Weather has played a huge role in Waurika’s fast-pitch softball schedule as the Lady Eagles had not seen action since August 28 until last Monday.
The Lady Eagles fell to Wilson, 20-9, at the Waurika diamond.
Waurika was to have hosted Ryan last Tuesday afternoon, but results were not available in time for this edition of the Waurika News-Journal/The Ryan Leader.
Waurika had games rained out at Empire and last Thursday with Geronimo before last Monday’s game with Wilson.
In the contest with Wilson, Waurika got off to a great start retiring Wilson in order in the top of the first and then erupting for five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Gracie Walling singled to start the Waurika uprising. Destiny Barnes, Madison Roberson and Kaci Reynolds were all hit by a pitch and Walling scored when Reynolds reached base.
Landry Forsyth followed with a two-run double giving Waurika a 4-0 lead. Forsyth scored the final run in the inning when Faith Roberson was hit by a pitch.
Waurika sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning that included four hit batsmen, three walks and two hits to give Waurika a 5-0 lead.
Wilson rallied for four runs in the top of the second before Waurika answered with a pair of scores in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a base hit.
Barnes and M. Roberson walked and both scored after walks to Hope Cummings and Alayna Stallcup to put Waurika in front, 7-4.
Wilson again struck for two runs in the top of the third to narrow the gap to 7-6, but Waurika got one run in the bottom of the inning.
Barnes drew another walk – one of three in the game – and moved to second on M. Roberson’s walk. A pair of stolen bases by Barnes – including the steal of home – helped Waurika extend the margin to 8-6.
Wilson picked up a single tally in the top of the fourth to narrow the margin to 8-7 and took the lead in the top of the fifth by scoring five runs to give the Carter County Eagles a 12-8 lead.
Waurika rallied for a single run in the bottom of the fifth. Barnes reached on her third walk of the game and stole second, third and home base to give Waurika the run and allow the hosts to come within three runs at 12-9.
However, Wilson sealed the win with a run in the top of the sixth and seven runs in the top of the seventh. Six of the seven runs were scored after two were out and Wilson had secured the win.
Waurika’s Forsyth finished 1-for-2 with two runs batted in with a two-run double.
Waurika stole 13 bases in the contest, but gave up 23 hits to the visitors to suffer the loss.
Waurika received their assignment for the Class A District Tournament last week and it will be a tough road for the Lady Eagles.
Waurika will travel to Ringling and will also have Wilson in the district.
Ringling has a 9-5 mark not including action this past Monday and Tuesday, while Wilson stands at 10-9 after handing Waurika a loss on Monday.
The Lady Eagles are 2-13 on the year.
Wilson and Ringling will both compete this weekend in the Comanche Tournament
Waurika will take a break over the weekend, but travels to Bray-Doyle on Monday to battle the host Lady Donkeys and Ninnekah.
The final regular season game for the Lady Eagles will be Tuesday at Temple.
In the final regular season meet of the year for Waurika and Ryan track squads, the competition proved to be one of the tougher outings of the season.
The Waurika boys and girls and the Ryan girls competed a week ago Tuesday in the Velma-Alma Invitational that featured schools from Class 3A to Class A.
The Lady Eagles had the best team performance in the meet with a 10th place finish and a total of 21 points. Velma-Alma won the girls’ title with 84 points. Ryan finished tied for 34th as the Cowgirls could manage only one team point.
The Waurika boys only had one placer resulting in two team points which put the Eagles 26th among the 29 teams.
Turner Mora was fifth in the long jump with a leap of 19-2.5, which was his third best performance of the season.
The Lady Eagles’ best performance came from Madison Roberson who earned a silver medal in the shot put with a toss of 36-4.
Asia Smith and Lexie Streeter continued their season-long improvement in the 3,200 meters in the meet with season-best times recorded.
Smith was third in the 3,200 meters with a time of 13:11.45, while Streeter was fifth with a time of 13:23.28. Both girls are freshmen.
Streeter also placed in the high jump. Her leap of 4-4 was good enough for a tie for fifth place.
Sara Ballard rounded out the placers for the Lady Eagles with a fourth-place finish in the long jump. Her mark of 14-8.5 was her top performance in the event for the 2018 season.
The Cowgirl track squad continued its assault on the school records in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter relays.
While neither team placed in those two events, the squad still managed to set school records.
In the 3,200 meters, the Cowgirls set a new school mark for the fourth time this season. The team of Lilybet Harmon, Lily York, Holland Carter and Juliet Spangler recorded a time of 11:27.30.
The same four girls combined for a school record in the 1,600 meter relay with a time of 4:53.76 marking the first time a Cowgirl relay squad has finished the event in under five minutes. The Cowgirls have set a school record in this event four times during 2018.
Spangler was the only Cowgirl to place in the meet finishing sixth in the 3,200 meters with a time of 13:40.89, which is her third best career time and the second best mark this season.
The Cowgirl sophomore also ran well in the 1,600 meters, but did not place. Her time of 6:17.47 is the best mark of the season in that event and her second best time in the event for her two-year high school career at Ryan.
It was one and done for the Waurika basketball teams at the Class A District Tournament last weekend at Ft. Cobb.
The Lady Eagles lost a nail biter to Ringling, 40-38, while the Eagles fell to the Blue Devils, 53-39, last Friday night.
Both were first-round games and the losses marked the end of the season for the Waurika roundballers.
