TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: STEPHEN GARRETT (DEWEY)

By Mike Tupa

Dec. 1, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting, each few days, one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

Today's Spotlight

STEPHEN GARRETT (Dewey)

Multiple sports (2000s)

Garrett remains one of the most gifted and graceful athletes in area high school history — especially in the baseball realm.

Some newspaper quotes about him during his playing time for Dewey High School and for the Doenges Ford Indians in Bartlesville American Legion play reveal a glimpse of this remarkable warrior in cleats.

“(Garrett) boasts the grace of a ballerina, the smoothness of a spider’s web … and the grittiness of beach sand. Garrett … demonstrated major pop last spring with his bat.”

“(Garrett) pounces on the ball with seemingly effortless power and desire, cocks his arm while still gliding forward on nimble, quick feet and fires the ball across the diamond with laser-accurate bullets. In short, if you haven’t seen Garrett play shortstop — and you consider yourself a fan of flawless defensive play — you ain’t seen it all yet.”

In a spate of high-powered — perhaps over-dramatic — hyperbole, a reporter described Garrett as “smooth-as-greased-toothpaste-and-quick-as-a-scorched-gopher movement at shortstop, sure glove, and bazooka arm.”

Garrett remains an iconic elite in local sports history and the best of that ubiquitous essence often referred to as a “natural athlete.”

According to one newspaper account, going into his senior year (2006-07) at Dewey, he made vis-a-vis deal with fellow Dogger sports legend Trey Osborne. If Osborne agreed to play baseball, Garrett would go out for the basketball team.

Dewey boys basketball back then — coached by Mark Smith and assisted by Lance Knight – was something special, qualifying for state multiple times.

But Garrett fit right in, earning a starting spot in the backcourt and helping the program maintain its powerhouse reputation.

In a 73-55 win against rival Nowata, Garrett buried a three-pointer to help fuel a 12-0 run and finished with 14 points.

He nailed a trey and layup in the third quarter and scored 10 points in a 65-46 win against Blackwell and also netted 12 points in a rout of Sperry, 65-41.

But Garrett made his biggest impact on the baseball diamond, on the high school, American Legion and college levels.

During his freshman season at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid, he hammered the ball for a .391 average while playing all 57 games (the only player to do so). He also belted 19 doubles and two homers (one a grand slam), drove in 39 runs and stole seven bases in nine attempts.

Here are some of highlights for Dewey baseball:

— In a 5-4 10-inning loss in 2007 to Sperry, Garrett pitched the first seven innings and lashed a homer.

— Also in 2007, he snapped off a two-hitter to beat Pawhuska, 4-0, and struck out seven. He also scored the first (winning) run.

A very small sample of his highlights for the Bartlesville Indians included:

— In 2006 Garrett walloped a two-run triple to put the Indians ahead of Tahlequah, 6-5. Scoring on the hit were Adam Hibdon and Kyle Minton. Garrett also keyed a seven-run inning in the sixth with a lead-off double. The Indians won, 19-5.

— Garrett scored the winning run on an error in a hard-fought 2-1 win against Rogers County in 2007.

— Garrett and Joe Kelton drove in nine runs between them in a 9-6 win in 2007 against Fayetteville, Ark. Garrett’s big hit was a three-run double.

— In a 17-12 win at Springdale, Ark., Garrett reached base seven times, scored six runs and plated two RBI. The Indians rallied from a 9-7 deficit.

— In another come-from-behind win, this one against Rogers, Ark., 15-8, Garrett smashed a two-run triple (scoring Colton Porter and Tommy Hughes) to trigger the comeback. Garrett later added a two-run single.

— In the summer before he started college, Garrett played in 47 games for the Indians, batted .347, scored a team-high 63 runs, crushed four homers and drove in 32 runs, fashioned a .533 slugging percentage, led the team in walks (30) and being hit with a pitch (12) and was perfect on stolen bases (10-for-10).

Following his time at NOC-Enid, Garrett moved on to Southeastern Oklahoma.

During the 2010 season at SOSU Garrett started all 53 games, batted .337, scored 40 runs, drove in 22 runs, received 33 free passes and stole 10 bases in 13 attempts. He helped the team power to a 32-21 record.

Whether that season was his final baseball hurrah is uncertain.

Garrett remains perhaps the most complete baseball shortstop — defensively, offensively and baserunning— for Dewey or even area high school baseball history. Observing him play was more than fun. It was pure pleasure.

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Stephen Garrett

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This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.

-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville

-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville

-Chris Smith, Caney Valley

-Jill Bryan, Copan

-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville

-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville

-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey

-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville

-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville

-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville

-Carson LaRue, Dewey

-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian

-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley

-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville

-Karissa Jones, Dewey

-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Paper, Copan

-AJ Parker, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley

-Henry Williams, Bartlesville

-Markell Carter, Bartlesville

-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian

-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall

-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata

-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville

-Jessie Burch, Dewey

-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville

-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville

-Kate Steward, Bartlesville

-Jarrett Rouse, Community

-Amanda Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley

-Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville

-Aaron Hunt, Copan

-Calan Crowder, Bartlesville

-Colby Kohlmeyer, Caney Valley

-Allison Hunt, Copan