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Caddo Bruin Coltin Speers signed to play football with Southeastern. He is shown with his stepfather Justin Fite, mother Chelsea Fite, head Caddo Football coach Trenton Harmon and assistant coach Brandon Bookout. -
Caddo Bruin D.J. Dill signed to play basketball with Southeastern. He is shown with his sister Ressa Dill and mother Marissa Dill. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat
For a pair of Caddo High School senior athletes going on to the next level will literally be just like being at home as both are headed down the road to continue their stellar careers at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Basketball standout D.J. Dill and football stalwart Coltin Speers recently signed on to join the Savage Storm and are hoping to make solid additions to the blue and gold.
Dill has been a four-year catalyst for the Bruin basketball squad, helping lead the squad to 91 victories and three Class A state tournament appearances.
Caddo reached the state semifinals in Dill’s sophomore season before taking home the championship gold his junior year with a 5851 win over Okay. In the process, he was chosen as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
As a senior, Dill once again fueled the Bruins to the state finals before falling just short against Okarche while claiming solid state runner-up honors.
In addition to his multiple All Conference and All Tournament accolades along the way, Dill also became a member of the prestigious 2,000-point career scoring club for his career, including averaging over 25 points an outing as a senior.
“It’s such an awesome opportunity,” Dill commented. “Getting to go to the next level and play college ball is something most high school players only dream of, so I am definitely blessed. And playing close to home where my family and friends can all come watch me play anytime is awesome as well.
“Playing at Caddo has been a great experience. Everybody that plays high school sports wants to win a state championship and we were able to achieve that which is a great feeling.”
Speers, meanwhile, has been a dual sport athlete, competing in football and baseball for the Bruins, but it has been the gridiron where he has excelled in quarterbacking Caddo to the playoffs four years in a row while posting a stellar 32-13 record over that span.
For back-to-back seasons, he was selected by district coaches as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, posting more than 4,000 yards of total offense and accounting for 62 touchdowns as a senior.
He led the Bruins with 1,444 yards rushing and 24 scores while averaging almost 12 yards per carry. Speers also completed more than 62 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,560 yards and an additional 38 touchdowns.
His talents didn’t just rest on offense as he was a key contributor on the Caddo defense as well.
The key for the versatile athlete will be transitioning from the eight-man game in high school to a much faster 11-man version in college.
“Ever since I was probably in fourth grade I dreamed of playing at the next level,” Speers said. “Getting that opportunity at Southeastern is amazing. I am definitely going to have to focus on making the transition to the 11man game but it’s something I feel like I can do.
“It’s going to be nice that all my friends and family can come watch me play being that close. It is super exciting.”