(l-r)Kynlee Waters, Corely Coffin, Skylar Garrett, Trish Julian, Jaci Gholson, Tracey Ballard, Aubree Showalter, Libi Simmons
Photo by Joe Masoner
Waurika’s cross country boys’ team turned in another solid performance a week ago Tuesday as the Eagles finished fourth at the Walters Invitational held at Sultan Park in Walters.
The Eagles were the top Class 2A team among the field at Walters. Anadarko won the meet with 34 points, while Community Christian was right behind with 36 points.
Lawton MacArthur edged Waurika for third place. The Highlanders had 83 points, while the Eagles totaled 86 points in the meet.
The Eagles were led by three runners who earned medals by finishing in the top 25.
Bryson Hernandez finished fifth for Coach Joe Masoner’s squad, while Cache Arellano came in 11th. Octavio Gomez rounded out the medalists for Waurika by finishing in 24th place.
Rounding out the competitors for Waurika were Nick Alavardo (48th), Gustavo Gomez (58th) and Travis Etheridge (68th).
A total of 78 runners competed in the field at Walters.
The Lady Eagles had two runners to finish in the top 25. Asia Smith was ninth and Lexie Streeter was 18th to pace the Eagle contingent.
The other competitors for the Lady Eagles in this meet were Dallas Fristoe, who finished 38th, and Sara Ballard, who finished 68th.
The Lady Eagles were one runner short to figure in the team scoring.
Treyton Torrez medaled for the Waurika junior high boys with an 11th-place finish.
Two Lady Eagles earned medals in the junior high girls division. Jaci Gholson finished 11th and Trish Julian was 15th.
Skyler Garrett was 32nd for the junior high girls, while Bailey Romero was 64th and Tracy Ballard finished 71st among the 91 junior high girls runners.
Waurika also had five top 25 placers in the sixth grade girls’ race.
Destiny Foster was eighth, Sadie Smith was 10th, Jasmine Romero was 12th, Niecsa Camarillo was 15th and Caitlyn Ramsey was 18th.
Waurika was to have run at the Velma-Alma Invitational this past Tuesday and will travel to Frederick tomorrow (Friday) to compete in the Frederick Bomber Invitational.
Waurika dropped two straight games in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling last Thursday to conclude what has been a tough season.
The Lady Eagles dropped a tough 10-7 decision to Wilson in the first game of the tournament and then were eliminated by Ringling, 11-0.
Ringling took the district title with two straight wins over Wilson, 9-1, and 12-0.
Waurika played one of its better games of the year in the tourney opener against Wilson.
Waurika took the lead in the bottom of the first inning with two runs.
Faith Roberson had a lead off walk and stole second and that was followed by Gracie Walling being hit by a pitch.
F. Roberson stole home to give the Lady Eagles a 1-0 edge and then Walling scored on Landry Forsyth’s bases-loaded hit by pitch. That put Waurika ahead, 2-0, but the Lady Eagles left the bases loaded without scoring another run.
Wilson took the lead in the top of the second with four runs and carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
Waurika moved back in front in the third with three runs.
Brooklyn Barnes got things started by being hit by a pitch and Forsyth followed with another hit by pitch.
After two outs, F. Roberson managed a walk to load the bases. Walling slapped a double to center field that cleared the bases and gave Waurika a 5-4 advantage after three innings.
Wilson moved back in front with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but Waurika answered with a couple of scores to regain the lead in the bottom of fifth.
Hope Cummings led off the rally with a single and stole second. She eventually scored by stealing home to tied the game.
Walling picked up her third hit of the game and came around to score on Madison Roberson’s two-bagger to left field that put Waurika back in front, 7-6.
Wilson came from behind with a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to secure the win and Waurika could not answer in the final two frames.
Walling finished the game for the Lady Eagles with a 3-for-4 performance, three runs batted in and two runs scored.
