Plowboys Host Hawley in Opener Friday

Junior Martinez (4) carries the ball in last year's game with Hawley.

After holding their own in pre-season scrimmages with Ozona and Forsan, the 2019 Plowboys play their first regular season game at Plowboy Field Friday evening with the Hawley Bearcats.

This non-district matchup will be a stiff test for the Plowboys as the Bearcats are a formidable foe. A 2A, division 1 school (the Plowboys are 2A division II), they are picked to win their district by both Texas Football and the Abilene Reporter-News. Last year, they were 4-0 in district (10-2 overall) with a 56-42 win over Stamford for the title. This year they return All-Big Country running back Colton Marshall and a big line with four starters over 215 pounds. Marshall also leads their defense as a linebacker along with defensive back Robert Ybarra. They return 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense.

The Plowboys will counter with Junior Martinez making his debut as the Plowboys’ starting quarterback. Gunner Helm will be the main running back and Jaythan Coale one of the receivers with Garrett Bowers leading the Plowboy line. Top defenders include Bowers, Martinez, Brayan Medina, Zachary Jordan, and Ryan Highsmith. The Plowboys return 4 on offense and 5 on defense.

This will be fans’ only opportunity to see the Plowboys at home before October as all their games in September are away games. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.

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WADE BOWEN AT LUMBERYARD FRIDAY EVENING

Wade Bowen

Red Dirt/Texas Country singing star Wade Bowen returns with his band to the Lumberyard Friday night with Dalton Domino opening the show.  

Bowen, originally from Waco and a Texas Tech grad, has grown in popularity over the years and now has a large following. His albums include Try Not to Listen (2002), The Blue Light Live (2004), Lost Hotel (2006), If We Ever Make It Home (2008), Live at Billy Bob’s Texas (2010), The Given (2012), Wade Bowen (2014), and Then Sings My Soul: Songs for My Mother (2016).  He’s also produced two CDs with fellow Texas Country artist Randy Rogers—Hold My Beer, Vol. 1 (2015) and Watch This (2016). His latest studio album is Solid Ground, released last year.

Top singles include “Trouble,” “Songs About Trucks,” “Who I Am,” “Mood Ring,” and “Why Can’t You Love Me.”

Dalton Domino

Opening for Wade Bowen is Dalton Domino from Lubbock. An up and coming singer/songwriter, his music is a blend of everything—Texas country, red dirt, and southern rock and blues. His latest album is entitled Corners. 

Singles include “All I Need,” “Killing Floor,” and “Corners.”

Live music begins at 8:00pm. For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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HOMECOMING NEWS

Roscoe High School, 1939-2010.

Homecoming letters were mailed Monday for the upcoming  RCHS Homecoming, October 3,4,5, 2019.

Plans are still being made and a schedule of events will be posted soon.

If anyone is planning a class reunion, please let us know and we will be happy to add it to the program.

For more info call or email:
                Connie Baize @ 325-338-1287 or cubaize@yahoo.com
                Teresa Watson @ 325-280-1960 or teresa@lawbros.com

We will have a Parade on Saturday morning, October 5.
We need groups or floats to participate.  For more information call
                Misty Reynolds 325-338-1005 or mmb3839@gmail.com

The Bonfire will be Thursday, October 3.  If you have burnable items, you can bring them to Cedar and Broadway (by the water treatment plant)  between 8am-6pm only. If you have any questions, contact City Hall 325-766-3871.

 --o--

ROSCOE STATE BANK GETTING A FACELIFT

The Roscoe State Bank is getting an interior facelift with a new paint job and other renovations. The work, which should last for about a month, will not impede normal business, and the bank will remain open throughout. 

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WEATHER REPORT: HOTTEST DAY AND A FORECAST FIZZLE

Thursday's shower in Sweetwater as seen from west of Roscoe.

It’s been quite a week for the weather so far, but the big news today is that the 40% and 50% chances for rain that forecasters gave us for yesterday and today have given us some thunder and lightning, but as far as I know, no more than a sprinkle. Since a good rain would give this parched country such a boost, the continued lack of significant moisture comes as a palpable disappointment, one that as West Texans, we are all too familiar with. 

Actually, there was a little rain here and there Thursday and Friday, but not enough to make any difference. Kenny Landfried recorded an official .11" Friday. Sweetwater got a nice afternoon shower Thursday, but Roscoe remained sunny and dry.

Unlike the rest of this month, which has been monotonous for its lack of variety, this past week had both the coolest day of the month, yesterday’s high of 89°F, as well as its hottest, the day before, at 107°. In fact, Monday’s 107° is the hottest day we’ve had all year. 

Today should be even milder than yesterday with a high of only 86°. However, any serious chance for rain essentially expired this morning around 9:00am. This is unfortunate because the forecast for the rest of the week is not encouraging with rain chances of only 20%, 10%, and 0%. Temperatures should also return to summerlike heat tomorrow with highs in the low to mid nineties until Sunday when the forecast high drops to 89°.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some fall weather.

--o--

Roscoe in Years Gone By: Rooster Rhea

Downtown Roscoe as it was around 1950.

Editor's note: I've been busy with other matters and haven't really had a chance to go out and gather the news this week, so I thought I'd give readers something a little different this time, a memory of a former town character. 

When I was a kid growing up Roscoe in the 1950s, there were several local characters that everyone knew—Boxcar Slim, who chose Roscoe to be his home after a life of hoboing, Lester Stevens, a black man with no legs who swept the downtown sidewalks, and Pete Stewart, a retired railroad hand who always waved to the workers in passing trains and was everybody’s friend.

Another one was Rooster Rhea. Rooster was not a big guy, slender and a little below average height. He knew all sorts of things and could fix anything that was fixable. Once a bug got in a kid’s ear, and it went in so far that no one could get it out. The kid was screaming bloody murder, and the adults were trying to come up with a way to get the bug out without hurting the child. Rooster walked up and saw what was going on. He told someone to bring him a glass of water, and when they did, he had the kid lay his head sideways and then poured the water into the ear, and the bug came out.

Once someone called him to kill a skunk that was living under their house, and when he did, he found that it was a mother skunk with a bunch of baby skunks. The little ones were so small they didn’t have their eyes open, so he gathered them up and gave them away, all but two, which he gave to his youngest boy, Bill. At the time I had a mother cat with kittens the same age as those little skunks, so I put the one I got in with them, and the mother cat let it drink milk along with the kittens. Rooster told us that we didn’t have to worry about our skunk being able to spray until it was three or four months old, and when it reached that age, he would “deodorize” it with a razor blade. Bill’s two skunks grew to full size, and they became a familiar sight downtown, following Bill around, one behind the other in a line, just like baby ducks follow mama duck.

Rooster’s downfall was alcohol. Sometimes when he started drinking, he would keep it up for days, during which time his wife and kids didn’t know where he was, or even if they did, couldn’t do anything about it.

His family barely managed to get by and always lived in the most modest of circumstances, in old hotels or sometimes in buildings that were otherwise abandoned. The mother, Marie, was bright enough to do tasks like dishwashing, floor mopping, and cotton picking, but incapable of jobs requiring reading or figuring.

Besides his skills as a handy man, Rooster was also known as the biggest liar in town, and the lies he told were often so fantastic that he left people in wonderment about what they had just heard. As far as I know, he never entered a liar’s contest, but if he had, he would certainly have been a contender.

And he would lie to anyone, including kids. Back when George Parks used to be the editor and publisher of the Roscoe Times, he hired boys from the ages of about 11 to 16 to help him get out the weekly newspaper and do the town’s job printing. And for about five years in the late ‘50s, I was one of those boys. We worked every day after school Monday through Friday and eight to noon on Saturdays. During the summer we were in the Times Office most of the day but not always working.

On slow summer mornings, George would sometimes let us play stickball in the open area behind the Times office known as T. O. Stadium. One summer morning, some of us were back there doing just that, and Rooster was sitting on a stack of cross ties next to the building watching us.

During a break in the action, some of us were talking about big-league baseball teams and players. Rooster said something about one of the players, and Cuppy Graham, around eleven at the time, asked him a question. “Rooster,” he said, “did you ever play baseball when you were young?” “Why, son,” said Rooster, “I used to be the hind catcher for the New York Yankees.” “Really?” asked Cuppy. “Just listen,” answered Rooster, “and I’ll tell y’all what happened one time when I was playing for the Yankees.” And we all moved in a little closer to hear what he was about to say.

