• In District 6A-4 football action this week, Owasso will be looking for its first win after losing to Muskogee 17-16 last week, but the Rams have to play at Broken Arrow, which knocked off top-ranked Tulsa Union 24-9. Stillwater also will be seeking its first win after losing to Bartlesville 28-21 last week. The Pioneers travel to Charles Page to play the Sandites, and the Sandites won’t be pushovers. Owasso and Stillwater are considered contenders in the district race, and it will be interesting to see how the Rams and Pioneers bounce back after tough losses. It’s not out of the realm of possibility Owasso and Stillwater each could start the season 0-2. Of course, the first three games of the season are non-district affairs and don’t mean that much. But getting off to a poor start sometimes can set the tone for the rest of the season. The Enid Plainsmen will discover all they need to know about Owasso and Stillwater in the near future. Enid opens the district season against the Rams on Sept. 26. One week later, Enid travels to Stillwater. • An American Indian protest will take place Friday at Tulsa Union’s game against Jenks. Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR) will join Society to Preserve Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Traditions (SPIRIT) in calling for an end to Tulsa Union’s nickname, Redskins. The American Indian right’s organizations will have a rally at 5 p.m. at Union Tuttle Stadium on the public sidewalk, calling on the school to cease using Redskins as its mascot. • Enid hosts Sapulpa on Friday in the home opener at D. Bruce Selby Stadium. The series record is deadlocked at 10-10. The Chieftains won 29-19 in 2005 in the last meeting. The series experienced a huge gap in the early years. Enid and Sapulpa played twice in the 1920’s and twice in the 1930’s, then did not play again for 56 years. Since 1988, the Plainsmen and Chieftains have been fairly regular opponents. • Enid Greybeards will have a tailgate party Friday before Enid’s game against Sapulpa. The public is invited to the party, which will be held from 5:45 to 7 p.m. on the north side of D. Bruce Selby Stadium on Iowa Street. The cost is $5 and includes a hamburger, chips, drink and dessert. • Trandy Birch, a head coach at Coweta the last four years, has taken over the top position at Sapulpa. ... Enid is plus-3 in turnover ratio. ... Friday night’s game is the 1,021st game in Enid history. Enid has a record of 568-406-46 since 1908.
Kickoff: Friday, 7:30 p.m. Site: Memorial Stadium, Sand Springs Last meeting: Enid won 34-6, 2003 Series: Enid leads 11-7 Admission: $6 adults, $3 students Radio: KCRC (1390 AM), KGWA (960 AM)
PLAINSMEN NOTEBOOK
After sustaining a knee injury last week in a scrimmage at Jenks, Enid senior free safety Brett Kenaga will not play this season. But he received a high honor when he was named one of the team’s captains. Enid coach Tommy Parker will rotate three players at the free safety spot until one of them wins the job. The candidates are Mikey Bretado, Caleb Hulva and Seth Sturgeon. • Friday night’s game will be played in a revamped Memorial Stadium in Sand Springs. Last year’s reconstruction of the facility included the installation of field turf and a new scoreboard. • Charles Page, the namesake of the high school in Sand Springs, was a wealthy oil and land man who became a philanthropist in the area. The origin of the high school’s nickname is somewhat sketchy, as nicknames sometimes tend to be. A Sandite simply is somebody from Sand Springs. Interestingly, the school’s mascot is a minuteman. • Parker said the Plainsmen are in good condition, but like most teams, the ballclub’s fitness is a work in progress. “You can run and condition, but until you go play a full game, everybody kind of plays themselves into shape,’’ he said. • Fans attending the game should not expect the public address announcer to be completely unbiased. Handling the duties will be Sand Springs mayor Bob Walker. • Enid’s uniforms are the same as last year, but the helmet logo has changed. This year, the Plainsmen will wear an image of an Indian chief on each side of the helmet. The stickers were donated by Donnie and Hank Childs, who are members of the Otoe-Missouria tribe. • Charles Page is looking to snap a unique streak. The Sandites have four consecutive 4-6 seasons. • Friday night’s game is the 1,020th in Enid history. Enid has a record of 567-406-46 since 1908. • Getting there: Go east on Cimarron Turnpike to Sand Springs. Exit on Highway 97 and turn left at the underpass. Travel north on Highway 97 and turn right (east) on 2nd St. Travel on 2nd St. and turn left (north) on Adams Rd. The stadium is located on the west side of Adams Rd. Parking is free. Visitors sit on the east side of the stadium.
Enid High School senior standout Trent Dupy will make an impact at offensive center and defensive tackle this season. Head coach Tommy Parker said Dupy was the best all-around lineman in the state. Dupy could be one of those players who dominate on both lines of scrimmage. Some people are saying he might be in the class of Kenny Burkes, who was a total stud for the Plainsmen in the early 1990’s. Dupy has a lot going for him, not the least of which is his size — 6-foot-2, 280 pounds. And with that size is strength. Check out these numbers — 425-pound bench press and 585-pound squat.
American Legion representatives, school administrators, city officials, players, coaches, friends and fans turned out en masse Tuesday morning to pay last respects to a man who has meant so much to them all. Les Beckham, who died last Friday at the age of 84, was remembered as an American patriot, a family man and a hard-working bricklayer. But to those in the local baseball community, he was remembered as the backbone of an American Legion program that flourished under his guidance — 11 state championships (including the last four in a row) and the 2005 World Series championship — during a 45-year stint as Post 4’s baseball chairman. Now that the memorial service is over, plans will begin to remember Beckham in a more permanent way. Somebody posted a note on our Web site suggesting the street next to David Allen Memorial Ballpark be renamed in Beckham’s honor. I like that idea. But what I think would be really neat is naming the walkup path leading to the entrance of the ballpark. Permanent signs could be erected along “Les Beckham Way,’’ directing fans to the ticket booth in which Beckham spent so many of his spring and summer nights. Beckham died after suffering a head injury after a fall while loading his truck at the ballpark. His passing came one week after he watched the last game of his life, fittingly, an Enid win. The Enid Majors smoked New Orleans 18-6, banging out a season-high 22 hits en route to a win at the Mid-South Regional Tournament. When the Majors clinched their fourth straight state title earlier this month, each member of the ballclub left the playing field and walked through the big crowd to greet Beckham at the ticket booth. The players then posed for the typical winner’s photo. But instead of raising a No. 1 finger, the players raised four fingers. The photo was captioned, “Four For Les.’’ Enid is as good a baseball town as you’ll ever find, and not just because of the number of championship banners and trophies displayed in the Humphrey Museum. Many youngsters get their start in baseball at the Enid Baseball Camp. The kids are instructed on the basic fundamentals, but they also are taught how to stand for the national anthem. Sounds like a little thing, but to Beckham, it was important. In Enid, baseball matters. And because of Les Beckham, it matters a little more.
Lookout Shelby, here come the Ricemen. Backed by the stellar pitching of Cade Lynch, Jonesboro (Ark.) beat League City (Texas) 4-1 Sunday night to earn a berth in the American Legion World Series this week in Shelby, N.C. Lynch recorded his second complete-game victory of the regional tournament and was a clear choice for the most valuable player award. Lynch allowed just four hits and struck out 12 in the championship game.
Jonesboro’s Cade Lynch continues to deal the good stuff. Using a mid-80s fastball that is running away from League City’s right-handed hitters, the lefty is in virtual cruise control. Through seven complete innings, Lynch has scattered three hits and issued four walks while striking out 10 as the Ricemen cling to their 2-0 lead. If Lynch keeps this up, he could be headed for MVP honors for the tournament.
Jonesboro is clinging to a 2-0 lead going into the fifth inning and letting a very lethal League City team stay close by leaving eight runners stranded in the first three innings. Will that come back and haunt the Ricemen? Cade Lynch, Jonesboro’s left-handed starter, has allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts in the first four innings, so that somewhat offsets the Jonesboro’s inability to drive in runs.
There’s not much new to report about the condition of Enid American Legion baseball chairman Les Beckham, who was injured in a fall at the regional tournament. After he fell and apparently hit his head while loading his truck next to the ballpark, Beckham was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he still remains. Reports are that Beckham, 85, has shown a slight improvement.
The American Legion Mid-South Regional Tournament championship game got under way at 8:01 p.m., with League City (Texas) right-hander Jordon Lenaburg allowing a leadoff ground ball single up the middle to Kameron Walker of Jonesboro (Ark.). Jacob Lee followed with a one-out, line-drive single to right. The Ricemen took a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch just before Cory Felts ripped a two-out RBI single to left for 2-0 lead. But Lenaburg stopped the bleeding by striking out Thad Thornburg with the bases loaded. Jonesboro, which lost to League City in the tournament opener, has won four straight games and looks to be hitting its stride. The Ricemen are starting left-hander Cade Lynch, who is looking for his second win of the tournament. Lynch fanned 12 in a complete-game win Friday over Owensboro (Ky.).
Jonesboro survived a last-inning rally by Tupelo and held on for a 7-6 victory in an elimination game at the Mid-South Regional Tournament. Jonesboro advances to tonight’s regional championship game against League City (Texas). The game begins at 8 p.m. It will be the third time the two teams have played in the regional. League City won 13-4 on Thursday in the first game of the tournament and Jonesboro won 11-7 on Sunday night.
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