Tyler Caviness leads the Rams to a Homecoming victory
By Isaac Krueger
Tyler Caviness lifted by teammates by Mike Simons
Despite the preseason hype and winning reputation, the Owasso Rams Football team had a rough start to the season. The season kicked off with the Rams on the wrong side of a 49-14 blowout. Then, to add to the rough start, injuries piled up for the Rams, and their record fell to a mere 1-4 going into the homecoming game. A homecoming game, that is, without senior quarterback Mason Willingham who sustained an injury in the previous week’s game.
Junior Quarterback Tyler Caviness looked to lead the Rams to an unlikely win. With home-field advantage and a nothing-to-lose mentality, he took the field by storm. Caviness was willing to try to turn a catastrophic situation into an unlikely win for the Rams.
“I was very excited when I was told I was starting the game,” Caviness stated.
Despite the setbacks and adversity, he stepped up and led the Rams to a triumphant 30-16 victory over the Edmond North Huskies. But Caviness didn’t make it to this point on luck; it took years of work and a positive mindset to finally get his moment.
“My path up until the homecoming game was just staying ready,” Caviness noted, “Making sure I knew what to do if Mason [Willingham] were to go down.”
The injury to the starting quarterback seemed like the final straw for the Rams. This would prove to be a tough task for Caviness, especially because being a ‘backup’ has a grim reputation in football; it is an especially hard task to come in and perform when everyone is watching every mistake and expecting the worst. However, Caviness and the Rams managed to stay on course. On homecoming night, rallying behind Caviness, the team defied the odds to get a crucial win.
“All of us rallying behind each other and breaking through and winning really flipped the season around for us,” Caviness observed. “It felt great to get back on track and win.”
The Rams have now won their last three games, gaining much-needed momentum moving into the back half of the season. They look to use this momentum to make a playoff run and turn the season around completely. With Willingham and other key players returning from injury, the Rams are now in full swing.