Thursday Night Lights

[StoopTroup]

Tulsa Edison vs Broken Arrow.

Been a rough road for Edison as they jumped from 5A to 6A this Season. Still we look to see how if any improvement has occurred as we go into what can only be described as a very tough game for us.

Anyone else's HS Team Playing tonight?

[StoopTroup]

BA's Stadium is pretty nice. So far our D has stopped them once and they went on 4th and long against us a minute ago and got the 1st down. Could be a long night for us as they just punched it in.

BA 15

Edison 0

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/stooptroup/05473FEF-ACE9-4A17-AB37-14E056DB1C68-1606-0000030549201FC9-1.jpg

[StoopTroup]

Another pic of the BA Tigers Home Stands and Pressbox. Pretty nice place.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/stooptroup/CD55051F-8917-474C-BD85-7C395C459EAE-1606-000003056309C052.jpg

[SoonerInFortSmith]

Is that stadium on campus? I know what I've seen of the campus looked like a small college.

[StoopTroup]

I got out there as they were announcing the Homecoming King and Queen and Court and had 3 boys with me. It was turning dark and we left right as traffic let out at the end of the game and got on the BA Expsy and headed Home. So...I didn't really get to look around much. They did seem to have some new bldgs in the area and I do think I read that that's what the intentions were when they built the new Stadium.

We lost. Thought our kids played well in the 3rd quarter. 4th quarter...not so much but our offense continued to play and they got a late TD to help their confidence. Our Program is really well behind most of the 6A Schools we are facing. Also...the parents that showed up tonight should be proud of themselves. The ones that didn't show and expect things to get better....they should really start coming to these In-Town Road Games in Bixby and BA.

[Breadburner]

Edison has sucked for awhile now....

[MichiganSooner]

Pretty much all teams in Oklahoma played on Thursday. And yes, the BA Senior High campus looks pretty much like a community college campus. Lots of buildings. More amazing is that only juniors and seniors attend there.

[Pricetag]

There's construction going on all over campus right now, too. When they're done, the school isn't going to look a thing from the road like it did when I went there 20 years ago.

[StoopTroup]

Edison has sucked for awhile now....

I know. My Daughter is in the Band and I've been following them this year. I've lived in the District since 1970 mostly. They haven't had many great years. That said...I find it hard to justify their move to 6A. Not sure that really needed to happen and it doesn't seem very fair to the kids that are having to compete in this change. I will say this....they didn't quit though and I think a lot of these kids who are continuing against the odds that have been stacked against them. It shows good character.

[StoopTroup]

There's construction going on all over campus right now, too. When they're done, the school isn't going to look a thing from the road like it did when I went there 20 years ago.

It is quite a different place than it was 30 years ago. They have invested a lot of money out there.

[sooner_born_1960]

I know. My Daughter is in the Band and I've been following them this year. I've lived in the District since 1970 mostly. They haven't had many great years. That said...I find it hard to justify their move to 6A. Not sure that really needed to happen and it doesn't seem very fair to the kids that are having to compete in this change. I will say this....they didn't quit though and I think a lot of these kids who are continuing against the odds that have been stacked against them. It shows good character.
As the 34th largest high school, why are they 6A?

[OU_Sooners75]

Booker T came to Ponca City and left with a loss.

Dominique Alexander of BTW (OU offer) was the best player on the field had a decent game. But PC's Nick Hamilton stole the show. 3 INTs (1 returned for TD), 250+ all purpose yards and a TD.

Two wins in a row for Ponca City. They have a good shot at winning 3 in a row against Bartlesville next week before losing the fin al game to Union.

[StoopTroup]

As the 34th largest high school, why are they 6A?

