WAURIKA SWEEPS RYAN IN BASKETBALL SEASON OPENER

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December 2, 2022

The Waurika Eagles and Lady Eagles traveled to Ryan Tuesday night and came away with the sweep of the Cowboys and Cowgirls on Raymon West Court.

The Lady Eagles built a big lead and were never challenged as Waurika claimed a 53-24 victory in the opening game of the evening.

The Eagles used a strong second half to build a small cushion and downed the Cowboys, 43-36, in the nightcap.

Waurika returns to action Friday when they travel to Geronimo for a doubleheader. Tipoff for the girls’ game will be 6:30 p.m.

Next Tuesday the Waurika squads will travel to Temple to battle the Tigers and Lady Tigers. The girls’ game will tip at 6:30 p.m.

One week from today Waurika will begin play in the Southwest Shootout hosted by Chattanooga. Brackets were not drawn in time for this edition of the paper.

Ryan will see action next on Tuesday when they will travel to Thackerville for a twinbill. The girls’ game will start at 6:30 p.m.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will participate in the Black and Gold Classic one week from today.

The Cowgirls will see action at 4 p.m. against Springer in the first round of the tourney, while the Cowboys will take on Temple at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The semifinals for the Cowgirls if they win would be at 4 p.m. one week from tomorrow and a loss would send the Cowgirls to the consolation semifinals at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Should the Cowboys defeat Temple in the first round, they would take the court Friday at 5:20 p.m. A first-round loss would mean an 11:30 a.m. game on Friday in the consolation semifinals.

The season opener for the Lady Eagles was a good one as they used their athleticism and height to pull away early against the Cowgirls.

The Cowgirls actually scored the first two points of the opening quarter on Jasmine Villarreal’s layup with 7:01 to play in the first quarter.

From there, Waurika took charge and finished the first quarter on a 15-2 run to hold a 15-4 advantage.

The Lady Eagles took advantage of 13 Ryan turnovers in the first quarter to gain the big lead.

Maci Cooper would drain a three-pointer early in the second quarter to pull the Cowgirls to within eight at 15-7, but that would be the closest the Cowgirls would get the rest of the contest.

Waurika closed out the half with a 17-3 blitz that was fueled by Liberti Simmons scoring seven of the Lady Eagles’ 17 points.

The Lady Eagles used the run to put together a 32-10 advantage at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Cowgirls opened the second half with a 6-0 run, but Waurika responded with a 13-1 advantage that really sealed the contest for the Lady Eagles as they led 45-17 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Waurika coach Garett Bachand took advantage of the comfortable lead and used his bench to close out the game. The Lady Eagles outscored Ryan, 8-7, in the fourth quarter to establish the final margin.

Simmons led all scorers with 21 points and she was the only Lady Eagle in double figures.

The Cowgirls, who never scored in double figures in any quarter, were led in scoring by Villarreal’s 10 points.

The Lady Eagles held a huge advantage on the boards, 62-30.

The Cowgirls committed 30 turnovers, while the Lady Eagles turned the ball over 18 times.

In the nightcap, the game was a battle throughout until the Eagles built an eight-point lead in early in the fourth quarter and were able to hold off the Cowboys to get the first win of the season.

The eight-point margin was Waurika’s biggest lead of the game and they held it twice in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys had the lead throughout much of the first half, but could never stretch their lead to more than five points – once late in the first quarter and another time late in the second quarter.

Braeden Bergeron got the Cowboys on the scoreboard first with a put back shot and Racen Williams hit one of two free throws to give Ryan a 3-0 lead with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles hit a pair of free throws by Jake Smart and a bucket by Trenton Torrez to seize the lead, 4-3, with 5:24 left in the first frame.

It was Williams’ three-pointer that stretched the Cowboy lead to 11-6 with 50 seconds left in the first quarter, but Waurika scored the final two points on a pair of free throws by Torrez with 21 seconds left to cut the Ryan lead to 11-8 and that is how the quarter ended.

Smart’s layup at the 4:59 mark of the second period tied the scored, but Xavier Guzman’s trey and a layup by Will Townsend extended the Cowboys’ advantage to 18-13 with 2:38 remaining in the second quarter.

Waurika scored the final four points of the quarter as Smart got a steal and a layup at the 1:02 mark and Smart added another layup with 44.2 seconds left to pull the Eagles within one, 18-17, at the half.

The Eagles threatened to pull away in the opening moments of the third quarter, but the Cowboys remained close until Torrez knocked down a pair of free throws to give Waurika a 28-22 lead with 4:53 left.

Guzman nailed a three-pointer from the corner to cut the Eagles’ lead to 28-25, but Isaac Camarillo got a layup to give Waurika a 30-25 advantage.

A short jumper by Guzman pulled Ryan to within 30-27 and a long three-pointer by Williams tied the game with 22.4 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Eagles snared the lead when Ben Porterfield hit a layup with just seven ticks remaining in the third quarter to put Waurika in front, 32-30.

A 7-2 run in the early moments of the fourth quarter by the Eagles provided the advantage Waurika needed to pull away from the pesky Cowboys.

Smart’s three-pointer at the 5:25 mark of the fourth quarter gave Waurika a 39-31 lead.

Carsen Rodriguez hit a free throw for the Cowboys to trim the lead to seven, but Torrez answered with a free throw putting Waurika in front, 40-32, with just 2:15 remaining in the game.

The Cowboys were stymied in the fourth quarter as they went without a field goal and the only two points in the final two minutes for Ryan were a pair of free throws by Julian Rodriguez.

In the final 43 seconds, Waurika secured the victory by hitting three of four free throws giving the Eagles a seven-point win.

Smart led all scorers with 16 points and Torrez chipped in 15 points for the Eagles.

The Cowboys had only one player in double figures – Guzman garnered 11 points to lead Ryan in scoring.

The rebounding margin was as close as the game with Waurika holding a slight 39-36 edge on the boards.

The Eagles committed 18 turnovers, while Ryan recorded 14 turnovers in the game.

RIVALRY NOTES: The Lady Eagles scored their 12th straight victory over the Cowgirls….The Lady Eagles lead the series, 41-22, since 1988….With the win by the Eagles, Waurika increased its advantage in the series to 38-27 since the 1988 season….Waurika has won six of the last seven meetings with the Cowboys….The 36 points scored by the Cowboys is tied for the eighth fewest points against the Eagles since 1988….The 43 points by the Eagles is the fewest in a victory since a 38-33 win in the 2012 season.

WAURIKA 53,

RYAN 24

(Girls)

Waurika 15,17,1,38—53

Ryan 4, 6, 7, 7—24

WAURIKA (1-0): Liberti Simmons 8-4-21, Jasmine Henry 4-0-8, Cassidie Berry 3-0-6, Charley Sellers 2-0-5, Jaden Williams 2-0-4, Destiny Foster 1-0-3, Rylee Torrez 1-0-2, Jaci Gholson 1-0-2, Becky Mataska 1-0-2. TOTALS: 23-4-53. PF: 22; Three-pointers: Simmons, Sellers, Foster.

RYAN (0-1): Jasmine Villarreal 4-1-10, Maci Cooper 1-2-5, Kamrie Hernandez 1-0-2, Kylee Charmasson 1-0-2, Emily Harris 0-2-2, Lirin Tucker 0-1-1, Raylee White 0-1-1, Libby Carter 0-1-1. TOTALS: 7-8-24. PF: 12; Three-pointers: Villarreal.

WAURIKA 43,

RYAN 36

(Boys)

Waurika 8, 9,15,11—43

Ryan 11,7,12, 6—36

WAURIKA (1-0): Jake Smart 5-5-16, Treyton Torrez 3-9-15, Ben Porterfield 4-0-8, Isaac Camarillo 1-2-4. TOTALS: 13-16-43. PF: 18; Three-pointers: Smart.

RYAN (0-1): Xavier Guzman 4-1-11, Julian Rodriguez 2-5-9, Racen Williams 2-1-7, Braeden Bergeron 2-0-4, Carsen Rodriguez 1-1-3, Will Townsend 1-0-2. TOTALS: 12-8-36. PF: 16; Three-pointers: Guzman 2, Williams 2.

Diamond Woes Continue for Cowgirl Softball Squad

Sports

By

Trey Smart

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August 27, 2021

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It has been a difficult first few weeks for the Ryan Cowgirl softball squad as the Cowgirls are still looking for their first win of the season.

In action Monday and Tuesday, the Cowgirls dropped a 10-6 decision to Big Pasture and a 12-0 verdict to Thackerville.

The Cowgirls are slated to travel to Temple today and then will host Waurika on Tuesday.

One week from today, Bray-Doyle and Temple will come to Larry Ninman Field for a three-way encounter.

On Tuesday, the Cowgirls could not get anything going at the plate against the Lady Wildcats.

Plus, defensive lapses allowed Thackerville to get a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The first four Lady Wildcats reached base on errors and three of them scored.

In the second inning a combination of three errors and two walks led to three more runs to increase the Thackerville lead to 7-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Lady Wildcats got five runs to end the game. Thackerville took advantage of two more errors and three walks and a hit batsman to pick up the run-rule win.

The Cowgirls did not have a hit in the game.

In Monday’s game at home, the Cowgirls got on top of the Lady Rangers with a single run in the bottom of the first inning.

Carter Combs reached base and then Libby Carter and Emily Harris walked. Maci Cooper got a two-out, RBI-single to give the Cowgirls a 1-0 advantage.

In the top of the second inning Big Pasture had its first four batters reach base and score giving the Lady Rangers a 4-1 lead.

Ryan cut the margin with another run in the bottom of the third inning.

Jasmine Villerreal reached base and scored for the Cowgirls and the Big Pasture lead was down to 4-2.

In the top of the fourth, Big Pasture increased the lead with three runs to go up, 7-2.

The Cowgirls were able to pick up another run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Cooper reached base and eventually came around to score to bring the Cowgirls to within 7-3.

The Lady Rangers put the game away with three more runs in the top of the sixth inning to expand the lead to 10-3.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cowgirls mounted a rally that came up a little short.

Harris, Villerreal and Cooper led off the inning by reaching base and all three scored, but the Cowgirls went down in order after that.

Villerreal and Cooper each scored two runs in the contest for the Cowgirls.

Cowgirl Harriers Claim First Regional Team Title In School History

By

Trey Smart

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October 24, 2019

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It has been a season of many firsts for the Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad.

The Cowgirls added to the list last Saturday by claiming the regional championship in the Class 2A division of the meet held at Waurika.

The Cowgirls will be competing Saturday at the Class 2A State Cross Country meet at Shawnee’s Gordon Cooper Technology Center. The race time is set for 12:30 p.m. for the Class 2A girls.

Ryan topped the crowded field at the Waurika regional with 58 points – the fewest points ever scored in a regional meet by the Cowgirls. Merritt finished second with 71 points, while the host Waurika earned third place with 73 points.

“The victory was the result of months of hard work, dedication and commitment from the girls,” said coach Steve Spangler.

The fourth-ranked Cowgirls did overcome some adversity to take the regional meet. While the squad wore the favorite’s role coming into the regional meet, the Cowgirls had a few nagging injuries and one runner actually suffered an ankle injury about one quarter into the 3,200 meter race.

“We ran well despite some nagging injuries,” noted coach Spangler. “This was a testimony to their mental toughness and their desire to win.”

The Cowgirls had two runners win medals, but were able to lock up the team title because of great depth. Ryan finished with five runners in the top 26 in the field of 110 participants.

Lilybet Harmon led the way for the Cowgirls as she has in all but one meet during the season.

Harmon’s time of 13:14.8 was her second best time of the year and the mark earned her fifth place in the competition. Her time was just one second out of fourth place.

Also winning a medal for the Cowgirls was Juliet Spangler. She posted a season-best time of 13:41.33 to claim the 15th spot in the race.

This will be J. Spangler’s fourth straight trip to the state meet as she qualified as an individual her freshman year and with the team the other three seasons.

The other three runners – Katlyn Dabbs, Lily York and Alicen Williams – were the key to the Cowgirls claiming the team title as they finished between 17th and 26th in the meet.

Each of the three girls posted their best times of the season. Dabbs was 17th with a time of 13:45.27, while York managed to finish 23rd with a time of 14:00.5. Williams came in 26th with a time of 14:11.43.

Also competing for the Cowgirls were Whittany Spangler who was 65th with a time of 15:58.40 and Gracie Stamper who turned in a season-best performance of 16:51.59 to finished 82nd.

W. Spangler’s time was the best among the sixth place finishers on teams competing for the title. That is significant because had there been a tie for the team title, that would have been the tie-breaker.

Mason Adsit was the lone Cowboy to compete in Saturday’s Cross Country Meet.
He finished with his best time of the season.
Photo by Curtis Plant

It was a talented field overall at the Waurika regional.

The individual champion was Kira Berkey of Hydro-Eakly. She covered the 3,200 meters in a time of 12:46.62.

“Our seniors, Lily York and Juliet Spangler have been tremendous leaders this year,” said coach Spangler. “They have encouraged, led by example and held the team accountable for their actions.”

The Cowgirls will join the other two regional meet champions, Watonga and Hooker, at the state meet on Saturday.

Boise City and Cherokee will also send strong teams to the state meet and the Cowgirls will have to turn in their absolute best performance of the season if they have any hope of upsetting Watonga, the favorite to take the state title.

Hooker, Boise City and Cherokee will also provide stiff competition for the Cowgirls if they hope to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish at the state meet.

Above: (l-r) Whittany Spangler, Grace Stamper, Lily York, Juliet Spangler, Lilybet Harmon, Alicen Williams, and Katelynn Dabbs
Photo by Curtis Plant

“Watonga and Hooker are great teams that will be difficult to beat,” noted coach Spangler. “If I have learned anything this year, however, it is our girls love a challenge and I think they will rise to the competition.”

“I am proud of these girls – not just because of what they accomplish on the course, but also because of their actions off the course,” added coach Spangler.

The Cowboys had one representative at the regional meet.

Mason Adsit finished 67th in the race, which featured 105 runners. However, his time of 22:59.66 over the five kilometer course was his best time of the season.

COWGIRL HARRIER NOTES: The Cowgirls have qualified for the state meet for three straight years….Ryan’s girls won a total of six meets this season, which topped last year’s school record mark of five titles…The fourth-place ranking among Class 2A cross country teams is the highest ranking in the short history of the sport at Ryan….The previous best finish in a regional meet for the Cowgirls was in 2017 when they finished second….In 2018, the Cowgirls were third and in 2016 – the first year for team competition at the regional meet – Ryan finished tied for seventh place….This will be Harmon and York’s third straight appearance in the state meet….Harmon has three of the top four best times in 3,200-meter races in school history and will be seeking to become only the second girl in school history to post a time of under 13 minutes when she competes at the state meet….This was the first time in regional competition the Cowgirls had two runners on the awards stand….It was the first time in school history the Cowgirls had five runners finish in the top 30 in the regional meet….The top four times for the Cowgirls in the regional marks the first time four runners have posted times of 14 minutes or better….Juliet Spangler becomes the first Cowgirl in school history to earn a medal in two regional meets….Over the past three seasons the Cowgirls have won 13 meet titles – one of the top marks in the state.

Ryan Opens Season with Split at Homecoming Contests

By

Trey Smart

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November 30, 2018

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It was the season opener for the Ryan Cowboys and Cowgirls Tuesday night and both games came down to the wire.

The Cowgirls fell to Grandfield, 34-32, while the boys picked up a 37-31 victory over the Bearcats.

Ryan begins play today in the St. Jo, Texas Tournament. The Cowgirls will play Alvord, Texas in the first round, while the Cowboys are set to play Paradise, Texas junior varsity.

Both teams will return to action on Friday.

The Cowgirls trailed 11-10 after the first quarter, but managed to tie the game at the half, 17-17, despite hitting only three of 11 from the free throw line.

The Lady Bearcats managed to outscore the Cowgirls, 8-6, in the third quarter setting up a dramatic ending to the contest.

That two-point edge ended up being the difference in the game as the two teams battled on even terms in the fourth quarter.

The Cowgirls had a game-winning three-pointer rim out at the buzzer.

Samantha Good led the Cowgirls in scoring with 14 points. Lily York was the only other Cowgirl in double figures as she finished with 10 points.

Free throw shooting, which hampered the Cowgirls most of the 2018 season, was the Achilles heel for Coach Steve Spangler’s squad in the season opener. Ryan connected on only seven of 17 from the charity stripe in the game.

In the boys’ contest, the Bearcats looked like they would run the Cowboys out of the gym.

The Bearcats took a 7-2 lead after the first quarter and increased the lead to 20-11 at intermission.

The two teams played on even terms in the third quarter and the Cowboys entered the fourth quarter trailing, 29-19.

However, in the final frame, the Cowboys caught fire and outscored the Bearcats, 18-2, to capture the victory.

The game did not exactly feature great shooting. The Cowboys managed to shoot 36% from the field but were only one of nine from the three-point line.

