PHS athletic complex unveiled

Pawhuska High School athletes soon will be training in the new athletic complex adjacent to Ormand Beach Stadium.

The complex will be available to all PHS students participating in boys and girls sports, Athletic Director Chris Walker said.

Funding for the athletic complex came from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, Walker said. Pawhuska fans were allowed to tour the facility before Friday night’s football game against Chisholm.

The complex includes coaches offices, locker rooms, shower facilities, a weight-training room, a start-of-the-art injury rehab area and restrooms.

“It’s phenomenal,” Walker said, adding it’s one of the nicest facilities in Class 2A.

Jackie Bruno, who helped select the weight-training equipment provider, led the Friday night tours.

Bruno explained there was storage space available for boys and girls athletic equipment. The weight-training room and rehabilitation area will be available to all student-athletes.

The weight-training room is fully equipped, but the rehab area, which will include training tables, needs a few items.

The facility also contains a locker room area for the football team, which can be configured for up to approximately 80 players.

Pawhuska football coach Joe Tillman reiterated that the complex will be available to all student-athletes at Pawhuska High School.

“It will definitely be a recruiting tool to encourage fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to participate in sports at Pawhuska High School,” Tillman said. “It gives us a first-class training facility. One of the best in Oklahoma.”

Walker said the district thanked Bruno, Johnny Long, who served as general contractor, Garrett Construction, Farris Heating & Air, Gary Morrison Plumbing and Cornerstone Electric for their commitment to Pawhuska High School athletics.

“I don’t have the words to properly thank all the people who donated funds or worked on this project,” he said. “Few schools have as nice a facility as we now have. I’m so grateful for all those who have donated time and money for our kids in school and those who will be here in the future.”