It’s a weekend off and then back to the wrestling room for the first ever Oklahoma girls wrestling state champions.

“They are going to go down as the first and it’s only up from here,” said Cassidy Jasperson said after her team was presented the championship trophy on the floor of the State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City Thursday evening. “This is the very beginning. Nobody should ever be completely satisfied with how they performed because there is always way to grow. Our girls are just looking to grow every single match. I really appreciate that about them.”

The Tigers will return one state champion in Ki’Eisha Cathey, while graduating two – Olivia Brown and Allison Hynes.

“Me, being a senior next year, I have to fill some big shoes that they are leaving behind,” Cathey said of her senior teammates. “We just have to stay dedicated, stay disciplined and we’ll get it next year.”

Brown and Allison are confident that girls wrestling will continue to flourish in Broken Arrow.

Says Hynes: “I see it getting better and growing even more. We have a good group of younger girls. We have some team leaders there, so we’ll be just fine.”

Says Brown: “I can’t wait to see what great things Broken Arrow accomplishes in the future.”

It’s not as if the pair is going to forget what happened in their present, however. Broken Arrow out-distanced second-place Jay,77-41, in rolling to the title.

“I’m really happy,” Brown said following her three-bout day, in which each match ended in a first-period pin of her opponent. “This is just as exciting as any of the national tournaments. It may not have the fog and lights, but being here with my school team and representing Broken Arrow, that’s the best thing.

“I’m so proud of my team. It shows how much we did as a team and not just individuals.”

Hynes, who grew up in a wrestling family, still could not calm her nerves heading into the event.

“I’ve been excited for the past couple of weeks,” she explained. “Last (Wednesday) night, I was able to sleep, but the night before I was just up all night thinking about it.”

Now, there is no more to think about it. Hynes, like her teammates and coach lived it. They are the first-ever Oklahoma girls wrestling state champions and that will never change.

Rachel Kramer earned two individual swim medals and the Broken Arrow Tigers girls swim team finished ninth in the 2021 OSSAA Class 6A Girls Swimming State Championships Thursday at Jenks High School.

Kramer finished third in the 200-yard Freestyle and sixth in the 500-yard Freestyle. Claire McDaris finished just outside the medal race by placing ninth in the 200 Free.

The 200-yard Medley Relay team of Kramer, McDaris, Kaylee Stika and Erica Frescott tied a school-record in that event and placed 10th at Thursday's meet.

The 400-yard Freestyle Relay team of McDaris, Stika, Kramer and Eleanor York earned a sixth place medal.

Other state finalists include Frescott, 11th in the 200 IM and 16th in the 100 Fly and York, Frescott, Lillian Hawksworth and Lexi Young placing 10th in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Inexperience and depth are two words Shane Schwab uses often to best describe his 2021 Broken Arrow Tigers boys soccer team.

Andrew Kruse is the only player to have seen significant varsity minutes for the Tigers. Of course, some of that can be traced due to the lost season of 2020. Seniors Luke Ferguson, Greyson Owens and Tristan Kinnamon do have some varsity experience, and will provide a vital leadership role to a team that is talented, but young.

“Our depth is very good,” Schwab said.  “We have to play to our strengths and everyone needs to understand their role on the team.

“We have a great group of seniors who are highly motivated to win state. Our Junior class is excellent, and the sophomore class is off the charts deep and talented.  They are the deepest and most talented class I have had in my time at Broken Arrow.  We could start eight sophomores and be extremely competitive in our district.”

Whoever is in the starting line-up, the majority will be experiencing high school varsity soccer for the first time.

“From a starting standpoint, our defensive line and goalkeeper will be very young,” Schwab said. “We will likely start a sophomore or a junior in goal and neither has played a varsity minute.”

 Schwab has seen enough through early season workouts to know that offensively “our midfield is very strong and deep and our forwards are very creative and attack minded.”

The early season will test the inexperienced Tigers as three of the first four games will offer challenging road matchups: at Bishop Kelley (March 2), at Rogers (Ark.) Heritage (March 5) and at Jenks (March 11). The Tigers home opener is March 9 against Bartlesville.

