Pottsboro's Kubik signs with Oklahoma Baptist
POTTSBORO — Jake Kubik had a choice: walk on for a Division I program or head to a Division II school with a lot more certainty.
It was a close call but in the end the Pottsboro senior wide receiver felt his best fit came with Oklahoma Baptist University and he signed with the Bison over a preferred walk-on offer from Arkansas State.
“I was thinking about going there. It was very hard — it’s the chance to make a Division I roster,” Kubik said. “But when I went on the visit to Oklahoma Baptist, it was the place for me.”
Kubik, who also is a multiple year starter and all-district selection in baseball, spent the last two seasons as a consistent target in the Cardinals offense.
“Freshman and sophomore year I was more focused on baseball,” he said. “My heart started leaning towards football.”
During his senior year, he finished with 40 receptions for 568 yards and six touchdowns — leading the team in all three categories — on the way to being selected first-team all-district after serving as the sidekick to Titus Lyons during the 2020 season.
“That’s what Coach Poe told me going into this year. I would have to step up,” Kubik said. “I knew I would have to adjust to help my team the best I could.”
Pottsboro overcame a slow start to win five of seven district games and share second place in the 5-3A (I) standings and ended with a 6-5 mark after losing to Malakoff in the area round.
He had his biggest game of the season in helping the Cardinals beat Tatum, 56-55, in overtime in first round of the playoffs with five catches for 166 yards and two TDs.
When he jumped into the lineup as a junior, he totaled 37 catches for 587 yards and seven touchdowns — all second on the team to Lyons — and was named second-team all-district as Pottsboro shared the district tile and ended with a 9-3 record after an area round loss to Malakoff.
Both years also saw him contributing on defense, although it was a much larger role as a senior, in the secondary, totaling 47 tackles, three pass break-ups and three interceptions, one returned for a score, across the pair of seasons.
Oklahoma Baptist went 8-4 overall this past fall and 7-4 in the Great American Conference. The Bison ended the year with a 24-21 victory over Texas Permian-Basin in the Heritage Bowl.
It was the second straight 7-4 conference mark for the program, dating back to 2019 after the 2020 campaign was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The eight victories were the most in a year since Oklahoma Baptist moved up from the NAIA ranks after the 2014 season and matched five seasons as the most in school history.
“They’re a push tempo offense. They see me playing the X spot, the left outside receiver,” Kubik said. “I was really excited to get that offer. It’s a great fit.”
This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Pottsboro's Kubik signs with Oklahoma Baptist for football
