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

SKORDLE NOTEBOOK: Bixby's Blankenship bursting onto the scene

1/16/2019 |  Ben Johnson

Bixby has been stingy when it comes to hoarding football championships. The Spartans have won four of the past five Class 6AII championships, and don’t expect them to slow down anytime soon.

What Bixby hasn’t claimed often since the turn of the century has been wrestling titles. Nic Roller’s individual championship at 220 pounds in 2016 has been the Spartans’ only crown since 1998.

But freshman Zach Blankenship is out to change all of that.

At 120 pounds, Bixby’s wrestling phenom is 24-0, and that includes four tournament championships to his credit so far.

“I didn’t really think I’d be having the season I am now,” Blankenship said. “I’m just thankful that I’ve been having this much success.”

Bixby came up short in its pursuit of the District 6A-7 crown on Tuesday night with a loss to Jenks, but Blankenship posted two victories and collected another one by forfeit. Those came only days after winning the Jerry Billings Invitational at Sapulpa, where he won by fall at 1:43 in the 120 finals against Collinsville’s Rocky Stephens, a 5A state champion at 113 last season.

“Zach has risen to the occasion and made a name for himself in the high school realm,” Bixby coach Brock Moore said. “He goes hard every second of every match and makes good things happen. He wants to wrestle the best guys he can. He’s fun to watch and coach.”

To reach the finals in Sapulpa, Blankenship won by fall against Sand Springs’ Riley Weir, who won last year’s 113 championship in 6A.

“His most impressive win so far might’ve been at Sapulpa, where he beat two-time state champion Riley Weir,” Moore said. “And that’s saying a lot for someone who has 21 wins by fall this season.”

Blankenship started the 2019 calendar year by winning the Larry Wilkey Invitational at Jenks. He knocked off Stillwater’s Cade Nicholas 4-2 in the finals.

“As a freshman, he has won four tournaments and has also been named the most outstanding wrestler at each of those tournaments, too,” Moore said. “I haven’t ever seen or known of another freshman to do that.”

Announcing his presence at the varsity level, Blankenship won the 120-pound division at the Perry Tournament of Champions in December. He cruised through the entire field with all of his victories by fall, including pinning Edmond Memorial’s Garrett Johnson at 3:32 for the 120 crown.

Not bad for someone who was wrestling among the junior high ranks not too long ago.

“The biggest difference between varsity and junior high has been the kids I’ve had to wrestle,” Blankenship said. “In junior high, the kids I had to wrestle were usually my age and size. In varsity, I’ve had to wrestle a lot older and bigger kids, which has made it a lot tougher.

“I’m just fortunate to have great coaches and parents who help me get better every tournament.”

‘Wrestleback’ Wildcats win Carl Albert tourney

It was Skiatook, Duncan, Piedmont and Altus vying for the Malcolm Wade Invitational crown at Carl Albert on Saturday, and with a quick glance it doesn’t appear as though Piedmont fared well. But on the contrary, Piedmont managed to claim the team title with only one individual champion.

The Wildcats, led by Josh Heindselman’s triumph at 285, finished with 242.5 points and won the tournament title. Skiatook (226) and Duncan (219) rounded out the top three.

“We were excited to win it,” Piedmont coach Erik Ford said. “We knew we had a chance going into the tournament. On Saturday, it was really exciting to see our guys score a lot of bonus points and really wrestle well on the backside of the bracket to give us the push that we needed.”

In the final match of the tournament, Heindselman recorded a pin at 2:37 against Lawton MacArthur’s Montana Phillips, who won last year’s 5A championship at heavyweight.

“Josh has been really impressive,” Ford said of the University of Oklahoma signee. “He weighs about 225 right now, so he is really wrestling up a weight. He has found another level as far as his movement and attacks go. His pressure and constant attacking has been the most impressive part about his wrestling this year. It has really allowed him to negate some of the size that he is giving up against heavyweights.”

