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Individuals Led To Waurika’s Track Excellence During The 30’s

By
Trey Smart
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0

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.

Ryan Gets Double Overtime Victory Over Waurika

By
Trey Smart
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0
Ryan vs Waurika Photo by Sheree Hanson

Very seldom in the history of this rivalry has a game lived up to expectations especially in terms of being a close game. But, the 60th edition of the series between Ryan and Waurika did not disappoint in living up to expectations as Ryan came away with a 44-36 double overtime victory last Friday night at Bob Givens Sports Complex.

Both teams return to action tonight (Thursday) with Ryan traveling to Bray-Doyle and Waurika hosting Central High in another big game for the Eagles.

Ryan moved to 5-2 on the year and 2-0 in district play, while Waurika dropped to 3-4 and 1-1 in district competition.

The contest last Friday was one where both teams put forth supreme effort with Waurika jumping out to a big advantage and Ryan coming back in the second half to even the score and send the game into overtime.

The fast-pace Waurika offense gave the Cowboys problems most of the night, but several costly miscues running the offense led to failed two-point conversions and loss of yards at crucial times.

The Cowboys overcame four turnovers that helped the Eagles get out to a three touchdown lead in the first half.

The Cowboys had to drive 69 yards with no timeouts and only 1:14 showing on the clock to tie the score in the fourth quarter. But exactly one minute later the Cowboys got the game-tying score.

Earlier in the game every time the Cowboys made a charge, the Eagles answered with a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.

Ryan got off to a good start after a Waurika onside kick recovered by the Cowboys gave them excellent field position.

It took the Cowboys 12 plays to drive 53 yards as Grayson Tomberlin scored from two yards out to cap the drive. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 6-0 advantage with 6:07 left in the first quarter.

The Eagles immediately answered.

Waurika took possession of the kickoff at their own 24 and drove 76 yards in just eight plays.

Quarterback Aaron Nitka found Seth Cathey for a 24-yard pass and catch for the score. The two-point conversion failed leaving the score knotted at 6-6 with 4:02 left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys misplayed the ball and also were penalized for holding sending the Cowboys back to their own eight-yard line to start the drive.

A key third-down conversion on G. Tomberlin’s pass to Wesley Clark got the Cowboys out of the shadow of their end zone, but a fumbled snap at their own 47 yard line that was recovered by Waurika’s Scott Showalter ending the Cowboys’ hopes of regaining the lead.

The Eagles did not waste much time in taking advantage of the turnover.

Waurika drove 43 yards in eight plays – overcoming two holding penalties – to get the go-ahead score.

Kevin Garcia covered the final eight yards on the ground to put Waurika up, 12-6, with 11:13 left in the second quarter. The two-point conversion failed.

The Cowboys’ next possession also ended in a turnover. Garcia picked off an errant Cowboy pass and returned it 24 yards to give Waurika the ball at the Ryan 40 yard line.

Waurika scored in seven plays – overcoming another holding penalty and a sack. Aaron Nitka found Colton Bryant for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give Waurika an 18-6 lead with 3:28 left before the half.

The Eagles attempted another onside kick, but it was recovered by the Cowboys’ Kalen Weldon.

However, on Ryan’s first play – a pass completion to Weldon – was fumbled and the Eagle defender fought off Weldon for the ball to set Waurika up again with a short field.

On the first play after the turnover, Nitka found Hunter Wesberry wide open for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 3:12 still left before the half. The two-point conversion once again failed, but Waurika held a commanding 24-6 lead.

Weldon recovered yet another Waurika onside kickoff attempt giving the Cowboys excellent field position at the Ryan 42-yard line. Another third down completion, a 16-yard run and a Waurika personal foul penalty helped the Cowboys move to the Waurika seven.

G. Tomberlin capped the 58-yard drive with a seven-yard scamper for the score diving into the right corner of the end zone with just 30 seconds left in the half. The Cowboys tried a halfback pass for the two-point conversion, but the receiver ran the wrong way and the pass fell incomplete

However, the Cowboys had narrowed the gap to 24-12 heading into intermission.

On the opening drive of the second half, the Eagles moved from their own eight to the Waurika 42 before the drive stalled. On fourth down the Eagles faked a punt, but the pass from Turner Mora to Cathey was stopped for no gain giving Ryan the ball.

In just four plays the Cowboys drove the distance with G. Tomberlin finishing off the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. The two point conversion failed, but with 7:34 left in the third quarter Ryan had narrowed the score to 24-18.

The Eagles’ next drive ended at the Ryan 24 when a fourth-down play was stopped by the Cowboy defense after an errant snap from scrimmage by the Eagles.

The Cowboys could not take advantage as Cathey recovered another Ryan fumble at the Ryan 48 to give Waurika an opportunity to increase the lead.

The Eagles did exactly that.

In just five plays – aided by a Ryan personal foul penalty – Waurika went the distance for the score. Cathey capped the drive with a one-yard run.

On the two-point conversion the Eagles completed a pass, but the receiver was ruled to be ineligible and on the second try, the Eagles’ rushing attempt was thwarted leaving the score at 30-18 with 1:27 left in the third quarter.

The Cowboys took possession at the Cowboy 25 after the kickoff return and were able to drive 75 yards in eight plays. G. Tomberlin found River Williams for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed again, but Ryan had narrowed the gap to 36-30 with 7:16 left in the game.

Waurika set up its next possession at the Eagle 48 following a 28-yard kickoff return by Mora. The Eagles were able to drive to the Ryan 37, but on fourth down, G. Tomberlin intercepted a pass and the Cowboys took over.

After two incomplete passes and a bad snap that resulted in a 17-yard loss, the Cowboys were forced to punt and Waurika took over with only 5:12 left in the game.

The Eagles were able to drive to the Ryan 16, but a penalty and two plays that resulted in losses of 10 yards put the Eagles in a fourth-and-23 situation.

The fourth down pass fell incomplete giving Ryan the ball at the Cowboys’ 31-yard line with 1:14 left.

This is where G. Tomberlin went to work for the tying score. A key fourth down pass to Williams resulted in a first down at the Waurika 47.

On first down, G. Tomberlin found his brother Dawson and the Cowboy back caught the pass and rambled 32 yards before being brought down at the Waurika 15.

G. Tomberlin spiked the ball on first down leaving the Cowboys with 26 seconds to try to tie the game.

A second down pass fell incomplete with 21 seconds left setting up a third down.

G. Tomberlin was able to find Skyler Parkhill in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard scoring pass that tied the score with 14 seconds left.

The quarterback sneak on the two-point conversion was stopped just short of the goal line to deprive the Cowboys of the win in regulation.

In the first overtime period, the Eagles took possession first and lost five yards on first down. A second-down pass fell incomplete and after a third down play resulted in a penalty pushing the Eagles back to the Ryan 20.

The third down pass was incomplete as Nitka was under heavy pressure. The fourth down pass was intercepted by Williams to end Waurika’s first overtime possession.

The Cowboys’ first two plays from scrimmage resulted in six yards to the Ryan 4, but a third down pitch was errant causing D. Tomberlin to lose his balance resulting in a three-yard loss.

A fourth down pass fell incomplete ending the first overtime.

The Cowboys got the ball first in the second overtime and G. Tomberlin covered the 10 yards on the first play from scrimmage with a run right up the middle for the score. The two-point conversion-pass from G. Tomberlin to D. Tomberlin was good to put the Cowboys in front, 44-36.

Waurika threatened to score in its possession as a first down play resulted in a six-yard gain by Cathey. Nitka’s lateral to Mora resulted in three yards with the Cowboys making the stop at the one.

A third-down rush resulted in a loss of two yards and on fourth and three, the Eagles fumbled the snap and the ball rolled around before being recovered at the Ryan seven.

That sent the Cowboy bench and the home crowd into a frenzied celebration.

Nitka was outstanding at quarterback for the Eagles as he was able to pick apart the Cowboys’ secondary – especially in the first half. Nitka finished the night with 21 of 36 for 349 yards and three touchdowns.

Cathey, the outstanding senior tight end for the Eagles, finished with nine catches for 119 yards and one touchdown. He also added a touchdown on the ground.

G. Tomberlin, the Cowboys’ freshman signal-caller, finished the night with 99 yards rushing on 21 attempts and four touchdowns. He connected on 10 of his 19 attempts for 224 yards and three touchdowns giving him a hand in every Ryan touchdown.

HIGHWAY 81 RIVALRY MUSINGS: The 362 yards passing by the Eagles is the second most ever by a Ryan opponent….The 44 points scored by the Cowboys ties the mark for most points scored in the series with the Eagles….Both teams had over 400 total yards of offense – 465 for Waurika and 403 for Ryan….The Eagles had only four runs of 10 yards or more in 39 attempts, while Ryan was not much better with six runs of 10 or more yards in 21 attempts…The 224 yards passing by the Cowboys was the eighth most in school history….The 224 yards passing by G. Tomberlin is also the eighth best mark in school history….Waurika still leads the series with the Cowboys, 40-17-3….The eight-man meetings have resulted in each team having three wins….This was the first time in 60 meetings a game has gone into overtime since the rule was instituted in 1975…The overtime game for Ryan was the first for the Cowboys since 2007, while Waurika’s last extra-period game was in 2010…This game was one of only three games across Oklahoma that went into overtime last week…The 36 points scored by Waurika is the third most points scored in a losing cause in school history behind the 54 points scored last year against Seiling and the 39 points scored against Ringling in 1980…The Eagles also scored 36 in a loss to Cyril in 2013…Waurika converted Ryan’s first three turnovers into scores in building a 24-6 advantage in the first half of the game…The Eagles also scored after Ryan’s fourth turnover….The win by the Cowboys breaks a three-game winning streak by Waurika in this series….A large crowd witnessed this thriller – possibly as many as 800 fans were at the game.

Ryan, Waurika Cagers Set To Enter Post-Season Play

By
Trey Smart
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0

The slate is clean.

While regular season records mean something for district tournament pairings and seeding, every basketball squad in Oklahoma starts the post-season with a 0-0 mark.

That is good news for the roundball squads at Waurika and Ryan as all four teams enter the playoffs with losing records.

Play begins tomorrow night (Friday) in the Class A District Tournament for both Waurika and Ryan.

Both Waurika teams will travel to Ft. Cobb-Broxton to face Ringling, while both Ryan teams will journey to Central High to face Bray-Doyle.

The girls’ tilts will open the tournament at 6:30 p.m. at both sites.

Awaiting the winner of the Waurika-Ringling games will be Ft. Cobb, while Central High will take on the winner of the Ryan and Bray-Doyle matchups.

The championship games will be played Saturday with the girls’ games tipping at 6:30 p.m.

Waurika and Ringling drew a tough assignment for the district tourney.

The only regular season meeting between the two Jefferson County schools was canceled because of the flu.

However, the boys’ team that survives that contest will have to face a legitimate state title contender.

Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 22-3 on the year and the only three losses have been to ranked teams in Class B, Class 2A and Class 5A. The Mustangs have won nine straight contests.

The Mustangs, ranked second in Class A, won the Caddo County Tournament and garnered runner up honors in tournaments at Chattanooga and Anadarko.

Ft. Cobb-Broxton will be well-rested as the Mustangs last played last Saturday against Walters giving them a week to prepare for the winner of Waurika and Ringling.

The Blue Devil boys come into the tournament with an 8-10 mark. They have been inconsistent much of the season, but should be competitive against the Eagles.

Coach Joe Masoner’s Waurika boys have also struggled to find wins in 2018. The Eagles were 4-13 heading into last Tuesday’s game with Grandfield.

Waurika has had three games canceled because of the flu and have only played once since January 23 before last Tuesday.

The Eagles have had turnover troubles most of the season averaging almost 20 miscues a game.

Cache Arellano has been the ringleader for the Eagles averaging over nine points a game and pulling down an average of eight rebounds a game.

Ft. Cobb-Broxton handed Waurika an 81-28 loss in the first round of the Chattanooga Tournament.

The girls’ bracket of the district tourney at Ft. Cobb will be much the same as the boys’ bracket.

The Lady Mustangs will be the overwhelming favorite as they come in ranked 15th in Class A and won the Chattanooga Tournament and were the runner up at the tough Caddo County fray.

Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 15-10 on the year, but only 5-5 in its last 10 games.

Ringling’s girls will come into the tournament with a 9-6 record and have one tournament title to their credit – the St. Jo, Texas Invitational.

The Waurika girls have struggled all year under first-year coach Kalee Baxter and hold a 5-11 record not including Tuesday’s result with Grandfield.

The Lady Eagles have been led most of the season by Madison Roberson. Roberson has averaged 15 points a game and averages about 15 boards a game.

In the district tournament at Central High, none of the boys’ squads will enter the tournament with a winning record – and it isn’t close.

Ryan, with a mark of 5-16, was granted the top seed, but Bray-Doyle chose to match up with the Cowboys in the first round of the tournament.

Central High’s boys started the season 0-10, but earned the consolation title at the Black Diamond Tournament at Rush Springs at the beginning of 2018. The Bronchos are 4-16 on the year.

Bray-Doyle has had a tough year as well as the Cowboys and Bronchos.

The Donkeys have a 3-15 record heading to the district tourney not including last Monday’s results.

The Cowboys own a win over the Donkeys just before Christmas, but Bray-Doyle has been playing a bit better as of late.

Coach Judd Matthes’ squad has struggled to score during most of the season.

While a number of Cowboys can contribute points on a given night, Ryan lacks the go-to player that is a consistent scorer.

Skyler Parkhill has been the top point-getter for the Cowboys overall.

