DYNASTY Winter Sports Preview. Lady Indians have won three state titles over four years, including the last two

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1 DYNASTY Lady Indians have won three state titles over four years, including the last two Winter Sports Preview THS Basketball & Wrestling SHS Basketball & Wrestling KHS Basketball HHS Basketball & Wrestling

2 Contents Tahlequah Tigers Basketball Preview...4 Lady Tigers Basketball Preview...5 Tigers Wrestling Preview...6 Sequoyah Lady Indians Basketball Preview..3 Indians Basketball Preview...7 Indians Wrestling Preview...8 Keys Cougars Basketball Preview...9 Lady Cougars Basketball Preview..10 Hulbert Riders Basketball Preview...11 Lady Riders Basketball Preview.12 Riders Wrestling Preview...13 Winter Sports Preview is produced by The Tahlequah Daily Press Publisher: Executive Editor: Sports Editor: Cover Design: Page Design: Photography: Advertising Manager: Advertising: TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS Dale Brendel Kim Poindexter Byron Beers Byron Beers Juanita Lewis Byron Beers Juanita Lewis Byron Beers Stephanie Hair Sharla Smith Elissa Lyons Marci Diaz Apple Heather Ruotolo Lisa Pinnick Cover photo by Stephanie Hair Left to right: Lexy Keys, head coach Larry Callison, Jonia Walker. Look for these upcoming special publications from the Tahlequah Daily Press Santa Letters Throughout December Health Watch December 30 Newcomer s Guide February 24 Health Watch March 31 2 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

3 SEQUOYAH LADY INDIANS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Can Lady Indians three-peat? By JESSE CRITTENDEN After the Sequoyah Lady Indians basketball team secured back-to-back championships in the season, they have a chance to make history in Class 3A basketball. Securing a three-peat. A team winning a championship in three consecutive seasons has only been accomplished once in 3A girls basketball, and the Lady Indians have several reasons why they feel good about their chances of being the second team to do it. One main reason is the team returns virtually all of the players from last year s roster. This might be the best team I ve ever had, SHS head coach Larry Callison said. This is the first time since I ve been here that we ve returned this many kids from the previous season. Among the list of returning players is offensive standout Lexy Keys, who is set to return for her junior season after leading last year s squad in points and assists. Callison notes that Keys worked to improve her game this summer. Lexy has used the offseason to make herself stronger, Callison said. Last year she looked a little tired (towards the end), so we talked about her getting stronger. She s finishing at the rim better and getting to her spot. We ve got players around her to help her with the scoring, but we ll need her to be our go-to player. Also set to return is senior Jonia Walker, who led last year s squad in rebounds and blocks, and anchors the team s defense. Jonia improved a lot last season, and we expect similar improvements again this year. We ll need her to score in the low post and get rebounds like she always does. The Lady Indians also return key role players in Calesa Murdock, Aubrey Brown, Icelei Duke, Jaide Long, and Lana Gass. Several of the team s role players stepped up in last year s state tournament, and Callison is confident that the team will have several significant contributors. The depth this year is as good as we ve ever had, maybe even better, Callison said. The Lady Indians will face another tough schedule this season. See SEQUOYAH, page 14 Sequoyah s Aubrey Brown SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 3

4 TAHLEQUAH TIGERS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Experienced Tigers looking to make some noise Tahlequah s Michael Murphy By BYRON BEERS bbeers@tahlequahdailypress.com There s five good reasons for Duane Jones to be optimistic as he enters his second season as head basketball coach at Tahlequah. Jaxon Jones, Michael Murphy, Noah Riley, Ky Keys and Kooper McAlvain are those reasons. They each return to bolster a deep roster after each played significant minutes last season. The Tigers struggled with youth and inexperience in year one under Duane Jones, winning just seven times over 24 games, but they got better as the season progressed. Duane Jones hopes to reverse the results in We have high expectations just for the fact that we do have everybody coming back, Jones said. We were in games last year and lost a lot of close ones. We think we ll get over the hump this year and completely switch around our season. We were 7-17 last season and we could very easily turn those numbers around. It starts the with the five good reasons Jones, Murphy, Riley, Keys and McAlvain. It s going to be great [having those guys back], Duane Jones said. We re going to have all of our scoring back and we ve already got what we want to do kind of in place. All of those guys have had a year of seasoning and growth. I think right now we re so ahead of where we were last year. They ve each gotten stronger in the weight room and you can tell it in their bodies. I think they re also shooting the ball a lot better than this time last year. It starts with junior guard Jaxon Jones, the one constant who can score in a variety of ways. Jones averaged a team-high 15.5 points as a sophomore, shot 43.5 percent overall from the floor, including 39.8 percent from behind the 3-point line, and led the team 64 made 3-pointers and 1.6 steals. A lot of the differences you ll see is in his body, Jones said of his son. He s grown to about 6-foot-1, he s put on about 20 pounds. He s a lot stronger, but he s also a lot more sure about himself. He played a lot this summer so he s gained a lot more experience. His goal is to get to the free throw line more this year. He was a very good 3-point shooter last season, but we want him to expand his scoring opportunities by getting to the foul line. Murphy, who will be a senior, will join Jones in the backcourt. He was second on the team in scoring at just under 10 points per game and the Tigers with just over four assists. Murphy led the team in free throws made (59) and attempted (87). Riley will be Tahlequah s top post presence. The senior averaged a team-best 6.3 rebounds and also averaged 8.9 points. Keys and McAlvain both made big strides over the summer after being part-time starters last year. Others expected to make impacts are Simeon Armstrong, Qua shon Leathers, Hayden Wagers, and a pair of moveins Tanner Christian and Tanner Young. Christian and Young both offer good size and can play inside and on the perimeter to give the Tigers favorable matchups. We could easily go 10 deep and not have much of a drop off, Jones said. We have a good mix of guards and post guys that can play in and out. Tanner Young and Tanner Christian are both 6-foot- 3 and they can both play as post players or at guard positions. Tahlequah opens its season at home against Claremore on Nov. 27. The Tigers will also host Grove on Nov. 30 and host the Tahlequah Invitational Tournament from Dec The kids are really excited about what we re doing, Duane Jones said. They think we re going to be good, they think we re going to be competitive. I think that s a big change in their mindset. They think we re the team to beat this year instead of the team that was always kind of the underdog. 4 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

5 Can the Lady Tigers be even better this year? Tahlequah s Serena Jones By BYRON BEERS bbeers@tahlequahdailypress.com David Qualls isn t expecting any significant drop-off this season. The Tahlequah girls basketball head coach must replace six seniors, including four starters, but he has nothing but high praise for what he has returning. Those six players Delaney Nix, Sierra L. Smith, Sierra N. Smith, Alyson Hart, Kennedy Davis and Bridgett Stayathome were portions of something special. They were big contributors on backto-back state tournament teams. Doesn t seem like a simple fix. Nix, one of the top players to ever wear a Lady Tiger uniform, was an Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State selection that scored 1,569 points over her career. She was the team s bona fide leader at the point guard position. She s one of the best guards to ever come through here, Qualls said. Obviously it s going to be hard to replace Delaney. The hardest thing to replace with Delaney will be her leadership. That s something we re still the process of doing, finding that one person who can be the quarterback on the floor. But Qualls isn t worried. For one, he has more moving parts than last year. On the positive side TAHLEQUAH LADY TIGERS BASKETBALL PREVIEW of it, there isn t really one girl you can key on now, Qualls said. Different girls will have a chance to shine and it can be different each night out. We have a bunch of girls that might not go out and get 20, but can go get eight to 10. That s hard to guard when you re an opposing coach. The first thing that pops out to me is our depth, Qualls added. We re deeper than last year. We had two girls that were out with injuries last year that can replace or fill in for Delaney Nix and Sierra N. Smith at the guard spots. We ve just got some good depth at both guard and on the front line. Taya Green and Alli Stayathome, both guards, are the first two that come to mind as top scoring options. Green, who picked up on a lot of inspiration from Nix, averaged 8.8 points and was third on the team in both field goals made (85) and 3-pointers made (23) as a junior. Taya was smart in a way to get with the best player [Nix] every day after practice, Qualls said. She did everything that Delaney did the last two years and now she s continued that with Delaney gone. She s worked so hard to get where she s at. She s a great shooter, an elite shooter. The thing for us will be getting her shots. Stayathome, who was the team s second leading scorer as a sophomore behind Nix at just over 10 points per game, is fully recovered from an ACL injury that put her on the shelf for the entire season. Others that will be factors in the backcourt are Kynli Heist, Kacey Fishinghawk and Serena Jones. Qualls always thinks this year s bunch can be more efficient in the rebounding department. I think we will be a better rebounding team, he said. We re longer and more athletic. We lose our best rebounder [Alyson Hart], but as a group I think we can be better. I think our length and our rebounding can give teams problems. Junior Kloe Bowin, freshman Faith Springwater and senior Hailey Sams will be key pieces of the frontcourt. Bowin provided solid minutes behind Hart last year, Sams gives experience, and Springwater can do a lot of things not typical of a freshman. In several games this summer she led us in scoring, Qualls said of Springwater. She can step out and hit a three, post up, and put her head down and go to the basket. She can score in a variety of ways. The Lady Tigers open up their season at home against Claremore on Nov. 27. I like the numbers we have and the tools we have in our toolbox, Qualls said. I think we can put a lot together, and there s even chances we can play small with a dribble-and-drive lineup. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 5

