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Home Sports September 2018 Articles

September 2018 Articles

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)

Eagles’ Matchup with Snyder Canceled Because of Weather

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It was a much anticipated matchup as two undefeated teams were set to face off at Cy Sloan Stadium last Friday night.

Waurika and Snyder were both undefeated and the Cyclones were coming off a big win over rival Tipton. Waurika had mercy-ruled each of its first three opponents by halftime of each contest.

But because of about five inches of rain that fell in the area last Friday and concerns about fans getting into and out of the stadium area, the game was canceled and will not be played.

Of course there was concerned about the playing conditions of the field and trying to prevent injuries as the two teams look forward to district play.

The Eagles get back in action tomorrow night by making the long trip to Caddo to face the Bruins in the final non-district encounter. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Bruin Field.

Caddo will come into the game with a 2-2 mark and some momentum having won two in a row including last Thursday’s 57-26 victory over Ryan.

In the win over Ryan the Bruins came within just over a 100 yards of eclipsing the total number of yards on offense in the three previous games combined. The Bruins recorded 502 yards of offense against the Cowboys and had only a little over 600 yards of offense in the previous games.

Senior quarterback Jack Holbrook was outstanding the contest against Ryan with five touchdown passes and was 13 of 18 passing for 230 yards.

The favorite target for Holbrook against Ryan was Payton Brewer, a senior wide receiver. He had three catches for 85 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass from Holbrook.

Another senior, running back Michael Creel rushed for 110 yards on just 15 carries and one touchdown.

The Waurika defense will be tested in the contest as Caddo averaged over eight yards per offensive play against Ryan.

Caddo features a 23-player roster and eight of those players are seniors.

The Eagles, however, should be well rested for the game and the unexpected break in the schedule.

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.

Cowgirls Set For District Tournament Play

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Emilee Martin Photo by Sheree Hanson

 The fast-pitch softball season has not gone quite as expected for Coach Stan Mueggenborg’s Cowgirls.

But, as the Cowgirls get ready to enter district competition every team starts with a 0-0 mark.

The winner of the district tournament will advance to next week’s regional tourney.

This year’s district tournament is today (Thursday) at Thackerville and will include the host school, Turner and Ryan.

Photo by
Sheree Hanson

Ryan, 6-14 on the year not including Tuesday’s scheduled game with Springer heading into the tourney, was slated to take on Thackerville today at 12 noon. The loser of that game was to have played Turner at 1:30 p.m.

The winner of the first game was to have met Turner 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.

Sadie playing catcher
Photo by
Sheree Hanson

Only Thackerville comes into the tournament with a winning record at 11-8 not including last Tuesday’s scheduled game.

Here is a look at the results for the Cowgirls last week including three games in the Comanche Tournament the game a week ago Tuesday against Waurika as well as Monday night’s contest.

Ryan 12, Temple 2

On Monday the Cowgirls hosted Temple on Larry Ninman Field and came away with the victory that should give the Cowgirls a bit of momentum heading into today’s district tourney.

Temple got on the board in the top of the first with a single run, but the Cowgirls took the lead in the bottom of the first after two were out.

Brooklyn Charmasson and Sadie Guzman each reached base and came around to score putting the Cowgirls in front, 2-1.

The score stayed that way until the top of the fourth inning when Temple got a run to tie the score at 2-2.

The Cowgirls then exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth to seal the victory.

 Madison Rhoades led off the inning with a walk and scored. The next three Cowgirl batteres reached base to set up Kodi Duke’s grand slam to center field that put the Cowgirls comfortably in front, 7-2.

The Cowgirls scored five more runs and the game ended when Ryan reached the 10-run advantage.

Emilee Martin picked up the win in the circle for the Cowgirls and also had two hits in the game.

Guzman, Martin, Justyce Keith and Laken De Board were honored on Senior Night in their final home game for the Cowgirl fast-pitch squad.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

 Marietta 7, Ryan 0

In the final game of the Comanche Tournament last Saturday the Cowgirls fell to Marietta, 7-0.

Marietta scored one in the first, one in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth to record the victory.

The Cowgirls had a threat in the top of the second inning as Charmasson and Duke reached base, but the Cowgirls could not produce a run.

The Cowgirls only collected one other hit the rest of the game that was ended in the top of the fifth inning.

Wilson 9, Ryan 4

In the second game of the tournament last Thursday, Ryan jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning.

Samantha Good and Charmasson had base hits and came around to score for the Cowgirls.

Wilson tied the game in the bottom of the first inning and then exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to hold a 9-2 advantage.

In the top of the third, the Cowgirls produced two more runs as Guzman and Martin reached base and scored on Duke’s base hit to cut the lead to 9-4. The Cowgirls left the bases loaded in the inning.

Good led off the top of the fourth inning reaching base on a hit by pitch, but the next three Cowgirls went down in order and the game ended because of the time limit.

Bray-Doyle 5, Ryan 2

In the opening game of the tourney, Ryan held a 1-0 lead after one inning.

The Cowgirls’ Charmasson got a base hit and scored after the Cowgirls got three straight hits. Ryan again left two runners on base.

