Gritty pair of Bruins, other area gridders capture OCA All-Star/All-State honors
Bartlesville High School’s Junior Earnhart was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class 6A All-Star-By-Class team.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School’s Damien Niko was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class 6A All-Star-By-Class team.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
January 29, 2024
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Damien Niko and Junior Earnhart didn’t experience a smooth journey during their high school football careers at Bartlesville.
From a head coaching change prior to their sophomore season and several gut-aching close losses and other challenges, they had to learn to endure, to persevere and to lead.
The Class of 2025’s cumulative record during their time as Bruins (20-29 from their freshman season, 13-21 as sophomores to seniors) doesn’t fit among the best of classes in team history.
The glory of the football Class of ’25 was its survival, it's getting better and its rising above several challenges to earn the label as bona fide warriors. In fact, this class of seniors was the first in Bruin football history to qualify for the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. During those first two campaigns (2022-23 and 2023-24) Bartlesville won its first-round playoff games.
The 2024-25 season was a Dickensian odyssey reminiscent of his blockbuster novel, “A Tale of Two Cities,” famous for its opening line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The Bruins struggled to an 0-7 start last fall but — after a major line-up shake-up — blasted to three-straight wins to qualify for the playoffs.
Niko and Earnhart were something special, their performances ascending to Bruin Football Honor Roll Call as among the best in team history.
As a result, both have been named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class 6A All-Star-By-Class team — an impressive honor considering Bartlesville’s unheralded 3-8 season and no playoff win.
Niko (6-2, 175) established himself as a game-breaking receiver and return man, as well as a superb defensive secondary specter. Earnhart (5-11, 275) was as reliable on the offensive line as yellow on corn.
__________
Barnsdall High School’s Maverick Lanphear was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class A All-Stars-By-Class list. Also earning a spot was teammate Brohk Townley.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
_________
GRID HONORS FOR AREA SCHOOLS
Several other current or former area high school football players also earned OCA postseason kudos.
For Barnsdall, lineman Brohk Townley (5-11, 245) and quarterback Maverick Lanphear (6-0, 180) both found a niche in the OCA Class A All-Stars-By-Class list.
Barnsdall was bumped up from eight-man to 11-man football with very little notice but still managed to earn a spot in the playoffs, thanks largely to the gritty production of Townley and Lanphear.
__________
Pawhuska High School’s Chase Eaves was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class A All-Stars-By-Class roster.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
_________
For Pawhuska, wide receiver Lane Kyler (6-4, 185) and wide receiver/defensive back Chase Eaves (6-0, 180), also each earned a berth on the OCA Class A All-Stars-By-Class roster.
Eaves played his first three seasons at Bartlesville High but transferred as a senior to Pawhuska. Pawhuska powered into the playoffs.
A couple of other All-Star players that had played at Bartlesville but transferred were running back P.J. Wallace (Muskogee) and linebacker Athan Nickles (6-1, 200, Stillwater).
Nickles also was voted onto the East All-State team.
Nickles started on varsity as a freshman (2021-22) at Bartlesville, when his dad Dan Nickles served as Bartlesville’s defensive coordinator.
Wallace started full-time as a running back his sophomore and junior years (2022-23, 2023-24) at Bartlesville prior to switching to Muskogee. He helped the Roughers win the Class 6A-II state title.
Wallace was the lone running back named to the Class 6A All-Stars-By-Class crew, but wasn’t selected for the Class 6A East All-State team.