Piedmont finished the tournament with 10 wrestlers recording top-six finishes. Tabor McLure (138) and Landis Scoon (152) both came in second place, and Mitchell Lance (132), Braden Culp (170) and Austin Cooley all posted third-place finishes atop the consolation bracket.

“Our guys learned that they can wrestle with some of the top 5A teams in the state,” Ford said. “…Our guys understand that winning the Carl Albert tournament is huge for our program, but they also know that our end-of-season goals as individuals and as a team are what we have been working for all year. And we’ll continue to work on those going forward.”

Other wrestling notes

- Edmond North picked up 194.5 points and won the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference (COAC) Tournament title on Saturday. Mustang was second at 191.

- Tuttle cruised to the Greg Henning Invitational crown on Saturday with 362 points.

Prep hoops notes

- There’s a new No. 1 in Class 6A boys after Edmond Memorial beat Edmond Santa Fe 56-42 in the championship game of the Bishop McGuinness Classic. Edmond Memorial was ranked fifth Saturday and moved up to 6A’s top spot, while Edmond Santa Fe dropped from No. 1 to third. Booker T. Washington is second in between the two.

- Crushing the field in the Putnam City West Invitational wasn’t enough to move Heritage Hall (14-0) to the top of the 4A coaches’ poll. The Chargers are still second behind top-ranked Kingfisher (11-1). Heritage Hall’s Trey Alexander scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Chargers’ win over PC West in the finals.

- It's a big week for the state's two smallest classes as playoff assignments will be released Friday by the OSSAA (as if 95 percent of the coaches don't already know, through the grapevine, where they're headed). We're told David Glover, who makes the assignments for 4A and below, was about 99 percent finished with the assignments early this week. A committee meeting was held Wednesday, which generally leads to a few tweaks. Most of those are host sites, although sometimes teams are moved to different regionals or areas as a result of those meetings. No doubt a lot of people will be up in arms once the assignments are released, but that happens every year. What it does signify is that the playoffs are near and we all love that part of the season.

- One of those small school teams got a big boost during the holiday break. The Duke boys, already undefeated and ranked second in Class B, added Jameson Richardson to the roster at the beginning of this semester. Richardson, a 6-foot-8 junior forward with a load of versatility, transferred from his hometown of Mangum. He averaged right around 20 points and was a solid rebounder and rim protector for Mangum in his eight games prior to the move. Duke was already manhandling most opponents before his arrival, but hasn't been played closer than 18 points (61-43 over Granite last week) since his arrival.

- Next week is the biggest tournament week of the basketball season and it will be loaded with top matchups. However, a couple of No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdowns already took place during girls championship games during last week's slate. In Class 2A, top-ranked Dale held off No. 2 Howe 65-55 at the Kingston New Year's Classic. Howe's Jalei Oglesby was "held" to 31 points. "She missed a few shots and eventually fouled out or she would have had more," said first-year Dale coach Eric Smith, who led Alva to a pair of titles and got Frontier to last year's Class A title game. "She is unbelievable." Dale, led by Lacey Savage's 18 points, improved to 14-1 with the victory, which very well could have been a state championship preview. Down in Class B, No. 1 Hammon defended its Warrior Classic championship by earning a 50-44 come-from-behind win over No. 2 Lomega. Last year, Hammon was No. 2 when it beat No. 1 Lomega in the finals and it carried that momentum to a state championship. This time around, Hammon had to outscore its guests by seven in the second half to win. Five different Lady Warriors scored at least six points, led by 13 from Halee Morris. Kenedie Walker scored seven of her 10 in the fourth quarter. Lomega got 14 points each from Mady Meier and Courtney Fox.

