A look back at 2023 sports highlights
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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Keion Shead hits a buzzer-beater jump shot while his team and coaches watch to push the Graham Steers past the Boyd Yellow Jackets 50-48 during their game Tuesday, Dec. 5. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Newcastle’s offense lines up against Victory Christian Academy’s defense during a game Friday, Oct. 6 at Newcastle. The Bobcats defeated the Patriots, who were ranked No. 1 in the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship, by a score of 75-60. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Lady Blues were crowned bi-district champions after defeating the Sweetwater Lady Mustangs in four sets Monday, Oct. 30. The Lady Blues won by scores of 25-4, 25-9, 23-25 and 25-11. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Steers take the field in their season opening matchup against the Bowie Jackrabbits. The Steers would go on to dominate the Jackrabbits, 56-14. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) After taking three hard losses, the Lady Blues volleyball team won five straight matches in September which included a three-set sweep over ranked Mineral Wells.
As we wrap up 2023 and venture into the new year, The Graham Leader is taking a look back at the sports news that happened during the 2023 calendar year.
In the second installment of the two-part series, we look back at sports highlights from July through December.
July
• Eighth-grader Angel May was selected out of over 10,000 applicants to participate in the 2023 Dream All-American Bowl. May was one of 360 student-athletes selected for the opportunity and was the only female.
• Laneah Bryan won gold with the United States women’s flag football team after defeating Team Mexico at the International Federation of American Football Americas Continental Flag Football Championship. Bryan’s grandparents live in Graham and she spent many summers visiting them and getting to know the area.
• The Graham High School cheer squad performed at a National Cheerleaders Association camp. The team excelled and earned a bid to compete at the UIL State Cheerleading event in January 2024.
August
• The Graham Athletic Booster Club held its annual Booster Bash to kick off the year of sports for the high school. The event offered fans the chance to meet the fall sports teams and enjoy a night of fun.
• Graham hosted the 20th annual Lu Allen volleyball tournament in which the Lady Blues finished in fifth place out of 30 teams. Fans were able to purchase vintage T-shirts from previous years of the tournament while officials wore varied shirts to honor the former volleyball coach after which the tournament is named.
• The Steers football team opened the season with a powerful 56-14 win over Bowie. The win showcased a dominant offense that would set the tone for the rest of the season.
September
• After struggling through a three-game losing streak, the Lady Blues volleyball team went on a five-game win streak through September, which included a sweep over district opponent and No. 5 ranked Mineral Wells.
• Graham hosted a homecoming parade, pep rally and bonfire to celebrate homecoming week. The football team defeated Old High of Wichita Falls in the homecoming game and moved to 6-0 to start the season.
October
• The Graham tennis team officially clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 13-7 win over the Holliday Eagles. The Steers and Lady Blues won their last two matches of the regular season heading into the playoffs.
• The Newcastle Bobcats football team won a shootout 75-60 over Victory Christian Academy, who was ranked as the No. 1 team in the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship.
• After finishing near the top in the district race, Graham cross country’s Tyson Weaver competed at the regional race in Lubbock where he finished 78th out of 171 runners.
November
• The Lady Blues volleyball team won a bi-district championship with a dominant four-set win over Sweetwater. The team’s season ended a week later in the area round against Decatur.
• Mattie Dollar of the Newcastle cross country team participated in the state meet in Round Rock. Dollar finished high in every meet throughout the season and performed well at the finals where she finished 43rd out of 145 runners with a time of 13:28.9.
• Both Graham and Newcastle’s football teams earned bi-district championships, with the Steers defeating Hillsboro and the Bobcats beating Woodson. The season ended for both teams a week later in their area round match-ups.
December
• Graham High School’s Paris Tate signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball at Central Christian College of Kansas.
• Graham senior Keion Shead hit a buzzer-beater for the Steers basketball team in a comeback 50-48 win over Boyd.
• The Steers basketball team hosted the Red, White & Blue tournament in Graham and finished in 7th place out of the 15 teams in the field.
• Kenny Davidson, the winningest football coach in GHS history, announced his retirement which will take effect at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Davidson had been the head coach of the Steers since 2010 and compiled a 130-46 record during that time.
Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part series looking back at The Graham Leader sports highlights of 2023.
