Boyd Street August 2021

2-7 season doesn’t accurately tell the story of the 2020 season for the Norman Tigers. The record leaves out dynamic plays made by quarterback Tias McClarty (Jr, 5’10”, 165) and the story of a stingy defense that held one of the best receivers in the state and a Top 70 player in the nation to just one catch for eight yards.

It misses just how close NHS was to advancing in the playoffs, but close has never been good enough for head coach Rocky Martin.

With a returning quarterback alongside a deep offensive line and talented defense, the Tigers look poised to change close losses into big wins and it all starts with McClarty at quarterback.

After bursting onto the scene as a sophomore, he is ready to propel himself as one of the best dual-threat players at his position.

“He’s a track star that qualified for state in two events,” said Martin. “That just goes to show what type of athlete he is. He’s explosive and having a year under his belt, that will help tremendously. He’s made major strides.”

Just like McClarty’s sophomore breakout season, there is a feeling Cooper Alexander (So, 6’4”, 200) could be even bigger. Seeing snaps last year as a freshman, Alexander has all the tools to be the go-guy in the Tigers’ passing attack this year.

“He’s the real deal,” Martin said. “Obviously, he’s got the size. He’s a huge kid for just a sophomore. But his work ethic is as good as I’ve seen. We can do so much with Cooper. We can use him as a true tight end or we can put him out as a spread wide receiver. It’s going to be difficult for teams to match up with him.”

When teams aren’t keyed in on the size mismatch Alexander poses, McClarty will have the luxury of throwing to two other big-play receivers.

“Max Bass (Jr, 5’10”, 180) has had a really good offseason,” Martin said. “We also still have Edric Lambert, who we can put at multiple spots. He has great hands and can catch the ball out of the backfield, or we can line him up in the slot or as a Z or X wide receiver. Those two guys are really the ones that are going to have to step up.”

NHS was young and inexperienced on the offensive line last year but that is no longer the case. With players like Vilami Makahununiu (Sr, 6’3”, 290) anchoring the line, the unit will be a force this season.

“We’re pretty big and we have a number of guys returning,” Martin said. “I thought, as the year went on, they started clicking more and more. They’ve had a great offseason in the weight room, and I think they’re coming together.”

Taylor Harris (Sr, 5’10”, 175) is back at running back and gives NHS a versatile threat that can score from anywhere on the field. Xavier Shackelford (Jr, 5’7”, 154) is another athletic back that Martin will try to get out in space as much as possible.

“(Xavier’s) a guy who’s really athletic and could also play wide receiver,” Martin. “We’ve also got Devin Alexander (So, 5’10” 165), who’s going to be a sophomore. As far as speed, he’s one of the fastest guys on the team. We feel really good about the three we have right now.”

The defensive line will look a little different to start the year with no Willie or Charles Prince, but NHS still has two high-quality players with a ton of experience.

“We don’t have Willie or Charles Prince, so we need other guys to step up,” Martin said. “Xavier Mason (Sr, 6’2”, 236), he’s played a lot the past two years, and then our nose guard Trenton Byington (Sr, 6’, 275), both of those guys have a lot of experience.”

Linebacker just might be the deepest position for the Tigers. Martin played the position at Colorado State so it is no surprise as to why it has been such a consistent unit. This year could be his best yet.

“Linebacker looks really good,” Martin said. “We have four guys back that got quite a bit of experience last year. Ethan Medina (Sr, 6’1”, 210) and Seth Wishon (Sr, 6’2”, 190) led the team in tackles and were both around 90 to 100 tackles last year. Andre McCoy (Jr, 5’11”, 165), our outside linebacker, has done a really nice job, as well as Brody Boyd (Jr, 5’11”, 172), who played a lot last year.”

In the secondary, starting spots are open, so the unit will look to Luke Morrow (Sr, 6’, 175) to help slow down all the potent passing offenses that 6A-1 provides.

“He’s a bigger kid, he’s close to 6-feet tall and a track kid,” Martin said, “I think he ran a 10.86 in the 100s, so he can flat-out run. We lost our two safeties, so we have to have some young guys step up and compete.” –BSM