Beyond the Game: Recent Episodes
Rob Morris
Hyperlocal sports podcast focused on sports in Moore and South OKC. Get the latest on Moore High School, Southmoore High School, and Westmoore High school athletics.
Westmoore High School has a new football coach. David White comes to the Jaguars with an extensive background that includes coaching at the D1 collegiate level.
Ben Odom and Pat McFerron are back with some great insight on our current political landscape. In this episode of Political Insiders, we talk about Ryan Walters, the Moore mayoral election, the current state legislative session, and...of course...the growing likelihood that it will be Biden vs Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
2024 is shaping up to be a great year for Moore Public Schools athletics and extracurricular activities. MPS District Athletic Director Brian Fitzgerald joins us to talk about the construction projects taking place across the city and how they'll impact all three Moore High schools.
Moore Fire Marshall Darren Sigman joins the podcast to talk about why the Santa Express program is such an important passion project for Moore firefighters.
Moore Police Department Public Information Officer Clint Byley joins us to talk about this year's Shop with a Cop program. It's one of MPD's coolest and most heartwarming connections with the community and is definitely in keeping with the spirit of Christmas.
JD Northcutt has spent 33 years working as part of the radio coverage for Moore Lions football. Northcutt and the KOKC broadcast their last game as a team this November. Northcutt took the time to chat about his time as the voice of the Moore Lions.
Gina Thomison, head of the Moore High School drama department joins us to talk about the school's exciting fall production of Alice in Wonderland.
Moore City Manager Brooks Mitchell joins the podcast to talk about the importance of the November 14th General Obligation bond vote.
Tallen Edwards skipped her senior year of high school and arrived at Oklahoma State University a year early. But ask anyone associated with OSU's softball program and they'll tell you Edwards was right on time.
Ashley and Zach Hankins met while playing basketball at Xavier University. After they graduated and married, they embarked on a globe-trotting adventure as Zach signed to play basketball overseas. Zach is now starring for Hapoel Jerusalem and the Hankins spent some time catching us up on their remarkable journey.
After a dominating debut freshman season, Aaliyah Moore was poised to help the Texas Longhorns compete for another Big 12 basketball title and deep NCAA tourney run. An ACL injury derailed those plans, but the former Lady Lion star is winding down her rehab and is preparing for a big return to the court this fall.
Westmoore alum Jace Bohrofen just finished his best collegiate season ever with the Arkansas Razorbacks and now he's looking to the future and next moves in his baseball career.
Southmoore fast pitch softball coach Jason Lingo has one of the coolest side gigs in OKC sports. He's a member of the Softball Hall of Fame stadium grounds crew. Lingo gives us a behind-the-scenes view of what it's like to help pull off one of the most popular collegiate sporting events around.
Moore Lions seniors Owen Kinzer and Ty Morrison claimed state championships at this May's OSSAA 6A state track meet. Kinzer won in the pole vault while Morrison won discus. Both athletes talked about the unique challenges they faced in their respective events.
Xavier Simpkins and Kolton Bennett are state champions in track. Simpkins won his medal in the 110 meter hurdles while Bennett won the 800 meter race.
Jordan Atkinson is just a sophomore at Southmoore High School, but she has already won the state championship in the 100-meter dash twice. Atkinson joined us to talk about overcoming a late-season injury to win the title this year and her how her faith helped her through the challenges of 2023.
Hunter Strickland, Lindsey Stoeckl, and Bailey McKittrick played for rival high schools in Moore, but now they're in perfect harmony as coaches for Oklahoma Christian University.
The regular season is all but kaput and that means it's time for the 6A playoffs. For this episode of Beyond the Game, Coach Kayla Fourkiller and Coach Tim Stogsdill dropped in to talk about the Sabercats and the postseason.
Last year everything came together perfectly for the Moore Lions as they went on a magical run to the 6A state basketball championship game. Head coach Gregg Hardin says this year's team has what it takes to make some more magic.
Head coach Brent Hodges and the Moore Lady Lions have been on a roller coaster ride so far this season. Hodges says his team is embracing the thrill and ready to make their mark on the 6A girls playoffs.
Southmoore alum Sam Godwin is back in Oklahoma and having an impact on the OU basketball team. We caught up with Sam recently as he talked about his journey to South Carolina and back.
The Westmoore Jaguars are hitting mid-season with a #4 ranking in Class 6A and a recent tournament championship in the Putnam Invitational. The Lady Jags are sporting a deceiving 6-and-6 record with 5 of those losses coming down to the wire. Boys coach Todd Millwee and girls coach Abby Chaffey joined us to talk about their teams.
The Westmoore Pom legacy of excellence continues as the squad brought home two more state championships from the recent OSTDA State Championship competition. Coach Natalie Zielney and seniors Ella Trumbly and Harley Robbins joined us to talk about what it takes to maintain that level of success.
Moore High's Liam Evans discusses the journey from being curious about kicking for the Lions football team to becoming one of the nation's top-ranked players.
It has been a breakout season for KU football in 2022. No one outside the program expected the team's five-game winning streak to open the season. Even though injuries have slowed their momentum, the Jayhawks are bowl-eligible and on an upward track. Southmoore alum and KU linebacker Donovan Gaines took the time to chat with us about life in Lawrence and the future.
Dance is a BIG deal in Moore. Westmoore's pom squad has an impressive string of national championships...Moore and Southmoore's squads are extremely competitive at all levels. We talked with Nikki Braun, who founded Top Hat Talent 30 years ago about the local dance scene and the impact of her studio.
The Southmoore Sabercat Marching Band is celebrating a fantastic 10th-place showing at the prestigious Bands of America Super Regional. The competition in St. Louis, Missouri features 64 of the nation's best high school marching bands. Sabercat band director Adam Mewhorter took the time to chat with BTG this week as the band prepares for the OBA Marching Band Competition this weekend at Broken Arrow.
When Westmoore's Dayton Wolfe left high school for Cowley Community College in 2021, it looked like his football playing days might be over. Not so fast...he's back on the college gridiron this fall for Oklahoma Baptist University.
Kayla Tucker graduated from Southmoore in 2013 as one of Oklahoma's top high school basketball players. Her experiences playing DI ball at HBCU Alabama State University, along with the twists and turns of post-college life, have given her a deep understanding of how her life impacts everyone around her. We caught up with Kayla as she's preparing for her first season as an assistant coach at Southern Nazarene University.
The Oklahoma high school fast pitch season is off to a roaring start and all three Moore high schools are working to make sure they're in the mix for a trip to Hall of Fame stadium in October. We talked with the head coaches at Moore, Southmoore, and Westmoore about how things are looking with their squads.
If you're looking for the best track-and-field athletes in the state, your first stop needs to be at Westmoore High School. Coach Tim Grantham and the Jaguar 4x100 and 4x200 state team stopped by to talk about their second consecutive state track championship.
It's a tough thing to do - win both state softball titles during one school year. But the Southmoore Sabercats pulled off the feat by claiming the OSSAA 6A state slow pitch title, providing a nice bookend to the team's fast pitch title last October.
Westmoore slow pitch head coach Steve Schwarz is stepping away from the game after a stellar 24-year coaching career. Scwharz talks about how the role of family played a huge part in his decision.
The Lady Jaguars new head coach comes to Westmoore after a playing and coaching career filled with honors and accomplishments. Coach Abby Chafey took time out to talk about her passion for high school hoops and working with the kids that play the game.
The Moore Lions have a new head football coach. Coach Greg Bryant joins the Lions, moving over from Choctaw. Coach Bryant took the time to chat about his passion for the game and helping football players become great young men.
Spring is here and that means lots and lots of softball! We visit with Sabercat alum Mikayla Smith, who made the ESPN Top 10 POD...and talk to Jason Lingo about the slowpitch season.
Westmoore alum Camille Herron recently set another ultramarathon world record...and she feels like she's just hitting her prime!
After a solid start to his collegiate football career at Eastern Michigan University, Sabercat alum Quian Williams transferred to Buffalo University where he took his game to the next level.
Southmoore alum Cameron Little has embraced every aspect of college life in his freshman season as the Arkansas Razorback placekicker. Cam talked us through everything from mastering laundry to developing a tough SEC mindset.
A November ankle injury put a temporary hold on Aaliyah Moore's debut season at the University of Texas, but the former Moore Lady Lions star has returned to the court with a vengeance over the past few weeks.
Even though we're staggering through a record-setting winter storm, Westmoore alum Kale Davis and his OSU teammates are hard at work preparing for the start of the college baseball season.
Moore High alum Dalton Witherspoon joins us on the podcast to talk about his final season as placekicker with the Houston Cougars, a year where the team went 12-2 and finished with a big bowl win against Auburn.
Justin Bean is having his way on the basketball court this year for the Utah State Aggies, averaging a double-double and leading his team in several categories. He's also displaying some nifty musical and dance moves off the court.
It's been five years since Sydney Chastain and Ashley Gomez helped the Westmoore Lady Jags earn a trip to the state basketball tournament. We caught up with these "old acquaintances" along with the former coach, Andrea Guziec as we ring out the 2021 year and look toward 2022.
The Sabercat boys and girls basketball teams have delivered some exciting games over the first few weeks of the season. Head coaches Kayla Fourkiller and Tim Stogsdill join us to talk about how their teams are working hard to prepare for district play.
KOCO's Abigail Ogle began her reporting career in Moore. Her first job out of college was with as a sports reporter for Moore Monthly/Moore Monitor. She still keeps in touch with the friends she made while here...and took the time to catch us up on life beyond the KOCO studios.
Jake Monden will be taking over as head coach of the Southmoore Sabercats after the Moore Public School Board approved the hire on Monday night. We caught up with Coach Monden and chatted with him about his coaching journey and what Sabercat players and fans can expect.
Basketball season is underway and the Moore boys and girls kicked off the season with a pair of tough rivalry games. Girls coach Brent Hodges and boys coach Greg Hardin join us to talk about the challenges of starting a season with such intense games and a look at where their teams go from here.
Bit of an unexpectedly shocking week as OU's Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly bailed on blue blood football programs. To say the news was stunning is an understatement...and who better to help us understand the impact on collegiate and MPS athletics than former OU star JD Runnels and MPS Athletic Director Brian Fitzgerald.
