VYPE Magazine North OK May-June 2016 Issue by Austin Chadwick

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Trinity Media Group, LLC 12330 E. 60th St. STE A • Tulsa, OK 74146 All rights reserved. Publisher Austin Chadwick • Partner/Editorial Director Brad Heath • Partner/Director of Operations Rod Coulter Partner/Three Rivers Director Bill Huddleston • Editor at Large Kyle Kendrick • Oklahoma Sales Director Roscoe Migliore Partner Mark Rodgers • Associate Editor Cal Ross Contributing Writers Brad Heath, Cal Ross, Kyle Kendrick, Bill Huddleston Contributing Photographers Brad Heath, Kyle Kendrick, Justin Messer, Bluncks Photography, Defining Moment Photography, Josh Clough, Brett Rojo, Brandy Moton, Kyle Kendrick, The Newkirk Herald-Journal, Vicki Osborne, Rip Stell Graphic Design Kerri Conner Contact Information: Website: www.VYPEOK.com • Phone: 918.495.1771 • Fax: 918.495.1787 VYPE is published monthly by Trinity Media Group, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. VYPE is not responsible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography or manuscripts and will not be responsible for holding fees or similar charges. All digital submissions and correspondences will become property of VYPE.

17 | Slowpitch Softball Glory

8 | All-VYPE The All-VYPE teams are out. See which spring sports athletes from North Oklahoma made the list.

10 | Stillwater Area Year End

Editor’s Choice Awards VYPE North Editor Kyle Kendrick breaks down which athletes from the Stillwater area he was most impressed with this year.

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Chandler and Davenport both won slowpitch titles this spring. Get the scoop here.

24 | Barrett Shupe Q&A

Cushing head football coach Barrett Shupe took time out of his busy spring schedule to talk a little Tiger football. You want to read this.

North Oklahoma Football Content From the Web Kyle Kendrick’s Most Memorable Games 1. Newkirk at John Marshall Sept. 26 2008 - This game was a great contest between two very competitive teams that Newkirk eventually won by a score of 31-20. That’s not why this was my most memorable game though. The reason this was much more memorable was because of the events surrounding the game. You see earlier in the week Newkirk had lost a former teammate (Jon Powell) in a tragic car crash. Jon’s brother Micah played on the Newkirk team, and somehow just days after losing his brother he managed to put on his pads and take the field; and just like what happens in close knit communities across the country Micah’s teammates banded around him and helped give him the strength to play what was a meaningless game in the grand scheme of things. Chants of “This one’s for JP” echoed up and down the Newkirk sideline that night. It was almost as if every time John Marshall would seize the momentum that chant would get louder, those guys just weren’t going to be denied, they were winning that game for the Powell family no matter what it took. Writing about this game still hits me right in the feels eight years later, and that’s why it’s the most memorable I have ever seen and it may always be number 1.

To Read the Full Article please go to www.vypenorthok.com

won the title last year in Class C which gives them an edge in recent history if you just look at titles.

Office Debate Morrison or Shattuck? Which Dynasty is Better?

Interestingly enough both programs saw their amazing win streaks snapped in the semifinals of the state playoffs. Morrison fell to eventual state champ Snyder in 1995 and Shattuck dropped one to eventual state champ Deer Creek-Lamont in 2009.

Yesterday as the VYPE team worked hard on several respective projects a debate broke out. Which, now that I think about it, happens a lot. But I digress. The debate centered around dynasties; specifically the Morrison dynasty versus the Shattuck dynasty. Because hey, it’s only fair you match these two 8-man powers up...yes I know Morrison now plays 11-man but the bulk of their success came in the Class B ranks so I’m considering them an 8-man dynasty. So instead of me just stating my opinion let’s first examine the facts. Morrison has 14 titles. They won seven in a row from 1988 to 1994 and in that time also racked up 90-straight wins against 8-man opponents. They did lose one game to Crescent in 1989 in an 11-man contest but their official record stands at 90 wins in a row. The Wildcats also won four titles in a row from 2005-2008. Shattuck on the other hand has nine state titles. They won six in a row from 2003 to 2008 and also won 93-straight games during that time. Shattuck also

Let’s look at some players to come through each program. Morrison boasts the likes of Corey Bales, David Kerr, Lynn Shackelford, Joe Price, Cody Elwood, Dale Veit, Aaron Leigh and Dylan Quinata. As for Shattuck they are bringing names like Dusty Hansen, Aaron McCandless, Kadyn Schlk, Braxton Bruce, Phillip Dela Rosa, Brenten Longhofer, Tyler Helfenbrein and Kahle Young to the table.

If you want to weigh in on this debate please head to our forum site and join the conversation. http://oklahomaforum.vype.com/ index.php?/topic/229-best-dynastyshattuck-or-morrison/

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What’s going on at VYPENorthOK.com ON THE NON SPORTS TALK THREAD VYPE EDITOR KYLE KENDRICK - So all the guys here at VYPE eat, sleep and breathe sports. However we all have other interests and hobbies. One of mine happens to be that I truly enjoy going to concerts and last night I was able to see my favorite musician of all-time The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, this was the second time I’ve been able to see him perform live but it was a completely different experience than the first. He put on a spectacular show and I could go on and on about it. Instead of doing that though I wanted to ask everyone about their favorite concert that they have ever been to. So let’s hear it guys. OKLAHOMA GIRL - My favorite concert that I’ve ever been to was Carrie Underwood. The reason it was my favorite had absolutely nothing to do with it being Carrie Underwood. I got to go with my grandma just a few months before she passed. It was so much fun to see her enjoying it. She was so happy. It was good to see her happy when chemo had her sick and tired so much of the time. HOOKS DADDY21 - The best would have to be seeing Garth Brooks at the Houston Rodeo. He is my favorite entertainer of all time. My second favorite would have to be Guns & Roses at the Pyramid in Memphis over 20 years ago!

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Zaven Collins Hominy

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North Oklahoma's Elite Eight Eight Athletes from North Oklahoma who Made Headlines this Spring Josie Patterson: Chandler Golf We knew coming into the spring that Patterson would be a player to keep an eye on. This year she showed us that the hype was well deserved as she finished in 12th at the state tournament including an amazing 79 on day one of the tournament that had her just six strokes off of first place. Sydney Herman: Ponca City Golf On day one of the Class 6A state golf tournament at The Club at Indian Springs, Herman made sure people knew who she was. She carded a 79 on the day and was just seven strokes off the lead headed to day two. She didn’t lose too many strokes on day two finishing in a tie for 10th, 15 strokes away from first and just four strokes out of the top five.

the Ringwood meet earlier this year she ran a 26.52 200-meter dash which at the time was the best Class A time in the state this year. At the state meet though Aska improved that time and crossed the finish line in 25.62 to win a state title. Britton Stacy: DCLA Track Stacy turned in multiple amazing efforts in the pole vault this year. At his home meet he went 12-06 and then repeated that effort at the state meet going 1206 again, which was good for third place at the state meet.

