Owasso community mourns Nex Benedict at candlelight vigil: Video
“We shouldn’t have to bury children this young,” said Micah Hillenberg at the candlelight vigil. “If this doesn’t enrage you, I don’t know what will.”
As the state and nation reacts to Oklahoma state Sen. Tom Woods’ usage of the word “filth” when talking about the LGBTQ+ community, the response back home suggests he has support for his comments, at least in some corners.
When he uttered the word Friday at a Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce legislative briefing in response to a question about the death of Nex Benedict, some in the audience grumbled. Others broke out in applause when Woods said, “We are a religious state and we are going to fight to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state — we are a moral state.”
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Kelly Blair was in the room when Woods spoke. According to her account, Woods’ comments have been grossly exaggerated.
“Sen. Woods did not call any person ‘filth.’ He did use the term, ‘that filth’ when referencing the education of Oklahoma children on these topics, which have no business being taught in school,” Blair said. “He stood up for our children and what they need to learn, or not learn, in classrooms.”
More: Listen to the audio of Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods using the word “filth” when talking about the LGBTQ+ community
Many public officials and community leaders have remained silent about the controversial statement. The Oklahoman reached out to businesses, churches and government leaders in and around Woods’ eastern Oklahoma Senate district, but few wanted to speak publicly.
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Woods’ Senate district spans four counties along the Arkansas border. Tahlequah, where the comments were made, lies just outside of his district. Nathan Reed, president and CEO of the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce, said that while Woods was invited to the event, the chamber doesn’t have “a strong enough interaction” with communities in the district to say whether Woods’ comments are representative of his constituents.
More: Does a senator’s ‘filth’ statement reflect Oklahoma? The impacts of rhetoric on state’s LGBTQ community
When reached by The Oklahoman, Tahlequah Mayor Suzanne Myers referenced the death of Nex Benedict, the Owasso teen held up by the LGBTQ+ community as a victim of bullying. Woods’ “filth” comment came after a member of the public suggested Benedict was targeted because of how politicians speak about LGBTQ+ issues.
“The passing of the Owasso student was a heartbreaking incident,” Myers said. “It is a time where we should express empathy and compassion. I believe last week’s legislative briefing in Tahlequah could have been an ideal opportunity to demonstrate these virtues. I praise the citizen who persisted in their questioning of Sen. Woods.”
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Do Oklahoma religious leaders agree with Sen. Tom Woods?
There’s no way to uncouple Woods’ comments from religion. In the same breath, the senator said Oklahoma is a Christian and religious state. Navil Vaughan, the lead pastor at Impact Church in Woods’ hometown of Westville, was among those who spoke on the record to The Oklahoman.
Vaughan said he preaches that “alternative lifestyles” are sinful.
“I’m not trying to condemn anyone, but I do know that the scriptures are very clear in what it says, and I stand by that scripture,” Vaughan said. “I’m not saying that homosexuals or that group of people, whatever that would entail. … I’m not denying they have rights or anything of that nature. I’m just saying I believe that’s sin. Sen. Woods used some pretty strong language there, and that is what it is.”
More: Oklahoma’s national embarrassment continues thanks to GOP lawmaker’s bigotry | Editorial
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Blair said Woods stood up for what children need to learn — and against what they should not learn.
“I feel many Christian conservatives are now more vocal, not because they are ‘bullies,’ but due to the fact they feel more and more in the LGBTQ+ community have become so extreme that they expect those of us raised heterosexual, and in biblical principle, are now somehow supposed to be ashamed of our faith and heritage?”
Blair told The Oklahoman that she’s received “horribly disturbing, slanderous private messages” from people for supporting Woods on social media.
“My heart breaks for them. I feel people desperately want a cause to fight for, and sitting at home, safe behind their phone somehow seems heroic? We all need each other. We need much less division, and part of doing that means this story needs to stay on topic,” she said.
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Contributing: Josh Dulaney and Bill Wertz, The Oklahoman
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head softball coach Patty Gasso announced the addition of six signees to the program’s top-ranked 2025 recruiting class Wednesday. Sophia Bordi, Lexi McDaniel, Kai Minor, Allyssa Parker, Kendall Wells and Berkley Zache will join the Sooners as freshmen for the 2026 season.
