PODCAST: Time to tackle some public/private discussion

7/18/2019 |  Ben Johnson

We finally took the plunge and did a deep dive into the long-standing public schools vs. private schools debate in Oklahoma. Cashion head football coach (and athletic director) Lynn Shackelford (24:45) joined us to share his thoughts from the public side, and Bishop Kelley athletic director Lance Parks (46:24) offered up some insight from the private school side.

Regardless of which side you're on, both make great points. Both have valid arguments. 

Also, we talk about some recent football commitments, including Broken Arrow's Andrew Raym siding with the Sooners. The chat briefly about OSU's recruiting class after Bixby's Brennan Presley vowed his commitment to the Cowboys.

But perhaps most importantly, we talked food (5:46). Is there a place that we think is overrated? Underrated? FYI: We talked pizza!

Have your own thoughts on food or the public/private debate? Tweet us at @benjohnsontul or @michaelswisher. 

Or send us an email at ben@skordle.com & we'll answer any questions or read comments on the next podcast.

Thanks so much for listening!

Just in case, a few more options to listen to the podcast....

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On Apple Podcasts 

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NEW PODCAST: Spring sports spotlight and much more

5/10/2019 |  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

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

Oklahoma Union taking over in OKC

Fastpitch | 10/4/2018 | Ben Johnson | Tulsa World

Week 5 Player of the Week Poll

10/1/2018 |  Ben Johnson

The Skordle Week 5 Player of the Week poll is sponsored by:

Noah Cortes (Broken Arrow) - Senior tailback rushed for 200 yards and a single-game school-record six touchdowns on 14 carries in the Tigers’ 63-7 win over Norman.

Cameron Gunville (Seminole) - Junior tailback rushed for 319 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries in the Chieftains’ 50-31 victory over Lincoln Christian.

Corey Ramsey (Okemah) - Senior running back rushed for 359 yards and seven touchdowns on 16 carries in the Panthers’ 70-32 victory over Holdenville.

Brant Hager (Verdigris) - Junior quarterback completed 22 of 33 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns. Also rushed for 24 yards and one touchdown in the Cardinals’ 45-35 win over Vinita.

Austin Hines (Adair) - Senior quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for 496 yards and seven touchdowns in the Warriors’ 48-21 win over Wyandotte..

Tayden Lucero (Haskell) - Senior quarterback had 23 carries for 271 yards and four touchdowns, and also completed 9 of 17 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown. On defense, had 10 tackles and an 81-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Haymakers’ 44-16 win over Dewey.

Stevie Orr (Davenport) - Senior quarterback rushed for 123 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries. Completed 20 of 34 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 50-38 win over Dewar.

Josiah Markum (Okla. Christian Academy) - Senor tight end caught nine passes for 398 yards and seven touchdowns. On defense, he finished with four tackle, one interception, one sack, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery in OCA’s 63-42 win over Northeast.

Honorable Mention

Nick Jones (Eufaula) - Rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass in only one half against Hartshorne in the Ironheads’ 41-6 win.

Michelle Artzberger (Lawton Mac) - Caught eight passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Also had six tackles on defense in the Highlanders’ 48-0 win over Southeast.

Cade Shropshire QB (Checotah) - Passed for 172 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries in the Wildcats’ 55-26 win over Okmulgee.

Wyatt Conley (Minco) - Passed for 148 yards and one touchdown and also ran for one touchdown. On defense, had an 18-yard interception return for a touchdown in Minco’s 34-8 win over Watonga.

Laquan Wells (Idabel) - Passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns in the Warriors’ 70-12 win over Webster.

Dae Dae Leathers (Tahlequah) - Rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in Tahlequah’s 14-7 win over Skiatook.

Danny Brockup (Inola) - Senior running back scored three touchdowns while rushing for 176 yards on 20 carries. Also had one catch for 45 yards in the Longhorns’ 42-0 win over Claremore Sequoyah.

Andrew Crow (Victory Christian) - Rushed for five touchdowns on offense and had two interceptions on defense in the Eagles’ 54-0 win over Fairland.

Garrett Williams (Victory Christian) - Threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns, also rushed seven times for 58 yards and two touchdowns in the Conquerors’ 63-16 victory over Morris.

Jaxon Canard (OCS) - Rushed for 182 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries in the Saints’ 42-22 win over Newkirk.

Senior LB/WR Jonathan Buskirk (Regent Prep) - Had 15 tackles and three tackles for loss on defense. On offense, had two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in Regent Prep’s 32-22 win over Yale.

Michael Marin (Barnsdall) JR RB - Junior tailback had 244 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in the Panthers’ 50-36 win over Langston Hughes.

Qwontrel Walker (Stillwater) - Rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Also had a 44-yard touchdown reception in the Pioneers’ 31-13 win over Midwest City.

