Joe Allen was selected recently as the 38th head football coach in school history at Waurika High School.
Allen will not only be the grid mentor, but will also serve as the head baseball coach for the Eagles next spring.
“I am really excited about coming to Waurika not just because of the job opportunities, but because my wife teaches at Waurika, we live here and my kids go to school here,” said Allen in a recent interview.
Allen, a 2009 graduate of Cameron University and a 2004 Ryan High School graduate, is looking forward to the challenge of continuing to build on the success Waurika has had in football the past couple of years.
For the past four seasons Allen has been the head baseball coach and assistant football coach at Walters High School. He guided the Blue Devils to one district title in baseball in the four seasons.
“The big selling point for the job was of course my family, but also the kind of athletes they had coming up at Waurika,” said Allen. “I was happy at Walters, so it had to be the right job for me to leave there.”
Allen began his coaching career as a lay coach for the Duncan High School baseball team for two years.
He became the head baseball coach at Rush Springs for two seasons before moving to Temple in 2013 to become the head football coach and head baseball coach for the Tigers.
It was his only season as a head football coach and he guided the Tigers to a 4-5 mark before the opportunity came to move over to Walters.
“Football and baseball were always neck and neck for me even when I was a little kid,” noted Allen when asked which sport was his favorite.
Allen has not yet had an opportunity to meet with the football team, but is looking forward to getting together with them in the near future.
“Being in the area and living here in Waurika I have known the kind of athletes they have,” said Allen in reflecting on his new challenge.
“They have been really competitive in junior high and what I have been impressed with is they have a number of athletes that I have heard are willing to work hard to improve,” said Allen.
While the timing of his hiring did not allow him to get involved with Waurika’s summer league baseball team, he did see the squad in action in their final summer league game at Comanche.
Allen will take over for former Waurika football and baseball coach Glenn Howard, who moves over to Wilson to become an assistant for the Eagles.
“I was glad they had a team because it is hard to get a team together in many of the smaller communities around,” Allen said
Allen was an outstanding athlete during his high school career at Ryan. He excelled in football, baseball and track.
In the 2003 season football season Allen was the starting quarterback on the Cowboys’ semifinal squad that finished 9-4. He threw for 1,113 yards and connected for 11 touchdowns. He also contributed 553 yards rushing.
During his junior season for the Cowboy football squad Allen snared seven interceptions, which was the third most in the state among eight-man schools. He was also named to The Duncan Banner’s all-area football team.
Allen was a ringleader on the 2003 baseball squad that earned a district title – one of only three district titles for the Cowboys since 2000.
In track, Allen was a state track meet qualifier in the high jump in both 2003 and 2004 and was the Southern Eight Conference high jump champion in 2004.
Allen is married to the former Magen Wright of Ryan and she is currently a teacher in the Waurika Public Schools. They have three children with the oldest entering first grade at Waurika this fall.
Waurika’s Landry Forsyth has been given the distinct honor of being one of 74 students across the state to serve on the 2019 Student Advisory Council instituted by State School Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.
The Advisory Council will have their first meeting in 2020 on January 29th at the State Capitol.
At the meeting the council will discuss issues related to the youth in the State of Oklahoma.
Hofmeister chose these students because of their perspective and willingness to serve. “These are among Oklahoma’s best and brightest high school leaders, and we look forward to learning more about the student perspective on matters of school policy,” Hofmeister said in a prepared statement. “Working with these outstanding young people is a highlight of every spring and their input on topics as diverse as bullying, career readiness and school funding has been instrumental to our state-level decision-making.
The first Advisory Council convened in 2016.
Five Waurika High School band students competed at the State Solo and Ensemble contest recently held at Oklahoma State University.
Four of those came home with Superior medals.
Riley Hobbs, a senior, got a 1 on his baritone solo and the Clarinet Trio, consisting of freshmen Hope Cummings, Brooklyn Barnes, and Regena Bradley also received the top rating. Michael Bryant, senior tuba player, got a 2 on his solo.
Band Director Everett Hodges said, “This is the most we have ever had make I’s at state. All of these worked hard and had very good performances. Once again, I would like to thank Starr Herron for her extra time put forth in accompanying these students.”
The Waurika Student Council is once again asking businesses to show their support for the Waurika Eagles by joining us in our Homecoming celebration! This year, the Homecoming theme is “Homecoming 2020: History in the Making!” We are asking businesses to decorate their storefronts/doors with a focus on a historic time/event or a historic figure. Doors will be judged, and the winning business will receive the traveling Spirit Trophy to display for the year. Please show your Eagle Spirit and join the fun!
Homecoming is Friday, October 2nd. We are playing the Canton Tigers.
Members of Waurika FCCLA and FFA joined forces to host a Bedlam Food Challenge during OU/OSU Bedlam week at the High School; The service project which benefitted the Jefferson County Helping Hands Food Pantry yielded 210 donated food items.
This past weekend Waurika and Ryan enjoyed their annual proms. Below are the pictures.
Photo by Curtis Plant
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Photo by Curtis Plant
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Joseph Martin & Abbie Bolin
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Roger Jessie, Gustavo Gomez, and Kassie Bohot. (submitted photo)
Jessie and Bohot were Gustavo’s power lifting coaches in the Spring of 2020.
He recently received his State Championship Ring.
Waurika and Ryan have both held graduation ceremonies for their Kindergarten classes.
This is just the beginning for these future leaders in Jefferson County.
The graduation edition for the High School Seniors will be out at the end of this month in the May 31st edition.
Bottom Row: Libby Langford, Johnny Lindsey, Rodger Moss, Lilly Poage, Stony Sellers, Cassidy Shea, Jaxon Torrez, Jesse Vega, Lilly White, Maci Wilkerson
Left to Right:
LILY ADCOCK, CRUZ CHAPMAN, JODEE CHARMASSON, HUNTER LOFTIS, ISLA MARTIN, TINZLEE PARKEY, JAKE REAGAN, CASON ROLLINS, SIMON ROLL, JAIME SALINAS, TEMPER SPANGLER, PAYTON WILLIAMSON.
Not pictured is Joey Aycoth
Waurika dropped two straight games in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling last Thursday to conclude what has been a tough season.
The Lady Eagles dropped a tough 10-7 decision to Wilson in the first game of the tournament and then were eliminated by Ringling, 11-0.
Ringling took the district title with two straight wins over Wilson, 9-1, and 12-0.
Waurika played one of its better games of the year in the tourney opener against Wilson.
Waurika took the lead in the bottom of the first inning with two runs.
Faith Roberson had a lead off walk and stole second and that was followed by Gracie Walling being hit by a pitch.
F. Roberson stole home to give the Lady Eagles a 1-0 edge and then Walling scored on Landry Forsyth’s bases-loaded hit by pitch. That put Waurika ahead, 2-0, but the Lady Eagles left the bases loaded without scoring another run.
Wilson took the lead in the top of the second with four runs and carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
Waurika moved back in front in the third with three runs.
Brooklyn Barnes got things started by being hit by a pitch and Forsyth followed with another hit by pitch.
After two outs, F. Roberson managed a walk to load the bases. Walling slapped a double to center field that cleared the bases and gave Waurika a 5-4 advantage after three innings.
Wilson moved back in front with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but Waurika answered with a couple of scores to regain the lead in the bottom of fifth.
Hope Cummings led off the rally with a single and stole second. She eventually scored by stealing home to tied the game.
Walling picked up her third hit of the game and came around to score on Madison Roberson’s two-bagger to left field that put Waurika back in front, 7-6.
Wilson came from behind with a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to secure the win and Waurika could not answer in the final two frames.
Walling finished the game for the Lady Eagles with a 3-for-4 performance, three runs batted in and two runs scored.
In the second game of the tourney, Waurika had no answers for Ringling. The Lady Blue Devils scored four runs in the first inning, added one in the second, five in the third inning and one in the fourth frame to get the win in four innings.
The Lady Eagles could muster only two hits in the game by Kaci Reynolds and M. Roberson.
In the final regular season game a week ago Tuesday, Waurika outslugged winless Temple, 16-7, on the Lady Tigers’ home diamond.
Waurika jumped out on top of Temple with three runs in the first.
F. Roberson led off the game with a walk and moved to second when Walling reached on an error.
Destiny Barnes followed with a double to score F. Roberson and Walling followed with a score on M. Roberson’s RBI-ground out. D. Barnes came around to score giving Waurika 3-0 advantage and the Lady Eagles left two runners stranded.
Temple answered the Waurika uprising with a pair of runs to cut the margin to 3-2 after the first inning.
The Lady Eagles took control of the contest in the top of the third inning with five runs.
B. Barnes reached base after being hit by a pitch and she advanced to second on Forsyth’s free pass. Olivia Ralls was also hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cummings reached on an error that scored B. Barnes. Forsyth, Ralls and Cummings each stole home for three more runs.
F. Roberson followed with a walk and eventually scored on another Temple error that put Waurika on top, 8-2.
Waurika added to the lead in the fourth inning.
Reynolds led off the inning by reaching on an error. Tallin Mora was the courtesy runner and advanced to third on walks by B. Barnes and Ralls.
Cummings was hit by a pitch that forced Mora home. Grace Hill, who ran for Ralls, and Cummings scored on Walling’s two-run single. Alayna Stallcup picked up an RBI-single that scored F. Roberson who had reached on a fielder’s choice.
The four-run rally put Waurika in front 12-2 and Temple was in danger of being run-ruled.
The Lady Tigers answered the challenge, however, and managed to score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the Waurika lead to 12-7.
Waurika was not going to let this one slip away. The Lady Eagles answered the Temple rally with four more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases for the Eagles. B. Barnes scored on a fielder’s choice. Ralls and Cummings scored on F. Roberson’s two-run single to left.
Temple could not score and the game ended by the run rule.
Walling led the Lady Eagles at the plate with two hits in five at-bats. F. Roberson scored four times and Cummings scored three runs
M. Roberson picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Eagles.
Four Lady Eagles – D. Barnes, Madison Christian, Ralls and M. Roberson played their final games for the Lady Eagles in the district tournament.
Waurika finishes the season with a 3-18 mark, but the Lady Eagles showed marked improvement in the final couple of weeks of the season.
