Claremore Daily Progress

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  • The Chelsea Dragons

    Chelsea Dragons Team Photo 2010.jpg
August 31, 2010

Experience, size in the trenches key to Chelsea’s return to playoffs

Jon Potts Staff Reporter

CHELSEA — The Chelsea Dragons open the 2010 season ranked No. 26 in the VYPE Class 2A preseason football poll.

After going 5-5 in 2009 and missing the playoffs, the Dragons plan to be more multiple on offense and ride the coat-tails of running back Donavan McLeod.

OFFENSE

Chelsea should have several solid running backs. Donavon McLeod (6-0, 210 SR) is likely to get a good chunk of work from his fullback position.

Tailbacks Taurus Yorkman (5-8, 150 JR) and Kyle James (5-9, 170 JR) figure to be in the mix for most of the carries.

Davyd Hubler (5-9, 205 SO) will have a chance to see his fair share of action in the backfield. Head coach Wade Wolf believes Hubler has good size and power.

Caleb Captain (5-10, 170 JR) will be the quarterback and also handle kicking and punting duties. Captain is a good decision maker and very capable according to Wolf.

Lonnie Tharp (5-10, 160) figures to be a prime target at wide receiver. Wolf believes Tharp has good speed and will be a playmaker.

Brent Schuller (6-5, 285 SR) brings tremendous size to the offensive line. Schuller and center Hunter Drake (5-9, 200 SR) will be anchors up front.

Hayden Delozier (6-2, 200 JR) and Cody McCleland (6-0, 190 SR) will also start along the front lines.

"The offensive line should be a strength for us," said Wolf. "These kids have played together for awhile. Some will be second and even third year starters."

DEFENSE

McLeod will be a leader at linebacker. He had 139 tackles last season. Tyler Akee (6-0, 205 JR) has the ability to find the football according to Wolf from his linebacker position.

Delozier and McCleland will anchor the defensive line. Delozier had 58 tackles while McCleland finished with 52 last year.

James anchors the secondary from his free safety spot. he finished with 78 tackles a year ago.

James brings good speed to table and has the ability to get the ball quickly accoridng to Wolf.

OUTLOOK

Chelsea was 5-5 in 2009 and narrowly missed the playoffs. Pawhuska denied the Dragons after a 56-7 win at Chelsea in the final game of the regular season.

The Dragons had won their previous three contests to put themselves in position for a spot in the postseason.

Chelsea recorded lopsided wins of 49-8 at Wyandotte and 47-0 at home against Caney Valley in weeks seven and eight, and then won a tight 14-13 game at Nowata in week nine.

There are some tough teams residing in the district once again this year. Chelsea will likely have its toughest games at home though.

Lincoln Christian is the defending class 2A state champion. Pawhuska was a semifinalist in 2A while Pawnee made the second round of the class A playoffs last season.

"We know those will be tough games," said Wolf. "It's nice to get to play them at home. It will bring excitement to the town."

The key contest, however, might be the final district game at Newkirk in week nine. Newkirk was a postseason squad in 2A a year ago.

The Dragons, however, are hoping that they can be in position at that time to clear that final hurdle and punch their ticket to the playoff party.

"We know it's a tough district but we are very hungry,” said Wolf.

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Sports
  • RSU takes down NWOSU

    The Rogers State University men’s basketball team swept the regular season series over Northwestern Oklahoma State with an 85-78 victory Thursday night in Sooner Athletic Conference action at Percefull Fieldhouse.
    RSU took a five-point lead with 2:30 minutes to play thanks to a jumper by Kendrell Thompson and two made free throws by Meneptha Darden.

    February 10, 2012

  • Lady ‘Cats fall on the road

    The Rogers State women’s basketball team fell short on Thursday evening as Northwestern Oklahoma State registered a 68-65 victory over the Hillcats at Percefull Fieldhouse.
     
    The Hillcats got the last look as Leah Smith shot a trey from the corner at the buzzer however, the shot bounced in and out of the basket as the RSU suffered its second straight defeat.

