Success on Diamond For Waurika Has Not Been Frequent

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May 24, 2019

2019 Waurika Baseball Season Hopes to Be Foundation to the Future

With the recently completed successful baseball season, it is time to take a look back at the history of high school baseball at Waurika.

Waurika baseball has struggled over the years much like every football-playing school that has to compete against schools that also play in the fall of the year.

The recently completed 2019 season, however, could serve as a foundation for a good future for the Eagles.

This past season saw the Eagles fashion a 16-7 mark and they played for the district title for the first time since 2012.

The Eagles had the most valuable player in the Oil Field Conference in Aaron Nitka. He also played in the recent Southwest Oklahoma Coaches Association all-star game in Lawton.

The Eagles also dominated the first team selections with five – Gatlin Black, Bowden Forsyth, Hunter Wesberry, Zac Brown and Austin Dyer.

The 16 wins are the most wins in a season since that 2012 club put together 18 wins.

Research has not yielded a lot of information about baseball at the school but it is thought that no teams were fielded from at least 1953 to 1986. Prior to 1953, baseball might have been offered but it is hard to find results.

Only eight seasons in the past 29 years when baseball was brought back to Waurika have the Eagles won more than 16 games. There are four seasons where the final record could not be determined.

Baseball at Waurika returned in 1987 after the school had not fielded a team since as far back as 1952 when Waurika lost to Ryan in the county tournament finals, 13-4.

Even prior to that time it is hard to discern if Waurika fielded many baseball teams which may be attributed to the tremendous success Waurika had in track.

But in 1987, Norman West put together the first Waurika team and they began the season with a doubleheader sweep of Terral. The Eagles finished 8-5 in that inaugural season.

Todd Overstreet, Byron West, Doug Frost and Jay Chapman were some of the ringleaders of that first squad. Frost was named to The Duncan Banner’s all-area team at the conclusion of the season.

The next season Waurika slipped to 1-16 before coming back in 1989 and putting together a 13-9 record.

That would be West’s final season coaching baseball and he finished with a 22-30 mark in the sport.

Don Patchin took over the baseball program for the next two years, but a final record for either year could not be located.

Patchin became the first of four different coaches in four years and the Eagles managed only one winning record in that stretch – an 18-17 record in 1992.

The 1993 squad earned district runner up honors despite a 10-22 final record.

In 1994, Tim Hightower took over the reigns of the Waurika program for the next five years. During his tenure the Eagles claimed their first district title in 1997.

The Eagles earned the district crown as the tourney host and defeated Walters in the best-of-three series for the district title. The Eagles defeated the Blue Devils, 13-1, and 17-7, for the title.

However, the 1997 team found the regional tournament to be too tough. Ringling was the tournament host and the Blue Devils downed the Eagles in the first round. Velma-Alma eliminated the Eagles in the next game.

The 1998 squad – the last coached by Hightower – finished second in the Southern Eight Conference tourney.

The Eagles claimed their second district title in 1999 under the direction of Buddy Husted. Husted coached the Eagle nine for two seasons and finished with a 30-24 record.

The 1999 Class 2A district tournament was also a best-of-three series and the Eagles played host to Empire. Waurika downed the Bulldogs in impressive fashion, 19-5, and 25-4.

Waurika traveled to Healdton for the Class 2A regional tourney and lost to Velma-Alma, 16-0, in the first round and to Washington, 11-0, in an elimination game.

Brad Logan assumed the coaching duties for the baseball program in 2001 and he served six seasons.

During that time the Eagles were district champions in 2002. The Eagles traveled to Turner for a best-of-three series and the Eagles won the first two games, 21-0, and 7-4, to earn the district crown.

Waurika was sent to Dewar for the Class A regional and the Eagles dropped a pair of one-run games. In the first round, Dewar defeated the Eagles, 2-1. In the elimination game, Okay edged the Eagles, 9-8, to end the season.

In 2005, the Eagles hosted the conference tournament and claimed the title with a 12-7 victory over Big Pasture in the championship game.

The next season, Waurika was the conference tournament runner up. This time Big Pasture claimed the conference title with a 9-1 victory over the Eagles at Walters.

Keith Henderson stepped in as the Waurika coach in 2007, but after a 5-10 mark, Everett Hodges coached the Eagles for two seasons.

Under Hodges in those two seasons, the Eagles did not win a district title but put together the first 20-win season at Waurika in 2009. The Eagles did finish as the district runner up in 2009. The 2009 team traveled to Sterling for the district tourney and won a 6-4 contest against Empire before falling twice to the host school Sterling, 18-0 and 11-0.

Larry Vanbeber coached baseball for the 2010 and 2011 seasons and the Eagles were district runner up both seasons.

The 2010 squad had a 24-6 record – the most wins ever for a Waurika baseball team. Velma-Alma eliminated Waurika in the district finals that season.

The 2011 club claimed the conference tournament title. The tournament was played at Empire and the Eagles cruised to victories over Big Pasture, 18-3; Temple, 22-2; and, Walters, 11-2.

Waurika finished the season with a 16-16 record and were eliminated by Chattanooga in the district finals.

Hodges took over the program again in 2012 and coached the baseball team for five seasons. The 2012 team claimed the district title and finished with an 18-7 record – the fourth most wins in school history.

Waurika hosted the district tournament and earned a first-round win over Empire, 11-1. The Eagles then defeated Healdton, 13-3, and came back to shutout Healdton, 9-0, in the championship game.

The Eagles traveled to Caddo for the Class A regional tourney and as in previous regional appearances, the Eagles dropped the first two games. Waurika fell to the host school, 7-1, and then fell to Elmore City-Pernell, 6-4, in an elimination game.

Waurika is 0-8 in all regional tournament games.

The 2012 team had three players on The Duncan Banner all-area baseball squad. Gage Pittman was named as a catcher and pitcher and Taylor Fuller was tabbed for the team as a pitcher and third baseman. Tyler Fuller earned the area’s pitcher-of-the-year honors.

The Eagles fell on hard times during the rest of Hodges’ coaching days and did not win more than eight games in any season.

Hodges finished with a 77-79 mark in his six total seasons coaching baseball, but that did include one district title and one district runner up finish.

The 2013 team did have one all-area selection – Mason Wilkerson as a pitcher.

Glenn Howard took over the team in 2017 and 2018. The first year under Howard the Eagles could only manage a 6-14 mark, but improved to 10-15 in 2018.

Joe Allen was handed the baseball coaching duties when he was named the football coach last year. The first-year mentor hopes a foundation has been laid for future success on the diamond for the Eagles.

Allen will have to find replacements for six seniors – five of which were starters for all or much of the season.

Here are the full names of the 1920 WHS baseball team seen in the picture above.

Harrell Cotner

Ray Powell – Left Field

Herschel Alexander – Right Field

Bill Bradford – 2nd Base

Coach J.J. Corbett

Jake Turnage

Charles Thompson – Pitcher

Byrd Adams (Mascot)

Maurice Prescott (Captain) – Center Field

Clifford Bone – Pitcher

Leslie Stone – 1st Base

Ernest Dickey – 3rd Base

Leon Boyles – Short Stop

Pierce Carter – Catcher

Roy Scott (Score Keeper)

Record

WHS 8 – Ryan High School 9

WHS 10 – Addington First Team 6

WHS 7 – Ryan High School 13

WHS 11 – Sugden First Team 11

WHS 22 – Hastings High School 6

WHS 13 – Ryan High School 13

WHS 6 – Hastings First Team 17

WHS 13 – Hastings High School 10

WHS 6 – Terral High School 4

Eagles Overwhelm Cowboys In District Clash

By

Trey Smart

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October 25, 2019

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Waurika halted Ryan’s initial drive of the game near midfield and went on to crush the Cowboys, 52-0, at Bob Givens Sports Complex last Friday night.

Waurika moved to 6-1 and travels to Central High Friday with the kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Ryan, 3-4 for the season, will be back in action tonight trying to shake off two straight big losses as they travel to Bray-Doyle to battle the Donkeys. Kickoff is slated for 7:30.

The Cowboys simply had no answer for the powerful Waurika offense last Friday night.

Gunner Phillips makes a tackle assisted by Trey Bryant.
Photo by Adam Brinson

The Eagles scored four times on one-play drives and only one score was from less than 15 yards out.

The big-play scores were simply too much for the grind-it-out Cowboy offense to keep up with. A pair of turnovers by Ryan and two onside kick recoveries by the Eagles also contributed to the rout.

The Cowboys punted on their first drive and Grayson Tomberlin launched a 41-yard punt which Waurika’s Kevin Garcia fielded and returned it to the Waurika 43.

Kevin Garcia tackles Grayson Tomberlin in Friday night’s game.
Photo by Adam Brinson

In just four plays the Eagles moved 57 yards. Turner Mora found connected with Payton Fletcher for a 28-yard touchdown pass to put Waurika up, 6-0, with 8:18 to play in the first quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Cowboys fumbled and Hunter Wesberry recovered for the Eagles to give Waurika the ball inside Ryan territory at the 46-yard line,

Mora again found Fletcher – this time wide open over the middle – and Fletcher did the rest to complete a 46-yard scoring play. Mora ran for the two points and with 7:15 left in the first quarter the Eagles had a 14-0 advantage.

The wheels began to fall off for the Cowboy as they could not field the kickoff and Octavio Gomez was there to cover the ball for the Eagles at the Ryan 43.

Garcia picked up 18 yards on first down and after a Waurika penalty, Mora broke into the Ryan secondary and scampered 24 yards for the score. Garcia added the run for the two points to increase the lead to 22-0.

In just a little more than 90 seconds the Eagles had scored 22 points and that wave of scoring was too much for the Cowboys to overcome.

Kevin Garcia looking for the end zone.
Photo by Adam Brinson

The Cowboys put together their best offensive thrust of the night after Jonathan Clark fielded the short kickoff and returned it to the Waurika 48.

It took nine plays, but the Cowboys had moved the ball to the Waurika 30 after overcoming a holding penalty, but on a fourth down Tomberlin was sacked by Fletcher and Jordan Watkins to give the Eagles the ball at the Waurika 40.

On the first play Mora ran through the Cowboy defense for a 60-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys had stopped the two-point conversion, but Ryan was flagged for a penalty and on the second try Garcia converted to put Waurika in front, 30-0, with 1:40 still showing on the first quarter clock.

The second Ryan turnover of the night – an interception by Treyton Torrez – set the Eagles up deep in Ryan territory at the Cowboy 24. In five plays – the longest drive of the night for the Eagles – Waurika had another score.

Garcia took a direct snap and weaved his way through the Cowboy defense for a 14-yard scoring run. Mora ran for the two points and with 10:44 left in the second period the Eagle lead was now 38-0.

The Cowboys’ Andrew Villerreal returned the kickoff to the Ryan 46 and on first down Tomberlin found some gaps in the Waurika defense for a 23-yard run.

But two sacks, an incomplete pass and a failed fake punt gave Waurika the ball again at the Ryan 42.

A penalty set the Eagles back five yards, but it made little difference as Mora broke loose again for a 47-yard scoring run. The Cowboy stopped the two-point conversion, but now it was 44-0 with 8:17 still left in the half.

Gomez recovered the kickoff for the Eagles after the Cowboys could not field the ball and on first down Garcia crossed the goal line from 32 yards out. Torrez ran for the two-point conversion and that would wrap up the scoring in the game with 8:01 left in the half.

The Cowboys punted on the next drive and the Eagles cleared the bench, but moved from the Waurika 31 to the Ryan 25 in eight plays. The drive ended in a fumble that was recovered by Ryan’s Walter Snider, but only 1:55 remained in the half.

Ryan attempted to score to keep the game from ending at the half, but the Waurika defense held up and the game clock expired and the game ended on the mercy rule.

Mora once again dominated the offensive attack for the Eagles with 165 yards on just five carries and three touchdown runs and a pair of touchdown passes.

The Eagle defense was equally impressive holding the Cowboys to only 38 yards rushing and 52 total yards in the game.

Waurika faced a third down only twice in the game and converted on both of them. Ryan was only one of eight on third downs.

HIGHWAY 81 RIVALRY NOTES: Waurika now holds a 42-17-3 advantage in the series that began in 1919….This is the second straight year the Eagles have shutout the Cowboys…Waurika has recorded 20 shutouts in the 62-game series excluding ties and a forfeit….Three of those shutouts have come in the past four years….The Eagles have scored 50+ points against the Cowboys for two straight years and that has happened only one other time in the series – in 1971 and 1972…Waurika has won five of the last six meetings between the two rivals….The 52 points scored is the fifth most points scored by the Eagles in contests against the Cowboys….Waurika moves to 2-0 in district play, while the Cowboys are 0-2…The Eagles remained sixth in The Daily Oklahoman Class B poll for this week…The Eagles are ranked as high as fifth in Class B in one poll…The 52 total yards for the Cowboys is a season low.

