It is time for the 85th annual Oil Bowl this week as the area’s best graduating athletes represent their schools one last time.
Montague County and Bellevue will have 14 athletes competing in football, basketball and volleyball all-star games on June 17-18.
The Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl is one of the longest running all-star football games in the state, starting 1938. From 1945-2013, the format used to pit Texas versus Oklahoma.
After a 13-year absence, basketball was re-added to the proceedings in 2018. Volleyball was added for the first time in 2019.
The weekend starts with basketball on June 17 at Rider High School. The girl’s game is scheduled first at 6 p.m. with the boys following at 7:30 p.m.
In the girl’s game, Bowie’s Addie Farris and Bellevue’s Austin Ford will play on the west team. On the east team, Nocona will have Raylee Sparkman and Stephany Gutierrez play.
In the boy’s game, Bowie’s Drew Weber will suit up for the east team while Nocona’s Lyndon Fenoglio and Adam Meekins will play for the west team.
On June 18 the volleyball game will be played first also at Rider High School starting at 4 p.m. with the small school game.
Gold-Burg’s Kelly Contreras on the west team and Prairie Valley’s Emily Carpenter on the east team will play in that game.
The big school game will follow where Bowie’s Taygon Jones will play on the west team.
The football game is that night. This year the game will be at Iowa Park High School instead of Midwestern State University’s Memorial Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
Both Bowie and Nocona players will play on the east team. The Jackrabbits have Jake Fallis and Hunter Wade playing while the Indians have Sam Davis and Ian Hostetter. The east team has won six of the last seven years.