SPORTS
Bowie
The Bowie Jackrabbits played their final tournament this weekend at Graham and were able to break even.
The Jackrabbits won their first two games of the tournament, but would lose their final two to finish 2-2 overall.
Bowie first played Vernon on Thursday afternoon. The Lions got an early lead in the top of the first inning, scoring one run.
The teams exchanged scoreless second and third innings, though both teams had chances to score runs.
It looked like Vernon was going to add to its lead in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. Instead, Bowie outfielder A.J. Whatley pulled off a double play, throwing the runner at third base out after catching the ball.
It was the second double-play the Jackrabbits had made in the game already to keep the lead close.
That play turned the game’s momentum as Bowies bats came alive. Kynan DeMoss and Whatley drove in runs in the fourth inning to give the Jackrabbits the lead 2-1.
The Lions looked like they might tie the game as a two out triple gave them a scoring chance in the fifth inning, but Bowie forced a third to keep the lead.
The Jackrabbits then added to their lead as DeMoss and Logan Hutson drove in two more runs to make the score 4-1.
Vernon was able to get two runners on base in the sixth inning to in an attempt to come back, but pitcher Colton Richey fielded a bunt and threw the batter out for the third and final out.
Jacob Fallis pitched all but the last inning and held the Lions to only three hits with the one run given up coming unearned.
Bowie played Glen Rose on Friday and started the game much better.
After surviving a two out triple from the Tigers in the top of the first inning, Kawlyer Swearingin and Richey both drove in runs to give the Jackrabbits an early 2-0 lead.
The highlight of the second inning came on defense as Bowie pulled off another inning ending double play. The Jackrabbits added another run in the third inning as DeMoss drove in a run on a triple with two outs, extending the lead to 3-0.
Glen Rose came back in the fourth inning, stringing together four straight hits to score two runs, cutting the lead to 3-2. That good bit of momentum the Tigers conjured was short lived as Bowie responded in the same inning.
Devin Melton drove in two runs on a double. An error allowed him to reach third base, where he would later score due to a passed ball. DeMoss later drove in a run on a single.
Later in the inning hits from Troy Kesey and Hutson led to Glen Rose committing errors in the field, allowing the Jackrabbits to score two more runs. Bowie’s lead had ballooned to 10-2 before the fourth inning was over.
The Tigers did respond with a run in the fifth inning thanks to a two out rally. The Jackrabbits answered with their own as Richey drove in a run on a single with two outs to make the score 11-3. The game was called after that due to time.
Bowie did not have much time to reflect as it played its next game right after against tournament host Graham.
Despite the Jackrabbits ending on a positive note in the previous game, it was the Steers who got out to a lead in the first inning. Three straight hits following a leadoff walk led to Graham scoring three runs.
The teams exchanged four scoreless innings after that, with both teams missing chances to score with base runners on during that time.
Bowie’s best chance came in the third inning with leadoff Whatley getting hit by a pitch and Carson Sanders reaching first thanks to an error covering his sacrifice bunt. Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits failed to advance a runner past second base during the inning.
Graham added to its lead in the sixth inning, with three hits and a groundout producing two more runs to make the score 5-0. Bowie had one more chance at bat to try and come back.
Kesey led off the seventh inning on a great note with a double, the only extra base hit of the game for the Jackrabbits. After a ground out, Sanders hit a single to put two runners on base.
Unfortunately, Bowie failed to capitalize as the next two batters popped out to left field and grounded out to the shortstop to end the game.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
It was announced last week Nocona Athletic director/football coach Blake Crutsinger is resigning from his position at the school after serving four years.
Crutsinger said now is the time for his family to make the move, with his daughter Avery graduating after spending four years at Nocona and with his son Kellar about to enter high school and wanting the same for him at another school.
“With her going off to college, she had a really good four years here and just looking at Keller heading into high school and exploring some opportunities that might be better for him, it is just time,” Crutsinger said.
Crutsinger went 19-22 overall, helping the Indians to two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. The team’s best season was 2023, when it went 8-2 and won the district title, the first one in 11 years for the program.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo senior Payzlie Cervantes signed her letter of intent to play college basketball last week at Highland College in Kansas. She also played volleyball, softball and ran track at Saint Jo. “After talking with Coach Tana Coleman, I really connected with her and loved the campus vibe and direction she wants for the team,” Cervantes said. “I’m looking forward to continuing my basketball career while getting my associates degree in nursing to become a registered nurse.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Last week Montague County had five girls from Bowie and Saint Jo compete at the state tennis tournament, and one team brought back some hardware.
Sisters from Bowie, junior Heidi and freshman Willow Siebert brought back a bronze medal competing in the 3A girl’s doubles bracket.
The pair were the first people from the program to make it back to state since their half sisters, Meagan and Myah Russell, advanced nine years previously.
The Sieberts came into state as a two-seed, having finished second at the regional tournament the previous week.
The duo was ready as they blew through their first two matches. They beat a team from Hondo in the first round with the scores being 6-1, 6-1 and dominated even more in the second round against a team from Tatum, winning 6-0, 6-1.
That got them through to the second day of the tournament, but Coach Dayna Boothe was worried they had had it too easy on day one.
Playing in the semifinals, the Lady Rabbits faced a familiar foe, a team from Peaster they had beaten in the regional tournament the previous week. Unfortunately, near the end of the first set, with the Sieberts fighting to stay alive, Heidi went after a high lob and slammed into the fence. She hurt her right arm and had to play through it for the rest of the match.
They lost the match with the scores being 6-3, 6-3.
It was an all Peaster final, with the other side of the bracket producing the team that both beat the Sieberts at the regional tournament and won their second straight state title.
Still, despite the disappointment, Bowie is bringing back a bronze medal. According to Boothe, after contacting people who would know dating back to the late 1970s, it could possibly be the program’s first medals from the state tournament in tennis.
Of course, Bowie was not the only school represented. Saint Jo had Taylor Patrick competing in girl’s singles and the team of Bailie Nobile and Maxey Johnson competing in girl’s doubles in the 1A classification.
Senior Patrick was making her third appearance at the state tournament, but her first in the singles competition.
She finished third at the regional meet which meant she had a tough first round matchup against a second seed from Fort Davis.
It took everything from Patrick in a match that lasted two and a half hours. She went down in the first set 6-2, but rebounded in a tight second set to win 6-4 to force a third and final set. She had the momentum and won 6-2 to move on.
She had to summon the energy to play later that day against a fresh one-seed player from Utopia. Patrick lost 6-1, 6-1 to end her Saint Jo career. Her opponent would go on to finish second.
Juniors Johnson and Nobile were making their first appearances at the state meet after finishing second at the regional tournament. In the first round they played a tough match against a team from Marathon. It seemed evenly matched throughout, but small mistakes at inopportune times cost them throughout the match. In the end, the team lost by the scores of 6-3, 6-3.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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