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September 2018 Articles

Lady Eagles’ Rally Comes Up Short Against Bray-Doyle

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It has been a rough season for the youthful and inexperienced Waurika fast-pitch softball squad.

But, the Lady Eagles suffered their narrowest defeat of the season to Bray-Doyle, 10-8, Monday on the Lady Donkey’s home diamond.

In the second game with Ninnekah, the Lady Eagles fell, 7-2

The Lady Eagles were to have met Temple Tuesday.

Today Waurika begins play in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling. The Lady Eagles were to have met Wilson at 12 noon today and the loser of that game was scheduled to face Ringling at 1:30 p.m.

The winner of the first game was scheduled to meet Ringling at 3 p.m.

The tournament is double-elimination with the championship game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today and an “if necessary” game at 6 p.m.

In Monday’s action, the Lady Eagles spotted Bray-Doyle an 8-0 lead after the third inning.

In the top of the fourth, the Lady Eagle’s bats came alive.

Gracie Walling reached on an error and scored on Kaci Reynold’s RBI-single. Madison Roberson, who singled and Reynolds scored on Landry Forsyth’s double to center field.

Tallin Mora also singled and eventually scored on Hope Cummings’ ground out cutting the Bray-Doyle lead to 8-4.

The Lady Donkeys extended the lead to 10-4 in the bottom of the fourth and that proved to be the difference in the game.

Waurika refused to give up despite the deficit. Faith Roberson led off the rally with a triple and scored on Walling’s single to left. M. Roberson and Reynolds singled with Walling scoring on Reynolds’ single.

M. Roberson scored on Mora’s ground out and Reynolds crossed the plate on Forsyth’s single to cut the margin to 10-8, but the rally ended with a fly out.

In the second game of the three-way meeting at Bray, Ninnekah got off to a 1-0 lead after scoring in the top of the third.

Ninnekah added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to move in front, 7-0.

The Lady Eagles managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Destiny Barnes singled and advanced to third on M. Roberson’s single. Barnes scored on an error and M. Roberson scored on a wild pitch.

 After holding Ninnekah scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Lady Eagles got a one-out single from F. Roberson, but the next two Lady Eagles were retired to end the game.

Waurika Falls Short In Fast-Pitch Softball District Tourney

Waurika dropped two straight games in the Class A District Tournament at Ringling last Thursday to conclude what has been a tough season.

The Lady Eagles dropped a tough 10-7 decision to Wilson in the first game of the tournament and then were eliminated by Ringling, 11-0.

Ringling took the district title with two straight wins over Wilson, 9-1, and 12-0.

Waurika played one of its better games of the year in the tourney opener against Wilson.

Waurika took the lead in the bottom of the first inning with two runs.

Faith Roberson had a lead off walk and stole second and that was followed by Gracie Walling being hit by a pitch.

F. Roberson stole home to give the Lady Eagles a 1-0 edge and then Walling scored on Landry Forsyth’s bases-loaded hit by pitch. That put Waurika ahead, 2-0, but the Lady Eagles left the bases loaded without scoring another run.

Wilson took the lead in the top of the second with four runs and carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the third inning.

Waurika moved back in front in the third with three runs.

Brooklyn Barnes got things started by being hit by a pitch and Forsyth followed with another hit by pitch.

After two outs, F. Roberson managed a walk to load the bases. Walling slapped a double to center field that cleared the bases and gave Waurika a 5-4 advantage after three innings.

Wilson moved back in front with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but Waurika answered with a couple of scores to regain the lead in the bottom of fifth.

Hope Cummings led off the rally with a single and stole second. She eventually scored by stealing home to tied the game.

Walling picked up her third hit of the game and came around to score on Madison Roberson’s two-bagger to left field that put Waurika back in front, 7-6.

Wilson came from behind with a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to secure the win and Waurika could not answer in the final two frames.

Walling finished the game for the Lady Eagles with a 3-for-4 performance, three runs batted in and two runs scored.

In the second game of the tourney, Waurika had no answers for Ringling. The Lady Blue Devils scored four runs in the first inning, added one in the second, five in the third inning and one in the fourth frame to get the win in four innings.

