What are the most impressive streaks in state HS sports?
With Shattuck about to break Morrison’s record of 90 consecutive wins, I’m wondering what are the other streaks in the state that are most impressive?
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
More improvement for Dibble facilities
Dibble High School got a brand new field house and locker rooms for its varsity this year. And Wednesday, the school’s old facilities were upgraded thanks to Lowe’s Home Improvement of Yukon, which provided $2,500 worth of supplies and employee labor.
“They selected us out of a group of schools to come down help work on the sixth and seventh grade locker rooms,” said Dibble coach Charlie North. “It was a really neat deal and we really, really appreciate their generosity.”
Former University of Oklahoma and NFL player J.R. Conrad is an assistant coach at Dibble. His mother works with Lowe’s and suggested the team submit its name for the annual “Hero’s Project” that Lowe’s provides for nonprofit organizations.
“They just drew our name out of a hat,” said North. “It was a nice thing that they did for us and it just makes our facilities even better.”
At look at the rankings: Class 6A-A
Eight-man will have to wait another day as my eyes are about to slam shut but here’s Class 6A-A with a short explanation with each class.
Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#1-0
2. Jenks (2)#1-0
3. Broken Arrow (4)#0-1
4. Owasso (5)#1-0
5. Del City (11)#1-0
6. Southmoore (6)#1-0
7. Edmond North (10)#1-0
8. Mustang (9)#1-0
9. Muskogee (8)#0-1
10. Norman North (13)#1-0
Rankings review
I take a little different approach when formulating rankings. I don’t drop teams every time when they lose. Never understood why a No. 10 team who lost to a No. 1 team had to drop. That’s why you’ll see Broken Arrow moved up a notch in 6A despite losing to Tulsa Union. The Tigers lost in a close game and couldn’t see jumping Owasso (who’s without its regular starting QB) or Southmoore (who struggled to run the ball in its opening win) over Broken Arrow. I struggled with how to order the bottom part of the rankings. Del City’s win was huge so I jumped them ahead of winners Southmoore, Edmond North and Mustang. There were flaws with each of those team’s wins (although I don’t hold North’s against them as much as the other two, since it was a rivalry game). We’ll see some more shaking out in the next couple weeks with some big matchups. Midwest City might still be a top 10 team by the time it’s all said and done. Along with the Bombers, Putnam North and Lawton are bubbling right outside the top 10.
Class 5A Rankings
1. Tulsa Washington (1)#1-0
2. Carl Albert (2)#0-1
3. El Reno (5)#1-0
4. Lawton MacArthur (6)#1-0
5. Bixby (4)#0-1
6. Guthrie (3)#0-1
7. Tulsa East Central (7)#1-0
8. Shawnee (8)#1-0
9. Duncan (11)#1-0
10. Ada (12)#1-0
It was tough at the top of 5A with Nos. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10 all losing. In the end, I decided to keep Carl Albert at No. 2 because I can’t see jumping El Reno or Lawton MacArthur up over the Titans right now. And El Reno win next week would give serious consideration to a jump. Lawton Mac’s win was certainly impressive and the Highlanders could also be moving up with continued wins. I just think Tulsa Washington is heads and shoulders above everyone else in the class right now. It’s hard to judge just where Bixby and Guthrie are right now but we’ll find out soon enough. I don’t drop teams just because tey lost but Guthrie’s offense worries me and Bixby got hammered so I wasn’t hesitant of dropping them behind El Reno and Lawton Mac. Tulsa Kelley and Deer Creek are just outside the top 10, as is Ardmore and Coweta.
Class 4A
1. Glenpool (1)#1-0
2. Broken Bow (2)#1-0
3. Sallisaw (3)#1-0
4. Douglass (5)#1-0
5. McGuinness (6)#1-0
6. Grove (7)#1-0
7. Wagoner (8)#1-0
8. Weatherford (9)#1-0
9. Star Spencer (4)#0-1
10. Collinsville (10)#1-0
With just one team in the top 10 losing, the only real question here is how far does Star Spencer fall with its big loss to Millwood. The answer winds up being to No. 9 from No. 4. No. 1 Glenpool’s win wasn’t overly dominant but the Warriors are still No. 1. The others ahead of Star Spencer all had big wins, either in blowout fashion or in McGuinness’ and Weatherford’s cases, wins over highly regarded opponents. Poteau and McLoud are hanging around just outside the rankings.
