No surprise here, Jenks is once again the choice to take District 6A-4.
The defending Class 6A champions return plenty from last season's team, including their quarterback, running back and a large portion of their offensive line.
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While there's no doubt that 6A-4 has the best at the top, with Jenks and Muskogee being two of the three the best teams in the state.
But last season proved that the district is also the deepest, when — even with district champion TulsaWashington getting beat in the first round — three of the four semifinalists in the state came from the district.
Jenks and Muskogee should be right back among the top, with Tulsa Washington and Owasso also expect to contend to make deep runs.
•Talent heavy: A list of the district's top players looks like a list of the top players in the state.
The two best defensive linemen in the state reside in the district, in Muskogee's Stacy McGee and Jenks' Tony Gillespie.
McGee missed time due to injury last season but racked up 52 tackles and four sacks in only six games. McGee has unbelievable speed for a player his size (6-foot-5, 280 pounds) and will likely demand a double team on nearly every play.
Just up the road at Jenks, Tony Gillespie is also among the most highly recruited players in the state.
Trojans quarterback Mark Ginther isn't flashy, but he's done nothing but win while at the helm.
Also, two of the best offensive linemen in the state are in the district.
John Williams is perhaps the most dominating physically, at 6-4, 330, while Owasso's Brandon Webb (6-4, 275) was a big reason for the huge numbers put up by KingJack Washington last season.
Oh, yeah, 6A-4 also has THE overall best player, or at leasty most highly recruited player, in the state in Muskogee receiver Jameel Owens.
Owens' numbers weren't mind-blowing last season, but that's because he had to shift to quarterback when Rell Lewis went down with an injury.
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Jenks does not recruit and yes some western schools do have the same size classes. Westmoore is just as big as Jenks, look it up.
I don't really care if they recruit. They also have players that move there because of the winning tradition like Jody said! But what, Millwood dosn't get players that wants to play for them? Look, both arguments can be made. But quit beating a dead horse already, give me a break man. Rumor has it they want to split Jenks schools up! They should leave it alone. About facilities and support! When a college football team comes and practices on your field and says, (WOW! They have better facilities than we do) That's saying something. (Talking about Tulsa Union)
I'm just sure that Jenks' coaches told you they would recruit players and find their parents jobs. What color is the sky in Western Oklahoma. Jenks graduated 680 seniors last year, which is comparable with the larger schools in Western Oklahoma. The discrepancy is in facilities and support. That is the truth of the matter.
jody, your information is false! some friends and i went up to stillwater a few years back to watch the santa fe vs. union game. we sat in front of some jenks coaches who told us strait up that they would recruit and draw interest from top players. they said it even went as far as the schools finding jobs and homes for these players parents to get them to move there. Edmond, PC, and Norman all split for academics and school size. take a look back in history for a minute.... the last time Edmond won a championship was right before the school was split. IF the schools on the west side were as large or still combined, they would put out the same product as the Tulsa schools. size does matter when you are talking about athletes... especially athletes who were recruited.
nobody FORCED the schools in Edmond, Putnam City, and Norman to split. They did it on their own. Furthermore, the numbers at Jenks are not all that different from the numbers at Norman and Norman North. Jenks does NOT recruit, but thier success makes good players want to move there. Who wouldn't want to be a part of a sustained successful program. Schools on the western side of the state just can't compete because they don't have the facilities and support that schools on the eastern side of the state do. It's easier to level false allegations against schools than to step up and improve your own.
of course they are favored... they recruit! the tulsa schools have twice as many students as the other 6A schools which gives them an advantage in numbers. players for most 6A schools have players that played the whole game on both offense and defense. the tulsa schools have the luxury of having players that are strictly offense, or strictly defense, thus cutting down on injuries and having players that are not as fatigued as some of the other 6A schools. its hard to compete when the tulsa schools recruit and do not split in to smaller schools like edmond, putnam city, and norman. if they did they would not be the force they are today.
Coaches’ predictions
1. Jenks (13-1)
2. Muskogee (10-3)
3. Tulsa Washington (9-2)
4. Owasso (10-3)
5. Sapulpa (3-7)
6. Bartlesville (3-7)
7. Sand Springs (4-6)
8. Tahlequah (1-9)
Top five games involving 6A-4 teams
Aug. 31, Muskogee at Broken Arrow: Ron Lancaster returns to coaching against his former team, Muskogee, and his protégé, Matt Hennesy.
Aug. 31, Tulsa Washington at Carl Albert: Next year, the perennial powers will go back to being 5A rivals.
Sept. 7, Tulsa Union at Jenks: The most likely game to be a preview of the state title game.
Sept. 7, Muskogee at Norman North: This matchup looked more appealing before Tyler Tettleton went down with an injury, but still a matchup of the West’s best against one of the East’s.
Oct. 5, Jenks at Muskogee: The second most likely game to be a preview of the state title game, and it will, in all likelihood, determine the district champion.
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Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.