By Jeff Johncox

Transcript Sports Writer

It's a day of reflection, so I'll put away most of my snarkiness and get a little mushy.

In the midst of my sixth season covering prep sports and Sooner softball, I've had the pleasure of getting to know many great and helpful coaches and many more outstanding student athletes.

The past calendar year has been a particularly good one to cover the preps. So, in that vein, here's a list of some of the things I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

I'm thankful for the hard work the always helpful Norman Public Schools athletic director Frank Thompson puts in for every sport. I don't remember covering a Norman High or Norman North event that he wasn't at.

Then there's NHS athletics coordinator Trey Selmon and North athletics coordinator Jack Harvey, both of whom are always available for information or a quote.

I'm thankful for the prep coaches I've worked with in the past year: Matilda Mossman, Wes Clark, Butch Roberts, Jeff Blough, Greg Nation, Lance Manning, Bob Byers, Suzy Rojas, Tim Gonzales, Doug Gillis, Bo Maynes, Jay Gibson, Beth Freihofer, Mike Ramsey, Kent Nicholson, Bryan Aylor, Ray Crawley, Tony Smith, Josh Norman, Scott Myers, Chad Davis, Chris Jensen, Mike Wilson, Brad Beller and the always entertaining Dennis McCray.

I'm also thankful for OU softball coach Patty Gasso, who runs a class program and is always friendly, helpful and up for a good laugh during a postgame press conference.

I'm thankful Maynes is getting to do what he loves, coaching wrestling. I covered Bo (when he was an OU wrestler) and his wife, Christina (when she was an outside hitter for the OU volleyball team) when they were students, and it's neat to see them out at NHS events.

I'm thankful I got to watch Ashley Bruner dominate the post almost every time he took the court here senior year with the Tigers, even if the NHS girls fell short of the championship game.

I'm thankful I was able to cover the North girls as they bounced back thanks to their "tripod" of posts (Mariah Turner, Payge Wilson and Andee Wayne) and a sharp-shooting guard (Hayley Scott).

I'm thankful the NHS are finding their form, and that the since-graduated Brock Vorwald proved how much fun a guy can have on a basketball court, and how far a player can take his game without the most natural talent.

I'm thankful for Roberts and the way he's always teaching, whether his North boys are up 30 or down 30. And he's pretty fun to watch when he's "discussing" things with the refs, too.

I'm thankful Nation's program is coming together at Norman High, and that Manning everybody expecting a trip to the playoffs every season.

I'm thankful for Little Axe football's first playoff appearance, and for the fans who waited outside the locker room, just to offer a round of a applause once the season ended.

I'm thankful for Beller and the town of Lexington. It was our first year covering the Bulldogs and everybody was great.

I'm thankful for Purcell and Washington, too, because those are two football-crazy towns that are a lot of fun to visit.

I'm thankful I got to know Norman. I was an OU student when he was helping the Sooners to a national championship. I was a Charger fan when he played at San Diego. Now I'm impressed by the passion (and results: 11-0) he displayed his first year as Community Christian football coach.

I'm thankful I got to watch Samantha Ricketts and D.J. Mathis play their senior years for Gasso. Mathis is one the toughest pitchers I've ever seen.

I'm thankful for the Sunbelt Classic. The Norman Convention and Visitor's Bureau is always helpful and the baseball's always great.

I'm thankful for the majority of the parents I come across. Though some go over the top, most are great examples. I'm especially thankful for the volunteers and boosters (like CCS dad Gary Haler) at every game, making sure the show goes on.

Most of all, I'm thankful this is what I do.

I'm writing for a living, doing what I love. I get to meet so many wonderful people and see a lot of great sports moments.

There's nothing I'd rather be doing, and I want to thank every reader who's made it this far.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Jeff Johncox

366-3535

jjohncox@normantranscript.com