NORMAN —
Newly hired defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, defensive line and tight ends/special teams coach Jay Boulware met with reporters Wednesday for the first time since joining the Oklahoma staff.
Here on some highlights from each coach’s interview session:
• Montgomery’s initial impression of OU’s current defensive linemen: “They’re definitely good-looking kids. I’m excited to work with them. We’ll move some things around a little bit, but I like what I have to work with and look forward to starting spring ball Saturday.”
• How does Montgomery plan to get SEC-quality defensive linemen to come to OU: “It’s about building relationships. Most of those kids are in the South and want to stay close to home. We’re not too far away. So it’s about getting into those schools and building relationships in those recruiting areas. Getting the kids on campus more than once. That’s something we’ve got to continue to build on, getting the kids on campus and showing them what we have to offer at this great place, the tradition and the history of the defensive linemen we’ve had come through here. It’s unreal. We’ve gotta show them those things. Heck, when your numbers are so low, playing time is going to be early. Which is always a huge selling point.”
• How will Montgomery sell going against spread offenses to defensive linemen: “One thing kids like to hear is getting after the quarterback. They like to throw the ball around a little in this league. They’re also running the ball well. You’ve got to have guys that can do both. You’ve got to have guys that are really good against the run, you’ve got to have guys that can come in on third down and get after the quarterback. Just selling them on the opportunity to play early and the opportunity to play against high-powered offenses is a good selling point.”
• What does Montgomery look for in potential recruits: “For a defensive lineman, you’ve got to have great foot quickness. You like size, but size is not always the tell-all. If the kid can play the game and he’s long enough and tall enough and he’s very athletic… That’s one thing with the offenses we’re playing now, the athleticism of the defensive lineman has to be pretty good. You can’t take too many 330-pound defensive tackles in this league, because you’re not seeing the two-back. You’re seeing ‘10’ personnel and people spreading it out and getting it in space to guys that can run. Footspeed is definitely one thing I look at.”
• What advantages does Boulware see OU having in recruiting: “You walk in with this OU on your chest, and you’re immediately in everybody’s top two or three. It means something. It makes a difference. We’re big brother now. I’ve been at places where you’re little brother, as some people say, or you’re equal or whatever, how some people look at it, but this is my first time at a place where you’re definitely the big dog on the street and everybody knows it.”
• What Boulware sees as the essentials of recruiting: “One of my friends used to say all the time, ‘Recruiting is like shaving. If you don’t do it everyday, it’ll show.’ You’ve gotta, everyday, you’ve gotta pound it and pound it and pound it. You’ve gotta establish relationships. Not only with the kid, but whoever the kid is close to. If you do that and you build the relationships, I think at the end of the day, you’ll come out on top more than you will on the bottom of them.”
• Did Boulware have a prior relationship with Bob Stoops: “I do not. I know some guys on the staff through recruiting. Actually, Bobby Jack Wright was probably a big part in getting me here. When I went to Texas, he was a there. He knew me back in the day. I actually GA’d under them. I’ve been knowing him for a long, long time. He knew me when I had snot on my nose and didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other. That’s probably my biggest tie to Coach Stoops.”
• Will Boulware — a Texas graduate — find it strange to be competing against the Longhorns: “No, it’s not gonna be weird at all. If you see my little 5-year-old daughter and she is so cute. Every time I look at her she gives me a big old hug and kiss. This is how I feed my family. So when I look at that little girl and then I like across that field all I’m thinking about is this is how I feed my family — this is how I feed Jordan. It’s gonna be real easy for me to go out and try to beat them down a little bit. It won’t be hard. I have my own motivation.”
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Sooner Sports Minute: New OU coaches meet with media
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Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. -
Eagles' season finished; Lopez earns national honor
Southeastern, Fla. eliminated Oklahoma Christian 4-0 om the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio today to advance to the tournament semifinals, while OC closes at 26-26.
OC would have advanced to the semifinals with a win, but completed a terrific turnaround from an 8-34 season in 2012. The Eagles made only the second national-tournament appearance in the program's history, with the other coming in 1972, when OC finished third in the NAIA World Series. -
Multiple baseball camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Schools baseball coaches Kyle Roberts (Edmond Memorial), Jeff Shafer (Edmond Santa Fe) and Karl King (Edmond North) will instruct the Edmond All-Star Baseball Camps starting May 28 at Edmond North High School.
A pair of all-skills camps will take place for kids ages 5 and older from May 28-31 and June 3-6. Times are the same, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
On June 7, a pitcher/catcher camp will be offered for ages 8 and older with the identical time frame. Cost is $35 for the pitcher/catcher camp and $125 for the all-skills camp.
For further inquiries, contact Karl King at 863-3570. -
Arthur Hills eating up Bronchos
Central Oklahoma’s struggles continued at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Friday.
The Bronchos made 10 double bogeys and two triple bogeys en route to a season-high 329 score on the rugged 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International, leaving UCO in 10th place with a three-round total of 975.
Nova Southeastern has an 881 total heading into Saturday’s final round, giving the four-time defending champion Sharks a one-shot lead over second-place Lynn. -
Bronchos will make 12th appearance in national golf championship Monday
No. 18-ranked Central Oklahoma will make its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. next week.
The 54-hole stroke play portion of the tournament runs Monday-Wednesday at the 7,061-yard, par-71 Hershey Country Club East Course, with the top-eight teams from the 20-team field advancing to match play. -
Online registration for 2013 UCO Endeavor Games now open
Registration is now open online for athletes and volunteers for the 2013 University of Central Oklahoma Endeavor Games, June 6-9, the nation’s largest multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities.
Athletes of all ages or sporting experience are invited to register for the event. Community members are also encouraged to register to volunteer with more than 300 volunteer opportunities available.
Similar to the summer Paralympic Games, athletes may register for multiple adaptive sports, which include cycling, indoor archery, outdoor archery, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, shooting, table tennis, track and field, wheelchair basketball, and, for the first time at the UCO Endeavor Games, paratriathlon. The paratriathlon will be limited to athletes over the age of 16 with previous paratriathlon experience. -
Deer Creek drops Carl Albert again for state title
They did it again.
The Deer Creek girls soccer team knocked off rival Carl Albert in the Class 5A state soccer title game for the second consecutive season.
The Lady Antlers, led by freshman Lauren Haivala’s two goals, topped the Titans 2-1 May 10 at Noble High School.
On May 7, Deer Creek blanked Tulsa Edison 2-zip in the semifinals for a chance to play for its fourth state championship in girls soccer. - More Sports Headlines
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