PODCAST: Crunch time for wrestling & basketball

2/27/2020 |  Ben Johnson

State tournament wrestling is this weekend, and small school basketball teams will be punching their tickets to the state tournament in area tournament play.
Listen in as we break it all down for you.

SKORDLE SHOOTOUT is Saturday in Cushing

5/30/2019 |  Michael Swisher

If you need to get your basketball fix early this summer, Cushing might be just the spot for you this Saturday.

The inaugural Skordle Shootout team camp will take place Saturday, June 8, at Cushing Middle School and will feature 12 straight hours of basketball action simultaneously on two courts. The day full of roundball action is sponsored by Sons of Ireland Basketball.

Skordle Live will be a big part of the event as every game played on Court 1 will be live streamed.

That’s 18 games beginning at 9 a.m., with the last one slated for an 8:20 p.m. start.

The games (See complete schedule below) can be watched on your Skordle App or on Skordle.com. If you can't be in Cushing or even watch it live on your device, you can still keep up with scores on your Skordle App. All the scheduled games are already loaded into the app.

On top of that, Skordle personalities will be on hand to interview players and coaches throughout the day. Those interviews will be made available on the app and website later in the week.

As far as the teams involved: It’s a who’s who of small-school basketball powers.

Here’s a list of GIRLS teams scheduled to take part:

Cashion - One of our first chances to see the team under new head coach Andrea Taylor

Cushing

Dale - 2019 2A runner-up in Eric Smith’s first season as head coach

Varnum - 2019 Class B champ

Kingston - 2019 3A quarterfinalist and 2018 runner-up

Calumet - Knocked on door of Class B state tournament

Garber - Reached Class A area tournament

Perry

Shattuck - Reached Friday of area; pushed Seiling in regional final

Chisholm - Ever improving in 3A as Tana Gragg enters third season

Lomega - 2019 Class B semifinalist that owns more gold balls than any girls program

Sulphur - 2019 3A quarterfinalist

And the BOYS:

Cashion - Made some strides in 2019 with young squad

Cushing

Dale - Ranked No. 1 in 2A for part of 2019 before losing in quarterfinals

Varnum

Kingston - Dominant 3A state champ in 2019

Calumet - Class B runner-up in 2019, could move to Class A this year

Garber - Made run to Class A state tournament in 2019 and also….Will Jones

Perry - Veteran coach Brandon Hight had best Maroon squad in several years, reaching top-eight in Class 3A and earning spot in area championship

Adair

Rejoice Christian - Caught fire at the right time and claimed the Class 2A title

Okemah - Won 21 games and got to 2A quarterfinals

Minco - Impressive season ended in 2A semifinals

Obviously those were last year’s results and these are different teams. Some big-time contributors have moved on and others will be asked to step up.

But that’s what team camps are for - to get a glimpse of the future, to see who’s ready and who’s got some work to do.

So make your plans. Join us in person in Cushing…or join us on your app or online. 

Either way, it’s going to be wall-to-wall basketball featuring some teams with legitimate state tournament aspirations in 2020 and you won’t want to miss it.

Additional information:

Cushing Middle School location:

512 S. Harmony Road

Cushing, OK  74023

Admission:

$5 for adults

$2 for children

$3 for veterans and senior citizens

Koy Hughes headed to Garber

4/29/2019 |  Michael Swisher

Five generations of Koy Hughes’ family have graduated from Garber High School.

He didn’t want his son to break that tradition.

With that in mind, Hughes is leaving his post as head football and baseball coach at Waukomis High School to return to his alma mater.

Hughes will be an assistant football coach, serving as the defensive coordinator on Blake Lamle’s staff and take over for Lamle as the Wolverines’ head baseball coach.

“That’s where I’m from and it’s just an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Hughes said.

He’s served as the Chiefs’ baseball coach the last three years, during which time they compiled a 38-39 record. He was the head football coach in each of the past two seasons and guided Waukomis to a 10-12 mark while reaching the playoffs each year.

