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Column: My teams look like they have good futures; why am I so scared

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What does it tell you about yourself when everything is pointing towards your sports team(s) having a great upcoming season or future and your reflex is to temper expectations.
Am I smart, pessimistic, or have I just seen too many things while following sports this century? Maybe if the Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks had won more titles, but I should be lucky to say that at least the Mavericks won it all in 2011 while the Cowboys, even at their worst have been interesting.
If I had to bet which team would do better next season, even with NBA free agency not finished as I write this, short of landing Kawai Leonard, the Cowboys are set up for immediate success next year more so than the Mavericks.
Coming off a 10-6 season where they won a division title and won a wild card playoff game, the Cowboys have kept most of the important players.
Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper are looking to get paid this offseason after the midseason trade for Cooper turned the team’s season around last year. Both are expected to get their deals done like defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who signed to long-term deal after back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.
Ezekial Elliott may have gotten in trouble with a security guard in Las Vegas during the offseason, but it looks like he won’t be missing any games.
At linebacker, the team might have found the future heart and soul of the defense in Jaylon Smith and rookie Leghton Vander Esch. In the past, it seemed the defense was only ever better than average when the injury prone linebacker Sean Lee was healthy, but Vander Esch made the Pro Bowl and Smith showed the athleticism that made him a consensus top 10 pick in the draft before a catastrophic knee injury in his final college game.
Also on defense it looks like the move Byron Jones made to cornerback paid off as he made his first Pro Bowl.
Adding to this team is tight end Jason Witten coming back from retirement. He didn’t rely on top end foot speed for the last decade of his career anyway, so maybe a year of not getting hit and putting on pads will have him looking better than his consistent 11 time Pro Bowl self.
Also returning is Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, who missed all of last season battling Guillain–Barré syndrome. The highly thought of offensive line, that did have guard Zack Martin and left tackle Tyron Smith make the Pro Bowl, had its ups and downs as Prescott was sacked the second most (56) in the league last year.
The Cowboys didn’t make any big splashes in free agency, but one free agent signing people have hope for is receiver Randall Cobb. Cobb has long been a reliable slot target for the Green Bay Packers this decade and the Cowboy’s nemesis quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He struggled with injuries last year and his production has started to fall off in recent years despite being only 28 years old.
I didn’t mention every player or position group, but when my dad and I were trying to figure out what group the team should focus on in the draft for the first time in recent memory, it should tell you something.
Most position groups have at least one promising young player who has recently been drafted the franchise believes in who theoretically will only be getting better as they age. If most of them take that step and at least one of the rookies makes an impact, this team could be one of the top teams in the NFC.
The Mavericks were not so lucky the past year. The team missed the playoffs for the third straight year as they went 33-49. No, the one bright side from last year’s team besides savoring every minute we got of Dirk Nowitzski in his last year in the NBA, is our new European phenom and rookie of the year Luka Dončić.
He lived up to and surpassed every expectation some people, including me, had about him after lighting up the Euro League like no other teenage had done before.
Despite not flying through the air like Michael Jordan or having the physique that makes you embarrassed to be the same species as him like most professional athletes, Dončić displayed a level of skill and poise that comes with being a professional athlete in Spain for most of his teen years to be a franchise player from day one at only the age of 19.
On top of that, the franchise recognized his brilliance and made the big move to trade for injured post player Kristaps Porziņģis and moved the young guard Dennis Smith Jr. as his playing style did not mesh well with Dončić.
Porziņģis is a foundational piece himself as the 23-year-old European is like a taller, more athletic Nowitzski minus the unstoppable fadeaway shot.
He is coming off a serious ACL injury that saw him miss the last season and half, but the Mavericks just signed him to a long term contract. He was on his way to superstardom before the injury as his size and skill allowed him to average 22 points a game while blocking more than two shots a game.
Despite the team not signing any huge names this offseason, both of these players are in their early 20s and the sense of what both of these players can achieve together as both grows is an exciting prospect to watch.
It’s like starting a television series you like the premise of that doesn’t blow your socks off in the first few episodes or seasons, but you keep watching either because a friend told you or you read it goes places later that will destroy your socks.
This has the long-term sports story telling potential of two young superstars taking the three-to-five year journey of personal and professional growth towards the ultimate achievement, an NBA title, which is so cliché you want it to happen since it writes itself.
My teams have been in position before and the memories of how those teams did not live up to their potential haunt me more than the victories.
I can think of three times the Cowboys have had amazing seasons in 2007, 2014 and 2016 as those teams combined records add up to 38-10.
The following seasons, despite usually not losing anybody major in the offseason, they missed the playoffs.
The Mavericks lost the disastrous 2006 NBA Finals to the Miami Heat after leading 2-0, but the team came back next season motivated.
Unlike the Cowboys, the Mavericks looked to be even better as they put up the best record in the league 67-15.
Nowitzki was named the league’s most valuable player and the battle tested team was poised to battle through the tough western conference.
All of that went away when they became the third team in NBA history to lose to an eighth seeded team in the first round of the playoffs.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.

