Oklahoma High School Weekly

Emily Barkley is the Athletic Director of the Union School District. In a time when Title IX has expanded sports opportunities for girls and women, Emily Barkley has made the most of those opportunities. She played basketball and soccer at Union High School. She went to college with the goal of a career in athletics and in 2012 she was named Athletic Director at Union. Hear Emily's story of her path from player to administrator.

You can't wait for high school football to get started and neither does Ford High School Weekly. Deion Imade goes to the Bixby Fall Classic to check out the Spartans, the BTW Hornets and the Broken Arrow Tigers. Michael Knight from Prep Redzone joins Deion to go over teams and players you'll want to be on the lookout for this fall.

Choctaw's senior quarterback Steele Wasel comes from an athletic family. His grandfather also played quarterback at Choctaw and was Steele's childhood coach. In his sophomore year, the Yellowjackets were runners up in 6A II. This year Steele and his teammates want to finish the season with a state championship. Steele will be heading to Akron to play college ball, but this summer he's spending time with friends and preparing for his senior season that he hopes can be super.

Mike Ziegenhorn and Rod Thompson join Deion to talk about the Ford Game of the Week. They'll get you ready for high school football and remind you of great games and memories, and to let you know about some of the great matchups on the Ford Game of the Week this fall. Sand Springs Athletic Director Rod Sitton and Sapulpa Athletic Director Michael Rose talk with Deion about the American Heritage Bank Highway 97 Rivalry. That game featuring Sand Springs at Sapulpa will kick off Tulsa area Ford Game of the Week telecasts on August 26th.

Lathan Boone is a senior at Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School. He's the quarterback of the Hornet football team and a sharpshooter on the basketball team. BTW is part of his family heritage. Math is his favorite area of study in school. So it's no surprise that his numbers add up to success on and off the field. Check out his recruiting prospects and learn how Lathan Boone plans to contribute to the legacy of Booker T. Washington High School.

This week Ford High School Weekly sits down with two leaders from the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association. Executive Director David Jackson talks about preparations for the new school year, arranging venues for championship competitions, implementing new rules and policies, managing reclassifications and the rules and policies for eligibility related to transfers. Director of Officials Grant Gower discusses the challenges that come with being a game official, a new intentional grounding rule and how the OSSAA is responding to a shortage of officials. If you'd like to become an official, go to OSSAA.com and select the Officials tab.

Michael Knight from Prep Redzone surveys the football recruiting scene as the summer commitment season gets hot. Catch up on the latest commitments. See how the Arkansas Razorbacks are raising their recruiting profile in Oklahoma. Find out which players are still deciding and who's improving their position on recruiting charts.

Jalyn Stanford of Jenks is a multi-position player for the Trojans. He sees time in the offensive backfield, the defensive backfield, as a wide receiver and as a kick returner. His athletic skill and versatility put him in a position to accept a football scholarship offer to join the University of Houston Cougars. In 2021, Jalyn and the Trojans won the 6AI State Championship. In his senior year, Jalyn hopes the Trojans can win another Gold Ball trophy at the end of the season. Be sure to check out Jalyn's winning strategy for Big Brother, and his choice of the best NBA players.

For the past two years and nearly 100 episodes, Ford High School Weekly has championed all those who participate in and support high school athletics. From gridiron stars and hoop dreamers to sports reporters and coaches, we’ve gotten to know them all. Join us as we revisit several past interviews and memorable moments talking with those at the top of athletics in Oklahoma.

Bartlesville's Junior point guard David Castillo is now ESPN's number 1 ranked high school point guard in the class of '24. He was a gold medalist with the 2021 USA Basketball Under 16 National Team winning the championship in Xalpala, Mexico last sumer.

He's working with his Bartlesville teammates to make a run on the state title in 2023. Catch his top five favorite musicians, his work to improve his skills, his play with Team Griffin and how recruiting is going as he enters his junior year. Also this week, meet the Union Girls Wrestling team that formed in July of 2021 and won a state championship in their first season this past March.