an electrifying duo for Sally Cole’s team.

Jake Peace, Mt. St. Mary’s, Baseball: Peace had two hits, including a home run as the Rockets rolled Oklahoma Christian 16-4.

Carissa Villaflor and Sarah Bowen, Heritage Hall, Tennis: The Chargers, led by Julie Labarthe, could sweep once again and this No. 1 doubles team is one of the best, regardless of class.

He’s set the bar early for Player of the Week honors during the spring as Edmond Memorial soccer star Stuart Turnipseed had a tremendous outing in a win against Broken Arrow.

In a showdown of two of the best teams in the state, the Bulldogs made an early statement with a convincing 6-0 victory.

Memorial scored five goals in the second half. Turnispeed notched three of them in earning the first hat trick of his brilliant career.

There’s going to be a great showdown Thursday with Memorial and Norman North, should be fun.

Other contenders

Jacob Romig, Deer Creek, Soccer: The Antlers are one of the best teams in 5A and Romig scored the game-winner in a thrilling 2-1 victory against Lawton MacArthur.

Allie Glazner, Santa Fe, Soccer: It’s been a rough start for the Wolves, but Glazner got things going by scoring two goals in a 2-0 victory against Putnam City.

Austin Place, Santa Fe, Soccer: The Wolves have had to battle this year at 3-3, but Place notched two goals in Santa Fe’s 3-0 win against Moore and Santa Fe ended with two wins in the Bronco Cup.

Alec Heinen and Austin Fuller, North, Golf: The boys tied for second place and the Huskies won the team title at the Timberwolves Invitational.

Carly Yates, North, Golf: Welcome back to the course, Yates. She finished tied for second in her first tournament of the year.

Arial Ruffin, Haley McDaniel and Courtney Walker, Santa Fe, Track and Field: All three girls earned individual titles while the Wolves earned team honors at the Memorial Invitational.

Gloria Mosely and Tara Lewis, Memorial, Track and Field: Each girl won an individual championship as Bulldogs placed second.

Haley Hammond and Nicole Underwood, North, Track and Field: Outshined by Santa Fe and Memorial, the pair of girls also won individual titles.

Gunnar Nixon and Matt Leavell, Santa Fe, Track and Field: Nixon won three titles while Leavell added one as Wolves placed second.

Chase Sammons and Isaiah Duke, Memorial, Track and Field: Sammons won two titles and Duke pitched in with one as Bulldogs won the team competition.

Adam Godwin, North, Track and Field: Godwin took first in the 3,200 run at the Memorial Invitational.

Jon McNeill, North, Baseball: Huskies had a rough week at Tiger/Trojans Invitational, but McNeill has been solid.

Tyler Price, Deer Creek, Baseball: One of the more overlooked contributors, Price has been most consistent performer for Antlers.

Eric Olson, North, Tennis: Olson won the No. 2 singles title and Huskies won team title at Muskogee Tournament.

Rachel Mitcham, North, Tennis: Senior still going strong, winning No. 1 singles title at Muskogee Tournament.

FRIDAY

Girls soccer: Norman North at Tulsa Kelley Tournament

Girls golf: Norman North at Ardmore Invitational at Lakeview Golf Course

Baseball: Norman North at Putnam City, 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Girls soccer: Norman North at Tulsa Kelley Tournament

Girls tennis: Norman North at Muskogee Tournament

Track: Norman North at Gregg Byram Track Classic at Norman High, 10 a.m.

MONDAY

Softball: Southmoore at Norman North, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball: Norman at Norman North, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

Softball: Norman North vs. Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Boys golf: At Edmond Invitational, KickingBird Golf Course, 8 a.m.

Baseball: Norman North at Norman, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Boys soccer: Norman vs. Jenks at Bronco Cup (Mustang High School), 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Baseball: Choctaw at Norman, 12 p.m.

Boys soccer: Norman vs. Southmoore at Bronco Cup (Mustang High School), 11 a.m.

Track: Norman hosts Gregg Byram Track Classic, 10 a.m.

MONDAY

Baseball: Norman at Norman North, 7 p.m.

Boys golf: Norman hosts Tiger Trails Invitational at the Trails Golf Club, 8 a.m.

Softball: Putnam City at Norman, 5:30 p.m.

