On Tuesday the Waurika seventh grade and junior high track squads traveled to Wynnewood to compete in a track meet.
No team scores were kept in the meet that featured four divisions.
Leading the way for the junior high girls’ team was Libi Simmons who captured gold medals in the 100 meter hurdles and the high jump.
Libi Simmons Photo by Joe Masoner
Kynlee Waters placed in two events for the Lady Eagles. She was fourth in the 300 meter hurdles and fifth in the 100 meter hurdles. Corley Coffin captured fifth place in the 300 hurdle events.
Aubree Showalter also placed in two individual races. She was fourth in both the 800 meters and the 1,600 meters.
Bailey Romero earned third place in the long jump for the lady Eagles.
In the weight events, Mackinze Taylor was fourth and Alana Lewis was fifth in the discus and Cassidie Berry finished sixth in the shot put.
Three relay squads placed for the Lady Eagles during the meeting.
The 1,600 meter relay team of Waters, Simmons, Trish Julian and Showalter earned fourth place.
In the 400 meter relay the squad of Simmons, Tracy Ballard, Coffin and Romero came in fifth place.
The 800 meter relay team of Coffin, Ballard, Faith Hill and Romero turned in a sixth place finish for the Lady Eagles.
Trent Arellano was the top performer for the junior high boys. He won the gold medal in the long jump.
Matt Arriola placed in two events. He was second in the long jump and fourth in the high jump.
Treyton Torrez also placed in the high jump earning a silver medal.
Treyton Torrez Photo by Joe Masoner
The Waurika seventh grade teams also competed in the meet and the results are listed below:
Hoping to redeem what has been a disappointing season for the Waurika fast-pitch softball team, the Lady Eagles were to have begun play today in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling.
The first round game with Wilson was to have been played at noon today (Thursday). The loser was slated to face Ringling at 1:30 p.m. and the winner plays Ringling today at 3 p.m.
The double-elimination tournament will continue tonight and if only two teams remain, the championship game would be tonight if one of the teams has no losses.
An if necessary game is scheduled for Friday.
Last week the Lady Eagles dropped contests to Geronimo, 4-1, on Monday and to Velma-Alma, 12-5, last Thursday
The Lady Eagles scored in the top of the first against Geronimo as Gracie Walling singled. Hope Cummings also singled and Walling scored by stealing home to give Waurika a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Blue Jays picked up two runs in the bottom of the first as the first two runners reached on errors and eventually came around to score to give Geronimo a 2-1 advantage.
The game stayed at 2-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning. Three hits and two walks helped the Lady Blue Jays add two more runs to take a 4-1 advantage into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Lady Eagles went down in order.
Five different players for Waurika had hits – Liberti Simmons, Faith Roberson, Walling, Cummings and Landry Forsyth.
Against Velma-Alma the Lady Eagles battled on nearly even terms with the Lady Comets until late in the game.
The Lady Comets got on the board first with a four-run uprising in the bottom of the first with the benefit of only two base hits.
The Lady Eagles answered in the top of the second with a pair of runs. Cummings singled and Forsyth singled and Cummings scored on a bases loaded walk by Grace Hill. Forsyth scored on an error and the Lady Eagles had trimmed the lead to 4-2.
V-A came back with a single run in the bottom of the second to increase the lead to 5-2.
Waurika narrowed the lead in the top of the third with a run after Walling reached on an error Forsyth got an RBI-single to put the deficit at 5-3.
The Lady Comets added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a run to put the score at 6-3.
In the top of the fifth, the Lady Eagles scored twice. Walling led off with a walk, Cummings singled and Forsyth singles to load the bases. Riley Howell was hit by a pitch to score Walling and Kinzie Taylor got an RBI-single to cut the Lady Comet lead to 6-5.
In the bottom of the fifth the Lady Comets scored three times taking advantage of two Lady Eagle errors, a walk and two doubles to extend the lead to 9-5.
Waurika could not cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth and V-A added three more runs in the bottom of the inning with a three singles and two Waurika errors.
The Lady Eagles could not score in the top of the seventh to end the game.
Forsyth was outstanding at the plate for the Lady Eagles going 3-for-4 with one run batted in. Cummings had two hits and scored two runs. Walling also scored a pair of runs for the Lady Eagles.
The Lady Eagles had seven hits total, but nine Waurika errors hampered the squad’s ability to stay with the Lady Comets, who had 10 hits and had only two errors in the game.
A lot of things have changed in high school football since the first meeting between Ryan and Waurika 100 years ago.
The two schools are set to meet tonight for the 62nd time since that first meeting in 1919.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Givens Sports Complex in Ryan and a large crowd is expected.
Waurika has had an impressive season so far as the Eagles have carved out a 5-1 record that includes a forfeit from Temple.
Ryan has struggled through the first half of the season, but has managed to put together a 3-3 record that also includes a forfeit from Temple.
The Eagles are coming off a big 62-34 win over Wilson to open district play last Friday night, while Ryan suffered a 58-8 setback to Empire in its district opener last Friday night.
Waurika has dominated this rivalry through the years as the Eagles hold a 41-17-3 record in meetings against the Cowboys.
Ryan won the first of two meetings in 1919, 23-0, before Waurika came back to edge the Cowboys in the second meeting, 29-27.
It was the first year the two schools competed in football on the high school level and oddly enough the two teams did not meet again until 1927 when Ryan scored a 37-0 victory over the Eagles.
It is not known why the two schools, located only 10 miles apart, did not play between 1920 and 1926.
Changes in the sport have certainly occurred since those initial meetings 100 years ago.
One big change was the introduction of the T-formation with a quarterback under center. While the two schools employ a shotgun formation most of the time today, it was unheard of for the quarterback to be under the center to take the snap.
Conversion tries after touchdowns in those early days with worth only one point no matter if the try was kicked or it was a run or pass.
Equipment has greatly improved especially with the protection for the head. In the game 100 years ago the helmets were leather and were without any kind of facemask.
Today helmets have been upgraded to hopefully prevent concussions and have plenty of padding and a face mask.
High school football today features bigger and faster athletes, while the players 100 years ago were mostly tall and lanky.
But one thing has not changed through the 100 years of football – Ryan and Waurika love to beat each other.
And while the wins have been few and far between for the Cowboys overall, Waurika holds only a 4-3 advantage in meetings since Waurika dropped to eight-man football a few years ago.
The series took a long break between 1978 and 2011 with only two meetings during those years as a rare two-game series was played with Ryan competing in eight-man football and Waurika still playing 11-man football.
The Eagles won 14 of the final 15 meetings between the two schools when the Cowboys still played 11-man football. The only win during that time came in 1974 with the Cowboys scoring a 28-0 victory over the Eagles.
In last year’s contest, Waurika totally dominated the game taking advantage of six Ryan turnovers to earn a 58-0 victory over the Cowboys in a game that ended at halftime.
The Eagles will come into the game as a heavy favorite as the Cowboys are scrambling to find the right combinations to help develop an effective offense.
But, as with most meetings between the two schools over the past 100 years, it should be a hard-fought contest and one fans should not miss.
Here’s a look at the results of the long-running series:
It has been a very difficult season for the Ryan Cowgirl softball squad as the team is heading into today’s district tourney without a victory for the year.
The Cowgirls were seeking their first win today in the opening game of the Class B District Tournament at Big Pasture. The Cowgirls were slated to face Temple at noon.
The loser of that game will face Big Pasture at 2 p.m., while the winner of the first game will get a shot at Big Pasture at 4 p.m. If Big Pasture wins both games, they will face either Ryan or Temple in the finals at 6 p.m.
An if necessary game will be played Friday at 4 p.m. and the winner will move on to the regional tournament next weekend.
The Cowgirls dropped two more games this past week with a 12-2 loss at Frederick last Thursday and then fell to Geronimo on Tuesday, 13-0.
In the final regular season game for the Cowgirls, four seniors were recognized on Senior Day at Larry Ninman Field.
Savanna Lashley, Madisen Rhoads, Brooklyn Charmasson and Samantha Good were the four Cowgirls playing their final fast-pitch softball game for Ryan.