Game in Figures

WHS RHS

First Downs 13 5

Yards Rushing 17-278 24-38

Yards Passing 74 14

Passes 2-5 2-8

Passes Int. By 1 0

Fumbles, Lost 1-1 1-1

Punts 0-0 2-40

Penalties 4-40 3-30

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Waurika 30 22 x x—52

Ryan 0 0 x x—0

FIRST QUARTER

WAURIKA – Payton Fletcher 28 pass from Turner Mora (run failed), 8:18

WAURIKA – Fletcher 46 pass from Mora (Mora run), 7:15

WAURIKA – Mora 24 run (Kevin Garcia run), 6:46

WAURIKA – Mora 60 run (Garcia run), 1:40

SECOND QUARTER

WAURIKA – Garcia 14 run (Mora run), 10:44

WAURIKA – Mora 47 run (run failed), 8:17

WAURIKA – Garcia 32 run (Treyton Torrez run), 8:01

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

WAURIKA: Rushing – Turner Mora 5-165, Kevin Garcia 5-69, Treyton Torrez 2-14, Colby Mead 2-6, Octavio Gomez 2-14; Passing – Mora 2-5-74-0; Receiving – Payton Fletcher 2-74; RYAN: Rushing – Grayson Tomberlin 14-19, Andrew Villerreal 8-16, Caleb Perrin 2-3; Passes – Tomberlin 2-7-14-0, Villerreal 0-1-0-1; Receiving – Perrin 2-14; Tackles – Jonathan Clark 8, Trey Bryant 6, Villerreal 5, Walter Snider 3, Gunner Phillips 3, Tomberlin 2, Skyler Wickware 2, Perrin 2, Parker Carey 1.

Cowboys Exceed Expectations during 2018 Football Campaign

By

Trey Smart

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November 21, 2018

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A review of the 2018 Ryan High School football season reveals a number of outstanding performances by individuals and by the team.

More importantly, the 2018 season will go down as a season where the Cowboys overachieved preseason expectations.

The Cowboys finished with a 7-4 mark and earned a runner-up finish in District B-4. Ryan was tabbed by most preseason polls to finish fifth in the district.

The season ended with a 58-12 loss to Burns Flat-Dill City in the first round of the Class B playoffs. BFDC advanced to the quarterfinals last week with a 34-26 victory over Pioneer-Pleasant Vale.

Offensively the Cowboys entered the season with talent at the skilled positions with three returning starters.

However, it was the offensive line that was the biggest question.

After the first game, the Cowboy offensive line started to jell and it helped the Cowboy offense to produce the third highest average number of points scored in a season in school history.

The three key offensive linemen were Sam Brown, Justin Williams and Trey Bryant. Andrew Villerreal and Kalen Weldon were key blockers from the receiver positions.

The defense turned in a couple of impressive performances – a shutout victory over hapless Temple in the third game of the season and a key 24-6 district victory over Wilson in the eighth game of the year.

But, for the most part, the defense never was able to stop opponents from gaining lots of yards and scoring points. The Cowboys gave up 50 or more points to three opponents. The amazing thing is they had a 1-2 record in those games.

The Cowboys gave up an average of 350 yards per game to the 11 opponents. Fortunately, the Cowboys were able to average 367 yards of offense per game to help lead them to the winning mark.

The seven wins for the Cowboys has not happened often. Only eight times in 99 seasons have the Cowboys won seven games.

The Cowboys have won seven or more games only 26 times during the 99-year history of football which is just over 25% of the time.

The offense was definitely the key to the success of the 2018 season. Ryan came up just short of having two 1,000-yard rushers.

Grayson Tomberlin was the top ball carrier for the Cowboys with 1,172 yards on 162 carries. Tomberlin had a season-high 273 yards against Bray-Doyle, which was the 12th best mark in school history.

Tomberlin compiled the fourth and seventh best yards passing totals in school history against Bray-Doyle and Maysville, respectively. His four touchdown passes against Bray-Doyle is tied for the fifth most in school history.

The sophomore quarterback finished with 1,688 yards passing and 11 touchdowns.

Skyler Parkhill was just behind Tomberlin’s rushing total with 913 yards on only 107 carries for an average of 8.5 yards per carry. His 228 yards rushing against Empire is tied for the 26th best individual rushing total in school history. His six rushing touchdowns against Empire was the second most in school history.

Parkhill was the leading receiver for the Cowboys with 39 catches for 932 yards – coming up just short of a 1,000-yard double-double in yards rushing and receiving.

In the game against Wilson, Parkhill snagged nine receptions, which is the second most in school history. Parkhill owns that school record with 11 catches in a game during his freshman season. The four-year starter for the Cowboys also had two other games with seven receptions, which tied him for the fifth most in school history.

Parkhill also broke the school record for most yards receiving in a game. He totaled 215 yards receiving against Bray-Doyle to set the record. He also had 189 yards receiving against Maysville and Caddo and that is the second most yards receiving on the school record books. His 154 yards receiving against Wilson is the eighth best mark in school history.

In the game against Bray-Doyle, Parkhill had four receptions for scores and that is the top mark in school history.

As you might expect the two Cowboy performers led the team in scoring in 2018. Parkhill total 176 points for the season with 48 coming against Bray-Doyle – the most in school history. Parkhill had 15 rushing touchdowns and 10 touchdown receptions. He also had an interception return for a touchdown. Parkhill also had nine two-point conversion runs and one two-point conversion reception.

Parkhill’s interception return was the longest in school history – 99 yards against Empire.

Travis Fristoe contributed to the Cowboy rushing game. He became eligible after the season started, but had 277 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns on the ground. He also had a touchdown reception.

Weldon was another top target of Tomberlin in the passing game. The Cowboy senior finished with 18 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdown receptions. He also returned a fumble for a score and had five two-point conversion receptions.

As a team, the Cowboy offense did not produce any school records but did record some impressive marks in several categories.

The 276 yards passing against Bray-Doyle was the fourth highest total in school history and the 642 yards against the Donkeys represents the fourth highest total in school history.

Ryan had 12 receptions in games against Maysville, Wilson and Central High which ties for the ninth most in school history.

The 24 first downs earned against Bray-Doyle were the third most in school history. And, the 152 points scored by Bray-Doyle and Ryan combined set a new school mark. The 98 points scored by Ryan and Grandfield tied for the seventh most in school history.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys gave up the fourth most points in a game in school history as Bray-Doyle hit the Cowboys for 74 points. The 507 yards gained by Bray-Doyle in the game was the sixth highest total by an opponent in school history.

Caddo rolled up 502 yards on the Cowboys and that mark is the seventh-highest total in school history.

The Cowboys had six seniors that completed their gridiron careers – Williams, Parkhill, Weldon, Brown, Pacen Wiest and Fristoe.

Here is a look back at some of the Cowboy games during the season:

Best All-Around Performance: A 24-6 victory over Wilson in what were awful playing conditions.

Most Dramatic Win: The memorable 78-74 victory over Bray-Doyle tops the list of exciting games this season. The Donkeys scored 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally from a large deficit before the Cowboys scored with only four seasons left on the clock to pull out the win.

Most Memorable Performance: The Cowboys were very impressive in the 84-36 victory over Empire. The Cowboy defense contributed scores on interception returns and also had a kickoff return in Ryan’s mercy-rule win over the preseason pick to win the district title.

Most Forgettable Game: The 57-26 loss to Caddo was by far the Cowboys’ poorest performance of the season for a game that lasted four quarters. The Bruins finished the season with a 2-8 record.

Most Embarrassing Loss: The 58-0 loss to rival Waurika was a tough one although the Eagles are putting together one of the finest seasons in school history. But, The Cowboys had six turnovers in only one half of football and never gave themselves a chance to be competitive against the eventual district champion. Honorable mention is the 68-8 loss in the season opener to Snyder when the Cowboys looked totally disorganized and caused a great deal of pessimism among Cowboy fans about the 2018 season.

Most Improvement: After the difficult loss to Snyder, the Cowboys came back in the second week of the season with an impressive 70-28 victory over Grandfield.

Most Undisciplined Game: The Cowboys gained the 78-74 win over Bray-Doyle despite 24 penalties for 218 yards. The Cowboys had several personal foul penalties and three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Penalties plagued the Cowboys through much of the season.

Key Win: Every district game was important for the Cowboys because the talent edge was not that great, but the 24-6 win over Wilson helped propel the Cowboys into the runner-up position in the district that enabled them to host a playoff game for the second year in a row.

Biggest Blunder: This was not committed by the Cowboys, but rather this reporter. Throughout the season the name of Skyler Parkhill was misspelled. Apologies are in order to the outstanding Cowboy senior.

Four Jefferson County Thinclads Tabbed for All-State Honors

By

Trey Smart

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June 18, 2020

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In a year when nothing is normal, all-state honors for track took on a different look for the 2020 season.

With much of the season canceled including the regional and state track meets, the Oklahoma Track Coaches Association developed a process where athletes from the six classes of track were selected for all-state status.

Four of those athletes came from Jefferson County schools – three at Waurika and one at Ryan.

Sara Ballard, Nic Alvarado and Turner Mora are the three all-staters from Waurika and Juliet Spangler is the all-state selection from Ryan.

The Oklahoma Track Coaches Association took nominations from coaches for all-state honors and the best performances from the 2019 season were taken into account. Only seniors were selected for all-state for the 2020 season.

Normally, the winners of each event in each class at the state track meet are given all-state status in track.

Less than a dozen student-athletes from each class were selected for the elite honor and in Class A – which Ryan and Waurika are classified for outdoor track – eight girls and 11 boys were named to the squad.

Spangler has been an integral part of the Cowgirl track program for the past four years. A promising senior season opened with Spangler winning the 1,600 meters and finishing second in the 3,200 meters. She was part of the gold-medal winning 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relay teams in the only meet this past spring.

Spangler was a big part of the scoring that gave the Cowgirls the meet title at Maysville in the only competition for 2020 and she played a role in helping the Cowgirls to tie for the meet title at the Waurika 8-Man Invitational in 2017.

The former Cowgirl, who will be taking her talents to Cowley County Junior College in Kansas to play basketball, holds the third best time in school history in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Spangler was part of the 1,600-meter relay team that holds the school record of 4:40.70 set at the 2019 Class A State Track Meet. She was also part of the 3,200-meter relay team that set the school mark of 10:52.01 in the 2019 Red River Invitational at Waurika.

For her four-year career at Ryan Spangler has won four 1,600 meter titles, five 3,200 meter titles, one 1,600-meter relay title and four 3,200-meter relay crowns. That is a total of 14 gold medals.

Spangler also won a total of 27 silver medals and 11 bronze medals. She placed in events – meaning fourth through sixth place – a total of 21 times.

Spangler’s dad, Steve, served as her coach in track, cross country and basketball all four years of her high school career.

Ballard has been a mainstay for the Lady Eagles in cross country and track, however, her senior season was cut short by an injury.

The 2020 Waurika graduate excelled in the long jump for Coach Joe Masoner’s Lady Eagle thinclads. In her career she won the event once, finished second on two occasions and was third three times.

Ballard also placed a total of eight times in the long jump in three seasons.

In the 100 meters, Ballard won two bronze medals and placed five other times. She also scored in the 200 meters and the high jump in meets.

Ballard also was part of the 400-meter relay team, the 800-meter relay team and the 1,600-meter relay team for the Lady Eagles.

Alvarado was a consistent performer for coach Roger Jessie’s Eagle thinclads in his four seasons competing in the sport.

In the only competition for 2020, Alvarado helped three relay teams – the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,600- meter squads – to place at the Velma-Alma Invitational. The 400-meter relay team was fifth, while the 1,600-meter relay captured fourth place. Alvarado helped pace the 800-meter relay to a bronze medal performance in the meet.

In Alvarado’s career, the outstanding three-sport athlete was a key participant in the 800-meter relay that saw great success for the Eagles.

He helped lead the squad to four gold-medal finishes – including a regional title – and four runner up finishes.

He helped Waurika earn a bronze medal in the event during his career and helped the squad place in three other meets.

Alvarado was also part of the 400-meter relay that claimed two meet titles, one silver-medal finish and two bronze medal performances in his career. Results from his freshman season and his participation in the relays was not available.

Individually, Alvarado most often represented the Eagles in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. He has one silver medal in the 100 meters and has placed in the event two other times. He also has placed in the 200 meters on two occasions.

Mora comes from a legacy of athletic prowess at Waurika. His older brother Turner, his sisters, Tara and Tatum and his dad Guy preceded Turner on the oval. And, his younger sister, Tallin, still has two more years to continue the family’s tradition of athletic excellence.

The four-sport athlete has enjoyed not only a stellar track career at Waurika, but also a tremendous football career as the starting quarterback for the Eagles. Turner was the player-of-the-year in Waurika’s football district this past season and helped lead the Eagles to a 21-3 mark the past two years including two district titles.

Mora’s track accomplishments are many over the past four years.

In the only meet in 2020 at Velma-Alma, Mora led the Eagles’ 800-meter relay team to a third place finish and was part of the 1,600-meter relay that notched fourth place. He was also fourth in the long jump.

The 1,600-meter relay team has been outstanding for the Eagles for the past four seasons and Mora is just one of the reasons for the success in that event. In his freshman season, the 1,600-meter relay won the state title and in 2018 the Eagles were second.

In four years in just the 1,600-meter relay, Mora was part of at least nine meet titles, three silver medals and one bronze medal. Mora was part of the squad that placed four other times. Some of the results from his freshman seasons were not available.

Mora was also part of all the other relays at one time or another, but the most frequent participation came in the 800-meter relay. Mora helped the Eagles to four gold medals in the event, along with three silver medals and two bronze medal finishes. He was part of helping the Eagles place in the event three other times.

Individually, Mora competed in the long jump and 400 meters for the Eagles. He holds five gold medal finishes in the 400 meters along with one runner up finish and four bronze medals. He also placed one other time. In the long jump, Mora acquired two silver medals and placed in four other meets.

Mora and Alvarado were also part of the Coach Jessie’s Eagle track squad that won the 2017 Class A Regional Track Meet. Both were also part of the 2019 Eagle team that finished second at the Class A regional. The two competitors helped the Eagles secure the meet title in the Waurika 8-Man Invitational all three years of their careers.

Boise City had four members of the Class A all-state squads making Cimarron County and Jefferson County the only two counties in the state with four all-state track athletes from the Class A list.

Eagle Harriers Capture Two Runner Up Finishes

By

Trey Smart

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October 5, 2018

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It was a busy week last week for the Waurika cross country squads and the Waurika boys came away with two runner-up finishes at Frederick and Healdton.

At the Frederick Invitational last Thursday, the Eagles had only two runners earn medals, but that was good enough for a team finish of second place.

Cache Arellano was 15th to top the Eagle runners, while Bryson Hernandez was the only other medal winner with a 20th-place finish.

Other results for the team were not available.

At Healdton last Saturday, the Eagles also managed a second place team finish, but this time all six Waurika competitors finished with a medal.

Hernandez topped the Eagle entries with a second-place finish.

Three Eagles finished in successive order including Arellano who was eighth, Kevin Garcia who was ninth and Gustavo Gomez who was 10th.

Edwin Garcia finished 18th and Nicolas Alvarado was 19th to round out the Eagle medal winners in the meet.

The Lady Eagles finished third at Frederick. The 12th-ranked Lady Eagles were behind seventh-ranked Merritt and meet champion Ryan, who is ranked fifth in Class 2A.

Asia Smith turned in an impressive performance at Frederick and came across the finish line in first place. Lexie Streeter was fifth and Tallin Mora finished 17th to round out the medal winners for the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Eagles also earned a third-place finish at the Healdton Invitational. The Lady Eagles were just behind Velma-Alma and team champion Ryan.

Smith was again the leader for the Lady Eagles as she finished second in the individual race. Streeter was third and Mora captured 15th place.

Times for the performances at Frederick and Healdton were not available.

At Healdton, the Waurika junior high girls’ team captured the team title.

Waurika’s cross country teams competed a week ago Tuesday in the crowded field at the Velma-Alma Invitational.

The Eagles finished ninth in the team race, but none of the Waurika competitors finished in the top 25 to earn a medal. Waurika had 330 points and team champion Byng finished with 34 points. Only one Class 2A team finished ahead of the Eagles.

Leading the way for the Eagles was Bryson Hernandez, who finished 28th. His time of 19:13 was a season-best for the junior multi-sport athlete.

Arellano finished 50th with a time of 20:04 – nearly a minute better than his fastest time of the season. Rounding out the Eagle competitors were K. Garcia (64th, 20:40), Octavio Gomez (66th, 20:45), G. Gomez (89th, 21:43), E. Garcia (101st, 22:23) and Alvarado (116th, 23:08).

The Lady Eagles managed to earn 11th place in the 23-team field at V-A. Waurika finished with 371 points well behind Ardmore Plainview that finished with 49 points. However, only two Class 2A schools – Ryan and Velma-Alma – finished ahead of the Lady Eagles.

Streeter was the top competitor for the Lady Eagles finishing 27th with a time of 14:03 – her best time of the season.

Mora was 54th with a time of 14:56, while Dallas Fristoe finished 88th with a time of 16:18. Faith Roberson was 92nd with a time of 16:28 and Kaci Reynolds rounded out the team finishers with a 110th-place finish.

Also competing for the Lady Eagles was Hope Cummings, who finished 114th with a time of 17:17.

Over 200 girls competed in the meet.

These three meets closed out the regular season for Waurika’s cross country teams.

The next action for Waurika will be the Class 2A Regional Cross Country meet on October 13.

Junior High Results

At Velma-Alma

Junior High Girls

Waurika finished third in the team race with 142 points.

10. Aubrey Showalter, 11:21; 25. Kynlee Waters, 11:58; 31. Jaci Gholson, 12:07; 34. Skylar Garrett, 12:14; 42. Liberti Simmons, 12:34; 48. Trish Julian, 12:50.

Junior High Boys

43. Isaac Camarillo, 14:54; 48. Alex Gomez, 15:00.

At Healdton

Junior High Girls

6. Jaci Gholson; 8. Skylar Garrett; 12. Kynlee Waters; 15. Liberti Simmons; 17. Trish Julian; 25. Tracy Ballard (Medal Winners Only)

Junior High Boys

5. Treyton Torrez; 16. Alex Gomez (Medal Winners only)

6th Grade Girls

2. Sadie Smith; 6. Niecsa Camarillo; 10. Destiny Foster (Medal Winners only)

Cowgirl Softballers Drop Contest to Big Pasture

Sports

By

Trey Smart

-

September 14, 2018

0

After a two-week layoff because of inclement weather, the Ryan Cowgirls’ fast-pitch softball squad was back in action Monday.

No doubt the layoff had an impact on the Cowgirls as they fell to Big Pasture, 12-0, to drop to 4-11 on the year.

The Cowgirls were to have met Waurika Tuesday night.

In Monday’s game with 12th-ranked Big Pasture, the Cowgirls could simply not get anything going at the plate. A leadoff walk in the first inning by Samantha Good was the only base runner for the Cowgirls in the contest.

Big Pasture had a two-run home run in the first inning and added four runs in the second with four hits and two walks.

The Lady Rangers produced another run in the third inning and ended the game in the fourth inning by scoring five runs to provide the final margin.

