Ryan’s Senior softball players were honored for their efforts and careers.
and COACH Stan Mueggenborg.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Ryan Softball Seniors Recognized at Game
and COACH Stan Mueggenborg.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Cowboys Pick Up Big Double Overtime Victory Over Wilson
…Another Strong Second Half Propels Ryan to Win
Sparked by another excellent second half performance, the Ryan Cowboys came away with a dramatic 32-26 double overtime victory over Wilson at Bob Givens Sports Complex last Friday night.
The Cowboys move to 2-0 on the season, while Wilson drops to 1-2.
Ryan will hit the road for the first time in 2022 on Friday when they travel to Central High. Kickoff for the non-district matchup with the Broncos is 7 p.m.
Central High is 2-1 on the year with wins over Grandfield and Bray-Doyle. The Bronchos fell to Tipton, 52-14 last Friday night.
It was a gritty performance by the Cowboys throughout last Friday’s game and unlike the first game of the season, the Cowboys played well in the first half despite going into the locker room with a 6-0 deficit.
The first half touchdown by the Eagles came on the first drive of the game.
Wilson returned the opening kickoff to midfield and it took the Eagles just four plays to cover the distance for the score. The run for the extra point was stopped short by Ryan’s Kyson Tomberlin, but Wilson had the early 6-0 lead with 10:49 remaining in the first quarter.
The two teams exchanged punts and then Ryan put together its first threat of the game on their next possession. The Cowboys drove from their own 30 to the Wilson 25, but a fourth down pass was broken up and Wilson took over on downs.
The Eagles promptly moved down to the Cowboy 16 where on a fourth and one Ryan’s Daylen Vandoozer stuffed the Wilson runner for no gain giving Ryan the ball near the end of the first quarter.
Defense reigned supreme for both squads in the second quarter, but late in the quarter Ryan drove to the Wilson 13.
Two Ryan penalties and an incomplete pass gave Ryan a fourth down at the Wilson 27 and Xavier Guzman’s pass was intercepted in the end zone and the Eagles returned the ball to the Ryan 19 with just 31 seconds left before intermission.
But, on the first play, Wilson fumbled and Foreman Casebolt recovered for Ryan giving the Cowboys the ball at the Wilson 16.
The Cowboys, however, could not take advantage and a fourth down pass fell incomplete as the half ended.
Just like a week ago, the Cowboys came out for the second half and drove the football for a score after the opening kickoff.
Casebolt returned the second half kickoff seven yards to give Ryan the ball at its own 35.
A nine-yard gain by Racen Williams and a four-yard pick up by Carsen Rodriguez gave Ryan a first down at the Cowboy 48.
On the next play, Williams raced around right end, hovering around the sideline and then cutting back to the middle and outran the Wilson defense for a 52-yard touchdown run. The try for two points failed, but Ryan had tied the score at 6-6 with 11:34 left in the third quarter.
A punt by Wilson and a turnover by Ryan gave Wilson possession at the Eagle 36.
It took the Eagles 11 plays to travel 64 yards for the go-ahead score.
Landon Richardson covered the final 13 yards for the score and the two-point conversion pass was broken up by Ryan’s Ethan Burden. The Eagles now had the lead, 12-6, with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cowboys answered with an impressive drive of 60 yards in six plays. C. Rodiguez got the tying score on an 13-yard run. The pass for two points was incomplete, but the score was tied at 12-12 with just 11 seconds to play in the third quarter.
The two teams once again exchanged punts and at the 8:01 mark of the fourth quarter, Wilson took possession at its own 40.
After a three-yard loss, Wilson quarterback Collin Wharton found running back Jake Schiralli in the flat and he raced 63 yards to pay dirt. The pass for two points was incomplete, but the Eagles had moved in front, 18-12, with 6:54 left in the game.
On the next possession, the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs and Wilson got the ball with 4:17 left in the game. A 40-yard gain gave Wilson a first down at the Ryan 30 and the Eagles seemed poised to put the game away with another score.
But, after an incomplete pass, a pass for a loss of three yards and a four-yard gain, Wilson faced fourth and nine at the Ryan 29.