The Lady Eagles could muster only two hits in the game by Kaci Reynolds and M. Roberson.

In the final regular season game a week ago Tuesday, Waurika outslugged winless Temple, 16-7, on the Lady Tigers’ home diamond.

Waurika jumped out on top of Temple with three runs in the first.

F. Roberson led off the game with a walk and moved to second when Walling reached on an error.

Destiny Barnes followed with a double to score F. Roberson and Walling followed with a score on M. Roberson’s RBI-ground out. D. Barnes came around to score giving Waurika 3-0 advantage and the Lady Eagles left two runners stranded.

Temple answered the Waurika uprising with a pair of runs to cut the margin to 3-2 after the first inning.

The Lady Eagles took control of the contest in the top of the third inning with five runs.

B. Barnes reached base after being hit by a pitch and she advanced to second on Forsyth’s free pass. Olivia Ralls was also hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Cummings reached on an error that scored B. Barnes. Forsyth, Ralls and Cummings each stole home for three more runs.

F. Roberson followed with a walk and eventually scored on another Temple error that put Waurika on top, 8-2.

Waurika added to the lead in the fourth inning.

Reynolds led off the inning by reaching on an error. Tallin Mora was the courtesy runner and advanced to third on walks by B. Barnes and Ralls.

Cummings was hit by a pitch that forced Mora home. Grace Hill, who ran for Ralls, and Cummings scored on Walling’s two-run single. Alayna Stallcup picked up an RBI-single that scored F. Roberson who had reached on a fielder’s choice.

The four-run rally put Waurika in front 12-2 and Temple was in danger of being run-ruled.

The Lady Tigers answered the challenge, however, and managed to score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the Waurika lead to 12-7.

Waurika was not going to let this one slip away. The Lady Eagles answered the Temple rally with four more runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases for the Eagles. B. Barnes scored on a fielder’s choice. Ralls and Cummings scored on F. Roberson’s two-run single to left.

Temple could not score and the game ended by the run rule.

Walling led the Lady Eagles at the plate with two hits in five at-bats. F. Roberson scored four times and Cummings scored three runs

M. Roberson picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Eagles.

Four Lady Eagles – D. Barnes, Madison Christian, Ralls and M. Roberson played their final games for the Lady Eagles in the district tournament.

 Waurika finishes the season with a 3-18 mark, but the Lady Eagles showed marked improvement in the final couple of weeks of the season.

Cowgirl Runners Turn In Impressive Performance

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The Ryan Cowgirl cross country squad raced to its second straight meet title a week ago Tuesday at the Walters Invitational at Sultan Park.

While it was the fourth team title claimed by a Cowgirl cross country team in the short history of the sport at Ryan, it might have been the most impressive.

The Cowgirls won the meet with 40 points which was just in front of Class 3A’s third-ranked Community Christian squad that finished as the runner up with 43 points.

All five Cowgirl harriers claimed medals in the meet to help the team to the title.

 Juliet Spangler led the Cowgirls with a runner up finish in the 3,200-meter race. Individual times were not available due to a malfunction of the timing device.

Lilybet Harmon claimed fourth place and Holland Carter was seventh to give the Cowgirls three top 10 finishers.

Lily York finished 13th and Katelyn Dabbs was 21st in the race. The top 25 runners earned medals.

The high school girls division at Walters featured 69 competitors.

Ryan is now ranked fifth among the Class 2A cross country squads.

The Cowgirls were to have competed Tuesday at the Velma-Alma Invitational and then will travel to Frederick tomorrow (Friday) to compete in the Frederick Bomber Invitational.

Ryan had two medalists in the junior high boys division – Koble Lewis, who finished 20th and Carson Williams, who was 23rd in the race that featured 80 junior high boys.

Jasmine Villarreal was ninth and Whittney Spangler finished 14th to both earn medals for Ryan in the junior high girls division. A total of 91 runners competed in the junior high girls division.

Eagle Harriers Are Fourth at Walters Invitational

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(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.

