Plowboys Win Bi-District, Stop Quanah, 38-16

The Plowboys are Bi-District Champs.

The Plowboys won their opening playoff game on Thursday, but it wasn’t the cakewalk some might have expected, and they had to come from behind to do it. Since Quanah had just a 2-8 record on the season, many assumed it would be just a “warmup” for the more serious games down the road.

But that’s not what happened. The Plowboys had a game on their hands. On their first possession, a Quanah running back broke a tackle and ran 72 yards for a touchdown, and the Indians took a 6-0 lead. Later, they drove to the Plowboy 6-yard line but had to settle for a field goal, which made the score 9-0, which was also the score at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Plowboys got their first touchdown when Antonio Aguayo ran one in from the 25. The extra-point kick was blocked, and the score was 9-6. The Plowboy defense held the Indians to no score, and later in the quarter, Jax Watts hit Seth Wilcox with a TD pass covering 73 yards. Jake Gonzales ran the extra points, and the Plowboys had their first lead, 14-9, one they would never relinquish. That was also the score at halftime.

Late in the third quarter, the Plowboys extended their lead to 22-9 when Gonzales ran it in from the 5 and Wilcox ran the extra points.

That two-touchdown lead didn’t last long, though, as Quanah answered with a 73-yard pass play to narrow the score to striking distance at 22-16. Midway through the quarter, the Plowboys finished a drive when Gonzales ran it in from the 3, increasing the lead to 30-16 and finally putting the game out of reach for the Indians. The Plowboys’ final score came shortly before the end of the game when Aguayo scored on a 12-yard run, making the final score 38-16.

In his comments on the game to Abilene Reporter-News reporter Jordan Hofeditz, Coach Freeman said, “Our kids needed that. The last few weeks they’ve had some big scoring games and hadn’t had to play complete games. That’s a quality team. They were 2-8, but they played their tails off. That was good for us to get hit in the mouth and respond and overcome some adversity.”

Hofeditz named the Players of the Game as Antonio Aguayo and Seth Wilcox. He said the Turning Point of the Game was in the second quarter when the Plowboy defense held Quanah at the 9-yard line after a fumble on the Plowboy 17 and then answered with a 91-yard drive and touchdown to take the lead they held for the rest of the game.

Scoring by quarters:
                          1           2         3         4         T
Plowboys        0         14         8       16        38
Quanah           9          0          0        7         16

For the game, the Plowboys made 22 first downs to Quanah’s 11, and amassed 473 yards to Quanah’s 327. Both teams had 1 turnover, and the Plowboys had 111 yards in penalties to Quanah’s 60.

Jax Watts completed 15 of 25 passes for 247 yards and 1 TD.

Abilene Reporter-News sportswriter Jordan Hofeditz covered the game and wrote an excellent report complete with statistics and an interview with Plowboy head coach Jake Freeman. It appeared in print on Saturday, November 13, and online here.

--o--

Plowboys vs. Santo in Cisco tomorrow, November 18

This week the Plowboys will face their toughest opponent since the opening game with Hawley. The Santo Wildcats have a 10-1 record like the Plowboys and are ranked 9th in state in 2A-2, while the Plowboys are ranked 15th. The Wildcats’ only loss so far came at the hands of the Albany Lions, currently ranked 2nd in state 2A -2. So, once again the Plowboys will go into the game as underdogs, a role they have become accustomed to this year.

Santo’s wins have come against Rio Vista 14-12, Valley Mills 35-6. Itasca 46-6, Era 41-0, Bovina 43-6, Cross Plains 42-7, Hico 34-14, and Meridian 63-2. Their only loss was to Albany 33-6. Last week in their bi-district matchup, they defeated Petrolia 31-0.

The Wildcats are led on offense by quarterback Case Proctor and running backs Elijah Pennington and Billy Sandoval and on defense by Pennington and Sandoval.

Kickoff is tomorrow evening at 7:00pm in Cisco. Roscoe is home team.

Good luck and Go Plowboys!

--o--

RONNIE KINCAID MADE INTERIM RCISD SUPERINTENDENT

At the most recent special School Board meeting, the Roscoe Collegiate ISD Board took action to hire Ronnie Kincaid as the interim superintendent beginning November 15. Mr. Kincaid and Mr. Wilson will work together until Mr. Wilson’s resignation is effective on January 31, 2022, which should provide for a smooth transition.

Kincaid Superintendent Consulting was also hired to conduct the search for the next long-term superintendent for RCISD.

Mr. Ronnie Kincaid has over forty years serving in education with extensive experience as a teacher, coach, principal, superintendent, and executive director of the Region 14 Service Center. He has also helped find superintendents for nearly forty other school districts throughout west Texas. He is highly skilled, extremely professional, and of high moral character and integrity.

