SPORTS
Baseball Roundup
Nocona
The Nocona Indians baseball team lost at Alvord on Friday after five innings due to run-rule.
The Bulldogs won 10-0 against the Indians to win the week long series against Nocona.
The Indians had lost by a bigger margin in their first game against Alvord 19-1. Nocona was hoping to play better and while the team still lost by double-digits, it did the second time around.
The two teams were tied after a scoreless first inning. The Bulldogs broke open the game in the second by scoring five runs in the second inning.
While Nocona did a better job defensively as the game went along, it still could not keep Alvord off the scoreboard in the final three innings.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the third inning, one in the fourth inning and two in the fifth inning to end the game.
Alvord won 10-0.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers lost a heartbreaker at Chico on Friday.
The Dragons came back to score two runs in the final inning to win 6-5.
The Panthers won a close, low-scoring game against Chico earlier in the week 3-2, which was on the heels of a tough, one-sided series against Perrin-Whitt.
Saint Jo got the lead first when Logan Hoover hit an RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Dragons got the lead in the same inning when a two out fielding error in the outfield resulted in two runs scoring to go up 2-1.
After a scoreless second inning, the Panthers got the lead back in the third inning. Charlie Evans hit a two RBI double and then Trent Gaston drove in another run on a single to put Saint Jo up 4-2.
The Panthers added one run to the lead when Sam Martin hit a sacrifice fly ball to make it 5-2 for Saint Jo.
After two scoreless innings in the second and third, it was time for Chico to get some offense going again in response during the same inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, a Dragon player came through with a single that drove in two runs to cut the lead down to one run 5-4.
The score stayed the same as the teams exchanged scoreless fifth and sixth innings as the Panthers tried to hang on to their one run lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Chico got something going. The Dragons drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. A fly ball to center field was deep enough to allow one run to score and tie the game up at 5-5.
Saint Jo then did an intentional walk to put runners at the scorners. The next batter then hit another fly ball to center field for out two. Unfortunately, it was deep enough to allow the runner on third base to score.
Chico won 6-5.
Missing scores
The Bellevue scheduled baseball scores from Perrin-Whitt are not on the team’s GameChanger app.
To read the full story, pick up a copy 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.
-
NEWS1 year ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS6 months agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS1 year agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS1 year agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS10 months agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS1 year ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS1 year agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS1 year ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint