SPORTS
Nocona’s football slate certainly has challenges
By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@sbcglobal.net
Editor’s Note: This is the start of a five-part series on high school football schedules, beginning with Nocona. All other football teams will have stories on their 2014 season slate.
Every two years, the University Interscholastic League realigns districts in the sport of football.
This time around, the process certainly didn’t do any favors for Nocona High School as the Indians were placed in an eight-team district.
“We didn’t get a good draw,” Nocona head coach Brad Keck acknowledged. “They added two more teams to what was a six-team district. It’s going to be a whole lot tougher.”
Nocona will play as a member of Conference 3A Division II District 2. The district features a near murderer’s row with the likes of Cisco, Eastland, Henrietta and City View (Wichita Falls). Cisco, Eastland and Millsap are new district foes.
Jacksboro and Holliday also comprise this formidable district.
Keep in mind, all former Conference 2A schools are now 3A, as designated by the UIL.
The Indians lost non-district games with Archer City and Valley View. Keck said Nocona has played both towns for several years.
Nocona will open the regular season slate at Alvord on Aug. 29, and follow that up with another road game at Muenster on Sept. 5.
The home opener is set for Sept. 12 versus Ponder, and the district opener will also be the Indians’ homecoming against Henrietta.
Cisco is a defending state champion, defeating Refugio 56-36. The Loboes feature two preseason all-state players in offensive lineman Baily Edwards and defensive back Kotie Hoover. For more and a complete Nocona schedule, read the mid-week edition of The Bowie News.
Bowie had six players play in the Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl football all-star game. For pictures from not just the football game, but the basketball and volleyball games as well that feature athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6875584&T=1
Nocona is welcoming back Coach Sandy Langford, former coach and alumnus for the Lady Indians, as its new volleyball head coach.
Langford comes back to Nocona after spending the past 11 years leading the Glen Rose volleyball program.
Her circumstances with her family allowed her to jump at the opportunity once she became aware the position at Nocona was available.
“My youngest graduated and is playing football at Midwestern (State University),” Langford said. “All of our family is here and I knew that Coach Kara (Lucherk) was leaving. We were eventually going to retire here. Our oldest son plays college football at West Texas A&M and we’ll be two hours closer to him as well.”
She again will lead the Lady Indians volleyball program, one that she led all the way to the state title game in 2011, which is the farthest the volleyball program has ever gone in its prestigious history.
Langford kept up that level of success during her 11 years at the bigger 4A Glen Rose. She won less than 20 games only twice during her time, winning her 500th career game back in 2023. Her teams were ranked among the top 10 in the state five times and Langford led Glen Rose to the state tournament in 2017, the best finish in program history.
With the Lady Indians also having its own string of success, appearing in back-to-back regional finals while finishing atop the district standings both years, Langford is excited to not just keep the success going, but shoot for the stars.
“We are not expecting anything less than a state championship,” Langford said.
She has stacked the non-district schedule with strong, state-ranked 3A and 4A teams as well as big tournaments that will test Nocona’s mettle early next season in the hopes it will prepare them for a long playoff run.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Red River High School Bass Club competed this past weekend, May 31 – June 1, at the State Tournament on Lake Conroe for the two-day tournament.
Two of the teams from Montague County traveled south to try their best at the culmination of the year for the state title. Teams were able to pre-fish on Friday before the Saturday and Sunday competition. On Friday, there was a flipping contest for the youth and Cooper Johnson won third overall and won a $500 scholarship and an Academy gift card.
The club’s two teams who competed were Lane Smith/Colt Henry with boat captain Jimmy Smith. The team placed 63rd with a total of 16.22 pounds. The second team of Cooper Johnson/Corbyn Patton and boat captain Jayson Toerck placed 169th with a total weight of 2.29 pounds.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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