Westmoore head coach Will Evans is in his fifth year at the helm of the Jaguar wrestling program. He has a young, but talented squad of grapplers this year and is very excited about the prospects for his boys and girls teams as the season begins.
Veteran Moore High wrestling coach Robert Washington gives BTG some insight on his young, but talented Lion squad as the wade into the early weeks of this year's competition.
It's impossible to imagine high school football without the rich music and drama presented by our marching bands. In this episode of Beyond the Game we talked with Southmoore's Adam Mewhorter, Westmoore's Ari Taylor, and Moore's Clint Brown about their music programs and why they're so important to our students.
The splendid golfing journey of Westmoore junior Jaeya Mathis has taken her from knocking balls around the course for fun to competing on one of the game's biggest stages. In this week's episode Jaeya shares some insights she's learned along the way. And former Southmoore Lady Sabercat head coach Britney Kannady talks with BTG about why now is the perfect time for her return to the game of basketball.
Winning a Class 6A state championship in any sport is challenging. Doing it in consecutive years is nothing short of extraordinary. Southmoore's 2021 championship run culminated in a 5-1 victory over Owasso at on Saturday night, cementing a place in OSSAA history as one of the great achievements in Oklahoma high school sports.
Moore High graduate Zach Oliva is passionate about racing and helping children battle cancer. A cancer-survivor himself, Oliva talks with Beyond the Game about the challenges of his journey and how he uses his need for speed to give back to the Jimmy Everest Center and Children's Hospital Foundation.
With the 6A regional playoffs starting this week, it seemed like the perfect time to visit with seniors from Moore, Southmoore, and Westmoore to talk about how the season has gone and what it will take for each team to bring home a state fast pitch championship.
Trenity Edwards is back in DI softball at San Jose State University this fall. Edwards walked us through the long and emotional 2-years away from the game that she loves. And down in Austin, Texas Casey Thompson is finally taking snaps as the Longhorns starting quarterback. Thompson shares how he has stayed focus and ready to perform now that his chance is here.
This week's episode features an interview with former OU star and NFL player, Josh Norman, now in year two as the head coach for the Southmoore Sabercats. Norman talks about the challenges of rebuilding a program with the added pressure of a pandemic. We also spent time catching up with Moore's head volleyball coach Rachael Travis, who is in her second year at her alma mater. She shares why this year's team is so special in changing the culture at her school.
In this week's podcast we talk with Westmoore football head coach Lorenzo Williams about his team's big rivalry win over Southmoore in the Southwest Showdown and the Jaguar's focus heading into district play next week. We also caught up with pitcher Kyle Tyler, Westmoore alum and former OU baseball star who just had his first MLB appearance last week.
The Moore Lions clawed their way into the win column with a 40-14 Moore War win over Westmoore. Head Coach Brad Hill talked to BTG about the win and what's next for the Lions. We also talked to Moore's Audrey Hill, Westmoore's David Boulanger, and Southmoore's Joshua Rammage about the cross country season as they head into the meat of their schedule.
Moore Public Schools continues to invest in the development of local students through their athletic and extracurricular programs. This month we dig deeper into why activities like sports, music, drama, and speech/debate are critical parts of the MPS philosophy. Guests for this Episode: MPS Superintendent Dr. Robert Romines, MPS Athletic Director Brian Fitzgerald, MHS Athletic Director Chad Mashburn, SHS Athletic Director Greg George, and WHS Athletic Director Zach Bice.
We're coming off a summer in which women's softball has exploded in popularity. Record-breaking crowds at Oklahoma City's Hall of Fame stadium and watching on television and streaming were treated to exciting games during the Women's College World Series and a national championship by the Oklahoma Sooners. Local softball fans have long known that some of the best high school softball in the nation is being played in Oklahoma, especially right here in Moore with top-shelf programs at all three high schools. The coaches from Moore, Southmoore, and Westmoore share their thoughts about the upcoming season in this episode of Beyond the Game.
In this first full episode of Beyond the Game, we caught up with three Moore athletes who will be competing at the NCAA Division I level this fall. Southmoore's Cameron Little enrolled early at the University of Arkansas and is competing for a starting kicker's position for the Razorbacks football team. Moore High's Aaliyah Moore is down in Austin, Texas where she's training hard for the upcoming basketball season as a member of the Longhorn women's team. And Westmoore's Jace Bohrofen is headed to the University of Arkansas after spending a summer playing in the elite Cape Cod baseball league.
Katelyn Brown starred for the Southmoore Sabercats as a pitcher on their fastpitch softball team. She helped lead the Sabercats to a pair of state titles and was named the Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for Oklahoma in 2014. Brown went on to play collegiate ball at Southern Nazarene University and was pitching coach at Oklahoma Christian University.
J.D. Runnels is currently the running backs coach at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. He starred in football at Carl Albert High School, OU, and in the NFL before taking over as head coach at Moore West Junior High. We sat down with J.D. during his stint as a junior high head coach to talk about his personal and athletic journey, what led him into coaching, and the challenges of coaching sports today.