Week 2 High School Football Rankings

9/10/2024 |  Michael Swisher

6A Division-I

1. Owasso
2. Bixby
3. Jenks
4. Union
5. Deer Creek
6. Mustang
7. Moore
8. Norman
9. Norman North
10. Broken Arrow

6A Division-II

1. Muskogee
2. Stillwater
3. Choctaw
4. Piedmont
5. Sand Springs
6. Putnam City North
7. Southmoore
8. Sapulpa
9. Putnam City
10. Lawton Ike

Class 5A

1. Carl Albert
2. Collinsville
3. Coweta
4. Guthrie
5. Del City
6. McAlester
7. Bishop McGuinness
8. Tahlequah
9. El Reno
10. Lawton Mac

Class 4A

1. Wagoner
2. Elgin
3. Tuttle
4. Blanchard
5. Clinton
6. Sallisaw
7. Poteau
8. Ardmore
9. Bethany
10. Cushing

Class 3A

1. Lincoln Christian
2. Heritage Hall
3. Sulphur
4. Idabel
5. Pauls Valley
6. Perkins-Tryon
7. Cascia Hall
8. North Rock Creek
9. Plainview
10. Seminole

Class 2A Division-I

1. Washington
2. Millwood
3. Jones
4. Metro Christian
5. Kingston
6. Marlow
7. Prague
8. OCS
9. Crossings Christian
10. Sperry

Class 2A Division-II

1. Vian
2. Davis
3. Kansas
4. Adair
5. Stroud
6. Alva
7. Holdenville
8. Henryetta
9. Colcord
10. Beggs

Class A Division-I

1. Fairview
2. Pocola
3. Crescent
4. Hooker
5. Pawhuska
6. Tonkawa
7. Rejoice Christian
8. Walters
9. Wynnewood
10. Stratford

Class A Division-II

1. Hominy
2. Woodland
3. Regent Prep
4. Apache
5. Velma-Alma
6. Thomas
7. Ringling
8. Mangum
9. Central Sallisaw
10. Mooreland

Class B Division-I

1. Laverne
2. Garber
3. Dewar
4. Turpin
5. Caddo
6. Yale
7. Hollis
8. Pond Creek-Hunter
9. Keota
10. OBA

Class B Division-II

1. Seiling
2. Weleetka
3. Okeene
4. Covington-Douglas
5. Wilson-Henryetta
6. Webbers Falls
7. Copan
8. Shattuck
9. Cyril
10. Cherokee

Class C

1. Tipton
2. Ryan
3. Timberlake
4. Maysville
5. Mt. View-Gotebo
6. Paoli
7. Welch
8. Geary
9. Tyrone
10. Waynoka

Week 1 High School Football Rankings

9/4/2024 |  Michael Swisher

6A Division-I

1. Jenks
2. Owasso
3. Union
4. Bixby
5. Norman North
6. Deer Creek
7. Mustang
8. Moore
9. Broken Arrow
10. Edmond Memorial

6A Division-II

1. Muskogee
2. Choctaw
3. Stillwater
4. Sand Springs
5. Piedmont
6. Sapulpa
7. Lawton Ike
8. Putnam City North
9. Putnam City
10. Southmoore

Class 5A

1. Carl Albert
2. Collinsville
3. McAlester
4. Guthrie
5. Del City
6. Coweta
7. Bishop Kelley
8. El Reno
9. Bishop McGuinness
10. Lawton Mac

Class 4A

1. Wagoner
2. Elgin
3. Tuttle
4. Blanchard
5. Ada
6. Clinton
7. Sallisaw
8. Bethany
9. Cushing
10. Poteau

Class 3A

1. Lincoln Christian
2. Heritage Hall
3. Sulphur
4. Idabel
5. Pauls Valley
6. Perkins-Tryon
7. Cascia Hall
8. Checotah
9. Berryhill
10. North Rock Creek

Class 2A Division-I

1. Washington
2. Millwood
3. Jones
4. Metro Christian
5. Kingston
6. Prague
7. Marlow
8. Chandler
9. OCS
10. Sequoyah-Tahlequah

Class 2A Division-II

1. Davis
2. Vian
3. Kansas
4. Adair
5. Stroud
6. Alva
7. Holdenville
8. Henryetta
9. Meeker
10. Colcord

Class A Division-I

1. Fairview
2. Minco
3. Pocola
4. Crescent
5. Hooker
6. Pawhuska
7. Rejoice Christian
8. Pawnee
9. Walters
10. Stratford

Class A Division-II

1. Hominy
2. Woodland
3. Central Sallisaw
4. Apache
5. Regent Prep
6. Velma-Alma
7. Thomas
8. Ringling
9. Mangum
10. Gore

Class B Division-I

1. Laverne
2. Garber
3. Dewar
4. Turpin
5. Caddo
6. Yale
7. Hollis
8. Pond Creek-Hunter
9. OBA
10. Pioneer

Class B Division-II

1. Seiling
2. Weleetka
3. Okeene
4. Covington-Douglas
5. Wilson-Henryetta
6. Ringwood
7. Webbers Falls
8. Davenport
9. Copan
10. Shattuck

Class C

1. Tipton
2. Ryan
3. Timberlake
4. Mt. View-Gotebo
5. Tyrone
6. Waynoka
7. Medford
8. Paoli
9. Welch
10. Maud

The Casady Cyclones inaugural season in the OSSAA

9/4/2024 |  Michael Swisher

Offense - Welcome to the Airbone offense. That’s the coin termed by offensive coordinator Cliff Prestidge on a retreat this summer with passing guru Hal Mumme. It’s safe to say that no team will put the ball in the air more than the Casady Cyclones. Casady averaged 52 passes per game in 2023 and has most of its skill weapons back for another go. Quarterback Ethan Hamilton (6-0, 180, SR) started every game a year ago for the Cyclones. Hamilton threw for 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns to an army of wide receivers returning to action. Dyson Fay (5-8, 165, SR) is a big-play threat out of the slot. Fay averaged 27 yards per catch last year and handles all the kick and punt return duties. Henry Lewis (5-8, 160, JR) and Micah White (5-8, 160, JR) earned the nickname “muscle hamsters” due to their size and strength. They will be a part of the rotation at inside receiver. Landon Hamilton (6-0, 180, SR) is one of the outside receivers for the Cyclones and also a key member of the defense. He’s the twin brother of quarterback Ethan Hamilton. James Elder (6-5, 200, JR) came on strong as a deep threat a year ago and is set to contribute right away this fall. Andrew Fitzpatrick (6-0, 190, JR) has started every game of his varsity career at running back. He earned his stripes as a freshman and can now enjoy having that experience. The offensive line must be rebuilt. Alex Spiropoulos (6-0, 290, SR) is the lone returning starter for the Cyclones. Robert Evans (6-2, 250, SR) is also projected as a starter up front. 

Defense - Most of the same faces will be responsible for the defense. With the number of players utilized in the passing game, the defense should be able to stay energized. Landon Hamilton is the top returning tackler on the team at outside linebacker. He pursues the football well and has the strength needed for secure tackling. Dyson Fay returns at strong safety with Andrew Fitzpatrick at outside linebacker. Most of the rest of the wide receivers will see time in the secondary where Luke Woodroof (5-11, 185, SR) has started the last two seasons at cornerback. Landon Hart (5-10, 190, SR) will see action at defensive end. It’s a special year at Casady. Hall of fame head coach Ty Prestige is entering his 50th season on the sidelines and it is the first year for the Cyclones to compete in the OSSAA. Casady has played a representative schedule the past couple of seasons and should be up to the task of challenging for a playoff spot in the district. 

Schedule

8-30 - BYE

9-6 - at OCS

9-13 - at Community Christian

9-20 - vs. Mt. St. Mary

9-27 - vs. Alva

10-4 - at Newkirk

10-11 - vs. Kellyville

10-18 - at Meeker

10-25 - at Stroud

11-1 - vs. Luther

11-8 - vs. Hennessey

Class C Football Preview

9/3/2024 |  Michael Swisher

Class C Top 10 Rankings

1.     Tipton Tigers

2.     Ryan Cowboys

3.     Timberlake Tigers

4.     Mountain View-Gotebo Tigers

5.     Waynoka Railroaders

6.     Tyrone Bobcats

7.     Medford Cardinals

8.     Maysville Warriors

9.     Welch Wildcats

10.  Grandfield Bearcats



Players to Watch

Alaniz, Xavier - Grandfield

Alviso, Noah - Maysville

Boone, Conner - Paoli

Brown, Davieon - Tipton

Clinton, Mason - Welch

Fernandez, Johnny - Tipton - Pre-season offensive player of the year

Garrett, Scotty - Paoli

Gonzalez, Ethan - Medford

Hawley, Malakye - Oaks

Hobbs, Cash - Mountain View-Gotebo

Judd, Maveric - Timberlake

Johnson, Wyatt - Tyrone

Payne, Zach - Mountain View-Gotebo

Pool, Landon - Tipton

Rodriguez, Carson - Ryan

Seiger, Landon - Waynoka - Pre-season defensive player of the year

Tomberlin, Kyson - Ryan

Tonitigh, Creed - Mountain View-Gotebo

Notable Coaching Moves

1.    Payson Slater from Tyrone to Waynoka

2.    Caleb Howell from Canton to Geary

Unranked Teams to Look Out For

1.    Deer Creek-Lamont Eagles

2.    Corn Bible Crusaders

Games of the Year

September 6 - Mountain View-Gotebo at Maysville

September 6 - Geary at Canton

October 11 - Tipton at Ryan

October 17 - Waynoka at Timberlake

October 17 - Mountain View-Gotebo at Tipton

October 25 - Welch at Medford

November 1 - Mountain View-Gotebo at Ryan

November 1 - Grandfield at Corn Bible

Mountain View-Gotebo has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons in Class C with six.

Timberlake has finished the last four seasons with double digit wins.

Ryan’s 12 wins in 2023 was the most in a season at the school since 2009.

District 3 has only one team that finished with a winning record in 2023, the Welch Wildcats. Tipton has won 27 consecutive games.

Five teams in Class C have losing streaks that date back to 2022

-  South Coffeyville 35 straight losses - last win September 11th, 2020 vs. Cave Springs.

-  Bray-Doyle 27 straight losses - last win September 3, 2021 at Ryan.

-  Beaver - 25 straight losses - last win October 1st, 2021 vs. Corn Bible.

SKORDLE SAMPLER - Week 1 (2024): The Best Corn on the Cob You've Ever Had

9/3/2024 |  Michael Swisher

We are finally here.

It’s Week 1 of the Oklahoma High School football season and I know everyone is excited for everything that comes with Friday Night Lights. 

The college football season got going this past weekend and the NFL gets started this Thursday, so this means the 2024 football season is in full swing from now until the Super Bowl in February. 

If you have been reading the Sampler the last couple of years, you know our affinity for BBQ. 

I want to give a major round of applause to Edge Craft Barbecue in Oklahoma City for making Daniel Vaughn’s Texas Monthly’s Magazine Top 10 list of best Texas BBQ places outside the state of Texas. 

We have been big fans of Edge Craft for a long time and this comes as no surprise to anyone who has visited them for the best BBQ in Oklahoma City. 

Check out Layne Jones' article from last year outlining how great Edgecraft really is and why you need to go.

  In addition to Edge Craft, two other Oklahoma BBQ joints also received recognition in the same article and that was Phat Tabb’s BBQ in Idabel (Past Sampler as well from Week 1 2020), and Oakhart Barbecue in Tulsa. 

I’m a really big fan of Phat Tabb’ss and would highly encourage anyone visiting Southeast Oklahoma/Broken Bow/Hochatown area to visit Tabb Singleton's place. 

Not only because his BBQ is great, but because all his culinary creations are truly exceptional! A quick Google search will tell you why. 

As for Oakhart in Tulsa, I have heard and seen some good things about them. Oakhart is on my list of places to visit the next time I’m in Tulsa for lunch and when I do, you can bet they will be mentioned in the next Sampler. 

Do you want an easy way to make the very best corn on the cob you have ever had at home? 

I came across a simple recipe online last year for Jalapeño Honey Butter Corn and ever since, it has become my go-to for making homemade corn on the cob.