And just like that the 2024 Bristow High School football season comes to an end, with the devastating loss at home versus Checotah. It is hard to compete with an OU football commit, nonetheless, the boys put up an absolutely phenomenal game. The crowd was alive with excitement, and the student section was the loudest it had ever been, even from sitting on top of the pressbox. The Pirates were a little slow to put points on the board, but once they did the Pirates did not back down. It was back and forth the whole game, but with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, the Piarates were sure they had done it and would be moving on to the next round of the playoffs.
Being on the sidelines I witnessed a certain harmony of football. When the players would switch, the first thing they did after coming to the sidelines and speaking to their coaches, they went to each other, they took off their helmets and started getting as much information out about the opposing players as they could, before any of them were called back to the field. The coaches, throwing up signals and whispering to the others, or into their headset, and then turning around to spread the information to their players, like a high stress version of the game telephone. The players all put in a tremendous amount of effort that is not to be ignored, communication is a difficult skill to have, so a team of teenagers doing it so impressively is a feat in itself.
Checotah had no intentions of letting the Pirates off easy, and with 39 seconds on the clock, they scored another touchdown, leaving the Pirates in the dust. The crowd went silent and you could hear the obnoxious roar of their band celebrating their win, as our crowd sat in silence. Checotah’s fans were very respectful, and treated the facilities well though.The clock ran out, the teams shook hands, and the masses descended from the stands to the field, to console their loved ones and spread praise. It was a teary night, but the support of the crowd made it a little easier to handle.
The coaches were phenomenal as well. Giving words of encouragement to their players until the bitter end, and offering their love and support after, giving space where needed. You could tell just by being there they were proud. To have made it that far, and to work so closely with those boys. I spoke to Coach Roebuck after the game. He did not seem upset in the slightest so I asked why, he said “There are always winners and losers. You have to be okay with that. It is a part of life. I've been in those boys’ shoes. My senior year, we lost the playoffs by one point. It took a lot of time for me to understand that.” It helps to have coaches who know both sides.
Loss or win, it is important that those boys know, especially the seniors, that they did a good job. We are all immensely proud of them, including their coaches, for how far they have come this season. We all look forward to supporting them not only next year, but in their future endeavors as well.