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Baseball Roundup

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Nocona
The Nocona Indians ended their regular season with a sweep of Alvord to secure a number one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Indians won 13-6 and 3-1 to earn the top seed in the big school division in the playoffs.
With that much on the line despite already securing a playoff spot the previous week, Nocona had a lot to play for in its final regular season series.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with two runs, but the Indians answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to retake the lead 9-2.
Both teams scored one run in the third inning before Nocona scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-3. Alvord was able to extend the game and avoid getting run-ruled by scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
The Indian bats were cold in the final three innings, but the defense bounced back to shut out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to win 13-6.
RJ Walker and Jayce Lehde each drove in three runs to lead the team while Ladon Fatheree and Zyrus Moreno both drove in two runs. Nocona finished with nine hits and drew nine walks during the game.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits while striking out one and walking two.
The second game was more a pitcher’s duel that had far less action scoring runs.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with one run, but Alvord tied the game with one run in the fourth inning. Nocona answered with two runs in the fifth inning and held on to win 3-1.
Lehde and Fatheree drove in one run each while Murphey scored the other run on the basepaths thanks to a wild pitch. Nocona had only two hits while the team drew seven walks.
Walker helped carry the team on the mound, pitching the whole game while giving up one run on four hits and striking out 13 batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.

Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles ended their season on Monday this week, losing some tough games on the way out before closing with a win.
The Eagles lost to Perrin-Whitt 13-1, to Bryson 17-2 before beating Saint Jo 7-2 to end the season on a high note.
Bellevue struggled against the two other 1A teams in its district in its previous matchups as both teams are heading towards the playoffs. Both the Pirates and Cowboys proved it once again in the final matchup on April 22 and Monday before playing a team more on its level.
The Eagles and Panthers were 1-1 against each other this season. Playing after Bellevue’s loss to against Bryson right before on Saint Jo’s home field, the Eagles wanted revenge.
Bellevue got it with a 7-2 win against the Panthers to end both team’s season and this year improve the series 2-1 in the Eagles favor.
River Trail led the team with two RBIs while Hunter Blackburn had a team high two hits.
The team finished with seven hits and drew 10 walks.
On the mound, Bryce Ramsey allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking five. The defense committed one fielding error.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a tough final week to their disappointing season.
The Panthers lost to Bryson 10-4 before losing to Bellevue 7-2 to close out their season.
Saint Jo knew it was out of the playoff hunt and was playing for pride as it hoped to end the season with its head held high.
The Panthers played the Cowboys on April 22 and were put behind the eight ball when Bryson rallied off seven runs in the third inning. Saint Jo closed the game well, but could not overcome that bad inning as it lost 10-4.
Sam Martin, Charlie Evans, Mathew Sampson and Jayden Curry each drove in one run each. Saint Jo had nine hits and drew six walks during the game.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense allowed 10 hits and nine walks while committing five fielding errors.
The Panthers then waited a week before ending their season on Monday, due to rain causing the game to be rescheduled, against Bellevue. Each team had beaten the other so far this season and with both teams out of the playoffs, it was a game about local pride more than anything.
Unfortunately for Saint Jo, it did not go its way on Monday. The Eagles scored in every inning besides the first and seventh inning while the Panthers only scored in the fourth inning. Bellevue won 7-2.
Devin Stewart led the team with two RBIs on a double he hit. The team finished with eight hits and drew six walks, but it was not enough to hang with the Eagles.
The pitching staff allowed only four hits, but three fielding errors and nine walks allowed Bellevue to rack up the runs.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

