LHHS' Ricky Zorn, #5 wearing LH helmet, played quarterback in the Texas-Oklahoma high school all-star game
LH’s Ricky Zorn played quarterback in the 73rd annual Oil Bowl Classic Saturday night in Wichita Falls, leading his State of Texas team to a 14-13 win. The Texas vs. Oklahoma all-star game features top recent graduates and raises funds for the Shriners.
Ricky had a large cheering section at the game, with all his mom’s relatives (she’s from Wichita Falls) and a few LH students and neighborhood fans. Ricky’s LHHS quarterback coach, Lonnie Jordan, brought his wife and four children, and his basketball coach, Rod Beasley, came with his wife, Jennifer.
As you can see in these video links, Ricky proved he can still pass and run with the best of ‘em, and he threw a great block to make room for the runner in another play. In typical Ricky-style, he was the team’s leading rusher in the first half, and he traded QB duties all night with two other boys who’d earned spots on the team excelling in their hometowns.
Ricky traveled to Wichita Falls a week in advance to work out with the team, and they were treated to a parade on game day – complete with the candidates for Oil Bowl Queen – and a banquet at Maskat Shrine.
The Oil Bowl has a storied history dating back to 1938, when game was a simple summertime diversion of West Texas vs. East Texas players. Today, it’s the longest running high school all-star football game in the world, raising thousands of dollars for charities in both states. OU running back Steve Owens went on to win the Heisman after playing in the Oil Bowl, and Jack Mildren, JC Watts and Steve Largent made names for themselves in football and in politics after their Oil Bowl appearances. Coaching legends Grant Teaff of Baylor and Dutch Meyer of TCU coached in the game and Hayden Fry participated as a player.
Ricky had a great time working with the coaches and meeting the guys, he said. He’ll play for Harvard University in the fall.