Photo by Sheree Hanson

Bray-Doyle took the lead in the top of the second with two runs.

The Cowgirls tied the game in the bottom of the third inning when Duke reached base on an infield hit and came around to score.

In the top of the fourth, the Lady Donkeys took the lead for good with two runs. Bray-Doyle added an insurance run in the top of the fifth and the Cowgirls could get nothing going in the final two innings.

Ryan 11, Waurika 0

Spurred by some heavy hitting, the Cowgirls picked up the victory over the Lady Eagles in a game that ended after four innings because of the run rule.

A single by Martin drove in Charmasson, who had reached on a base hit, and moved Guzman to third after Guzman had walked. Guzman scored by stealing home to put the Cowgirls in front, 2-0. Ryan left the bases loaded in the inning.

The Lady Eagles threatened in the bottom of the first as Destiny Barnes and Madison Roberson got two-out base hits, but Ryan got a ground out to end the inning.

Ryan added five runs in the top of the second. After one out, Carter Combs walked and Good followed with a two-run home run to left. Charmasson singled and Guzman slammed a two-run homer to put the Cowgirls in front, 6-0.

Martin followed with a single, Duke singled and Martin scored on an error, but Waurika managed to retire the Cowgirls as they again left the bases loaded with a 7-0 lead.

Again the Lady Eagles got something going in the bottom of the second with a walk and two singles, but Waurika left all three runners stranded.

The Cowgirls put the game out of reach in the top of the third inning with four more tallies. Three straight walks loaded the bases and Duke tripled to right center and then scored when the Lady Eagles made a throwing error getting the ball in from the outfield.

The Lady Eagles got another hit in the bottom of the third, but the Cowgirls got three ground outs to prevent Waurika from scoring.

Emilee Martin
Photo by Sheree Hanson

Avery Howard and Combs picked up base hits in the top of the fourth for the Cowgirls, but Ryan could not get a key hit and ended the inning without scoring.

In the bottom of the fourth, Waurika was retired in order to end the game.

Charmasson and Martin each had two hits and Duke, Charmasson and Guzman each had a pair of runs batted in.

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.

Ryan Girls, Waurika Boys Take Title at Waurika Meet

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 The ninth-ranked Ryan Cowgirl cross country team dominated the small field last Thursday at the Waurika Invitational Cross Country meet.

 In an even smaller field, the Waurika boys took the team title, but were the only school with enough runners to figure into the team scoring.

(l-r) Alicen Williams, Lilybet Harmon, Katelyn Dabbs, Holland Carter, Lily York, Juliet Spangler and Coach Steve Spangler
Photo by Trey Smart

Only 26 runners participated in the high school boys division.

In the girls’ competition, Waurika finished second with 57 points – well behind Ryan’s 28 points. Velma-Alma was third with 58 points and Lone Grove and Davis rounding out the field.

(l-r)Kynlee Waters, Corely Coffin, Skylar Garrett, Trish Julian, Jaci Gholson, Tracey Ballard, Aubree Showalter, Libi Simmons
Photo by Joe Masoner

Both schools were to have participated at Walters on Tuesday. Waurika will travel to Cache Saturday for a meet, while Ryan will be back in action on Tuesday at Velma-Alma.

The Cowgirls were able to capture the title with the top five runners finishing in the top ten of the 46 competitors.

Juliet Spangler was fourth with a time of 13:45, which is her career best over a 3,200-meter course.

Holland Carter was fifth for the Cowgirls with a time of 13:56 and Lilybet Harmon finished sixth with a time of 14:05. Lily York was right behind in eighth place recording a time of 14:18.

Katelyn Dabbs rounded out the team points with a 10th-place finish covering the course in 14:22. Alicen Williams also earned a medal for the Cowgirls with a 23rd-place finish and a time of 16:13.

The second-place Lady Eagles were led by Asia Smith’s second-place finish. She recorded a time of 13:42. Lexie Streeter was seventh with a time of 14:15.

Lexie Streeter and Asia Smith
Photo by Joe Masoner

Three other lady Eagles brought home medals – Tallin Mora in 17th place with a time of 15:35, Dallas Fristoe in 18th place with a time of 15:41 and Faith Roberson in 24th place with a time of 16:41.

Liberty Simmons
Photo by Joe Masoner

Waurika’s boys were equally impressive as they had four runners finish in the top eight among the 26 runners.

Bryson Hernandez led the way for the Eagles with a third-place finish in a time of 19:57 across the five kilometer course. Cache Arellano was fifth with a time of 20:58 and Kevin Garcia managed a sixth-place finish with a time of 21:02. Gustavo Gomez rounded out the top ten finishers for Waurika by finishing eighth with a time of 21:20.

Alex Gomez
Photo by Joe Masoner

Three other Eagles earned medals in the meet – Octavio Gomez (13th, 22:12), Edwin Garcia (15th, 23:18) and Nicolas Alvarado (23rd, 26:46).

