Feeling heat of competition
Logan Turner has grown up around the Oil Bowl.
The former Springtown quarterback and SMU signee was a fifth grader when he was a ballboy at the game between Texas and Oklahoma high school graduates. He remembers players who went on to Notre Dame and Alabama. Now he gets the chance to play in the all-star game tonight.
"It's a good deal," Logan said. "If you've been around Texas, you know about the Oil Bowl and what a big deal it is to a lot of people."
Many still revere the historic game, which has included such players as NFL Hall of Famer Steve Largent and former Texas Longhorns quarterback James Street. But new opportunities for high school players and pressures from the collegiate level have presented the Oil Bowl with challenges that have taken away its luster.
The Texas roster for tonight's game has four players who signed with Big 12 schools. Four others are from the Tarrant County area, and two of them, Turner and former Southlake Carroll defensive end Kyle Russo (UNT), were among the recruits on the final 2007 Star-Telegram Area 50 list. Former Allen quarterback Nathan Dick (Arkansas) is the only State 100 member listed.
In sharp contrast, there's the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which many agree is a senior's dream. Held each January and televised live on NBC, it is played in San Antonio and features the top recruits in the nation. This year's game was highlighted by quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) and Ryan Mallett (Michigan).
Former South Grand Prairie offensive lineman Tray Allen, a Texas signee and member of the Star-Telegram Elite 11, was among the participants.
"The Mecca of all-star games is the All-America game," Allen said. "All the other bowls are spinoffs."
Marquee names help, but in areas such as Tarrant County, fans are treated to all-star displays during the football season.
Last year, Turner played in the same district with Birdville junior quarterback Tommy Dorman (a Texas A&M commitment) and Keller Fossil Ridge junior defensive lineman R.J. Washington (Oklahoma commitment). The season opener between Colleyville Heritage and Cedar Hill included Panthers quarterback Casey Russell, who led 5A area players with 2,527 yards passing in the regular season, and Longhorns quarterback William Cole (Oklahoma State), who led his team to the Class 5A Division II state title.
South Grand Prairie coach David Fisher said there's a huge disparity when it comes to numbers between Oklahoma and just the Metroplex.
"There's so many dang all-star games in Texas and so many players," said Fisher, who once coached in Owasso, Okla. "Oklahoma uses its best players, and it means a lot more to them, I can guarantee you."
With the exposure to so much talent also comes scheduling. Consider that in a 17-day span, football fans could have witnessed both Texas 5A state championship games, the U.S. Army game, and the BCS national championship game between Florida and Ohio State.
"I think when you do things after the fact, after kids sign their letters of intent, sometimes those games get lost in the shuffle," said Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. "Especially with the U.S. Army game, and ESPN, and other games out there that come right in the middle of the bowl season. In mid-June, July, not many are thinking about football compared to when the national championship is being played."
Timing goes beyond just the game. Players who want to play in college put more effort into camps and combines before their senior seasons and try to commit early. Once their final year arrives, it's common to see players graduate early so they can participate in college spring practices.
Those who didn't graduate early spend time conditioning or enroll in summer school, where they're urged to begin off-season workouts.
Breece Johnson, a former all-state wide receiver at Colleyville Heritage, works out every day and spends Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at North Texas, where he practices with quarterbacks.
"It's a good thing," Johnson said. "I've got to gain weight and get bigger, and this is helping me focus on getting better."
For those at the Oil Bowl, it's a chance to join a special class of past players and coaches such as G.A. Moore, J.C. Watts, Mike Renfro, the Selmon brothers and Bobby Layne.
"Part of being high school coaches and our profession is to keep that history alive," said Springtown coach Brad Turner, Logan's father. "Whether it's high school, college or pro, there's great history in all phases. I know J.C. Watts and Barry Switzer are being inducted into the Oil Bowl Hall of Fame. What a great part of history."
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