Bob Van Hover works with Scott Lehman and Jackie Damrill after school.
In January of 1983, Bartlesville High School started a soccer team as an offshoot
from the Washington County Soccer Club. The Bruins were part of a 12 school soccer
league in Tulsa. Jenks and Bartlesville were the only non-Tulsa teams in the league.
The season was played during January and February, the year's two coldest months
in the area. The team was coached by Bob Van Hover, a two-time All American at John
Wesley College, and a one-time All American at Bartlesville Wesylean College, Van
Hover played goalkeeper during his college days.
Bob Van Hover works with Scott Lehman and Jackie Damrill after school.
The major problem facing this Bruin team was the lack of experience. The Tulsa teams
had much more experience because they had been playing competitive soccer for quite
a few years in the "classic" leagues outside of the school. The private
high schools in Tulsa had been playing soccer for 10-15 years againsat teams from
Texas.
The Bruins were in the Blue Conference of the Northeast Prep Soccer League which
included the Holland Hall, Union, East Central, Hale, Kelley, Memorial, and Sand
Springs.
The first Bruin team had 40 players try out for the team. Van Hover selected 21 and
finally reduced that to 19. The tryouts lasted a week and was a difficult decision
for Van Hover. He had to choose players coming from teams in the Washington County
Soccer Club. Eligible players were from one Under-19 year old team, and from three
Under-16 year old teams. Others who showed up for tryouts were also eligible. Van
Hover wished he could have kept all 40 boys and have an A and a B team.
The first team consisted of four seniors (Kevin Gegrenger, Bill Miller, Toby Taylor,
and Kent Vaubel), three juniors (Grant Chapman, Leo Schmidtlein, and Ken Wehmeyer),
five sophomores (Brendan Blanchette, Clark DeShon, John Finno, Jim Gottardi and Scott
Lehman and seven freshman (Chris Bullen, Paul Fritsch, Kendall Lee, Charlie Sipe,
Jon Waedekin, Scott Whites and John Williams).
BHS Soccer Team
Front row: Hung Bui, John Williams, Jim Gottardi, John Finno, Brian Pitaniello, Ken
Wehmery and Matt McCoy.
Back row: Jackie Damrill, Leo Schmidtlein, John Waedekin, Kendall Lee, Scott Whites,
Brooks Davis, Grant Chapman, Ricky Kirchner and Charlie Sipe.
Not pictured are Brenden Blanchette and Scott Lehman.
A soccer booster Club was formed to help promote and support the new Bartlesville
High School soccer team. Officers were Neal Lehman, President, Wally DeShon, Vice
President, Clarence Lee, Treasurer and Joe Williams Secretary.
Bartlesville's Scott Lehman dribbles past a Tulsa Central defender on his way
to scoring a hat trick in 1983.
In the Bruins' second season, in 1984, the team finished the season at 6-6-1 improving
on their record of 1-7 the previous year.
1985
In 1985, Bartlesville High School soccer became a varsity sport and started playing
in the Spring season, rather than the winter. Both boys and girls teams were added
with the sport actually being a bit newer for the girls' team. Previously only the
Green Country Soccer Association provided the leagues and that stopped at the Under-16
age for girls.
Unlike the boy's club teams which competed for the previous two years virtually as
a varsity sport, there was not competition for the senior-age girls who wished to
continue playing. Mary Ann Waedekin was the Lady Bruin coach. She has coached for
teams in GCSA as well as for schools in Texas. Waedekin was assisted by Gloria Franks
and Mary Lou Bray.
This team had to survive its first season without any school funding because the
existence of the girls team was still pending at the time that the school budget
was drawn up.
Bartlesville was not the only area high school to start varsity soccer in 1985. Most
Tulsa schools, Ponca City, Sapulpa, Broken Arrow and Pryor were among those introducing
soccer as a vasity sport in 1985. BobVan Hover, the boys coach, noted that one of
his goals he had set when he graduated from Bartlesville Wesleyan College, was to
organize a varsity soccer team on a high school level.
When the season started, there were 40 schools divided into eight districts. The
champions of round-robin district play advanced to an eight team single elimination
playoff to determine the state champion.
The Lady Bruins were leagued with Washington, Bartlesville, Broken Arrow and Bixby.
They ended the season at 5-5.
The Bruins were leagued with Washington, Bartlesville, Broken Arrow, Webster and
Bixby. They finished the season at 4-6.
Lady Bruin Soccer - Members of the first Lady Bruin Soccer team in 1985 were:
Front row: Wendy Bray, Cindy Kinney, Wendy Miller, Tammy Dull and Dannon Earle.
Back row: Assistant Coach Gloria Franks, Amy Powell, Julie Gottardi, Wynee Warren,
Assistant Coach Mary Lou Bray, Jennifer Franks, Christy Featherston, and Coach Mary
Ann Waedekin.
Lady Bruin fullback Dannon Earle (right) attempts to steal the ball from a Broken Arrow player during the 1985 season.
Bruin Soccer players work the ball against Tulsa Washington in 1985.
John Timmons took over as the Bruins soccer coach in 1991. He replaced Lonnie
James.
Wendy Bray, a member of the first Lady Bruin soccer team, took over as Coach of
the Lady Bruins in 1996 replacing Mary Ann Waedekin. The program has improved each
year with 1997 marking another milestone with the program. This was the first year
that a Junior Varsity team for the girls was created.
Ross Naylor became the Bruins coach in 2000.
Ken Copeland became the Bruins coach in 2001.
2001- Lady Bruins win their first ever playoff game against Owasso IN Owasso.
They also hosted their first playoff game by hosting Union in the second round of the playoffs.
The Lady Bruins also won the State Academic Award for the second consecutive year with a combined GPA of 3.826.