“Lefty Grove was pitching that day,” he began, “and I was catching. We were playing the Tigers, and Ty Cobb was on first base. He was the best base-stealer in the American League, and I could tell he was fixing to head for second on the next pitch. So, I signaled to Lefty to throw me a fastball, and I got into a crouch so I could fire the ball to second base as quick as I caught it. Sure enough, as soon as Lefty kicked his leg up in the air to make the pitch, out of the corner of my eye I saw Cobb take off for second base as fast as he could run. I caught the ball and in one motion fired it to second base as hard as I could. It got there so quick that the shortstop didn’t get his glove down in time, and the ball went right through his legs and hit the center field wall on the fly and bounced back to second base on one bounce. The shortstop turned and put his glove up just in time to catch it, and in one motion swept his glove down and tagged Ty Cobb out just as he was sliding into second.”

Finished with his story, Rooster leaned back, tipped up the brim of his fedora hat a little bit, and looked triumphantly at us with a little grin on his face. “He never tried to steal on me again,” he said.

On another occasion, I don’t remember what the topic was or how it came up, but it involved England, and someone asked Rooster if he’d ever been to England. He looked a little offended by the question and said, “Have I ever been to England? Son, you are looking at the man who put the plumbing in Buckingham Palace.”

One of Rooster’s kids was a boy named Bobby, a slow learner who never really learned how to read or write much beyond his name. His understanding was also limited, so he was a perennial problem at the end of the school year. He had already repeated a grade once or twice in elementary school without really making any improvement, so the teachers and principal just took to passing him each year so he could stay in the same grade with kids who were in the same general age range, whether he learned anything or not. And in this way, by the time he was around 16, he was in high school taking Mrs. Anthony’s American History class.

Mrs. Anthony, or Miz A, as we called her, had a special unit in which she had students learn about their family histories. One of their assignments was to go home and ask their parents about their family backgrounds, including anything significant or interesting that the class might like to hear about. Then, when their turn came in class, they would report to the other students and Mrs. A what they had learned. So, Bobby went home and asked Rooster about his family history.

A couple of days later, it was Bobby’s turn in class. Mrs. A asked him if he had anything interesting to report about his family background, and Bobby answered that he did. She asked him what it was, and he replied that his grandfather and grandmother were the king and queen of England. This answer produced some stifled merriment among the boys in the back of the room, and Mrs. A realized Bobby had unwittingly been put up to that response by Rooster. Since students were writing down something in their notebooks for each of their classmates’ responses, someone asked Mrs. A what they should write for Bobby. “Just put that Bobby is related to English royalty,” which in its own way was just as ridiculous as Bobby’s answer. But that’s what his class put about him for the project.

Still, I think my favorite Rooster tale is the one Clifford Jones, my old college roommate, once told me when we were comparing Rooster Rhea stories. Here it is.

“A few years ago,” said Rooster, “I was working in Snyder and had just about finished for the day when I looked to the northwest and saw a dark cloud approaching with rain, thunder and lightning. My pickup back then was an old beat-up Ford with a broken-out front windshield. It had engine trouble and could go only about 30 miles an hour top speed. I realized that if I was going to make it back to Roscoe without getting drenched, I’d have to pack up my tools and leave right then.”

“So that’s what I did. By the time I made it out to the highway, the storm had already hit in Snyder and was right on my tail. I drove that old pickup as fast as it would go, but I could see in my rearview mirror that the rain was just pouring right behind me. And this kept up as I drove past Hermleigh, then through Inadale, and then through Wastella. I crossed Cottonwood Creek, drove on into Roscoe, and crossed the railroad tracks with that storm on my tail the whole way. Then, I headed home, and just as I drove that old pickup into the garage, the storm hit outside with the rain coming down in sheets—and I realized I had made it all the way back from Snyder without getting hit by a single drop of rain. I got out, and when I did, I was surprised to see the pickup bed was completely full of water.”

--o--

JON WOLFE AT LUMBERYARD FRIDAY

Jon Wolfe

Jon Wolfe will make his first appearance ever at the Lumberyard on Friday, August 23. A native of Oklahoma, Wolfe has been a professional musician since 2004, when he settled in Austin and became a regular performer on the Lone Star honky tonk circuit. 

He released his debut album, Almost Gone, in 2004, and has produced three other studio albums since then: It All Happened in a Honky Tonk (2010), Natural Man (2015), and Any Night in Texas (2017).

Top singles include “That Girl in Texas,” “I Don’t Dance,” “What Are You Doin’ Right Now,” and “Boots on a Dance Floor.”

For reservations of more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT: THE HEAT WAVE CONTINUES

The August heat wave continues, and this past week was a continuation of the two before it. 