Nathaniel Worley: Blackwell Track At the DCLA meet Worley went a whopping 6-8 in the high jump, which was the best mark posted in Class 4A this spring. Just to put that in perspective 6-8 is how tall Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kyle Singler stands. Worley repeated his jump at state going 6-8 again which tied Lone Grove’s Adonis McGee for the top jump at state.

Jacob Skinner: Yale Track Skinner ran a blazing 15.15 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Ringwood meet earlier this season. At the state meet he wasn’t quite as quick, running a 15.20 but that time was still good enough for a state championship. Gage Barrick: Ponca City Baseball Barrick was a second team All-VYPE selection as a utility player. He had great stats for the season but he had one game in particular where he really stood out. On March 26, in a game against Ft. Osage Missouri in the Bartlesville Tournament, Barrick went 3-for-3 with five RBI’s and 1 run scored to help Ponca to an 8-0 win. Owen Logan: Stillwater Baseball Way back on Thursday, April 7 Owen Logan took the mound against the Yukon Millers. Logan threw a complete game and struck out nine batters on the day to lead Stillwater to the 4-2 win. Only a junior expect Logan to have many more games like this in 2017.

Nathaniel Worley

Tyra Aska: Coyle Track Many people know Aska for her abilities on the basketball floor but she’s also a standout on the track. At M AY 2 0 1 6

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ALL-VYPE

SPRING SPORTS

All-VYPE Baseball

First Team P: Abe Spencer – Stillwater, Cooper Holland – Shidler, Tucker Alexander – Tonkawa, Kody Hilbert – Depew, Dallas Blunt - Drumright C: Reece Thompson – Stillwater, Brian Wicker Ponca City INF: Riley Metzger – Stillwater, Kolby Burtner – Blackwell, Tanner Hunt – Depew, Wesley O’Neill – Ponca City OF: Alex Anderson – Prague, Jacob Cannon – Blackwell, Desmond Freeman – Cleveland UTL: Kyler Patterson – Cushing, Matt Yates – Cushing, Tanner Neely – Morrison, Wilder Clark – Drumright, Dawson Padilla – Perry, Kendall Kistler – Glencoe Second Team P: Charlie Wirtz – Perry, Grant Powell – Stroud, Bo Riggs - Prague, Steve Quiones – Depew, Chace Benes – Ponca City C: Trevor Johnson – Newkirk, Jadon Wehrle – Chandler INF: Reed Aldridge – Perkins-Tryon, Thad Sherwood – Cushing, Austin Hamilton – Tonkawa, Tyler Cook – Glencoe OF: Dillon Longbrake – Perkins-

Reagann Murphy 8

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Tryon, Braden Bales – Morrison, Trey Lazenby – Glencoe UTL: Jordan Clark – Cleveland, Gage Barrick – Ponca City, Trevor Vernon – Morrison, Andrew Morgan – Drumright, Hayden Hutchens – Chandler, Brian Skillman – Stillwater

All-VYPE Slowpitch

First Team P: Kristan Molina – Frontier, Annie Waters – Davenport, Megan Stump – Cushing, Blayne Solberg – Chandler C: Madison Blakely – Davenport INF: Jamie Lovely – Morrison, Michaelanne Nelson – Frontier, Kayla Vasquez – Cushing, Neleigh Herring – Chandler OF: Shana Walls – Morrison, Jennifer Orr – Davenport, Jayden Solberg – Chandler UTL: Reagann Murphy – Blackwell, Libby Bromley – Davenport, Alexis Pewitt – Prague, Paige Weber – Chandler, Chelsea Lazenby – Glencoe Honorable Mention Mollee Byford – Davenport Hannah Ailey – Cushing Leann Littlejohn – Prague Brooke McCollough – Chandler Emily Remington – Glencoe

Desmond Freeman

All-VYPE Golf

Girls Sonnie Palmatary – Pawnee Michaelanne Nelson – Frontier Callie Wilson – Pawnee Josie Patterson – Chandler Laira Schroeder – Bristow Sydney Herman – Ponca City Mackenzie Enmeier – Stillwater Samantha Dennison – Stillwater Boys Cody Hixon – Pawnee Hadley Jenson – Pawnee Garrison Sears – Pawnee Shafe Mashburn – Woodland Josh Sylvester – Drumright Jack Glenn – Stillwater Shiv Patel – Ponca City

All-VYPE North Track

Girls Abby Winn – Perkins Tyra Aska – Coyle Samantha Simmons – Coyle Jenny Baker – Glencoe Sarah Phillippi – Pawhuska Haley Mouser – Pawhuska Cassidy Fisher – Stroud Jaxon Cooper – Prague Ella Schultz – Prague

Jaxon Cooper

NORTH OK Jalen Milligan – Chandler Karlea Jones – Cushing Elissa White – Stillwater Bayley Holt – Stillwater Carley Walstad – Stillwater Lauren Gattis – Stillwater Breyanna Brice – Ponca City

Boys Dylan Tefft – Deer Creek-Lamont Britton Stacy – Deer Creek-Lamont Rustin Martin – Tonkawa Jessie Fuller – Stroud Jacob Skinner – Yale Colton Mixon – Stroud Bradley Moreland – Pawhuska Tiller Bucktrot – Stroud Davey Cleveland – Prague Nathanial Worley – Blackwell Alex Barrentine – Bristow Jacob Birnbaum – Ponca City Trent Fry – Ponca City Israel Washington - Ponca City

Chris Nelson – Stillwater Isai Garcia – Stillwater

All-VYPE Soccer

Boys Forwards: Bryson Reed – Stillwater, Vlad Munteanu – Stillwater, Toby Ledgerwood – Drumright, Devon Malone – Cushing

Midfielders: Daniel Mutai – Stillwater, Brandon Harper – Drumright, Ethan Sample – Cushing, Kyle Roenner – Bristow Goal Keepers: John Saunders – Stillwater, Ben Fields – Ponca City

Defenders: Chase Venable – Stillwater, Danny Caniz – Ponca City, Mitchell Wilson – Ponca City, Jake Williams – Drumright, Colton Holderford – Bristow Girls Forwards: AnneMarie Favalora – Cushing, Ariya Regnier – Cushing, Julissa Garcia – Ponca City, Avi Overstreet – Drumright, Sidney Rogers – Stillwater, Kori Watters – Newkirk, Miriah Nicolet – Mannford

Defenders: Devon Randall – Ponca City, Myka Ryker – Drumright, Bella Blake – Stillwater, Hannah Patrick – Mannford

All-VYPE Tennis

Girls Taylor Whitefield – Ponca City Gabriela Langston – Ponca City Emily Madison – Stillwater Alyssa Hall – Perry Amanda Peterson – Perry Jayden Hopkins – Bristow Brynna Keeler – Ponca City Carly Parks – Ponca City Hannah Marker – Perry Lizzy Turner – Perry Stacy Bendure – Perry Chloe Pierce – Perry Ana Solis – Stillwater Libby Roark – Stillwater Boys Daniel Langston – Ponca City Josh Spiers – Ponca City Austin Reed – Stillwater Cole Sherer – Stillwater Blaine Hughes – Stillwater Alex Mason – Stillwater Zane Turner – Clevland

