By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
For 40 athletes in basketball and 72 athletes in football, making the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State list is the culmination of a lot of hard work through an athlete’s respective career. Some will move on to play a certain sport of choice in college, while others will set aside their cleats and sneakers after the showcase and look for the niche’ somewhere else in life.
Regardless of the situation, the annual All-State Games are a one-stop shop for any football or basketball fan in order to see some of the best talent the Sooner State had to offer during the 2007-08 school year.
Along with the girls basketball, boys basketball, and football game, All-State competitions take place in baseball, golf, tennis, wrestling, swimming, cheerleading, and volleyball. As the Summer Olympiad approaches in Beijing, you could say this is an ample warm-up, an Oklahoma Olympiad of sorts.
At Carl Albert Fieldhouse in Midwest City, the girls and boys will get a chance to showcase their skills on July 30 and 31, respectively. On both nights, the small schools will tipoff at 7 p.m. with the large schools battling shortly following the conclusion of the small school game.
In the girls basketball game, the Large East squad led by Tennessee signing Alyssia Brewer (Sapulpa) will take on the Large West team, which is led by Washington bound Elizabeth Lay (OKC Southeast) in what seems to be a pretty even match-up on paper.
The small school game will precede the large school battle. The Small East is led by Kansas signing Angel Goodrich. Goodrich finished 18th in All-Time career points, while All-State teammate Katy Clift (Kiowa) finished 19th. Don’t count out the Small West squad. Fort Cobb-Broxton’s Autumn Klugh finished 11th in Oklahoma history for career points.
The Large East boys squad is led by Central Arkansas recruit Robert Crawford (Victory Christian), Missouri State bound Ken Holdman (Tulsa East Central), and Denver signing Tyler Thalken (Bishop Kelley). Jeffrey Merritt (Bishop McGuinness) is headed to Samford and leads the Large West.
In the boys’ small school game, the Small West squad probably wishes they would have divided the teams differently. The two top scorers in Oklahoma history and another Division I recruit are all on the same team.
Arkansas-bound Rotnei Clarke (Verdigris) and Oklahoma State bound Keiton Page (Pawnee) combined to score 7,467 points in high school, with Clarke breaking the all-time mark in the Area Tournament. Washington State recruit James Watson (Stringtown) has unlimited potential and joins the sharp-shooters on the Small West team.
On the gridiron, the West squad is led by Tulsa University recruit Trent Wilkins (Duncan) at quarterback, who combined for 3,239 yards and 41 touchdowns total as a senior. Oklahoma State recruit Justin Blackmon (Plainview) exploded onto the scene last season after his 1,547 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns along with having a yard per catch average of 25.3 as a senior.
Arkansas bound Nathan Stanley (Sequoyah-Tahlequah) is one of the three signal callers for the East. Durant’s Bo White rushed for 1,594 yards and 30 touchdowns at quarterback. Kansas State bound Kenny Sessions (Tulsa East Central) hopes to have a huge game behind White.
MaxPreps’ Oklahoma correspondent Scott Hansen will be on-hand for all of the action in the four basketball games and the All-State football game on Friday, Aug. 1 in Mustang.
All State Rosters
Girls Basketball All-State
Where: Carl Albert High School, Midwest City
What Time: Small- 7 p.m., Large 8:30 p.m.
Date: July 30
LARGE EAST: Alyssia Brewer (Sapulpa), Alixsandra Perkins (Tulsa Hale), Lauren Whitworth (Ada), Kendra Dean (Fort Gibson), Haleigh Lankster (Tulsa Washington), Liberty Payne (Perkins-Tryon), Ellen Traylor (Owasso), Melinda Mercado (Sapulpa), Brittany Johnson (Tulsa Edison), Cristy Nitz (Dewey). COACHES: Mark Campbell (Claremore, Head Coach), David Holt (McAlester, Assistant Coach).
LARGE WEST: Alyssa Hankins (Putnam City), Maggie Oliver (Elgin), Lacy Ramon (Norman), Elizabeth Lay (OKC Southeast), Courtney Allen (Harrah), Emily Davis (Guthrie), Sasha King (Norman), Courtney Harper (Weatherford), Logan Martin (Bethany), Porschea Jeffries (Del City). COACHES: Jackie Barrett (Lawton, Head Coach), Benny Russell (Pauls Valley, Assistant Coach).
SMALL EAST: Angel Goodrich (Sequoyah-Tahlequah), Savannah Hamilton (Preston), Ashley Hobbs (Pocola), Katy Clift (Kiowa), Lorin Hammer (Sequoyah-Tahlequah), Jessica Lankston (Kansas), Mallory Walker (Coalgate), Kait Heskett (Verdigris), Keri Rowan (Mason), Ashten Pfaff (Atoka). COACHES: Jay Depanion (Prague, Head Coach), Lisa Burton (Keys, Assistant Coach).
SMALL WEST: Krista Beaty (Washington), Autumn Klugh (Fort Cobb-Broxton), Sidney Rife (Beaver), Darcie Dick (Cordell), Rachel Wilczek (Lomega), Alyssa Fuxa (Garber), Ronita Coleman (Millwood), Tamara Brown (Sentinel), Korie Hargus (Amber-Pocasset), Carly Schnaithman (Garber). COACHES: Jeff Fletcher (Cyril, Head Coach), Sam Belcher (Amber-Pocasset, Assistant Coach).
Boys Basketball All-State
Where: Carl Albert High School, Midwest City
What Time: Small- 7 p.m., Large 8:30 p.m.
