WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN MUSTANGS FIND SUCCESS IN 22-7 SEASON; TIMOTHY WISDOM LONE SENIOR
Wesleyan Christian School’s Timothy Wisdom (2) goes to the basket during the 2025-26 season. Wisdom was the Mustangs’ lone senior. Head coach Steven Cooks led the Mustangs to a 22-7 record.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
March 1, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
With Wisdom as their major virtue, the stout-hearted Wesleyan Christian School Mustangs made a moral statement of character this season.
Despite graduating four seniors off the previous year’s blockbuster team — and returning only an experienced 12th grader — this gritty herd of unsung heroes stampeded to a 22-7 record.
Timothy Wisdom — the aforementioned returning senior veteran — provided a spiritual and savvy foundation.
“I would say Timothy really became that leader we were needing,” said Mustangs’ head coach Steven Cooks, who has guided the program to more than 20 wins several times. “Overall I was very pleased with how our boys responded this year. If you would have asked me last November I don’t know if I could have confidently said we’re winning 22 games.”
But this gravel-tough group proved to be quick learners.
“I would say I was happy with the growth we had,” Cooks. “After graduating four starters from the year before we were lacking leadership and we were lacking playmaking. Even our first game showed that.”
But, like the seed in “Jack and the Beanstalk”, Wisdom quickly grew into a stout resource of production and direction.
“Owen Hay also really got us going by being a consistent playmaker for us,” Cooks said, adding that other returnees with some varsity experience also had to fill new roles.
“Drayven Carter did a great job,” Cooks said. “He didn’t get in the first game but he ended up starting for us and had some really big games for us. Carter Kennard did a great job. He turned into one of our more consistent players offensively and defensively.”
The Mustangs’ journey ended Thursday against Cameron, 76-63, in the area consolation round of the B1 playoffs.
“They did some good stuff,” Cooks said. “They had some size which was hard for us to match with. … They went to the free throw line a lot.”
Thus ended a combustible campaign that began with a pre-Thanksgiving loss to Riverfield, 57-39, and then saw 22 wins in the next 27 games, including a district title and a regional consolation championship, achieved by twice knocking off Glencoe.
On a side note, the Mustangs gained revenge against Riverfield, 64-58, in an overtime game on Feb. 3.
Brightening the close of the season is the information that Cooks is set to lose only one player (Wisdom) due to graduation.
Following is a look at WCS season records the past six seasons.
2025-26: 22-7
2024-25: 25-5
2023-24: 23-4
2022-23: 17-7
2021-22: 20-4
2019-20: 17-7
Wesleyan Christian School’s Owen Hay (11) takes a shot during the 2025-26 season. Hay contributed to the Mustangs’ 22-7 season.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports