MICHEAL PUCKETT

MUSKOGEE HIGH SCHOOL

Muskogee High senior Micheal Puckett is the embodiment of the “next man up” philosophy of athletics. This year he’s taking his turn in the spotlight at cornerback and making the most of it according to head coach Travis Hill.

“I’ve known Micheal since the seventh grade and it’s been fun to watch him grow and see that moment last year when you could see the light bulb come on after he made a big hit and realized that he could really do this,” said Hill. “He’s a young man that’s waited his turn having played behind Jayden Swanson who’s now doing well at NEO and he’s having a good year already with a bunch of tackles and forcing a couple of fumbles.”

For Puckett it was a matter of joining his friends that got him interested in playing football.

“I’ve grown up playing with EJ (Edward James) and Anthony White and my dad asked if I wanted to give it try and I’ve learned to love the sport. I like being able to hit people and excelling at my position is a great feeling,” said Puckett. “My dad has always been my role model. He’s always pushing me and is sometimes tough on me but it’s a tough love and it’s been working.”

Micheal was on the sidelines last year as the Roughers battled Stillwater in the state title game and he remembers the end of that thrilling contest.

“I had my eyes closed while they were trying that two-point conversion but when we stopped them, I was really excited, and it all felt so unreal,” he laughed. “I hope we can feel that way again, but the pressure is really on our backs, so we have to approach every game like it’s a state championship game and go even harder in practice than we did last year.”

In addition to football, Micheal is also a standout in track where he won the state long jump title his freshman year and qualified for state the last two years. He hopes to play football at the next level next year while pursuing a degree in finance.