Cache’s Heidebrecht finds love in football

Many families have a treasure in their midst, not the material type but a person who is bigger than life and casts a wide shadow.

Tom Heidebrecht was that to his family and thousands of other families during his long and distinguished high school basketball coaching career.

My job at the Constitution/Morning Press began in February of 1972 and I was tasked to help staff various basketball playoff games.

That year Heidebrecht made history by leading tiny Fort Towson to both the girls and boys state championships. Those of us attending large-school playoffs followed his journey into the history books through Ray Soldan, the great prep writer/historian for the Daily Oklahoman.

The first thing many of us did upon hearing that news was get the old weathered Oklahoma map out of the glove box and see just where Fort Towson was located. That tiny dot on the map rested between Hugo and Broken Bow, just north of the meandering Red River.

Never did I imagine that many years later I’d have the pleasure of becoming good friends with Coach Heidebrecht after he and his family came to the Lawton area.

Oh, the stories he could tell and one of the young members of the family who heard them all is Cache senior Alex Heidebrecht, a 6-3, 190-pound defensive back for the Bulldogs.

While several other Cache footballers will head to the basketball court after their current season, Alex won’t be among them. At least that is his thought at this point.

“I played some basketball in junior high but I didn’t really enjoy it,” he said before Wednesday’s football practice. “Some of the players want me to play and my sisters want me to play. Because of my height I could probably help defensively but right now I doubt if I play.”

That was one thing Coach Tom always told him.

“He always told us that to do something well you have to truly love it,” Alex said. “I just don’t have that love for basketball. Football is what I love and he knew that and always said he supported me on that.”

The Cache football team is glad he is lending a hand, grabbing a pair of interceptions in last week’s big upset of No. 7-ranked Clinton. He will be on the prowl tonight when Cache visits Chickasha where a win will send the Bulldogs to the playoffs.

“We are really playing well defensively,” he said. “All of the players have bought into the system and we are making plays and tackling well. We were all excited after the game with what we accomplished.”

While Alex doesn’t have that booming voice his grandfather had, he gets his thoughts across with ease.

“One thing we understand is that if we beat Chickasha and get to the playoffs, it will be nice for all of us but having another week of practice will really benefit the younger players,” he said. “I think our program will only get better in the future. The last two years we’ve made a great deal of progress. All of us feel good about that.”

Heidebrecht is working hard this year getting additional college hours, taking Psychology and English Comp I concurrently while attending one class at Cache High, that being Algebra III/Financial Cycle.

“I’m planning to go to Cameron for a year and then move to a bigger school,” he said. “I’m thinking about a business degree and then get into real estate.”

While the range of prep athletes’ dining preferences covers a wide swath, the senior has his thoughts about a favorite meal.

“I’d want a big barbecue; steaks cooked medium-rare with mac and cheese, smoked sausage, beans. That would be ideal for me,” he said.

Even after the big upset of Clinton, Heidebrecht says there will be no issues with the Bulldogs getting up for tonight’s game at Chickasha.

“We will have no trouble getting up for them,” he said. “They have a good quarterback, a good back and some good receivers. We just have to do what our coaches have showed us this week and play hard.”

While defense is his love, he also plays tight end and wide receiver at times.

“I think defense is more fun but we prepare hard for anything,” he said. “We all watch a great deal of film so we will know their tendencies.”

While his grandfather and dad both coached, Alex isn’t sure if that’s for him but he does think about it and those thoughts are more prevalent at times.

“Everywhere I go people talk about him and many of them share the stories he told them,” Alex said. “We all miss him but we do have the great times together and the stories. Oh, the stories he could tell.”

And thanks to Alex, some of those probably were about football.