Academic team qualifies for state tournament

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  • Academic team lineup, back row, left to right: Adam Lindsey, Tugger Selman, Samuel Thomas, Gavin Jasmer and Bode Gallagher. Front row, left to right: Flora Walters, Spencer Williams and Gabby Giblet. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
    Academic team lineup, back row, left to right: Adam Lindsey, Tugger Selman, Samuel Thomas, Gavin Jasmer and Bode Gallagher. Front row, left to right: Flora Walters, Spencer Williams and Gabby Giblet. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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The Cordell High School Blue Devil Academic team went 3-1 in the area academic bowl Sunday, earning a ticket to the state academic bowl.

This is the furthest Head Coach Rachel Ray and her team have ever progressed into the competition season.

“In the four years I’ve been coaching the academic team, this is our first time making it to area, so that itself was an accomplishment,” Ray said.

The team came into the area competition as the underdog and left everyone surprised with their performance.

Early in the bowl, Cordell made quick work of their first two opponents, beating the Davis Wolves and Walters Blue Devils by a combined 80 points.

These triumphs put Cordell into the winners’ bracket, with only one team standing between the Blue Devils and winning the area championship.

Cordell fell to the Amber-Pocasset Panthers in the championship round, chalking up the loss to a tough toss-up and a few fumbles in the final lightning round.

“There’s a winner and a loser in every game, we just so happened to be the latter in that round. No specific weakness within the team, just a loss, but it gave us a little motivation to go into our final round,” Ray said.

After losing the championship round, Cordell was then put into a position to take area runner-up and advance to state; all the team had to do was beat the Sayre Eagles.

Despite a rocky start, the Cordell Blue Devils dominated the Eagles by 40 points in the final round of the competition.

Head Coach Rachel Ray is thrilled with her team’s success this year, especially the seniors who set their hearts on making it past the regional competition.

“The group of seniors on this team had one common goal for the season, which was to qualify for area; so, to come out of area in second place with a ticket to state is quite an accomplishment for them,” Ray said.

Having accomplished their goal for the season, Ray and the rest of the team’s new goal is to win big in the state competition.

“I think the team will surprise themselves with how well they do, I have high hopes,” Ray said.