Class 2A Football Previews

<h4>District 2A-5</h4> District Prediction 1. Pawhuska 2. Newkirk 3. Perkins-Tryon 4. Pawnee 5. Perry 6. Kellyville 7. Mounds 8. Wellston Six

Thursday, August 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

District 2A-5

District Prediction

1. Pawhuska
2. Newkirk
3. Perkins-Tryon
4. Pawnee
5. Perry
6. Kellyville
7. Mounds
8. Wellston

Six Players to Watch

1. Hilario Guerrero- Kellyville- Offensive Lineman
2. E.J. Miles- Pawhuska- Linebacker
3. Jake Hager- Perry- Defensive Lineman
4. Brent Banks- Pawnee- Offensive Lineman
5. Jase Collum- Perkins-Tryon- Linebacker
6. Nick Williams- Pawhuska- Offensive Lineman

Six â€œCanâ€™t Missâ€ Games

1. September 1st- Pawhuska at Skiatook- District favorite Huskies step up two classes for an early test.
2. September 1st- Newkirk at Tonkawa
3. October 19th- Pawhuska at Newkirk
4. September 15th- Perkins-Tryon at Cushing
5. October 6th- Pawnee at Perkins-Tryon
6. September 1st- Chisholm at Perry

Team Capsules

Pawhuska
Head Coach: Bob Campo
Last Year: 9-3
Strength: Drop from Class 3A where theyâ€™ve won two straight district titles.
Question Mark: Must replace two defensive linemen, including and all-stater.
Outlook: District championship is likely and state title run is possible.

Newkirk
Head Coach: Sonny Schovanec
Last Year: 9-4
Strength: Return several starters including two terrific linebackers.
Question Mark: Quarterback position was unsettled at the beginning of camp.
Outlook: Id the QB situation gets resolved, another serious run through playoffs is likely.

Perkins-Tryon
Head Coach: Steve Grotheer
Last Year: 8-4
Strength: Collum and fellow linebacker Jake Butler are leaders on defense.
Question Mark: Lack of tradition. Last yearâ€™s playoff berth was first in 13 years.
Outlook: Forget tradition. This team is talented enough to begin their own.

Pawnee
Head Coach: Bobby Miller
Last Year: 4-6
Strength: Offensive line. Banks and Jacob Sanders are two outstanding anchors.
Question Mark: New quarterback and thin receiver corps could have teams stacking against the run.
Outlook: Great line and good running backs could have Pawnee fighting their way into playoffs.

Perry
Head Coach: Mark Baetz
Last Year: 5-5
Strength: Returning running backs tallied 1,500 yards together last season.
Question Mark: Recent history. No playoff berth since 1989.
Outlook: Looks like itâ€™s between Perry and Pawnee for the fourth berth in the district.

Kellyville
Head Coach: Bo Hannaford
Last Year: 1-9
Strength: Guerrero is one of the best linemen in the state.
Question Mark: Last yearâ€™s defense gave up more points than a real estate agent.
Outlook: If QB Tim Holt and Guerrero get help, the Ponies will surprise.

Mounds
Head Coach: Brent Geiger
Last Year: 3-7
Strength: 16 returning starters, including tons of offensive backfield talent.
Question Mark: Offensive linemen are a little small.
Outlook: Enough talent to make a serious push , but likely a year away.

Wellston
Head Coach: Mike Phillips
Last Year: 5-6
Strength: Return two starters at defensive back.
Question Mark: Donâ€™t return much else from last yearâ€™s playoff team.
Outlook: Losses plus move from A to 2A donâ€™t bode well.

District 2A-6

District Predictions

1. Nowata
2. Adair
3. Metro Christian
4. Colcord
5. Salina
6. Chouteau
7. Caney Valley
8. Chelsea

Six Player to Watch

1. Mark Bullard- Colcord- Running Back
2. Michael Brown- Nowata- Linebacker
3. Matt Loerker- Metro Christian- Offensive Lineman
4. Justin Sparks- Chouteau- Linebacker
5. Doug Smith- Adair- Linebacker
6. Ross Spencer- Metro Christian- Running Back

Six â€œCanâ€™t Missâ€ Games

1. September 8th- Vinita at Nowata- Two state title hopefuls in 3A and 2A respectively. Mark your calendar small school fans.
2. September 29th- Nowata at Adair
3. November 3rd- Adair at Colcord
4. September 15th- Metro Christian at Holland Hall
5. September 8th- Colcord at Westville
6. September 29th- Metro Christian at Salina

Team Capsules

Nowata
Head Coach: Greg Werner
Last Year: 14-1
Strength: Great run to state title game last year has players excited for encore.
Question Mark: Loss of every starting linemen, offense and defense, hits hard.
Outlook: Doesnâ€™t hit hard enough to keep the Ironmen from winning district.

Adair
Head Coach: Russell Kruse
Last Year: 7-4
Strength: Five good offensive linemen will be a year bigger and better.
Question Mark: Unproven quarterback steps in for departed Brandon Green.
Outlook: Only likely competition for Nowata in district title hunt.

