by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)7/6/2018 1:11:09 AM
posted in: Articles | 4,357 views
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
Afton quarterback Wil Amos put on a show for the ages. Crescent had no answer for Amos on either side of the ball, with the Eagles' senior signal caller racking up 418 yards and six touchdowns on 39 carries to lead Afton to its first football championship. Amos added an interception on defense, while the Eagles held Crescent to 196 yards of offense.
On to 2018...
Players to watch
- Landon McCracken (Apache): An offensive stalwart during his junior season in 2017. He passed for 2,591 yards and 29 touchdowns while completing 202 of 309 passes. He also ran for 776 yards and eight touchdowns on 92 carries.
- Griffin Lamb (Cashion): While leading Cashion to a 9-3 season, Lamb was the Wildcats' offensive catalyst. He racked up 2,250 yards and 31 touchdowns through the air while completing 66.3 percent (138 of 208) of his passes.
- Hunter Bowers (Crescent): The Tigers' junior quarterback was a driving force in getting Crescent to the Class A championship game. An ankle injury limited his output in the title game, but his numbers all season long were outstanding. He passed for 2,250 yards and 34 touchdowns with 121 completions on 195 attempts. He also mixed in 1,052 yards and 22 touchdowns on 129 carries.
- Tanner McBee (Hooker): A difference maker on both sides of the ball. He amassed 1,165 yards and 17 touchdowns on 207 carries, and on defense he collected 68 tackles and three interceptions.
- Karder Neville (Hooker): As a junior, Neville reeled in 40 receptions for 731 yards and eight touchdowns. He also totaled 80 tackles and three sacks on defense.
- Nathan Malchaski and Garrett Malchaski (Dibble): Defensive pair racked up a ton of tackles in 2017. Nathan, a sophomore last season, had 126 tackles and four tackles, while Garrett notched 115 tackles and four tackles as a junior.
- Tyler Grove (Wynnewood): Sophomore season saw Grove blossom into a solid contributor with 882 yards and 10 touchdowns passing. On defense, he hauled in four interceptions, and he also punted 15 times with a 35.8 yard average.
- Josh Harvey (Healdton): There were 121 tackles on defense during his sophomore campaign to go with 440 yards and seven touchdowns on 69 carries on offense.
- Dylan Roach (Hominy): Burst onto the scene during his junior season. He racked up 2,264 yards and 31 touchdowns on 155 carries. However, he did that while leading Prue to an 11-3 season, and he's transferred to Hominy for his senior season.
- Blake Hipp (Hominy): The signal caller alongside Roach in the backfield. A 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior who passed for 1,753 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, on top of rushing for 547 yards and nine touchdowns on 101 carries.
- Joe Smith (Barnsdall): Came up just short of 1,000 yards during his junior season. He piled up 951 yards and 12 touchdowns on 91 carries.
- Tommy Smith (Gore): The 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior was a key cog on both sides of the ball as a junior in 2017. He ran the ball 210 times for 1,409 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he added 79 tackles and an interception.
- Josh Factor (Kiefer): At middle linebacker, Factor racked up 103 tackles as a sophomore last season for the Trojans.
- Andrew Crow (Rejoice Christian): Emerged as the Eagles' primary threat out of the backfield with 1,054 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2017.
- Jacob Bruce (Hulbert): Capped his junior season in 2017 with his second straight 2,000-yard rushing campaign. He ran the ball 227 times for 2,105 yards and 27 touchdowns while leading the Riders into the second round of the Class A playoffs.
- Collin Seaton (Stroud): Had nearly 200 carries during the 2017 campaign. Logged 198 rushes for 1,015 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Tigers.
District debriefs
A-1: Thomas headlines the district again and will be in search of its 51st district championship. Hooker will challenge the Terriers while going after its first district title since 1985. Mooreland, Fairview, Beaver, Okeene and Texhoma return to the same district, and they all welcome Oklahoma Bible Academy, which moves over from A-5.
A-2: Watonga's out and in a different district, so there will be a new A-2 champion in 2018. Cordell, who finished tied atop the district but finished in second place, returns as the favorite. Mangum, Merritt, Sayre, Hollis and Hinton all return for another year of A-2 competition, and Hobart and Frederick slide down from 2A-3 to the Class A ranks.