Will Dunigan (Spiro) - Caught five passes for 130 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he had 14 tackles in Spiro’s 47-14 win over Westville.

Shade Watie (Tahlequah Sequoyah) - Rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. Also had six catches for 77 yards and one touchdown in the Indians’ 34-13 win over Pocola.

Drake Roush (Holland Hall) - Completed 14 of 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Also had eight tackles on defense in a 49-21 win for the Dutch over Keys.

Conner Carey (Heritage Hall) - Rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Also had three catches for 86 yards in the Chargers’ 27-20 win over John Marshall.

Nate Asbill (Sallisaw) - Rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns in the Black Diamonds’ 42-21 win over Stilwell.

OLB Cole McMurphy (Crossings Chr) - Recorded 17 tackles and a touchdown off his own blocked punt in Crossings Christian’s 16-14 win over Crescent. 

Makai Blades (Glenpool) - Rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries in the Warriors’ 66-0 win over Hale.

Collin Oliver (Edmond Santa Fe) - Recorded 17 tackles, three tackles for loss, one tackle for a safety and a fumble recovery in the Wolves’ 30-14 win over Yukon.

Blake Lair (Coweta) - Caught six passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 41-7 win over Durant.

Jahkobie Smith (Del City) - Completed 17 of 22 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns in Del City’s 49-13 win over Putnam City West.

Jeff Foreman (Del City) - Caught 10 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 49-13 win over PC West.

Miles Davis (Lawton) - Rushed for 256 yards and a touchdowns on 35 carries in the Wolverines’ 34-17 win over Deer Creek. 

Trenton Skinner (Shawnee) - Caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Also threw a touchdown pass in the Wolves’ 32-27 win over Ponca City.

Brennan Presley (Bixby) - Caught three passed for 51 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 25 yards. Even completed a pass for 34 yards. On defense, he had a 36-yard interception return in the Spartans’ 21-7 win over Booker T. Washington.

Jimmie Coleman (Muskogee) - Rushed for 206 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries. Also caught three passes for 49 yards in the Roughers’ 45-27 win over Sand Springs.

Class 2A preview

7/6/2018 |  Ben Johnson

Look back at 2017

2017 district champs

2A-1: Chisholm - The Longhorns were golden when they weren't facing Washington in 2017. Luckily for them, Washington was in a different district, so Chisholm made an unbeaten 6-0 run through A-1 last season, including a 33-21 victory over Alva in October. But unfortuntaely for Chisholm, its only two losses were to Washington in non-district play in September and then in the second round of the playoffs in November.

2A-2: Millwood - A machine -- that's what Millwood was in 2017. The Falcons scored no fewer than 37 points in all 14 of their games, and they never gave up more than 18. That's pure dominance. And to cap it all off, Millwood outscored its opponents 228 to 7 in the postseason.

2A-3: Lindsay - The Leopards were hard to get a read on in 2017, but they finished atop 2A-3 by the end of the regular season. A 27-21 loss to Hobart landed Lindsay in a tie atop the district with Washington, but the Leopards followed that loss with a 38-21 victory over Washington to claim the tiebreaker. But while Washington was making a run to the state championship game, Lindsay ended up with a second-round loss to Alva to cap a 7-5 season.

2A-4: Davis - Head coach Jody Weber capped his 17-year run as the Wolves' head coach with the program's 34th district title. Davis knocked off every 2A opponent it faced in 2017 until it clashed with Washington in the semifinals. 

2A-5: Vian - The Wolverines coasted in 2A-5 play, winning all five contests comfortable. The closest was a 26-12 win over Okemah in late October. The district title segued into playoff wins over Panama and Victory Christian and the first two rounds, but then Millwood was waiting in the quarterfinals to pull the plug on Vian's postseason run.

2A-6: Valliant - Really only one word sums up 2A-6 in 2017: craziness. Five -- yes, five! -- teams finished atop the district standings at 4-2. It was Valliant that ended up with its fifth district crown, and then there was Hartshorne that missed the playoffs altogether. Valliant, Spiro and Antlers all won their first round playoff matchups, but none of the three advanced past the second round.

2A-7: Holland Hall - It was the first district championship for the Dutch, a team that had joined the OSSAA ranks in 2016 after transitioning over from the Southwest Preparatory Conference with mostly Texas teams. Holland Hall looked like a potential opponent for Millwood in the finals, but a furious comeback by Davis in the quarterfinals ended the Dutch's postseason run.

2A-8: Adair - The Warriors picked up their seventh straight district title, thanks in large part to a 36-14 win over Commerce in the final week of the regular season. Adair marched into the quarterfinals, where Alva dispatched the Warriors with a 40-8 rout.

Talking title game: Millwood 42, Washington 7