6A-4A softball state tournament brackets
At ASA Hall of Fame Stadium
Class 6A
Thursday
Field 3
Moore vs. Tulsa Union, 11 a.m.
Mustang vs. Broken Arrow, 1 p.m.
Owasso vs. Edmond North, 3 p.m.
Jenks vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 5 p.m.
Friday
Field 4
Mustang/Broken Arrow winner vs. Moore/Tulsa Union winner, noon
Owasso/Edmond North winner vs. Jenks/Edmond Santa Fe winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Field 1
Championship, 4 p.m.
Class 5A
Field 1
Thursday
Carl Albert vs. Coweta, 11 a.m.
McAlester vs. Deer Creek, 1 p.m.
Tahlequah vs. Shawnee, 3 p.m.
Lawton MacArthur vs. Grove, 5 p.m.
Friday
Carl Albert/Coweta winner vs. Lawton MacArthur/Grove winner, 2 p.m.
McAlester/Deer Creek winner vs. Tahlequah/Shawnee winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 1:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Thursday
Field 4
Blanchard vs. Bethany, 11 a.m.
Oologah vs. Purcell, 1 p.m.
Fort Gibson vs. Tuttle, 3 p.m.
Berryhill vs. Harrah, 5 p.m.
Field 1
Friday
Blanchard/Bethany winner vs. Oologah/Purcell winner, noon
Berryhill/Harrah winner vs. Fort Gibson/Tuttle winner, 2 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 11 a.m.
Picks: Week 6
Ryan lost a game to Jason and Scott last week with his pick of Commerce over Colcord. Everybody missed Broken Bow and Hilldale, but Ryan locked Broken Bow to lose his first lock of the week.
Last week
Jason: 8-2, 1-0
Scott: 8-2, 1-0
Ryan: 7-3, 0-1
Overall
Ryan: 37-13, 4-1
Scott: 37-13, 4-1
Jason: 37-13, 3-2
Ryan
Cascia Hall 14, Berryhill 7
Millwood 28, Jones 26
Norman North 28, Putnam North 24
Edmond North 35, Putnam City 34
Tulsa Union 38, Owasso 16
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 20
Lincoln Chr. 28, Vian 26
Comanche 26, Washington 20
Elk City 20, McGuinness 17
McAlester 38, Tulsa Kelley 20
Wynnewood 28, Rush Springs 14
Lock of the week: Wynnewood over Rush Springs. As things keep progressing in this district, I’m more and more convinced that the Wynnewood-Wayne matchup will determine the district champion.
Scott
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 14
Millwood 38, Jones 34
Putnam City North 24, Norman North 21
Putnam City 52, Edmond North 48
Tulsa Union 31, Owasso 21
Tulsa East Central 27, Tulsa Central 24
Lincoln Christian 35, Vian 31
Comanche 27, Washington 24
Elk City 28, McGuinness 27
McAlester 24, Tulsa Kelley 14
Lock of the Week: Cascia Hall over Berryhill. Cascia looks like a team on a mission, still stinging from last year’s loss to Bethany in the playoffs. I think they move to 6-0 this week.
Jason
Cascia Hall 21, Berryhill 10
Millwood 31, Jones 24
Norman North 23, Putnam North 17
Edmond North 42, Putnam City 35
Tulsa Union 42, Owasso 24
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Central 21
Lincoln Chr. 31, Vian 28
Washington 20, Comanche 17
Bishop McGuinness 23, Elk City 20
McAlester 35, Tulsa Kelley 17
Wynnewood 24, Rush Springs 21
Lock of the week: Norman North over Putnam City North. Both of these proud programs are struggling this season, but I like the Timberwolves because of their running game. Norman North running back Bryan Payne has been good this season, and the Panthers’ run defense has been an Achilles’ heel.
