Landon Martin Eric Willoughby
Injuries are an inevitable and unavoidable fact of football.
They can strike at the most inopportune times, sending lineups and depth charts into mayhem, especially at the end of the season when playoff spots are on the line. MacArthur already has its postseason position locked up, but some untimely injuries have caused some scrambling in the midst of the second season.
McKain Hammond, a starting tackle on the offensive line, is likely to miss the remainder of the season after experiencing an ankle injury against Duncan on Oct. 20.
To make matters worse, Bryce Mahan suffered a concussion against Altus, putting the Highlanders down yet another offensive tackle.
Injuries of that caliber could probably cripple most teams, for the offensive line is a key part to any offense's success. Without the big boys making holes and protecting the quarterback, scoring would be impossible.
Although the losses of Hammond and Mahan are tough, Mac has the depth to cope with such occurrences. In fact, one of the replacements is a seasoned starter himself.
Enter Landon Martin.
Martin, normally a left tackle, will experience the tackle position from the other side of the line this week.
"Landon is actually flipping over to right tackle this week," Mac coach Brett Manning said. "Our backup left tackle, Matt Woods, is going to step in there and fill in that left tackle spot.
"Matt hasn't played a lot offensively, but I feel good about him. He's practiced all year, and our twos gets about as much reps as the ones do in practice. He's a smart, tough kid, and I think he'll do fine."
Switching a player's position this late in the season is risky, but it is a gamble Manning is willing to take because of Martin's work ethic.
Manning, citing the senior's character and upbringing, said Martin is one of the hardest workers on the team, and he should have no problems making the transition.
"Landon is just a really good kid," Manning said. "He's one of those guys who never says the wrong thing and never does the wrong thing. His dad is the youth minister at First Baptist East, so he's a great kid.
"There's very few people out here who have ever given more effort or tried harder on a daily basis than Landon does. It's like he doesn't know how to not give great effort."
Manning's confidence in Martin is not unfounded.
Martin has spent most of his Highlander career at left tackle, but the move to right doesn't faze the senior one bit. After all, as he grew into his now 6-3, 215-pound frame, he honed his football skills at right tackle.
"I still think we're pretty ready," Martin said. "I previously played right going up through middle school to freshman year, and when sophomore year came around, McKain Hammond took over the right tackle and I went to left. I think I'm pretty well-equipped for left tackle."
There are slight differences between the positions, however, and Martins admits he has gone through a learning curve at practice to re-perfect his craft.
Of course, he also gives credit to his supporting teammates for easing any of the struggles he has experienced thus far.
"It is a little bit of an adjustment to make, mostly with footwork and pass blocking," Martin said. "But my teammates have been pushing me to get better, and it's been helping me a lot, so I think I'm ready for this next game."
Martin said it is important he plays his best against Ardmore because the loss to Altus left a bad taste in his mouth, and he doesn't want to experience that feeling again.
"The hardest part about losing for me was knowing we still had a chance to win district," Martin said. "But stuff like that happens, and I always need to be humble about it. Even though it gets hard, we still have some time to go and we need to give it the best we can."
Helping Woods and Martin adjust to their new responsibilities is center Eric Willoughby.
Willoughby is a two-year starter and is considered a leader among the offensive linemen, both on the field and in the weightroom.
Manning said Willoughby leads more by example thanks to his quiet nature, and he looks to the senior to patrol the game from the center position because it all starts with him.
"Eric is a great offseason guy," Manning said. "He got an opportunity to try out at center the spring of his sophomore year, and I think we had an injury to who we were planning to have at center, and Eric came in and just did a great job and earned that spot.
"He works really hard, and he's great in the weightroom. He calls of our pass protections up front, so he's an intelligent player."
Intelligent might be the most quintessential word to describe Willoughby.
In his off time, Willoughby builds and programs personal computers for fun.
Willoughby said it's his life's passion, thanks in large part to his mother, who makes a living in a similar field for Ft. Sill.
"I buy the components to build a gaming PC, but usually the only time I have to do that is the weekends," Willoughby said. "I got into it a couple of years ago. My mom is a software engineer, so I got into that because I thought it was cool. She works on base with radios, setting up tests and stuff for military students on base."
He wants to transform that passion into a career once out of high school. He plans to pursue a degree in computer science at Boise State while also playing football for the Broncos.
"I can bring a lot of my muscle and brain up there," Willoughby said.
Although nearly 1,500 miles lie between Lawton and Boise, Id., Willoughby won't be too far from loved ones. Not to mention his parents are entertaining a move to one of the northern states after Willoughby graduates in May.
"Most of my family lives up north in Montana, Seattle, Wash., and some in Idaho and Colorado."
Like Willoughby, Martin has his future career seemingly mapped out as well.
In fact, Martin is well on his way to becoming a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician.
Martin originally had plans to attend college and become a chemical engineer, but he has chosen to forgo a degree (for now) in pursuit of an HVAC license. He studies the profession at the Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton.
"It's really fun, and that's probably what I'm going to do after high school," Martin said. "I think it's a good route and alternative to college because I can get a license and start working."
Martin hasn't completely nixed the idea of a college education, though.
At some point in the future, he would like to attend Oklahoma State University to further his knowledge of HVAC technicalities.
"OSU does have a good HVAC program," Martin said. "I know they're very sound in their technology aspects, and I think they'd be able to give me the most learning opportunities."