In Tuesday’s action, Geronimo jumped out in front 1-0 after one inning and that is where the score remained until the Lady Blue Jays exploded for 12 runs in the top of the third inning. Geronimo had five walks and seven hits – including a home run – that led to the scoring bonanza.
The Cowgirls got a single run in the top of the first inning against Frederick last week at Frederick.
Lindsey Reake singled and scored on Good’s single down the left field line.
Frederick took the lead in the bottom of the first as the Lady Bombers scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead.
The Lady Bombers added four runs in the bottom of the second to increase the advantage to 6-1.
In the top of the third inning Ryan trimmed the lead on Madison Rhoades’ solo home run to put the score at 6-2.
Frederick exploded in the bottom of the third inning with six runs to lead the contest, 12-2.
When the Cowgirls could not score in the top of the fourth inning the game ended on the run rule.
The Waurika Eagles closed its 2019 baseball season in heart-breaking fashion by dropping the title game of the Class A District Tournament to Rock Creek, 7-6.
Last Thursday on the first day of the tourney the Eagles did manage one win in the tourney opener with a 10-6 victory over Ringling. Rock Creek had already defeated the Blue Devils so the loss to the Eagles eliminated Ringling.
This meant that Waurika or Rock Creek had to win two games to claim the district championship.
Late Thursday, Rock Creek got the first win, 11-3, setting up a championship round on Friday. The Eagles would have had to beat the Mustangs twice to win the tourney.
The Mustangs scored a run in the bottom of the seventh in the 7-6 win to claim the district crown.
Waurika finished the 2019 campaign with a 16-7 record.
In the final game on Friday Rock Creek took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
With the score tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the Mustangs took the lead on a two-run home run.
In the top of the seventh, the Eagles fought back to get a pair of runs – one on Jordan Watkins’ sacrifice fly.
Bowden Forsyth Photo by Curtis Plant
The Mustangs scored the winning run in the bottom of the inning to end the Eagles’ season and advance to today’s Class A Regional Tournament.
Hunter Wesberry was 3-for-4 in the game with a triple and two singles. Aaron Nitka finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.
Austin Dyer took the loss on the mound as he surrendered eight hits and struck out five in the game.
In Thursday’s nightcap of the tournament the Eagles fell behind early and could not launch a serious threat during the game.
Peyton Fletcher was the starting pitcher for the Eagles, but he gave up six runs on four walks and a hit and did not retire a batter.
The Mustangs made the 6-0 first inning lead stand the rest of the way.
The Eagles only had three hits in the game – one each by Nitka, Watkins and Colton Bryant. Nitka and Jordan each had doubles with Nitka driving in a run with his two-bagger.
In the tournament’s second game on Thursday, Waurika took the lead for good with five runs in the fourth inning.
Waurika had the lead in the second inning when Wesberry picked up a run-scoring double.
The Blue Devils seized the lead in the top of the third inning, but the Eagles came back in the bottom of the third to take the lead in the game for good.
Senior Baseball Players were recognized at Monday’s Baseball Game. Seniors pictured with their parents and/or those special in their lives (l-r) Chad Black, Gatlin Black, Miranda Black, Zachary Brown, Michelle Salazar, Colton Bryant, Heather Bryant, Bobby Dyer, Austin Dyer, Lisa Dyer, Megan Allen, Gavin Fitzgerald, Coach Joe Allen, Aaron Nitka, and Sloan Roberson Photo by Curtis Plant
One of the big hits in the inning was Bowden Forsyth’s run-scoring single.
Watkins also doubled to score two runs and a Ringling error produced another run to put Waurika on top, 6-3, after four innings.
The Eagles continued to pad the lead and held off the Blue Devils the rest of the way.
Zac Brown, Forsyth and Watkins each had two hits for the Eagles. Watkins finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs batted in. Dyer, Fletcher, Wesberry and Forsyth all had doubles in the game.
The Eagles helped produce the 10 runs on the base paths as they stole 10 bases during the game.
Nitka picked up the win on the mound despite giving up six runs of which only two were earned. Nitka struck out nine Blue Devils in four innings of work. Fletcher pitched three innings in relief and recorded the save.
