MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week: Union football

Ask anyone around football in Oklahoma and the answer will always be the same.

Winning never gets old.

It certainly doesn’t for Kirk Fridrich and his Union (Tulsa) Redskins, who have won at least 10 games nine times in the last 10 years and appear well on their way following a 58-0 win over Bartlesville.

Since 2004, Fridrich has led the Redskins to a rather remarkable 114-16 record, including 6-2 in 2013. They won five state titles in that span.

For their win over Bartlesville and their perennial excellence, Union has been selected the MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.

"We probably played this team just about as well as we've played all season," said Fridrich. "Special teams does a great job at making big plays and creating opportunities for our offense. As a group, we played focused and sharp. We are playing very well together as a group."

The victory was Union’s sixth straight following back-to-back losses to open the season: 44-20 to nationally-ranked DeSoto (Texas) and 27-23 to archrival Jenks.

Over the last four games, the Redskins have outscored their opponents 235-27.

"Our team has a focus and mindset of preparing for playoffs every week," said Fridrich. "We try to create mistakes for the other teams and try to create opportunities for us. It doesn't necessarily matter who our opponent is each week, we try to stay sharp and focused."

Tyler Adkins continued his remarkable sophomore season against Bartlesville with 23 carries for 284 yards and six touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder now has 1,019 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Mason Farquhar was supremely efficient, completing 15 of 21 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown, that going to Adkins. Will Hamilton led the squad with five catches for 72 yards.

Junior Colton King was extremely active on defense with 14 tackles, Colby Evans added 11 and Chance Wenglewski added eight.

Senior JoJo Ogundare contributed three of the team’s eight sacks and Robert Thomas added an interception.

Farquhar has thrown for 1,458 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season and Jeffery Mead leads the team in catches with 39 for 748 yards and nine touchdowns. Evans leads the team in tackles at 13.4 per game.

Union, which is after its seventh state title, travels to Washington Friday to face a tough Hornets squad which is ranked 14th in the state. Union, which sports a staggering 150-man roster, is No. 2.

"At Union High School we feel like we are judged by state championships," said Fridrich. "For us, our goal is definitely to have an opportunity to play for a championship again. A big marker for our kids and what they are pushing for each week is to get to a championship."

MaxPreps editorial assistant Kirstin Beal contributed to this report.

Do you know a team that deserves consideration for Oklahoma Team of the Week? Email us with your nominations at OKteamoftheweek@maxpreps.com.