Sports Editor At 18-years-old, Thomas Sedgwick left Helston, England, bound for the United States with a suitcase and a dream.
After playing five years of collegiate soccer at two different schools, one torn ACL, a career-ending ankle injury and some anxiety-inducing ‘what’s next moments’, Sedgwick’s life is taking shape in Piedmont, 4,500 miles from home.
In his first season as a head coach at any level, Sedgwick has led Piedmont’s boys soccer team to a 10-5 record, including a first round playoff win at Duncan on Tuesday. The Wildcats face Bishop McGuinness in the quarterfinals tonight at 8 p.m. in Oklahoma City.
“It’s been a long journey,” Sedgwick said, “but I feel like my dream is coming to fruition.”
COMING TO AMERICA
With a population of about 12,000, Helston Parish in Cornwall, England is the most southerly town on the island of Great Britain. Primarily an agricultural community, Helston is isolated from Britain’s largest cities – it’s six hours by car to London and almost five hours from Birmingham – so opportunities are limited, Sedgwick said.
“We’re known for our coastline and beautiful beaches, but at the same time it’s a lot of farmland,” he said. “We’re at the bottom of the island and it creates a sense of isolation and a feeling that you’re on your own. You have to go the distance to make it sometimes, and in my case, I had to travel 4,000 miles.”
Sedgwick credits his father Keith, a 33-year veteran in the British Navy, and his mother, Jean, for his early development as a soccer player.
At age 18, Sedgwick’s talent earned him an invite to London to play in a series of showcase matches that were live-streamed for thousands of college coaches around the world.
Sedgwick stayed there for two days and played in three games, displaying his skill and toughness as a defender. His performance garnered him attention from several schools in the U.S., including Mercyhurst Northeast College, a two-year school in Erie, Pa.
At the time, Sedgwick couldn’t find Erie on a map, but a few weeks later, he was on a plane bound for the United States. Sedgwick’s American Dream began as a nightmare, though.
Sedgwick said he leaned on a fellow Englishman and teammate, Danny Noble, during his rehab.
“He became a brother to me, just not by blood,” Sedgwick said.
After a year-long recovery, Sedgwick returned to the field and earned All-State honors as a sophomore, but he was out of eligibility at Mercyhurst and didn’t know what was next.
“I was thinking maybe my time was up,” Sedgwick said.
He sent more than 150 emails to college coaches across the country hoping for a chance to continue his playing career.
“I got three replies,” he said.
Then-Southwestern Christian University head coach Adam Kay was one of the coaches that answered Sedgwick’s message and soon after offered him a spot on the Eagles’ roster. Within a few days, Sedgwick was on a plane to Oklahoma.
“Oklahoma? What’s in Oklahoma,” Sedgwick recalled thinking.
GETTING CLOSER TO PIEDMONT… AND HOME
Once in Oklahoma, Sedgwick met current PHS boys assistant coach and fellow SCU alum Reece ‘Cookie’ Cook while the two played together at SCU. A native of London, Cook has been part of Piedmont’s coaching staff since 2018. Sedgwick and Cook took similar journeys to get to Oklahoma.
Unbeknownst to Sedgwick or ‘Cookie,’ the two crossed paths while playing in the same showcase game in London.
“We didn’t even know it until two or three years ago when we were talking about how we came over,” Cook said. “We showed each other our highlight clips and realized we were playing against each other.”
When they met at SCU, the two bonded over stories from back home and how they missed being able to get a ‘full English breakfast,’ complete with sausage, baked beans, eggs, bacon, tomatoes and hash browns.
Initially, Cook said he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings, but now he considers Oklahoma his home.
“When I first came here, everyone was really friendly. People in London aren’t like that at all, so I thought something was really odd about this place,” Cook said. “Then when I spoke to the dean at the school and he told me Okies are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. That sold it for my mum. She said, ‘OK, he can stay.’ That’s one thing that Oklahoma has is really friendly people, and I love that now.”
Sedgwick and Cook’s stories are becoming more common. According to the Fulbright Commission, almost 11,000 British students were at American colleges in the 2015 academic year – an increase of 21% in the past 10 years, and that number continues to grow.
“Coming over here, not having any family, it’s about finding people who are on the same journey as you and in the same situation as you,” Cook said. “You end up confiding in each other because you’re in the exact same boat.”
‘IT LIT A FIRE UNDER ME’
After four seasons as a player for SCU, Sedgwick dealt with a difficult ankle injury that made playing professional soccer unlikely. That’s when his new career path began to take shape.
In the fall of 2021, Kay, also a native of the United Kingdom, offered Sedgwick a chance to serve as a graduate assistant coach for the Eagles.
“It really lit a new fire under me,” he said. “It was more mental than physical, but it still challenged you in different ways.”
Sedgwick had grown into a team leader from the beginning of his time at Southwestern Christian. Now the head coach at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Kay said he knew early on that Sedgwick had the right temperament to be a successful coach.
“He was one of those who would be given instructions and actually think about them. He asked a lot of questions. That was the biggest thing that stood out to me,” Kay said. “Thomas was a little bit more mature than the other guys. His leadership qualities were there from the start.”
Then came Sedgwick’s big break. After one year on the sidelines at SCU, Sedgwick joined PHS head coach Jimmy Fermin’s staff as an assistant. When Fermin left to become the head coach at Southwestern Christian following the 2022 season, Sedgwick was on a short list of potential replacements.
“I had a few people around this community that vouched for me and could see my ability and the passion I have for this game,” he said. “They made sure I at least had a shout of coming here, and lucky enough the school was grateful enough to give me the opportunity moving forward.
“This first year was challenging. Its had its ups and downs. Ultimately, that’s what life is all about. It’s in those moments of downs…can you prevail and become a better coach and people person?”
Sedgwick’s team rallied from some hard-fought early season losses to earn the third seed in District 5A-1. Now, Piedmont is three wins from a state championship.
Sedgwick has kept his friends and family back in southern England updated on the Wildcats progress via social media.
“We’ve got a few hardcore Piedmont fans down in Cornwall now,” he said.
Six years into his journey to the United States, Sedgwick is fully invested in the Piedmont soccer program and his life is taking root in Canadian County.
“I have no thoughts of going home. I want to make something of myself out here,” he said.
