Guymon Reveres Rodeo Honorees

Ted Harbin--Twisted Rodeo
  •  



GUYMON, Okla. – Much has happened in this community over the last 22 years.

There’s been growth; Guymon’s population has increased by 1,500 people. There’s been development; a casino dots the landscape, and there are more hotel rooms than ever before.

One thing that’s remained consistent is the biggest event in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo continues to thrive, and the organizers are gearing up for this year’s event, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. More than two decades ago, it was honored as the 2002 PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year.

“There have been a few changes with our rodeo since then, but the main aspect of it is still the same: We want to produce one of the greatest events in the PRCA year after year to celebrate this community,” said Ken Stonecipher, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. “We have outstanding volunteers who are really working hard to get everything ready for this year’s rodeo.”

It’s not without a tip of the cap to what’s happened in the past. This is the 92nd year of Pioneer Days Rodeo, an event that was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2015. A year ago, it was again nominated for rodeo of the year, this time in the medium category.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand how difficult it is to be nominated, especially for Medium Rodeo of the Year,” Stonecipher said. “That category has the most rodeos in the PRCA by far, so to be among the top five says a lot for our volunteers and for the people that support our rodeo.”

Why the change in size? Most of it has to do with the overall payout. In the early 2000s, Pioneer Days Rodeo was a PRCA tour event, which meant the local dollars had to be above a high threshold. The rodeo also had to have a championship round. In an effort to maintain community support and help cowboys and cowgirls with their travel plans, the committee opted to make the changes necessary.

As with anything in life, Guymon’s rodeo has continued to evolve. The contestants have recognized that, which is a big reason why the committee was recognized in 2023.

“In order to be nominated, a rodeo has to receive the votes from the PRCA members, and that includes the cowboys,” Stonecipher said. “We’ve always been an event that caters to the contestants. We’ve adjusted our slack schedule to make it easier, and we’re always finding ways to improve.”

While it’s recognized as a cowboys’ rodeo, those in the community are likely the greatest beneficiaries. Whether they sponsor the rodeo or just make sure they’re in attendance, an exceptional event offers them the opportunity to celebrate the greatness that happens inside the arena during a week of world-class competition.

It’s not just the local committee that has been honored. The event’s producer, Frontier Rodeo, is a nine-time winner of the PRCA’s Stock Contractor of the Year. Frontier has also had several horses that have won annual honors, while Cody Webster is the reigning three-time Bullfighter of the Year and Amanda Sanders has won Secretary of the Year.

“We’ve got the best in the business, and I think that says a lot for our rodeo, too,” Stonecipher said. “We have the kind of rodeo a lot of communities would love to have.”

There are a lot of great things happening in Guymon the first weekend in May.

 

Congratulations Spearman Tennis Teams

Congratulations Spearman tennis! 🎾💜

Results of Spearman tennis tournament:
Kervin/Jesus GOLD Medalists boys doubles!
Cy/Jossy GOLD Medalists mixed doubles!
Max/Matt BRONZE Medalists boys doubles!

 

Made Like Ike Golf Tournament July 25-28



 

4th Annual West Texas Heroes Softball Tournament April 13 and 14



 

SHS Sports Awards

 


Braylen Lusby-Texas Association Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-Region 

 



Kenleigh Lopez- Texas High School Coaches Association - honorable mention academic all-state

 

 


Emma Parker- THSCA honorable mention academic all-state

 


Landrie Black- THSCA 1st team academic all-state

 



Lexi Klafka- THSCA 2nd team academic all-state

 



Braylen Lusby- THSCA 2nd team academic all-state

 



Vanelli Delgado- THSCA honorable mention academic all-state



 

Hansford Hospice Golf Scramble June 8



 

Spearman Tennis Results

 

Congrats to Max & Matt!
Boys Doubles Bronze Medalist @ West Texas Tournament!
#golynx #spearmantennis

Congrats to Jossy!!
GOLD Medalist in singles at the West Texas tournament!!
#golynx #spearmantennis


 Congrats to Kason & Emmy!
4th place in a tough mixed doubles division at the West Texas Tournament!
#golynx #spearmantennis

 



 

Lynx and Lynxette Golf

The Lynx and Lynxettes competed in the Canadian Invitational. The Lynxettes placed 2nd as a team. Acey Womble placed 2nd as an individual! Congratulations guys!

