SPORTS
First week of Olympics captured my attention
The first week of Olympics competition is mostly done as I write this on Friday morning.
I didn’t watch everything and was not particularly interested in doing homework heading into the games outside of a few storylines I just knew from past Olympics.
I only was able to catch a few sports live because of work, mostly relying on NBC’s three hour, USA centric, tightly edited wrap up show most nights. That means I did miss a lot, especially if it did not involve America.
Still, the first week had me turning on sports every night for the first time in more than month since the doldrums of July sports started up as it is filled with those I am usually not that invested in unless certain criteria are met.
The first week traditionally is filled with a lot of swimming. That’s because team USA seems to have an endless roster of people who at least have a medal’s chance in every race, if not being among the best to ever do it.
I will say, the amount of records not being set seems to be a bit of a downer as a viewer. Apparently, it is the pool’s fault. Shallower pools are slower according to people in the swim world, but science does not back that thinking up.
The only event I caught live, which meant I streamed it on my phone at work, was the men’s street skateboarding final.
While I have spent literally no time on a skateboard in my life, I have always been fascinated by watching X Game competitions growing up and later learning about the history of skateboarding.
It’s fascinating a fad activity from the 1970s fueled mostly by teens looking only to have fun would grow into such an interesting subculture. The fact the forbearers are still around, with the oldest in their 50s-60s, to see it turn into a sport respected enough for the Olympic stage blows all of them away if you ask them.
While a lot of people think skateboarding is people flying off of ramps and halfpipes like the most popular skateboarder Tony Hawk, the vast majority of regular skateboarders skate in the street style since its obstacles are almost everywhere.
These are the ones who grind rails, jump down stairs and get chased away by security guards who don’t want them skating on public property. Yes, the progenitor to these vandals are the ones who are now Olympic athletes.
I was rooting for USA’s Nyjah Huston, who is pretty much recognized as the most successful contest street skater in history. The only thing missing on his resume is an Olympic medal. He failed to medal in 2021, which were the first Olympics with skateboarding in it.
Him and fellow American skater Jagger Eaton were tearing it up, both scoring runs more than 90 points out of 100. The competition then turned into a best trick format, with skaters having five tries to land their two best tricks.
Both looked to have gold and silver locked down, landing two tricks more than 90 points again, which is a really high score.
Unfortunately, defending gold medal champion and teenager, Yuto Horigome from Japan, came out to snipe the gold medal with his final few best tricks.
Japan had two more at the top of the medal stand in the women’s street skate boarding as well, with all three medalists being teenagers as well. A sport of youth rebellion indeed.
Of course, the first week also is ruled by team gymnastics. While the women and Simone Biles were the biggest story, another story proved to be endearing.
The USA men’s team had last won a team medal in 2008. This year, the team was in the running for the bronze if they executed and got some help from some of their competition.
Made up of youthful looking, exuberantly buff men looking to make a mark, every clean routine stuck seemed to mark an explosion of joy from the USA competitors that it was endearing to watch.
It all culminated into the last person to go. All meet, Stephen Nedoroscik had sit calmly by, waiting in the wings to do his one routine on the pommel horse event. With big glasses on that seemed to overshadow his typical buff gymnast frame, he took them off right before he mounted the horse and seemed to turn into Super Man.
As he dismounted, he and his teammates knew he had secured a bronze medal, ending the medal drought.
The explosion of joy and the scenes of them lifting him up as he pumped his arms was one I couldn’t help but feel happy about.
I am not alone in preferring women’s gymnastics as opposed to men’s, but on this day their joy made me care and feel invested.
On a similar note, when I want to see someone get tackled, I would rather them be padded up with a helmet on playing American football instead of rugby. Unfortunately, one is an Olympic sport and the other is not.
I did not realize the women’s rugby competition was going on or that it was in the medal rounds already, but when I saw the highlight of the USA women’s team winning literally in the final seconds how could I not care.
Playing Australia, a country that has a big tradition and really gives a crap about rugby unlike here, USA had just fallen behind with less than two minutes left to play in a low-scoring game.
