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Explosive Wilson Offense Buries Cowboys in District Bout

By
Trey Smart
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0

 The Wilson Eagles came into Ryan last Friday night and unleashed a powerful offensive attack in rolling to a 68-22 victory over the Cowboys at Bob Givens Sports Complex.

 With the win, the Eagles are guaranteed second place in District B-4 and a home playoff game in the first round of the post-season.

The Cowboys will try to rebound from the loss in the final regular season game as they travel to Central High Friday to meet the Bronchos. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The game Friday is critical to both teams’ playoff hopes.

Last Friday Wilson used its team speed to its maximum potential as several receivers ran open through the Ryan secondary throughout the game that ended near the end of the third quarter.

Wilson rolled up 518 total yards and 313 yards were through the air – the fourth highest passing yards by an opponent in school history.

The Cowboys, however, contributed to Wilson’s success by failing to cover a pair of kickoffs and giving up the ball once on an interception and once on a fumble.

Wilson took the opening kickoff of the game and promptly marched 56 yards on five plays with Hayden Mantooth racing 27 yards on the ground for the first score of the game. Logan Schaaf ran for the two-point conversion giving Wilson an 8-0 lead with 10:17 left in the first quarter.

The Cowboys could not produce a first down on their first possession and were forced to punt and Wilson took possession at its own 36.

On first down Schaaf found a wide open Sane Honea – his favorite target of the night – for a 64-yard scoring play. Axson Hunsiker caught the two-point conversion pass and with 7:36 left in the first quarter the Eagles held a 16-0 advantage.

The Cowboys answered with a 63-yard drive on just three plays as Grayson Tomberlin scampered 45 yards for a score. Tomberlin ran for the two points and Ryan had cut into the Wilson lead with 6:11 showing in the first quarter.

The two teams exchanged punts and Wilson got the ball again at the Cowboy 40. In just four plays the Eagles found the end zone with Mantooth skirting 23 yards for the touchdown. The pass for two points was broken up by Tomberlin, but Wilson had a 22-8 lead with 1:07 left in the first quarter.

It was the second quarter that the wheels really fell off for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys had a drive going, but facing a third and three at the Eagle 43, Tomberlin scrambled around before trying to hit a receiver and Manthooth stepped in front and intercepted the ball for Wilson giving the Eagles possession at their own 34.

The Eagles drove the 66 yards for the score, but it took eight plays. The Eagles converted two third downs along the way including the scoring play which was a 23-yard pass from Schaaf to Hunter Wyatt. Honea caught the two-point conversion pass and with 5:52 to play in the half the Eagles were in command with a 30-8 advantage.

On the kickoff by the Eagles the ball bounced pass the Ryan returner and Mantooth was right there to cover the loose ball for the Eagles.

This miscue, however, did not cost the Cowboys as five plays later Mantooth fumbled and Walter Snider came up with the ball for the Cowboys at the Ryan 11.

Andrew Villerreal broke off a 52-yard run to spur the drive that covered 89 yards in eight plays. Villerreal carried the pigskin in from four yards out and with 1:29 left the Cowboys had trimmed the lead to 30-14.

Wilson answered the score quickly as Schaaf hit Kaden Barron for a 61-yard touchdown pass and after Schaaf passed to Tommy Wright the Eagle lead increased to 38-14 with only 1:07 left before intermission.

On the kickoff, the Cowboys did not handle the ball cleanly and Caylen Fulton recovered the loose ball for the Eagles.

Three plays later Schaaf hit Honea from 16 yards out for a touchdown and then passed to Mantooth for the two points to increase the lead to 46-14 with 34 seconds showing on the clock.

This meant the Eagles scored 16 points within 33 seconds to end the half and essentially seal the win.

There was no scoring in the third quarter until almost halfway through the period.

Wilson ran the lead to 54-14 with a six-play, 37-yard drive that followed a Ryan fumble. Wyatt scored from the one and Schaaf ran for the two points with 7:18 showing remaining in the third quarter.

The Cowboys refused to quit, however, and after forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs Ryan took the ball at its own 37-yard line. On first down Tomberlin took off up the middle and then cut to the right side and outran the Wilson defense for a 63-yard score. Caleb Perrin caught a pass from Tomberlin for the two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 54-22 with 4:32 left in the quarter.

Wilson closed out the game with a seven-yard scoring run by Schaaf and a 57-yard pass from Barron to Honea. When the Eagles’ Barron ran for the two points, the game was ended.

Honea dominated the receiving corps for the Eagles with six catches for 217 yards and three scores.

Tomberlin finished with 164 yards rushing on just 17 carries and Villerreal ended up with 120 yards on 14 carries for the Cowboys who rushed for 290 total yards.

Five Cowboy senior football players took the field for the final time at Bob Givens Sports Complex. Jonathan Clark, Parker Carey, Villerreal, Gunner Phillips and Snider made their final appearance at home in a Cowboy uniform and were introduced before the game as part of Senior Night festivities.

COWBOY CORRAL: The playoff picture for the Cowboys is unclear heading into Friday’s meeting with Central High….The only sure thing is that Ryan must win over the Bronchos to have a chance to make the post-season – and they must win by 10 points or more….A Ryan win and an Empire loss to Waurika would make a three-way tie in the district for third place and Empire would take third based on the point tiebreaker system….A Central win would give the Bronchos third place and Empire would take the fourth spot because of the win over the Cowboys earlier in the season….Central High would gain fourth place in the district if the Cowboys win by less than 10 points….Ryan now trails the series with Wilson, 13-8…..The first meeting in football between the two schools came in 1920…Wilson has won four of the last five meetings and seven of the last 10 dating back to 1970….The 68 points scored by the Eagles is the most ever against Ryan eclipsing the 54 points scored in 1965 against the Cowboys….The 90 points scored by both teams is the most ever in the 21-game series….The 22 points scored by Ryan is the third most against Wilson in a losing cause….This was the fourth game this season that Tomberlin and Villerreal have each rushed for 100 or more yards.

Game in Figures

                                    WHS           RHS

First Downs                  18                13

Yards Rushing            30-205        32-290

Yards Passing               313              15

Passes                         11-16             2-9

Passes Int. By                 1                  0

Fumbles, Lost               2-1              3-2

Punts                            1-45            2-31

Penalties                       4-35            5-37

 SCORE BY QUARTERS

Wilson      22            24              22              x—68

Ryan         8              6                8                x—22

WILSON- Hayden Mantooth 27 run (Logan Schaaf run), 10:17, 1st Quarter

WILSON -Shane Honea 64 pass from Schaaf (Axson Hunziker pass from Schaaf), 2:36, 1st Quarter

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 45 run (Tomberlin run), 6:11, 1st Quarter

WILSON – Mantooth 23 run (pass failed), 1:07, 1st Quarter

WILSON – Hunter Wyatt 23 pass from Schaaf (Honea pass from Schaaf), 5:52, 2nd Quarter

RYAN – Andrew Villerreal 4 run (run failed), 1:29, 2nd Quarter

WILSON – Kaden Barron 61 pass form Schaaf (Tommy Wright pass from Schaaf), 1:07, 2nd Quarter

WILSON – Honea 16 pass from Schaaf (Mantooth pass from Schaaf), :34.6, 2nd Quarter

WILSON – Wyatt 1 run (Schaaf run), 7:18, 3rd Quarter

RYAN – Tomberlin 63 run (Caleb Perrin pass from Tomberlin), 4:32, 3rd Quarter

WILSON – Schaaf 7 run (pass failed), 3:08, 3rd Quarter

WILSON – Honea 57 pass from Barron (Barron run), :36.5, 3rd Quarter

                  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

WILSON: Rushing – Hayden Mantooth 13-131, Logan Schaaf 2-36, Kaden Barron 5-26, Hunter Wyatt 5-12; Passing – Schaaf 10-15-256-0, Barron 1-1-57-0; Receiving – Shane Honea 6-217, Caylen Fulton 2-15, Barron 1-61, Wyatt 1-23, Mantooth 1-(-3).

RYAN: Rushing – Grayson Tomberlin 17-164, Andrew Villerreal 14-120, Caleb Perrin 1-6; Passing – Tomberlin 1-8-5-1, Villerreal 1-1-10-0; Receiving – Tomberlin 1-10, Villerreal 1-5; Tackles – Villerreal 11, Try Bryant 7, Tomberlin 7, Gunner Phillips 6, Jonathan Clark 5, Skyler Wickware 4, Perrin 3, Walter Snider 3, Parker Carey 3.

Cowgirl Harriers On A Roll Heading Into Regional Meet

By
Trey Smart
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0

 The fourth-ranked Ryan Cowgirl cross country team has accomplished something no team has ever done at Ryan – win three consecutive meets.

That feat was accomplished last Saturday when the Cowgirls claimed the team title at the Healdton Invitational on a cold fall morning near Healdton Lake.

And, the performances could not come at a better time as the Cowgirls prepare for the Class 2A Regional Cross Country meet on Saturday hosted by Waurika in Harmon Park.

The Cowgirls recorded 25 team points – the fewest in school history – and outdistanced second-place Waurika who finished with 41 points. The previous best score by a team was 26 set earlier this year at Frederick and last year at the Cameron meet.

Lilybet Harmon continued her outstanding senior season with another first-place finish in the individual race. It was also her third straight individual title.

Harmon covered the 2.1-mile course in a time of 13:23.88. She also won the meet titles at Sulphur and Frederick.

