SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Makayla’s Wish has come true
Ever since the sports editor set foot in Montague County, he’s been amazed by the generosity of the rodeo community.
That was on display yet again last Saturday during a benefit barrel race on behalf of 17-year-old Saint Jo resident Makayla Garrett.
The benefit, called Makayla’s Wish, took place at the Montague County Cowboy Church covered arena on a spectacularly sunny January afternoon in Montague.
There were nearly 200 entries and a tidy five-figure sum was raised to help Garrett and her family during this great time of need.
See, Garrett’s suffering from a condition called familiar adenomatous polyposis (FAP). FAP is a fatal, and there’s currently no known cure.
Garrett’s half-sister Audrey died from FAP back on Nov. 5, 2013. The condition is hereditary, meaning it can be passed down from generation to generation within a family.
FAP first strikes the large intestine, one of the most important parts of the human body’s digestive system.
Polyps can transform into cancer, like it has for Makayla in her stomach and esophagus. The root cause of FAP is a genetic mutation, a flaw in the body’s tumor suppressor genes.
“I’m still in shock,” Makayla’s mother Keysha Avens said of the outpouring of support this past Saturday.
The barrel racing circuit knows Makayla very well.
Her younger sister, Faith, is a barrel racer. Younger brother Hunter Garrett is on the youth rodeo circuit locally. Riggin Garrett, three years old, is already following in Hunter’s footsteps. Read more of this column in the weekend Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
Saint Jo resident Makayla Garrett (right) enjoys riding a horse during Saturday’s Makayla’s Wish benefit barrel race at the Montague County Cowboy Church. (Courtesy photo by Keysha Avens)
Saint Jo hosted its own volleyball tournament Sept. 10-12.
In its first match, the Lady Panthers bested Sam Rayburn in a b est-of-three match 2-1 (25-11, 23-25, 25-14.) In the opener, senior Tatum Morman staked the Lady Panthers to a 4-0 lead with help from Kamron Skidmore and Olivia Johnson kills. The Lady Rebels would come back and tie the game at seven.
Savannah Hill’s kill broke serve and allowed Abby Carter to string together seven points. An ace and a Hill kill helped keep the drive alive. Hill later rolled off six points in a row, helped by two aces, to go up 23-10. Sam Rayburn broke serve but Saint Jo finished the game with a single Morman point.
Sam Rayburn came right out of the gate firing in the second game leading 4-0. A single Carter point, thrown down by a Hill block, and Hill’s four-point skein put the Lady Panthers up 8-6. Sam Rayburn tied the game at eight.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Forestburg’s volleyball team gave visiting Chico a solid test Sept. 8, but the Lady Dragons rebounded from a third-set loss to pull out the 3-1 win (25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 25-19).
The Lady Longhorns got out to a quick start with aces from freshmen Madi Wadsworth and Lacie Shotwell staking the squad to a 4-1 lead in game one. Wadsworth later broke a 4-all tie with a kill.
Addy Conway rolled off four straight points, helped by a Wadsworth kill to give Forestburg an 11-9 lead. Chico took a 16-14 lead but a Brenna Briles ace and Jocelyn Rich’s two points forced Chico into a timeout down 17-19.
The respite worked as it would be Forestburg’s last lead of game one, the Lady ‘Horns not having another serving point.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
After splitting the first two games with Vernon Northside, Bowie’s volleyball team turned things out and wound with a 3-1 match win (25-17, 15-25, 25-17, 25-17).
Molly Enlow used two aces amidst a four-point string to give the Lady Rabbits a 5-1 lead in game one. Senior KP Rutherford’s pair of points extended the lead to 8-3.
Northside cut the deficit to 10-11 before Rutherford’s kill broke serve.
Bella Culwell’s point, aided by an Ellie Mowery kill, put Bowie up 13-10. Northside tied the game at 13 before Rutherford came through with another pair for a 17-14 lead. Lillie Maddox also had a deuce for a 20-15 lead and force a Lady INdian timeout.
Northside broke serve but a Sophie Maddox block and Lillie Maddox three-point string gave the squad game point at 24-16. The squads exchanged side outs to end the game.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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