19th Street Magazine December 2019

Moore Basketball Preview

Optimism Abounds

Holiday Shopping Guide

Gifting Local

Vet of the Month

Billy Malone

December | CONTENTS 2019

08 by Chelsey Kraft

Santa’s Mailbox

Hopeful children flock to The Station with North Pole wish lists.

12 by Bill Moakley

At the Crossroads

Young sailor witnesses dawn of nuclear age.

18 by Sharla Bardin

Career Training

AT&T grant to boost technology center outreach program.

22 by Roxanne Avery

Project Lead the Way

Innovative curriculum enhances math, science learning in Moore, Norman.

26 by Steve Marshall

Optimism Abounds

ISSUE 12 - VOLUME 2 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Doescher

MANAGING EDITOR

Chip Minty

SENIOR EDITOR

Lindsay Cuomo

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mark Doescher

CONTRIBUTORS

Roxanne Avery | Sharla Bardin Lindsay Cuomo | Chelsey Kraft Steve Marshall | Bill Moakley Chris Plank

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Tracie Gray - tracie@sportstalk1400.com Trevor Laffoon - trevor@sportstalk1400.com Perry Spencer - perry@sportstalk1400.com Jess Haralson - jess@sportstalk1400.com

PUBLISHER Randy Laffoon

Moore’s three high schools gear up for promising basketball seasons.

30 by Lindsay Cuomo Gifting Local

Finish your holiday shopping list while supporting local businesses.

36by Chris Plank

Sooner Magic The largest comeback in Sooner football history happened on the banks of the Brazos.

44 by Lindsay Cuomo

Modeling Medicine

Norman Regional debuts new high-tech simulation training lab.

SportsTalk Media 2020 E. Alameda Norman, Oklahoma 73071 Phone: (405) 321-1400 E-mail: editor@boydstreet.com Copyright © SportsTalk Media Any articles, artwork or graphics created by SportsTalk Media or its contributors are sole property of SportsTalk Media and cannot be reproduced for any reason without permission. Any opinions expressed in SportsTalk are not necessarily that of SportsTalk management.

Cover photo providedby: The Oklahoman

COM M U N I T Y

BY: CHELSEY KRAFT

Hopeful Children Flock to The Station with North Pole Wish Lists

S

anta will be making a special stop at The Station Recreation Center in Moore to pick up letters from children this holiday season.

Until Dec. 20 at 5 p.m., Santa’s Mailbox will be accepting wish lists in The Station’s lobby at 700 S Broadway Ave. Children in fourth grade and younger are welcome to drop off their letters to receive a handwritten reply from Santa.

Letter drop-off also makes for great holiday photo opportunities amid a backdrop of decorations that include Santa’s sleigh, said Lisa Hinkle, recreation center supervisor.

The letters should include the child’s first and last names, ages, mailing addresses and holiday wish lists, and Hinkle added that Santa especially enjoys seeing hand-drawn holiday pictures.

All letters must have a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a return address, so Santa can send a reply.

This is the third year Santa has placed a mailbox at The Station, and Hinkle said the recreation center’s staff want the box to be another family-friendly holiday attraction in addition to Breakfast with Santa and the Christmas Spectacular fireworks event. The first year, the mailbox received about 150 letters, and last year’s total was 178. Hinkle expects 8 | December 2019

that number to grow in 2019 as more families have heard about the program.

Feedback about Santa’s mailbox has been positive, and it provides the employees at The Station a way to give back and interact with local children directly, whether they realize it or not, Hinkle said. The staff also enjoys reading the letters from the kids, adding to the holiday spirit for them as well. Many of the letters include funny comments, and Hinkle said it’s also humbling to read some of the letters. It’s clear the children are grateful for what they have.

“It’s very rewarding to see some of the pictures that we get back from some of the parents of kids holding their letters and them telling us how excited they were to get a letter from Santa,” Hinkle said.

