by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)8/22/2018 10:47:38 AM
posted in: Articles | 2,106 views
Looking back at 2017
2017 district champs
B-1: Laverne - Camden Cayot led the Tigers with 1,277 yards and 25 touchdowns during his senior season. The Tigers rattled off 14 straight wins before falling to district mate Shattuck in the title game.
B-2: Pioneer - The Mustangs rode ZJ Washington to a district crown, but a loss to Davenport in the quarterfinals ended their season.
B-3: Carnegie - A seven-game winning streak propelled Carnegie to a district crown, thanks to a 44-24 win over Cyril in the final week of the regular season.
B-4: Central Marlow - The Bronchos claimed the district championship with a 48-34 win over Ryan in the final week of the regular season. Hayden Cooper and Matt Harris led the way on the ground for Central Marlow.
B-5: Allen - Aaron Dockery was an offensive weapon for Allen as the Mustangs won the district with a two-game cushion. Dockery racked up more than 2,000 yards on offense, but the Mustangs were ousted in the first round of the playoffs of Wetumka.
B-6: Dewar - The Dragons had to win only three games to claim the district last year, and they did it with ease. Wins over Canadian, Wetumka and Weleetka segued into the postseason, which saw Dewar get eliminated by Prue in the second round.
B-7: Depew - Steve Quinones was one of the best players in Class B last season, totaling 2,475 yards and 41 touchdowns on 202 carries. Quinones and the Hornets went 12-1 and knocked off Davenport for the district crown along the way. Both Depew and Davenport made it to the state semifinals, but District B-7 turned out to be no match for District B-1.
B-8: Keota - The Lions' win over Arkoma in mid October proved to be the district decider, and Keota then went on a playoff run that ended with a quarterfinal loss to Shattuck.
Talking title game: Shattuck 30, Laverne 16
Gatlin Goodson and Riley Girton combined for 263 of Shattuck’s 281 rushing yards, and the Indians claimed their second title in three years. Shattuck led 24-0 in the second quarter before Laverne scored its first touchdown. For Shattuck, the win atoned for a 44-42 loss to Laverne during district play.
On to 2018…
Players to watch
- ZJ Washington (Pioneer): Washington put on a show in 2017 with 222 carries for 2,495 yards and 36 touchdowns. He finished the year with 3,299 all-purpose yards. Then on defense he added 70 tackles and seven interceptions.
- Isaiah Villalobos (Turpin): Villalobos was a tireless worker in 2017. He carried the ball 258 times for 1,505 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he chipped in 837 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Then on defense he logged 38 tackles and two interceptions.
- Carson Thompson (Canadian): A solid sophomore campaign yielded an impressive 1,000-yard rushing and a 1,000-yard passing season. He rushed 143 times for 1,367 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he completed 111 of 202 passing attempts for 1,902 yards and 23 touchdowns. And for good measure, he mixed in seven interceptions on defense.
- Gatlin Goodson (Shattuck): The senior quarterback is most dangerous as a runner, as he showed the rest of the state on the biggest stage in last year's semifinals (5 TD runs) and then another dominant performance against Laverne in the championship.
- Stevie Orr (Davenport): Could be on the verge of a monster season heading into his senior year. In three previous seasons, Orr has played in 42 games. Last season as a junior, Orr ran for 793 yards and 12 touchdowns on 124 carries, and captained the offense at quarterback solid efficiency with a 62.9 percent completion percentage. He completed 105 of 167 passes for 1,396 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he was picked off only three times.
- Jaxson Walker (Davenport): Walker was a tackling machine in 2017 with 146 takedowns. He also had three sacks and three interceptions to cap his sophomore campaign.
- Broady Parrick (Depew): The Hornets’ quarterback completed 44 of 75 passes for 817 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he mixed in 72 rushes for 738 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Aaron Nitka (Waurika): As a junior, Nitka did a little bit of everything. He passed for 1,767 yards and 23 touchdowns, and he even managed to haul in seven catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Nitka ran for six touchdowns, too.
- Bralyn Hill (Shattuck): Where do you need a playmaker? Plug Hill in at that spot. Sturdy enough to play on the offensive line (he will) and defensive front (there too). But he also comes up big for the Indians at linebacker and running back. One of those glue guys that championship teams can't do without.
District debriefs
B-1: Should we expect anything less than Laverne and Shattuck duking it out once again for district supremacy?
B-2: Should be a clash of the hyphenated consolidations this year. Kremlin-Hillsdale moves up from Class C, and it should challenge Pioneer-Pleasant Vale for the district crown.
B-3: Cason McLemore and Albert Suarez should give Cyril the inside edge to the district title. But don’t count out Carnegie, Snyder or Alex — teams that made B-3 one of the more balanced districts in Class B last year.
B-4: Bryson Johnson, Dakota Gupton and Braden Edens return on offense for Central Marlow, and Edens returns as the key cog on defense. But the district will have to improve its playoff showing in 2018 after going 0-4 last year. Maybe the addition of Empire will help.
B-5: Canadian and Wetumka shift over from District 6 as Allen moves up to Class A. Carson Thompson gives Canadian a big edge, but it was Wetumka that blew out Canadian, 46-0, last season.
B-6: Dewar returns but everyone else is new. Keota, Cave Springs, Gans, Arkoma and Porum are the Dragons' new challengers in 2018 and 2019.
B-7: Davenport’s defense appears poised to be pretty stout in 2018. Jaxson Walker, Jacob Acord, Wyatt Cross and Joseph Acord all had more than 72 tackles last season, and all return to form probably the best defensive unit in Class B.
B-8: Watts is the only returning team to B-8. The Engineers are joined by Foyil and Summit Christian who drop down from Class A, Oaks and South Coffeyville from B-7 and Regent Prep who climbs up a level from Class C.
What’s new? (coaches on the move)
- Yale has a new coach in Johnny Ray, who led Prue to a 10-3 record and the state quarterfinals last season.
- Blake Lamle went from Shattuck to Garber
- Bruce Harrell went from Empire to Sasakwa
- Larry Crenshaw went from Wetumka to Weleetka
- Trevor Knight went from Cyril to Balko
- Matt Garner went from Bray-Doyle to Cyril
- David Reid was hired at Weleetka
- Neal Bacon went from Depew to Chandler as an assistant
- Nick Hoover was hired at Depew
- Troy Bullard is once again Shattuck's head coach
Fun facts:
- Since 2003, either Shattuck or Laverne has won a state championship all but three times. The lone exceptions were 2009, 2010 and 2015.
Prediction time
Ben - One thing I know about Class B is to assume Davenport will always be really good | But even the Bulldogs will have their hands full with either Laverne or Shattuck this year | Going with Laverne to win the title and get revenge on Shattuck from last year's title game.
Swisher - A couple of storylines I'll be paying attention to: How does Shattuck do with the exit of Blake Lamle as head coach and does Lamle have an immediate impact at Garber? | Oh wait, Troy Bullard is the "new" coach at Shattuck. He did OK in his first tenure. Maybe the Indians will be just fine | Shattuck returns nearly every starter from a year ago. Don't listen to Ben. Laverne will not avenge. Indians win yet another football title.