Central High drew the top seed in the girls’ bracket and comes into the tournament with a 15-8 mark that does not include last Tuesday’s game with Sterling.

The Lady Bronchos won the Minco Invitational and were runner up at the Black Diamond Tournament.

Bray-Doyle’s girls own a two-point win over Ryan in a regular season meeting before Christmas and have a 12-8 mark not including last Monday’s contest with Oklahoma School for the Deaf.

The Lady Donkeys won the Maysville Shootout in December, but are only 4-7 since January 1 – not including the game with OSD.

The Cowgirls, under first-year coach Steve Spangler, have compiled a 7-14 record for the season.

It has been a struggle on the offensive end for the Cowgirls most of the season, but Lily York has been the top point-getter for the season especially in the recent part of the schedule.

Ryan closed out the regular season, however, with two of their better games on the offensive end of the court.

The Cowgirls will start four sophomores and only one senior. The roster has been limited most of the season due to lack of participation and injuries.

Both the district champion and the district runner up will advance to next week’s regional tournament.

Big Plays Enable Waurika to Earn First Grid Win of the Season

By
Trey Smart
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0

 Waurika rebounded from its season opening loss to Laverne in convincing fashion with a 54-6 victory over Wilson last Friday night at Wilson.

The Eagles hit the road again tomorrow night (Friday) when they face Class B’s top-ranked Shattuck Indians. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Indians, 3-0, have defeated Tipton, Destiny Christian and fourth-ranked Cherokee.

 Waurika really had little resistance for the Eagles from Carter County as Waurika was able to score on big play after big play in the contest that ended with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Waurika opened the scoring when Treyton Torrez found Octavio Gomez for a 12-yard completion. Kevin Garcia ran for the two points and with 9:08 left in the initial quarter, Waurika led, 8-0.

Wilson answered with its only score of the night. Michael Whatley caught a 24-yard scoring pass from Michel Cain. Waurika stopped the two-point conversion and with 3:19 showing on the first quarter clock, Waurika held a 16-6 advantage.

On the next possession, Torrez got his first touchdown of the night on a 57-yard run. The Waurika quarterback also ran for the two points and with 3:19 left in the quarter, Waurika led, 24-6.

Waurika added a pair of scores in the second quarter.

Garcia scored his second touchdown of the evening on a 19-yard run and he added the two-point conversion to put Waurika in front, 32-6, with 9:44 left before intermission.

Torrez scored again – this time on a one-yard plunge. Trent Arellano added the two point conversion and Waurika was in front, 40-6, with 6:02 before halftime.

Angel Garcia started the second half with a 40-yard kickoff return that gave Waurika tremendous field position.

K. Garcia picked up the touchdown on first down from 27 yards out and after Torrez ran for the two points, Waurika was in command with a 48-6 advantage.

Matt Arriola closed out the scoring for Waurika with a 19-yard jaunt at the nine minute mark that ended the game because of the 45-point mercy rule.

Torrez led the Eagles in rushing with 170 yards on just 13 carries. K. Garcia was also over 100 yards for the night with 108 paces on just six carries.

EAGLE FLIGHTS: This was the 77th meeting between Waurika and Wilson and Waurika leads the series, 54-20-3….It is possible they two schools meet in the two years where a complete schedule is unavailable…Waurika has now won five games in a row against Wilson. The third longest winning streak in the series that dates back to the first meeting in 1921….The 54 points score by Waurika is the fourth highest total in the series with last year’s total of 62 being the top scoring mark against Wilson….The upcoming contest with Shattuck will be the second meeting in school history with the Indians taking a 25-8 victory in a 1988 playoff game.

 Game In Figures

                                    WAU          WIL

First Downs               7                7

Yards Rushing         29-351     21-31

Yards Passing          66              56

Passes                       7-12          9-14

Passes Int. by          2                0

Fumbles Lost           0                2

Punts                          0-0            0-0

Penalties                   9-70          7-35

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Waurika   24              16              14              x—54

Wilson      6                0                0                x—6

                  First Quarter

WAURIKA – Octavio Gomez 12 pass from Treyton Torrez (Kevin Garcia run), 9:08

WAURIKA – Garcia 54 run (Torrez run), 5:49

WILSON – Michael Whatley 21 pass from Michel Cain (run failed),3:36

WAURIKA – Torrez 57 run (Torrez run), 3:19

                  Second Quarter

WAURIKA – Garcia 19 run (Garcia run), 9:44

WAURIKA – Torrez 1 run (Trent Arellano run), 6:02

                  Third Quarter

WAURIKA – Garcia 27 run (Torrez run), 11:41

WAURIKA – Matt Arriola 19 run (no try), 9:00

                  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

WAURIKA: Rushing – Treyton Torrez 13-170, Kevin Garcia 6-108, Gabe Jenkins 5-27, Matt Arriola 2-26, Trent Arellano 3-20; Passing – Torrez 7-1-66-0; Receiving – Garcia 7-66, Octavio Gomez 1-12, Jenkins 1-0.

1973 Eagle Roundballers Lead List of Top Teams in Waurika History

By
Trey Smart
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0

There is little doubt which team of Waurika boys’ basketballers should be at the top of the best teams in school history.

That would be the 1973 Eagles who not only won a state title, but went undefeated while doing it.

The rest of the teams that have made the state tourney are on the list of top ten Eagle basketball teams in school history.

After those six teams, the debate is wide open about which teams should be included, but that can work itself out in local conversations at the local coffee shop or in homes of families from Waurika that have impacted the history of basketball in the community.

As has been mentioned in previous articles of this nature, if you know of a team that should be considered for this list or even a team that could rank in the honorable mention category, please let this writer know.

Here is the attempt to rank the 10 best Waurika Eagle basketball teams of all-time:

1. 1973 Eagles

This team finished 28-0 on the year on the way to the gold ball. The Eagles were the only undefeated boys basketball team in Oklahoma during this season. Jerry Gipson was the face of this team as he finished the 1973 season averaging 31.4 points a game and earning all-state honors. In the state tournament the Eagles were tested in the first two rounds. Waurika edged  Silo, 42-40, in the quarterfinals behind Gipson’s 30-point outburst. In the semifinals, the Eagles managed to slip by New Lima, 72-70. The largest margin of victory in the state tourney came in the finals when the Eagles downed Boley, 66-58. The Eagles won the three games by a total of 13 points which was a state tournament record at the time for that class and stood for several years. The Eagles had breezed through the district, regional and area tournament with the toughest game of the post-season before the state tourney coming in the finals of the district tournament – a narrow 50-48 victory over Grandfield. Starters on this team included Gipson, Harrold Herron, Michael Ford, Dale Bates and Duane Christian. This team would garner consideration for one of the top Class A teams of all time in Oklahoma. Jerry Marsh was the coach of this squad.