“Our schedule is competitive from the start, so we will know where we stand in the first two weeks,” Schwab said. “The thing is we don’t know a lot about any of these teams because we didn’t see them last year. But they are always tough games for us.”

Broken Arrow will play three games in the Southern Coast Cup in Gulf Shores, Ala., March 25-27, so they will get an understanding of how they match up nationally with teams from Tennessee, Texas, Georgia and Alabama.

For the second year in a row, on their way to winning another East Regional title, the Broken Arrow Tigers qualified all 14 wrestlers for the Class 6A OSSAA State Wrestling Championships.

“Everybody wrestled hard. Everybody fought hard,” said BA head wrestling coach Rod Jones. “You can’t question anybody’s effort.”

Broken Arrow crowned three champions – Jordan Cullors (126), Braden Anderson (170), Emmanuel Skillings (220) – and had nine other wrestlers reach championship matches in the two-day event, which saw the seven lighter weights wrestle Saturday and the seven heavier weights wrap up the Regional Monday.

The Tigers trailed Stillwater after Day One by 9.5 points. The second day belonged to the host. Broken Arrow outscored the Pioneers by more than 30 points Monday, in rolling to a 286.5-262.5 win over second place Stillwater. The win avenged a home dual loss to Stillwater earlier in the season.

“It’s not about where you start, it’s where you end up,” Jones said Monday evening. “Obviously, this isn’t the end, but where we started with them in the dual meet and then go heads up with them in the regional tournament, and to be able to beat them by the number of points we did, that feels good.

“I’m real pleased with the performance. But we have the understanding there is still work to do.”

The boys win was the second wrestling regional championship for Broken Arrow this season, as the girls qualified seven wrestlers for their state tournament, which is scheduled for Thursday in Oklahoma City at the State Fair Arena. The boys championship will be in that same venue on Saturday. A victory on Saturday, will be the third consecutive team championship for BA boys. 

Allison Hynes (118), Skyla Walker (161), Ki’Eisha Cathey (185) and Olivia Brown (215) were all regional champions.

Nine schools days have passed since Broken Arrow’s varsity soccer teams last stepped onto the Kirkland Activities Complex fields to practice. Two fewer school days than are left before the beginning of the regular season.

“I’m starting to go stir crazy and need to have my soccer back. Games need to start ASAP,” said BA girls soccer coach Kassie Embrey, sounding like any other coach itching to get back with her team.

Giving birth to Anniston Embrey on January 21 has somewhat tempered the rush for this soccer season, however.

“I love being home with my princess,” Embrey said of her dark-haired, red-plump cheeked one-month old.

Along with caring for Anniston, the days at home have given Embrey ample opportunity to think about – and miss – the girls that have taken up most of her time in just her second season as the Tigers soccer coach. Last year, COVID ended the season prematurely. This year, an Arctic blast delayed quality rehearsal time leading up to the opening of the season’s curtain.

In the days ahead of the March 2 season-opener at Bishop Kelley, the Tigers will scrimmage Bixby, Edmond Santa Fe and Jenks.

Fortunately, club soccer creates a year-round season for high school players, so there’s not much risk in players regressing in their skills. The greatest impact of missing two weeks of practice is player fitness, Embrey noted. She added, “it is something all teams will be dealing with.”

While the Tigers graduated three players who signed NCAA Division I scholarships, including All-American goalie Peyton Pearson, Embrey is confident in this year’s team, which has “reliable players all over the field.”

Those “reliable players” consist of six seniors who have been offered scholarships to play college soccer.

The key for success in 2021: “Play as a team, trust each other, and give full effort every day,” the coach said.

That every-day effort could be something new, since last year was offered up an empty season.

“I am hoping there are no challenges due to (missing last year), and just extra motivation,” Embrey said.

The final week of a shortened preseason will consist of filling starting spots. Something that is of little concern to Embrey, however.

“Our depth is pretty good because of our player versatility,” she said. “We should be able to maneuver players to help us no matter the situation.”

Spoken like a coach who in slightly more than a month has maneuvered through a pandemic, extreme winter weather, and the birth of a baby. Spring 2021 should bloom refreshing for Kassie Embrey at home and on the soccer field.

