EDMOND —
Losing nine seniors is certain to change the makeup of most high school teams. The Deer Creek boys are no exception.
The Antlers graduated a lot of size, experience and offense. And for the first time in four years, they will take the floor without Garrett Hermanski, who’s now playing college ball at UCO.
While the team has changed, head coach Matt Bailey is adamant that the enthusiasm and expectations remain the same.
“I’m looking forward to a great year,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys that are inexperienced, but we have a lot of speed and a lot of guys that can play different positions.”
With a young crop, the Antlers will lean on their two senior leaders for guidance. Joel Blumenthal and Kevin Caudill have about six years combined starting experience.
Blumenthal is the team’s top returning scorer. Last year he averaged 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He also shot 36.2 percent from behind the three-point line.
Caudill is also a solid offensive player. As a junior, he averaged 6.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assist per game.
Bailey expects to get a lot of production from a talented sophomore group. Forward Connor Avants (6-foot-5) should provide some low post scoring, while Josh Stokesberry and Taylor Anderson will help in the backcourt.
The Antlers will also get some help from a few other football players. Senior guard Jared Rayburn is a tough defender. Brennan Miyake returns to the team after two years off, while Caden Sander will be playing his first year of high school basketball.
Because of that inexperience, Bailey said his team will need to focus on the little things.
“We only have two guys that played varsity and that can hurt us at times, so we’re going to need to do the little things right,” he said. “We’re going to have to do things like win the 50/50 balls, create turnovers and play consistently.”
The Antlers will not have to wait long for a test. The Suburban Conference will provide challenges on a nightly basis, while tournaments at Durant and Bishop McGuinness and hosting the Bruce Gray Invitational will have them ready for the postseason.
“The Suburban Conference is always very good competition,” Bailey said. “Carl Albert is third in Class 5A, Guthrie is in the top 10 and we’re right at No. 14 with Piedmont. And the other teams like Chickasha, Western Heights and Shawnee are also tough.”
Deer Creek finished 20-8 and lost in the Area Tournament last year.
The Antlers open the season at home Nov. 30 against rival Piedmont.
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SUN FILE PHOTO Returning starter Joel Blumenthal is one of two veterans, along with fellow senior Kevin Caudill, on a young Deer Creek Antlers team.
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Deer Creek boys retooling with youth
Blumenthal, Caudill will provide leadership for young Antler squad
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Workman's blasts 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. -
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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
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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. -
UCO to host US women's sitting volleyball team's exhibition matches against Russia
The University of Central Oklahoma will host five exhibition matches of the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team versus the Russian National Women Sitting Volleyball Team beginning tonight at 10. Matches continue on Saturday at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. and a single match on Sunday at 9 a.m.
This will be the first time the Paralympic silver medaling Team USA has faced Russia since 2011. According to Head Coach Bill Hamiter, these matches will serve as preparation for the Sitting Volleyball World Championships in 2014.
Team USA will be available after each match to meet with fans and sign autographs.
All exhibition matches are free and open to the public. -
Impact-making Graves inks with OBU
When a basketball team goes 80-3 over the years a player was there, that athlete has made a profound impact on that particular program.
Not only did she/he leave a legacy athletically to have that type of success in Class 6A, but left a mark in a leadership capacity as well.
Cameerah Graves, Edmond Santa Fe’s standout guard who led 6A in assists her senior season with 129, signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma Baptist University last week. - More Sports Headlines
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