It was a last minute addition to the Ryan baseball schedule and even though the Cowboys picked up some extra games, the results were not favorable.
The Cowboy nine dropped a 19-0 decision to eventual tournament champion Comanche on Thursday and suffered a 10-9 loss to Velma-Alma in last Friday’s game.
The Cowboys are now 1-4 on the year heading into action against Thackerville at the Wildcat diamond on Monday.
The Cowboys will return to Larry Ninman Field on Tuesday at Bob Givens Sports Complex against Turner.
Ryan will end the busy week with a matchup against Comanche on the road next Thursday.
In the first-round game with Comanche, the Cowboys managed only two base runners and no base hits in the three-inning contest.
The Cowboys had two base runners in the first inning on an error and a walk, but could not get the timely hit needed to try and rally after Comanche had scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning.
The Indians added nine more before the game was halted.
In Friday’s game with Velma-Alma, the Comets scored the winning run in the bottom of the fifth (and final inning) as the first three Comet batters reached base on two walks and a hit batsman. An error by the Cowboys gave the Comets the go-ahead run.
Velma-Alma got off to a 7-0 lead after two innings before the Cowboys mounted a five-run rally in the top of the third inning.
Pacen Wiest got things started for the Cowboys with a one-out walk and then Dawson Tomberlin singled. A two-out single by Grayson Tomberlin was followed by singles by Tate Kimbro, Gunner Phillips and Andrew Villerreal. Coupled with a Comet error, the Cowboys had scored five runs before the end of the inning to narrow the score to 7-5.
The Cowboys actually took the lead in the top of the fourth inning with four runs that included a three-run triple by Villerreal. A single by River Williams drove in Villerreal to put the Cowboys in front, 9-7, heading to the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Comets responded in the bottom of the fourth with two runs to tie the game. V-A gained the lead as two hits and two errors led to two runs leaving the score knotted at 9-9 heading to the final frame.
In the top of the fifth the Cowboys went in order setting up the Comets to score the winning run.
The Cowboys the scored their first win of the year last Tuesday with a victory over Grandfield as previously reported.
The Cowboys fell behind 3-0 after one inning of play against the Bearcats but rallied for four runs in the bottom of the second inning.
An error helped Kimbro reach base and then after two were out, the Cowboys were able to put four runs on the board with the benefit of only one hit – a single by Joseph Martin.
Grandfield answered with a run in the top of the third and after Ryan failed to score, the game was tied at the end of three innings, 4-4.
The Bearcats took the lead in the top of the fourth inning as a walk eventually led to a run. It was the only base runner for Grandfield in the inning to give the Bearcats a 5-4 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth inning the Cowboys exploded for six runs to essentially put the game away.
G. Tomberlin had the big hit in the inning with a two-run double. Four Bearcat errors and three walks helped contribute to the big inning for the Cowboys.
In the bottom of the sixth Ryan put two more runs on the board without the aid of a base hit.
G. Tomberlin got the win on the mound for the Cowboys and helped his own cause with two hits – both doubles – and two runs batted in.
It was a banner day last Saturday for the Waurika cross country teams as they competed in the first Geronimo Invitational cross country meet.
The meet was a relatively small one, but the Eagles and Lady Eagles left their mark on the rest of the field.
Waurika won the boys’ title with a total of 35 points – just in front of runner up Geronimo that had 41 points. Munday, Texas finished third with 53 points.
The Lady Eagles were runner up to Munday in the high school girls division. The Lady Moguls had 26 points, while Waurika finished with 36 points. Ryan was third with 71 points.
The Eagles had eight competitors in the meet and seven of them won medals.
Leading the way for the Eagles was Cache Dunn who earned top honors in the race with a tie of 19:26.3.
Kevin Garcia finished 11th with a time of 21:36.8 in the five kilometer race.
Gustavio Gomez earned 13th place with a time of 21:46.2 and he was followed closely by the Eagles’ Alex Gomez, who recorded a time of 21:47.0. Right behind was Octavio Gomez who was 15th with a time of 22:54.0.
Rounding out the medal winners were Trent Arellano and Isaac Camarillo. Arellano finished 17th with a tiem of 23:19.3, while Camarillo was 18th with a mark of 23:32.4.
Malachi Dodson also competed at Geronimo and was 27th with a time of 29:37.3.
