Norman North girls soccer squad determined to regain championship glory after being denied repeat bid

By Douglas Miles 

Photo of Norman North's Presley Boyd (left, going after ball)

NORMAN - Sure, it was another win.

But Trevor Laffoon is far from satisfied.

After all, when your program has state-championship expectations, there is often more to the result than what is displayed on the scoreboard.

"This group knows that they are good players," the fifth-year Norman North girls soccer coach said after the Timberwolves defeated Westmoore, 4-1, in a Class 6A District 2 match Tuesday night at Norman North High School. "I would tell you that I expect a lot out of this group.

"Again, we did well, we won, we scored four goals, so we have only given up three all year. But, I would tell you the biggest thing for us is just maintaining consistency."

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The lofty expectations are more than warranted. After winning back-to-back state championships in 2019 and 2021 - virus restrictions eliminated the 2020 season - Norman North was denied a third consecutive state crown last year when it lost the 6A final on penalty kicks to Edmond Deer Creek.

It is a sour memory that resonates through the entire roster.

"We're all going for state this year," sophomore defender Parker McGraw said. "We are super-excited to get to the playoffs and have that opportunity again."

McGraw has been a fantastic piece of a retooled defensive unit that suffered significant graduation losses from last season's state runner-up squad.

Fellow sophomore Izzy Fletcher, plus seniors Aubrey Shipman and Zoe Walker, have formed a stout back line in front of a goalkeeper rotation that includes senior Mallory Osborn and sophomore Callie Sullivan.

Throw in another significant new face in junior Lennon Park at center midfielder, and it is a bunch that quickly jelled into a cohesive defensive force that has posted four shutouts through six matches.

"That was definitely a big change, all new faces back there," senior attacking midfielder Presslee Amick said. "As we are getting games in, everyone gets more comfortable and transitioning from coming off the bench to completely starting is a big transition for everyone. But I think everyone is handling that super well."

The offensive production is again led by the potent 1-2 punch at forward from junior Narissa Fults and sophomore Presley Boyd. Both players scored three goals in last Wednesday's 12-0 district-opening win against Capitol Hill, and Fults wasted little time getting the Timberwolves on the scoreboard against Westmoore with a goal in the ninth minute.

"(Coach) Trevor (Laffoon) wanted us to be up 2-0 within the first 10 minutes," said Fults, an Arizona commit who was the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year last year. "So I think it was important."

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Norman North tacked on two more goals in the first half when sophomore midfielder Makenna Adam scored twice within a five-minute time span.

It was the first goals of the season for Adam, who transferred from Westmoore two years ago.

"I just had a lot of motivation from others and I wanted to come out really strong," Adam said. "This is my old school that I would have gone to, so I wanted to show out."

Ruta Andrews scored the lone goal for the Jaguars (1-5) in the 33rd minute.

It appeared as if the 3-1 halftime score would hold up through the second half, but Boyd punched a score past the Westmoore goalkeeper in the final three minutes.

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Norman North will continue district play next week with a visit to U.S. Grant next Tuesday before hosting Edmond Santa Fe on April 6.

"The biggest thing for us is just trying to go undefeated in district play and making sure we host in playoffs," Laffoon said. "I say every game is important, but especially in district play.

"We take care of our field a lot. We want to play here. It is bigger, it's grass. We want to play here. We want home-field advantage, so we need to win out."

Boys Soccer

Norman North 2, Westmoore 1

With three other goalkeepers on the Norman North roster, Brenton Burris figured it would be another night on the bench.

After all, it should be difficult for freshmen to see the field for the defending state champions.

But just before Tuesday night's district match against Westmoore, Burris got the call. The other three Norman North keepers were all unavailable and he was getting his first shot at varsity competition.

"For sure, I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how I was going to perform," Burris said after allowing just one goal in the Timberwolves' 2-1 victory at Norman North High School. "But I was happy to start."

With three-year starting goalkeeper Will Sutherlin battling the flu, backup Zach Jennings nursing a thumb and third-stringer Austin Keenon adjusting to a knee brace, the onus to keep the Jaguars at bay fell on the freshman Burris.

"It is very rare that you get five keepers in a program," Norman North coach Khalil Benalioulhaj said. "He had a very solid performance, but honestly, coming in as the freshman, we already had a lot of keepers that were sophomores and up.

"So we weren't sure what to expect, and he has outperformed himself day in and day out in practice, so we felt fairly confident putting him in there."

The lone goal Burris allowed snapped a scoreless stalemate in the 35th minute when Westmoore's Bryce Marshall emerged from a scrum in front of the Norman North goal and punched one into the net.

"That is a pretty tough goal to give up," Norman North's Alex Sonne said. "We really just tried to keep our heads up and keep going at them."

True to the nature of any successful goalkeeper and on the advice of one of his injured teammates, Burris quickly cast aside the memory of the score and focused on keeping the Jaguars off the scoreboard the rest of the way as his teammates began to find their offensive footing.

"Their chemistry is good because they have been playing with each other for years," Burris said. "Their ability to move the ball well is another good thing and their shots are strong."

Norman North (4-2, 2-0 Class 6A District 2) tied the match at a goal apiece just seven minutes into the second half when Benito Velasco emerged from the Westmoore back post with a powerful volley across the goal and into the net.

"Benny has always been a really good player at reading the game," Sonne said.

Fifteen minutes later, the second of two back-to-back Norman North corner kicks again found Velasco, who poked the ball to Sonne for an easy score from the back post that gave the Timberwolves a 2-1 lead.

"That is what we are working on," Benalioulhaj said. "Getting into the attack, being way more aggressive and then just being hungry for goals and having that tenacity about us."

Trailing 2-1 In the desperate final minutes, Westmoore (4-2, 0-1) got three good shots on Burris in goal, the last coming with just 66 seconds left in the match. Each time, Burris turned away the Jaguars.

"I just needed to tell myself, 'These are easy shots,'" Burris said. "They were more or less easy. They were right to me or they weren't very strong."

The victory avenged a penalty shootout loss to Westmoore from last season and kept the Timberwolves undefeated in district play as they continue to piece together a healthy lineup in defense of last year's 6A state championship.

"We're operating at a much better clip right now that we were last year," Benalioulhaj said. "Coming off a state championship is always difficult. You've got guys that have had that hunger, and to have that hunger the next year is really hard. But I think we have a hungry group.

"We have still got to tidy things up. We have got to play a little quicker on the ball and we have got to be more aggressive in the attack. Other than that, we are sound defensively, we have a great work rate and intensity about us and we are really well organized and we have good leadership on the team."