2. 1989 Eagles

This squad is the only other team to play for a state title, but the 1989 squad came up short as they fell to Weleetka, 66-57, in the championship game. Doug Frost was the leading scorer in the game with 12 points – ten of which were scored in a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Eagles. The Eagles had advanced to the state finals by hammering Hennessey, 81-66, and defeating Porter, 75-72. Todd Overstreet scored 19 points in both wins to pace the Eagles in scoring. Waurika started the march to the state tournament with a 69-50 victory over Walters in the district finals. Waurika picked up a pair of narrow wins in the regional tournament. In the first round, Waurika defeated Carnegie, 65-56, on the Wildcats’ home floor. In the regional finals the Eagles squeezed by Cache, 60-58, in overtime. In the area tournament Waurika earned a 68-60 victory over Latta in the finals. Mikel Davison was the coach of this team that ended the season with a 21-6 record.

3. 1981 Eagles

This team finished the season with an impressive 22-6 mark and fell in the state semifinals to an undefeated Coyle team, 86-62. Kerry Lott had 14 points in the game. The Eagles were a surprise team to make the semifinals, but the squad scored an 57-55 upset victory over Taft in the semifinals. Floyd Gipson hit a bucket with 19 seconds left from inside the lane to give the Eagles the win. Gipson had battled flu symptoms the days preceding the state tourney. Jimmy Davis, a freshman and son of coach Ross Davis, led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points.  This was the first Waurika team to qualify for state since 1973. Waurika claimed its 18th district title with a win over Turner to begin the march to state. The Eagles defeated Bray, 63-48, and Sterling, 64-60, to advance to the area tourney. The Eagles dropped a heart-breaking 45-44 decision to Snyder, but came back the next night to defeat Cement, 56-47, to claim the area consolation title and a berth at the state tourney. This team was ranked only 14th in the class heading into the playoffs of the 1981 season. Coach Davis had played on a state title team at Calera in 1956.

4. 1965 Eagles

The 1965 edition of the Eagle basketball team was the first team in school history to land a berth in the state tournament. The Eagles finished the season with a 24-5 mark and were ranked 20th in the Class B rankings heading into the playoffs. In the district tourney the Eagles defeated three long-time rivals – Temple, Grandfield and Walters. The Eagles carried that momentum into the regional fray where they scored a 57-51 victory over Frederick and a 68-46 win over Cyril to advance to the state tournament. The first round game pitted the Eagles with Checotah, who had been ranked as high as sixth in the state, but came into this game unranked. The game was a barn-burner and the Eagles came out on top, 63-62, in double overtime. Greg Edwards had 30 points in the contest and was the only 30-point scorer in the state tournament that year. In the semifinals, the Eagles met second-ranked Oologah and the Mustangs proved to be too tough for the Eagles. The Mustangs advanced into the finals with a 63-49 victory over Waurika. Edwards had 17 points in the game and was named to the all-tournament team. Edwards, Bill Conrad, Jerry Beaver, Larry Kirkland and Steve Snider were the five starters most of the year. Ray Griffin and Mike Melton were among the reserves that played significant minutes. Gayno Shelton was the coach of the Eagles for this season.

5. 1990 Eagles

This is the first and only Waurika team to make back-to-back appearances in the state tournament. The Eagles carved out a 22-5 record, but fell to second-ranked Dale, 75-54, in the first round of the state tourney. Overstreet led the Eagles with 21 points in the loss. The playoffs started in impressive fashion for this team as the Eagles downed Empire, 88-41, to claim the district crown. The Eagles struggled in regional tourney play, but managed a 43-41 decision over Davis in the first round before falling to St. Mary’s, 66-54, in the regional finals. The Eagles entered the area tourney in the losers’ bracket but picked up wins over Snyder, 91-71, and Hollis, 64-58, to set up a rematch with St. Mary’s in the finals. The Eagles squeaked out a 60-59 victory to earn a berth in the Class 2A state tourney. Lonnie Nunley, Doug Frost, Stefan Hunt and David Davison all scored in double figures to lead the Eagles to the win. Those four players, along with Overstreet, were the starters for most of the season. Mikel Davison was also the coach of this team.

6. 1983 Eagles

The circumstances surrounding this team’s state tourney appearance are bizarre. First of all the team was 6-8 in January and won 13 of its final 15 games to make the state tournament. Secondly, it was thought the season was over following a 60-53 loss to Crooked Oak in the regional finals. But it was discovered early the next week that Crooked Oak had played an ineligible player that had transferred from Capitol Hill, thus forcing the Rufnex to forfeit all the wins of the season. This put Waurika in the area tournament consolation bracket. The Eagles took advantage of the opportunity with three wins in the area tourney to gain a state tournament berth. Waurika rolled over Pocola, 82-62, then beat Latta, 46-44, in the semifinals to set up a meeting with Lone Grove for a spot at the state tournament. The Eagles rolled to a 63-46 victory over the Longhorns. In the first round of the state tournament the Eagles faced Allen, who was ranked 12th in Class 2A and had a 21-4 record. The Mustangs were ranked fifth in the preseason that year. Waurika was not ranked in the preseason or in the final Class 2A rankings, but by the time the state tourney rolled around Waurika had put together a 19-10 record. The Eagles’ storybook season ended in the contest with Allen as the Mustangs got the 63-57 victory. Mike Nunley was the leading scorer on this team with a 20.0 per game average. The other starters were Lance Bruton, Roy Don Park, Russell Barrett and Quanah West. Mikel Davison was also the coach of this squad.

7.2006 Eagles

The 2005-2006 season started well as the Eagles soared to an 8-1 record at the Christmas break. The Eagles continue to pile up the victories and eventually worked themselves into the 17th-ranked team in Class A by February. Waurika sported a 21-2 record heading into the post-season.

The Eagles hosted the district tournament and the squad opened the playoff run with a 66-50 victory over Bray-Doyle.

The Eagles traveled east for the regional tournament and defeated Stratford, 74-63, in the first round played at Stonewall. The regional title game was played at Macomb but was postponed from the Saturday date to Monday because of inclement weather. The Eagles picked up a tense 56-54 victory to advance to the area tournament needing only one win to make the state tourney. Waurika faced 13th-ranked Thomas in the area winners’ bracket finals, but the Terriers earned the state tourney berth with a 41-34 victory over the Eagles. In the area consolation finals Waurika took on 11th-ranked Okarche and fell to the Warriors, 60-44. Jeremy Hogan was the coach of this team and it was the last boys’ squad to win at least 20 games finishing with a 24-6 record.

8. 1982 Eagles

This season was sandwiched between two seasons that the Eagles made the state tournament and while the squad fell short, it put together an impressive season. The second-ranked Eagles started the Class 2A playoffs with a district tournament win over Walters. In the regional tournament’s first round, the Eagles pounded Rush Springs, 70-34. The playoff run got very tough and In the tourney finals the Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to seventh-ranked Ninnekah, 57-55. The Eagles drew another tough assignment in the first round of the losers’ bracket in the area tournament in fifth-ranked Hollis. The Tigers rolled to a 57-36 victory and what was a very promising season ended on a difficult note. The Eagles finished with a 23-3 record after entering the playoffs with a 21-1 mark. Ross Davis, who coached the Eagles to a pair of 20-win seasons in his four years at the helm, directed this squad.

9. 1971 Eagles

This was the first of three Jerry Marsh-coached squads that produced at least 20 wins in a season. The Eagles were impressive throughout the regular season and started the playoff run with an 18-4 record. In the district tournament the Eagles dropped Temple, 57-53, and came back to claim the district title over Lawton MacArthur, 61-60. In the first regional tournament game the 15th-ranked Eagles managed a 56-54 victory over Cyril to advance to the regional finals. Cache, the 10th-ranked club in Class A handed the Eagles a 67-52 loss in the title game. This was the first year, however, that a team could lose a game (from the district finals forward) and remain in the playoffs. The Eagles played in their first area tourney at Oklahoma Christian College and defeated Kellyville, 70-68, in the first game. In the next game, the seventh-ranked Wellston Tigers eliminated the Eagles with an 82-57 victory. In the final rankings the Eagles finished 14th and the season ended with a 21-5 record.

10. 1972 Eagles

It was late January before this team experienced a defeat. The Eagles climbed to as high as fourth in the Class A rankings on January 24 as the team was sporting a sparkling 15-0 record. The Eagles stumbled a bit before the district tourney and held a 17-3 record and were ranked 15th in Class A. The Eagles benefitted from the new playoff system that allowed both teams from the district title game to advance to the regional tourney. Waurika won a first-round game over Temple, but fell to 11th-ranked Grandfield, 76-56, in the district finals. The Eagles were, however, impressive in the losers’ bracket of the regional tournament. Waurika defeated Granite, 81-80, in the first round and then handed Cyril a 60-57 overtime loss in the semifinals. In the finals the Eagles earned an area tourney berth with a thrilling 66-65 victory over Cheyenne. In those three regional games the Eagles margin of victory totaled five points. In the first game of the area tourney the Eagles had another close encounter and came out on top of Keyes, 85-82, at Southwestern State in Weatherford. The next night the Eagles faced 12th-ranked Cache and fell, 93-65. Jerry Marsh directed the Eagle fortunes for the season.

Honorable Mention: 1938 Eagles (lost to Blair in the regional finals; 1996 Eagles (This team lost in the regional finals to Apache); 1937 Eagles (Finished 17-14 on the year and was the district runner up); 1994 Eagles (Fell in the regional consolation finals to Burns Flat-Dill City); 1925 Eagles (this team finished 18-7 on the year but did not enter the district tournament.


Cowboys Gain First District Win in Convincing Fashion

By
Trey Smart
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0
Photo by Sheree Hanson

It was a remarkable night at Bob Givens Sports Complex last Friday night as the Ryan Cowboys rolled to an 84-38 victory over District B-4 foe Empire.

Scoring 84 points in a game is quite a feat, but it is incredible when you discover Ryan scored all 84 points in the final three quarters of play.

The Cowboys will try to maintain the momentum gained with the victory over the Bulldogs when they make the short drive up Highway 81 to battle Waurika tomorrow night (Friday). Kickoff at Cy Sloan Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

Both Waurika and Ryan enter the contest with a 1-0 mark in district play. Waurika is 5-0 overall, while Ryan is 4-2.

Last Friday’s first quarter was defined by two long drives by both Empire and Ryan that resulted in no scoring.

Ryan drove to the Empire 15 after getting an interception by Kalen Weldon on the first series of the game, but turned the ball over on downs.

Empire took over and took 16 plays to go from the Empire 19 to the Ryan 19, but on the next two plays the Ryan defense came up big and handed the Bulldogs losses of nine and two yards to turn the ball back to the Cowboys on downs late in the first quarter.

This gave the Cowboys their worst field position of the night at the Ryan 30, but the Cowboys methodically took the ball and drove the 70 yards for a score. Skylar Parkhill ran the final nine yards for the score and Dallas Fristoe ran for the two points to give Ryan an 8-0 lead with 7:50 to play in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys perfectly executed a pooch kick and Weldon pounced on the ball before Empire could field it to put the Cowboys back in business.

The Cowboys took quick advantage of the Bulldog miscue and drove 38 yards in just three plays. Parkhill rushed for all 38 yards – the final carry covering five yards for the score. Parkhill ran for the two points and quickly Ryan was up, 16-0, with 7:06 left in the half.

Empire took possession at its own 48 yard line after an onside kick attempt and this time the Bulldogs answered with a scoring drive of 52 yards on eight plays. Peyton Booth ran the final 20 yards for the score and quarterback Mitchell Monteith ran for the two-point conversion to cut the Ryan lead in half at 16-8 with 4:46 left to play.

Possibly the play of the game for the Cowboys came on the ensuing kickoff when Travis Fristoe took the ball in the middle of the field at the Ryan 35 and maneuvered his way through a wall of tacklers and finally cut out to the left side for a clear path to the end zone. Parkhill ran for the two points and Ryan had a 24-8 lead with 4:40 left in the half.

The Bulldogs had an answer, however, as Empire took possession at its own 41-yard line following another short kickoff. Two straight running plays produced first downs and then Monteith found Mcray Weber wide open for a 37-yard touchdown pass. The run failed, but the Ryan lead was cut to 24-14 with 3:36 left in the half.

The Cowboys were not through scoring, however – not by a long shot as it turned out.

Ryan took the ball at the Empire 46 after another onside kickoff attempt and promptly drove 46 yards on seven plays for a touchdown. Grayson Tomberlin ran up the middle from the one-yard line for the score and then passed to Weldon for the two points to give Ryan a 32-14 advantage with just 16 seconds before the break.

As the third quarter got under way it looked like Ryan would take command as they drove 47 yards in four plays for a score. Parkhill got his third rushing touchdown of the night as he scampered 16 yards for the score. Parkhill ran for the two-point conversion and Ryan held a 40-14 lead with 10:33 left in the third quarter.

Empire, however, answered with a seven-play, 53-yard drive with much of the work being done by Booth. He got the score on a three-yard run and Booth also ran for the two points to cut the Ryan lead to 40-22 with 8:10 left in the third quarter.

The two squads then exchanged fumbles. Weldon raced to recover the snap over the quarterback’s head and this gave Ryan another short field at the Empire 33 yard line.

 On the first play, Parkhill raced 33 yards for the score and then Tomberlin found Fristoe on a two-point pass completion to put Ryan in front, 48-22, with 7:37 left in the third quarter.