A-3: Here's a district that looks vastly different from the past two seasons -- and wow is it deep. Cashion and Crescent -- the top two teams from A-5 -- venture into A-3 with seven other newcomers (Crossings Christian, Minco, Northeast, Oklahoma Christian Academy, Watonga, Wellston and Christian Heritage). That's three district champions from last year -- Minco, Watonga and Crescent -- along with four other teams (Cashion, Crossings Christian, OCA and Christian Heritage) that made the playoffs. Both Northeast and Christian Heritage will drop down a class after spending time in 2A-2 the last two seasons.
A-4: This is pretty much A-3 from last year with Ringling, Apache, Healdton, Rush Springs, Elmore City and Velma-Alma sticking together. Now they'll welcome Dibble (8-4 and a playoff team) and Walters into the mix with both moving from 2A-3.
A-5: Pawnee, Morrison and Drumright stay put while everyone around them is new. Hominy and Woodland -- who tied for the top spot in A-6 last season -- slide over, and Pawhuska and Tonkawa move down a class. Then factor in Langston Hughes, which will drop its independent status this season. This and A-3 are the only nine-team districts in Class A.
A-6: This is essentially A-7 from 2016 and 2017. Defending state champion Afton headlines the new A-6 group, which also includes Rejoice Christian, Fairland and Quapaw from A-7. Ketchum, Colcord, Commerce and Oklahoma Union round out the rest of the district.
A-7: A true hodgepodge district that spans from Mounds to Wynnewood. It's a catch-all district with seven new clubs. Wewoka and Stroud are former Class 2A participants, and Allen will move up from Class B. Konawa, Liberty, Mounds and Wayne are all clubs that won four or fewer games last year, and Wynnewood leads the pack as a team that went 6-5 with a first-round playoffs exit in Class A last season.
A-8: Talihina, Sallisaw Central, Gore and Savanna -- the four playoff teams from A-8 last season -- return this year, and Hulbert is dropped into the mix after finishing third in a deep A-7 last season. Warner and Quinton also return for two more years in A-8, and both sported one victory during the 2017 campaign.
What’s new? (coaching moves)
- Yale has a new coach in Johnny Ray, who led Prue to a 10-3 record and the state quarterfinals last season.
- Matt Hennesy stepped down at Locust Grove to take over at Pawhuska. In his six years at Locust Grove Hennesy went 52-18 -- which was more victories than the combined wins of the 10 coaches before him, dating back to 1957.
- Fred Peery takes over reigning Class A champion, Afton. Peery was previous at McLoud as a assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
- Bob Pool returns to his alma mater, Savanna, who had been under the leadership of James Bond since 2003.
- Like Pool, Eric Bradley takes over at his alma mater, Wewoka.
- Prentice Joseph was promoted to head coach at Porter after Zac Ross was named the new head coach at Wyandotte.
- Gerald Hammond takes over at Liberty, a program that hasn't won a game since 2015.
- Konawa's new head coach is Dusty Newberry.
- Previous Ringling coaches -- Steve Justus, Tracy Gandy and Rick Gandy -- have made a habit of winning and winning often. Now Phil Koons takes over at Ringling after a tumultuous ending to his tenure at Clinton.
The More You Know:
- Afton had never appeared in a championship game before last season. The Eagles had gone 0-2 in the semifinals before breaking through in 2017.
- The loss to Afton in the title game dropped Crescent to 1-4 in championship games.
Prediction time
Ben - Hulbert's Jacob Bruce becomes a household name | Matt Hennesy provides a jolt for Pawhuska | Hominy makes a serious charge for its second title in three years | Commerce in prime position to win its first championship | I'll take Thomas to win the title.
Swisher - At least one good team, probably more, will miss the playoffs in A-3 | Not that the Wildcats have been down, but this is the beginning of another really strong stretch for Cashion | We will miss Wil Amos | Defensive coaches will not miss Wil Amos | I'm going with a wildcard and picking Hooker to claim the 2018 crown. Sorry, Hooker. I always get Class A wrong.
Whitt Carter - Taking Ringling to win it all.
Guest picker - Hall of Fame coach Randy Turney - Going with Thomas to take the Class A title.
