GAME OFF

PRESENTED BY: Dr. Larry Leemaster

Pandemic pauses prep sports

BY; Steve Marshall

The coronavirus has changed the way that we view the world and has caused many of us to evaluate and prioritize what matters most in our lives.

My guess is that 2020 will be the year we look back on and describe to our children and grandchildren as noteworthy to say the least, but for many high school athletes it has been a year of disappointment, change and adaptation.

Senior athletes were hoping to put that final stamp on their high school careers with All-District and All-State honors as well as D-1 recruit recognition to earn that elusive college scholarship at one of the top universities in the country.

This was to be the season of achievement. But, the spring sports season ended abruptly.

Zach Bice, athletic director at Westmoore, like so many others in his position, has never been through anything like what the athletes, coaches and administrators are going through now.

“You feel so much for our athletes obviously, but for our coaches as well,” said Bice. “They put a lot into this too. I know they are so disappointed. Our coaches have handled it well and supported the kids, but you can’t get it back. We are where we are.”

The baseball team under first-year head coach Andrew McGuire had gotten off to a 4-0 with great expectations for the remainder of the season, led by players like Jace Bohrofen, a University of Oklahoma commit who would have had dozens of scouts at games to watch him take batting practice.

Brent Teel, Zane Chavez, Brandon Gomez, to name a few, had gotten the Jags off to a great start early.

“I think our baseball team was undefeated so I’ll just go ahead and declare them State Champs,” Bice said.

The Westmoore girls softball team is always in contention for the state championship and this year was no different, according to head coach Steve Schwarz.

“We felt like we had another good team with players like Mattie Lee, a D-1 recruit at third base, Kailey Gamble, a North Texas recruit and Janelle Marwitz, a recruit headed to Lamar University,” Schwarz said.

Big things were also expected from the girls soccer team who had gotten off to a 2-1 start with their only loss to one of the top-ranked teams in Norman North. Head Coach Robert Williams returned a talented squad that went 14-2-1 last year, losing to eventual state champs Norman North in the quarterfinals and to Jenks, a team that made it all the way to the semi-finals.

“Kylie Munson signed to play at Oklahoma State. She’s a great defender, a leader on a defense that gave up only eight goals all of last year and can put it away on some of the freekick opportunities.”

Williams also talked about some of the other girls he was counting on to be leaders on this year’s team.

“Jocelyn Glitzke is a senior that missed her freshman year after an injury and has gotten better each year since her return. She’s a girl that controlled the center-mid and is an important piece in controlling the midfield, setting up scoring opportunities,” according to Williams.

Celeste Ceballos was the scoring leader for the team last year but wasn’t completely healthy at the end of the year. She was a major contributor this year and continued to improve. Senior Jadynn Daggs was another experienced contributor.

While it’s true that the playing season was cut short, the time, effort and commitment by these athletes should not be overlooked. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the chance to finish their high school career was unceremoniously taken away from them.

There is a little comfort that many others are in the same boat. For athletes and coaches, moms and dads, fans and friends, 2020 is most assuredly a year no one will soon forget. -19SM