Kelly Beeby: play hard, play physical

The Guthrie BlueJay football program sets lofty goals every single season and the 2010 season will be no different.     

Taking a look at the Jays in the past 9 seasons, the offense’s have been fan friendly with 50-plus point games, but the defense has been fun to watch as well. Defense fun? To watch?     

The Guthrie defense has been one of the best in the state and a lot of that has to do with the tremendous pipe line of athlete’s, but it also has a lot to do with defensive coordinator Kelly Beeby and the defensive coaches.     

Beeby, who is about to begin his 7th season with the defensive minded Jays, has taken advantage of the athlete’s that he has been given, but when it comes to game strategy and halftime adjustments (when needed) there are a few that do it better.     

“Play hard, play physical” is the common phrase you will hear often from Beeby whether it comes on a practice field, a playing field, a story article, or a pep speech. 

Like  many D-coordinators, he can be loud, he can be intimidating, but the players, who show great respect toward Beeby, knows there is a reason behind it all. 

When you look at the last four seasons, the defense has held opponents to an average of less than 10 points a game (9.53) and allow an average of 179 yards of total offense. Those numbers allow you to win a lot of games and indeed the Jays have done that with a 42-10 record and a state championship during the Beeby tenure.

Kelly Beeby returns a solid core on defense, but will have some fresh faces to work with.

In many of those game, the offense has totalled ridiculous amounts of points before halftime, in which, one would think the defense may let up late in the game, but that has not been the case.     

In 2006, Beeby’s defense did not allow a score of any kind in 18 straight quarters to only be out done the following year with 19 straight scoreless quarters.     

Yes, that amount of scoreless quarters happens in high school football, but rarely in 5A football.     

“I am not a big talk about shutting people out. What I tell those guys is play fast, play physical, and play one play at a time and make the play. The shut out is not the ultimate goal, but it is to play hard on every play,” Beeby said who also serves as linebackers coach.     

This season Beeby will have a solid nucleus to work with in Kentrell Brothers, Landry Chappell, and Luke Davis and when you add in players like Felix Scott, John Clark, and Marcus Ware with game experience it is a great starting point.     

However, the defense will have to fill some voids left on the defensive line, in the secondary, and the linebacker position. First and foremost the coaches will have to give attention to the defensive line at the two tackle positions with the mind-set of stopping the run first and the pass second.     

Landry Chappell finished with 177 tackles last season that ranked him seventh in the entire state.

Next in line will be replacing Jaden Chappell at one of the linebacker spot. Yes, Landry Chappell returns, but he will need some help. Clark will help and Brothers may help as well, but Brothers may be needed more up front. But if the Jays can fill the defensive line without Brothers then the linebacker corp could be special. Brothers gives you options and that can be dangerous for Beeby and the defensive coaches.     

Davis give’s Guthrie plenty of big game experience as well as Ware, but after that the Jays get young and young quick in the secondary. Sophomore JT McFadden and freshmen Kai Callins, Donathan Jordan, and Jacob Chappell will compete for snaps at the two cornerback positions.     

Those young “pups” will be tested early in the year with Duncan, a team that very well may be the favorites to win 5A-2 as well as compete for state, and two 6A teams (Ponca City and Enid) that play in a pass happy Class 6A.     

The good news is that there are no Brayle Brown’s or Kevin Lamb’s on the schedule that can test you and frustrate you with the pass. With that said, you can expect teams to try to exploit the position because it may give them the best option of succeeding.     

A year ago the secondary allowed an average of 120 passing yards after allowing only 83, 76, and 82 the prior three seasons. Callins, Chappell, Jordan, and McFadden can be special by the time they leave the BlueJay program, but many should expect a learning curve.     

The Jays will continue with their lofty goals this season, but they will have questions on the defensive side of the ball. Something tells us, Beeby and the defensive coaches will accept the challenge.

Jays moving past June and headed to July

The Guthrie High School football program wrapped up week number two of their passing league, and now are preparing for a steady July.

