Thanks for The Memories

Every year in every sport there is a night like we are going to have on February 16. Senior Night is the time where we as fans, family, teammates and admirers have the chance to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of a group of players who have dedicated themselves to their program.

This is a special group we will be celebrating, and I don't need to list all of the accomplishments and moments they have provided us through the years, so let's get right to honoring them as only we here at TheSofaKing can do.

EMILY MYERS

This Senior exemplifies what a Jacket is meant to be. She is a strong leader on and off the court, plays hard, keeps her head up and doesn't let things out of her control get her down. As anyone who knows, coming back from an injury isn't the easiest thing in the world. Especially a knee injury in a sport that requires sudden stops and changes in direction. Emily hasn't missed a beat this year and the only way you would even know she had surgery is because of the brace she wears while playing. Emily has fit right into Coach Young's program and does what is asked of her to work together with her teammates. Her style is something that the underclassmen will remember and emulate long after her playing days at KHS are over.

Mya Dewberry

I'm thinking that when Mya was first learning to read, her favorite book was "The Little Engine That Could". She has a motor that runs on high all the time. She provides quality minutes off the bench with lockdown defense while also distributing the ball to open teammates in an aggressive, yet controlled manner. Mya is an outstanding athlete and was also impressive on the softball field this fall, but is also the type of athlete and person who will excel at whatever situation she finds herself in.

Braden Eaton

If you pull out Webster's Dictionary and look up synonyms of

...oh wait, Sofies that are part of the "new generation"- a dictionary was a huge book filled with words and definitions and was what we used back in the day before the google machine and such, now back to the program...

"teammate" it will give words such as friend, companion, comrade, collaborator and partner to name just a few. This partially defines what Braden has brought to the program during his high school career. Braden is the guy who works his butt off not just to improve his own skills but to make the people around him better. Read that again, wait- don't bother, I'll say it again.

Braden is the guy who works his butt off not just to improve his own skills but to make the people around him better. Sofies, this is a rare find. Not to say that working hard to improve yourself is a bad thing, it's an amazing thing and more people need to do it. But to work hard to make your teammates better is astounding. Braden may not get the PT or pub that some of his teammates do but know this- his contributions are just as valuable and shine like the gold on the championship trophies he has been a part of. He has shown the kids coming up what it takes and how to get it done all while showing what it means to be a Jacket.

Caden Kitchens

Hey Sofies, have you heard of this guy? This guy has shocked me the last couple of years. I always knew he was an outstanding athlete and that he made things look easy. A number of years ago, I would have told you that he has a legitimate shot of being a big-time pitcher in baseball, still probably could if he put his efforts that way. He has the ability to make everything look easy and adapt to the competition. He's not the biggest guy on the floor but he plays as though he is and puts up points in a quiet manner. You know he's a big part of the game but when you look at the stat sheet you are amazed with what he accomplishes. The Cowboy gets it done, but don't just take my word for it, ask the teams he has helped defeat over the years. Kitch will go down as one of the Jacket greats and will be long remembered for his long arms, nose for the ball and quiet domination.

Jud Birdwell

Here's another guy that just flat out gets it done. Be it shutting down the opponent's big man or working cattle, Jud is the man for the job. Jud is the dude who you tell what you need him to do, and he will go out there with a smile on his face and take care of business. While he plays primarily on the post providing excellent defense, rebounding, and passing abilities, I feel as though his strongest position is at the three-point line. His shot against Weatherford in the Buckle of the Wheatbelt tournament was a thing of beauty. Steph Curry would dream to have a shot fall like that. Jud also displays a genuine love for the game, but I think he enjoys being with his teammates on the floor more than playing. He exemplifies the friendship and togetherness this bunch of Senior boys have. You can see it in his smile after every Jacket victory.

Xavier Ridenour

The X Man, or Whammer as I like to call him, has come into his own. He is physical, crafty, smart, aggressive and a force to be reckoned with for teams unfortunate enough to play the Jackets. All while still being a goofy kid, just like he was when he played OK Kids baseball way back when. X showed the past two years that he is more than Maverick's little brother. X is a player that has a ton of talent and also has a work ethic that has developed that talent into a person that other teams are forced to try to stop while still focusing on the rest of the Jacket arsenal. X's smile on the floor, like Jud's, is genuine. The respect and friendship he has with his teammates is special and you can tell that none of them take these opportunities lightly as the number of games begins to count down. Xavier's legacy will be one that shows future Jackets that while you need to be a man during the game, there are still opportunities to have a little boy's enthusiasm and joy.

Maddox Mecklenburg

Ahhh, my man Aces (look at the jersey number and you'll see what I mean), he's the perfect combination of hard work, dedication, talent, and drive. His talent is being able to see things on the floor that others don't, this comes along with something else we will discuss later but Maddox has the ability to know where his teammates are going to be seemingly before the teammates even know. Fortunately they are waiting with their hands at the ready for another one of his pinpoint assists. I won't even begin to tell you how many shots he's taken leading up to this season but suffice to say that if I had a nickel for each one, I'd be living in Fiji in a bungalow over water that matches the blue in my eyes. Now for the drive, or as I also like to call it-passion. Maddox tore his ACL in the Buckle of the Wheatbelt tournament, he was supposed to have surgery on February 7. Guess what, Aces has decided to see about rehabilitating his knee and give it a go through the final weeks of the season. Not too many high school kids are willing to not only make that decision, even fewer are willing to go through the therapy required to get back on the floor with a vital ligament not attached to where it is supposed to be (see above with Emily). But for those who have been around Aces as much as I have, it's no surprise. I've seen the kid fight through nose bleeds, jammed fingers and much worse, all in the name of competition. As a matter of fact, I had the opportunity to speak with Maddox before February 7 and remarked to him how he was moving along well and that maybe he should just tape it up and give it a go, his response was that's exactly what I'm saying. Folks, don't ever count this guy out and WHEN (not if with this cat) he gets back on the floor, beware of the Jackets because their confidence while already high will skyrocket.

Jax Sternberger

Good ole Cuz, man I love this kid. If you know him, it's hard not to love him unless of course, you drew the short straw and have him guarding you. If that's the case, get ready to be frustrated the entire game because Mr. Jax will be in your head, causing you to foul out, making it nearly impossible to score and he will have a huge grin on his face during the entire game. Must be something about having parents and siblings that are all outstanding athletes and competitive. We here at the SofaKing have discussed many times what the team needs in order for the success to continue and when we come to Baby Soft, it's always Jax just needs to be Jax. He plays the game with aggression, toughness and brains with a little bit (ok probably a lot) of smart ass- I know, I know there are kids reading this but believe me, Jax's opponents have called him much worse. Another thing about Jax is that he can do anything, want him to play QB? No problem. Hey Jax, golf team needs someone else- he's got it. Jax could walk onto the baseball field RIGHT NOW and dominate any position you put him in. Oh, something non-athletic you say? Jax has got it. Go ask the students in the class that he is an assistant in, they love the guy. So much so that at a recent game, one of the little girls in the class (she's cute as a button by the way) screamed "MR. JAX MR. JAX" over and over until he gave her a wave and once he did? Shoot, you would've thought she got to see Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and her favorite Great Uncle all at once, that little girl was on Cloud 9. The man is magic, and he's going to continue that magic at the next level while playing football at Southeastern OK State in a position he hasn't ever played before. Yeah, my cuz got skillz y'all. I'm gonna miss this guy big.

Cash Slezickey

Does anyone remember the comedian Larry the Cable Guy? His catchphrase was "Git 'er done". I'm thinking that Cookie's mom must've been a huge LCG fan while she was pregnant with him because Cash is the guy that does the job and does the job well. Cash runs the offense with speed and efficiency as well as accuracy. Teams will try to pressure him a bit as he brings the ball up to no avail because he just takes a quick look down the floor and blows by any press and destroys any hopes of them stopping him. Generally, defenses will lay back a bit as the Jackets set up one of their many offenses in order to try to stop one of the multiple weapons the Jackets have to score, not so fast opponents, Cash has no fear of putting up a shot and hitting more often than not. You're going to have to try to stick to this speed demon too. He's not the tallest one on the floor (although none of them are), not the strongest, but he's definitely the one you need to try to stop if you want to have any chance of success versus the back-to-back-to-back State Champions. Another way Cook gets the job done is by being just a great guy to be around. He always has a quick smile, kind word or something encouraging to say. In the years I've been around him (which is quite a few), I've seen him upset once and that lasted all of 30 seconds when he realized that whatever it was getting him down at that moment wasn't going to affect the task he had in front of him and he went right back to leading his friends and teammates. Oh, another one of Cash's many talents is predicting the weather and he's actually a heck of a lot better than the jokers we have on local TV.

Drake Friesen

This guy...I mean, this freakin' guy...

There's a reason he's the last Senior to highlight. It's pretty close to the reason that there is still one Senior Sunday Conversation to be had with another guy from the football team. This is gonna be tough thinking about how this guy...this freakin' guy...is going to be playing his last few games at KHS. So, fair warning here, this part may jump around a little because I will probably have to take some time to compose myself a bit.

So, here's the first time I ever talked to Drake. He was fresh off a t-ball State championship (all these guys do is win, DJ Kahled should write a song about them) and was showing me his ring and telling me all about the tournament and games and such. Now Sofies, this was a t-ball tournament, so how much real action and drama was really involved here. To be honest, I can't tell you anything he said because I really didn't pay attention to what he was saying. What hooked me was HOW he was saying it. The kid loves to compete. The kid loves to get out there and mix it up a bit. Be it on the baseball field, basketball court, golf course, tennis court, or even around the coffee table playing a game of spoons, the kid loves to compete. Occasionally, he won't win, so what does he do? He learns. He sits back and figures it out and comes back again ready to whip your ass in whatever the game may be. If he realizes he needs to go somewhere to get some additional training, he does it. He worked his butt off last summer in a gym with a private coach as well as in the weight room and it shows. D-Ry is having an awesome Senior season so far and his production has done nothing but rise and there is no ceiling in sight for him. Drake is locking down people on defense and is becoming more aggressive going to the basket all while knocking down long range 3's. He is showing more every game that he too, is a weapon for other teams to factor in while trying to come up with a plan to try to slow down the Jackets.

Look at that pic of him up there. Maaann, this guy...this freakin' guy...I look at it and say naw, that ain't him. He's still that little kid with all the magnetic bracelets and necklaces plus any other SWAG available to youth baseball players at the time, plus that big T-ball championship ring. He's got plenty more championship rings to display and I know that I will be looking forward to that time when he and I can sit down, and he can tell me all about each and every one of them.

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So, there you have it Sofies, the Seniors that will be celebrated Thursday night. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these kids are special, each in their own way but also in how they are such strong friends and damn near family. I heard a guy say today that the way friends and families are built is through time together. Looking at this group and knowing their history, that guy was absolutely right. These guys have grown up together and are having the times of their lives right now and we are lucky to be able to witness it and even be a very small part of it all. If there ever was a group that deserved to be honored not just for their tenure of high school but also for their accomplishments, it's this group. Obviously, I'm very proud of each and every one of them and look forward to seeing them years from now, hopefully they will remember the old Commish and will give me a moment of their time. Lord knows that the times I've been able to spend with them have been ones that I won't soon forget.

Congratulations Seniors! Thank you for all you have done.

Pats on the back are over now, let's get to work and bring home some GOLD!