Oklahoma high school notes: Xavier Robinson sets Carl Albert record, ex-Ada star signs with OU
Former Ada forward Kaden Cooper signs with OU men's basketball
Kaden Cooper is coming home. The 6-foot-6 wing, who transferred from Ada High School to The Skill Factory in Georgia, plans to return to Oklahoma for college. OU’s men’s basketball program announced Monday that Cooper has signed with the Sooners.
“Kaden is the type of player that can impact the game on both ends of the floor," OU coach Porter Moser said in a news release. “His length and athleticism combined with his willingness and toughness make him have the potential to be an elite defender.”
ESPN, 247Sports, Rivals and On3 have tabbed Cooper as a four-star prospect. The senior has played AAU basketball with Team Trae Young, averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds through 17 games.
“What I loved in the recruiting process was seeing his love for the state of Oklahoma, his desire to win big at the University of Oklahoma and represent his home state,” Moser said.
More:Vote: The Oklahoman's high school football Player of the Week for Week 11
Carl Albert’s Xavier Robinson sets school record
Xavier Robinson is officially in Carl Albert’s record books.
The junior tailback now owns the school record for most rushing yards in a season with 2,008.
Carl Albert holds a 9-2 record and has won eight straight games, and Robinson is a big reason why. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has run for 33 touchdowns on 218 carries and is averaging a whopping 9.2 yards per attempt.
A physical runner, Robinson is leading an offense that is averaging 41 points per game.
Colleges are starting to take notice of Robinson, and he received an offer from Iowa State last month.
Carl Albert coach Mike Dunn said after the Titans' victory against Guthrie on Oct. 21 that Robinson is gaining a substantial amount of interest from Power 5 schools.
“He’s a pretty special player,” Dunn said. “I think he’s going to blow up.”
Carl Albert, ranked third in Class 5A, will host No. 2 Del City in the quarterfinals Friday.
More:The Oklahoman's Class 6A to C high school football rankings for Week 12
Winter sports media day set for Wednesday
The Oklahoman’s annual Winter Sports Media Day is set for Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Bishop McGuinness High School.
The event will be held in the lobby of the gymnasium, beginning at 3:30 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m. The school is located at 801 Northwest 50th Street in Oklahoma City. Visitors are asked to enter from the Interstate 44 service road off Western Avenue.
Each Oklahoma City-area high school participating in girls/boys basketball, girls/boys swimming and girls/boys wrestling is encouraged to bring athletes to meet The Oklahoman’s high school coverage team for interviews and photos that will be used throughout the upcoming season.
Coaches/athletic directors, please bring a maximum of two athletes per sport. It normally takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete information forms and have photos taken. For more information, contact Hallie Hart (hhart@oklahoman.com), James D. Jackson (jjackson@oklahoman.com) or Nick Sardis (nsardis@oklahoman.com).
More:What we learned from first round of high school football playoff games across Oklahoma
Ponca City celebrates first playoff win since 1986
Scott Harmon remembers Ponca City’s 1986 playoff team.
He was a kid in Hominy at the time, but he knew many of Ponca City's players because his father had coached the team the previous year. Now, Harmon coaches the Wildcats, and he led them Friday to their first playoff win since 1986.
Class 6A-II Ponca City (6-5) defeated Tahlequah, 35-7, at home, advancing to a quarterfinal matchup with Muskogee.
“I can tell the community’s just really excited,” Harmon said. “I’m happy for these people that have been around here wanting a football program that can produce some playoff teams, and we’re finally trying to get to that point.”
The northern Oklahoma community hosted a first-round playoff game for the first time since 2005, benefiting from Class 6A’s newly expanded bracket. This year, six teams from each district made the playoffs instead of four, so the top two teams per district had byes while the third and fourth teams hosted first-round matchups.
“I’ll be honest with you, I was a traditionalist, and I didn’t want to make that move because I wanted this program to get in the top four,” Harmon said. “But we kind of got our cake and got to eat it too a little bit this year because we finished in the top four at third, and we also got a home playoff game. So it worked out well for us.”
More:The rise of Sooner7: Why the state's top high school stars are rivals and friends
Extra points
➤ Bethany’s Taylor Heim is gaining attention from college football programs. The versatile senior announced Sunday he had received an offer from Ohio. Two days later, he announced his offer from South Dakota State. Heim plays quarterback, wide receiver and free safety. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Heim is also a star in track and field and won the Class 4A long jump state title in the spring.
➤ Dewar running back Nevin Corbin had six rushing touchdowns in the first quarter as the undefeated Dragons flew past Gans, 78-20, in the first round of the Class B playoffs.
➤ Wewoka High School is seeking a head football coach. The Wewoka Tigers Twitter account announced the news Tuesday afternoon. Applicants can send resumes, transcripts and letters of application to superintendent Shellie Gammill (sgammill@wps.k12.ok.us) until Dec. 1.
—Hallie Hart and Nick Sardis, Staff writers
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men's basketball: Former Ada star Kaden Cooper signs with Sooners
