Newcastle’s Pecore gets 300th career win as coach
There's a common theme behind each of Tom Pecore's coaching stops.
Pecore, the boys soccer coach at Newcastle, has led boys soccer programs across the Oklahoma City area since 1988. He started at Western Heights with stops at Moore, Chickasha and Putnam North before going to Newcastle in the 2018-19 school year. His soccer knowledge has been spread to numerous athletes for more than three decades, but he's thankful for the administration that has allowed him to do just that.
“I've had some exceptional athletic directors that really support kids,” Pecore said. “You need athletic directors who put kids first and they have a vision about what they can accomplish and allow coaches to do it. So I've been very lucky.”
Those athletic directors allowed Pecore to reach a major accomplishment last Thursday, reaching career win No. 300 as the Racers topped Ada 4-3 in penalties to clinch the achievement.
The game wasn't without a bit of drama, though. Newcastle led 3-0 with 20 minutes remaining before Ada tied it. After two overtime periods, the Racers clinched the victory in penalty kicks.
His team took a group picture with him, holding up a banner congratulating him on his 300th victory. It wasn't until that moment that he realized the milestone.
His team needed the win, which put them in third place in the district standings.
“You need athletic directors who put kids first and they have a vision about what they can accomplish and allow coaches to do it. So I’ve been very lucky.” Newcastle coach Tom Pecore
Yet after they clinched, the celebration began.
“I was very satisfied,” Pecore said. “As coaches you set goals every year, about what you're going to get this team to do, this team to do. You never really worry about yourself. Good things happen, and I just felt very blessed that I had so many good people working with me all these years to give me the opportunity to coach.”
OSSAA board to vote on Casady’s membership application Wednesday
Casady will find out Wednesday whether it's joining the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association starting in the 2022-23 school year.
Casady submitted its membership application to the OSSAA and awaits the recommendation of executive director David Jackson and the association to determine whether the Cyclones will become an OSSAA-member school. Casady announced its decision to leave the Southwest Prep Conference in December, where it has been a member for the past 68 years.
Casady would join the association in all sports except field hockey and boys volleyball, which the OSSAA doesn't offer. Those two sports would remain in the SPC if an agreement could be reached.
The Cyclones will play an independent 11-man football schedule the next two years and begin district play in 2024. Because districts were previously set for the next two seasons, Casady wouldn't be able to join until the next redistricting cycle.
In 2015, Tulsa Holland Hall left the SPC and joined the OSSAA, leaving Casady as Oklahoma's only school in the 18-member conference.
If Casady's application is approved, travel would be significantly reduced and costs associated with that would drop drastically. Joining the OSSAA would also allow Casady athletes to earn All-State honors and participate in the All-State competitions each July.
If approved, Casady will likely compete in Class 3A or Class 2A.
First eSports state championships on deck
For the first time, the OSSAA will host an eSports state championship.
UCO is hosting the event, which will take place Saturday. There will be four sessions, one for each game. The four games being played are Smash, Rocket League, Madden and League of Legends. The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Nigh Center on campus. The last event is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased electronically at gofan.co/app/school/OSSAA.