Morning update 2-11-2020
Sports
The Poteau Pirates football players who won awards during Sunday night's Poteau Pirates Quarterback Club Football Awards Banquet, which took place at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center, pose around the Class 4A state championship trophy. Photo by Ramona Smith
Poteau football players honored at banquet
By DAVID SEELEY, Sports Editor
POTEAU – Sunday night’s Poteau Pirates Quarterback Club Football Awards Banquet, which took place at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center, first of all allowed those in attendance to relive the 2019 football season, which culminated with Poteau High School’s first-ever state football title.
However, more importantly, Sunday night’s banquet allowed Poteau coach Greg Werner to recognize his players for their accomplishments in bringing the coveted Class 4A state championship gold ball home in December.
Most of the individual awards went to seniors. Jayden Mankin was named the Most Valuable Player, Mason Barcheers the Offensive MVP, Vakameialo Tuifua the Defensive MVP, Kennedy Thornburg and Wyatt Waddell were Co-Billy Jack Smith Offensive Linemen of the Year Award winners, Kass Fenton the Defensive Lineman of the Year, Easton Francis the Pirate Award, Kagan Stockton the Bill Perry Award for showing leadership on and off the field and Cameron Duncan the Most Improved Player – which he shared with sophomore Todd Mattox.
Junior Colton Williamson won the Special Teams Player of the Year Award, juniors Tucker Garrett (skill player) and Kameron Shropshire (lineman) shared the Scout Team Players of the Year Award, junior Jagger Dill the Big Stick Award and junior Jake Patterson the 100-Percent Award for always giving total effort.
All the 2019 Bluebeard (Offensive Player of the Game) and Blackbeard (Defensive Players of the Year Award) award winners were recognized. Bluebeard Award winners were Barcheers, Mankin, Francis, Mattox and Stockton, while Patterson, Tuifua, Stockton, Matthew Curry, Mankin, Barcheers and Dill all won Blackbeard Awards.
All the members who made the All-District 4A-4 Football Team were recognized. – Tuifua, Francis, Barcheers, Thornburg, Stockton, Mankin, Fenton, Waddell, Curry, Peyton Owens, Christian Duncan, Cameron Duncan and Dauntay Warren.
Werner did recognize his players by classification, with all seniors – Mankin, Tuifua, Thornburg, Francis, Stockton, Warren, Barcheers, Owens, Fenton, Waddell, Curry, Cameron Duncan, Christian Duncan, Kaleb Nixon, Tucker Phillips, Bailey “B.J.” Kneisley, Jace Sommers, Hunter Mundy, Seth Sconyers, Nathan Rice and Kale Harrison – getting a special plaques.
Werner also recognized his assistants – Mike Odom, Andy Perdue, John Thompson, Jarrett Lowrimore Jay Werner, Justin Payne, Trevor Shankle, Jason Prescott and Jamie Armstrong -- who were given special footballs commemorating the state finals that were presented by Poteau Public Schools Board of Education member Matt McBee.
Poteau cheerleader coach Valerie Odom recognized her cheerleaders, with her three seniors, Morgan Odom, Celeste Daily and Lexi Weaver, receiving both a plaque and a photograph collage.
Poteau Silver Steppers Co-Coach Leslie Hemphill recognized the Silver Steppers, with seniors Angel Schmidt and Sallie Taylor getting special recognition with plaque. A season highlight video was shown.
The keynote speaker was Spiro resident and coach Bill Blankenship, now coaching at Owasso.
Carl Albert State College baseball player Dawson Restine of Panama, right, scores a run during the opening game of Saturday's season-opening doubleheader against Barton County, Kansas, at Ival Goodman Field at Mark Pollard Park. Photo by David Seeley/Sports Editor
Vikes go 1-3 against Barton County
POTEAU – The Carl Albert State College Vikings opened their baseball season with a 1-3 weekend home series with Barton County, Kansas, which saw two games played Saturday and Sunday at Ival Goodman Field at Mark Pollard Park.
The Vikings split Saturday’s twinbill, taking the nightcap 2-0 after losing the opener, 7-2. Barton County took both games Sunday by scores of 6-0 and 13-4.
In CASC’s Saturday victory, the Vikings (1-3) broke a scoreless tie with a one-out, walk-off two-run home run by Dylan Clark.
Clark hit a two-run homer, while Ryan Davenport, Mac Moody, Thomas Garner, Daylan Whitley and Layton Turneville each singled for Carl Albert.
Ethan Trivitt (1-0) got the win in relief, going the final two innings with three strikeouts. Tyler Hankins started, went the first five innings with three Ks. The duo combined on a three-hitter.
In Saturday’s loss, Barton County broke a 1-all tie with a two-run second inning to take the lead for good at 3-1.
