Sports

After a third-place finish in District 5-3A Division II in 2020, Jacksboro is predicted to move up a spot in 2021 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

The magazine had defending champ Eastland winning the title once again. The two teams meet in Jacksboro Friday, Oct. 22. A brief summary of what DCTF predicts for the Jack County teams’ chances this year follow.

Jacksboro

Coach Brannon Rodgers. Twenty lettermen return, including five offensive and five defensive starters from a 6-5 bi-district finalist.

You know you’ve made an impression when your old coach is willing to help you out.

Kelli Barnett, Jacksboro’s new volleyball coach, was getting ready to graduate from Midwestern State University and was looking for a job.

Her former coach at Wichita Falls Rider gave her some help.

“She put my name out there and I came to Jacksboro for an interview,” Barnett said. “I was impressed with the facilities and thought God had put me with her for a reason.”

BRYSON – Bryson ISD announced the addition of two new coaches to be added to their staff; Emily Chenault at Bryson High School and Mark McCorkle at Bryson Junior High School. Chenault will bring her home-court experience, while McCorkle brings his seasoned coaching skills.

Emily Chenault
Chenault knows a few things about Bryson, having spent her last three years of high school in the district.

Now it’s time to teach what she was taught.

SAINT JO – It takes a while to get a young team to work together. Trying to do that in the summer is even more of a headache.

Jacksboro’s summer league baseball squad, which had the minimum of nine players make the trip into Montague County Thursday night, had its offensive issues. That, along with three errors, led to the host Panthers take control early and post a 7-2, five-inning win here.

Saint Jo got off on the right foot with a pair of first-inning runs off Cody Frie, using three hits and an error. Frie got out of the jam with a bases loaded strikeout.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again the old adage goes.

Joel Hood learned that, the veteran track coach, trying to get a summer track program back in 2008. He had some issues.

“We had three people show up,” Hood recalled.

Fast forward to today where Hood has about 40 kids out for a program. He says he has received help from new sources.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, June 23, edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette.

After a season that ended in the regional finals, Jacksboro landed several players on the District 7-3A all-district teams, including a number of superlatives.

The accolades started with John Bennett being named Coach of the Year.

Alex Holman received Pitcher of the Year, while freshman Kylie Tullous was named Offensive Player of the Year. Classmate Rylee Mathis was selected as Defensive Player of the Year, with Avery Bennett being named Utility Player of the Year.

On the first team was Hadlee Richardson, Makenna McAnear, Jaci Gann and Teagan Reynolds.

WICHITA FALLS – Mama said there’d be days like this.

Jacksboro’s boys summer league basketball squad, made up of no seniors, knew they would have their hands full with district rival City View and Class 4A Wichita Falls Hirschi. That didn’t keep them from giving a solid effort against both squads.

Unfortunately, the Tigers fell in both games Tuesday, June 8 in City View, putting the squads’ record at 1-3 in the league.

Brief summaries of both games can be found in the Wednesday, June 16, edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette.

Jacksboro Baseball Camp came off without a hitch June 1-3.

For the third straight year, the camp was held at Twin Lakes Ball Fields to accommodate the large number of campers. This year was down to around 60.

GRAHAM – With a Holliday win in the May 29 opener, which set up a winner take all game three in the Region I-3A Final, a packed house at Lady Blues Field set themselves for a rock and roll battle.

Jacksboro, which had won the series opener two nights earlier in a 14-3 rout, had just taken a 10-3 setback on the chin in Saturday’s first game. Most supporters figured it would be a tight matchup in the sixth and final meeting of the year between the two squads.

GRAHAM – In its three prior games, Jacksboro’s softballers did not commit a single error heading into Game 2 of the best-of-three series with Holliday.

It remained the same into the fifth inning of the contest, the Purple holding a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the frame. Things then fell apart for the Tigerettes as three Jacksboro errors was the beginning of the end for the squad, Holliday using a total of five miscues and a total of nine hits in its final two at bats to post a 10-3 victory and even the series at a game apiece.