SPORTS
Volleyball Roundup
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians lost their first district game at Windthorst on Tuesday night.
The Lady Trojans won 3-0, though the first two sets could have gone either way.
The Lady Indians knew this matchup was key coming into this season after getting put in a district with the usual state power. Still, Nocona was coming into the game with more healthy bodies than it has had for several months and easy wins in its first two district games.
The programs have played each other in recent years, whether in tournaments or pre-district matchups since both have had great postseason success to get ready, but his would be a match that could potentially break the others streak of district titles.
The opening set saw both teams exchange back-and-forth runs. Early on Nocona led by three points 9-6. Twenty points later it was Windthorst that had the three-point lead 19-16.
The end game went on forever, far past 25 points as neither team could win two points in a row though both had several chances to close out the set. In the end, it was the Lady Trojans that won the first set marathon 33-31 to take the lead.
Nocona libero Aubree Kleinhans took a nasty spill diving for the final point of the first set and seemed initially shaken up, but was cleared and played the rest of the match.
The second set was similar to the first one as two and three point leads were swung back and forth until the mid game when the Lady Indians seemed to grab hold of the momentum.
Down 11-9, Nocona went 7-3 to grab the lead 16-14 and then opened up a five-point lead 20-15 heading into the end game.
Unfortunately, Windthorst showed some resistance and grabbed momentum at the right time. Down 22-18, the Lady Trojans came back to tie it at 22-22 before closing the set 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Blowing that lead in set two seemed to set the Lady Indians back. Despite a good start in set three, once Windthorst took control in the mid-game Nocona could not swing momentum back. Instead the Lady Trojans lead continued to grow and Windthorst won the set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
Bowie
The Bowie Lady Rabbits started the second round of district play on Tuesday by playing one of the top teams on the road, Henrietta.
The Lady Cats won in straight sets 3-0 against the Lady Rabbits.
Bowie comes into the second round of district playing for pride after not winning a game in the first go around.
Henrietta is battling for a district title and is ranked 14th in the state in 3A in this week’s coaches polls.
The first set saw the Lady Rabbits hang tough, but unable to make up ground once the Lady Cats carved out a lead. Henrietta won 25-17.
The second set proved to be the best one for Bowie as it competed point-for-point with the Lady Cats like it knows it can when playing at its best. Unfortunately, Henrietta was able to close out the set in the end 25-22 to take a 2-0.
Unfortunately for the Lady Rabbits, they fell behind early in set three and could not come back. The Lady Cats won the set 25-13 to secure the victory 3-0.
Saint Jo vs Gold-Burg
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers took down Gold-Burg at home on Tuesday night.
The Lady Panthers won in straight sets against the Lady Bears in a quick match.
Saint Jo came in as a heavy favorite, having won its first two district matches with ease as the experienced group has expectations to go far in the playoffs. Gold-Burg had lost its first three matches of district and the young team has struggled to compete at times.
The set scores were 25-5, 25-9 and 25-6 for the Lady Panthers.
Prairie Valley vs Bellevue
The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs were able to win on their home floor Tuesday night against a Bellevue team that proved to be more challenging than anticipated.
The Lady Bulldogs won 3-1 against the Lady Eagles.
Prairie Valley came into the match 1-1 in district, having lost to Saint Jo to start off the previous but expecting to take down the three other teams due to its experience and skill.
The Lady Eagles were 1-2, coming off a disappointing loss to Forestburg in the previous match since they are hoping to earn at least the third playoff spot in the district.
Games are played on the court instead of in rational heads though as Bellevue came out and surprised the Lady Bulldogs in the first set, winning 25-21 to take a 1-0 lead on Prairie Valley’s home court.
This seemed to wake the Lady Bulldogs up. They went out and won set two 25-15 to tie the match up at 1-1.
Set three was a bit closer, but Prairie Valley won it 25-19 to take the lead 2-1. With all of the momentum and swagger going, the Lady Bulldogs were able to make quick work in set four, winning 25-13 to secure the match 3-1.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News. To see pictures from the Nocona game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6869525&T=1
It was announced last week Nocona Athletic director/football coach Blake Crutsinger is resigning from his position at the school after serving four years.
Crutsinger said now is the time for his family to make the move, with his daughter Avery graduating after spending four years at Nocona and with his son Kellar about to enter high school and wanting the same for him at another school.
“With her going off to college, she had a really good four years here and just looking at Keller heading into high school and exploring some opportunities that might be better for him, it is just time,” Crutsinger said.
Crutsinger went 19-22 overall, helping the Indians to two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. The team’s best season was 2023, when it went 8-2 and won the district title, the first one in 11 years for the program.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo senior Payzlie Cervantes signed her letter of intent to play college basketball last week at Highland College in Kansas. She also played volleyball, softball and ran track at Saint Jo. “After talking with Coach Tana Coleman, I really connected with her and loved the campus vibe and direction she wants for the team,” Cervantes said. “I’m looking forward to continuing my basketball career while getting my associates degree in nursing to become a registered nurse.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Last week Montague County had five girls from Bowie and Saint Jo compete at the state tennis tournament, and one team brought back some hardware.
Sisters from Bowie, junior Heidi and freshman Willow Siebert brought back a bronze medal competing in the 3A girl’s doubles bracket.
The pair were the first people from the program to make it back to state since their half sisters, Meagan and Myah Russell, advanced nine years previously.
The Sieberts came into state as a two-seed, having finished second at the regional tournament the previous week.
The duo was ready as they blew through their first two matches. They beat a team from Hondo in the first round with the scores being 6-1, 6-1 and dominated even more in the second round against a team from Tatum, winning 6-0, 6-1.
That got them through to the second day of the tournament, but Coach Dayna Boothe was worried they had had it too easy on day one.
Playing in the semifinals, the Lady Rabbits faced a familiar foe, a team from Peaster they had beaten in the regional tournament the previous week. Unfortunately, near the end of the first set, with the Sieberts fighting to stay alive, Heidi went after a high lob and slammed into the fence. She hurt her right arm and had to play through it for the rest of the match.
They lost the match with the scores being 6-3, 6-3.
It was an all Peaster final, with the other side of the bracket producing the team that both beat the Sieberts at the regional tournament and won their second straight state title.
Still, despite the disappointment, Bowie is bringing back a bronze medal. According to Boothe, after contacting people who would know dating back to the late 1970s, it could possibly be the program’s first medals from the state tournament in tennis.
Of course, Bowie was not the only school represented. Saint Jo had Taylor Patrick competing in girl’s singles and the team of Bailie Nobile and Maxey Johnson competing in girl’s doubles in the 1A classification.
Senior Patrick was making her third appearance at the state tournament, but her first in the singles competition.
She finished third at the regional meet which meant she had a tough first round matchup against a second seed from Fort Davis.
It took everything from Patrick in a match that lasted two and a half hours. She went down in the first set 6-2, but rebounded in a tight second set to win 6-4 to force a third and final set. She had the momentum and won 6-2 to move on.
She had to summon the energy to play later that day against a fresh one-seed player from Utopia. Patrick lost 6-1, 6-1 to end her Saint Jo career. Her opponent would go on to finish second.
Juniors Johnson and Nobile were making their first appearances at the state meet after finishing second at the regional tournament. In the first round they played a tough match against a team from Marathon. It seemed evenly matched throughout, but small mistakes at inopportune times cost them throughout the match. In the end, the team lost by the scores of 6-3, 6-3.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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