Two for the Money

This is the odd couple of Oklahoma high school football. One flash and dash, the other, well, not so much. No two players could be so different, but to their teams, Ryan Fightmaster of Westmoore and Ryan Broyles of Norman bring a tangible leadership that has their two schools as not only the best teams on the West side of the state but also as the two best chances for an end to a West side drought and a long reign of Jenks and Tulsa's Union dominance. "Everyone wants a championship,'' said Broyles. "At the beginning of the season, we all are thinking about it, and there's no one here thinking about how many times in a row Jenks or Union or whoever has won it.'' Maybe because this season Broyles' Tigers and Fightmaster's Jaguars are more than just an obstacle on the way to another East side coronation. While Union started the season 0-3, Jenks, Muskogee and Tulsa's Booker T. Washington all had losses heading into the postseason. Meanwhile, Westmoore and Norman went into their week 10 meeting as the only two undefeated teams in the entire class. "I know it's been a long time since one of the West teams won,'' Fightmaster said. "But I know if we keep doing our thing, we'll have a chance.'' And that chance, which now dates all the way back to 1995 when Midwest City won the second of its two titles in a row, is manifested in a pair that could never be confused as two of a kind. Broyles sports a game that is highlight-reel worthy, GameDay ESPN kind of stuff. Fightmaster looks as though his game is more suited for an assembly line. There's nothing flashy and nothing spectacular, but at the end of the day, the work is done. "Ryan's the best athlete I've seen at Norman in the 34 years that I've been here,'' said Norman coach Butch Peters. "There's no question about that. He can do anything he wants to do. It's basketball, it's track. Just pure athlete.'' But it's football that's in Broyles' future. His bedroom is lined with recruiting letters from the dozens and dozens of colleges who have come calling for his services, the kinds of plays that have had Norman ranked among the state's best all season. "He plays at such a high level compared to the people around him,'' Peters said. "I think what Ryan brings to the table in all aspects is something that everybody has to take into consideration.'' Broyles had more than 300 total yards against Lawton Eisenhower earlier this season and had accounted for touchdowns via the run, pass, interception and special teams this year. While Broyles came into his senior season with 14 career interceptions, this year his numbers have been outstanding. He is averaging nearly 20 yards per catch, had six more interceptions by the end of the regular season, as well as accounting for more than 17 TDs. Stopping Norman means stopping Broyles, something few teams have done through his career at Norman where he first starred as a cornerback for the Tigers. "I just want to be a playmaker,'' Broyles said. "When I get the chance to have the ball, I want to see what I can do with it.'' Oddly enough, stopping Westmoore means stopping Fightmaster, despite a game that won't ever be confused as a high-flying or gambling. "Oh, I wouldn't say we run the West Coast offense around here,'' said Westmoore coach Mike Whaley, whose offensive theories have never been accused of being progressive. "I'd just call it the Westmoore offense.'' Yet, in that offense, Fightmaster thrives and teams are game planning against the senior quarterback as much as teams do when facing Norman and Broyles. Fightmaster finished the regular season among the top 15 rushers in the state in total yards and also averaged more than 5 yards per attempt, despite defenses knowing he wasn't inclined to pass (less than 100 attempts through the regular season). "I do what I do to make sure my team is successful,'' Fightmaster said. "If that means carry it 28 times a game and average 4 or 5 yards a play, that's fine. Whatever it takes for my team to win.'' This season, whatever it takes too for a West side renaissance will likely go through Fightmaster and Broyles. "You'd like to think one of us could do it over here,'' said coach Peters lumping all his West side colleagues together. "You start out at the beginning and think optimistically, but I know we have the talent level to make a run at it.''