New coach joins Seminole High football staff

Former Maud High School standout Harlon House has joined the Seminole High School football staff.
House, who was the head coach at Frederick the last two years, will work with Seminole’s wide receivers and secondary personnel.
“He wanted to get closer to home,” Seminole head coach Mike Snyder said. “I think it’s going to be a very good fit for us.”
Snyder said House also served as Carnegie’s head coach and was a member of the Stroud staff.
Snyder, Seminole’s head coach since 1980, is making one other coaching alteration. After serving as the Chieftain defensive coordinator the past few years, he is passing the torch to Blake Johnson.
“I’m giving the duties to a younger guy,” said Snyder, whose Seminole coaching career was launched in 1972 as an assistant.
Johnson is one of four former Seminole players on the Chieftain coaching unit. The other homegrown products are Shawn Snyder, Mike’s son and the offensive coordinator; David Carter, in charge of the defensive tackles and the freshman squad, and Jimmy Whitlock, high school defensive ends and the ninth-grade squad.
Neil Abbott is in charge of the offensive line. Abbott has been with Snyder since 1985.
•••
In the 42-year history of the Faith 7 basketball experience, there have been only four games that went beyond regulation.
And just one of those contests, the inaugural 1966 contest, went more than one overtime.
That game, won by Oklahoma, 140-133, had a two-man officiating crew.
One of those officials was present Shawnee resident and former Ponca City head football coach Bill Currens.
Currens, who officiated for 30 years before retiring in the early 70s, didn’t know what he was in for when he donated his officiating time to the 1966 charity game.
“We just couldn’t get that game over with,” said Currens, who couldn’t remember his officiating partner that night. “It just kept going and going.”
Currens said he worked a lot of overtime games in his career but nothing like the four-overtime marathon.
“Except for that game, I never went more than two overtimes as an official,” he said.
Near the end of his coaching career, Currens served as the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference Commissioner.