63.3 F
Waurika
Monday, May 6, 2024
Advertisement
Home Sports Page 11

Sports

Most popular

Injury-Riddled Cowgirl Harriers Finish Sixth in State Meet

By
Trey Smart
-
0

A record-setting season for the Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad ended in disappointing fashion, on a muddy and tough course at Shawnee last Saturday.

The Cowgirls were one of three regional team champions and came into the Class 2A state meet at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center ranked fourth in the state.

But with one runner battling a pulled muscle, another a hip flexor and still another a sprained ankle, the Cowgirls’ gutty performance was able to only net seventh place in the meet.

Watonga and Hooker battled for the team title with the Lady Eagles coming out on top with 52 points. Hooker finished with 53 points. The Cowgirls totaled 219 points.

The Cowgirls, winners of six meets during the season, had battled through the injuries in claiming the regional crown, but the injuries finally caught up with the squad at the state meet.

Even with the disappointing ending at the state meet, the Cowgirls had easily the most impressive season in the short school history of the sport.

The team qualified for the state meet for only the third time in school history. The regional title was the first in school history.

In the regular season the Cowgirls never finished lower than fourth in any meet they entered and a couple of them were full of teams that were in higher classes and relatively talented.

The Cowgirls never backed down from a challenge all season and the state meet was no different when taking into consideration the injuries.

Ryan won team titles at Walters, North Rock Creek, Frederick, Sulphur and Healdton, plus the regional title. The Cowgirls were runner up at Prague.

Lilybet Harmon led the team performance at the state meet. The junior finished 20th in the field of 154 runners in Class 2A with a time of 13:42.50.

It was not Harmon’s best time of the season, but it did surpass her time and finish at the state meet a year ago.

Harmon has been the ringleader for the Cowgirls all season and she won three individual titles during the season – a first for a Cowgirl runner.

Katlyn Dabbs finished 30th for the Cowgirls and she turned in a time of 13:49.33 – her second best time of the season over a 3,200-meter course.

Juliet Spangler, running in her fourth straight state cross country meet, finished 45th with a time of 14:02.58.

The next three finishers for the Cowgirls had to overcome injuries to finish the race at the state meet.

Lily York was 86th among the competitors for the Cowgirls with a time of 15:01.70.

Alicyn Williams finished 109th with a time of 15:38.60.

Whittany Spangler, a freshman for coach Steve Spangler’s harriers, was 119th with a time of 16:06.89.

Gracie Stamper, a senior running in her first state cross country meet, finished with a time of 17:39.76, which was good for 145th.

York and J. Spangler were running in their final races for the Cowgirls and the two Ryan seniors have been cornerstones in the building of the Ryan cross country program.

The 2019 Cowgirl cross country team accomplished much during the season and the performance at the state meet should in no way take away from a great season.

Ryan’s Martin, Three Eagles To Participate In All-Star Grid Game

By
Trey Smart
-
0

Four Ryan and Waurika seniors will see the gridiron one more time as they have been selected to play in the Southwest Senior Bowl football game.

The contest will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cache High School’s Ulrich Stadium.

Joseph Martin of Ryan and Seth Cathey, Devin Dobbs and Scott Showalter of Waurika will play for the West All-Stars in the game.

Cathey was also slated to play in the Senior Basketball Classic at Cache High School last Tuesday for the Middle West team.

The West football squad features players from Altus, Cache, Cyril, Frederick, Hobart, Hollis, Lawton Eisenhower, Lawton High School and Mountain View-Gotebo.

Martin, who was a defensive stalwart for the Cowboys last football season, was the team’s leading tackler. He was also the District B-4 Utility Player of Year. When the Coach Stan Mueggenborg’s Cowboys needed a big stop on defense, Martin was usually found in the middle of things.

Martin also contributed to the Cowboys’ 6-5 season with 174 yards rushing on just 27 attempts and caught 15 passes for 171 yards.

Cathey, who will also represent Waurika in the Eight-Man All-Star game in June, was the district’s player of the year on defense. He was second on the squad in tackles with 104, but also had 30 catches from the tight end position for 555 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He also contributed to the Eagles’ rushing attack with 286 yards on 50 carries and five touchdowns for Waurika that made their second straight playoff appearance.

Dobbs and Showalter were both picks on the second team for District B-4. Dobbs was a reserve running back for Coach Glenn Howard’s squad. He saw most of his action on the defensive side of the ball with 65 total tackles, including four tackles for losses.

Showalter contributed 52 tackles for the Eagles on defense and also had 156 yards rushing on just 27 attempts. He also added 10 receptions for 284 yards and five scores.

 The West All-Stars will be coached by Cache’s Les Abbott and the Cache football staff.

Lady Eagles’ Rally Comes Up Short Against Bray-Doyle

By
Trey Smart
-
0

It has been a rough season for the youthful and inexperienced Waurika fast-pitch softball squad.

But, the Lady Eagles suffered their narrowest defeat of the season to Bray-Doyle, 10-8, Monday on the Lady Donkey’s home diamond.

In the second game with Ninnekah, the Lady Eagles fell, 7-2

The Lady Eagles were to have met Temple Tuesday.

Today Waurika begins play in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling. The Lady Eagles were to have met Wilson at 12 noon today and the loser of that game was scheduled to face Ringling at 1:30 p.m.

The winner of the first game was scheduled to meet Ringling at 3 p.m.

The tournament is double-elimination with the championship game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today and an “if necessary” game at 6 p.m.

In Monday’s action, the Lady Eagles spotted Bray-Doyle an 8-0 lead after the third inning.

In the top of the fourth, the Lady Eagle’s bats came alive.

Gracie Walling reached on an error and scored on Kaci Reynold’s RBI-single. Madison Roberson, who singled and Reynolds scored on Landry Forsyth’s double to center field.

Tallin Mora also singled and eventually scored on Hope Cummings’ ground out cutting the Bray-Doyle lead to 8-4.

The Lady Donkeys extended the lead to 10-4 in the bottom of the fourth and that proved to be the difference in the game.

Waurika refused to give up despite the deficit. Faith Roberson led off the rally with a triple and scored on Walling’s single to left. M. Roberson and Reynolds singled with Walling scoring on Reynolds’ single.

M. Roberson scored on Mora’s ground out and Reynolds crossed the plate on Forsyth’s single to cut the margin to 10-8, but the rally ended with a fly out.

In the second game of the three-way meeting at Bray, Ninnekah got off to a 1-0 lead after scoring in the top of the third.

Ninnekah added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to move in front, 7-0.

The Lady Eagles managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Destiny Barnes singled and advanced to third on M. Roberson’s single. Barnes scored on an error and M. Roberson scored on a wild pitch.

 After holding Ninnekah scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Lady Eagles got a one-out single from F. Roberson, but the next two Lady Eagles were retired to end the game.

Cowboys Gain First District Win in Convincing Fashion

By
Trey Smart
-
0
Photo by Sheree Hanson

It was a remarkable night at Bob Givens Sports Complex last Friday night as the Ryan Cowboys rolled to an 84-38 victory over District B-4 foe Empire.

Scoring 84 points in a game is quite a feat, but it is incredible when you discover Ryan scored all 84 points in the final three quarters of play.

The Cowboys will try to maintain the momentum gained with the victory over the Bulldogs when they make the short drive up Highway 81 to battle Waurika tomorrow night (Friday). Kickoff at Cy Sloan Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

Both Waurika and Ryan enter the contest with a 1-0 mark in district play. Waurika is 5-0 overall, while Ryan is 4-2.

Last Friday’s first quarter was defined by two long drives by both Empire and Ryan that resulted in no scoring.

