This is the first of a two-part series that offers a look back at the local sports scene in 2014. Today's edition features stories and photos from January to June. The Jan. 6 - 8 edition will highlight July through December.
January
• The Lowry High School wrestling team finishes eighth out of 51 teams at the Rollie Lane Invitational in Nampa, Idaho, with 37 points. Beau Billingsley places second and Luis Cardenas is third.
• The McDermitt High School girls basketball teams begin its Division IV East schedule on a high note with wins over Wells and Jackpot.
• In what was one of the games of the year in high school basketball, the Lowry JV girls basketball team knocks off Elko 68-66 in triple overtime in Elko.
• The Lowry wrestling team wins the Kiwanis Invitational in Spring Creek by nearly 100 points over Caldwell, Idaho. The Buckaroos have four individual champions.
• Lowry's Ere Higbee signs a letter of intent to play softball at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Ore.
• The Lowry girls basketball teams beats Spring Creek 44-42, its first victory over the Spartans since 2010. The victory began a 13-game win streak for the Lady Bucks.
February
• The Lowry wrestling team extends its dual winning streak to 93 with eight wins at the Division I-A duals in Fernley. The 93 consecutive victories are the second-longest in Nevada history.
• Lowry's Calvin Connors, who was named the Division I-A Player of the Year, signs a letter of intent to play football for Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande, Ore. Connors becomes an important part of the Mountaineers' offense.
• During Winterfest activities, McDermitt's Brendan Wilson is named king, while at Lowry, Carly Bell and Wyatt Lester were crowned queen and king, respectively.
• In front of a packed gym in Winnemucca, Lowry knocks off Elko 46-41 to win the Division I-A North regular season crown. It's the first win for the Buckaroos over the Indians since the 2012 state title game. Both teams were considered the best teams in northern Nevada regardless of classification.
• The Lowry wrestling team sends 13 grapplers to the NIAA Division I-A State Tournament after winning the Division I-A Northern Regional Championship for a sixth consecutive season. The Buckaroos beat Churchill County by 94.50 points, with seven wrestlers winning individual titles.
• Just a week later, the Lowry wrestlers win their sixth consecutive state championship and record- 16th title at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. The Buckaroos beat Churchill County by 37.50 points. Lowry has four individual champions in Eric Brooks, Brandon Okuma, Beau Billingsley and Luis Cardenas.
• The Lowry High School freshmen girls basketball team wins its final 19 games of the season to finish the year at 19-1. The only loss is to the White Pine JV.
• Lowry's Kylee McClellan makes two free throws in the final seconds to give Lowry a 51-50 win over Spring Creek and the Division I-A North Regional Championship.
• With a group of freshmen and sophomores, the McDermitt girls basketball team reaches the semifinals of the Division IV Regional Championships with a 52-44 victory over Mineral County. The Lady Bulldogs drop a two-point heart breaker in the semifinals to Pyramid Lake.
• The rural schools in Humboldt County hold their annual tournament. McDermitt sweeps the title at the third through fifth-grade level and the sixth through eighth-grade division.
March
• The Lowry girls basketball team caps off a Cinderella season, beating Desert Pines in the state semifinals and Boulder City 44-34 in the state title game at Lawlor Events Center. A year after winning just nine games, the Lady
Bucks win their last 13 games to finish the year at 21-9.
• The annual Ranch Hand Rodeo is held at the Winnemucca Event Center. It features over 30 teams, including many from outside the Winnemucca area. The event includes saddle bronc riding, calf roping, team roping, ranch doctoring, wild mugging and team branding, with over $20,000 in prizes.
• Lowry High School graduate Trevor Grant qualifies for the NCAA Division II Wrestling championships. Grant, who attends Colorado State-Pueblo, wrestles at 174 pounds.
• Lowry's Josh Watterson is named the Division I-A North Player of the Year was chosen to the all-state, first-team. Calvin Connors and Garrett Naveran are named to thew Division I-A North first team and all-state second-team. Tytus Millikan and Josh Shaver also earn all-league honors.
• Lowry's Kylee McClellan is named to the Division I-A North all-league, first-team and the all-state second team. Alyssa Dendary, Jillian Albright, Payton Naveran and Jasmine Marchand earn all-league honors.
