Media Day: Shattuck Indians

After one of the state’s most impressive all-time streaks was broken, Shattuck looks to regain dominance in District C-1.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 5:42 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Aug 21, 2010 11:5 AM CDT

Dave Carty
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – It was perhaps the only loss in the 2009 season that nobody saw coming.

Shattuck, a juggernaut of unheralded proportions, fell in the second round of the Class C playoffs to Deer Creek-Lamont, snapping a 93-game winning streak. The streak was the longest in Oklahoma high school football history and the longest all-time streak for 8-man football teams across the country.

Mortality was not a taste Shattuck could appreciate.

“We got beat. We know the feeling,” said head coach Troy Bullard at CoachesAid.com and Oklahoma Sports First Look Media Day. “It’s a feeling that’s not very much fun.”

Heading into last season, Shattuck had won six straight championships. That tradition is not easy to live up to, but it’s what fuels the Indians.

“You want to make your town proud,” said defensive lineman John Snider. “You want to show them you can do it.”

Fellow senior D-lineman Colby Iliff moved to Shattuck in 8th grade and immediately noticed the program’s rich tradition. Quarterback Kade Young is also familiar with the tradition, which is what made it so difficult to sit on the sidelines after suffering an injury last season.

“[We watched] those guys when we were in fifth grade and [saw] them win [a championship].” said Young. “You just want to carry it on.”

Five players return on offense and four return on defense, but with the Indians, it’s less about skill and more about schemes.

“We ask our kids to work hard. If they do that, we have a chance to win every game we play,” said Bullard.

Each player who spoke toed the company line, emphasizing strong practices and effort on every down. Those principles seem as ingrained as Shattuck’s great play.

Connor Babcock and Kelby Schick return at skill positions. Iliff and Snider return to anchor the defensive line and Theo Rea packs some punch at linebacker.

Though the team’s current streak sits at one loss, the bull’s eye in Class C sits squarely on the backs on the Indians.

“People still want to beat Shattuck for some reason,” said Bullard.

He quickly gave credit to other up-and-coming programs in the class, such as Forgan, Deer Creek-Lamont, Covington-Douglas and Timberlake – last year’s Class C champioins.

But with greatness a not-too-distant memory at Shattuck, greatness will be expected by everyone in the class.

“We want to get back to where Shattuck used to be all the time,” said Bullard. “We’d like to win another district championship and have another shot at it.”