DUNCAN — Around 1 p.m. every day, Kevin Kelly retreats to his wrestling office to prepare for the day’s practice session. No longer does Tom Brack sit in the chair, leaning over paperwork and cracking jokes. That role now belongs to Kelly as he prepares to lead Duncan in his first season as head coach.
This season, Kelly has a young team that will be build around three seniors and three juniors. But that does not mean numbers are down.
Currently, there are 18 wrestlers undergoing workouts with seven expected to follow once football is over. With the team at less than full strength, Kelly is focusing on the details as he begins to mold the team into one of the top in Class 5A.
“We are focusing in on trying to get their technique down,” Kelly said. “Kids want to come in and start wrestling, beat each other up. But we don’t need that right now.”
Building the program’s numbers has been one of the busiest tasks for Kelly since he took over the program. The Demon team has also received a boost from the freshmen ranks as 12 will be on the team this season.
“We are going to be young from the looks of things,” Kelly said, “we will only have three seniors. The freshman class is big, we usually average six of seven in a class and we have a ton of sophomores with a ton of talent.
“We are trying to get a bunch of kids that haven’t wrestled in the past, kids that can contribute. Good kids that you don’t have to worry about.”
During offseason workouts, Kelly has a solid group leading the way. State placer Justin Hughes has been on the mats as well as state qualifiers Colton Ballard and Kendall Carnahan.
Ballard is one of two seniors that Kelly has in workouts this fall, along with Halston Marshall. It is the head coach’s belief that Marshall could be the biggest surprise for the Demons this season.
“He came on strong at the end of the season and he has gotten stronger,” Kelly said.
Marshall will be one of the wrestlers that Kelly looks to for answers in the upper weights. The Lower weights are also a question mark with the middle weights expected to be the strength of the team.
“We are going to be real solid in the middle,” Kelly said. “In the other weights, we don’t have a lot of high school experience. But we do have talented kids.”
The Demons have one adjustment to their schedule this season as they will take part in the Deer Creek Tournament rather than the Bixby Tournament.
The season is scheduled to start Dec. 3 at Lawton Ike, but that could be rescheduled, depending on the success of the football team.
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Michael Pineda
Preseason focus
Duncan wrestling enjoys solid numbers
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WELL STATED
Britton Scott and Kelsey LeValley didn’t earn titles at the state tennis tournament like they hoped to, but they can rest assured they will still get a chance to end their high school careers on a high note.
Scott and LeValley were among the eight players selected to the Girls’ West All-State Tennis Team, which was announced Wednesday. They will take on the East team on July 24 at the University of Tulsa. -
Under new management
Sometimes, change can be a good thing. For the Marlow Outlaws football team, this season is gearing up to be full of it.
After a disappointing 1-9 finish to the season, which included six losses by 10 points or less, there was a change of command for MHS.
On April 20, Rob Renshaw, who had spent the past six seasons at Putnam City High School as the offensive coordinator, was named the official head coach of the Outlaws. -
Laying the foundation
Last season, the Velma-Alma Comets had a nightmare start to their year.
After losing its first five games, along with star running back Checotah Lynn to a knee injury, V-A was looking at an unthinkable losing season.
However, the Comets rebounded to win six straight games and earn second place in district, eventually reaching the second round of the playoffs before falling to Minco 51-18.
Monday evening saw the Comets hard at work on Edgar Martin Field as they try and build upon the success of 2011. -
Blowout is as big as ever in 35th year
The driving range has seen an increase in popularity, the putting green is getting more use and the course professionals are devoting more of their days to giving lessons.
With the 35th Annual Blowout Tournament this weekend at the Duncan Golf and Tennis Club, it isn’t a time to be rusty. -
First Impressions
Even before the rooster could finish his morning crows Monday, the Central High football team was hard at work at Broncho Stadium.
Enthusiasm was high and the pads were clapping as 18 CHHS players hit the field for the first time in 2012.
This marked the first official practice under head coach Andy Claborn, who takes over a Bronchos squad that narrowly missed the playoffs in 2011 with a 5-5 record. -
Scramble helps send Stevens to Pinehurst
Thanks to his performances in U.S. Kids Golf tournaments in Oklahoma City, Caden Stevens earned a spot in the World Championships.
Thanks to his fellow Stephens County residents, he will get to go.
Fifty-six players took part in the Team Caden Classic scramble on Saturday at Twin Oaks Golf Club. Between them and sponsorships from 11 local businesses, around $2,800 was raised to help send Stevens to Pinehurst, N.C., where he will compete at the storied golf resort against some of the best 7-year-olds in the world. -
Cards win Jess Welch title
Even though Duncan experienced a slight shower Sunday morning, it wasn’t enough to halt the final day of the Jess Welch Memorial Tournament at Abe Raizen Park.
In the championship of the 10-&-under division, it was an all-Duncan final between the Cardinals and Yankees, both of which survived semifinal matchups against teams from outside of Stephens County to advance earlier in the day.
Four runs in each of the first three innings proved to be too much for the Yankees to handle as the red birds took home the championship with a 15-0 victory in four innings. -
Area players shine at All-Star game
If fans attending Saturday night’s 23rd annual Southwest Senior Bowl at Cameron Stadium were looking for a friendly exhibition game amongst the players, they got just the opposite.
But, through all the chaos and controversy, the players representing Stephens County turned in solid performances, with Comanche’s Johnny Heath and Duncan’s Daniel McCoy scoring touchdowns on the evening.
In the end it was Heath’s South team coming away with the 26-14 victory over the North. -
DHS girls' coach McClung resigning
Andrew McClung verbally accepted the position of girls’ head basketball coach at Cache High School on Thursday, and he said he plans to give Duncan his official resignation on Tuesday.
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Waurika names Edelman head football coach
At a meeting in April, the board of education voted to rehire Glenn Howard as a teacher and assistant coach for the 2012-13 school year. At that time, Danny Edelman was also rehired as head coach in the football program, which will be moving to the eight-man level in the 2012 season.
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