Midfielders: Kenzi Carmin – Cushing, Carsyn Hill – Ponca City, Amiee Tharp – Drumright, Katelyn Schieber – Newkirk, Emily Elliot – Newkirk, Shelby McNatt – Mannford

Goal Keepers: Liz Criner – Cushing

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VYPE YEAR-END EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS Stillwater-Morrison-Glencoe By Kyle Kendrick

VYPE North Oklahoma Editor So this year the guys at VYPE decided we would do something a little new and fun for this issue. We decided we would recognize some of the best athletes from across the area. To be considered for awards in this area you had to be from Stillwater, Morrison or Glencoe. I broke things down into five awards. Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Breakout Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Again I want to stress this is about recognizing some of the amazing athletes from this area and these are my choices, my Editor’s Picks if you will. Male Athlete of the Year Plenty of guys to pick from here. A few that stood out as I got to putting this all together were Stillwater baseball player Abe Spencer, Pioneers wrestler Christian Bahl, Stillwater football player Jordan Brown and Glencoe basketball player Trey Lazenby. Spencer was lights out on the mound this year. Was a first team All-VYPE selection and is committed to play at Oklahoma Christian next year. Bahl’s case is easy to make. Not only did he play a major part on the Stillwater football team he also shined on the wrestling mat and won a state championship at 160 pounds, finishing his season with a 44-3 overall record. Brown, who will be playing football at Tulsa next fall, was the district wide receiver and special teams player of the year. Lazenby, was a VYPE Top 100 selection prior to the season starting and then went out and put together a spectacular year averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. Winner: Bryson Reed – Stillwater Reed shined on the pitch this season as a member of the Stillwater soccer team. He broke multiple records this season including 10

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the the single season goals record and the single season assists record this year. Reed also holds the records for most goals in a career and most assists in a career. Reed was also selected to the All-VYPE soccer team this season and will be continuing his soccer career at NOC-Tonkawa next fall. Female Athlete of the Year I debated about this one over and over. Names like Dewi Blose of the Stillwater swim team, Sam Dennison of the Stillwater golf team, Elissa White of the Stillwater track team and Taylor Tuck of the Stillwater softball team would’ve all been good choices. Blose helped her team win a state title and in the process won 100-yard backstroke, helped the Lady Pioneers set a state record in the 400-yard freestyle relay and took fourth in the 100-yard butterfly. Dennison put together yet another amazing golf season. She not only qualified for state but then placed 30th at the state meet. Elissa White was dominant in multiple sports. She shined on the volleyball court during the fall then in the spring she showcased her amazing athleticism as part of the Stillwater track team as a high jumper and a pole vaulter. At at Central Oklahoma Conference Meet she won the high jump and tied for second in the pole vault. Finally, Tuck was a great softball player and led the Lady Pioneers to a 26-12 record. Heck she won’t graduate until 2018 but she’s already verbally committed to play at Oklahoma State once she does. Winner: Jenny Baker – Glencoe In the end I just couldn’t ignore not only what Baker did this year but really what she did for her entire career. She was a four-time state champ in the discus, including this year when

she recorded a throw of 124-11. She was also a runner-up in the shot put this year with a throw of 36-06. While she only won one state title in he shot put she she still placed in the event every year, taking second place as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman to go along with her second place finish this year. Oh if that wasn’t enough, she was also a member of the Glencoe girls basketball team that went 25-6 this year and made it to the state tournament. Breakout Athlete of the Year I’m sure there were plenty of athletes who could’ve fit this category. For me two really stood out. The first was Stillwater catcher Reece Thompson. Due to the Pioneers having a lot of veteran leadership Thompson hadn’t been asked to assume a leadership role until this season. But when his time came he stepped up in a big way. He helped lead the Pioneers to a 25-7 regular season record and a second place finish in District 6A-3. For his efforts Thompson was also selected to the All-VYPE first team baseball list for North Oklahoma. Only a junior, I’m sure fans will see Thompson’s name on plenty of lists in the coming year. Winner: Vlad Munteanu – Stillwater In the fall Munteanu, only a sophomore, led the Stillwater cross country team to a 12th place finish at the state meet with an amazing fifth place finish and a time of 16:16.1. That

Jenny Baker

was an amazing improvement from his 49th place finish at the state meet in his freshman year. That alone may have been enough for him to be my pick for Breakout Athlete of the Year but Munteanu didn’t stop with his success in the fall. He also shined for the Stillwater boys soccer team and was selected to the All-VYPE team. You just can’t deny Vlad’s impact on Pioneer Athletics this year. Freshman of the Year Several names stood out when I was researching standout freshmen for this piece. At Glencoe Cale Lazenby was a big piece of what the Panther boys basketball team was able to accomplish. At Morrison Braden Bales made headlines on the baseball field. At Stillwater Ryan Clark burst onto the scene for the Stillwater boys swim team. Lazenby, is the younger brother of Glencoe star Trey Lazenby but just like his older brother he quickly began to carve his own niche this year. He averaged 10 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this year, making it known that he too has that star potential. Bales used his arm to turn heads this spring as a pitcher for Morrison. He was a second team All-VYPE selection and helped lead Morrison to a 13-18 overall record. Clark was dominant in the pool this winter. He finished third in the 200-yard individual medley, was a member of Stillwater’s 200yard Medley Relay team that took home fifth place, took seventh in the 100-yard

Backstroke and a member of the 400-yard Freestyle Relay team that took home fifth place. Winner: Cecilia Smith – Stillwater Smith could’ve been considered for the Female Athlete of the Year if it hadn’t been for her teammate Dewi Blose. She tore things up in the pool this year, taking second in the 200-yard Individual Medley, sixth in the 100yard Backstroke and then swam on the record breaking 400-yard Freestyle Relay team. Oh yea, and all that helped her team win a state title. Comeback Athlete of the Year Stillwater had their fair share of injuries this year…well more than their fair share. Athletes like Kaden McCune, Jake Green, and Dylan Fix all suffered injuries that kept them sidelined. I would have loved to recognize any of these athletes unfortunately their injuries were severe enough it kept them on the sidelines without a comeback. Fix was the one who stood out the most. She was a Top 100 basketball selection prior to the season starting, on pace to do big things and then an ACL tear ended her senior year. Despite that Stillwater coach Mark Harris still insisted on nominating Fix for the All-VYPE basketball team for her performance before the injury but also for her leadership and dedication to making her teammates better after it happened. I agreed with him and Fix

was a first team All-VYPE selection. In the end though, I went with another athlete to win this pick because I wanted to recognize him as well. Winner: Jace Brownlee – Stillwater Ironically enough Brownlee replaced McCune during football season after he went down with a hip injury. Then during wrestling season Brownlee suffered an abdominal injury of his own. He didn’t let that stop him however and battled through the pain to place fourth at 170 pounds at the state tournament.

Vlad Munteanu

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Character is a combination of qualities that distinguishes one person or group from another. Hideaway Pizza celebrates achievements of local high school athletes by presenting the monthly “Character Counts Award.”

