SPORTS
Panthers beat Ector in playoffs
The Saint Jo Panthers’ baseball team gets to move on as they beat Ector twice on Friday in the area round of the playoffs.
The Panthers controlled both games, winning 12-3 and 13-2 two weeks since their last regular season game.
Saint Jo’s bi-district one game playoff series against Vernon Northside the previous week was forfeited by the Indians due to disciplinary reasons.
It did not take long to knock off the rust. Leadoff batter Collin Thomas was able to score on the base paths thanks to an error from the pitcher. Two batters later Payton Harris drove in a run with a single to put the Panthers up 2-0 after the first inning.
The second inning Saint Jo took advantage of some errant pitching as three hit batters loaded the bases with one out. Jace Johnson came through as he a hit a bases-clearing triple. Harris then drove him in with a single.
Later in the inning the bases were loaded up again and Jordan Reeves drew a walk to score another run to put the Panthers up 7-0 before a pop up ended the second inning.
Harris got the start on the mound for Saint Jo and was clean through the first two innings, but the Eagles found some success in the third inning. Two walks and two doubles drove in three runs to cut the lead to 7-3.
The Panthers tried to answer back and gain back momentum with their bats. The first two batters tried to attack pitches early in the count and popped up for easy outs on only three pitches. Johnson then drew a walk to try and spark a two out rally. He stole second base, but was thrown out at third base to end the third inning.
Ector looked like it was getting back into the game. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases. With two outs, Harris forced a ground out to short stop to get out of the jam.
In the fifth inning the Panthers added to their lead. Collin Thomas scored on the base paths thanks to an error by the pitcher. Johnson later drove in a run. With the bases loaded Chance Bennett laid down a sacrificed bunt for another run, making the score 10-3.
Trevor Conner came to pitch in the sixth inning. The Eagles again loaded the bases, but again Saint Jo got out of the situation as Conner fielded a ground ball for out three.
Conner led off the next inning and was hit by a pitch. Thomas would later drive him in on a single. Cook then drove him in with a single to make the score 12-3.
Despite Ector getting a one out single to try and spark a desperate comeback in the final inning, catcher Bennett threw him out for out two before Conner struck out the final batter.
Johnson led the team with four RBIs while Harris had two. On the mound Harris gave up three runs on five hits while striking out six and walking six batters in five innings. Conner got the save and allowed only two hits and no runs while striking out two batters and walking one.
To read what happened in game two, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Red River High School Bass Club competed this past weekend, May 31 – June 1, at the State Tournament on Lake Conroe for the two-day tournament.
Two of the teams from Montague County traveled south to try their best at the culmination of the year for the state title. Teams were able to pre-fish on Friday before the Saturday and Sunday competition. On Friday, there was a flipping contest for the youth and Cooper Johnson won third overall and won a $500 scholarship and an Academy gift card.
The club’s two teams who competed were Lane Smith/Colt Henry with boat captain Jimmy Smith. The team placed 63rd with a total of 16.22 pounds. The second team of Cooper Johnson/Corbyn Patton and boat captain Jayson Toerck placed 169th with a total weight of 2.29 pounds.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl is this week on June 6-7 and graduating athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo are confirmed to be playing.
In total, seven athletes from Bowie, five from Nocona and three from Saint Jo are planning to play in the all-star games this week. Nocona also will have a pair of coaches participating as well.
The girl’s basketball game kicks off events on June 6, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Wichita Falls Memorial High School. In the game, the east team will have Nocona players Avery Crutsinger, Meg Meekins and Reagan Phipps playing while Kyler Spitzer and Clayton Brown coach them one last time.
On the west team, Saint Jo’s Payzlie Cervantes is confirmed to be playing.
The boy’s basketball game is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m. On the east team, Bowie’s Boston Farris and Nocona’s Jose Gomez Jr. will be playing.
On June 7, the volleyball games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. with the small school game. On the west team, Nocona’s Kaygan Stone and Saint Jo’s Taylor Patrick are confirmed to play. On the east team, Saint Jo’s Aubrey Morman will get to play her teammate.
There are no local athletes confirmed to be playing in the big school volleyball game.
The final event is the football game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It is an all Bowie affair with six players confirmed to be playing for the east team: Justin Clark, Jorge De Leon, Hunter Fluitt and Braden Rhyne, Preacher Chambers and Moh Azouak.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona Independent School District officials looked inward for a new athletic director/head football coach, selecting Jeff Hill for the position.
Hill, who served last year as Nocona football’s offensive coordinator and also led the softball program to the playoffs for the first time in a while as its head coach, was upgraded to the role.
This came on the heels of former Athletic Director Blake Crutsinger, who served in the role the last four years, resigned in May.
For Hill, the choice to apply for the position was a no brainer. His one year in Nocona had impressed upon him and his wife that it was the place they would like to be long term.
“I’m looking for a town to raise my kids in and Nocona has treated my family really well,” Hill said. “There are some really good people. The kids work hard. Everything I am looking for in a hometown is right here in Nocona and I want to try and make it as best as it can be, especially through athletics.”
Before Nocona, Hill served as the athletic director at S&S Consolidated while also spending time at Hebron and Whitewright in his coaching career.
Hill expresses great respect for the departing Crutsinger and besides changing a few small things in how he personally wants to do things, he is not trying to come in with a sweeping restructuring of the whole athletic department.
The program had five of its six team sports make the playoffs, with volleyball playing in the regional final and the girl’s basketball team winning the state championship.
That along with two athletes competing at the state championship in cross country and track with one earning a gold medal, it was one of the more successful school years in athletic program history.
“Coach Crutsinger was awesome and did a great job so honestly just little tweaks, a little bit of structure and cohesion amongst the coaching staff between boys and girls,” Hill said. “I hope to keep the winning tradition going overall in the athletic department.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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