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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Summit Christian Reaching New Heights
Eastern Oklahoma, OK
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By: Brock Sawyer
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Photo(s) By: Brock Sawyer
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Just a few years ago, it seemed nearly impossible for Summit Christian Academy in Broken Arrow, to field a football team and be able to compete. Well, the dream is coming into full fruition as the Eagles look forward to a new year with a new face on the sidelines.
Keith Bell enters his first year at the helm with a lot of past successes and many future achievements that he wants to accomplish while at Summit.
The first few years have been a struggle for the Eagles, but it isn’t because there hasn’t been the heart and drive within these players.
There’s a new fight this year. Kids are lifting and getting stronger. Their head is in the game as well as their heart.
Led by Daniel Bell, (6-1, 265, Sr.) who will anchor the line and provide leadership on both sides of the ball. Being a coach’s son, he brings that special knack for the game.
“I feel like I can push people and be a good spiritual leader on and off the field,” Daniel Bell remarked. “It is motivation for me to come to a new school and to step in and be a leader. It gives me a role that I like to have in the school and in the community.”
Agape Baissa (6-0, 165, Sr.) seems to be leading the pack as the vocal leader. During jogs and workouts, it’s Baissa that you hear. He’s telling his teammates to push themselves now, to better themselves now, if they want to see results in the fall.
Young Jake Sanders (5-10,160, Fr.), is considered to be the future of this program. He has tremendous work ethic and the skill to play at the highest level of high school ball. He is another one of those leaders, but leading from the freshman class, can sometimes be a challenge.
“As a freshman, it’s a little harder to be the leader, but I try to be,” Sanders said. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re a junior, senior, sophomore, or freshman, you can still be a leader.”
“I feel much better this year with the new coach,” he added. “I think we’ll have a lot more wins this year. We’re working much harder. You can tell that we definitely want it more this year.”
Former University of Tulsa lineman, J.P. Russell is one of the assistant coaches for the Eagles and likes what he sees so far in the summer.
“We are going to be more disciplined, which we were lacking last year. It is nice to have structure and a unified program,” Russell explained. “That will make all the difference in August.”
The discipline comes straight from coach Bell. His previous stops have included Oklahoma City Millwood, Topeka (KS) High, and most recently class 6A Claremore.
“He clicked right off with the coaches and the kids. He’s a small town kid himself. It’s a God-thing that he is even here, coming from a 6A school,” Russell said. “We are really blessed to have him here. He instills leadership and discipline to our kids. He’s just someone you want to be around and believe in.”
Someone to believe in is exactly what one of coach Bell’s former players felt. Gerald Jones, currently playing for the University of Tennessee, was an athlete for coach Bell while at Millwood.
“The feeling was mutual,” coach Bell replied. “He believed in me and I believed in him. He went through some rough times, but I still believed in him.”
If you can’t tell, coach Bell is all about the kids.
“Sure, we want to win games, but our ultimate goal is to grow these kids, physically, spiritually, and academically,” coach Bell explained. “We want to touch our community through these kids. We will put them in positions to win on and off the field.”
“I expect that things will be very good this year. Our kids have worked really hard,” commented coach Bell. “The assistant coaches have been here throughout the summer working with these kids as well. I think this hard work will transpire into the football season. Our main goal is to teach these kids to be good citizens and men in Christ.”
With the vision and passion of the coaching staff and the work ethic and will power of these student-athletes, the Summit Christian Eagles will soon be soaring.
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