SPORTS
Saint Jo wins homecoming 60-22
The Saint Jo Panthers had a happy homecoming on Friday as they beat highly regarded Union Hill.
The Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter to make the final score 60-22 though the game felt like it was closer and more competitive in the first three quarters.
Saint Jo was coming into the game following a disappointing loss against state-ranked Jonesboro that was super close. The Bulldogs gave the Panthers their only regular season loss last year and came into the season ranked 12th in the state.
Early on it was going Union Hill’s way. Saint Jo recovered the onside kick to start the game, but its opening drive stalled and the Bulldogs drove down and scored on a touchdown pass on fourth down to go up 8-0.
The Panthers followed by turning the ball over on an interception and it looked early on like things might get ugly for Saint Jo.
Thankfully, the Panthers’ defense came through with a big play as Payton Harris recovered a fumble on defense and ran it in for a touchdown to tie the game at 8-8.
Before the first quarter was done, the defense forced a turnover on downs on its next possession. Saint Jo quarterback Matthew Butler-Everson then redeemed himself as he threw a perfect 31-yard touchdown pass to Devin Stewart to put the Panthers up 16-8.
Union Hill’s next offensive series moved the ball into Saint Jo’s territory. Facing fourth down, the Bulldogs attempted a field goal, which is rarely seen in six-man.
The Panthers blocked the attempt and then drove the ball down the field. Unfortunately, Saint Jo could not take advantage as the offense the fumbled the ball away to Union Hill.
Luckily, the Panther defense stonewalled the Bulldogs from moving the ball at all. Backed up in its own territory and facing a fourth down and 20 yards for a first down, Union Hill decided to punt the ball away.
With less than two minutes left before halftime, Saint Jo would need to move the ball quickly. Everson dropped back to pass and threw the ball up to Stewart again, who reeled in the pass for a 39-yard touchdown catch.
The Panthers went into the locker room at halftime up 22-8.
Saint Jo received the ball to start the third quarter and took no time to score. Running back Logan Brawner, who the Bulldogs were gunning to stop, ran in a touchdown from 18 yards out to make the score 30-8.
The Panthers then recovered an onside kick, but unfortunately the offense gave the ball back by throwing another interception. Union Hill then drove the ball down and scored on a short run to cut the lead to 30-16.
Saint Jo’s offense looked like it was going to stall out on its next drive. Facing a fourth and long conversion, Butler-Everson then completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to AJ Wright to up the lead to 36-16.
The Bulldogs answered on their next drive, thanked by two personal foul penalties before scoring on a short pass to make the score 36-22 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Panthers started to pull away. Their offense scored on another fourth and long as Brawner scored on an 18-yard run to make the score 44-22. Brawner then intercepted a pass on defense before later getting loose for a 41-yard run on offense to make the score 52-22.
Saint Jo recovered its third onside kick which then led to Jordan Reeves running in a short touchdown on offense from four yard out to make the score 60-22.
The defense got one final stop as Dawson Everson picked off a pass to seal the win.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Red River High School Bass Club competed this past weekend, May 31 – June 1, at the State Tournament on Lake Conroe for the two-day tournament.
Two of the teams from Montague County traveled south to try their best at the culmination of the year for the state title. Teams were able to pre-fish on Friday before the Saturday and Sunday competition. On Friday, there was a flipping contest for the youth and Cooper Johnson won third overall and won a $500 scholarship and an Academy gift card.
The club’s two teams who competed were Lane Smith/Colt Henry with boat captain Jimmy Smith. The team placed 63rd with a total of 16.22 pounds. The second team of Cooper Johnson/Corbyn Patton and boat captain Jayson Toerck placed 169th with a total weight of 2.29 pounds.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl is this week on June 6-7 and graduating athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo are confirmed to be playing.
In total, seven athletes from Bowie, five from Nocona and three from Saint Jo are planning to play in the all-star games this week. Nocona also will have a pair of coaches participating as well.
The girl’s basketball game kicks off events on June 6, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Wichita Falls Memorial High School. In the game, the east team will have Nocona players Avery Crutsinger, Meg Meekins and Reagan Phipps playing while Kyler Spitzer and Clayton Brown coach them one last time.
On the west team, Saint Jo’s Payzlie Cervantes is confirmed to be playing.
The boy’s basketball game is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m. On the east team, Bowie’s Boston Farris and Nocona’s Jose Gomez Jr. will be playing.
On June 7, the volleyball games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. with the small school game. On the west team, Nocona’s Kaygan Stone and Saint Jo’s Taylor Patrick are confirmed to play. On the east team, Saint Jo’s Aubrey Morman will get to play her teammate.
There are no local athletes confirmed to be playing in the big school volleyball game.
The final event is the football game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It is an all Bowie affair with six players confirmed to be playing for the east team: Justin Clark, Jorge De Leon, Hunter Fluitt and Braden Rhyne, Preacher Chambers and Moh Azouak.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona Independent School District officials looked inward for a new athletic director/head football coach, selecting Jeff Hill for the position.
Hill, who served last year as Nocona football’s offensive coordinator and also led the softball program to the playoffs for the first time in a while as its head coach, was upgraded to the role.
This came on the heels of former Athletic Director Blake Crutsinger, who served in the role the last four years, resigned in May.
For Hill, the choice to apply for the position was a no brainer. His one year in Nocona had impressed upon him and his wife that it was the place they would like to be long term.
“I’m looking for a town to raise my kids in and Nocona has treated my family really well,” Hill said. “There are some really good people. The kids work hard. Everything I am looking for in a hometown is right here in Nocona and I want to try and make it as best as it can be, especially through athletics.”
Before Nocona, Hill served as the athletic director at S&S Consolidated while also spending time at Hebron and Whitewright in his coaching career.
Hill expresses great respect for the departing Crutsinger and besides changing a few small things in how he personally wants to do things, he is not trying to come in with a sweeping restructuring of the whole athletic department.
The program had five of its six team sports make the playoffs, with volleyball playing in the regional final and the girl’s basketball team winning the state championship.
That along with two athletes competing at the state championship in cross country and track with one earning a gold medal, it was one of the more successful school years in athletic program history.
“Coach Crutsinger was awesome and did a great job so honestly just little tweaks, a little bit of structure and cohesion amongst the coaching staff between boys and girls,” Hill said. “I hope to keep the winning tradition going overall in the athletic department.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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