Ryan Drops Road Game at Caddo

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Photo by Sheree Hanson

A year ago the Ryan Cowboys traveled to Caddo and a rally fell short in a narrow loss, but in 2018 Caddo would not permit a Cowboy rally.

The Bruins scored 25 unanswered points in the second half and rolled to a 57-26 victory over the Cowboys on the Bruins’ home field last Thursday night.

The game was moved to Thursday to prevent playing in inclement weather and it proved to be a wise decision as many Friday night games were postponed to last Saturday or Monday.

The Cowboys will enjoy a bye week this week since they played in Zero Week. Ryan will begin district play when they return to the gridiron a week from Friday as Empire will come to Bob Givens Sports Complex.

The contest at Caddo started off well for the Cowboys as Grayson Tomberlin found Skyler Parkhill on a 21-yard touchdown pass. Parkhill ran for the two points and Ryan held an 8-0 lead with 5:29 left in the first quarter.

The Bruins answered and tied the score at the 2:56 mark of the first quarter. John Holbrook connected on the first of his five touchdown passes to put Caddo on the board. Chisolm Booth caught the touchdown pass and Avrey Brown grabbed the two-point conversion pass to knot the score at 8-8.

Ryan came back on its next drive to get a score. Travis Fristoe got the touchdown on a nine-yard run, but the two-point conversion failed and Ryan held a 14-8 lead with 39 seconds to play in the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be the Cowboys’ downfall. Caddo scored three times and all three were touchdown passes by Holbrook. Booth, Brown and Payton Brewer were on the receiving end of the scores.

The first score came at the 8:26 mark and the play covered 42 yards. Brown was on the receiving end of the two-point conversion pass to put Caddo in front, 16-14.

Caddo got its second score with 1:37 to play before intermission and the pass to Brown covered four yards. Brown also caught the two-point conversion pass giving Caddo a 22-14 advantage.

The Cowboys then failed to cover an onside kick attempt by the Bruins and Caddo made the Cowboys pay with a 60-yard touchdown pass to Brewer. Cameron McClain ran for the two points to put Caddo in front, 30-14, with 1:25 left before intermission.

Ryan was able to trim the margin in the final seconds of the second quarter as they quickly drove down the field and Tomberlin scored on a two-yard run as the clock expired. The run for two points failed leaving Ryan trailing, 32-20.

The Cowboys started the second half like the first half. Ryan was able to get another score as Tomberlin found Parkhill for a 67-yard touchdown completion. A run for two points failed, but the Cowboys had cut the margin to 32-26 midway through the third quarter.

That would be final score of the night for the Cowboys.

Caddo answered the Cowboy threat with three touchdowns in the final 4:58 of the third quarter to give the Bruins a 50-26 lead heading into the final quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter the Bruins tacked on another score as Hunter Speers ran six yards for a score and Holbrook kicked the extra point for Caddo to set the final margin.

Turnovers played a key role in the contest as that thwarted many Ryan drives. The Cowboys lost three fumbles and had one interception.

The Cowboys also had trouble converting third downs. Ryan was only two of 11 on third down conversions, while Caddo was nine of 12.

Caddo rolled up 502 total yards on offense, but the Cowboys managed to record 465 yards of offense and both teams averaged 8.2 yards per play.

COWBOY NOTES: The 57 points scored by the Bruins marks the most points scored against Ryan in this eight-game series that dates back to 1970…The previous high by Caddo was 36 points in a 36-20 victory over Ryan in 1972…The series is now tied at 4-4 and Caddo has won three straight games from the Cowboys….The 83 points scored between the two teams is the highest number of points scored in the eight games the Bruins and Cowboys have played…This marked the second straight game Tomberlin has passed for over 200 yards in a game…Parkhill’s 189 receiving yards tied the school record for most yards receiving in a game…Parkhill set the new mark in the previous week’s victory over Maysville….Four different Caddo receivers caught touchdown passes in the game…The 502 yards of offense by Caddo is the sixth highest total by a Ryan opponent in school history.

