Tuesday night the Waurika basketball squads traveled to Healdton and came away with a split of the doubleheader.
The Lady Eagles picked up a tense, come-from-behind victory over the Lady Bulldogs, 45-44, while the Eagles fell to Healdton, 63-48.
The Waurika girls snapped a three-game slide with the victory and it also ended Healdton’s four-game winning streak after the Lady Bulldogs had claimed their own tournament title last weekend.
The Lady Eagles actually held a 14-10 advantage after the first quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs pulled even with a 9-5 advantage in the second quarter to put the score at 19-19.
Healdton tried to take charge of the game in the third quarter with a 12-6 scoring advantage that gave the Lady Bulldogs a 31-25 lead going to the final quarter.
In the final quarter the Lady Eagles lit up the scoreboard with 20 points while limiting Healdton to 13.
But the game came down to the final seconds.
Waurika was up four late in the contest and a couple of missed free throws and a Waurika turnover enabled Healdton to tie the game at 44-44.
Faith Roberson came up with a huge steal on an inbound play with two seconds left and she went to the line and connected on the first one and missed the second intentionally with only nine tenths of a second left in the game to give the Lady Eagles the win.
Five different Lady Eagles contributed to the rally in the fourth quarter.
Gracie Walling led the Lady Eagles in scoring with season-high 13 points – six of which came in the final quarter. Tallin Mora added 10 points for coach Kalee Baxter’s club.
In the boys’ contest, Healdton used an 11-0 run to open the game and went on to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter.
The Eagles never really recovered and Healdton continued to build on the big lead with the halftime deficit for Waurika at 32-15.
The Bulldogs continued the scoring barrage to begin the second half and led after the third quarter, 50-26.
The Eagles were able to trim the margin with a 22-13 advantage in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome such a large disadvantage.
Treyton Torrez led the Eagles in scoring with 23 points.
Waurika will travel to Walters tomorrow night (Friday) for a twinbill and then will return to action on Tuesday with home contests against Central High.
Waurika will continue its playoff march tomorrow night when they travel to Laverne for a third-round Class B post-season clash.
The Eagles advanced last week with a 58-36 victory over Southwest Covenant, while the Tigers had its game with Seiling canceled when Seiling could not field enough players for the game because of Covid-19.
The two teams met in the second game of the regular season at Waurika and the Tigers handed the Eagles a 42-18 defeat.
In that contest the Eagles scored first, but Laverne rattled off 42 straight points before Waurika got a couple of late scores to set the final margin.
The two teams have two common opponents. Both teams had big wins over Canton. Waurika dropped a 56-14 decision to Shattuck, but Laverne downed the Indians, 50-14, in the final game of the regular season.
Laverne has a host of talented juniors that make up the roster and they have turned in some impressive performances on the season with a powerful offensive and a stifling defense.
The Tigers have won seven straight games. Last week’s playoff game is considered a no contest and does not count in the win/loss records.
Waurika continues to experience an up-and-down season and last weekend’s big win over Southwest Covenant was an example of what the season has been like.
The Eagles got off to a 16-0 lead, but allowed the Patriots to cut it to 16-8. A big second quarter gave Waurika another big lead, but the Patriots scored 20 straight points to narrow the game to two scores early in the fourth quarter.
The 2020 season for the Eagles was disrupted twice with cancelations plus Waurika scheduled Laverne and Shattuck – both traditional eight-man powerhouses – for non-district games.
The Eagles struggled in one district game – the 28-22 overtime loss to district champion Empire.
Waurika came back with a big district win over Snyder and after a week off with a first-round bye picked up the playoff win over Southwest Covenant.
The winner of Friday’s contest with Laverne will advance to the Class B quarterfinals and face the winner of Summit Christian and Davenport.
Waurika and Tipton are the only remaining teams from District B-3 in the third round of the playoffs. Empire was eliminated by Alex and Snyder fell in an overtime thriller to Velma-Alma.
Laverne’s most famous alumni is not an outstanding athlete. Jane Jayroe was a Laverne graduate and was the 1967 Miss America. She worked in television news for two Oklahoma City stations and continues to be an ambassador for the state of Oklahoma.
Here’s a brief look at this week’s playoff game:
Laverne at Waurika
Time and Place: Friday at 7 p.m. at Laverne High School Stadium
How to Get There: Take US 81 North to El Reno; Take I-40 West to the US 281 Spur toward Geary and Watonga; at Geary take US 270 to Watonga, Seiling and Woodward; Continue on 270 and turn north on US 283 to Laverne. Allow about four and half hours driving time.
Records: Laverne is 7-1, while Waurika is 6-3.
Coaches: Tanner Woods is in his second season as the coach of the Tigers. He has compiled an 17-4 mark and has led the team to the playoffs in both seasons. Joe Allen is in his third season at the helm of the Eagles. Under Allen the Eagles have a 27-6 mark.
Series History: Laverne won the only meeting between the two schools earlier this season.
Playoff History: Laverne is making is 43rd appearance in the playoffs and a 15th straight appearance. The Tigers have made the playoffs every year of eight-man play which began in 2006. Laverne has won three state titles and finished as the state runner up three other times – all in eight-man play. Laverne made three semifinal appearances between 1945 and 1958. The Tigers own a 48-39 mark in all playoff games and are 33-11 in eight-man playoff games.
