Oklahoma Football Preview: The Centennial

Aikman, Selmon, Thorpe just a few that called Oklahoma home.

Print E-mail

By Scott Hansen

MaxPreps.com

2007 MaxPreps Oklahoma High School Football Preview

The Preview Schedule

Aug 2- Oklahoma All-State team, top players from all classes

Aug 3- Class 6A/5A Preview

Aug 6- Class 4A/3A Preview

Aug 7- Class 2A/A Preview

Aug 8- Oklahoma Eight-Man Preview

Oklahoma is in its Centennial year, celebrating its 100th year of statehood. As the Sooner State embarks into its second century, high school football will remain imbedded in its culture. From towns big or small, high school football has produced some of the most prominent Oklahomans in its 100-year history.

- Henryetta produced Troy Aikman, who went to Oklahoma to run the wishbone before transferring to UCLA and eventually becoming in the top pick in the NFL Draft.

- Ever hear of Jim Thorpe? He, too, came into the national spotlight from Oklahoma.

- Lee Roy Selmon, the No. 1 pick in the 1976 draft and the first-ever pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selmon played high school football in Eufaula.

- Steve Largent was the all-time NFL leader in four categories when he retired in 1992 after playing for the Seattle Seahawks before being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Largent plied his trade for Putnam City before heading to Tulsa.

- Will Shields went to 12-straight Pro Bowls starting in 1995 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, before retiring after the 2006 season. Shields was an All-State selection at Lawton High School before heading to Nebraska.

The University of Oklahoma has produced four Heisman Trophy winners in its illustrious history, three being from in-state. Jason White (Tuttle, winner in 2003), Steve Owens (Gore, 1969), and Billy Vessels (Cleveland, 1952) all played their high school football in Oklahoma.

As for the top programs, there are no shortage of elite high school programs in the Sooner State.

Jenks has won 11 state titles in its illustrious history. Head Coach Allan Trimble is 134-14 heading into his 12th season at the helm of the Trojans. Amongst their most impressive run was from 1996-2001, where the Trimble-led Trojans won six-straight Class 6A titles.

Carl Albert has won nine state titles since 1989 operating mainly out of Class 5A. Pretty amazing considering Carl Albert's enrollment hovers in the neighborhood of 1,000. Carl Albert also won five consecutive titles from 1997-2001.

Morrison is arguably the top eight-man program in nation. Since winning their first gold ball in 1984, the Wildcats have made a habit of winning state titles. Morrison has won 12 eight-man titles. 2007 could be their final season in eight-man, as Morrison is pondering a move to 11-man football next season. Morrison is the state-record holder for consecutive victories with 90.

Clinton has won 14 state titles in its illustrious history and owns the third-highest win total in Oklahoma state history. Heading into the 2007 season, the Red Tornadoes are nine wins shy of 700 all-time victories. Only Ada and Lawton have more.

Some would argue that Ada has the top program in state history since day one. No program has won more games (722) than the Cougars. Ada has won 19 state football titles, but have not won one since 1995.

Heading into the 2007 season, another eight-man powerhouse is riding an impressive winning streak. Shattuck has reigned victorious in 55 consecutive games. The Indians have four-straight titles in Class C and will be a force once again and could eventually push Morrison's streak.

Lawton Eisenhower, officially, is the only known Oklahoma program to bring home a mythical national championship. In 1990, the Eagles were named as National Champions by the USA Today. The Eagles outscored their opponents 476-110 during their title run.

What will 2007 bring as Oklahoma embarks on its epic journey into another century? It appears Jenks is loaded and ready for another run at the gold ball in Class 6A, while Carl Albert could have one of the best teams in any class in 5A.

It appears to be the year of the quarterback in Oklahoma. Sequoyah-Tahlequah's Nathan Stanley, Jenks' Mark Ginther, Adair's Kenny Davis, and Chickasha's Wyatt Kinnamon are all on the radar of plenty of major Division I schools.