Softball: Noble at Norman, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Baseball: Norman North at Norman, 7 p.m.

Softball: Norman vs. Norman North, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Soccer: Southmoore at Mustang Tournament

Tennis: Southmoore at Muskogee Tournament

Softball: Norman at Southmoore, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Soccer: Southmoore vs. Norman at Mustang Tournament, 11 a.m.

Tennis: Southmoore at Muskogee Tournament

MONDAY

Golf: Southmoore at Norman Invitational at the Trails Country Club

Tennis: Southmoore at Owasso Tournament

Softball: Southmoore at Norman North, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

Soccer: Southmoore at Sand Springs, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

Boys soccer: Westmoore at Mustang tournament vs. Putnam City, 2 p.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Broken Arrow Tournament

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic

Boys tennis: Westmoore at Muskogee Tournament

SATURDAY

Boys soccer: Westmoore at Mustang tournament vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 11 a.m.

Baseball: Westmoore at Broken Arrow Tournament

Softball: Westmoore at Hall of Fame Classic

Girls tennis: Westmoore at Muskogee Tournament

Track: Westmoore at Gregg Byram Track Classic at Norman High

MONDAY

Baseball: Westmoore at Midwest City, 6 p.m.

Boys golf: Westmoore at Norman Invitational at the Trails Country Club

Girls tennis: Westmoore at Owasso Tournament

TUESDAY

Baseball: Midwest City at Westmoore, 5 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

Boys tennis: Westmoore at Owasso Tournament

FRIDAY

Baseball: Moore at Chickasha Tournament

Boys soccer: Moore at Mustang Tournament, 4 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Hall of Fame Classic

SATURDAY

Baseball: Moore at Chickasha Tournament

Boys soccer: Moore at Mustang Tournament, 9 a.m.

Softball: Moore at Hall of Fame Classic

Track: Moore at Greg Byram Classic at Norman High School, 9 a.m.

MONDAY

Girls tennis: Moore at Owasso

Boys golf: Moore at Norman Tournament at the Trails

Track: Moore at Edmond Memorial

Baseball: Southmoore at Moore, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Boys tennis: Moore at Owasso

Boys golf: Moore at Edmond Tournament at Kickingbird, 8 a.m.

Baseball: Moore at Southmoore, 6:30 p.m.

Softball: Moore at Westmoore, 6 p.m.

A new year, but it’s the same teams and names dominating the boys tennis scene, much like the girls. Not that that’s a horrible thing but don’t be surprised to see the same people hoisting the championships.

It’s going to be tough to duplicate the outstanding finish in 6A where Putnam North earned the team title because the Norman North doubles team beat Union in a great, memorable showdown.

But we’ll try.

- The star to watch is still Putnam North’s Chris Haworth. The junior was phenomenal last year in going undefeated and winning the No. 1 singles title. Looking across the board, not sure who will challenge him. With Duncan Fugitt gone for Edmond Memorial,  left without much of a foil.

His biggest competition may be Edmond North’s Casey Distaso, but we’re not even sure if he’ll be competing. I had a chance to talk with Distaso on Monday night, and he is still thinking it over. The state tournament falls right on graduation weekend, and he’s the Valedictorian. What to do, what to do? I’ll have much more to say on this later in the week.

- Can Norman North duplicate the success of Sam Geurkink and Kevin Boyd? Nick Harderson and Chris Marrs return for the club. NNorth’s rival, Norman, is trying to stick its head into the conversation this year. I wrote more about the Tigers in Tuesday’s paper, dealing with freshman Jarrett Ferguson and new coach Jamie Wheat. For that story, go here.

- Cale Hammond leaving Bishop Kelley opens the door a little bit in 5A. John Byrne of Bishop McGuinness and Austin Manger of Carl Albert should both be in the running at No. 1 singles. But right now, I’d peg Evan McElwain of Booker T. as the early favorite.

- Can’t really derail the Cascia Hall express. The Commandos are what they always are and that will be one of the best teams, regardless of class. Heritage Hall is a year older but perhaps still a year away for Dick Villaflor’s squad. Classen and Metro Christian should both have kids in the hunt as well.

Hope to get out to a lot more tournaments this year. Get it started with next weekend’s Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions.

