While teammates work alongside each other to defeat their opponent, when they are on the practice field, they have to work against each other so both can improve their game and skills. Makhan Harjo says that he has had different teammates that he has worked against and each of them forced him to work hard and get better.

“Every year, I had someone in practice that I battled with,” he said. “During my freshman year, I battled with my older brother because he was a senior. In my sophomore year, I battled with a good friend Landon Dennis because he had played the same positions as me. In my junior and senior years, I battled with younger classmen because I wanted to keep my playing time.”

Harjo is a member of the Class of 2022 at Okemah High School where he was a member of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. In the fall he will be attending Wichita State University and working towards an electrical engineering degree.

He loves to play sports, but Makhan says that there were times throughout his career when things were tough, but he had to work hard and fight through.

“I would have to say that the moment for me that really opened my eyes to how I play sports happened during my junior year,” he said. “I had broken my foot a couple of months before in basketball season and I was told no matter what I would have to have surgery on my foot. So I told my family and coach that if I’m going to have to have surgery anyway, I am not going to let this push me away from a sport I love. So I played throughout the season with a broken foot, and it had healed, and the surgeon was impressed. He thought that I had stayed off of my foot.”

Along with playing multiple sports at Okemah, Harjo was also a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, Este Cate Club, student council, and Johnson O’Malley.