No idea. They aren't even close to ready to be in 6A. They did just build a nice we Field House and a Softball Field behind the School. I have spoke with folks who want to see the Football Program get their own field but there is very little parking around there and the Neighborhood around there has some fairly expensive new and older Homes there. Unless the City of Tulsa would like to start buying them up or using Urban Renewal Clauses to obtain more room for the School (which would stand a chance in hell of happening) they are land locked and stuck playing at LaFortune Stadium which is really Memorial HS's Home Field. Football is something they want to have there but not something they would ever invest in like these other large High Schools like BA and Bixby. Also the parking just to pick your kids up there spills into the neighborhood and lots of folks who know they bought houses by the School and they complain about parents parking in the neighborhood for 15 minutes a day. There is little hope they would be open to a Football Stadium with Lights and an even bigger parking problem that went for a few hours.

Edison is also a Jr. High School and high School in one setting. They are trying to update the School but cramming so many kids into one small area that has no room for expansion and no real chance of finding another piece of property in that area as big....I just don't give the Football Team much of a chance unless they move the Jr. High to a Closed Tulsa Facility or squeeze an Elementary School in the Area out and then build a new Jr. High in it's place. To get room at the HS that would then require them to spend even more money rebuilding the HS into something that would make it a great place for kids who go there and a Football Facility with parking. It's really a problem that I don't see getting fixed. All of that will take money that TPS hasn't shown much interest in using to fix any of these situations that have needed their attn for decades. It's more than likely a lost cause and kids who play at Edison will never feel much School Pride borrowing a Stadium from a cross-town rival.

Again I've lived around here most of my life and it's something we all know is a problem but most have little faith that an inner city school like Edison will ever get the funds needed to fix the problems there. The education is pretty decent so we put up with it. Some folks don't and they send their kids to Cascia Hall, Bishop Kelly or Holland Hall. Edison competes with a lot of really rich private schools and the TPS School system is just now beginning to recognize the problem they created years ago.

[Mississippi Sooner]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/stooptroup/05473FEF-ACE9-4A17-AB37-14E056DB1C68-1606-0000030549201FC9-1.jpg

A Jumbotron at a high school stadium? Wow!

[MichiganSooner]

To say Edison can't compete because they are a smaller 6A school: why did they end up one of the top 4 teams in basketball last year? Edmond Santa Fe, Edmond Memorial, Edison all comprised 3 of the final 4 teams in the tournament. None are among the largest 6A schools.

[SoonerorLater]

There is a big difference in football and basketball. Even the way they divide the classes in BB is different. In short it's just a lot easier to capture lightning in a bottle in BB. There have been occasions where arguably the best team in the state was a lesser class school. In BB all you have to do is get a superstar type player and if you have a good supporting cast you are in business. Football too many players, too many moving parts. You need a large pool of players.

[StoopTroup]

A Jumbotron at a high school stadium? Wow!

Bixby and BA have them.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Bixby and BA have them.

I remember when it was a big deal if more than half the lights on the scoreboard worked. lol

[StoopTroup]

To say Edison can't compete because they are a smaller 6A school: why did they end up one of the top 4 teams in basketball last year? Edmond Santa Fe, Edmond Memorial, Edison all comprised 3 of the final 4 teams in the tournament. None are among the largest 6A schools.I didn't say that at all. Like I said they have a real nice new Basketball Facility that they probably will have a decent Team in 6A. But football is a different Animal and the system that brings kids in the area up playing football really seems more oriented with the kids playing soccer until 5th grade and then they head to the Jr. High and many might not play until 7th or 8th grade and then decide if they want to play Varsity. We lose a lot of kids and there isn't a lot of kids that started playing football when they are 8-10 years old. These other Schools have lots of ways to develop and interest the kids to learn Football that I know Edison doesn't. Basketball is different however...Tulsa Parks seem to be uninterested in building of maintaining Public Basketball courts anymore as it seems to attract a bad inner city element instead of build a good foundation for the kids. We are lucky in my neighborhood as there are still a couple of indoor facilities left that have leagues for kids but the outdoor courts are mostly gone.

[StoopTroup]

I remember when it was a big deal if more than half the lights on the scoreboard worked. lol

Yep.