In the second game of the tourney, Waurika had no answers for Ringling. The Lady Blue Devils scored four runs in the first inning, added one in the second, five in the third inning and one in the fourth frame to get the win in four innings.
The Lady Eagles could muster only two hits in the game by Kaci Reynolds and M. Roberson.
In the final regular season game a week ago Tuesday, Waurika outslugged winless Temple, 16-7, on the Lady Tigers’ home diamond.
Waurika jumped out on top of Temple with three runs in the first.
F. Roberson led off the game with a walk and moved to second when Walling reached on an error.
Destiny Barnes followed with a double to score F. Roberson and Walling followed with a score on M. Roberson’s RBI-ground out. D. Barnes came around to score giving Waurika 3-0 advantage and the Lady Eagles left two runners stranded.
Temple answered the Waurika uprising with a pair of runs to cut the margin to 3-2 after the first inning.
The Lady Eagles took control of the contest in the top of the third inning with five runs.
B. Barnes reached base after being hit by a pitch and she advanced to second on Forsyth’s free pass. Olivia Ralls was also hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cummings reached on an error that scored B. Barnes. Forsyth, Ralls and Cummings each stole home for three more runs.
F. Roberson followed with a walk and eventually scored on another Temple error that put Waurika on top, 8-2.
Waurika added to the lead in the fourth inning.
Reynolds led off the inning by reaching on an error. Tallin Mora was the courtesy runner and advanced to third on walks by B. Barnes and Ralls.
Cummings was hit by a pitch that forced Mora home. Grace Hill, who ran for Ralls, and Cummings scored on Walling’s two-run single. Alayna Stallcup picked up an RBI-single that scored F. Roberson who had reached on a fielder’s choice.
The four-run rally put Waurika in front 12-2 and Temple was in danger of being run-ruled.
The Lady Tigers answered the challenge, however, and managed to score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the Waurika lead to 12-7.
Waurika was not going to let this one slip away. The Lady Eagles answered the Temple rally with four more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases for the Eagles. B. Barnes scored on a fielder’s choice. Ralls and Cummings scored on F. Roberson’s two-run single to left.
Temple could not score and the game ended by the run rule.
Walling led the Lady Eagles at the plate with two hits in five at-bats. F. Roberson scored four times and Cummings scored three runs
M. Roberson picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Eagles.
Four Lady Eagles – D. Barnes, Madison Christian, Ralls and M. Roberson played their final games for the Lady Eagles in the district tournament.
Waurika finishes the season with a 3-18 mark, but the Lady Eagles showed marked improvement in the final couple of weeks of the season.
The Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad raced to its second straight meet title a week ago Tuesday at the Walters Invitational at Sultan Park.
While it was the fourth team title claimed by a Cowgirl cross country team in the short history of the sport at Ryan, it might have been the most impressive.
The Cowgirls won the meet with 40 points which was just in front of Class 3A’s third-ranked Community Christian squad that finished as the runner up with 43 points.
All five Cowgirl harriers claimed medals in the meet to help the team to the title.
Juliet Spangler led the Cowgirls with a runner up finish in the 3,200-meter race. Individual times were not available due to a malfunction of the timing device.
Lilybet Harmon claimed fourth place and Holland Carter was seventh to give the Cowgirls three top 10 finishers.
Lily York finished 13th and Katelyn Dabbs was 21st in the race. The top 25 runners earned medals.
The high school girls division at Walters featured 69 competitors.
Ryan is now ranked fifth among the Class 2A cross country squads.
The Cowgirls were to have competed Tuesday at the Velma-Alma Invitational and then will travel to Frederick tomorrow (Friday) to compete in the Frederick Bomber Invitational.
Ryan had two medalists in the junior high boys division – Koble Lewis, who finished 20th and Carson Williams, who was 23rd in the race that featured 80 junior high boys.
Jasmine Villarreal was ninth and Whittney Spangler finished 14th to both earn medals for Ryan in the junior high girls division. A total of 91 runners competed in the junior high girls division.