Waurika is making its 30th appearance in the playoffs and the sixth since joining the eight-man ranks. Waurika is 30-26-2 in all playoff games. The 1951 Eagles won the state title and Waurika has five other semifinal appearances – all in 11-man play. Since entering eight-man play in 2012 the Eagles are 5-5 in all playoff games. Waurika is making its sixth straight appearance in the playoffs.
Team Capsules: Laverne is putting together another impressive season. The Tigers lost the season opener to Cherokee but have reeled off seven straight victories including an impressive 50-12 victory over Shattuck that ended the Indians’ long winning streak. The Eagles will have to figure out a way to stop Houston Bockelman, who ran for 230 yards on just 13 carries against the Eagles in the regular season meeting. He had touchdown runs of 32, 55, 33 and 40 yards against Waurika in the earlier meeting. The Eagles will also try to figure out the Laverne defense which has given up no more than two touchdowns to an opponent since the early-season meeting with Waurika and the opener against Cherokee
The Eagles played admirably last week without Torrez, but went through stretches of the game against Southwest Covenant where the team seemed to be disengaged. Kevin Garcia responded to the challenge of filling in at quarterback for the Eagles and rushed for 178 yards and was effective through the air by completing five of eight passes for 99 yards. Waurika continues to rely on a strong running game that is helped along by a consistent offensive line of Angel Garcia, Bowden Forsyth and Bobby Aldape. Slade Cathey adds to the offensive line from the tight end position. The defense continues to improve, despite giving up 36 points to a talented Southwest Covenant team in the first round of the playoffs.
Outlook: The Eagles will have to play an error-free game and be able to corral the Tiger offense that is averaging over 47 points a game. If the Eagles can accomplish this against Laverne, they should have the opportunity to move into the quarterfinals. However, this will prove to be the toughest challenge of the season for the Eagles as they face an improved Laverne squad from the one they faced early in the regular season.
Two unbeaten boys’ teams met up Tuesday night at Velma-Alma but it was the underdog Waurika Eagles that came out on top of the Comets.
Velma-Alma came into Tuesday’s contest with a 4-0 mark and fresh off the tourney title at the Comet Invitational. The Comets had climbed to fifth in the Class A rankings released earlier this week.
The Eagles were not phased, however, and after trailing 2-0 early in the game led throughout the remainder of the game in scoring an impressive 48-37 win.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
The Lady Eagles did not fare as well against the 12th-ranked Lady Comets as Waurika fell, 31-24, to the Oil Field Conference foe.
Before’s Tuesday’s clash at Velma-Alma, the Waurika teams played three games in three days last week.
The Waurika girls picked up wins over Indiahoma, Springer and Cement, while the Eagle boys had close encounters with Indiahoma, Springer and Cement.
All three games were part of the Chattanooga Festival, which was originally scheduled to be an invitational tournament, but the format was changed.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
The Eagles are now 6-0 on the year, while the Lady Eagles stand at 4-2 heading into the final two games before Christmas break.
The two squads are back in action tonight when they will play host to Grandfield. Tip for the girls’ game is slated for 6:30 p.m. in the Waurika gym.
Tomorrow night (Friday), the Waurika boys and girls will travel to Big Pasture to take on the Rangers. The girls’ contest will begin at 6:30 p.m.
V-A 31, Lady Eagles 24
In the game with the Lady Comets, Waurika could never get on track offensively, despite putting forth great effort on the defensive end.
The Lady Eagles were also short-handed in the contest because of quarantine issues.
Waurika trailed, 9-5, after one quarter and the offense did not improve in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles could muster only a single point points to trail 15-6 at the break.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
The Lady Eagles mounted a rally in the third quarter as they outscored the Lady Comets, 9-4, to trim the margin to 19-15 heading into the final quarter.
V-A scored the first five points of the quarter to open a nine-point advantage, but Waurika would come back to cut the lead to 28-24 until V-A scored the final three points to close out the game.
Aubree Showalter topped the Lady Eagles in scoring with eight points.
Eagle 48, V-A 37
Treyton Torrez poured in a season-high 30 points to help the Eagles score the upset over the Comets.
The Eagles wrestled the lead from the Comets early in the first quarter as Torrez netted 14 of his 29 tallies in the first period.
But the Eagles went cold in the second quarter and scored only four points as V-A cut the margin to 22-21 at the half.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
The Comets managed to tie the game at 26 in the third quarter, but Waurika finished the period on an 8-2 run to hold a 34-28 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter the Comets pulled to within three at 38-35, but Waurika finished off the upset victory with a 10-2 run despite missing seven free throws in the quarter.
Cache Dunn had 10 points for the Eagles, but no other Eagles were in double figures.
Lady Eagles 77, Cement 27
The Lady Eagles were effective from the outside with 10 three-pointers and five players scored in double figures in rolling to the third win in three nights.
Waurika jumped out to a 20-3 advantage after one quarter and finished the first half with an overwhelming 42-5 lead.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
The Lady Eagles continued the onslaught by outscoring the Lady Bulldogs, 23-12, in the third quarter before the bench was cleared in the fourth quarter.