The Eagles went for the kill by throwing the ball, but it was picked off by Williams at the Ryan six and he returned it to the Wilson 38, but a Ryan penalty on the return brought the ball to the Ryan 39 after a penalty was assessed to Wilson for a late hit.
The play of the game might have come on first down for the Cowboys when Williams found C. Rodriguez downfield and the sophomore running back made a juggling catch as he fell to the ground, but it was good for a 24-yard pass completion at the Wilson 37.
Guzman picked up 14 yards for another first down moving the ball to the Wilson 23.
After a one-yard gain, Williams found Julian Rodriguez over the middle for a 21-yard pass completion down to the one with just 46 seconds remaining in the game.
The next three plays netted no yardage, but on fourth down C. Rodriguez bulled his way into the end zone for the tying score with just five seconds remaining in regulation.
The Cowboys had the opportunity to win the game with a successful two-point conversion, but the pass failed.
Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff to the Eagle 49, but time expired on the return to send the game into overtime.
Wilson won the toss and elected to play defense first on the west end of the field.
On Ryan’s first play, Williams found Will Townsend open in the end zone for the go-ahead score.
On the critical two-point conversion, Williams scrambled around threw into traffic to Guzman who made a clutch catch just inside the end zone to put Ryan in front, 26-18.
Wilson wasted no time in answering the Cowboy score as Wharton found tight end Cason Fulton wide open in the end zone for the touchdown. The Eagles tied the game with the two-point conversion pass from Wharton to Fulton again that sent the game into the second overtime.
The Eagles got the ball first in the second overtime and a first down pass was incomplete. On second down the Eagles were flagged for holding putting the ball back at the Ryan 20.
An incomplete pass, a four-yard loss and another incomplete pass gave Ryan its possession.
It took Ryan just three plays to get the winning score as C. Rodriguez broke outside and scored from one yard out to give the Cowboys the victory.
The Cowboy defense was impressive after the game-opening score by the Eagles as they came up with several key stops and three turnovers.
The offense rolled up 388 yards of total offense. Williams led all rushers in the game with 100 yards on 14 carries – his second straight game of 100+ yards. He was also 12 of 21 passing for 138 yards.
COWBOY CORRAL: This was the 10th overtime game played by Ryan in school history….The overtime game last Friday was the first extra period game played by Ryan since a double overtime victory over Waurika, 44-36, in 2017….Ryan is now 6-4 in overtime games since the rule was instituted in the 1975 season….The Cowboys are 4-0 in games that have gone two overtimes….Ryan is 2-0 in overtime games with Wilson….Ryan actually played in one of the first overtime games in Oklahoma during the 1975 season when Ryan defeated Temple, 6-0, in a pair of extra frames in the season opener….Ryan moves to 9-13 against Wilson in school history and 2-3 in games since Wilson began eight-man play a few years ago…The first meeting between these two schools came in 1920 – a 46-14 victory by the Cowboys…..The 32 points scored by the Cowboys against the Eagles is the most since Ryan scored 42 in a 42-8 victory in the 1970 season….The point total by the Cowboys is the third highest total in 22 meetings with Wilson….The 26 points by Wilson is the most in the series in an Eagle loss to Ryan….Ryan and Wilson went 39 years without playing each other from 1977 to 2016 – when Wilson moved to the eight-man ranks….Wilson is the largest eight-man school in the state according to the latest figures released by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association…The last time the Cowboys were 2-0 to open a season was 2017, but it has happened only 21 times since Ryan began eight-man play in 1978….The Cowboys moved to sixth in the Class C rankings by the Tulsa World and that is the first time a Ryan team has been ranked since early in the 2014 season….The win over Wilson represents the first win over a Class B non-district foe when Ryan is playing in Class C since the 2013 season opener when Ryan downed Waurika, 44-26….A pair of former Waurika head football coaches were on opposite sides of the field last Friday night as Tony Roberts serves as an assistant at Ryan, while Glenn Howard is an assistant at Wilson.
Game in Figures
WHS RHS
First Downs 12 16
Yards Rushing 30-168 47-250
Yards Passing 161 138
Passes 10-22 12-22
Passes Int. by 2 2
Fumbles, Lost 3-1 0-0
Punts 4-35.3 4-30.8
Penalties 6-72 9-75
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Wilson 6 0 6 6 8 0—26
Ryan 0 0 12 6 8 6—32
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
WILSON – Jake Schiralli 14 run (run failed), 10:49
THIRD QUARTER
RYAN – Racen Williams 52 run (run failed), 11:34
WILSON – Landon Richardson 2 run (pass failed), 2:26
RYAN – Carsen Rodriguez 13 run (pass failed), :11
FOURTH QUARTER
WILSON – Schiralli 63 pass from Collin Wharton (pass failed), 6:54
RYAN – Rodriguez 1 run (pass failed), :05
FIRST OVERTIME
RYAN – Will Townsend 10 pass form Williams (Xavier Guzman pass from Williams)
WILSON – Cason Fulton 10 pass from Wharton (Fulton pass from Wharton)
SECOND OVERTIME
RYAN – Rodriguez 1 run (no try)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
WILSON: Rushing – Jake Schiralli 11-113, Collin Wharton 5-18, Landon Richardson 5-13, Isiah Gibson 4-11, Braxton Miles 4-10, Braxton Lee 1-3; Passing – Wharton 10-22-2-161; Receiving – Schiralli 4-74, Cason Fulton 3-57, Dakota Chatham 1-12, John Gunter 1-9, Landon Richardson 1-9.
RYAN: Rushing – Racen Williams 14-100, Carsen Rodriguez 19-96, Xavier Guzman 12-61, Team 1-(-7); Passes – Williams 12-2-1-138, Guzman 0-1-1-0; Receiving – Will Townsend 3-20, C. Rodriguez 2-65, Julian Rodriguez 2-24, Guzman 2-13, Maddox Dabbs 2-11; Foreman Casebolt 1-3; Tackles: Kyson Tomberlin 6.5, C. Rodriguez 6, J. Rodriguez 6, Williams 5.5, Guzman 5.5, Dabbs 4, Casebolt 3.5, Daylen Vandoozer 2.5, Will Regher 1.5, Mason Adsit 1, Alex Uribe, Ethan Burden .5, Andrew Scott .5.
Cowgirl Fast-Pitch Squad Hopes To Rebound From Winless 2019 Season
It was a tough season last year for the Ryan High School fast-pitch softball squad.
The 2019 team was 0-19 for the fall season and is looking to improve that mark as the 2020 season kicks off Tuesday at Waurika.
The Cowgirls will stage the home opener one week from today (Thursday) when they will play host to Big Pasture on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports Complex.
Youth will be counted on by third-year coach Stan Mueggenborg as last year’s team featured four seniors. This year’s roster has only three seniors.
But, while the Cowgirls may be short on experience, they will have more talent on the field.
Mueggenborg is looking to start as many as three freshmen, including the likely starting pitcher, Jasmine Villerreal.
“She (Villerreal) has good speed and has a good fast ball and has been working on some off-speed pitches,” Mueggenborg said.
With Villerreal in the circle for the Cowgirls, that leaves a hole at shortstop where Villerreal was slated to play when pre-season practices started a few weeks ago.
Three returning starters – Kodi Duke, Diamond Chazaretta and Linsdsey Reake will be counted on to provide the offensive punch for the Cowgirls.
“Diamond has been hitting the ball well and a lot better than last year,” Mueggenborg said of the Cowgirl senior.
Reake, who returns a first base for the Cowgirls, should provide some power as she will probably hit in the four spot.
“Lindsey has a great attitude and works harder than just about anyone,” Mueggenborg noted.
Emily Harris, a sophomore, will see some playing time in the circle for the Cowgirls and will hopefully provide some offensive punch.
Harris and Reake were cited by Mueggenborg as two of the hardest working girls on the team.
“We are a little more talented and faster than a year ago,” Mueggenborg said. “We have the opportunity to do some things on the base paths that we have not been able to do previously.”
That speed will not only be an asset to the Cowgirls on the base paths, but also in the field.
The Cowgirls will have a bit of depth as Mueggenborg has 13 players currently preparing for the upcoming season.
Kyla Este’Phillips is one senior that will hopefully provide some depth in the outfield when needed.
Carter Combs looks to be the starter behind the plate, while sophomore Libby Carter will probably be holding down the second base position.
“Libby loves playing softball,” Mueggenborg said. “She is here every day and works at it and has gotten better every year.”
Kaitlyn Dabbs, another speedster for the Cowgirls, will be joining Duke and Chazaretta in the outfield.
Alexis Shockley is the other infielder for the Cowgirls and will see action at both shortstop and third base.
Overall the Cowgirls may be better, but with the schedule loaded with teams that return most or all of their players from a year ago, the Cowgirls may find a difficult time finding the win column.
But, as the younger players progress through the early part of the season, Mueggenborg is hopeful the wins will eventually come.“We are going to hustle every chance we get,” said Mueggenborg.
Look for the Cowgirls to be a bit more competitive on the diamond, but without the experience in the circle and teams such as Geronimo, Grandfield and Waurika returning key players from a year ago, it will be tough for the Cowgirls especially early in the season.
Cowgirl Fast-Pitch Softball Schedule
August
11: at Waurika; 13: Big Pasture; 17: at Wilson; 20, 22: Southern Eight Conference Tournament; 24: at Geronimo; 25: Grandfield.
September
1: Waurika; 3: Temple; 8: Wilson; 10, 12: Temple Tournament; 14: at Grandfield; 15: Frederick; 17: at Big Pasture; 21: Empire; 24: District Tournament.
Cowgirl Thinclads Set School Marks in Tough Konowa Meet
Three new school records were set by the Ryan Cowgirl track squad, but it resulted in no medals and no points in the tough Konowa Invitational Track Meet last Thursday at Konowa.
The Cowgirls were to have competed at Velma-Alma on Tuesday before action in the Class A Regional Track Meet at Alex on Saturday.
Field events get under way at 9:30 a.m. with the running events scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m.
The regional meet determines the participants in the Class A State Track Meet on May 4-5 at Western Heights High School in Oklahoma City.
At Konowa, the 3,200-meter relay team of Lilybet Harmon, Lily York, Holland Carter and Juliet Spangler managed an eighth place finish, but set a school mark with a time of 11:39.68.
The time was an improvement over the school record set just the week before at the Waurika Eight-Man Invitational.
The new school record was the third time this season this squad has set a new standard in the 3,200 meter relay.
Spangler also set a new school record in the 3,200 meter run. She was eighth among 30 competitors in the event with a time of 13:37.68.
This broke her school record of 13:38.16 that was set last season at the Waurika Invitational meet. Spangler holds the five best times in the 3,200 meters in school history.
Carter set a personal best time in the 800 meters with a mark of 2:47.5, but did not place among the field of competitors from mostly Class 2A and Class 3A schools.
In the final event of the day for the Cowgirls, the 1,600-meter relay team of Harmon, York, Carter and Spangler recorded a time of 5:03.63 to best the school mark set earlier this year at Elgin.
The 1,600 meter relay team for 2018 owns four of the five best times in school history for the event.
High School Sports Cancellations Tough For Teams, Individuals
With last week’s decision by the state school board to dismiss live instruction at schools across the state came the disappointing news that all high school sports for the remainder of the school year would be canceled.
This meant that promising seasons for Waurika in baseball, boys track and girls track came to a close.
At Ryan it meant the end of the slow-pitch softball season and also track for boys and girls. The Ryan Cowgirls had posted a win in its first meet of the season and the season was shaping up to be a good one with a senior-laden team.
So while the teams were disappointed to not be able to compete the remainder of their scheduled season, it was more of a bitter disappointment for the seniors on those teams as they saw their athletic careers come to a close.
“I hate it for our seniors (the cancellation of the schedule),” said Waurika athletic director Everett Hodges. “A lot of memories are made in their high school careers.”
