Tulsa World, Okla., Barry Lewis column

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.存倉Sept. 05--James Burkhalter Jr. didn't have much time to prepare for his first varsity head coaching football job.Burkhalter, 36, was named Rogers' coach in early August, about three days before fall practice started."It was very unusual," Burkhalter said.His promotion after being a Rogers assistant the past two years capped a chain of events that started when Gary Tuell resigned in June to become an assistant at Coweta. After an attempt to hire former college head coach Clarence Holley was unsuccessful, Burkhalter received the nod."He has worked with both the junior high and the varsity football teams and is a valuable figure in the resurgence of Rogers football," Tulsa Public Schools athletic director Gil Cloud said.Burkhalter chuckles when he looks back at how he got this opportunity."I used to make a joke with my players (at Rogers Junior High) that you never know who your high school or college coach is going to be, so you need to treat everyone with respect," Burkhalter said.It has been a smooth transition because Burkhalter has coached many of the Ropers for a few years. He led Rogers Junior High teams to a 24-1 record and three state titles over the past two years. He previously coached three years at Wilson Middle School.Preseason results have been promising for the Ropers, who only have one regular-season varsity win since 2009. Last Friday, Rogers won both of its consolation games at the Grady Skillern All-City Preview -- 22-6 over Webster and 20-14 over Hale."Those were really big for our confidence," Burkhalter said.Junior quarterback A.J. Lewis had a touchdown run in each game and LaQurious Taft scored on a pair of runs against Hale. Jawane Mason scored on an interception against Webster.Other key players for Rogers include running back Dedric Cherry and wide receiver Travis Hytche.Burkhalter, a Langston graduate, said he liked what he saw in the two wins."We gave up an early touchdown to Webster," Burkhalter said. "Last year when that happened, our heads would drop. This time, we were still playing football and kept our chins up."After winning the first game, we lost our focus for a little while, but we stayed the course and kept playing."Burkhalter will make his official debut as a high school head coach when the Ropers open the regular season at Okmulgee on Friday night."It's a joy to coach this team," Burkhalter said. "I can't wait for Week 1, and when that's over, Week 2."Bowline's big game: Wright Christian senior quarterback Logan Bowline produced 10 touchdowns in a 75-42 victory over Tyro (Kan.) Christian in the season opener for both teams Friday night."It was probably one of the best individual per迷你倉ormances I've ever seen," Wright coach Daniel Miller said.Bowline rushed for 112 yards and four TDs. He passed for 178 yards and three TDs. He also scored on two kickoffs and an interception. His three fourth-quarter TDs broke the game open. Wright visits Cookson Hills on Thursday.Jenks' ranking improves: Jenks moved up three slots to No. 21 in the USA Today Super 25 national football rankings. The Trojans' season-opening opponent on Saturday, Euless (Texas) Trinity, is ranked No. 34.Union's opponent Saturday, DeSoto (Texas), is ranked No. 20.Broken Arrow honors five: Broken Arrow will induct five into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday before the Tigers' football game against Owasso. The inductees are Michelle Armentrout (softball), Bob Cypert (football/basketball/baseball), Crystal Reeves (golf), April Montgomery Mitchell (track) and Steve Jamison (swimming coach).Season openers: Among Thursday's area top football season openers are Class 4A No. 10 Oologah at Claremore, Hominy at Cleveland, Salina at Locust Grove and Inola at Chelsea.Report your scores: After all football games, unless a Tulsa World reporter is in the press box, home teams are urged to call the World at 918-581-8355 or 800-944-7529 in order to have the result and scoring summary reported in the newspaper. Visiting teams, unless the coach has talked to a World reporter, should call the World to make sure that the game has been reported.Nominate your players: Coaches in all fall sports are invited to nominate deserving players for the Tulsa World's athlete of the week award. Nominations should be sent to Barry Lewis at barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com or at 918-581-8393. Football nominations should be made before 3 p.m. Saturday. The deadline for other sports is noon Monday. Also, readers will be invited again to vote at tulsaworld.com for their choice as the football athlete of the week. Each week's finalists will be announced in Sunday's paper.Source for scores: For all the scores as they happen on high school football nights, look online at okprepscores.comPreps by the Numbers: All football teams are encouraged to participate in the Tulsa World's Preps by the Numbers that is updated daily at tulsaworld.com and published every Tuesday. The deadline for Tuesday's print edition is 3 p.m. Monday. Each coach has been assigned a password that can be used to enter statistics on the World's website.For questions on passwords and instructions on how to submit statistics, contact Barry Lewis at barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com or call 918-581-8393.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) 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