“We try and add a little bit of magic to it, so we give that kid a positive experience at Christmas … We try to add a personal touch in the letter, so the parents always love that. I’m not sure how much they love the glitter bombs that we put in there, but the kids always love that a lot.

The parents always tell us that it makes it a little bit more real for the kids and kind of keeps that magic alive.”

For more information about Santa’s Mailbox, contact Hinkle at (405) 793-5090. – 19SM

COM M U N I T Y

F

BY: BILL MOAKLEY

At the Crossroads

or Billy Malone, enlisting in the military as World War II wound down seemed the natural thing to do. Afterall, he was following his five older brothers into service. A seventh Malone brother would later enlist.

A native of Los Angeles, Malone joined the Navy in January 1946 at the age of 17 with his mother’s permission. Three days after finishing boot camp in San Diego, Malone was assigned to the USS Independence.

“I thought I was going to see the world,” he recalled with a wry smile. “They sent me down to Long Beach on a Saturday and put me in some barracks for the night.

The next day was my birthday, and I got on a transport ship to leave for the Independence.”

While onboard the Independence, Malone noticed an array of crates packed with military equipment and wondered what precipitated the need as the war had ended.

“I saw these crates of equipment with tanks and arma-

PRESENTED BY said quietly of the first blast. “I remember they were aiming for the USS Nevada which was painted orange, but they missed it. It C E N T U R I O N C G . N E T hit a Japanese ship behind it.

“Within five hours the ship I was on at the time cruised into where the damage was.

Fires were still going on. Radiation was still falling out from the blast cloud.”

Three days after the blast, Malone and his fellow sailors boarded the USS Independence and began assessing damage.

“It was totally destroyed,” Malone said.

“We had to survey the ship and report the damage. On the hangar deck, the airplanes there had been mangled together. The airplanes and tanks on the flight deck were the same way.”

Crews were on the ships for months conducting tests on the ships themselves, as well as the animals and ammuni-

Young Sailor Witnesses Dawn of Nuclear Age ments, everything you could imagine,” he said. “I thought, ‘what is all this about.’ I asked somebody and they said, ‘didn’t you volunteer for this?’ I said, ‘volunteer for what?’ He told me we were leaving for the Marshall Islands, and I was going to be part of some bomb testing.”

Turns out that Malone would be taking part in Operation Crossroads, the first detonations of nuclear devices since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. The purpose of the tests was to investigate the effects of nuclear weapons on warships.

Some 95 warships, including the Independence, were gathered at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands and subjected to testing.

Under the watchful eyes of scientists, military officials and members of the press, the first of two tests took place on July 1 when a bomb nicknamed Gilda after Rita Hayworth’s character in the 1946 film Gilda, was dropped above the gathered fleet. A second test would follow underwater on July 25.

“I could see it with my naked eye,” Malone 12 | December 2019

tion that had been stored on the ship.

“A lot of the ammunition was still live, but a lot of it had exploded,” Malone said. “We did all kinds of reconnaissance on the ship. The top of the ship, the flight deck, had bubbled up in the middle. It was incredible.”

Malone recalled no measures were taken to protect sailors who were on the ships five days a week for months.

“We had no equipment,” he recalled. “No Geiger Counters, no protective clothes. I had on blue jeans and a T-shirt.”

Malone left active duty a year later, but he remained in the naval reserves. After a couple of years in the construction industry, he joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a reserve deputy and would work his way into active duty.

He retired at age 72 after a long career that included serving as the head of search and rescue for the department and later moved to Oklahoma to join his son and daughter-in-law in Norman. - 19SM

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COM M U N I T Y

BY: SHARLA BARDIN

Ca ree r Tra i n i n g

Moore Norman Technology Center administrators accept the AT&T Aspire grant during the “State of the Schools” event in October. Receiving the grant are MNTC Strategic Innovation Executive Director Karla Marshall, left, AT&T External Affairs Manager Jan Moran, MNTC Executive Director of Instruction Terri Helvey, MNTC Board of Education President Glen Cosper, MNTC Superintendent Brian Ruttman, MNTC Deputy Superintendent Jeanette Capshaw, Oklahoma House District 53 Rep. Mark McBride and MNTC Business Information Technology Director Robyn Castleberry. Photo Provided.