“To have the opportunity to go learn from Coach Lamle, someone who has won two state titles, was really big for me,” Hughes said. “This is something, if I want to be a head coach again, that will really benefit me down the line.”

Lamle came to Garber prior to the 2018 season after a five-year stint at Shattuck, the last two as a head coach. His 2017 team won the Class B title and he was the offensive coordinator on the 2015 title team.

“I’m very excited to welcome Coach Hughes back home,” Garber superintendent Will Jones said. “This is a huge hire for our athletic program. He brings great experience as a head football and head baseball coach, and more than anything, the bleeds maroon and gray. He takes great pride in being a Wolverine and is going to come in here and grind and work for Garber.”

Hughes graduated from Garber in 1999 and played on the 1998 Class B state championship football team.

Hughes was also on some successful Garber baseball teams.

“Garber had a really good run in baseball in the 80s and 90s and I’d really like to help get us back there,” Hughes said.

PODCAST TIME! Wall to wall basketball and wrestling

2/28/2019 |  Ben Johnson

Medals and trophies have been handed out to wrestlers across the state. Now it’s time for basketball teams to start claiming hardware.

Ben and Michael dive into Class A & B state basketball tournaments on tap this week, and they guys also make their predictions in each class.

Ben breaks down what happened at the state wrestling tournament and some of the various highlights along the way. 

Also added a new segment where the guys named their MVPs of the week. Listen in and find out who they dubbed as last week’s MVPs.

All that leading up to Michael's interview with Okarche coach Ray West. You don't want to miss what West had to say.

Thanks for listening & enjoy!

Have any feedback? Email the show at ben@skordle.com

Garber girls stay alive with buzzer-beater

Girls Basketball | 2/25/2018 | Billy Hefton | Enid News & Eagle

Garber’s girls are the cardiac kids in the Class A playoffs.

Macy Swart hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Lady Wolverines a 46-45 win over Texhoma in the Area I losers bracket quarterfinals at the Central National Bank Center Friday. It was the third straight game decided at the buzzer for Garber, now 21-8.

The Lady Wolverines now face Canute, a 42-38 winner over Canton, at 1:30 p.m. today in another elimination game. Two-time defending state champion Seiling (24-1) faces Oklahoma Christian Academy (18-8) at 6:30 p.m. in the winners bracket finals for a berth in next week’s state tournament.

5 Games to Watch - Week 7

10/14/2021 |  Michael Swisher

We are just about halfway through the season. This is the point of the season where teams are really starting to figure out their identity. 

Coaches are figuring out if they need to make any other adjustments and how they should approach the final stretch before the playoffs. 

This is the most critical part of the season as teams fight out for home-field advantage…or even just a spot in the playoffs. 

Keep an eye out for these games on the Skordle app:

1. #2 McAlester 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-3) @ #3 Coweta 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-3) 

From what we’ve seen the past two weeks, defending 5A champion Carl Albert has slowly crept its way back in the top-five in the class. Regardless, Class 5A is still wide open this year and this game will largely affect the home field advantage and seeding race. Can senior quarterback Trent Boatright end his high school career in style with a state championship and end Carl Albert’s streak of five straight 5A titles? He and the rest of the Buffalo firepower are hungry for a road win this week. On the other side, it’s a pretty identical story. The Coweta Tigers are led by senior quarterback Gage Hamm who hasn’t thrown an interception all season. Hamm has 15 touchdowns in the air and four on the ground for the Tigers. This might be the biggest games for both seniors. It will be a blast to see which senior comes out on top.  

