Ryan’s slow-pitch softball team has faced a couple of hurdles in getting the 2018 season into full swing.
The Cowgirls of coach Stan Mueggenborg have inherited quite a bit of extra practice time from having scheduled opponents back out of games because they did not have enough players.
The Cowgirls are slated to get back in action Monday with a game against Comanche on Larry Ninman Field at the Bob Givens Sports Complex.
Ryan’s first game was cancelled because of previously schedule school conflicts.
And, Temple and Big Pasture, who were both on the Cowgirl slate for last week, do not have enough players to field a slow-pitch softball team.
That means the Cowgirls have only played one game – an 11-10 loss to Grandfield.
In addition to the contest with Comanche, the Cowgirls are scheduled to take on Geronimo at home one week from today.
READY TO BOARD - Ryan’s Jasmine Villerreal (left) and Alicen Williams (center) are pictured with former Ryan athlete Whittany Spangler of Moss getting ready to board a plane to Costa Rica to spend 10 days at a sports leadership camp. (Photo provided)
Two Ryan student athletes recently returned from a sports leadership camp experience in Costa Rica.
Jasmine Villerreal and Alicen Williams, both students at Ryan High School, spent 10 days at the camp that is a sports leadership experience for high school female athletes.
Former Ryan athlete, Whittany Spangler, was also part of the select group of athletes chosen to participate in this elite camp.
The leadership camp is operated by Beyond Sports and was founded by two former college athletes that were inspired by the power of cross-cultural understanding through sports and wanted to create opportunities for student athletes to travel abroad and create meaningful connections and unique experiences through their sport.
Since 2010 the camp has hosted over 3,000 athletes and the facility is located within walking distance to a beach.
The Girls Leadership Academy for Service and Sport (GLASS) is the event Villerreal and Williams attended. A team of current college athletes served as mentors for the group of girls on a campus that has been developed in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica.
Each session of the camp consists of 18 or less students and each attendee fills out an application that includes personal information, the sports they participate in and essay questions.
Based on the applications, the girls are chosen to participate at their expense in the camp. Financial assistance is available for participants.
Williams and Spangler were slated to attend last summer but the camp was canceled because of COVID-19 and this year, Villerreal decided to try and join her friends for the experience.
“I really wanted to try something new and learn more about leadership and service while being in another country,” Williams said about this unique opportunity.
Villerreal was also excited to attend this camp because of its location out of the United States.
“Stepping out of my comfort zone and traveling out of the country by myself was a big factor for me wanting to go,” Villerreal noted. “Meeting a bunch of new girls from all over was also a factor for me.”
Both girls were elated to find out they were accepted to the camp that has only a few sessions each summer.
“I was really nervous but super excited,” noted Villerreal. “I actually started packing the day I found out because I was so excited.”
Williams echoed Villerreal’s comment about finding out she had been accepted. “I was super excited to get the opportunity to go have fun and learn so much with other amazing girls.”
Each day’s activities began with a workout and then time with their appointed mentor. After breakfast the group went on an excursion.
After lunch and a short amount of free time, the girls had another workout and then conducted sports clinics in the community giving them opportunities to interact with the culture.
Following dinner, the girls engaged in a leadership development workshop each evening.
Williams and Villerreal did not have any trouble sharing the benefits from the experience.
“The camp showed me different aspects of my life I never could have seen by myself,” Villerreal explained. “Trying to be a leader is hard especially having that mindset that you have to be perfect. People tend to lose sight of who they really are when trying to be that perfect.”
“For me the greatest benefit of the week was getting to learn more leadership skills that help with serving others,” said Williams.
No doubt the camp enhanced the opportunities that await the pair of Cowgirls in the upcoming sports seasons.
READY TO BOARD – Ryan’s Jasmine Villerreal (left) and Alicen Williams (center) are pictured with former Ryan athlete Whittany Spangler of Moss getting ready to board a plane to Costa Rica to spend 10 days at a sports leadership camp. (Photo provided)
Villerreal is a four-sport athlete at Ryan participating in fast-pitch softball, cross country, basketball and track.