Just a sophomore, Natalie Morgan became a leader among Broken Arrow Varsity cheerleaders due to her positive attitude, says her coach Kyrstin Delehanty.

“Always with a smile on her face,” Morgan was recently presented a Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Award for Positive Attitude.

“When things get hard and the team gets frustrated Natalie always leads by example with the most optimistic attitude,” Delehanty said. “I have never seen her get mad or upset with another person on this team but rather focus on what she can do better.”

Morgan’s sanguine disposition is most evident when Delehanty is at her most demanding of the team.

“Natalie does a great job of not complaining but instead going back to the top of the routine, getting set, and trying again,” she said. “She is an extremely hard worker and doesn’t leave the gym until she has done everything asked of her. She is the definition of positive attitude.”

While encouraging coaches to create an atmosphere of competition and excellence in each sport, athletic administrators established Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S. to instill attributes within young BA athletes that go beyond the game.

Throughout the year, coaches recognize players for demonstrating the traits of Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S.: Service, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Positive Attitude, Excellence, and Self-Discipline.

Broken Arrow Tigers girls basketball coach Mike Dooney has a rule: For every piece of trash he finds on a bus after an away game, his team runs a mile. So far, thanks to the work of Christina Dameron, there has been no extra running this season.

“I catch her doing things for everyone else without wanting the credit for it and without her even noticing,” Dooney said as he presented Dameron with a Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S. award for Integrity. “She doesn’t get anything in return. She’s the one who checks to make sure there is no trash left on the bus. Or nothing left behind.

“Regardless of what is going on she is always going over and beyond for others.”

Prior to the season, coaches encouraged Dameron to play basketball.

“We wanted her to play,” Dooney said. “We think she could have been a really good basketball player.”

Dameron chose to be the team manager.

“For me, she is the perfect person to get the Integrity award,” Dooney said, addressing the team. “She gains nothing out of being a part of this team other than being a part of this team and giving value to you guys. She chose to be your manager. She puts you guys first. She does that every time she checks the bus.

“She’s always the kid who gets you bailed out. Not some of the times…always. Because, that’s who she is.”

While encouraging coaches to create an atmosphere of competition and excellence in each sport, athletic administrators established Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S. to instill attributes within young BA athletes that go beyond the game.

Throughout the year, coaches recognize players for demonstrating the traits of Tiger S.T.R.I.P.E.S.: Service, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Positive Attitude, Excellence, and Self-Discipline.

More than 25 Broken Arrow High School student-athletes signed letters of intent to play college athletics on or before what is traditionally known as National Signing Day, today.

“Signing a scholarship to continue pursuing athletics at the intercollegiate level isn’t something that happens overnight, or in front of a lot of people,” said Steve Dunn, executive director of athletics. “It is the result of countless hours of hard work, over many years, and with the support of teammates, friends, and family along the way. We are proud of our student athletes for achieving this goal.”

The following is a list Broken Arrow Tigers who have signed letters of intent:

Football      
Talon Wheeler, Emporia University
Dakota Tomlinson, Friends University
Jackson Schultze, NEO
Keyon Barnett, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Baseball
Jacob Simpson, Kansas Wesleyan University
Ivan Cox, Barton Community College
Kai Fowler, Carl Albert State College

Boys Golf     
Kaden Armstrong, Northeastern State University
Hunter Stanley, Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Girls Golf     
Avery Clevenger, Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Girls Soccer 
Hannah Chance, Oklahoma State University
Madison Hayes, University of Central Oklahoma
Anna Perry, University of Oklahoma
Harmony Turner, University of Central Oklahoma
Jazmine Furra, NOC Tonkowa
Lauryn Erickson, Friends University
Amorette Ramos, Seminole State College

Softball       
McKayla Carney, Missouri State University
Emma Rote, Southeast Missouri State University
Payton Hayes, Coffeyville Community College
Maci Cole, Cowley County Community College

Boys Tennis 
Konnor Collins, Southwestern College

Volleyball    
Callie Mullins, John Brown University

Graphics of the athletes can be found on Broken Arrow Athletics Facebook and Twitter accounts.