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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Lady Blues lift the bi-district trophy up and celebrate together after defeating Borger in a bi-district matchup Monday, March 25. The win was the Lady Blues’ first playoff victory in the program’s history as they beat the Lady Bulldogs 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Jagger Nees is only a freshman but he plays golf like an upperclassmen. Nees finished third in the Steers’ district tournament and advanced to the regional tournament in Lubbock in April. He regularly has finished with some of the lowest scores on Graham’s golf team and has been near the top of multiple tournaments this season. -
(DAVID FLYNN | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) Kaden Atwood (right) passes the baton to teammate Georgia Martin (left) during one of the relay races at the regional meet in Lubbock. The Lady Blues’ relay teams finished sixth in the preliminaries in each of their races. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Newcastle’s mixed doubles pair of senior Isaac King (left) and Mattie Dollar (right) with their regional championship medals they earned. The duo competed at the state tournament Thursday, May 16 but took a loss in their first match-up in three sets. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Newcastle Ladycats stand with their Class 1A state championship trophy Saturday, March 2 after they defeated the Turkey Valley Lady Patriots 48-32 to claim the title. -
(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Senior Mya Cabrera shoots a 3-pointer from the corner over a Turkey Valley defender during Newcastle’s state final win over the Lady Patriots 48-32. The Ladycats dominated the state tournament and were crowned 1A champions.
As full focus turns to winter sports with basketball underway and other sports approaching, The Graham Leader is taking a look back at big games and highlights in sports throughout the year.
In the series’ first of two installments, we look at January through June 2024.
January
• Steers soccer earned its first win of the season in a dominant fashion with a 7-0 victory over the Sweetwater Mustangs. After falling in their first game of the season the Steers turned their game around and executed their offense at a high level while allowing next to nothing on defense.
• Steers basketball opened district play with a huge win over Brownwood after wrapping up non-district play with a 13-12 record. The team opened district by defeating the Brownwood Lions 76-38 at home Friday, Jan. 12.
• Lady Blues soccer continued a winning streak with a 3-1 victory Wednesday, Jan. 25 over the Bridgeport Sissies. The team was in control the majority of the game and continued with a strong offensive showing.
February
• The Steers managed to down Brownwood with a last-second shot by junior Ty Thompson to make the game 56-54. After his offensive rebound Graham was leading with 9.1 seconds remaining which was enough time for the Steers to hold on for the win.
• It came down to the final shot of penalty kicks but the Graham Steers emerged victorious with their first district win of the season Monday, Feb. 5 against the Mineral Wells Rams. After finishing the regulation period tied 2-2, both teams sent their best five to the penalty box for a chance to take the game.
• The Newcastle Ladycats earned a bi-district championship Monday, Feb. 12 with a 54-20 win over Bellevue. The team lady won the Region 3 championship trophy Saturday, Feb. 24 after they defeated Dodd City 55-26 to advance to the state tournament.
March
• The long, arduous journey of a season reached its peak Saturday, March 2 when the Newcastle Ladycats were crowned Class 1A state champions after defeating the Turkey Valley Lady Patriots 48-32. As the final buzzer sounded, the players mobbed each other in the center of the court as reality set in for the players.
• What started out feeling like a regular game Tuesday, March 5 later turned into an absolute blowout as the Graham Lady Blues defeated the Bridgeport Sissies 17-0. Graham was looking to bounce back from a tough weekend performance at the Iowa Park tournament.
• After defeating Burkburnett 3-2 in a penalty kick shootout Friday, March 8, the Lady Blues were headed to the playoffs. The team went on to win their first playoff game in program history Monday, March 25 in Wichita Falls against the Borger Lady Bulldogs.
April
• The Steers and Lady blues had multiple athletes move to area and regionals. After competing in the Region 1-4A track and field meet in Lubbock, no athletes advanced to the state level, but had strong showings.
• Graham Steers and Lady Blues tennis players wrapped up their regular season with two athletes qualifying for regionals in singles and two moving on as a mixed doubles pair. Hayden Burrows finished second place in boys singles, Jade Dospapas earned second in girls singles and the mixed doubles duo of Reagan Birdwell and Luke Qualls were the champions of mixed doubles.
• The Lady Blues ran away Friday, April 19 with a 13-7 win over the Lady Rams to earn the district championship – the second in a row for the program. Although the final score indicated an easy win, Mineral Wells put up a fight, and after six innings, Graham only led by two runs at 9-7.
May
• The Graham Lady Blues met little resistance in their quest for a second-straight bi-district championship. The team earned run-rule victories to take the series 2-0 over Lubbock Estacado in two games held April 26-27.
• The Lady Blues softball season ended in the area round to Burkburnett. At a neutral field with nearly an even split of fans for each side, the Lady Blues and Lady Bulldogs battled for two consecutive nights.
• Senior Isaac King and junior Mattie Dollar, Newcastle’s mixed doubles team, participated Thursday, May 16 in the state tennis tournament in San Antonio. While the pair took a loss in their first match to end their season, they had a successful showing all season.
June
• The Graham Steers’ linemen spent Saturday, May 25 competing against other big men at Hardin-Simmons University for a shot at the state competition. The Steers qualified for the State Lineman Challenge which took place Saturday, June 22.
• At the end of the school year, Graham’s athletic department was on the hunt for a new girls basketball coach. They didn’t have to look far as assistant coach Baylee Thompson took the reins over the program and was named the new head coach for the Lady Blues.
• Graham’s Olga Morales and Newcastle’s Mya Cabrera, both 2024 graduates, represented their schools at the Big Country Fellowship of Christian Athletes volleyball all-star game Saturday, June 15.
Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series looking back at sports news in 2024.