Backed up near their own goal line and with time running down, the ball found Alex Sedrick who ran through two defenders before breaking away, running the length of nearly the whole field and scoring a try (touchdown) to tie the game up.
The extra-point kick after gave USA the win 14-12 and its first medal in the program’s history.
Immediately, such a dramatic play, fans got to see in real time the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” as players on both sides were in tears for different reasons.
I know I missed other great moments from other sports and also from other countries.
What was your favorite thing to watch in the first week? Leave a comment or email [email protected].
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs were able to pick up a win on homecoming night on Friday against Christ Academy.
The Lady Bulldogs won 32-27 against the Lady Warriors.
Prairie Valley started off the game on a great note going up 10-1 in the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs seemed to effortlessly drive to the basket against Christ Academy’s man-to-man defense. On the other side of the court, Prairie Valley’s pressure out its 3-2 zone defense seemed too much for the Lady Warriors.
The second quarter was more even as the Lady Bulldogs small bench meant a slow pace and a lot of energy expended by their lead ball handlers.
Christ Academy adjusted to the physicality and eventually started to use their size advantage to just kind of will points to come in the paint.
Still, Prairie Valley led 18-8 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Lady Warrior players seem to match up better with the Lady Bulldogs to not allow drives to the basket be so easy. Fatigue also played a factor as Prairie Valley only scored four points.
Thankfully, the Lady Bulldogs were able to hold on to a 22-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The final period saw Christ Academy take its first lead of the game up 24-22 before Prairie Valley tied it back up 24-24. Then it was back and forth down the stretch.
Linzie Priddy scored on a layup to give the Lady Bulldogs back the lead with less than two minutes left to play. The Lady Warriors answered quickly with only their second 3-pointer of the game to answer back and get back the lead.
Prairie Valley then saw Renee Stout’s running floater go in to get back the lead.
After getting a stop, the Lady Bulldogs made one free throw extend their lead to 29-27 with 24 seconds left. Prairie Valley then sealed the game as Stout stole the ball in the backcourt and Priddy scored on a layup. One final free throw made by Natalee Young made the final score 32-27 for Prairie Valley.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians crushed Olney on the road on Friday to pick up its third district win.
The Lady Indians won 84-20 against the Lady Cubs in a game that was never close.
Nocona came in confident after easily winning its first two games in district by one-sided scores, last losing a district game in 2019 when it was competing in 3A.
Olney was 1-1 in district and had a similar season record while playing mostly small schools.
The Lady Indians led 21-6 after the first quarter and 36-14 at halftime.
Nocona seemed to pick it up even more in the second half, limiting the Lady Cubs to only six points total. The Lady Indians scored 29 points in the third quarter before gearing down to 19 points in the fourth quarter even as they sat some of their starters.
Nocona won 84-20.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers beat 2A Archer City on Friday night to head into the break on a good note.
The Lady Panthers won a competitive game 54-46 against the Lady Cats.
Payzlie Cervantes led the team with 14 points and seven steals. Aubrey Morman was second with 10 points. Krista Reeves, Jordyn O’Neal and Kamron Skidmore each scored eight points.
Taylor Patrick grabbed a team high 16 rebounds to go with five assists.
Forestburg
The Forestburg Lady Horns won a good game against Community Christian at home on Friday to go into the holiday break on a positive note.
The Lady Horns won 50-30 against the Lady Warriors.
Forestburg started off the game well going up 18-9. The second quarter saw the Lady Horns slow down a little, but their lead grew a little as they led 29-16 at halftime.
The third quarter was Forestburg’s last great push as Brenna Briles scored 10 of the team’s 16 points as it led 45-22. The fourth quarter saw the Lady Horns hold the ball which limited scoring opportunities for both teams as they scored less than double-digits for the first time all game.
Still, the Lady Horns won by 20 points, 50-30.
