By Travis Chapman
Last Friday night your Apaches travelled in the first round playoff game all the way to the cross state rivals of OCS Eagles in Monroe, LA. In the challenging environment, in which we are all too familiar with the hostile territory, your Apaches played hard but fell short to the outstanding Eagles, 49-12.
The evening started with my good friend, Jerame Durden, who is usually the voice of the Apaches for home games, and I on the live game call for our own local radio station, AM1240 KASO. What a treat that was. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I want to extend a personal thank you for the sponsors that made it possible for us to bring the game to you, live, across the state. It was a great opportunity to show everyone how truly awesome Glenbrook School is, and how proud of it we are.
Your Apaches won the toss and deferred to the second half. After a well-executed onside kick the Apaches narrowly missed, the Eagles would start with great field position for the high-powered offense. From the Apache 48, it took the Eagles just 3 plays to put it in the end zone. The Eagles showcased a kicker that will definitely be kicking on Saturdays. With his 50-yard extra point, the Apaches trailed 7-0. The Apache offense came out and picked up some quick yardage but was forced to punt. Your awesome punter, Seth Mangrum booted it nearly 45 yards to flip the field, but the Eagles would showcase their 19-year-old seniors on this drive. OCS quickly scored behind their big senior running back in just 7 plays. The Apaches trailed 14-0. The next possession, the Apaches started moving the ball at will with great runs by Vicious Vining and Sonic Seth Mangrum. The offensive line push behind Nolan Still and edge seals by Channing Rainey pushed the Apaches all the way to inside the 25-yard line of the Eagles. The Apaches fell short on a 4th down play and turned it over on downs.
The Eagles would go on to score on every possession of the first half. The Apaches showed great resolve and would get inside the red zone another two times but would come up short in the first half. Coach Thurman dialed up a play that had my partner in crime, Jerame Durden and I standing and yelling in the press box, probably much to the dismay of the OCS coaches next to us, when the Red Rifle, Easton Sanders found Action Jackson Waller on a deep route, to which Jackson made an NFL catch and nearly scored on the play. After a fiery exit from the press box for Coach Thurman to go coach his team and we’ll call it the “lack of class” shown by OCS staff and fans in the stands, it was all Apaches in the second half. Connor Bolton put great pressure on the outstanding kicker to force a missed field goal. The offensive line had great pushes and the Thunder and Lightening duo of Vining/Mangrum went through the A gap and off tackle. Both of those men ran like their hair was on fire. I’d be sore not to mention, the “hair on fire, Colt Jellum came in to lead block and sealed edges, and paved the way to two touchdowns for the Apaches. The last of which came off tackle to Senior Sonic Seth Mangrum as he ran like his life depended on it. The offensive line opened the holes and sealed the edge for Mangrum to run through. Mangrum broke two tackles as he crossed the goal line just before time expired for the last score of his high school career from 17 yards out.
I got to catch up with Mangrum after the game to hug his neck. He told me; “Mr. Travis, I knew this would be the last time I got to run the football in my career and I gave it everything I had and wasn’t going to be denied.” Mangrum rushed for right near 1,000 yards this season and several touchdowns. But his attitude shown was the attitude of this outstanding group in every game this season. While they dropped the last 3 games of the season, 2 of the 3 are the absolute best teams in the state in their respective classes and will likely win their state championships.
We are so proud of these seniors and this team. This senior class was record setting for the Apaches. With all the accolades they racked up, quarter finalist, semi-finalists, state runners-up, all districts, all states, signing days for their collegiate careers, it all is second to the character they display. They have grown to be outstanding and contributing members of their community and prove what an outstanding school Glenbrook is and what it can do for your child. They treat each other as family, because we are family. On their senior night, they all professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior and were not ashamed to say in front of hundreds of standing fans. That’s the norm for our family here at Glenbrook, and these seniors showcase it well.
Once again, I can’t thank Mrs. Jinks, Mr. Gladney, and Coach Legendre and Glenbrook School enough for allowing me the opportunity to write about these outstanding groups of students each week. We look forward to what the future holds for the Apaches, and ladies and gentlemen, the future is bright in the cul de sac of Country Club!
FOREVER APACHES!!!!
