SPORTS
Bowie gives Brock its best shot
It was always going to possibly be the toughest game of the year for the Bowie Jackrabbits, and despite losing their opening district game against state-ranked Brock, they came out of the game with more hope than anything.
Bowie got off to an inspired start, but it did not last as the Eagles outplayed them the rest of the game on their way to a 31-13 win. With the Jackrabbits having been outscored by Brock 115-6 combined the previous two seasons, the deficit does not ring as bad as many expected.
Bowie exploded on their opening possession as running back Ty Harris ran up the middle and down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run. They missed the two-point conversion, but they were up 6-0 against the Eagles.
Brock’s ever effective wishbone offense grinded its way down the field against the Jackrabbits. As the Eagles neared Bowie’s red zone, the Jackrabbit defense held its own and forced a turnover on downs on their own 13-yard line to keep Brock out of the end zone.
It seemed like the picture perfect first quarter for Bowie trying to pull an upset until they fumbled the ball on their own 40-yard line right before the quarter ended. Still, not many people in the area thought the Jackrabbits would have the lead at any point during the game, let alone at the end of a quarter.
The Eagles rumbled down the field a bit at a time, picking up some big plays here and there, but mostly just consistently picking up positive yards to keep the chains moving with runs.
Brock’s Toby Morrison scored from four yards out and with the made extra point, the Eagles led 7-6 early in the second quarter.
Hope was not lost for Bowie. They had moved the ball well enough before their big scoring play, mostly through short passes and direct snap runs to Harris with the defense spread out, to know that if they executed their offense to perfection they could score again to take back the lead.
Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits threw an interception to one of Brock’s lineman, who read the screen pass perfectly and returned into Bowe’s territory. A couple plays later Morrison broke through for his biggest run of the game so far, scoring from 32 yards out to put the Eagles up 14-6.
The Jackrabbits were able to drive into Brock’s territory on their next drive after picking up several first downs. They were stopped on fourth down on the Eagle’s 29 yard line. With the momentum switched, it looked like Brock was going to be able to score once more before the half to make it a two-score game.
Fortunately, Bowie was able to stop Brock’s offense and force them to punt with a little more than a minute left. The Jackrabbits were able to make some big plays to move the ball within scoring distance to the Eagle’s 32 yard line. Just outside field goal range, Bowie chucked the ball up Hail Mary style as the half ended, but no one came down with the ball. The Jackrabbits went into halftime trailing 14-6.
With their last two drives only stalling deep in Brock’s territory and their defense stopping the Eagle’s rushing attack two out of four chances in the first half, Bowie still felt like they had a chance coming out for the second half, especially with the score still being so close.
The Eagles received the ball to start the second and drove the ball inside of the Jackrabbit’s 10-yard line. Bowie’s defense bowed up and forced a fourth and goal and Brock elected to kick a short field goal to make the score 17-6.
The Jackrabbits responded with another successful offensive drive, powered by a big run from Harris deep into the Eagle’s territory. Unfortunately, Bowie’s drive again stalled outside of field goal range as they turned the ball over at Brock’s 25 yard line.
The Eagles did not take long to take full control of the game as Morrison broke free for his longest run of the game for a 62-yard touchdown run to put Brock up 24-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Things did not get better for Bowie. Their offense went nowhere and was forced to punt, but their defense also forced the Eagles into their first punt of the game. Brock’s punter shanked the punt off the side of his foot and it went much shorter than it was expected and it was outside of the Eagles kick coverage.
The Jackrabbit’s returner made a gamble to try and return it off the bounce as the coverage from Brock was disorganized due to the shank, but fumbled the ball trying to gather it, allowing the Eagles to recover the ball near midfield. The next play saw Morrison score on a 48-yard touchdown run to put Brock up 31-6 with most of the fourth quarter still to play.
For most outside observers, it was worrying to think how much worse the score would get for Bowie now that it seemed everything was going wrong, and it seemed likely the Jackrabbits would submit to the inevitable.
Fortunately, Bowie was not done trying to compete. After both team’s exchanged punts, it was the Eagle’s turn to muff a punt, with the Jackrabbit’s Joey Crawford recovering the fumble deep in Brock’s territory.
Bowie had been trying to take advantage of their two tall outside receivers all night in Jed Castles and Boo Oakley by throwing fades to them all night. Despite some pass interference calls, they had not been too affective until the Jackrabbit’s Payton Price threw one to Oakley from 15 yards out for a touchdown to cut the lead to 31-13.
The defense forced one more turnover on downs deep in their territory for good measure to show they had not given up even late in the game, but there would be no magic comeback for Bowie.
To read the full story, including the full stat sheet, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers again made a come back win against Perrin-Whitt in a high scoring affair that ended early.
The Lady Panthers won 20-10 against the Lady Pirates, winning after six innings due to run-rule.
Saint Jo’s last game had been 12 days earlier against the same Perrin-Whitt team it had also beaten in a high-scoring game 35-20. Another win would secure the Lady Panthers district title.
Saint Jo started off the game well, scoring five runs in the first inning and one more in the top of the second inning to go up 6-0. The Lady Pirates then reeled off nine runs in the bottom of the second inning which usually would change the whole momentum of the game with them up 9-6.
Perrin-Whitt added one more run in the third inning after holding Saint Jo scoreless, which is another rare feat in the team’s history of playing the other. The Lady Pirates led 10-6 and had momentum.
Then the Lady Panthers scored six runs in the fourth inning to take the lead back. Saint Jo’s pitching and defense tightened up to not allow any more runs in the final three innings while the Lady Panthers added four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
It was enough to end the game early by one inning, with Saint Jo winning 20-10.
Symbri Evans and Reagan Wilson each had four RBIs to lead the team while Mercedes Diaz was second with three RBIs. The team finished with 20 hits while drawing nine walks.
Defensively, Saint Jo allowed only seven walks, a good improvement from a lot of games where the total in the double-digits while the Lady Panther defense committed four fielding errors and allowed 15 hits.
The win wrapped up a district title for the team. For the girl’s program, it is the fourth team district title this season, having already secured one in volleyball, basketball and track.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians ended their regular season on a sour note against one of the top teams in the district last week.
The Lady Indians lost to Lindsay 12-2, with the game ending after five innings due to run-rule.
Nocona was coming off of securing its first playoff appearance the previous week, but knew it would be tested against a Lady Knights team they had previously lost to handily in late March. The Lady Indians hoped they could competed better and try to treat the game like a playoff game.
Lindsay led after the first inning 1-0. Nocona came back in the second inning with two runs scored by RBI singles from Ashlynn Brown and Gwyndelyn Forsyth to take the lead 2-1. The Lady Knights tied the game with one run in the same inning to make it 2-2.
Unfortunately, the next three innings belonged to Lindsay. The Lady Knights scored six runs in the third inning to grab momentum. Lindsay then scored three runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth inning to end the game early due to run-rule.
The Lady Knights won 12-2.
Nocona ended with four hits while drawing six walks in the game. Lindsay finished with 11 hits and the Lady Indians committed four fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians picked up wins against Era last week to secure their second straight playoff appearance with one more game to play.
The Indians beat the Hornets 12-5 and by run-rule 10-0 after four and half innings.
Nocona was coming off of a tough series against Muenster, losing both games, playing well in one but not the other.
The Indians knew they had a good chance to beat Era if they played up to their potential and they showed it from the first inning in game one.
Nocona rallied off seven runs in the first inning before the Hornets had even bat to put itself in a good situation to possibly end the game early.
The only downside was the Indians were not able to offensively keep up the pressure. Nocona added one run in the seventh inning, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning.
Era scored four of its five runs in the final inning to put a bit of a sour note on an Indians win that could have finished stronger as Nocona won 12-5.
Miller Jentry led the team with four RBIs while Walker Murphey and Jayce Lehde each drove in two runs. The team had 16 total hits and drew five walks.
On the mound, RJ Walker pitched three innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out seven. The defense committed three fielding errors.
While letting the Hornets off the hook in the first game, Nocona made up for it in game two.
The Indians scored seven runs in one inning again, this time it coming in the second inning. Nocona added three runs the next two innings and shut out Era to secure the win by run-rule after four and half innings. The Indians won 10-0.
Brody Langford and Murphey each drove in two runs each to lead the team. Nocona finished with 10 hits, with four going for extra base hits while Era committed three fielding errors.
On the mound, Walker pitched all five innings and allowed no runs on two hits while striking out eight and walking two. The defense committed two fielding errors.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers lost a tough game at Perrin-Whitt last week, with most of the damage coming in the sixth and final inning.
The Pirates scored eight runs in the sixth inning to win the game one inning early due to run-rule 16-6.
The Panthers were coming off an uplifting win against Bellevue that saw them come back several times the previous week on the road. Saint Jo had played Perrin-Whitt in late March and had lost both games in close fashion so the Panthers hoped this time would be a different outcome for them.
The Pirates scored four runs in the first two innings before Saint Jo answered with three runs scored in the third inning. Perrin-Whitt added one run in the same inning and three in the fourth inning.
The Panthers cut the lead down to two runs after scoring three more runs in the fifth inning, making the score 8-6 heading into the sixth inning.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo had an inning from hell, allowing eight runs on five singles, a triple, two walks and a hit batter. The final run scored ended the game early.
Perrin-Whitt won 16-6.
Charlie Barclay led the team with two RBIs while Devin Stewart, Trent Gaston, Charlie Evans and Rylan Forrester each drove in one run. Saint Jo finished with eight hits and drew seven walks.
Unfortunately, the Panthers gave up 12 hits and walked seven batters while committing two fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles only played one game last week due to weather concerns later in the week and lost to Perrin-Whitt.
The Pirates won 15-0 after four innings, winning by run-rule in a game the Eagles hopes to forget.
Bellevue had one from Brycen Bancroft and River Trail drew the only walk in a game where not much went right. Eight fielding errors from the Eagles, eight walks issues and six hits added up really fast.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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