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Nocona, Saint Jo, Gold-Burg win to make playoffs

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Nocona
The Nocona Indians were able to hold on to win on Thursday night against Alvord on senior night to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Indians won 31-28, having to recover from a bad third quarter and some lighting failures that paused the action in the second quarter.
Nocona owned most of the first half. Quarterback Brady McCasland threw an eight yard touchdown pass to Charlie Fuller in the first quarter. The team was able to get some help from the Bulldogs special teams as a bad snap through the end zone on a punt resulted in a safety to make the score 9-0.
Nocona’s next drive then ended with running back Johnny Stone running in from four yards out to make it 17-0 after a good two-point conversion.
Unfortunately, that momentum was wiped out when one of the lights went out. The game was stopped and after a 30-minute delay some external lights were used to allow the game to continue on.
Unfortunately, that break allowed Alvord the chance to regroup and on the ensuing kickoff, returned the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 17-7.
Nocona was not able to respond before halftime.
Luckily the Indians came out in the third quarter well. McCasland found Fuller again for a touchdown, this time from 14 yards out to extend the lead to 24-7.
Then the Bulldogs scored on their next three offensive possessions all in the third quarter, scoring on short runs twice and once on a 57-yard run. Alvord had flipped the game on its head. Despite Nocona dominating most of the first half, the Bulldogs now led 28-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Indians offense woke up and got a big place at the beginning of the fourth quarter. McCasland found Michael Wetmore for a 64-yard catch and run touchdown pass to retake the lead and make the score 31-28.
There was still 10:36 left to play in the game and with the Indians defense struggling in the third quarter, the three point lead never felt safe.
However, Nocona’s defense was able to hold on for the rest of the game as the Indians won 31-28.
McCasland led the team completing eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 92 yards, two yards short of Stone who had a team high 94 yards and one rushing touchdown. The senior Wetmore added 67 yards on the ground and 62 through the air.
Most importantly, the offense committed no turnovers which it has struggled with all season.
The defense seemed to hold up most of the game besides those three drives in the third quarter. Nocona outgained Alvord 409 to 256 and the defense forced one turnover by recovering a fumble.
The win improved the Indians record to 8-2 on the season and 3-2 in district, good enough to finish second in the district standings behind Tioga.
It is a big step up for the program that has won three games in the previous two seasons. While dropping down to 2A helped, it was also the continued growth of the team and the coaching staff after a rocky start last year.
Nocona is scheduled to play Bangs in the bi-district round of the playoffs, a team that features a talented running back it will be tasked to stop.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Weatherford.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a fun senior night on Friday with their win against Savoy.
The Panthers won 56-0, winning by mercy rule at halftime while getting in all of their seniors playing time.
Saint Jo scored on almost every offensive drive in the game. Matthew Butler-Everson completed five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns to Dylan Brockman and Caleb Workman. Trevor O’Neal rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and also completed one pass for a 38-yard touchdown to Butler-Everson. Brockman and Bear Bower also each ran for a touchdown in the game.
While it was not much of a challenge for the Panthers, it was a good game for the seniors have fun with before heading into the playoffs.
This year Saint Jo heads into the playoffs as a second seed after losing to Union Hill for the district title. This pairs the Panthers up with an undefeated Gordon team that is ranked among the top in the state.
Saint Jo goes into the game as underdogs, but the Longhorns have not been challenged by a tough team all season so far. Coach Mark Stevens thinks the longer the game goes on the better for his team as it has faced teams he thinks are more physical than Gordon.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Peaster High School.

Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears upset the defending state champions on senior night Friday to earn a playoff berth.
The Bears won 45-30 against Strawn at home to finish second in the district standings and go to the playoffs for the second straight year.
It was a win or the season ends for either team entering the game. Both had lost to district champs Newcastle and had beaten Forestburg.
Despite the Greyhounds being a traditional six-man power, graduation had severely limited the this year’s teams talent.
Gold-Burg led for most of the game and it was the best of the season according to Coach Brady Hibbitts.
The team did well to not just lean on talented running back Jayon Grace, but use all of its weapons on offense to keep Strawn off balance.
The win not only gets the team in the playoffs, but gives it a win against the type of program that is revered around the state and raises Gold-Burg’s standings even while removing any stakes from it.
That won’t help in the Bears upcoming playoff game against Throckmorton. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Olney High School.

