SPORTS
STORM CENTER: College football opens
And so it begins. The college football season is upon us, and you could tell that just by looking at the Pigskin Picks contest from earlier this week.
Your slate of games features many of the most-talked about match-ups heading into the opening week.
And Week One games are already in the books, having taken place on Thursday.
Locally, Midwestern State University football opens the season on the road at 7 p.m. on Sept. 3.
Who’s the opponent? Truman State, which is based in Kirksville, Mo. This school was once known as Northeast Missouri State until changing its name to honor former United States president Harry S. Truman.
Midwestern State has some degree of expectation this season. After all, the Mustangs came in ranked 14th in the American Football Coaches’ Association preseason Division II poll.
MSU lost only two games last season, and head coach Bill Maskill has the team primed for another successful campaign.
The biggest question in my mind is who replaces Marqui Christian as the leader of the defense now that Christian is playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Mustangs should field one of the deepest groups of wide receivers at the Div. II level in the entire country.
Here’s a group of famous alumni from Truman State, basketball Hall of Famer Harry Gallatin, boxer Ken Norton, former major league baseball pitcher Al Nipper and Glenn Jacobs. Yes, that Glenn Jacobs who plays Kane on WWE programming.
The hype machine is already cranking out that this will supposedly be “the greatest opening weekend in college football history.”
Preseason No. 1 Alabama will be facing No. 20 USC at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Amazingly enough, the Crimson Tide are currently a double-digit favorite to win the game.
Is that how great the chasm is between the elites and mid-tier teams today? I’m just wondering about that out loud. Read more from this column in the Sept. 3 Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
AT&T Stadium will be the site of tonight’s opening college football game between the University of Alabama and USC. Alabama is the top-ranked team in the country again. (Courtesy photo by James Smith/The Dallas Cowboys)
In its first match since last year’s state semifinal appearance, Saint Jo hosted Bryson Aug. 11 and took a 25-13, 25-12, 25-21 win over the Cowgirls.
The Lady Panthers lost some talent to graduation but have five seniors ready to have a successful season. Savannah Hil, one of the five, got Saint Jo rolling offensively with a four-point serving string, including a pair of aces. Abby Carter’s kill and Kamron Skidmore’s block helped put the Lady Panthers up 5-2 in game one.
Hadleigh Moore added a four-point string of her own to extend the lead to 10-3. Tatum Morman’s pair, helped by a Hill kill, gave Saint Jo a 14-5 lead. Bryson got within five before a Hill 3-pointer, with help by a Carter kill, put the lead back at 18-10.
After an Olivia Johnson kill broke serve, Jordyn O’Neal served up the final five points, with Johnson providing a kill to move things along.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Despite being the smallest school in the Brock varsity classic volleyball tournament, the Lady Indians finished 4th out of the eight teams there.
After losing to the host team in its first pool play match Aug. 14 18-25, 14-25 and also to Class 3A Wall 12-25, 8-25, Nocona rebounded to close out pool play with a 20-25, 25-23, 25-20 win over Christoval. Sy Parker had 16 kills and 7 blocks in the three matches. Raylea Bowles had 12 kills, 17 digs and served up three aces. Maddyn Bowles had seven kills and 14 digs while Paige Davis had seven kills and 15 digs. Baylee Thomas added 11 digs.
From the setter spot, Kasi Castro had 20 assists, served up five aces and contributed 14 digs. Leah Meekins added 18 assists and six digs during the three matches.
To open Saturday’s bracket play, the Lady Indians posted a 25-18, 18-25, 26-24, 25-19 win over Fort Worth Christian. Castro staked Nocona to a 2-0 lead in game one. Kills by Parker set up pairs of points from Raylea Bowles and Leah Meekins helped Nocona negate an early deficit and take a 10-9 lead.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
County football teams had their first scrimmage of the season Aug. 14 with mixed results.
Forestburg hosted Azle Christian and Victory Christian. Under a new system with new head coach Cori Hayes, the Longhorns looked pretty good in the coach’s eye.
“The first team looked good,” Hayes explained. “Overall we need to work on our pace and blocking assignments and blocking assignments. Overall we looked good for the new regime.”
Forestburg hits the road to scrimmage Newcastle Aug. 21.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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