Sentence:  Both were scholastic stars in football , basketball , and baseball ( Mantle in Commerce , Okla. , Maris in Fargo , N. D . ) ; as halfbacks , both <WSD>came</WSD> close to playing football at the University of Oklahoma ( `` Sometimes in the minors '' , Maris recalls , `` I wished I had gone to Oklahoma '' ) . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  nearly do something