SPORTS
Indians lose tough playoff game
The Nocona Indians were not the biggest tribe on the field Friday night as they lost their bi-district football game Friday night in Mineral Wells against Comanche.
Nocona had their opportunities late in the game after digging themselves a hole early, but Comanche ultimately won 42-30 to end their season.
Early on it did not look good for the home Indians. After driving down and getting themselves a challenging, but makeable 42 yard field goal, a penalty made the kick even harder and Nocona came away with nothing on their opening drive.
Comanche’s run first attack out of the Wing-T, forced into a three and out on their first drive, got things going in a big way by breaking a 57 yard touchdown run to go up 7-0. An interception by the road Indians at the end of the first quarter spelled trouble for Nocona heading into the second quarter.
Comanche methodically ran the ball bit by bit down the field as they scored on their next two drives early in the second quarter to go up 21-0.
The game seemed like it was threatening to get out of hand before Nocona’s offense, who was dormant after their opening drive, started to move the ball with better execution. They drove the ball into Comanche’s red zone where quarterback Carter Horn ran up the middle on a draw from two yards out to cut the score to 21-7 at halftime.
Needing to carry over that momentum to the second half, Nocona’s opening drive looked stalled as a penalty put them in a third and twenty. Horn dropped back and threw the ball deep to the outside and found Hunter Fenoglio, who got behind the corner for a 56-yard touchdown catch. It cut the lead to 21-14 and made it seem like, even with a bad start, the game was winnable for the home Indians.
Unfortunately, Comanche answered. A block in the back brought a kickoff return for a touchdown back, but the ball was still deep in Nocona’s territory. The road Indians offense kept groove up as they ended up scoring from eight yards out to make it a two score 28-14 game.
The home Indians immediately responded as Tyler Richards found a gaping hole on one of their first plays of the series and outran the Comanche defenders for a 74-yard touchdown run. The missed extra point made the score 28-20.
Following the score, Nocona pooch kicked the kickoff to not allow another big return, but Comanche mishandled it and the home Indians recovered the ball. Unfortunately, Nocona could not take advantage of the great field position to score a touchdown, but Fenoglio did make a 38-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sill, the road Indians ever steady offense kept rolling as Comanche drove the field and scored on a seven yard run to go back up two scores 35-23. Nocona would not give up as it drove down the field as everything was working offensively at this point. Horn scored again on a two-yard draw to make the score 35-30 midway through the fourth.
There was enough time for at least one more possession if the defense could just get one more stop, but Comanche’s offense kept their level of consistency on point till the very end. The road Indians again drove down the field and scored on a short seven yard run to go up two scores 42-30.
With 2:49 left in the game, Nocona needed to score fast and recover an onside kick if they wanted a chance. They scored on a run that was called back on a hold Coach Brad Keck says he is still looking for on film, but they moved down the field completing big pass plays as they drove all the way down to Comanche’s 14 yard line with a little more than a minute left.
Unfortunately, a free rusher came around the right side and blindsided the quarterback, who fumbled the ball and the road Indians recovered it to ice the game. The ever fighting Nocona Indians who never gave up all season finally saw the writing on the wall as time ran out on their season.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week 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.
The Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl is this week on June 6-7 and graduating athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo are confirmed to be playing.
In total, seven athletes from Bowie, five from Nocona and three from Saint Jo are planning to play in the all-star games this week. Nocona also will have a pair of coaches participating as well.
The girl’s basketball game kicks off events on June 6, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Wichita Falls Memorial High School. In the game, the east team will have Nocona players Avery Crutsinger, Meg Meekins and Reagan Phipps playing while Kyler Spitzer and Clayton Brown coach them one last time.
On the west team, Saint Jo’s Payzlie Cervantes is confirmed to be playing.
The boy’s basketball game is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m. On the east team, Bowie’s Boston Farris and Nocona’s Jose Gomez Jr. will be playing.
On June 7, the volleyball games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. with the small school game. On the west team, Nocona’s Kaygan Stone and Saint Jo’s Taylor Patrick are confirmed to play. On the east team, Saint Jo’s Aubrey Morman will get to play her teammate.
There are no local athletes confirmed to be playing in the big school volleyball game.
The final event is the football game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It is an all Bowie affair with six players confirmed to be playing for the east team: Justin Clark, Jorge De Leon, Hunter Fluitt and Braden Rhyne, Preacher Chambers and Moh Azouak.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona Independent School District officials looked inward for a new athletic director/head football coach, selecting Jeff Hill for the position.
Hill, who served last year as Nocona football’s offensive coordinator and also led the softball program to the playoffs for the first time in a while as its head coach, was upgraded to the role.
This came on the heels of former Athletic Director Blake Crutsinger, who served in the role the last four years, resigned in May.
For Hill, the choice to apply for the position was a no brainer. His one year in Nocona had impressed upon him and his wife that it was the place they would like to be long term.
“I’m looking for a town to raise my kids in and Nocona has treated my family really well,” Hill said. “There are some really good people. The kids work hard. Everything I am looking for in a hometown is right here in Nocona and I want to try and make it as best as it can be, especially through athletics.”
Before Nocona, Hill served as the athletic director at S&S Consolidated while also spending time at Hebron and Whitewright in his coaching career.
Hill expresses great respect for the departing Crutsinger and besides changing a few small things in how he personally wants to do things, he is not trying to come in with a sweeping restructuring of the whole athletic department.
The program had five of its six team sports make the playoffs, with volleyball playing in the regional final and the girl’s basketball team winning the state championship.
That along with two athletes competing at the state championship in cross country and track with one earning a gold medal, it was one of the more successful school years in athletic program history.
“Coach Crutsinger was awesome and did a great job so honestly just little tweaks, a little bit of structure and cohesion amongst the coaching staff between boys and girls,” Hill said. “I hope to keep the winning tradition going overall in the athletic department.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
-
NEWS3 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS2 years agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS2 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS2 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS2 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS2 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS2 years agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS3 years ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint