by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)7/6/2018 1:16:01 AM
posted in: Articles | 3,010 views
Look back at 2017
2017 district champs
4A-1: Heritage Hall - Everyone
should have seen it coming from the start. Heritage Hall took down John
Marshall -- who went on to win the Class 3A title -- in the first week
of the season, and the Chargers just stampeded their way through 4A-1,
as well. Clinton came the closest to knocking off Heritage Hall, 28-24,
in week four but Heritage Hall ended up polishing off a 14-0 campaign
with a title game victory over Ada.
4A-2: Ada - The
Cougars endured some brutal losses to Ardmore and Carl Albert in
non-district play, but it prepared Ada for what was up ahead in 4A-2
play. The Cougars' only blemish in district competition was to Tuttle,
but Ada ended up knocking off Blanchard for the tiebreaker at the end of
the year when both finished atop the standings. Then Ada went on to
knock off Oologah in the quarterfinals, and the Cougars marched all the
way to the title game, where Heritage Hall ended up prevailing.
4A-3: Wagoner - Few figured there'd be many teams to stand between Wagoner and Heritage Hall ultimately meeting in the 4A title game. The Bulldogs owned the state's longest winning streak (48) after another unbeaten run through 4A-3 and a first round playoff victory over Poteau. But trouble arrived in the form of Blanchard, who ended the Bulldogs' unbeaten run at Odom Stadium.
4A-4: Hilldale - The
Hornets were another east power that figured to challenge the likes of
Wagoner and Heritage Hall late in the playoffs. After all, Hilldale
breezed through 4A-4 for the district crown, but Bethany rallied and
took down Hilldale in the quarterfinals.
Talking title game: Heritage Hall 14, Ada 0
Quarterback
Blake Adams found Conner Casey for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the
first quarter, and from there the Chargers' defense secured Heritage
Hall's sixth state championship and third in the four seasons. Adams
added a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and it was plenty
with the Charger defense forcing two Ada interceptions while limiting
the Cougars to 193 total yards.
On to 2018...
Players to watch
- Bryce Madron (Blanchard): Even
as a sophomore, Madron was instrumental for the Lions on offense in
2017. Blanchard finished 11-2 and it was Madron who shouldered a bulk of
the load on offense with 1,316 yards and 21 touchdowns on 200 carries.
- Jaxon Ratterree (Weatherford): Ratterree will head into his junior season after completing 87 of 153 passes for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
- Schyler Adair (Wagoner): Partnered
with Nikia Jones on offense, Adair did his work on the ground for the
Bulldogs in 2017. He rushed for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns on 158
carries.
- Sam Brandt (Bethany): Taking over the quarterback reins, Brandt became a star for the Bronchos. He passed for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns with a 57 completion percentage, and he tacked on 964 yards and nine touchdowns on 174 carries. And for good measure, he piled up 76 tackles and six interceptions on defense.
- Easton Francis (Poteau): Francis
did it all during his sophomore campaign last year. He rushed for 1,404
yards and 23 touchdowns on 215 carries. He also caught 16 passes for
182 yards and three scores, and he saw a little time at quarterback,
where he completed 37 of 62 passes for 809 yards and eight touchdowns.
And for good measure, he also served as the Pirates' punter with a 35.3
yard-per-punt average on 18 attempts.
- J.R. Crain (Broken Bow): The
Savages will give the ball to Crain plenty of times during the upcoming
season. In 2017, Crain rushed for 748 yards and seven touchdowns on 134
carries.
- Tyler Wayland (Bristow): Senior quarterback is ready to pick up where he left off last season. He threw for 634 yards and eight touchdowns, but he was deadly on the move with 1,236 yards and 18 touchdowns on 160 carries.
- Jesse Rudd (Fort Gibson): Rusty
Rudd and Jesse Rudd shared the bulk of the carries for the Tigers in
2017, but it was Jesse Rudd who led the team with 1,003 yards and 14
touchdowns on 195 carries as a sophomore.