Talihina boasts special group

Every now and then a special group comes along at a county school.

Some smaller schools can only hope to have a few good athletes at a time, which will spur an improvement in wins.

Other schools are happy if there are one or two special athletes in a group.

Spiro has had a string of great athletes over the years. So has Poteau. Heavener had a good run in the 2000s in basketball, both the boys and girls. Pocola and Howe have had some special groups in girls and boys.

Then, there is Talihina.

Success in athletics has been the norm, not the exception over the years. There have been good teams and some very good. Typically, these good years for Talihina and other schools usually came in one sport, like the Tigers were in football for several years in the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Currently Talihina has a group that is better than the county has seen, possibly ever. The Tigers have some good seniors and sophomores, and a junior class that other schools can only dream about.

In football and basketball. The Tigers were undefeated the last two years in football, falling in the second round last year and the quarterfinals this year.

In basketball, Talihina’s boys have been to the county finals the last three years, finally breaking through this year to win the LCT for the first time since 1974. The Tigers also made it to the state finals last year before falling to Pawnee when a last-second shot missed.

The Tigers have three juniors starting in basketball in Taggart Lockhart, Jace Chancellor and Jordan Eagleroad, along with sophomore Chris Capsey and senior Marcus Sullivan.

Lockhart and Eagleroad were co-MVPs of the county tournament. Eagleroad also earned the Journal’s player of the year award for football as a standout quarterback and safety.

Capsey and Sullivan were also named to the county all-tournament team.

In addition to Eagleroad in football, the Tigers have a talented group of juniors who have excelled such as Taylor Hubbard, Kane Owens, Chance Judkins, Thomas Casey, Kevin Humphreys and Garrett Williams.

Capsey, Kash Clemons and Austin Lawson made an impact in football as sophomores while the Tigers’ seniors included James Cody Brigance, the defensive player of the year on the Journal’s all-county team, running back Dakota Boren, Tanner Trowbridge and many more.

I am sure I missed some names and apologize in advance. But one thing is for certain, it will be tough for any other county school to top the success Talihina has had over the last two years.