“I carried a lot of weight on my shoulders due to lack of confidence this past year,” Villerreal said. “I realized you can’t do everything by yourself and people are going to have opinions.”
“I want to come into the year more confident and having fun,” Villerreal added. “Having fun and doing whatever you enjoy doing can change your whole perspective.”
Williams, who will be a senior for the Cowgirl cross country, basketball and track teams this coming school year came away with focus in regard to the upcoming seasons.
“I think it will help me to be a better leader for our team as well as being a good teammate,” Williams commented.
Both girls obviously took away memories from the experience that will last a lifetime.
“My greatest memory was getting to help out with the CEPIA kids,” Williams said, “I loved getting to play soccer and kickball with them and it was also so cool to see the culture down there and how others live.”
CEPIA is a non-profit organization that promotes culture and educational opportunities for the kids in Costa Rica.
Villerreal mentioned the opportunity to work with the kids but she also talked about relationships built and the opportunities to serve.
“Getting to meet everyone and becoming loser and seeing how fast e built those connections in just 10 days was amazing,” Villerreal said. “Doing services such as dog walking, environmental clean ups and helping with the kids was a great memory.”
Williams urged anyone to try to attend the camp.
“For any girl who would like to experience it, I would definitely say to go for it because I loved it such much and learned so many thing while making connections,” Williams said.
From al the comments of Williams and Villerreal, it is evident that the mission statement of GLASS – empowering the next generation of female leadership through sports, service and global engagement – was accomplished and will make a difference in their experiences in the upcoming sports seasons.
Two Ryan graduates and one Waurika graduate are set to compete in the annual Oklahoma Eight-Man Football Association’s all-star game in Miami which will feature nearly 80 of the top eight-man seniors from all parts of Oklahoma.
The contest kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M’s Red Robertson Field. Game tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the gate. Concessions and game day merchandise will be available for purchase.
This annual event was designed to recognize and honor the finest eight-man football players throughout Oklahoma. Around 3,000 fans from across Oklahoma are expected to attend the game.
Dawson Tomberlin and Tate Kimbro of Ryan along with Waurika’s Seth Cathey will be competing for the Gold team in the annual showcase of eight-man football talent in Oklahoma.
In addition two Ryan cheerleaders, Holland Carter and Laken DeBoard will be part of the cheerleader squads for the game.
Serving as a counselor for the week-long all-star game preparation is Ryan assistant coach Tony Tomberlin.
Coaches for the Gold team include Tipton’s Travis White, Shane Weathers of Coyle, Gus Overstreet of Pioneer, Josh Been of Dewar and Cave Springs’ coach Tom Osburn.
The other participants from District B-4 of which Ryan and Waurika competed this past season are district champ Central High’s T.J. Birdwell and Hayden Cooper.
The Gold team is made up of all-stars from the even numbered districts in both Class B and C, while the Green team is comprised of players from the odd numbered districts in the two eight-man classifications.
This is the 16th year for the city of Miami to host the game. Prior to 2003, the game had been held in Alva since its inception in 1973. The first state champion for eight-man football was crowned in 1959.
Sponsors of the game include the City of Miami, the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and the Oklahoma Eight-Man Football Coaches Association (OEMFCA).
The players and coaches from around the state arrived in Miami on Tuesday and participated in a full schedule of activities that will lead up to Saturday’s game.
Those activities include a night at the night at the Historic Coleman Theatre, a cook-out in Riverview Park and swimming at the state’s largest municipal pool as well as an evening with hypnotist Joe Comet. The players will team up with the Ottawa County Boys & Girls Club on Friday for an afternoon of bowling at PlayLand Lanes.
Tomorrow night (Friday), the players, coaches and cheerleaders will participate in the annual awards banquet. The OEMFCA and the local organizing committee will award some $11,000 in scholarships for 10 players. The OEMFCA awards an additional $1,000 in scholarships for two of the all-star cheerleaders.
