Sports

2018 may prove to be a special season for Graham High School cross country. The Lady Blues varsity team won their second straight meet to begin the new season.

Head coach Ky Graham’s varsity girls finished the race with five runners in the Top-15 to help the team take home another meet championship.

Kendra Williams’ time of 14:26.7 was good for fifth-place while Khloe Morris, Evie Griffin and Maria Hernandez finished inside the Top-10. Kaylee Little of Lipan finished as the top runner with a time of 13.42.7.

The Newcastle Ladycats volleyball team continues to have a stellar season under first-year head coach Paige Hauger.

The squad earned perhaps its best win of 2018 at the right moment with District 6-2A/1A play underway.

Newcastle went on the road Tuesday at Class 2A Albany and came away with a key win to even their league record.

“The team preserved in the second and third games despite Albany closing the lead,” said Hauger. “The girls continue to work hard not only at improving their skill level, but also their mental toughness has shown here lately.”

Two storied Texas high school football programs meet tonight seeking their first victory of the season. Graham and Brownwood have had a number of games decided until the very last play over the years. The series between the two schools dates back to 1951.

Twenty-one times from 1951 to 1977, the Steers found themselves as district opponents against some of Brownwood’s toughest teams. During that span, Graham managed only five wins to the talented Lions.

Despite another strong start for the second straight game, the Graham Steers were unable to sustain any sort of offensive rhythm in the second half on the road Friday night. Mineral Wells scored the final 20 points to take a 34-21 win over Graham.

After losing 13 in a row to the Steers, the Rams have now won two straight in the all-time series.

The Bryson Cowboys had little trouble in Friday’s 36-0 home victory over Notre Dame. The game was called in the second quarter after the Knights were down to just four available players. Both teams played five-onfive to begin the second quarter.

Quarterback Landon Stephens threw for 185 yards and three touchdowns by competing 8 of 9 passes.

Harley Hammond accounted for 168 yards of offense and two scores while T.J. Imotichey rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Chase Gilmore ran for three first-half touchdown touchdowns, but was held out for most of the second half due to an injury. The injury proved a major part in the outcome as the Steers offense were held to just 32 yards in the second half while Graham was outscored 20-0 by the Mineral Wells Rams in a 34-21 defeat at Ram Stadium on Friday night. 

Without Gilmore in the backfield, the Graham offense behind sophomore quarterback Hunter Lanham had trouble moving the ball down the field. 

Coming off a loss to begin the 2018 season, the Graham Steers will look to rebound on the road tonight in Mineral Wells.

Although the squad took a 43-29 loss to a bigger opponent, there were plenty of positives to take away from the outcome. The Steers went up against TCU commit Daimarque Foster, who led the entire state in rushing with over 3,000 yards in 2017. While Foster scored four touchdowns and gained 245 total yards, Graham cut into a large deficit to make it a six-point game late into the fourth quarter.

Tuesday evening’s non-district match between the Graham Lady Blues and the Jacksboro Tigerettes features many of the things expected in a great volleyball contest: hard attacks, well-timed blocks, beautiful service aces and a crowded gymnasium.

But it also featured plenty of hitting errors and communication mistakes that are often found early in the season.

And in the end, the host Lady Blues had more of the former and less of the latter to prevail in a 3-0, (25-18, 25-19, 25-23) sweep over the Tigerettes.

With district play approaching, Bryson head coach Chelsea Kincaid has to feel good about her team’s play up to this point.

Bryson fell on the road to Class 2A Petrolia on Tuesday in straight sets 3-0, (25-16, 25-13, 25-15), but is playing with a ton of confidence with district play beginning this weekend.

The Lady Cowgirls competed last weekend at the 25-team Buckle Up for Lane’s Sake Tournament in Nocona with Sydney Davidson being named to the all-tournament team. Krum won the championship  with a sweep over Windthorst in the finals. 

Even though they suffered a 43-29 loss on Friday night at Newton Field to one of the best teams in Class 4A, the Graham Steers grew up a bit according to their head coach.

“We were down so much there in the first half and to be able to come back like we did says a lot about our kids this season,” said Steers head coach Kenny Davidson.