AT&T Grant to Boost Technology Center Outreach Program

A

$20,500 grant AT&T awarded to Moore Norman Technology Center will expand the center’s efforts to help students explore careers and discover new job training opportunities.

The company gave the center an AT&T Aspire grant during the annual “State of the Schools” event in October.

The grant provides access to education and training to help people get and keep good jobs. Since 2008, the initiative has provided $500 million to programs that help millions of students in the U.S. and the world, technology center, officials say.

The grant assists high school retention programs as well as college and workforce readiness programs. The program also helps with job training efforts that prepare students from underserved populations to complete high school and college, officials say.

The AT&T Aspire grant will help the center enhance efforts to help students plan and prepare for their careers, said Jennifer Tupper, outreach coordinator at the technology center.

Tupper said the center applied for the grant this spring.

“It just seemed like a good opportunity for us to get the support from AT&T but 18 | December 2019

also to help provide additional resources for our outreach initiatives.”

Jan Moran, AT&T external affairs manager, said the company looks forward to assisting the technology center.

“To succeed in the global economy, our workforce needs the right skills. We are proud to support organizations like MNTC that help people build the skills they need for successful careers in technology,” Moran said.

Tupper said the grant will help inform high school students about career programs and resources at the center.

“We just want to make sure that we’re always staying as ahead of the curve as possible and that we’re reaching the students at the prime time,” she said.

Tupper outlined the importance of career awareness programs in the grant application. She referenced an Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development report from 2015 that states that by 2025, three of four Oklahoma jobs will require education or training beyond high school. By offering opportunities for students to explore careers, they can learn about job options and how education and planning factor into the career goals.

Some of the initiatives that the AT&T Aspire grant will help fund include tours

for eighth-graders and sophomores where students can learn more about career programs. Another effort involves pre-engineering tours for eighth-graders to raise awareness and enrollment for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. In addition, Tupper said other plans include hosting a recruitment event for high school freshmen.

One of the benefits for students who

attend the technology center is that the programs are free to high school students who attend public, private or home schools in Moore, Norman or south Oklahoma City, officials say. “I do truly believe that we have something to offer every student here, regardless of what their post-secondary plan is because I believe we are a great place to build that foundation,� she said.– 19SM

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COM M U N I T Y

BY: ROXANNE AVERY

Project Lead the Way

Innovative Curriculum Enhances Math, Science Learning in Moore, Norman

F

or children who like math or science, there is a transformative learning opportunity available to further their education, according to officials at Moore Norman Technology Center.

Project Lead the Way is a nonprofit organization that facilitates curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math education at public schools across the country, and it is being used in about 40 schools in the Moore and Norman school districts.

Educators are introducing students from elementary school through high school to real-world curriculum in computer science, engineering and biomedical science.

The Moore Norman Technology Center was recently recognized as a Project Lead the Way Distinguished School for a pre-engineering program the school has been offering since 2004.

Moore-Norman Technology Center STEM Director Cole Atkinson said the award means a lot to their program.

“We were one of 64 schools to receive this honor, so that’s a really cool award to win”.

Schools are evaluated based on the number of courses they offer students and on student performance.

Among its Project Lead the Way programs, the technology center offers computer science and engineering courses to high school freshmen and sophomores in all high schools within Moore and Norman public schools.

More than 500 high school students were enrolled in the program last school year.

As the original engineering program began to plateau, an expansion program was put into place in 2012, which 22 | December 2019

included students at Norman High School and Norman North High School.

In 2015, the program expanded to Moore High School, Atkinson said, and in 2016, it started at Westmoore. In 2018, students at Southmoore could enroll.

With three entry points to apply to the engineering program, students can apply as 8th graders to take the “Introduction to Engineering Design” class during their freshman year.

