SPORTS
Bowie softball team struggles
It was a tough week for the Bowie softball team playing back-to-back district games on Monday and Tuesday.
The Lady Rabbits lost at Jacksboro 17-2 while losing to Holliday at home 14-0.
Bowie started Monday’s game against the Lady Tigers well. Leadoff Traycee Stewart bunt for a hit to get on base. Addie Farris followed with an infield hit.
Alexa Holzer then drove in Stewart with a single to right field. Madison Hartin followed, grounding out to first base, but driving in Farris in the process. Bowie led 2-0.
Jacksboro’s leadoff was able to score thanks to some errors in the outfield. The Lady Rabbits then pulled an impressive double play, but the Lady Tigers were not done.
A two out double and a passed ball put a runner on third base. A dropped third allowed her to score and tie the game up at 2-2.
A walk and an error loaded the bases up, but Bowie was able to get the third out before more damage was done.
Rylie Vieth led off the second with a single for the Lady Rabbits. Unfortunately, she would remain at first as the next three batters struck out.
Jacksboro was able to load the bases with no outs thanks to two walks and one hit. After a pop out, a hit batter allowed one runner to come in and give the Lady Tigers the 3-2 lead.
Bowie’s defense then stepped up by getting the force out at home on a ground out to short and another ground out to second base to end the inning.
Layla Felts tried to get something going with two outs with a single. Nothing came of it as the next batter grounded out.
It would the beginning of the end for the Lady Rabbits as the third inning proved to be the inning from hell. Six walks, three hits, two errors and several passed balls allowed Jacksboro to score 14 runs.
The game ended due to run rule with the Lady Tigers winning 17-2.
Losing a game one run game due to one never ending inning is a hard thing for any team to try and rebound from. Bowie did not have long as it hosted Holliday on Tuesday.
The Lady Eagles struck first scoring five runs in the first inning thanks to three hits, two errors and a walk. The Lady Rabbits failed to get any runner on base as the game moved to the second inning.
Four errors and a drawn walk allowed Holliday to score four more runs to up the lead to 9-0. Bowie had a hard time getting much contact with the ball as all three batters were struck out to end the second inning.
A leadoff double followed by a fielding error and two singles allowed the Lady Eagles to score three more runs to up the lead to 12-0. The Lady Rabbits batters again had trouble making much contact, sitting down due to strikeouts.
Bowie’s defense had a great fourth inning. Pitcher Kaylie Kinney forced a ground out and struck out two batters swinging.
Unfortunately, the Lady Rabbit offense continued to struggle making much contact as all three batters struck out to end the fourth inning.
Holliday added two more runs thanks to a leadoff walk and back-to-back two out singles to extend its lead to 14-0.
Bowie would need to score five more runs to avoid losing by run rule. With two outs, Vieth singled to left field for the team’s first hit in the game. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as the next batter struck out to end the game.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
With the baseball and softball seasons over for the area 1A schools, district awards have been released.
Listed below are those earned honors on the field and in the classroom for Saint Jo and Bellevue.
Softball
Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Utility player: Taylor Patrick; Catcher: Jordyn O’Neal
Baseball
Superlatives
Offensive MVP: Devin Stewart, Saint Jo
Newcomer of the Year: Bryce Ramsey, Bellevue
Pitcher: Trent Gaston, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Jayden Curry, Saint Jo
Second team
Pitcher: Charlie Barclay, Saint Jo
Infielder: Brycen Bancroft, Bellevue; Sam Martin, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Rylan Forrester, Saint Jo
Catcher: Charlie Evans, Saint Jo
Utility: Logan Hoover, Saint Jo
DH: Amzy Barclay, Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Cody Gaston, Saint Jo; Xander Joyner, Saint Jo
To see academic awards from Saint Jo players, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Eldon Van Hooser is leaving Forestburg better than he found it.
The head boy’s basketball coach is retiring after more than 30 years, spending the last five at Forestburg.
Van Hooser did not come to this decision because of a lack of fire or feeling tired after decades in the profession. He had to for family reasons.
“My wife has MS (multiple sclerosis) and it’s a disease where you have trouble standing and walking and she needs help,” Van Hooser said. “I am able to so I am going to step away from teaching and coaching to be there for her.”
Van Hooser was hired in 2019. Along with being the boy’s basketball coach, he also was the football team’s defensive coordinator.
There were some lean years for Forestburg on the boy’s athletic side, with numbers being low and the available athletes being mostly underclassmen.
For two years, the Longhorns’ boy’s basketball team won few games and one of those seasons saw the team field five players on the high school team.
“One of those years we had COVID-19 and the other we had five kids,” Van Hooser said. “It was very rough. After that we worked with the kids and we had a good freshman group coming up. Next year they are going to be seniors.”
That group has helped to turn the program around. Last year the young Longhorns team contested for a playoff spot and just barely missed it finishing fifth in the district.
This season, that same group took a leap and finished second in district with a record of 7-5.
Despite losing its last two regular season games in dramatic fashion heading into the playoffs, the team stepped up in the bi-district game.
Playing against an athletic Newcastle team, Forestburg led for most of the game.
Unfortunately, the previous game against Bellevue saw the Longhorn team blow the lead late in the fourth quarter against a hard pressing style team and they were suffering the same fate against the Bobcats down the stretch.
Fortunately, Forestburg held on just enough to win 53-46. It was the first boy’s basketball playoff win in nine years for Forestburg.
“It was huge for our program,” Van Hooser said. “This new year we will have new goals. The new coach will have some goals of his own, but I set some for the team and think that we have come a long way.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie sports banquets was on Monday night. Olivia Gill and Tucker Jones were named Jackrabbit and Lady Rabbit of the year. Pick up the mid-week paper for all of the sports team awards and pictures.
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