Ryan Aber: Power Lunch Chat transcript, August 30, 2012

The Oklahoman's Ryan Aber answered questions from readers in today's Power Lunch Chat. Participate in our Power Lunch Chats Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports.

How will Wayne do this season?

They're still going to be really, really good. They lose RB Josh Way but have a pretty good replacement No. 1 back in Louden Johnson. They also return Sam Martin at QB. I had them at No. 2 in the preseason rankings and I think the top two teams in Class A are in the same district.

I don't see Wayne being as great. They won't be able to for sure get that 3rd and 3 every time this year without Way.

They definitely lose some of the certainty Way brought but they're still going to be tough to deal with. That's an interesting district not only with Wayne and Wynnewood but also Caddo, Elmore City, etc.

If the Edmond schools weren't split up, do you believe they would have won a state championship by now?

Can't say for sure, obviously, but they'd have a great shot at one. Just look at how good Santa Fe and North were independently last year. It's not the star players that separate the teams on this side of the state from Union and Jenks (and now Broken Arrow). It's the depth, especially on the lines. A combined team would remedy that issue and they'd have the star power to go along with it.

The schools on this side of the state have made a philosophical decision to split that goes far beyond athletics, while the schools in the East, for the most part, have decided to grow from one school. There are certainly pros and cons each way.

Your thoughts on Jenks and Union playing two really good Texas teams?

I like the matchups like this and figure this is a pretty good year for those two teams to go down and compete against those top teams. They're both really, really good and don't figure to get much competition this year during their regular seasons. Jenks' offense is going to be fun to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing how that unit especially performs in an atmosphere like that.

Does Trey Knowles from Wynnewood have what it takes to be a D-1 athlete?

It's going to be tough for him but he's certainly helped his cause with the changes he underwent this summer. He lost weight and got faster. I think he's in for a really big season and could be a guy that someone takes a chance on late if he keeps up the work he's put in over the last few months.

What games are you all covering the next two days?

I'm going to Edmond Santa Fe at Midwest City tonight and Tulsa East Central at Del City tomorrow. Scott Wright has Norman-Norman North tonight and Douglass at Tulsa Washington tomorrow. Ed Godfrey has Heritage Hall at Casady tonight and Edmond Memorial-Edmond North tomorrow. We're also staffing McGuinness-Shawnee, Mustang-Yukon, Carl Albert-Southmoore and Westmoore-Moore.

Do you think the district title in district A-5 will come down to the Wayne and Wynnewood game again? If so will Wayne take the district title again for the third time or will Wynnewood steal it from Wayne?

Lot of A-5 questions today. Nothing wrong with that. I think there's no question that, barring unforeseen circumstances, that Wayne-Wynnewood game will decide the district yet again. I picked Wynnewood as the top team in Class A to start the season, so I'll go with the Savages, though it's a very tight race and with the game once again being played in Wayne, that could tilt things their way.

There's a huge difference between winning the district and finishing second, too. Just ask Wynnewood, who got saddled with the No. 2 draw last year and faced Woodland in the second round. This year, that could mean a second-round matchup against a team like Morrison on the road.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next