Ryan athletic director Tony Tomberlin echoed the sentiments of Hodges.
“I feel bad for all the kids playing spring sports, especially the seniors,” Tomberlin noted. “For all of them this would have been their last opportunity, whether they continue to the next level or not, to play high school sports.”
“Unfortunately the seniors this year will miss that chance,” Tomberlin added. “It is something these kids will never get back.”
At both schools there were seniors looking forward to put a crowning achievement on their sports careers.
At Waurika, however, the impact of no spring sports has its effect economically.
Waurika annually will host a number of track meets including two high school meets that attract a number of schools’ participation.
“Track has always been a money making sport for us,” Hodges said. “I hate that we are missing out on that.”
At both schools a small loss of revenue will be incurred as baseball season at Waurika and slow-pitch softball season at Ryan were lost although the admissions to most of those contests will barely cover expenses of hiring umpires and providing equipment.
But, it is also during this time that an opportunity for student-athletes to learn a certain perspective about sports.
Sports, while important and can teach life lessons, are not nearly as important as we sometimes would like to think.
The current athletes at Ryan and Waurika will come to understand that the health and well-being of people is more important than a game.
“Back in World War II seems to be the only time they shut a lot of things down in sports,” Hodges reflected. “That almost seems like those times – times of war.”
The impact of the loss of the games and competition pales in comparison to life and death circumstances which some in our state and nation are facing.
“I think I will really notice the lack of sports as we get into the end of season time frame,” said Tomberlin.
“If it carries on into football season, I really will notice and I think everyone else will as well,” added Tomberlin who will look forward to his third season at the helm of the Cowboy football program.
While the disappointments and void of no high school sports is real, the reality of a bigger life lesson learned during this time stands a bit larger than a game or track meet.
At some point in the future the student-athletes who have been impacted will come to realize that truth.
Ryan Tournament Changes Format After Temple Drops Out
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.
Waurika’s Aaron Torrez Wins State in Power Lifting
Aaron Torrez recently achieved something that no junior high student in recent history has done.
Torrez won the State Championship in power lifting.
He competed in squats, bench and deadlifting this past week in El Reno.
Torrez is just in the seventh grade and this is his second year to compete on the weight lifting team.
Last year he competed at the state level and finished in 5th place.
He now would like to win the state title every year until he graduates.
Torrez has been a Waurika Eagle since Kindergarten.
In his spare time he loves to fish.
Cowboy Classic Baseball Tourney Has New Look
With only six teams lined up to compete in the Cowboy Classic baseball tournament the tourney will engage in pool play instead of the traditional bracket format.
The tournament was set to get under way this morning with Thackerville taking on Big Pasture to be followed by Thackerville and Grandfield at 12 noon. Grandfield was to have met Big Pasture today at 2 p.m. to complete the pool play for Pool A.
Pool B will begin play at 4 p.m. today with Waurika taking on Temple at 4 p.m. That contest will be followed by Ryan meeting Temple at 6 p.m. and the day will conclude with Ryan matching up with Waurika at 8 p.m.
All the games will be played on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports Complex.
The field for this year’s tournament is not a strong one, so any of the schools could rise up and claim the tournament title.
Thackerville is probably the favorite to take the crown for this tournament that is in its fifth year.
The Wildcats’ record is unknown, but they did win their own invitational tourney a couple of weeks ago defeating Ringling in the championship game, 15-11.
Thackerville’s pool opponents have only two wins between them. Big Pasture is 2-1 on the year heading into games earlier this week, while Grandfield is 0-9 not including a match up earlier this week with Chattanooga.
It is like the opponent in the championship game for Thackerville will be Waurika, however, the Eagles come into this tournament with a 2-9 mark not including games earlier this week with Wilson and Comanche.
The Eagles’ pool opponents have only one victory between them. The Cowboys are 1-5 on the year not including the contest with Big Pasture scheduled for earlier this week. Temple is 0-6 not including games earlier this week with Empire and Cyril.
The tournament will take Friday off and will be completed on Saturday.
