Stillwater's Jackson Holliday, Tuttle's Madi Surber win top honors at OKC Metro High School Sports Awards
MIDWEST CITY — A lot has changed for young athletes since DeMarco Murray’s playing days.
Some view those changes as good. Others believe the complete opposite.
Murray has a unique perspective as a former star athlete-turned-coach, and he’s pretty optimistic about the way things are going.
“I think it’s changed for the better,” the OU running backs coach said. “It depends on how you look at things. A lot of people complain about the NIL and kids making this and that, but you got to use it as an advantage as best you can. Everybody’s going through it. Not just one school or one coach going through it. Everything has changed for the betterment of our game hopefully. For the betterment of the student-athletes more than anything.”
Murray was the featured speaker at The Oklahoman's OKC Metro High School Sports Awards, presented by BancFirst, on Monday night at Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center.
Murray, one of the best tailbacks in OU football history, has fond memories of his time at the high school level in Las Vegas, and he even had his high school coach with him Monday.
High school was an important time for Murray, and that was on his mind as the roughly 200 athletes in attendance came through the doors at Rose State.
More: Meet the spring sport nominees for the 2022 OKC Metro High School Sports Awards
“It prepared me for Oklahoma,” Murray said. “It prepared me for the NFL. We were put in situations and circumstances that we saw on a day-to-day basis and what the game presented to us.”
Murray went on to have a remarkable career after graduating from Bishop Gorman High School.
He’s OU’s career leader in all-purpose yards and touchdowns and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 while playing for the Dallas Cowboys.
After spending a year at Arizona as an assistant, he’s back with the Sooners and doing what he loves.
“I’ve always wanted to be in coaching at some point in my life,” he said. “Blessed and fortunate to have it be my school, my alma mater.”
Oklahoma high school spring sports: 2022 All-City teams in baseball, golf, soccer, slowpitch, tennis & track
2021-22 OKC Metro High School Sports Awards
Here is a list of the award winners from the All-City banquet.
Baseball: Jackson Holliday, Stillwater
Girls basketball: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Classen SAS
Boys basketball: JV Seat, Edmond Memorial
Girls cross country: Cayden Brickman, Stillwater
Boys cross country: AJ Antonelli, Deer Creek
Offensive football: Gavin Freeman, Heritage Hall
Defensive football: Collin Matteson, Oklahoma Christian School
Girls golf: Brooklyn Benn, Oklahoma Christian School
Boys golf: Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma Christian School
Girls soccer: Samantha Allen, Noble
Boys soccer: Enrique Guzman, Santa Fe South
Softball: Brinly Maples, Southmoore
Girls swimming: Piper McNeil, Shawnee
Boys swimming: Ryan Healy, Edmond North
Girls tennis: Alice Hsu, Edmond North
Boys tennis: Harry Zeiders, Heritage Hall
Girls track: Madi Surber, Tuttle
Boys track: Kevion Williams, Westmoore
Volleyball: Hadley Moses, Mount St. Mary
Girls wrestling: Khaleah Kirk, Guthrie
Boys wrestling: Harley Andrews, Tuttle
Coach: Scott Norris, Edmond North boys basketball
Girls team: Classen SAS basketball
Boys team: Crooked Oak soccer
Courage Award: Jacobi Sebock, Midwest City
Girls Athlete of the Year: Madi Surber, Tuttle
Boys Athlete of the Year: Jackson Holliday, Stillwater
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stillwater's Jackson Holliday, Tuttle's Madi Surber top OKC HS awards
