State champion runner dies after being hit by car
Taylor Roberts, Classen SAS
Classen SAS senior Taylor Roberts wants to break the state’s all-time scoring record.
She set that goal her freshman year and even talked about it in the preseason. Now, it’s possibly in reach.
“That would be an amazing accomplishment,” said Roberts, The Oklahoman’s Player of the Week. “It would mean a lot. It would let me know that my hard work over these last four years would finally pay off.”
Roberts averaged 34 points during three big tournament wins last week in the Frontenac Kansas Tournament for a championship.
That performance has her on the verge of becoming just the second girls basketball player in the state’s 5-on-5 era to score 3,000 career points. Entering Tuesday’s game with Star Spencer, Roberts currently sits at 2,976 — exactly 400 points shy of former Howe star Stephanie McGhee’s record of 3,376 with at least 11 games remaining.
Roberts is averaging 30.7 points per game while shooting 54 percent throughout the first 16 games. During her career, she’s averaged 31 points and 53 percent shooting.
But even with her goal in sight Roberts said she remains focused on achieving a team goal — helping Classen SAS reach the state tournament for the first time in school history. The Comets are in good shape for that with a 16-0 record.
Paxton Rosen, Edmond North
Edmond North senior Paxton Rosen highlighted a solid team effort at Yukon’s Jay Hancock Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
The 120-pound Rosen was the lone first-place finisher for the Huskies and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Rosen won by fall in his first two bouts, both ending in the first period. Rosen then won by technical fall, 22-7, over Stillwater freshman Tanner Robinson in the quarterfinals. Rosen earned a 10-5 decision over Jenks senior Chase Slatton in the semis.
Rosen, a senior, faced Jaxon Roney of Plainview in the championship match. Rosen won in 1:19 by fall to secure the 120-pound division title.
Rosen has been a key contributor to an Edmond North team fresh off winning districts with dual victories over Putnam City, Moore and Norman North last week.
Edmond North coach Andy Schneider said before the season Rosen’s experience gives the Huskies a boost.
“It’s just a huge bump having him in the room again as a senior,” Schneider said. “He’s almost like having another coach in the room.”
Rosen is the defending Class 6A state champion at 113 pounds. He ranks No. 16 nationally at 120 by FloWrestling.
James Dyer, Norman North
Norman North senior James Dyer already has an illustrious individual high school swimming career, but his senior guidance is beginning to reflect in Norman North’s relay performances this season.
With Dyer as the anchor leg, Norman North’s 400-yard freestyle relay team set a Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Championship record on Saturday. The time of 3:17.68 was almost two seconds better than Edmond North’s previous record, which was set last season.
“James has swam really solid in every race all season long,” Norman North coach Kent Nicholson said. “He’s done a great job leading our team. Setting the relay record was cool and nice to do, but it also gives a lot of confidence to everyone else on the relay.”
Dyer was his dominate self in his signature events, winning the 100-yard freestyle (47.60) and the 100-yard backstroke (53.03). His relay split (47.37) was impressive, but he also provided encouragement to his relay teammates, which featured two freshmen.
“I tell them no matter what you do it’s going to hurt, but it won’t hurt much after you finish so might as well swim fast,” Dyer said.
a 17-yearold junior runner at Hooker High School, died Friday from injuries suffered when he was hit by a car a day earlier.
Mesta was running across a highway about a half-mile west of Hooker at 7 a.m. Thursday when he was struck by a car driving west on U.S. 54.
Mesta was taken to a hospital in Wichita, Kan., and died Friday. The driver of the car, 35, of Overland Park, Kan., was not injured, according to the police report.
Mesta ran on three Hooker state championships in cross country and track. Individually, he medaled in multiple distance events in track and finished fifth in the Class 2A state cross country meet in 2015.
Mount St. Mary rolls through strong field at Purcell
Purcell’s Heart of Oklahoma Tournament always draws a solid group of basketball teams, and this year was one of its deeper fields.
But the Mount St. Mary boys didn’t seem to notice.
The Mount rocketed through its three opponents on the way to the title, improving to 12-2 on the season.
The Rockets got balanced scoring through the week, with leading the way with 21 points in a 60-45 win over Tuttle in Saturday night’s championship game. point guard has been the steady leader on the floor.
She earned MVP honors in the Antlers’ Bruce Gray Invitational over the weekend after guiding Deer Creek to the tournament title.
“She’s my person who is going to get us settled down,” Deer Creek girls basketball coach
said. “She’s going to play great defense. She’s a great communicator. You don’t always see it in the points, but if you see the rest of the stats and the rest of the things she does you’re going to know she’s a great leader of us out on the court.”
Deer Creek is 14-1 with a 10-game winning streak heading to Friday’s game against Southmoore.
Rehl, who has signed with East Central, scored nine points in Saturday’s 70-48 win over Mustang. She also had four assists.
More importantly, each time Deer Creek looked out of sorts, she calmed everybody down.
“I think we just realized to win games and be better we have to come together as a team,” Rehl said.
“That’s what we did in this tournament. We came together, made the extra pass and played team ball.”
Edmond Santa Fe’s Cooper commits to Providence
Edmond Santa Fe power forward
recently committed to Providence, according to Wolves coach
Cooper, a 6-foot senior, has been a key contributor for Santa Fe since her freshman season. Last season, she averaged 10.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
This season Cooper and the Wolves are undefeated and ranked atop Class 6A heading into Tuesday’s game with Norman.
Sand Springs’ Cheyenne Walden wins fourth Gatorade award
For the fourth straight year, was named the Gatorade Oklahoma Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.
A four-time state champion at Sand Springs, Walden won the Class 6A state meet title last fall with a course-record time of 17:55.6 at Edmond Santa Fe, breaking the tape 40.8 seconds ahead of her nextclosest competitor.
Walden finished 34th at the Nike Cross Nationals final and became the first Oklahoma runner to twice qualify for NXN Final. She also took 11th at the Foot Locker South Regional championships.