Eight of the 11 runners for the Lady Eagles came home with hardware.
The top competitor at Geronimo for the Lady Eagles was Tallin Mora. Mora finished fifth with a time of 14:17.7.
Asia Smith also had a top 10 finish with a time of 14:32.8. Her time was good for seventh place.
Lexie Streeter finished 12th with a time of 15:08.4 over the 3,200-meter course.
Aubree Showalter was right behind with a time of 15:09.5, which gave her 13th place.
Jaci Gholson, who participated in her first meet of the season, was 18th with a time of 16:01.0.
Skylar Garrett earned a medal with a 19th-place finish. Her time for the day was 16:01.0.
Rounding out the medalists for the Lady Eagles was Brooklyn Barnes and Faith Roberson.
Barnes was 24th with a time of 17:18.4, while Roberson was right behind in 25th place with a time of 17:30.9.
Also competing for the Lady Eagles were Kaci Reynolds (30th, 20:29.7), Hope Cummings (32nd, 21:14.3) and Savana Ritter (33rd, 21:14.4).
Waurika’s junior high and elementary cross country squads did not compete at Geronimo.
The Eagles and Lady Eagles will be in action again tomorrow (Friday) when they will run at the Big Green soccer complex in the Cameron University Invitational in Lawton.
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.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
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.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
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.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
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.
Cowboys get one win in tourney and one regular season win.
The fifth annual Cowboy Classic baseball tournament had to make a last-minute switch from pool play to a five-team, double-elimination format after Temple dropped out of the tourney.
Thackerville claimed the tournament title with a 14-4 victory over Waurika in the championship game.
The tournament was played last Thursday and Friday which was a wise move considering last Saturday’s frigid weather.
For the Ryan Cowboys it was a one-day appearance in their own tournament.
The Cowboys opened the tournament with a 7-5 loss to Big Pasture but managed a 10-3 victory over Grandfield in an elimination game.
In the next round, however, Waurika eliminated the Cowboy nine with a 10-3 victory.
The Eagles advanced to the championship game by defeating Big Pasture, 6-4, after Thackerville had handed Big Pasture its first loss of the tournament.
For the Cowboys, the loss to the Rangers was a tough won considering Ryan had managed a 15-13 victory over Big Pasture earlier in the week.
In the tournament contest with Big Pasture, the two squads ended the first inning tied at 1-1. The Rangers, however, exploded for six runs in the top of the third inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
The Cowboys were able to hold Big Pasture scoreless the rest of the way, while picking up two runs in the fourth and one run each in the fifth and sixth inning to draw within 7-5, but the time limit ended the game after six innings.
The victory over Grandfield was also shortened by the time limit, but the Cowboys scored in every inning to secure the win.
A double by Joseph Martin and a walk by Grayson Tomberlin helped give the Cowboys a 1-0 lead after one inning.
In the second inning, Andrew Villerreal reached on a walk to open the inning and after two were out, Walter Snider got an RBI-single and he eventually came around to score giving the Cowboys a 3-0 advantage.
Grandfield cut the margin to 3-1 with a single tally in the top of the third inning, but the Cowboys answered the modest Bearcat rally with three more runs in the bottom of the third.
G. Tomberlin and Tate Kimbro led the inning off with a pair of singles and them Dawson Tomberlin picked up a two-run double. Tomberlin came around to score after a Grandfield error to extend the Cowboys’ lead to 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, G. Tomberlin tripled after one out and then scored before the Bearcats could retire the Cowboys. Ryan now led, 7-1, heading to the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning the Bearcats produced three singles coupled with an error and three stolen bases accounted for two runs cutting the lead to 7-3.
The Cowboys ended all hopes of another rally by Grandfield by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. Those runs came without the benefit of a base hit thanks to two walks, three stolen bases and two Grandfield errors that put the final score at 10-3.
This set up an elimination game between Waurika and the Cowboys.
The Cowboys got off to a good start in the top of the first inning as D. Tomberlin and Martin led off by reaching base to give Ryan a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles responded in the bottom half of the inning, however, striking for six runs. Bryson Hernandez, Hunter Wesberry, Zachary Brown and Gatlin Black led off the inning by reaching base and all four came around to score.
Austin Dyer and Michael Bryant got on base after one out and eventually scored before the end of the inning to give the Eagles a 6-2 advantage.
After a scoreless second inning, the Eagles added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning sending eight batters to the plate.
Jordan Watkins and Dyer led off the inning by getting on base and Colton Bryant got a two-run single to put the Eagles in front 8-2. The Eagles left two men stranded before the end of the inning.
The Eagles were not finished, however, sending eight more batters to the plate in the fourth inning. Watkins and Dyer both got one-out walks and eventually came around the score to give the Eagles a 10-3 lead after four innings.
In the fifth inning, the Eagles scored three more runs and scored a run-rule victory over the Cowboys. Brown, Black and Dyer scored runs for the Eagles to seal the victory.
Dyer finished the game with four runs scored after reaching base three times on walks.
This set up another elimination game for the Eagles and Waurika responded to the challenge by scoring a 6-4 victory over Big Pasture earning a spot in the championship game against Thackerville.
The Wildcats were too much for the Eagles and earned the title with a run-rule victory. It was the second invitational tournament the Wildcats have won this season.
Earlier in the week the Cowboys picked up their second win over the season at Big Pasture.
Ryan got off to a 2-0 lead after one inning when Martin reached base and after a G. Tomberlin single and an error, Martin put the first run on the board for the Cowboys.
G. Tomberlin eventually scored on a two-out, RBI-single by River Williams.
Things got really interesting in the bottom of the third inning as the Rangers scored five runs with only one hit. A Ryan error and three walks helped the Rangers snag the lead.
The Cowboys regained the lead in the top of the fourth exploding for eight runs to hold a 10-5 lead.
Singles by Martin, C. Villerreal and A. Villerreal along with four bases on balls and an error accounted for the five Cowboy runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Rangers cut into the lead with three runs of their own. Two errors and two walks helped the Rangers cut the Ryan lead to 10-8 heading into the fifth inning.
Big Pasture took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs. An error, a fielder’s choice, a walk, a single and a double contributed to the rally that put the Rangers in front, 11-10, heading to the sixth inning.
Ryan answered with four runs in the top of the sixth with three walks and a single by Martin helping produce the go-ahead runs. The Cowboys also left the bases loaded but Ryan held a 14-10 lead.
After holding Big Pasture scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, the Cowboys managed another run in the top of the seventh inning. Martin was hit by a pitch and eventually scored giving the Cowboys a 15-10 lead.
Big Pasture tried to rally as the Rangers scored two runs with one out, but the Cowboys were able to get the final two outs.
D. Tomberlin and A. Villerreal each paced the Cowboys at the plate with two hits apiece. Martin scored four runs for the Cowboys in the contest which ties the school record for most runs scored by an individual in a game.
Ryan was to have met Waurika and Dickson on Tuesday on the Eagles’ home diamond.
Today the Cowboys travel to Grandfield for a contest with the Bearcats and on Friday the Cowboys are scheduled to host Alex on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports complex.
The Cowboys close out the regular season Monday at Geronimo with a three-way matchup with the Blue Jays and Waurika.
It was another amazing contest at Bob Givens Sports Complex last Thursday night as Ryan scored a come-from-behind 78-74 victory over Bray-Doyle.
The Cowboys have a huge district contest tomorrow night (Friday) as they travel to Skinny Stewart Field in Wilson to battle the Eagles. Ryan, Wilson and Central High are in a battle for the runner-up spot in District B-4.
The fans who stuck around for the end of last Thursday’s battle with the Donkeys will be talking about this one for a long time. A number of fans departed after Ryan established an 18-point advantage with 7:33 left in the game.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
To Bray-Doyle’s credit, the Donkeys battled back to take the lead with 43 seconds to go before Ryan got the winning score with just four seconds left in the game.
The game had a number of momentum shifts and featured an offensive show by both teams. A number of school records were established during the game.
The Cowboys’ performance on offense was even more impressive considering they had to overcome 218 yards in penalties – many of which were against the offense.
Ryan scored first on Grayson Tomberlin’s 12-yard run that capped a 61-yard drive in six plays. The try for two failed, but Ryan led 6-0 with 8:44 to play in the first quarter.