Who will be the 2007 version of Derrick Locke? Last season, Locke rushed for 3,275 yards and 47 touchdowns for Hugo before committing to Kentucky in June. Crescent's Shelby Hill could be the chosen one, featuring immense talent the Class A school. In just nine games last season, Hill rushed for 1,429 yards and 24 touchdowns despite splitting carries at running back.

What about the situation at Tulsa Union? The one-year experiment with Kevin Wright, brought in to carry on the tradition from Warren Central in Indianapolis finished with a 7-4 season and a first-round playoff loss. Kirk Fridrich comes `home' from Owasso to resurrect Union and has plenty of weapons to win their fourth title this decade. Quarterback Brandon Rodgers is good enough to put his name into the equation as one of the state's top quarterbacks with a good senior campaign.

Who will emerge as the next big thing in Oklahoma, following in the footsteps of Millwood's Gerald Jones last season, and Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma City Southeast in 2005? Muskogee wide receiver Jameel Owens has schools such as Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma already offering. Owens was forced to play some quarterback as a junior and only produced 18 receptions for six touchdowns last season. As a ninth-grader, Owens hauled in nine touchdown receptions.

The Class of 2009 is also expected to produce some of the top talent in the nation. Oklahoma Christian School junior quarterback Landon Greve was one of two quarterbacks in the state to throw over 3,000 yards last season. Greve eclipsed the 350-yard plateau four times as a sophomore. Carl Albert's David Oku already has offers from Auburn, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and Texas Tech and has yet to play a game in his junior season. Oku rushed for 1,462 yards and 17 touchdowns last season for the Titans. Tulsa Union running back Jeremy Smith is another prospect to keep an eye on.

2007 is destined to become a memorable season in Oklahoma high school history. Stay tuned throughout the campaign.

Can't Miss Games

August 30

Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst at Edmond Santa Fe

Lawton MacArthur at Springdale (Ark.)

August 31

Westmoore vs. Moore (The Moore War)

Tulsa Washington at Carl Albert

Weatherford at Clinton

Bethany at Washington

Wewoka at Seminole

September 1

Tulsa Union at Canton (Ohio) McKinley

September 7

Jenks vs. Tulsa Union at Skelly Stadium (Tulsa)

Muskogee at Norman North

Ada at Carl Albert

Davis at Sulphur

September 8

Douglass at Millwood (The Soul Bowl)

September 14

Lawton Eisenhower vs. Lawton MacArthur at Cameron Stadium

Edmond Santa Fe vs. Edmond Memorial at Wantland Stadium (UCO)

Heritage Hall (OKC) at Davis

Millwood at Bishop McGuinness

Tulsa Union at Muskogee

September 21

Jenks at Booker T. Washington

September 28

Shawnee at Bixby

October 5

Jenks at Muskogee

Newcastle at Tuttle

Adair at Sequoyah-Tahlequah

Jones at Oklahoma Christian School

October 11

Mustang at Norman North

October 12

Lawton Eisenhower at Midwest City

Duncan at Altus

Chandler at Henryetta

Broken Bow at Idabel

October 18

Midwest City at Westmoore

Locust Grove at Blackwell

Broken Bow at Poteau

October 26

Guthrie at Carl Albert

Weatherford at Elk City

November 2

McAlester at Ada

Kingfisher at Clinton

Washington at Rush Springs

This and That.

2007 Oklahoma High School Football Playoff Schedule

Nov 9-10- First Round (All Classes)

Nov 16-17- Second Round (All Classes)

Nov 23-24-Semifinals (Class 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, B, C)/ Quarterfinals (Class 2A and A)

Nov 30-Dec1- Finals (Class 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, B, C)/ Semifinals (Class 2A and A)

Dec 7-8- Finals (Class 2A and A)

Semifinals and Finals are held at neutral venues to be determined by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association at a later date.