There was only one day, last Wednesday, with a high of 93°F, in which the high was lower than the upper nineties. The other six reached 98° or above, and the weekend was especially hot with a high of 104° on Saturday and 105° on Sunday. No rain ever materialized, and the coming week offers little hope for cooler or wetter days. Forecasters are giving us a 20% chance of rain for tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday, so there is a least a possibility, even if it’s a slim one. However, the hot weather will continue along with the steady south winds.

A break from this weather would be nice, but we may have to wait another week or so before getting it.

--o--

† CAROLA M. MARTIN

Services for Carola M. Martin, 54, will be at 2:00pm on Saturday, August 24, at the Roscoe Church of Christ with Philip Tomlin officiating. Interment will follow at Champion Cemetery under direction of McCoy Funeral Home. She passed away yesterday, August 20, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.

A visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00pm on Friday, August 23, at the funeral home.

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Roscoe Schools See Enrollment Growth

At RCISD, the 2019-2020 school year is underway, and, as of Monday, the total enrollment was 653, 12 more students than last year. The largest growth this year is in the elementary grades. Transfers from other school districts constitute about 40% of the total, as has been the case the past few years.

Here are this year’s figures compared to the previous three years:
                           Grades             2016          2017         2018         2019
Elementary        preK-5             347           358           348            359*
Junior High        6-8                   123           121            148            149
High School        9-12                 134           133            144            145
   Totals               preK-12           604          611             641            653

* This figure includes the pre-K students who have enrolled but not yet attended their first class because 3-year-olds begin next Monday, August 19.

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CITY COUNCIL HEARS REPORTS, APPROVES PURCHASE

City Manager Cody Thompson reports to the Council at yesterday's meeting.

At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the Roscoe City Council heard reports from the City Manager and the Police Chief. It also approved the purchase of a John Deere backhoe and set a date and time for its annual budget workshop.

City Manager Cody Thompson reported that the pump for the sewer’s main lift station, which has been out, is set to be installed today. He also said that the pump at the City Swimming Pool broke and had to be replaced.

The water and sewer rate study to determine user costs should begin the first of September and take from six to eight weeks. It will be reviewed in October and possibly implemented at that time. The work being conducted on the new sewer line in the alley between Cypress and Main Streets is proceeding on a loan from the Texas Water Development Board, most of which will have to be repaid and will necessitate some raising of current rates.

The work currently being done by Flint Stone Services LLC on the new sewer line has been proceeding slower than planned, and some work has had to be redone.

The City has water and sewer lines running under I-20 and its service roads, and the City has noted these to TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation), so the planned I-20 re-alignment and construction can proceed as planned. The City’s engineers, e/HT of Abilene, have been included in these conversations.

The City has been in preliminary discussions with Carl Childers concerning a possible plan for his housing development on the City’s north side.

After the Texas Municipal League advised the City that Street Department funds may be used for the department’s equipment purchases, the City Manager proposed that the Council use part of the department’s money to buy a used John Deere backhoe for $40,000. The Council moved and approved the purchase.

The West Texas Wind Festival will be October 19, the third weekend in October. The Council also approved a bonfire for the upcoming RHS/RCHS school homecoming.

City Police Chief Felix Pantoja gave the Police Report for the month of July. He said the Department received 153 calls for service and handled 4 auto crashes, 5 burglaries involving vehicles, 1 arrest, 3 citations, and 11 traffic warnings. He urges people to lock their vehicles as some of the burglaries were “assisted,” i.e., the vehicles were unlocked with keys in the ignition. He warned that if insurance companies find that thefts occurred when the keys are in the car, they can legally refuse to pay for part or all of the expenses incurred.

Finally, the Council set the annual budget workshop for Thursday, August 22, at 7:00pm at City Hall.

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PLOWBOY PREVIEW AT SCHOOL TOMORROW EVENING

The football team is introduced at last year's Plowboy Preview.

The annual Plowboy Preview hamburger fundraiser for the cheerleaders will be held at the Roscoe Collegiate Cafetorium starting at 6:00pm tomorrow, August 15. Burger, chips, and drink will be $7.00. Also, the First Financial Bank of Sweetwater will be serving watermelon.

Then at 7:30pm, the Cheer Pals will perform, followed by introductions to this year’s football players, coaches, cheerleaders, cross-country team, and band.

--o--

JESSIE MARTH CELEBRATES 105TH BIRTHDAY

Jessie Marth with all but two of her grandchildren.

Roscoe’s oldest resident, Jessie Marth, celebrated her 105th birthday with a party at her house with family and friends on Sunday afternoon.

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.

She is a member of the First Salem Lutheran Church and was its first woman to serve on the Church Council. She taught Sunday School there for many years. She is a former 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.

