SIDEBAR: Bartlesville Bruin football history laden with extraordinary athletic talent
While Bartlesville High’s football program’s destiny the past 40 seasons has proceeded on unsteady footing, with a fair amount of soaring highs and wanderings in the valley of despair, one positive that has been constant is the presence of extraordinary individual talent.
Mitch Nash was the program’s first unquestioned exceptional presence.
Following is a closer look at Nash’s career and that of a few other Bruins. This list is not meant to be comprehensive. There have been too many truly outstanding and gritty players in Bruin history to try to list and expound on.
These are just a few of outstanding former Bruins.
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Mitch Nash: Nash played as sophomore in the first-year season (1982) of Bruin football. He helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back playoff seasons (1983, 1984) — one of only three times Bartlesville football has done that. Nash set the school record, that still stands, for the most yards gained rushing in back-to-back seasons. He went on to play for Oklahoma State during the Cowboys’ golden era of running backs. Nash was wedged between future NFL Hall-of-Famers Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders. After Thomas left, Nash moved into the No. 1 spot received the nod to start ahead of Sanders. But, a knee injury sidelined Nash and opened the door for Sanders’ incredible years at OSU.
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Mike Wise: Wise graduated in 1985 from Bartlesville and played four years as an offensive lineman at the University of Oklahoma. During his college career, OU won 49 games and a national championship.
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Craig Tate: Tate played for the University of Tulsa after finishing junior college ball at Northeastern A&M. Listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Tate was signed to fill a need on the defensive line. Tulsa finished 10-2 and beat San Diego State in the Freedom Bowl.
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Jermaine Trent: Trent excelled at the University of Cincinnati and was given a tryout by the Baltimore Ravens.
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Willie Rogers: Rogers, a 2003 graduate, certainly brought much versatility to the Bartlesville sports program. He excelled as a game-breaking receiver for the Bruins in 2002. They finished 6-5 — the team’s first winning record in a decade. Back as a junior, Rogers won the state long jump gold medal by sailing 23-feet.
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Markell Carter brought the full load as a defensive lineman in the mid-2000’s, became one of the nation’s top defensive linemen at the University of Central Arkansas and was picked in the 2011 NFL draft by the New England Patriots.
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Kirby Schoenthaler: Schoenthaler was the first Bruin to start at varsity quarterback for four seasons (2007-10). He got the starting nod his freshman year about halfway through the campaign. In 2009, Schoenthaler led by Bruins to a 9-3 record, including a playoff upset of Owasso. He finished with more than 10,000 yards of total offense as a Bruin and went on to play four years of college football at Dartmouth.
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Calan Crowder: In the early 2010s, Crowder brought an explosiveness and ruggedness to the running attack reminiscent of that of Nash. Crowder turned in at least one 1,000-yard season and also caught the winning touchdown in an amazing 21-point comeback win in the final three minutes against Enid. He went on to excel in college.
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A.J. Archambo: Archambo, a 2017 graduate, excelled in three sports. In football, he managed to use his 6-foot-4 frame to titanic advantage, often rocketing high in the air to scrape the ball out of the clouds. He went on to play college baseball for Oral Roberts.
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A.J. Parker: Parker’s football story is ongoing, as a pro defensive back with the Detroit Lions. In 2015, Parker helped lead the Bruins to a 10-2 record and state semifinal spot. He averaged a touchdown every other reception. In the high jump, the five-foot-11 dynamo soared over the bar at 6-foot-10 to set the school record.
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There are so many others, Michael Thompson and Garrett Powell both won national players of the week honors while at Northeastern A&M, Mickey Dollens played four years for SMU, Eric Rolfs became the starting punter for Navy, Mitch Tate made the University of Oklahoma football team as a walk-on, Devin Randall threw for the University of Arkansas track team, Brendon Swisher played linebacker at the University of Tulsa, and so on.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Bartlesville High's tradition of football talent
