Good Times at Homecoming 2013

The gym was packed for Friday's pep rally.

RHS alumni came from far and wide last weekend to take part in this year’s homecoming, the first since 2010.  Crowds for all the announced events were large and enthusiastic, and lots of renewed community and school spirit were evident as the weekend progressed. 

A bonfire in north Roscoe on Thursday evening kicked off the festivities.  Cheerleaders and the Plowboy Band were on hand, and Army Sergeant Donald Kimbrell gave a pep talk to the football team as the blaze roared.

Plowboy cheerleaders at the bonfire.

The Exes’ Reception filled the AVID Room at the high school on Friday afternoon, followed by a loud and boisterous pep rally in the gymnasium of the Special Events Center.  Then, a baked potato supper in the school cafetorium preceded the football game.

The stands and sidelines were packed at Plowboy Field, and the players responded, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back as they put on a powerful passing show to beat the Baird Bears 47-6.

Football Beau Jesus Leanos and Football Sweetheart Whitney Williams. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Nevins.)

The Homecoming Court was held at halftime, and Whitney Williams was crowned Football Sweetheart and Jesus Leanos Football Beau.  Band Sweetheart was Danielle Dean and Band Beau was Antonio Gallegos.

Band Beau Antonio Gallegos and Band Sweetheart Danielle Dean. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Nevins)

After the game, some went for coffee and visits in the cafetorium while others went downtown to hear exes’ bands play the dance at the Lumberyard.  Chris Baker started the show, followed by Leslie Huff of the band Duck Soup and his classmates Billie Joe Jay, Kenny Zimmerman, and Gordon Miles.  Lyndall Underwood of the Dusty Creek Band capped off the evening.

Gordon Miles and Leslie Huff at the Lumberyard Friday night.

Despite the rain, the “Meet & Greet” on Saturday morning was well attended.  Coffee and donuts were served as exes shared memories and caught up on current situations with old classmates and acquaintances.  The Plowbots, Roscoe’s robotics team, put on a demonstration, and prizes donated by local merchants were awarded to lucky winners.

The Ratliff Library dedication on Saturday morning.

A large crowd was on hand in the Elementary School for the Ratliff Library dedication to honor the late Verlia Ratliff, who was the librarian there from 1967 to 1995.  Several ex-students and family members spoke of how they were inspired by her and by her husband, Charles, both of them ardent and faithful Plowboy fans.    

Outside it rained until about eleven o’clock, causing the only damper of the day when the Homecoming Parade was called off.  The decision turned out to be unfortunate as the sky cleared up later, and by what would have been parade line-up time the sun broke through to stay for the rest of the afternoon.

Nineteen ex-Plowgirls and eleven ex-Plowboys played in the Exes’ Basketball game in the Special Events Center later that afternoon.  Each team was co-ed with boys against boys one quarter and girls against girls the next, and the Purple team wound up victorious over the White.

Individual class reunions were held in various locations on Saturday afternoon and evening, and there was another general gathering at the Lumberyard Saturday night.  Once again, there was a large crowd, and music was supplied by exes and exes’ bands, beginning with an open mike session, followed by Whiskey Flats and then the Blackland Bullet Company.  Exes attending the Lumberyard events were asked to donate $10 each to the Homecoming Scholarship Fund, and approximately $4000 was raised for the two nights.

All things considered, this had to be one of the best homecomings ever, and the Homecoming Committee, led by Katie Heaps, deserves our thanks for organizing and putting on such a successful event.  

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YOUNG FARM ESTATES HAS GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
 

Carl Childers speaks at the Young Farm Estates groundbreaking.

A large crowd was on hand yesterday evening to witness and take part in the festivities surrounding the official groundbreaking of the Young Farm Estates.  Located in north Roscoe, the proposed subdivision will be the first major development in Nolan County in over forty years.

The RCHS Plowboy Band was there, and so were the Plowboy cheerleaders and flag team, along with several local dignitaries from Roscoe and Sweetwater.  Owner and developer Carl Childers spoke of his family ties to Roscoe, followed by words of support from Roscoe Mayor Pete Porter, City Manager Cody Thompson, and Director of Sweetwater Economic Development Ken Becker.  Also participating in the ceremony were the Roscoe City Council, the RISD School Board, and the downtown Roscoe merchants and businessmen. 

After the ceremony, a hot dog supper was served with chips and cold drinks.  Kelly Etheredge was the organizer and MC of the event.

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PLOWBOYS PLEASE LARGE HOMECOMING CROWD, ROLL OVER BAIRD 47-6

Kevin Lavalais (19) catches a Cutter Davila pass.

Following a rousing pep talk from Plowboy Ex Donald Kimbrell at the bonfire Thursday evening, the Plowboys apparently took his words to heart in defeating Baird 47-6 in their first district contest Friday night in a game that was never close after the first few minutes. 

Although the victory turned out to be an easy one, the Plowboys paid a high price for it.  Vincent Pantoja, Roscoe’s leading rusher and a major force on defense, broke his collarbone in the third quarter and will be out for an estimated six weeks, and Jesus Leanos, one of the leading receivers, suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter.  His return will be assessed on a week-to-week basis.

Baird opened by methodically driving the ball down the field deep into Plowboy territory before turning the ball over on downs.  That first drive was the high point of the evening for the Bears, however, as they were unable to defend against the Plowboy passing attack.  The Plowboys responded quickly with several completed passes, and Vincent Pantoja ran the ball in from the two for the first touchdown of the evening and a 6-0 lead.