Class 3A
1. Cascia Hall (1)#1-0
2. Tuttle (3)#1-0
3. Sequoyah-Claremore (4)#1-0
4. Clinton (2)#0-1
5. Purcell (5)#1-0
6. Madill (7)#1-0
7. Checotah (6)#1-0
8. Bethany (7)#1-0
9. Metro Christian (9)#1-0
10. Blanchard (10)#1-0
Another relatively stable class, with Clinton the only top 10 team with a loss. Figured they’need to go fall under at least Tuttle and Seq.-Claremore. Elgin and Newcastle ate just outside the top 10.
Class 2A
1. Lincoln Christian (2)#1-0
2. Millwood (3)#1-0
3. Kingfisher (5)#1-0
4. Davis (6)#1-0
5. Sequoyah-Tahlequah (7)#1-0
6. Heritage Hall (1)#0-1
7. Vian (9)#1-0
8. Chandler (4)#0-1
9. Lexington (13)#1-0
10. Sulphur (8)#0-1
Another class with some interesting dilemmas. How far does Heritage Hall drop? What about Chandler? Who fills out the bottom of the top 10? The answers: To 6th because their defense performed well yet they clearly have a ton of work to do on offense. Chandler drops four spots to eighth. Chandler should be significantly better by the end of the year but thhe Lions have to grow up quick. Sulphur stays in the top 10 in large part due to the rash of losses at the bottom and just outside the top 10.
Class A
1. Okeene (1)#1-0
2. Tonkawa (2)#1-0
3. Morrison (3)#1-0
4. Ringling (4)#0-0
5. Hennessey (6)#1-0
6. OCS (7)#1-0
7. Woodland (5)#0-1
8. Stroud (9)#1-0
9. Hominy (8)#0-1
10. Commerce (12)#1-0
I dropped Woodland down two spots after its 31-6 loss to No. 1 Okeene. Woodland’s going to be pretty good by season’s end but needs some ore consistency. Stroud and Hominy switch spots after Stroud beats Chandler and Cleveland beats Hominy.
Yukon’s James finally a Marlin
Tomorrow morning, Chad James will get back on a plane and head back to Florida, just a few days after a whirlwind trip to Miami for a physical after he agreed to a contract with the Marlins.
Monday evening, James invited a large group of family and friends to Brix restaurant in Bricktown for a signing ceremony. It felt in a lot of ways like a college signing ceremony. But sitting just a couple feet to James’ left was a reminder of the difference. Florida scouting director Stan Meek, a former OU baseball coach, had a huge World Series ring on his finger, a reminder of the Marlins’ improbable 2003 run.
This is a real business.
Which is why, Friday, James had to undergo about six hours of tests, ranging from a workup by a cardiologist to blood work, before he could get the green light to sign. Because he went through the process on Friday, James had to sit overnight while waiting word.
“It was a long night,” James said. “You never know if they’re going to find something or what.”
But they didn’t, James was cleared and his professional career is about to get underway.
Just before the draft, James had said he wanted to sign quick. But while the Marlins hoped a long signing process would be condensed, economic realities with the Marlins made that really unlikely.
The Marlins, at least until they move into their new ballpark, at least compete like a small-market team. So they had to stick relatively close to the slot ranges, which MLB commissioner Bud Selig requested teams drop by anout 10 percent from last year. And James didn’t want to compromise that financial end just to get signed. So he sat. And sat. And sat.
He spent the summer working out but also did quite a bit of relaxing, enjoying a final summer withouth baseball.
“I know things are changing now,” James said. “I won’t be able to do that anymore. It was great being about to be around them and relax this summer.”
James, a left-handed pitcher, is impressive. I took a video of Chad tonight, as well, and he was dominant. It’ll be interesting to watching his development.
I’ll have a video interview with Chad that I’ll post tomorrow.
-Ryan Aber
Follow me on Twitter: @ryaber
The Impact of Brooks Mosier
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Mosier, center, two years ago flanked by Parker Burnett, Bryan Owen and Taylor Daniels. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman)
I really shouldn’t be the one writing a Brooks Mosier career retrospective. Two years ago, I hadn’t met the man and didn’t even know who he was.