6 TAHLEQUAH TIGERS WRESTLING PREVIEW Tahlequah Basketball Schedule Nov 27 CLAREMORE HOME 6/7:30 PM Jan BETHANY TOURN BETHANY TBA Feb 1 COWETA HOME 6/7:30 PM Nov 30 GROVE HOME 6/7:30 PM Jan 15 SKIATOOK HOME 6/7:30 PM Feb 5 GLENPOOL AWAY 6/7:30 PM By ELISSA LYONS Travis Kirby took over as head coach for the Tahlequah Tigers in With seven years of coaching experience and also a former wrestler, his knowledge in wrestling has been beneficial to the Tigers. Last February, Kirby took five Tigers to the OSSAA State Championships, unfortunately all fell just short of the podium. This year, four of those five wrestlers return, hoping for another shot. Four returning qualifiers is the most returning qualifiers that I ve ever had during my coaching career so far, Kirby said. We also have several other guys back who were all very close to qualifying last year. Our coaching staff has high expectations for this group of young men. The returning state qualifiers are also the only seniors on the team. Jakob Lyons, Tyler Payne, Isaac Strain and Brandon Davis will be returning to the mat all with eyes set on The Big House in February. I feel like this is going to be my year, my best season yet, Payne said. Tahlequah begins its season with a home dual against Miami on Nov. 29. In January, the wrestlers will be busy with duals and tournaments every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and on Saturday s earning seeding points for Regionals in February. I m ready for this season, Lyons said. Of course I want a state championship, runner Tahlequah s Tyler Payne Tahlequah brings back state tournament experience up isn t bad, I d just like to have that ring. I got so close my sophomore year. Plus this maybe my last chance before I leave for the Navy. It d be pretty cool if we could get a repeat at dual state also. On paper we should have a pretty decent team, Kirby said. Having four returning state qualifiers back is huge, but also having a sixth place regional finisher back, and several other guys who we ve seen beat some really tough guys plays a huge role also. We also have several other guys in the room that could easily surprise some people this season. The dual on Nov. 29 will be the only dual for the Tigers in Tahlequah s next dual won t be until Jan. 3, 2019 when it hosts Sallisaw. Dec 6-8 TAHLEQUAH INVIT. HOME TBA Dec 11 COWETA AWAY 6/7:30 PM Dec 18 COLLINSVILLE AWAY 6/7:30 PM Jan 8 GLENPOOL HOME 6/7:30 PM Nov. 29 MIAMI HOME 7:00 Dec FAYETTEVILLE TOURN. AWAY 10:00 Jan. 3 SALLISAW HOME 7:00 Jan. 4 JENKS TOURN. AWAY 10:00 Jan. 10 **PRYOR HOME 7:00 Jan 18 PRYOR AWAY 6/7:30 PM Jan 22 CLAREMORE AWAY 6/7:30 PM Jan PORT CITY CLASSIC CATOOSA TBA Jan 29 GROVE AWAY 6/7:30 PM Jan CARL ALBER TOURN. AWAY 10:00 Jan. 15 CLAREMORE AWAY 7:00 Jan. 17 COWETA HOME 7:00 Jan. 22 MUSKOGEE AWAY 7:00 Jan DOUG RIAL INVITATIONAL PRYOR 12:00 Feb 8 COLLINSVILLE HOME 6/7:30 PM Feb 12 SKIATOOK AWAY 6/7:30 PM Feb 15 PRYOR HOME 6/7:30 PM Feb REGIONAL TOURN. TBA, TBA Tahlequah Wrestling Schedule Jan. 29 FT. GIBSON HOME 7:00 Jan. 31 SEQUOYAH HOME 7:00 Feb. 1-2 GLENPOOL TOURN. AWAY 10:00 Feb. 5 JAY (SENIOR NIGHT) HOME 6:00 6 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

