Some OKC schools don't have lavish facilities, but focus on the positives

By Jenni Carlson

Published: August 24, 2008

Stand next to Michael Branch on his practice field, and you start seeing the enormity of his task.

The goal post leans, the turf undulates, and the ground looks more like the lunar surface than the south side of Oklahoma City in some places. The blue-helmeted players scattered around number less than four dozen.

And yet, the Southeast High football coach is supposed to somehow compete against teams with resources once reserved for college teams.

Artificial fields. Indoor facilities. Rosters with two or three times as many players.

"It's a challenge,” Branch said. "It's definitely a challenge.”

He raised an eyebrow.

"It's not something you do for the money.”

Not in the Oklahoma City Public Schools.

There's no tougher place to coach high school football. Just two of the district's nine schools had winning records last season.

The combined number of victories by district teams: 26.

Branch's bunch managed just two.

But in a place where you'd expect to hear moaning and groaning, there is little. Not at Southeast. Not at the other Oklahoma City Public schools.

Branch chooses to talk not about what his team lacks, but rather what it has.

"We've just got to win with what we've got,” he said. "There's no standing around complaining about it. We're going to coach the ones that are here and have a good time doing it.

"I told these kids when we started in the spring, ‘I'm not going to worry about who's not here.' That's part of what I did last year.”

Lest you think Branch a saint, he hasn't been perfect. He admittedly concerned himself with some things that he couldn't control last season. This season, he intends to stay focused on the things he can.

That's no easy task for any OKC Public football coach. This is a district where resources can be scarce, tradition non-existent.

Many of the teams have improved facilities and upgraded equipment — MAPS for Kids funded major construction and renovation at most OKC Public schools — and those changes have been sorely needed.

Other changes, not so much.

With the exception of the new Oklahoma Centennial, every OKC Public school has changed head coaches at least once since the start of the decade. Three of them have had at least four different coaches.

Branch believes that trend may be changing. He looks around at his counterparts, men like Mark Ackerman at U.S. Grant, Darrell Hall at Star Spencer and Willis Alexander at Douglass, and sees coaches who are committed to their programs.

Branch fits the mold, too. He has been coaching at his alma mater for a decade and is starting his sixth season as head coach.

"He's gonna stay with us,” senior Brendon Curry said.

Every year, Branch tells his players the story about how he started coaching. He was teaching at Jackson Middle School, and his students invited him to come to one of their football games.

"It was tragic,” he said.

Branch noticed only two coaches on the sideline and decided to ask if he could help. He'd played football. Surely, he could do something.

"Can you do defense?” the head coach asked.

"Yeah,” Branch said.

"It's yours.”

Branch coached that season without being paid a dime. Yet, he had a great time teaching and encouraging and sharing the game he'd always loved.

"Ain't nothing changed,” Branch said.

He surveyed his field, his team, his love.

"I still enjoy this.”

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