Katelyn Dabbs, perhaps the most improved runner for the Cowgirls this season, nabbed second place with a time of 13:39.44, which was 14 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.

Lily York captured sixth place with a time of 14:11.89 and Juliet Spangler finished eighth with a time of 14:15.94. Alicen Williams finished out the top ten performances by finishing 10th time a mark of 14:25.09.

Whittany Spangler also medaled for the Cowgirls by finishing in the 22nd spot, which is just one spot below her season-best set at Frederick. Her time was not available.

Grace Stamper finished 29th in the race – her best finish of the season.

The junior girls squad finished third in the team race behind Velma-Alma and Waurika.

The high school boys did not compete at Healdton

The high school girls and boys will be in action Saturday at the Class 2A Regional Cross Country Meet at Waurika on Saturday. The girls will run at 12 noon, while the boys will compete at 12:45 p.m.

The Cowgirls have an excellent chance to win the meet which would be the first regional title in school history and only the third time for a team to advance to the state meet. The top seven teams will qualify for the state competition.

Ryan Junior High Results

GIRLS: 5. Aubree Showalter; 9. Jasmine Villarreal; 21. Healther Poague. Alexis Shockley; Hannah Williams, Alyssa Phillips.

BOYS: 4. Koble Lewis, 11. Alex Uribe

Ryan Elementary Results

GIRLS: 1. Micah Villarreal; 2. Harleigh Loftin; 4. Lilah Regehr; 10. Annzlee Tomberlin; 12. Tianna Galindo; 13. Alyssa Harrison; 20. Lynnlee Tomberlin.

BOYS: 3. Kolton Rodriguez; 7. Breydon Brackeen; 8. Aaron Ortiz; 11. Keller Adsit; 13. Brian Porterfield; 14. Keylan Rodriguez; 20. Jake Reagan ; 21. Seth Duke;

Face of Eight-Man Football in Oklahoma Undergoing Change

By
Trey Smart
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0

One thing you can be sure about in today’s world – not much stays the same.

An examination of the eight-man football participants in Oklahoma certainly would fit this description as the schools playing the eight-man brand of high school football has increased and continues to change.

It is no secret the population of small towns in Oklahoma is in great decline and that has a direct impact on the schools in those communities.

Sports in the small schools are experiencing a decline between two factors – declining population and declining participation – the impact is felt in those schools. The sport it has impacted the most is high school football.

A number of schools – both eight-man and 11-man – did not finish the 2018 season because of lack of participation and injuries.

Before 1955 there were no schools in Oklahoma playing eight-man football. A few schools played six-man in the years prior to this time. But, a number of schools in the panhandle and northwest Oklahoma began playing the eight-man game in the mid-50’s.

Eight-man football remained in that geographic area until the mid-70’s when schools in the northeast, central and southwest parts of Oklahoma began to play eight-man football.

As recent as 2007 eight-man football was limited to 72 schools, but that number has risen to 80. Look for that number to be increased in the near future.

Changes are routinely made to the eight-man classes as schools drop from 11-man to eight-man and other schools have been forced to drop the sport. A few of the schools that played eight-man football are no longer in existence.

It would seem some of the most dramatic change to the eight-man game has occurred in the past year or two.

At least two schools – Bokoshe and Copan – have dropped football after going 1-9 and 0-9, respectively in the 2017 season. But, the biggest change has come in the number of schools that are dropping to the eight-man grid version from the 11-man game.

And, what is amazing is some of those schools have been traditional powers in Class A football through the years including just a few years ago.

Hollis, who is playing an independent eight-man schedule this season, won the Class A state title in 2013 and won 10 games or more for at least four seasons from 2013 to 2016. The Tigers will play three 11-man games this season as the 2019 season will serve as a transition to eight-man football.

Velma-Alma and Okeene are two more traditional powers in Class A over the past two or three decades and both are moving to eight-man football and will play an independent schedule for this season.

Quinton, located in eastern Oklahoma, and Wellston and Beaver are three additional schools that are making the move to eight-man football. Quinton and Wellston both have a pretty large average daily membership, but were approved by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association to move to eight-man football.

All of those schools will be assigned to an eight-man district for the 2020 season.

Temple and Balko are two eight-man schools that did not complete their schedules last year. Temple played two or three games last season and finished one of those games with only seven players. Balko played five games before being forced to forfeit the remainder of the schedule. Welch also had a difficult year putting a team on the field in 2018.

Temple will likely be able to compete this season, but Balko has formed a co-op with Forgan giving kids from Forgan the chance to compete in football for the first time since the 2012 season when the Bulldogs played for a state title.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, over 10 schools that played football no longer play the sport. This includes some former Ryan opponents such as Duke, Cement and Gracemont.

Waurika is part of a significant number of schools that moved from 11-man to eight-man football within the past 10 years. Waurika began eight-man play in 2012 and since that time nearby schools, Empire and Wilson, have joined the eight-man ranks.

Not all schools are experiencing decline. In fact a few of the schools that have played eight-man football most recently may be forced to move to 11-man football when the final average daily membership numbers are released in September and new football district assignments are revealed in January.

Central High and Caddo, both teams on the schedule for this year for Waurika and Ryan, may be two of those schools along with Ryan’s 2018 playoff opponent, Burns Flat-Dill City.

Waurika’s average daily membership has increased to 107.42, but that number should put the Eagles in the middle of the eight-man schools that will make up Class B.

Ryan has seen its average daily membership drop to 82.47 and it is probable the Cowboys will move to Class C for the 2020-2021 seasons.

 It is possible that three-time Class C defending champion Tipton may move up to Class B.

 Some of the possible district foes for 2020 and 2021 for Waurika may be Wilson, Empire, Velma-Alma, Bray-Doyle. The remaining member of the district could be Tipton (if they move to Class B), Alex or Bray-Doyle. Waurika will have five schools in the new district besides the Eagles.

 Ryan will be looking at some familiar foes if they make the move to Class C. Possibilities include Fox, Thackerville, Paoli, Maysville, Mountain View-Gotebo, Temple, Grandfield and Corn Bible Academy. Ryan will likely have seven other schools in its district.

 Of course none of this is official until the final numbers are posted in September, but the eight-man game will likely continue to grow as more and more schools in rural parts of the state continue to decline.

 The 2019 season is slated to get underway in just a few weeks with preseason practices, scrimmages and the regular season slate of games. Ryan will travel to Velma-Alma in the season opener on August 30 while Waurika will begin the season a week later with a home game against Temple.


Waurika To Host Southern Eight Fast-Pitch All-Star Game

By
Trey Smart
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0

 Waurika High School will play host to the Southern Eight Conference’s fast-pitch softball all-star game on Monday.

The first pitch at the Waurika diamond is slated for 6 p.m.

The game will feature players from the member schools including Waurika, Ryan, Grandfield, Big Pasture, Geronimo, Frederick and Temple.

Waurika’s Everett Hodges will coach one of the teams in the all-star game, while Ryan’s Stan Mueggenborg will coach the other squad.

The all-conference squad has also been announced by the conference.

Waurika has three first team selections.

Hope Cummings, Liberti Simmons and Landry Forsyth represent the Lady Eagles on the all-conference squad.

Gracie Walling and Riley Howell earned honorable mention honors.

The Cowgirls had two all-conference selections. Samantha Good and Brooklyn Charmasson were selected to the all-conference squad.

Named as honorable mention selections for the Cowgirls were Madison Rhoades and Lindsey Reake.

Lady Eagles Turn In Impressive Performance At State Meet

By
Trey Smart
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0

All through the regular season – including the regional cross country meet – the Waurika girls’ cross country squad has been on the cusp of accomplishing great things.

And, all the hard work and competition of the 2019 season paid off last Saturday at the Class 2A State Cross Country Meet held at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center in Shawnee.

The Lady Eagles, who finished behind Ryan and Merritt at the regional on Waurika’s home course, outdistanced those two teams in the state meet to earn fifth place – the highest finish ever for a Waurika cross country squad at state.

Watonga claimed the team title over Hooker by one point. Watonga finished with 52 points, while the Lady Bulldogs had 53. Cherokee was fourth with 119 points and Boise City was fourth with 134 points. Waurika claimed fifth place with 175 points.

“I was very proud of the high school girls this year,” said long-time cross country coach Joe Masoner. “They started working towards state in June in the weight room.”

The course was a difficult one last Saturday as the recent rains produced a somewhat muddy path for the competitors in the crowded Class 2A field which featured 154 runners.

Asia Smith led the way for the Lady Eagles earning 21st place with a time of 13:43.06 – her second best time of the season. Smith was a late addition to the Lady Eagles’ squad and she really made a difference for the Lady Eagles in the last part of the season.

Tallin Mora finished 34th with a time of 13:52.10 – also her second best time of the season.

Liberti Simmons, just a freshman for the Lady Eagles, earned 35th in her first appearance in the state meet with a time of 13:52.47 – her second best clocking of the season.

Lexie Streeter was 53rd for the Lady Eagles. She turned in a time of 14:08.62.

Rounding out the team scorers for the Lady Eagles was Faith Roberson. She finished 92nd in the race and turned in a season-best time of 15:07.12.

Also representing Waurika at the state competition was Hope Cummings. She finished 132nd with a time of 16:46.04 – also her best time of the season over a 3,200-meter course.

Kaci Reynolds finished not far behind Cummings in 140th place with a time of 17:33.54.

The fifth-place finish for the Lady Eagles was the highest team finish at the state meet in school history.