    February 10, 2012

  • SequoyahVsChelsea_231cweb.jpg Tharp sparks Chelsea past Sequoyah, 59-48

    The Chelsea Green Dragons used a 33-point second-half performance to steal the spotlight from the Claremore Sequoyah Eagles.
    Lonnie Tharp tallied a game-high 23 points to spark the Green Dragons to a 59-48 over Claremore Sequoyah on Senior Night at the Olan Graham Fieldhouse.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • SequoyahVsChelsea_155web.jpg Lady Eagles soar on Senior Night

    Claremore Sequoyah senior guard Berdena Anderson made her last home game memorable Thursday night, using a 12-point performance to spark the Lady Eagles past Chelsea, 33-25.
    Anderson drained a pair of treys in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles clung to a 15-11 halftime lead.
    Chelsea’s tenacious defense, led by point guard Danielle Wolf, held Anderson to one field goal and 4-of-4 free throws in the final 16 minutes.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • Zebras host 6A Bartlesville tonight

    With the regional tournament two weeks away, the Claremore Zebras are hoping to gain a little momentum and steal an upset win over Class 6A Bartlesville tonight.
    The Zebras (5-14) extended their losing to six-straight games Tuesday night, falling to Skiatook, 53-47. To make matters worse, Claremore senior point guard Garrick Prelesnick also was sidelined in the first quarter with an injury to his foot.
    The status of whether Prelesnick would play against Bartlesville remained uncertain at press time.
    Tonight’s doubleheader tips off at 6:30 and 8 p.m. inside the Zebra Fieldhouse.

    February 10, 2012

  • Verdigris travels to Tahlequah Sequoyah tonight

    The Verdigris High School basketball teams resume regular season action tonight on the road at Tahlequah Sequoyah.
    Game times are set for 6:30 and 8 p.m.

    February 10, 2012

  • OSU visits tradition-rich Kansas on Saturday

    The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team travels to Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday for a matchup with the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks.
    Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse, and the game will be televised by the Big 12 Network (KTUL Ch. 8 in Tulsa).

    February 10, 2012

  • Tulsa softball starts season today in Louisiana

    The No. 24-ranked Tulsa softball team opens the 2012 season this weekend at the 26th Annual Louisiana Classics Softball Tournament, beginning with a game against Rutgers at 11 a.m. today at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.

    TU will also face Mississippi Valley State at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Saturday, the Hurricane plays the host and No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette at 3:30 p.m. and Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m. Tulsa rounds out the tournament against ULL at noon on Sunday. Live stats for every game of the weekend can be found here.
     
    The Golden Hurricane opens its 20th season ranked in the preseason top-25 for the first time in program history in the 24th spot by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The 2011 C-USA co-Champions, TU ended the 2011 season with a 46-15 overall record, and a 19-5 mark in league play.

    February 10, 2012

  • Tulsa's Mayberry hits career milestone against Houston

    Taleya Mayberry raced down the court after grabbing a defensive rebound, and she banked home a fast-break layup at the 8:28 mark of the second half.

    The basket gave her 1,001 points for her career, and she became just the eighth member of the Tulsa women's basketball team to reach the career milestone as TU defeated Houston 67-53 Sunday afternoon inside Donald W. Reynolds Center.

    February 10, 2012

  • Top-ranked Razorback track team hosts Tyson Invitational

    In its final competition before the conference meet, the No. 1 University of Arkansas men's track and field team will host the Tyson Invitational this weekend at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. Including the Razorbacks, the field of teams will feature 10 nationally ranked teams. Competition begins at noon today and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

    "There's no question this is an important weekend for us," head coach Chris Bucknam said. "It's a weekend we have circled on our calendar as the final meet before the SEC Championships. We're lining our kids up and expect some great competition. We want to provide a great venue and atmosphere for everyone coming in so we work really hard as a staff to set up a meet that is good for all the student-athletes competing."

    The top-ranked Razorbacks are one of 10 teams in the field ranked in this week's release of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll. Along with Arkansas, the Tyson Invitational is scheduled to include No. 3 LSU, No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 16 Kansas State, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 Iowa, No. 22 Georgia and No. 23 Auburn. The meet will also include Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina.

    February 10, 2012