Page 30 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2020- Online Magazine

2 2 HONORING SENIORS

Senior Senior

Clay Stout

Speaking of

Power, Love,

and Self-

time I was injured, we lost our coach. I Spirit God gave us does not make us
Discipline had been coached by this man for four timid, but gives us power, love, and
years and had grown close, as a coach
self-discipline.” We went out and fought
and player often do. We, as a team, were
in a bad place. We had no coach, and to our way back; however, we still lost
that game by two points. But from that
make matters worse for me, I couldn’t moment on, a switch was flipped in my
even play. I went home and instantly mind to trust Coach and trust what God
by Taelor Nicole Sadler fell to my knees in my bedroom in was doing.
prayer. I asked God, “Why?” How
could this be happening? It had been Skipping forward to the playoffs - we
oach Clay Stout, my basketball such a troubling time, and we had made it! Everyone had begun to notice
the small Christian school that made
coach, has made and continues to finally gotten to the sport that I loved playoffs, but everyone also thought
Cmake a significant impact on my just to lose it all. that we couldn’t do anything with a
life. My story actually begins the year The following week we struggled, but playoff berth. However, God made
before I met him. the team pushed through. The next a way for our tiny Christian school

It was my freshman year, and we had week, a man walked into the gym and to make it all the way to the state
just lost to our district rivals, missing called us all into our locker-room. He championship game.
a seat in the basketball playoffs. I was said, “I’m Coach Clay Stout, and I’m Shiner St. Paul had been the reigning
crushed. As we ended the year, I began here to pull something out of this team state champions for the past few years.
to question why I was even playing the that has never been pulled out of you all They were big, and they were strong.
sport. I had been playing since I could before.” Truth be told, I was terrified. I The tallest girl we had was 5’8’’, and the
walk, but I wondered what the bigger had never met Coach Stout and didn’t smallest they had was 5’8”. They had
picture was. know what to expect. That’s when we
began to practice. the athleticism and
The next year, we started with basketball knowledge
volleyball, and it was not a good season. Coach Stout coaches with his “hair on to destroy us. We
We suffered with divisiveness and fire,” which is what we needed. He had never been to the
tension. It was a time of unsettledness gave us no time to look back on what State Tournament
and unrest. I longed for the first day of had happened. The next game was and had no idea what
my favorite sport. Finally, basketball Homecoming, and we were down by we were up against.
season arrived. Everything felt right, twenty points at halftime. He pulled At halftime, Shiner
until the first game when I was seriously us in and told us that, if we wanted to lead by 27, and we
injured. I hurt my back, requiring a trip win, we had to trust his coaching and walked into the
to the emergency room. I was unable to never give up. He went on to quote locker room, beaten
play for a couple of weeks. During the II Timothy 1:7 which says, “For the

30 Lubbock Senior Link