 

Braylen Lusby Selected TABC 3A Region I All Region Team

via The Den
via The Den
Braylen Lusby has been selected as a member of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) 3A Region I- All Region Team!!

Braylen will continue her basketball career at WTAMU in the fall with the Lady Buffs. We look forward to following her success.

Congratulations, Braylen!!

 

Carman Drives Cattle to Local Rodeo

Ted Harbin--Twisted Rodeo
  •  


GUYMON, Okla. – The wildfires that devastated the landscape a couple weeks ago are still smoldering in some places in the Texas Panhandle.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which scorched more than a million acres of land, was mostly contained earlier this week, but fire officials aren’t ready to call it completely covered. That territory encompasses land just a few miles south of the Oklahoma Panhandle.

It’s been mortifying to watch and even scarier for those in its path, but the people who live in this region prove their resilience. They battle the blazes, and they work hard to recover from disasters like this. It’s in their DNA. They must continue to fight.

“We’ve actually been pretty fortunate here,” said Jeremy Carman, a Texas County businessman who has been closely involved in the planning of the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. “We’ve had some spots, but nothing in Texas County. I’m not sure how people replace their cow herds. It’s going to be tough.”

Carman has watched the situation unfold, all while hundreds of cattle are grazing north of the Texas border. In addition to raising cattle as part of his business practices, he is providing calves for the muley team roping and breakaway roping at the Guymon rodeo. A former chairman of the community’s biggest event, this will be his sixth year of making sure the timed-event cattle are in the right place at the right time.

“I’ve got all those cows bought and should have enough,” he said. “Each run will feature a fresh calf, so you have to have a lot of calves ready for that. I think about 500 head should be enough.”

It’s a labor of love for Carman, who said the initial investment into his herd was a considerable jump from what it has been.

“The cattle market this year has been extremely challenging,” Carman said. “I’d say these lightweight cattle have gone up $500 a head since last year.”

With the baseline of 500 head, that’s an increase of $250,000 if not more. Carman purchases the animals, and Goodwell cowboy brothers Chuck and Ed Hoss care for them. Why is this type of investment important to the producers of the Oklahoma Panhandle’s ProRodeo?

“We had the muley team roping for a long time, and when the prices got too high, we went back to horned cattle for a few years,” Carman said. “Everybody wanted to bring the muleys back. The muley team roping is unique to Guymon, and it brings the cowboy out in those guys. It evens the playing field for all the teams, and that makes it a lot of fun.”

It’s also fun to watch. Because each run is made on a calf that has never been put through the chute system or run at a rodeo, nobody knows how the animal will react. That hint of mystery is appealing for the cowboys and fans alike. This also will be the second year the WPRA will sanction breakaway roping, so having the right calves makes everything better for the competition.

“I think everybody’s excited about adding another women’s event,” Carman said. “We wanted to make sure we had the finances right before we added it, because those girls deserve to be running at even money to what the men do. I think that help sets us apart from a lot of rodeos, too.”

 

Gruver's Pratt McClain Signs With Alabama

photo via Facebook
photo via Facebook
 
Gruver’s Pratt McLain has signed with the University of Alabama for pole vault.  He began when he was about 4 years old and learning from his father.  Pratt’s father jumped at Southwest Texas and attended the NCAA’s twice.  Pratt has attended the UIL State Track meet three times and won the bronze medal two times.
  


 
When Pratt’s father was jumping for Southwest Texas, a friend there became the assistant coach for Alabama.  They were competing in track and field together and became good friends.  They both moved on after college but remained in touch. 
 
Hear the rest of the story



 

SHS All Academic Basketball





 

National Athlete Trainer Recognition Celebrates Michael Lozano

Submitted by Kristi Ramon

National Athletic Training Month is celebrated in March. This celebration is a time to recognize the expertise of athletic trainers. Athletic trainers are instrumental in the health care of the athletes. Michael Lozano has been an athletic trainer for fourteen years.

Lozano is a Spearman High School graduate and has worked for SISD for eleven years as an athletic trainer and teacher. He teaches Sports Medicine to students interested in athletic training or any health care profession. “The class allows students to learn from the staff athletic trainer and provide care for their peers. They provide hydration, taping, wrapping, and immediate care to the athletes. The student athletic program helps students learn valuable skills, responsibility for their self and others, communication between students and coaches, “replied Lozano.

