Fall signing day coming Wednesday
This might be the opening week of high school football playoffs, but it also includes signing day Wednesday for sports other than football. Know of an athlete signing? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com or leave it as a comment here. Please include as much information as possible.
All-State volleyball announced
The Oklahoma Coaches Association released its All-State volleyball roster on Thursday. The All-State game will be played Tuesday, July 24 at a venue to be determined. The small school game will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the large school game at 7:30 p.m. The coaches will be announced at a later date.
Large East
Sadie Schaffner, Bartlesville
Inky Ajanaku, Tulsa Kelley
Cat Roth, Tulsa Kelley
Sydney Eggers, Bixby
Cailyn Burd, Owasso
Aubrey Marsellis, Owasso
Alexa Knox, Tulsa Union
Kylie Johnson, Tulsa Union
Large West
Maddie Reddick, McGuinness
Skylar Conner, Edmond Memorial
Kristen Nashert, Edmond North
Heather Watson, Edmond North
Hannah Holkum, Edmond Santa Fe
Barbara Jackson, Edmond Santa Fe
Lexie Matthews, Norman North
Tori Thomas, Norman North
Small East
Kara Gleason, Lincoln Christian
Evette Allen, Lincoln Christian
Sunny Smarty, Oklahoma Union
Hayley Bryan, Copan
Aryn Dixon, Cascia Hall
Allie Murphy, Cascia Hall
Carolina Arnould, Victory Christian
Mayci Sparkman, Shawnee
Hannah McKenzie, Tulsa Wahsington
Morgan Allison, Catoosa
Small West
Dawnshate Blakes, Chickasha
Taylor Crismas, Oklahoma Bible
Bree Fritschow, Duncan
Danielle McGill, Big Pasture
Sydney Miles, Heritage Hall
Jessica Penner, Corn Bible
Jenny Pratt, Christian Heritage
Lindsey Smith, Big Pasture
Talie Stanley, Cache
Madison Ward, Cache
Class 5A-6A volleyball state tournament pairings
Here are the schedules for the Class 5A and 6A volleyball state tournaments in Claremore and Catoosa Friday and Saturday:
Class 6A
Friday
At Catoosa
Tulsa Kelley vs. Norman North, noon
Tulsa Union vs. Edmond Memorial, 1:45 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe vs. Bishop McGuinness, 3:30 p.m.
Owasso vs. Edmond North, 5:15 p.m.
Saturday
At Claremore
Semifinals
Tulsa Kelley/Norman North vs. Tulsa Union/Edmond Memorial, 1:30 p.m.
Edmond Santa Fe/McGuinness vs. Owasso/Edmond North, 3:15 p.m.
Championship match, 7:15 p.m.
Class 5A
At Claremore
Friday
Tulsa Washington vs. Cascia Hall, noon
Christian Heritage vs. Shawnee, 1:45 p.m.
Victory Christian vs. Oklahoma Bible, 3:30 p.m.
Heritage Hall vs. Catoosa, 5:15 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals
Victory Christian/Oklahoma Bible vs. Heritage Hall/Catoosa, 10 a.m.
Christian Heritage/Shawnee vs. Tulsa Washington/Cascia Hall, 11:45 a.m.
Championship match, 5:15 p.m.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Class 4A volleyball state tournament pairings
Here’s the schedule for the Class 4A volleyball tournament, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Shawnee High School:
Friday
Quarterfinals
Game 1: Copan vs. Elgin, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Cache vs. Oklahoma Christian School, 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: Okay vs. Big Pasture, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Oklahoma Union vs. Lincoln Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, noon
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1:45 p.m.
Championship
Game 7: Semifinal winners, 3:45 p.m.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Wes Welker Foundation awards grants
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
The Wes Welker Foundation’s board of directors have approved $29,000 in grant money to four Oklahoma City-area schools, the organization announced Monday.
The grants were awarded to Star Spencer’s volleyball and athletic department, U.S. Grant’s football program, Putnam City West’s football and athletic department and Crooked Oak’s athletic department.
The foundation, founded by former Heritage Hall and current New England Patriots standout Wes Welker, was founded five years ago with the aim of helping underprivileged kids.
The foundation awards grants twice a year to schools and organizations in the Oklahoma City area. It also provides free sports camps for at-risk youth and a coach and leadership development program.
The foundation has given more than $192,000 in grant money in the past four years.
U.S. Grant is a two-time recipient.
Other organizations that have received the grants in the past have included Life Change Academy, Astec Charter School, Douglass High School, Memorial Park Boys and Girls Club and Western Village Academy.
Edmond Memorial’s Micha Hancock to Penn State
Edmond Memorial's Micha Hancock is headed east to Penn State.
A little late on this so apologize about that. Anything that occurred smack dab in the middle of state basketball tournaments was incredibly tough to keep tabs on.
However, this is a biggie. After originally signing with Tulsa in November, Edmond Memorial star volleyball player Micha Hancock was granted a release from her letter of intent and has signed with Penn State.
On the surface, it looks like it’s just about winning but that’s not the case. Hancock really had her pick of any top school she wanted to attend because of her performance. Initially, she was staying close to home so she could play with her older sister, Kelsey.
It was when former Tulsa coach Ed Allen resigned in January to take the same spot at Alabama that things began to shake up.
Memorial coach Edgar Miraku said the compliance department of both Penn State and Tulsa worked together to make this come out as smooth as possible.
The Nittany Lions are on one of the more impressive runs in college athletics. Penn State has won four consecutive NCAA championships and also had 109-match winning streak snapped in September.
Hancock played for the US Youth Olympic team in Singapore last summer that won the silver medal. She is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for Oklahoma, two-time All-City Player of the Year and helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back championships.
***
Robert Przybylo, bprzybylo@opubco.com
Edmond Memorial: Micha Hancock gets another honor…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
If you’ve seen Edmond Memorial’s Micha Hancock play volleyball just once, then you know you have watched something special.
And even if you didn’t know who she was coming into the match, you would leave knowing full well who she is.
The honors keep coming for Hancock as she was named the Gatorade/ESPN RISE Volleyball Player of the Year for Oklahoma for the second straight year.
Hancock led the charge as the Bulldogs won their second consecutive state championship in October.
“I have been coaching in Oklahoma for 20 years and Micha Hancock is the best all-around player we have ever had in this area,” said Santa Fe coach Will Ethridge. “There is not a weakness in her game. She is a strong setter and hitter and she plays defense extremely well. She is truly an amazing player.”
How’s this for ya? Hancock recorded 326 assists, 275 kills, 171 digs, 151 service aces and 41 blocks this year.
Hancock was also a member of the Youth Olympic team that went to Singapore in the summer. She has signed to play at Tulsa.
All-City schedule…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
We’re knee-deep in football playoffs, but here is your schedule for the All-City teams in volleyball, softball and cross country.
Wednesday - Volleyball
Thursday - Big and Little All-City Softball
Friday - Boys and Girls Cross Country
Look for stories, capsules and the complete roster for each sport in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK. UPDATE: This might change. Space is kinda tight for the next couple of days. Just know we’ll try to get these in and fast as we can.
Private schools honor: Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Well, you knew with Heritage Hall running back Barry J. Sanders sitting out with an ankle injury that somebody was going to have to join Sterling Shepard and step up.
And as much as I rave (and I do) about the junior class, the senior leadership is also readily apparent with this Chargers club. Heritage needed someone to pick up the slack and senior quarterback Cooper Cloud was more than willing to be the guy in a 42-12 win against John Marshall.
Of course, it helps to have an elusive target like Shepard to throw it to, but Cloud ended the night with four touchdown passes. Three of them went to Shepard while the other went to Cale Courtney.
That may have answered some critics about the lack of balance in the Heritage offense. The offensive line is vastly improved this season, which is making this magical year happen so far.
Other contenders
LaRone Richardson, Bishop McGuinness, Football: It was a down week for the Irish in a loss at Elgin, but Richardson notched two more touchdowns.
Sterling Shepard, Heritage, Football: That’s nine touchdowns in two games. Also three INT returns for scores in the last two games. His stock continues to soar.
Irish volleyball: Gave it a great effort against a dominant Bishop Kelley team in the championship but ultimately lost in four games.
Dylan Murray, Mt. St. Mary’s, Football: Murray scored three touchdowns as the Rockets went down to Cordell.
Irish boys cross country: One of several state teams to make the trek to Arkansas. The Irish, led by Frank Frantz, placed 12th out of 54 teams in Fayetteville.
5A/6A state volleyball, final day
8:59 p.m.: Tulsa Kelley finishes it off with a 25-22 win in the fourth game. The Comets are your Class 5A state champions.
8:53 p.m.: The Comets back in charge, taking a 20-19 lead.
8:47 p.m.: McGuinness up 15-11 in the fourth. A thriller is brewing.
8:30 p.m.: The Irish are trying to make a show of it. They got an early lead in the third game and held on all the way, winning 25-20. They trail 2-1 but seem to have some momentum now.
8:25 p.m.: Kelley coach Jerri Berna has been sent to her seat for the rest of the match after she and her assistant coaches were arguing a call. The Comets have an impressive combination of size and athletic ability all over the court, but just when you think they’re going to put it away, McGuinness finds a way to hold them off. Trailing two games to none, McGuinness leads 20-14 in the third.
