Andrew Crow commits to OU

6/6/2019 |  Ben Johnson

Brent Marley worked tirelessly to circulate Andrew Crow’s game film. Rejoice Christian’s head coach wanted Crow, his star running back and defensive back, to receive the attention he was due.

It finally paid off Wednesday.

Crow’s accomplishments landed in the lap of Drew Hill, director of player personnel at the University of Oklahoma. From there, it didn’t take much time for OU to extend an invitation Crow’s way.

Now Crow will head to Norman in the fall, tweeting his commitment to the Sooners on Wednesday.

XXJANKEINS

“After countless phone calls from several people, mainly Coach Marley, I was able to get my film, state and accomplishments in front of Coach Hill and the staff at OU,” Crow told Skordle. “(Hill) contacted me after, and we went from there.”

Crow will serve as a walk-on for the Sooners, but it’s the goal Crow had in place all throughout his senior year at the small private school in Owasso.

“Playing at OU has always been a dream of mine,” said Crow, who rushed for 2,620 yards and 48 touchdowns his senior year. “I can’t put into words how blessed I am to be able to play at such an amazing program, and I think I’ll be able to show my skill set and make an impression when the opportunity comes.”

All of it is pretty remarkable, considering a harrowing night Crow endured in November. During the week leading up to Rejoice Christian’s Class A semifinal matchup with Christian Heritage, Crow was in a car accident that left his vehicle totaled. 

Crow was able to play, but the soreness was palpable throughout the entire game against the Crusaders.

“The car wreck was very traumatic, and I still can’t believe I walked away from the crash unharmed that night,” Crow said. “I just kept trusting God that if football was meant to be in my future then it would be and he provided.”

Crow will head to OU after helping the Eagles’ basketball team with the 2A state championship. But when asked to quantify where the OU commitment ranks, Crow said it stands in a category by itself.

“It’s hard to compare this one,” he said. “My teammates and coaches were always a huge reason for my high school awards. This is an amazing accomplishment, for sure, so I feel like it’s the cherry on top to finish out my amazing high school career.”

McKinley Whitfield headed to NY Giants mini camp

5/2/2019 |  Ben Johnson

Fort Coffee is headed for the big stage.

Wait, Fort Coffee? Where is that? Is it in Oklahoma?

It’s a town that might go unrecognized, outside of severe weather coverage in Oklahoma, but Fort Coffee sits in the Arkansas River bend near Skullyville and northeast of Spiro. Just find LeFlore County in far eastern Oklahoma, and it sits at the very northern tip of the county.

It’s where McKinley Whitfield has called home all his life.

Now Whitfield will fly the Fort Coffee flag proudly when he attends New York Giants mini camp.

“It means everything in the world to me to represent Spiro and Fort Coffee,” said Whitfield, a former standout at Spiro High School before playing college football at the University of Tulsa.

“I grew up there my whole life, and I just try my best to be a inspiration to all the younger kids there.”

Whitfield, measuring at 6 feet, 3 inches and 217 pounds, knows professional athletic endeavors don’t come along often for those growing up in Fort Coffee.

“Not many people from the area get changes like these,” he said, “so it’s a blessing.”

Whitfield, a safety by trade, recently watched the NFL Draft intently, hoping for his name to appear in the later rounds. But all seven rounds breezed by, despite a few draft boards mentioning Whitfield as a possible late-round candidate.

“It was very frustrating,” said Whitfield, who logged 264 tackles and 19 pass breakups during his collegiate career. “Everybody was thinking that I was going to get drafted, so I didn’t want to let anybody down. I just tried to keep myself busy during the whole process and be around my family.”

It didn’t take long for Whitefield to draw an invitation to New York’s minicamp, which begins this weekend.

“It feels good getting a chance to go play at the next level,” said Whitfield, who nabbed four interceptions while at Tulsa. “Of course I would rather have gotten drafted or a free agent deal, but it’s just more motivation for me.

Whitfield joins four other TU players as mini camp invitees. Justin Hobbs and Willie Wright will work out for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, respectively, and two other in-state talents, Tyler Bowling (Yukon) and Chandler Miller (Bixby), will try to earn a spot with the Atlanta Falcons.

Leading up to the draft, Whitfield never had much interaction with the Giants, chatting with the organization once while at a senior event in Texas. But now he gets a chance to prove Fort Coffee belongs in the NFL.

“I’ve always been a hard worker since I was a kid,” Whitfield said. “That definitely isn’t going to stop now.”

*Photo credit: University of Tulsa

Zero Week picks

8/23/2018 |  Ben Johnson

High school football is back. Check out this week's picks from Michael Swisher, Whitt Carter, Randy Turney and myself.

Union at Broken Arrow

Michael Swisher: Union 27, Broken Arrow 13

Ben Johnson: Union 24, Broken Arrow 17

Whitt Carter: Union 20, Broken Arrow 17

Randy Turney: Union 24, Broken Arrow 17

Booker T. Washington vs. North Little Rock

Michael Swisher: N. Little Rock 24, Booker T. Washington 21

Ben Johnson: Booker T. Washington 32, N. Little Rock 30

Whitt Carter: Booker T. Washington 24, N. Little Rock 26

Randy Turney: Booker T. Washington 28, N. Little Rock 7

Midwest City at Bentonville

Michael Swisher: Bentonville 27, Midwest City 24

Ben Johnson: Midwest City 29, Bentonville 24

Whitt Carter: Midwest City 28, Bentonville 24

Randy Turney: Midwest City 17, Bentonville 7

Wynnewood at Minco

Michael Swisher: Minco 21, Wynnewood 14

Ben Johnson: Minco 20, Wynnewood 17

Whitt Carter: Minco 20, Wynnewood 16

Randy Turney: Wynnewood 20, Minco 18

Bentonville West at Owasso

Michael Swisher: Owasso 22, Bentonville West 14

Ben Johnson: Owasso 30, Bentonville West 21

Whitt Carter: Owasso 34, Bentonville West 21

Randy Turney: Owasso 24, Bentonville West 10

Jenks at Bixby

Michael Swisher: Jenks 30, Bixby 24

Ben Johnson: Jenks 34, Bixby 23

Whitt Carter: Jenks 28, Bixby 17

Randy Turney: Jenks 27, Bixby 10

Choctaw at Shawnee

Michael Swisher: Shawnee 27, Choctaw 23

Ben Johnson: Choctaw 28, Shawnee 20

Whitt Carter: Choctaw 41, Shawnee 37

Randy Turney: Choctaw 14, Shawnee 13

Shattuck at Tipton

Michael Swisher: Shattuck 45, Tipton 35

Ben Johnson: Shattuck 43, Tipton 22

Whitt Carter: Shattuck 41, Tipton 36

Randy Turney: Tipton 36, Shattuck 22

Hominy at Hulbert

Michael Swisher: Hominy 29, Hulbert 27

Ben Johnson: Hominy 20, Hulbert 19

Whitt Carter: Hulbert 28, Hominy 22

Randy Turney: Hominy 28, Hulbert 6

Chisholm at Weatherford

Michael Swisher: Weatherford 31, Chisholm 14

Ben Johnson: Weatherford 30, Chisholm 28

Whitt Carter: Weatherford 35, Chisholm 20

Randy Turney: Weatherford 27, Chisholm 14

Jones at Oklahoma Christian School

Michael Swisher: Jones 27, OCS 20

Ben Johnson: OCS 33, Jones 31

Whitt Carter: Jones 34, OCS 24

Randy Turney: Jones 35, OCS 21

Metro Christian at Broken Bow

Michael Swisher: Broken Bow 23, Metro Christian 21

Ben Johnson: Broken Bow 24, Metro Christian 13

Whitt Carter: Broken Bow 32, Metro Christian 28

Randy Turney: Metro Christian 28, Broken Bow 10

Plainview at Elgin

Michael Swisher: Plainview 28, Elgin 17

Ben Johnson: Plainview 34, Elgin 22

Whitt Carter: Plainview 34, Elgin 14

Randy Turney: Elgin 14, Plainview 13

Gore at Haskell

Michael Swisher: Gore 30, Haskell 20

Ben Johnson: Gore 39, Haskell 23

Whitt Carter: Gore 21, Haskell 18