A high school football game can quickly get out of hand when one team is making turnovers.
And, that was the case last Friday night as Waurika rolled to a 64-14 victory over Carnegie on the Wildcats’ home field.
Austin Dyer is handling kick-off responsibilities this season. Photo by Adam Brinson
Carnegie made six turnovers in only one half of play and Waurika returned two of the miscues for scores to propel the Eagles’ to their third straight win to start the season.
Waurika will face its biggest test of the season thus far tomorrow night when Snyder comes to Cy Sloan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Turner Mora making a stop against the Carnegie Wildcats Photo by Adam Brinson
The Cyclones are ranked 10th in Class B and scored a big 34-24 victory over Class C juggernaut Tipton. Snyder is 4-0 on the year.
Waurika got its scoring parade started in the first quarter as Colton Bryant scored on a six-yard run. The two-point conversion failed leaving Waurika in front, 6-0, with 7:23 to play in the first quarter.
The Eagles got two more scores before the end of the first quarter on touchdown passes.
The first TD pass came as quarterback Turner Mora found Hunter Wesberry for a 27-yard scoring pass. Mora ran for the two points and Waurika held a 14-0 advantage with 3:57 left in the first quarter.
Kevin Garcia Photo by Adam Brinson
Waurika picked up the first of four interceptions on the night on Carnegie’s next drive as Bryant picked off the pass and returned it to the Wildcat 12.
In just two plays the Eagles covered the short distance with Mora finding Bryant on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed, but with 2:09 still to play in the first quarter Waurika had put together a 20-0 lead.
Colton Bryant attempting to get into the endzone. Photo by Adam Brinson
The Wildcats tried to stay up with the Eagles as quarterback Xavier Nesahkluah hit Kaden Akins on an 11-yard touchdown pass overcoming two penalties on the drive. Nesahkluah tossed the two-point conversion to Andrew Cano and Carnegie had narrowed the gap to 20-8 with 10:53 left before the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mora took the ball at the Eagle 30 and raced 75 yards for the score. The try for two points failed, but Waurika had increased the lead to 26-8 at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter.
Turner Mora Photo by Adam Brinson
Carnegie answered with another score on the Wildcats’ next drive – a six-play, 69-yard drive. Nesahkluah threw his second touchdown pass of the game – this time to Cano – from 10 yards out. The try for two failed, but with 8:22 left before intermission Waurika’s lead was cut to 26-14.
This is when the wheels began to fall off for the Wildcats and the Eagles pounced on the opportunity to put the game away.
Hunter Wesberry intercepting a Carnegie pass. Photo by Adam Brinson
On Waurika’s first play after the kickoff, Zac Brown broke loose for a 55-yard scoring run and after Mora added the two-point conversion Waurika increased the lead to 34-14 with 8:06 left in the quarter.
Waurika’s defense got in on the scoring onslaught just 21 seconds later as Wesberry picked off an errant Wildcat pass and raced 36 yards on the return for the score. Bryant ran for the two points and Waurika was now in front, 42-14, with 7:45 to play before the half.
Photo by Adam Brinson
Another Carnegie turnover resulted in Waurika’s next score. Gatlin Black scooped up a Wildcat bobble and took it to pay dirt from 40 yards out. Mora ran for the two-point conversion and the Eagles led, 50-14, with 4:45 still to play in the half.
Wesberry’s second interception of the night set up the next Eagle score. Mora got his second score of the game on a 41-yard rushing touchdown. Bryant ran for the two points and the Eagles had a 58-14 lead with 2:27 left in the quarter.
Photo by Adam Brinson
Another turnover by the Wildcats sealed the mercy-rule fate for Carnegie. Waurika recovered another fumble to give the Eagles the ball at the 23-yard line.
A couple of plays later, Brown made his way into the end zone from one yard out. The run for two points failed, but Waurika had a 64-14 lead with just 57 seconds left in the half.
