When the track season started this year at Okmulgee High School, freshman Larry Yahola had but one goal-WIN STATE!. So when he took the podium as the second-place finisher in the Class 3A 400-meter sprint, it was a mixture of excitement and disappointment for the young man.
“I was happy to be up on the podium but still a little disappointed because I didn’t accomplish my goal,” said Yahola.
Coach Dwight Pankey feels that the sky’s the limit for this talented freshman.
“Larry has just one gear and that’s full throttle,” said the veteran track coach. “He’s very polite and respectful and has a great work ethic but he hates to get beat. He’s like the Road Runner chasing the Coyote,” laughed Pankey. “He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Yahola and Pankey were together through early middle school and then Yahola moved to Eufaula and returned to Okmulgee this year. He made All State this year and was the team MVP in track and field. In addition to placing at state in the 400. Larry also ran the anchor leg on the Bulldogs 4X400 relay team which placed fifth.
“He ran a :48.21 in the relay and made up a lot of ground. I think if he had had another 10 meters or so he could have gotten us to third place,” said Pankey.
Yahola also plays football and basketball and grew up with role models like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson in basketball which he’s played since was five and players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jalen Ramsey in football which he started playing in seventh grade along with track.
“Starting the season in track was challenging as a freshman with everyone being taller than me but things started coming together about the fourth meet,” said Yahola. “I just accepted the role as the underdog, and it was fun proving everybody wrong. At regionals I went in with a chip on my shoulder and won the 400 which made me humble and proud to see that all my hard work was paying off. Going to state was probably the most fun I’ve ever had. I was kind of humbled knowing how hard it is to make state as a freshman. But now I’ve just got to lock in for next year knowing that the job’s not finished.”