The six signees represent six states. Parker stays in her home state of Oklahoma, Bordi joins OU from New Jersey, McDaniel is from Missouri, Minor travels east from California, Wells hails from Georgia and Zache is from Michigan. Oklahoma’s elite 2025 recruiting class features numerous all-conference, all-state and All-America honors, as well as state championships.
“Our staff is very pleased to sign another No. 1 class in the country,” said Gasso, who is in her 31st season with the Sooners. “This group of six represents one of the most athletic and powerful recruiting classes we have ever assembled. The thought of merging them with our returners next season is incredibly intriguing. It’s an extremely talented class that will help keep our program at the top.”
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SOPHIA BORDI / RHP / MERCHANTVILLE, N.J.
A right-handed pitcher from Haddon Heights High School in Addon Heights, N.J. … Two-time Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year … Has led her team to two state titles and earned tournament MVP honors … Three-time team MVP … Three-time first-team all-state selection … Three-time first-team all-conference honoree … Named Curios Post Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore and junior … Volunteers with the Dreamality foundation.
CLUB: Plays her travel ball with OC Batbusters Stith … Named co-MVP of the Alliance National Championship … Two-time Alliance National Champion (2022, 2023).
PERSONAL: Daughter of Danielle and George Bordi … Has two siblings (George and John) … Enjoys baking and cooking, fitness and health … Intends to major in communications and sports media.
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OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON BORDI:
“Sophia brings a lot to the table. She is an elite pitcher, having won championships in both high school and travel ball. She is also elite offensively. She brings power from the right side and we expect her to be an integral part of our program. I’m very excited about Sophia’s future as a Sooner.”
She’s a two-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and a three-time first-team all-state selection 🏆
A right-handed-hitting infielder from St. Joseph Christian School in St. Joseph, Mo. … Plays softball at the travel ball level as her school does not sponsor a program … Also stars in basketball and earned two district titles while adding all-conference, all-district and offensive MVP accolades … National Honor Society member and secretary … High honor roll student … Interact Club member … Volunteers with multiple organizations including Mosaic Hospital, the Elementary Basketball League, the Salvation Army and Soles for Christ … Alliance Players Advisory Committee member.
CLUB: Plays her travel ball with Aces Fastpitch 18U National … Named the Aces Fastpitch Organization Offensive Player of the Year … Club’s all-time leader in hits (578), home runs (93), RBIs (413) and runs scored (461) … Named to multiple Extra Innings All-Summer teams.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Keith and Dana McDaniel … Has one sibling (Cody) … Father played baseball at Missouri Western State … Grandfather is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for fastpitch … Enjoys growing in her faith, traveling and spending time with friends and family … Intends to major in business before pursuing a law degree and becoming a sports agent.
OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON McDANIEL:
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“Lexi is a versatile athlete who I’ve seen play all infield positions. She also has an elite bat and has increased her power in the last year. I consider her one of the most powerful hitters in the 2025 class. She can change a game with one swing and we are looking forward to having her play a large role in our offensive attack.”
93 career home runs. 413 career RBIs. 578 career hits. 🤯
A left-handed-hitting outfielder from Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. … Career .465 hitter with a .561 on-base percentage, 112 hits, 13 home runs, 52 RBIs, 96 runs scored and 48 stolen bases on a 98% success rate … Has led her team to three Trinity League championships and a runner-up finish at the California Division 1 Southern Section tournament … Two-time CIF Division 1 First Team honoree … Trinity League MVP … Three-time OC Register All-Orange County First Team selection … Three-time SB Live All-State pick … Three-time member of the LA Times All-Star and Cal-Hi Sports All-State teams … named the Cal-Hi California Freshman of the Year … Co-MVP of the Michelle Carew Classic and three-time all-tournament selection at the event … Holds a 4.2 GPA and has been an honor roll student in each semester.
CLUB: Plays her travel ball with OC Batbusters Stith … Batted .539 during the 2023-24 season and reached base at a .576 clip while producing 166 hits, 31 home runs, 36 doubles, 11 triples, 119 RBIs, 138 runs scored and 29 stolen bases … Named to the all-tournament team at the Alliance 18U Championships … MVP of the Alliance Super Cup … All-tournament selection at IDT, TCS Nationals and Zoom into June … Has led her club to two Alliance Tier 1 championships, two IDT championships, two Alliance Super Cup titles, a pair of Top Club national championships and three TCS Nationals top-two finishes … Club teammate of current Sooner student-athletes Ella Parker, Maya Bland, Gabbie Garcia, Corri Hicks, Abigale Dayton and Ailana Agbayani.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Marshall and Tamica Minor … Has two siblings (Marshall III and Zoe) … Enjoys spending time with friends and family, attending concerts and listening to music … Intends to begin a pre-medicine route and major in health sciences.
OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON MINOR:
“Kai is a speedy left-hander who can hit with power or drop a bunt at any time. She is a complete athlete with power, speed and agility. Kai has earned many honors both in high school and with the Batbusters organization, and has been training hard to be ready as soon as she arrives on campus. That type of mindset will serve her well throughout her career. She will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers.”
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Six club championships, three all-state selections and a .465 career prep batting average to go with electrifying speed ⚡
A right-handed pitcher from Pocola High School in Pocola, Okla. … 2024 Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year … 2A-11 District Player of the Year … Four-time county tournament MVP … Owns three state runner-up finishes with Pocola … Led her basketball team to the 2022 2A State title and earned tournament MVP honors … Guided Pocola to a slowpitch state championship … Honor roll student … Class president … Student council vice president … National Honor Society member.
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CLUB: Plays her travel ball with Aces Fastpitch … Has led her club to an AFCS national runner-up finish … Named to multiple AFCS all-tournament teams.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Camilla May and Joseph Parker … Has four siblings (Sophia, Gatlynn, Georgia and Zoeigh) … Enjoys pickleball and driving around with her friends … Intends to major in education administration.
OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON PARKER:
“Allyssa is the most versatile athlete of this 2025 class. She can do it all. She will find time on the mound, is a talented shortstop and she caps it off by being an elite, powerful hitter. Our lone Oklahoman, Allyssa will be a fan favorite and she has the potential to be mentioned in the same breath as Keilani Ricketts. I’m very excited about her future as a Sooner.”
The flamethrowing Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year is staying home 🔥
A right-handed-hitting catcher from North Oconee High School in Bogart, Ga. … Has produced 127 hits, 55 home runs, 184 RBIs, 148 walks, 162 runs scored and 62 stolen bases while slashing .625/.775/1.595 for a 2.370 OPS as a prep … 2024 Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year finalist … Named to the 2023 GACA Juniors All-Star Game and won the home run derby with a record 49 homers … Tied the state home run record as a sophomore with 24 when she led North Oconee to a third-place finish at the state tournament … 2023 NFCA All-Region First Team … 2023 GACA AAAA and GACA AAAA Player of the Year … first-team all-state and all-region as a sophomore … 2023 Georgia Lottery Scholar Athlete … Named to the 2021 GACA All-State First Team and guided her team to a runner-up finish at the AAAA State Tournament … Two-time all-region and 2024 first-team all-state selection in basketball with career averages of 12.2 points and 9.5 rebounds … Four-year member of the Beta Club … Earned the EPOCS Award for AP Calculus … Instructs softball and basketball camps at her high school.
CLUB: Plays her travel ball with Georgia Impact 18U Premier … 2024 PGF Futures All-American … Selected to the 2023 and 2024 Triple Crown Futures All-Star Game … Career slash line of .447/.517/.799 for a 1.316 OPS with 155 hits, 32 home runs, 156 RBIs, 52 walks and 98 runs scored across 145 games played.
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PERSONAL: Daughter of Ken and Greer Wells … Has three siblings (Karlee, Kourtney and Kamryn) … Enjoys pickleball, being outdoors and hanging out with friends and family … Intends to major in health and exercise science.
OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON WELLS:
“The best catcher in the 2025 class is Kendall Wells. She is the complete package. She has great catching fundamentals with a very strong arm. She also swings an extremely strong bat and will change games with one swing. On top of all that, she’s an effective leader and I foresee her being a team captain one day.”
She’s got 55 career homers, 184 RBIs, a .625 lifetime batting average and was named an All-American last season 🫡
A right-handed pitcher from Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, Ind. … 2023 MaxPreps All-America First Team selection … Three-time all-state honoree … Three-time all-conference selection … 2024 conference MVP … Led Saint Joseph to the 2022 Class 3A State Championship … Holds her program’s single-season records for strikeouts, ERA, no-hitters, perfect games, consecutive scoreless innings and shutouts … National Honor Society member … High honors student … Has logged over 80 hours of volunteer service as a prep.
