SPORTS
Championship coach joins Hall of Honor
Wanda Edwards, coach of the 1955 state championship Lady Rabbits is the fall inductee for the Bowie High School Hall of Honor presented by the Bowie Boosters. Due to ill health Edwards will be unable to attend, but her sister-in-law and nephew will be accepting on her behalf. A reception honoring the new inductee will take place at 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 in the high school cafeteria. The public is invited. The inductee also will be introduced during half-time ceremonies.
By Carol Ann Smith MacDonald
Born Too Earlv
Often the phrase used when talking about Wanda Edwards is “Born too early.”
Coach Wanda Edwards spent a lifetime in education coaching, teaching and as an administrator.
Born before the landmark Title IX and almost before NACCA incorporated women’s basketball in 1982. Born too early when the prevailing thought existed sports weren’t for women. Born too early in a time that colleges used
benefactors of the business community for scholarships and funding.
Colleges that had women’s programs hired players out of high school by the sponsoring company, these young women worked during the day, but of course, their job was basketball. The exception was Wayland College.
Named All State in both AAU and TAF competition in high school her list of honors earned in her lifetime is impressive. Being born too early didn’t stop her from becoming an all-around sports figure and a successful educator.
At age 16 at Poly in Fort Worth, her Coach Pat Clifford, said of Wanda, “She can kick a football further than most boys,” and her physical education teacher said, “She is good at anything she tackles.”
Wanda was determined to engage in her love-playing sports. In the early 1950s, when Wayland’s Coach Harley Redin was at the helm, Edwards traveled to Plainview to try out for the only college that offered a place for women to play college basketball and was greeted with a super dust storm.
Wanting no more of the dust, she came home and entered Texas Wesleyan College. She was quickly offered the opportunity to play for Tandy Motorettes, a team put together by the Fort Worth Texas Parks and Recreation. The team had other names through the years – Tandy Leatherettes and Wooten Motorettes.
Edwards may have been born too early, but as an 18-year old freshman at Texas Wesleyan she broke a new barrier.
Read the full story in the weekend edition of The Bowie News.
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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