The Plowboys scored twice more in the first quarter, once on a 37-yard Cutter Davila pass to Jesus Leanos and once on a 29-yard Davila pass to Shelton Toliver on a fourth and ten.  At the end of the first quarter Roscoe was up 21-0.

The Plowboys were never seriously challenged after that.  In the second quarter, Davila threw two more touchdown passes to Toliver, the first for 27 yards and the second for 42.  At halftime the score was 35-0, and for all practical purposes the game was over.

Roscoe opened the third quarter with another touchdown on a 12-yard Pantoja run.  The Bears answered with their first score of the evening to make it 41-7.  Then Max Nemir closed out the scoring for the Plowboys with a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter.

For the evening Baird actually had more first downs than the Plowboys with 24 to Roscoe’s 17.  They also led in rushing statistics with 222 yards to Roscoe’s 209.  But the big difference was in the passing yardage with Davila racking up 297 yards while completing 23 of 39 passes with no interceptions.  Baird had only 19 yards, completing 2 of 10 attempts and 1 interception.

Pantoja led the Plowboys in rushing with 85 yards on 6 carries.  Davila had 56 on 8 carries and Nemir 56 on 6 carries.  Toliver led in receiving yardage with 139 on 6 catches, while Leanos had 61 on 3 and Kevin Lavalais 34 on 3.

The Plowboys' next opponent is Cross Plains in Cross Plains on Friday night.  Like the Plowboys, the Buffaloes are 2-2 on the year and 1-0 in district.  They are on a two-game winning streak after beating the Abilene Ravens 34-0 and Gorman Panthers 47-13.  

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US 84 OVERPASS AT “DESTRUCTION JUNCTION” FINALLY RE-OPENS

Traffic is once again using the US 84 overpass east of town.

It’s been a year now since a truck slammed into the supporting columns of the US 84 overpass at “Destruction Junction,” where US 84 and I-20 merge.  As a result, the structure suffered permanent damage, and a year of detours of heavy traffic through Roscoe was the result.  Finally, though, the bridge repair was completed last weekend, and US 84 traffic now is once again going over the overpass and onto I-20 east.

The reparations, however, do not mean that the junction is any safer—it isn’t, as can be demonstrated by the fact that there have been three wrecks there in the past month.  Although architects spent some time on the project, TxDOT (the Texas Department of Transportation) determined that it would be too expensive to make major changes, so with minor improvements “Destruction Junction” is essentially the same as it always was.

Additionally, the heavy truck traffic that detoured through Roscoe on Business US 84 for the past year has seriously damaged Cypress Street between the railroad tracks and the stop sign on Broadway.  I am told that the State will repair the damage—as it should.

In any case, it’s nice that the detours are history—although the owners of Stripes might disagree—and the overpass is functional once again.  Remember, though, that the area around that underpass is still dangerous, especially in rainy conditions, and take proper precautions when driving there.

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PLOWBOY JV TROUNCES CROSS PLAINS JV 38-0

The Plowboy JV took the Cross Plains JV to the woodshed Thursday evening in Cross Plains, winning handily 38-0.

After a scoreless first quarter, Brayden Beal threw a two-yard TD pass to Isaiah Gonzales, and Juan Sanchez ran for a 2-point conversion, putting the Plowboys up 8-0.  Later in the quarter, Beal hit Braiden Moore with a 17-yard touchdown pass, and Sanchez again ran for the extra points, and the Plowboys were ahead 16-0.

In the third quarter, Sanchez scored on a 13-yard run and made the extra points on a pass from Beal.  Then, A. J. Renteria blocked a Buffalo punt, and Beal picked up the loose ball and returned it 38 yards for another Plowboy TD.  Johnathon Cuellar ran for the extra points, and the score was 32-0.

Then in the final quarter, Cuellar broke free for a 48-yard touchdown run.  The extra-point try was no good, making the final score 38-0. 

The Plowboy JV will play Cross Plains JV again tomorrow, this time in Roscoe.  Kickoff is at 6:30pm.

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COMMUNITY CENTER HOSTS FREE MOVIES SATURDAY EVENING

There will be free movies at the Roscoe Community Center Saturday evening starting at 5:30pm.  First up is a scary double feature for the kids: Friday Night Frights followed by Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love?  Total time for both movies is an hour and a half.

Then, starting at approximately 7:15, the main feature of the evening will be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, starring Benjamin Walker and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  A youtube preview of the movie may be accessed by clicking here.

Admission is free, but bring money if you want something from the concession.  Possibilities include drinks, candy, and hot dogs.  For more information, contact Roscoe Police Chief Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384.

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WEATHER REPORT: RAIN

2.25 inches of rain fell in Roscoe Saturday morning.

Thunder and lightning woke me up—and I’m sure many others—about 5:00am early Saturday morning as a front moved through, bringing in a rain that was initially heavy but slowly tapered off to a light rain that fell until about eleven or so.  My rain gauge in the middle of town recorded 2.26 inches, and Kenny Landfried on the east side got two and a quarter.  Areas west of town got less, about an inch and a half, but everyone got plenty as water was standing in the rows in fields all around Roscoe.

The front also brought cooler temperatures.  The highs of around 90°F and lows of 65° or 70° that typified last week dropped on Saturday and Sunday to a high of 76° both days with lows of 55° and 58° respectively.  Since then, it’s been sunny and warmer with Monday’s high of 86° and yesterday’s 88°.

The forecast is for highs in the upper eighties or 90° until Friday night when another cold front moves through, dropping highs to around 70° and lows down into the mid forties on Saturday night and the lower fifties on Sunday and Monday. 

There is a 20% chance of thunderstorms as the front moves through.

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