Caleb Atchley comes from a family of wrestlers. His father wrestled and his two brothers are all members of the varsity wrestling team. So when he broke his arm in the last football game of the season, the four-year letterman was naturally concerned about how it would affect his senior season.
“At first, I was real worried that I would miss wrestling season,” Atchley said. “They told me it was fractured when I went to the hospital but when I went to the bone doctor, they said that it was broken. It was a real roller coaster ride.”
The months have passed by and Atchley once again finds himself in the Duncan line-up as the Demons prepare for dual state and regionals. Atchley has posted a 4-4 record since he came back but has already reached the biggest goal he set this season, wrestling.
“The happy ending for me is that I am back,” Atchley said. “I am doing this to finish my senior season. I have been doing some extra stuff outside of practice and now that the year is winding down, I will probably get more running in.”
Running was something that was not in Atchley’s vocabulary during the month that he was in a cast. Exercise was limited to some work on the stationary bike as constant movement rubbed his skin raw in the cast. And there was also some other issues that he had to deal with.
“The cast stunk,” Atchley said. “I put a lot of Febreze on it. When they took it off, all the cotton had been pulled out because that is what made it stink. It was hard to go on a date.”
Once the cast came off, Atchley was able to get more work in. He became adept at swimming and did some light weightlifting. Once he was given
clearance to wrestle, Atchley gained a measure of confidence in his first match.
“I took on a ranked guy in my first match and I was able to hang with him pretty good,” Atchley said. “I was taking him down but we would go out of bounds. I was surprised how good I did after the match. There are guys I can still whoop up on because wrestling is about technique and leverage.”
The season, much like his rehab, has also had a roller coaster feel to it. During his first home match against Lawton High and Altus, Atchley did not compete as well as he would have liked, leaving room for improvement.
“I didn’t get nervous until my first home match when I completely choked,” Atchley said. “I think I was just nervous because it was my first home dual of my senior year.”
With the most important part of the season still ahead, Atchley has time to get on track and possibly write another happy ending to his senior year.
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Michael Pineda
Following through
Atchley overcomes injury to finish senior season
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Demons rout Altus
After a tough loss on the road last Friday night against Lawton MacArthur, it seemed the Duncan Demons needed a boost to get themselves going for the last week of the season. DHS had its sights set on using the Altus Bulldogs as the tool for their motivation Tuesday night at Duncan Gymnasium.
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Lady Outlaws smother Rush Springs, 38-28
It wasn’t one of Marlow’s best offensive performances of the season. Luckily it was one of the Lady Outlaws best defensive showings.
For only the third time this season, Marlow held an opponent to fewer than 30 points and the Lady Outlaws topped the visiting Rush Springs Lady Redskins, 38-28. -
Culberson, DHS hold off Lady Bulldogs
There is a saying, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” For the Duncan Lady Demons, a rematch against Altus at Duncan Gymnasium on a chilly evening seemed like the perfect motivation to help DHS avoid a two-game losing streak Tuesday night.
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Duncan hosts Altus tonight
ometimes it’s not how hard you fall, it’s how fast you get back up.
After a tough overtime loss Friday night at Lawton MacArthur, the No. 14 Duncan Lady Demons (14-7) will look to rebound this evening against the No. 11 Altus Lady Bulldogs (12-6) with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. from Duncan Gymnasium. -
Bray hands Turner its first loss
The Bray-Doyle Lady Donkeys picked up one last shot of momentum Monday night before heading into the Class A district tournament.
The Lady Donkeys took control early and never let up, topping previously unbeaten Turner, 68-51 at home on senior night to finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak. -
Velma-Alma rolls Healdton, 52-36
Make it six in a row for the Velma-Alma Lady Comets.
Senior Night proved to be quite beneficial for V-A thanks to a strong second half, which broke open a close game, giving the Lady Comets a 52-36 victory over the Healdton Lady Bulldogs. -
UNTARNISHED
Monday night saw the No. 4 Velma-Alma Comets send a clear message to the rest of the field in the playoffs: The road to Oklahoma City will run through Velma, one way or another.
V-A wasted no time in dismantling the Healdton Bulldogs on Senior night, as the Comets finished the regular season 23-0, thanks to a 72-12 victory. -
Encore Performance
Just like four years ago, Eli Manning and the Giants orchestrated an impressive late fourth-quarter drive to overtake the lead and the Patriots couldn’t answer in the final minute, handing the Super Bowl championship to the New York, 21-17 on Sunday night.
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Carletti-Silva commits to Army
Duncan High School senior quarterback Brandon Carletti-Silva has given a verbal commitment to the United States Military Academy — better known in the sports world as Army — and plans to make his decision official on Wednesday.
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Comets try to complete regular season perfection
Throughout the season, V-A has defied the odds, beating every team set in their way, resulting in a perfect 22-0 record.
Tonight, the Comets will look to finish their regular season unblemished as they host Healdton (1-14) at 8:30 p.m. for Senior Night. - More Sports Headlines
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