The Lady Eagles have qualified for the state cross country meet the past three seasons and have improved each year. In 2017, Waurika finished 14th and in 2018 the Lady Eagles were ninth.

Waurika also qualified for state in 2014 and 2013.

“These girls ran hard in practice and in meets,” said Masoner commenting on the 2019 season. “I was hoping for a regional title this year, but they gave themselves a chance.”

 “The one thing about this group of ladies is they were determined to do better at state which they did by finishing fifth overall and beating the two teams that beat them at regionals,” added Masoner.

 “I am super excited about next year getting everyone back next year except for Sara (Ballard),” noted Masoner. “We will add five girls moving up from the junior high team that will make us better.”

While the boys’ squad failed to qualify for the state meet, they claimed one meet title and performed well against some tough competition throughout the year.

“I am also proud of the boys’ team although we didn’t qualify for state,” said Masoner about the Eagles’ 2019 season. “The boys never seemed to get over the hump where their times started to go down.”

“They worked hard and ran close to each other which needs to be done to score well but only was able to do that in the front half of the pack in a couple of meets,” Masoner noted.

 “It hurt not having Bryson (Hernandez) this year since he has been one of the team leaders the previous three years,” said Masoner. “We are losing half our team to graduation, but we will get some help from the junior high team.”

With the accomplishments of both teams this year, the Lady Eagles and Eagles have a lot to look forward to next fall for the 2020 cross country season.

Ryan Softball Seniors Recognized at Game

By
Curtis Plant
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0

Ryan’s Senior softball players were honored for their efforts and careers.

ASST. COACH Shelley Cain, Savannah Faith, Samantha Good, Madisen Rhoades, Brooklyn Charmasson, 
and COACH Stan Mueggenborg.
Photo by Sheree Hanson

Empire Uses Big Second Half to Gain Big Victory over Ryan

By
Trey Smart
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0

Empire scored 40 unanswered points last Friday night against the Ryan Cowboys to record a 58-8 District B-4 victory on the Bulldogs’ home field.

The Cowboys trailed only 18-8 heading into the intermission, but the Bulldogs struck for some long-distance scoring runs in the second half to doom the Cowboys.

Ryan is now 3-3 on the year (including the forfeit from Temple) and is 0-1 in district play. The Cowboys will try to rebound from the big loss by taking on Waurika tonight (Thursday) at Bob Givens Sports Complex. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Cowboys who are still battling injuries and inexperience stayed with the Bulldogs throughout the first half, but Ryan struggled offensively to move the ball with any consistency throughout the contest.

Midway through the first quarter the Cowboys’ Grayson Tomberlin launched a 52-yard punt to put Empire on the move at the Bulldog 29. It took only five plays for the Bulldogs to drive for the initial score of the night.

The drive ended with a 51-yard scamper by Empire quarterback Mitchell Monteith. The Cowboys stopped the two-point conversion, but Empire was on top, 6-0, with 4:31 to play in the first quarter.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

Late in the first quarter the Bulldogs took over after an unsuccessful fake punt the by the Cowboys inside Ryan territory at the 45 yard line.

The Cowboy defense stiffened but the Bulldogs kept plugging away even though it took Empire 12 plays to cover the 55 yards. Peyton Booth scored from four yards out after reversing the field to find an opening. The try for two failed, but Empire now owned a 12-0 lead with 9:49 left in the second quarter.

Ryan picked up only its second first down of the game on the next drive, but the Cowboy offense stalled at the Empire 39 and turned the ball over on downs.

After an incomplete pass, Booth took a pitch and raced 61 yards for the touchdown. The try for two failed, but Empire now held an 18-0 advantage with 4:47 left in the first half.

The Cowboys answered with their only scoring drive of the night. Ryan took the ball from its own 34 and in 13 plays picked up the score. Tomberlin found Andrew Villerreal wide open on the left side and Villerreal took the pass and waltzed into the end zone for the touchdown. Villerreal ran for the two-point conversion and the lead had been trimmed to 18-8 with just 41 seconds before halftime.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions of the second half with the third scored coming with 11:14 left in the game that gave Empire a 40-8 lead.

The Cowboys continued to struggle offensively and Empire took advantage of a Ryan fumble midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs took possession at the Ryan 39 yard-line and on the first play Booth went the distance to increase the lead to 46-8 with 6:22 left in the game.

The Cowboys failed to convert a fourth down on the next possession and handed the Bulldogs the ball at the Ryan 43. It took Empire just four plays with Booth carrying the ball three times including a 33-yard run. The third rushing play resulted in a six-yard run for the touchdown by Booth and with 4:13 left the Bulldogs were in front, 52-8.

