The 2015 football teams at Arkansas Tech University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University have learned what it means to lose in a sense far more painful than any game.
They’ve also learned what it means to win, and as a result both programs have experienced one of their most successful seasons in many years.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Wonder Boys (7-2) and the Bulldogs (6-3) will meet at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field in Russellville for a contest that carries both Great American Conference championship and postseason implications. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
For Arkansas Tech, the point of inspiration this season is Zemaric Holt. He was preparing for his junior season on the Wonder Boys’ defensive line when he drowned in a swimming accident on July 19.
His teammates memorialized him on the first play of the season by lining up with just 10 players on defense. The Wonder Boys forced and recovered a fumble for a touchdown on that play, and in the two months since, almost 1.4 million people have watched the YouTube video that captures the moment.
Members of the Arkansas Tech defense carry Holt’s No. 90 jersey onto the sideline before every game, and it is placed behind the bench as a reminder of their teammate.
Arkansas Tech head coach Raymond Monica said that he still thinks of Holt on a daily basis as he prepares his team.
“I remember being out there during a summer youth camp we were hosting, and Zemaric was there,” said Monica. “He was running around, and I asked him how he was doing and if this was pretty tough. He said, ‘no coach, this is easy.’ It just so happened that we talked in this one certain spot on the practice field, and now anytime I get in that spot I think about that. You always wonder about what you could have done to help prevent that situation. That’s constantly on my mind.”
Loss struck the Southwestern Oklahoma State football program less than a month after Holt’s death.
Jeri Cocannouer, wife of SWOSU head football coach Dan Cocannouer for 36 years, died in August after a six-year battle against cancer.
She lost her life shortly before the beginning of fall practice for Southwestern Oklahoma State. A coach’s spouse until the end, she had already made the team’s travel arrangements for the 2015 season before she passed away.
While going through their own collective and individual grieving processes, the Wonder Boys and the Bulldogs have put together successful seasons. Arkansas Tech is still in serious contention for a share of the GAC title and a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Both teams have the potential to earn an invite to a postseason bowl game.
Tech has clinched its first winning season since 2009 and reached the seven-win plateau in a season for just the ninth time in its last 44 football seasons. SWOSU has clinched what is only its second winning season since 2007, and it can post its first five-game winning streak since 1993 with a victory on Saturday.
There is a brotherhood among coaches, and Monica has been in contact with Cocannouer as they have simultaneously managed two difficult situations.
“He and I have talked several times,” said Monica. “Sometimes I pick up the phone to see how he’s doing. He tells me it’s tough going home by himself. I can’t imagine that. I just wanted to call him a couple of times because I know what we went through here, and I can’t imagine what he’s been through during the football season without his wife. Our thoughts and prayers are always with him, and our thoughts and prayers are always with the family of Zemaric.”
The Wonder Boys enter the weekend one game behind nationally ninth-ranked Henderson State University (8-1) for first place in the GAC standings.
The Reddies will visit Oklahoma Baptist University (2-7) this weekend before closing out the season by traveling across the street from their campus in Arkadelphia to take on Ouachita Baptist University (6-3) in the season-ending Battle of the Ravine on Nov. 14.
If Arkansas Tech can catch Henderson State and earn a share or all of the 2015 GAC championship, it would be the Wonder Boys’ 19th conference football title and their first since 1999.
As for the NCAA Division II Playoffs, Arkansas Tech is ranked No. 9 in this week’s NCAA Division II Super Region 3 rankings. Only the top seven teams in the final rankings will earn a berth in the playoffs, so the Wonder Boys will most likely need to win this Saturday against SWOSU and again on Saturday, Nov. 14, against Harding University to remain in contention for a bid.
Party at the Plaza, the pre-game tailgating celebration outside the stadium on Centennial Plaza, will begin at noon Saturday.
The stadium ticket office also opens at noon Saturday. Game tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Those with a valid Arkansas Tech identification card will be admitted to the game for free.
Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will have live coverage of the Tech-SWOSU game on Saturday. Pre-game coverage begins at 1:30 p.m.
