Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is upon us once again, and people all over the country will be getting together with family and friends to celebrate this uniquely American holiday. No matter what our race, religion, or political persuasion, we all use the day to pause, count our blessings, and give thanks for the many good things we enjoy.

As always, the central event of the day is Thanksgiving Dinner, which involves turkey and dressing, along with the other familiar Thanksgiving dishes--giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and others that are generally eaten only on this special day.

The holiday has also evolved over time and usually now includes playing games or watching television with friends and family. For many, the holiday will begin at 9:00am with the 89th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Later, for the men and boys at any rate, what’s Thanksgiving without a good helping of football along with the Thanksgiving feast?

At 11:30, Detroit and Minnesota will kick off the day as a warm-up to the main event, Washington vs. Dallas, which starts at 3:30pm. The resurgent Redskins, who looked sharp on Sunday, will face the Cowboys in an important game that will go a long way in determining the divisional title. And the Cowboys this year have been a joy to watch with their rookie stars and extended winning streak.

At the end of the day, we will all hopefully have had our fill of food and football and be happy to have once again touched base with dear friends and relatives. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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PLOWBOYS OUTSCORE CROSBYTON IN WILD OFFENSIVE SHOOTOUT, 79-42

Jose Ortega is off to the races on this 40-yard pass play from Brayden Beal. (Football photos by Tamara Alexander.)

The Plowboys made history in Post last Thursday night. They probably didn’t think of it that way since they were just glad they won the game and were advancing in the playoffs, but in over a century of football at Roscoe, there has never been another game in which so many points were scored—and especially not in a playoff game (although in 1930 the Plowboys beat Rotan 102-0). But even though 79-43 looks like a basketball score, or maybe a fast moving six-man game, it was actually the final score in the Plowboy victory over Crosbyton. And it was a wild scoring affair from the opening kickoff.

Crosbyton’s talented running back Tim Childers racked up four touchdowns in the first quarter alone, scoring on runs of 75, 69, 75, and 2 yards. Meanwhile, the Plowboys were having some success on offense themselves. After Crosbyton jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on two long Childers runs, quarterback Brayden Beal scored on an 85-yard run to put the Plowboys on the scoreboard but still trailing 14-7. The Chiefs responded with another long Childers run to make the score 21-7, but Beal hit Jose Ortega on a 40-yard pass play to narrow the score to 21-14. And all this happened before the first quarter had reached its midpoint. Crosbyton scored again on a 2-yard Childers run to go up 29-14 and increase their lead to 15 points. No one knew it at the time, but that would turn out to be the high point of the evening for the Chiefs.

On the next play, Ortega took the kickoff and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. During the play, Childers was shaken up and had to leave the game. So, the first quarter ended with the Chiefs holding a 29-21 lead but without their star running back.

The second quarter was all Plowboys. Beal completed a 35-yard scoring pass to Clemente Aguayo and with a 2-point conversion tied the score at 29. The Plowboys then scored twice more shortly before halftime. Francisco Garcia scored his first of four TDs on a 21-yard run to put the Plowboys ahead for the first time 35-29. Following the kickoff, the Chiefs went three and out and punted to Ortega, who returned it 42 yards for his third touchdown of the evening. It also put the Plowboys up by two scores. They led at halftime 43-29.

Childers returned to play the second half, but the Plowboys had made adjustments and held him to one TD in the third quarter, a 71-yard run. It made little difference, though, as Francisco Garcia scored three more times on runs of 31, 24, and 45 yards. The quarter ended with the Plowboys ahead 65-36, and by then the game was essentially over. The Plowboys made two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter—one by Beal on a 28-yard run and the other by Brandon Lavalais on a 31-yard run. Crosbyton also made one to make the final score a record setting 79-42.

The Plowboys’ offensive stats for the evening are mind boggling—11 touchdowns, 7 extra-point kicks, and 3 two-point conversions; also 42 total offensive plays from scrimmage for 620 yards, which, when rounded off, amounts to an average of 15 yards per play.

