Welcome to Class B — home to 8-man football. For four Southwest Oklahoma teams in this class, 2017 figures to be a promising season.
In District B-3, Carnegie aims to repeat as district champ. Cyril will give Carnegie a run for its money at the title while Snyder looks to crawl out of the district cellar. Meanwhile, in District B-4, Central High will duke it out with Waurika and Fox for the title.
Each team knows the difficulties on the horizon with district play. That’s why the mantra for each school is “one game at a time, one week at a time.”
“There are no off weeks for us,” Cyril coach Trevor Knight said. “We have to take it one week at a time and try to win that day.”
Carnegie
There’s something different about this year’s team and Carnegie coach Jim Harvey can feel it.
“They’re all competitors. That’s what probably makes this year’s team so much fun,” Harvey said. “They like to compete, win, and make sure what they’re doing is right. They’re go-getters that’s what I like about them.”
Harvey enters his fifth year in stint number two with Carnegie, though it’s his 13th year overall leading the Wildcats. But in his 13 years few teams have matched the positive attitude and work ethic that these Wildcats have. It’s even made the little things like practice much more fun.
“I kind of got my coaching shoes back on this year,” Harvey said. “It’s enjoyable. It’s really a fun group.”
Carnegie has plenty of go-getters on the offensive side of the ball where the Wildcats have explosive playmakers everywhere you look.
Quarterback Xavier Nesahkluah (5-10, 160, Jr.) got several starts last year under his belt when Carnegie’s top QB was injured. Now Nesahkluah is ready to take over the reins full time — with plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Taylor Martin (5-10, 150, Jr.) is the top returning receiver. Randall Hurt is also back. Another explosive wideout is Jonah Killman, whom coach Harvey has been impressed with his leadership in practice as well as his performance on the field.
“We’ve got a lot of receivers who can not only catch the ball but they can run. That helps tremendously,” Harvey said. “So we’re gonna throw it around a bunch. I’m really excited about our offense.”
Yards after catch is an underrated statistic and teams like Carnegie which can rack up yards in the open field in a hurry can be awfully dangerous.
That’s the main reason why Carnegie will operate through the spread offense and look to create extra space and maximize big play potential with their playmakers. The backfield highlighted by Tristen Hainta (5-8, 170, Jr.) can be just as potent with space in the open field.
Carnegie returns two starters on its offensive line — Eddie Cano (5-10, 235, Sr.) and Charnel Lindsey (6-2, 260, Sr.). Sophomore Josh Milton has been stepping up and will be a key part of the O-line.
On defense, Jaispen Bialis (6-1, 210, Sr.) will be a key leader at defensive end. Along with, Cano and Lindsay on the front line, that gives the Wildcats three returning starters on the defensive line. Hainta will patrol the middle at linebacker and Rhodey Mabry (5-10, 180, Sr.), who also plays fullback, will be the star outside linebacker off the edge.
Killman will lock things down at cornerback while junior Josiah Gonzalez and sophomore Andrew Cano — Eddie’s younger brother — will lock down each safety slot.
An X-factor for Carnegie will be its depth this season. The Wildcats have plenty of it as they have 32 kids out this season. Originally, Harvey was only planning on having around 21 players.
“Having 32 is a blessing in disguise,” Harvey said. “We’re gonna play a lot of kids and it’s gonna really help us down the line.”
It’ll provide Harvey with a disposal of players to step up and make an impact while giving breathers to key starters.
Carnegie advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year where the Wildcats fell to eventual state champ Laverne.
“We expect to be there again but make it deeper and move forward from that,” Harvey said. “You always want to make your goals bigger than they were the year before.”
Fittingly, Carnegie will get a rematch with Laverne this season in Week 4. It’s the highlight of a brutal non-district schedule as the Wildcats open the season tonight against Destiny Christian — the winner of the Christian state championship in Oklahoma each of the last two years — and also get a clash with Class C champion Tipton.
“You always want a shot at the state champ,” Harvey said. “I don’t think you can help yourself but get excited for those games. It’s good we have a good tough schedule, but focus is the main thing each week. You need to focus in on your opponent for that week and not overlook anybody.”
Cyril
Last year, Cyril suffered a first round playoff exit to Waurika.
This year, the Pirates are excited to build off that as they aim for the district title.
“All through the summer, it’s really been all about getting to where we want to go,” Cyril head coach Trevor Knight said. “These guys are excited to see their hard work pay off.”
Cyril has a great shot to claim the B-3 district title as the Pirates are led by talented veterans, including eight seniors. The team is more senior-driven than ever before under Knight who enters his third year commanding the Pirates’ ship.
Josh Garza (5-10, 170, Sr.) is the straw that stirs the drink as the senior quarterback will take the reins of the Pirates’ spread offense.
