ENID, Okla. — Just a few years ago, Ken Irving patrolled the secondary for Pearl River's football team, breaking up passes on Thursday nights. Today, he's capturing moments of a different Wildcat team chasing history.
Now a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State and an aspiring sports journalist, Irving finds himself back connected with The River. This time not in pads but wearing a media credential and covering the Wildcats at the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma.
"This has been a really exciting experience," Irving said. "When I played at Pearl River, I watched our games, but now I see it from a different perspective. It's truly a full-circle moment."
A D'Iberville native, Irving started his college career at Pearl River in 2021. Over two seasons, he racked up 23 tackles, two interceptions and played a pivotal role in PRCC's 2022 campaign, which saw the Wildcats win six games for the first time in over a decade.
After his time as a Wildcat ended, Irving spent a year at Mercyhurst (Pa.) before transferring to Northwestern Oklahoma State. He had a productive senior season, registering 23 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, one sack and a forced fumble.
While he was still racking up stats on the field, Irving's interest in sports beyond the field was growing, leading him to pursue internship opportunities. As a summer internship with WXXV News 25 in Gulfport approaches, he volunteered to provide coverage of PRCC's World Series run before the internship officially begins.
"I realized the team was going to be in Enid, and the city is only an hour away from me," he said. "I contacted Ms. Ansley (Brent, WXXV Sports Director) to see if I could cover it. When she said yes, I started planning. With my transition into sports journalism, I wanted to cover it for the experience, but it's also personal because of my connection with Pearl River."
Brent spoke about Irving's qualities that made him the right choice for the internship.
"Ken and I instantly hit it off when we met earlier this year," she said. "His passion, drive, knowledge and experience were quickly evident in everything he did. I'm honored to get the opportunity to work alongside him this summer at WXXV."
Irving attributes his media style to what he saw at Pearl River.
"I do a lot of things based on what I've seen Pearl River do," he said. "I always thought it was so professional. It felt like we were at a university. Now that I am doing similar stuff at my school, I give PRCC's media team a lot of credit. I always check out their pages to see what I can learn."
As the Wildcat baseball team continues its journey in Enid, Irving is soaking it all in as a proud alum with a media credential.
"I'm extremely proud of them for getting here," he said. "It's an incredible accomplishment, and I've kept up with them all season."
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