7 SEQUOYAH INDIANS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Indians have high expectations By JESSE CRITTENDEN After another successful season for the Sequoyah Indians basketball team last year, the Indians come into the campaign losing five seniors and four starters from last year s squad. However, the team s expectations are as high as they ve ever been. Despite losing several key players from last year s state tournament team, the team returns several other key players. With only two seniors on the roster, this year s team looks to take advantage of their youth. We ve been able to kind of build for this year and next year, SHS head coach Jay Herrin said. I think we re going to surprise some people. The team s lone returning senior, Blaine Garner, looks primed to take a bigger role on this year s team. Listed at 6 5 and a very long wingspan, Herrin believes big things are in store for Garner. I think he could be an all-state player this year, Herrin said. He s been working on his offensive game, and he s going to lead us on the defensive end. Last year s state tournament run included clutch performances from guards Shade Watie, CJ Soap, and Tomas Herrera, who served as key players for the Indians off the bench. All three guards have landed starting roles for the team, and are looking to continue their improvements from last season. Tomas proved to be a good ball handler and knock-down shooter last season. CJ is very quick and he shot over 40 percent from the three-point line last season. Shade is just an athletic force, and he ll be our point guard this year. Junior forward Brayden Haddock will round out the starting five for the Indians. A move-in from Muskogee this summer, Haddock s 6 5 frame will look to give the Indians much needed size in the paint. I think he s really going to help us around the rim. He can block shots, he s got a good hook shot, and he can step out and hit a three-pointer every now and then. We think he ll be a good compliment to Blaine on the inside. Last season s team found their identity on slowing the game down, and grinding out wins on the defensive end. However, Herrin believes his team will play much differently this season. We ve got some really athletic players, and we plan on getting up and down the floor. We want to run full court presses, and we want to trap in the half court and force turnovers. We ve got about players we can play, and that will really help us keep our energy up. The Indians will face some tough matchups this season, including key games against Fort Gibson, Adair, and Victory Christian. The team will begin their season with a road matchup against Riverside at Okemah on Dec. 1. We ve definitely got to play some tough teams this year. But I think our players are ready to go play anybody. The team has made the state tournament six consecutive seasons, leading to high expectations every season. Herrin believes his team is ready for the challenge. Our guys understand our tradition at Sequoyah and what the expectations are every year. I think we ve got a good team this year, and hopefully we can come out and execute and have a good season. Sequoyah s Blaine Garner SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 7

