Just like in any other sport, having a strong foundation can be a huge benefit to a team. Carrie Ward is the coach of the Leedey Academic Team and she is proud of the success the teams have had and she sees a bright future ahead.
“We have a strong history of the Academic Bowl here at Leedey,” Ward said. “In the last 13 years, our high school team has made nine State appearances. We finished runner-up in 2013. The other years we have placed third, fourth and fifth. We start in fifth and sixth grades, playing OJABA, we have a 5-6, 6-7, 7-8 and 8-9 team. Between those teams, we have won 15 State Titles in as many years. Our Coach Klint McClendon does an incredible job with them.”
The high school team currently has a 22-2 record and are the Oklahoma Northwest Academic Conference champions, 5-County Champions, District and Regional Champions, and Area Runner-up.
The team’s coach, Carrie Ward, knew that coming into this season, her team would have a challenge but she says that they stepped up and faced it head on.
“We lost three seniors from last year, two of which were full time starters,” Ward said. “We knew we needed to replace those two and increase strength in our Math, which we have done. This year, I have two returning starters who happen to be brothers. Aidyn Boren is a senior and has started for me since he was a freshman. He is a strong player and is our leader. Hudsyn Boren is a junior and has really picked up the slack in math. He and older brother Aidyn work well together. Caleb Holcomb is a freshman who has stepped up and is a full time starter. He has really impressed me this year with his strength in science as well as math. sophomore Jackson Mann and junior Kash McFall share that fourth seat. Both have specialties they bring to the table. Senior Kristen Smith helps us with her love of reading. Freshman Tres Cassle is learning the ropes and will be a great asset next year.”