Lozano’s responsibilities include: providing immediate acute care, evaluate, treat, refer, rehab, and recondition all athletic injuries within the school district as well as injury prevention and health promotion, maintain medical documentation of student athletes, provide medical coverage for all home athletic events and travel with varsity sports, strength and conditioning coordinator for all girl’s athletic and boys and girls 6th grade pre-athletics, organizes student physicals each year, and completes a minimum of fifty hours of continuing education every two years to maintain his certification.
Athletic trainers have many proud moments. “I'm mostly proud of helping students get through that feeling of fear and dread when a severe injury hits. For many student-athletes, they feel that sports are their whole life and when they sustain a season-ending injury they feel lost, isolated, and like their identity has been taken from them. It helps these students to have someone who can guide them in their recovery, who's seen it before, and can reassure them that they can get back to normal. Every school needs an athletic trainer,” shared Lozano.

Lozano’s students have been very successful. “Spearman ISD’s student athletic trainers go on to do great things! Multiple have gone on to Division I college athletic training programs, completed internships with professional sports teams, one is currently in medical school, and one is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I believe athletic training teaches students important principles that will carry over throughout their life: time management, work ethic, and putting others before themself,” proudly shared Lozano.
Congratulations on making a tremendous difference in the lives of students and for the amazing work you do at SISD.





 

Lynxettes Place 1st at West Texas Invitational

Via Facebook
Via Facebook
The Lynxette golf team placed 1st place in the West Texas Invitational at Phillips golf course in Borger, Texas. Tessa Holton placed 1st as an individual and Alayna Schneider placed 3rd as an individual!! Congratulations to the Lynxettes!!

 

Spearman Lynx Championship Team

2024 senior football players that are on the Texas High School Coaches Association

National Football Foundation Academic Excellence Award 3A State Championship team


 

Signing Day For Mancini

Photos by Ernie Bowen
Photos by Ernie Bowen
On Tuesday February 7, Borger ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Dane Hamrick held a signing event at the Borger Bulldog turf room at 4 PM.

The following gentleman have signed to play college football

Barrett Mancini--Hardin Simmons
Justin Forester--OPSU
Sean Wilson--OPSU

Mancini is a former Spearman Lynx

Congratulations and best of luck to these stellar athletes!
 


 

UIL District Alignment--Football 2024-2026



 

Pratt McLain--Story by Rick Karle WVTM 13

Photos via Facebook
Photos via Facebook
Rick Karle WVTM 13

It's likely that you have never heard of Pratt McLain.

Oh, he's a big-time Bama recruit, but he doesn't play football.
Pratt doesn't play basketball or baseball, either.

What Pratt McLain does is something most of us have never tried.
And now, the 18-year-old will soon jump from Gruver, Texas over to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

I've covered a lot of scholarship signings down through the years, but never this.

A high school kid who first picked up a pole at age 4 and never stopped vaulting, never stopped believing.

A kid who has pole vaulted 15 feet, 6 inches.

A kid who tells me he will major in Mechanical Aerospace Engineering at the Capstone.

It makes sense that Pratt McLain likes Space- he's been rocketing toward it for years.

The son of former Southwest Texas State pole vaulter Buster McLain, Pratt dreams of someday topping his dad's all-time best vault of 17 feet, 6 inches.
That's a tall task, but Pratt is a believer.

Pratt has started spring track practice at Gruver High School- he will then head to Tuscaloosa to be coached up, up and away.

While talented athletes all over our great country often receive shout outs, pole vaulters usually are not among them.

I thought it would be nice to offer our best to a fine young man who works just as hard as any athlete.

A fine young man who has adopted the often lonely sport of pole vaulting.
Please welcome Pratt McLain to Tuscaloosa as Coach Dan Waters is getting a good one...

And tell him he can jump on over to T-Town anytime.
#RollTide #ShareTheGoodNews

 

Thompson Scores 63 Yard Touchdown In Alamo Bowl



Oklahoma starts off second half with 63-yard TD Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold throws a pass to Brenen Thompson, who goes 63 yards for the score early in the second half

Streaky Alamo Bowl Showing Proved Oklahoma's Defense Still Far From Finished Product

Story by Ryan Chapman  HERE
 
 
SAN ANTONIO — The Alamo Bowl was a microcosm of the 2023 season for Oklahoma’s defense.

The Sooners played well for stretches, limiting one of the most explosive offenses in college football, but Arizona had enough success to stage a second-half comeback in the Alamodome.

