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Edmond North defensive end Colton Byford tracks down Edmond Santa Fe quarterback Will Long during their Edlam battle earlier this season. Drew Harmon
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Byford follows in brothers footsteps
Colton Byford remembers the glory days of Edmond North football. As ball boy he had a front row seat as his older brother Blake guided the Huskies to their most successful season in school history. Colton knew eventually that’d be him pushing North deep into the playoffs, but that day seemed like it’d never come.
The Huskies surprised many with a playoff berth in Byford’s sophomore season, but slipped back under .500 again last fall. Things have been different this year as the Huskies opened the year with seven straight wins and matched their second best record with an 8-2 regular season finish.
“Before the season even started I’d hear all my brother’s football stories but the past few years I haven’t really had any stories to tell of my own, so this year’s pretty special for me,” Colton said. “The last few years it hasn’t seemed like Edmond North football and now that we’ve established that again it’s been really fun. It kind of brings back memories of their team.”
Colton said he still stays in close contact with his brother, who is now playing football at Pittsburg State.
“He’s glad to see Edmond North return back to their old ways and he’s talking to me before and after every game, so we stay in close touch,” Byford said.
While Byford has maintained a low profile this year, he’s a major reason why the Huskies have developed many fond memories of their own. The senior is one of the top pass rushers in the state with 11 sacks, while ranking third on the team with 106 tackles.
“Colton doesn’t fly under the radar to opposing coaches,” North head coach Jeremy Dombek said. “They understand he’s an outstanding player and one of the reason we’ve been so successful this year.”
Dombek said Byford has been just as impressive off the field. The senior has excelled in the classroom and provided the team with a role model in the weight room.
“I’m most pleased with the consistency that Colton has shown from last to this year,” Dombek said. “In the offseason he’s in the weight room everyday, changing his body, getting bigger and that’s translated to performance on field. It also lets the younger guys see that hard work does pay off.”
The Huskies defense has also stepped it up the last three weeks of the season. After giving up 42 points in a loss to Midwest City, they have tightened their defense and allowed just nine offensive points in their last three games of the regular season. Byford and his teammates will look to keep that up tonight when they travel to Lawton for the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs.
“We just had to find that intensity and that Memorial game definitely brought back that fire we had in the Santa Fe game,” Byford said. “We pushed away from that in the middle of the season and now we’re kind of bringing that back and I’m glad it’s happening now.”
The Huskies and Wolverines will get underway at 7:30 p.m. at Cameron Stadium.
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Wolves' title run ends with overtime loss
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Lady Wolves hold off PC North
The playoffs have not provided much variety for the No. 3-ranked Edmond Santa Fe girls this year and the opening round of the Class 6A State Tournament was no different. After sweeping No. 7 Putnam City North in the regular season the Lady Wolves needed a strong finish to hold off their conference rival for the third time Thursday night at Catoosa High School.
PC North rallied from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter to pull within a pair with just 44 seconds left. But Santa Fe avoided the upset as Daisha Gonzaque sank a pair of free throws on the other end for the 58-54 win. -
Lady Huskies beat Norman North, move on to semifinals
After seeing the No. 2 Edmond North girls strike out last year at the Class 6A State Tournament, Elizabeth Donohoe couldn’t wait for another shot. And the junior made sure this trip was a more memorable one as she poured in 23 points to lead the Lady Huskies past Norman North 53-42 in the first round of the state tournament at Catoosa High School.
“We were here last year and of course we didn’t win it, but we won this one and we’re really excited and ready to play Norman,” Donohoe said. -
Bombers stifle Bulldogs’ comeback bid
The Edmond Memorial boys basketball team staged a valiant comeback on Thursday night, overcoming an eight-point deficit only to fall 60-55 in overtime in the state quarterfinals against Midwest City.
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Memorial girls drop 'slugfest' to Norman
The No. 5-ranked Edmond Memorial girls have been in plenty of battles with Norman and that’s just what they got in the first round of the Class 6A State Tournament Thursday afternoon. After pulling even with just 3:39 to play, the Lady Bulldogs saw things slip away as No. 4 Norman finished the game with a 10-4 run to earn the 40-34 first-round win at Catoosa High School.
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Wolves advance to semis
No.1-ranked Edmond Santa Fe held off a late Norman North rally on Thursday afternoon as they advanced to the state semifinals with a 52-48 win.
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Oklahoma Christian squads earn bids to NAIA National Tournnaments
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Johnson keys Memorial’s state run
Madison Johnson could only watch last year as yet another talented Edmond Memorial team had their state tournament dreams dashed. The Lady Bulldogs were in prime position to lock up a state berth against rival Santa Fe in the Area consolation finals when their floor leader went down with a torn ACL. The loss proved too much for Memorial overcome as another opportunity slipped away.
“During the game I supported them, I tried to motivate them, but we ended up losing, so it was kind of devastating for me to get hurt then,” Johnson said.
The Memorial guard didn’t need any reminders of what was at stake in her final high school season. Johnson knew the Lady Bulldogs would again be stocked with talent her senior year and anything short of state would be a disappointment. -
Shawn Schenk redemption
The No. 1-ranked Santa Fe boy’s basketball team will be making their third straight state tournament appearance today when they take on Norman North in the quarterfinals in Skiatook.
Under head coach Shawn Schenk the Wolves have come within seconds of playing in the finals only to have it slip away. Last year’s squad was one and done, but don’t think that is about to happen this year. The Wolves have one of their most talented squads since the days of Obi Muonelo and Ekpe Udoh, and is primed for a run to the finals this weekend.
“Oh, they’re hungry,” Schenk said. “Everybody in this thing is prepared to play. I just think this team has a whole nother level they can take it to. We’re one of the best teams in the state, and there is nobody out there we can’t beat.” - More Sports Headlines
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