The best stories of 2022? Sports editor ranks his, and there were plenty in that 11th spot

Dec. 26—The 2022 year brought some stunners, some overdue achievements, some firsts, some new digs, some somewhat typical happenings and other moments all packed into the local sports scene.

Here's mine, 1-10.

Happy New Year.

1. Wagoner shocks 4A

Wagoner came into the Class 4A championship game determined to settle a score — and if not, at least flatten the curve — from a 42-0 loss to 4A-3 rival Cushing at midseason.

Instead, the seventh-ranked Bulldogs flattened the No. 1 Tigers with a foot in the final seconds earlier this month.

In a game that had seen 42 points split between the teams, Wagoner's Ethan Muehlenweg split the uprights with a 36-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Bulldogs their sixth — and most improbable — state title, 24-21, at UCO's Chad Richison Stadium.

That's six, all since 2011.

Muehlenweg, who sat out all but one kick last year after a major knee injury, got the call over Logan Bloxom, who he had split kicks with all year.

Call it a senior privilege.

"Coach didn't tell us until right up at that point. He came up to me and said I was the man," said Muehlenweg.

But Dale Condict, the coach for all six of those championships, had that gut feeling.

"Ever since he kicked a 41-yarder in the driving rain in the ninth grade at our place, I knew he could handle pressure well," said Condict. "It seemed like I saw about six guys trying to block it."

2. Muskogee hurdler becomes school's first state champion

At Ardmore, Muskogee junior DeRiayah Lee capped her track and field season on top of the state in the Class 6A 300 meter hurdles, finishing in 44.75 seconds for Muskogee's first track gold since 2002.

It beat her personal best of 44.96 at regionals where she was second to Kyndall Hicks. Hicks wound up second at 45.46. Victoria Wright of Edmond North, who Lee passed coming out of the final curve, was third at 46.18.

"It wasn't the time I really wanted but I got what I needed," she said. "I'm not going to lie to you, it's hard to breathe. I got to wait a little while before I feel this."

3. Hilldale defeats Fort Gibson in boys soccer, wins first-ever district title

Area soccer's premier team had been Fort Gibson, in both boys and girls action.

Fort Gibson's boys had won two state titles and were a deep playoff regular.

But after a dozen years, someone unseated them locally.

Hilldale beat Fort Gibson 3-0 to take a major step toward the District 4A-4 title they clinched a week later. It was the first win for Hilldale over the Tigers in the dozen years the Hornets have had a program.

"Obviously being so close to one another and with a lot of these guys playing club soccer with one another we knew each other well. We had a solid game plan that we executed for 80 minutes," said Hilldale coach Conner Schwab. "The past couple of times we've played we've gotten a lead but didn't stick with the plan and ended up losing but tonight we did. It's a really big win for our program."

Hilldale again shut out the Fort Gibson Tigers, this time in a 2-0 outcome in dreary weather conditions at Hornet Stadium in the Class 4A quarterfinals. They would fall in the semifinals the following week, for the second year in a row.

That win was its ninth shutout and part of a string of five that included the first meeting.

4. Gore parades to first football championship game.

Gore ran off 14 wins by an average margin of 34 points. As they reached the quarterfinals, the Pirates witnessed hordes of fans lined alongside city streets as they bussed out of town to playoff destinations, people lining the path all the way to Webbers Falls.

The Pirates lost their starting running back in the championship game and barely succumbed, 32-28. It was however Gore's first championship final.

5. Flip the script: From 2-8 to 10-2

In retrospect, the Muskogee turnaround from a 2-8 season and a winless campaign the year before might have been defined most by this game — a 35-28 win over eventual 5A champion Carl Albert.

Quarterback Jamarian Ficklin, who threw for 2,800 yards on the season, had just over 300 rushing but 105 on six carries in this game. And a game-saving interception by Jayden Bell capped it.

"We purposely scheduled this game to play a tradition-strong team to prepare for district play. We set ourselves up nice in the first two games and the kids responded well tonight," said Roughers head coach Travis Hill.

6. 700 for Muse

Using a balanced scoring attack and tough defense, the Connors State Cowboys burst out of the gate in the post-holiday portion of their schedule as they rolled to a 71-54 win over Redlands Community College in an OCAC men's basketball game in January at Melvin Self Fieldhouse.

With the victory, Cowboy head coach Bill Muse notched his 700th career win at the helm of the Cowboys spanning the past 30 years.

"You don't have this kind of success by yourself. If you don't have good players, you can't get 700 no matter how good a coach you are," said Muse, eighth among active NJCAA coaches in wins.

Connors would go on to punch an NJCAA Tournament berth after winning the Region II title as the third seed, Muse's 11th trip.

7. Showdown in the dirt

This went against the local team, but they were part of one of the all-time classic battles.

In one of the best games most of the fans at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex's Field No. 3 will ever see, defending Class 4A champion Lone Grove edged Hilldale 1-0 in an eight-inning affair in October that packed a lot of thrills into only 90 minutes.

Both pitchers, in a word, were outstanding. Lone Grove ace Emma Wilson recorded 18 strikeouts — two of them after the Hornets loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth inning — and allowed but two hits. Hilldale's Brooklyn Ellis matched Wilson by relying on her defense, retiring 10 straight batters to start the game and nine in a row during another stretch while allowing only three hits.

It would have been an upset, but we weren't coming in thinking that we were going to lose. My kids aren't afraid of anybody."

8. Open the village

Rougher Village opened its doors, amid some dust, when Muskogee beat Putnam City 47-3. Restrooms and concession stands were portable, a VIP suite overhang from the fieldhouse facility for special events wasn't completed, nor did the home team have access to their new dressing and weight facilities in the fieldhouse. The lone home loss was a battle of 9-0 teams in week 10 with Stillwater. The entire project would not be completed until late December, with the first games in the new gym set for Jan. 13.

9. Oh, that Silo

There's no telling how many baseball titles Oktaha would have if not for Silo and Kyler Proctor.

Proctor, who won the 2021 Class A fall baseball final on a walk-off home run, then came back after starting the spring final to save his own mound win by getting the final out, came up with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh in an October fall ball semifinal at Yukon High School.

Oktaha coach Kevin Rodden ordered an intentional walk, which loaded the bases and brought up Conner Cordell. Cordell bunted right of the mound. Tigers pitcher Tyler Allen scooped and underhanded it home to catcher Darren Ledford. The home plate umpire ruled Ledford's foot came off the plate.

Silo moved on to the finals with the 3-2 win.

"He's kind of had our number, you know, so by playing the percentages and either try to set up double play or set up the force for the squeeze, it's a no-brainer to put him on," Rodden said.

10. Golden golf

Placing two in the top 10 and playing consistently top to bottom. Hilldale did it again. And a Fort Gibson sophomore found her way to the summit to make some history of her own.

The Lady Hornets overcame a one-day delay in the start of the tournament, then a charge from Ada, which beat them in regionals, and Wagoner to lay claim to their third Class 4A golf championship since 2019, which prompted a quick reminder from Hilldale coach Oren Sikes.

"We would have won it in 2020 too," he duly noted regarding the COVID year, where the event was cancelled and he had a team that had won by over 100 strokes the previous year.

Layne Ailshie gave Fort Gibson an individual title — the first ever for a Fort Gibson golfer, male or female. She was runner-up to Kingfisher senior Maddi Kamas a year ago.

The sophomore held off Ada freshman Beans Factor as top individual. Ailshie shot 73 for a 153 total and a two-shot victory over Factor.

"It was harder yesterday because of club selection. I mean, it's not easy to make that choice with the wind and the wet and the fact nothing is going to roll. It changes everything."