Rankings preview: Oct. 1
Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#5-0
2. Jenks (2)#4-1
3. Midwest City (3)#5-0
4. Broken Arrow (4)#4-1
5. Norman (5)#5-0
6. Edmond North (7)#5-0
7. Putnam City (9)#5-0
8. Edmond Santa Fe (NR)#4-1
9. Owasso (8)#3-2
10. Lawton (6)#3-2
A couple of times a year I throw out my rankings and start fresh, take an overall look at the season and don’t constrain myself with past rankings. This is one of those weeks and while their figures to be other classes that are more drastically affected, there is a bit of that here. The biggest questions in my mind were where to place Edmond Santa Fe (and Lawton) and what to do with Putnam City. I considered dropping Broken Arrow a spot but the Tigers still stand as the only team to really challenge Union this season and I’ll give them their small bump Friday. Edmond Santa Fe goes from just outside to No. 8 after their win at Lawton. The Wolverines drop to No. 10. Owasso stays in at No. 9 but has a tough test this week against Union.
Rankings preview: Sept. 24
Class 6A
1. Tulsa Union (1)#4-0
2. Jenks (2)#3-1
3. Midwest City (3)#4-0
4. Broken Arrow (4)#3-1
5. Norman (5)#4-0
6. Lawton (6)#3-1
7. Edmond North (7)#4-0
8. Owasso (9)#2-2
9. Putnam City (10)#4-0
10. Stillwater (NR)#3-1
With Westmoore falling out from No. 8 after its loss to Edmond Santa Fe, there were two logical candidates to take the spot: Edmond Santa Fe, who was ranked before its loss to Midwest City the week before, and Stillwater. I chose the Pioneers based on their recent performances but just barely. Santa Fe gets a tough test next week at Lawton. A good performance there, win or lose, gives the Wolves a chance to move back in.
Heritage Hall vs. Bethany to be televised on ESPNU
ESPN released it’s schedule for the 16-game Geico ESPN High School Football Showcase on Thursday morning, and it will conclude with the Week 9 showdown between Heritage Hall and Bethany.
The Chargers will host the Bronchos Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
That will be the series’ second stop in Oklahoma. Tulsa Union hosts Louisiana’s Evangel Christian in the season opener on Sept. 2, which will also be broadcast on ESPNU.
Heritage Hall and Bethany met twice last year. In Week 9, Heritage Hall won at Bethany 14-7 in a game that sealed the district title for the Chargers. The two teams met again in the Class 3A semifinals, with the Chargers taking a 28-14 decision and going on to win the state championship over Kingfisher the next week.
The chance to play on ESPNU is an exciting one for the players.
“It’s gonna be incredible,” Bethany quarterback Ryley Claborn said. “It’s a great chance for the guys on the team that haven’t been looked at by colleges, especially. It’s a great way to get exposure for our players and our school. It’ll be fun to have that feeling, then go home and watch the game and know you’re on national television.”
Fifteen of the 16 games for the ESPN series were announced Thursday and include 30 teams from 13 different states. Here’s the full schedule.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Former Guthrie star Kye Staley still fighting the good fight
After giving up football last year, former Guthrie phenom Kye Staley is back with OSU.
It was a different scene for yours truly Saturday. Initially had plans to cover the finals of the Bill Tipton VII baseball tournament at Carl Albert, I was asked instead to help cover the Oklahoma State spring football game.
And I gotta say, it was great to see former Guthrie star Kye Staley back out there. He looked great in his 11 carries for 55 yards. The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten had a great line about Staley: ‘he should be wearing green pants.’
Quarterback Brandon Weeden was wearing a green jersey to identify that he wasn’t to be hit. Well, with all the problems Staley has had with his knee, the green pants sounded appropriate.
Staley didn’t wear green pants, however. He took some big shots to the knee. But he bounced right back up. Staley is a big boy now. He’s more fullback than running back at this point. He’s about 215 pounds, and you can see that his desire and love of the game is back.
It was tremendous to see and you can also tell how happy his teammates are for him and for the team that Staley is back.
After giving up the sport before last season, Staley’s confidence is back. And that is a good thing for the Cowboys. For my story on Staley, here ya go.
Other spring game thoughts
- They’re all wearing the orange and black of OSU, but to me, they’ll all be known as ‘former (high school) star’ when it comes to the in-state products.
- Former Carl Albert star Daytawion Lowe made a couple of nice plays. He was also beat on a touchdown by Tracy Moore, but Lowe had an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown and had a couple of nice hits.
- Speaking of Moore, the former Tulsa Union star has become a much better college player than I thought he’d be. He is definitely among the top four receivers for the Cowboys. Moore got open a couple of times and had four grabs for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
- Like Moore, former Redskins star Jeremy Smith continues to impress me. I loved watching him play in high school and that hasn’t gone away in college. He had a great touchdown run on a spin move and also caught a touchdown pass. He said his biggest improvement this spring was in the passing game.
