By Fred L. Jones, Jr.
Eagle Staff Writer
Booker T. Washington High School (BTW) has had a host of great student\athletes with a wide range of talent pools. So, to take any one student, and mark them for greatness in a tradition-rich athletic program is going out on a limb, of sort, because the eyes of Oklahoma high school sports fall upon you, for the rest of your high school athletic career.
Quiet as kept, what many people witnessed Friday night at the State 6A-II football championship between BTW and Bixby was the birth of a true high school 5-star athlete in the making: Booker T. Washington’s Javion Hester.
There have been so many different playmakers for the Hornets this year, such as Rylan McQuarters and DeWayne Cooks, Jr., that Hester being a sophomore, was on the field, but not a primary receiver of sort. Hester, a 6-foot-4 sophomore’s stat line for Friday’s state championship game was an intercepted a pass, caught two TD passes and totaled 145 yards on four receptions.
BTW’s head football coach Brad Calip stated, “He’s a special kid and he rose to the occasion, with his size, speed and football IQ, he’s going to be highly recruited.”
Melvin Gilliam a former two sport All-American at BTW stated, “Very proud of my Booker T. Washington Hornets 2017 6A-II State Champions. Sophomore receiver Javion Hester is a beast, I thought I was watching a young Randy Moss.”
Lamar Burks former BTW football standout and historian stated, “Hester has a bright future for the Hornets, he typifies the phrase ‘big time players, make big time plays’. He will go down as one of the best ever from Booker T.”
The Hornets are set to return a great group of receivers next year with lead by Hester (19) and Marcus Potter, Jr. (25), but for now the celebration continues within the Hornet nation as they add a 10th trophy to the Booker T. state championship trophy vault.
On May 31, 2017, Senior Rylan McQuarters (5) stated to the Tulsa World, “We’re going to win the gold ball.” Well said and done Rylan, well said and done.
Photo Credit Tulsa World Newspaper and Shannon Brooke Surratt Photography