Date: July 31
LARGE EAST: Jamell Cormier (Stillwater), Ryan Keese (Fort Gibson), Wes May (Seminole), Ken Holdman (East Central), Blaise Voskuhl-Staab (Tulsa Memorial), Tyler Thalken (Bishop Kelley), Robert Crawford (Victory Christian), Chris Gardner (Broken Arrow), Kevin Rolland (Bristow), Sidney Hadnott (East Central). COACHES: Mike Parish (Tulsa Edison, Head Coach), Mark Smith, (Dewey, Assistant Coach).
LARGE WEST: Thomas Razor (Lawton), Shane Carroll (Mustang), Jacobi Isham (Lawton Eisenhower), Dennon Mitchell (Putnam City North), Ben Smith (OKC Southeast), Geo Brewer (Lawton MacArthur), Jeffrey Merritt (McGuinness), Chuck Sanders (Midwest City), Cory Nicholson (Harrah), Daniel White (Edmond Memorial). COACHES: Kyle Cudjoe (OKC Grant, Head Coach), Ricky Hull (Altus, Assistant Coach).
SMALL EAST: Keiton Page (Pawnee), Rotnei Clarke (Verdigris), James Watson (Stringtown), Kyle Bottger (Agra), Kenny Davis (Adair), Garrett Bishop (Kingston), Ryan Hudson (Preston), Adam Beck (Frontier), Kyle Billy (Rattan), Jordan Reed (Morris). COACHES: Brooks Cawhorn (Howe, Head Coach), Duane Jones (Keys, Assistant Coach).
SMALL WEST: Ethan Davis (Calumet), Trey Eason (Velma-Alma), Eric Garza (Chattanooga), Trent Lanie (Alva), Trey Long (Fargo), Zeke Zoschke (Thomas), Cody Bond (Garber), T.J. Williams (Apache), Dillon McGuire (Laverne), Justin Blackmon (Plainview). COACHES: Kirk Reimers (Snyder, Head Coach), Shane Feely (Okeene, Assistant Coach).
Football All-State
Where: Mustang High School
What Time: 8 p.m.
Date: Aug. 1
WEST OFFENSE
QB - Kyle Jech (Kingfisher), QB - Trent Wilkins (Duncan), RB - Dasor Horton (OKC Doulgass), RB - Dominic Williams (Ardmore), RB - Dustin McClenny (Rush Springs), WR - Justin Blackmon (Plainview), WR - Kenyad Blair (OKC Northeast), WR - James Winchester (Washington), WR - David James (Edmond Memorial), TE - Blake Holley (Shattuck), TE - Tucker Cason (Heritage Hall), OL - Gabe Moyer (McGuinness), OL - Jonathan Washington (Guthrie), OL - Derrick Jackson (Del City), OL - Schulyer Hamilton (Putnam City), OL - Tyson Yoder (Weatherford), OL - Ryan McCaul (Moore), OL - Matt Kovisto (Carl Albert), OL - Hawk Rouse - (Dickson).
WEST DEFENSE
DL - Jakob Gaither (Kingfisher), DL - Daniel Hakke (Cashion), DL - Jake Sinkula (McGuinness), DL - Cooper Bassett (Tuttle), DL - Billy Lathrop (Edmond Memorial), DL - Hernando Duran (Texhoma), LB - Tyson Gale (Alva), LB - Brayden Lockhart (Clinton), LB - Tanica Spray (Anadarko), LB - Jack Dumas (Guthrie), LB - Chase Lamle (Okeene), DB - J.P. Grasmick (Bethany), DB - Craig Ralls (Westmoore), DB - Dominique Whaley (Lawton MacArthur), DB - John Flanders (Midwest City), DB – Jo Jo Durham (Western Heights), DB - Austin Giles (Lawton Mac).
WEST COACHES
Chuck Goodner (Medford), Kent Jackson (Anadarko), Corey Cole (Plainview), Mark Ryan (Western Heights).
EAST OFFENSE
QB - Bo White (Durant), QB - Lane White (Stillwater), QB - Nathan Stanley (Sequoyah-Tahlequah), RB - Kenny Sessions (Tulsa East Central), RB - Willy Gould (Ada), WR - Grant Field (Stillwater), WR - Tyler Atkinson (Union), WR - Jermaine Sherman (Wagoner), WR - Taylor Antle (Foyil), WR - Beau Brannon (Muldrow), WR - Micah Robertson (Broken Arrow), TE - Kyle Beam (Broken Bow), TE - Trey Lippe (Vinita), OL - Cory Dorris (Jenks), OL - Jesse Stuart (Davenport), OL - Matt Richardson (Sallisaw), OL - Danny Crittenden (Commerce), OL - Andrew Rogers (Tulsa East Central), OL - Jesse Renschler (Sapulpa), OL - Jerry Dix (Talihina).
EAST DEFENSE
DL - Alex Matunas (Glenpool), DL - Zach Wallace (Hilldale), DL - John Moellers (Cascia Hall), DL - Zac Allison (Blackwell), DL - Brent Trujillo (Tonkawa), DL - Erich Foor (McAlester), LB - Clay Agent (Sallisaw), LB - Matt Copeland (Owasso), LB - Travon Brooks (Muskogee), LB - Beau Bentley (Bixby), LB - Cory Park (Sequoyah-Claremore), DB - Jamel Rucker (Morris), DB - Ricky Holba (Morrison), DB - Justin Klusak (McAlester), DB - Zach Herren (Jenks), DB - Brendan Jackson (Owasso), DB - Dolphin Davis (BTW)
EAST COACHES
Virgil Terry (Sallisaw), Larry Bookout (Morris), Glennis Ring (Durant), Randy Robinson (Owasso).
Scott Hansen: maxprepsok@sbcglobal.net