Carnegie’s last drive of the night was ended in the final seconds when Kevin Garcia got another interception and ran out the clock on the return.
“We challenged our team all week in practice and they stepped up to the challenge,” said head coach Joe Allen after the game. “This was the best half of football we have played this season.”
Working with a short field much of the night did not produce very many impressive statistics. Brown was the leading rusher with 82 yards on just five carries. Mora was effective in the passing game with four completions on just six attempts for 71 yards.
EAGLE FLIGHTS: The 64 points scored is the second highest total by a Waurika squad since the Eagles began eight-man play in 2012….The 64 points is tied for ninth highest number of points scored in school history….Waurika has not scored more than 64 points in a game since putting 80 on Fox in 2016…Carnegie has never beaten Waurika in three meetings with the Eagles….The 50-point margin of victory eclipses the 49-point winning margin against Carnegie in the first meeting between the schools in 1996…The 3-0 start is the best for Waurika since 2015, but it is only the second time since 1997 the Eagles have started a season with three straight wins….Waurika has started 3-0 only 14 times in 99 years of football….The Waurika defense has scored at least one touchdown in all three games this season….The 14 points scored by Carnegie are the first points allowed by the Waurika defense this season….Waurika has ended each of its first three games at halftime.
One of the most disappointing things in sports is losing a game at the very end.
That is exactly what happened in the district tourney elimination game with Turner last Thursday at Thackerville.
The Cowgirls led throughout the contest before allowing Turner to score four runs in the seventh and final inning to drop a 6-4 encounter with the Lady Falcons.
In the first district tournament game the Cowgirls fell to Thackerville, 10-6.
Thackerville went on to claim the district title with two victories over Turner.
In the opening game of the tournament the Lady Wildcats got off to a 6-0 lead before the Cowgirls could find the scoring column.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sadie Guzman led off with a single and Emilee Martin followed with another base hit. Carter Combs came on to run and her and Guzman both scored to cut the Thackerville lead to 6-2.
Neither team scored in the fifth, but Thackerville padded its lead in the top of the sixth with four runs to take a commanding 10-2 advantage.
The Cowgirls got one run back in the bottom of the sixth as Brooklyn Charmasson reached on an infield single and scored on Lindsey Reak’s RBI-single to make it 10-3.
So the Cowgirls faced a seven-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh and it looked like Ryan had a chance to extend the game.
Samantha Good, Kodi Duke and Guzman – the first three batters in the inning – all reached base and came around to score. Duke and Martin both had runs batted in during the uprising.
However, the final three hitters for Ryan were retired ending the contest.
This sent Ryan into a must-win situation with Turner.
The Cowgirls took command of the second game with a four-run first inning.
Good and Duke walked to start the inning and then Guzman, Martin and Charmasson each got an RBI-single. Combs, who ran for Martin eventually scored and the Cowgirls held a 4-0 lead after one inning.
Turner cut into the margin in the top of the second with a one and then added another run in the top of the fifth to leave the Lady Falcons trailing, 4-2.
In the top of the sixth inning, Turner added another run but Ryan clung to a 4-3 lead after six innings.
In the top of the seventh the Lady Falcons put together a three-run rally to take a 6-4 lead.
The Cowgirls went down in order in the bottom of the inning to end the game and the season for Ryan.
A week ago Tuesday the Cowgirls rolled to a 15-1 victory over Springer at the Lady Cardinals’ home field.
It was a slow start for the Cowgirls as they led 1-0 after two full innings when Charmasson walked and eventually scored to get Ryan on the scoreboard.
In top of the third inning the Cowgirls sent 16 batters to the plate and scored nine runs.
The Cowgirls were credited with six runs batted in and had seven hits in the inning to take a 10-0 lead.
Ryan added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning. This time the Cowgirls were helped along by four walks and a hit batsman.
The Lady Cardinals struck for one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but it was not enough to keep the game from ending by the run rule.
