The possibility became the reality Monday afternoon.
“We had been talking with our players quite a bit,” explained Tiger football coach David Alexander about the cancellation of Friday’s scheduled game with Westmoore. “The reality of it, when it actually happened and we had to tell the team, it was tough. You semi-prepare for it, but when the finality of it hits, it’s a big deal.”
The cancellation due to COVID-related issues at Westmoore came following a scheduled off week for the Tigers, who play at Jenks on Oct. 2. Kick off for that game is 7:30.
“It was kind of deflating for us,” said senior Garrett Hinesley. “We were planning for Westmoore and that was a game we were really looking forward to. To have it taken way, it was frustrating, but at the same time we know that we have Jenks next and this gives us more time to prepare.”
While practice during the off week was focused on Westmoore, the coaches had added Jenks in to their discussion.
“So, when we got the news, to use a COVID buzzword, we pivoted over to fulltime Jenks,” Alexander said. “As long as you have something for the kids to work on when you get out there, practice is practice. It’s been good. The days of work have been great.”
When BA and Jenks meet next week, it will be a game between the top two ranked teams in District 6A I-1. Both teams ended the non-district schedule at 2-1.
“We don’t look at as we’ve lost a game, we look at it as an opportunity that we have more time to prepare for the next game,” Hinesley said.
The extra practices give the team added opportunities to bond, as well as prepare.
“The practice time has been really good,” Tiger quarterback Jake Raines said. “We really needed some time to gel and mesh. It’s not good that our game was cancelled, but we get two weeks to prepare for a big district game that we really need to win this year.”
Jenks plays at Enid Friday in its district opener. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be going through more preparation for their match up with the Trojans in a week.
“We knew coming into the season it was going to be different and there were going to be some things that were going to happen that may not be what we wanted to happen, but like coach always says, ‘we have to control what we can control,’” Hinesley said.
For more information on the upcoming game with the Trojans be sure to watch Inside Tiger Football presented by Rib Crib streaming on Arrowvision.
Broken Arrow’s district-opener against the Westmoore Jaguars on Friday, Sept. 25, has been canceled, the district said in a press release late Monday afternoon.
Kickoff was scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Broken Arrow for what was the YurView Ford Game of the Week.
“Westmoore contacted us Monday afternoon after they determined that Friday’s game could not be played due to COVID-related issues,” said Broken Arrow executive director of athletics Steve Dunn. “While we are disappointed for our student-athletes and coaches, we certainly understand and have anticipated setbacks like this occurring throughout this school year.”
The Tigers will open district play next Friday, Oct. 2 at Jenks High School’s Allan Trimble Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be the YurView Ford Game of the Week for the third time this season. There will be limited capacity, and ticket information will be announced as soon as it is made available.
Two outs. Bases loaded. Bottom of the first. Putnam City North infielders were playing back.
Broken Arrow coach Randall King saw a perfect time to nab an easy 1-0 lead with sophomore catcher Maci Cole at the plate.
He flashed through the signs. Squeeze play.
Cole didn’t get the hand-signaled message. She swung away on the first pitch.
“I missed that sign and I actually hit my first grand slam,” Cole, now a senior on the Broken Arrow softball team shared that as her most memorable moment as a Tiger with those in attendance at last week’s, 10-0, Senior Night win over Enid.
“That’s the only thing I could have done and not got in trouble,” she said. King concurred with her assessment.
Cole, a four-year starter, is winding up a career that began as a freshman catcher but ending as a senior second baseman. In between, she also has seen time at third base.
“It definitely was a big change for me my freshman year with the pace of the game and the competitiveness of varsity games,” Cole said. “I learned throughout the years to own the field and have confidence in myself.
“I was always timid my freshman year. I wasn’t sure of myself. This year, having confidence in myself and knowing I belong; that is a big difference. It’s kind of cool to go from a freshman starter to a senior leader. That’s how I look at it.”
Cole is actually one of two seniors who have started since ninth grade. The other, McKayla Carney, is the Tigers starting shortstop and leadoff hitter.
“They just work so well together in the middle of the infield,” King said. “We’ll definitely miss those two when they are gone. Both of them are super kids and super students who deserve every accolade they get.”
Cole is a quick learner.
Early in the season Cole was struggling at the plate. Her tendency was to be ahead of the pitch and pull balls foul past third base. Video and still photo study from her junior season, in which she hit .456 with a team-leading 51 RBIs, revealed she had pulled her hands in closer to her body causing her to yank pitches to the left. In mid-August she was hitting better than .400. A couple of weeks later her batting average dipped 40 points. With the adjustment, she is now hitting over .390.
“The coaches have been amazing,” Cole said. “Standing back from a coaches point of view, they have helped me with the IQ of the game.”
The ability to learn and adapt comes as natural to Cole in the classroom as it does on the field. The softball player with a weighted GPA above 4, plans to pursue an engineering degree in college.
“I leaned toward mechanical engineering, because that is what I felt was more versatile and what would help me better in the long run,” Cole said of her decision to choose mechanical engineering over civil engineering as a degree choice. “I do want to stay and live local, because this is where my family is. But, mechanical engineering will give me the opportunity to travel for jobs.”
In a field dominated by males, women account for less than 15 percent of the mechanical engineering degrees, Cole is not intimidated by the numbers. In fact, her interest in the field far exceeds thoughts of gender ratios.
“I always excelled in school, so thinking about what career I wanted to go into I never thought about being a women in science, it was just a career path,” she said. “I feel like anything you do is going to be tough in college, so you have to find something that you love, so you can tough it out. You’ve got to be able to want to do it.”
In softball and education, Cole has that want to.
“The way she works and carries herself, she applies that to the game,” King said. “She is fun to coach. She is the type of kid who will do anything you ask. If she has a bad at bat she learns from that, works at making the adjustment, and is then successful.”
Cole credits her parents with instilling in her a strong academic and athletic work ethic.
“I do everything to make my parents proud; to make myself proud,” she said. “I try to help as much as I can with the underclassmen. I try to do everything looking toward the future to make my future as bright as possible.”
As she looks forward, she can reflect on the past and recognize that even if she misses a sign, swinging for the fences can lead to something grand.
Broken Arrow Public Schools Athletic Department has rescheduled it ATS HeartCheck, a comprehensive heart assessment for Broken Arrow student-athletes in middle school and high school, to Saturday, Sept 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the gym at the Kirkland Activities Complex, located at the corner of Lynn Lane and Detroit.
Cost for the screening is just $129, a discount of more than $1,300. To schedule an appointment go to ATSHeartCheck.com. If cost is an issue, further discounted pricing is available.
“ATS is providing a tremendous service by providing our student-athletes affordable and convenient testing for undetectable heart conditions,” said Lane Green, Athletic Director of Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kan. “Through the heart imaging and other tests, parents can obtain information on their child’s physical condition that can’t be achieved thru the typical pre-participation physical exams.”
Studies have shown that one in 100 youth have some form of heart defect. According to ATS HeartCheck, a student athlete suffers cardiac arrest every three days.
The ATS HeartCheck uses the most effective analytic tools to understand a heart’s condition that includes Blood Pressure, electrocardiogram (EKG), and echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), all delivered by specially trained medical professionals certified in congenital and genetic heart conditions.
Select the following link to read more ATS HeartCheck Testimonials.
Registration for ATSHeartCheck is required.
COVID -19 precautions will be taken during this event.
