Choctaw Youth receive honors at Jim Thorpe Native Games
The basketball team gathers for a photo
By Shelley Garner
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Choctaw Youth basketball, golf and track and field athletes competed in the annual Jim Thorpe Native Games held at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on June 9. Twenty-eight athletes competed in five different divisions and brought home two medals. Teams competed against other Native athletes from Oklahoma, Florida, North Dakota and Arizona.
Channah Cox of Norman and Matt Wood of Durant represented the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Monday at Lincoln Park Golf course. The two golfers finished their final round on Tuesday and Channah Cox brought home a silver metal, but Matt Wood fell just out of medal contention with a fifth-place finish.
Tuesday was a tough day of competition with both track and field events and basketball. Morgan Steve set the tone for the CNO teams by bringing home the gold in the shot put. The first day of pool play began for all basketball teams and Choctaw Nation swept the board with each team going undefeated in pool play. Wednesday’s pool play ended with all CNO teams winning and advancing into the tournament later that afternoon. Both 16 and up boys and girls lost in heartbreak rounds and were eliminated, girls by the SWO Outlaws from North Dakota, and boys by the Cheyenne Arapaho. The 19 and up team continued to dominate over the competition and won big advancing into the gold medal game on Thursday. The 19 and up boys team played a gold medal game against the Hostile Natives from the Shawnee tribe. They started off slow but made a huge second-half comeback sparked by Seth Youngblood and Markell Henderson to bring home the gold with an 8-point win.
19 & Up Boys Basketball Team participants: Dallas Little, Cameron Collier, Dominic Davis, Seth Youngblood, Markell Henderson, Cade Clay, Bryce Martin, Chance Haislip
16 & Up Boys Basketball Team participants: Chris Ortiz,, Alex Clay, Alex Steve, Cody Crase, Blake Crase, John Cox, Adonis Fox, Josh Hawkins
16 & Up Girls Basketball Team participants: Sassy McCosar, Kelly Himes, Kaci Watts, Ashton Birchfield, Lauren Billie, Hailey Belvin, Abigail Simpson, Mallory Hawkins
Golf participants : Channah Cox, Matt Wood
Track and Field participants: Morgan Steve