Rankings by the OTCA
Class 6A: 1. Putnam North; 2. Union; 3. Edmond North; 4. Edmond Memorial; 5. Norman North; 6. Westmoore; 7. Enid; 8. Broken Arrow; 9. Edmond Santa Fe; 10. Mustang.
Class 5A: 1. Bishop Kelley; 2. Ada; 3. Carl Albert; 4. Bishop McGuinness; 5. Booker T.; 6. McAlester; 7. Durant; 8. Duncan; 9. Guthrie; 10. Claremore.
Class 4A: 1. Cascia Hall; 2. Metro Christian; 3. Heritage Hall; 4. Oklahoma Christian; 5. Elk City; 6. Classen; 7. Seminole; 8. Anadarko; 9. Beaver; 10. Oklahoma Bible.

Snows all day Saturday, all melted away by Monday. Yep, that sounds about right. Good thing, too, as the spring season flies by enough without having weather delays.

Entering year No. 3 as the tennis writer, and it’s the same schools and the same names dominating the charts.

- You can’t talk about Oklahoma tennis without mentioning Bishop McGuinness. That will once again be the case this year as the girls are gunning for their 12th straight state championship.

The Irish are loaded once again. Paced by Oklahoma signees Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie, McGuinness should smoke the rest of the field. Ritchie and Emily Conrad will be aiming for their fourth state championship. Conrad, who has signed with Abilene Christian, might be doing it with her fourth different partner, who knows?

- It will be weird to see Bishop Kelley and not see the Lewis sisters. Amy, Abby and Andrea were great representatives of their school and of the sport and wish them well. Know the Comets wish they were back.

- Down in 4A, it should be a Heritage Hall party. Julie Labarthe is shootin’ for back-to-back state championships to close out her career with the Chargers while Sarah Bowen is a name to watch for as well.

- 6A is a wide open field. Jenks will be strong as always, and Edmond North returns four of the six that pulled off that magical run last spring. Leading the charge there will be No. 1 singles player and defending champion Rachel Mitcham. Edmond Memorial will also be in the conversation although the ‘Dogs might have a tough time replacing No. 1 singles player Lindsay Choi.

Rankings by OTCA
Class 6A: 1. Edmond North; 2. Jenks; 3. Enid; 4. Broken Arrow; 5. Edmond Memorial; 6. Union; 7. Sand Springs; 8. Mustang; 9. Owasso; 10. (tie) Bartlesville, Stillwater.
Class 5A: 1. Bishop McGuinness; 2. Duncan; 3. (tie) Claremore, Tahlequah; 5. Bishop Kelley; 6. Booker T.; 7. Carl Albert; 8. Ada; 9. Durant; 10. Altus.
Class 4A: 1. Heritage Hall; 2. Cascia Hall; 3. Perry; 4. Byng; 5. Classen; 6. Clinton; 7. Haskell; 8. Henryetta; 9. Anadarko; 10. Mt. St. Mary’s.

Tuesday
Baseball: Santa Fe South at John Marshall
Soccer: Capitol Hill at McGuinness
Soccer: Southeast vs. U.S. Grant at Speegle
Tennis: Capitol Hill at Millwood
Tennis: Centennial at Northwest
Tennis: Classen at Northeast
Tennis: John Marshall at Douglass
Tennis: Star Spencer at Southeast

Wednesday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Classen vs. Harding at Taft Stadium

Thursday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Capitol Hill at Edmond North
Tennis: Douglass at Classen
Tennis: John Marshall at Capitol Hill
Tennis: Northeast at Star Spencer
Tennis: Southeast at Northwest
Tennis: US. Grant at Centennial

Friday
Baseball: All-City Tournament at Dolese
Soccer: Capitol Hill boys at Kings of the South Tournament at Speegle Stadium

Saturday
Baseball: Northwest at Mustang
Soccer: Capitol Hill boys at Kings of the South Tournament at Speegle Stadium
Track: John Marshall at Tiger Track Classic at Stroud

Today
CA Baseball: at Noble
CA, MWC Girls Tennis: at Duncan Tournament
Del City Baseball: At Southmoore
MWC Baseball: at Norman North

Tuesday
CA Baseball: vs. Noble (4); vs. Chickasha, 6:30
Del City Baseball: vs. Southmoore
Del City Soccer: at Tulsa Union
MWC Baseball: vs. Norman North

Wednesday
CA, MWC Boys Tennis: at Duncan Tournament
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

Thursday
CA Baseball: at Stillwater
CA, MWC, Del City Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
Del City Baseball: at Guthrie
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

Friday
CA Baseball: at Lawton MacArthur
CA, MWC, Del City Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
CA Girls Tennis: at Ada Tournament
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament
MWC Track: at Tulsa East Central

Saturday
CA, Del City, MWC Boys and Girls Soccer: At Midwest City Tournament
CA Boys Tennis: at Ada Tournament
Del City Baseball: vs. Christian Heritage
Del City Track: at Norman
MWC Baseball: at Enid Tournament

I remember the first time I met Putnam North tennis player Chris Haworth. Let’s just say he’s grown a good eight inches since that initial encounter.

He’s the best player in the state and is among the best in the nation. Oh yeah, No. 2 singles player Wil Rodwell isn’t too shabby, either.

It’s tough for Rodwell to be noticed because of Haworth’s success, but in spending time with the both of them, they feed off of and push each other to their respective success.

Because of a communication error, this photo did not run with the Rodwell story in Wednesday’s paper. I thought photographer John Clanton did a great job of conveying what I was trying to say, so I’m posting the photo here on the blog. Can’t wait for the tennis season to start. You can also read the Rodwell story below the photo.

This is the year PC North's Wil Rodwell, front, hopes to come out of the shadows and make a name for himself. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Putnam North’s Wil Rodwell ready to break out
By Robert Przybylo
Staff Writer

For most high school tennis players, going 30-3 and finishing as the state runner-up equals a pretty successful season.

And Putnam City North junior Wil Rodwell is proud of everything he accomplished last year.

But when you’re practice partner goes 38-0 and wins the state championship without losing a set like junior Chris Haworth did, sometimes you can be overshadowed.

There isn’t a hint of jealousy on Rodwell’s part. In fact, the success of Haworth only drives Rodwell to get better and better.

The team can’t do much better than last year as the Panthers won their first boys team championship in school history and return four of their top six players as doubles players Brian Diefenderfer and Kole Melton are also returning.

“There is some pressure because we do want to defend our title,” Rodwell said. “But we know we have to keep working on our game and improving.”

That’s not hard to do when the toughest player you’re going to go against is someone you play everyday in practice.

Not just in high school as Haworth and Rodwell have been going back and forth against each other since seventh grade.

“He’s gotten a lot bigger and his forehand has improved,” Haworth said about Rodwell. “He pushes me to be better, and I push him. It’s real good balance to be able to play someone as talented as him everyday.”

Haworth is ranked in the top 30 in the nation for his age group, according to tennisrecruiting.net. He is already receiving looks from major Division I schools, though he has no favorites yet.

But that doesn’t mean Rodwell doesn’t have his own credentials. Seeded third at the No. 2 singles position last year at state, Rodwell didn’t drop a set until losing in the championship.

A year older, stronger and more mature, Rodwell is ready to take that next step.

“It’s something I definitely feel like I can do this year,” Rodwell said. “I’ve just been working on trying to get better and love the game so much. I’m ready.”

Despite being around the game his entire life, Rodwell said he’s never once felt burnt out with the sport. And with Haworth and Rodwell playing their best and enjoying themselves, the Panthers will once again be in the conversation for the championship.

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

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

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

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

EQUESTRIAN
Kelly Bovaird, Tulsa Kelley (Kansas State)

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

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

GYMNASTICS
Brittany Harris, Tulsa Union (Oregon State)

ROWING
Courtaney Miller, Jenks (SMU)

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

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

SWIMMING
Dakota Wheeler, Westmoore (South Dakota)

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

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

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

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

I love signing day. Love seeing the kids get their reward for all the hard work. Love seeing how proud the parents and coaches are of the kids. What can I say, I’m a softie at heart.

The first of many stops today was at Edmond North. The prized signee was cornerback Xavier Smith as he inked his name to play for Missouri.

Well, truth be told, he said he signed it at 7:01 a.m. Wednesday. Yea, I was still asleep at that time.

But Smith was one of 13 kids signing somewhere, and he was joined with two of his running mates in the secondary: Rickey Lawyer (NEO) and Brandon Downing (Washburn University).

The other big-time signee was kicker Austin Brasher, who signed with BYU.

- Great to see Casey Distaso sign with Georgetown. I’ll be going on year 3 as the tennis writer here shortly, and he has improved with each year in every way imaginable.

- The OU soccer program just got stronger with the additions of Camille Sanders and Carley Yates, two of the better players in the state.

Signing Day List
Football
Xavier Smith (Missouri)
Austin Brasher (BYU)
Joe Aska (Garden City Community College)
Brandon Downing (Washburn University)
Colton Byford (UCO)
Blake Gatewood (UCO)
Rickey Lawyer (NEO)
Richard Sims (Dort College)

Soccer
Carley Yates (OU)
Camille Sanders (OU)
Sherri Collins (UCO)
Hayley Harryman (OSU)

Tennis
Casey Distaso (Georgetown)

And for my full story on Smith and his secondary mates, here ya go.

Smith makes it official, signs with Missouri
By Robert Przybylo
Staff Writer
BPrzybylo@opubco.com

EDMOND – Edmond North senior Xavier Smith has kind of been forgotten in the last couple of months.

When talking about big recruits, his name was left out of the conversation. Not because his play and potential didn’t warrant mentioning, but when you commit July 22, there isn’t much drama.

Smith committed to the University Missouri in the summer, never second-guessed his decision and wearing nothing but Mizzou colors, signed Wednesday morning at a ceremony at the North High gym.

“It just makes it feel more official. My heart has been with Missouri for a long time,” Smith said. “It makes me feel that all the hard work and sacrifices have been worth it.”

Smith was a standout cornerback for the Huskies, who was among the best cover-corners in the state. However, he also wasn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and hit somebody. Smith said he will continue to play in the secondary for the Tigers.

It was only fitting that the North secondary, which were the leaders of the team all season, got to shine on this day as three of the four signed to play college ball.

Cornerback Rickey Lawyer signed with Northeastern while safety Brandon Downing signed with Washburn University in Kansas.

“It’s really special to be able to share this moment with them,” Smith said. “I actually pulled out a photo album of when we were all younger and still playing DB. We’re real lucky to be able to do this together.”

Luck had nothing to do with it for Smith, who displayed on and off the field why he was such a coveted recruit.

North coach Jeremy Dombek noticed a change in Smith this season as Dombek said Smith relished being thrust into the leadership position and didn’t disappoint.

Smith said the family atmosphere and the Missouri coaching staff are the two biggest reasons he will be attending the school.

The Huskies had a total of eight football players sign Wednesday, with kicker Austin Brasher signing with Brigham Young as the other Division I signee.

We’re once again weather-ed out but hopefully the kids will be back Wednesday for Signing Day. I’m headed to Edmond North in the morning to see Xavier Smith sign with Missouri.

But Smith is far from being the lone Husky inking his name to play somewhere. As of Monday, this was the list North AD Tom Snider had for me.

Xavier Smith  Football Missouri
Austin Brasher Football BYU
Joe Aska Football Garden City Community College (Boneman’s note: Aska hasn’t taken the ACT yet, so that hurt his standing with D-I schools)
Brandon Downing  Football Washburn University
Colton Byford  Football UCO
Ricky Lawyer   Football NEO
Blake Gatewood Foootball  UCO
Richard Sims  Football Dort College

Casey Distaso  Tennis  Georgetown

Carly Yates   Girls Soccer  OU
Camille Sanders  Girls Soccer OU
Sherri Collins Girls Soccer  UCO
Haley Harryman Girls Soccer  OSU

Want to know the best way to make your tennis program better? Just start taking the girls from Bishop McGuinness.

OK, maybe that’s overstating things, but the University of Oklahoma is having no issues in going that direction.

The latest duo to ink with the Sooners is Whitney Ritchie and Mia Lancaster. Ritchie was the No. 1 singles player last year while Lancaster was the No. 2 singles. Both, I would assume, will stay in their respective roles this season.

But they aren’t the only stars on the Irish as Emily Conrad has signed with Abilene Christian. Her claim to fame has been her versatility, winning three doubles championships with three different partners.