Bray-Doyle came back to snag the lead with two touchdown catches by Curtis Cox – the first one for 14 yards and the second for 22 yards from quarterback Justin Miller. Both were outstanding catches. Mark Kilbourne ran for the two-point conversions and Bray held a 16-6 lead after the first quarter.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Cowboys put together a 10-play, 54-yard drive with Tomberlin finding Skylar Parkhill on a 16-yard touchdown pass to narrow the score to 16-12 with 11:53 left in the second quarter.
Bray-Doyle answered with a 59-yard drive in just four plays. Dalton Whitehead got the final six yards on the ground and with 10:44 to play before intermission the Donkeys led, 22-12.
The Cowboys answered with a five-play, 58-yard drive. Parkhill got the rushing touchdown from 18 yards out. Kalen Weldon caught the two-point conversion pass from Tomberlin and Ryan had trimmed the lead to, 22-20, with 9:12 left in the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Donkeys failed to cover the pooch kick and Parkhill sped downfield to cover the loose ball.
This gave Ryan excellent field position at the Donkey 40 and Travis Fristoe finished the short drive with a 25-yard rushing burst for the score with 7:01 still to play in the second quarter. The Cowboys were back on top, 26-22.
The Donkeys looked poised to score again moving to the Ryan 22, but Tomberlin intercepted a pass in the end zone and after a Ryan penalty on the return, the Cowboys found themselves at their own two.
The Cowboys narrowly escaped disaster as a handoff was fumbled in the end zone, but Tomberlin alertly picked it up and made it out to the Cowboy 3.
After a critical third-down conversion, Tomberlin executed perfectly a screen pass to Parkhill and the Cowboy senior took it 70 yards for the score. Tomberlin found Andrew Villerreal for the two-point conversion pass and Ryan extended the lead to 34-22 with 1:49 left to play in the half.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Another penalty on the Cowboys on the kickoff return gave the Donkeys the ball at the Cowboy 39. It took six plays, but Kilbourne found Tully Booth on the halfback pass for a 17-yard score. Whitehead ran for the two points and the Cowboy lead was narrowed to 34-30 with just 20 seconds left to play in the half.
After Gunner Phillips returned the kickoff 14 yards to the Ryan 35, Tomberlin and Parkhill connected on another screen pass and Parkhill raced 65 yards and crossed the goal line as the halftime buzzer sounded. Tomberlin ran for the two points and the Ryan lead was stretched to 42-30 at the half.
The Donkeys took the second-half kickoff and marched 54 yards on seven plays with Whitehead getting the score from one yard out. Kilbourne ran for the two points and the Cowboy margin was cut to 42-38.
Ryan answered with a 68-yard drive on only four plays. Tomberlin again found Parkhill loose and Parkhill took the pass and covered the final 50 yards for the score. Tomberlin ran for the two points and Ryan was in front, 50-38, with 7:24 left in the third quarter.
Another Donkey drive was thwarted by a Tomberlin interception at the Ryan five and after yet another Ryan penalty the Cowboys set up on offense at the Ryan 13.
It took Ryan only three plays to travel 87 yards. Fristoe scampered for 36 yards on first down, Parkhill got seven on the next play and then Tomberlin bolted 43 yards for a touchdown. The run failed, but with 4:45 left in the third quarter Ryan was now in front, 56-38.
The Donkeys answered, however, with Whitehead getting a four-yard rushing touchdown and Miller adding the extra point to trim the lead back to 56-44 with 2:28 left in the third frame.
Phillips had another outstanding return on the ensuing kickoff as he fielded the ball at the Cowboy 17 and took it 44 yards to the Bray-Doyle 34. It took Ryan six plays, but Fristoe ended the drive with a four-yard rushing score putting Ryan back in front, 62-46, with 11:23 to play in the game.
The next Donkey drive was aided by 31 yards in Ryan penalties and covered 62 yards in only six plays. Miller got the score on a quarterback sneak from one yard out and the Ryan lead was cut to 62-52 with 9:43 still left in the game.
The Cowboys answered the threat with a four-play, 81-yard drive for a score. Parkhill carried the ball the final 29 yards for the score and after Tomberlin added with two-point conversion the Cowboys seemed comfortably in front, 70-52.
The Donkeys had no quit in them. They took the kickoff and marched 56 yards in six plays helped along by a targeting penalty. Miller ran for the score from eight yards out and Kilbourne ran for the two points and with 4:43 left in the game Ryan held a 70-60 advantage.
What the Cowboys could not afford happened on the next drive as on the first play the Cowboys fumbled and the Donkeys recovered giving Bray-Doyle possession at the Ryan 39.
A highly-questionable pass interference call aided the Donkey cause and a key pass play that bounced off Weldon’s hands into the hands of the Donkey receiver helped Bray put together the scoring drive. Whitehead finished the effort with a five-yard run and after Kilbourne ran for the two points, Ryan clung to a 70-68 lead with 3:12 left to play.
The Cowboys proceeded to try to run out the clock and moved the ball from the Ryan 26 to the Donkey 38 when another borderline call went in favor of the Donkeys as Bray recovered a fumble that appeared to happen after Tomberlin was on the ground.
This put Bray with possession at the 1:37 mark and 72 yards away from the go-ahead score. Two 15-yard penalties on the Cowboys and two big plays moved the ball to the Ryan 18 with one minute left. Two plays later Miller found the end zone from six yards out to give Bray-Doyle the lead.
The Cowboys, however, did not give up. The Cowboys took possession at their own 33 after a 14-yard return by Phillips on the kickoff.
After a first-down incompletion, Tomberlin found Fristoe across the middle for a 48-yard gain putting the ball at the Donkey 19 with 22 seconds left.
An 18-yard scamper by Tomberlin put the ball near the goal line. Tomberlin finished off the drive with a one-yard score and also ran for the two points giving Ryan the lead again.
Bray-Doyle had one final play but the halfback pass fell incomplete and Ryan had sealed the win.
Parkhill and Tomberlin were again outstanding for the Cowboys on offense. Parkhill rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries and had 215 yards receiving on five catches.
Tomberlin combined for 549 yards of offense with 273 yards rushing on 25 carries and 276 yards passing on just seven completions. Add 13 yards of interception returns and he had a total of 562 all-purpose yards.
Four school records were broken in the contest.
Game in Figures
BDHS RHS
First Downs 3124
Yards Rushing 50-356 47-366
Yards Passing 151276
Passes 9-14 7-10
Passes Int. By02
Fumbles, Lost1-0 6-2
Punts 0-0 1-34
Penalties6-52 24-218SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bray-Doyle161414 30–74
Ryan 6361422–78
FIRST QUARTER
RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 12 run (run failed), 8:44
BRAY-DOYLE – Curtis Cox 14 pass from Justin Miller (Mark Kilbourne run), 7:26
BRAY-DOYLE – Cox 22 pass from Miller (Kilbourne run), 4:39
SECOND QUARTER
RYAN – Skylar Parkhill 16 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 11:53
BRAY-DOYLE – Dalton Whitehead 6 run (pass failed), 10:44
RYAN – Parkhill 18 run (Kalen Weldon pass from Tomberlin), 9:18
RYAN – Travis Fristoe 1 run (pass failed), 7:01
RYAN – Parkhill 70 pass from Tomberlin (Andrew Villerreal pass from Tomberlin), 1:49
BRAY-DOYLE – Tully Booth 17 pass from Miller (Whitehead run),: 20.3
RYAN – Parkhill 65 pass from Tomberlin (Tomberlin run),: 00
It will likely be a trying season for the Ryan Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball squads.
The most trying aspect of the upcoming 2018-19 season will be having a place to play and practice as the Ryan gym undergoes a significant makeover.
It is hoped that a limited number of games can be played at home, but otherwise the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be on the road most of the season.
The Cowgirls and Cowboys will open the season on Tuesday by hosting Grandfield. Tipoff for the high school games will be 6:30 p.m. after a pair of junior high contests against the Bearcats.
It will be the homecoming game for Ryan because of the uncertainty of the future availability of the facilities.
Construction of the remodeled gym that opened in 1957 is going well and at the moment is on time for completion near the end of the current basketball season. The updated facility will feature new home locker rooms, a new concession area, and new entry.
The biggest change in the gym will be an added limited number of seats on the south side. The south side will be the new home of the bench areas and the scorer’s table.
Watch for announcements about changes for the location of upcoming games on social media or in this newspaper.
Second-year Cowgirl coach Steve Spangler is hopeful his three returning starters, who were all-conference a year ago, will be able to carry the squad that is small in number.
The Cowgirls will depend on the return of Samantha Good, Lily York and Juliet Spangler to carry what will be a rather young squad that will feature five juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen.
Those three will be counted on to provide the bulk of the offense and hopefully, the Cowgirls can find some more scoring. York was the co-offensive most valuable player in the Southern Eight Conference a year ago and was the leading scorer in 13 of the Cowgirls’ 24 games.
Spangler says at least one and at times, two freshmen will work their way into the starting lineup.
The Cowgirls traveled to Oklahoma City to face some tough foes in preseason scrimmages and the team held its own, according to Spangler.
Last season the Cowgirls made a marked improvement but still finished only 8-16 after going 3-20 in 2017. The team did finish as the district runner-up.
In the Southern Eight, Spangler believes that Big Pasture will be the top contender as the Lady Rangers welcome all five starters back from a year ago.
The Cowboys will be under the direction of first-year coach Austin Masoner. Not only is it his first as the Cowboy mentor, but it is also his first year of full-time coaching responsibilities.
According to Masoner, the Cowboy practices have been spirited and the 15-man roster seems to be buying into what Masoner hopes the team will become during the 2019 campaign.
Overall, the Cowboys will feature some size that will enable play with an inside post. Guard play is also in good hands for the Cowboys.
Grayson Tomberlin, who started a year ago as a freshman, and senior Skyler Parkhill, a Southern Eight Conference all-star last season, will be called upon to carry the offense. Those two were the leading scorers for the Cowboys in 11 of the 22 contests last season.
Travis Fristoe and Brock Smith will be counted on to help carry the Cowboy defense. The Cowboys will employ a great deal of zone defense, but Masoner noted he would also mix in some man-to-man and specialty defenses of the situation called for it.
The Cowboys’ weakness this season will be the overall lack of experience. The Cowboys also lack depth at the guard positions, but Masoner is hoping he can develop some of the other plays to help with the ball-handling.
The Cowboys hope to rebound from the disastrous 2018 season when the Cowboys slumped to a 5-17 mark after posting four straight winning records and two district titles.
The race for the conference title may be a tough one with Waurika and Big Pasture looking to be the top contenders along with conference newcomer Frederick.
The scheduled season-opener with Waurika was postponed because of the involvement of both schools in the football playoffs.
Following the season lid-lifter with Grandfield, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to St. Jo, Texas for an invitational tournament.
The Cowgirls get the tourney started a week from today (November 29) with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Alvord. If the Cowgirls get a first-round win, they will play on November 30 at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Sacred Heart and Ringling.
The Cowboys will take the court in the St. Jo Tournament on November 29 when they take on the Paradise Junior Varsity. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be played in the auxiliary gym at the St. Jo campus. A win would advance the Cowboys to a 6 p.m. game on November 30 against the winner of Sacred Heart and St. Jo.
The next weekend the Cowboys and Cowgirls will compete in the Black and Gold Classic hosted by Wilson.
The West name is synonymous with sports in Jefferson County. Friday evening fans, friends and former players were on hand at Cy Sloan Memorial stadium to express their appreciation for Coach Norman and Louise West and family for their contributions to both education and sports by naming the Waurika football field “Norman West Memorial Field”.
Senator Chris Kidd reads a citation during the ceremony honoring Coach Norman West for his year’s of service. Photo by Adam Brinson
Norman West graduated from Ryan High School in 1959. He attended and played football at Southeastern State University. In 1963 West graduated from college Since that time he and his wife have spent their lives as educators. Coach West has led sports teams for 39 years. Two of those years were spent in Paoli. Louise has always been by Norman’s side. They even worked track meets together after retirement.
Coach West moved to Waurika in 1965 and served as the head basketball coach for the boys and girls. He also served as the assistant football coach. At that time, there were only two coaches on the coaching staff. During fifteen seasons, his teams had a 75% winning record.
Over the years, West also coached track and even helped revive the baseball team during the 1980s. He pioneered the concept of a seventh grade only team. This concept is still used in junior high athletics across the area today.
For several years, West served as the middle school principal.
The West Family. Photo by Adam Brinson
He chaired the Waurika Summer Youth program for 11 years and as president of the Southern 8 Conference for 12years.
West spent several years as the Waurika Athletic Director. During that time he oversaw the building of the track and baseball facility.