For the second week in a row Guthrie entertained the Kingfisher Yellowjackets at the high school practice field. The morning session lasted 75 minutes.

“We improved this week from last week and improved in our second offensive series today,” head coach Rafe Watkins said. “We still got a ways to go, but it was better.”

Junior-to-be John Clark proved to have an impressive morning with multiple catches across the middle for significant yardage from sophomore-to-be Bryan Dutton, who took all of the varsity snaps.

Clark, Kentrell Brothers, Richard Brothers, Marcus Ware, Tim Zupo, Hunter Gates, Omari Ajanaku, Luke Davis, and Devonte McCulley were running the passing routes. McCulley, who is 6-6, made a nice play to go and get the ball over the shorter defender that may proved to be a dangerous weapon come fall.

To view photos of the morning click here.

Players will continue with summer work-outs (M.T.X.E.) this coming week, but the first full week of July will be summer weights, Edmond Santa Fe passing league, a trip to Kingfisher for another passing session, and the start of the three-day High School Football Camp.

Boxley enters Hall of Fame

Gary Boxley has been a staple for Oklahoma track and field athlete’s in the state and his efforts and hard work has paid off.

Boxley was inducted into the  Oklahoma Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Boxley, a year ago, was the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year at the Oklahoma Coaches Clinic and in 2002 he was named the Girls’ Track Coach of the Year. He was named the Oklahoma Coach of the Year for Region 5 in 1981.

Some of Boxley’s accomplishments include: two State Championship Track Teams, three State Runner-Up Track Teams, three State Academic Champions, three High School All-Americans, six College All-Americans, and 15 Academic All-Americans as well as the National Record Holder in High School Pole Vaulting.

He has coached over 75 athletes that attended college on a track scholarship and who continued in college through completion of their Bachelor’s Degree He has been a guest speaker at Coach’s Conventions in Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma.

Haynes sets a Sooner State record

Micayla Haynes continues to have an impressive track and field season and it got even more impressive after setting a Sooner State Games record.

Micayla Haynes, Zayn Haynes, and Kyra Macedo after competing at the Sooner State Games on June 19th in Yukon.

Micayla  won the long jump in the 12-year-old division, breaking an 18-year-old SSG record. The previous record stood at 15 feet and 1 inch, and Haynes jumped 15 feet and 8 ¾ inches to set the record.  She also won the 100 meters along with the 80 meter hurdles.

The Sooner State Games were held June 19th at Yukon High School.

Zayn Haynes, Micayla’s younger brother, made a name for himself by winning the shot put, mini-javelin, and finishing fourth in the long jump. 

Kyra Macedo competed in the games and finished strong in the 17-year-old division by taking second in the 400 meters and fourth in the 200 meters.

Micayla will go on to the AAU Junior Olympics Regionals in Tulsa, June 24-27, to compete in the pentathlon ( 80 meter hurdles, High Jump, shot put, long jump, and the 800 meter run) and will do so all in one day of competition. 

She will run her individual events in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the long jump. The top four finisher’s will be invited to compete in the 2010 AAU Junior Olympic National Championships in Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA.

Tarter a national semi-finalist for coach of the year

Clay Tarter has achieved many accolades over the course of his coaching career both on the local and state level, but this week he is being honored on the national scene.

Tarter is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the National High School Athletics Coaches Association and is a finalist for the Coach of the Year in Boys Cross Country. Tarter is among 10 finalist and the National Coach of the Year will be named Wednesday evening.

This past season Tarter led the Guthrie boys cross country team to an undefeated season including the Class 5A State Championship. In addition to the cross country title, Tarter also help lead the Jays track and field team to back-to-back state title’s.

Tarter was instrumental in starting the program at Guthrie High School when he took his idea to then administrator Earl Sykes and the rest is what they say history.

Tarter has lead six Guthrie boys teams to the cross country gold trophy, one girls state title, 14 combine state runner-up finishes, and five individual state champions.