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Jackrabbits end season with series sweep

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Bowie baseball Coach Jason McCoy picked up his 100th career win during the team’s senior night win last week.

The Bowie Jackrabbits finished their season last week with a dominant series sweep against Vernon.
The Jackrabbits won both games by run-rule 13-2 and 11-1 against the Lions.
Bowie came into the week with its playoff hopes shot after splitting with Holliday. The Jackrabbits were playing for pride and knew they had what it took to win decisively against Vernon and made sure to show it.
Game one did not start off great as the Lions scored two runs in the first inning, but Bowie answered with three runs of its own in the same inning, taking the lead 3-2 and never looking back.
The Jackrabbit defense shut down Vernon the rest of the game while scoring three runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the third inning.
It was enough to end the game early after four and half innings, Bowie winning 13-2 in its final home game on senior night.
Edmond De Leon led the team with four RBIs while Boston Farris, Trae Seigler and Jorge De Leon each had two RBIs. The team finished with 10 hits and drew seven walks as the team consistently found ways to score every inning of the game.
Farris got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking four during five innings of work. The defense committed no fielding errors.
The second game was on the road, but the Jackrabbits made sure not to start slow like they did in game one. Edmond De Leon blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to put Bowie up 3-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the fourth inning. With the Lions scoring only one run in the third inning, that was all the run support Bowie needed to end the game early again after five innings.
The Jackrabbits won 11-1.
Edmond De Leon led the team with three RBIs while hitting a home run and a triple. Seigler and Austin Cheney drove in two runs. Bowie finished with 10 hits and drew six walks.
On the mound, Seigler pitched four innings and allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out and walking one batter. The defense committed three fielding errors.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

For pictures from the last home game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874727&T=1

For pictures from senior night, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874728&T=1

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Saint Jo softball loses to Knox City 21-7 in the playoffs

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Saint Jo catcher Tatum Morman tags a Knox City player out at home base to prevent a run from scoring.

The Saint Jo Lady Panthers season ended on Thursday night in the bi-district round of the playoffs against Knox City.
The Houndettes won by run-rule 21-7 after six innings, ending the Lady Panthers year since the series was condensed to just one game.
Saint Jo came into the series after winning the district title, but knew Knox City would be tough. Still, the Lady Panthers had played in and won several games with high scores which gave them hope they could hang with whatever the Houndettes to could bring.
Knox City got on the board first, scoring on a three-run triple to go up 3-0. Saint Jo answered in the same inning with Kamron Skidmore driving in two runs on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning the Houndettes drove in five runs on a single, double and home run to increase their lead to 8-2. The Lady Panthers got one run back in the same inning thanks to a fielding error at third base that drove in one run to make it 8-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Knox City added to its lead in the fifth inning. A fielding error allowed one run to score and a three RBI triple added three more to make it 12-3.
In the sixth inning, the Houndettes reeled off nine runs to as it looked like the end was near for Saint Jo. Down 21-3, the Lady Panthers needed to score nine runs to avoid getting run-ruled.
Down to the final out, Saint Jo started a two-out rally. An error at short stop resulted in two runs to score. Jordyn O’Neal then ripped off a two RBI triple as the Lady Panthers had more than doubled their score.
Unfortunately that is where it would end. The next batter grounded out for the final out.
Knox City won 21-7.
Skidmore led the team with three RBIs while O’Neal was second with two. The team finished with seven hits and drew two walks, but it was not enough to keep up with the Houndettes who had 13 hits and drew 12 walks. Saint Jo committed two fielding errors.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

For more pictures from the game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874729&T=1

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