SPORTS
3A cross country teams run at district meet

The Bowie boys, the Nocona girls and one Nocona boy qualified for the regional cross country meet Wednesday at the district meet in Holliday.
The Jackrabbits won the district title while the Lady Indians finished an authoritative second. The Indian’s Hank Ulbig qualified individually since he medaled among the top 10.
All of the runners braved the nasty, cold and wet conditions for a chance to continue their season. With the district’s only allowing the top two teams this year instead of top the three due to COVID-19, the margin for error was thinner than usual.
The Bowie boys were led by Nathan Rogers, who finished second overall with a time of 17:36. Sid Mayfield, Alex Castro and Ignacio Saucedo joined him in the top 10 finishing sixth, ninth and 10th. Ethan Malone was the fifth runner for the Jackrabbits, finishing 19th.
The team avoided the close mashup of teams finishing behind them, winning by 23 points. Coach Andy Atkins was proud of his young team for the accomplishment.
“When we got here we talked about how we can’t control how other people run or how fast anyone else is, but we can control our confidence when we walk in and our effort when we leave,” Atkins said. “I was concerned when we got here because they were talking about the cold, but when the race started they shut that out.”
The Nocona gir’s team was led by Kylie Rose who finished fifth overall with a time of 12:18. Raylee Sparkman and Jayce Rose joined her on the medal stand finishing eighth and 10th. Madilyn Ferguson finished 12th and Cobi Womack finished 22nd to round out the team’s scoring.
The Lady Indians finished a distant second place to the defending state champs and meet host Lady Eagles. Still, there was little drama as Nocona finished 28 points ahead of third place.
Coach Kyle Spitzer was proud of how his team ran overall. With a streak that reaches back longer than a decade of regional tournament appearances, this team will not be intimidated by the tougher field.
“Our expectation at regionals is to run like we belong, because we do,” Spitzer said. “This group has put in so much work and they have earned everything they’ve gotten. I am so proud of this team and I cannot wait to see what we do at regionals.”
The Nocona boys were led by Ulbig, who finished seventh overall with a time of 18:15. The top five runners for the Indians included Noe Estrada finishing 11th, Alex Stephens finishing 13th, Ivan Hernandez finishing 21st and Frank Espinoza finishing 23rd.
The standings ended up being a crushing blow for Nocona. The Indians finished fourth, only one point behind Breckenridge and two points behind second place Henrietta in an unprecedented result.
Coach Colby Schniederjan was extremely disappointed with the result, but proud of senior Ulbig for qualifying for regionals.
“I’m extremely proud of Hank, but in our discussions before the season started, this was an expectation for Hank,” Schniederjan said. “Our push will be at the next level and being competitive at regionals.”
The Lady Rabbits finished fourth overall as a team. They were led by Samantha Clarke, who finished 15th with a time of 13:48. Kaydee Jones finished 19th, Jojo Villarreal finished 21st, while Hannah Craddock and Desarai Ryes finished 24th and 25th.
Coach Joe Crabb was proud of how his team ran overall. With a district that includes the defending state champs and some tradition rich programs, it was always going to be a tough proposition to break into the top two this year.
“I thought we ran really well in tough conditions, posting some of our best times of the year,” Crabb said. “The district is really tough and we weren’t fortunate enough to advance anyone to the regional meet.”
The regional meet is scheduled for Nov. 9 at Lubbock.
To see individual results for all high school runners from Bowie and Nocona, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
SPORTS
Prairie Valley’s Neugebauer signs to SCK

Dale Neugebauer, a senior for Prairie Valley High School, signed his National Letter of Intent on Nov. 26 in front of family, friends, current and past coaches.
The son of Anne and Jason Neugebauer, Dale has earned both merit and athletic scholarships to the basketball program at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS where he will major in criminal justice.
He will play for Coach Matt O’Brien whom also nominated Dale to become a PhD Hoops member of team USA for the Paris World Games in Paris, France in the summer of 2024.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
SPORTS
Saint Jo athletic director retiring at end of the year