The next action for Ryan will be this weekend when the Cowgirls compete in the Comanche Invitational Tournament.

It will be the second straight year the Cowgirls have competed in the Comanche tournament and this will be the 13th appearance overall for the Cowgirls in one of the larger tournaments in this part of the state.

The Cowgirls through that time have won only six games of the 28 contests where results are available.

The Comanche Tournament will be the last tourney action before the Cowgirls compete in the Class B District Tournament at Thackerville on September 20.

The final regular season games will be Monday and Tuesday when Ryan will play host to Temple and then travel to Springer.

The contest with Temple will be Senior Night for the Cowgirl softball squad.

The Cowgirls, 4-11 on the year not including Tuesday’s action, got somewhat of a favorable pairing for this year’s tournament.

The three teams assigned to the district are the hosts, Turner and the Cowgirls. None of the three times boasts of a winning record as of results through last Monday.

The Cowgirls are 0-1 against Thackerville which has a 7-8 record 2018 and have not played Turner, which has a 6-11 ledger.

Lady Eagle Harriers Qualify for State Meet For Third Straight Year

By

Trey Smart

-

October 24, 2019

0

The Waurika girls cross country team turned in a third-place performance at the Class 2A Regional Cross Country meet held last Saturday at Harmon Park.

The third-place finish put the Lady Eagles in Saturday’s Class 2A State Cross Country Meet at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center in Shawnee. The girls’ race begins at 12:30 p.m.

It will be the third straight year for Waurika to send the high school girls cross country team to the state meet.

The Ryan Cowgirls claimed the regional crown with 58 points, while Merritt was the runner up. The Lady Eagles finished two points behind Merritt in third place.

The Class 2A girls’ competition featured 110 runners and 11 teams – the largest number of runners of any of the three regionals last weekend.

The top 15 runners earned medals at the regional meet and the Lady Eagles had three runners awarded medals.

Waurika Girls Qualify for state competition. (lr) Tallin Mora, Liberti Simmons, Kaci Reynolds, Hope Cummings, Asia Smith, Lexie Streeter, Faith Roberson. Photo by Curtis Plant

Asia Smith led the way with a sixth-place finish. She turned in a time of 13:17.36 – nearly 40 seconds better than her best time of the season – over a 3,200-meter course.

Tallin Mora was right behind her teammate and finished seventh. She also bested her top time of the season. Her time of 13:21.21 was 30 seconds better than her best mark of the year.

Liberti Simmons finished ninth in the crowded field with a time of 13:29.31 to round out the medal winners for the Lady Eagles.

Lexie Streeter finished 18th with a time of 13:49.94, while Faith Roberson finished 68th with a time of 16:01.47 to contribute to the team scoring.

Also competing for the Lady Eagles were Kaci Reynolds (75th, 16:14.77) and Hope Cummings (84th, 17:00.51).

The previous best finish at a regional meet for Waurika’s girls has been fifth place and they accomplished that three times – in 2013, 2014 and 2017.

The 73 points scored by the Lady Eagles was by far the best mark of any regional competition since 2007 when Waurika first had enough runners for the team competition. The previous best point total was 123 points set in 2013.

The Waurika boys competed in the regional meet, but finished ninth with 205 points. Only the top seven teams qualify for the state meet.

The top seven individuals not on a qualifying team also advance to the state meet.

Waurika Boys
(l-r) Nick Alvarado, Cache Dunn, Kevin Garcia, Bryson Hernandez, Edwin Garcia,
Gustavo Gomez, Octavio Gomez, Cody Ramsey. Photo by Curtis Plant

Kevin Garcia was Waurika’s top finisher and he finished 30th with a time of 20:16.28. He was just two places off qualifying for a spot in the state meet. His time was the second best of the season for the Waurika junior.

The other competitors for the Eagles included Gustavo Gomez (44th, 21:09.54), Octavio Gomez (49th, 21:30.39), Cache Arellano (58th, 22:16.61), Edwin Garcia (79th, 24:01.92), Nic Alvarado (90th, 25:09.6) and Cody Ramsey (95th, 26:34.22).

Oklahoma Christian claimed the team title with 61 points, while Carnegie was the runner up with 66 points. Silo was third with 98 points.

Waurika also played host to the Class 3A and Class 4A regional competition for the boys and girls.

Marietta and Plainview girls tied for the Class 3A crown with Marietta claiming the championship on the tie-breaker. Each team had 35 points.

Marietta also won the boys’ title for Class 3A with 47 points. Marlow was the runner up with 77 points.

In the Class 4A division, the Madill girls took the title with 55 points, while Pauls Valley was the runner up with 64 points. The Cache girls finished third.

Madill claimed the boys’ title with 27 points, well ahead of Byng’s 61 points and Cache was third with 83 points.

Ryan Softball Seniors Recognized at Last Home Game

By

Trey Smart

-

April 11, 2019

0

It has been a busy few days for the Ryan Cowgirl slow-pitch softball squad.

Last Thursday the Ryan Cowgirl slow-pitch softball team battled through pool play to advance to the championship game where they fell to Grandfield, 8-1.

Ryan advanced to the finals by defeating Wilson, 9-8, and handing Temple a 10-0 setback in the one-day tournament.

Grandfield earned a spot in the title game with a 10-5 victory over Geronimo and a 6-5 win over Thackerville.

Ryan hosted its own tournament for the first time at Larry Ninman Field and it featured five other schools divided into two pools. The winner of each pool played in the finals.

On Monday, the Cowgirls dropped their second straight game, 12-2, to Wilson. Wilson’s junior high squad nipped the Cowgirls, 8-7.

Tuesday’s game with Empire was postponed when Empire had only eight players. It was slated to be the final home game for the Cowgirls so seniors Emilee Martin and Laken DeBoard were honored after the junior high game.

The Cowgirl junior high squad defeated Empire, 9-3.

The Cowgirls were to have continued the season today competing in the 17-team Fletcher Invitational.

Ryan was to have met Bray-Doyle today at 10 a.m. The winner was to have met the winner of Verden and Fletcher at 12:15 p.m.

A loss by the Cowgirls would have them playing tonight at 5 p.m. A win in any game on Thursday would guarantee Ryan to be in action on Friday.

In the game with Wilson on Monday, the Lady Eagles took charge with five runs in the top of the first and held on to a 5-0 lead through two innings.

In the top of the third, the Lady Eagles exploded for seven more runs to hold a 12-0 lead.

The Cowgirls got their only runs of the game in the bottom of the third. Savannah Lashley and Samantha Good each had base hits and eventually came around to score.