Ryan drove to the Empire 15 after getting an interception by Kalen Weldon on the first series of the game, but turned the ball over on downs.

Empire took over and took 16 plays to go from the Empire 19 to the Ryan 19, but on the next two plays the Ryan defense came up big and handed the Bulldogs losses of nine and two yards to turn the ball back to the Cowboys on downs late in the first quarter.

This gave the Cowboys their worst field position of the night at the Ryan 30, but the Cowboys methodically took the ball and drove the 70 yards for a score. Skylar Parkhill ran the final nine yards for the score and Dallas Fristoe ran for the two points to give Ryan an 8-0 lead with 7:50 to play in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys perfectly executed a pooch kick and Weldon pounced on the ball before Empire could field it to put the Cowboys back in business.

The Cowboys took quick advantage of the Bulldog miscue and drove 38 yards in just three plays. Parkhill rushed for all 38 yards – the final carry covering five yards for the score. Parkhill ran for the two points and quickly Ryan was up, 16-0, with 7:06 left in the half.

Empire took possession at its own 48 yard line after an onside kick attempt and this time the Bulldogs answered with a scoring drive of 52 yards on eight plays. Peyton Booth ran the final 20 yards for the score and quarterback Mitchell Monteith ran for the two-point conversion to cut the Ryan lead in half at 16-8 with 4:46 left to play.

Possibly the play of the game for the Cowboys came on the ensuing kickoff when Travis Fristoe took the ball in the middle of the field at the Ryan 35 and maneuvered his way through a wall of tacklers and finally cut out to the left side for a clear path to the end zone. Parkhill ran for the two points and Ryan had a 24-8 lead with 4:40 left in the half.

The Bulldogs had an answer, however, as Empire took possession at its own 41-yard line following another short kickoff. Two straight running plays produced first downs and then Monteith found Mcray Weber wide open for a 37-yard touchdown pass. The run failed, but the Ryan lead was cut to 24-14 with 3:36 left in the half.

The Cowboys were not through scoring, however – not by a long shot as it turned out.

Ryan took the ball at the Empire 46 after another onside kickoff attempt and promptly drove 46 yards on seven plays for a touchdown. Grayson Tomberlin ran up the middle from the one-yard line for the score and then passed to Weldon for the two points to give Ryan a 32-14 advantage with just 16 seconds before the break.

As the third quarter got under way it looked like Ryan would take command as they drove 47 yards in four plays for a score. Parkhill got his third rushing touchdown of the night as he scampered 16 yards for the score. Parkhill ran for the two-point conversion and Ryan held a 40-14 lead with 10:33 left in the third quarter.

Empire, however, answered with a seven-play, 53-yard drive with much of the work being done by Booth. He got the score on a three-yard run and Booth also ran for the two points to cut the Ryan lead to 40-22 with 8:10 left in the third quarter.

The two squads then exchanged fumbles. Weldon raced to recover the snap over the quarterback’s head and this gave Ryan another short field at the Empire 33 yard line.

 On the first play, Parkhill raced 33 yards for the score and then Tomberlin found Fristoe on a two-point pass completion to put Ryan in front, 48-22, with 7:37 left in the third quarter.

Once again Empire proved its ability to score as they took the ensuing kickoff from the Empire 33 to the Ryan 41 in four plays. On third-and-six, Monteith found Lucas Contreras on a 41-yard touchdown pass and Daniel Alvarez caught a two-point conversion pass from Montheith to narrow the gap to 48-30 with 5:56 left to play.

That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get the rest of the night.

On Ryan’s next drive facing fourth and six at its own 49-yard line, the Cowboys pulled off a fake punt by snapping the ball to Parkhill and he broke loose for a 51-yard touchdown run. Fristoe ran for the two points and with 3:48 left in the third quarter, the Cowboys held a 56-30 advantage.

The Cowboys really put any hopes of an Empire rally to rest on the Bulldogs’ next drive.

