High school football: District 3A-5 balanced at the top

Cascia Hall, a perennial power, is gone after an impressive 14-1 season, bumped up to Class 4A in the latest rounds of reshuffling.

But filling its void is a trio of teams — Metro Christian, Verdigris and Sequoyah-Claremore — that all made the playoffs out of 3A-6 in 2011.

That means, with Berryhill, Sperry and Dewey still around, six of District 3A-5's seven teams made the postseason last year, providing what should be an interesting and wide-open race at the top.

“Some outlets and things will have us picked fourth, and I don't think that's a negative reflection on our team,” Metro Christian (12-1 last year) coach Jared McCoy said. “It just shows the power of the district and how many talented teams we have stacked together.”

Metro Christian talented but thin

After an undefeated regular season and early success in the playoffs, Metro Christian's unblemished 2011 run was cut short, falling 34-14 to Anadarko in the state quarterfinals.

“In talking to our seniors, they are still kind of sick about that game,” McCoy said. “On that night, there's no doubt that Anadarko was the better team and it wasn't our best effort … We had 427 yards of offense against them but just had trouble finding the end zone.”

Another reason for optimism: Anadarko went on to win the state title, cruising past Berryhill and Cascia Hall by a combined score of 67-25.