She would like to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes and outpouring of love during this special occasion. Happy Birthday, Mrs. Marth, and here’s wishing you happiness and good health in the coming year!

--o--

JOE DIFFIE AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY

Joe Diffie

Country singer/songwriter Joe Diffie will make his first appearance ever at the Lumberyard Saturday night. A native of Oklahoma, he has been a fixture of country music since his single “Home” hit number one on the Billboard Country Chart in 1990.

Since that time, he has produced eleven studio albums, including Honky Tonk Attitude and Third Rock from the Sun, both certified platinum, and Regular Joe and Life’s So Funny, both certified gold. As a songwriter, he has co-written singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina. He has also recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.

Over his career, he has charted 35 singles on Billboard’s Country Chart, five of which have peaked at number one: “Pickup Man,” “Home,” “If the Devil Danced (in Empty Pockets),” “Third Rock from the Sun,” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.” Other memorable singles include “John Deere Green,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die).” “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun” (with D-Thrash), and “A Night to Remember.”

For reservations and more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

--o--

SINGER NEAL McCOY LEADS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Neal McCoy speaks to the crowd before the Pledge.

On Friday morning, country singer Neal McCoy led a large crowd of Roscoe people in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at Memorial Park downtown. McCoy, who has recited the Pledge live on his Facebook page over 1300 days in a row, was pleased to see the size of the crowd, which consisted of elementary students, old folks, and all ages in between.

Word went out as soon as Wednesday morning that the event would be at 11:00am on Friday, which explains the size of the crowd. McCoy then performed to a different crowd at the Lumberyard Friday night at his scheduled performance.

For a two-minute video of the event made by Roscoe Collegiate Edu-Drone students Luke Wilson, Gabby Dyke, and Riley Sheridan, click here.

--o--

ROSCOE POLICE AID IN APPREHENDING CHASE SUSPECT

The Dodge Ram pickup hemmed in by law enforcement officers.

A Colorado City female who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase in a Dodge Ram pickup was finally halted in downtown Roscoe on Sunday at around 1:00pm after she had entered Roscoe from US 84 and crossed the railroad track only to find Roscoe Police Chief Felix Pantoja blocking her path.

The pursuing officers were from the Colorado City Police, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The suspect was arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a vehicle.

--o--

PLOWBOYS FACE OZONA IN SAN ANGELO SCRIMMAGE

The Plowboys will get their first test with a real opponent on Saturday morning at 10:00, when they take on Ozona in a scrimmage in San Angelo.

The Lions are a 2A-I school in the same district as Stamford, Hawley, Winters, and Forsan. Texas Football predicts they will finish fourth, but Coach Kyle Freeman is more optimistic as the team is returning 17 starters, 8 on offense and 9 on defense.

Their chief threat on offense is running back Sebastian De La Cruz (5’11”, 160), who missed most of last season with an injury but still has gained 1400 total yards. Leading the defense is linebacker Lazario Rodriguez (5’7”, 175), who had 85 tackles last year.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT: THE HOT SPELL CONTINUES

Yesterday's sunset.

There were no breaks in the past week from the hot spell that has been with us since the last week of July. The temperatures peaked at or above 100° every single day, and the nights have also been warmer than usual with low temperatures never falling below 76°. The high for the week came on Monday, which peaked at 103°.

There was also no rain, just a half-hearted sprinkle yesterday afternoon that lasted less than a minute. If this keeps up much longer, the cotton will burn up, and doors and windows will start refusing to open or shut. The Roscoe blackland is cracked and their gaps are getting wider.

There is a wee bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, we can get a little rain with this “cold” front that’s due today. The wind is shifting and coming from the north, causing temperatures to drop to a high today of “just” 94° and a low of 73°. And after a week in which we were correctly given a 0% chance of rain, we now find ourselves with a hefty 20% chance for today and tomorrow. (Of course, a 20% chance of rain in west Texas is actually more like 10%.) We need to enjoy this little break while we can because the highs will increase to 96° tomorrow, 98° Friday, 99° Saturday, and 101° on Sunday. Chances for rain will also diminish and be back to 0% by Sunday.

Around the first of June, the Weather Channel posted their three-month prediction for various areas of the US. For us, the forecast was for temperatures at or below normal. Boy, were they ever wrong.

--o--

† CAROL ELAINE CHANCE

A private family graveside on Saturday, August 10, at Ralls Cemetery in Ralls and a public memorial service at Broadway Church of Lubbock were held for Carol Elaine Chance, 74, of Roscoe (formerly of Lubbock). She passed away at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater on Wednesday, August 7.

Carol was born September 7, 1944, in Mexia to Max and Stella Neel. She graduated from Proctor High School in Utica, New York. During high school, she was in the all-state choir and a prominent leader and graduate. She attended Abilene Christian University and received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. While at ACU, she was in a capella chorus. Carol married Eddie Chance Jr. on August 11, 1967, in Lubbock. She taught elementary grades at many schools: Abilene ISD, Lubbock Christian Elementary and High School, Lubbock ISD, Muleshoe ISD, New Deal ISD, Connally ISD and Waco ISD. She moved frequently with her dad being a preacher. She also moved many times in support of her husband’s work. Carol lived over 25 years with essential tremor and Parkinson’s. She was a devoted mother and mentor of many Christian students.

Survivors are her husband, Edgar “Eddie” Chance of Roscoe; son, Edgar “Ed” Chance III and wife LeAnn of Denver, Colorado; son, Max Neel Chance and wife of Long Island, New York; sister, Marilyn Featherston of Decatur; nephew, John Featherston and wife Kay of The Colony; niece MariLyn Featherston of Decatur; and numerous cousins.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Max and Stella Neel.

--o--

Plowboys Prepare for 2019 Football Season

Plowboys practice on Monday afternoon.

It’s that time of year again. Since Monday, the 2019 Roscoe Plowboys have been engaged in two-a-day practices as a prelude to the upcoming football season. As always, hopes are high at this time of year, and players are optimistic and looking forward to moments of gridiron glory.

However, unlike other schools in the district, which won’t begin classes until next week or later, at Roscoe school begins tomorrow, which means the team will be unable to have morning sessions like other schools because players will be in class. Instead, they will have to cut their practice times and hold them after school in the hot afternoons.

This disadvantage for the football team results from the school’s need to coordinate its schedule with Western Texas College in Snyder because of the high school’s classes for college credit.

The Plowboys are breaking in a new quarterback since their projected starter, Barrett Beal, moved away with his family this summer. Next man up at the position is Junior Martinez, a former wide receiver, who is a good all-around athlete and team leader. But quarterback is not the only position to see new players in starting roles this year. Gunner Helm will be a running back, and there will be new linemen and other new players on both offense, defense, and kicking. The team is not large in overall size, but Head Coach Jake Freeman feels they will make up for it with their speed.

Also coaching for the Plowboys this year are Coach Freeman’s assistants: Ryan Dillon, Tanner Mann, Joe Rackley, and Shawn Speck.

Plowboys Face Tough Schedule

There’s no two ways about it. The 2019 Plowboys have their work cut out for them with the schedule they have this season:

Date                 Opponent                   Location                      Time
Aug.  17            Ozona**                     San Angelo                10:00am
Aug. 22            Forsan**                    Forsan                         5:00pm 
Aug. 30            Hawley                       Roscoe                         7:30pm 
Sept.  6             Stamford                   Stamford                     7:30pm
Sept. 13            Miles                          Miles                            7:30pm
Sept. 20            Chico                         Cisco                            7:00pm
Sept. 27            Open
Oct.    4            Christoval (H)          Roscoe                         7:30pm
Oct.  11             Hamlin*                    Hamlin                        7:00pm
Oct.  18            Albany*                     Albany                         7:00pm
Oct.  25            Haskell*                    Roscoe                         7:00pm
Nov.  1              Open
Nov.  8             Cross Plains*            Roscoe                         7:00pm
 
     ** = Scrimmage               (H) = Homecoming                 * = District Game

The Plowboys play no home scrimmages and only four regular-season games at home this year, and after the Hawley game on August 30 will not play again at home until the Homecoming game on October 4.

According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, two of the teams in Roscoe’s district are in the preseason Top Ten in Texas for Class 2A, division II:

                      1. Mart
                      2. Falls City
                     3. Hamlin
                      4. Stratford
                      5. Grapeland
                     6. Albany
                      7. Wellington
                      8. Burton
                      9. Gruver
                    10. Muenster
                    20. Christoval

Hamlin is ranked number 3 and Albany number 6. Also, three of the non-district opponents are almost as tough. Christoval, Roscoe’s Homecoming rival, is ranked number 20 in state and picked to win District 8-2A-II. Non-district foes Hawley and Stamford are Class 2A, division I, a step above Roscoe’s division II. In their division, Hawley is ranked number 11 in state and Stamford 20.