 Game in Figures

                                RHS         CHS

First Downs             19            24

Yards Rushing         39-246     41-260

Yards Passing         219          242

Passes                     8-18         14-20

Passes Int. By          1              1

Fumbles Lost           3-3           1-1

Punts                       1-29         1-36

Penalties                  6-35         5-30

                SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ryan        14            6              6              0–26

Caddo     8              24            18            7–57

                FIRST QUARTER

RYAN – Skyler Parkhill 21 pass from Grayson Tomberlin (Parkhill run), 5:29

CADDO – Chisolm Booth 18 pass from Jack Holbrook (Avrey Brown pass from Holbrook), 2:56

RYAN – Travis Fristoe 9 run (pass failed), :39

                SECOND QUARTER

CADDO – Booth 42 pass from Holbrook (Brown pass from Holbrook), 8:26

CADDO – Brown 4 pass from Holbrook (Brown pass from Holbrook), 1:37

CADDO – Payton Brewer 60 pass from Holbrook (Cameron McClain run), 1:25

RYAN – Tomberlin 2 run (pass failed), :00

                THIRD QUARTER

RYAN – Parkhill 67 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 6:40

CADDO – Hunter Speers 7 pass from Holbrook (pass failed), 4:58

CADDO – Dalton Johnson 5 run (pass failed), 3:11

CADDO – Michael Creel 53 run (run failed), :54

                FOURTH QUARTER

CADDO – Speers 6 run (Holbrook kick), 3:20

                INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RYAN – Rushing: Parkhill 12-96, Tomberlin 17-93, Fristoe 9-57, Gunner Phillips 1-0; Passing: Tomberlin 8-18-219-1; Receiving: Parkhill 4-189, Kalen Weldon 2-6, Andrew Villarreal 1-18, Fristoe, 1-6; Tackles: Fristoe 5, Pacen Wiest 3.5, Parkhill 3, Villarreal 2, Weldon 2, Justin Williams 2, Phillips 1.5, Braden Jackson 1, Tomberlin 1, Trey Bryant 1, Sam Brown 1.

Eagles Post Second Straight Shutout for 2-0 Start

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Photo by Adam Brinson

It has not happened often, but for the second straight week to open the season the Waurika Eagles’ flexed their defensive muscle in shutting out their opponent.

The Eagles rolled to a 52-0 victory over Grandfield last Friday night at Cy Sloan Stadium.

Waurika has opened the season by shutting out the two opponents and that has not happened since the 1975 season and it has only happened eight other times since Waurika began playing football in 1919.

The defense will likely get a much tougher test Friday night when the Eagles travel to Carnegie to battle the Wildcats.

Carnegie did not play last week and comes into the contest with a 1-1 mark with a loss to Seiling and win over Mountain View-Gotebo.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

In last Friday’s contest, the Eagles got off to a slow start with only a single score in the first quarter.

Kevin Garcia busted loose for a 30-yard scoring run and Waurika was up 6-0 with 4:03 to play and that is how the score stayed for the remainder of the first quarter.

The Eagles got things going, however, in the second quarter as they exploded for 46 points in route to ending the game at the half because of the 45-point mercy rule.

Turner Mora opened the scoring in the second quarter for the Eagles with a six-yard rushing touchdown. Mora added the two-point conversion giving Waurika a 14-0 advantage just 31 seconds into the second quarter.

Colton Bryant became the third Eagle to score as he scampered 20 yards for a score. The two-point conversion run failed leaving Waurika with a 20-0 advantage with 9:22 to play in the first half.

The Eagles took to the air for the next score with Hunter Wesberry catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Mora. Bryant ran for the two points and Waurika had opened a 28-0 lead with 8:32 left before intermission.

Mora got his second rushing touchdown of the night for the next Waurika score. Mora covered 13 yards for the score and Wesberry converted the two-point conversion and Waurika was pulling away at 38-0 with 6:04 left in the half.

The next score came on the defensive side of the ball as Bryant picked off the Grandfield quarterback on the ensuing drive after the Eagle score and raced 30 yards for the touchdown. Bryant ran for the two points to put Waurika on top, 44-0.

