Crossings Christian will have a new head boys basketball coach for the 2026-27 high school basketball season.
Former Kingfisher coach Colby Connel will become the Knights’ next basketball coach, replacing interim coach Renzi Stone. Connel confirmed the news in a social media post Saturday.
He compiled a 44-39 record over three seasons at Kingfisher, leading the team to a 21-9 record in 2026 and a Class 4A area tournament appearance. He takes over a Crossings Christian program which went 22-8 last season and missed the 4A state tournament by a game.
Connel, who also served as an assistant principal at Kingfisher, will shift his full focus to coaching in his new role with the Knights.
Bryan Freeman named Southmoore football coach
Bryan Freeman has been named Southmoore’s football coach, the school announced last week.
Freeman had served as Southmoore’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Freeman, who has coached at several schools in the state, will replace Brett Jones after Jones led the SaberCats for one season.
They went 6-6 this past year and lost to Stillwater 34-9 in the Class 6A-I state quarterfinals.
Southmoore will be back in Class 6A-I this fall.
Chickasha hires Steve Huff as football coach
Chickasha announced the hiring of Steve Huff as its football coach Monday.
Huff coached at Decatur High School in Texas for the last four seasons and replaces Joe Molder, who recently stepped down after leading the program for three years.
Huff has head coaching experience in Oklahoma as he’s led Midwest City, Tecumseh and U.S. Grant.
He left Midwest City to become the first head football coach of College Station High School in Texas in 2012 and led the program to the Class 5A-II state title in 2017.
“He wins,” Chickasha said in a social media post. “Google him.”
Huff was 36-18 at Decatur and made two Class 4A-I state semifinal appearances.
Chickasha, which is in Class 4A, went 2-8 this past season.
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Broken Arrow DB Semaj Stanford commits to Oregon
Broken Arrow star defensive back Semaj Stanford announced his commitment to Oregon on Thursday.
Stanford committed during a ceremony at Broken Arrow Event Center, choosing the Ducks over Georgia and Texas.
Stanford is a four-star prospect, the nation’s third-ranked safety in the 2027 class and the 58th overall recruit in his class, according to 247Sports.
He arrived at Broken Arrow from Jenks ahead of his junior season and had a great year before being named to The Oklahoman’s All-State first team.
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Stanford finished with 109 tackles, five interceptions, two pick-sixes and two fumble recoveries, including one he returned for a score.
He was also productive on offense for the Tigers, who went 9-3 and reached the Class 6A-I state semifinals, catching 36 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns along with running for 219 yards and a score on 26 attempts.
Stanford, the younger brother of former Jenks standout and Sam Houston defensive back Jalyn Stanford, is No. 3 on The Oklahoman’s initial Super 30 rankings of the state’s top prospects in the 2027 class.
Millwood hires Xavier Henry
Former Putnam City star and NBA player Xavier Henry has been hired as Millwood’s next head basketball coach, the school announced Friday morning.
The news comes weeks after former Falcons coach Dorrian Williams stepped down to take over at Carl Albert.
“(Xavier) Henry’s knowledge of the game at every level will be an invaluable resource for our student-athletes,” Millwood athletic director Shannon Hayes said in a statement.
“His passion for working with young people, ensuring they are prepared not just as athletes but also for success in life, makes him a welcome addition to our coaching staff and the Falcon Family. Our legacy has been built on growing student athletes at Millwood into Champions over their school careers, and Coach Henry is dedicated to continuing with this tradition.”
Henry joins Millwood with a lengthy background of success and experience. After a 1-22 finish in his first season at U.S. Grant, he led the Generals to a 15-9 record in 2026 and its first area playoff appearance since 2003.
Henry graduated from Putnam City High School in 2009 and led the Pirates to back-to-back Class 6A state titles while being named a five-star recruit and a McDonald’s All-American.
He went on to spend one season at Kansas before declaring for the NBA Draft, where he was selected 12th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2010. Henry played five seasons in the NBA and had stints with the Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, in his final stop in 2017.
Henry now takes over a Millwood program which has won four of the last five Class 3A state titles and will defend its state record 19th title in the winter.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Crossings Christian boys basketball hires Colby Connel as head coach