Trojan QB eager to return
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Sunday, August 05, 2012
8/05/12 at 6:32 AM
Jenks quarterback Kyle Alexander is like a kid waiting for Christmas.
He’s recovered from injuries
that caused him to miss
all but the first two games of
the 2011 season, and he can’t
wait to get started again.
“I’m very excited about the
season, and I’m just looking
forward to being back with
my teammates,” he said. “Losing
a year hasn’t helped me
with any of my future goals."
Alexander won’t have to
wait much longer. Tuesday
is the first day high school
football teams can take to the
practice field.
Drills are limited to noncontact
work until Friday
when teams can don full pads
for the first time. From there,
it’s only three weeks until the
regular-season opener.
For Jenks, that means the
annual Backyard Bowl bash
with arch-rival Union, Aug."
31 in H.A. Chapman Stadium."
It brings back memories for
Alexander, who went down
in the fourth quarter of last
year’s Backyard Bowl.
He was attempting to pass
when an offensive lineman
fell across his locked right
knee, causing partial tears of
the medial collateral ligament
and meniscus, a shock-absorbing
cartilage between the
upper and lower leg bones.
“It wasn’t that (painful), but
I knew I’d seriously injured
my knee and the worst part
was knowing I wouldn’t be
able to play with the team for
the rest of the year,” he said.
Hunter Collins stepped in
as a senior to throw for 1,688
yards and 22 touchdowns,
leading the Trojans to a 10-3
record and playoff semifinal
finish.
Collins has moved on to
William Penn University in
West Des Moines, Iowa, and
Derek Brumble bypassed
most of spring drills. That
means Alexander has the job
to himself after battling the
others last August.
Alexander rehabbed for
nearly six months before returning
to go through spring
drills “at full speed."
“It’s been a while since
I’d been with the team and
I needed a little time in
the saddle, getting back in
rhythm and working against
a defense,” he said.
Will he be rusty when the
action starts Tuesday? Head
coach Allan Trimble said he
isn’t worried.
“Sure, we’d love to have a
guy who started every game
last year, but he played almost
two full games and did some
good things before he got
hurt,” Trimble said. “I think
his teammates respect him as
a guy who can lead our team."
Alexander will have plenty
of help. Returning senior running
back Trey’Vonne Barr’e
rushed for 1,927 yards and
21 touchdowns last year. Receivers
Jordan Smallwood, a
University of Oklahoma commit,
and Trey Michalczewski
combined for 81 receptions,
1,345 yards and 18 TDs.
“He’ll be fine because he’s
worked hard every day since
he’s been back,” Michalczewski
said of Alexander.
Alexander is well aware
that the Trojans haven’t won
a state championship since
2007 after winning 10 of the
previous 15 Class 6A titles.
They would love nothing
better than to end Union’s
four-year streak of titles, especially
after last year’s onepoint,
semifinal loss to the
Redskins.
“We’ve been in the same
spot before. We understand
what it means and what we
need to do, and we’re willing
to make that commitment,”
he said.
ALL-WORLD 2012: CAST YOUR VOTE
This summer we are asking for your vote on
the best local high school football players. You
can vote for quarterbacks, receivers/tight ends,
linebackers, defensive backs, defensive linemen,
kickers, running backs and offensive linemen.
You can vote 10 times a day until 5 p.m. Sunday,
Aug. 12. Results will appear Sunday, Aug. 26, in
the Tulsa World High School Football Preview.
Cast your vote at tulsaworld.com/allworld
Mike Brown 918-581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Kyle Alexander (center) practices with the team in May. The quarterback is ready to get back to playing after missing time with a knee injury. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
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