The two Ringling teams fell to the host, Ft. Cobb-Broxton, in the district finals, but advanced to the consolation bracket of the regional tournament that begins today (Thursday).
In the girls’ contest, the Lady Eagles and Lady Blue Devils battled back and forth throughout the first half.
Ringling held a 15-13 lead after the first quarter, but the Lady Eagles rallied and managed a 25-22 advantage heading into the intermission.
The Lady Eagles lost the lead early in the third quarter, but Lexie Streeter’s three-pointer gave Waurika a 35-29 lead – the largest lead of the game for the Lady Eagles.
Ringling narrowed the gap by hitting two free throws, but Madison Roberson converted on a single charity toss to put the Lady Eagles back in front by five at 36-31.
A layup and free throw by Kelsea Thompson helped Ringling close the gap to 36-34 late in the third period and Mariah Martin canned a layup for the Lady Blue Devils to tie the score at 36-36.
Two free throws by Sydney Southward gave Ringling a two-point lead heading into the final frame, 38-36.
The fourth quarter both teams went ice cold from the field and committed numerous turnovers.
Waurika’s Madison Dees hit one of two free throws to narrow the deficit to 38-37, but Ringling’s Kassidy Perkins converted a layup to put Ringling in front, 40-37.
Roberson got the Lady Eagles’ final point with under a minute to play to close the gap to 40-38, but that was the end of the rally for Waurika,
Roberson led the Eagles with 19 points, while Asia Smith contributed 10 tallies.
The Lady Eagles shot only 31.7% from the field for the game, but the Lady Blue Devils were not much better at 39.5%. Waurika held a huge advantage in points in the paint outscoring the Lady Blue Devils, 20-0.
The Lady Eagles finish the season with a 6-12 mark.
In the boys’ game that followed, Ringling jumped out to an 18-6 lead in the first quarter and held the Eagles off the rest of the way as the two squads battled on even terms.
The Blue Devils maintained the lead at the half, 29-17, and the Eagles could not cut into the deficit during the third and fourth quarters.
The Eagles suffered from poor shooting all night.
Waurika was only 18% from beyond the three-point line and only 28.3% overall.
It was not much better at the free throw line as the Eagles hit only seven of 17 charity tosses for 41%.
Waurika also committed 17 turnovers during the game and Ringling converted those miscues into 14 points.
Meanwhile, Ringling was shooting at a 49% clip and hit 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Cache Arellano led the Eagles with 22 points including two buckets from long range. He also had five steals and seven rebounds. Kevin Garcia also had seven rebounds for the Eagles.
SEASON WRAP UP: The 6-12 record by the Lady Eagles broke a string of winning seasons….The Lady Eagles failed to advance to the regional tourney for the first time since 2015…Waurika girls are now 38-48 in district tournament play in school history….The Lady Eagles hold a 4-3 advantage over Ringling in district tournament games….The Eagles finished with only four wins after going 12-12 in 2017….The Eagles hold a 70-61 mark in district tourney games since the first appearance in 1922….Waurika and Ringling have met 10 times in district tournaments with each team winning five games…The 2018 season marked the third stragith season the Eagles have failed to advance out of the district tournament.
Track is one of those sports where team and individual performances are tied together.
A string of strong individual showings in a few events can go a long way in helping a team earn a meet title.
At Waurika in the decade of the 1930’s there was no shortage of outstanding individual performances.
A number of these individuals for the Eagles went on to participate in track in college. Or, track played a role in them earning a spot on collegiate football squads.
Results for the first four years of the decade are scarce, but a few performers can be identified as standouts for the Eagles.
In 1930, Charles Rhoades was a ringleader for the Eagle squads. He won the conference title in the pole vault and placed in the 440-yard dash, the mile run, the long jump, the javelin and the 880 in the county meet held at Ryan that year. He aided the Eagles to earn a team title over the Cowboys.
Rhoades was the champion at the 1931 county meet in the 440 and he placed in the 100, 200 and the pole vault as Waurika earned the team title.
One of the standouts during the 1932, 1933 and 1934 track seasons was Tillie Roach. He went on to give up track and play football at the University of Tulsa.
Roach was the conference champion in the 120 high hurdles at the conference meet in 1932 and he placed in the same event as well as the 200 yard dash at the OU Invitational.
Another outstanding performer for the Eagles beginning in 1933 was R.V. Wright. He won the 120 high hurdles at OU and had the best time in the state in that event at 16.1. He went on to star in track at Oklahoma A&M, where in 1939 he was the team captain for the Aggie track squad.
R.V. Wright also ran in an invitation only 120 high hurdles race during halftime of the 1939 Sugar Bowl football game.
He was also part of the seven-man team that was so successful in 1934. Roach was on this squad along with Roscoe Long, Tubby Daniel, Elmer Wright, Fuzzy Fowler and Hurschel Sparkman.
The mile relay team of Roach, R.V. Wright, Long and Daniels was the conference champion in the mile relay with a time of 3:33.7.
Sparkman won the 220 low hurdles, while Daniel won the 440 and Fowler earned the title in the mile run and the 880.
In the 120 high hurdles, R.V. Wright set a meet record in winning the race, while Sparkman and Roach were second and third respectively. Elmer Wright rounded out the meet champions with a first place finish in the discus.
Elmer Wright eventually went on to a track career at Connors State in Warner.