The final score came just 29 seconds before the half as Bryant galloped 78 yards for the touchdown. Matt Arriola ran for the two points to fashion the final margin.

Thanks to that big run, Bryant ended the night with 102 yards rushing on only four carries.

Mora was effective in the passing game with five completions in six attempts and 143 yards. Garcia caught two passes for 85 yards and Bryant added two catches for 30 yards. Wesberry had the other catch for a touchdown.

The Waurika defense held Grandfield to only 88 total yards on the night.

EAGLE FLIGHTS: This was the 40th meeting between the two schools with the first meeting coming in 1922…Waurika’s win over Grandfield narrowed the series margin to 18-19-3…The 52 points scored by the Eagles equals last year’s total in a 52-6 victory over the Bearcats….The 52 points is the most ever scored in a game against Grandfield….The 52-point margin of victory for Waurika is the largest ever against the Bearcats and is also the largest margin of victory by either team in the 40 meetings between the two schools…The previous largest margin of victory against Grandfield was 47 points in a 47-0 victory in 1939…Waurika is 2-0 for only the third time since beginning eight-man play in 2012….The back-to-back wins over Grandfield had not been accomplished by Waurika since the 1968 and 1969 seasons…The Eagles and Grandfield have only played each other five times since the 60’s….The back-to-back shutouts posted by Waurika is not a frequent thing – it has only happened twice since Waurika began eight-man football in 2012…Back-to-back shutouts at any point during the season has only happened 27 other times in school history….The most consecutive shutouts in a single season by Waurika came in 1933 when the Eagles recorded eight straight shutouts on the way to an 8-0-2 record.

 Game in Figures

                                GHS         WHS

First Downs             6              7

Yards Rushing         25-31       16-195

Yards Passing          57            143

Passes                      3-9           5-6

Passes Int. By          0              1

Fumbles Lost          0              1

Punts                      N/A          1-36

Penalties                 5-25         7-47

                SCORE BY QUARTERS

Grandfield      0              0              x              x–0

Waurika         6              46            x              x–52

WAURIKA – Kevin Garcia 30 run (run failed)

WAURIKA – Turner Mora 6 run (Mora run)

WAURIKA – Colton Bryant 20 run (run failed)

WAURIKA – Hunter Wesberry 27 pass from Mora (Bryant run)

WAURIKA – Mora 13 run (Wesberry run)

WAURIKA – Bryant 30 interception return (Bryant run)

WAURIKA – Bryant 78 run (Matt Arriola run)

District B-4 Squads Win Three of Four Contests

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 It was a good week for the grid teams in District B-4 as four of the five schools won their contests as they continue to engage non-district foes.

This week the teams will engaged in another week of non-district contests while most of the rest of the state begins district play.

Most districts in all classes have eight schools, but the schools in District B-4 are with five other schools leaving more room for non-district games.

Wilson will take the week off, but the Eagles have fashioned an impressive 4-0 record to start the season. They have wins over two ranked teams in Class C – Fox and Paoli.

Wilson’s victory over Fox was probably the most impressive among the district schools.

Waurika is the other undefeated team among the district schools with wins over Temple, Grandfield and Carnegie – all by the mercy rule.

Ryan recorded its third win of the season and all three wins have come against Class C teams – Maysville, Temple and Grandfield. The Cowboys will step back into play against Class B teams when they face Caddo this week.

Bray-Doyle, 3-1 on the year, will have the week off, also. The Donkeys had been on a roll until last Friday when they were soundly defeated by Cyril, 52-6.

Central High got into the win column for the first time this season. The Bronchos defeated Temple but both schools suited out only 10 players for the game.

Empire, who had a bye week last week, will try to reach the .500 mark when they host Cyril.

Last Week’s Results

Central High 44, Temple 18

Cyril 52, Bray-Doyle 6

Ryan 30, Maysville 14

Waurika 64, Carnegie 14

Wilson 56, Fox 28

This Week’s Games

Carnegie at Central High 1-2

Cyril at Empire 1-2

Ryan at Caddo 3-1

Snyder at Waurika 3-0

Bray-Doyle does not play 3-1

Wilson does not play 4-0

Impact of Ryan’s Coach West Goes Far Beyond Athletic Circles

 You might expect when a sports writer is asked to write a tribute to someone the focus would be on that person’s accomplishments as a coach or player.

