Southmoore’s Norman picks up pieces after transfers
By CLIFF BRUNT and ELIAS BRUNT
ISL Oklahoma Staff
Josh Norman’s vision hasn’t changed, even though his roster has.
The former Oklahoma football star’s plan to revive Southmoore’s program seemed on track after significant progress last season, his first as varsity head coach. The Sabercats’ win total jumped from one in 2019 to three in 2020. In Norman’s ideal scenario, the dominant freshman team that lost just once last season would combine with several key upperclassmen to form a foundation of a program that could become a powerhouse in Oklahoma. Players were talking about championships — just like the city titles that many players in the current sophomore class won in junior high at Highland West in 2018 and 2019.
The bright outlook changed when many of the team’s best players transferred. Tyler White (Edmond Santa Fe), Reece Moffett (Putnam City North), Javian Council (Westmoore), Keyun Laster (Westmoore), Caden Durham (Duncanville, Texas), Mariano Cregnolini (Westmoore), Josh Davis (Westmoore) and Kyus Henry (Oklahoma City John Marshall) are all gone. The remaining players have opened the season with losses of 51-7 to Booker T. Washington and 44-0 to Deer Creek.
The reasons for the transfers vary. Norman believes the rules need to be tightened up and could be tougher, but he said that’s not the main issue. He knows Southmoore lacks the tradition of some other schools, and some might consider it easier to join an established power than to be a part of building one.
He also knows his standards are high — on and off the field. He stands on six principles of high character — humility, integrity, accountability, discipline, respect and hard work. He understands that will not work for everyone.
“If people don’t want to be a part of that, that’s fine,” he said. “That’s OK. But you can’t build something on sand and expect it to hold up. We’re trying to lay a solid foundation here that I know is proven and has been proven in many programs. So we believe in what we’re doing, and we believe that eventually people will see that and we’ll have a team full of guys committed to meet those standards and committed to being a part of what we have going on at Southmoore.”
Norman still believes he can have long-term success through building up young players through the system.
“We’re going to continue to treat the guys right, to do right by the guys, to pour into them off of the field, to create opportunities for them beyond high school,” he said. “Everything that we’ve done since day one, we’re going to continue to do. And hopefully, you know, the kids and the community will see that as we continue to build relationships with them from elementary all the way through junior high and the high school level. Hopefully, people will be aware of what we are doing here. We’re doing it the right way, and we’re going to see the results.”
Norman sees an opportunity to start turning things around on the field on Friday when he leads the Sabercats into the Southwest Showdown against Westmoore at 7 p.m.
“We aren’t panicking,” Norman said. “We have goals we have to accomplish. Our number one goal is to be kings of Moore. They understand it. This is the first step toward accomplishing that first goal, is to beat Westmoore. That’s what the focus is. I think they’re locked in.”
Receiver Jalen Ross, one of the promising sophomores who stayed, said the culture is still being established, even with the roster changes.
“Coach Norman not only wants to grow us into great athletes, but into better men,” Ross said. “He teaches us things that will stay with us into adulthood like overcoming adversity, and never losing sight of what’s important inside or outside of the game. Every Thursday, he holds a life skills meeting for the players. He’s very big on leadership and the family aspect of the group. He surrounds us with great coaches, who are even greater men, to set the example on and off the field.”
Senior quarterback Noah Peters is a key player who stayed. He entered the season considered one of the top quarterbacks in Class 6A-1, but he has struggled without Moffett, his top receiver from last season. The position also has been decimated by injuries, making it more difficult to build connections with his new targets.
There have been bright spots. Running back Markus Means has ripped off some big runs this season.
“We’ve always had great expectations for Markus because of the type of kid that he is,” Norman said. “He’s a kid who is committed to the program. He shows up every day. He works hard. He puts the effort into the meet room, on the field, and ultimately, he’s just a reliable kid. Obviously, he shared time last year and we had big expectations for him coming into this year. And he’s living up to those expectations.”
Norman said junior cornerback Trent Wetsiline has been a standout, even though he isn’t getting a lot of action. That’s because teams aren’t throwing in his direction.
“He’s probably having the best year out of any of these guys,” Norman said. “He doesn’t have a lot of opportunity. They don’t throw his way a lot. But when they do, he’s getting pass breakups. He hasn’t quite gotten that interception just yet. But I mean, he’s just a phenomenal player for us and playing really, really, really well.”
Sophomore safety Skyler Mayer has been a playmaker.
“Skyler always stands out whenever you see our defense play,” Norman said. “He gets in there. He’s not afraid to mix it up, not afraid to be physical. He’s just a smart kid who understands where he needs to be and understands the game. Has a great instinct as far as the game and really excited. I expect him to have a big game against Westmoore.”
Junior defensive lineman Ronnie Doddles had his moments against Deer Creek tackle Jacob Sexton, an Oklahoma commitment. Norman said Doddles has a motor that puts him in position to make plays and he’s improving on carrying out his assignments.
“That guy (Sexton) is a really, really, really good offensive lineman,” Norman said. “Probably the best one we’ll see all year. But Ronnie made him work. And I was really proud to see that in Ronnie. Ronnie –he’s the leader of our team and our defense. He’s always in position most of the time. If he’s not making the tackle, he’s on his way to make the tackle.”
Norman said there’s plenty of potential in other spots, too. The key is getting young men to buy in — and stick around.
“That’s something that we won’t compromise on is having a high standard of high-character guys and building a team around high-character guys,” he said. “We’re going to keep plugging away, we’re going to keep coaching guys up, we’re going to keep having high expectations.”
Follow Elias Brunt on Twitter @EliasBrunt.
