SPORTS
COACHING MOVES: Gravitts land in Nocona

By ERIC VICCARO
sports@bowienewsonline.com
The past couple of weeks haven’t been easy for Byron Gravitt, and his wife, Emily.
In early June, Byron Gravitt was unexpectedly replaced as Petrolia head football coach by Jesse House, who in turn, also was named the Pirates’ athletic director.
The Gravitts were scrambling for work, and thankfully they landed here in Montague County as both Byron and Emily signed contracts with the Nocona Independent School District on Thursday.
Byron will be an assistant football coach – and may take the open offensive coordinator post. He also will coach powerlifting and assist with track and field. In the classroom, Gravitt will teach Texas history.
Emily is set to join Tiffany Clay’s staff as an assistant volleyball coach, and she will help with basketball. Her spring assignment hasn’t been determined. She will teach junior high school technology courses.
“God has a plan and a purpose,” said Gravitt about the manner of how the situation unfolded in Petrolia. “I’m not bitter. I’ve got to accept the plan, and this door was open.”
Byron Gravitt, and his wife, Emily, have joined the coaching family at Nocona High School. Byron will help out with football, and Emily volleyball. (Courtesy photo from Petrolia Independent School District)
SPORTS
Oil Bowl Pictures

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
SPORTS
Langford coming back home

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.
SPORTS
Two teams compete at state tourney

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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