At the OU meet in 1934, Roach was the 220 yard low hurdles and R.V. Wright finished second and Sparkman was third. R.V. Wright also earned the title in the 120 yard high hurdles.
Fowler was a meet champion at OU in the 880 and the mile run and Elmer Wright was the champion in the discus, setting a meet record in the process.
In 1935, fewer results are available, but Sparkman began to establish himself as an outstanding hurdler. He won both the 200 low hurdles and the 120 high hurdles at the OU meet that season and set meet records along the way. Sparkman eventually went on to run track at Oklahoma A&M.
Sparkman, Fowler and Long returned for the 1936 track season.
Sparkman continued to dominate the hurdles events, while Fowler won the mile run in every meet he participated in during the 1936 season.
Jackie Taylor, who became an outstanding athlete at Waurika, began to make his mark during the 1936 season. Taylor earned a runner up spot in the 220 yard dash and third place in the 440 yard dash at the OU meet.
At OU that same season, Sparkman won both hurdles’ events and Fowler was a champion in the mile run.
Those performances spurred Waurika to the team title in 1936 at OU.
Taylor began to dominate in the sprints during the 1937 track season. He was a county champion in both the 100 and 220 and also the shot put.
Taylor won three events – the 100, 220 and the 440 – at the OU meet which would be equal to sweeping the state title in three events today, which is rarely done. Taylor also anchored the 888-yard relay to a first-place finish for Waurika at OU.
Sparkman won the county meet in the 200 low hurdles, but finished second to teammate Rex Lewis in the 120 high hurdles.
Oral Hairston was a key member of the 1937 squad as he also competed in the hurdles for the Eagles.
During the 1938 season, Hairston took over for Sparkman in the hurdles and was nearly as dominate. He won the 120 high hurdles at the Southwestern Exposition Invitational at Fort Worth and helped Waurika to the team title.
Hairston was the top point producer at the 1938 Southern Six Conference meet as he was responsible for 15.25 of Waurika’s title-winning 83.3 points.
At OU in 1938, Hairston was the champion in the 120 high hurdles and the hop, skip and jump event. He finished third in the 220 low hurdles.
Hairston finished out his career at Waurika in 1939. He was the conference champion in the 200-yard low hurdles and finished third in the 120 high hurdles. He also won the pole vault that season at the conference meet. Waurika won the 1939 conference title in overwhelming fashion.
These men and a number of others were the people responsible for Waurika becoming the “track capitol of Oklahoma” during the decade of the 1930’s.
It is a long drive to Caddo. But the Waurika Eagles made quick work of the contest with the Bruins in coming away with a 48-0 victory last Friday night.
The Eagles move to 4-0 on the year and have not played past halftime in any of the games.
Team Captains (l-r) Colton Bryant, Aaron Nitka, and Austin Dyer. Photo by Adam Brinson
Waurika will move into district play Friday night as they travel to Wilson to face the Carter County Eagles. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
The defense came up big for the Eagles last Friday night at Caddo. Waurika took advantage of four Caddo turnovers – turning two of them into instant scores – and also blocked a punt that set up another score for Waurika.
That effort coupled with Waurika scoring three touchdowns in less than two minutes of clock time propelled the Eagles to the big victory and aided in taking command of the game midway through the first quarter.
Edwin Garcia recovering a fumble for a TD. Photo by Adam Brinson
The Eagles got on the scoreboard with 8:18 left in the first quarter that set off the flurry of scores.
Colton Bryant carried the pigskin in from 15 yards out and also ran for the two-point conversion to give Waurika an 8-0 edge.
Zachary Brown alluding a defender. Photo by Adam Brinson
Caddo was mounting a drive to answer the score, but fumbled the ball at the Eagle 45 and Edwin Garcia alertly scooped it up and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. Kevin Garcia ran for the two points and Waurika held a 16-0 lead with 7:04 to play in the half.
The next Caddo possession also ended in a turnover and the Eagles took advantage.
Austin Dyer hauled in a 22-yard pass form Turner Mora and Mora ran for the two points and what had been a 0-0 deadlock just moments earlier was now a 24-0 Waurika advantage.
The Eagles got another break late in the first quarter as the Bruins were pinned deep in their own territory and fumbled the ball.
E. Garcia once again was in the right spot and picked up the loose ball and carried it 10 yards for a touchdown. Mora ran for the two-points and with 52 seconds to play in the first quarter, Waurika led, 32-0.
Gatlin Black stopping the Caddo runner in the backfield. Photo by Adam Brinson
Midway through the second quarter, Bryant got his second score of the night on an eight-yard run. Zachary Brown ran for the two points and Waurika was in front, 40-0, with 7:21 to play before intermission.
Waurika closed out the scoring with Mora’s 23-yard scoring scamper and Matt Arriola tacked on the two-point conversion to put Waurika in front, 48-0, with 2:18 left until halftime.
Caddo could not answer and the game ended at the half on the 45-point mercy rule.
For the second time this season Mora led the Eagles in rushing with 73 yards on just six carries. Bryant tacked on 66 yards on nine carries and two scores.
EAGLE FLIGHTS: Waurika now leads the short series with Caddo, 3-2…..The 48 points score by Waurika is the most ever against Caddo and the 48-point margin of victory is also the most ever in the series…Waurika broke a two-game losing streak to the Bruins with the win…Waurika got its first eight-man victory over Caddo after two losses….The Eagles and Bruins played a two-game series in the late 80’s with Waurika winning both games handily…All three of Waurika’s wins over Caddo have been shutouts….Waurika has not started a season 4-0 since the 1989 season when the Eagles won their first nine games and carved out a 12-2 mark for the season…Despite the 4-0 start, the Eagles are not getting much respect around the state as they are unranked in every notable poll.
It was a mad dash to the end of the regular season for the Ryan Cowboys and Cowgirls as they played four contests in eight days in preparation to enter the post-season.
On Tuesday night the Cowboys and Cowgirls dropped a doubleheader at Empire after having swept Temple last Friday night on Senior Night on Raymon West Court.
Last Thursday, the two teams traveled to Turner and split a doubleheader and a week ago Tuesday, Ryan dropped both contests to Geronimo at home.
The Cowboys will enter district play with a 5-16 mark, while the Cowgirls hold a 7-14 record.
The seven wins by the Cowgirls is more victories than the previous two seasons combined.
Here’s a brief look at each contest from the last seven days of action:
Empire 59, Ryan 40 (Boys)
The Bulldogs and Cowboys battled to a 9-9 tie after one quarter, but Empire heated up in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.
The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 14-0 run and it wasn’t until Joseph Martin connected on a layup with 4:08 before halftime that Ryan was able to narrow the gap to 23-11.
Empire quickly answered with a bucket and scored six straight and was never threatened again.
The Bulldogs took advantage of 11 Ryan turnovers in the quarter and held a 35-13 advantage at intermission.
The Cowboys trailed 54-24 at the end of the third quarter, but were able to trim the deficit by outscoring the Bulldogs, 16-5, in the final quarter.
Grayson Tomberlin tied his season high with 17 points to lead the Cowboys. He was the only player in double figures.
Empire 59, Ryan 49 (Girls)
The lack of depth that has plagued the Cowgirls through most of the 2018 season reared its ugly head again at Empire.
The Cowgirls battled with the Class 2A Lady Bulldogs through most of the game, but could not finish.
Both teams were tied at 13 after one quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs forged to a seven-point advantage with 3:29 left in the first half.
Juliet Spangler completed a three-point play to trim the lead back to 26-22 with 2:53 before halftime and Kenzie Lewis’ layup with six seconds left brought the Cowgirls to within three at 29-26 going into the break.
Samantha Good opened the third quarter with a three-point basket to tie the score, Spangler connected on a short turnaround jumper and Good hit a short jumper to give the Cowgirls a 33-29 lead with 4:52 left in the third quarter.
Layups by MacKenzie Keith and Lily York gave Ryan its biggest lead of the game at 37-29 at the four-minute mark.
However, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Cowgirls 13-3 the rest of the third quarter to hold a 42-40 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Cowgirls pulled to within one point on two occasions in the fourth quarter – the last with 6:05 left in the game when York converted on one of two free throws.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled away from there outscoring the Cowgirls 14-5 to secure the win.
Missed free throws again hampered the Cowgirls as they missed nine attempts from the charity stripe in the final quarter.
York led the Cowgirls in scoring with 15 points, while Good added 11 points. Empire’s Korie Allensworth, a sophomore, led the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points.
Ryan 67, Temple 38 (Boys)
It was a good final home appearance for four Ryan seniors – River Williams, Tate Kimbro, Dawson Tomberlin and Martin.
The Cowboys got off to a 12-5 advantage after one quarter and the Tigers narrowed the gap to 14-10 on Quinzell Tisdale’s two free throws at the 4:25 mark of the second quarter.
However, from there the Cowboys took control and close the half on an 11-0 run to lead 27-11 at the half.
Skyler Parkhill converted a traditional three-point play with just 2.5 seconds left in the third quarter to give Ryan its largest lead of the game – 52-19.
The Cowboys overcame the outstanding performance by Tisdale and he dominated play for the Tigers. He finished with 33 of the team’s 38 points.
Ryan had five players in double figures with Martin leading the way with 15 tallies.
The Cowboys dominated the boards with a 56-26 advantage and many of those came on the offensive end of the court as Ryan outscored Temple, 18-0, on second chance points.
The 56 rebounds ties the school record for most rebounds in a game. The Cowboys hauled down 56 boards in a 2006 game against Grandfield.
The three highest scoring games for the Cowboys in the 2018 season have come against the Tigers and Ryan has now won seven of the last eight meetings with Temple.
Ryan 54, Temple 8 (Girls)
The Cowgirls said goodbye to their lone senior – Lewis – in resounding fashion by totally dominating an outmanned Lady Tiger squad.
The Cowgirls overcame the physical play of the Lady Tigers for a record-setting win. The eight points scored by Temple ties the school record for fewest points in a game by an opponent set in a 1946 game with Sugden.
The Cowgirl defense was stifling throughout the game as Temple did not score a field goal until 44 seconds remained in the third quarter.
Temple was whistled for 25 fouls in the contest – 12 of them in the first quarter. The Cowgirls, however, could only hit seven of 18 three throws in the quarter, but it helped them gain a 12-1 lead and at that point the game was essentially decided.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The overwhelming victory was secured despite a less than stellar shooting performance by the Cowgirls. Ryan was only 14 of 34 from the charity stripe for the game (41%) and connected on only 18 of 61 from the field – a dismal 29.5%.
But, the Cowgirls played nearly flawless in most other categories. Ryan had a season-low six turnovers, while Temple recorded 27.
