Bowie spoils Gainesville homecoming

GAINESVILLE, Texas — Bowie turned a short field and a pair of early Gainesville turnovers into a 68-14 win that spoiled the Leopards' homecoming Friday night. Bowie scored on its first two possessions and led 55-7 by halftime, according to the Gainesville Daily Register. Senior running back Lane Whitfield opened the scoring with a 14-yard run, then added a second touchdown on a two-play drive after Gainesville lost a fumble at its own 23-yard line. The Leopards never settled in. Two Gainesville punts, a mishandled kickoff and a high snap left Bowie working from the Gainesville 6, the 12 and eventually the end zone. Junior quarterback Izaiah Cervantez was sacked in the end zone for a safety that made it 22-0, and Bowie quarterback Tyler Richey scored on runs of six, 12 and nine yards. Richey also threw three touchdown passes, connecting with senior Bradly Horton from three yards and with junior Finn Riddle from 31 yards twice. Senior Judah Livsey did the rest on special teams, returning a free kick 43 yards to set up one score and taking a kickoff 90 yards for another touchdown. Gainesville's highlights came in bursts. Junior Jermaine Turner took a reverse 66 yards for the Leopards' first touchdown, and junior Edgar Barton added a late scoring run that cut the deficit to 61-14. Horton answered with a 60-yard touchdown run for Bowie. The Leopards, who went three-and-out on their first two series, finished with three turnovers and struggled with snaps throughout the opening half. Their most productive stretch came on a second-quarter drive behind senior running back Adrian Lira, who gained 26 yards before the possession stalled on fourth down. Gainesville travels to North Lamar next week.