Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-02
CHAMPIONSHIPS IN
MUSSY CONDITION
Three Have Claim for College
Title and Three for Nor
NAL Honors.
THREE HIGH SCHOOLS IN TIE
Unbeaten Within State; Many
Features Mark Season
Just Closed.
THREE HIGH SCHOOLS IN TIE

Never before in nearly two decades
tof Oklahoma football history have tho
ampionships in the various classes
at the close of a season as they are
in the chapter of 1917. Three have
equal claim on the collegiate cham
pionship, three contest the normal
school championship and three promi-
nent high school teams are unbeaten
within the state.
Despite certain h1ndicaps imposed
by the nation being at war il has been
remarkable season. Never had there
been such a death Of experienced ma
terial as there was at the opening Of
football practice last fall, never had
the leading teams II the state been
composed Of such yo"ng players, never
had so many freshmen been. used tr
championship contests and yet, look
ing back over the season, the quality
Of football apparently has been little
impaired
Many Specific Features.
In addition to these generalities
there have been many specific fea-
lures. Among the more noteworthy
are.
The first defeat of the Sooners by
the Aggics.
The nonyictorious season for Ken
dali after an sll-Yic;orious record in
1915.
The first game between an Okla
homa institution and member of the
western, or Big Tcn," conference.
The discovery i'm Strauss of the first
successful drop-kiCker since 1911.
The rise of Phillips university in
the football realm.
The introduction of three Big Ten
coaches, including the first all Amcri-
can star ever to bc placed i'm charge
of an Oklahoma eleven.
The season also was marked by a
greater distinction between the quality
Of football played in the colleges and
that played I'm the normal schools.
In high school circles the outstand-
ing feature has been the wonderful
advancement made by the "littlc'
schools Of the state, especially on the
eastern side of the state.
IL might also be mentioned here
that the quality of the officiating thi.
year has been far superior To that of
any previous season.
Until that most unexpected victory
of the Aggies over the Sooners at ok
lahoma City on Thanksgiving day 1,
looked as II the collegiate champion
ship would belong clearly to the Uni
versity OF Oklahoma, but that turkey
| day upset threw the entire affair into
"a hopeless muddie. Early in the sea-
son the Sooners had defeated Phillips
SO to ., and couple of weeks later
Phillips apparently had eliminated the
Aggies when Strauss booted a pair OF
field goals at saltwater. while the
Farmers went scoreless. Now there IL
no possible way to figure anything eX-
cept a three-cornerei tie.
Dispute Among Normals.
Practically the same condition oh
tains in the normal school class. North
eastern did not meet enough Of the
other teams to establish a legitimate
claim TO the normal school champion.
ship. notwithstanding the fact that tho
Tahlequah team won from East Cen
trail and East Central won from Cen
tral, while both Central and East Cen
tral won from Southwestern. Nor.i :
western did not have a team in TIC
field this season and Southeastern dis
! banded in midseaSon. Some are in
clined to slip the normal school cham
pionship to Clark's East Central team,
and while the record of his team gem
| orally speaking is considerably better
than that OF any OF its rivals, the fact
remains that. looking at II from the
fixed standpoint of Victories and de
tcats within the circle to which IL be
! longs, the standpoint from which
/ championships must be considered
| both Central and Northeastern have
equal claims. The only thing that does