2. #2 Lincoln Christian 7-0 (3-0 in 3A-3) @ #4 Seminole 6-0 (2-0 in 3A-3)

Did you know that Lincoln Christian has been so dominant this season that its second-string quarterback has appeared in six of their seven games? Even the third string quarterback was awarded the opportunity to appear just a few weeks ago in a district game at Sequoyah where he went 10-15 for 80 yards and a touchdown. The only tough game the Bulldogs have had was a non-district road trip at Jones when they hung on 31-29. Other than that, it has been blowout after blowout for the Bulldogs. But the Chieftains are going to be fired up as well, especially after their past two clutch wins each by one possession. They’ve had their struggles on defense, but a home win for the Seminole faithful this week would be a huge boost for the Chieftains. 

3. #1 Jenks 5-1 (3-0 in 6AI-1) @ #4 Edmond Santa Fe 4-2 (3-0 in 6AI-1)

The only Edmond school that has a chance at a state championship hosts its biggest game all season when Jenks comes to town. Santa Fe is on a four-game winning streak since losing its first two at home. Jenks is almost in the same scenario, but the Trojans’ stellar defense is one of the main reasons they have gotten the job done. The two specific games were the 22-0 shutout against Union and the 31-14 win at Broken Arrow. Another reason that this Trojan team is dangerous is only losing to Bixby 23-15 especially since Bixby is pretty much blowing out everyone else on their schedule. Two teams on a winning streak in a tough Edmond atmosphere will be very dramatic. 

4. #4 Lawton MacArthur 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-1) @ #8 Noble 5-1 (3-0 in 5A-1)

The Highlanders of Lawton Mac have a long road trip ahead of them this week when they travel to the Noble Bears. And I mean it…… these could be the Bad News Bears of Oklahoma. Noble went 4-7 last season and the Bears are just three spots shy of reaching the top-five in 5A. Despite losing to Midwest City earlier in the season, 14-12, the Bears have scored at least 40 points or more in all five of their wins this season. There is a lot of promise for this program and this offense will be a huge challenge for the Highlanders defense. 

5. #5 Sand Springs 5-1 (2-1 in 6AII-2) @ #1 Bixby 6-0 (3-0 in 6AII-2) 

I will have to say that 70-7 win at Choctaw last week might have been the most impressive win I have ever seen out of the Bixby Spartan powerhouse. This program has literally been a dynasty. I still can’t get over the fact that the Spartans have won six out of the seven 6A-II state championships since the new class formation in 2014. But you have to admit that the Sand Springs Sandites have been the most surprising team in the class for 2021 considering last season was the first season they earned a winning record since 2016. They may have lost a heartbreaker last week to Booker T. Washington, but they could still finish out the year strong and be the 6A-II most improved team. It’ll be interesting to see what they have to show to Bixby this week. 

Skordle Staff Picks - Week 7

10/14/2021 |  Michael Swisher

Remember us? We are back after a couple of weeks off, ready to give you the crystal ball into week 7 of high school football in Oklahoma.

Beggs Stuns Metro Christian in Pivotal 2A-7 Clash

10/13/2021 |  Michael Swisher

The Beggs Demons stunned two-time defending state champ Metro Christian 24-22 last Friday to take a big step toward a potential District 2A-7 championship.

The Demons never completed a pass, but instead rode the legs of C.J. Brown and Red Martel.

The duo combined for 257 rushing yards as Beggs took the lead late in the first quarter and never surrendered it.

The win bumped the fourth-ranked Demons to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the district and in a tie with Victory Christian.

Second-ranked Metro Christian dropped to 4-2 and 2-1.

The Patriots turned it over on their first two possessions of the game as Beggs forced a fumble on the second play from scrimmage and then safety Braylon Davis picked off Metro’s Kirk Francis after the Patriots had driven inside the Beggs 10.

That set up a 51-yard touchdown run by Brown. Ayden Hamilton’s keeper on the conversion made it 8-0 late in the first.

The following Patriot drive saw Francis pass for 70 yards all the way down the field and Tagg Campbell punched in the touchdown with a 3-yard run. After the extra point by Brayden Haveman, the Demons’ lead was down to 8-7 with just seconds left in the first quarter.

Later in the second quarter, Beggs punter Chance Jordan pinned the Metro Christian offense inside its own 10. 

On second down, Francis dropped back to pass and delivered a short crossing route that got tipped and bounced around. 

Demon defensive lineman Chance Jordan came away with an interception and walked easily into the end zone.

Another Hamilton two-point conversion gave Beggs the 16-7 halftime lead.

Metro Christian thwarted a Beggs drive to open the second half by forcing a fumble.

The Patriots capitalized and turned that into points when Francis found Seth McCoy for a 17-yard touchdown.

McCoy bounced off multiple Demon defenders and dove in to the end zone before Dax Dancer’s two-point conversion shortened the deficit to 16-15.

After the fourth quarter featured both defenses stepping up, the game was ultimately decided on back-to-back plays.

Metro Christian drove inside the Beggs 10 with under 5:00 to play.

Campbell got three straight carries, but was short of the goal line.

On 4th and goal from the 2, Metro called his number again.

Campbell took the carry to the left, but lost the ball while crossing the goal line.

After a discussion between referees, it was determined he fumbled before crossing the line, giving the ball to the Demons on the touchback.

On the very next play, Martel took off for an 80-yard touchdown run. 

The two-point conversion was good, again by Brown, and the Demons led 24-15 with under four minutes remaining.

Metro didn’t fade away.

The Patriots quickly drove the field, bolstered by Francis’ passing and a 28-yard run by Campbell.

Francis eventually scored on a 1-yard run, pulling the Patriots within two points with under 2:00 left.

An onside kick was recovered by Beggs and the Patriots had all three timeouts at their disposal. 

Four straight plays by the Demon offense were turned away and Metro Christian had hope as the Patriots had 46 yards to go and no timeouts. 

Francis threw three straight incompletions and faced a 4th and 10. 

A Hail Mary attempt came up short as the ball traveled just out of reach of receiver Walker Holder, who was alone in the back of the end zone, allowing Beggs to hold onto the win.

Martel finished the game with 129 yards on just 11 touches for Beggs while Brown finished with 23 carries for 122 yards.

For Metro Christian, Francis was 26 of 43 for 310 yards. Speedster J.J. Shelby was his favorite target, but Reid Roth finished with over 100 yards receiving.

The Patriots were hurt by four turnovers - two interceptions by Francis and two fumbles.

Metro Christian can keep itself in the district title race this week when it travels to Victory Christian.

Beggs hosts Morris this week and its showdown with Victory Christian looms in Week 10.

5 Games to Watch - Week 6

10/7/2021 |  Michael Swisher

This week is full of rivalries, rivalries and more rivalries. Let’s talk about the fact that there’s another #1 vs #2 matchup, a 5A rivalry featuring the top two teams in their district already having two losses and the classic Mid-Del showdown. There is a lot to look forward this week and you definitely won’t want to miss any of the action.

1. #1 Bixby 5-0 (2-0 in 6AII-2) @ #2 Choctaw 4-1 (2-0 in 6AII-2)  

Revenge? A rematch of the 2020 6AII state championship? A fight to claim first in the district? Yeah, this is no doubt the best game of the week and possibly the game of the whole regular season. This is also one of the biggest home games for Choctaw in its school history. I’m also pretty sure almost the entire state of Oklahoma - outside of Bixby - will be rooting for the Yellowjackets to take down the two-time defending state champion Bixby Spartans. This game will determine a lot of seeding implications, but this could once again be the title game. The top-ranked Spartans just came off of yet another blowout win against a Putnam City West team that didn’t score until the fourth quarter in a game that was 67-0 at halftime. But we can’t forget about two weeks ago when Choctaw claimed a statement win against Booker T. Washington, 29-20. Out of all of the Yellowjackets’ four wins, this was the one they needed the most considering BTW is just behind them in the rankings at #3. Will this be the year Choctaw dethrones Bixby? 