Tallin Mora led all scorers with 14 points and she hit four treys in the contest. Asia Smith and Liberti Simmons each hit for 13 points, while Cassidie Berry added 12 tallies and Aubree Showalter finished with 10.
Eagles 52, Cement 45
Trailing by seven heading into the final quarter, the Eagles put on a furious rally to come out on top.
Matt Arriola was on fire in the first quarter as he connected on four field goals, but the Eagles still trailed the Bulldogs, 15-13, at the end of the period.
Waurika trailed by one at the break after outscoring Cement, 7-6, in the second quarter that gave the Bulldogs a slip 21-20 advantage.
Cement exploded for 18 points in the third quarter, while the Eagles could only muster 12 points to trail, 39-32, heading into the final quarter.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles were able to take advantage of foul trouble by the Bulldogs and converted on 11 of 14 from the charity stripe to help secure the win.
In the meantime, the Waurika defense buckled down and allowed Cement only two baskets and two free throws on the way to a 20-6 run to close out the game.
Torrez paced the Eagles in scoring with 22 points, while Dunn added 12 points. Arriola chipped in 10 points for the Eagles.
Lady Eagles 62, Springer 28
Waurika started well against the Lady Cardinals with a 22-10 advantage in the first quarter and the Lady Eagles added to the lead at halftime, 31-14.
Waurika put the game away with a 17-2 scoring spurt in the third quarter.
Smith led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 19 points, while Mora added 11 points and Berry contributed 10 points.
Eagles 53, Springer 51
It was a dramatic finish for the Eagles for the second straight night.
The Cardinals got off to a 17-12 first quarter lead and the Eagles were able only to trim the lead to 28-24 at intermission.
In the third quarter, the Eagles narrowed the gap again by outscoring the Cardinals, 16-14, to trail, 42-40, heading to the final quarter of play.
With the game tied at 51-51, Waurika had the last possession.
Torrez dribbled the ball out front and made a move into the middle of the lane where he connected on a short jumper as time expired to hand Waurika the win.
Torrez poured in 27 points for the Eagles, while Dunn added 13 points.
Lady Eagles 77, Indiahoma 31
Waurika started the festival with an outstanding offensive output.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 21-7 lead over the Lady Warriors in the first quarter and increased the margin by outscoring Indiahoma, 14-3, to hold a 35-10 led at the break.
Photo by Kaci Reynolds
Waurika put the game away in the third quarter by outscoring Indiahoma, 24-9, to move in front, 59-19, heading into the final frame.
Berry led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 14 points. Showalter added 11 points, while Roberson, Smith and Mora all scored 10 points each to give the Lady Eagles five players in double figures on the night.
Eagles 39, Indiahoma 38
The game began with some cold shooting as the Eagles managed only a 5-4 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Warriors outscored the Eagles, 14-9, to hold an 18-14 lead at the half.
Indiahoma added to the lead in the third quarter and had a 32-26 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The game went back and forth in the final eight minutes, but Kevin Garcia tipped in a missed shot and Torrez added a pair of free throws to give Waurika the lead at 39-38.
The final seconds were a flurry of fouls by the Warriors to try and get the back, but the Eagles prevailed.
Torrez was the top scorer for the Eagles with 18 points.
V-A 31, Waurika 24
(Girls)
Waurika 5 1 9 9—24
Velma-Alma 9 6 4 12—31
WAURIKA: Aubree Showalter 3-0-8, Faith Roberson 2-1-5, Lexie Streeter 1-2-4, Asia Smith 1-1-4, Tallin Mora 1-0-3. PF: 13. Three-pointers: Showalter 2, Smith, Mora.
V-A: Kimbough 5-2-13, Wofford 3-2-8, Ille 2-0-4, McGuire 1-0-3, Smith 1-0-2, McClain 0-1-1. PF: 13. Three-pointers: Kimbrough, McGuire.
Waurika 48, V-A 35
(Boys)
Waurika 18 4 13 13–48
Velma-Alma 10 11 7 9–37
WAURIKA: Treyton Torrez 8-11-30, Cache Dunn 4-2-10, Kevin Garcia 2-0-4, Matt Arriola 0-2-2, Bowden Forsyth1-0-2. PF: 9. Three-pointers: Torrez 3.
WAURIKA: Tallin Mora 5-0-14, Asia Smith 5-1-13, Liberti Simmons 3-6-13, Cassidie Berry 6-0-12, Aubree Showalter 4-0-10, Faith Roberson 3-0-7, Lexie Streeter 2-0-4, Grace Hill 1-0-2, Lewis 1-0-2, Alana Lewis. PF: 17. Three-pointers: Mora 4, Smith 2, Showalter 2, Roberson, Simmons.
Waurika 62, Springer 28
(Girls)
Waurika 22 9 17 14—62
Springer 10 4 2 12—28
WAURIKA: Asia Smith 9-0-19, Tallin Mora 5-0-11, Cassidie Berry 5-1-11, Liberti Simmons 2-2-6, Aubree Showalter 3-0-6, Grace Walling 2-0-4, Lexie Streeter 2-0-5. PF: 11. Three-pointers: Smith, Mora, Streeter.
SPRINGER: Kaylee Johnson 7-0-14, Mimi White 3-0-8, Jalyn Dewberry 2-0-4, Kalli St. Claire 1-0-2. PF: 7. Three-pointers: White 2.