Norman and Louise have two sons: Quana and Byron.
Quana is married to Sharon. He is a school administrator in Wichita Falls.
Byron is the head football coach and athletic director at Henrietta High School.
The Wests also have five grandsons: Hayden, Zack, Parker, Grady, and Quade. Their two great-grandsons are Reece and Ramsey.
During Friday evening’s ceremony, State Senator Chris Kidd presented Coach West with a citation from the state senate.
The field was painted with words “Norman West Memorial Field” by former Head Coach and accomplished artist, Glenn Howard.
Artwork by Coach Glenn Howard Photo by Adam Brinson
Athletic Director Everett Hodges presented not only the initial idea for the honor to be bestowed upon coach West, but also served as master of ceremonies for the night’s events.
Mr. Nat Lunn, Waurika High School Principal supported the project from the beginning as well as Waurika Schools Superintendent, CodySimmons.
Former players and current players pay their respects to Coach Norman West at last Friday’s football game. Photo by Adam Brinson
At the end of the ceremony, Superintendent Cody Simmons unveiled a new sign at the east end of the field designating the facility as “Cy Sloan Memorial Stadium and Norman West Memorial Field.”
A number of players from the Waurika and Ryan basketball squads were honored by the Southern Eight Conference coaches recently.
Madison Roberson of Waurika was named the most valuable player in the conference for 2018. She led the Lady Eagles in scoring and rebounding and they claimed the Southern Eight Conference regular season crown with a perfect 5-0 mark.
Asia Smith was also an all-conference selection for the Lady Eagles. Smith was the second leading scorer and rebounder for Waurika.
Lily York, a sophomore for the Ryan Cowgirls, was selected as the co-offensive player of the year along with Grandfield’s Matti Clemmer.
Another sophomore, Juliet Spangler, was also named to represent Ryan on the all-conference squad.
The defensive player of the year honors went to Hollie Babel of Geronimo. She helped lead the Lady Blue Jays to a 14-15 record including a district title.
On the boys’ side, Waurika’s Cache Arellano was named to the all-conference team. Arellano was the scoring leader for the Eagles averaging 10.3 points a game and was also the leading rebounder averaging 8.3 rebounds a game.
No other boys from Waurika or Ryan were named to the squad all-conference squad.
The most valuable player of the conference for 2018 was Geronimo’s D’Marcus Crabtree. Crabtree was the ringleader on an experienced Geronimo squad that swept all its Southern Eight opponents during the regular season to claim the conference title.
The offensive player of the year was Geronimo’s Luke Riley.
Riley and Crabtree led the Bluejays to an outstanding season. The Blue Jays finished with a district title and were third in the Apache Tournament and the consolation champions at the Comanche County Tournament.
Geronimo closed the season with a 21-8 record after dropping a one-point decision to Sterling in the consolation bracket finals of the regional tourney. Riley led the Blue Jays in scoring against Sterling with 11 points, while Crabtree finished with 10 points in the season-ending loss.
Securing the defensive player of the year honors was Big Pasture’s Austin Frieling. The Rangers won a district title and fell to Lookeba-Sickles in the regional tourney finals last Saturday night but remain alive for another week.
Big Pasture opens area tourney play today (Thursday) at Cache and they will face Fox.
The Rangers managed a 4-1 mark in the Southern Eight Conference which was good for runner up honors.
The annual Southern Eight Conference All-Star game will be held Monday (February 26) at Temple. The girls’ contest will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the boys’ game to follow.
All the all-conference squad members will be competing in the game along with players selected as a conference all-star.
Representing the Cowgirls in addition to York and Spangler will be Samantha Good and the lone Cowgirl senior, Kenzie Lewis.
Joining Roberson and Smith from Waurika will be Lexie Streeter.
The girls’ team will be coached by Ryan’s Steve Spangler and Waurika’s Kalee Baxter.
Three Eagles will join their teammate Arellano in the game. They are Seth Cathey, Kevin Garcia and Turner Mora.
Representing the Cowboys in the game will be Dawson Tomberlin, a senior for the Cowboys, and junior Skylar Parkhill.
The conference was down somewhat in basketball this season especially on the girls’ side.
No girls’ team finished with a winning record with Geronimo leading the pack with 14 wins on the season. Big Pasture girls managed a 10-17 record and were the only other girls’ squad to record at least 10 wins.