2. #6 Carl Albert 3-2 (2-0 in 5A-2) @ #7 Bishop McGuiness 3-2 (2-0 in 5A-2) 

Are the Titans back already? After all, it sure seems like they woke up after dropping their first two to Midwest City and Del City. The embarrassing one though was when Eagles of Del City came to Carl Albert and hung 52 points on the Titans. Not to mention that Carl Albert only had a single touchdown in the second half. But since then, the Titans have gotten at least halfway back to themselves. A rivalry win on the road at Guthrie last week? That was the first test. Now they have to go to one of the hardest places in all of 5A. If they steal another one on the road Friday night against the Irish, this will turn from a “rebuilding year” to another championship year really fast. And to surprise everyone on a “rebuilding year”? That’s the definition of a top-tier football program. The Irish also lost to Del City earlier this year and they don’t have any quality wins on their résumé. But they are the Irish and they are at home and they desperately want revenge against the Titans. This game not only has a big say in who wins the district championship, but it’s also been a state championship preview. Carl Albert has defeated the Irish in the last two 5A title games and four of the last five. Anything can happen. I’ve heard from a Carl Albert graduate that this is probably the most heated rivalry in all of 5A. 

3. #3 Booker T. Washington 4-1 (1-1 in 6AII-2) @ #4 Sand Springs 5-0 (2-0 in 6AII-2) 

As mentioned, the Hornets lost a close one in Choctaw a couple weeks back. But if you’re a Hornet fan, you shouldn’t be too upset about that loss since it’s a very talented Yellowjacket team. The Hornets had a big bounce back win at home over Bartlesville 63-0. The blowout was largely behind phenomenal rushing performances by DJ McKinney and Ethan Washington, who each had a pair of rushing touchdowns and over 100 rushing yards. You can’t complain about that one bit if you’re a Hornet fan. Something that will be interesting though is how the Hornets will respond from a road atmosphere because you know Sand Springs will be fired up to garner a statement win.

4. Midwest City 4-1 (2-0 in 6AII-1) @ #5 Del City 4-1 (2-0 in 6AII-1) 

This is the classic Mid-Del rivalry, but few expected either one of these squads to have the kind of season they’re having right now. I didn’t think we would be talking about even one of these teams beating Carl Albert. But the beauty of high school and college sports is upset after upset. The Eagles have statement wins over Carl Albert, Bishop McGuiness and Stillwater, which is why they have journeyed their way into the top-five in 6AII. A win at home against their top rival could put them up even higher depending on how the teams ahead of them perform. 

5. #8 Bristow 4-1 (2-0 in 4A-3) @ #5 Grove 5-0 (2-0 in 4A-3) 

Talk about a battle between a high-power offense and a high-power defense. Last week, Bristow scored its only three points in the fourth quarter and managed to win 3-0. You don’t hear that kind of score very often. Also a reminder that Wagoner is the defending 4A state champion. Not allowing a single point against Wagoner says a lot. Ever since losing their opener to Cushing, the Pirates of Bristow have allowed an average of 10 points a game. That could be a challenge to Grove. The Ridgerunners may have a high scoring offense, but they are lacking on defense. Having homefield advantage will help the Ridgerunners tremendously, but Bristow has had momentum as well. 

Del City Dominant in Stillwater Road Win

10/7/2021 |  Michael Swisher

The Del City Eagles manhandled Stillwater 30-7 on the road last Thursday night in a matchup of top-10 6A-II teams.

Del City dominated the line of scrimmage, punishing the Pioneer defense with its run heavy offense. 

Del City senior quarterback Virgil Yates shined as the key contributor in the running game along with fellow senior running mate Ethan Lawrence. 

The two combined for 44 rushing attempts and more than 350 yards on the ground. 

The Del City defense put together an all around great performance by allowing under 300 total offensive yards from the Pioneer offense. 

