(l-r) Stephens, Laughlin, Grossi / Photos: Jackie Finlan/TRB
The 2018 High School National Invitational Tournament (NIT) marked Broken Arrow’s third trip to the Division II competition. In 2016, it was all about new experiences, familiarization and setting new expectations. Last year, the Oklahomans were disappointed in their 1-1-1 performance and vowed to make amends in 2018. Last weekend, Broken Arrow outscored opponents 140-24 for the DII NIT championship trophy.
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Team captain Chase Stephens recalled the 2017 DII NIT with a twinge of discomfort but also pointed to the fixture as a major motivator to this year’s success.
“We had the potential to beat the other teams, but we didn’t rise to the occasion,” Stephens said. “We came so close last year, and we told [last year’s] seniors, ‘We’ll do this for you next year.’ We never wanted to feel that way again.”
And thus began the year-long build. Coaches Gayla Adcock, Quan Hoang and Nikki Nimmi Owens looked toward senior leaders Stephens, the scrumhalf; backs captain and flyhalf Jessica Laughlin; and forwards captain and lock Paige Grossi. They guided the team as it integrated a host of new players and through a regular season that featured teams struggling for numbers. The team supplemented those games with trips to Texas and KC United for competitive friendlies.
“Yukon in the [Oklahoma state] final scored on us once, but we didn’t look past them. We knew we had to work hard,” Stephens said. “We had to learn that a lot in Oklahoma. There’s not a ton of challenge but we had to give it 100 percent because we were preparing for nationals and you can’t slack off.”
The 2018 DII NIT was an opportunity for redemption for the returners, but for the first-year players, a trip to the NIT was intimidating.
“There were a lot of nerves, especially from the young girls, but even from those who had been there before,” Stephens said. “The young girls, they’re asking themselves, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know why they chose me.’ And the coaches and the captains have to reassure them that they’re here for a reason.”
The DII NIT included six teams divided into two pools. Saturday started with a thrilling match, as State College scored at the death to tie Grandville 24-all. The tiebreaker moved directly to kicks, and each team sent three different players to the 22 for dropgoal attempts. Grandville slotted the only kick for the win and went on to feature in the final after a 56-0 win over South Mecklenburg.
Broken Arrow started its path to the final against Tennessee’s McMinn Tribe, which featured in DI last year and was undergoing a rebuilding phase.
“After the kickoff of that first game, after that first hit, we knew we were supposed to here,” Stephens said of the anxiety washing away. “As soon as we started playing, we realized today is just another game and we got into our groove right away.”
Broken Arrow won 43-14.
“There was a big change, especially with a lot of the younger girls,” Stephens said of the win’s impact. “We scored in the first five minutes and they realized that we can do this; that we had a chance. The energy changed and the young girls started saying, ‘I’m going to get my try. I’m going to make a big tackle.’”
The second game pit the Oklahomans against Western New York’s City Honors, which had dropped a 17-15 contest to McMinn in its first game.
“The second game started off really rough. We had seen them lose to a team that we had just beat, so we thought, ‘If we can beat [McMinn], then we can beat [City Honors] by so much more.’ We got too big of a head,” Stephens confessed. “They scored in the beginning before we did, so that was a wake-up call that we had to get back to work.
“We haven’t had a ton of games where we were behind,” the captain added. “We did lose one game [this year] and in general it was mind-blowing for us. … It’s nice to be reminded that every dog has its day and teams will show up before we do.”
After the gut-check, Broken Arrow pulled out a 51-5 win to top the pool and advance to the final. That evening, the team mentally prepared itself for the championship bout against Grandville, which tied Broken Arrow 19-19 in its NIT debut last year.
“When it comes to Broken Arrow, we really are a family. We’ve had a ton of stuff going on – for each person and team wise – and we’ve had to step up for each other,” Stephens gave context to the pre-championship conversation. “As we prepared for the final, we talked about all the hard work we did to get here, all the hard practices that prepared us. That this is what we’ve been waiting for. Our girls were ready.”
Much of the first half was played in Grandville’s end, and Stephens credited senior lock Glory Woolley for setting a relentless tempo – in the final and every match. The scrumhalf praised the leadership of Laughlin and Grossi, and Broken Arrow did well to capitalize on its territory and possession for a healthy first-half lead.
“But [Grandville] never gave up. After every [restart], they’d yell, ‘What’s the score? 0-0!’ No matter how big the score got. It always felt close because they kept giving it,” Stephens said.
“One of our coaches, Quan, does a lot of conditioning with us throughout the year,” Stephens pointed out difference-makers in the game. “When other teams are tired and dragging or can’t breathe because of the heat that we’re used to, we know we have the endurance to keep going and finish hard.”
Broken Arrow did not ease in the second half and finished the day with a 46-5 win over Grandville.
Fleet-footed Laughlin was name MVP of the backs, and hard-nosed hooker Mckaylynn Stephens, who is also the kicker and Chase’s younger sister, was deemed forwards MVP. Stephens was proud of the youngsters, who embraced this competition and matured through it. She was particularly impressed by freshman prop Kylin Coonce and her standout performance.
“It was the best feeling,” Stephens said. “Everyone worked so hard for it and overcame so much. Last year, no one knew who we were, so to come back and win, going from [anonymity] to the top, is just amazing.”
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