Watonga
Watonga, OK 73772
Record: 1-10 | Unranked
@ Hobart | L | 34-18 9/6 |
vs Thomas - Fay - Custer | L | 0-42 9/13 |
vs Mangum | L | 7-34 9/20 |
@ Fairview | L | 69-27 9/27 |
@ Fairview | L | 69-34 9/27 |
vs Cashion | L | 26-42 10/4 |
@ Hinton | L | 23-6 10/11 |
vs Sayre | L | 13-36 10/17 |
vs Crescent | L | 0-33 10/25 |
@ Hooker | L | 53-0 11/1 |
vs Merritt | W | 28-6 11/7 |
vs Merritt | W | 28-6 11/8 |
NEW PODCAST: Spring sports spotlight and much more
| 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
Zero Week picks
| 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
| 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.
7. Choctaw at 6AII No. 10 Shawnee: These
two haven't met since 1999, despite only being 30 miles apart. Now
they're both members of Class 6AII with Shawnee bumping up a class this
season. The Yellowjackets are coming off a 6-4 season, where Jake Corbin
was in his first year as head coach. On the other side, Shawnee was 6-5
before leaving 5A. Now Heath Hunter and the Wolves get to show what
they're made of in a new classification.
8. B. No. 2 Shattuck at C No. 1 Tipton: A
rematch of the 2011 Class C state championship. Also a clash of last
year's Class B (Shattuck) and Class C (Tipton) champions. The winner
gets to claim the title of "best eight-man team" until the playoffs
start.
9. A No. 4 Hominy at Hulbert: Perhaps
the best running back matchup in the state, outside of Union-Broken
Arrow. Hominy will feature move-in Dylan Roach, who torched opponents at
Prue last season to the tune of 2,264 yards and 31 touchdowns. Then
there's Hulbert's Jacob Bruce, who has posted back-to-back 2,000-yard
rushing seasons for the Riders in 2016 and 2017.
10. 2A No. 7 Chisholm at 4A No. 7 Weatherford: This
one features a solid matchup of quarterbacks. Chisholm's signal caller,
Braden Meek, passed for 1,552 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior in
2017, and Weatherford's Jaxon Ratterree will begin his junior season
after tossing for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
Honorable mention
Jones at Oklahoma Christian School
Metro Christian at Broken Bow
Plainview at Elgin
Gore at Haskell
Watonga at Okeene
Morrison at Kiefer
So who wins all the matchups? Check back for our weekly picks on Thursday.
Class A preview
| Ben Johnson
Look back at 2017
2017 district champs
A-1: Thomas - The Terriers hit the half-century mark in district titles with an unbeaten run against A-1 foes. A 20-0 win over Hooker set the stage for a district crown, and that was part of the Terriers' 10-game winning streak, which continued into December. But Afton derailed Thomas' playoff run in the semifinals.
A-2: Watonga - A September win over Cordell proved to be the deciding factor for the A-2 crown for Watonga. The Eagles went on to avenge a season-opening loss against Okeene with a win to open the playoffs, but then Watonga was dispatched from the postseason in the next round against Oklahoma Christian Academy.
A-3: Ringling - The Blue Devils knocked off Apache to begin district play, and they rolled the rest of the way against A-3 opponents. Ringling's playoff run lasted until the second round when Hooker moved on to the quarterfinals.
A-4: Minco - Led by Cole Burchfield in the backfield, Minco motored to the district title last year. Eleven straight wins, including six in district play, preceded Minco's run to the Class A quarterfinals, where the Bulldogs were beaten by Afton.
A-5: Crescent - Cashion, Pawnee and Morrison were no match for the Tigers during district play. Crescent manhandled every opponent it faced in its first 14 games, including wins over Cashion (54-14), Morrison (51-24) and Pawnee (35-14) during the regular season. The Tigers' unbeaten run, though, came to a halt in the Class A title game, which ended with a 44-12 loss to Afton.
A-6: Kiefer - The Trojans started the season 0-4, but a 34-14 win over Woodland in late September turned Kiefer's season around. Kiefer, Woodland and Hominy all finished atop the district at 5-1, but it was the Trojans who prevailed, thanks to district points. Kiefer, though, was bounced quickly from the playoffs, a 28-0 loss to Morrison in the opening round of the postseason.
A-7: Afton - The Eagles labored through a stout district -- that included Rejoice Christian, Barnsdall and Hulbert -- and emerged unscathed. A 22-20 victory over Rejoice Christian in mid October propelled Afton a district title, and from there the Eagles went into cruise control the rest of the season. In the playoffs, Afton outscored its opponents 214 to 46.
A-8: Talihina - Led by seniors Heath Humphreys and Sooner Box, the Tigers coasted to the A-8 crown. Talihina dismantled Central Sallisaw, 36-0, in a showdown of the district's top two teams. The Tigers finished the regular season 9-1 and beat Barnsdall in the opening round of the playoffs before being upset by Hominy in the second round.
Talking title game: Afton 44, Crescent 12