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.

LEEDEY'S BROADBENT TO TAKE OVER RED OAK GIRLS PROGRAM

5/10/2023 |  Michael Swisher

Luke Broadbent will be in the same type of situation.

He’s just moving to the other side of the state to do it.

Broadbent on Monday was approved as the new girls basketball coach at Red Oak.

The Cashion native has spent the last five years coaching the Leedey girls program.

His teams were 90-55 in that stretch went to the Class B state quarterfinals three of the last four years.

Broadbent, who has family roots in the western Oklahoma community, didn’t come by the decision to leave easily.

“I love Leedey. I love this community and, especially, I love my kids here,” he said.

“They are such incredible kids. We have been blessed with a lot of success during my time here.”

Yet, Broadbent, his wife and newborn baby will be packing up and moving 300 miles to the southeast.

“I will always have fond memories of being here,” Broadbent said of Leedey. “But Red Oak offered me something that I just could not turn down.”

The schools are reflective of one another.

Both are in rural settings.

Both have strong softball traditions (Leedey has eight slow pitch titles; Red Oak has seven slow pitch, including 2023, and eight fastpitch crowns).

Both have realized their share of success in girls basketball as well.

Leedey has made 22 total trips to state with one title.

Red Oak has been 10 times, eight of those trips since 2011.

The Lady Eagles have been in the state finals three times during that stretch, but haven’t reached Oklahoma’s elite eight since 2019.

The 2023 squad was 22-5 under Casey Butcher and reached the Class A area finals before dropping consecutive games to Riverside and Quinton. Butcher will remain the Lady Eagles' softball coach.

Red Oak will offer the same type of circumstances for Broadbent, just in a different setting. While Broadbent admits the move is a “a big one,” he also says the opportunity for success awaits.

“I think Red Oak is one of - if not THE - staples of small schools east of I-35,” he said. “ It’s got great administration, great kids and great coaches and tremendous tradition.”

SKORDLE'S FINAL 6A SOCCER RANKINGS

4/27/2023 |  Korry Rogers

It's postseason time in Oklahoma high school soccer and this year’s playoffs in 6A boys and girls are shaping up to be elite competition.

Here is a look at our final rankings of the season, the playoff brackets and our picks for the "final four" in each bracket:

 

6A Girls Final Rankings 

 

1. Norman North (14-0) (7-0) W14              
2. Edmond North (10-2) (6-1) W4      
3. Deer Creek (10-4) (7-0) W7            
4. Union (13-1) (6-1) W3        
5. Jenks (9-2) (6-1) W2
6. Owasso (12-2) (6-1) W5                              
7. Bixby (9-5) (6-1) W5
8. Edmond Memorial (10-3) (6-1) L1
9. Yukon (9-3-1) (5-2) W3
10. Westmoore (8-5) (6-1) W6         

 

11. Mustang (10-4) (5-2) W1
12. Broken Arrow (7-4) (5-2) W1
13. Norman (10-5) (4-3) L2
14. Booker T. Washington (7-5) (5-2) L1
15. Edmond Santa Fe (6-8) (4-3) W3
16. Enid (9-5) (4-3) L2

 

Playoff Brackets  - 6A Girls

 

#4 Deer Creek vs. #15 Edmond Santa Fe

                                                                          

#10 Westmoore vs. #9 Yukon

 

#7 Bixby vs. #16 Enid

                                                                          

#5 Jenks vs. #12 Broken Arrow

 

***

 

#2 Edmond North vs. #14 Booker T. Washington

                                                                          

#6 Owasso vs. #3 Union

 

#1 Norman North vs. #13 Norman 

                                                                           

#8 Ed. Memorial vs. #11 Mustang 

 

 

6A Girls Final Four Prediction:  

Deer Creek vs. Jenks / Edmond North vs. Norman North

 

 

6A Boys Final Rankings 

 

1. Broken Arrow (13-2) (7-0) W7                        
2. Norman North (10-4) (7-0) W6                       
3. Westmoore (10-2) (6-1) W6
4. Jenks (9-2) (6-1) W1                                     
5. Deer Creek (10-3) (6-1) L1                             
6. Owasso (9-4) (6-1) W6
7. Edmond Memorial (12-2) (5-2) W4
8. Edmond North (9-5) (6-1) W2
9. Mustang (11-3) (5-2) L2
10. Putnam City West (12-2) (6-1) W3

 

11. Stillwater (11-3) (6-1) W3
12. Bartlesville (6-4) (5-2) W1
13. Tulsa Union (7-4) (4-3) W3
14. Northwest Classen (11-4) (4-3) L1
15. Bixby (6-6) (3-4) W2
16. Capitol Hill (7-4) (4-3) W2

 

Playoff Brackets  - 6A Boys

 

#4 Deer Creek vs. #16 Capitol Hill

                                                                          

#3 Westmoore vs. #7 Edmond Memorial

 

#1 Broken Arrow vs. #13 Union

                                                                           

#8 Edmond North vs. #12 Bartlesville

 

**

 

#4 Jenks vs. #15 Bixby

                                                                           

#6 Owasso vs. #11 Stillwater

 

#2 Norman North vs. #14 Northwest Classen

                                                                           

#10 Putnam City West vs. #9 Mustang

 

 

6A Boys Final Four Prediction:  Edmond Memorial vs. Broken Arrow / Jenks vs. Norman North

LITTLEJOHN LANDS BIXBY GIRLS JOB

4/24/2023 |  Michael Swisher

The door was opened.

Rylie Littlejohn knew she had to walk through.

Littlejohn on Monday accepted the girls head coaching position at Bixby High School.

She’ll succeed Tina Thomas, who stepped away after eight successful seasons, including a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Littlejohn makes the Bixby move after three seasons at the helm of the Preston Lady Pirate program, one that got back to the state tournament this year for the first time since 2017.

“That was the hardest part,” said Littlejohn, who broke the news to her Preston team on Monday afternoon.

“If there was a reason I didn’t want to do this, it was them. Although I graduated a big core of the team, I still had three coming back that have been with me since they were freshmen.

“Leaving their senior year was not easy.”

But, she said, when the Bixby job opened up, she couldn’t help but be interested.

For starters, Littlejohn and her husband Chase, the Preston boys’ coach, live in Bixby.

“It’s five minutes from my house,” she said.

When the Littlejohns have had their opportunities, they’ve taken in some Bixby basketball games.

“When I’ve watched the program, I’ve thought, ‘I want to be a part of that,’” Littlejohn said. “Now, did I think it would happen this soon? No.

“But I feel God opened this door and if he opened it, I need to walk through it.”

The former Rylie Torrey, Littlejohn helped lead Locust Grove to a state championship as a player in 2015.

Her collegiate career landed her at Oral Roberts where she picked up both a bachelor’s and master’s degree prior to accepting the Preston job before the 2020-21 season.

Her first team won 14 games. Then 21 the next year.

The 2022-23 squad went 24-6 and made it to the 2A state tournament before being knocked out by Pawhuska.

While Bixby also graduated a large core of its talent, Littlejohn knows she doesn’t have to rebuild.

“It’s a good foundation and they know what winning looks like,” Littlejohn said. “They did graduate a big class with a lot of college talent, but hopefully there are more college-level players coming up.”

A school the size of Bixby, she said, certainly offers the opportunity.

“There’s so much to choose from and you can practically build the program the way you want,” she said.

She’ll begin that process later this spring during Bixby’s rounds of tryouts.

In the meantime, Littlejohn said she’s glad to be past the toughest part of the entire process.

“Talking to my Preston team today was brutal,” she said. “But I know this was the best career move as far as what’s best for me and my family.”

SKORDLE'S UPDATED 6A SOCCER RANKINGS

4/20/2023 |  Korry Rogers

And down the stretch they come.

District championships and playoff spots are on the line as the Oklahoma high school soccer regular season winds down the next two weeks before the playoffs launch in May.

Here are where the Skordle folks see the rankings for Class 6A for games played through April 14:

 

6A Girls

 

1. Norman North (12-0) (5-0) W12
2. Edmond North (8-2) (4-1) W2
3. Tulsa Union (11-1) (4-1) W1
4. Mustang (10-2) (5-0) W8
5. Deer Creek (8-4) (5-0) W5
6. Jenks (7-2) (4-1) L1
7. Edmond Memorial (8-2) (4-0) W7
8. Owasso (9-2) (3-1) W2
9. Norman (10-3) (4-1) W2
10. Bixby (7-5) (4-1) W3

 

Teams still in play-off contention:

 

• Yukon (7-3-1) (3-2)
• Westmoore (7-5) (5-1)
• Edmond Santa Fe (5-8) (3-3)
• Moore (8-5) (3-3)
• Enid (9-3) (4-1)
• Sand Springs (8-3) (3-2)
• Booker T Washington (6-4) (4-1)
• Broken Arrow (5-3) (3-1)

 

--

 

6A Boys

 

1. Mustang (11-1) (5-0) W7
2. Jenks (8-1) (5-0) W8
3. Deer Creek (9-2) (5-0) W5
4. Broken Arrow (11-2) (5-0) W5
5. Norman North (8-4) (5-0) W4
6. Westmoore (9-2) (5-1) W5
7. Edmond Memorial (11-2) (4-2) W3
8. Owasso (7-4) (4-1) W4
9. Edmond North (7-5) (4-1) L1
10. PC West (10-2) (4-1) W1

 

In the Playoff Hunt still:

 

• NW Classen (10-3) (3-2)
• Norman (5-6) (3-2)
• Capitol Hill (6-3) (3-3)
• Stillwater (9-3) (4-1)
• Enid (8-5) (3-2)
• Union (5-4) (2-3)
• Bartlesville (5-3) (4-1)
• Ponca City (8-4) (2-2)
• Booker T Washington (4-5) (2-3)

SKORDLE'S UPDATED 6A SOCCER RANKINGS

3/29/2023 |  Korry Rogers

(Ed. note: These rankings have been compiled by a committee consisting of several people associated with soccer in the state. We have dubbed them the Skordle Futbol Committee.) 

With district games starting across Oklahoma high school soccer, here's how we ranked the 6A teams this week as they begin their push for playoff seeding. 

6A Girls

1) Norman North (6-0)
2) Edmond North (5-1)
3) Union (7-0)
4) Jenks (3-1)
5) Owasso (3-1)
6) Mustang (6-2)
7) Broken Arrow (2-1)
8) Deer Creek (3-4)
9) Yukon (4-2-1)
10) Edmond Memorial (2-2)

6A Boys
1) Mustang (7-1)
2) Edmond Memorial (7-0)
3) Broken Arrow (6-2)
4) Deer Creek (4-2)
5) Jenks (3-1)
6) Union (3-1)
7) Norman North (4-2)
8) Westmoore (4-1)
9) Edmond North (4-2)
10) Bixby (3-2)

Skordle's Preseason Large School Soccer Rankings

3/2/2023 |  Michael Swisher

(Ed. note: Although his daughter is currently playing in three leagues and he is listed as the author, Michael Swisher is not smart enough to compile these rankings. They will be compiled each week by a committee consisting of several people associated with soccer in the state. We have dubbed them the Skordle Futbol Committee.) 

6A Girls

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

 

6A Boys

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

 

5A Girls

1. Bishop McGuinness
2. Piedmont
3. Bishop Kelley
4. Collinsville
5. Noble
6. McAlester
7. Lawton MacArthur
8. El Reno
9. Sapulpa
10. Claremore

5A Boys

1. Santa Fe South
2. Bishop Kelley
3. Southeast
4. Tulsa East Central
5. Lawton Eisenhower
6. Tulsa Will Rogers
7. Tulsa Memorial
8. Tulsa Edison
9. Piedmont
10. Bishop McGuinness

 

--

 

WEEK 1 – MATCHES OF THE WEEK

 

Friday March 3, 2023

 

GIRLS

 

Deer Creek (6A #1) vs. Norman North (6A #4) – State Championship Rematch

 

Bishop Kelley (5A #3) vs. Yukon (6A #9)

 

Union (6A #6) vs. Owasso (6A #10)

 

Edmond Sante Fe vs. Edmond Memorial (6A #7)

 

 

BOYS

 

Broken Arrow (6A #4) vs. Mustang (6A #5)

 

Oklahoma Christian School (3A) vs. Heritage Hall (3A)

 

Jenks (6A #2) vs. Mustang (6A #5)

 

Edmond Santa Fe vs. Edmond Memorial (6A #10)

Deer Creek (6A #3) vs. Norman North (6A #1)

SKORDLE SAMPLER - Week 10 (2022): The Popcorn Ball

11/3/2022 |  Michael Swisher

While out trick-or-treating with my kids Monday night, I was having a discussion with some of the other parents in our group about my Halloween experiences as a kid. 

I vividly remember always loving the houses that gave away homemade cookies, brownies, caramel apples and - especially - popcorn balls.

I was reminiscing and remembering the good ol’ days when people used to hand out these homemade treats and it really made Halloween special. 

As my kids were about midway through the evening and collecting a ton of Halloween candy, all three of them came running back to me telling they were just given popcorn ball. 

They all wanted to know what it was exactly and if it was good?  

Is it good?!?!?!?!?!