SPORTS
Saint Jo hires Hantz as new athletic director
Saint Jo announced the hiring of CJ Hantz as the new athletic director and head football coach for the 2024-2025 school year.
Coach Hantz brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success. He has five years of experience in athletic administration, having most recently served as athletic director and head football coach at Throckmorton where he led the Greyhounds to five undefeated district titles.
Hantz has gotten to know Saint Jo’s current Athletic Director Mark Stevens through the years and has admired the Panthers success on and off the field during that time.
“I know Coach Stevens does a great job over there,” Hantz said. “I’ve seen him at a lot of track meets. They always have some pretty good success with football and every time I see his kids they are real respectful and you can tell they have good character.”
With a proven commitment to elevating student-athletes’ experiences both on and off the field, Hantz is motivated to guide Saint Jo to new heights of excellence.
“We lift weights here at Throckmorton at 5:30 in the morning and then we go through a full day,” Hantz said. “That prepares them for the real world. I know when I lay my head down at night, these kids up here are going to be good fathers, mothers, go to college or work program and have a successful life. I want to bring that to Saint Jo. Have that trust and these kids can come in with whatever they need. We can have that hard talk and tough love, but they will also know I care about them.”
Hantz is eager to build upon the district’s notable history of athletic achievements and aims to develop a comprehensive program that combines academic success, athletic excellence, and personal growth. Hantz is joining an enthusiastic and dedicated athletic department that is committed to excellence.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
With the baseball and softball seasons over for the area 1A schools, district awards have been released.
Listed below are those earned honors on the field and in the classroom for Saint Jo and Bellevue.
Softball
Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Utility player: Taylor Patrick; Catcher: Jordyn O’Neal
Baseball
Superlatives
Offensive MVP: Devin Stewart, Saint Jo
Newcomer of the Year: Bryce Ramsey, Bellevue
Pitcher: Trent Gaston, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Jayden Curry, Saint Jo
Second team
Pitcher: Charlie Barclay, Saint Jo
Infielder: Brycen Bancroft, Bellevue; Sam Martin, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Rylan Forrester, Saint Jo
Catcher: Charlie Evans, Saint Jo
Utility: Logan Hoover, Saint Jo
DH: Amzy Barclay, Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Cody Gaston, Saint Jo; Xander Joyner, Saint Jo
To see academic awards from Saint Jo players, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Eldon Van Hooser is leaving Forestburg better than he found it.
The head boy’s basketball coach is retiring after more than 30 years, spending the last five at Forestburg.
Van Hooser did not come to this decision because of a lack of fire or feeling tired after decades in the profession. He had to for family reasons.
“My wife has MS (multiple sclerosis) and it’s a disease where you have trouble standing and walking and she needs help,” Van Hooser said. “I am able to so I am going to step away from teaching and coaching to be there for her.”
Van Hooser was hired in 2019. Along with being the boy’s basketball coach, he also was the football team’s defensive coordinator.
There were some lean years for Forestburg on the boy’s athletic side, with numbers being low and the available athletes being mostly underclassmen.
For two years, the Longhorns’ boy’s basketball team won few games and one of those seasons saw the team field five players on the high school team.
“One of those years we had COVID-19 and the other we had five kids,” Van Hooser said. “It was very rough. After that we worked with the kids and we had a good freshman group coming up. Next year they are going to be seniors.”
That group has helped to turn the program around. Last year the young Longhorns team contested for a playoff spot and just barely missed it finishing fifth in the district.
This season, that same group took a leap and finished second in district with a record of 7-5.
Despite losing its last two regular season games in dramatic fashion heading into the playoffs, the team stepped up in the bi-district game.
Playing against an athletic Newcastle team, Forestburg led for most of the game.
Unfortunately, the previous game against Bellevue saw the Longhorn team blow the lead late in the fourth quarter against a hard pressing style team and they were suffering the same fate against the Bobcats down the stretch.
Fortunately, Forestburg held on just enough to win 53-46. It was the first boy’s basketball playoff win in nine years for Forestburg.
“It was huge for our program,” Van Hooser said. “This new year we will have new goals. The new coach will have some goals of his own, but I set some for the team and think that we have come a long way.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie sports banquets was on Monday night. Olivia Gill and Tucker Jones were named Jackrabbit and Lady Rabbit of the year. Pick up the mid-week paper for all of the sports team awards and pictures.
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