Midwest City football wins 7-on-7 tournament
Midwest City’s Cameron Wilson reaches for the end zone Saturday afternoon during a game against Bishop McGuinness at the Skordle 7-on-7 Showdown at Norman North High School. (Staff photo by Jeff Harrison)
By Jeff Harrison
Managing Editor
NORMAN – Experienced isn’t a word to describe Midwest City’s receivers. The young group produced only six catches on varsity last year, while playing behind a strong senior class.
But they’re proving to be quick learners.
The Bombers steadily improved Saturday to win the Skordle 7-on-7 Showdown West title at Norman North High School. They went 7-2 on the day and beat Heritage Hall 23-9 in the championship game.
“We were able to overcome adversity and get better as they went on,” said Midwest City coach Darrell Hall. “We have a lot of room to grow, but it was good to throw them in the fire.”
Senior quarterback Preston Colbert was accurate and patient, hitting multiple receivers all day. Sam Sisson, Andre Miles, Wesley Deadmon and running back Cameron Wilson provided several big catches.
Returning starters Tramon Jackson, Chris Youngblood, Jacobi Johnson and Kyle Lindsay anchored the defense.
Midwest City’s Preston Colbert throws a pass during a game against Bishop McGuinness. (Staff photo by Jeff Harrison)
Midwest City opened the tournament with a 19-10 loss to Putnam City North. They rallied for three straight wins over Bishop McGuinness, Westmoore and Del City, before dropping a game with Moore 26-16. The Bombers finished with victories against Norman North, Mustang and Stillwater to close out pool play.
Heritage Hall was the winner in the second pool that featured smaller schools. Cashion, Perkins-Tryon, Crossings Christian, OCS, Chisholm, Alva, Stroud and Casady also competed in their pool.
Del City also had a strong showing. The Eagles went 6-3 on the day and placed third in their pool.
“We played pretty well at times and saw some good things,” said Del City coach Mike Dunn. “Seven-on-Seven isn’t real football, but it shows who will compete and who will play through adversity.”
The Eagles earned wins over Bishop McGuinness, Mustang, Stillwater, Putnam City North, Moore and Chisholm in the third-place matchup. They lost to Norman North, Midwest City and Westmoore.
Quinlan Ganther took all of the snaps at quarterback and executed the team’s offense.
“He had a lot of really good games and made good decisions,” Dunn said.
Jeff Foreman and Colin Liesinger both had big days at receiver. Foreman had the catch of the day when he reeeled in a touchdown on a Hail Mary pass from Ganther to beat Putnam City North.
Greg Whittenberg and Keyshon Murray led the defense.
Skordle, a live-scoring app for high school sports, also hosted a tournament in Bixby with several of the top East side schools. The top teams from each side of the state were scheduled to play in a championship round Sunday in Stroud, but the event was canceled due to weather.
