Dawson, King take Athletes of the Week

As the calendar nears the end of October and student-athletes prepare for the start of winter sports like basketball and soccer among others, football and volleyball are still very present around the community.

This week, Tara Dawson, of the Graham Lady Blues volleyball team, and Isaac King, of the Newcastle Bobcats football team, earned selections as Athletes of the Week for their performances during the period of Thursday, Oct. 19 through Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Tara Dawson, outside hitter, Graham volleyball

Graham’s volleyball team wrapped up its regular season with two games this past week. The Lady Blues honored their seniors on Senior Night with a win over Brownwood and fought hard but took a loss against Stephenville Tuesday.

While the team split the two games, Dawson played a key role in both and has done so throughout the entire season. Only a sophomore, Dawson has performed at an extremely high level while fulfilling a variety of roles for this Lady Blues team.

She has been one of Graham’s better servers this year, often recording at least an ace or two in every game. In addition to her prowess at the service line, she plays a lot at the back line which primarily involves defense while showcasing the ability to score points from the hitter positions, as well.

In the game against Brownwood, Dawson recorded two aces and two kills. While this year’s team is led by a handful of upperclassmen, Dawson and other sophomores have provided quality play in bunches.

“Tara’s a utility player,” head coach Marci Faulk said after the game against Stephenville. “There at the end, we can sub her front row, she played front row at the beginning of the season. She’s solid in back row, her serve-receive’s solid…When you’ve got a kid that’s that versatile, it’s nice to have that flexibility.”

As the Lady Blues move forward into the playoffs, Dawson will continue to be a key piece to this team’s success. And because she’s only a sophomore, the sky’s the limit for her growth and progression.

“She's just the definition of a utility player. She can play right side, she can play outside, she can play middle back, left back,” Faulk said. “Big expectations for her over the next two years.”

Isaac King, running back/safety, Newcastle football

Just a few miles down Hwy 380, the Newcastle Bobcats football team has been putting together an incredible season. At the time of this writing, the Bobcats hold a 7-1 record overall and are 1-0 in district.

The team has spent the entire season in the top 10 of Class 1A Division II in Texas, peaking as high as fifth and currently in the seventh place spot. A large reason for the team’s success has been the play of one of their seniors in King.

During Newcastle’s recent victory over district opponent Strawn, King stuffed the stat sheet as he made plays all over the field on both sides of the ball. In six-man football, it’s common for lots of players to play all facets of the game, particularly on offense and defense.

Listed as a running back on offense, King carried the ball six times and racked up 113 yards rushing for an average of a little less than 19 yards per carry. In those six runs, he took three of them to the end zone for touchdowns.

King also passed for an equal amount of yards with 113 and threw two touchdown passes. Of Newcastle’s 10 touchdowns scored in the game, King scored or contributed to five of them.

On defense, King led the Bobcats with 12 tackles, truly embodying the term “two-way player.”

“(Isaac’s) been a great leader for our team this year. He doesn’t just talk the talk but walks the walk,” Newcastle head coach Isiah Archer said. “His care for his teammates' wellbeing has been very uplifting for the younger players on the team. Isaac competes for Newcastle with all he has and he's a great example of what we look for in our student athletes.”