The final wrap up of the high school sports season culminated in a sparkling display by area athletes at the 11th Annual Victory Bowl Events sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
The Thursday night events were held at Red Murff Complex on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton for the baseball and softball game.
Teague softball stars Bri’Anna Kyle and Rebekah Parks made their presence known in the high scoring game that ended in a 15-15 tie after the nine inning exhibition. Parks got the start in left field and moved behind the plate when her teammate took the middle of the circle. Kyle took her first at-bat in the bottom of the third inning and worked the count before getting the two out walk. She scored from first base for the first run of the game for the blue team on a single by Sierra Chapa of Jarrell and mishandled ball in the outfield.
Parks hit in the bottom of the fourth inning and laced a one out single to right field and scored Callie Walker of Mildred to cut the Red lead to 10-2. The comeback was on after Red scored in each of the first six innings to build the big lead.
Kyle pitched two innings and had a couple of strikeouts but the Red All-Stars scored four runs to stifle the lead for the moment.
Parks returned to the plate in the home half of the fifth inning and drove in two runs with a bases clearing triple to the gap to cut the lead to 12-11. She would be instrumental in getting the first lead of the game for the Blue team on a double to the left centerfield gap to the wall and plated two more teammates to take a 15-14 lead.
The Red team scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie the score and held the Blue team scoreless to preserve the tie.
Parks, who will take her talents to the Highlassies of McLennen Community College, had three hits in four trips to the plate and drove in five runs, setting a Victory Bowl Softball game record. Kyle had two walks and scored a run.
The baseball game had the same starting time and had equal fireworks in a 9-4 Blue team win. Fairfield infielder Andre Carter saw some time at second base but did some work at the plate. Groesbeck catcher Grant Johnson made his presence known with three hits, one an RBI triple, setting the Victory Bowl record for hits.
Jackson Taylor of Killeen had a bloop single to score a run to begin to cut into a Red 3-0 lead. Josh Coker of Conally had a two-run single to tie the game and Carter had a two out singe and scored John Marshall of Rogers and the Blue team took a lead they would not give up the remainder of the night.
Carter hit a long fly ball to the warning track in the bottom of the fifth inning for the first out of the inning. Johnson had an RBI single to centerfield to put the Blue team up 9-3 and would close out a 9-4 win.
The events of the week finished at Waco ISD Stadium for the football game and yet another star would close out his high school career with a banner night.
The teams exchanged punts and the Blue team began deep in their own territory. Zack Satterwhite of Teague and Ty Hale of Groesbeck led the Blue offense in the first quarter. After an incompletion, Satterwhite dropped back to pass and hit rival turned teammate Kadrian Hammond of Cameron for the 93 yard touchdown pass and the early 7-0 lead.
The Red team tied the game heading into the halftime break on a touchdown pass from Mark Walker of Killeen Shoemaker to Belton receiver Denver Holman.
Red took the lead with 9:38 remaining in the game on a 14 play drive that ended with a Walker to Anthony Brown of Belton to lead 14-7.
It took four plays for the Blue team to knot the score. Q.T. Turner of Mildred had an eleven yard run and Bosqueville running back Marcell Estell had a short run before Satterwhite was sacked for a loss on the play back to the Blue 48 yard line. Satterwhite was under pressure and passed to Blooming Grove receiver Stephen Carroll for a 52 yard score and a tie game.
The Red offense was stopped with solo tackles from Isaiah Bell of Teague and Jordan Gibson of Fairfield and forced a punt. Hale took control of the Blue team for one last shot to win the game. On third and 20 from the Blue 42 , he was intercepted by Brown, who had moved over to play safety for the Red defense.
The Red team had 43 seconds to move into position for the win. Holman was stopped for six yard gain at the Blue 30 yard line but a late hit out of bounds moved the ball to the 15 yard line with seven seconds remaining. This All-star game does not play into overtime so a pass to the end zone fell incomplete and the field goal unit came on. Matt Torres from Waco Reicher booted a 32 yard field goal as the time expired for the 17-14 win.
Zack Satterwhite completed five of six passes for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns and was named the most valuable player on offense. Brown, with his late game heroics interception, of Belton, was named the defensive most valuable player.
Satterwhite will play baseball at NAIA Dakota Wesleyan College next season. For all the players, the event was a great way to bid them farewell to their high school careers.
