Week 8 - Top Performers

10/25/2020 |  Ben Johnson

Choctaw

Julius Pruitt - 3 sacks, 2 hurries, 5 tackles, 2 TFL

Verdigris

Reese Roller - had 5 tackles, 1tfl, 3 sacks, 1 hurry. Also had 2 catches for 80 yards and 1 TD. Gives him 21 sacks on the season and 4 straight games with at least 3 sacks.

Colcord

Stormy Odle 225 total offense 2 TDs

Bishop McGuinness

Luke Tarman - 27 carries for 244 yards / 12 of 18 passing for 168 yards / 5 Touchdowns - 4 passing 1 rushing

Berryhill

Chase Burke - 22 carries for 210 yards and 5 TD’s. 8 tackles and one sack on defense.

Broken Bow

CJ Whitfield - 12 carries for 100 yards / 13 tackles 1 int for a TD

Plainview

Morgan Pearson 3 receptions 109 yds 1 TD 

Caden Pickens defense- 15 tackles 5 TFL   

Del City

Sevaughn Sephus - senior defensive end - 5 sacks & 3 TFL & 13.5 total tackles

Weatherford

Ethan Downs -10 tackles / 9 carries 52 yards and a TD & 2 catches 19yards

Sam Hoffman - 8 tackles  / 17 carries for 131 yards & 2 catches for 31 yards

Adair

WR Garrett Long - 8 catches 140 yds 2 TD’s

QB Nate Ratcliff - 13/20 285 5 TD’s

El Reno

Dorian Plumley - 122 yards rushing & 175 yards passing & 4 rushing tds & 1 passing 

Came in on defense and got a pic and 2 pass break ups.

Mounds 

Taylor Wortman - 16 carries for 174 yards and 3 TDs on offense and 8 tackles with 2 tackles for loss on defense 

Mason Coddington - 58 yards passing with 1 TD, 54 yards rushing with 1 TD, 1 fumble recovery for a TD, and 2 Interceptions

Yale

Kail Williams- 4 for 6 passing for 222 yards 3 TDs / 3 carries 37 rushing 2 TD.

Dale Coffman - 1 reception, 95 yards & 1 TD / 4 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries(recovered both fumbles he caused) returned one 64 yards for a defensive TD 

Eufaula

Nick jones - 2 INTs & one returned 99 yards for TD to end 2nd half with no time on clock. And another returned 38 yards to the one yard line

Beggs

CJ Brown - 1 rec 48 td / 17 rushes 127 1 td / 4 ko ret 119 / 294 all purpose yds

Hilldale

Eric virgil - 23 carries 285 yards 3TD / 2 catches 48 yards 1 TD

Wewoka

Kobey Stephens - Passing- 6 for 10 -81yds -2 TD / Rushing- 10 for 97yds 3TD / 1 punt return for 41 TD.

Okemah

Mikey Cruz - rushing 28/234 yds 5 TD

Kurtis Wilson - passing 8/14 144 yds 3 TD

Claremore

Brooks Sherl - 3catches 140 yards and 3 TD's

Kellyville

Trevor Jones - 22 carries 161 yards 1 td and 1 int on defense 

Jeremy Hicks - 11 carries 132 yards and 3 tds plus had 8 tackles and a sack 

Wagoner 

Braden Drake - 10 carries for 210 yds and 4 TD / Also had an INT

(All in the first half)

Lawton

Donovan Dorsey - 7-9 192 yards passing 2 tds

Union

Matthias Roberson - 10 tackles 2 sacks, 3 tfl, fumble cause and recovered 

Pryor

Ben Ward - 105 passing & 1 TD / 44 rushes, 265 yards, 4 TDs

NEW PODCAST: Spring sports spotlight and much more

5/10/2019 |  Ben Johnson

It's hardware galore as spring sports wind down. Michael and Ben dissect baseball, slowpitch softball, golf, track & soccer as teams and individuals enter the final weekend of competition for this athletic season.

Find out which performances this spring have impressed the guys the most, and listen in as they give props to the outstanding offensive performances at the slowpitch state tournaments that happened to close out the school year.

All that, plus some coaching moves to mention, including Justin Brown filling the shoes left by Larry Callison at Tahlequah Sequoyah. And also some football recruiting tidbits.

Thanks as always for listening.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Have a topic you'd like discussed, or have any questions for us, feel free to contact the show at:

EMAIL: ben@skordle.com

@michaelswisher & @benjohnsontul

Hard Work Pays Off for Army Signee Matteson

12/16/2021 |  Michael Swisher

When you watched Collin Matteson play during his impressive career at Oklahoma Christian School, you couldn’t help but notice the talent. 

The do-it-all senior dominated on offense, defense and special teams.

 

He consistently made big plays, showing off his athleticism, speed and ability.

 

He was the ultimate game changer for an OCS squad that finished 12-1.

 

But what you didn’t see was all the hard work put in to make him such a special player.

 

On Wednesday, Matteson’s hard work finally paid off as he fulfilled a lifelong dream by signing his letter of intent to play football at Army.

 

Matteson had an incredible career at OCS, as he finished with over 3,500 yards combined rushing and receiving as well as over 50 career touchdowns.

 

But the 6-foot, 175-pound athlete took a big leap in his senior season, as he was a threat all over the field for the Saints.

 

Matteson averaged 10 yards per carry, totaling 807 yards and 13 TDs on the ground and added 36 catches for 808 yards and 12 scores receiving.

 

He was also a force from his safety position, which is where he will play at Army.

 

Matteson had 127 tackles and eight interceptions in his senior season. He finished his career with 237 tackles and 24 picks.

He was recently named the District 2A-1 Player of the Year by the district coaches.

 

“This year was special,” Matteson said. “I’m glad I was able to go out and improve on top of my junior season. There are some plays our team made that I’ll never forget.”

 

That he did, as Matteson had several huge games, being honored as the statewide player of the week several times.

 

He arrived at OCS in 2018 as a freshman and got right to work, impacting one of the top programs in Class 2A.

 

“My high school football career at OCS was incredible,” he said. “I have absolutely no regrets coming to OCS as a freshman. I made great memories with my teammates that I won’t forget.”

 

But to arrive at the player he was during his final year at OCS took a lot of commitment and belief in his abilities, something Matteson is certainly proud of, especially now that he will be heading to the next level.

 

“Ever since I first touched a football, I knew I wanted to play in college,” he said. “I didn’t know what level, but I worked extremely hard throughout the summer to improve my game. I believe I have that natural football instinct and have a nose for the football, but work ethic really set me apart and allowed me to impact the game in all three phases.”

 

That hard work goes hand-in-hand with Matteson’s competitiveness, something that he also prides himself on.

 

“I love to compete and I love how competitive football is,” Matteson said. “I love that you get to hit people and not get penalized. It’s just an incredible sport.”

 

The competitor in him doesn’t stop in football either, as Matteson is a key contributor for the OCS boys basketball team, as well.

 

Just this week, he took on the challenge of guarding Millwood freshman phenom Jaden Nickens, who is widely regarded as one of the top 20 freshmen in the country.

 

In a 54-52 win over Millwood, Matteson held Nickens to zero points.

 

That type of mindset will serve Matteson well at Army, where he jumped at the chance to join a program that requires a lot more than the normal university.

 

“Army is one of the nation’s best academic institutions in the world, and to be able to play football at a high level is another major plus,” he said. “And on top of all of that, serving this great country will be a great honor for me. When I fully considered all of those things, it was a no brainer for me.”

 

Matteson knows not everyone is made to succeed at Army, but he’s confident in himself and believes he has prepared himself as well as he could while attending OCS.

 

“I know it’s a great challenge that is not fit for everyone,” he said. “However, I also know that OCS has prepared me for the next four years of my life in an amazing way. With the current education I’m receiving and the characteristics that I possess, I’m ready to take on the challenge.”

 

Along with his environment at OCS preparing him for this moment, Matteson also credits his faith for being the foundation of what’s gotten him to this point.

 

“I’m really proud of the young man I have become in Christ,” he said. “Of course, I’m proud of all my team’s accomplishments, but more importantly, I have grown exponentially in my walk with Christ.”

 

Though he will be almost 1,500 miles away, Matteson knows he will have the best support system as he starts his new journey, including his older brother, Mason.

 

“My family has been my biggest supporter in everything,” he said. “Specifically, my older brother, Mason, has been my #1 fan throughout everything. He is my brother for life and I’m beyond blessed that God put him in my life. He is a great role model for me to follow after.”

 

 

Ultimately, Matteson hopes to continue to grow on and off the field individually during his time at Army, while also helping lead the guys around him.

 

“I’m looking forward to just improving myself and impacting others while I’m there,” he said.

 

Oh, and he hopes to get four victories over a certain rival.

 

“And as always, I’m looking forward to beating Navy.”

GAMES TO WATCH: Championship Week

12/3/2021 |  Michael Swisher

As we close out the football season and the fall semester, I just wanted to say how thankful I am that this got to be my first ever internship. 

The staff at Skordle is incredible and extremely professional. 

I will always remember this semester and how special it was.

Now to football…It is officially championship week. 

I’m so thrilled to close out the season by giving you my top three state championship games that you won’t want to miss. 

I will also provide my predictions for each of these three games. You can also see all of our predictions in the blog section provided by Whitt Carter of Skordle. 

Let’s get to it!

1. 6A-I State Championship: Union 11-1 (1^st in 6AI-2) vs Jenks 11-1 (1^st in 6AI-1) Dec. 4, 1 p.m. at UCO

This is the top game of the week. A big shocker, right? 

It probably would’ve been at the beginning of the season when Jenks shutout Union 22-0. 

But Union has fought back ever since the shutout loss by winning nine straight heading into Part 2 of this rivalry. 

This is the fourth straight championship appearance for the defending state champion Jenks Trojans while this is the first championship appearance for Union since 2017. 

Jenks leads the series, known as the Backyard Bowl, 42-23-1 with the tie coming in 1923 where the score of the first ever matchup is still unknown to this day. 

The Trojans’ only loss this season came to Bixby, 23-15, which is impressive considering it’s Bixby. 

Union will score on the Trojans, but I think the Trojan defense will still be too much and Jenks will come out with its 18^th state championship in school history. 

2. 5A State Championship: Collinsville 13-0 (1^st in 5A-4) vs McAlester 13-0 1^st in 5A-3) Dec. 4, 7 p.m. at UCO

McAlester running back Erik McCarty did not disappoint in last week’s semifinal matchup against MacArthur. 

The junior had 20 carries for 203 yards and four touchdowns. If you look at the 10.2 yards per carry, he basically had a first down every time he carried the ball. This guy is a machine. 

The Cardinals are a bunch of machines as well. 

They have literally rolled through their schedule with their offense. Their two huge wins may have been their past two games. 

They scorched the Irish of McGuiness at home, 56-35, in the quarterfinals and then dethroned the defending state champion Carl Albert Titans, 27-20. 

So both squads have high flying offenses, but which offense will come out on top? 

I’m still high on McCarty and I think he and the Buffalo defense will make the difference in the ball game. McAlester will get the job done by one possession. 

I predict that the defense will hold the Cardinals on the final possession. This will be a thriller for sure. 

3. 4A State Championship: Tuttle 13-0 (1^st in 4A-2) vs Clinton 12-1 (1^st in 4A-1) Dec. 3, 7 p.m. at UCO

Here is a crazy fact. 

Before this game, both teams have finished their seasons with exactly 461 points. 

The odds of that happening are very slim. 

And the points allowed for the whole season is a 32-point difference with Tuttle allowing 90 points and Clinton 122 points. 

Clinton has one loss, but to a 3A Heritage Hall team that came close to beating top-ranked Lincoln Christian last week in the semifinals. You have to admit that a loss to Heritage Hall is nothing to be ashamed about. 

Tuttle may be impressive with its gut punching defense, but Clinton had to rely on its defense to pull away last week in the semifinals against 4A Cinderella squad Elk City, 17-7. 

This will be another 4A slugfest, but Tuttle’s defense is simply just too dominant. 

Last week was the first time all year that the Tiger defense gave up more than 13 points and giving up 21 points still isn’t all that bad. 

Tuttle managed to beat Poteau in the semifinals last week 28-21. 

Tuttle and Clinton will each score less than 24 points this weekend, but Tuttle will still get the job done with the defense. 

I think the Tigers will win their second state championship in three years.

SKORDLE STAFF PICKS - Playoffs Week 4

12/2/2021 |  Michael Swisher

It's championship week!

SKORDLE STAFF PICKS: Playoffs Week 3

11/26/2021 |  Michael Swisher