Missing scores
The Bowie News did not receive scores from Bellevue coaches from Friday’s game.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News. For more pictures from the Prairie Valley game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871308&T=1
Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs had a good win against Christ Academy on Friday night in which they were celebrating homecoming and its first hall of honor celebration.
The Bulldogs won 54-40, catching fire in the second half after a slow start against the Warriors.
Prairie Valley was trying to shake off its most recent loss against Bryson as the young team and new Coach Kent Caruthers work through early season hiccups.
The start to the game saw the Bulldogs struggle to score against Christ Academy while the Warriors were able to can in a couple of 3-pointers to help them take a 10-4 lead.
The second quarter saw Prairie Valley’s 3-2 zone increase in intensity and pressure, mixing in some full-court presses after made baskets to keep Christ Academy on its toes.
The Bulldogs limited the Warriors to only one made basket while continuing to attack the basket. Prairie Valley tied the score up at 14-14 heading into halftime.
The third quarter saw both team’s offenses explode relative to the first half. After the team made only one 3-pointer in the first half, Trae Campbell caught fire for the Bulldogs as he made three in the quarter.
Prairie Valley more than doubled its first half production as it led 31-26 in what was still a competitive game.
Then the fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs run away with it as Jarrett Horton scored 11 of the team’s 19 points, including making three 3-pointers. Christ Academy could not keep up as Prairie Valley won by double-digits 54-40.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians were able to start off district play right with a win at Olney on Friday.
The Indians beat the Cubs 51-42 in a game with a lot of runs for both teams.
Nocona was coming off a disappointing loss to Holliday in its previous game, but the Indians were hoping to play better against schools its own size.
It did not start well for the Indians. Olney jumped out to a 7-0 lead and it looked like Nocona was not playing engaged.
The Indians answered in the first quarter, coming back to tie the score at 7-7. In the second quarter, Nocona exploded for 20 points as four players made at least one basket each. The Indians limited the Cubs to only seven points again as they led 27-14 at halftime.
Nocona’s offense kept the pressure on in the third quarter even if the defense did not. Olney more than doubled its first half total in the quarter, scoring 17 points. Still, the Indians led by double-digits 42-31 heading into the final period.
Nocona’s offense slowed down in the fourth quarter as the team got sloppy with the ball. The Indians scored only nine points after two explosive quarters. Still, it was enough to beat the Cubs 51-42.
Forestburg
The Forestburg Longhorns dominated Community Christian at home on Friday to head into the holiday break feeling great.
The Longhorns dominated the Warriors 70-31, with most of the damage coming in three quarters as the starters sat out the fourth.
Forestburg jumped out to a 27-4 lead and it never got much better for Community Christian. The Longhorns slowed down a bit in the second quarter as the Warriors equaled them 14-14 during the period.
Forestburg had one more stretch of dominance in the third quarter, growing its lead as it outscored Community Christian 22-8. The Longhorns led 63-26.
The final period saw most of Forestburg’s starters sit to give the inexperienced bench some much needed minutes. While the Longhorns held the Warriors to only five points, the team only scored seven themselves.
Still, Forestburg won big 70-31.
Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears had a tough final game before district play on Thursday as they lost to Victory Christian Academy in Decatur.
The Patriots won 48-26 against the Bears they got off to a slow start that put them behind the eight-ball.
Gold-Burg was coming off a tough loss against Garner after having an up and down tournament at Saint Jo the previous week.
The first quarter was the lowest point for the Bears.
Victory Christian seemed one step ahead of Gold-Burg’s 3-2 zone, able to find the open player ahead of the defensive rotation and dribble into open spots.
The Patriots made three 3-pointers and seemed to get whatever they wanted.
On the other side, the Bears offense tried to attack Victory Christian off the dribble but could not get an easy or clean shot anywhere.
Every shot was tough and unfortunately none went in during the first eight minutes of the game.
The Patriots led 19-0 after the first quarter.
Thankfully, Gold-Burg had nowhere to go but up and the defense tightened up. The Bears used their size and fight inside to not allow easy shots near the basket as only two 3-pointers from Victory Christian were the only points given up.
On offense, Gold-Burg still was not able to shake the sticky man-to-man defense, though the team did earn three trips to the free throw line and made two baskets.
Still, the Bears were down 25-5 at halftime.
The shots started to go in during the second half for Gold-Burg as the team scored in double-figures in the final two quarters.
Unfortunately, the Patriots had one more successful offensive quarter in the third to make sure the Bears could not make the game close.
Victory Christian won 48-26 in the end.
Missing scores
The Bowie News did not receive scores from Friday’s games from Saint Jo and Bellevue coaches.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
For more photos from the Prairie Valley game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871309&T=1
For photos from the Gold-Burg game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871307&T=1
Girls
The Bowie Lady Rabbits head into the holiday break starting 2-0 in district after winning a close game at Jacksboro on Friday.
The Lady Rabbits took the lead when Laney Enlow put an offensive rebound back in with 36 seconds left to secure the win 44-42 against the Lady Tigers.
Bowie came into the game knowing it would be tougher than its district opener where it beat Iowa Park by double-digits. Jacksboro was 1-1 in district, coming off a close win against Henrietta.
The Lady Rabbits started out the game as well, limiting the Lady Tigers to only three points in the first quarter. On offense, Bowie had four different players score make one basket, including Lanie Moore who sunk two 3-pointers as the Lady Rabbits led 13-3.
The second quarter saw Jacksboro get back into the game on offense, with four different players scoring points as the Lady Tigers scored 14 points. Thankfully, Bowie’s offense was not slowing down as the team first approach continued. Six different players scored at least one point as the Lady Rabbits scored 15 points, growing their lead by one point as they led 28-17 at halftime.
Unfortunately, the third quarter was one in which everything seemed to go wrong for Bowie. The Lady Rabbits made only two free throws all quarter. Coach Matthew Miller thought the shots his team were taking were good, but just none went in during this period.
This left the door open for Jacksboro to make up ground and the team did. Leaning on its leading scorer Hayden Walker, who scored 10 of the team’s 18 points during the period, the Lady Tigers took the lead 35-30 heading into the fourth quarter.
Bowie’s offense got back on track in the final period. Four different players made at least one basket as the Lady Rabbits climbed back. Most importantly, Bowie’s defense limited Jacksboro to only seven points during the quarter.
Still, it came down to the final minute before the Lady Rabbits went ahead for good on Enlow’s offensive put back. Bowie’s defense was able to hold as the team won 44-42.
Boys
The Bowie Jackrabbits lost a close game at Jacksboro on Friday in their district opener right before the holiday break.
The Jackrabbits lost 46-44 to a tough Tigers team full of upperclassmen.
Bowie came into the game on the heels of a good showing at a tournament in Graham the previous week and had extra time to prepare for the game with a bye earlier in the week.
Jacksboro had a lot of recent wins, but almost all of its opponents were smaller 2A or 3A schools. Also, the Tigers three-round playoff run in football meant the team had only been together for a little less than three weeks.
Still, when the teams meet it was Jacksboro that took the lead early, attacking the paint and limiting Bowie’s chances to score as the Tigers led 11-7.
The Jackrabbits started to use that physicality against Jacksboro, shooting 12 free throws in the second quarter alone. The Tigers shot seven themselves in the quarter as both teams scored 11 points.
Bowie trailed 22-18 at halftime.
The third quarter started off poorly by the Jackrabbits. Jacksboro got off to a great start and led by as many as 11 at one point. Thankfully the team rallied and had the best offensive performance of the game. The Tigers lead was cut down to 35-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final period was back and forth throughout as neither team had much luck getting free throws like it had in the second quarter. Every point was tough to score for both Bowie and Jacksboro.
The Jackrabbits rode the hot hand of Bradly Horton who scored eight of the team’s 10 points during the quarter. His 3-pointer down the stretch cut the lead to one basket and a free throw cut it to two points.
Unfortunately, Bowie never got a chance to tie the game as the Tigers were able to keep possession and hold on to win 46-44.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
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