MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week: Wright Christian football

It's hard to imagine that coach Daniel Miller wished for a better way for his Wright Christian (Tulsa) eight-man football team to start the season on Friday night.

The Wildcats scored at least two touchdowns in every period and received a huge contribution from senior quarterback Logan Bowline in a 75-42 win over visiting Tyro Christian.

For their superb start, the Wright Christian Academy Wildcats were selected as the MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.

Bowline, a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder, rushed for 112 yards and four touchdowns and completed 14 passes for 178 yards and three more scores as Wright Christian raced to a 33-14 halftime lead and never let up.

"Offensively, we tried to spread them out and take advantage of some mismatches," said Miller. "We knew there would be some things open for us because of certain defensive alignments. I think we did a pretty good job of distributing the ball around. But you have to remember, we had four scores from our defense and special teams, so it was a complete team effort."

Sophomore receiver and linebacker Christian Palmer caught two scoring passes and sophomore Austin Thomas contributed 22 tackles leading the Wildcats to the resounding victory.

Last year in the school's inaugural football season, Wright Christian finished 4-5 and opened the season with a 38-30 win over Tyro. The Wildcats' high offensive output last season was 55.

On Friday, the Wildcats also received huge contributions from junior Cody Walden who caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown and contributed 14 tackles.

Palmer and junior J.C. Clements also added 13 tackles apiece.

Besides all of his contributions at quarterback, Bowline added 164 yards of kick return yardage. The team captain and two-year starter at quarterback also had an interception on defense, four pass deflections, a fumble recover and was the team's punter.

"(Bowline) is one of those kids that has the desire to be the best at everything he does," said Miller. "He always pushes himself in practice and can be hard on himself when he makes a mistake. He is one of the few players I've ever had that asked for more conditioning because he knows it will make us better as a team. He is really what makes our offense go.

"He has always been a good athlete, but his passing has improved dramatically over the last year and when you have a mobile quarterback who can also pass effectively, it can be dangerous."

Wright Christian continues its season on Thursday by traveling to Cookson Hills Christian (Kansas, Okla.), which has already played three games.

Cookson Hills is 1-2 having lost to Destiny Christian last week. The team's lone win is a 48-12 win over Boulevard Christian.

"Last year was our first year to play football and we never really established an identity for our team," said Miller. "That is one of the main differences from last year. Now we know who we are and what we are trying to accomplish. I really think that played a huge part in our first win this year."

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