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Bowie Softball Interview

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Interview with Bowie softball players Hanna Bell (left) and Sadie Britt following their district win against City View on senior night on April 8, 2025.
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Baseball Roundup

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RJ Walker pitched four perfect innings for Nocona and got his 100th career strike out. (Courtesy photo)

Nocona
The Nocona Indians picked up dominant wins against Chico in their series against the Dragons last week.
The Indians won both games 11-0 by run-rule after five innings to get their first district wins of the season.
Nocona was coming off losing both games against Lindsay the previous week in its first district series and bounced back in a big way.
In the first game at home last week, the Indians scored six runs in the first inning and five in the third inning which proved to be all the offense they needed.
Kutter Cabrera led the team with three RBIs while Miller Jentry was second with two RBIs. The team finished with nine hits and drew eight walks.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched a shut out while striking out seven and allowing three hits. Defensively, the team committed one fielding error.
The second game saw Nocona score all of its runs in the first three innings, highlighted by scoring six runs in the second inning.
Murphey hit a three-run home run to lead the team while Brody Langford and Landon Fatheree each had two RBIs.
On the mound RJ Walker had a big day, throwing a perfect four innings which means he did not allow a hit or walk anyone. He also struck out eight batters, which put him over 100 career strikeouts in high school. The defense committed no fielding errors.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers lost their series against Bryson last week.
The first game was a close 3-0 loss, but the second game was 11-0, done after four and half innings due to run-rule.
The Panthers were coming off close losses to Perrin-Whitt from the previous week. They were hoping they could turn their fortune around playing another 1A program.
Unfortunately in the first game, the Cowboys got off to a good start, scoring three runs in the first inning, with two coming with two outs due to an error and a dropped third strike.
Saint Jo’s pitching and defense tightened up after that to not allow another run in the final six innings. Unfortunately, the Panthers had only two hits and four base runners all game as they lost the close game 3-0.
Charlie Evans and Rylan Forrest had the only two hits for Saint Jo in the game as the team struck out 18 times. Trent Gaston ended the game allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out five batters and walking two in six innings of work. The defense committed five fielding errors.
Unfortunately, things did not go as well several days later in game two. Bryson scored three runs in both the first and second innings before scoring five runs in the third inning. Saint Jo was not able to get a hit and drew two walks in the game.
The Panther defense committed six fielding errors which led to only three of the 11 runs given up were earned by the pitching staff who gave up five hits, walked six and hit four batters.

Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles played Perrin-Whitt last week in a series.
The Pirates won the first game 11-1 by run-rule and the second game score was not updated on Game Changer.
The Eagles were coming off one-sided losses to Bryson the previous week in their first district series and was hoping to play better.
Bellevue did get out to an early lead in the first inning. River Trail hit an RBI single in the top of the first inning to go up 1-0, which proved to be the highlight of the game.
Perrin-Whitt scored three runs in the first inning, one in the second inning, two in the fourth inning and five in the fifth inning to win 11-1.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

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Softball Roundup

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Reagan Wilson tags a base runner out at home plate as the Lady Panthers came back from double-digits to win. (Photo by Jennifer Gaston)

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers picked up a high-scoring win against Perrin-Whitt on Thursday to get their second straight district win and some revenge.
The Lady Panthers won 35-20 against the Lady Pirates, nearly equaling the total when both programs played on the gridiron during the fall.
Saint Jo was coming off a big win the previous week against Bryson, but had lost the last time it played Perrin-Whitt by 10 runs in another high-scoring game.
The Lady Panthers did not start the game off well, allowing 11 runs in the top of the first inning before they had even gotten a chance to bat yet.
Most teams would crumble, but Saint Jo fought back slowly at first before picking things up.
The Lady Panthers scored three runs in the first inning to cut the lead to 11-3.
Perrin-Whitt added four more runs in the second inning to go up 15-3, which in most games is insurmountable.
Saint Jo answered with eight runs in the bottom of the second inning, cutting the lead to 15-11.
The Lady Pirates scored five runs in the third inning and went up by nine runs 20-11. Then the Lady Panthers had a monster offensive inning that went on for awhile.
Saint Jo scored 18 runs in the third inning, not only getting its first lead, but going up by nearly double-digits 29-20.
The Lady Panthers had the momentum and it showed on defense in the fourth inning, allowing no runs for the first time all game by either team.
Saint Jo then went for the kill, scoring six runs to end the game early due to run-rule with the final score being 35-20.
Mercedes Diaz led the team with seven RBIs as she hit one of the two home runs for the Lady Panthers, with the other going to Lily Cook. Maxey Johnson was right behind with six RBIs and Kamron Skidmore had four.

Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians started the second round of district with a dominant win against Era on Monday.
The Lady Indians won 16-0 after four innings, winning by run-rule against the Lady Hornets.
Nocona went 3-2 in the first round of district, only losing to big dogs Lindsay and Muenster. The first time the Lady Indians had played Era, it had been a close 5-2 win for Nocona so the team knew it had to come to play.
The Lady Indians started off well, scoring five runs in the first inning to take the early lead. Nocona added three runs during the next two innings to go up 8-0 as the Lady Indian defense shut down the Lady Hornets.
Nocona then went for the kill, scoring eight runs in the fourth inning to end the game early, winning 16-0.
Reagan Phipps and Tinley Cable each had home runs. Phipps had a team high three RBIs while Cable, Heidi Atteberry and Gwyndelyn Forsyth each finished with two RBIs.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

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