Rain Peyton, Tyeshia Anderson were set to help defend Class 5A state championship
By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
Rain Peyton and Tyeshia Anderson may not have won a second straight state championship, but they did help set a standard at Piedmont.
The Wildcats’ march to defending their Class 5A state title was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak last month. They were scheduled to take on East Central (Tulsa) in the state tournament in Tulsa before it was postponed and ultimately canceled.
This was heartbreaking news for players and coaches, especially the team’s two seniors. Each played crutial roles last year in the team’s state championship run, but they wanted more. They wanted to go out on top.
“Honestly, the whole situation is heartbreaking,” Anderson said. “Especially for it to be my senior year with such an amazing team. I really believe in my heart we would have been back-to-back state champs.”
“We had an amazing season,” Peyton said. “We were one of the best teams in the state and had a good chance to win another gold ball. We were ready to go in Tulsa and ready to win the last three games.”
Piedmont coach Eric Carr was disappointed as well to not only see the season cut short, but also to see Peyton and Anderson’s high school careers come to such an abrupt end.
“Ty is a kid that came in from a program that was struggling and became a leader and one of our best players when she arrived,” Carr said. “The value in the way she helped our culture was huge and she ended up being a go-to player for us down the stretch this season.
“Rain was a kid that showed up every day and played a role for us. No matter what that was. It may have been frustrating for her at times, but this year she stepped into a starter role and flourished. She was a very smart player for us. Just a very high IQ. She was extremely important to our success.”
“It just blows my mind that this is happening,” Peyton said of the pandemic. “I hate that our high school careers ended this way. But at least it ended with a win with my favorite girls in the world.”
