Oklahoma
John Holcomb Breaks Down The Coaching Shakeups In Oklahoma High School Football
In a flurry of recent moves, several prominent Oklahoma high school football programs have seen significant changes in their coaching staffs.
Graham Leaves Owasso
One of the most notable changes involves the swap of head coaches between Owasso and Union. Antonio Graham, who had been the head coach at Owasso for just one year, is now taking over the reins at Union.
Graham previously served as an assistant under Bill Blankenship at Union and Owasso, before Blankenship stepped away last year to allow Graham to become the Owasso head coach.
Why Did Antonio Graham Leave For Union?
As for the situation involving Owasso and Union, new Redhawks head coach Antonio Graham chose to take over at Union for a variety of reasons.
Graham and his family continue to live in the school district, in fact just down the road from former Union head coach Kirk Fridrich, and Graham’s wife has been an administrator at a Union elementary school for a while. Graham played at Union, winning a state championship under Bill Blankenship in 2005.
- Union Head Football Coach Kirk Fridrich Resigns From Position
Blankenship retired from Owasso last year, welcoming Graham as the new head coach of the Rams. Now Blankenship returns to the Owasso sidelines as head coach, helping stabilize a program that went undefeated in the regular season, losing by one point to Bixby in the 6A-1 title game.
Blankenship Returns to Owasso
Now, Blankenship, a coaching icon with six state championships to his name, is returning to Owasso after a year of retirement.
Holcomb says that Blankenship’s return is about making sure you have your staff members and keeping momentum in the program in place, drawing a parallel to the stability often sought in college football programs.
- Owasso Rehires Bill Blankenship As Head Coach Following Graham’s Resignation
Jenks Sees New Leadership
Another significant change occurred at Jenks, where Adam Gaylor is taking over as head coach, replacing Keith Riggs. Riggs had a successful tenure at Jenks, following in the footsteps of the legendary Allan Trimble. Gaylor, who previously served as Jenks’ defensive coordinator, is now tasked with maintaining the program’s high standards.
- New Jenks Head Coach Adam Gaylor Introduces Himself
Broken Arrow Hires Travis Hill
The coaching carousel also reached Broken Arrow, as the program has hired Travis Hill as its new head coach. Hill comes from Muskogee, where he led the team to a state championship last year and came within a missed field goal of another title. Holcomb said Hill’s previous success and ability to unify the team will be crucial for Broken Arrow, which is the largest high school in the state and carries high expectations.
With these coaching changes coinciding with some of the most exciting playoff and championship finishes in recent memory, the upcoming high school football season in Oklahoma promises to be filled with intrigue and anticipation.
- Broken Arrow Announces Travis Hill As Next Head Football Coach
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to require annual fee for transmission lines on private property
As consumer electricity needs grow, lawmakers are discussing strategies to ease the burden on landowners who don’t want the towers and wires carrying that energy on their property.
As it’s written now, the bill would require transmission owners to pay landowners $2 per foot of line annually. During the committee meeting, Murdock said he introduced the legislation to “start a conversation.”
“ This is an idea of, maybe moving forward, if the landowners are getting a royalty off of the power being pushed across their property, it may make it a little more palatable for someone to have a transmission line go across their property,” he said.
Landowners can enter into easement agreements with companies to set aside portions of their land for the builds. But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
“ I’m not saying that this is going to do away with eminent domain,” Murdock said. “What I’m hoping is this just makes it a little more palatable.”
Murdock said he spoke with utility companies about the legislation, though he didn’t name them. The bill’s language could change after creating an alternative rate based on conversations with the companies, he said.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the bill could raise utility rates for consumers living in Oklahoma’s most populous counties if companies charge more to make up for the annual fee.
Murdock pushed back, noting the lines are necessary to deliver electricity to other counties.
“You understand that you flip that light on because — and have that ability to have electricity because — the people in my district have a transmission line that goes across them, getting you that power,” he said.
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Steve McGehee reports live from Paycom Center with the latest on SGA’s return after missing nine games, the Thunder’s push to hold the top spot in the Western Conference, and what getting healthy means for OKC’s title hopes.
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