SPORTS
Bowie loses but is not out yet
The Bowie Jackrabbits lost a tough game on the road Friday night against Vernon that puts their playoff hopes in the hands of fate going into their bye-week.
The Lions won 51-26, pulling away in the second half after the Jackrabbits had clawed their way back into the game in the second quarter.
Bowie came in as the underdog, playing a Vernon team with 5-2 record that had a lot of playmakers that could break the game open. Still, the Jackrabbits were fresh off their first district win and were already in survival mode if they likely wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The game did not start out well for Bowie. Vernon drove down the field and scored on a short run to take the lead. The Lions followed it up with a long catch and run to the running back for 33 yards for another score.
Down 14-0, the Jackrabbit offense hit on a big pass play. Rayder Mann found running back Justin Clark streaking wide open down the middle of the field for a 44-yard touchdown pass. It cut the lead to 14-7.
Unfortunately, still in the first quarter, Vernon came right back to score on a big play. The Lions running back got loose for a 74-yard touchdown run to go up 21-7.
Early in the second quarter, Bowie was able to hit on another big pass play. Mann found tight end Zac Harris open down the seam for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Unfortunately, Vernon blocked the extra point and returned it the other way for two points. The Lions led 23-13.
Still, the Jackrabbit defense got a stop and the offense drove down the field into Vernon’s red zone. There, rolling to his right, Mann found Tyler Richey who caught a tightly contested pass for an eight-yard touchdown pass. It cut the lead to 23-19.
Unfortunately, that would be as close as Bowie would get. Hoping to hold that score until halftime, Vernon had other ideas. The Lions drove down the field and scored on a short pass right before halftime to extend their lead to 30-19 heading into the second half.
Vernon was able to feed off that momentum to start the third quarter since it was receiving the ball first. The Lions then scored quickly when their quarterback scrambled for a 54-yard touchdown run.
The earlier four-point deficit had changed in a hurry as now Bowie found itself down 37-19.
The offense struggled in the second half as explosive plays in the passing game were harder to come by. The Jackrabbits were not able to take their time running the ball for short gains like they usually like to establish since they were down multiple scores for the entire second half.
Vernon’s offense scored twice more on short runs after long drives to push its lead up to 51-19. Bowie scored once more at the end of the game when Lane Whitfield found the end zone after a five-yard run.
It made the final score 51-26.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Bellevue basketball teams both played in the playoffs for the first time in several years. The Lady Eagles finished fourth in the district to qualify after missing the previous season. In the bi-district round, Bellevue had to play the eventual state champs Newcastle.
The Eagles also finished fourth, though they played Saint Jo in a play-in game for third place. Bellevue then had to play state-ranked Graford in the bi-district round before ending its season.
The spring season saw Bellevue bring back its baseball program after many years.
While the team struggled during its initial season, it is a step in the first step for a program that hopes to compete well in the near future. In golf, the Lady Eagles ended up winning the district title to qualify for the regional tournament.
In the fall, both of Bellevue’s cross country teams finished second at district and qualified for regionals.
There, Mattie Broussard was able to qualify for the state meet individually after winning the regional title.
At state, Broussard came in ninth place to earn a medal.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Prairie Valley program had a good spring to start 2024. In tennis Case Carpenter qualified for regionals after finishing second at the district meet in boy’s singles. In golf, the Lady Bulldogs team finished second at the district tournament to qualify for regionals.
To cap off the spring season, Linzie Priddy qualified for the state track meet in the 800 meter race, where she placed ninth overall.
The fall season saw the Lady Bulldogs finish second in district to qualify for the playoffs. In the bi-district round, Prairie Valley held on to beat Vernon Northside in five sets to continue its season one more game. In the area round, the Lady Bulldogs lost to Garner.
In cross country, the program had one boy and one girl qualify for the state meet for the second straight year.
Josh Stout was running at state for the second time and he improved on his first appearance as she placed 29th. Priddy, running at the state cross country meet for her third time, finished 84th.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Gold-Burg athletic program had a good spring with two girls qualifying for regionals in tennis. Jimena Garcia and Alyson Rojas placed first and second in girls singles at the district meet to move on.
In track and field, the Bears had Isaac Renteria qualify for the state meet for the second straight year. He finished in fourth place in the 3200 meter race.
In the fall season, the football team had one of its best seasons in school history. The team rebounded from losing its first three games of the season to winning the district title and its bi-district playoff game against Woodson. The Bears then lost to Oakwood in the area round.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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