SPORTS
Saint Jo teams end season in the playoffs
Baseball
The Saint Jo Panther baseball team lost their playoff series double-header against Electra on Thursday night.
The Tigers won 13-5 and 9-0 against the Panthers to end their season.
Saint Jo had a tough season up to that point. The Panthers last win came against Chico in early April. While the team usually struggles against their mostly 2A district schedule, the results were especially one-sided this season.
Still, Saint Jo was hopeful playing another 1A team like Electra would give the team a chance to win and continue its streak of winning its bi-district series that dates back to at least 2018.
Saint Jo started off the first game strong. Logan Hoover hit a sacrifice fly ball that drove in a run. Charlie Barclay followed with an RBI double. Trent Gaston then hit a two RBI single to put the Panthers up 4-0.
The Tigers answered with two runs in the same inning to make it 4-2.
Saint Jo failed to score in the second and third innings while Electra took the lead with three runs and then four runs to go up 9-4.
In the fourth inning, the Panthers scored one run when Jayden Curry successfully scored on the base paths from third base to make it 9-5.
That was the final run for Saint Jo in the game. Electra added three runs in the fifth inning and one more in the sixth inning.
It made the final score 13-5 for the Tigers.
Saint Jo was hoping it could play better in the second game.
In one sense the team did, allowing only eight hits and keeping the hot hitting Tigers from scoring in the double-digits.
Unfortunately, the Panther bats were kept tamed the entire game. Barclay got the teams only hit in the game and the team drew four walks. Unfortunately this was not enough to get any runs for Saint Jo.
The Tigers won 9-0.
Softball
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers softball team had their season come to an end in the area round of the playoffs against Jonesboro on Thursday night.
The Lady Eagles won the one-game playoff series 39-9 after five innings due to run-rule.
Saint Jo was coming into the game following a dominant 16-1 win against Perrin-Whitt in the bi-district playoff series. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers were without their starting pitcher due to injury and their other pitchers struggled to throw strikes.
That was the case as Jonesboro piled on the runs in the first three innings. Trailing 26-0, Saint Jo’s batters put some good things together.
Taylor Patrick drove in one run with a triple. After drawing three straight walks, one runner scored thanks to a wild pitch. K Skidmore then drove in two runs with a double. Two more runs thanks to wild pitches following a single and two drawn walks.
The Lady Panthers had cut the lead to 26-6.
The Lady Eagles added seven runs in the fourth inning where Saint Jo found some more offensive success. With the bases loaded and two outs, one run scored on a passed ball.
Later an error when trying to throw a runner out at third base allowed the other two runners to score as the Lady Panthers scored three runs.
Jonesboro added six more runs in the fifth inning to make the final score 39-9.
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.
-
NEWS1 year ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS6 months agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS1 year agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS1 year agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS10 months agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS1 year ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS1 year agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS1 year ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint