Senior Spotlight: Caden Tahbonemah
Caden Tahbonemah is a MacArthur High School Highlander. He sports the number 75 on the football team. He’s related to Comanche Chief Quanah Parker and U.S. Army Sgt. Iseeo, who was given the name Tahbonemah and is part of the Kiowa Tribe. In school, Caden Tahbonemah stays busy.
“Obviously, football, and I play baseball, and I wrestle as well,” he said. “I’m MacArthur leadership, which we do things inside of our school, like organized pep rallies and homecoming and prom and all that stuff. And we're also in the Lawton leadership group.”
Tahbonemah is also in FCA, which is student council, and Chick-fil-A leadership program, which organizes blood drives for the schools and activities such as writing appreciation letters to teachers. But after school, when the stadium lights are on, is when emotions run high.
“Well, every game, which I think is weird because I was talking to my mom about it, but like at every level that I've played at, every sport, everything, I always get kind of nervous, and my hands are shaky and sweaty. It's weird because she's always like, ‘How are you like,’ not to sound prideful, but ‘How are you like this good, and you're still like getting nervous and stuff.’ And it's just like, I guess kind of expectations,” he said. “I want to live up to everybody's expectations and just see that. But, like once we start and get into it, then I'm like fired up and ready to go.”
Tahbonemah said he leads by example.
“I mean, I have had like a few kids come up to me before, like younger kids saying like, ‘Nice to meet you,’ and they've heard my name before, but they never got to meet me,” he said. “And I don't really, no one's ever came up to me and said like, you know, I look up to you. But I do feel as if I would be my example, and a lot of people I guess, try to imitate that. So, I try to do the best I can as far as integrity and leading by example goes.”
In school, Tahbonemah’s motivation comes from wanting to do his best by himself to get a great education and pursue a career in sports medicine.
“As far as fall side of things go, really, really my mom. She's done a lot as a single parent for me and my brother since, I believe, I was five and he was seven when our dad passed away, but she's done a lot for us and sacrificed a lot,” he said. “And she motivates me on that side of things just because I want to do a lot of things to just live up to her expectations while also like kind of later on in life to like provide for her and give back to her for everything she's done for us.”
Tahbonemah was invited to two bowl games, one in Hawaii and another in Texas. As for greatest achievements…
“Football-wise, I'd probably say like, I would say two because going after my sophomore season, I told like after my sophomore season and during my junior season, I was telling like my closer friends, like by the time I graduate, I want to have like, I said at least four scholarships. And at this point, I have eight, which is, which is mind-blowing to me just to see what I was striving for and to see where I'm at now,” he said. “And…award-wise, last year, the Comanche Nation awarded me the Outstanding Performance Award because I think it was the, probably before that, I had carried out the Comanche Nation flag before, like when we ran out of the tunnel.”
Tahbonemah tries to be the best he can be for the name he has and his family.