Ryan outrebounded the Lady Tigers, 52-27, to set the school record for most rebounds in a game. The previous mark was 43 set last year against Temple.
The rebound edge helped the Cowgirls own a 12-0 advantage on second chance points.
The 54 points scored was the highest point total this season for the Cowgirls.
York led the Cowgirls in scoring with 21 points and she contributed four steals. Good added 11 points and Spangler contributed eight points and led the Cowgirls in rebounding with 13 boards.
This was only the second time this season the Cowgirls have won two games in a row.
Turner 40, Ryan 23 (Boys)
The Cowboys suffered from cold-shooting from the field and could not stay up with the Falcons.
Turner jumped out to a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained the margin at the half taking an 18-12 lead into the locker room.
The teams battled on even terms through the third quarter as the Falcons clung to a 27-21 lead, but outscored the Cowboys, 13-2, in the final quarter to secure the win.
The Cowboys were without two players – including one starter.
Andrew Villerreal was the leading scoring for the Cowboys with eight points.
The loss to Turner snapped a three-game winning streak over the Falcons.
Ryan 40, Turner 30 (Girls)
Despite shooting only nine of 19 from the free throw line, the Cowgirls snapped a three-game losing streak with a big victory over the Lady Falcons.
The Cowgirls built a 24-19 lead at the half and then got two critical treys from Good to help extend the lead to 33-25 heading into the fourth quarter.
Good returned to the Cowgirl squad after missing six games with an injury. She led the Cowgirls in scoring with 15 points – one of three Cowgirls in double figures.
Spangler and York each had 10 tallies for the Cowgirls.
The win avenged an earlier 19-point loss to the Lady Falcons in the Healdton Tournament and it ended a five-game losing streak to Turner.
Geronimo 56, Ryan 37 (Boys)
The Cowgirls fell behind 16-4 in the first quarter against the talented Blue Jays and were never really in the contest.
Geronimo increased the lead with 29-10 at the half and held the Cowboys at bay in the second half as each team scored 27 points.
Brock Smith and Villerreal each had eight points to lead the Cowboys in scoring.
The Cowboys have dropped four of the last five meetings with Geronimo.
Geronimo 45, Ryan 33
It was another tough night shooting for the Cowgirls in this fifth straight loss to the Lady Blue Jays.
Geronimo raced to a 26-5 advantage at the half thanks to six three-pointers – four of which came in the second quarter.
The Cowgirls could not keep pace as they connected on only one field goal in the first half.
After trailing 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cowgirls somewhat found the range and outscored Geronimo, 21-6 to cut the final margin to 12 points.
York paced the Cowgirls in scoring with 16 points – including two treys and four of four from the free throw line.
The Cowgirls have suffered from a lack of depth the entire season and only suited six players for this contest.
Waurika will continue its playoff march tomorrow night when they travel to Laverne for a third-round Class B post-season clash.
The Eagles advanced last week with a 58-36 victory over Southwest Covenant, while the Tigers had its game with Seiling canceled when Seiling could not field enough players for the game because of Covid-19.
The two teams met in the second game of the regular season at Waurika and the Tigers handed the Eagles a 42-18 defeat.
In that contest the Eagles scored first, but Laverne rattled off 42 straight points before Waurika got a couple of late scores to set the final margin.
The two teams have two common opponents. Both teams had big wins over Canton. Waurika dropped a 56-14 decision to Shattuck, but Laverne downed the Indians, 50-14, in the final game of the regular season.
Laverne has a host of talented juniors that make up the roster and they have turned in some impressive performances on the season with a powerful offensive and a stifling defense.
The Tigers have won seven straight games. Last week’s playoff game is considered a no contest and does not count in the win/loss records.
Waurika continues to experience an up-and-down season and last weekend’s big win over Southwest Covenant was an example of what the season has been like.
The Eagles got off to a 16-0 lead, but allowed the Patriots to cut it to 16-8. A big second quarter gave Waurika another big lead, but the Patriots scored 20 straight points to narrow the game to two scores early in the fourth quarter.
The 2020 season for the Eagles was disrupted twice with cancelations plus Waurika scheduled Laverne and Shattuck – both traditional eight-man powerhouses – for non-district games.
The Eagles struggled in one district game – the 28-22 overtime loss to district champion Empire.
Waurika came back with a big district win over Snyder and after a week off with a first-round bye picked up the playoff win over Southwest Covenant.
The winner of Friday’s contest with Laverne will advance to the Class B quarterfinals and face the winner of Summit Christian and Davenport.
Waurika and Tipton are the only remaining teams from District B-3 in the third round of the playoffs. Empire was eliminated by Alex and Snyder fell in an overtime thriller to Velma-Alma.
Laverne’s most famous alumni is not an outstanding athlete. Jane Jayroe was a Laverne graduate and was the 1967 Miss America. She worked in television news for two Oklahoma City stations and continues to be an ambassador for the state of Oklahoma.
Here’s a brief look at this week’s playoff game:
Laverne at Waurika
Time and Place: Friday at 7 p.m. at Laverne High School Stadium
How to Get There: Take US 81 North to El Reno; Take I-40 West to the US 281 Spur toward Geary and Watonga; at Geary take US 270 to Watonga, Seiling and Woodward; Continue on 270 and turn north on US 283 to Laverne. Allow about four and half hours driving time.
Records: Laverne is 7-1, while Waurika is 6-3.