Waurika 77, Indiahoma 31
(Girls)
Indiahoma 7 3 9 12—31
Waurika 21 14 24 18—77
INDIAHOMA: Katelyn Kimble 6-3-15, Kyla Wilson 2-0-5, Cozad 1-0-3, Carlie Salinas 1-0-3, O’Brien 1-0-3, Harmony Hall 1-0-2. PF: 10. Three-pointers: Salinas, Wilson, Cozad.
WAURIKA: Cassidie Berry 6-2-14, Aubree Showalter 5-1-11, Faith Roberson 4-1-10, Asia Smith 5-0-10, Tallin Mora 4-2-10, Lexie Streeter 3-2-8, Liberti Simmons 4-0-8, Gracie Walling 3-0-6. PF: 12. Three-pointers: Roberson.
It was a tough season last year for the Ryan High School fast-pitch softball squad.
The 2019 team was 0-19 for the fall season and is looking to improve that mark as the 2020 season kicks off Tuesday at Waurika.
The Cowgirls will stage the home opener one week from today (Thursday) when they will play host to Big Pasture on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports Complex.
Youth will be counted on by third-year coach Stan Mueggenborg as last year’s team featured four seniors. This year’s roster has only three seniors.
But, while the Cowgirls may be short on experience, they will have more talent on the field.
Mueggenborg is looking to start as many as three freshmen, including the likely starting pitcher, Jasmine Villerreal.
“She (Villerreal) has good speed and has a good fast ball and has been working on some off-speed pitches,” Mueggenborg said.
With Villerreal in the circle for the Cowgirls, that leaves a hole at shortstop where Villerreal was slated to play when pre-season practices started a few weeks ago.
Three returning starters – Kodi Duke, Diamond Chazaretta and Linsdsey Reake will be counted on to provide the offensive punch for the Cowgirls.
“Diamond has been hitting the ball well and a lot better than last year,” Mueggenborg said of the Cowgirl senior.
Reake, who returns a first base for the Cowgirls, should provide some power as she will probably hit in the four spot.
“Lindsey has a great attitude and works harder than just about anyone,” Mueggenborg noted.
Emily Harris, a sophomore, will see some playing time in the circle for the Cowgirls and will hopefully provide some offensive punch.
Harris and Reake were cited by Mueggenborg as two of the hardest working girls on the team.
“We are a little more talented and faster than a year ago,” Mueggenborg said. “We have the opportunity to do some things on the base paths that we have not been able to do previously.”
That speed will not only be an asset to the Cowgirls on the base paths, but also in the field.
The Cowgirls will have a bit of depth as Mueggenborg has 13 players currently preparing for the upcoming season.
Kyla Este’Phillips is one senior that will hopefully provide some depth in the outfield when needed.
Carter Combs looks to be the starter behind the plate, while sophomore Libby Carter will probably be holding down the second base position.
“Libby loves playing softball,” Mueggenborg said. “She is here every day and works at it and has gotten better every year.”
Kaitlyn Dabbs, another speedster for the Cowgirls, will be joining Duke and Chazaretta in the outfield.
Alexis Shockley is the other infielder for the Cowgirls and will see action at both shortstop and third base.
Overall the Cowgirls may be better, but with the schedule loaded with teams that return most or all of their players from a year ago, the Cowgirls may find a difficult time finding the win column.
But, as the younger players progress through the early part of the season, Mueggenborg is hopeful the wins will eventually come.“We are going to hustle every chance we get,” said Mueggenborg.
Look for the Cowgirls to be a bit more competitive on the diamond, but without the experience in the circle and teams such as Geronimo, Grandfield and Waurika returning key players from a year ago, it will be tough for the Cowgirls especially early in the season.
Cowgirl Fast-Pitch Softball Schedule
August
11: at Waurika; 13: Big Pasture; 17: at Wilson; 20, 22: Southern Eight Conference Tournament; 24: at Geronimo; 25: Grandfield.
September
1: Waurika; 3: Temple; 8: Wilson; 10, 12: Temple Tournament; 14: at Grandfield; 15: Frederick; 17: at Big Pasture; 21: Empire; 24: District Tournament.
A pair of outstanding individual performances highlighted the first meet of the season for the Ryan cross country teams.
The Cowgirls posted a seventh-place finish in the Class 4A-2A division with two runners earning medals and another battling a nagging injury during competition at the Duncan Invitational last Saturday.
Photo by Shelley Villarreal
The Cowboys took only one runner – Mason Adsit. The sophomore runner, however, recorded his second best time of his career which was good for 78th place in the crowded field of competitors.
His time over the five-kilometer course was 23:19.83.
Alicen Williams and Jasmine Villerreal led the Cowgirls to the seventh place team finish and both runners earned medals in the highly competitive meet.
Photo by Shelley Villarreal
Williams recorded a personal best time over the two-mile course. Her time of 13:54.22 was good for 18th place overall.
Villarreal, running in her first meet at the high school level, finished in 24th place with a time of 14:29.55.
Lilybet Harmon, the Cowgirls’ top returning runner from last year’s regional title team, has been battling an injury, but she still managed to finish 34th in the meet with a time of 15:16.21.
Rounding out the performances for the Cowgirls were Katelynn Dabbs who finished 58th with a time of 18:05.22.