Guzman led the Cowgirls at the plate by going 3-for-4 in the game with three runs batted in. Good was 2-for-3 with a run batted in and she scored three times.
Martin picked up the win in the circle for the Cowgirls allowing only two hits and striking out eight Springer batters.
Ryan finished with a 7-16 record in Stan Mueggenborg’s first season as head coach.
COWGIRL NOTES: Ryan is now 3-3 against Thackerville in district tourney play…The Cowgirls have never beaten Turner in 12 outings in district tournaments….Ryan is only 10-33 in district tournament competition since beginning fast-pitch softball in 2002….Five of the seven wins for the Cowgirls came in contests with Waurika and Temple…The seven wins ties the mark for the second most wins since the 2012 season….The fast-pitch softball team played for its third coach in three years in 2018….Ryan has won only one district title since beginning fast-pitch softball in 2002….This was the second year in a row that Turner has ended the Cowgirls’ season.
It was quite a show of offense last Friday night at Bob Givens Sports Complex by Ryan and Maysville.
It just did not result in a lot of points.
The Cowboys, however, had just enough firepower to record a 30-14 victory over the Warriors in Ryan’s homecoming game.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Now the Cowboys hit the road for the third time in four games as they travel to Caddo tomorrow night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Caddo is 1-2 on the year.
The Cowboys rolled up 453 total yards in the game but turnovers and the inability to convert two-point conversions kept the Cowboys from lighting up the scoreboard.
The Cowboy defense came up with a few big plays to thwart a number of Maysville scoring threats to help Ryan earn its third victory of the season.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Cowboys scored on their opening drive of the game marching 70 yards on seven plays. Skyler Parkhill covered the final four yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 6-0 lead with 9:34 left in the first quarter.
Maysville threatened to answer the Cowboys’ score, but the Warriors’ drive bogged down after a delay of game penalty and a nine-yard loss on a quarterback sack by Parkhill on a fourth down play from the Ryan 28.
The Cowboys took over at their own 37 and it took Ryan only two plays to score. Parkhill picked up seven yards and then sophomore quarterback Grayson Tomberlin had a nifty 56-yard run for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 12-0 advantage with 3:51 to play in the first period.
On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys perfectly executed an onside kick as Andrew Villerreal combined to kick the ball and recover the onside kick giving Ryan possession at midfield.
It took Ryan seven plays to drive to the Maysville 33 and that is when the game’s momentum slipped from the grasp of the Cowboys. Talented Maysville quarterback and defensive back Gunner Aprill picked off an errant Tomberlin pass and returned the interception 41 yards to give Maysville possession at the Ryan 48.
Ryan HS Cheerleaders Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Warriors drove the ball deep into Ryan territory, but Tomberlin picked off a pass in the end zone to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard.
The Cowboys turned the ball back over the Warriors just two plays later on a mishandled exchange and this time Maysville took advantage. On the first play of the drive, Aprill scampered 24 yards for the touchdown and also ran for the two points to cut Ryan’s lead to 12-8 with 7:30 left in the first half.
Ryan answered the score with a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive. The big play of the drive was a 42-yard completion to Parkhill that gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the Warrior seven.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
After a loss and a 10-yard penalty, Kalen Weldon picked up 16 yards on a counter and then Tomberlin found Parkhill across the middle of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass. Again the Cowboys failed to convert the two-point try, but led 18-8 with 3:33 left before intermission.
Maysville answered the Cowboy score quickly. A 25-yard kickoff return put the Warriors in business at the Ryan 45 and in just three plays went the distance for the score. Aprill found Damon McCallister behind the Cowboy defense for a 47-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed, but with 2:02 left before the half the Warriors had trimmed the lead to 18-14.
