When Mustang and Owasso square off this week on YurView, not only will it feature two of the top high school football teams in Class 6A-I, but it will also be the first time Lee Blankenship and first cousin Bill Blankenship square off against each other as head coaches.
“Bill and my dad are about the same age,” said Lee, who’s in his first year at the helm at Mustang. “There’s an age difference there. He’s been more than just a mentor to me. I’ve really tried to pattern my entire career after his.”
When Lee was wrestling with the idea of leaving Bartlesville last year to take the Mustang job, he reached out to Bill for guidance.
“More than just whether or not or I should take the job,” recalled Blankenship, “he helped me with what questions I should ask and I what I should be looking for.”
“Lee is first of all, just family,” said Bill, who led Owasso to a state championship in 2017 and is one of the most successful Oklahoma high school football coaches in history. “I’ve known him since he was a little bitty thing and I’ve been really partial to him because he found his path in coaching.”
“He loves the game and I’ll tell you, he does it the right way,” added Bill, who has captured five state championships in his career. “He’s got Mustang going in the right direction. He’s really got them playing well. I’m excited to see him. I just don’t want him to be too good when we see them on Friday.”
Owasso has reason to be wary of Mustang after the Broncos beat Tulsa Union recently for the first time in school history. It was a signature victory for Mustang and it put the state on notice that they’re a team to be reckoned with.
“It just validates what we’ve been telling our kids,” said Blankenship. “When kids trust you and know that you’ve got their back, they’ll give you everything they’ve got.”
Owasso and Mustang square off this week live on YurView Cox Channel 3 on Friday, October 25th at 7pm. This Ford Game of the Week also being streamed live on YurView.com.