Libby Carter was 69th in the race with a time of 24:42.01. Carter is a recent addition to the Cowgirl squad and has had limited time conditioning for a cross country race.
Blanchard won the high school girls division meet with 46 points, while Merritt was second with 56 tallies. Ryan’s point total of 151 was seventh among the eight teams in the meet. A total of 70 high school girls competed in the meet.
Ryan will return to competition on Saturday when they travel to Geronimo for the first meet ever hosted by the school.
Duncan Invitational Junior High Results
Boys
9. Andrew Scott, 13:18.24; 12. Koble Lewis, 13;38.58
Waurika High School is scheduled to begin the 2020-2021 basketball season Friday night when they travel to Geronimo for a doubleheader.
The girls’ game is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., while the boys will tip at the conclusion of the girls’ game.
Both girls’ coach Kalee Baxter and boys’ mentor Garret Bachand are optimistic about the upcoming seasons after seeing success during 2020.
The Lady Eagles finished with a mark of 15-11 in 2020 and the season ended in the regional tournament.
The Eagles had a 13-11 mark in 2020 and it was the most wins since the 2012 season.
Every game on the Waurika schedule will have meaning as they are playing only Southern Eight and Oil Field Conference foes during the regular season.
Both teams will also compete in three invitational tournaments at Chattanooga, Marlow and Rush Springs.
Bachand conducted his first practices of the season this week and the starting lineup will feature four returning starters and a bit of depth that will have to transition quickly from the gridiron to the hardwood.
Three of the returnees are seniors giving the Eagles an experienced squad for the first time in a few years.
Kevin Garcia and Cache Dunn – both seniors – figure to play a big role.
Dunn was an honorable mention selection on the Southern Eight Conference all-conference squad last year and led the Eagles in rebounding.
Garcia will be counted on to provide leadership to the team – much like he did throughout the recently completed grid season for the Eagles.
Another senior and starter a year ago, Bowden Forsyth, will give the Eagles a big presence on the inside and will be counted on to have an impact on both ends of the court.
Treyton Torrez, who was a starter as a freshman, led the team in scoring and will be counted on for point production throughout the season. Torrez was an all-conference selection by the Southern Eight Conference and the Oil Field Conference in 2020.
Torrez averaged almost 18 points a game for the Eagles a year ago.
“I don’t want to leave Cache and Kevin off the scoring list,” said Bachand. “I think either one is due for some explosive scoring nights – especially with their talent and experience.”
The other starting spot may be up for grabs according to Bachand, who will be in his second season as the head coach of the Eagles.
The other starting spot may be up for grabs according to Bachand, who will be in his second season as the head coach of the Eagles.
Matt Arriolla, Tre Horne, Dylan Brown and Mason Houston will likely battle for the remaining spot.
Arriolla will likely challenge Dunn for top honors on the boards and will be a force inside.
Houston gave the Eagles a boost on offense during summer league play and he will also provide a strong presence on the board and on defense.
“We plan on using our speed to open things up for transition and our outside scoring,” said Bachand when identifying some of the projected strengths of this year’s squad. “We will need to see our rebounding and low post defense improve for us to be successful.”
Bachand hopes the Eagles can produce another winning season and if they do it will be the first back-to-back winning seasons in basketball since the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
“We have an experienced group that can compete every night and I think they will give our team a chance to win both conferences,” added Bachand.
The Eagles should battle Big Pasture for the Southern Eight Conference title and will face stiff competition from fourth-ranked Velma-Alma in the Oil Field Conference race.
Expectations for the Lady Eagles may be even higher than the male counterparts.
The Lady Eagles appeared in their fourth regional tourney in five seasons after making only three regional tourney appearances in the previous 15 years.
The Lady Eagles have managed to compile a winning record in six of the previous seven seasons and the outlook for 2021 is bright as all five starters return from last year’s team.
Leading the way will be the Southern Eight Conference’s defensive player of the year Asia Smith. Smith was also an Oil Field Conference selection.
Lexie Streeter returns and will provide some offensive punch for the Lady Eagles. She was a Southern Eight Conference all-conference pick last season.
“Streeter and Smith are going to be key aspects in our program,” said Baxter of the two top scorers for the Lady Eagles a year ago.
Tallin Mora, Gracie Walling and Faith Roberson are the other three returning starters for the Lady Eagles.
Roberson will be manning the point for the Lady Eagles.
“Faith has been doing an excellent job heading our offense,” added Baxter.
Mora, Liberti Simmons and Aubree Showalter will provide the Lady Eagles with offense from the outside, which will help open up the inside for Walling, Cassidy Berry and Alana Lewis.
Depth will be one of the strengths for the Lady Eagles.
“Backing those girls will be a bench of players ready and able to help as well,” Baxter noted.
“We have so much talent and potential building off of the last few years of success,” Baxter said. “We are just excited to go compete hard every chance we get.”
The Lady Eagles should be the favorite in the Southern Eight Conference, but will have to contend with Class A’s 10th-ranked Velma-Alma Lady Comets for the Oil Field Conference title.
The Lady Eagles hope to contend for a district title – something that has eluded Waurika’s girls’ squads since 2017.