The Bearcats were much worse. Grandfield connected on only nine of 35 two-point field goal attempts and only connected on two of 25 three-pointers for a dismal 18% from the field.

The Cowboys might have stayed closer in the first half, but they made only three of 11 free throws and finished the game hitting only 25% from the line.

Defensively, the Cowboys had 10 steals and out-rebounded the Bearcats, 42-34.

Grayson Tomberlin led the Cowboys in scoring with 15 points and was the only Cowboy in double figures.

Cowboy coach Austin Masoner garnered his first coaching win with the victory over Grandfield.

After competing in the tournament at St. Jo, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be off until one week from today when they begin play in the Black and Gold Classic at Wilson.

GRANDFIELD 34, RYAN 32 (Girls)

Grandfield 11 6 8 9–34

Ryan 10 7 6 9–32

RYAN – Samantha Good 6-2-14, Lily York 4-1-10, Alicen Williams 1-4-6, Lilybet Harmon 1-0-2. TOTALS: 12-7-32. Three-pointers: York.

RYAN 37, GRANDFIELD 31 (Boys)

Grandfield 7 13 9 2–31

Ryan 2 9 8 18–37

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 6-2-15, Skyler Parkhill 3-1-7, Andrew Villerreal 2-1-5, Brock Smith 2-0-4, Travis Fristoe 2-0-4, Landon Alexander 1-0-2. TOTALS: 16-4-37. Three-pointers: Tomberlin.

Ringling Brings State Grid Title Back to Jefferson County

By

Trey Smart

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December 24, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cowboys Set to Battle Snyder for Season Opener

By

Trey Smart

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August 24, 2018

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The 99th season of high school football at Ryan is slated to begin tomorrow night (Friday) when the Snyder Cyclones invade the Bob Givens Sports Complex.

Kickoff for the season opener for both teams is set for 7:30 p.m.

This will be the earliest season opener in school history as the contest is part of Zero Week in high school football in Oklahoma.

Teams can elect to start the season one week early and forego a second scrimmage date. The advantage is teams that play during Zero Week will have a week off during the regular season.

Snyder ended the Cowboys’ season a year ago at Ryan as the Cyclones took advantage of numerous Ryan turnovers to post a 38-8 victory.

It was the first year returning to the playoffs for Ryan after a two-year absence and the Cowboys of first-year head coach Tony Tomberlin are looking to improve on last season’s 6-5 record.

Tomberlin will be taking over for long-time head coach Stan Mueggenborg after serving as an assistant for the veteran coach the past 12 years.

The outlook for the Cowboys for 2018 is guarded. The coaching staff faces the tall task of replacing six of eight starters on the defensive side of the ball.

However, quarterback Grayson Tomberlin returns for his sophomore campaign after starting all 11 games a year ago as a freshman.

Joining Tomberlin, last season’s district newcomer of the year, in the backfield will be talented senior and all-district running back Skyler Parkhill.

Both players will give Ryan a solid nucleus from which to build on offense.

Tomberlin finished last season with 638 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He also threw for 731 yards on 44 completions and 12 touchdown passes.

Parkhill was the second leading rusher last season with 620 yards on 93 carries and five rushing touchdowns.

The Cowboys will feature a freshman in the backfield with Caleb Ferrin expected to start at the other running back position.

Kalen Weldon will return at one end for the Cowboys and Andrew Villerreal will move from the backfield to the other end position.

Two seniors, Sam Brown and Justin Williams, along with sophomore Trey Bryant will be counted on to try to open up running lanes for the backs and give Tomberlin time to find receivers.

The Cowboys will feature a bit more wide-open attack with more spread offense and implementing the pistol formation.

Defensively, things are a bit unsettled. Not only will there be six new starters, but coming out of last week’s scrimmage, there are still some battles going on for starting positions.

Pacen Wiest and Bryant are battling for a starting role at nose guard and the defensive end positions are still up for grabs in the 3-2 defense.

The defense will need to mature quickly as Snyder, the Cowboys’ first opponent, will bring a potent offensive attack that will feature one of the state’s top sprinters in Trevor Evans. He was the state champion in Class A in the 400 meters and the runner up in the 100 meters last spring.

“I would say at this point the offense is a step ahead of the defense,” Tomberlin noted heading into this week’s final few days of practice.

“On defense we are still trying to figure some things out,” Tomberlin said.

Tomberlin was not particularly pleased with the Cowboys’ scrimmage with Maud last week.

“We have a lot of improving to do, but we will watch film and we will get better,” said Tomberlin.

“We are looking forward to some things and we are trying to get some excitement back in the program. The kids’ attitudes are good and we are lifting every day and they are getting stronger,” Tomberlin added.

Snyder will provide a tough challenge for the Cowboys’ season opener. The Cyclones are picked fourth District B-3, but ahead of them are Carnegie, Alex and Cyril – all top 15 teams in the preseason.

Tomberlin will be assisted by first-year coach Austin Masoner.

Businesses Invited to Decorate Doors

Sports

By

News Release

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September 9, 2022

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The Waurika High School Student Council is inviting downtown businesses to once again participate in the annual Homecoming Door Decorating Contest!

The theme this year is “Once Upon An Eagle… (fairy tale edition!)” Businesses are asked to decorate the outside of their businesses and show their spirit for Homecoming, taking place on Friday, September 16th. Doors will be judged Friday before the parade, and the winning business will be announced at the Homecoming parade held at 2pm downtown.

The winning business will get to display the traveling Eagle Spirit Trophy for the year!

Ryan Girls Fall in Regional Tourney Contest to End Season

Sports

By

Trey Smart

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February 22, 2018

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A cold-shooting second half proved to be fatal for the Ryan Cowgirls in the first round of the Class A Regional Tournament at Central High last Thursday.

The Cowgirls, after taking a commanding lead at the half, fell to the Lady Blue Devils, 41-36, to end the 2018 season.

The Cowgirls finish the season with an 8-16 mark – the most wins and the fewest losses since the 2014 season.

Ringling got the first bucket of the game as Presley snared an offensive rebound and scored giving the Lady Devils a 2-0 lead.

That was the last lead for Ringling until late in the third quarter.

After the initial basket by Ringling, the Cowgirls went on a 10-1 run and led after the first quarter, 10-3.

The Cowgirls got their biggest lead of the game as Lily York hit a short jumper with 7:34 to play in the second quarter putting the Cowgirls in front, 12-3.

Two free throws by Juliet Spangler gave Ryan another nine point lead with 3:12 left in the half, but Ringling was able to cut the lead to 15-9 on Rayme Tolliver’s free throw with 46 seconds left in the half.

Kenzie Lewis, playing in her last game for the Cowgirls, nailed a three-pointer with 18 seconds left in the half sending the Cowgirls into the locker room with a commanding 18-9 lead.

A layup and a 10-foot jumper by Reid helped Ringling cut the deficit to 18-13 with just over a minute gone in the third quarter.

But the Lady Blue Devils continued to find the range and gradually trimmed the lead until Kelsea Thompson connected on a trey with 3:08 left in the third period to tie the game at 21-21.

A free throw by Kassidy Perkins gave the Lady Blue Devils their first lead since that initial basket at 22-21 with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

Karagan Cox hit another three-pointer for the lady Blue Devils and Ringling had a 25-21 lead with 1:48 to play.

Spangler’s put back on an offensive rebound and Samantha Good’s bucket helped the Cowgirls to knot the score at 25-25 heading into the final frame.

Throughout the early part of the fourth quarter the game remained tight and a single free throw by York with 3:56 to play in the game left Ryan trailing the Lady Blue Devils, 32-31.

That would be as close as the Cowgirls would get the rest of the game.

Ringling was able to forge into the lead thanks to hitting the offensive boards and hitting six of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. The Cowgirls failed to aggressively attack Ringling’s full-court press in the second half.

Ringling’s biggest lead came with just 19.9 seconds left in the game after Thompson connected on two charity tosses.

Good’s 12-foot jumper with 6.7 second remaining set the final margin at 41-36.

Spangler led the Cowgirls with 11 points, but she was the only Cowgirl in double figures.

York, who has paced the Cowgirls in scoring most of the season finished with only one field goal in the game. Good added nine points and Lewis finished with eight tallies.

Reid and Thompson had 10 points each for Ringling.

Ringling dropped a 54-31 decision to Vici last Friday night in the consolation bracket semifinals to end its season.

The Cowgirls of first-year coach Steve Spangler were much improved in 2018 over the previous three seasons despite playing with only seven players most of the season.

Lewis was the only senior on the squad for the Cowgirls.

“Kenzie Lewis did an amazing job leading such a young squad,” said Spangler. “She helped lay a foundation that will pay off in the future.”