Fristoe picked off an errant Bulldog pass in the middle of the field and quickly broke into open field on the left side and went 60 yards for a touchdown. The run failed, but now Ryan led, 62-30, with 2:32 left to play in the third quarter.

The Cowboys finally another stop on Empire’s next drive and took the ball over on downs at the Ryan 39.

In three plays, the Cowboys were on the scoreboard again. Justin Williams took a short pass from Tomberlin and took off on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 11:53 left in the game. Weldon caught a two-point conversion from Tomberlin to give Ryan a 70-30 lead.

Empire did not quit and on the ensuing drive traveled 62 yards on just two plays. Alvarez was on the receiving end of a 33-yard pass by Monteith for the score. Brandon Mendenall caught a conversion pass from Monteith and with 11:41 left to play, Ryan was in front, 70-38.

After holding the Bulldogs on the next drive, the Cowboys took over on downs at the Empire 25.

It took only two plays with Parkhill carrying the ball to the 10 on first down and then scoring on the next play. Tomberlin ran for the two-point conversion and the Cowboys were comfortably in front, 78-38, with 10:07 left in the game.

Empire put together the longest drive of the night moving from its own seven yard line to the Ryan 10 in 12 plays and helped along by a 15-yard penalty on the Cowboys.

On second down and goal from the 10, Monteith did not see Parkhill and the Cowboy senior picked the ball off at the one and went from the left side to the middle of the field and finally down the right sideline making a nifty move on the last Bulldog defender to prevent the score and danced into the end zone for a 99-yard touchdown return.

That put the Cowboys in front, 84-38, and with 4:48 left in the game the contest ended on the mercy rule.

Parkhill had a career night with 238 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns. He also recorded nine tackles and had the game-ending interception.

Weldon had a good night on defense with five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Walter Snider, Fristoe and Tomberlin led the Cowboys in tackles with 13 stops each.

COWBOY CORRAL: Ryan now leads the series with Empire, 4-1, but this was the first meeting of eight-man teams….The 84 points scored is the third most in school history behind 97 scored against Devol in 1924 and 92 points scored against Comanche in 1922…The 84 points is the most ever scored by Ryan on the field where the Cowboys currently play breaking the previous high of 80 scored against Pernell in 1985….Parkhill’s interception return is now the longest in school history and broke the record of 94 yards set just last year by Dawson Tomberlin against Bray-Doyle….Because both teams used the onside or short kickoff most of the game much of the contest was played near midfield…Empire’s worst starting field position was its own seven-yard line, but only three drives out of 13 possessions started inside the Bulldog 30-yard line….Ryan had 10 possessions in the game and only three of those started inside the Ryan 40….Parkhill’s 238 yards rushing is the career high for the Cowboy senior and ranks as the 22nd best rushing total in school history….The six rushing touchdowns scored by Parkhill is the second most in school history behind the nine rushing touchdowns by Grant Carter in a 2015 game against Cement….Parkhill scored 48 total points in the contest and that is the second most in school history moving ahead of Nelson Turnbow’s 42 points scored in a 1940 game against Noble, but behind Carter’s total of 54 scored against Cement….Counting return yards and receiving yards, Parkhill finished the game with 351 all-purpose yards….The combined number of points scored – 122 – is the second most in school history behind the 138 points scoring in a 78-60 loss at Grandfield in 1997….The 84 points scored in this game is the fourth most in any game in Oklahoma this season behind Graham-Dustin’s 94 points in Zero Week and Tyrone’s 86 in Week 3 and Destiny Christian’s 86 points in Week 5.

Ryan Game in Figures

                                EHS          RHS

First Downs             23            18

Yards Rushing         39-166     42-335

Yards Passing         259          75

Passes                     16-35       3-6

Passes Int. By          0              3

Fumbles, Lost          1-1           1-1

Punts                       0-0           1-50

Penalties                  3-40         7-60

                SCORE BY QUARTERS

Empire     0              14            16            8–38

Ryan        0              32            30            22–84

                 SECOND QUARTER

RYAN – Skylar Parkhill 9 run (Travis Fristoe run), 7:50

RYAN – Parkhill 5 run (Parkhill run), 7:06

EMPIRE – Peyton Booth 20 run (Mitchell Monteith run), 4:46

RYAN – Fristoe 65 kickoff return (Parkhill run), 4:40

EMPIRE – Mcray Weber 37 pass from Monteith (run failed), 3:36

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 1 run (Kalen Weldon pass from Tomberlin), :16.4

                THIRD QUARTER

RYAN – Parkhill 16 run (Parkhill run), 10:33

EMPIRE – Booth 3 run (Booth run), 8:10

RYAN – Parkhill 33 run (Fristoe pass from Tomberlin), 7:37

EMPIRE – Lucas Contreras 41 pass from Monteith (Daniel Alvarez pass from Monteith), 5:56

RYAN – Parkhill 51 run (Fristoe run), 3:48

RYAN – Fristoe 60 interception return (run failed), 2:32

                FOURTH QUARTER

RYAN – Justin Williams 66 pass from Tomberlin (Weldon pass from Tomberlin), 11:53

EMPIRE – Alvarez 33 pass from Onteith (Brandon Mendenall pass from Monteith), 11:41

RYAN – Parkhill 10 run (Tomberlin run), 10:07

RYAN – Parkhill 99 interception return, (no try), 4:48 

               INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Empire: Rushing – Booth 17-89, Jackson Carrio 15-80, Monteith 6-13, Team 1- -16; Passing – Monteith 16-34-259-3; Contreras 0-1-0-0; Receiving – Alvarez 6-103, Mccray Weber 6-65, Contreras 3-77, Booth 1-14.

Ryan: Rushing – Parkhill 21-238, Tomberlin 13-106, Travis Fristoe 8-19; Passing – Tomberlin 3-6-79-0; Receiving – Williams 1-66; Parkhill 1-11, Fristoe 1- -2; Tackles – Walter Snider 13, Fristoe 13, Tomberlin 13, Pacen Wiest 12, Parkhill 9, Williams 8, Andrew Villerreal 7, Gunner Phillips 6, Weldon 5, Trey Bryant 4, Sam Brown 2, Raesh Casebolt 1.

Waurika Begins Diamond Season On the Road at Wilson

By
Trey Smart
-
0

Waurika High School begins the 2022 baseball season today by traveling to Wilson to take on the Oil Field Conference foe.

The next action for the Eagles will be one week from today (March 10) when they will travel to Ringling to battle the Blue Devils.

The home opener for Waurika will be March 22 when they entertain Geronimo at the Waurika High School diamond.

Coach Joe Allen’s Eagles will be looking to bounce back from an 8-11 season last year.

The Eagles were 2-2 in 2020 before the season was halted by the pandemic.

This will be Allen’s fourth season at the helm of the Eagle nine and he along with the baseballers will be looking for a season like 2019 when Waurika posted its first winning season in baseball since 2012 with a 16-7 record.

But the Eagles will have some challenges along the way as the 2022 season gets under way.

Two starters must be replaced and the Eagles will probably be without another starter, Treyton Torrez, who is scheduled to undergo further surgery from a football injury suffered last fall.

Another challenge for the Eagles will be the lack of practice time after the completion of the basketball season.

The recent winter weather potentially knocked out practice time and so the workouts this week will be key in the preparation for the Eagles’ season opener.

There are some question marks concerning who will man the mound for the Eagles.

A newcomer to Coach Allen’s squad maybe the answer for the pitching. Aiden Torrez will be counted on to be the top thrower for the Eagles, but he will also have some teammates that can throw strikes and they will take their turns on the mound.

But, the Eagles do return some experience in the field and at the plate.

Carson Williams, Isaac Camarillo, Slade Cathey, Angel Garcia, Malachi Dodson and Houston Scott were some of the main contributors at the plate for the Eagles a year ago and will have to provide the offense in the upcoming season if the Eagles are to be successful.

While those baseballers will be the heart of the offense, they will also be counted on in the field. Experience should be of benefit when it comes to fielding the ball – particularly in the infield.

“We have lots of experience on this squad,” said Allen. “They picked up a lot of experience because they had to step up last year and play a lot as freshmen and sophomores.”

The schedule is challenging as Waurika competes in both the Southern Eight and Oil Field Conferences. The Southern Eight Conference includes a couple of schools that play baseball in the fall and spring and the Oil Field schools usually have plenty of talent and depth on the diamond.

Look for the experience of the Eagles to pay off in the form of a few more wins on the diamond this spring, but Waurika will have to pick things up when it comes to consistency to put together a winning mark in 2022.

Waurika Schedule

MARCH

3: at Wilson; 10: at Ringling; 22: Geronimo; 24-26: at Central High Tournament; 28: Marlow JV; 29: at Empire; 31: Comanche;

APRIL

4: Central High; 7-9: Velma-Alma Tournament; 11: at Springer; 12: at Rush Springs; 14: Velma-Alma; 15: Walters; 21-23: Class A District Tournament.

Cowboy Classic Baseball Tourney Has New Look

By
Trey Smart
-
0

With only six teams lined up to compete in the Cowboy Classic baseball tournament the tourney will engage in pool play instead of the traditional bracket format.

 The tournament was set to get under way this morning with Thackerville taking on Big Pasture to be followed by Thackerville and Grandfield at 12 noon. Grandfield was to have met Big Pasture today at 2 p.m. to complete the pool play for Pool A.

 Pool B will begin play at 4 p.m. today with Waurika taking on Temple at 4 p.m. That contest will be followed by Ryan meeting Temple at 6 p.m. and the day will conclude with Ryan matching up with Waurika at 8 p.m.

 All the games will be played on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports Complex.

 The field for this year’s tournament is not a strong one, so any of the schools could rise up and claim the tournament title.

 Thackerville is probably the favorite to take the crown for this tournament that is in its fifth year.

 The Wildcats’ record is unknown, but they did win their own invitational tourney a couple of weeks ago defeating Ringling in the championship game, 15-11.

 Thackerville’s pool opponents have only two wins between them. Big Pasture is 2-1 on the year heading into games earlier this week, while Grandfield is 0-9 not including a match up earlier this week with Chattanooga.

 It is like the opponent in the championship game for Thackerville will be Waurika, however, the Eagles come into this tournament with a 2-9 mark not including games earlier this week with Wilson and Comanche.

 The Eagles’ pool opponents have only one victory between them. The Cowboys are 1-5 on the year not including the contest with Big Pasture scheduled for earlier this week. Temple is 0-6 not including games earlier this week with Empire and Cyril.

 The tournament will take Friday off and will be completed on Saturday.

 The two third place teams from each pool will battle for fifth place on Saturday at noon, while the two second-place squads will play for the tournament’s third place at 2 p.m. Saturday.

 The championship game will pit the two pool winners and the first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

 In event of ties in the pool play, they will be decided in four ways. The first will be head-to-head competition and the second will be runs allowed by each team that is tied. If those two do not decide things, the third tie-breaker is runs allowed in the first inning of play.

 The fourth tie-breaker is a coin flip.

 Be sure and check social media or your local school to see if weather played a role in the schedule.

Be sure and check social media or your local school to see if weather played a role in the schedule.

District Assignments Made for Baseball And Softball

By
Trey Smart
-
0

It does not seem possible that the spring sports slate is getting closer to the post-season.

 With all the crazy weather and canceled events, Ryan or Waurika’s baseball squads and Ryan’s slow-pitch softball squad have been able to get into a routine.