Francisco Garcia led Plowboy rushers with 17 carries for 247 yards and 4 TDs; Brayden Beal had 8 carries for 95 yards and 2 TDs, Brandon Lavalais 1 carry for 31 yards and 1 TD, Clemente Aguayo with 1 for 35, Junior Martinez 2 for 10, Jose Ortega 2 for 6, and Nick Limones 1 for -2.

Beal had 10 pass completions on 16 attempts with 0 interceptions and 2 TDs. Ortega was the top receiver with 3 catches for 108 yards and 1 TD. Cade Garrett caught 2 for 41 yards, Aguayo 1 for 35 and a TD, Austin Willman 1 for 17, Jayden Gonzales 2 for 11, and Garcia 1 for 6.

The other 2 TDs were scored by Ortega, one an 85-yard kickoff return and the other a 42-yard punt return.

The Plowboys are now 8-4 on the year. They will face Seagraves (9-3) in Midland on Friday at 2pm. For the third week in a row, they are designated the visiting team.
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Sportswriter Evan Ren covered the Roscoe-Crosbyton game. His article, which was published in the Abilene Reporter-News on Friday, November 18, is available online here.

The Big Country Homepage also included some video of the Plowboy victory in a news clip of area playoff victories. It can be accessed here.

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PLOWBOYS (8-4) FACE SEAGRAVES (9-3) IN MIDLAND FRIDAY AFTERNOON

The Plowboys play their next playoff game, the Regional Semi-Final, with a familiar foe, the Seagraves Eagles. The game will be played in Midland’s Grande Communications Stadium on Friday with the kickoff set for at 2:00pm.

The district Roscoe was in this year, 4-2A-II, has shown its strength with all three of its playoff-qualifying teams—Hamlin, Roscoe, and Seagraves—with two playoff victories each and all still in the running. That will have to change Friday, though, as Seagraves and Roscoe play each other for the second time this year. The Plowboys won the first game 39-23, but that game was played at home, and this one will be played on a neutral field in Midland. Plowboy fans will also remember last year when Hamlin beat Roscoe during the regular season 35-21 but then lost to them 35-14 in the playoffs. In short, the Plowboys will once again need to bring their A-game to beat the Eagles a second time.

Seagraves has played well in its first two playoff games, both close ones. Their bi-district contest was with Bovina, who was 9-1 at the time, and the game was a high-scoring affair with Seagraves pulling out a 52-49 victory. Then last week, Seagraves defeated Memphis, then 10-1, in an overtime thriller 21-20. The game at the end of regulation was tied 14-14, after a defensive struggle in which both Seagraves touchdowns resulted from returns. One was a 77-yard TD punt return in the first quarter and the other a 51-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter that put the ball on the Memphis 2, from where the Eagles scored on the next play. Memphis got the ball first in overtime and made a TD but failed on a 2-point attempt. Then Seagraves drove the ball into the end zone and kicked the extra point to win the game and advance to the regional semifinal round with the Plowboys. 

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An account of the Seagraves-Memphis game can be read here.

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KXOX TO CARRY GAME WITH LIVE BROADCAST FRIDAY

The Roscoe-Seagraves game will be broadcast live on Sweetwater radio station KXOX, available at 1240 AM and 96.7 FM.

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HONK RALLY FOR PLOWBOYS FRIDAY MORNING AT 9:00

Plowboy fans who can get free for a few minutes Friday morning are encouraged to let the Plowboys know you're behind them as their bus leaves the RCHS school grounds on its way to Midland, where the Plowboys will play Seagraves in the Region I semifinals.

The bus route begins on 7th Street at RCHS between the Special Events Center and the entrance to the Cafetorium. It will proceed down 7th to Main Street and then turn right and go to the access road to I-20 West and then on to Midland.

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PLOWGIRLS BEAT ROBY, HIGHLAND; LOSE TO IRA, WINTERS

Veronica Cuellar shoots a jumper against Roby. (Basketball photos by Tamara Alexander)

The Plowgirls played three games last week, the first a regularly scheduled one last Tuesday in which they beat Roby in Roby, 79-69. Then from Thursday through Saturday they played three more in a round-robin tournament they hosted at the gymnasium in the RCHS Special Events Center. There they lost two, one to Ira 68-37 and one to Winters 43-35. The other game was a victory over Highland 47-32.

