By Michael Kinney
MOORE — While his main sport may be football, Austin Haywood is showing he has cross-over appeal in basketball as well. The Southmoore High senior was selected as a finalist for the McDonald’s High School All-American Team out of Oklahoma.
Haywood was one of 20 boys from the state who were nominated. None made the final roster.
“It was pretty big,” Haywood said. “I didn’t expect it coming. So it was a surprise to me.”
Despite missing the first game of the season for the SaberCats, Haywood was the teams most consistent player on both sides of the ball. He led the Cats in rebounding and was second in scoring.
While Haywood had a strong senior campaign, it was during his junior season in which earned a name for himself on the hardwood. In his first season with Southmoore he took a first-year program full of young players to the state tournament. They lost in the first round.
They were not as fortunate this year. Southmoore was eliminated from the playoffs Friday when they lost to Lawton High in the Area Tournament.
Haywood likes the recognition he is getting for his exploits on the court, it’s his talents on the gridiron that he will ride for a while. At 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, Rivals.com had him ranked as the No. 7 tight-end prospect in the nation before he signed his national Letter of Intent to play football at Oklahoma.