 However, the district tournament assignments for both sports were released last Friday by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association with tournaments set for next week.

 Ryan’s slow-pitch softball squad, which is 2-3 heading into today’s competition at the Fletcher Tournament, will have a tough district tourney.

 The Cowgirls will travel to Central High and the Lady Bronchos are currently ranked second in Class 2A. Geronimo and Snyder will join the Cowgirls and Central High for the tournament.

 Pairings and the exact time of the tournament, which should be conducted in one day, will be announced.

 Ryan’s baseball squad will also hit the road for the Class B district tournament. Grandfield will serve as the host site and the Cowboys, Bearcats and Olustee/Eldorado will battle for a spot in the regional tourney.

 Waurika has been assigned to the Class A district tourney to be hosted by Central High. The Eagles, Empire and the host school will battle for a right to advance to the regional tourney the following week.

 The district baseball tournaments will begin next Thursday unless the schools agree to a different schedule.

 Assignments for the regional track meet will be released on April 19 but it is likely Ryan and Waurika will be assigned to the regional meet scheduled for Alex on April 28.

Waurika, Ryan Basketball Squads Look Forward to Rest of Season

By
Trey Smart
-
0

The second half of the high school basketball season gets under way this coming weekend and the teams from Ryan and Waurika are looking to improve over the first few weeks of the 2019 season.

 Waurika will take the court first in 2019 with a Friday doubleheader at Empire. Waurika returns to action on Tuesday (January 8) as the Eagles and Lady Eagles will host Central High.

 On the following weekend, the Waurika teams will be competing in the Black Diamond Invitational at Rush Springs. The Lady Eagles face Sterling at 1:30 p.m., while the Eagles will play Roff at 3 p.m. Both games are Thursday, January 10.

 Ryan will wait until Monday, January 7 to get back into action. The Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Empire and then the following night will return to Raymon West Court to host Big Pasture.

 The two girls’ teams from Ryan and Waurika have managed winning records in the first part of the season, while the Cowboys and Eagles have struggled a bit.

 The Lady Eagles will take an 8-3 record into 2019 and have already surpassed last season’s win total of six. Coach Kalee Baxter’s squad won three of its last five games before the Christmas break.

 Despite the winning record, the Lady Eagles have room for improvement as they maneuver through the remainder of the regular season and prepare for the post season.

 A stern test awaits the Lady Eagles when they return to the court against Empire as the Lady Bulldogs are 8-1 on the season and ranked 19th in Class A.

 The next two opponents will provide good opportunities for wins as Central High sports a 3-7 mark and Sterling is 6-5.

 “The beginning of our season has been very successful and we are proud of the momentum the girls have had,” said Baxter.

 “The second half of our season always consists of some pretty challenging teams. We are hoping to continue to improve and we are ready to face those challenges head on,” said the second-year Lady Eagle mentor.

 Madison Roberson has been the pace setter for the Lady Eagles on the offensive end of the court as she has been the leading scorer in all but one of the Waurika games this season.

 “We have grown tremendously, but our growth isn’t finished yet,” added Baxter in reflecting on the first part of the season.

 The Waurika boys have had somewhat of a difficult time making the adjustment from an extended football season. Most of the contributors to the Eagle roundball squad were also major contributors in the Eagles’ run to the quarterfinals in football.

 Waurika has a 3-7 record heading into the 2019 portion of the season.

 Coach Joe Masoner’s squad has an excellent chance to improve that mark in the first couple of contest of 2019 as Empire and Central High both hold 3-6 records at the holiday break.

 In the Eagles’ seven losses, it has been the inability to score that has hampered the squad.

 But, while the Eagles have not seen the success that would have liked, they are just one win away from equaling has season’s total of four victories.

 Aaron Nikta has been the primary scorer for the Eagles, but Kevin Garcia, Cache Arellano and Nick Alvarado have also shown the ability to score.