8:20 p.m.: McGuinness is making a run, taking a 17-11 lead on the Comets in the third game. The Irish are getting good net play, especially from Emily Oliphant, who has done well to counter Kelley’s size at the net with the Ajanaku sisters, Kitan and Inky.
8:10 p.m.: Kelley takes the second and is one game away from its third straight 5A state title and 10 of the last 13.
8 p.m.: Tulsa Kelley won the opener and leads 23-17 in the second game. McGuinness has fought hard and hung close, but the Comets just have too much firepower.
6:30 p.m.: Edmond Memorial is your 6A champ with a 25-16 win in the third game.
6:15 p.m.: Looking like the Bulldogs have it in hand, up 13-5 in the third.
6:04 p.m.: Hancock drops in the final point for a 25-23 win in the second game and a 2-0 lead for Edmond Memorial. Third game upcoming.
5:39 p.m.: The Bulldogs owned the first game, winning 25-13. It’s going to take something special from Santa Fe to win more than a game, and it will be pretty impressive if they can do that. The Bulldogs are just too sharp right now.
5:27 p.m.: The first game was tied at 3 when Memorial’s Micha Hancock began serving. It’s 9-3 now.
5:15 p.m.: They’re announcing the lineups of the 6A title game right now, and we should be under way shortly. One of the biggest oversights — and we won’t get into the others right now – in high school volleyball is that the state championship trophy is a plaque. This is one of the sports, like football and basketball, where a gold ball would be perfect.
4:24 p.m.: Sorry for the delay — power issues at press row and my battery died. Of course, there was no surprise in the Tulsa Kelley match. The Comets took it 3-0 and will face McGuinness at 7:15 p.m. So it’s Edlam in 6A, Battle of the Bishops in 5A. Should be fun.
2:50 p.m.: The Irish move into the finals with a 3-0 win over Catoosa. Tulsa Kelley and Tulsa Washington are getting ready to fire it up for the last semifinal of the day. Finals are set for 5:15 and 7:15 tonight.
2:27 p.m.: Blood delay. Catoosa’s Victoria Hines dove for a ball and hit her chin hard on the floor. It looked like her teeth might have poked through just below the bottom lip. After rinsing and spitting out some blood — which drew a big “EWWWW!” from the crowd behind the team bench — she put a bandage on it and returned to the game. McGuinness won the second game and leads 2-0.
2:08 p.m.: McGuinness out to the early lead, 1-0, with the second game getting under way now.
1:17 p.m.: Edlam finals in 6A volleyball. The top two teams in the class all year, Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe, will play for the title at 5:15 p.m. here at OBU. Bartlesville earned the academic state championship in 6A with a 3.792 team GPA. McGuinness-Catoosa in the 5A semifinal up next.
12:55 p.m.: The Bulldogs make it 2-0, controlling the second game with ease, 25-11.
12:35 p.m.: Memorial coasts to the opening-game win over Bartlesville, 25-17.
11:51 a.m.: A wild rally keeps Edmond Santa Fe alive. The Wolves trailed 10-6 in the fifth game, but scored seven straight points and finished it off 15-11. The Wolves advance to the finals, where they will face the Edmond Memorial-Bartlesville winner later today at 5:15 p.m. Memorial and Bartlesville are warming up right now.
11:35 a.m.: Heading to a fifth with Santa Fe and Jenks. Extremely competitive match. Santa Fe won the third game 26-24 and Jenks took the fourth 25-22.
10:40 a.m.: Jenks battles back to even it at a game apiece. Jenks senior Sara Pope is a scary-hard hitter. We’ll probably only see one player — Edmond Memorial’s Micha Hancock — here today who puts more power behind the ball.
10:18 a.m.: Santa Fe takes the opener 25-13.
10:10 a.m.: Going strong already at Oklahoma Baptist’s Noble Complex, with Edmond Santa Fe and Jenks on the floor in the first semifinal of the day. Lots of good volleyball on tap and I’ll be updating as often as possible. Santa Fe leads the first game 18-10 at the moment.
Here’s today’s schedule:
Class 6A
Match 5: Edmond Santa Fe def. Jenks 3-2 (25-13, 18-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-11)
Match 6: Edmond Memorial def. Bartlesville 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-15)
Championship match: Edmond Memorial def. Edmond Santa Fe 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-16)
Class 5A
Match 5: McGuinness def. Catoosa 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 25-10)
Match 6: Tulsa Washington 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
Championship match: Bishop McGuinness vs. Tulsa Kelley, 7:15 p.m.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