• McDermitt's Lydia Northrup and Deandra Dave are named to the Division IV East all-league, first-team. Andrea Smart and Krissy Long were named to the second team. Jaimi Wilkinson is named the Co-Coach of the Year,
• McDermitt's Tyler Coble is named the Division IV East Player of the Year. Teammates Saul Lopez and Tanner Coble are named to the second team and Brendan Wilson is a honorable mention choice.
• Lowry's Ivan Castellanos signs a letter of intent to play football for Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. Kerry Buckmaster signs to play football with Ventura College.
• Trevor Grant earns All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at the Division II National Championships. Michael Billingsley, wrestling for Air Force Prep garners All-American honors at the NCWA Nationals.
• Lowry's Chad Peters is named the Division I-A athletic director of the year and is honored at the state basketball tournament.
April
• The Winnemucca Junior High School seventh-grade wrestling team wins the Tah-Neva Championship. Cade Bell is named an outstanding wrestler. The eighth-grade team finishes second.
• The latest round of realignment will take place for the Division I-A. More large Las Vegas schools will drop down a league after scoring the fewest point in the rubric system that is in place in southern Nevada.
• Lowry High School graduate Allison Strekal is named the President of Business Operations for the Reno Bighorns.
• Lowry's Carlos Aguilar signs a letter of intent to play soccer at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Ore.
May
• The Lowry golf team wins its third consecutive Division I-A North title. Ethan Gray is named the Player of the Year. Andy Mendoza, Chris Mendoza and Josh Shaver are named to the first team.
• The Lowry softball team has its season end in heartbreaking fashion with a 5-4 loss to Fernley in the Division I-A North Regional Championships. The Lady Bucks lead 4-0, but have a home run called an out after Ere Higbee was ruled to have missed first base.
• The Lowry High School boys golf team sees a chance at a third straight state championship come to an end in controversy at Pahrump. Darkness hampered the golfers on the final holes and only 35 holes were counted. Faith Lutheran comes back to beat Lowry by six shots. Ethan Gray finishes third overall.
• Lowry Kenadee Jeppsen finishes second in the high jump at the NIAA Division I-A State Track and Field Championships in Carson City. Rachel Sigurdson and Madison Montero place third and eight, respectively in the pole vault. Sergio Castaneda finishes third in the shot put and sixth in the discus and Roberto Sanchez was seventh in the high jump.
• McDermitt's Va Draunidalo finishes third in the high jump at the Division IV State Championships in Carson City. Andrea Smart places fifth in the shot put.
• The Lowry swim teams provides its best showing ever at a state tournament. The girls 200-yard freestyle relay of Madison Lozano, Emma Kracaw, Kenzie Maddox and Kelsea Perkinson were third. As an individual Perkinson finishes fifth in the 50-yards freestyle and seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Lady Bucks finish as a team. Matthew Jock places fifth for the boys in the 50-yards freestyle and Tristen Waller and Christian Gray place seventh and eighth in their races.
• Lowry's Calvin Connors is named to the Division I-A North first baseball team and to the all-state second-team. Brandon Okuma and Tanner Lecumberry are selected to the second team.
• Lowry Shelby McKinnon, Ere Higbee, Kylee McClellan, Lexie Coleman and Taylor Schwartz are named to the Division I-A North first-team softball squad. A total of nine players are honored.
• Lowry graduate Julia Dufurrena signs to play basketball at Boise State University. Dufurrena spent the last two years at College of Southern Idaho.
• Tytin Johnson signs a letter of intent to wrestle and play baseball at Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif.
• Lowry's Shelby McKinnon and Caitlynn Cooper finish first and second at he Northern Nevada High School Weightlifting Championships.
June
• The football coaching staff of Eastern Oregon University comes to Winnemucca for a week to put on a camp for Lowry High School football players. The players went through a number of drills off and on the field.
• Lowry High School finishes in a fourth-place tie in the NIAA's Award of Excellence standings. The Buckaroos win academic state championships in wrestling, boys basketball, girls basketball, girls swimming, boys golf and girls track and field.
• Humboldt County's Cade Bell, Quint Bell and Danyelle Brown qualify for the National Junior High School Rodeo Finals.
• Savannah Montero and Clay Stremler win state high school rodeo titles in Ely and qualify for the National High School Rodeo Finals. Luke Logan and Dawson Cassinelli also qualify for the national finals.
[[In-content Ad]]
