Jake Freeman, Greg Althof New Plowboy Football Coaches

                    Jake Freeman                                        Greg Althof

Two ex-Plowboys will be leading Roscoe High’s football team this year.  Jake Freeman, who has coached as an assistant at Sweetwater High for the past four years, will be the head coach, and Greg Althof, who was the offensive coordinator at Crane, will also be the offensive coordinator here. 

Jonathan Haseloff, the former head coach at Roscoe, has moved on to Morton, and former defensive coordinator Allen Steele, is also gone.

Coach Freeman, who graduated from Roscoe High in 1997, was a fullback and defensive end as a Plowboy.  He was on the team that played for the state championship against Thorndale in 1995 and played college ball at Hardin-Simmons. He was the defensive coordinator at Sweetwater and says he can’t think of a better place than Roscoe to begin his head coaching career.  

Coach Althof graduated from Roscoe in 1983 and was a tackle on the Plowboy team that played for the state championship against Union Hill.  He played his college ball at Angelo State and has 26 years of coaching experience. In that time he has been both a head coach and athletic director. 

Both coaches are glad to be back in Roscoe and ready to bring winning football back to the Plowboys.  They're happy with the pre-season predictions that put Roscoe at sixth in district and expect to do a lot better than that. We hope they’re right and wish them the best.

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WEATHER REPORT: RAIN

Frogs were heard happily croaking early this morning for the first time since 2007 as the Roscoe area received some much needed rain for a big part of this past week.  

On Thursday afternoon an unexpected shower seemingly came out of nowhere to drop .54” in my rain gauge in the middle of Roscoe.  That rain quickly came and went.  Even so, it was so dry around here I doubt there was all that much runoff.
 
However, last week’s hot summer weather continued on Saturday with a high of 101°F, and country singer John Anderson and his band—along with everybody else—endured the heat that evening at their outdoor performance at the Lumberyard.

Even so, all the weather forecasters were talking about a big low-pressure disturbance up in Kentucky that was headed our way with percentage chances of 80% and 90%, highly unusual for this area—and, sure enough, they were right for a change. 

On Sunday afternoon, the wind started blowing from the east, a front moved in, the sky clouded over, and temperatures quickly dropped from the high nineties down into the seventies.  Late that evening it began to rain lightly, and by midnight, my gauge had accumulated .14”.

On Monday, the high temperature was only 66°—very unusual for July—and the precipitation, most of it in the form of drizzle or very light rain, measured .48”.  Yesterday the clouds and rain persisted as about 1.2” fell in town, and early this morning about .2” more fell, making the total a little over 2½” for the week. 

As always, the total amount varied depending on location with some areas getting more and others less. But, in general, there was enough rainfall to please almost everyone and give the cotton crops new life.

The forecast is for another cool day of rain today with a 70% chance of precipitation and a 50% chance tonight. Tomorrow the chance drops back to a more normal 20% with temperatures rising to a more summerlike high 80s.  Friday will be similar with sunny skies and summer heat is forecast for the weekend with highs in the lower 90s and lows in the 70s.  No rain is predicted.

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JOHN ANDERSON A CROWD PLEASER AT THE LUMBERYARD SATURDAY

John Anderson at the Lumberyard

Parking spots downtown were hard to find on Saturday evening as folks from all over the Big Country were at the Lumberyard to hear John Anderson and his band put on a show that, despite the heat, pleased almost everyone. 

A crowd estimated at between six and seven hundred was on hand to hear Anderson sing some of his most well known hits: “Swingin’,” “Seminole Wind,” “I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday,” “I Just Came Home to Count the Memories,” “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” “Black Sheep,” and others, along with some new ones from his latest album. 

To see a video of some of his performance last Saturday night, click here.

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PLOWBOY PREVIEW TO BE AUGUST 15

Joe Ejem and Tim Tomlin grill burgers at last year's Plowboy Preview.

The annual Plowboy Preview will be held at Plowboy Field this year on Thursday, August 15, and fans will be introduced to the new football coaches, the team, the band, and the cheerleaders.  There will also be a cookout behind the east stands.

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ROSCOE CHURCH OF CHRIST MEMBERS ON GUATEMALA TRIP
By Coy Roper

Pictured here are (left to right) Roddy Alexander, Marti Browne, Dan Boren, Coy Roper, Mirian Solis, Faith Boren, Austin Browne, Caden Smith, Kylee and Cheyene Smith (back).

Twenty workers from the United States, including ten from the Roscoe Church of Christ, are currently serving the Linda Vista Church of Christ near Guatemala City, Guatemala, July 11-20.  

They taught classes for adults and children in an area-wide seminar on Saturday, July 13, preached and taught in bilingual services at the Linda Vista church on Sunday, July 14, and worked the following week with the Theological Institute of Latin America, a program that trains preachers from all over Central America. Roscoe workers also helped in renovation of the Institute's facilities.

One highlight was a visit to a public hospital in Guatemala City on Sunday afternoon. The workers visited with patients and gave them care packages prepared by Guatemalan Christians. They also delivered more than 100 "Love Bears" to children in the hospital—teddy bears made by ladies of the Roscoe Church of Christ.

The trip is intended to build up the local church and encourage the members in their efforts to preach the gospel and help the needy in Guatemala and throughout Latin America.

The team of U. S. workers includes people from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, and Mississippi, as well as the participants from the Roscoe congregation: Roddy Alexander, Dan Boren, Faith Boren, Austin Brown, Marty Brown, Coy Roper, Caden Smith, Cheyenne Smith, Kylee Smith, and Mirian Solis.

The group will return on Saturday.

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