On the next possession the Cowboys’ drive ended with an interception and Empire took over at the Bulldog 35 yard line with just 1:57 remaining in the game. Two plays netted eight yards and instead of running out the clock, the Bulldogs’ Monteith took the ball and broke into the Ryan secondary for a 57-yard scoring run that ended the game on the mercy rule with only 41 seconds left in the game.

COWBOY CORRAL: These two schools have met on the gridiron only six times since Empire started football in the 1974 season….The Bulldogs and Cowboys played four times before Ryan dropped to eight-man football….Ryan still leads the short series, 4-2….The 50-point margin of victory is the largest of the six-game series breaking the old mark of 46 points set in the 1977 game won by Empire, 64-18….The 58 points is the second most points scored by Empire in the series….Ryan tied for the fewest points in a game against Empire…The Cowboys scored only scored eight points in a 1976 win over the Bulldogs, 8-6….The 490 yards rushing by the Bulldogs is the fourth most by an opponent in school history…The other three totals are 684 against Grandfield in 1997, 535 against Grandfield in 2001 and 496 against Ringling in a 1947 contest….Ryan dominated the time of possession with a seven-minute advantage, but Empire scored twice on short, one-play drives….Ryan went one of seven on fourth-down tries, while Empire was four of six in fourth-down conversions.

Game in Figures

                                    RHS           EHS

First Downs                  11              17

Yards Rushing            46-99        42-490

Yards Passing                51              130

Passes                           3-14          10-17

Passes Int. By                 0                1

Fumbles, Lost               3-1            1-0

Punts                           3-31.7         0-0

Penalties                       5-45        11-105

                  SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ryan         0                8                0                0—8

Empire     6                12              16              24—58

                  FIRST QUARTER

EMPIRE – Mitchell Monteith 51 run (pass failed), 4:31

                  SECOND QUARTER

EMPIRE – Peyton Booth 4 run (run failed), 9:49

EMPIRE – Booth 61 run (pass failed), 4:47

RYAN – Andrew Villerreal 14 pass from Grayson Tomberlin (Villerreal run), :41.5

                  THIRD QUARTER

EMPIRE – Booth 6 run (kick failed), 11:14

EMPIRE – Booth 39 run (kick failed), 6:22

EMPIRE – Booth 6 run (run failed), 4:13

EMPIRE – Monteith 57 run (no try), :41.5

                  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RYAN: Rushing – Andrew Villerreal 19-58, Grayson Tomberlin 20-24, Caleb Perrin 7-17; Passing – Tomberlin 3-12-51-0; Villerreal 0-2-0-1; Receiving – Villerreal 2-39, Skyler Wickware 1-2; Tackles – Tomberlin 13, Gunner Phillips 10, Trey Bryant 10, Villerreal 8, Walter Snider 6; Parker Carey 4, Jonathan Clark 4, Wickware 3, Perrin 2. EMPIRE: Rushing – Peyton Booth 29-331; Mitchell Monteith 7-136, Logan Whitten 3-19; #85 3-4; Passing – Monteith 9-16-122-0; Booth 1-1-8-0; Receiving – Daniel Alvarez 4-90, Mcray Weber 5-32, #85 1-8; 

Ringling Brings State Grid Title Back to Jefferson County

By
Trey Smart
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0

 The Ringling Blue Devils closed out the 2019 football season like every team dreams – by winning a state championship last Saturday in the Class A finals.

Ringling built a 20-7 lead and then held off Cashion for the 20-14 victory over the Wildcats and earn a fifth state championship in football for the Blue Devils.

Cashion was the top-ranked Class A team at the end of the regular season and Ringling was the number two squad.

The contest, played at the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond, was pretty even but ultimately the Blue Devil defense was able to hold off Cashion.

Ringling rallied from a season-opening 22-20 loss to Mangum by winning 13 straight games en route to the title.

In those 13 wins, opponents failed to score against the Blue Devil defense nine times.

Second-year coach Phil Koons guided the Blue Devils to their first state title since 2012.

DEVIL DABBLINGS: The Blue Devils made their 43rd appearance in post-season play and Ringling holds an 81-38 record in all playoff games… .The Blue Devils first made an appearance in the playoffs in 1961…Currently the Blue Devils have made the playoffs every year this century…Ringling has appeared in the playoffs for 21 straight seasons…..The Blue Devils’ march to the state title was an unusual one in that the Blue Devils had not met any of the opponents in previous playoff games until the game with Cashion….Ringling is now 2-2 in playoff games against Cashion…Ringling, which won two home playoff games this season, is now 49-15 in home games in the playoffs….Ringling holds a 19-15 mark in road wins in the playoffs including this season’s 28-12 victory at Pawhuska….Ringling is 13-8 in playoff games played at neutral sites….Ringling has played for the state championship 11 times and have won five gold balls….Ringling has shutout 23 opponents in post-season play and two of those shutouts came this year against Watonga and Frederick….Ryan head football coach and principal, Tony Tomberlin, is a Ringling graduate….The Blue Devils have had 13 seasons since 1960 in which they lost only one game or less in a season….Ringling is an astounding 11-2 in semifinal games in the playoffs….Ringling has failed to advance to the second round only 12 times in 43 post-season appearances….The other state championship Blue Devil squads came in 2003, 1992 and 1989.

