Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS Texhoma’s Will Gaillard (left) avoids a Goodwell-Yarbrough defender on Thursday night at Carl Wooten Field in Goodwell. The Texhoma JV downed the Goodwell-Yarbrough varsity 34-12.
Staff Report GOODWELL — The Goodwell-Yarbrough varsity football team got off to a good start Thursday night against the Texhoma junior varsity. The Eagles recovered an early Red Devil fumble and converted it into a touchdown for a quick 6-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. But the Red Devils responded, building a 34-6 lead late in the game before pulling out a 34-12 win. Not bad for an 11-man team forced to play 8-man. The difference in the game was the speed of the Texhoma offense in the person of quarterback Will Gaillard. Gaillard rushed for touchdowns of 35 and 10 yards and threw two more touchdown passes to Colter Reust and Tyler Ferguson, respectively — all in the first half to give the Red Devils a 28-6 halftime lead. He added a 59-yard TD run in the third. Gaillard rushed 26 times for 224 yards — 139 of those in the first half — and completed 3-of-6 passes for 88 yards. After Adam Fick’s fumble recovery led to a 3-yard scamper by Trey Beck, it was all Texhoma for most of the game. On the ensuing possession after Beck’s score, the Red Devils needed three plays to score — a 35-yard scamper by Gaillard to tie it at 6. Gaillard had a touchdown run called back on a facemask penalty on the previous play. Goodwell’s first play after the Texhoma score was a fumble, recovered by Red Devil Layton Berry at the Eagle 36. Three plays later, Gaillard was in the end zone again on a 10-yard scamper and after his extra point run, Texhoma led 14-6. Goodwell (0-1) was in three and out on its next possession, and Texhoma drove down to score again. This time it was more of a lengthy drive, taking seven plays before Gaillard found Reust from 11 yards out to make it 20-6. Texhoma’s Dalton Ellis recovered a fumble for the Red Devils on Goodwell’s next possession, and four plays later Gaillard tossed 45 yards to Ferguson to make it 28-6 after Gaillard’s conversion run. Ellis recovered another fumble on the next drive, but the Red Devils gave the ball away on downs Burdge recovered a third straight Goodwell fumble on the next possession, but the Devils again gave it up on downs as the Eagles seemed to have shored up their line. Goodwell put together a nice drive after an interception by Ferguson was called back on a pass interference penalty. From the Texhoma 44 after the penalty, Fick found Beck for 24 yards to the Texhoma 20, but time ran out on the first half. The Red Devil JV opened the second half the way it ended the first, scoring on a 59-yard scamper by Gaillard on the first play of the third quarter, to make it 34-6. The play had many Texhoma faithful thinking an unfamilar term — mercy rule — which is something unique to Oklahoma 8-man football. But the Eagles had no plans to be run-ruled on their home field and held Texhoma scoreless the rest of the contest. Goodwell’s final touchdown came on a miscue when Ryan Bryant stripped the ball away from Ethan Smith and rumbled 36 yards for a touchdown with 1:01 to go in the game. The Eagles did have a promising drive in the third quarter, going from their own 48 to the Texhoma 6 before giving it away on downs. The drive featured two nice passes from Fick to Bryant. In all, Goodwell had five fumbles, four in the first half. Brandon Burdge recovered the other one for Texhoma in the second half. Smith had 15 carries for Texhoma for 21 yards. Reust caught two passes for 43 yards and a score, and Ferguson had one for 45 yards and a score. Smith led Goodwell on the ground with 10 carries for 46 yards, Beck had 7 carries for 36 yards and Fick had 15 carries for a net gain of 2 yards and a touchdown. Fick was 7-for-9 passing for 126 yards, while Bryant caught six passes for 102 yards and Beck the other for 24 yards. The Eagles will play at home again next Friday when the Waynoka Railroaders come to town. Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. at Carl Wooten Field.
Experience the key to potential Guymon foootball success in 2010
Last Updated ( Friday, 03 September 2010 )
on 09-03-2010 02:19
Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS Guymon’s Dakota Harris avoids a Texhoma defender during last Friday’s scrimmage in Texhoma.
