Postseason honors continue to roll in for Graham High School athletes. Corey Ballew continues to get recognition for his play this baseball season and a list of softball honors was announced over the past two weeks.
Graham High School athletic director Kenny Davidson has found his guy to lead the Steers basketball team. Kris Hise, formerly of Big Spring, was selected for the job and started this week. On top of his duties with boy’s basketball, he will coach the Steers cross country team and will serve as an assistant in golf. Hise will teach special education at GHS.
Graham High School athletic director Kenny Davidson said Hise quickly “shot up” his list after talking to other athletic directors.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will make a return this weekend after a one-year absence. Missing from the 2021 calendar is Possum Kingdom Lake and Hell’s Gate. The tour kicks off this weekend in Saint-Raphaël, France.
The tour had announced a return to Hell’s Gate in January last year after skipping the spot in 2019. It was to be the sixth year competing at Possom Kingdom Lake in the series’ 13 years. The 2020 tour was canceled in April of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tour organizers cited fan support in what was supposed to be a return in 2020.
The Graham Steers basketball team will have a new look when the season begins later this year. Coach Marcus Morris has left the Steers to coach the Rangers at Midland Greenwood.
With the retirement of Jim Bob Williams, Steers’ Athletic Director Kenny Davidson chose someone with name recognition to lead the Steers. Coach Aaron McGee, Steers coach from 2010-2015, was hired to return to the Steers. He returns after six-years at Vandegrift.
McGee’s coaching career started as an assistant at Howard Payne University after graduating in 2006. He played outfield and third base as a member of the Yellow Jackets.
Steers head baseball coach Jim Bob Williams’ 27-year coaching career came to an end this week. Earlier in the school year, Williams announced his retirement following their baseball season and the end of the school year. The Steers season came to an end after a 2-0 series loss to Stephenville in the 4A Region 1 Quarterfinals.
The Steers baseball team was swept 2-0 by the Stephenville Yellowjackets in last week’s Regional Quarterfinal series in Weatherford. After giving up Game One in walk-off fashion on Thursday, the Steers were shut out Saturday afternoon. Saturday marked the final game for Steers head coach Jim Bob Williams who will retire this week. The Steers’ season ended with a 28-10 record.
Game One: Yellowjackets 4, Steers 3
Graham Steers’ starting pitcher and third baseman Corey Ballew was named district MVP and leads a list of 11 Steers players to earn all-district honors. Ballew’s honor is in addition to previous announcements to the Big Country FCA 2021 All-Star baseball game and the THSBCA All-Star game.
On the pitcher’s mound, Ballew started six games and pitched 34 innings while earning five wins. He also struck out 41 batters. On the entire season, Ballew started 13 games and pitched 72 innings with an earned run average of .972.
The summer volleyball league is returning to Graham High School next month. It returns after a one-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions. Beginning June 7, 22 teams from seven schools will compete in a total of 112 games across four Monday nights in June.
Games will be 25-minutes long with a five-minute break between each game. Each team will play three games per night, with a 20-point “mercy rule” in effect. Admission is $1 for spectators.
For the first time in five seasons, Steers baseball has advanced out of the area playoffs. In their second two-game sweep in two weeks, the Steers defeated Springtown to set up a best-of-three series against Stephenville.
Game One: Steers 12, Springtown 2
