The West posted a 31-14 victory at Mustang High School in the annual showcase of the state's top high school players. Virgil Terry of Sallisaw served as head coach for the East and said the loss didn't take away from a great week.
"It was a great game and I don't know how we could have had a better time all week. The kids worked hard, but it just didn't go our way tonight," Terry said afterward.
County players in the game were Matt Richardson and Clay Agent of Sallisaw and Muldrow's Beau Brannon.
Agent was an alternate, but got the call to play when Cascia Hall linebacker Sean Murphy opted to participate in the All-State wrestling match instead.
Agent, the Linebacker of the Year in District 4A-4, made the most of his opportunity and was among the game's leading tacklers with eight stops for the East defense.
Brannon lined up as a receiver for the East and said he enjoyed his All-State experience.
"I was just out here having fun, but we would have liked to win," said Brannon, who was one of the key players in a Muldrow turnaround that saw the Bulldogs claim back-to-back playoff appearances, including a homefield berth in 2007 after taking second in District 3A-4.
"We made a real good run. It was a lot of fun being with the guys and getting a home playoff game last season," said Brannon.
While his high school career is now officially over, Brannon is giving college football a try. He's walking on at the University of Tulsa, where he reported Sunday and began preseason drills on Monday.
"They invited me to walk on and I've been up there this summer working out," said Brannon. "It's been pretty tough and we've been real busy, but it's been fun."
Former Black Diamond center Richardson is considering walking on at Northeastern State University. In his final high school outing, he took every snap on offense as the lone center on the East roster.
"I didn't really expect that, but I was the only center here. I was ready for it a little, but I wasn't in great shape," said Richardson. "It would have been better if we won. All in all, it went pretty good. It was awesome. It was great to play with Clay and coach Terry and meet all these new guys."
Richardson joked that he saw a new side to his former high school coach in the days leading up to the game.
"He was a little nicer this week. He wasn't yelling and screaming at us like he usually is. He was laid back," grinned Richardson.
Terry was pleased to have on final chance to coach Agent and Richardson.
"I was really proud of both of them and they performed well.," said Terry. "The only thing they ever wondered about was why I was such a nice guy this week. I heard them telling some of the kids 'That's not the coach Terry I know.'"
The game marked the end of Terry's coaching career. He joined the Sallisaw staff in the 1970s and led the Diamonds to a 36-19 record after being promoted to head coach in 2003. His teams made three playoff appearances including one trip to the Class 4A state semifinals. He was thrilled to go out as the All-State head coach.
"Oh man, it was great. We worked all week and these were the easiest practices I ever had in my life. If it hadn't been for the hot weather, they would have been the best practices of my life," said Terry. "The kids were all great kids and we never had a single problem. The counselor in the dorms told us they'd never had a better group of kids."
Duncan quarterback Trent Wilkins put the West in front for good with an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Da'Sor Horton of Oklahoma City Douglass added a six-yard TD run to make it 17-7. The East pulled to within 17-14 at halftime, thanks to an 80-yard scamper by East Central's Kenneth Session. The West All-Staters took control after the break, putting the game away on one-yard TD runs by Horton and Dominic Williams of Ardmore.
ALL-STATE NOTES