Waurika Basketball Schedule
December
8: at Geronimo; 10-12: at Chattanooga Tournament; 15: at Velma-Alma; 17: Grandfield; 18: at Big Pasture.
January
5: Wilson; 7-9: Black Diamond Tournament at Rush Springs; 12: at Ringling; 15: Empire; 18-23: Stephens County Tournament at Marlow; 26: Healdton; 29: Walters.
February
2: at Central High; 9: Elmore City-Pernell; 12-13: District Tournament.
Waurika’s fast-pitch softball team hit the road Monday and Tuesday for contests at Wilson and Ringling and the road was not kind to the Lady Eagles.
Tuesday at Ringling the Lady Eagles fell to the Lady Blue Devils, 11-1.
On Monday, Waurika dropped a 9-1 decision at Wilson.
The Lady Eagles will be back in action today (Thursday) when they host Temple and Fletcher.
Aubree Showalter up at bat! Photo by Karlee Brinson
Waurika travels to Temple on Saturday for the weather-shortened Temple Invitational Tournament.
The Lady Eagles will battle Ft. Cobb-Broxton in the first round of the now single elimination tournament. The first pitch is slated for 12:45 p.m.
If Waurika wins, they will meet the winner of the Grandfield and Bray-Doyle matchup at 3:15 p.m.
The championship game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Grace Hill warms up. Photo by Karlee Brinson
Waurika closes out its regular season on Monday by hosting Velma-Alma.
One week from today (September 24) the Lady Eagles will compete in the Class A District Tournament at Snyder.
Pairings for the district tournament were not available for this week’s paper.
In Tuesday’s action, Ringling struck for nine runs in the first three innings and Waurika could not rally.
In the bottom of the first the Lady Blue Devils used a pair of walks, five stolen bases, two doubles and a triple to produce the four runs – all after two were out.
Riley Howell at bat. Photo by Karlee Brinson
Ringling added to the lead in the bottom of the second with the benefit of three Waurika errors in the inning and only one hit. Ringling scored two runs to increase the lead to 6-0.
In the top of the third, the Lady Eagles finally got something going with a lead-off double by Grace Hill. She scored on Aubree Showalter’s ground out to narrow the gap to 6-1.
Ringling added three more runs in the bottom of the third on five hits and one error to move in front, 9-1.
The Lady Blue Devils added another run in the bottom of the fourth to end the game by the run rule.
Gracie Walling was 2-for-2 to lead Waurika at the plate.
Lewis. Photo by Karlee Brinson
In Monday’s loss to Wilson, the Lady Eagles had trouble getting that key base hit.
Wilson put up four runs in the bottom of the first inning with four hits – including two doubles and a triple – and one Waurika error.
In the bottom of the second inning Wilson added to the lead with an RBI-double to increase the margin to 5-0.
Waurika got its only run in the top of the third inning. Showalter reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to third on a ground out and a single by Landry Forsyth. Showalter scored by stealing home plate to cut the lead to 5-1.
Gracie Walling was 2 for 2 at the plate. Photo by Karlee Brinson
Wilson added a single run in the bottom of the fourth with the aid of another Waurika miscue and the lead stood at 6-1.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Wilson struck for three runs on two Waurika errors, a hit batter, a single and a double. This ended the game by the run rule.
Riley Howell was 2-for-2 in the game for the Lady Eagles.
The story of high school sports at Waurika High School for the 2019-2020 school year will be forever incomplete.
The nationwide pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus forced schools across Oklahoma to close thus ending the spring sports at Waurika.
Despite the disappointing ending to the sports slate for the Eagles and Lady Eagles, the year produced some memorable moments and the accomplishments of the teams for the school year should be noted.
The Lady Eagles’ fast-pitch softball team under the direction of first-year coach Everette Hodges was the first team to complete its season.
The Lady Eagles finished a disappointing 5-16 season and while the wins were few the team won more games than the previous two seasons combined.
The Lady Eagles softball squad did not have a senior on the team and the future looks bright.
Hope Cummings, Liberti Simmons and Landry Forsyth were Southern Eight Conference honorees.
The cross country season was a successful one for Waurika.
The Eagle squad finished ninth in the regional cross country meet and had two other top-five finishes in meets earlier in the year including the team title at the Healdton Invitational.
Kevin Garcia was the top runner for the Eagle harriers that were coached by Joe Masoner.
The Lady Eagle runners turned in an outstanding season. The squad finished fifth in the Class 2A State Cross Country Meet and were third in the regional meet hosted by Waurika.
The Lady Eagles had six other top-five finishes in meets at Duncan, Cameron University, Walters, Velma-Alma, Oklahoma Baptist University and Healdton.
Lexie Streeter and Tallin Mora were the top competitors for Coach Masoner’s squad and Asia Smith joined the squad late in the year and was the top Waurika runner at the regional and state meets.
Waurika’s football squad enjoyed a second straight outstanding season last fall.
Second-year coach Joe Allen led the Eagles to a 10-2 record and a second straight district title and fifth straight playoff appearance – the second longest streak in school history.
The Eagles ended the season with a tough 38-14 loss to Pioneer-Pleasant Vale in the second round of the Class B playoffs.
Waurika had advanced to the second round with a resounding 54-6 victory over Cyril in a contest that ended at halftime.
Only seven teams in school history have posted a better record than the 2019 squad.