 But, this article will be focused more on the person than his accomplishments.

Last week a large crowd gathered at Ryan’s First Baptist Church to say goodbye to legendary Ryan coach and principal, Raymon West.

Most anyone that has been under the instruction of Mr. West would probably choose to focus on the man because   

his contribution to the lives of people went far beyond the football field, basketball court or baseball diamond if they were tasked with writing a tribute.

As Bro. Mark Kunkel, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Terral, said numerous times while conducting the service, everyone was mostly there to honor the man Mr. West and not Coach West.

However, well over half the crowd identified themselves at one point in the service as having been coached by Coach West.

And certainly his coaching ability is not to be overlooked, but each person who has come under the influence of Mr. West would probably be quick to agree with Bro. Kunkel and this writer that his greatest achievements were what he poured into our lives.

You see the goal of Mr. West was not really to produce great athletes – although that did happen. His goal was to prepare high school students for life.

And, for the most part he was a master at teaching life lessons.

Mr. West was tough. He was a disciplinarian. However, he correctly knew that making life a bit difficult in the athletic arena would serve each person well when they began to tackle life as a young adult.

And, some of those lessons not only served us well as young adults, but throughout our life time.

As was noted in the funeral service, Mr. West cared deeply for people. He endeared himself to most every athlete he ever coached and those he taught.

The compassion Mr. West had for people carried over to his retirement years as he served people through his church and was frequently present when a need had to be met in the community.

Everything Mr. West did was with great passion – his family, ranching, teaching and coaching.

Mr. West’s accomplishments in the coaching profession should not go without mention. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988. Most everyone knows he coached the 1965 Cowgirl squad that won the Class B state championship – the only state title in school history. He coached the Cowgirls for a total of 13 seasons.

He coached the Cowboy basketball team for 15 seasons and took the 1962 squad to the state tournament – one of only two boys’ teams to advance into the state tournament.

Mr. West’s contributions to the football program are more notable than most people might think. He coached football on three different occasions – in 1958, 1962-1963 and 1977-1980. The 1962 squad just missed out on a district title and finished 8-2 which tied the 1929 football team for the second most wins in a season up to that time.

 It is likely that one of the key decisions made by Mr. West while serving as principal and head football coach at Ryan was moving from 11-man football to eight-man football following the 1977 season. The decision probably saved the football program and he coached the Cowboys to the playoffs in the first year of eight-man football.

Mr. West also coached baseball in the early years at Ryan.

In the four sports coached by Mr. West, he led squads to 14 conference championships, three county championships, seven bi-county championships, 10 district titles, three regional crowns and one state championship.

No tribute, however, would be complete without personal stories because Mr. West had a profound impact on my life.

Late during my eighth-grade year and Mr. West’s first year back at Ryan after having coached at Burkburnett, Texas and Duncan, he noticed right away that my athletic genes were just about non-existent.

Mr. West came to me and asked me if I would be interested in being the student trainer, which I did after football season that year. He sent me that following summer by bus to Baylor University to attend the National Athletic Trainers Association annual convention.

I was definitely way out of my league (can you imagine a kid who just completed eighth grade going on a trip like that alone?), but I learned a few things and spent the rest of my high school days helping with all sports. Mr. West saw potential in me that I did not see in myself and giving me that responsibility helped me stay connected to sports.

As you can imagine we spent a lot of time together during basketball practices. During that time I learned a lot about basketball, but did not fail to pick up one or two life lessons along the way.

One of those came one afternoon after Ryan had suffered a loss in a game that was not well-officiated. And, as I have a tendency to do even today, I was griping about how poorly the officials called the game the night before.

I suppose Mr. West had heard enough and he looked at me and said, “You worry about the things you have control over. We have no control over the officiating.”

That little tidbit has remained with me through the years and has been invaluable in my life’s journey.

