Super 30: No. 8 Garrett Gladd, Sallisaw

It seems like every few days I’m coming on here telling you how the latest kid I wrote about for our Super 30 series was my favorite kid to talk to. The truth is, every kid I interviewed for this series has been great, and that’s one of the things that makes this job so much fun.

Garrett Gladd of Sallisaw is no exception. He’s a humble, intelligent kid who works — as in, a real job — and still finds time to keep focused on his future, which has a wide array of possibilities.

He turned down offers from Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico to commit to Stanford in April. He’s an offensive lineman at the next level, but in Class 4A ball, he’ll have to be a two-way player.

“There’s no way we can’t play him on defense,” Sallisaw coach Craig Benson said. “But if he needs a break, he gets it on defense.”

After reaching the state semifinals last year, Gladd sees this year’s squad matching or surpassing that run, even with the loss of key players like quarterback Matt Oberste.

“We lost a lot of great seniors last year,” he said. “But we have a lot of great leaders back, guys who had to step up last year and play a big role. Defense could be our strength. We have a lot of depth.

“I’ll probably be a starter on the defensive line, but we’ve got some kids who can step in and be good. I really think we can get back to the semifinals or even go farther.”

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com