Randy Turney: Haskell 21, Gore 14

Watonga at Okeene

Michael Swisher: Watonga 42, Okeene 12

Ben Johnson: Watonga 26, Okeene 23

Whitt Carter: Okeene 28, Watonga 23

Randy Turney: Watonga 21, Okeene 14

Morrison at Kiefer

Michael Swisher: Morrison 28, Kiefer 14

Ben Johnson:Morrison 27, Kiefer 12

Whitt Carter: Morrison 38, Kiefer 27

Randy Turney: Morrison 28, Kiefer 14

Let us know what you think. Tweet your predictions to us at @Skordle.

Zero Week: Top 10 games

8/21/2018 |  Ben Johnson

The calendar hasn't flipped to September yet, but high schools across Oklahoma are officially footballing this week.

Zero Week is here, and it's offering up some solid matchups to get the season rolling.

Here are this week's top 10 games:

1. 6AI No. 1 Union at 6AI No. 3 Broken Arrow: There will be talent all over the field on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The running back matchup, featuring Broken Arrow's Noah Cortes and Union's Darius Boone Jr., will be fun to watch. This one could come down to quarterback play, and Union has the advantage there with Peyton Thompson. Also helps that Union holds a 39-3 record over the Tigers since 1983.

2. 6AII No. 1 Booker T. Washington vs. North Little Rock (Ark.) at Bentonville High School: Clash of two state champions from 2017. The Hornets will deploy Thomas Grayson, a Nebraska commit, at running back, and they'll also feature one of the nation's top recruits in Dax Hill, who figures to play on both sides of the ball. North Little Rock, Class 7A title winner in Arkansas, will counter with North Texas commit Oscar Adaway and plenty of other talented players across the field. The game is part of the Rumble in the Ozarks, played in Northwest Arkansas.

3. 6AII No. 2 Midwest City at Bentonville (Ark.): This will be the nightcap of the Rumle in the Ozarks on Saturday. Bentonville lost to North Little Rock in last year's title game, and Midwest City was dispatched from the Class 6AII playoffs in the semifinals. Look for Midwest City's Preston Colbert to get off to a roaring start for the Bombers this season.

4. A No. 6 Wynnewood at A No. 5 Minco: Both teams shared a district (A-4) in the past four seasons, and Minco ended up winning three of those four matchups. Now they've gone their separate ways in Class A, so they'll meet up in Zero Week. Minco quarterback Daxton Williams graduated, so they Bulldogs will have to find his replacement. Meanwhile, Wynnewood has Tyler Grove who passed for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore last season.

5. Bentonville West (Ark.) at 6AI No. 2 Owasso: Will Kuehne and Co. get the 2018 season kicked off against one of the newest programs in Arkansas. Bentonville West is led by former McAlester head coach Bryan Pratt, who led the Wolverines to a 9-2 record in 2017. For Owasso, the Rams will look for Bryce Cabrera's replacement at tailback and Josh Proctor's replacementin the defensive backfield.

6. 6AI No. 4 Jenks at 6AII No. 4 Bixby: This one-sided rivalry leveled out in 2017 with the Spartans ending a 26-game losing streak to Jenks with a 35-18 victory. Jenks' winning ways over Bixby had dated back to 1977. The Trojans return quarterback Ian Corwin and Mr. Do Everything Noah Hernandez, but they'll have a new look on the sidelines under first-year head coach Keith Riggs. For Bixby, there's a lot of newcomers after Tucker Pawley and Staton King graduated following the Spartans' runner-up finish in Class 6AII.