In the years following whenever I would make my way to Ryan I would try to make sure I came in contact with Mr. West.

A side note – most anyone coached by Mr. West were all afraid to ever call him anything but Mr. West or Coach West. It was always difficult to address him as “Raymon.” But, that is the kind of respect he commanded and deserved.

Many others and in particular his family could share similar stories about how Mr. West impacted their lives. I am just fortunate I had the opportunity to be the one to write this article.

I believe it is pretty easy to come to one conclusion – there will never be another Raymon West.

Cowboys Pull Out 30-14 Homecoming Victory over Maysville

 It was quite a show of offense last Friday night at Bob Givens Sports Complex by Ryan and Maysville.

It just did not result in a lot of points.

The Cowboys, however, had just enough firepower to record a 30-14 victory over the Warriors in Ryan’s homecoming game.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

Now the Cowboys hit the road for the third time in four games as they travel to Caddo tomorrow night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Caddo is 1-2 on the year.

The Cowboys rolled up 453 total yards in the game but turnovers and the inability to convert two-point conversions kept the Cowboys from lighting up the scoreboard.

The Cowboy defense came up with a few big plays to thwart a number of Maysville scoring threats to help Ryan earn its third victory of the season.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

 

The Cowboys scored on their opening drive of the game marching 70 yards on seven plays. Skyler Parkhill covered the final four yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 6-0 lead with 9:34 left in the first quarter.

Maysville threatened to answer the Cowboys’ score, but the Warriors’ drive bogged down after a delay of game penalty and a nine-yard loss on a quarterback sack by Parkhill on a fourth down play from the Ryan 28.

The Cowboys took over at their own 37 and it took Ryan only two plays to score. Parkhill picked up seven yards and then sophomore quarterback Grayson Tomberlin had a nifty 56-yard run for the score. The two-point conversion failed, but Ryan held a 12-0 advantage with 3:51 to play in the first period.

On the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys perfectly executed an onside kick as Andrew Villerreal combined to kick the ball and recover the onside kick giving Ryan possession at midfield.

It took Ryan seven plays to drive to the Maysville 33 and that is when the game’s momentum slipped from the grasp of the Cowboys. Talented Maysville quarterback and defensive back Gunner Aprill picked off an errant Tomberlin pass and returned the interception 41 yards to give Maysville possession at the Ryan 48.

Ryan HS Cheerleaders
Photo by Sheree Hanson

The Warriors drove the ball deep into Ryan territory, but Tomberlin picked off a pass in the end zone to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard.

The Cowboys turned the ball back over the Warriors just two plays later on a mishandled exchange and this time Maysville took advantage. On the first play of the drive, Aprill scampered 24 yards for the touchdown and also ran for the two points to cut Ryan’s lead to 12-8 with 7:30 left in the first half.

Ryan answered the score with a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive. The big play of the drive was a 42-yard completion to Parkhill that gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the Warrior seven.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

After a loss and a 10-yard penalty, Kalen Weldon picked up 16 yards on a counter and then Tomberlin found Parkhill across the middle of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass. Again the Cowboys failed to convert the two-point try, but led 18-8 with 3:33 left before intermission.

Maysville answered the Cowboy score quickly. A 25-yard kickoff return put the Warriors in business at the Ryan 45 and in just three plays went the distance for the score. Aprill found Damon McCallister behind the Cowboy defense for a 47-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed, but with 2:02 left before the half the Warriors had trimmed the lead to 18-14.

The Cowboys threatened to score again by driving to the Maysville 25, but the Warriors intercepted another pass in the end zone to turn back the Cowboys and the half ended with Maysville running out the remaining seconds.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

On Maysville’s opening drive of the second half Aprill took the Warriors from their own 36 to the Ryan 32 as he carried the ball on every play with the exception of one pass incompletion. Ryan stopped the Warriors on fourth down and took the ball over on downs.

The Cowboys took 11 plays to move 72 yards with Weldon’s key 21-yard spectacular catch keeping the drive alive on a fourth down. Parkhill went around left end for the final 12 yards and Ryan held a 24-14 lead with 4:03 left in the third quarter.