Here is Texas Football’s prediction for the outcome of District 7-2A-II:

                      1. Hamlin
                      2. Albany
                      3. Haskell
                      4. Cross Plains
                      5. Roscoe
                      6. Baird

But Baird is no longer a member of the district. A big part of Roscoe’s scheduling problems this year comes from schools dropping out of eleven-man football because of declining enrollments. The Plowboys had originally planned to play Munday as one of their non-district games, and Baird was scheduled as the next-to-last district game, but both have switched to six-man.

Munday dropped eleven-man before Baird, and Coach Freeman was able to schedule a game with Chico* in Cisco on September 20. But Baird dropped out of the district at the last minute, leaving the Plowboys and other district 7-2A-II teams with only nine regular-season games.

With Baird gone, the Plowboys are now predicted to wind up at the bottom of the district. This is not the first time the Plowboys have been picked to finish last, but predictions are, after all, only predictions, and the only other time it’s happened to Coach Freeman was in 2014, when the Plowboys wound up second in district and lost a hard-fought bi-district battle to Wink on a cold night in Big Spring.

* Chico is a town of 1000 between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls. It is 14 miles northwest of Decatur and 192 miles northeast of Roscoe. Cisco, where the game will be played, is about midway between Chico and Roscoe. The Dragons are Class 2A, division I, in the same district as Seymour and Olney.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FOCUSES ON EDU-NATION P-20 SYSTEM MODEL

Workshop in the School Cafetorium on Monday morning.

New and returning faculty spent Monday at a professional development workshop devoted to explaining, exploring, and reinforcing aspects of Roscoe’s Collegiate Edu-Nation P-20 System Model. Besides local administrators and faculty, speakers included Professors Glenn Shinn and Gary Briers of Texas A&M and Dr. Reo Prueitt of Educate Texas in Dallas.

After introductions and statements of purpose, objectives, and expected outcomes, faculty members broke up into groups that studied and summarized chapters in the recently published Edu-Nation Handbook. The chapters explore the various ramifications of the new system model for everyone and everything involved with the transformation from traditional methods of education to the new system model and its impact on student achievement and opportunities as well as to their communities.

Participants ate working lunches and continued into the afternoon. Once all the handbook’s chapters had been discussed and summarized, conclusions and next steps were discussed. The workshop concluded at 4:00pm.

Yesterday, the same administrators, speakers, and professors were in Hamlin conducting a similar workshop introducing the Edu-Nation P-20 System Model to that school's administrators and faculty—and today they are doing the same in Throckmorton as both districts are implementing the new system into their schools this year.

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NEAL McCOY RETURNS TO LUMBERYARD FRIDAY

Neal McCoy

Friday night, Neal McCoy will be back at the Lumberyard, where he put on a great show last year to a large and enthusiastic audience.

He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, the son of a Texan dad who met his Filipina mom while serving in the army. His first song to reach the top 40 was “Where Forever Begins” in 1992, followed by “No Doubt About It” and “Wink” in 1993, both of which made number 1. He produced one gold and two platinum albums in the nineties and had several more top ten hits.

Since then he has produced other hit singles including “The Shake,” “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On,” “Hillbilly Rap,” “They’re Playing Our Song,” and “Take a Knee, My Ass.”

For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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JOIN NEAL McCOY IN SAYING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LIVE IN ROSCOE THIS  FRIDAY MORNING AT 11am

Neal McCoy does the Pledge of Allegiance live on his Facebook page every day, and Friday at 11:00am, he will do it in front of the Lumberyard, where he will perform Friday night.

Everyone who wants to is invited to join him there in saying the Pledge, which hundreds of people watch on Facebook every day. Since the shooting in El Paso a few days ago, the focus of the country is on west Texas, and McCoy thought it would be a good idea to say the Pledge from here.

So you are welcome to join him on Friday. Just show up in front of the Lumberyard about 10:50am to participate in this project. Several school students and others will be there.

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BEEF CATTLE CONFERENCE AT STEM CENTER TUESDAY

A beef cattle conference for Nolan and Fisher Counties will be held in the RCISD STEM Center next Tuesday evening, August 13, beginning at 5:30pm. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is organizing and hosting the event.

The conference will begin with a meal, followed by the following speakers and topics:

“Top Legal Issues Facing Ranchers,” Stephanie Bradley Fryer, Stephanie Bradley Law Firm, Anson.

“Market Considerations: What is a Good Price for My Calves?” Donna Hughes, Daniels Trading Company, Abilene.

“Bull Fertility and Management,” Dr. Bruce Carpenter, AgriLife Beef Cattle Specialist, Fort Stockton.

“Understanding EPD’s: Live Animal Evaluation,” Carpenter and Roddy Alexander, Alexander Ag, Roscoe.

Talks will be followed by question and answer sessions. All those interested are encouraged to attend. To register, call Zachary Wilcox, Nolan County AgriLife Extension agent, at 325-236-6912 or Nick Dickson, Fisher County AgriLife Extension agent, at 325-766-3529.

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WEATHER REPORT: THE DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

The flags at school hung limp yesterday afternoon.

We are now in what are often termed the dog days of August, a time in West Texas when there is little change in the weather—days and nights tend to be unrelentingly hot, winds light and southerly, and precipitation scarce to non-existent. It is a time of crickets chirping and of “locusts” (actually cicadas), whose distinctive purring or buzzing sound is an enduring reminder of the season.

This past week was a perfect example. High temperatures for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were 100°, 100°, and 101°. Saturday was 97°, and Sunday was a “chilly” 93° before Monday was back to 97° and yesterday 98°. Winds were mostly light, and there were times Monday and yesterday when there was no wind at all. Skies were mostly sunny, and lows except for Sunday’s 69° were in the mid-seventies. And, once again, there was no measurable precipitation. Despite the big cracks in the parched black land, the area’s dryland cotton has done a pretty good job of holding up so far, but it needs a good rain soon.

The forecast, however, is for more of the same. Every day from today to next Wednesday is predicted to top out at 101° or 102° with lows of either 77° or 78°. Skies will once again be mostly or completely sunny, winds will be light and southerly, and the chances for rain are 0% for every single day. We are truly caught up in the dog days of August. 

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† TONY PANTOJA

A mass service for Tony Pantoja, 60, of Kerrville, will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, August 10, at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville with Father Wagner of Notre Dame Catholic Church officiating. Rosary service will be at 7:00pm on Friday, August 9, at Wright Funeral Home. He passed away on Monday, August 5.

Tony was born in Loraine on April 13, 1959. He graduated from Highland High School in 1978. He worked as a general contractor in the Kerrville area and was a retired policeman of 20 years. He loved riding his motorcycle, listening to Tejano and country music and spending time with family and friends.

Tony is survived by his mother, Maria Pantoja; his three sons: Anthony, Nicholas, and Thomas Pantoja; his life companion, Celeste Silva, and her son, Brandon; his sisters: Martha Ensenia and Isabel Pantoja; and his brothers: James Pantoja, Ray Pantoja, Felix Pantoja, David Pantoja, and Reuben Pantoja; uncles: Juan Pantoja, Pedro Pantoja, Ponciano Pantoja; aunts: Manuela Pantoja, Victoria Washington, and Adela Franco; six grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father, Alfonso Pantoja.

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† LAURA PAULINE RANNEFELD

 Graveside services for Laura Pauline (Wilson) Rannefeld, 91, were held at 10:00am, Monday, August 5, at Roscoe Cemetery followed by interment. Reverend Matt McGowan officiated, and arrangements were by McCoy Funeral Home of Sweetwater. She passed away Friday, August 2, at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater.

Pauline was born June 16, 1928, in Roscoe to the late Volus Grady and Mary Elmira (Ellie) Jones Wilson. She married Monroe Fred Rannefeld December 21, 1946, at Winters. She lived in Nolan County all her life and attended Roscoe Schools. A beautician since 1945, she owned and operated Pauline’s House of Beauty in Roscoe for many years, worked for the Roscoe Nursing Home as beautician, and was a member of First Salem Lutheran Church in Roscoe.

Pauline is survived by her brother; James Virgil Wilson and wife Leona of Dallas; son, Monroe Fred Rannefeld, Jr., of Roscoe; daughters, Connie Holder and husband Steve of Springfield, Missouri, and Cindy Watts and husband Speight of Sweetwater. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Laura Presley of Sweetwater, Crystal Rea and husband Randall of Sweetwater, Dwane Watts and wife Angela of Sweetwater, and Corey Holder and wife Maya of Seattle, Washington; nine great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Monroe F. Rannefeld, Sr.; brother, Dowe Grady Wilson; parents; and grandson Michael David LeCroy.

Pallbearers were Dwane Watts, Austin Moreland, Brandon Presley, Zach Schulze, Randall Rea and Brittany Lopez.

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