A look back at 2024 sports highlights

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 throughout the year.

In the series’ second of two installments, we look at July through December 2024.

July

• The Graham Steers went 1-2 in pool play and salvaged a win in the first round of bracket play before they ultimately saw their tournament run end in the second round of the 2024 Texas State 7on7 Tournament. The Steers went up against the Kilgore Bulldogs, the Dallas Kimball Knights and the Hamshire-Fannett Longhorns.

• The Graham Lady Blues spent Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 playing in the Jon Smith Memorial Tournament in Abilene. Out of 22 varsity division teams, the Lady Blues took third place overall. The team played 10 matches over the course of two days.

• Casey Dacus, former Graham offensive coordinator from 2011-2017, returned and  was named offensive coordinator again, quarterbacks coach and associate head coach for the Steers football team. Dacus returned to Graham after spending six years as head football coach at Navasota High School.

August

• Temperatures reached 105 degrees on Friday, Aug. 2 but the Graham tennis team came out even hotter in their first match of the season, with a dominant 19-0 win over Mineral Wells. While the heat seemed to get to Mineral Wells, Graham’s athletes weathered the storm and came out with a huge win to start their 2024 fall campaign.

• Graham cross country officially kicked off its fall season Wednesday, Aug. 21 and both the Steers and Lady Blues put on strong performances in their first event. The highlight for both teams was the combo of Lady Blues Rebekah Gilbertson and Sonya Clarke, who earned second place and received silver medals.

• Another successful Lu Allen Memorial Tournament came to a close, and the Graham Lady Blues ended the weekend with one of their best finishes in years as they took second place. Thirty teams from around different areas of Texas met at the high school and junior high school for an intense two days of competition.

September

• On a cloudy, humid Friday night, the Steers welcomed the private school Midland Christian Mustangs to Graham, where the home team played an all-around solid game to earn a 23-0 victory. The shutout win opened a successful season for the Steers and new head coach Clay McChristian.

• The Graham girls and the boys cross country teams each made a statement Thursday, Aug. 29 at the annual cross country event. The Lady Blues’ varsity girls led the way with a first place finish in the 1A-4A division 3200 meter race out of seven teams. Graham’s varsity boys held their own as they earned second place out of five teams in the 1A-4A division 5k race.

• The Newcastle Bobcats ran over the Gold-Burg Bears 72-36 in the team’s first game on their newly completed field. Following the completion of the 2023 football season, Newcastle began the process of tearing up the old football field and installing a brand new facility.

October

• Graham High School’s tennis team competed in its bi-district match Tuesday, Oct. 8 against Canyon Randall. The Steers and Lady Blues fought hard but saw their season come to an end with a 19-0 loss to Canyon Randall, who was ranked as the No. 3 team in the state.

• The Graham Steers trampled the Mineral Wells Rams in their fourth straight shutout victory. In a match-up of two of the better teams in District 3-4A, the Steers took control early and never let up in a 37-0 thrashing of the visiting Rams.

• Led by two top-10 individual finishes at the regional meet, Newcastle’s girls cross country team qualified for the state meet next weekend with a fourth place team finish. Newcastle’s team of six runners ended up with 147 points, good for fourth place overall.

November

• Though it took some time to get the wheels rolling, the Graham Lady Blues eventually ran away with a 3-0 sweep over the Levelland Loboettes by scores of 25-21, 25-14 and 25-8. The sweep secured the bi-district championship for the Lady Blues.

• The Newcastle Bobcats were headed to the playoffs after a 54-6 win Friday, Nov. 8 over the Bryson Cowboys. With the victory, Newcastle finished second place in District 6-1A to advance to the postseason.

• The Graham Steers advanced to the region semifinal round after thrashing Monahans 63-6. Four years have passed since Graham’s football team made it past the second round of the playoffs, and head coach Clay McChristian made sure his players knew just how big an accomplishment the outcome was for the program and community.

December

• The Steers pulled out a 67-51 win over Eastland and dominated the game from start to finish. Graham led 40-10 at halftime and by nearly 40 points at the end of the third quarter when Eastland trailed 60-23.

• After the Steers took care of business against the Eagles in November, a 38-0 Graham victory, the two teams reconvened Friday, Dec. 6 in the Region 1-4A Division II final with a trip to the state semifinal on the line. On a cold, rainy night in Stephenville, in a battle that required three overtimes to determine a winner, Graham’s season came to an end in a 12-10 loss to Brock.

• In their annual Red, White & Blue Tournament, the Graham Steers had a strong showing and ended up winning third place in the field of 10 teams. The Steers went 3-2 for the weekend, going 2-2 in pool play and then winning the third place against Levelland High School.