SPORTS
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Botard takes Nocona boys’ post
By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@gmail.com
The revolving door in and out of the Nocona boys’ basketball program continued this offseason.
Bret Botard, most recently the head coach at Palestine, has been tabbed as the new coach for the Indians.
Botard replaces Tyson Mankin, who was placed on leave during the spring. This will mark the third coach in three seasons for Nocona as J.D. Mayo served in the same capacity in 2013-14.
“I think first and foremost, it’s the community,” said Botard, of what drew him to the Nocona opening. “The town and the people support basketball, and coach (Brad) Keck was a selling point for the job. He wants to make sure all sports are successful.”
Botard was an all-district basketball player for Del Valle, down in the Austin area, during his junior and senior years. He also was a successful athlete in cross country, distance running in track and field and baseball.
After Del Valle, Botard graduated from Texas Tech in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
Botard guided Palestine to a successful season during the 2014-15 campaign, losing in the Conference 4A regional quarterfinals 81-78 to Mexia. The team racked up 18 wins this season.
Meanwhile, Nocona also produced a double-digit win campaign, and finished third in District 3A-9 after losing a seeding game to Holliday. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.
Bret Botard has been named Nocona’s new boys’ basketball coach. Botard most recently worked at Palestine. He watched Nocona compete in the Texas Basketball Championships at Colleyville in late June. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)
Most school-age athletes start off playing everything. By the time they graduate, they whittle it down to just one or two.
New Bowie girl’s track and overall cross country coach Shawnda Childers is no exception. While at Iowa Park she competed in volleyball, cross country and track before cutting out volleyball and focusing on track and cross country to close out high school.
Childers did not stay with athletics while moving on to Midwestern State University, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s Degrees. After graduation, shestarted coaching in Electra. She came to Bowie for one year, then went back to her old stomping grounds in Iowa Park where she spent the next four years.
The return home also put her in contact with now-Bowie Coach Griffin Fields, who was a coach there at the time. From Iowa Park, she spent the next three years at City View.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
New Saint Jo Girl’s Basketball Coach Grant Gooch isn’t completely unfamiliar with the area.
“We went to Muenster quite a bit when I was a kid,” Gooch, who will be going into his 20th year as a coach, said. “We’d load up the cooler from the meat markets. It’s good to be back.”
Gooch worked with Saint Jo Athletic Director CJ Hantz when the pair were in Throckmorton. Gooch comes to town from Menard where he spent three years at the West Texas school.
Gooch says coaching and education kind of come naturally to him.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
4-D Open Barrel Racing was one of the events that started Jim Bowie Days off on the right foot June 20.
Barrel racing officials said there were more than 200 competitors in the event, which broke up into two events: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The winner in each division received cash and a buckle.
Having the fastest time in the 1D division was Maggie Wright on Tres Leche, with a time of 17.115. Finishing 2nd was Ella Gordillo aboard Famous Noble in 17.251. In 3rd place was Jimmie Smith riding Brickk with a time of 17.268.
Lexi Doud aboard Ain’t He Dazzling was 4th with a time of 17.29. In 5th place was Torrie Edge on Francy N Famous with a time of 17.364. Janna Brown riding I’m a Billionaire was 6th in 17.428. Tara Carr was 7th aboard with a time of 17.454 while Brylee Wall rounded out the top 8 on TKW Hawkins Fame with a time of 17.536.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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