- Lo and behold, was that Joe Aska Jr.? Yep, the former Edmond North star running back had a couple of attempts and scored a touchdown. With that loaded backfield, cannot imagine Aska seeing too much time, but it was great to see him land on his feet.
- OK, I do admit Brandon Weeden (Santa Fe), Justin Blackmon (Plainview) and Josh Cooper (Mustang) are known more as Cowboys at this point. They’ve earned it.
- But by far, the biggest change was not having to keep my own stats. I was lost. I still did, but then I was handed a packet of everything you could ask for. And it was nice to be working with fellow chum Brandon Chatmon (@BChatmon on Twitter) again. All ‘n all, a fun way to spend a Saturday.
***
Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Edmond North boys tennis team dominant at Tournament of Champs
Tennis
Tournament of Champions
At Heritage Hall
Boys
Team Scoring
1. Edmond North 32; 2. Metro Christian 23; 3. (tie) Heritage Hall, Putnam North 20. 5. Tulsa Union 18; 6. Tulsa Kelley 14; 7. Edmond Memorial 12; 8. Ada 9.
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.
Boneman’s ballot: Guthrie’s Kentrell Brothers is No. 1…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Varsity writer Robert Przybylo says Guthrie's Kentrell Brothers was the best player in the state
You’ve been on pins and needles, admit it. You’ve been wondering what my top 10 players in the state ballot would look like.
Well, wonder no more. We’ve named Aliston Cobb, Brandon Swindall, Donovan Roberts and Kentrell Brothers as Players of the Year in one form of another. David Glidden captured the NewsOK.com honor. Now here’s the even more ‘prestigious’ Boneman Award.
10. Alex Ross, RB, Jenks
Ooh, this was tough. Between Ross and QB Sawyer Kollmorgen, one of the Trojans was getting on this list. But after watching some Jenks’ games on Cox onDemand (hey, blatant plug), Kollmorgen had the consistency, but Ross had the wow factor. Where did this kid come from? Excited for his senior year.
9. Tyrequek Zimmerman, WR/DB, Lawton
For most of the year we didn’t really get to see what he could do. The Wolverines dominated the district. However, when the playoffs came around, Zimmerman was on full display on both sides of the ball. Zimmerman is headed to Oregon State (joined by teammate Jabral Johnson).
8. Donovan Roberts, RB, Norman
Take what I said about Ross and paste it here. Tremendous size, great speed, future is incredibly bright for the Tigers RB. Workhorse, doesn’t fumble, scores and gains yards against some of the toughest teams in the state. It may not be possible, but I think he might be even better next season.
7. Aliston Cobb, RB, Douglass
Not much more needs to be said about Cobb’s record season for the Trojans. All I point to is his two TDs against Wagoner. He gets hurt, team doesn’t get another first down. Now that’s an impact on a team.
6. Brandon Swindall, WR/DB, Millwood
Cannot believe schools aren’t busting his door down with offers. Some might say playing in 2A helps his numbers. I say if he was playing against bigger classes, he would have no problem adapting his game and have just as big an impact. All the great ones adjust.
5. Derrick Alexander, DL/LB, Booker T.
You could make a great argument that Alexander was the best defensive player in the state this season. The Hornets were loaded with incredible talent all over the place, but Alexander stood out. I mean you always knew where Alexander was on the field.
4. David Glidden, WR/DB/KR, Mustang
Always loved watching Glidden play. Week 2 against Edmond North last season — I was officially on the bandwagon. He was a little banged up at times this season so I don’t think we saw his full potential, but it does hurt when you’re trying to rank his season. We’ll see his full potential at Oklahoma State.
3. Christian Hood, WR/DB, Union
Now this is a kid I wish I could have seen on a weekly basis. Love the way he plays the game. And what can you say about his performance against Jenks in the championship? Another great prospect teams are sleeping on.
2. Sterling Shepard, QB/RB/WR/DB/KR, Heritage Hall
I won’t say too much here (haven’t I said enough at this point). When a play had to be made, Shepard did it — no matter what. Won’t forget that Kingfisher outing anytime soon.