The Irish girls tennis team has been the biggest force in Oklahoma high school sports the last decade. Ritchie and Conrad will be gunning for their fourth state titles. Lancaster will ‘only’ be shooting for her third because she moved from Texas before her sophomore season.

OU is also the home of former Irish stars Katelyn Connelly and Peta Maree Lancaster, Mia’s older sister.

Connelly is the only piece of the puzzle that is gone from last year’s dominant group. It is a joy to watch the top tennis players in the state and no doubt McGuinness has that. I absolutely love it, and the spring sports season can’t come fast enough when it comes to tennis.

I’m a softie at heart, so signing day is one of my favorite days of the sports year. It’s right up there with All-City and All-State days where the kids are allowed to relax and have fun.

I totally forgot about Signing Day until Sunday. With all the football playoff stuff, just plum forgot. But I definitely made the rounds today.

Started off the day at Heritage Hall at just past 10 a.m. and the signing of Julie Labarthe to Quinnipiac for tennis. As a HUGE tennis fan, I wasn’t going to miss this. Nice crowd, love to see the support of the students for some of the ‘minor’ sports. You can’t call tennis minor to me, but I understand not everyone’s cup of tea is a five-set, four-hour epic.

Went into the office and put that video in and blogged about it. Then it was off to Deer Creek for a trio of signings with Corbin Campbell (OBU, soccer), Ian Davis (OSU, golf) and Cale Coshow (OU, baseball). It was scheduled for 1:30.

Who made those posters of the kids? Those were beyond cool. Again, I have no artistic ability at all, so I marvel at stuff like that.

Each gave a brief speech before making it official. While there, Van Shea Iven joined the party and told me about the Edmond Santa Fe signing ceremony at 2:30. Hmm, why not?

We weren’t sure we were going to make it. The Antlers ceremony was nice and had a chance to talk with both Davis and Coshow.

Funny how each had OU and OSU in their final choices. Davis chose the Cowboys while Coshow will be a Sooner.

Also weird that each will have a roommate from a local high school. Davis will be with Carl Albert’s Talor Gooch while Coshow’s roommate will be Casey Coyle of Putnam North.

So after more video at Deer Creek, it was off to Santa Fe where the Wolves were honoring six kids.

Two stood out to me just because I’ve talked with them before and covered them with Sierra Bronkey (Arkansas, softball) and Jordan Lopez (Texas Tech, baseball).

Also honored were golfers Matt Helms (Wichita State) and Cody Reed (Northeastern State), volleyballer Tate Hardaker (UCO) and basketball player Jimi Blagowsky (Air Force).

This was probably the coolest environment of the three as the girls basketball players were going nuts for Jimi.

Shot short videos with Bronkey and Lopez, so those should be up on NewsOK later this week.

I’ve never shot more video in one day. Not all of it was good (some audio issues), but I’m interested to see how it all turned out.

Like Ryan posted, if you know of any other signings that we don’t have, send ‘em our way. Thanks a bunch.

Heritage Hall senior Julie Labarthe and tennis coach Dick Villaflor. Labarthe signed with Quinnipiac University.

Making the rounds here on signing day. First up was Heritage Hall and senior tennis star Julie Labarthe. She has signed with Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, a perennial contender in the college tennis scene. It’s going to feel weird for me when she is finally gone as I became the tennis writer the year she transferred from Bishop McGuinness to Heritage.

She was just a sophomore and taking over the No. 1 singles spot from one of the best (and nicest) kids I’ve come across, Nicole Holsted. It was a tough spot for her to be in, but she got through it.

Last year, Labarthe really came into her own. She was a lot more confident in every way possible and was dominant at the state tournament. She won the Class 4A No. 1 singles title with little to no difficulty while the team once again took home the title.

Not sure if that’s going to change this year, either, as coach Dick Villalfor returns a solid group of kids once again. And now that the pressure is off when it comes to making a college selection, expect Labarthe to be even more focused.

I was able to catch up with Labarthe for a short video on her special day.

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

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

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

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

SOCCER
Corbin Campbell, Deer Creek (OBU)

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

TENNIS
Logon Collins, Tulsa Union (Marquette)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

Wow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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