Turner Mora was named the District B-4 player of the year and Jordan Watkins earned the defensive lineman of the year honors. Gabe Jenkins was named the district’s newcomer of the year.
Kevin Garcia, Brandon Forsyth, Payton Fletcher and Hunter Wesberry were also honored by being named to the all-district team.
Basketball took the limelight for the winter months with both the Lady Eagles and Eagles finishing the year with winning seasons.
For the Eagles the 13-11 mark was the first winning season since 2020 in coach Garret Bachand’s first year at the helm of the Eagle roundballers.
The Eagles were eliminated in the first round of the district tournament at Alex.
Treyton Torrez, a freshman, was the top scorer for the Eagles on the hardwood and he was named all-conference for both the Southern Eight and Oil Field conferences.
Coach Kalee Baxter led the Lady Eagles to a 15-11 mark in her third season directing Waurika girls’ basketball program.
The Lady Eagles fell in the district finals to Alex, but advanced in the consolation bracket to the regional tournament where they defeated Ringling, but fell to Binger-Oney in the consolation semifinals at Alex.
Asia Smith was named the defensive player of the year for the Southern Eight Conference and she led the Lady Eagles in scoring.
The Lady Eagles had no seniors on the squad and with a lot of experience and talent returning next year the expectations will be high.
The spring sports of baseball, boys and girls track and golf were unable to finish the season.
Coach Joe Allen was in his second year at the helm of the Eagle baseball squad and the team had managed a 2-2 mark in the early part of the scheduled.
The Eagles had games with Geronimo and a doubleheader with Frederick postponed before the season was abruptly halted.
The Eagles had won the first two games of the year and dropped the final two games played and almost half the squad was made up of seniors.
It was believed the Eagles will be in the running for the district title in 2020, but district pairings were still a month away from being announced when the season ended.
The track season had featured only one meet – the Velma-Alma Invitational.
The Eagles of coach Roger Jessie finished eighth in the meet with 34 points, while Coach Joe Masoner’s Lady Eagles also finished eighth with 26 points.
Tallin Mora won the long jump at the V-A meet.
The golf squad of coach Kalee Baxter had not begun competition before the interruption of the season.
With the cancelation of graduation and other activities related to the 2020 senior class – including the all-sports banquet – it would be appropriate to recognize the accomplishments of the senior athletes at Ryan High School.
There were five seniors on the Cowboy football team last fall. While the team dropped to a disappointing 4-6 record in 2019, these seniors during their careers had two winning seasons and made playoff appearances as juniors and seniors.
Andrew Villerreal had an outstanding senior season as a running back on offense and a stellar defensive performer as well as the kickoff specialist for the Cowboys. For his accomplishments he was named to the District B-4 all-district first team.
Villerreal was a two-year starter for the Cowboys and moved to the running back position his senior season after leading the team in receptions as a tight end in the 2018 campaign. In the 2018 season Villerreal was a second team utility player on the District B-4 all-district squad.
Gunner Phillips and Walter Snider were both starters on the 2019 squad and Jonathan Clark and Parker Carey also contributed to the team in a reserve role as injuries hit the team during the season.
Three senior athletes led the Cowgirl cross country squad to an outstanding season. Juliet Spangler and Lily York – both four-year participants in the program – and Gracie Stamper, a newcomer during her senior year – helped the cross country team to a Class 2A regional title. The Cowgirls also won five other meets during the season.
Spangler and York were selected to the Class 2A All-Star Cross Country team and were instrumental in the program’s success the past four years.
Spangler was an individual state qualifier her freshman season and was part of the Cowgirl teams that qualified for state in her final three years of high school. Spangler had four top-ten finishes in meets during her senior season.
York battled some injuries during her senior campaign, but she was consistently among the top two to five Cowgirls during the season. York managed four top-ten finishes during the year.
Stamper, in her first year of competing in cross country, provided some much needed depth for the Cowgirls during the 2019 season.
Samantha Good and Brooklyn Charmasson finished their senior seasons in fast-pitch softball as all-conference honorees by the Southern Eight Conference. It was the second year in a row for Good to be named to the all-conference squad.
Both Charmasson and Good were three-year starters for the fast-pitch team and in their sophomore season the Cowgirls won what is believed to be a school-record 16 games.
Savannah Lashley and Madisen Rhoades also were members of the 2019 fast-pitch softball team and both were starters during their senior seasons on a team that struggled to a 2-19 record.
Villerreal as the only senior member of the Cowboy basketball team for 2020. He was a starter on a team that went only 6-17, but showed tremendous improvement from the past two seasons. Villerreal was also a starter on the 2019 squad.
Good, Spangler and York were key members of the 2020 Cowgirl cage squad. The three girls all became members of the 1,000-point club for their careers during their senior year and were part of the Cowgirls two straight winning seasons in their junior and season seasons.
All three girls played in the Southern Eight’s annual all-star game held at Ryan and the three girls will be furthering their basketball careers in college next fall.
Bailee Martin was also a senior starter on the Cowgirl team in 2020, while Charmasson saw considerable playing time off the bench as the Cowgirls had only seven or eight players much of the season.
Of course the spring sports seasons for the Ryan seniors were cut short by the nation-wide pandemic and the closure of schools across the state of Oklahoma after spring break.