1. Kentrell Brothers, RB/WR/DL, Guthrie
If I didn’t know Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins and his staff so well, I would venture to say they don’t know how to figure up stats. Those couldn’t be real numbers, right? Brothers is legit in every way, shape and form. He should make a fine transition to LB at Missouri, and I agree with Watkins who said in his All-State nomination form, “Kentrell is the best player in the state.” He was.
Union does it again…
By Robert Przybylo and Matt Baker
BPrzybylo@opubco.com; matt.baker@tulsaworld.com
I wasn’t there, so I’m not going to pretend I was. Here is the Tulsa World’s Matt Baker’s account of another epic Union-Jenks battle.
Union 50, Jenks 47
After I botched last year’s state title pick and flip-flopped on Union, I vowed to go with my gut this year.
I did – and I was still wrong.
I underestimated Union. Again.
After covering four of Jenks’ regular-season games, I didn’t see how anyone could stop that high-powered offense. I was right about that – the Trojans still put up 47 points. But I didn’t give enough credit to Union’s playmakers or coaches.
When Jenks’ Alex Ross scored two touchdowns in the first two minutes, I thought the game was over. It was a flashback of last year’s state title game when Union took an early 14-0 lead and Jenks never recovered.
“Drive home safely,” I told another reporter on the sidelines.
But Union came back in one of the best high school games I’ve seen. Two main reasons why: coaching and clutch plays.
Boneman’s championship picks…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Class 6A – Jenks (13-0) vs. Tulsa Union (12-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State
Score: Jenks 39, Union 23
Breakdown: There is a good history of the winner of the regular season matchup losing in the championship, but I’m not seeing it here. Alex Ross might be the breakout star of the state (Sheldon Wilson and Sterling Shepard are up there, too) and has become an all-state-caliber RB for the Trojans. Not much is said about the defense, but when they’ve needed to step up, they have. I look for Tulsa commit Trent Martin to have one heck of a night as Jenks completes dominant undefeated season.
Class 5A – Booker T. Washington (12-1) vs. Tulsa East Central (12-1), 1 p.m. Saturday, Boone Pickens Stadium at OSU
Score: Booker T. 31, East Central 19
Breakdown: Another case of a championship being a rematch of an early-season matchup. Hornets looked so good last week against a great Guthrie team. If this is close, edge goes to the Cardinals with kicker Antonio Escobedo, but I think Jordy Albert, Tyler Lockett and Dante Barnett prove to be the difference. And if not, there is always running back Isaac Bennett. Darrell Hall gets his second championship in as many years with a different team.
Class 4A – Wagoner (13-0) vs. Douglass (11-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Boone Pickens Stadium at OSU
Score: Wagoner 25, Douglass 18
Breakdown: Ooh, I am torn about this one. The Bulldogs have been so dominant this year. Blowing out 4A teams like nothing. Beating two 5A playoff teams. But Douglass is playing as well as anybody right now. Eleven straight wins is nothing to sneeze at. The running game behind Aliston Cobb has been incredible and QB Shon Bridges gives enough balance to the offense. Ultimately, Prince McJunkins does it one more time for Dale Condict’s club.
Class B – Cherokee (13-0) vs. Wetumka (11-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Stillwater’s Pioneer Stadium
Score: Cherokee 36, Wetumka 16
Breakdown: Comparative scoring can get you in trouble, but Cherokee beat Dewar 46-12 in the semifinals. That same Dewar team 45-pointed Wetumka in Week 10. Does it mean anything? I don’t know. What I do know is that Cherokee defense was extremely impressive and that I’ve never seen an eight-man team have so many different weapons at running back like Chiefs have. Wetumka’s Derrick Moore is the wild card.
Class C – Deer Creek-Lamont (12-0) vs. Shattuck (11-1), 1 p.m. Saturday, Stillwater’s Pioneer Stadium
Score: DC-Lamont 26, Shattuck 20
Breakdown: DC-Lamont is another team that feels like it has been destined for this moment. The Eagles, of course, ended Shattuck’s winning streak last season. It’s a chance for Shattuck to end DCLA’s dream season and earn another title of its own. Just don’t see it happening. Every time I’ve doubted DCLA, the Eagles have made me look stupid. Simply put: lesson learned on my part.
Thursday: 3A-A semifinal games.