The two third place teams from each pool will battle for fifth place on Saturday at noon, while the two second-place squads will play for the tournament’s third place at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The championship game will pit the two pool winners and the first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
In event of ties in the pool play, they will be decided in four ways. The first will be head-to-head competition and the second will be runs allowed by each team that is tied. If those two do not decide things, the third tie-breaker is runs allowed in the first inning of play.
The fourth tie-breaker is a coin flip.
Be sure and check social media or your local school to see if weather played a role in the schedule.
Be sure and check social media or your local school to see if weather played a role in the schedule.
Waurika High School Athletes Feted At Recent All-Sports Banquet
A number of recognitions were handed out to Waurika High School athletes at the recent All-Sports Banquet held at the school a week ago Tuesday.
All athletes were given their letters for participation in fast-pitch softball, baseball, powerlifting, football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, boys track, girls track and cross country.
It was an eventful year as many of the teams had great accomplishments, but on this night it was all about individual honors that were well-deserved.
The Waurika Athletic Booster Club presented scholarships to two senior athletes – Aaron Nitka and Madison Roberson.
Each of the coaches took time to recognize the athletes for honors or performances they achieved in the 2018-19 school year.
Here is a list of some of the notable accomplishments by sport:
Cross Country
State Medalist: Asia Smith
Class 2A All-Star: Asia Smith
Regional Medalist: Asia Smith, Lexie Streeter
Fast-Pitch Softball
All Southern Eight Conference: Destiny Barnes, third base; Madison Roberson, second base.
All Southern Eight Conference Honorable Mention: Hope Cummings, shortstop; Landry Forsyth, 1st base.
Football
Oklahoma Eight-Man Football Coaches Association All-Stars: Aaron Nitka, Colton Bryant.
Oklahoma Eight-Man Football Coaches Association All-Star Alternates: Gatlin Black, Zachary Brown.
District B-4 Player of the Year: Turner Mora
District B-4 Offensive Lineman of the Year: Gatlin Black
District B-4 Defensive Lineman of the Year: Aaron Nitka
District B-4 Newcomer of the Year: Zachary Brown
District B-4 First Team: Colton Bryant, running back; Jordan Watkins, guard; Edwin Garcia, linebacker; Kevin Garcia, cornerback.
District B-4 Second Team: Seth Waid, center; Gabe Jenkins, defensive end; Hunter Wesberry, cornerback; Austin Dyer, defensive end.
Power Lifting
Oklahoma State Power Lifting Meet: Gustavo Gomez, 4th (645 total pounds); Hunter Wesberry, 5th (630 total pounds).
Oklahoma State Power Lifting Meet Results by Division: Madison Christian, 3rd; Olivia Ralls, 7th; Landry Forsyth, 10th.
State Eight-Man School Meet: 123 Pound Division: 3rd – Gustavo Gomez, 625 pounds; 5th – Hunter Wesberry – 600 pounds; 13th – Dallas Fristoe, 400 pounds; 132 Pound Division: 15th – Sara Ballard, 400 pounds; 145 Pound Division: 6th – Colton Bryant, 765 pounds; 157 Pound Division: 15th – Landry Forsyth, 580 pounds; 198 Pound Division: 10th – Olivia Ralls, 665 pounds
Boys Basketball
Oil Field Conference 1st Team: Aaron Nitka
Oil Field Conference 2nd Team: Kevin Garcia
Oil Field Conference Honorable Mention: Cache Arellano, Turner Mora
Southern Eight Conference 2nd Team: Kevin Garcia, Turner Mora, Cache Arellano.
All-Area Basketball: Aaron Nitka
Girls Basketball
Oil Field Conference 1st Team: Madison Roberson, Asia Smith
Oil Field Conference 2nd Team: Lexie Streeter.
Oil Field Conference Honorable Mention: Hope Cummings, Madison Dees, Tallin Mora, Faith Roberson, Gracie Walling
Southern Eight Conference Most Valuable Player: Madison Roberson
Southern Eight Conference 1st Team: Asia Smith
Souther Eight Conference 2nd Team: Gracie Walling, Tallin Mora.
