Plowboys Fall to Hawley in Opener, 40-20

The 2015 Plowboys varsity football team and cheerleaders.

A disastrous third quarter did the Plowboys in at Plowboy Field Friday night against a much larger Hawley team. Both teams went through a hard-fought first half, but the Bearcats scored three touchdowns, two of them long ones, to Roscoe’s one in the third quarter to break the game open.

The Plowboys and Bearcats fought to a standoff in the first quarter with neither team scoring. Hawley made it inside the Plowboy 20 twice but was stopped both times. Then in the second quarter the Plowboys stopped another Hawley drive with an interception at the Roscoe 15. Hawley made its first touchdown with 3:35 left in the first half when Quay Stokes hit Colton Stoker with a pass from the 17. The extra point was good, and the Bearcats went up 7-0.

However, the Plowboys responded quickly with a drive of their own, moving to the Hawley 25, where Brayden Beal completed a touchdown pass to Jose Ortega. The extra point was good, and the game was tied 7-7. Hawley then scored another TD with less than a minute to go before the half on a 21-yard pass play and went up 14-7, the score at halftime.

The third quarter opened badly for the Plowboys as Hawley’s Stoker returned the kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to put the Bearcats up 21-7. However, the Plowboys put together a long drive culminating in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Beal to Kevin Lavalais. The extra point was no good, and the score was 21-13. Hawley’s second TD of the quarter came on a blocked punt and return of 48 yards, putting them up 27-13. Their third came when Stoker made his third TD of the game on a 28-yard pass play from Stokes, making the score 33-13.

In the fourth quarter, Stokes threw his fourth touchdown pass from the 10, but the Plowboys put together another long drive with Beal hitting Javier Leanos on a 25-yard pass play for a touchdown to close out the scoring.

Despite the loss, there was much to be optimistic about in the Plowboys performance against a much larger team that eventually wore them down and a quarterback, Quay Stokes, who was last year’s Abilene Reporter-News “Big Country Newcomer of the Year.” Brayden Beal and his receivers showed a lot of promise by completing 28 of 35 passes for 263 yards and three TDs. Ryland Madrid rushed for 35 yards on 8 carries, and Rafael Aguayo broke a run for 21 yards. Three receivers had big nights. Both Lavalais and Leanos had 6 catches for 72 yards and 1 TD, while Ortega had 4 catches for 62 yards and 1 TD.  On defense, Leanos led the Plowboys with 9 tackles, while Lavalais had 6 and Aguayo 5.

The Plowboys next meet Hamlin in Hamlin Friday evening. The Pied Pipers went 12-1 last year, their only loss coming to Albany 49-35 in the state quarterfinals. That was a senior-heavy team, though, and no one really knows what to expect from them this year.  They lost their opener to Anson 32-14 in Anson last week, but they have a good coach, Russell Lucas, and a strong program that has taken them to the playoffs six times since 2008. Moreover, their JV team went 9-1 last year and they’re playing at home, so the Plowboys can’t take them lightly. It should be a great game. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.

The JV Plowboys will play Hamlin’s JV at Plowboy Field tomorrow evening starting at 6:00pm.

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ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR ROSCOE LIONS CLUB TODAY AT NOON

Reviving the Roscoe Lions Club is the purpose of a meeting to be held today in the Roscoe Community Center at noon. Lunch will be provided, and everyone, both men and women, are invited to attend.

The organizers, Vershel Smith and attorney Chris Hartman, feel that the city will benefit from a  civic organization that promotes the principles of good government and citizenship and takes an active interest in the civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare of the community.

With a critical mass of new members, the Lions Club can be a force in promoting the interests of the city as it was for 86 years in Roscoe before dissolving some time back. It will also connect to other Lions Clubs worldwide by renewing its membership in Lions Club International.

All who are interested in seeing the Lions Club once again being a positive force in Roscoe are urged to attend. For more information, contact Chris Hartman at 325-370-4931.

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CITY COUNCIL PROPOSES NO CHANGE IN 2016 CITY TAX RATE

At a public hearing and budget meeting of the Roscoe City Council yesterday evening, the Council proposed keeping the tax rate for FY 2016 (starting in October) the same as it was in 2015, i.e., individual tax assessments will be the same as last year unless there was a re-assessment of a property through improvements or new construction.

For the entire city, there has been a $3,000,000 increase in total property value because of new construction and other improvements, so even if the rate remains the same, the City will receive an increase in tax revenues.

Final approval of the Council’s proposal will come next Tuesday at the second public hearing and City Council monthly meeting starting at 7:00pm.

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DEDICATION TO GEORGE PARKS MONUMENT ON HOMECOMING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

The monument to George Parks, paid for by donations of former members of the Roscoe Boys Club and Boy Scout Troop 37, has been in Memorial Park for a couple of years now, but there has never been a formal dedication, and it has been decided that Saturday, September 17, will be a good time to have the ceremony.

As far as I know, the exact time has not yet been set, but the Boys Club Reunion is scheduled for 2:30-5:00pm at the Lumberyard, so it will fall within that time frame—more on that later. Mayor Pete Porter, himself a former Boys Club member and Times Office employee, will make the formal dedication, and a short program is planned in which former members may briefly speak of their memories of George and the Boys Club, followed by the reunion in the Lumberyard.

All former members are urged to attend.

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ROSCOE MAN SENTENCED TO 33 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Gerald Allen Williams, 55, of Roscoe received a sentence of 33 months in federal prison and has been ordered to pay $410,000 in restitution to Chevron Pipe Line Company.

In April, Williams pled guilty in the U. S. District Court in Lubbock to a fraudulent invoicing scheme with E.D. Walton Construction Co. of Snyder in which he approved fictitious invoices to EDW for payment. EDW then paid him in cash for the amount on the invoices, which falsely showed that EDW had completed various construction and maintenance projects for Chevron. EDW was not charged because they kept no money from the payments.

U. S. District Judge Sam Cummings ordered Williams to begin serving his term on September 25.

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WEATHER REPORT: DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

August clouds over Roscoe.

The Roscoe area had typical August weather again last week with mostly sunny or partly cloudy skies, southerly winds, and highs in the nineties with lows in the high sixties or low seventies. We got a sprinkle last Wednesday, but it was not enough to measure. The high for the week was 99°F on Friday, and the low was 68° on Sunday morning. On Saturday, the skies were cloudy all day, which cooled down things somewhat. The high that afternoon was only 85°, and the evening was downright pleasant for Aaron Watson, Cory Morrow, and a crowd estimated at 2000 at the Lumberyard.

The forecast for today and the coming week is remarkably consistent. Highs are predicted to be 92° or 93° with lows from 68° to 71°. There is little to no chance of rain. I’ll be glad when it starts seriously cooling off, but it appears that won’t be anytime soon.

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