WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 , 2020
JENKSTRIBUNE.COM
FROM THE GARAGE TO OPRAH Jenks-Area Business, The Wooden Toolbox, Highlighted By Oprah Magazine By Kyle Salomon The Wooden Toolbox had been growing and expanding for the past decade, but earlier this fall, Justin Wenzel and his fiancé Bailey Williams got a call that would change their lives. Wenzel said he decided to design and install a reading nook in the couple’s home in an area in the house he felt needed to be improved. “It was a wasted space with three small windows that were so high, you had to stand on your tip toes to see into the backyard,” he said. “I cut the entire wall out and put a huge (8x5) picture window in it, trimmed it and built and installed a loft bed with storage underneath. We had a lull in between completing projects and we wanted to get a post on the company’s social media accounts.” Williams said she dolled up the nook in fall décor and posted a photo on the Wooden Toolbox’s Facebook and Instagram pages. After the Instagram post was shared and circulated by several social media influencers, Williams received a call from Brigitt Earley of “O, The Oprah Magazine”. Earley said she would like to feature the nook in her new article called, “25 Best Reading Nook Ideas for Lit-Loving Kids and Adults”. You can see the article right here: www.oprahmag.com After talking with her fiancé about it and making sure “The Wooden Toolbox” would be credited in the story, the couple decided to allow the nook to be featured. “That was a pretty big leap for us,” Wenzel said. “It took me a second to realize it was actually the Oprah magazine, but that was pretty huge for us. We had been expanding pretty rapidly before that, so we definitely wanted to utilize that opportunity.” CONT on pg 5...
JENKS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WINS CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE Reid Sotkin, a junior at Jenks High School, combined his fascination for coding with his interest in investing to create the winning entry in the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. Sotkin, along with thousands of students from across the country, created and submitted apps to be judged against other entries from their Congressional District. The 16-year old was surprised with a phone call from Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) to inform him of his selection as the winner for the First Congressional District of Oklahoma. Using multiple coding languages, Sotkin developed an app called “Calculating The Future” to teach young people how to invest wisely and use the power of compound interest to plan for retirement. “Most kids my age don’t realize you can invest $150 per month when you’re young and have millions in the bank by the time you retire,” stated Sotkin when asked about his inspiration for the app. “My app helps you visualize the big picture and shows you what can be possible based on your income and your budget.” Sotkin confirmed his love for coding and web development during a computer science class at Jenks High School and through classes at Tulsa Tech. He learned a new programming language in order to complete his app and spent approximately 50 hours entering code to make the app functional and user-friendly. He completed his application into the Congressional App Challenge by submitting a video explanation of his app to be viewed by the contest’s judges. “When I got the call from Congressman Hern, I was so surprised,” Sotkin recalled. “I wanted to win, and I thought I had a chance, so I was extremely excited to hear from him and learn that I had won.” “The Congressional App Challenge exists for students like Mr. Sotkin,” said Representative Hern. “Mr. Sotkin had a brilliant idea for a valuable app, and he taught himself how to code in order to make his idea a reality. There is so much young talent here in our district and it’s important for parents and educators to cultivate STEM skills in our students moving forward. STEM fields are the gateway to the jobs of the future, and I am so proud of the work that Mr. Sotkin, and other Congressional App Challenge winners across the country have accomplished.” Sotkin’s winning entry will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives’ website. He will also receive $250 in Amazon Web Service credits, and possibly, a trip to Washington D.C. if the trip can be arranged sometime in 2021. Beyond high school, Sotkin says he will continue to follow his passion for coding and hopes to start his own software company. “I love building things and I thought I might want to be an engineer, but with coding, I discovered I can build anything I want,” Sotkin remarked. “All you need is the knowledge. It is the perfect platform for me to create. I feel like if I know enough about coding, I can start my own business in a week.”
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HOLIDAY SEASON KICKS OFF IN JENKS WITH LIGHTS ON Main Street Jenks transformed into a winter wonderland Thursday during Lights On! Many gathered to celebrate the annual holiday celebration in downtown Jenks. Photos/Izzy Pankey
Layla This smallish young pit bull mix likes to play rough-andtumble with other dogs but is very gentle with humans. She’s around 40 pounds and a year to 18 months old. If you’d like to meet Layla or any of her adoptable friends, call Jenks Animal Control at 918-299-6311 Option 8 or email animalcontrol@jenksok.org
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STATE AUDITOR CINDY BYRD SPEAKS AT CHAMBER LUNCHEON
Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, CPA, was the featured speaker last Wednesday at the Jenks Chamber of Commerce’s November Monthly Luncheon. Photos/Lane Castleberry, Jenks Chamber of Commerce
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BE T TER FOR JENKS, OWASSO TO MEE T IN SEMIFINALS THAN FINALS By Kyle Salomon
hours to play for the gold ball.
