And then there was one. It's been a long, tough football season, and I'm just a writer. Imagine what it's been like for the coaches, players and trainers.
From smoldering hot August two-a-days and scrimmages to shiveringly cold nights huddled in a press box in the middle of nowhere in November, the prep football season has finally come to an end for all but one of the area teams we cover here at The Transcript.
So first, let's congratulate Southmoore for making it to the Class 6A semifinals. I have to admit, I doubted the SaberCats could go from a 2-8 inaugral campaign to competing for a state title, but hey, I was wrong. No one doubted Southmoore's talent, though. Kendal Thompson's a great quarterback, and the SaberCats have plenty of guys making big plays every week. Norman North transfer Nyko Symonds has also had a nice season for Southmoore and, as the only team left from the western half of the state, the SaberCats will have a lot of fans next week when they take on Jenks.
Congratulations also go out to Community Christian. The Royals finished with the first perfect record in school history, 11-0, and won the Oklahoma Christian Schools Athletics Association state championship for the first time since 2006. As a coach once told me, "Any time you win your last game, it's a good season, especially if it's a playoff game."
Norman High fell one victory short of the playoffs this year, but rebounded from a 2-8 2008 season admirably, finishing 4-6 under second-year coach Greg Nation. Chad Anderson proved to be a pretty good quarterback, Jaime Myers turned into one of the most dangerous players in the state (no matter which side of the ball he was playing) and Donovan Roberts showed his explosive freshman season was no fluke. Roberts has the talent to become the best running back in the state, and he'll only be a junior next year. He and the Tigers will be exciting to watch in 2010.
Norman North's season was all about the second half.
The Timberwolves were 4-0 heading to Mustang Oct. 9, but finished out the year 0-5, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and ending a streak of two straight second-round finishes. But Daniel Davis will be back for North, and he's one of the most exciting defensive players in the state (he can catch the ball pretty well, too). Even better news for the T-Wolves, most of the offensive line (Caleb Cline, Riley Nolan and Nicolai Bell) will be back, hopefully opening up more holes for Raymond Demby.
Noble, well, to put it nicely, had a tough season.
The Bears finished 1-9 and never really found their groove after switching to the spread formation in the spring. Coach Ray Crawley didn't even know who his quarterback was going to be heading into fall practices, or if he even had one coming. After jumping on Tecumseh for a 20-0 lead in the first half of the opening game, it all went downhill for the Bears. Next year, though, they'll be more experienced and have a better grasp of football's new "it" system.
Little Axe's season is my favorite story I've covered in my six seasons of covering prep football. When I first got to The Transcript the Indians were the laughingstock of the area teams. Well, all it took was a former player to come into the system and bring heart, pride and a strong work ethic to the struggling program. Little Axe hosted its first playoff game (ever), and finished second in District 2A-2 with an 8-2 record thanks to Jones' ineligible quarterback. And the Indians have a lot of people coming back, so stay tuned. Next season could be even bigger.
Washington's streak of 18 straight playoff appearances looked over when the Warriors started the year 1-4. But coach Dennis McCray's squad fought back, finishing the regular season on a five-game winning streak and making it to the second round before falling to Millwood. The Warriors finished 7-5, and they'll have quarterback Dakota Treat back next year and a full season of experience in the flex-bone option under their belts.
It was business as usual at Purcell. The Dragons once again made the playoffs, competed for a district title and looked pretty darned good (at least when quarterback Cole Swayze wasn't sidelined for a couple weeks with an ankle injury). Purcell finished 9-3, falling in the second round to the freight train that is Cascia Hall. And Swayze will be back for his junior season in 2010. He's gonna be fun to watch when he's another year older and another year bigger.
This was our first year covering Lexington, but the Bulldogs proved to be a lot of fun to watch. They started the season 5-0, and barely fell at Millwood Oct. 9. Apparently coach Brad Beller stole the same Hawaiian statue Bob Stoops did, though, because the injuries hit and Lexington limped into the postseason before finally finishing 8-3 with a first-round exit. Beller's built quite a program, though, and I expect the Bulldogs to make plenty of noise next season, too.
Then there's Moore and Westmoore.
Both schools are rebuilding, and now the Jaguars are looking for a new coach.
Westmoore's 3-7 finish wasn't unexpected as it switched to the spread offense under first-year coach Chad Davis. But now, with Davis' departure, who knows what shape the Jags will be in next year?
Moore's in even worse shape. The Lions finished 0-10 and were really only in the season-opening Moore War. Coach Scott Myers has his work cut out for him as he tries to rebuild what was, not too long ago, one of the top programs in the western half.
Well, that's all of them.
Now it's time to hit the hardwood and watch some hoops. At least it'll be warmer.
Jeff Johncox 366-3535 jjohncox@normantranscript.com