After an illustrious 30-year journey in education and coaching, Saint Jo Athletic Director and head football Coach Mark Stevens is preparing to bid farewell as he enters retirement at the conclusion of the 2024 school year.
For the past five years, Coach Stevens has seamlessly worn the dual hats of athletic director and head coach at Saint Jo ISD, leaving an enduring impact on the district.
During his tenure as the head football coach, Coach Stevens steered the Panthers to a remarkable 44-15 record and an impressive streak of five consecutive playoff appearances. His leadership culminated in three district championships, three bi-district championships, and a notable achievement in 2019 when his football team reached the regional quarterfinals.
As the regional director for the Texas Six Man Coaches Association from 2021 to 2023, Coach Stevens further solidified his presence in the coaching community. In 2022, he had the honor of coaching the Division 1 East All-Star Team in the Texas Six-Man Coaches Association all-star game.
In his role as athletic director, Stevens orchestrated a highly successful total sports program at Saint Jo. In the 2022-2023 school year, every boys’ and girls’ sports program under his oversight advanced to the postseason, reflecting his commitment to excellence.
Beyond the football field, Stevens has lent his coaching expertise to baseball, junior high basketball and track. He has also been a dedicated educator, teaching high school math and elementary PE.
Prior to his time at Saint Jo, Stevens spent seven years as the offensive/defensive coordinator in Muenster, amassing an impressive record of 83-11. His accomplishments include serving as the offensive coordinator for the 2017 2A Division 2 State Champions and the 2015 2A Division 2 State semifinalists.
Stevens embarked on his coaching journey in Goliad, TX, and has made significant contributions in Karnes City, Taft, Van Vleck, Louise and Era.
Now, as he approaches retirement, Stevens looks forward to dedicating more time to his family, especially his grandson Grayson Mark. His legacy of excellence and dedication will undoubtedly endure in the hearts of those he has coached and mentored throughout his remarkable career.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
SPORTS
Volleyball all-district lists released

With the 2023 volleyball season in the rearview mirror, the last bit of news are the all-district lists that honor players play both on and off the court.
The Bowie Lady Rabbits had two senior front court players, Olivia Gill and Gracie Duke, who both had played on varsity all four years, be named to the all-district first team.
Senior setter Kinley Russell and senior middle-blocker Ziba Robbins were named to the second team list. On the honorable mention team, seniors Melenie Cantu and Allie Parr were named along with sophomore Rhyan Carle.
For Nocona, the defending district champs and regional final runners-up had a lot of superlative awards.
Skyler Smith was named the district’s most valuable player for the second straight season. Meg Meekins was co-setter of the year, Graci Brown was the district’s co-defensive MVP and Aubree Kleinhans was named the district’s libero of the year.
Coach Kara Lucherk was also named the district’s coach of the year for the second straight year.
All of the area’s 1A teams were in the same district so awards were split between them.
Saint Jo won the district title for the second straight year and were represented well.
Taylor Patrick was named the district MVP while Krista Reeves was the defensive MVP and Aubrey Morman was named blocker of the year.
First team members included Maxey Johnson, Payzlie Cervantes and Cara Vogel. Second team members were Aliyah Vasquez and Kamron Skidmore while Reagan Wilson was named to the honorable mention team.
Prairie Valley finished second and had a couple of players earn superlative awards. Linzie Priddy was named the district’s offensive MVP while Renee Stout was co-setter of the year. Coach Seth Stephens also was named the district’s coach of the year.
First team selections for the Lady Bulldogs included Kailie Cearley and Natalee Young. Second team selections were Kasi Phillips and Kennedy Stone.
Forestburg finished third in the district and had one player who earned a superlative award. Alli Cisneros was libero of the year.
Lili Cisneros was named the district’s first team while Reagan and Logan Ladewig were named the district’s second team. Honorable mention went to Justynne Roller and Madisen Deason for the Lady Horns.
Gold-Burg had Ollie Gaston earn the district’s co-setter of the year. Jimenia Garcia was a first team all-district selection. Jasmine Rojas earned second team honors.
Alyson Rojas, Hallie Nelson, Raigen Hilton and Lexie Eaton were given honorable mention from Gold-Burg.
Bellevue had Tristan Shook earn the district’s newcomer of the year. First team selection went to Mary Grace Broussard. Brittany Gill and Brylie Hager were named to the district’s second team.
Honorable mention selections for the Lady Eagles include Callie Martin, Selah and Kara Denson.
To see lists for all teams, including academic all-district selections, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
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