He was inducted into the Guthrie High School Hall of Fame as one of the easiest selections there has been.

View the Guthrie Cross Country page.

Here are the 10 finialist:

Darrell	Anderson	Bismarck HS	Bismarck	ND
Gary	Droze	Maclay School	Tallahassee	FL
James	Hetrick	Central Community HS	DeWitt	IA
Adam	Kedge	Albuquerque Academy	Albuquerque	NM
Ron	Kline	Campbell County HS	Gillette	WY
Robert	Orgovan	Amity Regional HS	Ansonia	CT
Donald	Sleeman	Pioneer HS	Ann Arbor	MI
Clay	Tarter	Guthrie HS	Guthrie	OK

Publisher Note: Donald Sleeman was chosen as the 2010 National Coach of the Year.

Jays passing their way in the month of June

It’s not quite football season, but that is not stopping top elite programs like Guthrie and Kingfisher from working out as both teams met Saturday morning for 7-on-7 drills at the Guthrie High School practice field.

Jacob Chappell breaks up a pass during the Guthrie-Kingfisher passing league.

The Jays and Jackets went through a 90-minute work-out with both the varsity and freshmen getting reps on both offense and defense. A season ago, Guthrie played in the Class 5A state semi-finals while Kingfisher lost in the 2A state championship game. Both head coaches Rafe Watkins and Jeff Myers are good friends and alums of Northwestern State in Alva.

“For the very first time out where we thought we were going to be strong, we were strong and where we thought we were inexperience, we were experience,” defensive coordintor Kelly Beeby said.

The Kingfisher offense started the morning working against the Guthrie defense that saw some familiar and comforting players such as Landry Chappell, Luke Davis, and Kentrell Brothers. Among others seeing some their first quality time with the varsity were incoming freshmen Kai Callins, Jacob Chappell, and Donathan Jordan along with sophomore’s Vincent Norris and J.T. McFadden.

“At times in the secondary we had a hard time of communicating, but were able to confiscate that with athleticism,” Beeby said. “The one thing I would like to see a little bit more of is effort and I think some of that is conditioning and that will come,”

Players look on as Bryan Dutton finds his target down field.

John Clark, who once again this season will be valuable to the defense with his ability to play multiple positions, was vocal in helping moving players to the right positions. Davis and Marcus Ware, who both bring experience as well, helped with the secondary.

When the Jays moved to offense it was Bryan Dutton, Cody Reihs, and Reed Roberts at the quarterback spot. Dutton coming off a stellar freshmen year has devoted this summer to working out and preparing for the upcoming season. Roberts the starting 8th grade quarterback last season is showing promise and looks the part.

The wide receiver corps will be inexperience heading into the season, but have plenty of athlete’s to plug-in and perhaps could be very good-by the end of the year. Obviously, the group is led by senior-to-be Brothers, who piled up  62-catches for 1,122 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Devonte McCully will be a big target again this season with his 6’6 size. Richard Brothers and Tim Zupo present good size as well. Clark and Hunter Gates will help aid the “skinny linemen” as wide receivers coach Ric Meshew calls them because of their responsiblity of blocking down field.

Despite the offensive line not getting any reps on the field, it did not exclude them from learning. The group worked with offensive coordinator Scott Mick inside the Guthrie field house with pencil and paper.

The Guthrie passing league will continue next Saturday and starting in July will participate in the Edmond Santa Fe passing league.

Jays shine at football combine in Tulsa

Several Guthrie football athlete’s are enjoying their summer break, but they are also preparing for the upcoming season.

Just recently seven players attended Schuman’s National Underclassmen Combine in Tulsa on May 28-30. Three players returned with most valuable player honors.

The National Underclassmen Combine is the longest running underclassmen combine in the USA and gives the  players an early recruiting exposure.

Kentrell Brothers, Luke Davis, Blake Belcher, Hayden Seifert, Richard Brothers, Trevor Blassingame, and Kai Callins represented the Jays with work-outs held at Tulsa Memorial High School.