2008 Army All-American Bowl Nominees

Tony Gillespie- DT- Jenks

Harrison Jeffers- RB- Lawton Eisenhower

Joe King- OL- Putnam City North

Kenny King- RB- Tulsa Hale

Wyatt Kinnamon- QB- Chickasha

Stacey McGee- DT- Muskogee

Jameel Owens- WR- Muskogee

Michael Roberts- ATH- Ada

John Scheffey- DL- Edmond Santa Fe

Kenny Session- RB- Tulsa East Central

*Kye Staley- ATH- Guthrie

Demario Stewart- WR- Douglass (OKC)

John Williams- OL- Booker T. Washington

*Guthrie's Kye Staley is the only known invitee from Oklahoma that will be participating in the inaugural ESPNU All-American game, scheduled to take place on Jan. 5, 2008 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Oklahomans in the National Record Book

UNDEFEATED TEAMS (CONSECUTIVE SEASONS)

RECORD HOLDER- 12 Concord De La Salle, CA (1992-2003)

7 Oklahoma City Douglass (1949-55)

WINS (All-Time)

RECORD HOLDER- 829 Valdosta, GA (1913-2006, 828-179-34)

722 Ada (1912-2006, 722-282-24)

703 Lawton (1902-2006, 695-310-34)

691 Clinton (1919-2006, 682-242-38)

MOST POINTS (GAME)

RECORD HOLDER- 256 Haven, KS vs. Sylvia, KS, 11-16, 1927

219 Stigler vs. Ft. Gibson, 1924

MOST FIELD GOALS (CAREER)

RECORD HOLDER- 50- Jimmy Stevens (Oklahoma City Heritage Hall), 2003-06

(SEASON)

RECORD HOLDER- 22 Jimmy Stevens (Oklahoma City Heritage Hall), 2005

EXTRA POINTS MADE (CAREER)

RECORD HOLDER- 350 Tyler Lewis (Albemarle, NC), 2000-03

217 Mike Wilson (Marlow Central), 1992-95

RUSHING YARDS (CAREER)

RECORD HOLDER- 8,625 Demetrius Campbell (Alexandria, AL), 1994-97

7,656 Steve Tate (Luther, OK), 1973-76

RUSHING YARDS (SEASON)

RECORD HOLDER-4,756 John Giannantonio (Netcong, NJ), 1950

3,383 Steve Tate (Luther), 1975

*Note: Courtney Tenniel (Glenpool, 2002) and Derrick Locke (Hugo, 2006) are not included in the National Record book for plus 3,000-yard rushers. Tenniel rushed for 3,231 in 2002, while Locke's rushed for 3,275 last season.

FIELD GOALS (GAME)

RECORD HOLDER- 9 Dominic Gutierrez (Albuquerque Menaul, NM) vs. Newcombe,

5 Jimmy Stevens (Oklahoma City Heritage Hall) vs. Prague, 2005 (5 field goals, 3 extra points)

LONGEST FIELD GOAL

RECORD HOLDER- 68 Dirk Borgognone (Reno, NV) vs. Sparks, NV, 1985

63 Tim Sydnes (Putnam City West), 1994

CARRIES (GAME)

72 Russell Gunter (Andalusia Straughn, AL) vs. Coffee Springs, AL, 1986 (331 yards)

62 Roy Ensey (Snyder) vs. Hollis, 1963

PASSING YARDS (CAREER)

RECORD HOLDER- 17,364 Ben Mauk (Kenton, OH), 1999-2002

9,574 Paul Smith (Deer Creek/Owasso), 1999-2002

7,095 Cale Gundy (Midwest City), 1988-90

The Oklahoman Centennial Top Sports Teams List

On July 27, legendary sports writer Berry Tramel released Oklahoma's best 100 teams in sports history as part of series celebrating the state's centennial. 11 high school football teams from the state made the Top 100 list, led by the 1950 Muskogee team that finished 13-0 and second in Tramel's list behind the 1974 Oklahoma Sooners.

The list included:

2. 1950 Muskogee football: 13-0
9. 1997 Jenks: 14-0
13. 1977 Putnam City: 13-0
21. 1987 Lawton: 14-0
23. 1932 Shawnee: 11-0-1
43. 1969 Tulsa Washington: 11-0
49. 1921 Sapulpa: 12-1
53. 1990 Lawton Eisenhower: 14-0
62. 1957 Ada: 13-0
77. 1917 Oklahoma City Central: 11-0
81. 1995 Midwest City: 14-0