Owasso’s Ronnie Thomas an Outstanding Receiver

By MIKE MOGUIN
GTR Sports Writer

One of Owasso’s key receivers this season has been senior Ronnie Thomas.

Some people compare him to a shorter version of D.K. Metcalf, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, Thomas said. Metcalf stands 6-4 and weighs 229 pounds while Thomas is 6-0 and 180.

“One thing I like about my game is that I have everything,” Thomas said. “I have the raw running, the catching, the blocking, which is very important. You have to be able to block to be a good receiver. The yards after the catch (matter) too.”

When it comes to NFL wide receivers, Thomas says he looks up to Odell Beckham Jr. and Jerry Jeudy, who play respectively for the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. What stands out to him about Beckham is his route running.

“I feel like I run my routes just like him,” Thomas said.

The Rams’ senior said that what he likes most about being a wide receiver is that “as soon as that ball is thrown, it is all on you.”

As for the game of football, “I’ve been playing since I was five, it’s just natural to me as soon as I get the ball,” Thomas said.

Thomas, who came to Owasso in seventh grade, is one of four key weapons in the Rams’ receiving unit. The other three are fellow seniors Kelan Carney and Jarey Austin, and junior Cole Adams.

“I feel like the Owasso Rams have the best receiving corps and maybe the history of Oklahoma right now,” Thomas said. “All four of us. That’s as humble as I can say it.”

Thomas scored three touchdowns in Owasso’s 70-28 home romp over Norman North back on Oct. 1.
The first two helped the Rams rebound from a two-TD deficit. The first one was a 38-yarder on fourth down. His third TD put the Rams up for good 35-28 before halftime.

“When they scored those first two touchdowns that put us down 14-0, we didn’t panic,” he said. “But I felt somebody had to take charge,” Thomas said. “So when he threw me that first one, I knew it was ‘now or never.’
“On the other touchdowns, I couldn’t do it without the quarterback’s (junior teammate Austin Havens) great throws. I feel like the key is just teamwork. You can’t do it without the team. Also, just staying up every time I get hit. You can’t go down easy.”

The Rams’ offense kept rolling while the defense pitched a shutout in the second half.

“At halftime, we knew it’s not over. We should have never let them get those 14 points,” Thomas said. “We’re supposed to be the best team in the state and we just can’t let them come into our house and take a lead like that. Everybody on the offensive side got to work together because we got four great receivers. We all got to work together no matter who makes the play.”

Owasso (5-1 overall, 2-1 in District 6AI-2) stands in a three-way tie for second place as of mid-October. It does have a blemish, a 10-7 loss to Union in overtime in week 4, the week before the Norman North game.

“I feel like we were all off our game a little,” Thomas said in regards to the loss to Union. “We had a little too big of a head. We were the No. 1 team in the state and you can’t let that get to your head.”

The Rams also still feel the sting of last year’s loss to Jenks in the state semifinals.

They intend to correct that with another state championship in December.

“As long as we keep our head on our shoulders, we stay unselfish and work as a team, the only person that can beat us is ourselves. (Head) Coach B (Bill Blankenship) tells us that all the time. The only team that can beat us is ourselves. We got the skill. There is no other team that has the amount of skill we have.”