Coaches: Tanner Woods is in his second season as the coach of the Tigers. He has compiled an 17-4 mark and has led the team to the playoffs in both seasons. Joe Allen is in his third season at the helm of the Eagles. Under Allen the Eagles have a 27-6 mark.
Series History: Laverne won the only meeting between the two schools earlier this season.
Playoff History: Laverne is making is 43rd appearance in the playoffs and a 15th straight appearance. The Tigers have made the playoffs every year of eight-man play which began in 2006. Laverne has won three state titles and finished as the state runner up three other times – all in eight-man play. Laverne made three semifinal appearances between 1945 and 1958. The Tigers own a 48-39 mark in all playoff games and are 33-11 in eight-man playoff games.
Waurika is making its 30th appearance in the playoffs and the sixth since joining the eight-man ranks. Waurika is 30-26-2 in all playoff games. The 1951 Eagles won the state title and Waurika has five other semifinal appearances – all in 11-man play. Since entering eight-man play in 2012 the Eagles are 5-5 in all playoff games. Waurika is making its sixth straight appearance in the playoffs.
Team Capsules: Laverne is putting together another impressive season. The Tigers lost the season opener to Cherokee but have reeled off seven straight victories including an impressive 50-12 victory over Shattuck that ended the Indians’ long winning streak. The Eagles will have to figure out a way to stop Houston Bockelman, who ran for 230 yards on just 13 carries against the Eagles in the regular season meeting. He had touchdown runs of 32, 55, 33 and 40 yards against Waurika in the earlier meeting. The Eagles will also try to figure out the Laverne defense which has given up no more than two touchdowns to an opponent since the early-season meeting with Waurika and the opener against Cherokee
The Eagles played admirably last week without Torrez, but went through stretches of the game against Southwest Covenant where the team seemed to be disengaged. Kevin Garcia responded to the challenge of filling in at quarterback for the Eagles and rushed for 178 yards and was effective through the air by completing five of eight passes for 99 yards. Waurika continues to rely on a strong running game that is helped along by a consistent offensive line of Angel Garcia, Bowden Forsyth and Bobby Aldape. Slade Cathey adds to the offensive line from the tight end position. The defense continues to improve, despite giving up 36 points to a talented Southwest Covenant team in the first round of the playoffs.
Outlook: The Eagles will have to play an error-free game and be able to corral the Tiger offense that is averaging over 47 points a game. If the Eagles can accomplish this against Laverne, they should have the opportunity to move into the quarterfinals. However, this will prove to be the toughest challenge of the season for the Eagles as they face an improved Laverne squad from the one they faced early in the regular season.
It was a good week for the grid teams in District B-4 as four of the five schools won their contests as they continue to engage non-district foes.
This week the teams will engaged in another week of non-district contests while most of the rest of the state begins district play.
Most districts in all classes have eight schools, but the schools in District B-4 are with five other schools leaving more room for non-district games.
Wilson will take the week off, but the Eagles have fashioned an impressive 4-0 record to start the season. They have wins over two ranked teams in Class C – Fox and Paoli.
Wilson’s victory over Fox was probably the most impressive among the district schools.
Waurika is the other undefeated team among the district schools with wins over Temple, Grandfield and Carnegie – all by the mercy rule.
Ryan recorded its third win of the season and all three wins have come against Class C teams – Maysville, Temple and Grandfield. The Cowboys will step back into play against Class B teams when they face Caddo this week.
Bray-Doyle, 3-1 on the year, will have the week off, also. The Donkeys had been on a roll until last Friday when they were soundly defeated by Cyril, 52-6.
Central High got into the win column for the first time this season. The Bronchos defeated Temple but both schools suited out only 10 players for the game.
Empire, who had a bye week last week, will try to reach the .500 mark when they host Cyril.
…Cowboys score 30 unanswered points to win season opener
The Ryan Cowboys rallied from an 18-point deficit to earn a hard-fought 30-18 victory over Thackerville last Friday night at Bob Givens Sports Complex.
The Cowboys are back in action tomorrow night when they will play host to Wilson. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in the contest that was originally scheduled to be played at Wilson.
The Eagles will bring a 1-1 record to Ryan after dropping a 56-6 verdict to Hollis. Wilson won its season opener with a 56-8 victory over Thackerville.
There is an old saying in the sports world – “it was a tale of two halves.”
And, that saying could describe perfectly what happened last Friday night on the Cowboys home turf.
Thackerville took advantage of two Ryan turnovers and some critical Ryan mistakes to hold an 18-0 lead at the intermission.
But, the Cowboys came out of the locker room in the second half and executed offensively and defensively to near perfection in putting up 30 points to come away with the first victory of the 2022 season.
Thackerville received the opening kickoff and moved from its own 28 to the Ryan 16 in 12 plays using 5:05 of the first quarter clock, but the Ryan defense came up with a big fourth down stop and the Cowboys took over on downs.
The Cowboys struggled offensively to open the contest. The next Cowboy possession netted only 21 yards and was hampered by two Ryan penalties.
A fumble recovery by the Wildcats’ Bryson McGilvray ended the drive and gave the Wildcats the ball at the Ryan 34.
On the first play, Austin Tyre got behind the Ryan defense and caught a pass and slipped a Cowboy defender to complete a 34-yard scoring play. The two-point conversion failed, but the Wildcats had a 6-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first frame.
The two teams exchanged punts and after a Ryan penalty on a punt return the Cowboys set up at their own 33.
The Cowboys moved to the Thackerville 29 after a brilliant catch by Julian Rodriguez that resulted in a 24-yard gain, but on the next play, the ball was snapped over the head of the quarterback and the gain was nearly wiped out.
Another sack of quarterback Racen Williams and a short run had the Cowboys in a fourth and long. Hoping to catch the Wildcats off guard, Ryan called a fake punt, but was stopped after a seven-yard gain.
This gave Thackerville possession at midfield and it took the Wildcats 11 plays to get another score.
Tyre caught a 13-yard pass from Justice Rodriguez for the touchdown. The Cowboys again stopped the two-point conversion, but with only 2:32 left before the half, the Wildcats increased the lead to 12-0.
Ryan’s offense sputtered once again as McGilvray fell on another Ryan fumble giving the Wildcats the ball at the Ryan 25.
Justice Rodriguez again found Tyre open on the first play of the possession and the pair connected on a 25-yard scoring play with just 26 seconds left in the first half. The Cowboy defense again stopped the two-point conversion, but the Wildcats took an 18-0 lead at the half.
The Cowboys were a different team in the second half and it was on display on their first possession.
Ryan took the ball to start the second half \ at its own 34 and three rushes by Carsen Rodriguez produced 15 yards.
On a third down play, Williams got outside around the right end and sped 51 yards for the Cowboys’ first score. Williams ran for the two-point conversion and the lead was trimmed to 18-8 with 10:14 showing in the third quarter.
The Wildcats looked like they would answer the Cowboy score as they marched from the Thackerville 32 to the Ryan 11, but the Cowboy defense rose up and the next four plays produced only two yards and Ryan took over on downs at its own nine.
It took only three plays to drive 91 yards with the big play being an 83-yard touchdown by Williams. After a bad snap, Williams went right, got around the corner and then broke toward the middle of the field and outran the Wildcat defense to the end zone.
Xavier Guzman added the two-point conversion and with 5:30 left in the third quarter the Cowboys had drawn to within two points at 18-16.
At this point, the momentum shift was on full display.
The two teams exchanged possessions and after a short Thackerville punt early in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys launched the go-ahead drive.
The Cowboys went 60 yards in 10 plays – overcoming a penalty and converting two fourth downs – for the score.
ELUDING A WILDCAT – Ryan’s Racen Williams (1) tries to get past Thackerville defender Justice Rodriguez (5) during last Friday’s night’s 30-18 victory over Thackerville in the season opener for the Cowboys. (Photo by Shelley Villerreal)
On the second fourth-down conversion, Guzman found Julian Rodriguez for a 21-yard completion and then on first down at the 16, Guzman took the ball around the left side and raced into the end zone for the score.
After a five-yard penalty on the try for two points, Williams found Julian Rodriguez for the successful two-point conversion and Ryan had its first lead of the season, 24-18, with 5:38 left in the game.
On the Wildcats’ next possession, Ethan Burden intercepted a Wildcat pass and raced 61 yards for what was thought to be a clinching score. But, a penalty after the interception on the Cowboys erased the return, but Ryan did have possession with 4:05 left in the game at the Cowboy 39.
The Cowboys needed to melt the clock but faced a third-and-15 at its own 34 when Williams found Will Townsend behind the Wildcat defenders for a 30-yard pass completion.
The next two plays resulted in 25 yards of penalties assessed to the Wildcats and Ryan was at the Thackerville 11.
On the first play, the Cowboys fumbled, but Kyson Tomberlin wrestled the ball away from the Thackerville defender to allow Ryan to retain possession.
On the next play, Guzman took off around the right end and eluded a Thackerville defender at the goal line for an 11-yard touchdown run. Guzman’s run for the two points was stopped at the goal line, but Ryan had a 30-18 lead with only 1:36 left in the game.
The Wildcats got possession at midfield, but with no timeouts they were forced into hurry-up mode.
Thackerville made one first down, but a 15-yard penalty with only 37 seconds left put the Wildcats into a fourth and long situation and a running play came up short of the line to gain and Ryan took over on downs and the clock expired.
Williams led the Cowboys in rushing with 193 yards on just 18 carries.
Foreman Casebolt was brilliant on defense for the Cowboys with 12 solo tackles and two assists.
Guzman added seven solo tackles – including two key stops during the contest. He also had an assisted tackle.
COWBOY CORRAL: This was the first victory in a season opener for the Cowboys since the 2017 season when the Cowboys downed Thackerville, 40-8…The 30 points scored was also the most points scored by Ryan in a season opener since that 2017 contest with the Wildcats….This was also the first season-opening win by the Cowboys under fifth-year coach Tony Tomberlin….The Cowboys are 4-2 in season openers played against Thackerville….With this win, the Cowboys are now 58-39-6 in season openers, but have dropped seven of the last nine season openers….Ryan is 11-11 in season openers since the turn of the century and stand at 27-17 since beginning eight-man play in 1978….The Cowboys lead the series with Thackerville, 22-11….The win over the Wildcats broke a three-game losing skid against Thackerville.
Game in Figures
THS RHS
First Downs 19 17
Yards Rushing 41-199 45-265
Yards Passing 125 92
Passes 8-19 4-8
Passes Int. By 0 1
Fumbles, Lost 3-0 3-2
Punts 2-15.5 1-35
Penalties 6-55 12-110
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Thackerville 6 12 0 0—18
Ryan 0 0 16 14—30
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
THACKERVILLE – Austin Tyre 34 pass from Justice Rodrigue (run failed), :49
SECOND QUARTER
THACKERVILLE – Tyre 13 pass from Rodriguez (run failed), 2:32
THACKERVILLE – Tyre 25 pass from Rodriguez (run failed), :26
THIRD QUARTER
RYAN – Racen Williams 51 run (Williams run), 10:14
RYAN – Williams 83 run (Xavier Guzman run), 5:30
FOURTH QUARTER
RYAN – Guzman 16 run (Julian Rodriguez pass from Williams), 5:38
RYAN – Guzman 11 run (run failed), 1:36
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
THACKERVILLE: Rushing – Lucas Rickwa 11-63, Aziz Hernandez 12-59, Justice Rodriguez 9-43, Austin Tyre 7-24, Andy Cabrera 2-10; Passes – Rodriguez 8-19-125-1; Receiving – Tyre 4-102, Cabrera 1-16, Hernandez 1-5, Rickwa1-1, Micah Wolfe 1-1.
RYAN: Rushing – Racen Williams 18-193, Carsen Rodriguez 20-56, Xavier Guzman 6-39, Team 1-(1-23); Passes – Williams 3-7-71-0; Guzman 1-1-21; Receiving – Will Townsend 2-47, Julian Rodriguez 2-45; Tackles – Foreman Casebolt 14, Guzman 7.5, Williams 5, J. Rodriguez 4, Larry Sewell 3, Mason Adsit 3, Andrew Scott 2.5, Will Townsend 2, Maddox Dabbs 1, Daylen Vandoozer 1, C. Rodriguez 1, Ethan Burden 1, Will Regher 1, Aaron Ortiz 1, Kyson Tomberlin .5, Alex Uribe .5.
Not much has to be said or written about the rivalry between Waurika and Ryan.
With the two communities just 10 miles apart, it is natural for the two schools to be rivals in all sports competition.
The football version of the rivalry is tomorrow night at Waurika’s Cy Sloan Stadium and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
In many of the years of this series the two teams have also been competing against each other for district honors and 2018 is no different.
The Waurika Football Team. Photo by Shelly Mora
And even though the series in football took a break (except for two seasons) after Ryan moved to eight-man football, the rivalry on the gridiron was resumed in 2012 when Waurika dropped to eight-man football.
The series of eight-man meetings have been split at three wins apiece for the two teams. Ryan won the first two and then Waurika won three straight before last year’s thrilling 44-36, double-overtime victory by the Cowboys in 2017.
It will be Waurika’s homecoming and that will give the Eagles added incentive to be able to revenge last year’s heart-breaking loss.
Waurika has a huge advantage overall in the series that dates back to 1919 – the first year the two schools played football. The Eagles lead the series 40-17-3.
The Eagles built a good part of that advantage with 11 straight wins between 1963 and 1973 before Ryan broke the string in the 1974 season with a 28-0 victory over Waurika on the Eagles’ home field.
The Ryan Football Team. Photo by Sheree Hanson
The game has been close and it has been lopsided. There have been two one-point games between the Cowboys and Eagles – in 1946 and 1954 – and each team came out on top once.
Waurika’s largest margin of victory came in a 1971 conquest of the Cowboys as the Eagles whitewashed Ryan, 64-0.
In 1937, Ryan earned its largest margin of victory over the Eagles with a 37-0 win.
Ryan has twice scored 44 points against Waurika – the highest number of points scored by the Cowboys in the series and both of those games were eight-man contests.
Waurika’s greatest margin of victory was the 64-point win in 1971.
Two of the three ties in the series were scoreless and they came in back-to-back years in 1942 and 1943.
Waurika has 15 shutouts over the Cowboys through the years, while Ryan has seven of shutouts. Both include the two scoreless games.
Waurika comes into this year’s game with a 5-0 record, while Ryan is 4-2 on the year.
Waurika had its biggest win of the year last week with a 38-6 decision over Wilson.
The Cowboys exploded for an 84-38 victory over Empire last Friday night, but that was helped along by two defensive scores and a kickoff return.
So, both offenses are potent and it could be an old-fashioned eight-man shootout.
Waurika has been a bit more dominating with only last week’s win over Wilson going past halftime.
The Cowboys will have to try to corral the team speed of the Eagles and figure out a way to keep the offensive momentum gained against Empire going against Waurika.
The two schools have three common opponents this season – Temple, Grandfield and Caddo. Both teams had runaway wins over Temple and Grandfield, but Ryan dropped a 57-26 decision to the Bruins, while Waurika rolled to a 48-0 win over Caddo.
Waurika features a potent running attack with Turner Mora, Colton Bryant, Kevin Garcia and Zachary Brown.
The Cowboys will counter on offense with a more wide-open attack behind quarterback Grayson Tomberlin, who has thrown for over 900 yards this season. He has also rushed for 655 yards.
However, the Cowboys are not one-dimensional as Skylar Parkhill has been the favorite target of Tomberlin’s passing attack. The Cowboy senior has rushed for 466 yards and 10 rushing scores.
Both teams will be challenged defensively to stop the offensive attacks.
Look for a contest with plenty of scoring if Ryan can solve the Waurika defense that has only allowed three touchdowns in five games.
Here’s a look at the results of the long-running series:
