.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Northeast assistant football coach Kenny Blair is in Canton, Ohio, for a two-day NFL Youth Summit that begins today.
The Summit invites coaches from all 50 states for a forum to discuss how things are going in youth sports and how things can be improved.
"I'm blessed to get this opportunity, and I think this is a great thing for the Oklahoma City Schools," Blair said. "It's a great forum to get some ideas from other leaders, and it's an example for those kids from the urban schools."
The Vikings are dropping from Class 3A to 2A this season, and Blair said the move should help the team.
"Our kids are trying real hard, and we definitely think we'll be able to compete more now that we've moved down," Blair said. Tim Thomas is entering his third year as the head coach of Northeast.
Santa Fe's Blackburn commits to OU
A lot of last year's seniors from the Edmond Santa Fe baseball team will be playing in colleges, and early indications are it will be another good year for this year's crop.
Santa Fe pitcher Clayton Blackburn committed to Oklahoma, joining Broken Arrow pitchers Archie Bradley and Mason Hope, who also recently committed to the Sooners.
Blackburn was a reserve for the Big All-City team last season in helping the Wolves back to the state tournament.
The right-hander was 8-1 last year with a 2.12 ERA. In 63 2/3 innings pitched, he struck out 103 batters.
Bert ready to win at PCW
Lenny Bert has never gone into any basketball situation expecting to lose, and that hasn't changed since taking the head coaching job at Putnam City West.
Yes, the Patriots lost two NCAA Division I players in Amric Fields and Tyler Neal, along with two other starters from last year's Class 6A semifinal squad. But Bert, a former Midwest City player and assistant coach, sees a positive future for his new team after going 8-3 in summer league.
"I see us getting better and better," Bert said. "I'm not saying we'll be a state tournament team, but we'll compete."
Bert, who also coached an AAU team of incoming freshmen to a national tournament championship this summer, is trying to implement offensive and defensive schemes similar to those used at Midwest City, with in-your-face defense and a fast-paced offense.
Guards Kyndall Dudley - the only returning starter - and Kevin House will be at the forefront of a more guard-oriented offense than the Patriots had last season.
"I didn't know those two guys could shoot it as well as they can," Bert said. "Dante Lewis is a pretty athletic 6-foot-5 kid. And we have some other sophomores and juniors who will be key pieces as well."
Turner, Sanders among athletes in showcases
It's one of the final weeks for top summer camps before organized high school football practices start back up, and national showcases have a local flavor.
Millwood's Josh Turner will participate in the ESPN RISE Champion Gridiron Kings event this weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The event includes performance training, position training, skills challenges and a 7-on-7 competition. Turner, ranked No. 87 on the ESPNU's top 150 recruits, is one of 24 participants in the top 150 who will be involved.
Heritage Hall's Barry Sanders, Yukon's Derek Deeds and John Marshall's Dylan Sterling are in Williamsburg, Va., for Football University's Top Gun All-Star Camp.
The four-day event starts today and all participants had to be invited. Approximately 900 players will be competing.
And quarterbacks Kendal Thompson of Southmoore and Bradley of Broken Arrow are in the middle of the ESPN Rise Elite 11 quarterback competition in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
