The Sports Editor of the Claremore Progress received statewide recognition on Saturday night at the Oklahoma Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest Awards ceremony.

For the second year in a row, Rick Heaton's work was recognized as the best written and produced sports section among newspapers of similar size throughout the state.

Heaton received recognition along with a first place award plaque during the association's annual convention held on Saturday night at the the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.

Heaton is also an award winning photographer, taking top honors of the OG&E Oklahoma Press Association Photo of the Month 15 times. He has been with the Claremore Progress since June of 2015, having previously spent 11 years at the Owasso Reporter. In his 27 years in the field, Heaton worked at three newspapers in Kansas before coming to Oklahoma the Andover Journal-Advocate, the Arkansas City Traveler and the Goodland Daily News. He is married to wife Pam of 18 years. They have two sons, Chase (wife Kayla) and Dustin, and a granddaughter Alexis Blake (5).

In the daily divisions, three of Community Newspaper Holdings papers, The Norman Transcript, Stillwater News Press and the Tahlequah Daily Press, claimed the Sequoyah Award, which is the highest honor in the OPA Better Newspaper Contest.

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Progress Sports Editor honored at OPA awards - Claremore Daily Progress