There is a pesky strain of influenza making its away around Lawton, and it is affecting much more than the health of students and teachers.
Lawton Public Schools (LPS) announced Thursday that all classes and extracurricular activities are canceled as a result of the many teacher and student absences caused by the spread of the infectious disease.
Consequently, that means all sporting events scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been scrapped or postponed to allow students and teachers a chance to recover if they are sick. During the break, janitorial staffs will sanitize desks, door knobs and anything else the schools' occupants could come in contact with that might transmit the virus.
Although it was a necessary step to stopping the rapid spread of the flu, it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Eisenhower boys basketball team.
The Eagles (12-1) are ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, and they were heading into what was supposed to be the biggest weekend of the regular season. Ike was set to face No. 11 Del City Friday on the road, followed by an appearance in the highly-touted 'Prep Hoops' East vs. West Showcase game against No. 1 Tulsa Memorial at Sand Springs High School on Saturday.
Not only was it an opportunity to earn respect in the Top 20 poll, but it was also a chance for Ike to avenge its 76-70 loss to the Chargers in last year's state tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the Eagles now have to wait to get a shot at the defending state champions.
For Ike coach Todd Millwee, it was a tough pill to swallow.
"I've tried everything I can, but the CDC said over 25 percent of the school population has it, and the only way to kill it is for there to be no contact, no sports, no activities and no school," Millwee said. "We've worked for 20-30 years to be invited to something (East vs. West Showcase) this big of a deal, and there were going to be tons of college coaches, and we have three or four players right now who could get a scholarship off a game like this. Our kids were really looking forward to the trip."
Of course, the Eagles still have a lot to work for as they enter the latter half of the season.
Millwee said he aims to turn this situation into something positive and use it as motivation.
"I've already talked to Del City, and we definitely want to reschedule that game because that's an important game in 5A and in the Big 10 Conference, the toughest conference in the state," Millwee said. "I'll try to talk to Memorial's coach, and I've offered for us to drive up there on a Wednesday night or any other off night. We'll play at their gym if they can make it work.
"I've offered to do anything we can, even if we have to stay somewhere during the week, to play both of those games somehow."
The MacArthur girls are taking a different approach to the circumstances.
The 5A No. 6 Highlanders (11-5) were in for a massive matchup on the road with 4A No. 5 Ardmore before the cancellations were announced Thursday. Mac coach David Vann has had Jan. 26 circled on the schedule for quite some time, treating every contest the past couple of weeks as a tune-up for the Tigers.
Although he is disappointed the game won't be played tonight because Ardmore is a state-tournament caliber opponent, Vann said the cancellation actually works in his team's favor when it comes to regional seeding.
"I know it's hard to play in Ardmore, they have some athletes, but we play better when we know we're playing against a good team," Vann said. "I really thought we were going to go down there and steal one, and I still believe it. It would've been good to play against a No. 5 team to see where we're at.
"But the good news is instead winning three out of next four or four out of four, all we have to do is win next Tuesday (vs. Altus) and next Friday (vs. Lawton High) and we'll get to host our own regional. The plan is to win the first two regionals at home, get area and then win the state tournament. We're in great shape."
Of course, Mac still gets to play the Tigers on Feb. 9 because the teams are in the same conference. The Ike boys don't get that same luxury with Memorial.
Regardless, Vann said he believes the cancellation came as a blessing in disguise because of the gauntlet the Highlanders have battled through over the past week and half. If the game had been green lit, it would've been Mac's sixth game in nine nights.
"The rest will be good for my girls because we've played a lot of game the past few weeks, and I think our legs are kind of worn out a little bit," Vann said. "I think being fresh will help us, and we'll have a good practice on Monday to get our mind set because the girls know now that they have to win — these next two are important."
In addition to Ike and Mac losing games, Lawton High will delay Friday's home game with Choctaw, another Big 10 Conference foe. No news about a reschedule date has been announced.