Class 4A preview

by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)
7/6/2018 1:16:01 AM
posted in: Articles | 2,536 views

Look back at 2017

2017 district champs

4A-1: Heritage Hall - Everyone should have seen it coming from the start. Heritage Hall took down John Marshall -- who went on to win the Class 3A title -- in the first week of the season, and the Chargers just stampeded their way through 4A-1, as well. Clinton came the closest to knocking off Heritage Hall, 28-24, in week four but Heritage Hall ended up polishing off a 14-0 campaign with a title game victory over Ada.

4A-2: Ada - The Cougars endured some brutal losses to Ardmore and Carl Albert in non-district play, but it prepared Ada for what was up ahead in 4A-2 play. The Cougars' only blemish in district competition was to Tuttle, but Ada ended up knocking off Blanchard for the tiebreaker at the end of the year when both finished atop the standings. Then Ada went on to knock off Oologah in the quarterfinals, and the Cougars marched all the way to the title game, where Heritage Hall ended up prevailing.

4A-3: Wagoner - Few figured there'd be many teams to stand between Wagoner and Heritage Hall ultimately meeting in the 4A title game. The Bulldogs owned the state's longest winning streak (48) after another unbeaten run through 4A-3 and a first round playoff victory over Poteau. But trouble arrived in the form of Blanchard, who ended the Bulldogs' unbeaten run at Odom Stadium.

4A-4: Hilldale - The Hornets were another east power that figured to challenge the likes of Wagoner and Heritage Hall late in the playoffs. After all, Hilldale breezed through 4A-4 for the district crown, but Bethany rallied and took down Hilldale in the quarterfinals.

Talking title game: Heritage Hall 14, Ada 0

Quarterback Blake Adams found Conner Casey for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, and from there the Chargers' defense secured Heritage Hall's sixth state championship and third in the four seasons. Adams added a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and it was plenty with the Charger defense forcing two Ada interceptions while limiting the Cougars to 193 total yards.

On to 2018...

Players to watch

- Bryce Madron (Blanchard): Even as a sophomore, Madron was instrumental for the Lions on offense in 2017. Blanchard finished 11-2 and it was Madron who shouldered a bulk of the load on offense with 1,316 yards and 21 touchdowns on 200 carries.

- Jaxon Ratterree (Weatherford): Ratterree will head into his junior season after completing 87 of 153 passes for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
- Schyler Adair (Wagoner): Partnered with Nikia Jones on offense, Adair did his work on the ground for the Bulldogs in 2017. He rushed for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns on 158 carries.

- Sam Brandt (Bethany): Taking over the quarterback reins, Brandt became a star for the Bronchos. He passed for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns with a 57 completion percentage, and he tacked on 964 yards and nine touchdowns on 174 carries. And for good measure, he piled up 76 tackles and six interceptions on defense.

- Easton Francis (Poteau): Francis did it all during his sophomore campaign last year. He rushed for 1,404 yards and 23 touchdowns on 215 carries. He also caught 16 passes for 182 yards and three scores, and he saw a little time at quarterback, where he completed 37 of 62 passes for 809 yards and eight touchdowns. And for good measure, he also served as the Pirates' punter with a 35.3 yard-per-punt average on 18 attempts.

- J.R. Crain (Broken Bow): The Savages will give the ball to Crain plenty of times during the upcoming season. In 2017, Crain rushed for 748 yards and seven touchdowns on 134 carries.
- Tyler Wayland (Bristow): Senior quarterback is ready to pick up where he left off last season. He threw for 634 yards and eight touchdowns, but he was deadly on the move with 1,236 yards and 18 touchdowns on 160 carries.
- Jesse Rudd (Fort Gibson): Rusty Rudd and Jesse Rudd shared the bulk of the carries for the Tigers in 2017, but it was Jesse Rudd who led the team with 1,003 yards and 14 touchdowns on 195 carries as a sophomore.

- Jamie Nance (Blanchard): The wide receiver exploded onto the recruiting scene in the offseason, garnering offers from across the nation. The Nebraska commit is looking to build on last year's campaign that saw him tally nearly 700 yards and six TDs.

District debriefs

4A-1: Heritage Hall took its Class 4A championship trophy and marched on to 3A, leaving 4A-1 open for the taking. Weatherford, Elk City, Elgin, Cache, Newcastle, Clinton and Chickasha all return to familiar stomping grounds, and they all welcome newcomer Anadarko in its move up from 3A.

4A-2: No more Ada here, but the tussle among Blanchard, Bethany and Tuttle should be phenomenal again. That trio, along with Harrah and Tecumseh, all return for more 4A-2 action, and newcomers include Cushing, McLoud and Madill.

4A-3: Very little has changed here with Oologah and Wagoner headlining 4A-3 once again. Catoosa, McLain, Grove and Miami are all back again, too. Bristow shifts up from 3A and Cleveland moves from 4A-2, where it spent most of its time traveling west last year.

4A-4: Hilldale and Fort Gibson can once again clash for The Rock trophy during district play. They're both back for more time in 4A-4, and same goes for Broken Bow, Poteau, Stilwell and Sallisaw. Metro Christian moved out, so in comes Tulsa Central and Muldrow.

What�s new? (coaching moves)

- Barrett Shupe (59-24 at Cushing) had an impressive seven-year run at the helm with the Tigers, but he stepped down and gave way to Rusty Morgan.

- Oklahoma lost a solid head coach in Brandon Craig, who accepted the head coaching job at Siloam Springs in Arkansas. In steps Chase Kime, who served as defensive coordinator under Craig.

- Zach Gardner spent 11 seasons at Afton and compiled a record of 96-32, including a 14-0 run to last year's Class A state title. But Andrew Rice left Miami for a position at Northeastern Oklahoma State A&M, and Gardner is now the head coach for the Wardogs.

- Former Central star Willie Ponder is now the head coach at McLain, taking over for Jarvis Payne, who went 24-35 in six seasons with the Titans. Ponder, a former speedster who played for the New York Giants, most recently was a wide receivers coach at Colorado Mesa University.

- Sallisaw hired Randon Lowe as its new head coach after Lowe's stint as an offensive analyst for North Texas University.

- Greg Werner parlayed his success at Poteau from 2012 to 2014 to the head coaching gig at Van Buren (Arkansas) a few years ago. Now Werner is back in Oklahoma, taking over at Hilldale after Chad Kirkhart stepped down.

- J.T. Cobble accepted the head coaching position at Duncan, and Mike Perez is the new head coach at Stilwell.

Fun fact:

- Dale Condict took over at Wagoner in 2005, and since then he's gone 147-23 with nine district titles and four state championships.

Prediction time

Michael Swisher - Anyone is 4A sad to see Heritage Hall go? Anyone? Bueller? | I'll be looking to see if Blanchard - and a couple others - are ready to remain contenders or if dominance in the class returns to Wagoner and Oologah | Remember the name Ethan Downs, a sophomore RB/TE/DE (whatever you need from him) from Weatherford | Wagoner. Maybe it's a safe pick, but I'm not sure if someone else is ready to step up and take the title.

Ben - Beyond bummed to see former Oologah head coach Brandon Craig leave for the Siloam Springs job, but the Mustangs will be just fine under Chase Kime | This class is an enigma | Sam Brandt will be a problem for a lot of teams this season | Bristow may have moved up a class, but the Purple Pirates should hold their own in 4A-3 | Oologah and Wagoner will duke it out for the 4A-3 title - shocker! | Get to know Poteau's Easton Francis - he'll be a hot commodity in no time | I could end up being way off, but I think Poteau has what it takes to win the title | I've talked myself into it - Poteau Pirates as the 2018 4A champions.

Whitt Carter -This class is wide open | Gone are the days of Wagoner dominance, although it wouldn't surprise me if it found a way to play late in the year | Coaches are gladly waving goodbye to previous champ Heritage Hall (now in 3A) and runner-up Ada (now in 5A) | Blanchard's Jamie Nance is no doubt going to be a major problem for 4A | Southeastern Oklahoma will be heard from, as Poteau and Broken Bow have as good of a chance as anyone | But I'll take a darkhorse, Tuttle, to improve throughout the year and be there at the end, capturing their first gold ball since 2005.

Guest picker - Hall of Fame coach Randy Turney - Better go with Bethany to win gold in 4A.