SPORTS
Bowie boy’s beat Springtown on the road
The Bowie Jackrabbits knocked off the holiday rust by playing at Springtown on Saturday afternoon.
The Jackrabbits came away with the 60-46 win against the Porcupines, washing the taste of the two losses suffered earlier in the week before Thanksgiving.
Bowie’s two losses came against state-ranked 2A Lipan and a 4A playoff team Krum on Monday and Tuesday. Despite the losses, both saw the Jackrabbits compete well and have chances to win in both near the end of the games.
Springtown is a 4A team that was outside of the playoff race in its district last year though that district has programs like Argyle, Decatur and Krum competing at the top of it.
Bowie’s offense was humming in the first quarter. Breaking the Porcupine’s press, the Jackrabbits scored 20 points in the fast paced start to the game. Andrew Sandhoff led the team, scoring 10 of the points in the quarter.
Springtown was not far behind, scoring 16 points to keep pace heading into the second quarter.
The scoring cooled down a peg for the rest of the game. Bowie got a more even scoring distribution in the second quarter with five players making at least one basket. The Jackrabbits were not hitting from 3-point range despite the good looks, but were still able to keep their lead heading into halftime up 32-26.
Bowie came out in the third quarter and was able to stay in control of the game. The Jackrabbits benefitted by making three 3-pointers in the quarter which helped them score nearly as much as they did in the first quarter.
Bowie’s lead grew by six points as it took a 50-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
The pace slowed down in the fourth quarter as the Jackrabbits did not want to give the Porcupines a chance to come back from the double-digit deficit. The Jackrabbits cruised to the win 60-46.
Sandhoff led the team with 22 points and made three 3-pointers. A.J. Whatley and Dave Brightwell were second with seven points each.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week 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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