Reagan Mitchell Stillwater Cheer

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When asked for a nominee for VYPE’s Character Counts Athlete of the Month Award Stillwater cheer coach Carolyn Walstad quickly named Reagan Mitchell. A varsity cheer captain for the Pioneers, Mitchell is a true embodiment of the spirit of the Character Counts Award. Walstad is coming into her fifth year of being involved in cheer and her third year as a member of the high school cheer squad. This year as captain Mitchell said her goal is to foster a strong relationship between the cheer squad and other sports teams. “My goal as cheer captain is to instill a spirit of support amongst amongst us as teammates and the athletes we cheer for. I want Stillwater cheer to be known for our ability to go above and beyond in character, and our genuine care for the success of other athletics,” Mitchell said. Outside of cheer Mitchell is also heavily involved at Life Church where she sings every Wednesday and Sunday. “I’ve been singing for most of my life and being able to sing for an organization that I believe in deeply is such a blessing,” Mitchell said. Mitchell also excels in the classroom and takes AP English and Trigonometry among her other classes. For her dedication to her school and community Reagan Mitchell is the Stillwater Character Counts Athlete of the Month.

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Stillwater Baseball Reaches State Semis PIONEERS PUT TOGETHER AMAZING SEASON, FINISH 30-9 In 2014 the Stillwater Pioneers won the Class 6A state title. Then last season amidst a season full of high expectations the Pioneers went 26-10 but failed to make the state tournament. This year though Stillwater was determined to finish stronger and walk away with a better outcome. The Pioneers raced out of the blocks and won 19 of their first 20 games of the season, the lone loss coming to Broken Arrow on March 29. The wins kept coming too, that is until the Pioneers entered the Edmond Classic Tournament with a 22-1 record.

With their backs against the wall Stillwater came out swinging. They defeated Booker T. Washington in an elimination game then went on to beat Bixby in back-to-back contests and win the regional title.

In the tournament though reality struck. Stillwater dropped three straight games to Choctaw, Edmond Memorial and Southmoore. The Pioneers did rally to beat Edmond Santa Fe but then closed the tournament with a loss to Westmoore. The four losses had Stillwater exiting the tournament with a 23-5 record and seeming almost human for the first time all season. The Pioneers continued to face adversity as they lost games to Deer Creek and Jenks down the stretch and finished in third place in District 6A-3. A falter like that could’ve and would’ve broken most teams, not the Pioneers

Rhett Minson, Agent Scott Leming

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though. They entered the regional tournament and immediately won a thriller over Moore to advance to the regional semifinals against Bixby. The Spartans dominated the Pioneers in that contest though and won 12-3, sending Stillwater to the loser’s bracket needing to win three games to advance to state.

At state the Pioneers ran into Westmoore in the first round, and this time it was Stillwater coming out on top with a 4-3 walk-off win. In the semifinals Stillwater jumped out to a 4-1 lead over familiar foe Deer Creek and looked like they may be headed to the finals as a team of destiny. In the end though Deer Creek proved to be too much as they fought their way back into the game and eventually won on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Although the season didn’t end how the Pioneers had hoped it would they proved yet again to the Class 6A baseball world that they are a force to be reckoned with and a team to be feared.

Stillwater Roster

# NAME YEAR POSIT. 1-Cole Luckett JR LF 2-Brian Skillman SO RF 3-Tyler Watson SO SS 4-Kale Davis JR 2B 5-Chandler Kissman SR OF 8-Ben Jessell SR 2B 9-Harrison Daffern SR OF 10-Haden Tyson SR RHP 11-CJ Edwards SR RHP 12-Dylan Gardner JR SS 13-Abe Spencer SR 3B 15-Reece Thompson JR C 16-Owen Logan JR RHP 17-Cole Miller FR LHP 18-Alec Noftsger SO RF 19-Riley Metzger JR 3B 20-Kaden Colborn SO OF 22-Kevin Norris SR 1B 23-Dave McKelvey SR OF 24-Brennan Deaver JR C 28-James Avery SR CF 45-Caleb Case FR LHP

When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.” When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.” Now that's teamwork. CALL FOR A QUOTE 24/7

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FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE

MONTH

Abby Winn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Perkins-Tryon

No female athlete from Perkins-Tryon excelled this spring like sophomore Abby Winn did. A standout thrower competing in both the shot put and discus Winn gathered medals at nearly every meet she competed in this year. At the Stillwater meet back in March, Winn finished in fourth place in both events and then a week later she placed fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put at the Kellyville meet. At the Tecumseh meet later on in April she repeated hose results taking home a fourth place medal in the discus and fifth place in the shot put. Those results helped Winn gain and build confidence and at the Tulsa 7 Conference Meet she put together her best meet of the year and finished with a silver medal in the shot put and took fifth place in the discus. Following the conference meet Winn led

her team to the regional meet in Luther and again turned heads. She placed first in both the shot put and the discus with throws of 33-07 and 104-04 respectively. At the state meet Winn turned in another strong performance. In the shot put she improved her regional meet district throw and posted a 34-07.50 to finish in sixth place. In the discus Winn didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fair as well at state however and finished in 12th place. For her outstanding effort this spring Abby Winn is the Female Athlete of the Month.

A division of

Stillwater Academic Athlete of the Month By Kevin Green It is not easy being a student-athlete. Just ask Stillwater High School soccer player Micah Herrmann. Herrmann, a junior, might be focal point for the Pioneers’ soccer team, but he still has plenty of other responsibilities to take care, with school being his top priority. “It’s very difficult, especially since I have some [Advanced Placement] classes right now,” Herrmann said. “I get a lot of homework, so it’s difficult. I kind of have to cut out social activities, stay up with my grades, which can be difficult. I get 20 pages of notes or so a day.” Despite the difficulty of juggling school work and athletics, Herrmann has accumulated a 4.25 GPA. This season, Herrmann helped the Pioneers to a 15-2 record, which included a playoff win. “We had great support from the students and the crowd, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Herrmann said. “It was sad to go out in the second round of the playoffs, but we definitely did better than anyone would’ve expected.” Herrmann’s fall semester is even more difficult, for he plays two sports that overlap. Last fall, Herrmann was a key runner on the Stillwater cross-country team that finished 12th at the state meet. Herrmann finished third on the team and 64th out of 112 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 44 seconds in the 5K. Herrmann was also a member of a Stillwater Soccer Club team called APEX. However, Herrmann discovered the sports complement each other nicely.

whole summer playing soccer,” Herrmann said. “So when I showed up in the fall, I felt like my teammates hadn’t been running the whole summer, where through soccer I had been staying active and staying fit.” Even when Herrmann is not playing competitive sports, most of his down time consists of some kind of sporting activity. “Outside of school and sports, I like to play disc golf and basketball at the nearby elementary,” Herrmann said.

