Enrollment numbers shaking things up...

By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in, hope everybody is doing fine. We’re just getting ready for the fall season to begin just like everybody else.

In the meantime, the OSSAA released the newest Average Daily Membership report this week, and there were definitely some movers.

The changes go into effect for all sports this season, except for football. Football will change next season.

Up top, the biggest news is the addition of Shawnee and Bixby to Class 6A. Tulsa East Central and Tulsa Memorial will both be dropping to 5A.

Since Shawnee is the old stomping grounds, spoke with softball/baseball coach Todd Boyer and boys basketball coach Ron Arthur about their feelings on moving on up.

Arthur said the biggest difference is the size of the players. Shawnee was already a pretty small team for a 5A school, but it just became a little bit smaller with the bump up.

He also said the biggest thing is really a mental block. “The mentality is something we’ll have to deal with. Sometimes you get caught up with the number before the “A,” and you can’t do that.”

It’s not just a challenge for the players moving up, it’s also a challenge for the coaches to get the kids prepared right, Arthur said.

The Boyer family seems like it’s been in Shawnee for ages, and Todd Boyer is taking the transition in stride.

He said the only real noticeable difference for baseball is a depth issue. Class 6A schools normally just have more depth than most of the other schools.

Boyer was around when Shawnee made this jump in the early ’90s from 4A to 6A and subsequent drop to 5A.

Other things that caught the Boneman’s eye:

With Tulsa East Central and Tulsa Memorial dropping, how loaded is 5A for boys basketball? That’ll be some kind of battle if teams like Carl Albert and Guthrie can maintain their levels of success. Throw in Tulsa Edison and Kelley, and that’s a pretty intimidating group right there.