 The Eagles will have a tough test in the first round of the Black Diamond Tournament as they will face Roff, the 20th-ranked team in Class A. The Tigers have an 8-5 mark heading into the 2019 portion of the schedule, but have faced a number of ranked teams.

 At Ryan, the basketball season has gotten off to a difficult start as construction on the gym has hampered practice time. However, the work on the gym will not continue until have the home portion of the season has been completed.

 The Cowgirls entered 2019 with a 6-5 record and won three of the last five contests before Christmas.

 In the first game against Empire, the Cowgirls will take on Class A’s 19th-ranked Lady Bulldogs. Empire had an 8-1 mark before Christmas.

 The difficult schedule will not let up for the Cowgirls as they will return to the court the following night to host Big Pasture. The Lady Rangers are 10-3 and ranked 15th in Class B.

 The Cowgirls have seen some improvement. They are only two wins away from equaling the total number of wins in 2018.

 Lily York has been the offensive spark plug for Coach Steve Spangler’s crew, but Samantha Good and Juliet Spangler are also averaging over 10 points a game.

 “If we can have those three girls score consistently with each other, we will have a chance to be pretty good,” noted Spangler.

 “It has been a month of ups and downs in the early part of the season and we have had too many games where we can’t put the ball in the basket,” said Spangler.

 “We are working to improve our ability to shoot with consistency and to maintain our defensive intensity,” said Spangler when asked about what the squad has been working on during the holiday break from the schedule.

 “We come back to face our two hardest games of the season against Empire and Big Pasture and if we can gain confidence in those games the rest of the schedule should give us a chance to compete,” Spangler said.

 The Cowboys under first-year coach Austin Masoner have managed a 4-7 mark before the holidays. Ryan closed out December with losses in four of its final five games.

 However, the Cowboys are just one win away from equaling the total number of wins in 2018.

 For the Cowboys the one thing that has proved to be a challenge is putting the ball in the basket. In nearly every contest, the Cowboys have not managed to shoot better than 30% from the field. And, free throw shooting has not been a whole lot better.

 Ryan scored 51 points in victories over Sacred Heart, Texas and Temple, but in seven of the 11 games this season the Cowboys have not managed to break the 40-point mark.

 The Cowboys will try to get on the winning track as they travel to Empire for the first game in 2019. The Bulldogs are 3-6 on the year, so if the Cowboys can improve on their shooting, they would have an excellent chance to pick up a win.

 The next night the Cowboys will face probably their toughest challenge of the season as Big Pasture comes to town. The Rangers are 12-1 and are ranked sixth in Class B.

 Waurika will also look forward to competing in the Stephens County Tournament at Central High later in January.

 The Cowboys’ final tournament action before the playoffs will be at the Bulldog Bash hosted by Healdton later in the month.

Waurika Hoops Look To Build on 2020 Successes

By
Trey Smart
-
0

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.

Trey Smart Wins Best Sports Article Award from Oklahoma Press Association

By
Curtis Plant
-
0

Congratulations to our own Trey Smart!

This past summer he earned First Place with his sports story titled “West brothers have great impact on Jefferson County.” 

His story was submitted for the annual Oklahoma Press Association’s contests.

Trey has been writing for the Ryan Leader and now the Waurika News Journal & The Ryan Leader for many years and always brings a passion and love for the world of sports that is very apparent in his stories. 

He has literally written the book on sports in Ryan.

The history of Ryan Sports by Trey Smart

It’s an honor to have him writing for the paper and we look forward to many more years of his inspiring stories. 

1...101112...25Page 11 of 25

FOLLOW US

2,900FansLike
630FollowersFollow
264FollowersFollow
66SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -

RECENT POSTS

The Waurika News Journal
Serving the citizens of Jefferson County, Oklahoma, and readers around the world.
Contact us: waurikanewsjournal@gmail.com
© Copyright 2017-2023 Waurika News Journal & The Ryan Leader