Garza is a dynamic dual threat and posted impressive numbers last year as he passed for 2,416 yards along with 36 touchdowns in addition to 13 rushing touchdowns at 710 yards on the ground.
“It’s starts with him,” Knight said. “He’s been the leader for me since he was a sophomore and he’s really grown into a complete player.”
Knight wants to throw the ball frequently though Cyril will try to mix it up with power running at times to keep the defense honest.
Garza has a lethal weapon in wide receiver Jake Toahty — one of the stars of Cyril’s basketball team that reached state last spring. Toahty caught 12 touchdowns on only 26 receptions last year for 642 yards, good for nearly 25 yards per catch.
“He (Toahty) is one of the better receivers and an extremely good athlete,” Knight said. “He’s also got that influence factor to carry other people around him. He gets us going a lot of times.”
Knight will lean on those two seniors the most this season as Cyril eyes a deep playoff push. If the Pirates are to sail far, it’ll likely be Garza or Toahty providing the game-changing play.
“There are times we can be down and a play by Jake or Josh turns it all around,” Knight said. “It’s cool to see them do that and to know from where they came from — where they started two years ago to where they are now. It’s been awesome to see their progression.”
Defensively, the Pirates love to pursue the ball and fly around the field. They even say “swarm” when they break out of their defensive huddle.
Titan Abeyta is one of the stars of the defense. The senior linebacker has come a long way, Knight said. Abeyta, who is poised for a breakout season, has put on 40 pounds nearly all muscle mass throughout the last three years. Devin Missey will also be one of Cyril’s defensive leaders, doing so at defensive end.
“He’s probably one of my more natural football players,” Knight said. “He’s a strong, tough kid, and he impacts the defense more than people realize he does.”
The Pirates open their season against Empire next Friday, Sept. 1.
Central High
The Bronchos have their work cut out for them in B-4.Central High will fight for a playoff spot but it’ll need to play sharp and fundamentally sound to knock off the likes of Waurika and Fox — one of the favorites to win Class B.To do so, head coach Keith Burton will need help from his stars coming off a 5-6 campaign.
One of those stars is T.J. Birdwell (6-2, 275, Sr) who is not only one of the top players on his team but one of the top players in all of Class B. At guard, Birdwell will lead the offensive line while on defense, he will wreak havoc in the middle just as he did last year. Birdwell was named District B-4’s Defensive Lineman of the Year last season.
Birdwell will have help on defense as Michael Morrow (5-10, 200, Jr.) and Brandon Martin (5-10, 200, Jr.) will provide pressure at each defensive end position. Morrow, at guard, and Martin at tight end will give the Bronchos several formidable pieces on the offensive line as well.
Braden Edens (6-3, 200, Jr.) at fullback will get the bulk of touches, particularly in short yardage situations.
Central High opens the season Sept. 1 against Southwest Covenant.
Snyder
After going a winless 0-5 in district play last season, Snyder is hoping for a much-improved 2017 campaign.
Head coach Joe Garrison enters his first year in charge of the Cyclones. Garrison will be able to spin up whatever he wants on offense with seven of his eight starters returning on that side of the ball.
The Cyclones feature a dynamic backfield in a pair of juniors Austin McPherson (5-10, 180, Jr.) and Trevor Evans (6-0, 170, Jr.) both of whom will be the highlight of the offense.
Trey Moeller (5-11, 220, Sr.) and Quinton Vaughn (5-11, 260, Jr.) are the backbone of the offensive line and should allow McPherson and Evans to find plenty of lanes to run through.
Snyder also boasts a pair of talented receivers in tight end Jacob Kelly (6-0, 200, Sr.) and wide receiver Jason Foster (5-7, 135, Jr.).
Together, the two should provide a healthy but lethal power-speed combo in the passing game when it’s called upon.
Just like the offense, seven starters are back on the Cyclones’ defense led by linebacker Kyle Flinn (5-7, 150, Jr.). Just like on offense, Vaughn will be a force on the defensive line too and will get some help up front from McPherson in a 3-3 defensive scheme.
Dalton Williams (6-0, 140, Sr.) will anchor the secondary as he possesses natural tendencies to provide lockdown coverage over the top while also stepping up into the box to stop the run.
With both the Snyder offense and defense returning nearly all starters and having another year of experience together under their belt, the Cyclones could see their win totals double or even triple following a 2-8 season.Snyder has a difficult road test at Tiption in the middle of September but opens the season at Grandfield Sept. 1.
Class B Crystal Ball Predictions
District B-3
1. Carnegie
2. Cyril
3. Alex
4. Geary
5. Snyder
6. Burns Flat-Dill City
District B-4
1. Fox
2. Waurika
3. Central High
4. Wilson
5. Ryan
6. Bray-Doyle