Oklahoma
Observations from Oklahoma’s Fourth Spring Practice
NORMAN — Oklahoma held another spring practice early Monday evening, and local media got a roughly 45-minute window to film and photograph.
Here are some observations from the Sooners On SI staff:
Injuries/Players Not Full-Participants
- Elijah Thomas was wearing a boot on his left foot and not participating.
- Xavier Robinson was wearing a boot on his right leg/foot, he walked off the field as practice began.
- Jer’Michael Carter was wearing a boot on his left foot.
- Fellow wide receiver Trell Harris was on crutches. Brent Venables already mentioned he had a “little cleanup” procedure last week.
- David Stone was not in a helmet, but still same status as the previous media-viewing session on Saturday — involved but not participating.
- Ryan Fodje walked off the field after position groups began and never returned during the viewing window.
- Beau Jandreau was wearing a boot on his left foot.
- Caleb Nitta was in a helmet, but watching in position groups.
- Daniel Akinkunmi was still on a scooter.
- Fred Hinton was also off to the side watching in a helmet among offensive linemen.
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General Observations
- Danny Okoye broke the team down after stretching to send players to their position drills.
- Jeremiah Newcombe was in the blue no-contact jersey and worked with the linebackers — he stepped in for Reggie Powers III as the backup cheetah during situational scrimmages.
- Venables continued to spend a lot of time with the tight ends.
- During ball-security drills, he was emphasizing force on the player tasked with trying to smash the ball away from Jack Van Dorselaer — “Hit the ball!”
- Jake Maikkula shows no signs of fatigue and comfortably the starting center and leading the charge out of huddles.
- Marcus James was in a blue no-contact jersey among the linebackers.
- Nigel Smith received consistent praise during position drills and made nice plays during situational scrimmages.
- DeZephen Walker has a low-center of gravity and very quick feet — received praise from running backs coach Deland McCullough running through dummies.
- Jonathan Hatton is an upright runner, has great power and speed for his size, but McCullough got on him to keep his pad level down consistently — he runs similar to Alex Ross, with more fluidity in his hips.
- Noah Best routinely took second reps behind Maikkula.
- E’Marion Harris received praise from Bill Bedenbaugh consistently.
Situational Scrimmage
The team went offense vs. defense in situational football.
- Starting offensive line (left to right) for the rushing period: Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, Harris
- Starting wide receivers/tight ends: Manny Choice, Mackenzie Alleyene, Isaiah Sategna, Hayden Hansen
- Hatton and John Mateer in the backfield.
- Starting defensive line: Okoye, Smith, Trent Wilson, Taylor Wein
- Starting linebackers: Kip Lewis, James Nesta and Powers (cheetah)
- Starting defensive backs: Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory, Michael Boganowski, Peyton Bowen
- Michigan transfer Cole Sullivan came on at linebacker during second-team defense.
- Freshman Bowe Bentley showed some speed on QB keepers.
- Tate Sandell was 1-for-3 on field goal hurry-up drills, including a missed 49-yard attempt wide right into a stiff wind.
Oklahoma
Main Card Results | UFC Oklahoma City
Du Plessis returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev last August. Standing across from him is Usman, a former welterweight champion who defended his title five times, with signature wins over Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The pair headline a stacked card filled with rising contenders and can’t-miss prospects.
Where To Watch UFC Oklahoma City
Live results, highlights, fight recaps, post-fight interviews and more will be added throughout the event. Preview each matchup below before the action begins. The main card kicks off Saturday at 8pm ET/5pm PT live on Paramount+ in the United States.
UFC Oklahoma City Main Card Results:
Oklahoma
‘ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC!’ Tulsa’s U.V. Okies level up with Nintendo donation
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa’s U.V. Okies are six-time undefeated Wii bowling champions of the Tulsa Senior Inter-League — and now they’re leveling up.
Nintendo America contacted University Village Retirement Community after the senior bowling team’s story went viral- thanks to their Instagram reels, and features by news outlets like the New York Times and 2 News Oklahoma.
WATCH: POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals:
POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals
Inspired by their story, the company is donating Nintendo Switch 2 systems to each retirement community in the Tulsa league.
Wayne Wall, Life Enrichment Coordinator at University Village, said the outreach came as a surprise.
“I did not expect to hear from Nintendo at all,” Wall said.
GALLERY: “ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC!” Tulsa’s U.V. Okies level up with Nintendo donation
The company reached out to Wall about what the team had come to represent.
“They contacted me and said we’re excited about how Wii bowling is bringing people together at this stage of their life and helping them to have that camaraderie and have fun in this stage of their life and we would like to do something to contribute to that, to be a part of that,” Wall said.
Nintendo donated two Nintendo Switch 2 systems for each retirement community in the league, along with additional gear like extra Joy-Cons, and games. Teams from across Tulsa picked up their gifts at the championship celebration on July 16, 2026, at University Village in Tulsa — and the timing could not have been better. The old equipment had run its course.
“The Wii systems were becoming obsolete and hard to replace,” Wall said.
Come spring 2027, the Tulsa league will make the switch to bowling on the Switch 2. Competing Tulsa teams hope the new systems evens things out.
Fritz Gernandt of the Town Village Strikers had a message for the six-time champions.
“I can only say it once and really loud, look out,” Gernandt said.
The U.V. Okies are not intimidated. Phyllis Wimer, 95 — known on the lanes by nicknames like “The GOAT” and “The Killer” — has already been putting in work on the Switch 2.
KJRH
“I’ve got the new system at home, and I have bowled a 300 on it, and I’m the only one so far that has,” Wimer said.
Dorothy Salen, 101, who led the U.V. Okies in the national league last fall and goes by “Dangerous Dorothy,” is keeping her trademark outlook heading into the new season.
“Always optimistic!” Salen said.
For the U.V. Okies, the game — and the fun — is never over.
The team has one more Wii bowling match planned before their equipment gets retired. They will play the staff at University Village to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness next week.
2 News Oklahoma was the first to bring you the story of the U.V. Okies success, and we’ve been updating you along the way.
You can learn more about University Village HERE.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere —
Oklahoma
Oklahoma first responders join rescue efforts as deadly Texas floods claim more lives
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklah. — Deadly flooding in Texas has prompted another wave of Oklahoma first responders to head south to help with rescue and recovery efforts as the death toll continues to rise.
Days of relentless rain have battered the Texas Hill Country, an area often called “Flash Flood Valley,” turning rivers into violent torrents that ripped out trees, washed away roads, and left communities underwater.
In Kerr County, floodwaters tore apart a roadway, leaving twisted pavement and debris behind.
The devastation comes one year after catastrophic flooding that claimed more than 130 lives across Texas.
Hundreds of rescue crews from across the nation have mobilized to Texas, including teams from Oklahoma and the United Cajun Navy, to save lives and limit further loss.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management deployed 25 members of Oklahoma Task Force One to Texas. Brad Smith, an Oklahoma Task Force leader, said, “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. We know what to expect.”
By Thursday, another Oklahoma team rolled south, made up of Oklahoma City firefighters, an Oklahoma City police officer and members of the Yukon Fire Department. Guymon’s specialized swiftwater search and rescue team also responded. “This is a highly trained group of people, very experienced,” Smith said. “We’ve been to out-of-state deployments on this type of thing before and feel very confident in the type of work we’ll be expected to do down there.”
The crews are joining a growing interstate response centered in the Texas Hill Country, now the epicenter of the flooding disaster.
Amy Metz, chief meteorologist with the United Cajun Navy, described the intensity of the flooding and the challenges it has created for rescuers. “They couldn’t get boats to somebody who was submerged in a vehicle in a tree, and so I did hear later after about an hour and a half there were able to get that man to safety,” Metz said.
Metz also described damage caused by the force of the water. “It picked up a barge, one that was there to do some cleanup from last year’s floods, got lifted and thrown down the dam probably a half mile up to a mile away, crashing into a bridge that is now gone,” she said.
At least two people have died, and more than 200 people have been rescued.
Several rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms during the past two days have flooded six Texas counties.
Metz said the rainfall totals have been extreme. “Since Monday, the Hill Country has seen at least 20 inches of rain. That could very well have gone up to 30 in some places and with it river rise. The gauges did show within one hour it shot up 25 feet,” she said.
Metz said the United Cajun Navy is prepared to help with boat ferry deliveries and highway cleanup with chainsaws once flooding subsides.
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