SPORTS

NFL Rewatch Series: Super Bowl XII

Published

5 years ago

04/15/2020

In week three of the NFL Re-Watch series, the Dallas Cowboys is back in the winning column with possibly the franchises most iconic dominant team in their history.
The Cowboys won their second Super Bowl in 1978 with another dominating performance, this time against a not so iconic Denver Broncos team.
While the Broncos had a great nickname for its defense, The Orange Crush, no Denver players were future Hall of Fame players while Dallas had six on its roster, most of them in their prime.
The biggest difference between this team and the Cowboys team that lost two years previously in Super Bowl X was the acquisition of speedy HOF running back Tony Dorsett. Dallas also stopped trying to make Randy White a linebacker and put him in his rightful place at defensive tackle where he would carve out a HOF career.
Besides the other HOF players like quarterback Roger Staubach, Rayfield Wright, Cliff Harris and Mel Renfro, the Cowboys had Charlie Waters, Billy Joe DuPree, Drew Pearson, Harvey Martin and Efren Herrera named to the Pro Bowl. Martin was even named the defensive player of the year that year in the NFL.
The only issue during the regular season for the Cowboys was the controversy of when Coach Tom Landry would start the rookie Dorsett over the versatile veteran Preston Pearson at running back.
It did not come until week 11 after back-to-back losses to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be the team’s only losses all season. Even in spot duty Dorsett still rushed for 1,007 yards and led the team with 13 touchdowns on his way to being named rookie of the year.
With Dallas having a top 10 offense and defense and losing only two games all season, it’s in the conversation as the best Cowboys team ever, with the only competition being the 1992 team in terms of dominance.
It is easily the best team the franchise had in the decade. The NFL films highlight tape for this season would coin the phrase America’s Team the franchise has run with since then, but was first exemplified by this era of Dallas teams.
This was one of the lowest scoring seasons in the modern NFL history. The league wide average for offenses was just 17.2 points a game. For comparison sakes, the lowest scoring team in 2019, the Washington Redskins, averaged 16.6 points a game.
Most of the best teams that season were led by great defenses, but it was not enough if you did not have at least a competent offense. Denver was the best team that season fitting that prototype.
Its Orange Crush defense gave up the third least amount of points that season averaging a little more than 10 points a game. The team’s five Pro Bowlers were all from the defensive side.
The offense was led by former Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton, who had battled Staubach for the starting position in the early part of the decade and had even led them to a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl V. Dallas had traded him to the New York Giants in 1974 for a first round pick that became Randy White.
The Broncos offense was just okay enough to be the 10th highest scoring team in the league. With one of the best defenses in a season filled with great defenses, Denver blew through the regular season with only two losses as well. One of those losses came against the Cowboys in the final week of the season, losing 14-6 at Texas Stadium.
In comparison, Dallas’ 24.6 points a game average was the second highest scoring offense in the league. The Doomsday defense ranked eighth in the league in points given up, but ranked first in the least amount of yards given up.
The game was on CBS and commentated again by the all-time play-by-play man Pat Summerall and color commentator Tom Brookshier. It was the first Super Bowl to played in prime time.
A quick summary overview about the game is the Cowboy’s dominated for the majority of the game as their defense forced a then Super Bowl record eight turnovers. Defensive lineman Martin and White were named co-most valuable players, the only time in Super Bowl history so far that the award has gone to two players.
Dallas led 13-0 at halftime, but it should have been much more. Pro Bowl kicker, who missed 11 filed goals and two extra points during the regular season, made only two of his five field goal attempts in the first half.
Denver’s offense could only play better in the second half and only scored when it replaced Morton with back-up quarterback Norris Weese, whose main strength was that he was more mobile than Morton.
The Cowboys were never threatened as they completed big scoring passing plays to a diving Butch Johnson and a halfback pass from Robert Newhouse to Golden Richards to keep them well in the lead as they won 27-10.
With the offenses playing so bad this season, the NFL would make drastic rule changes the next season to increase scoring.
The big ones were allowing only a certain amount of contact between receivers and defensive backs after five yards down field and the allowing of offensive lineman to extend their arms and use their hands when pass blocking. The season would also increase from 14 to 16 games.
I will watch the result of those rule changes next week when I check out Super Bowl XIII when the Cowboys would be back to defend their title in the first Super Bowl rematch against the Steelers.
Besides Staubach, which player was your favorite growing up?

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.

SPORTS

Red River HS Bass Club earns fifth place

Published

1 day ago

03/13/2025

bowienews

The team of Carson Caudle and Hunter Blackburn earned fourth place individually. (Courtesy photo)

The Red River High School Bass Club competed on Saturday at Eagle Mount Lake as the club finished fifth overall out of 28 clubs.
The club had two teams that brought in fish at the end of the day, but one also finished highly.
The team of Carson Caudle and Hunter Blackburn got fourth overall out of more than 100 teams. The pair caught three fish that weighed in at 7.99 pounds.
The club had one more pair that brought in fish. Walker Strahan and Bryce Ramsey got one fish that weighed in a 1.95 pounds that was good for 33rd place.
Only 37 out of the 126 teams were fortunate enough to bring fish to the weigh-in.

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

SPORTS

Boy’s basketball all-district list released

Published

1 day ago

03/13/2025

bowienews

Bowie’s Rayder Mann was named his district’s offensive most valuable player.

