O'Neal QBs latest to be honored at golf tourney

Joe Claxton ACS Publications Director Ada Evening News

Ada — Ada High School is hosting the second annual All-Sports Golf Tournament on Monday, July 12 at Oak Hills Golf and Country Club.

The tournament is limited to the first 72 golfers who sign up. Awards and contest prizes will be given to the top three finishing teams, Hole-in-One, Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive.

ACS Athletic Director Mike Anderson noted that the inaugural honoree, 1964 AHS quarterback Bob Warmack, who starred at the University of Oklahoma, will be followed by perhaps the Ada Cougars’ most famous brother act and a trio of OU quarterbacks as well.

“Each year of the tournament, we will honor former Cougars as our ‘Honored Guests’ and try to bring back as many former Cougars athletes as we can,” Anderson said.

“This year we will honor Pat, Jay and Benton O’Neal. Their contributions to the success of Cougar athletics is well known throughout the state of Oklahoma, and their days as Cougars are a special part of our tradition. This tradition is an asset that is unique to Ada High School and will always help lead the way to future success.”

Just Pat

The 1950 season saw the first of the three O’Neal brothers at quarterback for Ada High under Elvan George. Pat O’Neal was a senior that year.

“They switched to the split-T, and it was Pat’s first year to play quarterback. He won the job,” Benton O’Neal said recalling the trio’s days as Cougars.

It was the year that George, the legendary Ada High and East Central University coach, is said to have redevoted himself to Cougar football. Pat took them to a 10-win regular season before Shawnee derailed them, 26-19, in an 11th game. The following week in the playoffs the Cougars ran into what many still believe was one of the top teams ever in Oklahoma prep football. Muskogee won handily, 52-21.

Though he had a scholarship to Texas Tech, Pat went on to OU, the first of the three brothers to play there. He walked on at OU, then got a scholarship and played four years (1952-55). He was a graduate assistant at OU before coming back to Ada and ECU under George in 1960. He coached 12 years under George and became head coach in 1972.

He became the all-time winningest coach in school history, just four wins shy of 100 at 96-89-4. He led the Tigers to a No. 1 final season ranking in 1984.

While at ECU, he produced over 70 all-conference players, nine All-Americans and seven pro players.

He retired after the 1989 season and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1991, the same year he was inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame.

Jay Too

Jay followed Pat’s one-year stand with a two-year, two-state championship seasons in 1951 and 1952, the first state title for Ada and the first time the state had back-to-back champs. The Cougars lost only one game in ‘51 and had a tie in ‘52 but advanced in the playoffs.

“He was Back of the Year in the state and All-State and, of course, went on to OU,” Benton said.

Jay was a quarterback on OU teams that won 31 straight games during his three years of eligibility, including the 1956 Orange Bowl and national championships in 1955 and 1956.

He was a graduate assistant coach on Bud Wilkinson’s coaching staff in 1958 and 1959 and returned to OU in January 1961 as an assistant football coach.

He was an area scout for the San Diego Chargers of the AFL in 1966 and 1967 and is a volunteer assistant football coach at Gunnison (Colo.) High School.

Jay has lived in Crested Butte (Colo.), since 1975 where he owns, operates and builds cable television systems. From 1966-75, he actively initiated and created several cable TV operating and construction companies.

Bent on three

The third Ada O’Neal QB took the stage when Benton was a safety and backup quarterback in ‘53 and ‘54 to Dan Wagner.

The ‘53 team went a respectable 7-3, but only the conference champ went to the playoffs in those day.

The ‘54 playoffs were a different story. There were none. Some schools protested that too much emphasis was put on football and bailed out of the playoffs. The OSSAA declined to have a playoff.

Ada was 11-0 and ranked No. 1 by The Oklahoman and the Tulsa World, but the Associated Press held out for Muskogee which had a tie.

Forty years later, in 1994, the OSSAA honored the team with a plaque and proclamation acknowledging the ‘54 club as ‘ ... mythical state champions of the largest class of Oklahoma High School football during the unusually controversial year of 1954.’

Ada recognizes only the 19 state titles won on the field, but in the trophy case is the OSSAA plaque.

Benton was a four-sport letterman with basketball, track and golf in addition to football.

Then it was on to OU for the third O’Neal quarterback.

“I had decided not to play college ball and just enrolled at OU. Then Port Robertson (legendary wrestling coach and assistant athletics director) called and said, ‘Where are you?’”

He earned a partial scholarship halfway through his freshman year and received a full in two years.

He outlasted a huge freshman class of scholarships and walk-ons.

“Pat and Jay had good careers there at OU. I made it up to third team quarterback in my time there (1955-58),” Benton said.

He was a graduate assistant at OU for a year, then decided to come home to make a living in banking.

He rose through the ranks and has had a long and distinguished career. He served as president of Oklahoma State Bank and now is chairman of Ada’s First United Bank.

Backstory: A couple of years ago at a Cougar banquet, Pat took off his coat to reveal his high school jersey. It still fit, though a bit tight according to observers, who also noted that the maroon and white color scheme had aged to a maroon and gold.

Backstory: Jay did not start for OU, backing up Jimmy Harris. He was the ‘alternate team’ QB. So powerful were the Sooners of ‘55 and ‘56, it was often said that the not only was OU the best team in the conference, the ‘alternates’  were the  No. 2 team.                     .

Backstory: Benton was an OU player that blackest of days in OU history in November 16, 1957, at Owen Field when an unheralded Notre Dame team snapped the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak, 7-0. After dressing, Sooner players remember seeing fans still sitting in the their seats, stunned by the loss.

“We didn’t leave the field right away because we were so stunned, and our fans stayed, too,” said Jerry Thompson, Sooner lineman form Ada.

Benton was a junior. He did not play in the game like Thompson, but he remembers the quiet and the fans still in the stands.

“In the locker room, Bud was red-eyed, but told us we had accomplished something that would never be done again ... and it hasn’t.”

For more information on the second annual All-Sports Golf Tournament, contact the following: Mike Anderson (580) 310-7215 or via e-mail at andersonm@adapss.com; or Mark Kedy (580) 310-7374 or via e-mail at kedym@adapss.com; or Dorcas Sandy (580) 310-7245 or via e-mail at sandyd@adapss.com.

Second Annual

Ada Cougar All Sports Golf Tournament

July 12, 2010

Jay, Pat, and Benton O’Neal 

 Honored Guests

Join us this summer for the second annual Ada Cougar All Sports Golf Tournament.  The event will be held at the Oak Hills Golf and Country Club on July 12, 2010.

The tournament field will be limited to the first 72 golfers so sign-up now!  

For more information or to enter the tournament, contact any of the following:

Mike Anderson  580-310-7215  

Mark Kedy        580-310-7374  

Dorcas Sandy    580-310-7245       

You can also access an entry form by going to the Football home page and clicking on “Stats”.  Just print out the form and mail to the address located at the bottom of the form.

Spring strides

Coaches pleased with Ada scrimmage

Joe Claxton ACS Publications Director Ada Evening News

Ada — Ada High head football coach Matt Weber was pleased with the progress shown in the eight spring practice sessions over the past two weeks.

“Overall, we saw a lot of good positives, but we also saw a lot of things we need to do a lot of work on,” Weber said of the brief scrimmage held Thursday at 1 p.m. Held on a good crop of rye grass on the soccer field with perhaps a half-inch of rain beneath, the spring-ending head knocking with full pads impressed the whole staff, including running backs coach Trey Owens.

“I thought for being this early there were a lot of spots that looked pretty good,” Owens said. “We made a lot of mistakes, but we expected that going in. Some of the guys who played a lot were the track guys and they had only been there for one day.

“I thought technically we were a little bit ahead of last year. It was good overall. Defensively, everybody chased the ball. They were chasing the ball like crazy, but you are always ahead a little on the defensive side in spring practice.”

As far as touches, it was a draw for the evenly-divided Maroon and White squads.

For the Maroon team, tailback Dionte Albert came off tackle through a big hole, jumped a felled defender at the line and went some 40 yards in the middle of the field.

A few plays later speedy soph Mason Girdley took a short pass from Hunter Bedsole to knot the TDs at one.

The Cougars threw the ball quite a bit during the short scrimmage, something Weber expects to do some 15 times per game or more.

At QB, senior Dillon Bolin, back in camp after a two-season absence, alternated with soph Bedsole for the White. For the Maroon, Wyatt Robson — fresh off the golf course where he placed fourth in the Class 5A State Tournament — and fellow sophomore Deangelo Dunn, split snaps.

If there was a No. 1 backfield, for the Maroon it was Robson, fullback Jake Niblett, a junior, and senior Albert.

For the White, it was Bolin, junior Chase Bowker at fullback and tailback Nathan Blakely.

On defense, a lot of part-time starters are back, but only DB Ronald Lucas and NG Cale Russell return. With Russell in a Maroon jersey, the staff found a more-than-capable couunterpart in White in Andrew Scribner, the only returnee from the offensive line. Both noses made big plays, steady work for their “squads.”

The only other returning starter on offense is Christian Johnson, wide receiver.

The Cougars welcomed several players back after a one- or two-year absence, including Nick Anderson back after a two-year absence. The leading scorer on the basketball team the past two seasons used his 6-3 frame to snag a pass for the Maroon and advance the ball up the sidelines.

Cougar trio, coach selected for All-Star game

David Seeley Guest Sports Writer Ada Evening News

Ardmore — For three Ada Cougar football players and an Ada assistant coach, there’s going to be one more game on the gridiron.

Ada football players Justin Todd, Josh Nail and Kolton Howry, Ada assistant coach Trey Owens will be on the East team for Thursday night’s Southern Oklahoma All-Star Classic Football Game at Ardmore High School’s Noble Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Todd, Nail and Howry were all first-teamers on the All-District 5A-4 Football Team last season. Todd rushed for 855 yards and scored a team-high 16 touchdowns. Nail and Howry helped form an offensive line that paved the way for well greater than 2,000 yards by Cougar running backs in 2009.

“They’re all excellent players for us,” Ada coach Matt Weber said. “They’re all going to be college football players. They’re very deserving of the honor (of getting to play in the game). Even more than that, they’re all great kids. I know they’ll represent Ada well.”

In years past, this contest did not normally feature Ada players. That changed this year — thanks to former Ada Cougars coach, and current Ardmore Tigers coach, Larry McBroom.

“Coach McBroom spearheaded that,” Weber said. “He called and asked if we had any kids interested in playing — and we did. So, he invited us to come play.”

And there’s a connection in which Owens got to be part of the coaching staff.

“A guy who coached with us last year, Greg Mitchell, who is the coach at Kingston, is the head coach of that side,” Weber said. “He invited Trey to come coach with him. Trey will coach linebackers. I’m proud for him, also.”

Ada lands two on tennis list

Bob Forrest Guest Sports Writer Ada Evening News

Ada —  Success didn’t spoil Ada’s Chase Sheffield.

Sheffield, who began his varsity tennis career with a runner-up finish in No. 2 Doubles as a freshman and finished it as part of the two most successful AHS boys teams of this decade, was named Friday to the East All-State squad. He joins Ada girls No. 1 Doubles player Erica Poe as this year’s All-State representatives from a program that has been one of the most successful in Oklahoma under coach Skip Griese for the past two-plus decades.

The games will be played Tuesday, July 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Tulsa.

Fifth at state after moving to No. 1 Doubles as a sophomore, Sheffield teamed with another Ada All-Stater, Brandon Russell, for a clutch third-place finish at last year’s state tournament that lifted the Cougars into a tie for second in the team standings. This year, he was third again — this time with new partner, John Stout — as Ada finished alone in second place behind Bishop Kelley.

“Each year at the state tournament, Chase only lost one match,” said Griese, whose boys squad advanced all six players to the semifinals at last week’s state tournament for the first time since his 1998 team captured the state title. “Chase is an exceptional doubles player, with both the mental and physical game to compete.

“This year’s team EARNED second place,” Griese said. “Everybody had crucial matches during the tournament that they had to win, and they did.”

Sheffield and Stout, who beat the Tulsa Washington duo of Maurice Colbert and Patrick Turner in a three-set marathon in the third-place match at the state tournament, finished the season 22-6.

Poe and partner Madison Whitworth posted back-to-back, fifth-place finishes in No. 1 Doubles at the state tournament on a rebuilding AHS girls squad in 2009 and again this spring on a team that wound up fourth in the team standings.

“Erica had an extremely good career,” Griese said of Poe, who teamed with Whitworth to post a 26-9 record this spring and to win regional titles in both 2009 and 2010. “She played four years, and she played on the second day for points every year.

“Both (Sheffield and Poe) deserved the honor,” he added. “They represented Ada well, and I’m extremely proud of them.”