Top Ten All-Time Ryan Coaches Selected

By
Trey Smart
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0

There have been a number of outstanding coaches of all sports at Ryan.

Many of them stayed at Ryan a short time and then bolted for greener pastures and ended up with highly successful careers.

This article will focus on the top ten coaches of all-time with a lot of consideration given to success but also tenure at Ryan. Some of them had short tenures but where highly successful. Others stayed a long time. A few coached more than one sport with success.

Not all the names of the coaches of boys and girls basketball, track and baseball have been identified – especially when you get before 1950.

However, the Cowboys and Cowgirls did not have a lot of success in those sports in the early days with a few notable exceptions. It would be a reasonable assumption that a coach has been left off this list and if so, this writer would be glad to hear from you.

Here’s the list that surely will create a bit of conversation among former Ryan athletes through the decades.

1. Raymon West

When you have your name placed on the basketball court and win a state championship, you are bound to be at the top of the list. Coach West put together an outstanding career at Ryan. The vast majority of his coaching career was spent with Cowboy and Cowgirl athletes. He had short tenures at Irving, Burkburnett and Duncan, but the rest of his coaching career was at Ryan. Coach West coached every sport at Ryan at one time. His 1962 boys’ basketball squad was the first roundball team at Ryan to qualify for the state tournament. He also coached a number of football teams during that time and coached baseball. He guided the 1965 Cowgirls to a state title – defeating three opponents by a total of four points. He returned to Ryan in 1970 to coach basketball and become the high school principal. Coach West was instrumental in the move from 11-man to eight-man football. He coached the final 11-man team and the first three eight-man squads – winning a district title in the first year of eight-man football. He coached boys’ basketball for 15 seasons and was at the helm of the Cowgirl basketball squads for a total of 11 years.

2. Stan Mueggenborg

Coach Mueggenborg, who is the only current coach at Ryan to make this list, spent 11 seasons as the head football coach and head baseball coach. He compiled a 110-97 record during that span in baseball and recorded an 81-52 record in football. The 81 wins is the most by a coach in school history. The football squad made nine playoff appearances and won two district titles. Mueggenborg directed the Cowboys to a pair of double-digit win seasons and two semifinal appearances.  He even directed the Cowboy basketball team for half of a season. He is currently serving as the fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball coach for the Cowgirls.

3. Phil Elerick

The long-time Oklahoma high school football coach made an incredible impression on the football program at Ryan. He is second to Mueggenborg in total number of wins, but it was accomplished in just six seasons – from 1984 to 1989. He guided the Cowboys to a 58-16 record during that time. Elerick was the first Ryan football coach to guide a team to the state semifinals and was also the first coach to take a squad to the state title game. The Cowboys had three state runner-up finishes, four district titles and five playoff appearances during his six years at the helm of the Cowboy grid program.

4. Lane Weldon

Weldon had a long tenure as the boys and girls basketball coach at Ryan. He coached both teams for 10 consecutive years – a feat unequaled in Ryan basketball history. During his tenure at Ryan the Cowgirls won three district titles and made two area tournament appearances. The Cowgirls made the regional tournament in eight of the 10 seasons Weldon was roaming the sidelines. The Cowgirls were 123-132 during the decade of Weldon’s influence. Prior to his arrival the Cowgirls had suffered through five different coaches in six seasons. The Cowboys were also successful under Weldon’s coaching prowess. All ten of his Cowboy basketball teams advanced to the regional tournament and the Cowboys won six district titles and advanced to the area tournament four times. The Cowboys were 164-96 under Weldon. Weldon also coached softball and baseball during his time at Ryan.

5. Gordon Garner

The only reason for Garner being behind Weldon was the number of years he stayed at Ryan. The veteran Oklahoma prep coach guided the Cowboy basketball team to a state tourney appearance – only the second time in school history. The boys’ teams during that time were 37-52 with one district crown. Garner guided the Cowgirls to a 62-32 mark and won two district titles. He also coached track for three of his four years at Ryan and was the assistant football coach with Elerick.

6. Richard Hendricks

Here is another coach that had a short but really successful coaching career at Ryan. He coached both the Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball teams for only two seasons – 1966 and 1967. His boys’ teams struggled, but the Cowgirls put together two outstanding seasons after claiming the state title in 1965. The Cowgirls won the district tournament in both seasons Hendricks served at Ryan. The 1966 squad attained a ranking as high as fourth in the state. Overall, Hendricks put together an astounding 40-9 mark in two seasons.

7. Travis Smith

Smith guided the Cowboy baseball squad for four seasons, but those four years were some of the most successful years of Cowboy baseball. His tenure came after the first two seasons of the renewed baseball program at Ryan. Smith guided the Cowboys to a 76-27-1 record and the Cowboy nine garnered two district titles. The 1996 squad finished 24-6 and was one game away from a state tournament appearance.

8. Bill Hunt

Hunt came to Ryan from Seiling and helped guide the Cowboys to one of the most successful 11-man seasons in school history. Hunt is the winningest 11-man coach at Ryan and is the only 11-man coach with a winning record in at least three seasons. The 1974 squad was 9-1 and dropped a tense 26-22 decision to Pernell in the fourth game of the season. That was the final season that only the district champion advanced to the playoffs. The 1974 team finished ranked eighth in the state – without an appearance in the post-season. Hunt is also responsible for revitalizing the boys’ track program at Ryan. The 1973 mile relay team won a state title and the 1972 team won the conference title and was the regional runner up. Hunt finished his career by coaching at Cache for over two decades.

9. Chy Waters

Waters coached girls’ basketball and softball at Ryan for five seasons. Her basketball squads put together a 70-49 mark and won two district titles. All five teams were either district champions or runner up. Two of her squads advanced to the area tournament, which is half of all the area tourney appearances made by a Cowgirl team. Waters guided the 2011 Cowgirl fast-pitch team to the district title and a regional tourney appearance – the only time in the short history of the program that has happened.

10. J.F. Robertson

It is likely that no one reading this article would remember Robertson. He coached the Cowboy basketball teams in 1916, 1917 and 1918. All three squads had winning marks – with the 1917 team putting together a 15-2 record. The 1918 team, for which a final win/loss record is unavailable, claims a mythical state title as that season preceded the first playoff system for basketball.

Honorable Mention List (no order): Gene Wells (coached three sports during his five years at Ryan – including the only district title in 11-man football and three district baseball titles and after leaving Ryan he established a powerful athletic program at Hobbs, New Mexico); G.J. Williams (the first Ryan football coach and if all the records were available may have more wins than coach Hunt); Andy Claborn (coached only two football seasons, but the Cowboys advanced to the state championship game in both seasons); Mattie Norman (was the first girls’ basketball coach to direct a squad to a district title and regional tournament appearance); Glen Alain (coached football for only two season, but the 1929 Cowboy squad defeated Yukon on Thanksgiving Day to claim the mythical state title); Frank Norman (coached track for the Cowboys for an unknown number of seasons, but the 1941 team claimed the county title and had two dominant relay teams that won a number of meets during the season).

Waurika Drops Pair to Velma-Alma’s Ranked Roundballers

By
Trey Smart
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0

 Waurika hosted the Velma-Alma Comets Tuesday night for a doubleheader encounter and the visitors came away with a pair of victories.

The Lady Comets bested the Lady Eagles, 44-33, while the Comets toppled the Eagles, 53-29.

The Lady Comets are 7-0 and ranked 17th in the latest Class A rankings. The Comets are now 5-1 and are ranked sixth in Class A.

The Lady Eagles dropped to 3-3 with the loss and the Eagles are now 4-2.

Waurika will close out the December portion of the schedule with a Friday matchup with Grandfield on the Bearcats’ home court. Tipoff for the girls’ game is 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Waurika will return home and face Big Pasture. The girls’ game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Waurika gym.

The Lady Eagles were in front of the Lady Comets after one quarter of play, 14-10.

In the second quarter, however, the Lady Eagles went ice cold and scored only two points. Fortunately, the Lady Comets only managed eight points, but it was enough to give them an 18-16 lead at the half.

The third quarter was a battle with Velma-Alma coming out of the period with an 11-10 advantage to lead 29-26 heading into the final quarter.

The Lady Comets outscored the Lady Eagles, 15-7, to secure the victory in the fourth quarter.

Velma-Alma had three girls in double figures and all three were responsible for the Lady Comets’ fourth-quarter surge.

Jaycee Kimbrough and Shain Ille each had 13 points, while Destinee Wofford added 12 points.

Waurika’s Tallin Mora had 13 points including eight in the first quarter to help the Lady Eagles hold the lead. Asia Smith added 10 points for the Lady Eagles.

The Eagles simply could not keep pace with the talented Comets.

The Comets jumped out to a 13-8 lead and increased the margin to 31-15 by the break.

In the third quarter the Comets put the game away with an 18-6 run to open up a 49-21 lead going into the final frame.

Waurika outscored the Comets, 8-4, in the fourth quarter, but the game was out of reach by that time.

Treyton Torrez led the Eagles in scoring with seven points.

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