Kentrell Brothers, Davis, and Belcher were named most valuable player at their position and were invited to the Ultimate 100 Camp.

According to the camp directors, Belcher earned the offensive linemen MVP with a terrific all around performance. Belcher had good technique, a solid work ethic, strong hands and was dominant during the 1 on 1′s. The junior-to-be is the anchor on the Jays O-line at left tackle with his size and strength.

Davis was the defensive back MVP. The 5’9.5 168 lb safety ran a 4.45 shuttle, did a great job with coverage, competes for every ball, and is coachable according to directors. Davis piled up 112 tackles as a sophomore and will enter his junior campaign with high expectations.

Kentrell Brothers, who has attended several Schuman camps, won the linebacker MVP. The 6’1 211 lb standout had an 8’0 broad jump, tied up the wide receiver’s, played physical and had awesome hands during 1 on 1′s. Brothers currently has 15 Division I football offers.

Brothers younger sibling, Richard Brothers, who also has attended multiple Schuman camps, continued to make improvements in his drills and may be a great wide receiver option for the Jays coming off an injury.

Attending their first camp was Seifert, Blassingame, and Callins.

Seifert worked-out with the linemen and will benefit the Jays offensive line. Seifert made big strides toward the end of the season and proved to be valuable in the playoff run.

Both Blassingame and Callins are coming off stellar junior high career’s. Blassingame at times seemed to be unstoppable from his defensive end spot. Callins made circus type runs around would be tackler’s and showed his right arm was just as effective as the 8th grade quarterback.

The Guthrie football team continues summer work-outs in June and July with the first team practice set for August 10th.

Volunteer’s meet to save little league season

Thanks to volunteer’s the little league baseball season will continue in the flats.

“I appreciate everyone turning out this evening and helping us get these fields back where they need to be to play again. I know the kids will truly appreciate it,” Guthrie little league president Brad Davenport said.

Approximately 60 volunteer’s came out and put up the outfield fence’s, weed eated, filled in holes, and clear debris from the grounds.

The season was to end next week, but the season will now end on the last week of June.

You can view the photo gallery by clicking here.

Let them play, let them play

Guthrie witnessed the ninth largest flood in history this week and in the process has delayed the Guthrie Little League Baseball season.

Teams have lost 2-3 games this week and were on scheduled to conclude the season next Thursday until the recent floods.

The season may have to be extended, but no official word has been made. But before that happens GLLB needs assistance.

The City of Guthrie will not allow games until fields are cleaned up and are safe. Volunteer’s are meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 to clean up the debris from the fields and install the fences. Volunteer’s are asked to bring gloves and a rake.

Roberts picks up Scholar Athlete honor

Rachel Roberts has been a graduate of Guthrie High School for a few weeks now and continues to pile up honors.

Rachel Roberts had a stellar career at GHS both in the classroom and in athletics.

Her latest achievement includes being named to The Oklahoman and Jim Thorpe Association’s Scholar Athlete’s of 2010. Hank Hudson and Jason Ogan were nominated along with Roberts. She was also named as the 73rd Annual Oil Bowl Queen.

According to The Oklahoman, evaluations were based 60 percent on athletics, 40 percent on academics, and excellence was valued over mere participation. For example, a student who played only one sport but played it at a high level received higher consideration that one who played three sports but never started.

Roberts was a State champion in the 1,600 meters as a freshman. Placed in the top five at state five other times in 1,600 and 3,200. First-team Big All-City as a freshman, honorable mention twice. Four-time state qualifier in cross country. First-team All-City as a sophomore, honorable mention twice.

Roberts piled up a grade point average of 4.0 and scored a 27 on her ACT. Her academics resulted in being selected to the National Honor Society. In addition she was the Senior class president, a National Art Honor Society, and earlier this year earned the Masonic Academic Excellence Award.

She will continue her academics and running career at Harding University in Arkansas.