8 SEQUOYAH INDIANS WRESTLING PREVIEW SHS will try to replace six seniors Sequoyah s Landon Girty (grey) & Joey Hardbarger (maroon) By JESSE CRITTENDEN Heading into the season, Sequoyah wrestling coach Brad Jones is looking for big things from his team. Despite graduating six seniors from last year s squad, the Indians are feeling confident they can compete with the best this season. Jones isn t shy about what he wants to see from his team. I m telling them it s all about the work they put into the season, Jones said. I keep telling them that I m looking for our first state champion wrestler in Sequoyah wrestling. I want them all to believe that they are capable of doing that. This year s squad will likely be one of the younger rosters Sequoyah has had, as the doesn t have any seniors set to compete. However, they are looking for big things from juniors Joey Hardbarger, Ty Fixin, and Landen Girty. Those are the juniors I m looking to lead our team, Jones said. They ve been doing everything I m looking for. Our guys are working hard and they re hungry for more success this season. The team will likely see some contributions from freshmen and sophomores this season, including Clayton Wallace and Drake Breuklander. The roster will likely also include a few students who are making their first attempt at wrestling. I m just glad these young guys are coming out. Hopefully they can see the benefits of what wrestling can do for them. The season begins with a tournament at Okmulgee on Nov. 29 Dec. 1. Jones will use the early tournament as a measuring stick for his team. We always look at duels to find different ways to win. The Okmulgee tournament should have some good teams this year, so we know it ll be a good way to see where we re at to begin the year. More than anything, Jones and the team are ready to get the season started. I m super proud of the guys that have come out. They ve accepted the challenge. Wrestling is the toughest sport in the world. They re coming in and going to be better for it. 8 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

9 KEYS COUGARS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Cougars begin new era under Greg Barnes By AUSTIN HEADLEE The Keys Cougars are under new leadership heading into the season. KHS boys basketball head coach Greg Barnes is coming from Woodall Elementary School where he spent the previous 24 years as coach. Donnie Husband, ex-khs boys basketball head coach, led the Cougars to a 19-7 record and brought the team to the third round of regionals last season. I would love to be back to what they were doing, but we only have one returning starter and one other kid who got quite a bit of playing time, said Barnes. We ve got a lot of kids coming back that don t have a lot of experience, Barnes later added. We ll be pretty young. Even a couple of seniors coming back for basketball this year that haven t played since they were freshman. Expectation-wise, I would love to get to what they have accomplished last year, but we ve got a lot of work to get there. Barnes is expected to bring back old-school basketball to Keys by utilizing a lot of manto-man defenses and pick and roll offenses. While he would like to primarily use manto-man defenses, he will use zone schemes against certain teams. Barnes will need to adjust to the level of play at the high school level. However, he has the experience to adapt to the next level. The on the court challenges is just the length and size of the kids, said Barnes. Some things we were able to do at an elementary level will be difficult to do offensively. Spacing will have to be better because kids are bigger. That s something I learned this summer from the camps we went to, Barnes added. It s just tweaking the offense a little. The Cougars are bringing back a returning starter in junior Matt Huffman and sixth man junior Bryce Sanders. Barnes expects junior Scott Wolff to start at the power forward position. Wolff is a sound shooter who is not as big as the traditional power forwards, but he has good post moves and can be an impact on offense. Barnes anticipates using a 10-man rotation which could lead to multiple players leading the team in scoring throughout the season. The new system would be different from last year s rotation. The Cougars turn their attention to the fundamentals of basketball and will stress the importance of making smart plays, playing as a team, and discipline. We re probably not going to be the most athletic team a lot of nights, said Barnes. We re fairly small, so things we have stressed is discipline: we ve got to cut our mistakes down, we can t turn the ball over. We have to do little things, including boxing out people and putting a body on every shot. We just have to play sound basketball. Barnes brings a winning mentality from Woodall. His boys and girls teams have won 31 Organization of Rural Elementary Schools (ORES) state championships during his time at Woodall. Keys Matthew Huffman SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 9

10 KEYS LADY COUGARS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Springwater anticipates successful season behind young roster By AUSTIN HEADLEE The Keys Lady Cougars look to build off a successful season with a reloaded roster. The team finished the season with a record and capped off the season with a trip to regionals. The Lady Cougars won the first round of regionals in Keys with a win over the Sperry Lady Pirates but suffered a season-ending loss to the Millwood Falcons. The team lost four starters and their top shooters to graduation, but KHS girls basketball head coach Jami Springwater believes the team will be able to succeed. It was one of the best years the Lady Cougars have had since 2010, said Springwater. They had a winning record, which hadn t been done since Overall, I think the girls did amazing. They did everything we asked of them and they came and executed every night. Overall, the odds are kind of against us because we re younger, but I think we re going to be just as good as last year if not better, Springwater added. I did lose three of my shooters last year, but I m pretty sure we ve reloaded. We re just going to be young at the guard area. The Lady Cougars have a returning starter, senior center Autumn Wolff. Wolff didn t start at the beginning of the season, but her role continued to grow throughout the season and eventually she found herself in the starting lineup. She s my main post and she had picked up a lot of minutes toward the end of the season last year and she had gotten better every game, said Springwater. She did everything I asked of her and I m glad she got so many minutes because now she knows what is expected of her. Senior Nicole Brown Goooo was the Lady Cougars sixth man last season but she is expected to receive an increased role this season. Brown spent time at guard and the power forward spot last season coming off the bench and is expected to continue playing both spots. While the Lady Cougars are bringing back a couple of experienced players, eight of the 16 players on the roster are made up of freshmen. Three of the freshmen are expected to come off the bench during varsity games. The team will need its young players to step up in order to build off last season. Springwater anticipates sophomore Ashlynn Berry and freshman Kylie Eubanks to contribute to the team s success. Berry is a point guard who transferred to Keys last season and Eubanks played for the middle school last season. They are very young, but they have a lot of Cougars!!!! minutes underneath them, said Springwater. Not under high school, but they both play a lot of ball and they re going to help us. They re both aggressive scoring wise and they can both handle the ball very well. Springwater is entering her second season as the Lady Cougars Dec 6-8 HASKELL TOURN. HASKELL TBA Dec 11 HULBERT HOME Dec 14 TAHLEQUAH SEQUOYAH HOME 6:00 PM Dec 18 WESTIVILLE AWAY head coach and looks to build off the team s success from last season. The underclassmen have an advantage in being familiar with Springwater s system. The great thing is all these girls have been in our program since they were seventh graders and they are already used to my style of playing, said Springwater. I think that s what might help us be better because we don t have to go back and reteach them things. They re a smart group and they understand everything really well. Keys Basketball Schedule Jan 8 TAHLEQUAH SEQUOYAH AWAY 6:00 PM Jan WARNER TOURN. WARNER TBA Jan 15 CENTRAL SALLISAW AWAY Jan 18 VIAN HOME Jan CHECOTAH TOURN. CHECOTAH TBA Jan 29 WESTVILLE HOME Feb 1 HULBERT AWAY Feb 5 OKTAHA HOME Feb 8 CENTRAL SALLISAW HOME Feb 12 VIAN AWAY 10 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

11 Jordan Hill starts year one as Hulbert coach By MICHAEL BRAY When the Riders take the court to start the season they will do so under the direction of a new head coach Jordan Hill. Last season, Hill served as assistant coach to Hulbert athletic director and current girls basketball coach Eric Romine. Hulbert had 10 wins last season and Hill believes that the pieces are in place for Improvement this year. We definitely have a lot to build off of and have a lot of guys coming back, Hill said. We only lost two guys, both were seniors, and that alone helps out a lot. Hill admitted that his team is young and is without any juniors. It s kind of a weird situation, Hill said. We will have spots where we will have experience and spots with no experience. Everybody is equally excited and hungry to be on the court playing. Size will be a key strength for the Riders who have two players around 6 5 and 6 6 according to Hill. We have a couple that are 6-foot4 so we have quite a bit of size, he said. We also have a couple guys that are super fast like Jacob Bruce, Lane Gordon and David Jacobs so we have speed also so I think we will be well balanced. Overall though it is the Defensive intensity that Hill says will be the major role play of the Riders. Defense is where I pride myself off on playing college ball and high school at Fort Gibson under Coach [Gary] Hendrix, Hill said. I could always score but I was always better at defense. Hill attended college at Oklahoma Baptist University under famed coach Doug Tolin. When I was there we were the number one team in the nation back-to-back years, said Hill. It was high intensity basketball and that is what I brought with me from college. My philosophy is make teams turn the ball over and us shoot layups. One key piece of basketball is scoring and unfortunately for the Riders, Hill said that may be a big weakness. We had trouble scoring last year and that will carry over to now, he said. We are working on it but if there is one weakness for us it would be being able to get the easy shot. The Riders face a tough Class A District schedule. We have Central Sallisaw, Westville, Keys and Oktaha all who are great teams so none of our games will come easy, Hill said. That Is what I like about it that we re not going to play an easy schedule. Our record may not reflect how good we are but the good thing about it is we will play hard games and hard teams and that just gets us ready for the challenge of February come playoffs. Hill added that the players are learning to respect what he s about and he gave credit to his coaching staff who is not only teaching the team how to play basketball but how to be men. That is really an important part to me not just how to to play basketball but how to be good young men too, Hill said. We teach sportsmanship and to help a guy when he is down. If we don t win a lot I want us to be remembered as a classy team. Sports only go so far. We want to teach them how to be great dads and great husbands in the future. HULBERT RIDERS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Hulbert s Jacob Beeler and Chase Vaughn SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 11

12 HULBERT LADY RIDERS BASKETBALL PREVIEW Lady Riders look to build off last season By MICHAEL BRAY The Lady Riders enter 2018 following a successful campaign last season in which Hulbert finished with a record of Head coach Eric Romine expects another successful season this year. I think our expectations are to work hard and to improve on the foundations we laid last year, he said. We hope our young players will improve and hopefully help us by the end of the season. Romine says improvement will be coming to practice every day and understanding the expectations of the players and building on the culture that Hulbert is building as a basketball program. Wins and losses, it will be hard to improve our record from last year, he added. Four seniors return to lead the Lady Riders in Baylee Hall, Channon Rankin, Madison Chuculate and Katy Medlin. I think we ll still have a good team like last year, Rankin said. I don t know if we will be able to score as easily but it s something we ve all been working on and I think we ll have a good season again this year. 12 Wins and losses, it will be hard to improve our record from last year HEAD COACH ERIC ROMINE Rankin added that the incoming freshman have added value and determination to the team. I think all of their shots have improved, she said. They have not been nervous or scared and they have really stepped up. They have really good defense and they are a lot bigger than us, they are tall. Rankin said a personal goal for her this season is to improve her shot and score more points than she did last year. For teammate Baylee Hall, expectations revolve around going further in the playoffs than last season when Hulbert was beaten in the second round, and to work harder as a team and push harder than ever before. We need to focus more and hook up and play ball together as a team and not individuals, she said. A personal goal for me is to average more points, get more rebounds, and be even more of a long-range shooter. What the most important element though maybe that binds the team together is the familiarity that the seniors have in common. I think Katy, Channon, and I playing softball together and then basketball I think it makes us all closer, Hall said. WINTER SPORTS Hulbert s Channon Rankin and Madison Chuculate SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

13 Hulbert Basketball Schedule Nov. 27 PORTER HOME 6:30 Nov. 30 CENTRAL SALLISAW AWAY TBA Dec. 3-8 PORUM TOURN. AWAY TBA Dec. 11 KEYS AWAY 6:30 Dec. 14 OAKS HOME 6:30 Dec. 18 VIAN HOME 6:30 Dec. 20 OAKS AWAY 6:30 Jan. 4 WESTVILLE AWAY 6:30 Jan REGENT PREP TOURN. AWAY TBA Jan. 15 OKTAHA HOME 6:30 Jan. 18 CENTRAL HOME 6:30 Jan KEIFER TOURN. AWAY TBA Jan. 29 VIAN AWAY 6:30 Feb. 1 KEYS HOME 6:30 Feb. 4 PORTER AWAY 6:30 Feb. 5 **WESTBILLE HOME 6:30 Feb. 8 OKTAHA AWAY 6:30 Hulbert Wrestling Schedule Dec. 11 PARKVIEW HOME 5:00 PM Dec. 13 TULSA UNION HOME 6 & 7:00 PM Dec OPEN DATE FOR SR. HIGH TOURNAMENT TBA TBA Dec. 21 VIAN DUAL TOURN. AWAY TBA Jan. 8 DISTRICT TRI JR & SR LOCUST GROVE 4:00 PM Hulbert, Salina, Locust Grove Jan. 17 OKMULGEE HOME 3 & 4:00 PM Jan FLO NATIONALS TULSA TBA Jan PAWHUSKA TOURN. AWAY TBA Jan MAVERICK CONF. AWAY TBA Feb. 1 MORRIS AWAY 6:00 PM HULBERT RIDERS WRESTLING PREVIEW James Bruce will lead Hulbert on the mat By ELISSA LYONS The Hulbert Riders have a bright season ahead of them this year. With a seasoned head coach like Mickey McGowan, the Riders will be magical on the mat. McGowan has 36 years of coaching under his belt, as well as being a state champion himself. He s got the skills and know how to put Hulbert on the right track. We have a two-time state qualifier back, James Bruce who s only a junior his year, Mc- Gowan said. James Bruce fell just short of the podium at OSSAA State Championships last year. Bruce is young and skilled, McGowan said. He s got what it takes, and I definitely expect him to have another trip to state and place. I also have ten starters back this year, so that s definitely playing in our favor, McGowan added. Last year, they were still young and green. All took their lickin s and we ve improved on that. For as small of a community as Hulbert is, they ve learned how to make some tough kids. Hulbert wrestling has produced several State Champions, State Placers, and State Qualifiers every year. This year will definitely follow in suit like the rest. I m proud of all of my boys on and off the mat, McGowan said. They are overall some really good kids, hard working and determined. With that kind of drive, they ll go far. Hulbert wrestling will definitely be making waves this season. Jan. 4-5 INOLA TOURN. SR AWAY TBA Jan. 8 DISTRICT TRI JR & SR JAY 4:00 PM Jay, Hulbert, C.Hall Hulbert s James Bruce SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WINTER SPORTS 13

14 Sequoyah Continued from page 3 Their schedule includes matchups with 4A Victory Christian, 4A Fort Gibson, and perennial 3A state-tournament team Adair. We very well could get to the state tournament with four of five losses. We have a really tough schedule this year. But that doesn t bother me as long as we re playing well and we stay high in the rankings. I think we can play with anybody. Callison s team is also aware of their chance to secure a three-peat, and their fourth championship in five years, and they are using that as motivation. I think it s in the back of our minds. We addressed it in the first week of practice. But we re not letting that pressure us. It s motivating us to be better and accomplish something that few teams ever have the chance to accomplish. With one of the best teams in Sequoyah basketball history set to return to the floor this season, Callison knows expectations will be high on his squad. However, Callison and his team are ready for the challenge. The expectations are always to get to Oklahoma City and get to the big house and win it. There are some really good teams in 3A this year, but we re confident we can compete with anybody we might play. I know it won t be a satisfying season for us unless we at least make it to the finals. Tahlequah 130 S. Muskogee 1204 E. Ross Walmart Supercenter Green Country Trash Service Serving most of Cherokee County. Weekly pick-up with a smiling face. Protecting our environment with every load! Scott Chaffin - Owner We proudly support Cherokee County athletics 202 E. Choctaw St., Tahlequah, OK Automotive Chip Keys Safes Security Cameras Card-Access Locking Systems Automatic Doors Handicap Automatic Doors HR Emergency Service Home and Commercial Matt Rowan, Owner OK License #1404 OPEN 6AM - MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST 6AM-11AM LUNCH DINNER TRIPLE DRIVE-THRU Brian Kester Managing Funeral Dir N Grand Ave. (918) Our Family Serving Your Family Since Serving Oklahoma since the late 50 We proudly support ALL our local football teams!! S. MUSKOGEE AVE TAHLEQUAH, OK 14 WINTER SPORTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2018

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