The Cowboys threatened to score again by driving to the Maysville 25, but the Warriors intercepted another pass in the end zone to turn back the Cowboys and the half ended with Maysville running out the remaining seconds.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
On Maysville’s opening drive of the second half Aprill took the Warriors from their own 36 to the Ryan 32 as he carried the ball on every play with the exception of one pass incompletion. Ryan stopped the Warriors on fourth down and took the ball over on downs.
The Cowboys took 11 plays to move 72 yards with Weldon’s key 21-yard spectacular catch keeping the drive alive on a fourth down. Parkhill went around left end for the final 12 yards and Ryan held a 24-14 lead with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Maysville went on another long drive and moved the ball to the Ryan 23, but on fourth down Villerreal chased down Aprill for a six-yard loss that gave the Cowboys the ball on downs.
On the third play of the drive Tomberlin found Parkhill open on the left side and after the Cowboy senior dodged a couple of tacklers, he sprinted 71 yards for the score with 9:00 left in the game. The run for two points failed again, but Ryan was in front, 30-14.
Two of Maysville’s final three drives resulted in the Cowboy defense getting key stops on fourth downs to help preserve the victory.
Tomberlin and Parkhill accounted for most of the 453 total yards on offense for the Cowboys.
Parkhill set the school record for most yards receiving in a game with 189 yards on just seven receptions. He also rushed six times for 30 yards.
Tomberlin finished with 151 yards rushing on 19 carries. He was 12 of 20 passing for 249 yards, but he did have three interceptions.
On defense, Tomberlin and Parkhill played big roles. Tomberlin was in on 17 tackles on the night, while Parkhill added nine stops. Villerreal, who had 11 tackles, and Parkhill put pressure on the Maysville quarterback much of the night.
COWBOY CORRAL: The win broke a two-game losing streak in homecoming games for Ryan not including last year’s homecoming game with Grandfield which Ryan won by forfeit…..Ryan now leads the short series with Maysville, 4-2….This was the first meeting between the two schools in an eight-man game….The last time Ryan played Maysville was in 1975 with the Cowboys coming away with a 9-6 victory….Tomberlin’s passing performance was the sixth most yards passing by a quarterback in school history….It was also the sixth most passing yards by a Cowboy team in school history….The 12 receptions in the game ties for the ninth most in a single game in school history along with the 12 receptions in a 1940 contest with Grandfield…The 30 points scored by Ryan is the second most in the series with Maysville just behind the 34 points scored in a 34-0 victory by the 1974 squad….The 1988 Ryan Cowboys, the first Ryan football team to play for a state title, were introduced at halftime along with coaches Phil Elerick and Gordon Garner.
Game in Figures
MHS RHS
First Downs 1414
Yards Rushing 49-218 29-204
Yards Passing 77249
Passes 2-6 12-21
Passes Int. By31
Fumbles, Lost2-0 1-1
Punts 00
Penalties6-35 6-45
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Maysville01400–14
Ryan12666–30
FIRST QUARTER
RYAN – Skyler Parkhill 4 run (run failed), 9:34
RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 56 run (run failed), 3:51
SECOND QUARTER
MAYSVILLE – Gunner Aprill 24 run (Aprill run), 7:30
RYAN – Parkhill 4 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 3:33
MAYSVILLE – Damon McCallister 47 pass from Aprill (run failed), 2:02
THIRD QUARTER
RYAN – Tomberlin 12 run (run failed), 4:03
FOURTH QUARTER
RYAN – Parkhill 71 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 9:00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
MAYSVILLE – Rushing: Aprill 35-166, Bentley Stevens 3-22, Junior Simmons 6-12, Luke Dobson 2-9, Jacob Owen 1-7, McCallister 2-2; Passing: Simmons 0-2-0-0; Aprill 2-4-77-1; Receiving: McCallister 2-11.
It was a much anticipated matchup as two undefeated teams were set to face off at Cy Sloan Stadium last Friday night.
Waurika and Snyder were both undefeated and the Cyclones were coming off a big win over rival Tipton. Waurika had mercy-ruled each of its first three opponents by halftime of each contest.
But because of about five inches of rain that fell in the area last Friday and concerns about fans getting into and out of the stadium area, the game was canceled and will not be played.
Of course there was concerned about the playing conditions of the field and trying to prevent injuries as the two teams look forward to district play.
The Eagles get back in action tomorrow night by making the long trip to Caddo to face the Bruins in the final non-district encounter. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Bruin Field.
Caddo will come into the game with a 2-2 mark and some momentum having won two in a row including last Thursday’s 57-26 victory over Ryan.
In the win over Ryan the Bruins came within just over a 100 yards of eclipsing the total number of yards on offense in the three previous games combined. The Bruins recorded 502 yards of offense against the Cowboys and had only a little over 600 yards of offense in the previous games.
Senior quarterback Jack Holbrook was outstanding the contest against Ryan with five touchdown passes and was 13 of 18 passing for 230 yards.
The favorite target for Holbrook against Ryan was Payton Brewer, a senior wide receiver. He had three catches for 85 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass from Holbrook.
Another senior, running back Michael Creel rushed for 110 yards on just 15 carries and one touchdown.
The Waurika defense will be tested in the contest as Caddo averaged over eight yards per offensive play against Ryan.
Caddo features a 23-player roster and eight of those players are seniors.
The Eagles, however, should be well rested for the game and the unexpected break in the schedule.
You might expect when a sports writer is asked to write a tribute to someone the focus would be on that person’s accomplishments as a coach or player.
But, this article will be focused more on the person than his accomplishments.
Last week a large crowd gathered at Ryan’s First Baptist Church to say goodbye to legendary Ryan coach and principal, Raymon West.
Most anyone that has been under the instruction of Mr. West would probably choose to focus on the man because
his contribution to the lives of people went farbeyond the football field, basketball court or baseball diamond if they were tasked with writing a tribute.
As Bro. Mark Kunkel, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Terral, said numerous times while conducting the service, everyone was mostly there to honor the man Mr. West and not Coach West.
However, well over half the crowd identified themselves at one point in the service as having been coached by Coach West.
And certainly his coaching ability is not to be overlooked, but each person who has come under the influence of Mr. West would probably be quick to agree with Bro. Kunkel and this writer that his greatest achievements were what he poured into our lives.
You see the goal of Mr. West was not really to produce great athletes – although that did happen. His goal was to prepare high school students for life.
And, for the most part he was a master at teaching life lessons.
Mr. West was tough. He was a disciplinarian. However, he correctly knew that making life a bit difficult in the athletic arena would serve each person well when they began to tackle life as a young adult.
And, some of those lessons not only served us well as young adults, but throughout our life time.
As was noted in the funeral service, Mr. West cared deeply for people. He endeared himself to most every athlete he ever coached and those he taught.
The compassion Mr. West had for people carried over to his retirement years as he served people through his church and was frequently present when a need had to be met in the community.
Everything Mr. West did was with great passion – his family, ranching, teaching and coaching.
Mr. West’s accomplishments in the coaching profession should not go without mention. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988. Most everyone knows he coached the 1965 Cowgirl squad that won the Class B state championship – the only state title in school history. He coached the Cowgirls for a total of 13 seasons.
He coached the Cowboy basketball team for 15 seasons and took the 1962 squad to the state tournament – one of only two boys’ teams to advance into the state tournament.
Mr. West’s contributions to the football program are more notable than most people might think. He coached football on three different occasions – in 1958, 1962-1963 and 1977-1980. The 1962 squad just missed out on a district title and finished 8-2 which tied the 1929 football team for the second most wins in a season up to that time.
It is likely that one of the key decisions made by Mr. West while serving as principal and head football coach at Ryan was moving from 11-man football to eight-man football following the 1977 season. The decision probably saved the football program and he coached the Cowboys to the playoffs in the first year of eight-man football.
Mr. West also coached baseball in the early years at Ryan.