The Cowgirls started four sophomores all season and many times they faced opponents’ starting lineups that featured all juniors and seniors.

“Our talented group of sophomores gained valuable experience and their growth and maturity showed throughout the season,” added Spangler in reflecting on the season.

“With the return of the sophomore class and getting Emilee Martin back from a season-ending injury we should be able to build on the success of this year,” Spangler said.

York was the leading scorer for the Cowgirls as she averaged 12.2 points per game. Spangler contributed 10 points a game and led the team in rebounding with 8.4 rebounds a game.

The glaring weakness in this year’s edition of the Cowgirls was scoring. The Cowgirls averaged 34.6 points a game for the season.

Ryan connected on only 312 of 1,093 field goal attempts for a 29% shooting percentage. From long range, the Cowgirls were 119 of 456 tries for 26%.

At the free throw line, the Cowgirls struggled to convert and in a couple of contest, it really hampered the Cowgirl effort. Ryan was 171 of 324 free throws for 56%.

The squad was, however, outstanding on defense as they allowed only 38.4 points a game. The Cowgirls were 0-11 when opponents scored more than 40 points a game – which was an indication of the offensive struggle. In games in which the opponent scored less than 40 points, Ryan held an 8-5 record.

Cowgirls Claim Fifth Team Title for 2018 Season

By

Trey Smart

-

October 15, 2018

0

LAWTON – Coach Steve Spangler and the members of the Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad set some goals before the season started.

One of the goals was to win five meets during the cross country season.

Last Friday, the Cowgirls met that goal as they claimed the title of the Cameron University Cross Country Invitational II here.

Lily York crosses the finish line at the recent Cameron University Cross Country Invitational and earned a medal with a ninth place finish for the Cowboys last Friday.
Photo by Trey Smart

Unlike most courses, the Lawton course was fairly wide open and a strong south wind made the event a little tougher even though only four teams competed for the team title.

The Cowgirls claimed the first-place trophy with 26 points, edging out Waurika who finished with 35 points. Lone Grove was third with 83 points and Lawton High finished fourth with 85 points.

This was the final meet of the regular season as the Cowgirl squad will compete in the Class 2A Regional Cross Country meet on Saturday at Velma-Alma’s Wildhorse Golf Course.

Julie Spangler edges out a competitor from Lone Grove to finish seventh in the Cameron University Cross Country Invitational at Lawton last Friday.
Photo by Trey Smart

The fourth-ranked Cowgirls will be joined by top-ranked Watonga in the Velma regional, which is somewhat surprising considering Velma is over twice as far from Watonga as the northwest regional to be held in Enid.

The top seven teams will advance to the Class 2A State Cross Country meet at Shawnee a week from Saturday.

Lilybet Harmon crosses the finish line in third place last Friday at the Cameron University Cross Country Invitational in Lawton.
Photo by Trey Smart

The Cowgirls will not only have the top-ranked squad to face, but will have five other teams that are ranked in the top 15 in the state in the Velma-Alma regional including the hosts, Waurika and Merritt.

For the second meet in a row, Lilybet Harmon led the contingent of Cowgirl harriers with a third-place finish at the Cameron meet. Her time of 13:35.20 was the best of the season in the 3,200-meter distance.

Katelynn Dabbs (front) and Holland Carter are (back) shown finishing the Cameron University Cross Country Invitational meet in Lawton last Friday. Dabbs finished fifth and Carter was sixth in the race.
Photo by Trey Smart

Katlynn Dabbs was fifth for the Cowgirls and finished with a time of 13:54.40 – also her best time of the season.

Holland Carter was just a half a second behind Dabbs and finished sixth with a time of 13:54.92. But, it was also Carter’s best time of the year.

Juliet Spangler, who was battling a nagging minor injury, finished seventh in the race with a time of 13:59.27.

CAMERON CHAMPS – Pictured are members of the Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad that claimed the title of the Cameron University Cross Country Invitational last Friday in Lawton. Pictured are (left to right) Juliet Spangler, Lily York, Holland Carter, Katelynn Dabbs, Lilybet Harmon and Alicen Williams.
Photo by Trey Smart

Lily York rounded out the medal winners for the Cowgirls with a ninth-place finish and a time of 14:07.92, which was also her personal best in 2018.

Alicen Williams finished 23rd in the race, but also posted her best time of the season at 15:43.68.

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