SPORTS
My look back at 2018 state title
It has been only two years and a little less than four months since the last state title team from Montague County, the Bowie boy’s basketball team, won it all.
Like most things looking back, it feels simultaneously like it was long ago and just yesterday.
While I could tell the state title was a big deal for the town and community, it also felt like a big deal for me personally. I was brand new at the paper during the run.
My first day at the paper was Dec. 1, 2017. I was just coming off of getting laid off at my previous job at the Kaufman Herald when they terminated the sports editor position the week before Thanksgiving.
Luckily, I got a job interview at The Bowie News the very next week, though unfortunately it came because of the tragic death that befell the new hire before me. I was able to find housing in less than a week and moved from the metroplex to Bowie.
I had covered some state level events at Kaufman. There was a cross country and tennis team coming up just short of winning the state title along with some individual track medalists, but never the overall state champion.
I did not get into covering sports to exclusively cover winners and champions.
I was taught in college to try and keep a neutral position covering your teams that I have tried to keep, even though I have seen some high school sports editors embraced for their homerism like coverage.
My ideal team to cover is one that makes their season interesting. That does not always equate to winning or losing. Blowouts are not fun to write about or watch, whether it’s the team I am covering or otherwise.
When I was hired I was told the Bowie boy’s basketball team was rated number one in the state during the preseason. Despite the Kaufman area having pretty great sports year round, I had never covered a basketball team that had any type of expectations beyond winning the district title and winning a playoff game or two.
My first game was the Jackrabbits playing in the Decatur tournament against Weatherford. Even though they are not a household name, the Kangaroos were still a 6A program with a size advantage. I watched in awe as that did not seem to matter at all as Bowie easily controlled and won the game 73-56.
Of course I first noticed the biggest and best player on the team Daniel Mosley. It was hard not to. I had covered guys similar in size and athleticism, but not one with the type of consistent motor, fundamentals and ability to dominate the game with just his presence beyond just scoring in the post.
It was not just Daniel though since Bowie played as a true team. Over time I came to appreciate every player for the role they played, big or small, which I saw in this cog.
I did not realize the impressive resume Coach Doug Boxell had at the time. While I never had a casual conversation with him like I do with some coaches, he was always able to give me exactly what I needed after games in usually less than two minutes.
With his experience and the team’s state level expectations, his post game quotes were the only thing that made writing about a lot of the blowouts interesting for me. They were always in service towards building towards a state title.
The team had its stumbles in the brutal pre-district schedule. The lowest I saw them was at the Whataburger Tournament, where Bowie scored only 12 points in three quarters in a loss to Central Heights 38-32. From the outside it seemed like there were line up issues and players were still trying to figure out their roles.
The team was good and was mostly winning, but it seemed like everyone was waiting for them to go to another level since they had realistic state level expectations.
District was mostly a breeze after playing bigger schools besides two teams that easily would have won the district title in any other year.
That Nocona team was one of the best in school history, with an all senior starting five with few holes. Holliday had the size to match up with Bowie along with a guard who could get anywhere he wanted on the court that was hard to contain.
No one knew it, but the Eagles 46-43 win on their court would be the last game the Jackrabbits would lose that season.
From the outside it seemed like Bowie simplified its game plan after that game. There seemed to be a renewed effort to play inside-out instead of letting it fly so judiciously from 3-point land.
With a frontline featuring the Mosley brothers, no team had the overall size and athleticism to shut both down or keep them off the offensive glass. Why not play up that advantage.
After close games against the Indians and a rematch win against Holliday, the rest of the games seemed mostly easy even as the playoffs started.
I distinctly remember how uninterested the team seemed after every win during this time. They seemed so locked in on trying to get to state, most of the playoff wins rolled right off of them. Banner pictures after every win, usually filled with beaming smiles, were mostly stoic affairs.
As the competition got harder, I thought Peaster seemed like it might be a bad matchup from what I saw on film. As a good shooting team, all it would take was one hot night from 3-point range to end Bowie’s season.
It turned out it was the opposite as the Jackrabbits made nine 3-pointers and won by 26 points. Only then did I really start to believe this team might have it.
After hearing the story of how the previous year ended against Brock, it seemed destined these teams were going to meet. Throw in the father-son coach dynamic and this storyline writes itself.
It was my first drive that far west of Texas and the farthest I had ever driven for work. Missing two days in the office, including a deadline day, only something as important as a chance for a state tournament birth would have made it worth it.
The Jackrabbits 54-47 win against the Eagles was not only the first close game Bowie had had in a month, it was the most emotion I had seen from the team all season. The scene was almost on pair with winning a state title in my estimation as tears flowed easily in the post game celebration.
What is your favorite memory from that season? Email me at sports@bowienewsonline.com.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians ended their regular season with a sweep of Alvord to secure a number one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Indians won 13-6 and 3-1 to earn the top seed in the big school division in the playoffs.
With that much on the line despite already securing a playoff spot the previous week, Nocona had a lot to play for in its final regular season series.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with two runs, but the Indians answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to retake the lead 9-2.
Both teams scored one run in the third inning before Nocona scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-3. Alvord was able to extend the game and avoid getting run-ruled by scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
The Indian bats were cold in the final three innings, but the defense bounced back to shut out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to win 13-6.
RJ Walker and Jayce Lehde each drove in three runs to lead the team while Ladon Fatheree and Zyrus Moreno both drove in two runs. Nocona finished with nine hits and drew nine walks during the game.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits while striking out one and walking two.
The second game was more a pitcher’s duel that had far less action scoring runs.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with one run, but Alvord tied the game with one run in the fourth inning. Nocona answered with two runs in the fifth inning and held on to win 3-1.