In the four sports coached by Mr. West, he led squads to 14 conference championships, three county championships, seven bi-county championships, 10 district titles, three regional crowns and one state championship.
No tribute, however, would be complete without personal stories because Mr. West had a profound impact on my life.
Late during my eighth-grade year and Mr. West’s first year back at Ryan after having coached at Burkburnett, Texas and Duncan, he noticed right away that my athletic genes were just about non-existent.
Mr. West came to me and asked me if I would be interested in being the student trainer, which I did after football season that year. He sent me that following summer by bus to Baylor University to attend the National Athletic Trainers Association annual convention.
I was definitely way out of my league (can you imagine a kid who just completed eighth grade going on a trip like that alone?), but I learned a few things and spent the rest of my high school days helping with all sports. Mr. West saw potential in me that I did not see in myself and giving me that responsibility helped me stay connected to sports.
As you can imagine we spent a lot of time together during basketball practices. During that time I learned a lot about basketball, but did not fail to pick up one or two life lessons along the way.
One of those came one afternoon after Ryan had suffered a loss in a game that was not well-officiated. And, as I have a tendency to do even today, I was griping about how poorly the officials called the game the night before.
I suppose Mr. West had heard enough and he looked at me and said, “You worry about the things you have control over. We have no control over the officiating.”
That little tidbit has remained with me through the years and has been invaluable in my life’s journey.
In the years following whenever I would make my way to Ryan I would try to make sure I came in contact with Mr. West.
A side note – most anyone coached by Mr. West were all afraid to ever call him anything but Mr. West or Coach West. It was always difficult to address him as “Raymon.” But, that is the kind of respect he commanded and deserved.
Many others and in particular his family could share similar stories about how Mr. West impacted their lives. I am just fortunate I had the opportunity to be the one to write this article.
I believe it is pretty easy to come to one conclusion – there will never be another Raymon West.
It has been a rough season for the youthful and inexperienced Waurika fast-pitch softball squad.
But, the Lady Eagles suffered their narrowest defeat of the season to Bray-Doyle, 10-8, Monday on the Lady Donkey’s home diamond.
In the second game with Ninnekah, the Lady Eagles fell, 7-2
The Lady Eagles were to have met Temple Tuesday.
Today Waurika begins play in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling. The Lady Eagles were to have met Wilson at 12 noon today and the loser of that game was scheduled to face Ringling at 1:30 p.m.
The winner of the first game was scheduled to meet Ringling at 3 p.m.
The tournament is double-elimination with the championship game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today and an “if necessary” game at 6 p.m.
In Monday’s action, the Lady Eagles spotted Bray-Doyle an 8-0 lead after the third inning.
In the top of the fourth, the Lady Eagle’s bats came alive.
Gracie Walling reached on an error and scored on Kaci Reynold’s RBI-single. Madison Roberson, who singled and Reynolds scored on Landry Forsyth’s double to center field.
Tallin Mora also singled and eventually scored on Hope Cummings’ ground out cutting the Bray-Doyle lead to 8-4.
The Lady Donkeys extended the lead to 10-4 in the bottom of the fourth and that proved to be the difference in the game.
Waurika refused to give up despite the deficit. Faith Roberson led off the rally with a triple and scored on Walling’s single to left. M. Roberson and Reynolds singled with Walling scoring on Reynolds’ single.
M. Roberson scored on Mora’s ground out and Reynolds crossed the plate on Forsyth’s single to cut the margin to 10-8, but the rally ended with a fly out.
In the second game of the three-way meeting at Bray, Ninnekah got off to a 1-0 lead after scoring in the top of the third.
Ninnekah added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to move in front, 7-0.
The Lady Eagles managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Destiny Barnes singled and advanced to third on M. Roberson’s single. Barnes scored on an error and M. Roberson scored on a wild pitch.
After holding Ninnekah scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Lady Eagles got a one-out single from F. Roberson, but the next two Lady Eagles were retired to end the game.
