JAGUARS WANTS TO TURN POTENTIAL INTO REALITY AGAINST BROKEN ARROW

Potential once defined Westmoore. The word is taboo this fall. Last season, it resulted in a first-round playoff exit with a two-point loss to an eventual state runner-up, Norman North. There's bigger things at stake in 2017. “I hate the word potential,” running back Braxton George said. “It's just like a bubble of nothing.” In the spring and summer, there was no escape. With the Jaguars returning 10 offensive starters and adding Oklahoma commit offensive lineman Brey Walker, the sky was the limit. As long as injuries didn't ravage the defense once again, it would likely be improved as well. Once the fall arrived, the Jaguars could finally make good on some of that promise. So far, they've been untested, at 5-0. The Bixby game came and went. Westmoore showed its might, winning comfortably without throwing a pass in the second half, but the scoreline sported an asterisk. The three-time defending Class 6A-II champions lost the week before at Putnam City and were missing their top running back, Tucker Pawley. It was a good win, but not the confirmation the Jaguars were seeking. As Williams watches his team play, he genuinely doesn't seem concerned with any of that. He understands the rarity of a talent level this high. His journey this season could be filled with all sorts of anxiety. He chooses not to partake. “We tell them live in the moment,” Williams said. “We might not ever see as good of a team at Westmoore as long as I'm here. So, I'm going to enjoy it everyday. Hopefully, we get teams that are this good, but listen, we've got to enjoy everyday. If we're not having fun, we might as well not be doing it. They take that to heart.” His players try not to get consumed with it either. This week's game against No. 6 Broken Arrow is critical. The Tigers (1-4, 1-1 District 6AI-1) enter Moore Stadium frustrated, touting only a victory against No. 10 Yukon. The rankings are a little misleading. They are much closer talent-wise to No. 3 Westmoore than No. 8 Mustang but have struggled against a tough schedule. For five straight seasons, BA has won this game. Bucking that trend is not only preferable, it's almost mandatory — after BA's loss to Jenks last week — if the Jaguars want to reach their potential. There's that word again. “We know it's an east-side team, which that in itself increases the difficulty,” George said. “But we're going to prepare just like we have been. We're just going to treat it like a normal game, because we're playing in it. With that being said, we're going to just prepare as hard as we can.” There was a telling moment against Bixby. George, the top back, rushed for 174 yards on 17 carries but didn't record a touchdown. Running back Garrett King punched in three scores, rushing 18 times for 135 yards. George would get Westmoore to the goal line, and King would take his place to finish the drive. “BG came to the sideline, and one of the guys asked him, 'How many touchdowns you got,'” Williams said. “He's like, 'I've got none.' On cue, Garrett gets the play, runs through a couple of people and scores. George jumps up and says, 'Cause every time I run 50 yards, that's what happens next!' Then he sprints out there, jumps on Garrett and celebrates. Like, he was more excited for him to score than he was.” After a season of trying to be bigger than life, each player to carve out their own individual expectations, the Jags are going to let this season come to them. Potential, that's a word for preseason practices. Now, the ball is being snapped for real, and Westmoore doesn't want to look ahead. “I tell them all the time, the path to greatness is potential,” Williams said. “There's a lot of teams that could have been there, but all they were was potential. We don't want to be that.”

JAGUARS WANTS TO TURN POTENTIAL INTO REALITY AGAINST BROKEN ARROW

Photo Credit: Kyle Phillips

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