High school notebook: Tulsa Washington forfeits more games; Little Axe clinches first playoff berth

Tulsa Washington has forfeited more games in several sports after Tulsa Public Schools completed its investigation into eligibility issues at the school.

The investigation revealed eligibility problems with more than 40 athletes at the school.

The Hornets, who had already forfeited football games to Pryor and Tulsa Hale, also have forfeited their game against Miami. Tulsa Washington won that game 90-0.

In addition, the school forfeited four more volleyball matches, including its 2009 regional title and a state tournament win over Tahlequah.

The initial football forfeits were because of violations to Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Rule 9, which covers recruiting. The violations that prompted Wednesday’s forfeits come from OSSAA Rule 3, which covers eligibility.

Little Axe was one point away from the playoffs last year. The Indians didn’t leave it to chance this time. Sparked by a huge win against Lexington, Little Axe has guaranteed itself a third-place finish in District 2A-2 and its first playoff berth in school history.

"We thought we had a real good chance coming into the season, and we’ve been playing better and better with each game,” coach Tony Smith said.

Leading the way offensively has been quarterback Daniel Leonard and running back Robby Dryden. The two have combined for 28 rushing touchdowns, and Leonard has thrown for six scores.

Dryden and Brandon Miller are tied for the team lead with 110 tackles.

"There has been a different attitude with this team.” Smith said. "They’ve shown some real mental toughness.”

While a concussion to Heritage Hall sophomore Sterling Shepard threw off the offensive gameplan, coach Andy Bogert said all credit needs to go to John Marshall as the Bears upset the Chargers last week.

"They came out extremely physical,” Bogert said. "To be honest, it looked like we just weren’t ready for it.”

John Marshall has had a huge turnaround this season under Bruce Troxell. But even at 7-2 and 4-2 in District 2A-1, the Bears need to win Friday against Perry to guarantee a playoff berth.

Going into a do-or-die game against Lawton Eisenhower on Friday, Norman may be without two of its best players. But the Tigers may not, either.

The availability of linebacker Greg Offenburger and running back Donovan Roberts has yet to be determined and could be a game-day decision. Offenburger, a junior, has missed two straight games with a knee injury. Roberts, a sophomore, left last week’s game against Midwest City with a hip injury.

The Tigers, 4-5 overall and 3-3 in District 6A-2, will gain the fourth playoff spot with a victory. A loss would knock them out of the postseason. Roberts would be a major loss because Norman’s offense is built around him — he averages 22 carries per game and has several 30-carry games. He’s run for 1,001 yards and averages 5.5 yards per carry.

Even while missing the pair of games, Offenburger still leads the Tigers in tackles with 79.

First-year Edmond Memorial coach Justin Merideth didn’t need to say much to get his team fired up for last Friday’s win against Edmond North.

With a home date secured in the first round of the playoffs, Friday at Putnam City might be the real test.

"I told them they could enjoy the win all weekend, but it’s back to work on Monday,” Merideth said. "We have a lot of things we still need to work on.”

Memorial only gained 95 yards of offense last week, but it didn’t matter as the Bulldogs limited the Huskies to 75 total yards. After a 1-3 start, Memorial has won five games in a row.

El Reno (9-0, 6-0) will host Duncan (8-1, 6-0) Friday night in a game that will determine the winner of District 5A-1. El Reno has handled all comers this season, but the Indians are expecting a battle.

"It’s huge for both teams,” El Reno’s Cory Dauphin said. "They’re big up front. We’ll have our hands full running on them, but our offensive line has been playing really well lately so I think we can move the ball that way.”

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