Once again Empire proved its ability to score as they took the ensuing kickoff from the Empire 33 to the Ryan 41 in four plays. On third-and-six, Monteith found Lucas Contreras on a 41-yard touchdown pass and Daniel Alvarez caught a two-point conversion pass from Montheith to narrow the gap to 48-30 with 5:56 left to play.

That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get the rest of the night.

On Ryan’s next drive facing fourth and six at its own 49-yard line, the Cowboys pulled off a fake punt by snapping the ball to Parkhill and he broke loose for a 51-yard touchdown run. Fristoe ran for the two points and with 3:48 left in the third quarter, the Cowboys held a 56-30 advantage.

The Cowboys really put any hopes of an Empire rally to rest on the Bulldogs’ next drive.

Fristoe picked off an errant Bulldog pass in the middle of the field and quickly broke into open field on the left side and went 60 yards for a touchdown. The run failed, but now Ryan led, 62-30, with 2:32 left to play in the third quarter.

The Cowboys finally another stop on Empire’s next drive and took the ball over on downs at the Ryan 39.

In three plays, the Cowboys were on the scoreboard again. Justin Williams took a short pass from Tomberlin and took off on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 11:53 left in the game. Weldon caught a two-point conversion from Tomberlin to give Ryan a 70-30 lead.

Empire did not quit and on the ensuing drive traveled 62 yards on just two plays. Alvarez was on the receiving end of a 33-yard pass by Monteith for the score. Brandon Mendenall caught a conversion pass from Monteith and with 11:41 left to play, Ryan was in front, 70-38.

After holding the Bulldogs on the next drive, the Cowboys took over on downs at the Empire 25.

It took only two plays with Parkhill carrying the ball to the 10 on first down and then scoring on the next play. Tomberlin ran for the two-point conversion and the Cowboys were comfortably in front, 78-38, with 10:07 left in the game.

Empire put together the longest drive of the night moving from its own seven yard line to the Ryan 10 in 12 plays and helped along by a 15-yard penalty on the Cowboys.

On second down and goal from the 10, Monteith did not see Parkhill and the Cowboy senior picked the ball off at the one and went from the left side to the middle of the field and finally down the right sideline making a nifty move on the last Bulldog defender to prevent the score and danced into the end zone for a 99-yard touchdown return.

That put the Cowboys in front, 84-38, and with 4:48 left in the game the contest ended on the mercy rule.

Parkhill had a career night with 238 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns. He also recorded nine tackles and had the game-ending interception.

Weldon had a good night on defense with five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Walter Snider, Fristoe and Tomberlin led the Cowboys in tackles with 13 stops each.

COWBOY CORRAL: Ryan now leads the series with Empire, 4-1, but this was the first meeting of eight-man teams….The 84 points scored is the third most in school history behind 97 scored against Devol in 1924 and 92 points scored against Comanche in 1922…The 84 points is the most ever scored by Ryan on the field where the Cowboys currently play breaking the previous high of 80 scored against Pernell in 1985….Parkhill’s interception return is now the longest in school history and broke the record of 94 yards set just last year by Dawson Tomberlin against Bray-Doyle….Because both teams used the onside or short kickoff most of the game much of the contest was played near midfield…Empire’s worst starting field position was its own seven-yard line, but only three drives out of 13 possessions started inside the Bulldog 30-yard line….Ryan had 10 possessions in the game and only three of those started inside the Ryan 40….Parkhill’s 238 yards rushing is the career high for the Cowboy senior and ranks as the 22nd best rushing total in school history….The six rushing touchdowns scored by Parkhill is the second most in school history behind the nine rushing touchdowns by Grant Carter in a 2015 game against Cement….Parkhill scored 48 total points in the contest and that is the second most in school history moving ahead of Nelson Turnbow’s 42 points scored in a 1940 game against Noble, but behind Carter’s total of 54 scored against Cement….Counting return yards and receiving yards, Parkhill finished the game with 351 all-purpose yards….The combined number of points scored – 122 – is the second most in school history behind the 138 points scoring in a 78-60 loss at Grandfield in 1997….The 84 points scored in this game is the fourth most in any game in Oklahoma this season behind Graham-Dustin’s 94 points in Zero Week and Tyrone’s 86 in Week 3 and Destiny Christian’s 86 points in Week 5.

Ryan Game in Figures

                                EHS          RHS

First Downs             23            18

Yards Rushing         39-166     42-335

Yards Passing         259          75

Passes                     16-35       3-6

Passes Int. By          0              3

Fumbles, Lost          1-1           1-1

Punts                       0-0           1-50

Penalties                  3-40         7-60

                SCORE BY QUARTERS

Empire     0              14            16            8–38

Ryan        0              32            30            22–84

                 SECOND QUARTER

RYAN – Skylar Parkhill 9 run (Travis Fristoe run), 7:50

RYAN – Parkhill 5 run (Parkhill run), 7:06

EMPIRE – Peyton Booth 20 run (Mitchell Monteith run), 4:46

RYAN – Fristoe 65 kickoff return (Parkhill run), 4:40

EMPIRE – Mcray Weber 37 pass from Monteith (run failed), 3:36

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 1 run (Kalen Weldon pass from Tomberlin), :16.4

                THIRD QUARTER

RYAN – Parkhill 16 run (Parkhill run), 10:33

EMPIRE – Booth 3 run (Booth run), 8:10

RYAN – Parkhill 33 run (Fristoe pass from Tomberlin), 7:37

EMPIRE – Lucas Contreras 41 pass from Monteith (Daniel Alvarez pass from Monteith), 5:56

RYAN – Parkhill 51 run (Fristoe run), 3:48

RYAN – Fristoe 60 interception return (run failed), 2:32

                FOURTH QUARTER

RYAN – Justin Williams 66 pass from Tomberlin (Weldon pass from Tomberlin), 11:53

EMPIRE – Alvarez 33 pass from Onteith (Brandon Mendenall pass from Monteith), 11:41

RYAN – Parkhill 10 run (Tomberlin run), 10:07

RYAN – Parkhill 99 interception return, (no try), 4:48 

               INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Empire: Rushing – Booth 17-89, Jackson Carrio 15-80, Monteith 6-13, Team 1- -16; Passing – Monteith 16-34-259-3; Contreras 0-1-0-0; Receiving – Alvarez 6-103, Mccray Weber 6-65, Contreras 3-77, Booth 1-14.

Ryan: Rushing – Parkhill 21-238, Tomberlin 13-106, Travis Fristoe 8-19; Passing – Tomberlin 3-6-79-0; Receiving – Williams 1-66; Parkhill 1-11, Fristoe 1- -2; Tackles – Walter Snider 13, Fristoe 13, Tomberlin 13, Pacen Wiest 12, Parkhill 9, Williams 8, Andrew Villerreal 7, Gunner Phillips 6, Weldon 5, Trey Bryant 4, Sam Brown 2, Raesh Casebolt 1.

Ryan Hoopsters Set To Open Season at Home Against Waurika

By
Trey Smart
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0

 Veteran coach Lane Weldon returns to the sideline at Ryan for the second year of his second stint at the helm of the Ryan basketball program and he is expecting the Cowboys and Cowgirls to build on last season.

The journey will begin Tuesday night when the Cowboys and Cowgirls will host Waurika on Raymon West Court. The girls’ game will tipoff at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by the boys’ game.

Both the squads return the majority of the players that contributed heavily to last year’s teams.

The Cowboys won a district title a year ago and finished with a 14-9 mark.

 “I think we will be equal to or better than last year and especially if we can avoid sickness at the end of the year,” said Weldon about this year’s expectations for the Cowboys.

While the Cowboys have a large number of contributors from last year returning, they will have to replace scorer Westin Jennings and Landen Alexander, who was a menace on the inside for the Cowboys.

Weldon noted the challenge of replacing the leadership of Jennings and the height that Alexander provided.

Racen Williams, an all-Southern Eight conference performer from a year ago returns to provide the scoring punch for the Cowboys.

But, the Cowboys have a number of returnees that can score including Julian Rodriguez, Xavier Guzman and Carsen Rodriguez.

Mason Adsit and Braden Bergeron will take on the responsibility of giving the Cowboys a presence on the inside.

There are a total of nine players that return from last year’s team and five freshmen will help provide some depth to the Cowboys in the coming season.

“We do have some quickness and most of our kids can shoot the ball, plus we should get some help from some freshmen,” Weldon said.

The Cowboys have had limited practice time after the football squad advanced to the playoffs.

Weldon cited a couple of things that are key to the Cowboys having another successful season.

“We have to be patient on offense,” Weldon said. “And, we need to work on helping each other on defense.”

“We need to understand that turnovers are a big key between winning and losing,” added Weldon.

Weldon is hopeful the season will prepare the Cowboys for what will likely be a challenging post-season as the southern part of the state has no shortage of good teams.

The Cowgirls will be looking to improve on last year’s 7-12 mark.

Nine Cowgirls return from last year’s team – including three starters.

Leading the way will be Southern Eight all-conference performer Jasmine Villarreal. She was the second leading scorer for the Cowgirls a year ago and will have to pick up the pace in 2023 for the Cowgirls to pick up more wins than last season.

Libby Carter, who was a steady defender a year ago, returns for her senior season.

“I think we will be better,” said Weldon when asked about this year’s Cowgirl squad.

“The girls are understanding what it takes to be successful,” said Weldon.

“Our shooting is better and the girls’ attitude in finishing games has improved,” Weldon added.

“We hope to use our quickness to put pressure on the basketball and create some turnovers,” Weldon commented about the strengths of this year’s Cowgirl team.

Weldon cited a couple of freshmen that will likely contribute to the Cowgirls having a successful campaign – Kamrie Hernandez and Kayleigh Morgan.

The Cowgirls will have some depth for the first time in several seasons as 15 Cowgirls make up this year’s roster.

One of the challenges for this year’s squad will be producing offense.

“We have got to have more than one or two girls scoring,” said Weldon about what he is looking to see the Cowgirls make improvement on for the 2023 season.

“Unforced turnovers were a problem last season and we have to do better taking care of the ball,” Weldon said.

Ryan will play in three tournaments this season – including the tough Stephens County Tournament when Ryan will make their first appearance in the tourney since 2016.

The other two tournaments – the Black & Gold Classic at Wilson and the Lawton Coliseum Classic will provide the Cowboys and Cowgirls with some tough matchups that hopefully will prepare the teams for the post-season.

Weldon believes the season opener with Waurika for both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will provide a clear picture of what the two teams will need to work on in the early part of the season.

Ryan Basketball Schedule

NOVEMBER

29: Waurika

DECEMBER

6: at Thackerville; 8-10: Black & Gold Classic at Wilson; 12: at Springer; 16: Maysville (HC).

JANUARY

3: Big Pasture; 5-7: Coliseum Classic at Lawton; 10: at Geronimo; 13: at Frederick; 16-21: Stephens County Tournament at Central High  ; 23: at Big Pasture; 24: at Okla. School for the Deaf; 26: Grandfield; 27: Turner; 30: Bray-Doyle; 31: at Grandfield.

FEBRUARY

3: at Temple; 6: at Chattanooga; 9-11: Class B District Tournament.

Ryan, Waurika Set for Final Scrimmages Before Season Openers

By
Trey Smart
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0

 High school football is just a little over a week away and the Waurika and Ryan football squads have been busy engaging in preseason workouts in preparation for the season openers on September 3.

The final scrimmage of the preseason for Ryan will be tonight at Bob Givens Sports Complex.

The Cowboys play host to Sasakwa.

Fans are asked to bring donations of body wash, towels and water to support the Cowboys for the season.

Waurika will travel to Thackerville tonight for their final scrimmage of the season.

On Saturday, the Waurika booster club will host a Meet the Eagles event at 6 p.m. at Cy Sloan Stadium.

 The Cowboys traveled over to Wilson last Friday for a scrimmage with the Eagles and Ryan coach Tony Tomberlin had mixed feelings about the Cowboys’ performance.

“We didn’t look too bad,” Tomberlin said about the workout against Wilson. “We have got a lot of work to do.”

“We are just very inconsistent,” Tomberlin added. “We had glimpses of good, but still have a long way to go.”

Waurika traveled to Alex last Friday and engaged with the host school, Snyder and Maysville.

 The Eagles went up against Alex and Maysville, but went against Snyder for only about 10 plays since they will meet later in the regular season.

The football squad at Waurika is also looking for donations of towels, soap, laundry detergent, bottled water and Gatorade.

Both teams were in action last week. 

The Eagles dominated play against Maysville scoring on eight of the 15 offensive plays ran. Waurika was almost as dominate against the host team.

 The season begins for Ryan on September 3 when the Cowboys host Bray-Doyle. Kickoff is 7 p.m.  Waurika opens the season on the road against old rival Grandfield on September 3. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Success on Diamond For Waurika Has Not Been Frequent

By
Trey Smart
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0

2019 Waurika Baseball Season Hopes to Be Foundation to the Future

With the recently completed successful baseball season, it is time to take a look back at the history of high school baseball at Waurika.

 Waurika baseball has struggled over the years much like every football-playing school that has to compete against schools that also play in the fall of the year.

 The recently completed 2019 season, however, could serve as a foundation for a good future for the Eagles.

 This past season saw the Eagles fashion a 16-7 mark and they played for the district title for the first time since 2012.

 The Eagles had the most valuable player in the Oil Field Conference in Aaron Nitka. He also played in the recent Southwest Oklahoma Coaches Association all-star game in Lawton.

 The Eagles also dominated the first team selections with five – Gatlin Black, Bowden Forsyth, Hunter Wesberry, Zac Brown and Austin Dyer.

 The 16 wins are the most wins in a season since that 2012 club put together 18 wins.

