Plowboys Roll, Shut Out Baird 14-0

Vincent Pantoja (right) sets off on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

The Roscoe Plowboys opened district play at Baird Friday night with a 14-0 victory over the Bears.  In doing so, they broke their losing streak and now stand 1-0 in district and 1-3 on the year. 

In a game played in the rain, the Plowboys struck first after a long drive when freshman running back Vincent Pantoja scored on a 16-yard run.  The extra point failed, but the Plowboys had a 6-0 lead which they held for the rest of the first quarter and all of the second. 

Early in the third quarter Eduardo Gallegos broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run, which was immediately followed by Cutter Davila’s successful run for two extra points to put the score at 14-0. 

That score held up for the rest of the game as the Plowboy defense kept the Bears scoreless for the entire evening.  The defense was led by Esteban Benivamondez with nine solo tackles and Rafael Pantoja with eight.

The Plowboys offense was led by Eduardo Gallegos with 89 yards rushing on 14 attempts and Vincent Pantoja with 38 yards on 9 carries.  Cutter Davila had 38 passing yards with 3 completions out of 11 attempts.

The Plowboys play their second district game Friday night here against Cross Plains.  The Buffaloes are 2-2 on the year and, like the Plowboys, are 1-0 in district play.  They are coming off a 26-0 victory over Gorman. 

Kickoff is at 7:30pm. 

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WEATHER REPORT: RAIN

The puddle in my driveway was full on Saturday morning.

This past weekend the Roscoe area got its biggest rain in more than five years* as the remnant of a Mexican hurricane moved up from the southwest and stalled over west Texas for a couple of days before moving on. 

The clouds moved in Thursday afternoon and stayed until 11:00am Sunday morning.  The rain started slowly and in general was slow and light throughout—without any thunder or lightning—but by the time it stopped Saturday evening, it had thoroughly soaked the area. 

Here in Roscoe, most people I talked to got between four and five inches, with more falling on the southwest side of town.  The official total was 4.2”, recorded by Roscoe weatherman Kenny Landfried, at his house on east Broadway.

Farms north of town got about five inches.  The most I heard of was the eight inches Tim Tomlin reported six miles north of town.  Pyron and Wastella got 3.5” to 4.5”, and so did the farms west of town.  The Champion area got five inches or more, as did farms south of town.

The rain wasn’t confined to the local area but was general over the entire region.  Midland got five inches, Snyder more than three, Abilene a little over seven, and San Angelo almost six.  In general, area lakes got some much needed runoff, and fields some deep ground moisture.

Temperatures were cool the entire week with highs in the seventies and lows in the upper fifties as the summer heat now seems a thing of the past. 

The forecast for the next couple of days is for sunny skies with highs in the eighties, but a norther due to arrive on Saturday will bring a high only in the fifties and a low in the lower forties on Saturday night. 

* The last rain bigger—at least in town—was the 6.25” that fell on August 12, 2007.

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DAMAGED OVERPASS AT “DESTRUCTION JUNCTION” SNARLS US 84 AND I-20 TRAFFIC

The damaged support of the US 84 overpass east of town.

“Destruction Junction,” where US 84 joins I-20 just east of Roscoe, was once again in the news—as it has been on countless occasions since it was built in 1959.  Thankfully, there were no fatalities this time, but a truck wreck did cause serious damage to the overpass, and traffic on both major highways was stopped or slowed for hours and had to be re-routed. 

The accident that caused all the damage occurred during a light rain at about seven o’clock on Thursday evening and was probably caused by the wet road.  A big 18-wheeler lost control as it was passing through the underpass westbound on I-20 and slammed into a support column on the right. 

The cab was separated from the rest of the truck, and the driver and co-driver, both injured, had to be rescued through the windshield.  They were taken to Rolling Plains Hospital, where both were reported in stable condition.

The impact knocked out big chunks of the column’s concrete and seriously damaged the entire support, making the overpass above impassable and bringing to an immediate halt all eastbound traffic on US 84.  All westbound traffic on I-20, which has to pass through the underpass, was also stopped.

The resulting detour of about ¾ of a mile re-routed westbound I-20 traffic onto US 84 and then back to I-20 via the US 84 access road.  Eastbound US 84 traffic was—and still is—forced to take the exit just before the overpass to westbound I-20 and then take the Roscoe exit and turn left at Stripes to get back to eastbound I-20.   This detour will be in effect for some time.

An emergency crew was called in to put up temporary supports, and by Saturday, westbound traffic on I-20 was open again but with only one lane usable through the underpass.  The overpass for eastbound US 84 traffic, however, is still unusable and will be for several weeks.  Repairs to the overpass are estimated at $135,000.

Sooner or later, the Texas Department of Transportation should do something about the dangerous junction, which has been the scene of numerous accidents and collisions over the years, as well as several deaths.   

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CENTRAL ROLLING PLAINS CO-OP HOSTS OPEN HOUSE AT GIN

Co-op members at the Open House lunch at the gin.

The Central Rolling Plains Co-op held its annual open house last Thursday with a hamburger lunch at the gin northwest of town.  Gin Manager Larry Black gave a short address to the members present and invited everyone to look over the gin’s recent improvements, especially the new control room, which has touchscreens with the latest technological advances. 

Members also wrote down their guesses for the number of cotton bales to be ginned this year, and a $100 prize awaits the person who gets the closest without going over.  

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ROSCOE ISD TO OFFER TOURS OF NEW FACILITIES AT OPEN HOUSE NEXT TUESDAY

The Roscoe Collegiate Special Events Center

Have you been hoping for a chance to see the new building and the latest improvements at the Roscoe school?  Well, here it is.  Next Tuesday, October 9, from 6:00-8:00pm, the Roscoe ISD Board of Trustees, administration and staff invite you to attend the 2012 Open House.

After a brief welcome and introductions in the Cafetorium, there will be an elementary program with songs from first and second graders followed by a secondary program from high school seniors with updates on their current status and plans for the future.

These will be followed by student-led tours of the new facilities, including the recently finished new building.

Refreshments of punch and cookies will be served.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

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