The slow-pitch softball team managed to get in four games before the season ended. Good, Rhoades, Charmasson, Lashley and Stamper were members of the team that went winless at the beginning of the season.
The Cowgirl track squad made only one appearance before the cancellation of the season, but it was a good one. The Cowgirls won the Maysville Warrior Invitational and York and Spangler – the only two senior members of the team – played a significant role in the meet title for the Cowgirls.
York was a member of the 400-meter relay team that finished fourth and she was also part of the meet champion 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relay teams. In the 800 meters, York earned a silver medal.
Spangler was also part of the two gold-medal winning 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relay teams. She also captured a gold medal in the 1,600 meters and finished second in the 3,200 meters.
Both girls have been key components to the Cowgirl track program in the past four years. York was part of the regional runner up 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relay teams in her junior season and was part of the 3,200-meter relay team that finished second in her sophomore year. In her freshman season York was part of the 1,600-meter relay team that finished as a regional runner up.
In additional to joining York on the relay teams at the regionals during her career, Spangler also finished second in the 3,200 meters and third in the 1,600 meters at regionals during her junior season. As a freshman, Spangler recorded a regional runner up finish in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.
There were no senior male athletes that competed in track for the Cowboys in 2020 and Ryan failed to have enough players to field a baseball team during the 2020 season.
All of these seniors are to be commended for outstanding careers and contributions to the Ryan High School athletic program in their senior year and beyond.
The Lady Eagles softball squad is putting together one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Waurika picked up a couple of victories last Thursday when Temple hosted the Lady Eagles and Geroimo.
Games that were scheduled for Monday against Frederick and Tuesday at Ryan were postponed because of rain.
The Lady Eagles and Frederick were in the second inning when rain and lightning halted the contest and after a delay another storm came through forcing the postponement.
Tuesday the Lady Eagles were set to take on Ryan, but additional rains overnight on Monday and Tuesday morning forced the game to be postponed.
In the first game last Thursday at Temple, Waurika held off Geronimo, 7-6. In the second contest, the Lady Eagles pounded Temple, 13-9.
The Lady Eagles are back on the diamond today with a contest at Grandfield.
The Lady Eagles will be on the road again Tuesday when they travel to Central High.
Next weekend the Lady Eagles will return to Temple for the Temple Invitational on Thursday and Saturday.
Waurika is 8-5 on the season heading into today’s game and just need one more win to equal the number of wins from the three previous seasons.
Waurika 13, Temple 9
The Lady Eagles used a 10-run third inning to build a big lead and held on for the win.
Temple scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on three hits, an error and a pair of stolen bases including a steal of home. This gave the Lady Tigers a 3-0 advantge.
The Lady Eagles came back in the top of the second with a pair of tallies.
A lead-off single and a stolen base by Gracie Walling helped get the uprising started.
Alana Lewis followed with an RBI-double and she scored on Riley Howell’s run-scoring single. This trimmed the Temple lead to 3-2.
In the top of the third the Lady Eagles sent 16 players to the plate.
Aubree Showalter and Faith Roberson led off the inning with infield singles and scored on Walling’s double.
Lewis had another infield single and she scored on a single by Hope Cummings. Howell walked and Grace Hill produced a two-run single.
Faith Hill walked and eventually stole home to increase the lead to 10-3.
After two were out Roberson and Landry Forsyth came up with infield hits. Walling walked to load the bases and the back-to-back walks by Lewis and Cummings produced the final two runs of the inning that put the Lady Eagles in front, 12-3.
Temple answered with a four-run rally of their own in the bottom of third that narrowed the gap to 12-7.
The Lady Tigers added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to 12-9.
The Lady Eagles added a run in the top of the fifth inning as Lewis drove in Roberson with a two-base hit.
The Tigers put the lead off runner on in the bottom of the fifth, but the next three batters were retired to end the game.
Eight Waurika batters had at least one hit in the game.
Walling and Lewis led the way with 3-for-3 performances.
Lewis had three runs batted in and Walling and G. Hill each had a pair of runs batted in.
Waurika 7, Geronimo 6
Waurika had a seven-run rally in the third inning and made it stand up in picking up the win against the conference tournament champion Lady Bluejays.
Geronimo got out on top with a three-run surge in the bottom of the first inning.
Two walks, a pair of fielder’s choices and an error led to the three runs.
In the top of the third inning Faith Hill led off with a single. Aubree Showalter singles and Faith Roberson reached on an error to load the bases.
Landry Forsyth picked up an RBI-single and Gracie Walling cleared the bases with a three-run triple.
Alana Lewis followed with a run-scoring double and she scored on an error that led Hope Cummings to reach base.
Grace Hill came up with a big two-run single to center field to close out the scoring and giving the Lady Eagles a 7-3 advantage.
Geronimo picked up a run in the bottom of the third after an error and an RBI-single to trim the LadyEagles’ lead to 7-4.
There was no more scoring until the bottom of the fifth inning. Geronimo led off with a single and the runner scored on a ground out to put the score at 7-5.
A two-bagger produced another run, but the Lady Bluejays could do no more damage.
Forsyth was the big hitter for the Lady Eagles as she went 3-for-3 at the plate and had an RBI. Lewis was 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Walling finished with three runs batted in.
