The Perfect Moment

In 2002, I was an assistant coach at Edmond Santa Fe high school where we were blessed with a great group of young men that year. Following a great regular season, we won our regional and punched our ticket to the state tournament. Through a tumultuous double elimination round, we found our way to the state championship game. We were the first team from the west side of Oklahoma to play in the 6A finals, needless to say we were all pretty excited to have a shot at the title.

The state tournament was being held in the Tulsa area in 2002. The championship game was on a Saturday afternoon so we would need a time filler between the game and checking out of the hotel so we decided to take the team to the local mall and spend a few hours perusing around before we headed to Oral Roberts University for our showdown with the Jenks Trojans.

I distinctly remember walking around the mall that day thinking about all the “what-if’s” that might be awaiting in a few hours. The next day was Mother’s Day, so I was trying to find a last-minute gift for Burchy that would present itself as not so last minute. She was experiencing her second Mother’s Day as Kaden was barely a year old at the time. I also spent a great deal of time imagining what that moment might be like if we were able to hoist a state championship trophy that afternoon. In that moment of potential victory, I had many questions. Where would Burchy and Kaden be in that moment? Would I run on the field or find them in the stands first? Could I get to them in the midst of celebration where they could share the joy with me? I played out what seemed like a thousand scenarios in my mind only to realize that moment would not materialize as we fell to the Trojans that afternoon.

Fast forward ten years later to 2012. In a season that probably needs to be documented in a book of its own, I was in my third year as the head coach of the Edmond North Huskies. Following an improbable run to the state tournament, we managed to win our first two games of the eight-team single elimination tournament. We were matched up with the Broken Arrow Tigers who were returning to defend their 2011 state championship, needless to say the Huskies had their hands full once again.

We were occupying the same dugout I was in just ten years earlier(cue twilight zone music) with thoughts of that day and a desire to leave with a different result. The game was scheduled earlier than before and right behind the 5A championship game. We managed a late check-out from the hotel and went straight to Oral Roberts University for our preparation. I recall not spending much time thinking about the “what if’s” this time. I do remember walking into the stadium passing the newly crowned state champion Carl Albert Titans and thinking “man, that would be awesome to finish like that”. For many, these opportunities are very elusive and hard to come by with any type of regularity so we were hopeful to cash in on this moment.

A couple of hours later, as I stood in the first base dugout at ORU with a nervous anticipation, I watched Zach Barton make a 5-3 putout(he fielded a ground ball at third and threw it to first base for the out) to etch out a piece of history for the Edmond North Huskies as the first west side team to claim a 6A state championship. What ensued after that out really cannot be described in words that do the moment justice.

When the final out was made, there was a release of emotion that I just have no way of conveying other than relief and joy to the nth power(sorry, I teach math). With no premeditated thought, I ran out of that dugout with a reckless abandon, arms in the air with index fingers pointed as high as they would go, toward what was to be a dog pile of huskies that I was not going to miss(if you look closely, you can see a #17 falling back into the pile). I dove in with not a care about my safety and felt the weight start to increase as player after player piled on to the mass of huskies in the middle of the field.

As I lay there, I then thought about how I wanted Kaden(11) and Ketch(6) to share in the moment. Unbeknownst to me, Burchy had found a small opening that gave her and the boys access to the field. Coincidentally, Kaden’s baseball team was playing in Tulsa that evening which allowed most of his teammates to attend the game. After two outs in the seventh, Burchy ushered all the boys through the opening to the field. They were virtually on the field when that last out was made. I jumped up out of the pile looking for the boys and immediately found Kaden, and with my arms outstretched he found me and jumped up in my arms. With Kaden in my left arm, I was looking for Ketch. I found him but he did not see me due to his jumping around in all the excitement, he hasn’t changed much since then either. One of Kaden’s teammates saw I was looking for him and pushed him toward me where he ran and jumped up where I caught him in my right arm. By now the tears of joy were flowing and then the moment became complete as Burchy ran up and wrapped her arms around me and the boys as she screamed “Kinger you did it”! The emotions could not be contained as tears rolled down my face as I held my family in my arms. I held them for what seemed an eternity as I continued to cry tears of joy with an elated laughter that caused people to ask if I was ok as they congratulated me.

This was the moment I had imagined ten years earlier in that Tulsa mall that came to fruition on May 12, 2012. To this day, I’m not sure if I could script a more perfect ending, it was PRICELESS. Burchy will usually post the picture at the top of this post each year as it serves as a reminder of that special day in May. It still evokes emotion in me as I remember that moment so vividly that it will often times bring tears to my eyes as I relive the occasion, it truly was The Perfect Moment.