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Addison Frieling

Zeke Dougan

Perkins Power Play Demons senior baseball players Zeke Dougan and Addison Frieling chat with VYPE about what it was like on the diamond this year at Perkins-Tryon VYPE: You guys went to the state tournament this year. What was it like to get to experience that as a senior and go out with such a successful season? Dougan: it was a great way to go out. Obviously it didn’t end how we wanted to, but we came together so close as a team this year, and honestly that’s what led to the successful season and a great year. Frieling: It feels great. I couldn’t have asked for any better team or better teammates. VYPE: Was there a point in the year where it hit you guys that you had what it took o get to the 16

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state tournament? If so when was that? Dougan: We all knew we could do it all year. We talked about it, but it really didn’t start coming together until we decided to make it happen. Frieling: It took Stroud beating us for us to come together as a team and then we started beating some really good teams and didn’t back down from anyone. VYPE: What’s your favorite baseball movie? Dougan: The Sandlot Frieling: The Rookie because it shows what you can do I you actually believe you can reach your goals. VYPE: Favorite MLB player and why? Dougan: My favorite player ever is Derek Jeter because he was

such a great leader. My favorite player currently playing is Bryce Harper because of his slogan “Make Baseball Fun Again.” Frieling: Bryce Harper because of the work and dedication he has. He plays at 110 percent every play of every game and that’s the right way to play the game. VYPE: If you could tell the incoming freshmen baseball players one thing what would it be? Dougan: Soak it all up, don’ let a minute go by that you don’t cherish. Long practices, tough losses and great wins. Cherish all of them and soak them all up. Frieling: I would tell a freshman o take it all in and become a family with his team and play his hardest every second of every day because you never know when it could all be over.

Chandler, Davenport Bring Home Slow-pitch Titles CHANDLER WINS THE 5A CROWN You can’t really call them underdogs. They were ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in Class 5A for most of the year but after having to battle through the loser’s at the regional tournament the Chandler Lady Lions had their doubters. In the first round at state Chandler took on Sulphur and cruised to a 7-2 win behind a three-RBI performance from Paige Weber. Darbie Duncan also drove in two runs in the opening round game. In the semifinals Chandler took on Muldrow and picked up a big 11-1 runrule victory. In the semifinals it was Neleigh Herring, Jayden Solberg and Kylee Lynch who did the heavy lifting on offense sending the Lady Lions to the state finals. In the championship game the Lady Lions met a familiar foe, the Valliant Lady Bulldogs. In 2015 the two teams squared off in the championship game and Valliant walked away with a 10-4 win. This year though Chandler was on a mission to make sure the outcome was different. The game was back and forth the whole way with both teams trading haymakers that would’ve knocked out most teams. Heading to the top of the ninth the score was tied 9-9 and that’s when Valliant scored again to go on top 10-9.

Chandler wouldn’t be denied however and in the bottom half of the inning Duncan worked herself to a full count but finally got a pitch she could handle and singled up the middle to score Herring and give Chandler the walk-off win. Duncan said her only thought when she made contact with the ball on the game winning hit was hoping it got through to the outfield grass. “I was just hoping it would be a base hit so Baleigh could score that winning run,” Duncan said.

DAVENPORT WINS CLASS 2A In 2015 the Davenport slowpitch softball team won the Class 2A crown by beating Binger-Oney in the state championship game. Yesterday history repeated itself as the Lady Bulldogs won the title yet again after beating BingerOney 15-6. In the first round of the state tournament Davenport crushed Rock Creek 10-0 in a five-inning run-rule. Davenport pitcher Annie Waters allowed only four baserunners in the game and the Davenport offense took care of the rest. After the blowout win in round one Davenport squared off against Northwest Oklahoma power Shattuck. Davenport again just wouldn’t be slowed down and they dominated the contest winning by a

score of 11-1. Then in the finals the Lady Bulldogs paired two home runs from Libby Bromley and another long ball from Taylor Acord with some more stellar defense and won yet another game in blowout fashion. Waters said she felt like it was the team’s defense that made the biggest difference. “Defense was definitely the key. Although we have a hot batting lineup, having only one error throughout the whole state tournament was what made us champions,” Waters said. When asked if this year was different than last year’s title Waters and junior Mollee Byford said it definitely was. “This one was extra special for me because we are extremely close as a team and knowing this will be my last one with the senior class is sad but I wouldn’t have it end any other way,” Byford said. “Being a senior this year, this one feels awesome. Being ranked number two all year long really made us feel like as if no one remembered that we won it all last year. Only graduating one senior, we wanted to prove we were back and better than ever. Proving what we already knew was what felt best,” Waters said.

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You

Jalen Milligan -Chandler Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe, Jackie Joyner-Kersee. These track and field legends were all extremely versatile and showcased their athleticism in many, many events. It’s what made their legends so strong. Chandler’s Jalen Milligan is attempting to forge her own epic legacy in the same style as these legendary Olympians. Well we should rephrase that, she’s not attempting to do it… she IS doing it. This spring as a junior Milligan qualified for the state meet in four separate events; the 100-meter dash, the 100-meter hurdles, the long jump and the shot put. As far as most people can figure out Milligan is he first Class 3A girls athlete to qualify for state in a sprinting event, a hurdling event, a jumping event and a throwing event. She’s definitely the only one to do it in the last 15 years. The story doesn’t stop there though. Milligan isn’t just qualifying for the events, she’s medaling in them. She placed third in the long jump at the state meet and sixth in the 100. She also made the finals in the 100-meter hurdles but just missed the medal stand finishing in seventh place. In five years of competitive track, two junior high seasons and three in high school, Jalen has earned over 120 medals. In addition to the events she went to state in this year she has medaled in the 200-meter run, the 300-meter hurdles and the high jump. She also holds three records at Chandler in the long jump, 100-meter hurdles and the shot put. This summer Milligan hopes to learn to compete in two additional events, the discus and the javelin. She’s also trying to help younger athletes in Chandler become interested in track by planning and conducting free mini track clinics for Chandler junior high students interested in track. This summer she is hosting a mini track program for local elementary age athletes who want to try track and it will culminate in them competing events at the state meet for USATF. Of course along with being a standout track athlete Milligan also went to the state tournament as a member of the Chandler fastpitch team this year and was also on Chandler’s state champion slowpitch team. Outside of athletics Milligan is a member of the of the National Honor Society and volunteers with Feed the Children at their free eyeglass clinics. For her amazing dedication to becoming the best student-athlete she can be Jalen Milligan is the Chandler Athlete of the Month. For more information about Milligan head to: http://bit.ly/1NBU5gN

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MOM OF THE MONTH Lori Jones - Chanlder Mom By Kevin Green Mothers have many responsibilities. From building their children’s self-esteems to supporting their dreams and loving them unconditionally, mothers go above and beyond to take care of their children. One mother who sacrifices her own needs to meet her children’s is Lori Jones. Jones is the mother of Chandler slow pitch softball players Blayne and Jayden Solberg, as well as Chandler High School graduate Kenzie Solberg. She has helped Lions coach Bryan Herring for years with booster club activities, fundraisers and more. Herring often comes to Jones for things regarding the softball program, and she will always help if she can. If she can’t, Jones always finds a way to get them the help they need. Blayne said Jones knows how to show her children and their softball team how much support they have. “My mom means the world to me, my family and our team,” Blayne Solberg said. “She will do anything to help the team. It might be cooking for team meals, helping get supplies for the field and

the concession stand or even dressing like a wild woman and screaming her head off to keep our team fired up.” Every time Blayne and her sisters look into the stands, they know they will see their mom standing and cheering them on to victory throughout all of their games. “It’s an awesome feeling,” Blayne Solberg said. “She has always been there supporting us. I can’t even imagine how many miles she has driven taking us to softball or basketball games all over the country. Because of her contribution and dedication to her student-athletes, VYPE High School Magazine would like to recognize Jones as the Chandler Mom of the Month for May. No matter the sacrifice, Jones puts her family first and serves as a testament to all hard-working moms that mothers are always their children’s biggest supporter. Blayne said she and her sisters are fortunate to have a mother who is always there for them. “She is our biggest fan, and we wouldn’t be the athletes or the individuals we are without her,” Blayne Solberg said.

