In Focus: Class 3A-A finals...
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
CLASS 3A
KINGFISHER YELLOWJACKETS
Record: 10-3
Ranking: Unranked
Coach: Jeff Myers, seventh season at Kingfisher
Previous state titles: 2003 (3A)
Road to 2010 finals: Beat Perkins-Tryon 55-21, beat Tuttle 14-8, beat Beggs 49-21, beat Metro Christian 33-6
2009 record (playoffs): 12-3 (Beat Lexington 24-3, beat Bridge Creek 33-32, beat Sperry 35-14, beat Millwood 27-12, lost to Lincoln Christian 35-0)
Last week: Landon Nault, a freshman, ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns as the Yellowjackets dominated to advance to the state title game for the third time in four seasons.
Player to watch: Derek Patterson, QB. The senior has more than 1,100 yards rushing and 1,700 yards passing. In the win over Beggs, he accounted for four touchdowns and more than 300 total yards. Last week, Patterson was 10 of 14 through the air for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Notable: Landon Nault ran for nearly 200 yards in the second half last week, including touchdown runs of 80 and 83 yards. He scored three touchdowns the previous week against Beggs. … Jeremy Smith and Logan Nault are the Yellowjackets leading receivers with more than 500 yards each. Smith is over 600. … Dustin Isom and Jake Blair are Kingfisher’s leading tacklers. … Patterson also handles the punting duties. … The Yellowjackets have scored 32 or more points in all of their wins this season but one, the second-round win at Tuttle. … Two of Kingfisher’s three losses came to fellow Class 3A semifinalists Bethany (27-12 on Oct. 15) and Heritage Hall (42-14 on Nov. 5). … Lost to Heritage Hall in the regular season in each of the last three seasons. … Last win over Heritage Hall came in 1984, when Kingfisher won 27-7 during the regular season. Kingfisher is 1-4 all-time against Heritage Hall. The teams’ other meeting came in 1985.
HERITAGE HALL CHARGERS
Record: 14-0
Ranking: No. 2
Coach: Andy Bogert, sixth season at Heritage Hall
Previous state titles: 1998 (2A), 2008 (2A)
Road to 2010 finals: Beat Little Axe 27-7, beat Bridge Creek 34-0, beat Spiro 49-30, beat Bethany 28-14
2009 record (playoffs): 8-5 (Beat Meeker 35-0, beat Lindsay 48-8, lost to Pawhuska 34-20)
Last week: Chargers quarterback Cooper Cloud threw for two touchdowns but the big touchdown pass came courtesy of junior lineman Markus Wakefield. Wakefield, a big part of Heritage Hall’s defensive front, threw his first pass of the season, a 23-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard, to set the tone in the win.
Player to watch: Sterling Shepard, WR. Shepard caught four touchdown passes in the win over Spiro and added a 61-yard touchdown run as he continued his comeback from injuries that limited him late in the season. Shepard has more than 1,000 yards receiving and averages around 18 yards per reception.
Notable: Barry J. Sanders, a junior, is out for the season after suffering a foot injury, but has more than 1,100 yards rushing. … Brent Gaddis is the Chargers’ leading rusher in Sanders’ absence. … Quarterback Cooper Cloud has thrown for more than 1,800 yards. … Cloud threw touchdown passes of 63, 39, 11 and 21 yards to Shepard against Spiro. … Ross Clifton and Markus Wakefield each have more than 120 tackles. … Wakefield and Quintaz Struble have double-digit sack totals. … Shepard has eight interceptions. … Beat Bethany 14-7 on the road Oct. 29. … Also beat Kingfisher 42-14 on Nov. 5. … Allowed more than 14 points just four times this season, two in the first two games of the season. … Beat Chandler, 37-7, to win the 2008 title and Tishomingo, 35-34, to win 1998 title.
2A
DAVIS WOLVES
Record: 12-1
Ranking: No. 2
Coach: Jody Weber, 10th season at Davis
Previous state titles: 1979 (B), 1986 (2A), 1990 (2A), 1995 (2A)
Road to 2010 finals: Beat Hobart 53-14, beat Jones 26-20 (OT), beat Lincoln Christian 21-7, beat Colcord 41-7
2009 record (playoffs): 12-1 (Beat Hobart 55-14, beat John Marshall 20-13, lost to Lincoln Christian 24-21)
Last week: Logan Webb and Zac Maynard scored two touchdowns each as the Wolves blew out Colcord after a scoreless first quarter. All of Davis’ 427 offensive yards came on the ground as they attempted just three passes.
Player to watch: Cole Weber, QB. Weber has been a solid dual-threat quarterback for the Wolves this season. In a third-round win over Lincoln Christian, he hit Matt Burba for a 53-yard completion that set up Logan Webb for a touchdown run. Weber also ran for a score of his own.
Notable: Deaundre Carr and Matt Burba are Davis’ leading rushers. … Burba finished the win over Lincoln Christian with 118 yards on 15 carries and had 171 all-purpose yards. … Burba returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in last week’s win. … Alec Heatherington is Davis’ leading receiver. … Only loss of the season came against Class 3A semifinalist Heritage Hall, 21-12, on Sept. 17. … Jones was the only team since Heritage Hall to score more than 14 points against the Wolves. … Davis is in the state championship game for the first time since 2005, when it lost to Chandler 40-7. … The Wolves state titles have come over Nowata (14-0, 1995), Cascia Hall (28-21, 1990), Newkirk (31-0, 1986) and Crescent (35-6, 1979). … In 1990, beat Hennessey in the second round, 26-3.
HENNESSEY EAGLES
Record: 11-3
Ranking: No. 10
Coach: Shannon Watford, fourth season at Hennessey
Previous state titles: None
Road to 2010 finals: Beat Christian Heritage 22-6, beat Lindsay 36-13, beat Commerce 49-17, beat Millwood 29-28
2009 record (playoffs): 13-1 (Beat Luther 41-13, beat Carnegie 41-7, beat Talihina 26-14, lost to Tonkawa 24-22)
Last week: The Eagles jumped out to a 15-0 lead just six minutes into the game, then held on at the end to hand Millwood its only loss of the season. Ivan Moreno scored a pair of touchdowns, including on a 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winner.
Player to watch: Levi Hill, RB. Hall has more than 1,500 rushing yards to go with 20 touchdowns.
Notable: Ivan Moreno is the Eagles’ second-leading rusher with more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. … Quarterback Trey Leu has thrown for more than 1,000 yards. … Leu had a 26-yard touchdown run in last week’s win. … Orlando Pina is Hennessey’s leading receiver with more than 300 yards. He also leads the team in interceptions with 10, including one against Millwood that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown. … Raul Orozco leads the Eagles in tackles. … Derrick Luetjen has 10 sacks. … Losses came to Watonga, 21-6, on Oct. 29, Kingfisher, 35-32, on Sept. 17 and Jones, 21-0, on Sept. 10. … Scored 40 or more points seven times. … The Eagles have made the semifinals in each of the last two seasons but are in the finals for the first time since 1962. … That year, Hennessey lost the Class C championship game to Beaver, 20-6. … Last meeting with Davis came in the second round of the 1990 playoffs. Davis won 26-3 at home.
