Football sidelines to future headlines: the return of a familiar name

By Tony Cerqueira

Photo of the Owasso High School football team taken by Mallory Sepúlveda

This year’s football off-season at Owasso High School has been everything but quiet, mainly due to the return of a familiar face: Bill Blankenship. Blankenship served as head coach of the Owasso football team, coaching his first year in 2016 and later retiring in 2023. With the Rams achieving a near-perfect 12-1 campaign in their latest season under coach Antonio Graham, Blankenship was drawn back to the team—and this time with new, innovative tactics. 

Blankenship elaborates on the motives behind his return to the field following coach Graham’s transition to Union High School. 

“I was sad and happy that coach Graham went to union, because that's his alma mater; I hated that we lost him, of course, but I really wanted to not let things slide, and felt like I was still hungry to keep coaching,” Blankenship explained.

Returning to the field is never an easy task for a coach. Strategizing new game plans is a necessity; it helps omit repetition and predictability. For Blankenship, his temporary disappearance turned out to be a beneficial investment.

“[During my absence], I got to go watch a bunch of other teams practice, some college teams and others high school teams … I got a few ideas that might be the 1% we need to get over the top,” Blankenship reflected.

Not only did Blankenship have time to reflect on prior mistakes; he also developed a more intricate practice strategy that is soon to be applied during the next season. Building on what coach Graham had left behind made it all the easier to accomplish.

Junior football player Colton Sudbeck is one of the many athletes ecstatic about Blankenship’s return. He provides a team-oriented perspective of Owasso’s head coach exchange.

“With [Blankenship] becoming the new head coach—from what we've all done right now—I’m really excited,” Sudbeck mentioned. “We have new practices now, like our spring ball at the end of May and going into early June … normally, we would have a camp, but now we're allowed to play a real game with [official practices].”

For the current football players, this change in coaching has been and will continue to be monumental. Blankenship’s goal is to build the most efficient team possible, and he plans to carry on Owasso High School’s football legacy until he can no longer physically coach.