SEASON ENDING NOTES: The 16 wins by Waurika in 2019 is the most by a Eagle baseball squad since the 2012 season when Waurika finished with an 18-7 mark….The 16 wins by coach Joe Allen’s squad is also tied for the eighth most wins since baseball returned to the high school sports menu in 1987 (with four seasons missing final records)….The district tourney runner up finish was the best performance in a district tourney since 2012 when the Eagles last won a district championship in baseball….The 16 wins is the fourth best by a first year coach since 1987.
It was a struggle, but the Waurika Eagles flew past Wilson in the second half and scored a 62-34 victory at Cy Sloan Stadium last Friday night.
It was a tight game at the halftime break as Waurika led, 28-20, but after Wilson tied the game early in the third quarter, Waurika came alive with four scores to put the game away.
Turner Mora Photo by Adam Brinson
The Eagles travel down U.S. 81 Friday night to take on the Ryan Cowboys in a District B-4 matchup. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Wilson got on the board first after a Waurika interception gave Wilson the ball at their own six. On the third play from the Waurika three, Logan Schaaf’s pass was tipped and landed in the hands of Shane Honea who raced to the end zone for a 97-yard touchdown pass. Schaaf found Caylen Fulton for the two-point conversion giving Wilson an 8-0 lead with 7:12 to play in the first quarter.
Waurika answered on their next possession with a 63-yard drive on six plays. The big play of the drive was a 45-yard scamper by Kevin Garcia to the Wilson 15. Four plays later Garcia scored from one yard out and the lead was trimmed to 8-6 with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Waurika Cheerleaders Photo by Adam Brinson
Honea fielded the ensuing kickoff and raced 82 yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but the Carter County Eagles had increased the lead to 14-6 with 5:01 left in the first quarter.
Waurika came back to tie the score on a seven-play, 55-yard drive. Turner Mora picked up the touchdown was a 22-yard run. Trent Arellano picked up the two-point conversion on a tough run around the left side to knot the score at 14 with 2:35 remaining in the first period.
Tackle by Hunter Wesberry Photo by Adam Brinson
Wilson began another scoring drive that carried into the second quarter. Schaff capped the drive with a one-yard plunge giving the lead back to Wilson at 20-14 with 10:26 left before the half.
Waurika had another answer, however, as they drove from their own 43. Mora found Hunter Wesberry wide open in the end zone and connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass to put draw Waurika even with Wilson at 20-20 with 8:45 left before the half.
Turner Mora Photo by Adam Brinson
After turning back another Wilson drive, Waurika took possession at the Waurika 25. Working against the clock Waurika marched down the field and competed the scoring drive when Mora hit Payton Fletcher with a touchdown pass over the middle. Mora ran for the two points and with just 16 ticks showing on the clock Waurika had gained the lead for the first time.
The two teams exchanged turnovers to open the third quarter and after Waurika recovered the Wilson fumble, Garcia scored from two yards out. After Mora ran for the two points, Waurika upped the lead to 36-20 with 10:12 to play in the third quarter.
Kevin Garcia Photo by Adam Brinson
Wilson refused to die as they took the ensuing kickoff and drove 63 yards on just two plays. The big play was a 54-yard pass from Schaaf to Honea score the touchdown. Schaaf ran for the two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 36-28 with 8:12 left in the third period.
This is the point in the game Waurika took control. Mora had two-long distance scoring runs – a 40-yarder the completed a 63-yard drive and a 74-yard scamper that capped a 97-yard drive. The scores extended the lead for Waurika to 48-28.
Trent Arellano Photo by Adam Brinson
Garcia got the next score for Waurika with a five-yard run with 11:22 left in the game giving Waurika a comfortable 54-28 advantage.
Waurika scored again after a Wilson punt and this time a 52-yard drive in three plays ended when Garcia caught a 12-yard pass from Mora for the touchdown. Mora ran for the two-point conversion and Waurika was in front, 62-28, with 8:28 left in the game.
Trent Arellano Photo by Adam Brinson
Wilson got its final score of the night on a 50-yard drive that ended when Honea caught a 27-yard scoring pass from Schaaf. The try for two was batted down by Jordan Watkins to set the final margin.
Waurika rolled up 611 yards of total offense with Mora picking up over half of that on the ground. The talented senior quarterback finished with 27 carries for 319 yards. Garcia also topped the 100-yard mark with 137 yards on just 13 carries.
The Waurika defense was impressive against the run as Wilson picked up only 104 yards on 33 totes, but Wilson struck for 254 yards in the air.
EAGLE FLIGHTS: Waurika now leads this series, 52-20-3, with the first game being played in 1921….The 96 points scored by both teams is the most points by the two teams in a game in the series….The 62 points scored by Waurika is the most ever scored against Wilson….Wilson’s 34 points ties for the fourth most points scored against Waurika which was also done in 1956….The 34 points scored by Wilson is also the most points scored in a loss in this series….Mora moved over the 1,000-yard mark in rushing yards in this game as he now has 1,067 yards rushing….This was the third game of the season that Mora rushed for more than 200 yards.
Game in Figures
WIL. WAUR.
First Downs 14 30
Yards Rushing 33-104 49-501
Yards Passing 254 110
Passes 11-16 10-14
Passes Int. By 1 0
Fumbles, Lost 4-3 1-1
Punts 1-25 0-0
Penalties 5-28 2-20
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Wilson 14 6 8 6–34
Waurika 14 14 20 14-62
WILSON – Shane Honea 97 pass from Logan Schaaf (Caylen Fulton pass from Schaaf), 7:12, 1st Quarter
WAURIKA – Kevin Garcia 1 run (run failed), 5:16, 1st Quarter
Waurika hosted the Velma-Alma Comets Tuesday night for a doubleheader encounter and the visitors came away with a pair of victories.
The Lady Comets bested the Lady Eagles, 44-33, while the Comets toppled the Eagles, 53-29.
The Lady Comets are 7-0 and ranked 17th in the latest Class A rankings. The Comets are now 5-1 and are ranked sixth in Class A.
The Lady Eagles dropped to 3-3 with the loss and the Eagles are now 4-2.
Waurika will close out the December portion of the schedule with a Friday matchup with Grandfield on the Bearcats’ home court. Tipoff for the girls’ game is 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Waurika will return home and face Big Pasture. The girls’ game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Waurika gym.
The Lady Eagles were in front of the Lady Comets after one quarter of play, 14-10.
In the second quarter, however, the Lady Eagles went ice cold and scored only two points. Fortunately, the Lady Comets only managed eight points, but it was enough to give them an 18-16 lead at the half.
The third quarter was a battle with Velma-Alma coming out of the period with an 11-10 advantage to lead 29-26 heading into the final quarter.
The Lady Comets outscored the Lady Eagles, 15-7, to secure the victory in the fourth quarter.
Velma-Alma had three girls in double figures and all three were responsible for the Lady Comets’ fourth-quarter surge.
Jaycee Kimbrough and Shain Ille each had 13 points, while Destinee Wofford added 12 points.
Waurika’s Tallin Mora had 13 points including eight in the first quarter to help the Lady Eagles hold the lead. Asia Smith added 10 points for the Lady Eagles.
The Eagles simply could not keep pace with the talented Comets.
The Comets jumped out to a 13-8 lead and increased the margin to 31-15 by the break.
In the third quarter the Comets put the game away with an 18-6 run to open up a 49-21 lead going into the final frame.
Waurika outscored the Comets, 8-4, in the fourth quarter, but the game was out of reach by that time.
Treyton Torrez led the Eagles in scoring with seven points.
A record-setting season for the Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad ended in disappointing fashion, on a muddy and tough course at Shawnee last Saturday.
The Cowgirls were one of three regional team champions and came into the Class 2A state meet at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center ranked fourth in the state.
But with one runner battling a pulled muscle, another a hip flexor and still another a sprained ankle, the Cowgirls’ gutty performance was able to only net seventh place in the meet.
Watonga and Hooker battled for the team title with the Lady Eagles coming out on top with 52 points. Hooker finished with 53 points. The Cowgirls totaled 219 points.
The Cowgirls, winners of six meets during the season, had battled through the injuries in claiming the regional crown, but the injuries finally caught up with the squad at the state meet.
