SPORTS
Jackrabbits grind out Bulls in first win of the season
The Bowie Jackrabbits picked up their first win of the season on Friday night against Bridgeport.
The Jackrabbits used smash mouth football to run the Bulls into the turf as they won 23-9 in a grind it out type of way.
Both teams came into the game looking for their first win after losing in week one in one-sided contests against teams from bigger schools.
Last year’s game was a high-scoring shootout that lasted until nearly midnight and combined for 125 points with Bridgeport coming out with the win by one point. This year’s game was much different.
Neither team threw the ball much at all, with only 15 passes being attempted all game. This meant the clock was almost always moving and more often than not, it was Bowie that had the ball.
The Jackrabbits had the first chance to score in the game about midway through the first quarter. Unfortunately, despite its success running the ball on the drive, Bowie could not punch the ball into the end zone from the one-yard line.
The Bulls defense got the goal line stand and the ball on their own one-yard line. It was not all bad for the Jackrabbits though.
On the first play of the next series, Bowie linebacker Will Cross shot into the backfield and tackled Bridgeport’s quarterback for a safety as he was trying to run a sweep to his side.
The Jackrabbits were up 2-0.
After the teams exchanged punts on the next possessions, the Bulls punter downed the ball inside of Bowie’s own 10-yard line.
Following a run that lost yards and a penalty that moved the Jackrabbits back more, a rollout to the left never had a chance as Bridgeport’s defensive tackle came through unblocked to sack the quarterback for a safety.
The score was tied with the unusual score 2-2 heading into the second quarter.
After both teams exchanged possessions all quarter, Bowie was able to march down the field and score right before halftime as running back Seth Mann punched the ball in from three yards out. The Jackrabbits led 9-2 at halftime, with the score getting them momentum they would use in the second half.
Bowie’s defense got the stop on Bridgeport’s opening drive. The Jackrabbits then got the ball and methodically drove the ball on a long, time consuming drive.
With only one pass being attempted all drive, Bowie ran the ball down the Bulls throats and ended with Mann scoring from the one-yard line to put the Jackrabbits up 16-2.
Bridgeport was not just going to lie down. The Bulls responded with their own drive, converting at least one fourth down on the way to scoring on a 14-yard run early in the fourth quarter to cut Bowie’s lead to 16-9.
Bridgeport tried to get the ball back immediately with a surprise onside kick, but the Jackrabbits recovered and had good field position.
Again Bowie ran it right at the Bulls and until Mann again ended up capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Jackrabbits led 23-9 with a little less than half the fourth quarter to play.
A bad kickoff return set up Bridgeport with the ball inside its own 10-yard line. Eventually, despite being down two double-digits, the Bulls were forced to punt the ball away from inside their own 20-yard line with a little more than three minutes remaining.
From there, the Jackrabbits were able to run out the clock and win the game 23-9.
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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