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Frontier Girls Golf Team Caps Solid Season at State LADY MUSTANGS PLACE TWO IN TOP HALF OF THE LEADERBOARD After placing in fifth at the Class 2A girls golf East Regional Tournament the Frontier Lady Mustangs qualified for the state tournament as a team. Held at Aqua Canyon Golf Course in Guthrie the state not only offered top golfers for the Lady Mustangs to compete against but also challenging course that keeps golfers on their toes and punishes you for bad shots. On day one the Lady Mustangs were led by Michaelanne Nelson, who shot a 94 for her opening 18 holes. Jaclyn

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McCormick wasn’t far behind Nelson with a 103 on day one. With the solid effort from Nelson and McCormick, Frontier finished day one with an overall team score of 423. That score left Frontier within striking distance of a top five finish as a team if they could make some improvements and see some other teams in front of them stumble. The Lady Mustangs got what they wanted when it came to their play on day two. Four of Frontier’s five golfers improved their scores from day one to day two and helped the team shave nine strokes off their total score from day two. The team was led by McCormick on the

second day of play as she carded a 94. Unfortunately for Frontier they didn’t see the teams in front of them stumble like they had hoped and ended up finishing in 12th place as a team with a total score of 837. Nelson was the team’s highest finisher and placed in a tie for 26th. McCormick also finished in the top half of the field with a tie for 31st. For her effort Nelson was also named to the All-VYPE girls golf team for the North Oklahoma region. Rounding out the team for Frontier was Autumn Conneywerdy, Taelor Baetz and Kiley Belair.

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VYPE YEAR-END EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS State Farm Home Office, Bloomington, IL

Perkins-Cushing-Stroud-DavenportDepew-Drumright-ClevelandChandler-Prague-Bristow By Kyle Kendrick

VYPE North Oklahoma Editor So this year the guys at VYPE decided we would do something a little new and fun for this issue. We decided we would recognize some of the best athletes from across the area. To be considered for awards in this area you had to be from Perkins-Tryon, Cushing, Stroud, Davenport, Depew, Drumright, Cleveland, Chandler, Prague or Bristow. I broke things down into five awards. Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Breakout Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Again I want to stress this is about recognizing some of the amazing athletes from this area and these are my choices, my Editor’s Picks if you will.

Male Athlete of the Year Honestly narrowing this category down to six guys was the stuff nightmares are made of. Guys like Kyler Patterson from Cushing, Trevon Overstreet from Drumright, Tanner Hunt from Depew Cade Harelson from Davenport and Maverick Ball from Cleveland could’ve all won this award. Patterson was Cushing’s quarterback, threw for over 1,400 yards and then was a standout on the baseball diamond hitting over .350 with an ERA that was below 2.00. Harelson had 10 receiving touchdowns and also racked up 15 sacks and three picks on the football field. In basketball he was just as dominant averaging a double-double on he year. Ball was another standout basketball player and was a VYPE Mr. Basketball finalist. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds on a team that advanced all the way to the area tournament. Overstreet was one of the most dominant rushers in the region gaining nearly 1,600 yards on the ground and scoring 19 rushing touchdowns. Finally, Hunt was a standout in baseball that some would argue was one of the best Class A shortstops in the entire state and also a dynamic scorer on the basketball floor averaging over 20 points per game.

Winner: Tiller Bucktrot – Stroud

Makenzie Flewellen

After debating this with myself for longer than I care to admit I ended up going with Bucktrot for this honor. A dominant

offensive lineman Bucktrot will be bringing his talents to Tulsa University in the fall. He also averaged 11.6 points per game for the Stroud basketball team. Finally, during track season Bucktrot took second place in the shot put and third in the discus at the Class 2A sate meet. When I put all of that in perspective it was impossible to not pick Bucktrot as my Male Athlete of the Year.

Female Athlete of the Year Just like their male counterparts this group has tons of talented athletes. Basketball stars Ericka Stevenson from Perkins and Kaydee Banks from Bristow immediately jump to mind. Softball stars Neleigh Herring fro Chandler and Annie Waters from Davenport are two others you could make solid cases for. Cross country star Miranda Opela from Prague is another athlete that deserves mention. On the basketball floor Stevenson averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as she led her team to the state tournament. Banks was also a force to be reckoned with averaging 22.4 points and 5.0 rebounds. Herring helped lead her team to state semifinals in fastpitch as a dominant pitcher who could contribute in a big way offensively. Then in the slowpitch season she helped to lead her team to a state title. Waters was an all-state player in fastpitch then also helped lead her team to a state title in slowpitch. Opela dominated this fall at the state cross country meet finishing in fourth place with a time of 12:22.53. She was also less than a second out of third place and just over eight seconds out of second.

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Winner: Makenzie Flewellen – Drumright When I looked at the numbers I just couldn’t deny Flewellen. She was her conference Co-MVP and a player opposing pitchers feared. She batted .614 this year with 50 runs scored. She also racked up 58 RBI’s, had 17 doubles, four triples and two home runs. Doing all that is impressive enough but then you factor in that she only struck out four times this year and it’s even more astounding. She also led her team to the state semifinals and is committed to play at Carl Albert State College next year.

Freshman of the Year When I got to thinking about this award all I could think about was the amazing freshman girls basketball players this area produced this season. Colie Larson from Perkins-Tryon would be well deserving. She averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game to help her team to the state tournament. Braelyn Berlowitz from Cushing was also very good this year averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Winner: Kycen Dunivan – Perkins-Tryon If I wasn’t going with Larson I had to go with Dunivan, Perkins’ other freshman phenom. Dunivan was an All-VYPE second team selection and for good reason. She averaged 8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game this year giving Perkins great versatility to go along with Stevenson and Larson. After such a strong freshman year I’m very anxious to see what Dunivan can do next year for an encore.

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Breakout Athlete of the Year

Winner: Rafael Galaviz – Cleveland

Man there were a lot of athletes to consider for this category as well. Traivon Bryant from Cleveland and EJ Zenon from Prague were both great on the gridiron this year exploding onto the scene. Bryant carried the ball 207 times this season for 1,339 yards and 11 touchdowns this year. He also caught 23 passes for 287 yards two touchdowns. Zenon meanwhile was a dominant defensive force for Prague making 151 total tackles and recording 19 total sacks. Zenon also recovered two fumbles this year and helped lead his team to the Class 2A semifinals.