Even with the disappointing ending at the state meet, the Cowgirls had easily the most impressive season in the short school history of the sport.
The team qualified for the state meet for only the third time in school history. The regional title was the first in school history.
In the regular season the Cowgirls never finished lower than fourth in any meet they entered and a couple of them were full of teams that were in higher classes and relatively talented.
The Cowgirls never backed down from a challenge all season and the state meet was no different when taking into consideration the injuries.
Ryan won team titles at Walters, North Rock Creek, Frederick, Sulphur and Healdton, plus the regional title. The Cowgirls were runner up at Prague.
Lilybet Harmon led the team performance at the state meet. The junior finished 20th in the field of 154 runners in Class 2A with a time of 13:42.50.
It was not Harmon’s best time of the season, but it did surpass her time and finish at the state meet a year ago.
Harmon has been the ringleader for the Cowgirls all season and she won three individual titles during the season – a first for a Cowgirl runner.
Katlyn Dabbs finished 30th for the Cowgirls and she turned in a time of 13:49.33 – her second best time of the season over a 3,200-meter course.
Juliet Spangler, running in her fourth straight state cross country meet, finished 45th with a time of 14:02.58.
The next three finishers for the Cowgirls had to overcome injuries to finish the race at the state meet.
Lily York was 86th among the competitors for the Cowgirls with a time of 15:01.70.
Alicyn Williams finished 109th with a time of 15:38.60.
Whittany Spangler, a freshman for coach Steve Spangler’s harriers, was 119th with a time of 16:06.89.
Gracie Stamper, a senior running in her first state cross country meet, finished with a time of 17:39.76, which was good for 145th.
York and J. Spangler were running in their final races for the Cowgirls and the two Ryan seniors have been cornerstones in the building of the Ryan cross country program.
The 2019 Cowgirl cross country team accomplished much during the season and the performance at the state meet should in no way take away from a great season.
Waurika will play host to the regional cross country meets for Classes 2A, 3A and 4A at Harmon Park on Saturday.
The competition begins at 10 a.m. with the Class 4A girls race. The Class 4A boys race will follow at 10:45 a.m. There are 14 schools that have been assigned to the Waurika regional.
The Class 4A girls race will feature three top ten teams and second-ranked Madill and fourth-ranked Pauls Valley are expected to battle for the team title.
The Class 4A boys grouping will feature third-ranked Madill and fourth-ranked Byng along with seventh-ranked Cache.
The Class 2A portion of the competition which will feature teams from Waurika and Ryan and the girls competition begins at 12 noon, while the boys race will follow at 12:45. Runners from 33 different schools are expected to compete.
The Ryan and Waurika girls, along with Merritt, are the top ranked teams entered in the Waurika regional. The Cowgirls and Eagles have battled on near even terms in a number of meets this season, but the Cowgirls come into the regional ranked fourth, while Waurika is ranked fifth.
Ryan has won a total of five meet titles during the regular season. The Merritt girls are ranked sixth so the Class 2A girls race may be the one to watch throughout the day.
The Class 2A boys will have a total of seven top twenty teams. Carnegie, ranked fourth, and Merritt, ranked fifth, are expected to battle for the team title. Waurika will also be running on its home course and while the Eagles are ranked just outside the top 20, they could contend for the team title.
The Class 3A girls and boys will run at 2 and 2:45 p.m., respectively. There are 16 schools expected for the Class 3A part of the meet.
Marietta is the top-ranked Class 3A girls team in the state, while the Marietta boys hold down the number two spot in the state rankings.
Plainview will feature to be the threat to Marietta. Plainview girls are ranked second, while the Plainview boys are ranked fifth.
This will be an excellent opportunity to witness some of the top cross country teams and individuals in the state as they compete to advance into next week’s state cross country competition.
The top seven teams in each class will advance to the state cross country meet, while the top seven individuals not on a qualifying team will also earn spots in the state meet.
The Class 2A, 3A and 4A state meets will be conducted at Shawnee’s Gordon Cooper Technology Center on October 26. The Class 2A portion of the meet will begin at 12:30 with the girls competition and the boys will follow at 1:15.