However, the Cowgirls went down in order in the bottom of the fourth and the game ended on the run rule.

In the first two innings of the tourney title game the Cowgirls went down in order, while the Lady Bearcats left four runners stranded, but took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

But, in the top of the third the Cowgirls managed to put a run on the board as Carter Combs reached base and scored on Lashley’s RBI-ground out to knot the game at 1-1.

Grandfield answered in the bottom of the fourth with a seven-run uprising and held off the Cowgirls in the top of the fifth to secure the title.

The Cowgirls scored in every inning in the encounter with Temple in the tourney.

In the first inning, Good walked and scored on Brooke Charmasson’s RBI-double that gave Ryan a 1-0 advantage.

The Cowgirls increased the lead in the second inning with a pair of runs. Lindsey Reake singled and eventually scored on Laken DeBoard’s RBI-single. DeBoard crossed the plate later in the inning and Ryan held a 3-0 lead.

Another pair of runs in the third inning put the advantage at 5-0 for the Cowgirls. Emilee Martin and Reake each singled and then Justyce Keith walked. Successive walks by combs and DeBoard drove in the two runs as the Cowgirls left the bases full to end the inning.

The Cowgirls added another two runs in the fourth inning. Kodi Duke got an infield single and she scored on Good’s double. Charmasson drove home Good with a double. The inning concluded with two Cowgirls stranded.

In the fifth inning, the Cowgirls got three runs – all after two outs. Lashley reached base and Grace Stamper came in to run for her. Duke followed with a single and Good picked up two RBI’s with a base hit. Good scored on Charmasson’s hit to set the final margin.

Keith got the shutout in the circle for the Cowgirls.

The Cowgirls picked up a dramatic win in the first game of the tournament.

Wilson took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but the Cowgirls recorded seven runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.

Martin started off the inning with a base hit and then Madisen Rhoads followed with a two-run homer run. After two outs, Combs got an infield hit and DeBoard and Lashley followed with hits. Duke drove in another run with a base hit that was followed by a grand slam by Good to give Ryan a 7-2 lead.

It didn’t take the Lady Eagles long to answer. After one out, four consecutive Wilson batters reached base and scored. After two were out an infield hit produced another run and the game was tied at 7-7.

In the bottom of the third the Cowgirls got a solo home run from Martin giving the Cowgirls an 8-7 advantage.

Wilson tied the game in the top of the fourth to tied the score at 8-8 and set up the dramatic win for the Cowgirls.

The Cowgirls were retired in order in the bottom of the fourth and Wilson did the same in the top of the fifth.

Good led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and moved to third on Charmasson’s double down the left field line. Martin’s single scored Good giving the Cowgirls the victory.

Cowgirls Fall in District Title Game to Central High

Sports

By

Trey Smart

-

February 12, 2018

0

Central High raced to a 14-2 first quarter lead and never looked back in earning the district title over the Ryan Cowgirls last Saturday at the Central High gym.

The Lady Bronchos earned a 47-21 decision to advance into the regional tourney that begins today.

Ryan also advances to today’s regional tournament in the consolation bracket.

The Cowgirls were to have met Ringling at 1:30 p.m. today at Central High. The winner will advance and the loser’s season will end.

If the Cowgirls get by Ringling they would play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Union City.

In the district championship game the Cowgirls came into the contest with one girl diagnosed with the flu and another player with flu-like symptoms. This severely limited the Cowgirls’ attempt to pull off an upset and claim the district crown.

After dominating the first quarter, the Lady Bronchos ended the second quarter with Meagan Anderson hitting two treys – her second and third of the quarter – to give Central High an insurmountable 27-7 advantage at the half.

The Cowgirls came out of the locker room and scored the first three points of the third quarter to close the gap to 27-10, but that was as close as the Cowgirls would get the rest of the contest.

Lily York led the Cowgirls with 13 points, but nine of those points came from the charity stripe.

Anderson had 13 for Central High and she was one of nine players that scored for the Lady Bronchos.

The Cowgirls earned the spot in the championship game by upsetting the second seed Bray-Doyle, 46-31, last Friday at Central High.

In Friday’s game, the Cowgirls fell behind 7-2 in the first quarter, but two buckets by Samantha Good narrowed the gap to 7-6 at the end of the period.

The Lady Donkeys kept the Cowgirls at bay during the second quarter with the biggest led coming at the 3:42 mark when Kyndalin Byrd sank two charity tosses to build the lead to 14-9.

The Cowgirls were the only team to score the rest of the half and that came on a York free throw with 1:41 left in the half to put the margin at 14-10 heading to the intermission.

Bray-Doyle extended the lead to six in the early moments of the second quarter, but a three-point play and a layup by York put Ryan within one at 16-15 with 5:59 left in the third quarter.

It was at this point the Cowgirls took over the contest with a 11-6 spurt to close the third quarter.

The Lady Donkeys were able to cut into the lead and trailed 31-28 with 4:50 left in the game, but that was as close as Bray-Doyle would get the rest of the night.

Juliet Spangler connected on two charity tosses and Kenzie Lewis drained a trey to build the lead to 36-28 – the biggest of the night at that point.

Bray-Doyle would cut the lead to five at the 3:02 mark, but two free throws by Good and another layup by York gave Ryan a 40-31 advantage with 2:43 to play and from that point it was a matter of hitting enough free throws to thwart any hope of a rally by Bray-Doyle.

Down the stretch the Cowgirls connected on only six of 12 free throw attempts, but the Lady Donkeys could not take advantage of the misses partly due to missing four charity tosses during the same time frame.

The largest lead of the game was the final score that gave the Ryan a 15-point cushion. Good closed out the scoring with two free throws with :27.4 left in the game.

York led the way for the Cowgirls with 15 points, while Good contributed 12 and Spangler added 10.

The Cowgirls only shot 55 percent from the charity stripe, but were outstanding taking care of the basketball with only nine turnovers.

The Cowgirls committed only two turnovers in the second half, while Bray-Doyle had 20 turnovers for the game – 13 of them in the second half.

Ryan also held a 34-32 advantage in rebounding.

The Cowboys suffered a 50-42 upset at the hands of Bray-Doyle last Friday at Central High in the first round of district tourney play.

Bray-Doyle avenged a 30-point loss to the Cowboys with the upset victory.

The Cowboys led throughout the first half holding a 19-9 lead at the 4:40 mark of the second quarter when Dawson Tomberlin connected on a three-point field goal.

A Grayson Tomberlin layup with 1:51 left before the break gave Ryan another 10-point lead, but Curtis Cox connected on a trey for Bray-Doyle with 1:21 to play in the half to set the halftime score at 24-17.

The second half, however, was a nightmare for the Cowboys as they could simply not score.

G. Tomberlin opened the second half with a steal and a layup that put the Cowboys in front, 26-17, but the Donkeys answered with a bucket.

At the 5:16 mark, G. Tomberlin connected on a 10-footer giving Ryan a 28-19 advantage but from that point the Donkeys controlled the rest of the quarter.

The Donkeys went on a 14-5 run to end the third quarter and knot the game at 33 to begin the final period.

The Cowboy defense went to sleep in the final frame as the Donkeys hit five layups during the fourth quarter en route to outscoring the Cowboys, 17-9, in the quarter.

The Donkeys overcame 23 turnovers, but 15 of them were committed in the first half.

The Donkeys managed to get the victory despite hitting only 12 of 26 free throw attempts, but the Cowboys were not any better connecting on only nine of 21 attempts.

G. Tomberlin and Tate Kimbro each had eight points to lead the Cowboys in scoring.

DISTRICT TOURNAMENT NOTES:

The Cowboys dropped to 71-66 in district tournament games since first entering the district tournament in 1929….It was only the second meeting between the Cowboys and Donkeys in a district tournament and the Donkeys have won both games….The five wins for the Cowboys is the fewest since the 2009 season when Ryan managed only a pair of victories for the season….The loss to the Donkeys snapped a three-game winning streak by the Cowboys….Playing their final game in a Cowboy basketball uniform were Joseph Martin, Dawson Tomberlin, River Williams and Tate Kimbro…The Cowgirls are now 62-62 in district tourney games in school history and hold a 20-24 mark in district championship games….Ryan’s girls are 0-2 against Central High in district tourney games….The Cowgirls have lost five of the last six meetings with Central High….The 21 points scored by the Cowgirls is the fewest points in a district tourney game since 2000 when the Cowgirls could manage only 19 points against Waurika….The victory for the Cowgirls over Bray-Doyle was the first meeting ever between the two schools in a district tournament.

Central High 47, Ryan 21 (Girls)

Ryan 2 5 7 7–21

Central High 14 13 7 13–47

RYAN – Kenzie Lewis 0-1-1, Juliet Spangler 2-1-5, Lily York 2-9-13, Samantha Good 0-2-2. PF: 13.

CENTRAL HIGH – Megan Anderson 5-0-13, Kylee Sparks 2-2-7, Leigha Harris 2-1-5, Charlcie Parker 2-0-4, Kelsi Clement 1-0-3, Marissa Guttenby 2-0-4, Madi Kuntz 2-0-4, Brea Edens 1-2-4, Erica Minden 1-0-3. Three-pointers: Anderson 3, Sparks, Clement, Minden. PF: 21.

Ryan 46, Bray-Doyle 31 (Girls)

Ryan 6 4 16 20–46

Bray-Doyle 7 7 8 9–31

RYAN – Lily York 4-7-15, Samantha Good 4-4-12, Juliet Spangler 3-4-10, Kenzie Lewis 2-1-7, MacKenzie Keith 1-0-2. Three-pointers: Lewis 2. PF: 18.

BRAY-DOYLE – Kyndalin Byrd 2-5-9, Alyson Long 2-1-7, J-Cee Edwards 3-0-7, Sydney Kovar 1-1-4, Tristen Spivey 2-0-4. Three-pointers: Long 2, Edwards, Kovar. PF: 25.

Bray-Doyle 50, Ryan 42 (Boys)

Bray-Doyle 7 10 16 17–50

Ryan 8 16 9 7–42

BRAY-DOYLE – Skyler Cash 4-3-14, Curtis Cox 4-3-12, Chris Anderson 4-0-8, Mark Killborne 2-3-7, Justin Miller 3-0-6, Tyler Anderson 0-3-3. Three-pointers: Cash 3, Cox. PF: 18.

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 4-0-8, Tate Kimbro 3-2-8, Joseph Martin 3-1-7, Skyler Parkhill 3-0-6, Dawson Tomberlin 1-

2-5, Andrew Villerreal 2-0-4, Brock Smith 0-4-4. Three-pointers: D. Tomberlin. PF: 22

Coaching Changes Approved For Waurika Softball, Girls Basketball

By

Trey Smart

-

May 23, 2022

0

A couple of changes in coaching responsibilities were recently approved by the Waurika Board of Education.

Kassie Bohot, who has been a teacher at Waurika Elementary and the head coach of the powerlifting program will add fast-pitch softball to her responsibilities at the school.

Garret Bachand, the boys’ basketball coach for the past three seasons, will take on the girls’ basketball program as well for the coming year.

Bohot replaces long-time athletic director and fast-pitch softball coach Everett Hodges.

Hodges compiled a 27-52 record over the past three seasons of fast-pitch softball for the Lady Eagles. This came after a two-year period where the team only won a total of four games.

Bohot is excited about the added coaching responsibility and is looking forward to her first season after serving as the top assistant the past few seasons.

“This group of seniors if the first group I coached at Waurika,” said Bohot. “I know the girls and their abilities.”

Bohot noted the improvement of the girls she has helped with over the past few seasons.

“I am excited to see this come full circle,” Bohot added. “I can’t wait to have a good year.”

Bachand is also excited about the opportunity to take on the reins of the girls basketball program at Waurika.

He has been the Eagle roundball coach for the past three seasons and has a 33-36 record.

Bachand’s first two seasons produced a winning record, but this past season the squad struggled because of injuries.

However, the 2022 version of the Eagles made the first regional tournament appearance under Bachand, who is a graduate of Waurika High School.

Bachand will also be no stranger to the girls as he was the top assistant under Kalee Baxter during the 2022 campaign when the Lady Eagles fashioned a 20-7 record.

“I’m really excited to become the next head coach for these girls,” Bachand said. “I have talked to them and they are stoked and ready to work.”

The Lady Eagles have had strong seasons the past few years, but faltered in the post-season.

“Obviously these girls have done some really good things in the regular season,” Bachand noted.

“Most of those girls that are returning have some unfinished business from the last two years in the postseason,” Bachard added.

It will be a big goal for the veteran boys’ coach to push the girls to new heights particularly in the postseason.

“I can’t wait to get to work and see what we can do this next season,” Bachard said.

In addition to his basketball responsibilities, Bachand serves as an assistant to Joe Allen in both football and baseball.

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Four Jefferson County Thinclads Tabbed for All-State Honors

Eagle Harriers Capture Two Runner Up Finishes

Cowgirl Softballers Drop Contest to Big Pasture

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