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.
A review of the 2018 Ryan High School football season reveals a number of outstanding performances by individuals and by the team.
More importantly, the 2018 season will go down as a season where the Cowboys overachieved preseason expectations.
The Cowboys finished with a 7-4 mark and earned a runner-up finish in District B-4. Ryan was tabbed by most preseason polls to finish fifth in the district.
The season ended with a 58-12 loss to Burns Flat-Dill City in the first round of the Class B playoffs. BFDC advanced to the quarterfinals last week with a 34-26 victory over Pioneer-Pleasant Vale.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Offensively the Cowboys entered the season with talent at the skilled positions with three returning starters.
However, it was the offensive line that was the biggest question.
After the first game, the Cowboy offensive line started to jell and it helped the Cowboy offense to produce the third highest average number of points scored in a season in school history.
The three key offensive linemen were Sam Brown, Justin Williams and Trey Bryant. Andrew Villerreal and Kalen Weldon were key blockers from the receiver positions.
The defense turned in a couple of impressive performances – a shutout victory over hapless Temple in the third game of the season and a key 24-6 district victory over Wilson in the eighth game of the year.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
But, for the most part, the defense never was able to stop opponents from gaining lots of yards and scoring points. The Cowboys gave up 50 or more points to three opponents. The amazing thing is they had a 1-2 record in those games.
The Cowboys gave up an average of 350 yards per game to the 11 opponents. Fortunately, the Cowboys were able to average 367 yards of offense per game to help lead them to the winning mark.
The seven wins for the Cowboys has not happened often. Only eight times in 99 seasons have the Cowboys won seven games.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The Cowboys have won seven or more games only 26 times during the 99-year history of football which is just over 25% of the time.
The offense was definitely the key to the success of the 2018 season. Ryan came up just short of having two 1,000-yard rushers.
Grayson Tomberlin was the top ball carrier for the Cowboys with 1,172 yards on 162 carries. Tomberlin had a season-high 273 yards against Bray-Doyle, which was the 12th best mark in school history.
Photo By Sheree Hanson
Tomberlin compiled the fourth and seventh best yards passing totals in school history against Bray-Doyle and Maysville, respectively. His four touchdown passes against Bray-Doyle is tied for the fifth most in school history.
The sophomore quarterback finished with 1,688 yards passing and 11 touchdowns.
Skyler Parkhill was just behind Tomberlin’s rushing total with 913 yards on only 107 carries for an average of 8.5 yards per carry. His 228 yards rushing against Empire is tied for the 26th best individual rushing total in school history. His six rushing touchdowns against Empire was the second most in school history.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Parkhill was the leading receiver for the Cowboys with 39 catches for 932 yards – coming up just short of a 1,000-yard double-double in yards rushing and receiving.
In the game against Wilson, Parkhill snagged nine receptions, which is the second most in school history. Parkhill owns that school record with 11 catches in a game during his freshman season. The four-year starter for the Cowboys also had two other games with seven receptions, which tied him for the fifth most in school history.
Parkhill also broke the school record for most yards receiving in a game. He totaled 215 yards receiving against Bray-Doyle to set the record. He also had 189 yards receiving against Maysville and Caddo and that is the second most yards receiving on the school record books. His 154 yards receiving against Wilson is the eighth best mark in school history.
In the game against Bray-Doyle, Parkhill had four receptions for scores and that is the top mark in school history.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
As you might expect the two Cowboy performers led the team in scoring in 2018. Parkhill total 176 points for the season with 48 coming against Bray-Doyle – the most in school history. Parkhill had 15 rushing touchdowns and 10 touchdown receptions. He also had an interception return for a touchdown. Parkhill also had nine two-point conversion runs and one two-point conversion reception.
Parkhill’s interception return was the longest in school history – 99 yards against Empire.
Travis Fristoe contributed to the Cowboy rushing game. He became eligible after the season started, but had 277 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns on the ground. He also had a touchdown reception.
Weldon was another top target of Tomberlin in the passing game. The Cowboy senior finished with 18 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdown receptions. He also returned a fumble for a score and had five two-point conversion receptions.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
As a team, the Cowboy offense did not produce any school records but did record some impressive marks in several categories.
The 276 yards passing against Bray-Doyle was the fourth highest total in school history and the 642 yards against the Donkeys represents the fourth highest total in school history.
Ryan had 12 receptions in games against Maysville, Wilson and Central High which ties for the ninth most in school history.
The 24 first downs earned against Bray-Doyle were the third most in school history. And, the 152 points scored by Bray-Doyle and Ryan combined set a new school mark. The 98 points scored by Ryan and Grandfield tied for the seventh most in school history.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys gave up the fourth most points in a game in school history as Bray-Doyle hit the Cowboys for 74 points. The 507 yards gained by Bray-Doyle in the game was the sixth highest total by an opponent in school history.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
Caddo rolled up 502 yards on the Cowboys and that mark is the seventh-highest total in school history.
The Cowboys had six seniors that completed their gridiron careers – Williams, Parkhill, Weldon, Brown, Pacen Wiest and Fristoe.
Here is a look back at some of the Cowboy games during the season:
Best All-Around Performance: A 24-6 victory over Wilson in what were awful playing conditions.
Most Dramatic Win: The memorable 78-74 victory over Bray-Doyle tops the list of exciting games this season. The Donkeys scored 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally from a large deficit before the Cowboys scored with only four seasons left on the clock to pull out the win.
Most Memorable Performance: The Cowboys were very impressive in the 84-36 victory over Empire. The Cowboy defense contributed scores on interception returns and also had a kickoff return in Ryan’s mercy-rule win over the preseason pick to win the district title.
Most Forgettable Game: The 57-26 loss to Caddo was by far the Cowboys’ poorest performance of the season for a game that lasted four quarters. The Bruins finished the season with a 2-8 record.
Most Embarrassing Loss: The 58-0 loss to rival Waurika was a tough one although the Eagles are putting together one of the finest seasons in school history. But, The Cowboys had six turnovers in only one half of football and never gave themselves a chance to be competitive against the eventual district champion. Honorable mention is the 68-8 loss in the season opener to Snyder when the Cowboys looked totally disorganized and caused a great deal of pessimism among Cowboy fans about the 2018 season.
Most Improvement: After the difficult loss to Snyder, the Cowboys came back in the second week of the season with an impressive 70-28 victory over Grandfield.
Most Undisciplined Game: The Cowboys gained the 78-74 win over Bray-Doyle despite 24 penalties for 218 yards. The Cowboys had several personal foul penalties and three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Penalties plagued the Cowboys through much of the season.
Key Win: Every district game was important for the Cowboys because the talent edge was not that great, but the 24-6 win over Wilson helped propel the Cowboys into the runner-up position in the district that enabled them to host a playoff game for the second year in a row.
Biggest Blunder: This was not committed by the Cowboys, but rather this reporter. Throughout the season the name of Skyler Parkhill was misspelled. Apologies are in order to the outstanding Cowboy senior.
The story of high school sports at Waurika High School for the 2019-2020 school year will be forever incomplete.
The nationwide pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus forced schools across Oklahoma to close thus ending the spring sports at Waurika.
Despite the disappointing ending to the sports slate for the Eagles and Lady Eagles, the year produced some memorable moments and the accomplishments of the teams for the school year should be noted.
The Lady Eagles’ fast-pitch softball team under the direction of first-year coach Everette Hodges was the first team to complete its season.
The Lady Eagles finished a disappointing 5-16 season and while the wins were few the team won more games than the previous two seasons combined.
The Lady Eagles softball squad did not have a senior on the team and the future looks bright.
Hope Cummings, Liberti Simmons and Landry Forsyth were Southern Eight Conference honorees.
The cross country season was a successful one for Waurika.
The Eagle squad finished ninth in the regional cross country meet and had two other top-five finishes in meets earlier in the year including the team title at the Healdton Invitational.
Kevin Garcia was the top runner for the Eagle harriers that were coached by Joe Masoner.
The Lady Eagle runners turned in an outstanding season. The squad finished fifth in the Class 2A State Cross Country Meet and were third in the regional meet hosted by Waurika.
The Lady Eagles had six other top-five finishes in meets at Duncan, Cameron University, Walters, Velma-Alma, Oklahoma Baptist University and Healdton.
Lexie Streeter and Tallin Mora were the top competitors for Coach Masoner’s squad and Asia Smith joined the squad late in the year and was the top Waurika runner at the regional and state meets.
Waurika’s football squad enjoyed a second straight outstanding season last fall.
Second-year coach Joe Allen led the Eagles to a 10-2 record and a second straight district title and fifth straight playoff appearance – the second longest streak in school history.
The Eagles ended the season with a tough 38-14 loss to Pioneer-Pleasant Vale in the second round of the Class B playoffs.
Waurika had advanced to the second round with a resounding 54-6 victory over Cyril in a contest that ended at halftime.
Only seven teams in school history have posted a better record than the 2019 squad.
Turner Mora was named the District B-4 player of the year and Jordan Watkins earned the defensive lineman of the year honors. Gabe Jenkins was named the district’s newcomer of the year.
Kevin Garcia, Brandon Forsyth, Payton Fletcher and Hunter Wesberry were also honored by being named to the all-district team.
Basketball took the limelight for the winter months with both the Lady Eagles and Eagles finishing the year with winning seasons.
For the Eagles the 13-11 mark was the first winning season since 2020 in coach Garret Bachand’s first year at the helm of the Eagle roundballers.
The Eagles were eliminated in the first round of the district tournament at Alex.
Treyton Torrez, a freshman, was the top scorer for the Eagles on the hardwood and he was named all-conference for both the Southern Eight and Oil Field conferences.
Coach Kalee Baxter led the Lady Eagles to a 15-11 mark in her third season directing Waurika girls’ basketball program.
The Lady Eagles fell in the district finals to Alex, but advanced in the consolation bracket to the regional tournament where they defeated Ringling, but fell to Binger-Oney in the consolation semifinals at Alex.
Asia Smith was named the defensive player of the year for the Southern Eight Conference and she led the Lady Eagles in scoring.
The Lady Eagles had no seniors on the squad and with a lot of experience and talent returning next year the expectations will be high.
The spring sports of baseball, boys and girls track and golf were unable to finish the season.
Coach Joe Allen was in his second year at the helm of the Eagle baseball squad and the team had managed a 2-2 mark in the early part of the scheduled.
The Eagles had games with Geronimo and a doubleheader with Frederick postponed before the season was abruptly halted.
The Eagles had won the first two games of the year and dropped the final two games played and almost half the squad was made up of seniors.
It was believed the Eagles will be in the running for the district title in 2020, but district pairings were still a month away from being announced when the season ended.
The track season had featured only one meet – the Velma-Alma Invitational.
The Eagles of coach Roger Jessie finished eighth in the meet with 34 points, while Coach Joe Masoner’s Lady Eagles also finished eighth with 26 points.
Tallin Mora won the long jump at the V-A meet.
The golf squad of coach Kalee Baxter had not begun competition before the interruption of the season.
GERONIMO – What was a tough season for the Waurika boys hoopsters ended here last Thursday night in the Class A Regional Tournament.
The Eagles fell in the consolation quarterfinals to Empire, 52-49.
In two previous meetings with the Bulldogs, the Eagles were dominated, but not on this afternoon contest in the Geronimo Dome.
The Eagles led or were tied with the Bulldogs until the final 20 seconds in the heart-breaking loss in Thursday’s game.
The Eagles got off to a good start with offensive rebounds and put backs by Treyton Torrez and Slade Cathey to give Waurika 4-0 lead with 6:27 left in the first quarter.
The rest of the period was a battle, but after Torrez hit a 10-footer at the 1:19 mark, Waurika held a 13-6 advantage.
Empire, however, scored the final five points of the quarter and trimmed the Waurika lead to 13-11.
At the beginning of the second quarter the Eagles took charge as they went on a 11-0 run that was capped by Isaac Camarillo’s layup at the 4:54 mark of the period. This gave Waurika a 24-11 lead – their biggest lead of the game.
Waurika went cold for the rest of the half and Empire chipped away at the lead as the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles, 9-2, the rest of the second quarter and trailed only 26-20 at the break.
The Eagles built another big lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter with a 12-5 scoring run that gave Waurika a 38-25 lead with 4:24 remaining in the quarter.
The Bulldogs once again battled back and when Mcray Weber hit a three-pointer with 37.7 seconds left in the quarter, Empire had trimmed the Eagle advantage to 41-34.
A pair of free throws by the Bulldogs pulled Empire to within five to open the fourth quarter, but Malachi Dodson answered for the Eagles with a three-pointer and with 6:35 left in the game, Waurika led, 44-36.
As they had throughout the game, the Bulldogs put on a scoring burst and this time the Eagles could not keep pace.
From the 6:35 mark to the final 30 seconds, the Eagles managed only three points. Meanwhile the Bulldogs began to hit from the outside and converted five free throws until, at the 1:03 mark, Empire tied the game at 47-47.
The final minute was a flurry of activity. Waurika missed a trey and Empire grabbed the rebound and after the Bulldogs missed a field goal attempt, Torrez was fouled on the rebound and he connected on two free throws with 30.2 seconds left to give the Eagles a 49-47 lead.
After a Waurika timeout, Empire quickly moved down the court and after a couple of passes found Weber open at the top of the key where he nailed a three-point to put Empire in front, 50-49, with 20 seconds showing on the clock.
The Bulldogs called timeout, but Waurika had an opportunity for a final shot. A missed three-pointer went awry with five seconds to go and as Empire grabbed the rebound a foul was whistled on Waurika as well as a technical foul.
This gave Empire four free throw attempts with 2.4 seconds left and the Bulldogs hit two of four to provide the final margin.
The main reason the Eagles were able to stay in the game was their domination on the boards. The Eagles outrebounded Empire, 36-20, for the game.
But, in the final quarter when the Bulldogs made the final surge, the Eagles were outrebounded, 8-3.
Torrez led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points, but he was the only Eagle in double figures.
Empire was eliminated from the playoffs last Friday night as the Bulldogs fell to Oklahoma Christian Academy, 51-31.
Waurika finished the season with a 6-17 record, but the Eagles were extremely competitive in five of the last seven games of the season and for the most part were playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch.
EAGLE REGIONAL RUMBLINGS AND MORE: This was the first regional tournament appearance for a Waurika boys’ basketball team since 2019….Overall, the Eagles have made 47 appearances in regional tournament play with the first appearance coming in 1929….Waurika is now 42-46 in all regional tournament games…Waurika is 0-2 against Empire in regional tournament play….The Eagles are now 4-2 against the Bulldogs in all playoff basketball games… In the two previous meetings with Empire this season the Eagles gave up six and seven three-pointers, but allowed only four treys to Empire in the regional tourney game – but the final trey by Empire was the difference maker in the contest….The Eagles were only 2-8 this season when giving up six or more three-pointers in a game….The six wins for the Eagles is the fewest since the Eagles won only four contests in 2018….The 17 losses is the most since the Eagles had 18 losses in the 2018 season….Garret Bachand completed his third season and he is 33-36 as coach of the Eagles with this season being the only non-winning season in his tenure as coach of the Eagles….The Eagles won three of their first four games, but only three of their final 16 contests.
It will likely be a trying season for the Ryan Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball squads.
The most trying aspect of the upcoming 2018-19 season will be having a place to play and practice as the Ryan gym undergoes a significant makeover.
It is hoped that a limited number of games can be played at home, but otherwise the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be on the road most of the season.
The Cowgirls and Cowboys will open the season on Tuesday by hosting Grandfield. Tipoff for the high school games will be 6:30 p.m. after a pair of junior high contests against the Bearcats.
It will be the homecoming game for Ryan because of the uncertainty of the future availability of the facilities.
Construction of the remodeled gym that opened in 1957 is going well and at the moment is on time for completion near the end of the current basketball season. The updated facility will feature new home locker rooms, a new concession area, and new entry.
The biggest change in the gym will be an added limited number of seats on the south side. The south side will be the new home of the bench areas and the scorer’s table.
Watch for announcements about changes for the location of upcoming games on social media or in this newspaper.
Second-year Cowgirl coach Steve Spangler is hopeful his three returning starters, who were all-conference a year ago, will be able to carry the squad that is small in number.
The Cowgirls will depend on the return of Samantha Good, Lily York and Juliet Spangler to carry what will be a rather young squad that will feature five juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen.
Those three will be counted on to provide the bulk of the offense and hopefully, the Cowgirls can find some more scoring. York was the co-offensive most valuable player in the Southern Eight Conference a year ago and was the leading scorer in 13 of the Cowgirls’ 24 games.
Spangler says at least one and at times, two freshmen will work their way into the starting lineup.
The Cowgirls traveled to Oklahoma City to face some tough foes in preseason scrimmages and the team held its own, according to Spangler.
Last season the Cowgirls made a marked improvement but still finished only 8-16 after going 3-20 in 2017. The team did finish as the district runner-up.
In the Southern Eight, Spangler believes that Big Pasture will be the top contender as the Lady Rangers welcome all five starters back from a year ago.
The Cowboys will be under the direction of first-year coach Austin Masoner. Not only is it his first as the Cowboy mentor, but it is also his first year of full-time coaching responsibilities.
According to Masoner, the Cowboy practices have been spirited and the 15-man roster seems to be buying into what Masoner hopes the team will become during the 2019 campaign.
Overall, the Cowboys will feature some size that will enable play with an inside post. Guard play is also in good hands for the Cowboys.
Grayson Tomberlin, who started a year ago as a freshman, and senior Skyler Parkhill, a Southern Eight Conference all-star last season, will be called upon to carry the offense. Those two were the leading scorers for the Cowboys in 11 of the 22 contests last season.
Travis Fristoe and Brock Smith will be counted on to help carry the Cowboy defense. The Cowboys will employ a great deal of zone defense, but Masoner noted he would also mix in some man-to-man and specialty defenses of the situation called for it.
The Cowboys’ weakness this season will be the overall lack of experience. The Cowboys also lack depth at the guard positions, but Masoner is hoping he can develop some of the other plays to help with the ball-handling.
The Cowboys hope to rebound from the disastrous 2018 season when the Cowboys slumped to a 5-17 mark after posting four straight winning records and two district titles.
The race for the conference title may be a tough one with Waurika and Big Pasture looking to be the top contenders along with conference newcomer Frederick.
The scheduled season-opener with Waurika was postponed because of the involvement of both schools in the football playoffs.
Following the season lid-lifter with Grandfield, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to St. Jo, Texas for an invitational tournament.
The Cowgirls get the tourney started a week from today (November 29) with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Alvord. If the Cowgirls get a first-round win, they will play on November 30 at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Sacred Heart and Ringling.
The Cowboys will take the court in the St. Jo Tournament on November 29 when they take on the Paradise Junior Varsity. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be played in the auxiliary gym at the St. Jo campus. A win would advance the Cowboys to a 6 p.m. game on November 30 against the winner of Sacred Heart and St. Jo.
The next weekend the Cowboys and Cowgirls will compete in the Black and Gold Classic hosted by Wilson.
(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.
The community banded together Wednesday evening around 8:15 to cheer on the Waurika Eagles as they begin the playoff season this Friday evening at home against Cyril.
Everyone is encouraged to attend the pep rally tomorrow (Friday) at 2:00 pm at Waurika High School.
Below are the photos from last night’s pep rally/bond fire.