Let’s rewind nearly a year to early December 2019. Jenks and Owasso played in the 2019 6A-I state championship game in, yes, Edmond at the University of Central Oklahoma. No, that is not a misprint. Two Tulsa-area schools drove nearly two
Why, you ask? Well, during the 2019 season, the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) made the decision to play all Oklahoma high school football state championship games at Wantland Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma. This decision was made even though in the state’s two largest classes, Tulsa-area schools have dominated for nearly two-and-a-half decades. Jenks, Union, Broken Arrow and Owasso have won every 6A and 6A-I state championship since 1995 and Bixby and Booker T. Washington have won every 6A-II state championship since the formation of the division.
So, it makes perfect sense to make the blanket decision and play every state title game in Edmond, right? No, not even a little bit.
If two schools are from different areas, the OSSAA should do it’s best to find a neutral location for the game to be played. No questions asked.
After this decision was confirmed, Tulsa-area sports writers voiced their disagreement and concern over the decision by the OSSAA. Those disagreements and concerns were met by Oklahoma City-area sports writers insinuating Tulsa-area people just need to quit complaining and that “most” other sports’ championships are played in the Tulsa-area anyway.
I mean, just imagine the outcry from Oklahoma City-area sports media and high school sports fans if you made two Oklahoma City-area schools play at the University of Tulsa for the 6A-I gold ball. No, they would not be okay with that and neither should Tulsa-area people be okay with having to drive to Edmond to watch two Tulsa-area schools play.
Those comments made by the Oklahoma City-area sports writers became hilarious to me after having to travel to Oklahoma City, Edmond, and Choctaw (all OKC-area sites) this fall to cover state softball, state cross country and state volleyball. Now, if Jenks football advances to the 6A-I championship game, I will be making a fourth trip to the Oklahoma City-area to cover a state event.
That was a long, winding road to bring me to my point, but I believe it needed to be said. I am happy Jenks and Owasso are playing in the semifinals and not the finals. This game deserves to be played in the Tulsa-area and it will at 7 p.m. Friday at Broken Arrow High School.
For any sport not named football, I do believe the OSSAA should be able to figure out how to alternate every year between Oklahoma City and Tulsa on where the state tournaments are played. However, football should be handled differently. Football playoffs are not played in a two or threeday state tournament setting, so it should be done based on who is playing in the state title games. If two Oklahoma City-area schools are playing, the game should be played in the OKC-area. If two Tulsa-area schools are playing, it should be played in the Tulsa-area.
HOLIDAY HEALTH TIPS
25 Tips To Keep The Holiday Weight Off By Clint Howard Tulsa Fitness Systems Owner 1.Cook and bring your own healthy side dishes to parties, so you KNOW there will be healthy options available! 2.Put away the food after your holiday meals, so you don’t continually walk by it and graze on it all day long. 3.Plan out your holiday “cheat/parties” on a calendar and stay nutritional compliant the other days. 4.Always eat a combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. 5.Eat off a small plate instead of a full-size plate and don’t go back for seconds! 6.Don’t show up to a party hungry. Try to have a healthy snack and drink plenty of water beforehand.
These two teams are the two best teams in 6A-I this year and even though it won’t be played for a gold ball, it will be the best game in 6A-I, or for that matter, in the entire state we see all of 2020. I sure am glad I don’t have to drive two hours to see it happen. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the Jenks Tribune. Sincerely, Kyle Salomon ksalomon@jenkstribune.com
15.Don’t eat treats at the office. They’re never that good and once you establish that it’s okay to have “just a little bit,” the flood gates are open. This is because three “little bits” per day multiplied by five days per week multiplied by seven holiday weeks equals at least five pounds of extra body fat. 16.Drink an eight-ounce glass of water before every meal. 17.Turn off the big game and do something active. Instead of watching football, go outside and play a pickup game with your friends or family. 18.Practice fasting pre-holiday feast. Let’s face it, nobody is going to eat a reasonable portion of food on Thanksgiving, so get ahead of the game. Try to give yourself an 18-24 hour fast beforehand; the fast will keep your intake down and improve your insulin sensitivity before the feast.
7.When you are at a party, don’t post up next to the food table. Enjoy the company and other events. Divert your attention away from food.
19.Plan a head. If you know you are going to be consuming alcohol and/or making poor food choices, make sure to schedule time beforehand to exercise and get ahead start on those calories.
8.Don’t go holiday grocery shopping while you are hungry; it leads to bad decisions.
20.Make sure you stick to your daily habits; take your fish oil, drink your water, get your workout in, etc. Don’t stray away during the holidays!
9.Slow down. The quicker you eat, the less time your body has to recognize it is full.
21.Saying “no” to food is hard the first time. It gets easier.
10.Unlike a lot of our favorite holiday sweets, protein is associated with greater satiety. Make sure you add protein to every meal to fill you up.
22.Choose an alcoholic beverage or a dessert, not both. They are both sugar, so don’t do a double-whammy – pick one!
11.Enjoy eating at the most important holiday parties (family, close friends, etc.) and limit your eating at work parties.
23.Practice more table push aways!
12.Incorporate some type of family exercise as a part of your routine. This could mean going for a walk, hike or going to the park. 13.If someone gives you a hard time for not indulging, blame your coach or tell then you are in a special contest. It will move the conversation away from why you aren’t eating – to what you are doing. 14.Slow down on the alcohol. If you enjoy drinking, alternate each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water or club soda.
24.Plan and train for your local Turkey Trot and Jingle Bell 5k. These are always fun and allow you to get the whole family involved. It’ll help keep your workouts on track, which offsets some of the inevitable overindulgences. 25.Do your best to get 6-8 hours of sleep per night. Clint Howard | Tulsa Fitness Systems 918-296-7418 www.TulsaFitnessSystems.com
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CONT from pg 1... The Wooden Toolbox was created 11 years ago by Wenzel out of a “developed passion”. After graduating high school, he joined the Marine Corps for four years and then earned two bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management, which are the two degrees Williams has as well. Wenzel then took a job at the corporate office for the Quik Trip Corporation. He had started The Wooden Toolbox but would spend time on his passion after his job with Quik Trip. Between his two gigs, Wenzel said he would work more than 100 hours a week. He started The Wooden Toolbox in his garage, then moved his shop into his backyard before opening his shop in the Jenks-area. The Wooden Toolbox is located at 1999 N. Birch St. near Richard L. Jones Riverside Airport. “I did not expect it to grow as rapidly as it has,” Wenzel said. “I am still looking to expand. I have always loved working with people. I never thought renovating houses and building stuff for people would be my calling, but I just love putting smiles on people’s faces. When we finish the job, we do a one-week follow up to make sure everything is perfect. We haven’t gotten to where we are now by trying to get rich on one job. We have always believed in taking care of people. A big part of this is listening and understanding what people want.” The Wooden Toolbox specializes in remodels, hand-crafted furniture and home renovations. Wenzel has a 12-person crew working for him on his projects. The work is handmade or handcrafted with 100% hardwood. “We don’t skimp on product,” Wenzel said. “We are looking for longevity. Word of mouth has been great for us. That is how we run our business and it has worked well. Furniture has always been my passion. The cool thing about The Wooden Toolbox is the design implementation to the house is all done under the same umbrella. It is all done in house. We utilize the space given and construct everything from there.” The Wooden Toolbox does multiple jobs at a time, but Wenzel said he is planning on toning the number back, so the crew can have a quicker turnover rate. He also said there is another expansion for the business coming. “The dream for it is to be on Main Street in Jenks with a furniture shop,” Wenzel said. “I want a place where people can come and purchase a custom-made piece of furniture for their home.” The Wooden Toolbox can be contacted at 918-439-6615 or thewoodentoolbox@gmail.com.
JENKS TRIBUNE SANTA LE T TERS SPECIAL
We want to know what the children in the Jenks community want for Christmas! Send us those Letters to Santa and we will publish them in the Jenks Tribune Santa Letters Special Section, which will run December 18! The deadline to send in those Letters to Santa is 5 p.m. Sunday, December 13!
You can send all Santa Letters to ksalomon@jenkstribune.com or jwiesman@jenkstribune.com. You may also bring them by our office at 329 S. Elm St. Ste 201 in Jenks or you can mail them as well! If you are a business and would like to purchase an advertisement in this special section, the deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, December 14! We look forward to seeing what Santa Claus will be bringing everyone this year!
Ready to buy a home, new construction or existing? Ready to sell your current home? Want to buy or sell land?
CALL ME! Sarah Foley 918-798-3251 sfoley@mcgrawok.com
Long-time Jenks resident, a former City of Jenks employee, and a proud parent of a Jenks High School golfer! WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 , 2020
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HEAVYWEIGHT BOU T
Jenks, Owasso Collide In 6A-1 Semifinal Showdown By Kyle Salomon It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 when Owasso and Jenks kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Memorial Stadium in the 6A-1 semifinals. It will be a rematch of the 2019 6A-1 state championship game when the Rams knocked off the Trojans 14-6 to claim their second title in three years. Jenks coach Keith Riggs said Owasso is similar this year, even with some of their personnel from last year’s bunch graduating. “Offensively, they run a lot of the same concepts from last year, even though they have a new quarterback,” Riggs said. “Several of their receivers are back and several offensive linemen are back. Defensively, two of their inside linebackers are back and part of their secondary is back. They do have a new defensive coordinator, but they run a lot of the same defensive concepts as to what they did last year.” The Rams come into the game 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in class 6A1. The Trojans are 9-1 and ranked No. 2. Jenks’ lone loss of 2020 came against 6A-2 No. 1 Bixby 42-35 in its second game of the season. Riggs said Owasso is a solid football team and they have good players at every position. “There is not a weak link on either side of the football,” Riggs said. “We are healthy. We are playing our best football when we need to be. We played a good football game Friday night against a good football team. When you are playing well, you are confident in what you are doing. We have minimized our mistakes.”
The Rams, coached by former Union coach and University of Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship, has had one game this year canceled because of COVID-19, while the Trojans have had two. Riggs said his team is not perfect but has been making fewer mistakes each week and that will need to continue against Owasso. CONT on pg 11...
JENKS ROLLS OVER NORMAN NORTH, SHOWDOWN WITH OWASSO AWAITS
By Kyle Salomon
Jenks made a statement Friday with its 63-16 win over Norman North in the 6A-1 quarterfinals at Allan Trimble Stadium. The Trojans had five offensive possessions in the first half and scored touchdowns on all five taking a commanding 35-0 lead into the halftime locker room. Jenks coach Keith Riggs said he was proud of his team’s execution. “We will know more when we watch film, but I felt like we played a really complete football game outside of a few penalties that I’d like to have back, but our execution was really good on both sides of the ball,” he said. We had some big plays in the run game and passing game. Stephen (Kittleman) had another great game.” The Trojan starting defense held the Timberwolves scoreless and allowed 298 yards
of offense, including 184 on the ground. “Defensively, their strength is their running game, and we did a great job of taking that away from them,” Riggs said. Running back and safety Grant Lohr was the star of the show with four touchdowns, all in the first half.
“He’s such a tough competitor,” Riggs said. “Everything he does, he does it all out. With his running style, rarely can the first guy get him down. He’s always going to get some extra yards. He’s got great vision, on that last touchdown, he did a great job. He gets a lot of talk about his offense, but defensively, he plays so well at that safety position with being able to come down and help stop the run, and he also plays great in the pass game.” Jenks totaled 607 yards of offense, including 378 passing and 229 rushing and had 30 total first downs. The 607 yards of offense is the sixth most in school history and the 30 first
downs are the second most. Kittleman finished with 301 yards through the air and three touchdowns on 16 of 21 completions. Lohr totaled 120 yards on the ground and Jayden Patrick caught three passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Waylon Adams and Griffin Forbes also caught touchdown passes from Kittleman. Second string quarterback Ike Owens got a lot of second-half snaps with the score out of hand and he took advantage. Owens passed for 77 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a 61-yarder to Will Mulready and the other a five-yarder to Connor Bacon. The Jenks defense turned Norman North over three times. Joey Havir had two interceptions on the night and Myles Phillips had a fumble recovery. A.J. Brown was the leading tackler for the Trojans with seven in the game. CONT on pg 11...
JENKS DOMINATES 6A-1 DISTRIC T 1 ALL-DISTRIC T TEAM
Jenks football had 15 players recently recognized on the 6A-1 District 1 All-District team for their performance during the 2020 regular season. Quarterback Stephen Kittleman was named the District Player of the Year. Running back and safety Grant Lohr was named the District Offensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Tyson Ward was named the District Inside Linebacker of the Year. Offensive linemen Haden Crawley and Logan Nobles were both named the District Offensive Lineman of the Year. Tight end Waylon Adams was named the District Tight End of the Year. Receiver and cornerback Jayden Patrick was named the District Iron Man of the Year. Isaac Arsee, Griffin Forbes, Joshua Heck, Chase Jackson, Will Mulready and Tim Pennington were also named to the AllDistrict team. Trey Bargas and Khaleel Berry were named honorable mention.
Grant Lohr, Senior Running Back And Safety The Jenks Tribune Player of the Week is senior running back and safety Grant Lohr. Lohr rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns all in the first half in the Trojans’ 63-16 win Friday over Norman North in the 6A-1 quarterfinals. Lohr also caught one pass for 11 yards and had 3.5 tackles in the game.
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Brooks Fowler – Oral Roberts University - Baseball Why he chose Oral Roberts: “The tradition of the program, they go to a regional every year, they compete, win the Summit League almost every year and I think I have a chance to go there and pitch early, which means a lot for my development and hopefully play baseball after I play at ORU. That is what set them apart, is I think I have a good chance to win and compete for a starting spot.” How Jenks has prepared him for college: “Jenks is a big school, so there is a lot of competition in the locker room at baseball, so that has prepared me for ORU because I know how to compete hard to be able to play. I have had to do that at Jenks since I was a freshman, so that has prepared me for the future.”
Jessica Watson – Rogers State University - Softball Why she chose Rogers State: “The coaches are one of the main reasons. They have a really good staff there and it is a good program. That is the main reason I chose it. I had some other options, but Rogers State just stood out to me, especially since it is close to home.” How Jenks has prepared her for college: “The level of competition here. There is a high-level of competition on the softball team here, you compete every day to earn your spot. Also, the coaches here, they push me every day and I am the player I am today because of them.”
Kylie Hill – Coffeyville Community College - Softball Why she chose Coffeyville: “It felt like home. It really gave me a close feeling to home. It’s not too far, but it’s not too close either. It’s perfect for me.” How Jenks has prepared her for college: “Being to play consistently and always having a schedule with working out, even during the offseason, I feel like has prepared me really well for college softball.”
Parker Casselberry – Marymount University - Baseball Why he chose Marymount: “When I first saw the campus on the virtual tour, I knew that was the place for me. I didn’t really look at any other places after that. It has a great education and a great sports program. It’s on the east coast and my family is from the east coast, so I am familiar with that place.” How Jenks has prepared him for college: “Since freshman year, I have had great coaches, they have kept my mindset straight and helped me prepare for everything.”
Preston Pattison – Seminole State College - Baseball Why he chose Seminole: “I would say how hard they work and the improvement their players see quickly to get them to the next level is really what I am excited about.” How Jenks has prepared him for college: “The work ethic here is awesome. We have a great culture here and I am excited to carry it on into college.”
UPDATED PLAYOFF BRACKE T
CONT from pg 7... “A team like Owasso will make you pay when you make a mistake,” Riggs said. “We are right where we want to be, with an opportunity to get into the state championship game. Hopefully, we will be ready to go Friday night.” Jenks has not played on Thanksgiving week since 2013. With the formation of 6A-1, the playoff format was designed with a byeweek to occur during the holiday, but with four rounds in 2020 instead of three, the Thanksgiving week semifinal matchups are back in business this year. The other 6A-1 semifinal game is at 7 p.m. Saturday between Union and Edmond Santa Fe at Owasso. The Trojans had a normal practice schedule this week other than Thursday on Thanksgiving Day. Jenks practiced at their normal time in the afternoon Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but had an early morning practice Thursday to allow players to be with their families for the remainder of the holiday. Riggs said his team is excited to be here and excited to be one step away from another state title game. He said his players are looking forward to the challenge Owasso brings. “They are the No. 1 team in the state,” Riggs said. “You are going to have to beat them to win a state championship whether it is in the semifinals or finals. We have to find a way to beat them either way.”
CONT from pg 7... Riggs said he believes his team is playing as well as it has all year. “I think we are. We are about as healthy as we could be right now,” he said. “You want to be playing your best ball this time of year and I think we are. We will find out exactly where we are next week against a really good Owasso team.” It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 when Jenks and Owasso face off next week in the 6A-1 semifinals. Jenks is 9-1 overall and Owasso is now 12-0 after beating Mustang 45-7 Friday. The two rivals have not played this year. Their last meeting was in the 6A-1 state championship game a year ago with Owasso coming out on top. The OSSAA has not officially released a date, time or location of the semifinal matchup, but it is expected to be played at 7 p.m. next Friday at Broken Arrow. The Jenks Tribune will update the exact date, time and location when it is officially released Sunday.