Playoff Time in Oklahoma

The "Big 3" have made it to the playoffs and are preparing for their second round games.

Alex Ross, senior running back at Jenks High School, will make his return to the field for the first time since the early part of the season after recovering from a collarbone injury. Ross and the Trojans will take on Edmond Santa Fe. Sante Fe is fielding one of the strongest teams since the Reggie Smith era, but will that be enough to stop one of the state's and nation's most dominant programs over the last twenty years? Time will tell, but a wise bet is that sophomore quarterback, Justice Hansen; junior wide receiver, Trevan smith and crew will put up a good fight, but not one strong enough to take out the powerful Trojan legacy of state championship bouts.

The central state duo were in cruise control with their 62-6 win over Chandler last Friday. Sterling Shepard, wide receiver for Heritage Hall caught nine passes for 210-yards and three touchdowns. Shepard has had a stellar season, he's now an Under Armour All-American after an incredible performance on ESPNU, two games before season's end. He has over 1,000-yards receiving, 13-touchdowns and 55-catches. He also has over 200-yards rushing and is one of the state's premiere punt and kick returners. He has four interceptions and 59-tackles on the season. His full season should be encouraging to the OU fans as well to Shepard himself. Many have wondered how he would transition from small school football to one of the nation's most elite programs. I think he will be fine, and be better than most expect from him, but with his performances on the field as of late, thos expectations are gradually increasing and it will be up to Shepard to decide how he responds to the test.

Shepard's teammate, Barry J. Sanders is currently having a very comfortable season. Rushing for over 900-yards and has more than nine yards per carry. The reigning state-champion Chargers of Heritage Hall have not had to rely on Sanders' ability to run the ball to carry them to any game thus far. Their closest game was the final game of the season against Kingfisher who they played last year in the state championship. The game ended 35-27, Heritage Hall's first win that didn't result in a blowout. Sanders has done a good job taking part in the Chargers wins over the season, but he hasn't showed the dominance many expected of him. That may be due to the fact that the Chargers have many capable weapons on the offense that calls for the ball to be shared more than other high school programs.

Here are some highlights of the Heritage Hall Bethany game:

Sometimes the talent deficit is just too much to handle for these young guys. In this case, when going against one of the most talented teams, regardless of class, players cannot do much to overcome their lack of size, speed, strength and in this case- skill.

These three players have a ways to go to win state championships, but they are all on teams favored to win the gold ball. With Ross gaining health, Jenks will be stronger than ever.They have run with a talented back Trey'Vonne Barre who will finally be able to share the load of the carries with Ross upon his return.

Sanders and Shepard will go through a very long playoff run that their senior class will have gone through for the third time in their high school careers.

Besides the Big 3, there are many other interesting stories going on with recruits throughout the state. Look for more on them soon.