SPORTS
Panthers lose 12-2 on road
The Saint Jo Panthers played another top 2A team as part of their conjoined district schedule as they traveled to Lindsay on Tuesday.
The Knights proved too much for the Panthers as they won 12-2 in six innings.
Saint Jo was able to take an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Connor Thompson was able to get on base with a hit to the short stop. Thompson stole second and then third base.
Thanks to an error by the third basemen when Lindsay was trying to throw him out, Thompson was able to score.
Thanks to three walks and two wild pitches, the Knights were able to take the lead 2-1 heading into the second inning.
Besides Cody Thurman reaching base with a hit to third base, Saint Jo struggled to make contact as the team stuck out three times in the inning.
Four straight walks for Lindsay scored one run and allowed another run to score on a double play ball. The Knights led 4-1 heading into the third inning.
The Panthers offense failed to get a runner on base while a single and a fielding error allowed two runners to get on base for Lindsay.
The Knights were able to get both runners in with a ground out and a wild pitch as Lindsay led 6-1 heading into the fourth inning.
Things were almost déjà vu for the fourth inning. Saint Jo’s offense continued to struggle while the Knights were able to capitalize on early inning base runners, scoring three more runs to go up 9-1.
Both teams failed to get things going in the fifth inning as all batters were retired. In the sixth inning the Panthers were able to draw back-to-back walks with two outs. A stolen base and a passed ball allowed Eli Jones to score, cutting the lead to 9-2.
Lindsay was able to answer with a two-run home run and an RBI single to end the game due to run rule. The Knights won 12-2.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
With the baseball and softball seasons over for the area 1A schools, district awards have been released.
Listed below are those earned honors on the field and in the classroom for Saint Jo and Bellevue.
Softball
Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Utility player: Taylor Patrick; Catcher: Jordyn O’Neal
Baseball
Superlatives
Offensive MVP: Devin Stewart, Saint Jo
Newcomer of the Year: Bryce Ramsey, Bellevue
Pitcher: Trent Gaston, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Jayden Curry, Saint Jo
Second team
Pitcher: Charlie Barclay, Saint Jo
Infielder: Brycen Bancroft, Bellevue; Sam Martin, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Rylan Forrester, Saint Jo
Catcher: Charlie Evans, Saint Jo
Utility: Logan Hoover, Saint Jo
DH: Amzy Barclay, Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Cody Gaston, Saint Jo; Xander Joyner, Saint Jo
To see academic awards from Saint Jo players, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Eldon Van Hooser is leaving Forestburg better than he found it.
The head boy’s basketball coach is retiring after more than 30 years, spending the last five at Forestburg.
Van Hooser did not come to this decision because of a lack of fire or feeling tired after decades in the profession. He had to for family reasons.
“My wife has MS (multiple sclerosis) and it’s a disease where you have trouble standing and walking and she needs help,” Van Hooser said. “I am able to so I am going to step away from teaching and coaching to be there for her.”
Van Hooser was hired in 2019. Along with being the boy’s basketball coach, he also was the football team’s defensive coordinator.
There were some lean years for Forestburg on the boy’s athletic side, with numbers being low and the available athletes being mostly underclassmen.
For two years, the Longhorns’ boy’s basketball team won few games and one of those seasons saw the team field five players on the high school team.
“One of those years we had COVID-19 and the other we had five kids,” Van Hooser said. “It was very rough. After that we worked with the kids and we had a good freshman group coming up. Next year they are going to be seniors.”
That group has helped to turn the program around. Last year the young Longhorns team contested for a playoff spot and just barely missed it finishing fifth in the district.
This season, that same group took a leap and finished second in district with a record of 7-5.
Despite losing its last two regular season games in dramatic fashion heading into the playoffs, the team stepped up in the bi-district game.
Playing against an athletic Newcastle team, Forestburg led for most of the game.
Unfortunately, the previous game against Bellevue saw the Longhorn team blow the lead late in the fourth quarter against a hard pressing style team and they were suffering the same fate against the Bobcats down the stretch.
Fortunately, Forestburg held on just enough to win 53-46. It was the first boy’s basketball playoff win in nine years for Forestburg.
“It was huge for our program,” Van Hooser said. “This new year we will have new goals. The new coach will have some goals of his own, but I set some for the team and think that we have come a long way.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie sports banquets was on Monday night. Olivia Gill and Tucker Jones were named Jackrabbit and Lady Rabbit of the year. Pick up the mid-week paper for all of the sports team awards and pictures.
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