I didn’t know about all of his various coaching stops (Southeast, Northwest Classen, John Marshall, U.S. Grant, Western Heights, Newcastle and OCS, to name a few) or his near 50 years in the coaching profession.
All I knew he was some legendary coach everyone talked about who was returning to coaching after beating cancer.
But it only took a couple of meetings to realize what a special human being he was. So maybe in that regard, I’m the perfect person to be writing this.
I only met Mosier a couple of times. I would call him occasionally to see how things were going at Community Christian. And in my brief conversations with him, I quickly learned what the fuss was all about.
After every conversation, I was either left laughing or smiling about something he said or about some odd comparison he made.
It reached a point where I would start to go out of my way to find out how things were going at the small Christian school in Norman.
I remember talking to Mosier the day after this year’s Christian schools championship where Destiny Christian defeated CCS on a hook-and-lateral.
The finish alone is worth talking about, but the fact that Mosier watched the game from his car is something I still can’t fathom.
He was just so weak from the cancer, but he wanted to be out there for those kids so bad. And in talking to CCS players and coaches and his wife, Wanda, that’s where the real legacy of Mosier will be: his kids.
Mosier passed away three weeks ago after another battle with cancer. He was 73. It happened during the state basketball tournaments, so it kinda got lost in the shuffle.
Former NFL and Oklahoma football player Josh Norman is taking over as the new head coach at CCS but within a couple of minutes of talking with Norman, easy to realize Mosier is not far from his heart as he got choked up a couple of times during our conversation.
I remember it was Brooks’ birthday during the season. It was a day before a game. So at the game, it was announced that it was his birthday. We brought out this big birthday card.
You figure it would be signed by the entire football team. It was signed by the entire school because that’s how much those kids loved him.
Norman said while Mosier taught him some things about football, what he taught him and the kids the most about was life and the importance of having Christ in their lives.
Norman said when he would visit with Mosier during this last season, all Mosier could talk about was being back out there with the kids.
No matter how sick he was or how weak he was feeling, that was always the first thing he would ask about.
Paul Potter, a long time friend who helped convince Mosier to come back to coaching, had this to say.
I remember it was just a couple of weeks before his death, and he was telling me ‘you know, I’m starting to feel better, and I think everything is going to be fine.’
He was always so optimistic and positive. He was such a special person, and I feel blessed to have gotten to spend all that time with him.
Potter coached CCS this year while Mosier was going through treatment. With that said, Mosier only missed one game his entire career.
It seems everyone has their own Brooks Mosier story. Here’s mine:
I remember talking to Brooks after that memorable championship game. And of course, the first thing I asked was: “well, how you feeling?”
He laughed and sighed and said “The sun still came up today. It’s still going to set at night. Everything will be fine.”
I remember him telling me how he was just trying to console those kids. But the kids, like Taylor Daniels and Chris Potter, didn’t need any real consoling. After seeing what Mosier had gone through all season, it hurt to not win that game for Mosier, but they knew they would be just fine.
But like I said, everyone has their own Brooks Mosier story. So I throw it out to you, what is your Brooks Mosier story?
(and Mosier one more time. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman)
Wrapping up 4A…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Halfway through our look back at the state championships. This one will be abbreviated as I did not see one 4A boys game, so I’m not going to comment on it.
All I’ll say is I was shocked that McGuinness with Daniel Orton could not defend its title. Must really say something about how talented that Star Spencer team is when they put it all together.
But I did see a lot of the 4A girls.
Boys champion: Star Spencer, 67-61 vs. McGuinness
Girls champion: Vinita, 51-45 vs. Cache
One last time to watch Cache’s Taylor Thompson. What an absolute treat she’s been. She can just pull up from 25 feet and nail it. Or she can take you off the dribble and score. Not to mention, her defense.
But the Vinita team was clearly the best in the tournament. As Justin Harper pointed out to me while there, the Hornets beat No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6. Couldn’t beat No. 3 because that’s what they were.
Three girls really stood out for Vinita: Dana Downing, Tosha Tyler and Caitlyn Spurgeon.
Spurgeon is/was just a freshman, so it was kinda amazing to watch not only her poise but her big-time clutch performances in both the semifinals and the championship.
Thompson scored 20 points but didn’t score one in the fourth quarter. The lingering image for me from this year’s tournament is Thompson crouching down in tears with the Vinita team celebrating about 10-12 feet away from her.
Wow.
In fact, the whole Cache team really took that loss hard. Every team is disappointed about not winning it all, but some of those Cache girls were almost beyond devastated.
Anyway, congrats to Vinita and Thompson, hey, be keepin’ tabs on ya at Fresno State.
And finally, if you haven’t had a chance to catch Brandon Chatmon’s “Mic’d Up” with McGuinness coach Tondrell Durham, here is your chance. Special thanks goes to McGuinness for allowing Brandon to do this. It means a lot to us.
Perry wrestling tournament: A night of orange and black
By Matt Patterson
mpatterson@opubco.com
PERRY –Oklahoma State coach John Smith made an appearance at the Perry tournament finals Saturday night and for good reason. At least six future Cowboys were on the mat.
One was Perry’s Ladd Rupp who easily won his 125 pound match by fall. And despite winning three state championships it was his first tournament win at his school’s signature event.
“I don’t know” Rupp said when asked how he could be so dominant without winning the Perry tournament. “I’ve run into some pretty tough competition here the last couple of years with Willie Gunter. I’m just glad I got it in my last year.”
Chris Perry dominant: In what could be a preview of this year’s Class 6A finals at 189 pounds, Stillwater’s Chris Perry beat Ponca City’s Blake Rosholt with a second period fall. Perry recently wrapped up another 1,000 yard season for Stillwater’s football team.
“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” he said. “If you’re not playing football and have all day to train, that’s an advantage but a lot of that stuff is mental.”
Perry and Rosholt will also both wrestle at Oklahoma State.
“I roomed with him at Fargo,” Perry said of Rosholt. “He’s a tough kid.”
Match O’ the night: There were several close matches and several blowouts, but none were more interesting than the 171 pound bout between Woodward’s Zach White and Catoosa’s Dallas Bailey. Bailey ultimately prevailed in a 3-2 grinder.
Heisman cheers: Perry might be deep in the heart of Oklahoma State country, but the between matches announcement that Sam Bradford had won the Heisman trophy brought a cheer from the crowd at John Divine Aren, though there was a smattering of boos.
Del City starts 6A girls hoops season with a bang
By Justin Harper
The Del City girls basketball season couldn’t get off to a more interesting (or challenging) start. The Eagles, who are ranked second in Class 6A, open the season playing No. 3 and No. 1 in consecutive games.
Del City, which was 22-5 last year, hosts second-ranked Norman tonight at 6 p.m. The team’s next outing, on Dec. 9, is a game at top-ranked Midwest City. All three schools in the 1-2-3 triumvirate made the state tourney last year and each defeated and lost to one of the three teams.
“I think it’s OK,” said coach Karri Seals. “We’ve opened up with Norman for a couple of years and we opened with Jenks last year. We’re used to it.”
The Eagles are led by a pair of Oklahoma State signees, Desiree Jeffries and Toni Young.
Semi-final thoughts
By Matt Patterson
Mustang’s semi-final game with Jenks is a tough assignment, but it’s better than Midwest City’s. The Bombers face the hottest team in Oklahoma and a week after they defense was shredded by Stillwater running back Chris Perry.
Perry is arguably one of the top five high school athletes in the state. He is Oklahoma’s top recruit in wrestling, and one of the most valued in the country and on the gridiron he’s been a thousand-yard rusher the last three years. But he’s not as good as Union’s Jeremy Smith who ran all over Norman North Friday night.
Back to Mustang. The Broncos get Jenks at Broken Arrow, which is more or less a home game for the Trojans. Still, Mustang coach Ty Prestidge didn’t seem to mind.
“We don’t think that’s a big deal at all,” he said. “It’s not in our control anyway.”
Norman North’s offense far more balanced than in 2007
By Justin Harper
jharper@opubco.com
In Tuesday’s story about Norman North quarterback Tyler Tettleton, there was a reference to the senior making the T-Wolves more balanced this year than they were in 2007 when Tettleton missed the season. Here are some numbers to clarify that:
In terms of total yardage, there’s hardly any difference between last season and this one, but a major difference in how the yards were gained. In 2007, the T-Wolves averaged 347.6 yards per game in total offense and this season they’re averaging 342.0.
But last year they averaged 236.6 yards rushing and 111.0 passing.
This season it’s 154.2 yards rushing and 187.7 passing.
