SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Bowie clinches playoff berth
By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@sbcglobal.net
Like a hero’s rescue, the Bowie High School softball team snapped out of its funk just in time to qualify for the playoffs.
“I was pleased with the atmosphere of the dugout,” Bowie head softball coach Brant Farris said of Saturday evening’s pivotal 4-1 District 3A-9 victory over Holliday. “It was a whole team win. I want to brag on the whole team for winning the game.”
On Monday, the Lady Rabbits’ spot in the Conference 3A playoffs was made secure as Boyd topped City View 8-5 in a game moved here to Bowie because of poor field conditions in Boyd.
With the win, Bowie improved to 15-15, 8-6 in 3A-9, winning the final district playoff spot by one game over City View.
The Lady Rabbits will play Howe at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Darwin Field on the North Central Texas College campus in Gainesville. Howe won District 3A-10 last Saturday with a three-run victory over Pilot Point.
There were several factors in Bowie’s victory over Holliday – catcher Courtney Brady did a masterful job of framing pitches for strikes, first baseman Callie Melton did the splits four times to record putouts and outfielders Tristin Hopson and Addy Cook made critical catches late.
“We work on framing pitches,” Farris acknowledged, “and Maylie threw great. Her rise ball was the best I’ve seen all year. She was able to get pop-ups with it.”
After three innings, Short was inserted in the circle for Kellbie Throckmorton, who started the game. Farris was fearful Throckmorton would be called for “illegal pitches.” Read more, and see the complete box score, in the mid-week Bowie News.
Bowie’s Addy Cook closes her eyes while making an important catch during the seventh inning of the Lady Rabbits’ 4-1 win over District 3A-9 foe Holliday on Saturday evening. Click on the image itself for the complete photo. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)
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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