Metro Christian
Head Coach: Shawn Booth
Last Year: 4-6
Strength: Spencer and wide receiver Jordan Taylor are great skill players.
Question Mark: Defensive backfield may be a little thin.
Outlook: Big line to open holes for Spencer means playoffs.

Colcord
Head Coach: Bryan Hutson
Last Year: 8-3
Strength: Bullard is one of the top five backs in class 2A.
Question Mark: Return of QB Terrill Denny from last yearâ€™s ACL injury.
Outlook: Bullard behind a large line could run Hornets into fourth spot.

Salina
Head Coach: Tony Thomas
Last Year: 5-5
Strength: Great foursome of receivers.
Question Mark: Lost 12 seniors from last yearâ€™s team.
Outlook: That many losses is tough to overcome.

Chouteau
Head Coach: Rusty Harris
Last Year: 1-9
Strength: QB Timmy Moore is multi-talented and has good backfield mates.
Question Mark: Last yearâ€™s 1-9 season doesnâ€™t leave much to build on.
Outlook: Good talent on this team may surprise and sneak into playoffs.

Caney Valley
Head Coach: Shane Branscum
Last Year: 1-9
Strength: Speed at skill positions.
Question Mark: Most other positions lack the size to complement the speed.
Outlook: Another year in the weight room may do the trick.

Chelsea
Head Coach: Len Windle
Last Year: 2-8
Strength: Coaching change to Windle could bring excitement.
Question Mark: Is the talent there to run his Winged-T?
Outlook: Probably not this year, but there is a nucleus to build around.

District 2A-7

District Prediction

1. Cascia Hall
2. Eufaula
3. Westville
4. Haskell
5. Warner
6. Victory Christian
7. Vian
8. Sequoyah Talequah

Six Players to Watch
(Note: District 2A-7 is generally regarded by state coaches and recruiting services as the district with the most individual talent outside of class 6A.)

1. Avery Shine- Eufaula- Defensive Back
2. Robert Spangler- Warner- Quarterback
3. Jon Kirby- Westville- Running Back
4. Heath Evans- Cascia Hall- Quarterback
5. Pat Dwyer- Cascia Hall- Offensive Lineman
6. Dan Dixon- Cascia Hall- Defensive Back

Six â€œCanâ€™t Missâ€ Games

1. October 27th- Eufaula at Cascia Hall- Late season. District favorites. Perfect ingredients for a great game.
2. October 27th- Westville at Haskell
3. September 8th- Cascia Hall at Berryhill
4. September 8th- Haskell at Heavener
5. November 3rd- Warner at Eufaula
6. August 31st- Warner at Gore

Team Capsules

Cascia Hall
Head Coach: Joey Medina
Last Year: 13-1 Class 3A Champs
Strength: Great talent returns from last yearâ€™s state champs.
Question Mark: Canâ€™t find many, but they do need to find a steady tailback.
Outlook: 3A champs drop to 2A. Should be everyoneâ€™s pre-season #1 in state.

Eufaula
Head Coach: Kerry Roberts
Last Year: 8-3
Strength: Shine is superb, but thatâ€™s not the end of the talent.
Question Mark: Might be a little thin on the defensive front. Stopping the run will be premium in this district.
Outlook: Week nine game with Cascia may be for the district crown.

Westville
Head Coach: Mike Burdge
Last Year: 5-5
Strength: Kirby will carry a significant load.
Question Mark: Must get last yearâ€™s scoring defense numbers down.
Outlook: Playoff talent plus one special player means a sure postseason.

Haskell
Head Coach: Jim Reece
Last Year: 12-2
Strength: Recent tradition has the Haymakers expecting to win.
Question Mark: Severe graduation losses have decimated both lines.
Outlook: It will be tough, but playoffs are a strong possibility.

Warner
Head Coach: Larry Spangler
Last Year: 7-4
Strength: Robert Spangler is one of the top five QBâ€™s in the state.
Question Mark: May have problems stopping the pass.
Outlook: Itâ€™s hard to deny Spangler a playoff berth. If he gets help, theyâ€™ll push for postseason.

Victory Christian
Head Coach: Brad Ferguson
Last Year: 8-1
Strength: Brad Johnson is a very good quarterback. Would be the best in the district in any other in 2A.
Question Mark: First year in a district could make things tough.
Outlook: You canâ€™t duplicate district intensity. It may shock the Conquerors.

Vian
Head Coach: Kevin Tipton
Last Year: 3-7
Strength: Experience in the defensive backfield.
Question Mark: Thin on numbers and size on the offensive line.
Outlook: May not be enough beef on the line for success in this district.

Sequoyah Tahlequah
Head Coach: Mark Vance
Last Year: 2-8
Strength: Good core of skill players.
Question Mark: Offensive line may be a little small.
Outlook: Tough year to be in the best district in the class.

District Previews

Eight-man Districts
Class A Districts
Class 3A districts: Monday, August 21
Class 4A district 4: Tuesday, August 22
Class 4A district 3: Wednesday, August 23
Class 4A district 2: Thursday, August 24
Class 5A district 4: Friday, August 25
Class 5A district 3: Monday, August 28
Class 6A district 4: Tuesday, August 29
Class 6A district 3: Wednesday, August 30