CLUB: Plays her travel ball with Virginia Unity-Johnson … Two-time PGF All-American … Has led her club to two top-five national finishes at the PGF championships.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Bobby and Leslie Zache … Has one sibling (Riley) who is a freshman softball player at Oklahoma … Mother played softball at Ferris State … Father was a track and field athlete at Western Michigan … Uncle (Tommy Stilson) played baseball at Stanford … Aunt (Kelli Martin) played softball at Western Michigan and Bethel … Aunt (Kendra LeBold) played softball at Bethel … Enjoys working with animals at the Humane Society, reading, going for walks with her family, cooking with her mom and working out … Intends to major in veterinary medicine … Last name is pronounced zah-KAY.
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OU HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO ON ZACHE:
“Berkley is one of the best young pitchers in the country. She has height and levers that help her own things when she’s on the mound. Her variety of pitches is what makes her so effective when it comes to strikeouts. I’m looking forward to watching Berkley grow as a pitcher with Coach (Jen) Rocha and dominate. She’s another player with a bright future.”
A two-time PGF All-American, three-time all-state selection and a MaxPreps All-American 👊
The Oklahoma Sooners are 10 games into the season and haven’t found a consistent answer at quarterback in 2024. That’s such an anomaly for OU Football, a place that features four Heisman winners over the last 25 years and several more finalists. Poor quarterback play isn’t the norm in Norman.
The problems on offense are many. The offense has struggled with injuries, which has certainly impacted everyone around the quarterback. At the same time, turnovers in key situations once again killed any chance the Sooners had of winning a hard-fought game.
The Sooners’ defense gave Oklahoma a chance to win the football game. When OU only needed a field goal to beat the Tigers, Jackson Arnold fumbled the ball, and the game away.
Twice this season, turnovers have led to changes at quarterback. Arnold had another critical turnover on a night when he wasn’t productive in the offense, throwing for just 74 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt.
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He and true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. have each shown some good things this season. Neither has been able to stake their claim to the starting quarterback job with much authority.
Earlier this season, Brent Venables didn’t rule out the idea of using both quarterbacks in a game. With two games to go, the time may be now to do so.
What Oklahoma does at quarterback in 2025 is one of the bigger storylines ahead of the upcoming offseason. The Sooners have two more games to figure out if either guy can be counted on to be the guy next year or if they need to go into the transfer portal for a veteran quarterback option.
As the Sooners give some of the younger guys some snaps over the next few weeks, finding a scripted series or two for Hawkins could be good for his development. The last time he was on the field was early in the first quarter against South Carolina. He’s a better player than those first three series revealed.
Though Casey Thompson provides you with an experienced voice in the quarterback room, does it make sense to put him on the field and take valuable developmental snaps away from your young quarterbacks? I don’t think so. His experience is valuable, but in a lost season, you have to keep developing players and Arnold and Hawkins deserve the opportunity to finish the season on a high note.
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Alabama and LSU will be tough matchups for whoever they put at quarterback. However, the Sooners should create an opportunity for Arnold and Hawkins to compete for snaps and playing time.
If practice is where players sharpen each other, allowing them to compete for playing time could be a catalyst for the final two games of the season and, perhaps, the future.
A northwest wind brings in some cooler air Wednesday afternoon. Much of the state sees a frost on Thursday morning. A freeze is more likely in the West and North.
Oklahoma has already beaten its rainfall record for November.
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What is the weather like on Wednesday?
Rain chances in the metro increase after midnight, into early Wednesday morning. There is a very low risk that the storms out west will become pulse severe, with winds up to 60 mph and up to quarter-size hail.
The highest rainfall will likely be along and north of Hwy 412, where up to .5″ in isolated spots will be possible.
Winds will really increase tonight and especially Wednesday morning.
What is the weather like in Oklahoma this week?
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Much of the state sees a frost on Thursday morning. A freeze is more likely in the West and North!
COLD FRONT:
We are still watching a big cold blast around November 20!
This will bring the coldest air of the season to Oklahoma, likely widespread in the 20s. Some data suggests a little snow, but we will see.
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