All-Area Basketball: Madison Roberson
Boys Track
Regional Champions: 800 Meter Relay (Kevin Garcia, Turner Mora, Nic Alvarado, Colton Bryant); 1,600 Meter Relay (Kevin Garcia, Turner Mora, Colton Bryant, Cache Arellano); 400 Meters, Turner Mora; Discus, Aaron Nitka
State Track Meet Medalists: 400 Meters, Turner Mora; 800 Meter Relay (Turner Mora, Colton Bryant, Nic Alvarado, Kevin Garcia); 1,600 Meter Relay, (Kevin Garcia, Turner Mora, Colton Bryant, Cache Arellano)
State Track Meet Qualifier: 3,200 Meters (Cache Arellano, Bryson Hernandez, Gustavo Gomez, Octavio Gomez.
Girls Track
Regional Champion: Shot Put, Madison Roberson.
State Track Meet Champion: Shot Put, Madison Roberson
State Track Meet Medalists: 1,600 Meters, Asia Smith; Discus, Madison Roberson.
State Track Meet Qualifier: 3,200 Meters (Asia Smith, Lexie Streeter, Faith Roberson, Tallin Mora.
Baseball
Oil Field Conference Most Valuable Player: Aaron Nitka
Oil Field Conference First Team: Gatlin Black, catcher; Bowden Forsyth, first base; Hunter Wesberry, infield; Zac Brown, outfield; Austin Dyer, outfield.
Oil Field Conference Honorable Mention: Jordan Watkins
Southwest Coaches Association All-Area: Aaron Nitka
Region Five All-Stars: Austin Dyer, Gatlin Black, Zachary Brown.
Lady Eagle Harriers Looking For Strong Finish to 2021 Season
…Eagle Runners Few in Number for 2021
A good returning nucleus of runners for the Waurika girls’ cross country squad has head coach Joe Masoner optimistic about another successful season.
The Waurika boys and girls cross country squads will open the season Saturday at the Duncan Invitational.
Last season the Lady Eagles finished sixth in the Class 2A state meet and were third in the regional hosted by Waurika.
As a team the Lady Eagles never finished lower than fifth during the regular season.
The Lady Eagles are the defending team champs at the Healdton meet and had runner up finishes at Velma-Alma, Walters and Geronimo a year ago.
Coach Masoner welcomes five of the runners that were part of the 2020 squad to the 2021 edition of the Lady Eagle cross country squad.
One of those five will not be able to run this year, but the other four returnees – Tallin Mora, Aubree Showalter, Jaci Gholson and Liberti Simmons – will be counted on to carry the squad during the season.
Mora, a senior for the Lady Eagles, was one of the ringleaders a year ago with six top-ten finishes during the season. She was fourth at the regional and finished 23rd at the state meet.
Showalter, a sophomore, had a top-10 finish at the Healdton meet for the Lady Eagles.
“Those four will be learned on hard to set the pace for us,” said Masoner about the 2021 edition of the Lady Eagles.
The fifth runner for the Lady Eagles will likely be Jaden Adams who is running cross country for the first time this fall.
Masoner will be counting on a pair of freshmen to help push the top five runners.
Sadie Smith and Destiny Foster, who have plenty of experience at the junior high level, will be competing for the varsity in their freshman season.
Coach Masoner has some lofty hopes for the team that graduated six members of the 2020 team.
“I feel we should be one of the top teams in the state by the end of the season,” said Masoner about his expectations for the coming year.
With a mixture of youth and experience, those expectations are certainly reachable for the Lady Eagles this year.
For the first time in a while the Waurika boys will not be able to have enough runners to be entered in the team competition.
Waurika had four seniors on last year’s squad and three other members of the 2020 team chose not to run cross country this fall.
Trent Arellano, a junior, and Alex Gomez, a sophomore, are the only two Eagles out for cross country they year.
“Alex has been working hard all summer,” said Masoner. “Both of them will have a chance to qualify as individual for the state meet.”
Despite being a freshman last year, Gomez had one top-10 finish at the Healdton meet. He was 30th in regional competition for Waurika.
Arellano has been running cross country the past two seasons for Waurika.
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