By SHAWN YORKS Sports Editor GUYMON — When the Guymon High School football team takes the field tomorrow night in Dalhart, Texas, it will look pretty much like the team that walked off the field Nov. 6, 2009 after finishing a 1-9 season. But that’s not exactly a bad thing. The Tigers have a year of experience under head coach Joe Litsch’s option offense. They’re also bigger on the line, and they looked really good during spring drills and in scrimmages the last two weeks. There’s an air of excitement in the Guymon fieldhouse this year. “We’ve got quite a few starters coming back on both sides of the ball,” Litsch said. “And we’re a year better at what we’re doing. We’re excited about this year.” Colter Headrick will once again direct the option-style offense. “He’s seeing the option,” Litsch said. “In the two scrimmages we’ve had he’s making the right decisions.” In those scrimmages, Guymon dominated Hooker, Turpin and Texhoma — all are Class A schools but have close to the same number of athletes dressing out for varsity this year. Guymon has around 40 kids. Guymon did go 1-9 a year ago, but there were glimpses of what the team could become. In Guymon’s lone win — a 36-16 victory over Oklahoma City Southeast — the Tigers were quick off the line, giving Headrick the time he needed to develop plays. This year, Kolton Renteria, Fernando Acosta and Braxton Dain are going to be some of those options out of the backfield, while Jace Melton will be the primary receiver for the Tigers. Dain was a receiver a year ago but has been moved to A-back this year to utilize his speed. Most of Guymon’s linemen are back — and a little bigger — although Dakota Wilson is gone. “Actually, we’re pretty good size on the line,” Litsch said. Center T.J. Anderson is 190 pounds, but he’s the smallest on the line. Garrett Marler is 230 pounds, Genaro Berrera goes 200, while Ty Morrison and Braxton Winters are about 240 pounds. Dalhart is fresh off an opening 42-0 win over Sanford-Fritch last week. “They’re like us, they’re returning a bunch of kids and their skill kids are very, very good,” Litsch said. “And they’re huge. Coach Young does a great job over there, plus they’ve got a game under their belt.” Guymon will run the same defensive scheme as a year ago, a 3-4 set that worked well for the Tigers. Guymon will play its first home game next Friday when Liberal, Kan. comes to town, and will travel to Hugoton, Kan. on Sept. 17. The District 4A-1 portion of the season begins Sept. 24 when Woodward visits Guymon. Of Guymon’s seven district opponents, five are in the top 15 in the state 4A rankings, and three are in the top 10. Oklahoma City Bishop McGuinness is No. 2 behind former district foe Oklahoma City Douglass, Clinton is No. 5 and Elk City is tied for 10th with Catoosa. Elgin — a new district foe this year along with Clinton and Cache — is No. 12 and Woodward is No. 13. This year marks the renewal of the Guymon-Clinton rivalry, as the Red Tornadoes have made the move back up to 4A after a stint in Class 3A. The teams last played in 2005, a 37-10 win for Clinton. In four seasons as a 3A team, Clinton went 41-10 and won the 2007 state championship.
Tyrone’s core is back, could be the ‘Year of the Bobcat’
Last Updated ( Friday, 03 September 2010 )
on 09-03-2010 02:13
By SHAWN YORKS Sports Editor TYRONE — The Tyrone High School Bobcats have been a work-in-progress for several years. Progress has been slow, but this could be the year the Bobcats break through and make their first playoff appearance. In 2007, Tyrone went 2-7, in 2008 the Bobcats were 3-6 and last year they were 4-5, which was one of the best seasons at Tyrone in years. "We feel like we're making the progress we need to," said head coach Josh Bell. "We keep preaching that it doesn't happen overnight, which is very evident with our records. We just want to continue along that path of doing the little things right so in the end we can change some things." The Bobcats compete in District C-1, which includes powerhouse Shattuck and a Forgan squad that is also ranked in the top five in the Associated Press pre-season poll. "We think we have a realistic chance of competing with everybody in our district if we just show up and play well," Bell said. "Obviously, Shattuck and Forgan are going to be extremely tough this year. But other than that, we feel like we have a shot at competing in every game." The non-district schedule includes Rolla, Kan. and Duke, Okla. Rolla was winless last season, and hasn't won a game since Oct. 10, 2008 against Ingalls, Kan. and is currently on a 12-game losing streak. The Pirates lost by an average score of 57-13 last season, allowed more than 50 points seven times, giving up 74 to Deerfield, Kan. at one point. But, Bell pointed out that Rolla has everybody back. "We feel like we can go down there and if we play well we should be alright," he said. "But they return every kid from last year so they're going to be that much more improved. We have to go down there and just focus in and play hard.” The other non-district foe is Duke, which was 2-8 a year ago out of District C-2. The Bobcats will suit up 23 players on Friday night, with most returning from last year. Tyler Lai will call the signals at quarterback, and running backs Travis Shield and Colton White will be back. Jacob Williams at end and linemen Dalton Robinson and Phillip Jaramillo will also return.
2010 Tyrone Bobcats Football Sept. 3 — @ Rolla, Kan. Sept. 10 — @ Boise City• Sept. 17 — @ Forgan• Sept. 24 — Waynoka• Oct. 1 — Duke• Oct. 8 — Balko-Hardesty• Oct. 15 — Buffalo• Oct. 21 — @ Chattuck• Oct. 29 — @ Sharon-Mutual• Nov. 5 — Goodwell-Yarbrough• •—Indicates District C-1 game All games at 7:30 p.m.
Hooker Lady Bulldogs • Hooker pounds Laverne in first game, improves record to 11-9 overall heading into short break.
By SHAWN YORKS Sports Editor HOOKER — The Hooker Lady Bulldogs are quickly becoming the cream of the Class A Panhandle softball crop this season. After a solid run and runner-up trophy at the Guymon tournament last weekend, the Lady Bulldogs faced the Laverne Lady Tigers in a rematch of the season’s opening volley. The result was a 16-8, 6-5 double-header sweep on Tuesday at Hooker. “We hit the ball really well that first game,” said head coach Ray Kennedy. Crystal Ferguson and Jade Cathcart each hit inside-the-park home runs in the first game, while Lacy Romero had three hits for the Lady Bulldogs (11-9). “Shayla Mathis is still hitting the ball well,” Kennedy said. “She had two hits.” Morgan Daves had what Kennedy called a break-through day for the Lady Bulldogs. She had four hits for the day and Breanna Daves also recorded a pair of base hits. “We just put a lot of hits together in that first game,” Kennedy said. Ferguson recorded three more hits in the second game, which was more of a nail-biter for the Lady Bulldogs. Pitcher Jayme Walton got the offensive out-put to back her up in the first game, but pitched well in the second game, also. The Lady Bulldogs are off until Tuesday, when the Beaver Lady Dusters come to town. Class 4A No. 19 Guymon travels to Hooker on Sept. 9 before the Lady Bulldogs end the regular season with a string of road games. •In other action Tuesday, Tyrone lost twice to Turpin to fall to 7-9 overall for the season. Shayla Cornelson pitched a good game for Tyrone in the 3-0 first-game defeat. She was matched by Turpin’s Amy Mikles, and the Cardinals took advantage of some key hits to get the win. Turpin won the second game 9-1.
Staff Photo by SHAWN YORKS Guymon senior Vanessa DeWilde (25) spikes the ball over the net against Rolla, Kan. during Tuesday night’s quad at Guymon High School.
By SHAWN YORKS Sports Editor GUYMON — It’s nice to play at home a little more often. The Guymon High School Lady Tigers are the ultimate road warriors, often playing in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico before eventually playing in tournaments downstate for their only Oklahoma competiton. Tuesday night, Kansas came to Guymon, as the Lady Tigers took on Moscow, Elkhart and Rolla and swept all three back across the border. “If we played as well away from home as we do at home, we’d only have one loss right now,” said head coach Ty Ware. Guymon beat Moscow 25-10, 25-11; Rolla 29-27, 25-19, and Elkhart 23-25, 25-16, 25-11. “We dominated for the most part,” Ware said. “This is the third year in a row that we’ve won this quad.” The wins give Guymon a 10-3 overall record heading into a match against Stinnett West Texas on Sept. 7. The Lady Tigers will also play in the Community Christian Tournament in the Oklahoma City area Sept. 10-11. The temperature was warmer than usual in the GHS gym, which made things slightly more difficult. “I was very happy with the way the girls played as hot as it was,” Ware said. Guymon led 5-2 early in the the first game against its first opponent, Moscow, but settled down and dominated both games to easily win the match. Rolla put a scare in the Lady Tigers, who found themselves in a battle during the first game of the match. The game was tied at 3 when the Lady Tigers jumped to a 10-5 advantage, but the Lady Pirates roared back to within 10-8, and eventually tied it at 18. From that point there were 12 ties or lead changes, with Guymon down 25-24 and 27-26 at one point. A kill by Vanessa DeWilde tied it and a DeWilde tip gave Guymon a 28-27 lead. With Kalisa Mora at the line, the Lady Pirates were unable to return her final serve as Guymon won it 29-27. In the second game there were six ties or lead changes, with Guymon down at one point 5-2. With DeWilde serving, Rolla shanked the ball to tie it at 5, and from that point Guymon pulled away and held on to win 25-19. Guymon’s biggest lead in the first game against Elkhart was 12-5, but Elkhart fought back, with 16 ties and lead changes before taking a 19-18 lead which they never relinquished in handing Guymon its only game loss of the night, 25-23. Guymon never trailed in the second or third game victories, and opened the final game with a 10-0 lead behind the serving of Mora. After Elkhart fought back to within 17-11, Brenna Hutchins brought it home with eight straight points. DeWilde, Charissa Pierce, Myca Hunter, Lauren Gibson, Jill Brooks and Kate Strickland played well all night, while Bowers provided some good defense at libero. “They did a good job for the most part in every phase,” Ware said. In the OKRankings.com Class 5A Coaches Poll, Guymon jumped back up into the Top 15 and is now tied at No. 14 with Shawnee. “One or two people have us ranked as high as sixth,” Ware said.
OK Rankings Coaches Poll As of Aug. 31, 2010 1. Bishop Kelley 14-0 2. Bishop McGuinness 6-4 3. Tulsa Washington 9-4 4. Skiatook 9-2 5. Coweta 9-0 6. Catoosa 6-4 7. Carl Albert 8. Deer Creek 6-3 9. Tahlequah 3-3 10. OKC Southeast 4-0 11. Collinsville 5-6 12. Duncan 7-2 13. McAlester 0-0 14. GUYMON 7-2 14t. Shawnee 5-6
