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Dixon has been carrying Sandites' load well

Sand Springs' Terrance Dixon breaks into the Memorial secondary for a big gain in the second quarter at LaFortune Stadium. STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World

 
By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer
Published: 10/1/2009  2:29 AM
Last Modified: 10/1/2009  6:59 AM
Read Barry Lewis' blog


Sand Springs tailback Terrance Dixon has been carrying much of the load for the Sandites' offense ever standout quarterback Johnny Deaton broke his collarbone in the season opener.

Since then, Dixon also has been wearing on his right wristband Deaton's No. 8. On Dixon's left wrist are written the initials "JD."

"He's still with me every game," Dixon said of his teammate who was the Tulsa World's top-ranked area player entering the season.

Dixon leads Class 6A rushers with 924 yards and has 12 touchdowns through four games. He has helped the Sandites rally after Deaton's injury to win three in a row going into Friday night's matchup against sixth-ranked Bartlesville (4-0) at Sand Springs.

A month ago, Dixon didn't envision he would be racking up so many yards.

"I thought I would just take a role and help my quarterback get back to the playoffs," Dixon said.

During the last two weeks, Dixon has carried 77 times for 544 yards.

"We decided we're going to have to hang our hat on him since Deaton went down," Sand Springs coach Dustin Kinard said. "We're trying to find somebody else to loosen the load for him, but he's our meat and potatoes. When we had Deaton we were going to play (Dixon) a little bit on defense, but we haven't played him a snap on defense the last two games.

"He's a phenomenal athlete."

Dixon, a senior, moved to Sand Springs as a freshman. He was a Whitney Middle School teammate of current Booker T. Washington standouts Eric Bennett and Calvin Barnett.

Dixon seems to get stronger as a game progresses. He had 210 yards in the second half of last Thursday's win at Memorial.

"I feed off the game," Dixon said. "The better we play, the stronger and better I get."

Dixon compares his running style to the Dallas Cowboys' Marion Barber.

"I like to deliver the blow," Dixon said.

Central Arkansas and Missouri State have shown the most interest recruiting Dixon, but some major colleges could be added to the mix if Dixon continues to perform as he has in the season's opening month.

Another No. 1 for Bixby : Bishop Kelley will be the third No. 1 team that No. 9 Bixby has played in the first five weeks of the season when the teams meet at Bixby on Friday night. Bixby's losses have been to top-ranked 6A Jenks and 4A Glenpool.

"We're looking forward to it," Bixby coach Pat McGrew said. "We knew Bishop Kelley was good even before they beat Booker T."

Kelley moved to No. 1 this week after defeating previous-No. 1 Booker T. Washington 28-14 last Friday.

"Our task is to make sure our kids stay focused on Bixby," Kelley coach J.J. Tappana said.

This will be the last chapter of the Bixby-Kelley football rivalry for at least a few years unless they face each other this postseason, as Bixby moves to 6A next year. Bixby's non-district opponents next year will all be from 6A — Jenks, Sapulpa and Mustang.

'We've had a great relationship with Bishop Kelley," McGrew said.

Gaston commits: Fort Gibson senior linebacker Courtney Gaston announced his commitment to the University of Arkansas. Gaston chose Arkansas over Tulsa, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.

Gaston, 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, was the Tulsa World's No. 1-ranked area linebacker in the preseason.

"He really wanted to stay close to home," Fort Gibson coach D.J. Howell said on Wednesday. "He felt comfortable during his visit there (Sept. 19) and really liked their facilities."

Gaston also plays tight end and has three TD catches this year.

"He's made a lot of plays although offenses are trying to stay away from him," Howell said.

Verbal commitments are not binding. The national signing date for football is Feb. 3.

Trimble selected : Jenks coach Allan Trimble was named as an assistant for Team USA in an all-star game scheduled for Jan. 30, 2010, at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Team USA will have 45 of the nation's top senior players while the opposing World team will have players age 19 and under from outside the United States. The game is officially part of the NFL's Pro Bowl Week. Trimble will coach Team USA's offensive line. Former NFL quarterback Steve Walsh will coach the quarterbacks.

Photo Day scheduled: Athletes and coaches from all area high schools are invited to attend the Tulsa World's Winter Sports Photo Day that is scheduled from 4:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Webster High School's Bill Allen Field House, at 1919 W. 40th St.

Coaches from basketball, swimming and wrestling teams are asked to bring or send their top four to five athletes.

For more information, contact Barry Lewis at (918) 581-8393 or barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com.

Nominations accepted: Nominations are being accepted for the Rudy Award, which will honor the nation's most inspirational high school football player who best exemplifies character, courage, contribution and commitment. Nominations can be submitted at highschoolrudyawards.com .

By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer

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