Ira won the tournament by defeating Winters in the final, 58-27.

Here are the scoring by quarters and the individual scores for the Plowgirl games:

Plowgirls 79 – Roby 69

Plowgirls          27        42        61        79
Roby                  17        32        42        69

Individual scoring: Jaleigh Morales 23, Veronica Cuellar 15, Bonnie Wilkinson 11, Baylor Trevino 8, Jaci Alexander 4.

Plowgirls 47 – Highland 32

Individual scoring: Morales 17, Cuellar 11, B. Wilkinson 8, Alexander 5, Bergan Trevino 4.

Plowgirls 2016-17: Jovana Peña, Lyndi Wilkinson, Jaleigh Morales, Jaci Alexander, Veronica Cuellar, Baylor Trevino, Bonnie Wilkinson, Lynzie Atkison, Bergan Trevino, and Karina Cisneros.

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WEATHER REPORT: FIRST FREEZE

The sad state of my garden after the freeze hit it.

Fall’s first freeze came as a bit of a surprise as the forecast in preceding days didn’t have the temperature falling that low, and, when it did come on Saturday morning, it fell only to 31°F and stayed that way only a short while before warming up in the morning sunshine. But it was enough. The freeze had hit and all over the area had laid waste to fields and gardens—including mine. The tomato, pepper, and okra plants were all dead, and so was the basil. On the other hand, several other plants survived and are still going strong. In my garden, this includes the chile pequin bush, Swiss chard, arugula, oregano, rosemary, lemon grass, and parsley. We’ll need some harsher weather than that to kill them.

In general, the weather this past week was typical for this time of year. The high was last Wednesday’s 80° with other daily highs ranging from yesterday’s and Monday’s 75° down to Saturday’s 57°. Other daily highs were in the sixties and low seventies. The low of course was Saturday morning’s 31°, sandwiched between Friday and Sunday mornings’ 39°. The warmest low was Thursday morning’s 59°.

The forecast for the coming week is for similar weather. Today will be cooler than yesterday with a high of only 64° and a light north breeze. Thanksgiving Day, i.e., tomorrow, should be mostly sunny with a morning low of 43° and an afternoon high of 70° with a light wind from the north and little to no chance of precipitation—i.e., a nice day. That will change on Friday, though, when the forecast is for mostly cloudy skies and a 40% chance of rain in the afternoon and early evening—and that is also the forecast for Midland, so if you’re going to the Plowboy-Seagraves football game, you may want to take an umbrella or raincoat just to be on the safe side. Saturday will also be mostly cloudy with a high of 64° and a low of 54°, but on Sunday the clouds will dissipate and the first part of next week will have clear skies and mild temperatures with highs of around 60° and lows in the mid-thirties to low forties.

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† JERRIE W. REED

Services for Jerrie W. Reed were held at 2:00pm on Saturday, November 19, at the First Baptist Church in Roscoe with Reverend David Draper officiating. Interment followed at Roscoe Cemetery. Jerrie passed away on Tuesday, November 15, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.

Jerrie was born September 16, 1936, in Sweetwater and lived in the area all of his life. He attended school in Pyron and Roscoe and married Betty Elliott, March 14, 1957, in Roscoe. He retired from TXU as a Power Plant Operational Mechanic and was currently employed by Renzenberger Railroad Transport. He served in the Texas National Guard and for fifteen years in the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Roscoe.

He is survived by his wife Betty Reed of Roscoe, son Kevin Reed and wife Lisa of San Angelo, daughter Regina Reed Scott and husband Shawn of Roscoe, sister June Schwarz of Loraine, Texas, five grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

He was preceded in death by his parents Floyd Estle and Ora Inez (Denmon) Reed and a brother-in-law, Raymond Schwarz.

Pallbearers were Bill Stein, Miles Neal, Max Tomlin, Larry Schwarz, Michael Brown and Bruce McGlothlin. Honorary pallbearers were his grandchildren: Austin Burt, Kaitlinn Burt, Austin Reed, Ethan Scott, Ashtyn Reed, and Mason Scott.

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