It's been a rough varsity career for Norman High's Kyle Carter.
The defensive back/receiver tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2008 and missed the season. Then, in practice earlier this week, he tore the other one.
"It's a really tough thing," NHS coach Greg Nation said.
The Tigers haven't made any definitive decisions on who might replace him full time, but Carter and Jaime Myers both played flanker, the receiver position that lines up on the same side as the tight end.
Both were used in the preseason and in last week's Crosstown Clash to carry the ball on reverses.
"We're moving some people around," Nation said. "We have some backups who are going to have to step up."
The Peoples back
Richard Peoples may not be the best-known running back in Norman North's new rotation, but he put on a nice show in last week's Crosstown Clash.
Peoples ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, including a breakaway 42-yard scamper in the second half that he followed with a 9-yard touchdown run to put the game away.
"He's the fastest guy on the team, at least according to 40 time," North coach Lance Manning said. "Richard's a team player. He understands we're going to have a rotation. It just so happens the other kids were on defense and he got the most reps."
Beating the cramps
There was a lot of cramping going on in Week 1, and NHS experienced some of the worst of it.
Having to substitute inexperienced players for the cramping starters certainly contributed some to the Tigers' lopsided loss to Norman North, but it wasn't lack of conditioning or lack of hydration that proved to be the culprit.
"A lot of it is diet, what they eat," Nation said. "One guy cramped up, we asked him what he ate before the game and he said a double cheeseburger. You can't do that because of the sodium and stuff in the meat. You have to be smarter than that."
Bananas are a good source of potassium, and therefore good pregame food.
Nation said the Tigers' coaching staff is going to watch what the players eat before games more closely, hopefully curbing a repeat of last week's issues.
Slow process
Southmoore received some good news this week when it found out senior tight end Austin Haywood (6-foot-4, 248), was cleared to play this season by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.
Haywood has been at Southmoore since last year, when he moved into the Moore district from Anadarko. Despite playing basketball for the Cats last season, his residency came under question by the OSSAA.
Also cleared to play was Brandon Hayward. The 5-foot-9, 166-pound senior transferred from Louisiana. He arrived in January and will be on the field tonight against Westmoore.
"Brandon provides valuable depth as a defensive back and wide receiver," Southmoore coach Jensen said. "He also plays on many of our special teams."
Heading into its second game, Southmoore is still waiting on clearance from the OSSAA on four other players. Six players sat out last week against Edmond Memorial.
-- Jeff Johncox -- Michael Kinney
Local Sports
September 11, 2009
A tough break for NHS' Carter
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Cats tame Tigers
MOORE — Coach Wes Clark didn’t want the game to turn into a track meet. He believed Norman High had a shot to knock off Southmoore if he could slow the game down to a crawl.
The strategy worked … for a quarter. But after Southmoore’s athletes were unleashed, they cruised past the Tigers 59-36 Tuesday. -
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NHS battles, but North rules mat
Norman North, as expected, claimed Tuesday night’s mat edition of the Crosstown Clash.
Yet, getting past the Tigers by the slim margin of 42-31, it might have been Norman High coach Bo Maynes who exited the NHS Gym with the bigger bounce in his step. - More Local Sports Headlines
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