Sports

It’s tough to face the top-ranked team in a season even once, let alone twice due to the district alignment. And for the Lady Blues, though they played a better game than the first matchup they still ended with the same result as the visiting Lady Tigers earned a 54-19 win.

Down a few starters due to illnesses and injuries, the Graham Lady Blues fought hard Friday, Feb. 2 for all four quarters against one of the best teams in the state in Class 4A. While the result still didn’t go Graham’s way, they played a better game overall against stiff competition.

Spring sports are on the horizon as softball teams have begun scrimmages this past week with baseball soon to follow. Tennis, track and field and golf are all on the way, as well.

But before those sports fully take over, winter sports are still seeing plenty of action on a weekly basis. Graham’s basketball and soccer teams have been quite active lately, with basketball in the heat of district play while soccer is wrapping up non-district.

As the Steers brought the ball down the court, sophomore Tyler Allen missed a mid-range jumper but junior Ty Thompson was in perfect position to collect the offensive rebound. The point guard immediately put it back up for two points and a 56-54 Graham lead with 9.1 seconds remaining.

All Brownwood had time for was a last-second long 3-point heave that barely even hit the backboard and the Steers held on for the district win Tuesday, Jan. 30 over the Lions this.

Though the final score may not indicate as such, the Graham Lady Blues played a close game for nearly three quarters against the Brownwood Lady Lions before ultimately taking a 55-33 loss.

It wasn’t until there were just a few minutes remaining in the third quarter Tuesday, Jan. 30 that the home-team Lady Lions began to pull away from the visiting Lady Blues. Graham’s defense started to slip and Brownwood took advantage of fast-break opportunities en route to the win.

The Graham Steers came out firing when they took on the Springtown Porcupines in the final non-district contest of the regular season Monday, Jan. 29. That quick, aggressive attack paid off as the visiting Steers held on for a 2-1 win over the home-team Porcupines.

As Graham wraps up their non-district schedule, the team has been fighting to get back to full strength while simultaneously preparing for the rigors of the district schedule. This matchup with Springtown provided yet another opportunity for the Steers to accomplish both those goals and they succeeded.

UIL released the official reclassification and realignment information this week regarding Texas high schools for 2024-2026, with some changes coming to Young County matchups.

None of the three Young County schools — Graham, Newcastle and Olney — changed classes, but each school will see some new district opponents on future schedules.

Listed below are each school’s 2024-2026 class and division, as well as the regions and districts in which the schools will compete in their various sports.

Graham

The game came down to the final minutes but the Graham Steers couldn’t put together the right combination to pull out the win over the visiting Stephenville Yellow Jackets last Friday, Jan. 26 as they lost 45-39.

It’s never easy to win a game when the opponent is knocking down deep 3-pointers all game and that’s what happened to the Graham Lady Blues when they faced the Stephenville Honeybees this past week.

In their second event of the season, the Graham Steers varsity powerlifting squad returned to Weatherford to put their weight to the test against other schools from around the area.

The event involved the same schools from their first meet a few weeks ago — Peaster, Weatherford and Mineral Wells — so there was some familiarity with the competition. But powerlifting often involves achieving personal goals as each athlete strives to beat their own records.

District games are important to players, coaches, fans and just about anyone. Basketball teams are fully immersed in these tough district matchups while other sports like soccer are closing in fast.

This past week, the Newcastle varsity basketball games went 3-1 in four matchups. The Ladycats went 2-0 with wins over Aspermont and Graford while the Bobcats won against the Hornets but fell to the Jackrabbits.

For their performances this past week, senior Mya Cabrera and junior Ben Burk earned selections as The Graham Leader’s Athletes of the Week.