 Research has not yielded a lot of information about baseball at the school but it is thought that no teams were fielded from at least 1953 to 1986. Prior to 1953, baseball might have been offered but it is hard to find results.

 Only eight seasons in the past 29 years when baseball was brought back to Waurika have the Eagles won more than 16 games. There are four seasons where the final record could not be determined.

 Baseball at Waurika returned in 1987 after the school had not fielded a team since as far back as 1952 when Waurika lost to Ryan in the county tournament finals, 13-4.

 Even prior to that time it is hard to discern if Waurika fielded many baseball teams which may be attributed to the tremendous success Waurika had in track.

 But in 1987, Norman West put together the first Waurika team and they began the season with a doubleheader sweep of Terral. The Eagles finished 8-5 in that inaugural season.

 Todd Overstreet, Byron West, Doug Frost and Jay Chapman were some of the ringleaders of that first squad. Frost was named to The Duncan Banner’s all-area team at the conclusion of the season.

 The next season Waurika slipped to 1-16 before coming back in 1989 and putting together a 13-9 record.

 That would be West’s final season coaching baseball and he finished with a 22-30 mark in the sport.

 Don Patchin took over the baseball program for the next two years, but a final record for either year could not be located.

 Patchin became the first of four different coaches in four years and the Eagles managed only one winning record in that stretch – an 18-17 record in 1992.

 The 1993 squad earned district runner up honors despite a 10-22 final record.

 In 1994, Tim Hightower took over the reigns of the Waurika program for the next five years. During his tenure the Eagles claimed their first district title in 1997.

 The Eagles earned the district crown as the tourney host and defeated Walters in the best-of-three series for the district title. The Eagles defeated the Blue Devils, 13-1, and 17-7, for the title.

 However, the 1997 team found the regional tournament to be too tough. Ringling was the tournament host and the Blue Devils downed the Eagles in the first round. Velma-Alma eliminated the Eagles in the next game.

 The 1998 squad – the last coached by Hightower – finished second in the Southern Eight Conference tourney.

 The Eagles claimed their second district title in 1999 under the direction of Buddy Husted. Husted coached the Eagle nine for two seasons and finished with a 30-24 record.

 The 1999 Class 2A district tournament was also a best-of-three series and the Eagles played host to Empire. Waurika downed the Bulldogs in impressive fashion, 19-5, and 25-4.

 Waurika traveled to Healdton for the Class 2A regional tourney and lost to Velma-Alma, 16-0, in the first round and to Washington, 11-0, in an elimination game.

 Brad Logan assumed the coaching duties for the baseball program in 2001 and he served six seasons.

 During that time the Eagles were district champions in 2002. The Eagles traveled to Turner for a best-of-three series and the Eagles won the first two games, 21-0, and 7-4, to earn the district crown.

 Waurika was sent to Dewar for the Class A regional and the Eagles dropped a pair of one-run games. In the first round, Dewar defeated the Eagles, 2-1. In the elimination game, Okay edged the Eagles, 9-8, to end the season.

 In 2005, the Eagles hosted the conference tournament and claimed the title with a 12-7 victory over Big Pasture in the championship game.

 The next season, Waurika was the conference tournament runner up. This time Big Pasture claimed the conference title with a 9-1 victory over the Eagles at Walters.

 Keith Henderson stepped in as the Waurika coach in 2007, but after a 5-10 mark, Everett Hodges coached the Eagles for two seasons.

 Under Hodges in those two seasons, the Eagles did not win a district title but put together the first 20-win season at Waurika in 2009. The Eagles did finish as the district runner up in 2009. The 2009 team traveled to Sterling for the district tourney and won a 6-4 contest against Empire before falling twice to the host school Sterling, 18-0 and 11-0.

 Larry Vanbeber coached baseball for the 2010 and 2011 seasons and the Eagles were district runner up both seasons.

 The 2010 squad had a 24-6 record – the most wins ever for a Waurika baseball team. Velma-Alma eliminated Waurika in the district finals that season.  

 The 2011 club claimed the conference tournament title. The tournament was played at Empire and the Eagles cruised to victories over Big Pasture, 18-3; Temple, 22-2; and, Walters, 11-2.

 Waurika finished the season with a 16-16 record and were eliminated by Chattanooga in the district finals.

 Hodges took over the program again in 2012 and coached the baseball team for five seasons. The 2012 team claimed the district title and finished with an 18-7 record – the fourth most wins in school history.

 Waurika hosted the district tournament and earned a first-round win over Empire, 11-1. The Eagles then defeated Healdton, 13-3, and came back to shutout Healdton, 9-0, in the championship game.

 The Eagles traveled to Caddo for the Class A regional tourney and as in previous regional appearances, the Eagles dropped the first two games. Waurika fell to the host school, 7-1, and then fell to Elmore City-Pernell, 6-4, in an elimination game.

 Waurika is 0-8 in all regional tournament games.

 The 2012 team had three players on The Duncan Banner all-area baseball squad. Gage Pittman was named as a catcher and pitcher and Taylor Fuller was tabbed for the team as a pitcher and third baseman. Tyler Fuller earned the area’s pitcher-of-the-year honors.

 The Eagles fell on hard times during the rest of Hodges’ coaching days and did not win more than eight games in any season.

 Hodges finished with a 77-79 mark in his six total seasons coaching baseball, but that did include one district title and one district runner up finish.

 The 2013 team did have one all-area selection – Mason Wilkerson as a pitcher.

 Glenn Howard took over the team in 2017 and 2018. The first year under Howard the Eagles could only manage a 6-14 mark, but improved to 10-15 in 2018.

 Joe Allen was handed the baseball coaching duties when he was named the football coach last year. The first-year mentor hopes a foundation has been laid for future success on the diamond for the Eagles.

 Allen will have to find replacements for six seniors – five of which were starters for all or much of the season.

Here are the full names of the 1920 WHS baseball team seen in the picture above.

Harrell Cotner

Ray Powell – Left Field

Herschel Alexander – Right Field

Bill Bradford – 2nd Base

Coach J.J. Corbett

Jake Turnage

Charles Thompson – Pitcher

Byrd Adams (Mascot)

Maurice Prescott (Captain) – Center Field

Clifford Bone – Pitcher

Leslie Stone – 1st Base

Ernest Dickey – 3rd Base

Leon Boyles – Short Stop

Pierce Carter – Catcher

Roy Scott (Score Keeper)

Record

WHS 8 – Ryan High School 9

WHS 10 – Addington First Team 6

WHS 7 – Ryan High School 13

WHS 11 – Sugden First Team 11

WHS 22 – Hastings High School 6

WHS 13 – Ryan High School 13

WHS 6 – Hastings First Team 17

WHS 13 – Hastings High School 10

WHS 6 – Terral High School 4

Cowgirl Softballers Struggle to Find Opponents

By
Trey Smart
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0

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.

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