Sports

It was an eventful week in Graham sports for district play. The Lady Blues took first place in district in soccer while the Steers basketball team clinched a playoff spot. 

This week the Graham Leader is recognizing Ellie Weatherman of the Lady Blues and Jaden Neal of the Steers as this week's Athletes of the Week.

Ellie Weatherman, Lady Blues Soccer

The Lady Blues picked up arguably the biggest win of their season so far in district play over the Decatur Lady Eagles. 

The JV Lady Blues continued their trek towards the regular season with a home scrimmage against the Jacksboro Tigerettes. 

While the Lady Blues couldn’t come away with the victory, there were positives to take away from the game. 

Coach Courtney Wright said she saw the team grow from their last scrimmage against Holliday and aspects of the game that the team can build upon. One of those areas was in the defensive department. 

The Newcastle Ladycats stepped onto the court against Garner for multiple special occasions. 

Not only was it the first time that Newcastle could enjoy regular season basketball in their new gym, but it was also the team’s annual senior night. 

The Ladycats rose to the occasion for the special night Friday, Feb. 6 and came away with a 36-22 victory. 

In particular, this was a special night for the team’s lone senior Emma Hawkins. Head coach Ryan Dollar had a message for her after the game. 

After the Ladycats secured a victory earlier in the night, the Bobcats followed it up with a dominant 65-52 win over Garner. 

This wasn’t just any other night, it was the annual senior night for graduating Bobcats. 

This year’s Bobcats team is represented by four seniors in Leighton Gowens, London Martinez, Jayden Hemby and Mikey Soito. Head coach James King gave his seniors some words of wisdom after the game. 

The Lady Blues had one of their biggest opportunities for development this past weekend when they hosted home scrimmage matchups against the Jacksboro Tigerettes and Alvord Lady Bulls. 

Head coach Adam Arrington said the scrimmage served as good preparation for the team. 

One of the team’s strong points on the day was in the pitching department. 

Tiffany Cotter and Ruby Shaffer took the mound for the Lady Blues in both of their matchups and showed strength in their performances. 

The Newcastle Ladycats continued their district schedule with a home matchup against the Bryson Cowgirls and kept the energy flowing. The Ladycats came away with a 49-28 victory.

For head coach Ryan Dollar, he believed that the Ladycats had won this game in the first half with the pressure they were putting on Bryson defensively which led to buckets on offense.

The Newcastle Bobcats stayed in the win column in district after their matchup against the Bryson Cowboys. 

The Bobcats came away after the game with a 47-31 victory to pick up their second consecutive victory in district play. 

Head coach James King was proud of the team’s effort on the night after the victory. 

“These kids play with so much heart and hustle. They’ve just got a bunch of grit,” King said. “It showed tonight. I think we're starting to gain some traction. Now is the time to start doing that.” 

As the district schedule continues to march on, playoff spots are being eyed by teams around the state and in Young County.

Athletes from Graham and Newcastle have continued to work hard for their programs as they make a push for postseason play.

The Graham Leader is recognizing Kinzlee Sweat of the Ladycats and Jayden Hemby of the Bobcats as this week’s Athletes of the Week. 

Kinzlee Sweat, Ladycats Basketball

The UIL officially released their reclassification and realignment for Texas high schools from 2026-2028. 

While Graham, Newcastle and Olney, were not reclassified, there were several changes to their alignments which will result in each of the schools playing new opponents for future seasons. 

The Graham Lady Blues entered district play this week already riding a strong start to their season. They continued that stretch earlier this week with a win to open district play against the Bridgeport Lady Bulls.