The Vikings cut their deficit to 3-2 in the second inning on Dru Didway’s two-out, RBI single but got no closer as Barton County put away the game with a two-run fifth inning and single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Didway was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Moody and Panana’s Dawson Restine each singled. Moody had an RBI, while Restine scored a run.
Christian McCoy (0-1) took the loss, despite four strikeouts in five innings, but he allowed an earned run, with five runs unearned due to three CASC errors, on five hits. Daven Blanco went the final two innings with two Ks.
In Sunday’s opener loss, the Vikings were three-hit. Barton County scored twice in the second, third and fifth innings.
Ryan Makerney was 2-for-2, while Clark singled for Carl Albert’s three hits.
Justice Hayes (0-1) took the loss, despite three strikeouts in four innings but allowing six runs on seven hits. Canyon Thiel went the final three innings with four Ks.
In Sunday’s nightcap loss, Barton County scored at least once in each of the first four innings with a 6-0 lead after four innings and never looked back.
Trailing 13-0 in the seventh inning, the Vikings finally dented the scoreboard with a four-run frame, thanks to Didway’s two-run double, a Barton County error and an RBI fielder’s choice by Hayes.
Didway hit a two-run double, while Clark and Garber singled for CASC’s three hits.
Alex Gonzalez (0-1) took the loss, fanning two batters in two innings but allowing four runs on four hits. Garrett Maxwell went the next 1.1 innings with two Ks. Raceton Sedlacek went the following 1.2 innings. Ethan Nixon went the final two innings with a strikeout but gave up six runs, three of them earned, on four hits. All total, four of Barton County’s runs were unearned due to four Carl Albert errors.
After entertaining archrival Eastern Oklahoma State College in a single nine-inning game Tuesday afternoon at Ival Goodman Field at Mark Pollard Park, the Vikings will continue their season-opening homestand with a pair of doubleheaders at noon Friday and Saturday against Allen County, Kansas.
Carl Albert State College second baseman Mazie Richards, left, tags out a Western Oklahoma State College baserunner trying to steal second base during Saturday afternoon's game against Western Oklahoma State College in the CASC Softball Festival, which took place Friday and Saturday. Photo by David Seeley/Sports Editor
Lady Vikings go 1-3 in own festival
POTEAU – The Carl Albert State College Lady Vikings went 1-3 in their own festival, which took place Friday and Saturday.
The lone win was a 12-8 win over Southwest Tennessee in Friday’s first game, before losing 4-3 to the Memphis team on Saturday.
The Festival’s other team, Western Oklahoma State College, beat CASC twice, 8-0 on Friday and 5-0 on Saturday.
In Friday’s win over Southwest Tennessee, the Lady Vikings (1-5) jumped out to a 10-0 lead after an inning, only to see Southwest Tennessee cut the deficit to 10-8 after five innings. Carl Albert scored two big insurance runs in the sixth inning to preserve their first win of the season.
Lucy Shelly was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in, while Trini’Tee Haney was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run for CASC.
Shelly (1-2) got the win, going the first four innings, while Haney got the three-inning save, her first of the season.
In Friday’s loss to Western, Western pitcher Cheyenne Mahy three-hit the Lady Vikings with six strikeouts. The Lady Pioneers scored once in the third inning, four runs in the fifth inning, once in the sixth inning and twice in the seventh inning.
Shelly was 2-for-2, while Whitesboro’s Haylee Himes doubled for the only hits for Carl Albert.
Haney (0-3) took the loss, going the first five innings and allowed five runs on six hits. Elisha Stilwell went the final two innings with a strikeout.
In Saturday’s loss to Western, Mahy tossed a two-hitter, but the game was a scoreless until Western broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth inning before a four-run seventh inning put away the game.
Red Oak’s Kayleigh Hunter and Broken Bow’s Dej’a James each singled for CASC’s hits. Shelly took the loss, striking out three in 6.1 innings but did allow five runs, four of which were earned, on 12 hits.
In Saturday’s loss to Southwest Tennessee, the Lady Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, thanks to a three-run first inning and a run in the second inning. However, Southwest Tennessee completed its come-from-behind win with a two-run third inning and a single run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 4, then won the game with a run in the fifth inning.
Shelly was 2-for-3 with an RBI, James doubled with an RBI and a run scored and Lesa Moore hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot, for Carl Albert. Haney took the loss, but all four runs she allowed were unearned due to four CASC errors.
The Lady Vikings, who visited conference foe Murray State on Tuesday afternoon, will travel to face Paris, Texas, for a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader before returning home for a conference twinbill against Murray State at 1 p.m. Feb. 18.
Editor’s Note: Last Wednesday’s original season-opening home doubleheader against Paris was rained out and has not been rescheduled at this time.