Waurika’s junior high girls also won the team title with 48 points – just ahead of Rush Springs who finished with 60 points. Seven teams competed for the team title. Ryan did not have enough girls to figure in the team competition. A total of 67 runners competed in the junior high girls division.

Aubree Showalter
Photo by Joe Masoner

The Ryan junior high boys earned runner up honors in the meet. Geronimo won the title with 47 points, while Ryan finished with 64 points. Bray-Doyle, Healdton and Frederick were the other schools with teams. The field included 48 competitors.

Waurika Junior High Results

Girls: 4. Aubrey Showalter, 10:46; 10. Liberti Simmons, 10:59; 11. Jaci Gholson, 11:09; 15. Kynlee Waters, 11:15; 24. Trish Julian, 11:48; 42. Skylar Garrett, 13:28; 50. Corley Coffin, 14:30; 53. Tracy Ballard, 15:15.

Boys: 12. Treyton Torez, 14:24; 13. Alex Gomez, 14:27; 14. Trent Arellano, 14:32; 32. Malachi Dodson, 17:01.

Trent Arellano (left)
Photo by Joe Masoner

Ryan Junior High Results

Girls: 20. Jasmine Villarreal, 11:34; 21. Whittney Spangler, 11:34.

Boys: 5. Julian Rodriguez, 13:19; 16. Mason Adsit, 14:49; 21. Tommy Self, 15:32; 30. Alex Uribe, 16:43; 34. Landen Alexander, 17:15; 48. Adam Lopez, 20:58.

Cowgirls End Season with Two Tough Losses in District Play

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 One of the most disappointing things in sports is losing a game at the very end.

That is exactly what happened in the district tourney elimination game with Turner last Thursday at Thackerville.

The Cowgirls led throughout the contest before allowing Turner to score four runs in the seventh and final inning to drop a 6-4 encounter with the Lady Falcons.

In the first district tournament game the Cowgirls fell to Thackerville, 10-6.

Thackerville went on to claim the district title with two victories over Turner.

In the opening game of the tournament the Lady Wildcats got off to a 6-0 lead before the Cowgirls could find the scoring column.

In the bottom of the fourth, Sadie Guzman led off with a single and Emilee Martin followed with another base hit. Carter Combs came on to run and her and Guzman both scored to cut the Thackerville lead to 6-2.

Neither team scored in the fifth, but Thackerville padded its lead in the top of the sixth with four runs to take a commanding 10-2 advantage.

The Cowgirls got one run back in the bottom of the sixth as Brooklyn Charmasson reached on an infield single and scored on Lindsey Reak’s RBI-single to make it 10-3.

So the Cowgirls faced a seven-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh and it looked like Ryan had a chance to extend the game.

Samantha Good, Kodi Duke and Guzman – the first three batters in the inning – all reached base and came around to score. Duke and Martin both had runs batted in during the uprising.

However, the final three hitters for Ryan were retired ending the contest.

This sent Ryan into a must-win situation with Turner.

The Cowgirls took command of the second game with a four-run first inning.

Good and Duke walked to start the inning and then Guzman, Martin and Charmasson each got an RBI-single. Combs, who ran for Martin eventually scored and the Cowgirls held a 4-0 lead after one inning.

Turner cut into the margin in the top of the second with a one and then added another run in the top of the fifth to leave the Lady Falcons trailing, 4-2.

In the top of the sixth inning, Turner added another run but Ryan clung to a 4-3 lead after six innings.

In the top of the seventh the Lady Falcons put together a three-run rally to take a 6-4 lead.

The Cowgirls went down in order in the bottom of the inning to end the game and the season for Ryan.

A week ago Tuesday the Cowgirls rolled to a 15-1 victory over Springer at the Lady Cardinals’ home field.

It was a slow start for the Cowgirls as they led 1-0 after two full innings when Charmasson walked and eventually scored to get Ryan on the scoreboard.

In top of the third inning the Cowgirls sent 16 batters to the plate and scored nine runs.

The Cowgirls were credited with six runs batted in and had seven hits in the inning to take a 10-0 lead.

Ryan added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning. This time the Cowgirls were helped along by four walks and a hit batsman.

The Lady Cardinals struck for one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but it was not enough to keep the game from ending by the run rule.

Guzman led the Cowgirls at the plate by going 3-for-4 in the game with three runs batted in. Good was 2-for-3 with a run batted in and she scored three times.

Martin picked up the win in the circle for the Cowgirls allowing only two hits and striking out eight Springer batters.

Ryan finished with a 7-16 record in Stan Mueggenborg’s first season as head coach.

COWGIRL NOTES: Ryan is now 3-3 against Thackerville in district tourney play…The Cowgirls have never beaten Turner in 12 outings in district tournaments….Ryan is only 10-33 in district tournament competition since beginning fast-pitch softball in 2002….Five of the seven wins for the Cowgirls came in contests with Waurika and Temple…The seven wins ties the mark for the second most wins since the 2012 season….The fast-pitch softball team played for its third coach in three years in 2018….Ryan has won only one district title since beginning fast-pitch softball in 2002….This was the second year in a row that Turner has ended the Cowgirls’ season.

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.

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