Three boys’ teams posted winning records for the 2018 campaign. Big Pasture is the only team still alive and will finish with a winning record. Geronimo posted the best record of the conference teams with a 21-8 mark, while Grandfield also had a winning season at 14-11.
The conference consisted of only six schools this past year – Temple, Big Pasture, Geronimo, Ryan, Waurika and Grandfield. Frederick will join the Southern Eight Conference next season.
It is not surprising to know that Jefferson County has produced some of the best track athletes in state history.
Given Waurika’s successes in the 1930’s when it was dubbed the “Track Capitol of Oklahoma”, you would assume the schools in this south central Oklahoma county would be among the best in track.
The state track meet began to be held in 1944 – just after some of the years of domination by the Waurika track team.
And, Waurika was the first Jefferson County school to crown a state champion.
But, the highest finish by a team from Jefferson County belongs to Addington – a state runner up finish in 1946 at the state track meet held at the University of Oklahoma.
The next highest finish by teams from Jefferson County is fourth and that has been done five times by three different teams.
The Waurika boys’ team has three fourth place finishes – all but one of them was a tie for fourth.
Ryan’s boys’ squad finished in a fourth-place tie in 1973, while the Waurika girls nabbed a fourth-place finish in the 2000 state track meet.
Both the boys and girls teams from Ryan, Ringling and Waurika have scored in the state track meet.
Addington and Sugden both scored in two times each before those schools were closed. Mountain Home also scored in the 1947 state track meet.
Hastings, Irving, Union Valley, Claypool and Terral did not score in the history of those schools at the state meet.
A quick glance of the regional meets show that Terral scored a single point in the 1951 regional, while Claypool scored points in 1955.
Of course, Mountain Home, Sugden and Addington scored in regional meets in the early years of the state track meets.
Hastings, Irving, Union Valley and Claypool all closed in the 1950’s, while Terral’s high school consolidated with Ryan after the 1985 season.
Five different squads have recorded fifth-place finishes – Waurika boys (twice), Ringling boys and Waurika girls (twice).
Addington had a sixth-place finish in the 1945 meet, while Ringling’s girls and Ryan’s boys tied for sixth place in 1973 and 1976, respectively.
Waurika’s girls also had a sixth-place finish in 1992.
Seventeen other schools have had finishes between seventh and 10th – Sudgen (1948), Waurika girls (1999, 1974, 1991), Waurika boys (1947, 2021, 1998, 2005, 2017, 2018 and 1951), Ryan boys (1961), Ryan girls (1990), Ringling boys (1984, 1963 and 1983) and Ringling girls (1986).
The best finish by Ryan’s girls came in the 1990 season when the Cowgirls finished in a tie for ninth place.
Ringling’s best boys’ team finish came in the 1971 state meet when the Blue Devils recorded 21 points.
The best finish by the Lady Blue Devils was a tie for sixth place in the 1973 state meet – the second state meet ever held for high school girls.
The Waurika boys’ track squad has the most top ten finishes with 12.
The girls teams from Waurika have seven top 10 finishes since the first state meet was held in 1972.
The best finish in this century was recorded by the Waurika girls when they finished fourth at the state meet held at Putnam City High School. The Lady Eagles garnered 50 points in the meet.
The most recent best finish was this past spring when the Waurika boys finished eighth at the Class A State Track Meet held at Cherokee. The Eagles’ posted the seventh best finish ever this past spring.
There have been some droughts along the way by the boys and girls teams from Ryan, Ringling and Waurika where those teams did not score in the state meet.
The Cowboys went from 1944 to 1954 without having an athlete place at the state meet. The Cowgirls went from 1992 to 2011 without a competitor placing in the state meet.
Ringling has gone the longest without scoring in a state track meet. The Blue Devils did not score in a state track meet from 1985 to 2019 – but it can be assumed that no track teams were fielded in many of those years.
The Lady Blue Devils went 23 years without scoring – from 1995 to 2018 – but again there were probably several seasons where they did not have a team.
Waurika’s boys went from 1952 to 1964 without an athlete placing in the state track meet, while the Waurika girls went from 1975 to 1984 without scoring.
NEXT WEEK: A look at some individual performances by Jefferson County athletes at the State Track Meet.