Stillwater only put together one full drive in the third quarter as the Pioneers struggled to execute and finish drives throughout the game. 

Stillwater got solid performances from quarterback Gage Gundy and Holden Thompson from the backfield. 

Thompson shined late in the game after getting increased touches following the first couple of drives. 

The first quarter went on with neither team being able to capitalize on their drives. Del City attempted two field goals and Stanley Johnson made one from 21 yards and missed one from 44 and led the game early 3-0 near the end of the first quarter.

Del City drove down the field to start the second period. 

Yates ran in from seven yards out to post the first touchdown of the game. 

After a Johnson point after attempt, the Eagles led the game 10-0 with 10 minutes left in the first half. 

On the ensuing drive, Gundy found Thompson down the field for a 33-yard gain to kickstart their best drive of the half. After entering Eagle territory, a holding penalty derailed the drive and set up a 4th and 12 at the Eagle 39. 

The Pioneers attempted a fake punt where Heston Thompson got the ball on a sweep play. 

The Eagle special teams unit was prepared for the play and tackled him for a loss of nine yards. 

Two plays later, the Pioneer defense came up with a fumble from running back Jayson Smith. 

The Del City defense answered the bell yet again as Jaylin Sweet picked off a Gundy deep pass. 

Yates and Lawrence ran all over the defense on the next drive. 

Lawrence had a touchdown called back by a holding penalty late in the second quarter. 

Johnson had his field goal attempt of 34 yards blocked to end the half and the score stayed at 10-0.

In the second half, Stillwater got the ball first and after a quick first down, its drive sizzled to a stop and punted to Del City. 

Yates ran for41 yards on the Eagles’ first play to set them up at the Stillwater 25. 

Lawrence capped off the two-play drive with a touchdown from there, increasing their lead to 17-0 with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter. 

Stillwater answered when Holden Thompson had a 76-yard carry on second down to reach the 1 yard line. This set up a Gundy’s touchdown run to shed the Eagle lead to 17-7. 

The Eagles answered back even more quickly on the next drive after a long kickoff return by Braelon Adamah. 

On first down, = Lawrence executed a 49-yard carry to set up a first and goal. Yates ran in for a touchdown from a yard out to take a commanding 24-7 lead late in the third quarter. 

Going into the fourth, the lead looked insurmountable for the Pioneers. 

With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Yates found Sweet for a 14-yard touchdown pass for the last score of the game. 

In a final ditch effort for the Stillwater offense, they had a drive reach inside the 10 deep in Eagle territory. 

The Del City defense was perfect as the Eagles shut the door on a late game score. Three straight plays were stuffed from inside the 3. 

Del City would then retain possession from their own 1 and run the clock out. 

Del City’s defense came up with four sacks and one turnover while the offense dominated the ground. 

Yates and Lawrence shined brightest as they combined for over 95 percent of the yards on the ground.

Del City (4-1, 2-0) looked dominant in Week 5 and is now tied with Midwest City atop 6AII-1.

The win sets up a big matchup this Friday between the two. 

Stillwater (3-2, 1-1) will look to bounce back in Week 6 in their matchup against U.S. Grant and make a push for the playoffs going into the last five weeks of the regular season.

SKORDLE SAMPLER - Week 6 (2021)

10/5/2021 |  Michael Swisher

The Great Burger Debate

If you watched the premier of the SKORDLE Pay Dirt Pick’Em Show last week, you may have seen the discussion about burgers in Oklahoma and specifically Onion Burgers and the Meers Burger. 

One could argue that these are the two most iconic burgers in Oklahoma. 

The short debate exchange centered around one guest making the statement “I would eat dog food before I would eat an onion burger.” 

This was soon followed up by statements promoting the high quality of the famed Meers burger, only to be rebuked with statements basically saying it was “OK” and nothing special. 

I have had many El Reno-style (Sid’s and Johnnie’s) Onion Burgers in my lifetime. I even love making them on my new Blackstone.