The Oklahoma Coaches Association high school All-State athletic events began Monday across the state. Here's a look at what happened:
More: Fort Cobb-Broxton's Eli Willits, Stillwater's Ethan Holliday make USA Baseball 18U team
BROKEN ARROW — Archie Randall was in a hallway at Putnam West High School when he suddenly spotted an imposing figure roaming around.
Randall, one of the most accomplished coaches in Oklahoma high school wrestling history, had recently taken over the Patriots’ program and was looking for new athletes to join his team.
And from the moment he spotted Brian Seyed-Kordestanchi, who is now up to 6-foot-8, 270 pounds, Randall knew he had to convince the young giant to take the mat.
“You want to try wrestling?” Randall recalls saying at the time.
“Maybe,” Seyed-Kordestanchi said.
That was nearly two years ago, and Seyed-Kordestanchi’s life has completely changed since.
After quickly developing and learning the sport, he competed as a junior and senior and placed sixth at regionals this past season before competing on the West team Wednesday at the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State event at Broken Arrow.
Seyed-Kordestanchi is still learning and got pinned Thursday, but he’s set to continue his career at Central Oklahoma as a walk-on. He’s the first Putnam West wrestler since 2005 to be named an All-Stater, and the whole thing has been a total surprise for him.
“It wasn’t even in my scope," Seyed-Kordestanchi said. "I was just a loser (before wrestling)."
Seyed-Kordestanchi knows he has to get serious when he lands at UCO.
He said he’s probably the first kid in his family to attend college, and he's ready for the challenges that await in the wrestling room.
“My biggest goal right now is to fix all of the mistakes I’ve been making,” Seyed-Kordestanchi said.
Randall, who led El Reno to 11 state championships in 13 seasons before leaving for Oklahoma City University in 2006, is proud of how far Seyed-Kordestanchi has come.
For Randall, the wrestler’s potential is a fun thing to think about.
“They’re gonna have to work with him,” Randall said. “With the right coaching and stuff, he can be really good by the time he’s a junior in college.”
-Nick Sardis, Staff writer
SAPULPA — Braci Nyberg knows a thing about closing basketball games out in grand fashion.
As the lead catalyst for Seiling over its last three consecutive Class A state championships, she learned how to lead in each season's final game. Wednesday at Sapulpa High School was no different.
In Nyberg's final high school game, the Southern Nazarene signee exploded for 25 points in a blowout 71-34 victory for the Small West squad over Small East.
"I was just locked into the game plan, honestly," Nyberg said. "We wanted to win, knowing it was the last time I'd be able to compete against some of these girls, and I'm glad we did because it was a ton of fun."
Small East initially gained some early momentum, but Nyberg's nine consecutive points in the second quarter shifted the game. Her efforts led to a 16-point lead for West at halftime.
Whenever Nyberg exited the floor, Garber forward Leila Washington came in, who had a dominant game of her own.
Washington was everywhere on the glass and bullied her way to the hole in relentless efforts to finish at the cup. The Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa signee ended the night with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
"Being selected to play in this event was awesome, and it was great playing against these girls," Washington said. "I played with talented girls today who are just like me, and it didn't feel like a scrimmage. We all came to compete, and it was a lot of fun."
Thanks to its unselfishness in the large-school game, East managed to provide a different outcome. Three East players scored in double figures to defeat the West 52-45.
Snowda Watie of Stilwell opened the game in rhythm, scoring seven of East's 20 first-half points before finishing with 10. Others stepped up in the second half for East to help claim victory, such as Mannford's Isabella Pehrson with 12 points and Owasso's Makenna Yokley with 14 points.
-Jordan Davis, Staff writer
JENKS — Whenever Josie Brady and Victoria Gray share the court, it's typically not on the same side of the net.
Brady, an Oklahoma Christian senior, and Gray, a Community Christian senior, have a history of intense competition in Class 4A. This time, they reignited that competitive spirit as teammates, not opponents.
"Our schools have always had a little rivalry, so I knew Josie was going to bring it," Gray said. "We've always liked competing against each other, but we're great friends outside of volleyball, so it's easy for us to mesh."
Gray and the West team defeated the East squad, 3-0, in the OCA small-school All-State volleyball match Tuesday night at Jenks High School.
Each player in the game received an All-State ring after turning in their jersey, but that wasn't Gray's only honor of the evening. The Rockhurst University signee was crowned West MVP, while Ava Fiacable of Cascia Hall was named East MVP.
The Small West team dominated the first two sets, claiming the first 25-21 and clearing the second 25-15. However, the Small East team jumped out to a hot start with a 13-5 lead to open the third set before a gritty performance from Brady sparked a comeback 25-23 win.
West continued to have the upper hand in the large-school match, defeating East 2-1.
After West pulled out the first two sets 25-23 and 25-19, East emerged as winners 25-21 behind MVP Avery Jones of Broken Arrow. Bailey Lawder of Lawton MacArthur received the Large West MVP award.
For some, Tuesday night's All-State matchup was their final high school volleyball game.
Gray reflected this energy with her play, driving for loose saves and walling up at the net for blocks despite the match being an exhibition. She'll remember the day for years as she heads to Oklahoma State in the fall, which doesn't have a volleyball team.
"I think this All-State game is really cool and is something we really tried not to take for granted," Brady said. "Before the games started, we realized that this would be the last time that some of us played volleyball — so we wanted to make sure they ended on a good note."
-Jordan Davis, Staff writer
TULSA — Some of the state’s top tennis players got one more opportunity to compete as a high schooler at the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State event at the University of Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Center.
There were state champions and future college tennis players, including Classen SAS star Sofia Acuña .
There were also some who won’t compete at the next level.
