COUNTY LIFE
Soccer athlete uses her kicker’s leg on gridiron
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewonline.com
Kyler Dunn has been kicking a soccer ball since she was barely able to walk, but today the 15-year-old also is kicking the pigskin through the goalposts for the Saint Jo Panthers.
While girls have been playing male-dominated sports for years, in small town Texas it’s still not that common in Friday night football. This perky freshman athlete first tried kicking last year when she was in junior high, but as she moved into high school she earned her spot on the varsity maroon and white. The Panthers play their first playoff game at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 against Leverett’s Chapel at Savoy.
The daughter of Charlie and Brandi Dunn, and the big sister to Reese, age 12, Kyler is a well-rounded athlete. She has been playing soccer virtually all her life and plays forward for the North Texas Celtic select soccer team.
“I don’t remember not playing soccer. I like you can get rough with people because you have to fight to win. I like that aspect. We practice at Corinth and play games at the University of Dallas,” explains Dunn.
It was a Saint Jo coach who heard about a junior high girl with soccer skills. The idea sparked a tryout for the football team that was in need of a kicker.
Read the full feature in the mid-week Bowie News and follow the Panthers’ playoff action in our sports section.
CORRECTION – The kicking photo in the Wednesday paper that was with the story on Kyler was incorrectly identified as her. We apologize for this error.
The Nocona High School cheerleaders will have a youth cheer camp for those in grades first-sixth on July 28-30 at the school.
Camp is from 10 a.m. to noon each day with participants presenting a showcase at 11 a.m. on July 30. Cost is $55 with a sibling discount of $10. Each camper receives a T-shirt.
Each participant will perform at a varsity football game with dates given at the showcase. Use the QR code at noconaisd.net/45108 to register. Those with questions can contact Becky Wilson at rebecca.wilson@noconaisd.net.
The Mind’s Eye of Nocona will entertain with music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in a concert to support scholarships for Montague County graduating seniors on July 12.
The concert will be at 5 p.m. on July 12 at the Veranda Inn Event Center in Nocona. Tickets are $20 for all table seating. Purchase six or more tickets for a reserved table.
The band invites you to brown bag your dinner and BYOB. Proceeds support scholarships for seniors from Nocona, Prairie Valley, Saint Jo, Bowie, Forestburg and Gold-Burg.
The Mind’s Eye is composed of local residents Donna Lemons, Larry G. Lemons, Carroll Fuller, Warren Young and Karen Young. To purchase tickets stop by the L.G. Lemons Art Gallery at 300 Clay or call Larry at 940-366-5782 or Donna at 940-366-6825.
Fireworks abounded at Lake Nocona during the July 4th weekend. Along with the annual Lions Club fireworks, the Rusty and Billy Henley family fireworks lit up the skies. Saint Jo Firefighters also hosted their annual fireworks event. (Photo by Trena Henley)
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