DUNCAN — With softball safely on the sidelines and basketball still on the horizon, football will get another partner on the sports schedule.
The Duncan swimming team will open its season today at the Simmons Center when it hosts Westmoore, Midwest City, Del City and Carl Albert. As a team, the girls led the way last season but with a strong group of boys, led by state placer Austin Bowles, it will be the boys that will carry the banner for the Demons early in the season as the girls build up experience.
“We had some boys go to swim camp at Texas A&M; this summer and I think that it really helped them,” Duncan assistant coach Audra Hale said. “They have developed into leaders and we have high expectations for them.”
Among those going to swim camp was Bowles, who placed fifth in the 100-meter breast stroke at the state meet last season. This season, Bowles would like to expand his portfolio and has put in the work to give himself the best chance to do so.
“I’m in the water as much as I can, I really love it,” Bowles said. “This season, I want to place in the top two in state as an individual in the 100 breast and motivate the team to do better. If we work hard, the guys can place pretty well.”
Bowles will enter the season focusing on the breast stroke as well as putting in time on three relays. In high school swimming, athletes can qualify for state throughout the year based on their times and Bowles would like to take care of qualifying as soon as possible, starting tonight.
“I’m going to go all out right off the bat,” he said.
The girls team was hurt by graduation and will be in rebuilding mode early in the season. Tonight’s meet will be a testing ground of sorts for the Lady Demons as they begin to find out what kind of team they have.
“This will be a measuring stick for the girls to see where they need to go,” Hale said. “We have lost a lot of girls to graduation and in a sense, we are in a rebuilding phase. We are looking for leaders in and out of the pool.”
The team began working out in August twice a week and picked up the pace to full week workouts starting in October. Numbers are down from last season because of a sizable graduating class in addition to several swimmers leaving to take up different pursuits. Add in a small freshman class, and the team has a different makeup than it did last year.
But that does not mean there is a lack of talent and potential. For the girls, it will be about getting their feet wet in competition. As for the boys, they might not have to wait long to see instant results.
“We have high expectations for them,” Hale said. “Some of them may get close to state qualifying times in the first meet.”
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Diving into the season
Duncan swim team to open season today
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Demons rout Altus
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Lady Outlaws smother Rush Springs, 38-28
It wasn’t one of Marlow’s best offensive performances of the season. Luckily it was one of the Lady Outlaws best defensive showings.
For only the third time this season, Marlow held an opponent to fewer than 30 points and the Lady Outlaws topped the visiting Rush Springs Lady Redskins, 38-28. -
Culberson, DHS hold off Lady Bulldogs
There is a saying, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” For the Duncan Lady Demons, a rematch against Altus at Duncan Gymnasium on a chilly evening seemed like the perfect motivation to help DHS avoid a two-game losing streak Tuesday night.
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Duncan hosts Altus tonight
ometimes it’s not how hard you fall, it’s how fast you get back up.
After a tough overtime loss Friday night at Lawton MacArthur, the No. 14 Duncan Lady Demons (14-7) will look to rebound this evening against the No. 11 Altus Lady Bulldogs (12-6) with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. from Duncan Gymnasium. -
Bray hands Turner its first loss
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Velma-Alma rolls Healdton, 52-36
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Senior Night proved to be quite beneficial for V-A thanks to a strong second half, which broke open a close game, giving the Lady Comets a 52-36 victory over the Healdton Lady Bulldogs. -
UNTARNISHED
Monday night saw the No. 4 Velma-Alma Comets send a clear message to the rest of the field in the playoffs: The road to Oklahoma City will run through Velma, one way or another.
V-A wasted no time in dismantling the Healdton Bulldogs on Senior night, as the Comets finished the regular season 23-0, thanks to a 72-12 victory. -
Encore Performance
Just like four years ago, Eli Manning and the Giants orchestrated an impressive late fourth-quarter drive to overtake the lead and the Patriots couldn’t answer in the final minute, handing the Super Bowl championship to the New York, 21-17 on Sunday night.
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Carletti-Silva commits to Army
Duncan High School senior quarterback Brandon Carletti-Silva has given a verbal commitment to the United States Military Academy — better known in the sports world as Army — and plans to make his decision official on Wednesday.
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Comets try to complete regular season perfection
Throughout the season, V-A has defied the odds, beating every team set in their way, resulting in a perfect 22-0 record.
Tonight, the Comets will look to finish their regular season unblemished as they host Healdton (1-14) at 8:30 p.m. for Senior Night. - More Sports Headlines
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