Also, they can apply as freshman for the sophomore “Principles of Engineering” class, which is held at Moore Norman Technology Center.

If they continue as juniors and seniors, they can take more advanced courses offered at the technology center, which include aerospace engineering, civil engineering, architecture, computer integrated manufacturing, computer science principles and digital electronics, Atkinson said. In addition to that, students can take physics, AP physics and BC calculus.

Atkinson said the biggest deal about the program is the partnership between Norman Public Schools, Moore Public Schools, Project Lead the Way and Moore Norman Technology Center.

“It was a creative offering as far as how to reach these kids because when they get to their junior or senior year, it’s hard to fit Moore Norman into their schedule,” Atkinson said. “By starting this as a freshman or sophomore, they have more time in their schedule to be introduced into the STEM pipeline.”

“This is such a great partnership,” Atkinson said. “If I could have every student take this class, I would because it teaches a lot of life skills, such as how to deal with adversity and how to work through problems.” – 19SM

S P O RT S

Optimism Abounds

BY: STEVE MARSHALL

Moore’s Three High Schools Gear Up for Promising Basketball Seasons

T

he Moore area high school basketball season is already underway, and there are a lot of reasons for excitement about Southmoore, Westmoore and Moore. New coaches on board and a Sabercat boys’ team that reached the semifinals leave plenty of reason for optimism. The following is a summary of each team as they start the 2019-20 season.

WESTMOORE GIRLS

Despite losing three of their guards and two of their leading scorers, the Westmoore Lady Jaguars are looking at last season’s 12-11 finish and are excited as this season gets underway.

“We really like what we have back,” says second-year head coach Matt Thornton. “We’re going to move 5’11 senior Madison Hays to the point guard position where I feel like she has a chance to be one of the best point guards I’ve had in my 21 years of coaching.”

The Lady Jags have some good size upfront, and they should cause match-up problems for a lot of their opponents. In the middle are seniors Shelby Kraus, 6’2, who Thornton feels has next level talent, and Torie Simon, a 5’11 forward, who is a move-in from Southmoore and averaged more than 7 points per game.

“Size, rebounding and our length should be the strength of our team this year,” Thornton said. We feel like we will surprise some people this year.”

Other contributors will be senior Tahtyana Jackson, juniors Brittany Romines and Shelby Tate, along with sophomores Jaiden Smith and Ryan Franklin.

WESTMOORE BOYS

Todd Millwee takes over as Westmoore’s head basketball coach.

A native of Lawton, Millwee played and coached at Lawton Eisnehower and was an assistant for seven years before becoming the head coach for the Eagles from 2015-2019, taking the Eagles to the state tournament each year.

Millwee feels they have a good mix of experi26 | December 2019

PRESENTED BY

ence and youth. Seniors Reece Fuller, 6’2, and Quinten Harrison, 6’1, return as some of the leaders for the Jags, while Millwee expects juniors David Owusu, 6’2, Zane Miller, 6’0, and Tyshon Covington, 6’2, to also be contributors.

Owusu really improved his game this past summer, Millwee said. He’s a very explosive player, he can get to the rim and finish and shoot the three.

The team will have three freshmen, Evan Barber, 5’11, Conner Boydstun, 5’9, and Zach Hays, 6’3, playing varsity minutes, so most everybody other than Fuller and Harrison will be new.

They’re also counting on sophomore Zion Ajibola, 6’5, who has shown significant improvement and should be strong on the boards.

“I think we have a good young team with a good chemistry and a high basketball IQ,” said Millwee.

SOUTHMOORE GIRLS

The Southmoore Sabercat girls finished 8-15 last year, lost three of their starters, 75 percent of their offense and some size, but head coach Shawn Clark is optimistic.

Clark begins his third season as the head coach for the Southmoore girls and will build around two returning starters, sophomores Madison Crandall, 5’10, who averaged 10 points per game and Brooklyn Haywood, 5’8, who averaged 7 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Seniors Morgan Ashton 6’1, and Jordan Pennon 5’8 should also be in the starting lineup along with top defender, 5’10 sophomore Kayla Neely.

Clark says the team’s strength is their ability to defend, and if the team’s chemistry can come together, they could surprise some teams this year.

SOUTHMOORE BOYS

The Southmoore boys are looking forward to a big season after a 20-9 finish last year, with some top players returning and some hopeful newcomers.

The ‘Cats are a senior-laden team with returning starters Jordan Thompson, Sam Godwin, Steve Jackson, Darrin Ryan and Damian Kline.

Southmoore will have great size along with strong guard play that will give some teams matchup issues.

New additions include Jaylin Counters, Brody Urquhart, Joe Roane and Jamarion Butler that should give the SaberCats more depth than last season.

Preseason focus has been on the defensive end of the court, concentrating on rebounding and chemistry.

MOORE GIRLS

Expectations are high for the Moore Lady Lions this year after finishing 19-7 last year and they are returning some of the top players in the state, including Aaliyah Moore and Raychael Harjo.

Moore averaged 16.5 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game last year, and she has offers from several D-1 schools, including the University of Oklahoma. Harjo is another top performer with high expectations.

“Our defense needs to be better, and we have to rebound better as a team and not rely on one or two players to get all rebounds for us,” said coach Brent Hodges.

“On offense, we need to be better in our shot selection and getting it to the hot hand every night. We have a lot of kids who can score, we just need to find the hot hand consistently and play the game inside out.”

MOORE BOYS

This year’s Moore Lions will have a different outlook than in previous years. Coach Greg Hardin’s team is young, but they’re talented and work hard on both ends of the floor.

A strong group of juniors will lead the team.

Jawan Mukes, 5’9, is a crafty point guard who can slash and shoot the 3-ball. Dylan McDougal is a 6’3 swingman who can create his own shot off the bounce and shoot 3s. Justin Martin is a 6’1 guard who can score and defend, and Greg Lewis is a 6’0 guard who creates a lot of steals and assists.

Senior leadership will come from Kason Landrum, 6’0, who is a shooter and D’Shanti Fancher, a 6’5 post player who can alter shots, rebound and score inside. Bryce Scudder, 6’2, is a forward that provides stability on both ends of the floor. Finally, there will be several sophomores that will impact Moore on both ends of the floor. – 19SM

B U S I N E SS

L

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

G if ting Lo c a l

ike most Oklahoma communities, Moore and Norman rely on sales taxes to fund operational expenses, such as police, fire, street maintenance and traffic control.

In addition to generating those much-needed sales tax dollars, shopping at local businesses creates a multiplier effect, which supports jobs and helps the local economy.

According to the American Independent

Business Alliance, the multiplier effect means money spent locally recirculates within a community, creating more local wealth and employment opportunities.

An impact that is particularly important during the holiday season.

So, this holiday season, 19th Street encourages Moore and Norman to multiply their holiday cheer by shopping local at their favorite retailers or one of the following locally-owned businesses.– 19SM

Johnnies Sweet Creations

Spread holiday cheer with delicious cakes, yummy cookies and mouthwatering pies from Johnnies Sweet Creations.

A free bonus for the gift giver is the enticing aroma of fresh baked treats inside this locally owned bakery.

Olivetto

Tuck an Olivetto gift card or two under your tree. At Olivetto, Tuscany meets hometown with artisan-inspired cuisine, perfect for lunch or dinner with family and friends.

Total Tire & Accessories

Get lit with accessories at Total Tire. Shoppers can find popular brands like RECON, Powersports, Lightning, Xenon and more.

30 | December 2019

Occasions

Find an array of gift ideas at Occasions, including dinnerware, stationery, candles, sweet treats and more. Handcrafted premium birdseed gifts from Mr. Bird are perfect for the bird watcher in your life. Add to your MacKenzie-Childs collection with the newest patterns of Highbanks and Royal check. The classic Courtly Check collection works well with all pieces.

HayVic’s

Looking for stylish clothing or the latest in fashion? Skip the hassle of the malls this Holiday season, HayVics in Moore is the place for you. New clothing arriving daily means there is always something new at HayVics. They have the right clothing for every season.

Color Me Mine

Give a gift that is truly one-of-a-kind from Color Me Mine.

Personalize a cookie plate and other festive holiday décor including ceramic Christmas trees and vintage trucks. Or gift the experience of creating together with a Color Me Mine gift card.

Brown’s Shoe Fit

Everything for your feet and so much more is available at Brown’s. This season’s must have, Ugg Fluff Yeah slides are available in multiple colors. Brown’s also has a great selection of bags and Maui Jim sunglasses in stock.

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S P O RT S

SOONER REVIEW

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t was a party in Waco, Texas, and for good reason. The Baylor Bears were making a statement early with a dominating performance on national television against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Bears were trying to place themselves into the Big 12 Championship conversation, but also into the National Championship conversation.

But, just as the party was reaching its crescendo at McClane Stadium, the Sooners whipped up an improbable batch of Sooner Magic that left the Baylor Bears looking for answers.

It was a come-from-behind ending the Sooner Nation had never seen before.

This is the story of one of the wildest days in Sooner football history with twists and turns, dizzying highs, preceded by soul crushing lows. Somehow, in the end, it all came together to give the Sooners a memorable triumph.

PREGAME MYSTERY

Lee Corso donned the Bear mascot head with guest pickers Chip and Joanna Gaines projecting a Baylor win.

As soon as Gameday signed off, the rumors started.

Talented Sooner wide receiver and Biletnikoff Award semi-finalist, CeeDee Lamb might not play. As kickoff drew closer, the rumors intensified. A report from The Oklahoma Daily student newspaper listed Lamb as questionable and any flame of concern was fanned into a full-fledged, five-alarm fire.

36 | December 2019

SOONER MAGIC Photo provided by: The Oklahoman

The Sooners are familiar with the media circus surrounding ESPN’s College Gameday broadcasts, and OU was making its 37th appearance in the featured game. With Baylor sitting at 9-0, this was the biggest match-up of the 2019 Big 12 season.

But in one of the day’s first odd twists, Lamb participated in pre-game warmups. He was dancing, catching passes, going through drills. He looked ready, but unfortunately, he was not.

“Ceedee Lamb will not play tonight,” Sooner Radio Network sideline analyst Gabe Ikard said, moments before kick-off. “The decision has been made to hold him out.”

It sent shockwaves through the Sooner Nation and even surprised the ABC/ ESPN broadcast team.

“You don’t often have a player who is ruled out medically sit down and do a feature for GameDay, do a phone call with Maria Taylor, go through warm-ups with pads on,” Chris Fowler said on the broadcast. Analyst Kirk Herbstreit responded, “I’ve never seen that.”

Lamb has become the Sooner offense this season, and now, a young receiving group would have to step up against the physical Baylor defense. As the pre-game invocation wrapped up, it became glaringly obvious the Sooners were in for an interesting night.

COULD NOT HAVE GONE ANY WORSE The circus that surrounded the build up to kick-off was quickly old news, thanks to a traditional fast start for Oklahoma.

Defensively, the Sooners forced a first drive punt for the 10th straight game and jumped on top thanks to a Gabe Brkic field goal 3-0.

Then the bottom fell out.

Baylor proceeded to score touchdowns on its next four possessions, grabbing a 28-3 lead. During that stretch, the Sooners ran just 16 offensive plays for 56 yards and turned the ball over twice.

Jalen Hurts fumbled and then threw an interception to fuel the Baylor run. McClane Stadium was electric. The crowd was roaring as the stadium big screen trolled the Sooners with messages like “OK, Boomer” and 50,000-plus fans sang in unison to the popular song “Truth Hurts.” Add in a shot mocking the crashing of the Sooner Schooner, and the only thing lacking from the first half celebration would have been storming the field and tearing down the goalposts.

19th STREET MAGAZINE | 37

But the Sooners did not panic. On the sidelines, there was no finger pointing and no doubt, at least not outwardly.

Lincoln Riley, with his team down 28-3, brought the entire team to a huddle to get everyone’s mind right.

“I said at that time we had 41 minutes left in the game. I didn’t want us to panic,” Riley said. “I knew we were going to fight our tails off. You just knew that. Our team knew that. They felt that.”

Riley also had a message for his quarterback, and it resonated.

“I told him that I think we’re moving it well at this point,” Riley said. “Hold on to the damn ball. Score every drive.”

A SECOND HALF FOR THE AGES Hurts was still struggling. He was playing the worst game of his short OU career, and the Sooners’ defense had allowed points on five consecutive Baylor possessions. Even though the Sooners exited to the halftime locker room trailing 31-10, team confidence was surprisingly high.

“It’s gonna be one hell of a story one day to tell our kids,” Sooner Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch told Hurts as they took the field for the second half.

“Just add another one to the list,” Hurts responded. “One of many.”

In fact, Grinch had prepared the Sooners in a round-about way for what it would take to dig out of a hole. Cornerback Parnell Motley mentioned that the team was shown a clip of the New England Patriots overcoming a 28-3 deficit during Super Bowl 51 last week. It is the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. But, why were they shown that?

“Because our last game (against Iowa State), things didn’t really go our way. We were up 35-14, but it’s the way we went about things. It showed us how to face adversity,” Motley said. “We just found a way. Seeing how a Super Bowl team responded in that situation, we looked at the scoreboard the same way.”

The Sooners scored on their opening drive of the second half to cut the score to 31-17.

But then, it happened.

The Sooners had played five straight games without forcing a turnover and, if you include the two first-half turnovers, 40 | December 2019

the Sooners had a negative nine turnover ratio in that same stretch.

But on Baylor’s first offensive play of the second half, the Sooners finally forced a takeaway. Parnell Motley punched the ball out of the hands of JaMycal Hasty and the fumble was recovered by Pat Fields.

“It was a big relief for me,” Grinch said.

“We say takeaways, because you’re not just hoping the ball bounces your way.

Hope isn’t a strategy. We’ll take those, too, believe me. What takeaways are as much as anything, they obviously create possessions. We’ve got a pretty good offense here. If we got one more possession, two more possessions, imagine if we got three more possessions with that offense every week, what we could be as a football program.”

For Ronnie Perkins, it changed the entire energy of the sideline.

“It created a whole bunch of energy. We’re in a place like this all alone. It’s just us for each other,” Perkins said. “It definitely changed the whole energy. It got us excited to go play again and get out on the field. Coaches kept us focused. We kept swinging and kept playing. As players, we never lost hope.”

The Sooners failed to cash in on that first takeaway, but the tone had been set. The Sooner defense was on the attack. Perkins tackled Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer for a loss to start the next Baylor offensive series.

“The biggest thing we talked about as a team was belief and keeping the faith,” Sooner linebacker Kenneth Murray said.

“That’s what we told guys. ‘Keep your head up. Continue to keep the faith. As long as you keep faith, everything’s going to be OK.’ We knew it. We all continued to buy in, then everything would work out in our favor.”

“We had 30 minutes to do what we gotta do, 30 minutes of hell,” Motley added. “It felt really great to come out and score, get a turnover and man, that’s how you feed off the momentum. If you think about it, we started the opposite way in the first half. In the second half, we turned things around and fed off that momentum.”

After the initial fumble recovery by Fields, Hurts would fumble again turning it over

for the third time. This time he was a step away from walking into the end zone. Despite these challenges and playing without his biggest weapon, Hurts and his young crew of receivers responded.

Oklahoma proceeded to score on its final three possessions and turned what was once a 28-3 deficit into a 34-31 lead with 1:45 to go. The party in McLane stadium for those donning the green and gold suddenly crashed.

“I learned a lot about our team this week,” Riley said. “When we got down, I really believed we had the comeback in us. Now, it’s still hard to do. There’s no doubt about that, especially against a good team.”

With the comeback complete, the victory was far from secure, and to add to the wild nature of the day, the final defensive stand had to have at least one nail-biting moment. On first-and-10 at OU’s 40, Oklahoma linebacker Nik Bonitto dropped a potentially game-clinching interception.

Then, on second down, he secured the interception and the win for the Sooners.

“After I dropped the first one, the first person I thought of was coach Ruf (Ruffin McNeill) because we do ball drills every day before practice. I knew he was going to talk to me about it,” Bonnito said.

“But I knew when the second one came around, I had to make a play for my team.

I knew I had to come down with it. My brothers needed me.”

Final score: Oklahoma 34, Baylor 31.

It was the biggest comeback in Oklahoma football history. The Sooners trailed by 25 points with five minutes left in the second quarter, by 21 points at halftime.

“I made this clear to my brothers, everyone in that locker room. I’m virtually the new guy around here,” Hurts said after the game. “These are the same guys that accepted me the way that they did, voted me as captain, basically said we’re going to follow Jalen. And, that means more than you know. Tonight, we’re out there battling, and their leader made some mistakes and we all found ways to overcome it together. Shows the character we have, the perseverance we have.”

“Our best ball,” Riley said, “is coming soon.

We kind of found ourselves a little bit.”

The wild day and memorable night were perhaps best summed up by Sooner playby-play announcer Toby Rowland after Bonnito’s interception.

“In Waco Texas, Lincoln Riley took a house in disrepair and refurbished it into their own palace on the Banks of the Brazos. Unbelievable.”

It was a game that defined what Sooner Magic is all about, and it showed once again that Oklahoma football never gives up, regardless of how tall the odds are. – 19SM

19th STREET MAGAZINE | 41

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BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Modeling Medicine Norman Regional Debuts New High-Tech Simulation Training Lab

T

wo of Norman Regional Health Systems’ newest patients are creating quite a stir among hospital staff. Willie Makeit and Anita Healer are the stars of a new simulation lab and these hightech mannequins can replicate a variety of medical situations, providing a host of training opportunities for hospital staff.

“Being in medicine, you never know what curve balls you are going to get,” said Jake Cleveland, physician residency and graduate medical education coordinator.

“With this new technology, we can model real-life situations to test our staff’s skills and ability to think in the moment.”

The mannequins were purchased by Norman Regional’s Auxiliary Volunteer program, which manages businesses within the health system, including gift shops, scrub shops, coffee shops and a thrift shop. Proceeds from these volunteer-run businesses help fund a variety of projects within the Norman Regional Health System. Wendy Fiebrich, the Auxilary’s executive director, said the lab’s potential impact was the main reason her department is funding the project.

“When this project was presented to the Auxiliary executive board, they were amazed at the depth of the teaching capabilities (the mannequins) could provide – everything from starting an IV to a heart attack scenario,” Fiebrich said. “It will touch a lot of areas in the hospital.”

The life-like mannequins are not de44 | December 2019

signed to be confined to the simulation lab only. They can be used in multiple scenarios, including those outside of the hospital walls. Their flexibility promises to be a valuable tool in preparing staff for a multitude of scenarios in varying environments.

Training simulations can be pre-programmed or controlled in real-time to respond to treatments and procedures just as a real patient would.

“It is important to have our staff ready for anything,” Cleveland said. “We could take the mannequins to the stadium to simulate an emergency and bring them all the way through to the hospital.”

The mannequins’ versatile technology allows for a multitude of training scenarios, incorporating the team approach that is common in medicine. Registered nurse and nurse residency coordinator Cassie Chaffin said the lab will help facilitate interdisciplinary training.

“The lab gives us a way to put applied knowledge into practice and get immediate feedback that will proactively increase our confidence in how we work as a team,” Chaffin said.

The simulation lab team is just getting started, exploring all the options this new program has to offer, but Chaffin said the program’s main goal is to help staff be more proactive in the care of their patients. – 19SM