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Porter
Muskogee Phoenix Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022
25 Porter’s on the mend, but the players are fine
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By Mike Kays mkays@muskogeephoenix.com
Porter’s Pirates better hope the spring wasn’t an omen for the fall.
It’s normal to have injuries, but this spring and into the summer, the Pirates’ injuries have been on the coaching staff.
Defensive coordinator Travis Hollis torn his patella tendon in February. Alan Cox, the special teams coordinator, tore his ACL in May. Between those, head coach Denton Long tore his Achilles in April, and this month, his father, David, also on staff, is having knee surgery.
With the comings and goings and rehabilitations of everyone, it’s been a short-handed staff.
“It’s been hard them not being here all the time,” sophomore lineman Miguel Chavez said. “But we’ve still been up there as players every day working out in the weight room.”
Long said it’s been the dedication of guys like Chavez, fellow lineman Kyle Anderson, linebacker/tight end Logan Roberts and quarterback Bradyn Israel that have helped navigate the choppy waters. Chavez in his first year of football was the Newcomer of the Year in District A-8.
“They were the leaders in the weight room all summer,” said Long. “We have an attendance policy and all those guys made that policy and served as examples to everyone.”
Long enters his second season at the helm, having replaced Prentice Joseph when the latter joined Travis Hill’s staff at Muskogee. Despite those absences off and on due to the staff injuries, Anderson says the Pirates have settled into the transition.
“Definitely year one we were trying to figure out how Coach Long does things. Coach
Jo was very hyper, a good coach and everything else. Second year, we’ve locked it in on how everything and everyone works now and I think we’ll do really well.”
This should be Israel’s second season at quarterback, but the injury bug got him in the first scrimmage last year. Listed at 6-3, 225, Israel suffered a knee injury and never returned.
“He’s been around the system,” said Long. “Caden Willard did a good job in his place, but Bradyn is a different athlete who because of his size is able to open up our offense with the running game.” That run Long game will also have Camden Price, who had 800 yards last season as a sophomore. He also had 80 plus tackles and 11 sacks from his linebacker spot. The Pirates reached the playoffs last year despite being below .500 at 4-7. One of their non-district losses was a 40-0 loss against Haskell, which drops from 2A into the district this season. “They beat up on us pretty good, but the game after that we started turning things around and had a better year,” Long said, referring to a three-game win streak following that loss. That’s the way they want to start in 2022.
Israel Anderson Roberts Chavez
These Pirates met the surgical sword
• Defensive coordinator Travis Hollis torn his patella tendon in February.
• Alan Cos, the special teams coordinator, tore his ACL in May.
• Head coach Denton Long tore his Achilles in April
• Assistant coach David Long, the head coach’s father, had knee surgery in August.