Galaviz was drawing some serious attention in his sophomore season but then tragedy struck. He jumped up and when he landed something went very wrong. Galaviz’s sophomore season ended right there with a nasty leg injury. This season though Galaviz came back and came back in a big way. He averaged 10.7 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers should go way up next year so look for Galaviz to win a lot more awards once the 2016-2017 season concludes.

Winner: Calvin Boyce – Prague Boyce was the bell cow of the Prague offense this year carrying the ball an amazing 303 times, nearly 100 more carries than he registered in 2014. Boyce racked up 2,059 yards on the ground and 30 touchdowns increasing his yardage total by nearly 800 yards and his touchdown total by 22 scores. A threat to catch the ball out of the backfield Boyce also had 16 receptions for 111 yards this season. Boyce also increased his defensive production a great deal and recorded 18 tackles and picked off a pass on the year.

Comeback Athlete of the Year Now look I could go on and on about who could’ve won this award. I could throw out some names, what they came back from and what they were able to accomplish this season. If I did that though I would just be kidding you as readers, because in reality there was only one athlete who was ever going to win this.

Rafael Galaviz

When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.” When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.” Now back that's is teamwork. Giving my way of saying “Thank you.”

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Tiger Talk VYPE Editor Kyle Kendrick Chats With Cushing Head Football Coach Barrett Shupe

Stallworth, Kyler Patterson and Josh Houtchens. Who is the next guy or guys hat will fill their shoes this year?

football staff line up for a 100yard dash. Who wins? Shupe: It would be an intense and long 100 yards. I predict Rusty “Bumper” Morgan would beat Dusty “Hot Link” Hancock in a photo finish.

Shupe: I think the tradition of great players will continue. Our VYPE: You guys have won a entire team understands that we ton of games in your time at Cushing. What’s been the secret need everyone to be successful. VYPE: Last one. What’s been I like to give the entire team the to that success? the message to the guys credit because they play for each other. We are blessed with early on this spring? Are you Shupe: Cushing is a great a great senior class. Trey Morris, guys focusing on anything in place to be. My family and particular? England Honeybuss, Josiah I are so appreciative of the Wright, Hagan Myers, Jared opportunity to live here. Our Shupe: We just want to focus on Hubble, Dalton Hockett and success is because of a Kory Wiley have all played a ton. getting better and being the best great administration, parents, team we can be. We have o The entire class is ready to put and student-athletes. The have great attitudes, effort, and their stamp on the program. players believe in each other body language. We must have and the team concept. They a great summer in the weight VYPE: Ok. Let’s have some fun. play for each other and the What’s the most played artist on room and truly commit ourselves community. The faculty and to the team. If we control those Barrett Shupe’s iPod? staff are unbelievable. The things we feel like everything football coaching has stayed else will take care of itself. Shupe: It would be a variety of together and work well together. Rhett Minson, Agent artists, but Carrie Underwood We absolutely love it here in Now that's teamwork. 716 S Mill probably most. Pryor, OK 74361 Cushing. CALLthe FOR A QUOTE 24/7

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Matt Yates Cushing Tigers

Matt Yates was a big playmaker for the Cushing football team in the fall. He made 43 tackles and recorded two sacks on defense. On offense he carried the ball 60 times for 556 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers helped the Tigers to an 8-1 regular season and a second place finish in District 3A-1 behind only eventual state champion Heritage Hall. On the baseball team this spring Yates started in the outfield and was possibly even more impressive though. He was selected to the first team All-VYPE baseball squad after batting .356 on the season with 30 runs batted in. Those numbers helped Cushing go 21-15 and advance all the way to the regional tournament. Those numbers were up from his freshman year when Yates hit .301 with 15 RBI and scored 20 runs. The kicker though is that Yates is just a sophomore. He wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t graduate until 2018, meaning that his impressive numbers in football and baseball should only keep rising. With that thought in mind it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hard to imagine Yates eventually becoming one of the most decorated Cushing athletes in recent history. For his amazing dedication to excel on the gridiron and on the diamond Matt Yates is the Cushing Athlete of the Month.

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VYPE YEAR-END EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS Ponca City-Newkirk-TonkawaBlackwell-Frontier By Kyle Kendrick

VYPE North Oklahoma Editor So this year the guys at VYPE decided we would do something a little new and fun for this issue. We decided we would recognize some of the best athletes from across the area. To be considered for awards in this area you had to be from Ponca City, Newkirk, Tonkawa, Blackwell or Frontier. I broke things down into five awards. Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Breakout Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Again I want to stress this is about recognizing some of the amazing athletes from this area and these are my choices, my Editor’s Picks if you will. Male Athlete of the Year Plenty of athletes could fit this bill. A few names on my list were Ponca City tennis star Daniel Langston, Ponca football star Austin Hercyk, Ponca baseball standout Brian Wicker and Blackwell football player and wrestler Dayne Thomason. Langston dominated on the tennis court. Playing No. 1 singles he won tournaments at Jenks, Westmoore, Bartlesville, Enid and his home tournament the Ponca City Wildcat Invitational. Hercyk led the Wildcats in tackles on the football field. That’s impressive enough but he made 149 stops this year…in nine games. Oh yeah, that’s a new school record. Wicker just flat out swung a big stick 26

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this year for the Wildcats’ baseball team. He led the team in batting average, hitting .410 and was first on the team in RBI with 27. Finally, Thomason was a state champion wrestler at 285 pounds, finishing 40-2 on the year. On the football field Thomason racked up 66 tackles, had four tackles for loss and one sack. Winner: Conner Larson – Ponca City In the end despite all the other great accomplishments on this list I chose Larson because he put up big numbers in two sports. On the football field he started at quarterback and threw for 1,119 yards and 10 touchdowns. Larson also carried the ball for 751 yards and 11 more touchdowns. Then this winter Larson dominated on the hardwood. He averaged 21.7 points and 3.2 rebounds as the team’s starting point guard. Finally this spring Larson got a huge endorsement for the next level as he signed a letter of intent to play both football and basketball for the Southwestern College Moundbuilders in Winfield Kan.

Osborn had a great fall and led her team in batting average (.431), home runs (3) and runs scored (33). Pulley was a first team All-VYPE basketball player and a member of VYPE’s Top 100 basketball list. Noear was amazing in track this spring. She placed in the discus at multiple meets and won the event at the Jerry Runyon Relays in Ponca City, the Pioneer Relays in Stillwater and the Clancy Classic at Bishop McGuinness. Goodno and Knittell I group together because their coach does. Po-Hi head volleyball coach Jamie Miller had high praise for both players and said both have been huge parts of building a foundation for volleyball success in Ponca City. Winner: Kenzie Lyons – Ponca City

Female Athlete of the Year Another category with a lot of athletes to consider. I immediately thought of Ponca City softball player Camenda Osborn, Newkirk basketball player McKenna Pulley, Ponca City track star Kayla Noear along with Ponca volleyball players Kinzee Goodno and Abby Knittel.

Conner Larson

A lot like Larson I chose Lyons as my Female Athlete of the Year because of her dominance in multiple sports. On the softball field she led her team in RBI with 29 and also hit for a .337 average. She was also Ponca City’s ace in the circle and threw 130.2 total innings, struck out 55 batters and had an ERA of 4.38. On the basketball floor Lyons continued her amazing year by leading her team in scoring with 17.4 points per game and pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game.

a freshman at any level. Comeback Athlete of the Year When I thought about this category there were two athletes that I thought could easily win this. Samantha Allen from Tonkawa was the first. Allen injured her ankle at the area tournament last year but this year she bounced back and had a great season averaging 14.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.4 steals per game this year.

Breakout Athlete of the Year Four athletes immediately jumped to my mind when I thought of this category. Three of those were Breyanna Brice of Ponca City, Ashlynn Mercer from Ponca City and Jackson Jacobs from Tonkawa. Brice burst onto the scene this year by placing in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash at multiple meets this year. Only a sophomore the future looks bright for Brice. Mercer was another standout softball player for the Lady Cats. She threw 63 innings, struck out 31 batters and had a 3.77 ERA. Finally, Jacobs was a star for the Tonkawa basketball team and averaged 15.6 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also shot 80 percent from the free-throw line and made 52 three-point baskets. Winner: Austin Fry – Ponca City Fry played extremely well on the football team this year. As an insider linebacker Fry made 117 tackles and had 12 tackles for loss. That came after a sophomore year in which he recorded 34 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Kenzie Lyons Freshman of the Year I’m sure there were plenty of players I could have picked here. I thought about three. The first two were Marilyn Goodman from Frontier, and Kendall Jean from Ponca City. Goodman helped lead her team to the state basketball tournament and averaged 8.6 points per game. Jean on the other hand played softball for Ponca City, had 14 RBI and hit for a .276 average. Of her 24 hits on the year, five were doubles; that means that over 20 percent of her hits were for extra bases.

Winner: Michaelanne Nelson – Frontier Last year Nelson played through a nagging knee injury during softball season then completely tore her ACL during basketball season. This year Nelson came back better than ever. She went 30-6 in the circle and led her team to the state semifinals. She threw 21 shutouts, had six no-hitters and struck out a whopping 429 hitters. She was also amazing with a bat in her hands. She batted .454 this fall and led her team with 41 RBI. Nelson also was a key member of the Frontier girls basketball team and was an AllVYPE selection in both fastpitch and slowpitch softball.

Winner: Simeon Shepard – Blackwell Shepard played on the Blackwell basketball team but he earned my pick for what he did on the gridiron. On offense he had 18 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. On defense he made 63 tackles, picked off two passes, forced four fumbles and recovered a fumble. Great numbers for

Michaelanne Nelson

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Ponca City senior tennis player wins his third state title in as many years Daniel Langston has won as much as nearly any tennis player this state has ever seen. In 2014 he won the Class 6A No. 2 singles title and went undefeated in the process. Last year he made the move to No. 1 singles and yet again won a title and yet again went undefeated. This season was just more of the same. Langston cruised to a third title, his second at No. 1 singles, and became quite possibly the most decorated tennis player in Ponca City history in the process. The only thing that eluded Langston this year was another undefeated record. He lost one match this spring, coming to Class 4A standout Zeke Clark from Riverfield Country Day. At the state tournament this year Langston squared off with Ryan Leap of Enid in he first round. Langston won the match in straight sets 6-0,6-0 to advance to the second round. Bartlesville’s Daniel Meszaros awaited

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Langston in the second match of the tournament but proved to be not much more of an obstacle to history than Leap was as Langston won 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals. Just one match away from playing for the title, Langston made short work of his semifinal opponent Darien Ghali winning another match 6-0, 6-0. Finally, Langston capped off his high school career with a 6-3, 6-2 straight set victory over Edmond Memorial’s Chase Brill. “I feel blessed that I won state for the third time, it’s been my goal for the past year and I successfully reached it on Saturday. I couldn’t have done it without Brad Larimer and Ryan Shelton’s coaching. The sacrifice my parents have made in supporting my lessons and tournaments has been tremendous. I’m thankful my hard work and focus has paid off and I’m looking forward to the next challenge of playing tennis at Valparaiso University,” Langston said.

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Phillips 66 is a proud sponsor of the Ponca City Area Character Counts Award.

Ryan Lusk Newkirk

Newkirk’s Ryan Lusk is the type of kid every coach wants on their team and every school loves to produce. Lusk played multiple sports during his high school career including participating in football, basketball, baseball and golf this year as a senior. Outside of athletics Lusk is also a star. He is part of a Main Street community service organization called Jed’s Chord. He is also a member of STUCO, National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Now that he can call himself a graduate of Newkirk High School, Lusk says he plans to attend the University of Oklahoma next year just like his brother and sister and major in Chemical Engineering. Asked about his favorite memory from high school, Lusk said it happened on the baseball field. “It would have to be when I stole home this year to send a game into extra innings,” Lusk said. Being the well-rounded student-athlete he is though Lusk also had some sound advice for incoming freshmen at Newkirk. “I would tell them to always give their best effort in the classroom and on the field because even though it may seem like an eternity until you become a senior it goes by in the blink of an eye.” For his dedication to his athletics and excelling off the field as well Ryan Lusk is the Ponca City Area Character Counts Athlete of the Month.

PROVIDING ENERGY. IMPROVING LIVES. We’re committed to improving lives in the communities where we live and work. That’s why Phillips 66 is proud to highlight the great student athletes who uphold the fabric of character on and off the field and court.

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Evans brings pro level bat speed to college play We love to love the underdogs; nobodies becoming somebodies to defy all odds against them. Michael Jordan, Michael Oher, Kurt Warner, James Braddock, the miracle hockey team - the list goes on and will always go on.

“He has extremely high expectations for me, and he knows I can complete them. Without the drive he has had for me to be good, I would probably not be playing college baseball right now,” Evans said.

Just like his favorite pro player, Albert Pujols, Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa’s first baseman Josh Evans has shown the college world that you don’t have to be the number one draft pick to make it big.

Recently named First Team All-American, Evans sets the bar high on things he needs to accomplish this year.

“To be good in the pros, you don’t always have to be drafted high and with hard work, you can be a huge impact to any team you play for,” Evans said. The 5’11 Ponca City native first began his college career at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. After a third knee surgery and a coaching change, Evans made the decision to come to NOC to play for Northern’s head coach Ryan Bay.

“I’m selective on pitches to hit and my power is always a positive. The biggest thing I need to work on is picking up my mental game on predicting the pitch,” Evans said. The team, currently at 23-7, is setting its sights on the college world series, but it’s not the main focus. “To get there, our focus must be on the daily process of getting better. This team has a firm grasp on that concept. If we can continue the process, then we have a shot,” Bay said.

Bay said Evans’ work ethic is contagious. “Josh sets the tone with our hitters in terms of daily work ethic. He brings intensity to every workout and practice, which helps raise the intensity of those around him,” Bay said. Evans, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in home runs, has pro-level bat speed. “The biggest difference is the strength factor and working on being a complete hitter by driving the ball to all fields, not just the pull side,” Bay said.”The ball just looks and sounds different off his bat compared to everyone else.” His biggest fan and, naturally, biggest critic is his father.

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1900 N 14th St. Ponca City, OK 74601 (580) 765-3321 www.myalliancehealthdoctors.com