In the end, it was a back-and-forth battle between the West and East as both squads won 10 matches in the event, which has each player play once with a teammate of the same gender and again with someone of the opposite gender.
For players like Carl Albert’s Rylee Reese, it was the perfect sendoff.
“It was so much fun,” Reese said. “I actually loved it.”
Reese doesn’t plan to play college tennis. Instead, she’ll attend Central Oklahoma as a student and will major in nutrition.
She still plans to be involved with tennis and might give lessons, but this was a goodbye of sorts, and a lot of good memories come to mind when she thinks about her high school tennis career.
“At the end of the season, it finished and I just realized how much I love tennis,” Reese said. “I love playing it. I love all of the hard parts, like at times I got super frustrated but at the end of it, it was just so fun just because of the community.”
Tuesday’s event included several intriguing matchups.
Among the top OKC-area players was Acuña, who finished high school with three straight undefeated seasons and will continue her career at Dominican University in San Francisco.
She recorded wins alongside Edmond North’s Victoria Ricaurte-Cabas and Heritage Hall’s Gray Ferguson.
Ricaurte-Cabas also claimed two wins, with her other coming alongside Heritage Hall’s Emerson Ritenour.
Oklahoma Christian School’s Nikelle Horsburgh was another with two victories as she won with Reese and Edmond Santa Fe’s Kevin Nguyen, who also posted a win while playing with Casady’s Thomas Rudnicki.
-Nick Sardis, Staff writer
Avery Littlefield recovers from injury, leads East in swimming
NORMAN — As Avery Littlefield finished anchoring the girls' 200-yard freestyle relay, she got out of the pool thankful to have the opportunity to close this chapter of her career and begin a new one.Just days after the Stillwater star earned her seventh individual title at the Class 6A state swimming meet in February, Littlefield tore her ACL while running.
“I’ve never had an experience like that, because you just don’t really get injured that much when you are swimming,” Littlefield said. “It was just a lot of me being sad in my bedroom because I have never taken a break like that from swimming or any physical activity.”The descent back into the pool was gradual, and after having surgery in March, she initially worked solely on her upper body, before getting back into the water. After several months of rehab, Littlefield eventually felt comfortable enough to kick off and compete like she had been prior to the injury.
However, as she got ready on the blocks for the girls' 200-yard medley relay — the first event of the 2024 OCA All-State swimming meet — the hard work that it took for her to get there reflected back at her as she looked into the water.
“This is actually my first meet since state,” Littlefield said. “But it is also my last before I go to college, so it has been a kind of bittersweet experience.”
Littlefield has been spending as many hours as she can in the pool, not only to recover but also to prepare before she heads to LSU. There she will swim freestyle and butterfly.She knows what it is like to live in a college town, growing up just a few miles from Oklahoma State University, but she is excited to experience swimming and school in a new place.“I am just looking forward to everything,” Littlefield said. “All the coaches are just so motivational, and Coach Rick (Bishop) was just telling me about all of his goals and dreams for the team, and how he wanted me to be a part of it. That is why I am so excited because I truly believe that I have so much more potential and so many more things that I can achieve.”If Littlefield’s performance at the All-State meet is a reflection of what she has to offer at LSU, she is bound to find success.Racking up four first-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relays and the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle, where she beat the second-place finisher by almost four seconds, Littlefield led the girls East team to a 94-66 win over the West team. The boys' East team also won 88-67.But for the All-State swimmer, the meet was a representation of not only her own comeback and individual successes but also the growth of the sport in the state.“This meet just means a lot to me,” Littlefield said. “I think I got to see the sport of swimming grow a lot in Oklahoma. I think about how much harder the competition was this year compared to my freshman year, and just being able to see myself and my teammates grow, and to be here together is special.”
As she got out of the pool after winning the relay, she finished her high school career on a high note, but for Littlefield, this experience was about positively representing the sport and being around the people who have made it worthwhile.
“It has been something really special,” Littlefield said. “To be able to compete with people from all different teams, it has been really great to bring everyone together.”
-Gracie Rawlings, Staff writer
Karston Rennie, Gabby Hack awarded Kyle Lewis Scholarship
CATOOSA — Karston Rennie entered Monday's All-State tournament with a list of objectives to check off.
The Pauls Valley senior set out to conquer the green for the West and forge new friendships. Little did he know his day at the Cherokee Hills Golf Club would exceed his expectations.
Rennie, who will play collegiate golf at Methodist University in North Carolina, was awarded the Oklahoma Golf Coaches Association's Kyle Lewis Scholarship.
"I had a ton of fun today playing in different formats with kids I've normally never played with," Rennie said. "The goal is always to win. I've learned the lesson the last few years to have fun or you won't be very good."
Rennie and the West boys and girls combined for a 31.5-16.5 victory over the East.
Rennie and each other golfer competed in pairs, and each group could collect as many as four points. The West boys won 20-4, led by Mason Haley of Enid and Cohen Lorenzen of Deer Creek, who carded a 62.
Meanwhile, the East girls defeated the West 12.5-11.5 as West golfers Chloe Henderson of Durant and London Wilson of Ada combined for a 69. Josey Cavitt and Jaci Hartman of Turner finished with a 66.
Rennie and Marlow girls golfer Gabby Hack became the 12th pair to receive the scholarship. The $1,000 award memorializes Bethel golfer Kyle Lewis, who died in a car accident on his way home from the All-State matches in 2010.
"It was an honor to be selected to play in this event and to be awarded the scholarship," Rennie said. "Today was very enjoyable, and I'm glad I was able to represent Pauls Valley one last time."
— Jordan Davis, Staff writer
More: A look at The Oklahoman's 2025 Super 30 high school football recruiting series
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school All-State week live updates: Putnam West has rare All-State wrestler
Most Popular
Comments / 0