Lady Huskies reunited for All-State Soccer test

CATOOSA — It had been a standard routine for the past four years.

Keylee Kirk and Sarah Phillippi took the field — something the teammates had done some 300 times previously for the Pawhuska High School softball, basketball and soccer squads.

Saturday’s Oklahoma Soccer Coaches Association 4A All-State Game at Catoosa High School’s McNabb Field represented the end of a long prep run for the two Lady Huskies.

Next fall, Phillippi will start running college track a few miles up the road in Claremore, while Kirk is to continue her soccer career at Northern Oklahoma College — Tonkawa.

Although the PHS duo gave the old college try for their East All-Stars, the 80-minute exhibition match ended in a 1-1 tie. The East grabbed a lead in the 37th minute as Summit Christian’s Jordan Langenbartels followed her first blocked shot with a score past the West goalkeeper.

Twenty-three minutes later, the West finagled a goal off a corner kick and the final 20 minutes of the second half provided no further scoring.

Midfielder Kirk worked diligently as a defender and capably handled the bulk of the blue team’s throw-ins. With 18 minutes left in a scoreless opening half, Kirk’s toss from the corner was chased down on the fly by the always-hustling Phillippi, but her short-hopped volley sailed wide to the right.

With just under four minutes to play, Kirk angled a shot at goal that bounced high off the upright. The match ended with the East still forcing the action.

This marked the third time in the PHS soccer program’s five-year history that two Lady Huskies have been selected for an OSCA All-State Game.

Pawhuska’s coaches are Giovanie Soliano and Jeff Phillippi.

The other all-state appearance by a 2016 PHS graduate was by Mathew Taft, an all-sports Huskie player who participated at the All-Star Duals wrestling event at Blanchard three days before commencement. Taft, a 170-pounder, went to the mat against a 190-pound foe. As always, Taft gave great effort, according to his coach, Brian Edwards.