Published: May 08, 2008 11:45 pm            

Thrower keeps Eby name alive and strong at EHS

Samantha Eby will be thinking of her late grandfather when she’s throwing the discus and shot put for the last time for Enid at the Class 6A state track meet today and Saturday at Ardmore.

Dusty Eby coached basketball and baseball at the school for 20 years before retiring in summer of 1982.

Eby is reminded of her grandfather and two uncles (All-State baseball players Bo and Dusty Rex) when she goes to the cafeteria every day as all three have their pictures in the Hall of Fame (All-State area).

Eby is taking the family name to a new level as the EHS senior is ranked No. 1 in 6A in the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 8 and 1/2 inches, a school record.

“It means a lot to me the Eby name is back at Enid High and a girl is finally graduating from there,’’ said Eby, whose two older sisters graduated from Garber. “It means a lot to me that I have that kind of ability.’’

Eby developed a close relationship with her grandfather before he died in 1999. She went to her grandfather’s last Enid Baseball Camp the summer before he died.

“That was a lot of fun,’’ she said. “He was a great man. It puts a little more pressure on me to do well, but it also gives me a little more momentum and incentive to do better because my grandfather was great here.’’

Eby played softball until her senior year. She said she decided to concentrate on track.

“I decided to lift weights so I could get even better for the state track meet and try to get scholarships for track,’’ Eby said.

Eby has talked to Oklahoma State, the school she would like to attend.

“If I can win state, that will open some people’s eyes,’’ Eby said. “It kind of puts some pressure on me because I really need the scholarship for it. I’ve been wanting to go to OSU real bad.’’

Eby has done her part on the track for not with breaking her school record the last two weeks — 39-11/2 at the Centennial Confer-ence meet and 40-81/2 at regionals last week.

She had been academically ineligible for most of the season, but has straighten her grades up.

“That was a big eye opener for me,’’ Eby said.

Eby, who was seventh at state in the shot put last season, has met two of her three preseason goals — breaking the school record and throwing more than 40 feet.

Her third and last is a state championship. She passed arch-rival Jackie Stephens, of Putnam City, for the No. 1 ranking in the state with her throw at regionals.

“It’s good that I got the school record, but I want to throw further,’’ Eby said. “I want to throw over 41 feet now. I’m pretty excited about state. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.’’

Her career turned around when a guest coach showed her how to glide when she’s throwing the shot.

“That’s always worked for me,’’ she said. “Throwing the shot put is more than strength. A lot of it is mental. You have to think of yourself as being just as good as anyone else and then pushing yourself that much harder.’’

The 40-foot throw, she said, was significant for her mentally.

“I really do feel good that I’m going into state No. 1,’’ she said.

Enid coach Joe Miranov thinks Eby will handle the pressure of being the favorite.

“She’s been there before,’’ Miranov said. “I have confidence in her that she’s going to do really well.’’

Eby is putting some pressure on herself with this being her last high school meet.

“It’s going to be very emotional,’’ Eby said, “especially if I don’t make it. My goal has always been to win state.’’

Eby will throw the discus today. She qualified for state by finishing second in the discus with a throw of 104-6 in the regionals.

“It’s not my best event, but I obviously plan on doing the best I can,’’ she said.