The 2018-19 school year
has started, and, as of Monday, the total enrollment at RCISD was 641,
30 more students than last year. The largest growth this year is in high
school and junior high.Here are this year’s figures compared to the previous three years:
Grades 2015 2016 2017 2018
Elementary pre-K - 5 365 347 358 348*
Junior High 6-8 118 123 121 148
High School 9-12 135 134 133 144
Totals pre-K - 12 618 604 611 641
* This figure includes the pre-K students who have enrolled but not yet attended their first class because 4-year-olds begin next Monday, August 20, and 3-year-olds the following Monday, August 27.
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CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES TAX RATE, NEW SEWER LINE
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| City Manager Cody Thompson addresses the Council at yesterday's meeting. |
City Manager Cody Thompson reported that the property tax rate will be lowered slightly to balance it with the increased property valuations for the coming year so that the amount of money brought in will be the same as this year’s. This year’s tax rate was .791344 per $100 valuation, and the proposed rate for the coming year is .751180, or roughly .04 less per $100 valuation than this year. Public hearings for the proposed tax rate will be announced in the next ten days or so. The Council will also meet for budget workshops later this month. The water, sewer, and trash pickup bill may increase about $3 per meter per month next year.
Thompson also reported that the City has been awarded a state grant of approximately $288,000 of which the City will be responsible for about $13,000 of that amount, or about 5%, and the state the rest, or about $275,000. That money will be used to replace the sanitary sewer line that runs from the I-20 service road in south Roscoe all the way to Second Street between Main and Cypress Streets. The new line will be 8" instead of the current 6", which will make for better flow. The State will make an on-site visit with the City next Tuesday at 3:00pm.
The City/County seal coating of City streets is now complete.
The West Texas Wind Festival will be on Saturday, October 20, this year. The City has still not booked a musician for the free concert but will do so in the near future.
The City Council approved the bills paid by the City in July.
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ROSCOE’S OLDEST CITIZEN CELEBRATES 104TH BIRTHDAY
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| Jessie Marth |
She was born on August 9, 1914, near Waxahachie in Ellis County and came to Roscoe with her family during the depression. She married Rudolph Marth on December 19, 1934, and they were together until he passed away in 1982. They had two children, Donald and Frances.
In addition to her duties as a farm wife and mother, she is a member of the First Salem Lutheran Church. She was the first woman to serve on its Church Council and taught Sunday School for many years. She is a past member of the Friendship Club, the Home Demonstration Club, and the Bridge Club, and has served as a 4-H leader. She also volunteered at the Roscoe Care Home. She made quilts and afghans for each of her children and grandchildren. She also had the privilege of drawing plans for and having two homes built, one in 1950 and the other in 1970.
Here’s wishing her many more happy, healthy, and fruitful years!
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HANNAH WARD, CALEB BOREN TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL FFA AGRISCIENCE FAIR
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| Hannah Ward won a silver medal at last year's National FFA Agriscience Fair. |
This will be Hannah’s second trip to compete at the National FFA Agriscience Fair in Indianapolis. Last year, she was a silver medalist with her project in Division 1 of Animal Systems.
To qualify, FFA members working as individuals or teams in grades seven through 12 are required to conduct a scientific research project pertaining to the agriculture or food science industries and win their state’s FFA agriscience fair.
Their selection was made by more than 20 agricultural teachers, state leaders and college professors from throughout the U.S., who recently met in Indianapolis to determine what FFA members and teams will compete for top honors in the 2018 National FFA Agriscience Fair.
First-place winners in each state have qualified for the national pre-qualifying judging. The panel of judges reviewed entries and selected a maximum of 12 in each category and division to move on to the national competition.
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PLOWBOY PREVIEW AT SCHOOL TOMORROW EVENING
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| Burger supper in the Cafetorium at last year's Plowboy Preview. |
Then at 7:15pm, the Cheer Pals will perform at Plowboy Field, followed by introductions to this year’s football players, coaches, cheerleaders, cross-county team, and band.
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SPECIAL SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER AT THE LUMBERYARD: STEEL GUITAR ASSOCIATION AND CORB LUND & BAND
This
Sunday, August 19, the Lumberyard offers country music fans a double
treat, the West Texas Steel Guitar Association followed by Canadian
singer Corb Lund and his band.
From 1:00-5:30pm, some of the best steel guitar players in the state will be playing on the small stage when the West Texas Steel Guitar Association meets at the Lumberyard. The event is open to the public, and there is no charge to attend. The kitchen will open at 11:30am and food and drinks will be available for orders.
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| Corb Lund |
Over the years, Lund has released nine albums, three of which are certified gold—Five Dollar Bill, Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer, and Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! In addition, his album Cabin Fever debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Country chart.
He and his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, tour regularly in Canada, the United States, and Australia and have received several awards in Canada and abroad. They are currently on their five-month “Western Destinations Tour,” and Roscoe, Texas, is one of their stops.
Popular Corb Lund songs include “The Truck Got Stuck,” “Roughest Neck Around,” “Cows Around,” “Hard on Equipment,” “I Wanna Be in the Cavalry,” “Bible on the Dash” (with Hayes Carll). Corb's song "S Lazy H" was recently featured on Part 5, Ep. 1, of the Netflix Original Series The Ranch.
For reservations and more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.
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GREAT ROSCOE FOOTBALL TEAMS: THE 1995 PLOWBOYS
As planned from the outset, the 1995 Plowboys are the last in this series of great Roscoe football teams of the last hundred years. Limiting the teams covered to four is not to suggest that these were the only great teams Roscoe has ever had. There are certainly others, especially teams, such as the 2007 Plowboys, whose only loss of the year was to the eventual state champions. But football season is almost upon us—the first scrimmage is this weekend—so it’s time to return to the present. Maybe we can do more next year.
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| Jason Alexander (11) runs as Nathan Hartkopf (68) and Andy Gomez (42) block. |
Despite their state ranking, their first big hurdle was just making the playoffs, which only two teams in the district could do, and there were other outstanding teams in District 11A—Robert Lee, the defending champs, ranked number 6 in the AP Top Ten, and Sterling City, whose victory over Roscoe the previous year had knocked them out of the playoffs. Bronte was also improved and expected to make a run.
The team also had a tough pre-district schedule with all five opponents from class 2A, including their season opener with Winters. The Blizzards were ranked sixth in the AP 2A preseason poll and were a very good team that would eventually advance to the state 2A quarterfinals.
Thus, no one was surprised when Winters won 21-13. Even so, it was a hard-fought game and one in which the Plowboys could have done much better if they hadn’t had so many turnovers, six to be exact, three lost fumbles and three interceptions. Winters had only one lost fumble, and all three of their touchdowns came on passes from quarterback John Belew to his favorite receiver, John Biddix. The Blizzards opened the scoring early in the second quarter, but the Plowboys tied the game 7-7 in the third on a short Jake Freeman run. Winters then scored twice to go up 21-7 before Freeman ran in again in the fourth quarter to make it 21-13. Coach Tindol had lost his first game as a head coach, but his Plowboys had been competitive throughout, playing tough against a formidable foe. However, that didn’t stop them from falling out of the top-ten rankings that weekend.
The level of competition was much less the following week in Hawley as the Plowboys rolled over the Bearcats 47-0. In that game Andy Howard had 2 touchdowns, 2 field goals, and 3 extra-point kicks for 21 points, while Jim Watts, Gabriel Galvan, Freeman, and Tommy Nash all had a touchdown. The defense, led by Jerry Chavira and Norman Hartkopf, held Hawley to 25 rushing yards in 20 attempts.
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| Alexander (11) with ball as Justin Tomlin (20) and Shawn Davis (30) block. |
Then in the match-up with Baird in Baird, the Bears surprised the Plowboys. After Roscoe went up 7-0 in the first quarter on a 12-yard Jason Alexander run, the Bears scored three times in the second to lead at halftime 21-7. However, the second half was all Plowboys. The defense held the Bears scoreless the rest of the game, and in the third quarter the Plowboys scored on Howard’s 7-yard run, followed by his extra-point kick to narrow the score to 21-14. Then in the fourth quarter, Beau Barnes hit Jim Watts with a 20-yard touchdown pass and tied the game at 21. On the Plowboys’ next possession, Howard kicked a 30-yard field goal and the Plowboys won 24-21. It was a close win but enough to move the Plowboys up to number nine in the state rankings.
The next week the Plowboys finished their pre-district schedule with a solid 21-7 win over a good Albany team. They led at halftime 14-0 on a 20-yard run by Alexander in the first quarter and a 2-yard plunge by Freeman in the second. In the third, Alexander scored again to put the Plowboys up 21-0 before Albany scored their lone touchdown. For the most part, Roscoe’s defense shut down an Albany offense that had been averaging 33 points a game. The Plowboys were now 4-1 in their contests with 2A teams and ready for district play.
Their first district game was a 45-0 blowout of Water Valley, a team that came into the game with a 4-1 record. The defense was superb, allowing the Wildcats only one first down and 9 total yards. Chavira led the way with 18 tackles, including three for losses. On offense, Alexander ran for 3 TDs and gained 243 yards on 28 carries. Roscoe moved up to number seven in the state rankings.
The second district contest was in Bronte with the Longhorns, who were coming off a 21-12 loss to sixth-rank Robert Lee and needed a win to stay in contention. Unfortunately for them, they never even came close as the Plowboys won decisively 38-8. Alexander scored on a 24-yard run less than three minutes into the game, and by halftime the Plowboys were up 24-0 on three Alexander TDs and a Howard field goal. Bronte’s only TD came with 3 seconds left in the game.
The Plowboys had now achieved a record almost identical to that of the 1994 Plowboys. But at the same point the year before, the Plowboys’ season had foundered when they lost first to Sterling City and then to Robert Lee, knocking them out of the playoffs and ruining what had up to then had been a promising season. This year, they were determined not to let that happen again.
The game with Sterling City was in Roscoe with both teams 2-0 in district play, but the outcome wasn’t even close as the Plowboys made up for their previous year’s 33-27 loss by completely destroying the Eagles 57-0.
The Plowboys were now 7-1 overall and 3-0 in district and ready for Robert Lee, 6-0-1 overall and also 3-0 in district. The Plowboys were ranked seventh in state and the Steers sixth. The Roscoe-Robert Lee game had decided the district championship for the past three years, and the Steers’ 33-0 win over the Plowboys the previous year was still on the minds of many of the players.
The showdown that everyone had been waiting for all year had arrived, and a large crowd of Roscoe fans drove to Robert Lee to see the game. Things went bad for the Steers shortly after the opening kickoff as their quarterback left the game with a concussion, while the Plowboys scored twice. The first was a 19-yard pass from Beau Barnes to Shawn Davis in the end zone, and the second was a 21-yard Alexander run. Howard kicked both extra points and the Plowboys were up 14-0 before the end of the first quarter. Robert Lee narrowed the score to 14-7 in the second, but the defense held them the rest of the game. After a scoreless third quarter, Howard kicked a field goal early in the fourth to extend the Plowboys’ lead to 17-7 to end the scoring for the evening. Roscoe’s offense totaled 320 yards to Robert Lee’s 83, and the defense allowed the Steers only four first downs.
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| Plowboys on sideline show off their trophy. |
As District Champs, the Plowboys got a bye the first week of the playoffs and then played Munday the following week at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene. Munday, the runner-up in District 9-A, was no match for Roscoe as the Plowboys scored on their first eight possessions to win the game 55-12. Barnes carried the ball just three times in the game and made three touchdowns.
Next was the Region II-A semifinals at Tarleton State in Stephenville with Hico, undefeated at 9-0-2 and ninth-ranked in state. The Plowboys scored on the first play from scrimmage when Alexander ran 30 yards for a touchdown to put Roscoe up 7-0. Early in the second quarter, Hico scored on a 33-yard pass to narrow the score to 7-6, but that was the high point of the game for the Tigers. They fumbled the next time they got the ball and on the next play, Barnes hit a 40-yard TD pass to a wide-open Davis to increase the lead to 14-6. And on Hico’s first play after the ensuing kickoff, their quarterback threw a pass that Alexander intercepted and led to his second 30-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-6. At that point Hico fell apart, and by halftime the Plowboys led 35-6. They then went on to win the game 48-12.
Roscoe’s state quarterfinals game was against Crawford in the same stadium in Stephenville where they had played Hico. Crawford had finished the regular season at 8-1-1 and ranked eighth in the state. They had plenty of experience, making the playoffs five of the previous six years and the last year had made the state finals but lost to Thorndale.
In a game played in bitter cold and a high north wind, Crawford scored in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead, but after that it was all Plowboys, who scored twice against the wind in the second quarter to go up 14-7. Crawford got close enough to try two field goals that quarter but missed them both. Then, in the fourth, the Plowboys scored again to win the game 20-7. Roscoe’s three touchdowns were scored by Davis on a 40-yard run, Watts on a 26-yard pass from Barnes, and Howard on a 1-yard run.
The state semifinals game was played in Andrews with Sudan, which had eliminated Wink 27-12 in the same stadium the week before and was playing in its fourth straight semifinals game. The Plowboys jumped out to a quick start when Alexander returned the opening kickoff 68 yards to the Sudan 24. They then drove the ball down to the one, where Freeman punched it in to put Roscoe up 6-0. That ended the scoring until three minutes before the half when Barnes hit Davis on a slant over the middle, and Davis raced 43 yards untouched to put the Plowboys up 14-0. Sudan came right back, though, and drove for their first TD to make the halftime score 14-6.
In the third quarter, Howard kicked a 27-yard field goal and Alexander scored on a 3-yard run to increase the Plowboy lead to 24-6, but Sudan answered to make it 24-13. In the fourth quarter, both teams scored a TD to make the score 31-20. Then, with time running out, a Sudan pass was tipped, and the ball fell into the arms of 295-pound lineman Jerry Chavira, who rumbled 43 yards for the first touchdown of his life. His teammates mobbed him in the end zone, and the Plowboys were penalized for excessive celebration, but the play was an exuberant conclusion to a solid victory. The Plowboys had made the State Finals for the first time since 1982.
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| Jerry Chavira (77). Nathan Hartkopf (68), and Jason Alexander (11). |
That’s not the way it turned out, though. The game was played in Brownwood on a cold day before a crowd of 8000. The first half was scoreless but thrilling as both teams missed golden opportunities to score, and Thorndale, with a season average of 52 points a game, had yet to make a point. On the fifth play of the second half, Roscoe took the lead when Barnes pitched out to Alexander, who scooted around right end, broke three tackles, and raced 47 yards for the score. Howard kicked the extra point, and the Plowboys were ahead 7-0. But Thorndale came to life on their next possession. From their own 37, they drove into Plowboy territory, where their quarterback completed a 36-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good, and the game was tied, 7-7.
Then in the fourth quarter, Thorndale had a 4th-and-5 from the Plowboy 33. They ran a fake punt that made 6 yards and kept the drive alive. Eight plays later, after two unsuccessful attempts from the one, they scored on a quarterback sneak and went up 14-7 with 6:55 to play. The Plowboys had two possessions in which they were forced to punt but got the ball back with 1:07 left on the clock. Barnes completed a 21-yard pass to Howard for a first down at the Thorndale 48. But two plays later a Thorndale back intercepted a Barnes pass to kill the Plowboys’ final threat and won the game 14-7. The Plowboys had lost but were in the game until the end, earning them well-deserved respect from everyone who had seen the game, which was later voted the Game of the Year in Class A.
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Jerry Chavira went on to play college ball at SMU, where he was a three-year starter. Jason Alexander played two years at Hardin-Simmons and then transferred to A&M to become a dentist. Jake Freeman and Andy Howard also played at Hardin-Simmons, and Marcial Saenz played at Howard Payne.
AP All-State First Team: Jerry Chavira, offensive lineman. Second Team: Nathan Hartkopf, offensive line; Jason Alexander, running back; Andy Howard, kicker; Jerry Chavira, defensive line. Honorable Mention: Brannon Barnes, linebacker; Shawn Davis, linebacker.
All-South Plains Team: Player of the Year, Jason Alexander. Jerry Chavira and Norman Hartkopf, offensive line; Shawn Davis, linebacker; and Andy Howard, kicker.
11A All-District Offense: MVP, Jason Alexander. Linemen: Jerry Chavira, Nathan Hartkopf; Wide receiver: Jim Watts; Running back: Jake Freeman; Kicker: Andy Howard. Defense: Co-MVPs: Jerry Chavira, Norman Hartkopf; Backs: Jake Freeman, Justin Tomlin; Secondary: Jason Alexander; Andy Howard, Jim Watts.
Second Team Offense: Center: Jeffrey Hardy; Linemen: Steven Acebedo, Marcial Saenz, Quarterback: Beau Barnes; Return Specialist: Andy Howard. Defense: Lineman: Marcial Saenz; Linebackers: Steven Acebedo, Shawn Davis; Secondary: Andy Gomez.
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WEATHER REPORT: FINALLY, SOME RAIN
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| Rain east of Wastella on Friday. (Photo by Pete Porter) |
During those five rainy days, the heat wave we’ve been having this summer was left behind, and temperatures were cooler than they’ve been for the past couple of months. The highs were 90°F on Thursday, 82° Friday, 89° Saturday, 78° Sunday, 77° Monday, and 92° yesterday. Lows were similarly cooler, ranging from 64° to 69°. Those days were an enjoyable break from the seemingly relentless heat we’ve otherwise experienced this summer.
The forecast is for a return to more normal summertime weather. Today should be sunny with a high of 95°, tomorrow 96°, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all 95° with lows returning to the mid-seventies.
On Sunday, the forecasters are currently giving us a 40% chance for rain, so maybe we’ll get some more.
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Happy Birthday, Jessie Marth!
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