Bowie
Superlatives
Offensive most valuable player: Rayder Mann
First team
Gaige Goodman
Second team
Boston Farris
Honorable mention
Adam Pickett, Bradly Horton, Braden Rhyne
Academic all-district
Hayden Sutton, Keller Dosch, Anthony Jaraleno, Finn Riddle, Tyler Richey, Adam Pickett, Bradly Horton, Hayden Heugatter, Boston Farris, Rayder Mann

Nocona
Superlatives
Co-newcomer of the year: Landon Fatheree
Fighting heart award: Jose Gomez Jr.
First team
Karson Kleinhans, Oscar Salomon-Gomez
Second team
Zyrus Moreno, Walker Murphey
Honorable mention
Adrian Gutierrez
Academic all-district
Jose Gomez Jr., Kyle Waters, Kasch Johnson, RJ Walker, William Henley, Skye Kirby, Landon Fatheree, Karson Kleinhans, Oscar Salomon-Gomez, Zyrus Moreno, Walker Murphey, Adrian Gutierrez

1A
Superlatives: Jesus Sanchez, Forestburg, most valuable player; Barrett Johnson, Saint Jo, offensive MVP; Evan Chavez, Bellevue, sixth man of the year; Camden Dreyer, Gold-Burg, co-newcomer of the year; Josiah Wadsworth, Forestburg, co-newcomer of the year; Curtis Enis, Forestburg, coach of the year
First team
Ryan Jones, Bellevue; Jesse Wadsworth, Forestburg; Kyler Willett, Forestburg; Lee Yeley, Saint Jo; Trent Gaston, Saint Jo
Second team
Aaron Allison, Bellevue; Brycen Bancroft, Bellevue; River Trail, Bellevue; Jayton Epperson, Gold-Burg; Trae Campbell, Prairie Valley; Zeke Bonn, Saint Jo; Landon Shannon, Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Bryce Ramsey, Bellevue; Brenna Criswell, Bellevue; Eli White-Freeland, Gold-Burg; Keelyn Case, Gold-Burg; Barrett Allen, Gold-Burg; Angel Cruz, Forestburg; Hayden Halliburton, Forestburg; John Carranza, Forestburg; Hunter Camden, Prairie Valley; Jarrett Horton, Prairie Valley; Landen Williams, Saint Jo; Jayden Curry, Saint Jo; Colton Curry, Saint Jo
Academic all-district
Bellevue: Walker Strahan, Brycen Bancroft, Bryce Ramsey, Will Bonds, Cowyn Langford
Forestburg: Rafeal Sanchez, Josiah Wadsworth, Tristan Cumby, Hayden Halliburton, Jesse Wadsworth
Prairie Valley: Hunter Camden, Jarrett Horton, Josh Stout, Dayne Sadler, Kasey Caruthers
Saint Jo: Jayden Curry, Colton Curry, Landon Shannon, Barrett Johnson, Trent Gaston, Zeke Bonn, Lee Yeley
Gold-Burg: Levi Hellinger, Brady Allen, Barrett Allen

For pictures from players from every team, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

SPORTS

Softball Roundup

Published

1 day ago

03/13/2025

bowienews

Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians’ softball team had a great first week as a full team, winning all of their games and going 4-0 at their hosted tournament against a Seymour program.
The Lady Indians were able to add some players from basketball, which only ended the previous week after winning the state title.
Nocona kicked off the week with a blowout win against Perrin-Whitt on March 4. The Lady Indians scored 12 runs in the first inning and seven in the second as the game ended after three innings due to run-rule, Nocona winning 19-1.
Skye Kirby led the team with four RBIs while Kylea Wallace and Heidi Atteberry were second with two RBIs each. The team drew 12 walks.
Reagan Phipps, fresh from the basketball court, allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out seven batters.
Nocona on March 6-7 played double-headers on each day against Seymour and its JV team.
The first game against the Lady Panthers varsity team saw the Lady Indians win 14-6 after four and half innings. Gwyndelyn Forsyth led the team with three RBIs while Tinley Cable, Kirby and Phipps each drove in two runs. Phipps hit a home run as well.
On the mound, Phipps allowed six runs on nine hits while striking out nine batters.
The next game against the JV team from Seymour was strangely closer, but Nocona came out on top, winning 10-7 after four innings played.
Forsyth led the team with two RBIs as five different players drove in one run each. Atteberry got the start on the mound and allowed seven runs on six hits while striking out six batters and walking seven.
The next day Nocona dominated the Seymour varsity team again, winning 11-2 after five innings played. Evelyn Marquez led the team with two RBIs while four other players had one in a balanced approach. Phipps allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out seven batters.
The Lady Indians made sure not to let up against the Seymour JV team in the next game. Nocona won 16-3 after four innings played to end the week off right.
Kaitlyn Tiffner led the team with four RBIs while Marquez drove in three, Kirby and Cable drove in two. Atteberry allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out two batters.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers had tough games last week against 2A team Chico and Muenster.
The Lady Panthers lost by the scores 21-2 and 22-0 as they try to look for the positive while playing against mostly bigger schools.
Saint Jo played Chico on March 7. Most of the damage was done in the second inning, with the Lady Dragons scored 13 runs. The Lady Panthers did score runs in two of the three innings played, but the game ended after three due to run-rule as Chico won 21-2.
Reagan Wilson led the team with one RBI. On defense, the team had 17 walks and allowed 10 hits, though the team committed zero fielding errors.
It did not get any easier hosting Muenster on March 10. The Lady Hornets scored 10 runs in the first inning before Saint Jo could come up to bat and had dug itself a big hole. The Lady Panthers had little success with their bats in the game, with Maxey Johnson being the sole base runner as she got a hit.
Muenster won 22-0 as the Lady Hornets had 14 hits and drew 16 walks.

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