SEND US YOUR CHAMPS!
Champs is a new weekly feature in the OA. It is open to those ages 14 and younger.
Nominate your athlete by emailing [email protected].
EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Champs, a new weekly feature intended to brag a bit on some of Odessa’s younger athletes. Want to nominate a Champ? Email ldennis@ oaoa. com. All sports are welcome for athletes 14 and younger.
Meet this week’s Champs: Tucker and Tayton Heard
Names: Tucker Heard & Tayton Heard
Parents: Shalon and Tabitha Heard
Age and grades: Tucker is 8 and in third grade and Tayton is 10 and in fifth grade.
School: Milam Magnet.
Tucker’s sports: 7 on 7 football, Tackle Football and Baseball
Tayton’s sports: 7 on 7 Football, Tackle football and Flag Football
What is your favorite sport and why?
Tucker – Baseball, I like hitting the ball as hard as I can.
Tayton – Tackle Football, because I get to tackle people, and throw the ball down field.
Tucker’s best coaches: Coach Spank, because he does the best tackling drills.
Coach Jeremy, he let’s us play football games and gets us ice cream when we do good.
Tayton’s best coaches: Chance Sherrod, because he makes me laugh and he taught me a lot on both sides of the ball.
Coach Ray – Cause he believes in me.
Coach Shalon (Dad) – Because he is a good offensive coach, and pushes me hard, it makes me a better player.
Tucker’s best sports memory: When my Brother Tate threw me the ball in 7 on 7 and I came out of no where caught the ball and scored a touchdown.
Tayton’s best sports memory: I got a Pick 6 at Nationals in Florida. The receiver tipped the ball I caught it and ran it in for 6. Tied the game. 2nd memory- getting named MVP of the 7 on 7 Championship Game.
The greatest pro athlete is:
Tucker – Tyreek Hill “because he is the fastest person on the NFL.”
Tayton – C.D. Lamb is the “greatest because he runs solid routes, has good hands and is fast.”
Both Tucker and Tayton say their father, Shalon, helps them with sports and makes them work hard to get better. They also appreciate mom Tabitha, Tayton said, because she “makes me believe in myself, gives me a good speech before every game and encourage me to do better.”
Tucker isn’t sure about his life as an adult yet but may want to be a pro baseball player and Tayton wants to “work hard, stay focused, graduate from Permian, and go to Texas Tech. Then get drafted into the NFL.”
Both have been involved in many Odessa events.
Tucker – Plays Tackle Football for the J.V. PBYFL Panthers. Played up with his brother on the Bombers for the PBYFL spring season and they won the Championship. He also plays Baseball at Sherwood. He was chosen for the Allstar team last fall, and has won The PBYFL overall MVP player if the year Flag division.
Tayton – Plays Tackle football for the Varstiy PBYFL Panthers. He also plays Flag football for Under Armor league. They won the local Championship and just got back from Nationals in Florida. He also plays for the Bombers 7 on 7 team, they won the Championship this spring and Tayton was named Game MVP. He is a 2 time Offensive PBYFL MVP of the year winner and was also chosen for the All Star team.
Tucker says the coolest thing about him is that he is fast and Tayton says he never gives up.