Lehde and Fatheree drove in one run each while Murphey scored the other run on the basepaths thanks to a wild pitch. Nocona had only two hits while the team drew seven walks.
Walker helped carry the team on the mound, pitching the whole game while giving up one run on four hits and striking out 13 batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles ended their season on Monday this week, losing some tough games on the way out before closing with a win.
The Eagles lost to Perrin-Whitt 13-1, to Bryson 17-2 before beating Saint Jo 7-2 to end the season on a high note.
Bellevue struggled against the two other 1A teams in its district in its previous matchups as both teams are heading towards the playoffs. Both the Pirates and Cowboys proved it once again in the final matchup on April 22 and Monday before playing a team more on its level.
The Eagles and Panthers were 1-1 against each other this season. Playing after Bellevue’s loss to against Bryson right before on Saint Jo’s home field, the Eagles wanted revenge.
Bellevue got it with a 7-2 win against the Panthers to end both team’s season and this year improve the series 2-1 in the Eagles favor.
River Trail led the team with two RBIs while Hunter Blackburn had a team high two hits.
The team finished with seven hits and drew 10 walks.
On the mound, Bryce Ramsey allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking five. The defense committed one fielding error.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a tough final week to their disappointing season.
The Panthers lost to Bryson 10-4 before losing to Bellevue 7-2 to close out their season.
Saint Jo knew it was out of the playoff hunt and was playing for pride as it hoped to end the season with its head held high.
The Panthers played the Cowboys on April 22 and were put behind the eight ball when Bryson rallied off seven runs in the third inning. Saint Jo closed the game well, but could not overcome that bad inning as it lost 10-4.
Sam Martin, Charlie Evans, Mathew Sampson and Jayden Curry each drove in one run each. Saint Jo had nine hits and drew six walks during the game.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense allowed 10 hits and nine walks while committing five fielding errors.
The Panthers then waited a week before ending their season on Monday, due to rain causing the game to be rescheduled, against Bellevue. Each team had beaten the other so far this season and with both teams out of the playoffs, it was a game about local pride more than anything.
Unfortunately for Saint Jo, it did not go its way on Monday. The Eagles scored in every inning besides the first and seventh inning while the Panthers only scored in the fourth inning. Bellevue won 7-2.
Devin Stewart led the team with two RBIs on a double he hit. The team finished with eight hits and drew six walks, but it was not enough to hang with the Eagles.
The pitching staff allowed only four hits, but three fielding errors and nine walks allowed Bellevue to rack up the runs.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie Jackrabbits finished their season last week with a dominant series sweep against Vernon.
The Jackrabbits won both games by run-rule 13-2 and 11-1 against the Lions.
Bowie came into the week with its playoff hopes shot after splitting with Holliday. The Jackrabbits were playing for pride and knew they had what it took to win decisively against Vernon and made sure to show it.
Game one did not start off great as the Lions scored two runs in the first inning, but Bowie answered with three runs of its own in the same inning, taking the lead 3-2 and never looking back.
The Jackrabbit defense shut down Vernon the rest of the game while scoring three runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the third inning.
It was enough to end the game early after four and half innings, Bowie winning 13-2 in its final home game on senior night.
Edmond De Leon led the team with four RBIs while Boston Farris, Trae Seigler and Jorge De Leon each had two RBIs. The team finished with 10 hits and drew seven walks as the team consistently found ways to score every inning of the game.
Farris got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking four during five innings of work. The defense committed no fielding errors.
The second game was on the road, but the Jackrabbits made sure not to start slow like they did in game one. Edmond De Leon blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to put Bowie up 3-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the fourth inning. With the Lions scoring only one run in the third inning, that was all the run support Bowie needed to end the game early again after five innings.
The Jackrabbits won 11-1.
Edmond De Leon led the team with three RBIs while hitting a home run and a triple. Seigler and Austin Cheney drove in two runs. Bowie finished with 10 hits and drew six walks.
On the mound, Seigler pitched four innings and allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out and walking one batter. The defense committed three fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For pictures from the last home game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874727&T=1
For pictures from senior night, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874728&T=1
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers season ended on Thursday night in the bi-district round of the playoffs against Knox City.
The Houndettes won by run-rule 21-7 after six innings, ending the Lady Panthers year since the series was condensed to just one game.
Saint Jo came into the series after winning the district title, but knew Knox City would be tough. Still, the Lady Panthers had played in and won several games with high scores which gave them hope they could hang with whatever the Houndettes to could bring.
Knox City got on the board first, scoring on a three-run triple to go up 3-0. Saint Jo answered in the same inning with Kamron Skidmore driving in two runs on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning the Houndettes drove in five runs on a single, double and home run to increase their lead to 8-2. The Lady Panthers got one run back in the same inning thanks to a fielding error at third base that drove in one run to make it 8-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Knox City added to its lead in the fifth inning. A fielding error allowed one run to score and a three RBI triple added three more to make it 12-3.
In the sixth inning, the Houndettes reeled off nine runs to as it looked like the end was near for Saint Jo. Down 21-3, the Lady Panthers needed to score nine runs to avoid getting run-ruled.
Down to the final out, Saint Jo started a two-out rally. An error at short stop resulted in two runs to score. Jordyn O’Neal then ripped off a two RBI triple as the Lady Panthers had more than doubled their score.
Unfortunately that is where it would end. The next batter grounded out for the final out.
Knox City won 21-7.
Skidmore led the team with three RBIs while O’Neal was second with two. The team finished with seven hits and drew two walks, but it was not enough to keep up with the Houndettes who had 13 hits and drew 12 walks. Saint Jo committed two fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For more pictures from the game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874729&T=1
-
NEWS2 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS1 year agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS2 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS2 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS2 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS2 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS2 years agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS2 years ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint