Sports

(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Leader is recognizing Jace Gill of the Steers as this week’s Athlete of the Week. Gill had one of his finest performances of the season, combining for three touchdowns through the air and on the ground against Whitesboro.

Terrell, Gill named Athletes of the Week

Graham and Newcastle athletics saw another week of success across a number of sports.

For this week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Sophie Terrell of the Ladycats and Jace Gill of the Steers as this week’s Athletes of the Week. 

Sophie Terrell, Ladycats Volleyball

The Newcastle Ladycats varsity volleyball team made quick work of the Gold-Burg Lady Bears this past week Tuesday, Sept. 16. 

The team won in dominant fashion in three sets 25-8, 25-15 and 25-12. 

(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Nick Wankowicz looks for an open man in the paint Tuesday, June 17, against the Cisco Loboes. The Steers will be competing in a fall league hosted in Graham starting Monday, Sept. 22.

Steers march closer to regular season play with fall basketball league

With fall sports underway, it’s easy to forget even more teams at Graham High School will be kicking off their seasons going into winter soon. The Steers will march one step closer to that with the start of their fall basketball league. 

The league will stretch across four Mondays from Monday, Sept. 22 to Monday, Oct. 13. There will also be an additional day of play Saturday, Oct. 4, for the Steers Saturday Hoops Shootout. 

(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Kline Krupp aims for a ball Tuesday, Sept. 16, against Vernon in district play. The team of Krupp and Jade Dospapas put up the best fight in doubles play on the day losing narrowly 8-6.

Graham comes up short against Vernon

The Graham tennis team once again fought hard against Vernon, the latest opponent of their district schedule, however the team couldn’t get the job done as the Steers and Lady Blues teams lost 17-2. 

On the doubles side of things, there were some bright spots. A few teams on both the boys and girls side of things were able to put up a sufficient fight against their opponents, just coming up a bit short. 

(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Cooper Clayton takes a player to the ground for a tackle on defense. Clayton recorded the lone receiving touchdown in the Bobcats 63-0 win over the Gold-Burg Bears.

Bobcats remain undefeated with win over Gold-Burg

The Newcastle Bobcats continued their hot streak to begin the year, defeating the Gold-Burg Bears and remaining undefeated at 3-0. 

For the third straight week, the Bobcats also held their opponent to a shutout. 

As has been the case frequently for the Bobcats to start this season, the defense set the tone throughout the contest. 

The team scored multiple defensive touchdowns off of players like Mikey Soito and Keegen Voyles. 

(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Madison Cauble, left, and Emily Hughes, right, go up for a block Friday, Sept. 12. The Lady Blues defeated the Lady Leopards in three sets during the game.

Lady Blues pick up back-and-forth win over Legacy High

The Lady Blues found themselves in a wild ride this past weekend against Legacy High School. However, Graham ultimately picked up the three-set victory over the Lady Leopards. 

This was a match that Lady Blues head coach Marci Faulk described as purely driven off of momentum. 

“I don’t know who had the bigger momentum swings, us or them,” Faulk said. “There were definitely momentum swings.”

Kaden Atwood got things started off in set one with a solid dig which led to a Graham point, giving them the early lead. 

(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Dylan Cox cuts to the outside of the line Friday, Sept. 12, against the Whitesboro Bearcats. Cox scored two rushing touchdowns in the win.

Steers bounce back, knock off Bearcats at home

The Steers made up for their home-opening loss against Springtown last week with a dominant win over the Whitesboro Bearcats to pick up their first home victory of the season. 

The game took place Friday, Sept. 12, in a matchup that head coach Clay McChristian said was sloppy, but resulted in a victory. 

“You work too hard to not enjoy the win. That’s why you’ve got to have good people around you,” McChristian said to the team after the game. “We put a lot into this to not enjoy a 35-7 win, but a good team is never satisfied.” 

(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Tara Dawson lines up in the back row Tuesday, Sept. 9 against the Bowie Lady Rabbits. Dawson has come back from injury this season to be a leader both on and off the court.

Soito, Dawson named Athletes of the Week

Another busy week has come and gone for Graham and Newcastle athletics. 

This week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Mikey Soito of the Bobcats and Tara Dawson of the Lady Blues as this week’s Athletes of the Week. 

Tara Dawson, Lady Blues Volleyball

Dawson is a senior defensive specialist for the team and her impact so far has been immeasurable from both an on and off the court perspective. 

(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Makenzie Vacante sets up for a serve Tuesday, Sept. 9, against the Bowie Lady Rabbits. Vacante serves as the team’s libero and defensive specialist.

JV Lady Blues pick up victory over Bowie

The Graham junior varsity Lady Blues picked up their second straight non-tournament win. This Bowie Lady Rabbits win comes following their victory over the Iowa Park Lady Hawks. 

The match took place Tuesday, Sept. 9, and coach Courtney Wright believes that the team officially entering their tournament season aids them greatly in forming team chemistry to help pick up effective wins like this. 

(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Madison Cauble goes up for a kill Tuesday, Sept. 9, against the Bowie Lady Rabbits. Cauble has been a primary offensive playmaker for the Lady Blues so far this season.

Lady Blues pick up win against Bowie

The Lady Blues continued riding high this week, picking up a victory over the Bowie Lady Rabbits in four sets. 

This is their second consecutive victory after defeating the Iowa Park Lady Hawks. 

The match took place Tuesday, Sept. 9, after the junior varsity team was also able to secure a victory. 

Lady Blues head coach Marci Faulk also said the team should be grateful to both the freshmen and junior varsity teams for their continued support during the team’s matches.

(KYLIE BAILEY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Steers varsity cross country team takes off Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Glen Rose Invitational. The team finished seventh as a whole out of 13 teams in the three mile run.

Graham teams take off in Glen Rose Invitational

The Graham Steers and Lady Blues varsity cross country runners continued their season this past week participating in the Glen Rose Invitational. Once again runners across the team saw strong performances. 

The meet took place Wednesday, Sept. 10, where Graham competed against teams like Stephenville, Gatesville, Glen Rose, Brownwood, Comanche, Mildred, Valley Mills, Frost, Italy, Rio Vista, Rice, Blum, Abbott, Godley, Fort Worth Benbrook, McCamey and Covington. 

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