 

UIL Realignment News

 
 UIL realignment will lead to some interesting changes for Texas Panhandle schools


 

Lady Buff Basketball Announces the Addition of Lynxette Lusby

Via Facebook
Via Facebook
"Braylen truly embodies everything we are looking to recruit to here at WT. She has a tremendous understanding of the game and plays the game the right way.
 
Her effort on both ends of the court is what really stood out to us and will be what makes her successful" said Prock "Braylen is a very talented young lady that can really do it all, she is tremendous shooter and is very good and crafty getting to the basket."
 


 

Clarendon Edges Gruver In Thriller

 
 
By Kale Steed 
 
 
 As expected, Gruver and Clarendon lived up to the billing with the Broncos pushing their way toward destiny for yet another week.

Clarendon made big plays at crucial times that propelled Clarendon to a 34-32 victory in one of the better regional semifinals across the state on Friday afternoon at Bulldogs Stadium in Borger.

The Broncos (10-3) Cinderella story continues. From a team that started 0-3 under first-year head coach Aaron Wampler to now 10 straight wins and punching a ticket to the Class 2A Division II state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017.

“It’s been an awesome run,” Wampler said. “We had a tough start to the season but now this team has confidence and an identity. We’re playing for each other and it’s showing each and every week. I just can’t stay how proud of I am of this team after a win like this.”

Gruver running back Walker Maupin breaks loose against Clarendon on Friday. [David Erickson/ Press Pass Sports]
Clarendon took advantage of turnovers early in the game to jump on Gruver 22-7 with five minutes to play in the half.
 

However, Gruver (10-3) didn’t flinch getting back in the contest on a fourth and goal touchdown from quarterback Briggs Satterfield, then connected on a wheel route from Satterfield to Walker Maupin of 30-yards that brought the deficit to 22-19 by halftime.

Clarendon responded to open the third quarter behind its workhorse Lyric Smith. Smith once again was a game changer in this entire clash. Smith extended the Broncos lead to 28-19 on a two-yard QB sweep with 6:34 left in the third.

But once again the Greyhounds responded. Satterfield called his own number from 12-yards on the ensuing drive as Gruver closed the gap by to two points, 28-26.

In the fourth quarter, Clarendon jumped back out up eight when Smith delivered a pass down the sideline to Quay Brown who beat a Greyhound defender for a 32-yard pitch and catch. That score put Clarendon back up eight 34-26 with 9:31 left int the game.

 
Clarendon advances to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017. [David Erickson/ Press Pass Sports]
Gruver, like they had the entire way, roared back on a Colt Mathews touchdown run pushing the deficit back to two points. But two points was the key word for Gruver in this game as the Greyhounds went 0-for-3 on two-point conversions including their final touchdown in the 34-32 loss.

The Greyhounds had one final chance getting a interception at their own four-yard line with under a minute to play. But on the first offensive play of the final drive, Gruver fumbled trying for a miracle hook-and-ladder securing the win for the Broncos.

Gruver, playing without senior captain Pratt McLain, had four big turnovers and had a hard time stopping Smith like most teams have this year.

Smith was called upon 39 times to carry the ball by Wampler and delivered rushing for 239 yards with two rushing scores and overcame three interceptions to throw for 127 yards with two passing TDs and had a receiving score.

“Lyric is doing huge things for us week in and week out right now,” Wampler said. “We love to have the ball in his hands and so does he. He’s a leader and what makes us go on both sides of the ball. He’s just a special player and he was once again against Gruver.”

Satterfield finished the game for the Greyhounds with 78 yards rushing and passing for 167 yards with a combined four touchdowns.



 

Spearman Can’t Get Offense Going in Loss to Idalou

 
 
0:00 / 3:00
BeyondWords
Spearman’s JP Carbajal takes a handoff against Idalou during a Class 3A Division II bi-district game at Happy State Bank Stadium on Friday. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]
For one quarter Friday afternoon, the Spearman Lynx showed they could play defense with Idalou in the Class 3A Division II bidistrict round at Happy State Bank Stadium.

When it came to offense, though, it was a different story.

In a game where throwing the ball seemed like a rumor, especially in the second half, Spearman stuck with its ground attack, but it couldn’t yield any points. Idalou, however, broke three big scoring plays in less than three minutes of game action, proving to be all the difference in a 34-0 victory.

Spearman ended the season with a 4-7 record.

The Lynx had a highly respectable game running the ball, gaining 171 yards. Problem was, they didn’t complete a pass, meaning they had to try to win a physical battle with Idalou (7-4), which was a taller order than they could manage.

“We had a real tough time blocking them up front,” Spearman coach Aaron Witten said. “They have some size up there and they have some smaller kids with speed. The problem was they kept two high safeties and we couldn’t get that other safety down in the box and we couldn’t get them to change their look. If they can stay in their base defense, it’s going to be tough for anybody to move the ball against them.”

There wasn’t a lot of offense in the first half, but most of what there was didn’t belong to Spearman. Idalou scored on a bomb with 37 seconds left in the first half for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Spearman struggled to do much of anything offensively in the first half, gaining only 60 yards of total offense, all on the ground. The Lynx were able to contain Idalou in a scoreless first quarter before the Wildcats broke through with Gentry Pounds mainly running the ball on a 55-yard drive, and he cashed in on the end of the drive on a 7-yard run to make it 6-0.

In the final two minutes of the half, Spearman drove down to the Idalou 33-yard line and faced a fourth-and-10. The Lynx opted to go for it, but Cy Davis threw too far over the middle and was intercepted by Kash Koontz, who returned the ball to the Idalou 21.

Spearman quarterback Cy Davis scrambles out of the pocket. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]
Idalou extended the lead in the final minute when Kutter Houchin hit a streaking Logan Mennel on a post pattern for a 51-yard touchdown. Houchin hit Lucas Jarnagin on a two-point conversion to make it 14-0.

“Being explosive a big play can change the momentum, and that’s exactly what happened,” Idalou coach Clay White said. “Our backup quarterback throwing a bomb for a score, that was a huge play for us.”

An even bigger play happened to start the second half, when Idalou’s Blake Dyas returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for a score to make it 21-0.

The Lynx looked as if they could make it a game on the ensuing possession, when J.P. Carbajal broke a 48-yard run into Idalou territory. But Spearman lost a fumble on the next play, and on the play after that, Pounds scored on a 60-yard run to make it 27-0 and end the competitive phase of the game.

Carbajal led Spearman with 144 yards on 28 carries. Pounds had a game-high 147 yards on 14 carries.

“We lost a lot of seniors off last year’s team and we had three or four kids who moved off,” Witten said. “At times we had four freshmen and six sophomores on the field. We knew this was going to be tough.”



 

Gruver Marches On Past Shamrock

 
 
Gruver’s Michael McCloy hauls in a catch against Shamrock during a Class 2A Division II bi-district game on Friday in Borger. [James Abel/ Press Pass Sports]

Class 2A Division II 

Gruver marches on past Shamrock

The Gruver Greyhounds picked up where they left off to end the regular season getting another convincing win. This time it was a rout of Shamrock 49-14 in a Class 2A Division II bi-district meeting on a cold night in Borger on Friday.

The Greyhounds (9-2) advance to the area round to get a matchup with Ralls (8-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Happy State Bank Stadium in Canyon.

Sophomore quarterback Briggs Satterfield like usual showed his dual-threat using his legs for 89 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns and threw for 137 yards on 17-of-24 passing with a score. Pratt McLain and Walker Maupin did the damage out of the backfield. McLain had a game-high 141 yards on 13 carries with two TDs. Maupin had 109 yards on 16 carries with a pair of scores of his own.



 

Gruver Wins 1-2A Division II Title

Gruver receiver Michael McCloy sprints for yards against Boys Ranch on Thursday night. [Robbie Johnson/ Press Pass Sports]
Gruver receiver Michael McCloy sprints for yards against Boys Ranch on Thursday night. [Robbie Johnson/ Press Pass Sports]
 
by Kale Steed

District 1-2A Division I
Gruver wins 1-2A Division II Title
The Gruver Greyhounds are the outright District 1-2A Division II champions after crushing Boys Ranch 68-12 at home on Thursday night.

The Greyhounds finish off the league at 3-0 and move to 8-2 overall. Gruver takes on Shamrock (5-5) in the bi-district round at 7 p.m. Friday in Borger. The Roughriders (2-8) are in the playoffs for a second straight year and will play Clarendon at 7 p.m. on Friday at Dick Bivins Stadium.

Gruver quarterback Briggs Satterfield was a perfect 8-of-8 for 185 yards with four touchdowns. Pratt McLain added 108 yards on three carries with two touchdowns.