Since taking over the Bixby girls soccer program two years ago, head coach Brittany Scrapper has made it her mission to elevate the program to one of the top ones in Oklahoma.
“I think we’ve tried to change our mentality,” said Scrapper. “For the longest time we were kind of like, ‘oh we’re just Bixby and anything we have we’ll be happy with.’ We’ve gotten past that. That was always our goal; to be one of the ones you talk about when you mention the best teams in the state. People talk about Norman North, Jenks, Owasso, Union, Broken Arrow. Those are the teams that have been mentioned for a while now for soccer. Now people are starting to say Bixby, too.”
The Lady Spartans have earned the right to be mentioned among the top soccer programs in the state based on their performance the past two seasons. Last year, they had the best season in school history, advancing to the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Norman North. This year, they’re off to a 10-1 start with several impressive wins over top-notch programs.
“Before last year, Bixby had always made the playoffs and lost in the first round,” stated Scrapper, who was an assistant at Bixby before taking over. “We had never won a playoff game. We had never beaten Broken Arrow or Union or Jenks or any of the big teams. Last year, we broke that streak with the majority of the group that we have right now.”
Bixby appears to be ultra-focused on making a state title run this season. Since an early-season 3-2 loss to Jenks, the Lady Spartans have reeled off several straight victories, including a dominating performance at the Southern Coast Cup tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where they won their three games by a combined score of 19-0.
“Jordan just plays with so much fire and passion,” claimed Scrapper. “She loves to play incredibly fast. She’s a threat in the air and on the ground. She’s a tremendous, tremendous athlete.”
Frederick recorded a hat trick in the Lady Spartans’ recent 5-0 win over Booker T. Washington. The Tulsa Soccer Club team member is excited for the opportunity to continue her playing career close to home.
“They had been kind of watching me since I was in 8th grade, so they had always been there,” said Frederick on committing to the Golden Hurricane. “I talked to several coaches, but TU was the one that was the most consistent with me. They liked what I was doing, they came to my club games, and I just felt like they really wanted me there.”
Mohler scored the team’s other two goals against the Hornets. The senior captains may be the top one-two scoring duo in the state.
“Andra Mohler is probably, in my opinion, the best player in the state right now,” remarked Scrapper. “She’s scored a lot of goals. I think she’ll be on the short list for Gatorade Player of the Year. Her work ethic is insane. She’s a huge reason our team has reached the status that it has.”
With five recent shutouts, the Lady Spartans are also getting stellar play from their back line and goalkeeper.
“Our goalkeeper, Gentry Kirk, is great,” said Scrapper. “She’s solid. She’s a great leader in the back. Her communication is awesome.”
“Our starting center back, senior Grace Locke, has been tremendous for our back line,” added Scrapper. “It’s kind of been a night and day performance how our back line is keeping possession for us. They’re starting our attack from the back line and getting it to our dangerous players.”
“We also have three sophomores that are back there. They were all starting as freshmen last year. They’ve really stepped up their game and been tremendous for us.”
Although Bixby has its sights set on making another deep playoff run, the Lady Spartans won’t be looking past Broken Arrow when the two powerhouses meet on April 15th.
“Last year, Broken Arrow beat us two times before we played them in that playoff game, so we know they’ll be ready for us,” admitted Scrapper. “They had some players injured last year that I know they have back this year. I know the girls are really looking forward to it. I know it’s going to be a tough game, but our girls are ready for it and they want the win.”
The highly anticipated Bixby-Broken Arrow soccer match takes place Friday, April 15th at Bixby. Cox’s YurView channel 3 will televise this Ford Game of the Week, with the girls game starting at 6:00 P.M., followed by the boys at 8:00 P.M. The event will also be streamed online.