Maysville went on another long drive and moved the ball to the Ryan 23, but on fourth down Villerreal chased down Aprill for a six-yard loss that gave the Cowboys the ball on downs.

On the third play of the drive Tomberlin found Parkhill open on the left side and after the Cowboy senior dodged a couple of tacklers, he sprinted 71 yards for the score with 9:00 left in the game. The run for two points failed again, but Ryan was in front, 30-14.

Two of Maysville’s final three drives resulted in the Cowboy defense getting key stops on fourth downs to help preserve the victory.

Tomberlin and Parkhill accounted for most of the 453 total yards on offense for the Cowboys.

Parkhill set the school record for most yards receiving in a game with 189 yards on just seven receptions. He also rushed six times for 30 yards.

Tomberlin finished with 151 yards rushing on 19 carries. He was 12 of 20 passing for 249 yards, but he did have three interceptions.

On defense, Tomberlin and Parkhill played big roles. Tomberlin was in on 17 tackles on the night, while Parkhill added nine stops. Villerreal, who had 11 tackles, and Parkhill put pressure on the Maysville quarterback much of the night.

COWBOY CORRAL: The win broke a two-game losing streak in homecoming games for Ryan not including last year’s homecoming game with Grandfield which Ryan won by forfeit…..Ryan now leads the short series with Maysville, 4-2….This was the first meeting between the two schools in an eight-man game….The last time Ryan played Maysville was in 1975 with the Cowboys coming away with a 9-6 victory….Tomberlin’s passing performance was the sixth most yards passing by a quarterback in school history….It was also the sixth most passing yards by a Cowboy team in school history….The 12 receptions in the game ties for the ninth most in a single game in school history along with the 12 receptions in a 1940 contest with Grandfield…The 30 points scored by Ryan is the second most in the series with Maysville just behind the 34 points scored in a 34-0 victory by the 1974 squad….The 1988 Ryan Cowboys, the first Ryan football team to play for a state title, were introduced at halftime along with coaches Phil Elerick and Gordon Garner.

Game in Figures

                                MHS         RHS

First Downs             14            14

Yards Rushing         49-218     29-204

Yards Passing         77            249

Passes                     2-6           12-21

Passes Int. By          3              1

Fumbles, Lost          2-0           1-1

Punts                       0              0

Penalties                  6-35         6-45

                SCORE BY QUARTERS

Maysville  0              14            0              0–14

Ryan        12            6              6              6–30

                FIRST QUARTER

RYAN – Skyler Parkhill 4 run (run failed), 9:34

RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 56 run (run failed), 3:51

                SECOND QUARTER

MAYSVILLE – Gunner Aprill 24 run (Aprill run), 7:30

RYAN – Parkhill 4 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 3:33

MAYSVILLE – Damon McCallister 47 pass from Aprill (run failed), 2:02

                THIRD QUARTER

RYAN – Tomberlin 12 run (run failed), 4:03

                FOURTH QUARTER

RYAN – Parkhill 71 pass from Tomberlin (run failed), 9:00

                INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

MAYSVILLE – Rushing: Aprill 35-166, Bentley Stevens 3-22, Junior Simmons 6-12, Luke Dobson 2-9, Jacob Owen 1-7, McCallister 2-2; Passing: Simmons 0-2-0-0; Aprill 2-4-77-1; Receiving: McCallister 2-11.

RYAN – Rushing: Tomberlin 19-151, Parkhill 6-30, Kalen Weldon 1-16, Travis Fristoe 1-8, Gunner Phillips 2- -1; Passing: Parkhill 0-1-0-0; Tomberlin 12-20-249-3; Receiving: Parkhill 7-189, Weldon 2-48, Fristoe 1-10, Andrew Villerreal 1-5, Phillips 1- -3; Tackles: Tomberlin 17, Villerreal 11, Parkhill 9, Weldon 7,  Justin Williams 5, Walter Snider 4, Gunner Phillips 3, Trey Bryant 3, Pacen Wiest 3, Sam Brown 2.

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