For the first time in six years the Durant High School soccer teams will have a new flare in the 2024 schedule as the Lions will face a district slate loaded with western Oklahoma squads.
That District 5A-1 slate includes long-time foe McAlester as well as Duncan, Elgin, Lawton Mac, Noble, Santa Fe South along with Choctaw, which drops down from Class 6A.
Both Durant teams are slated to open the season with a non-district encounter at Tulsa McLain on Friday before battles with rivals Ada and Ardmore set for Monday and Tuesday during a busy opening week.
Girls
Experience should be a major bonus for the Lady Lions as they look to improve on their 6-8 record a season ago and make a return to the playoffs.
Karah Boydstun is back to spearhead the offensive attack and has already hit the ground running with eight goals in preseason play while also leading the team in assists.
Aubrey Tomlinson returns as a starting right back with Katelyn Ortiz once again being a force in the midfield. Freshmen J.J. Patten and Kamryn White are expected to step in and contribute immediately with Patten being one of the team’s top shooters and White a top-notch wing.
In the midfield, the Lady Lions will look to Katelyn Mauck, Lily Ruiz and Kirsi Curry as tremendous hustlers in that area.
Tomlinson could also see some action on the defensive end along with Kendi House, Bree Wise and Kylie Fox.
Alex Martinez is expected to be the squad’s goalkeeper early on, coming off a strong preseason that has included three shutouts. Mia Ibarra has also impressed and could see time in net as well.
“We are looking forward to seeing what this team can do,” head coach Katie Williams stated. “For the first time this year our starting lineup will be on the older side but we have a couple of outstanding freshmen that will step in and fill holes left from last year’s club, so we are definitely excited.”
Boys
Senior forwards Braylen Lyday and Jaylon Saxon are expected to be the bell cows offensively for Coach John Wilmoth’s troops, which include the largest group of players they have fielded in several years.
Last season the Lions won their final two games of the season but fell just shy of qualifying for the playoffs with a 7-6 overall record.
Wilmoth said that approximately two-thirds of the group numbering close to 50 is freshmen and sophomores.
“We are going to have to learn and get better as we go along because of our youth,” Wilmoth added. “It should make for better competition in practice.”
The Lions welcome back senior goalkeeper Hunter Wingfield, who has been outstanding in net during the preseason scrimmages. He is one of seven returnees in the lineup.
Senior Jack Burrage is a multiyear starter and will be joined by junior Mitchell Palmer and sophomore Alfredo Hernandez as experienced defenders.
Otto Baskin, a sophomore, along with junior Isaiah Quiros also return in the midfield area and should be strong performers once again.
Depth should be an asset with plenty of underclassmen vying for playing time.
“Goalkeeping should be our strong point,” said Wilmoth. “Hunter has gotten so much better over the last few years. He is the leader of our defense and makes sure people are where they need to be. Offensively, Lyday and Saxon will be our leaders, but we have some really talented sophomores, so we’ll be trying to find out who is ready to play early on. They just need to keep learning and get better.
“Coach Danny David is back as an assistant this year and he has head coaching experience. That is a big plus with the numbers we have. It’s been a few years since we went west for district, but we have played some of those teams, like Lawton Mac, in non-district. Santa Fe South is the defending state champs and probably the team to beat again. We have a challenging non-district this season that includes Ardmore, Ada and Madill but hopefully we can get a few wins under our belts.”