SPORTS
Panthers win bi-district playoff game 53-24
The Saint Jo Panthers started their playoff run on Friday with a win against Leveretts Chapel for the second straight season.
The Panthers never trailed in their 53-24 win against the Lions, but just could not finish off the speedy and unpredictable team from Leveretts Chapel as the game went all four quarters.
Saint Jo got the ball first and had running back Logan Brawner score on a 17-yard run to go up 8-0. The Lions answered on their opening drive, converting on fourth down to score on a short touchdown pass to tie the game at 8-8.
The Panthers scored on their next drive as Jace Johnson scored on a short run to give the team back the lead 16-8. Saint Jo looked primed to go up another score as the team recovered the onside kick. Unfortunately, Leveretts Chapel got a rare stop, forcing the Panthers a turnover-on-downs.
Luckily, Saint Jo’s defense got the ball back, backing the Lions up and forcing them into a rarely seen punt. With the ball back, the Panthers offense got another big run as Brawner got loose on a 31-yard run to put Saint Jo up 24-8.
A long Leveretts Chapel drive into Panthers territory ended with no points as Saint Jo’s defense held on fourth and one to give the Panthers the ball back with 2:23 left before halftime.
The team needed all of the time it could manage as it slowly worked down the field. The team had to overcome a 10-yard holding penalty on the first play of the drive and later had to convert a fourth and short play.
With little time left and timeouts few, the team had to start throwing. Quarterback Matthew Butler-Everson completed a big 25-yard pass to Johnathon Diaz to get the team within striking distance. He then threw the ball up to Brawner who came up with the 17-yard touchdown catch to put Saint Jo up 32-8 heading into halftime.
The Panthers’ defense forced a quick turnover on downs on Leveretts Chapel’s opening drive. Unfortunately, Saint Jo lost Butler-Everson to an injury on its first offensive play. Payton Harris, who started the team’s first two games of the season at quarterback, came in but the offense was reeling as the team turned the ball over on downs.
The Lions’ offense could not take advantage. On fourth down, Brawner intercepted the pass to give the ball back to the Panthers.
The offense started rolling then as Harris completed a big pass to Devin Stewart for 41 yards that set up Brawner scoring on a 12-yard run to make the score 38-8.
The defense came through with another turnover as Brawner was involved again in recovering a fumble on the Lions first offensive play of the drive.
On offense, Harris completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Diaz to make the score 45-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, Leveretts Chapel was not going to lay down and let the game end if it gave up one more score. The team got a big kickoff return to the Panthers 10-yard line. On the first offensive play the Lions then scored on a run to cut the lead to 45-16.
Saint Jo’s offense was rolling as Harris converted two third downs with passes to Diaz to keep the drive moving. Later Harris found Stewart for an 18-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 51-16.
The Lions were not done though. On the first play of its next drive, Leveretts Chapel scored on a 51-yard run to make the score 51-24.
Saint Jo’s offense drove close to the Lions goal line on its next drive. Unfortuantely, the Panthers offense stalled on fourth down to give the ball back to Leveretts Chapel.
Backed up near their end zone though, a negative run from the Lions saw Saint Jo’s defense force a safety.
Not only did it make the score 53-24, it gave the ball back to the Panthers who then ran the clock out to end the game.
To read the full story, 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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