Please click here to access a questionnaire that we ask students, parents, teachers, staff, Board members, taxpayers, and community members to complete in order to help us in our search for our next Superintendent. The Board encourages and looks forward to your input.

--o--

PLOWGIRLS DEFEAT HERMLEIGH 36-32

The Plowgirls beat the Lady Cardinals in Hermleigh last night 36-32. Shauna McCambridge led the Plowgirls in scoring with 15 points, followed by Kaidy Ornelas and Cameron Greenwood with 6 each, Baleigh Deolloz with 5, and Carson Greenwood with 4.

McCambridge also led in rebounds with 10, followed by Ornelas with 4, Deolloz with 4, and Cr. Greenwood, Jacey Rodriquez, and Kirsten Welch, all with 1.

Scores by quarters:
                             1           2          3         4
Plowgirls            7         19        25        36

Hermleigh         9          11        21        32

The Plowgirls are now 2-1. Their first home game will be in the Special Events Center this Friday when they and the JV Girls take on Eula.

 

The JV game begins at 5:00 and the varsity game at 6:15pm.

--o--

TRACTOR STOLEN, DRIVEN INTO CHAMPION GUARDRAIL

 

On Thursday night, a Snyder man, 33, who was apparently stranded in Champion, knocked on Monte Richburg’s door and asked for a ride. Richburg reportedly agreed to give him one and left him for a moment, but when he came back the man was gone.

The suspect apparently decided to take the matter into his own hands because he then reportedly stole Richburg’s tractor out of the field with gang shredder attached and took off down the road, knocking over several mailboxes as he went and finally crashing into the guardrail at the creek on FM 1230.

Someone phoned the Roscoe Police, who notified the Nolan County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect was located at Stripes in Roscoe, arrested, and taken to the Nolan County Jail.

--o--

ANTONIO AGUAYO IS MR. TEXAS FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

Plowboy Antonio Aguayo has been named Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week for Week 11 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, the premier source for high school football in the Lone Star State.

He was nominated for his performance against Hamlin with his 10 catches for 258 yards and 4 TDs receiving, a 36-yard field goal, and 5 for 5 kicked extra points.

 

The Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week web page is located here.

--o--

JAX WATTS IS BUILT FORD TOUGH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

Jax Watts was named Big Country Homepage Built Ford Tough Player of the Week for Week 11.

--o--

PLOWBOY CHEERLEADERS NAMED BIG COUNTRY CHEERLEADERS OF THE WEEK

 

--o--

2021-2022 ROSCOE COLLEGIATE VARSITY BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

DATE      OPPONENT                     LOCATION               VG          VB
Nov 6      Robert Lee                        Robert Lee                2:30         -----
Nov 9       Ira                                      Ira                              6:30         -----
Nov 16    Hermleigh                         Hermleigh                6:30         -----
Nov 19    Eula                                    Roscoe                       6:30        8:00
Nov 22    Post                                    Roscoe                       5:30         -----
Nov 23    Eden                                   Roscoe                      -----         5:30
Nov 30    Westbrook                        Westbrook               6:30         8:00
Dec 2-4  Highland Tourney            Highland                 TBA          TBA
Dec 7       Hamlin                               Hamlin                     6:30        8:00
Dec 9      Ira Tourney                        Ira                             TBA          TBA
Dec 9      Jim Ned Tourney              Jim Ned                   -----          TBA
Dec 14    Highland                             Roscoe                      6:30        8:00
Dec 17    Sweetwater                          Roscoe                     6:30        -----
Dec 17    Robert Lee                           Robert Lee               -----        6:30
Dec 20   Cross Plains                        Cross Plains             6:30        8:00
Dec 27   Anson Tourney                   Anson                        TBA        TBA
Jan 4      Roby                                     Roscoe                       -----       6:30
Jan 4      Girls - NO GAME                                                  -----        -----
Jan 7      *COLEMAN (girls only)   Roscoe                      6:30        -----
Jan 7      Baird                                     Baird                        -----        8:00
Jan 11    *MILES (girls only)           Roscoe                      6:30        -----
Jan 11     Spur (boys only)                Roscoe                      -----        8:00
Jan 14    *FORSAN                            Forsan                      6:30        8:00
Jan 18    *WINTERS                         Roscoe                      6:30        8:00
Jan 21    *COLORADO CITY           Colorado City          6:30       8:00
Jan 25    *COLEMAN                        Coleman                  6:30        8:00
Jan 28    *MILES                               Miles                         6:30        8:00
Feb 1      *FORSAN                            Roscoe                      6:30        8:00
Feb 4     *WINTERS                          Winters                    6:30        8:00
Feb 8     *COLORADO CITY            Roscoe                      6:30       8:00
Feb 11    *COLEMAN (boys only)    Roscoe                     -----        6:30
Feb 15    *MILES (boys only)           Roscoe                     -----         6:30
Feb 14     Girls’ Bi-District
Feb 17     Girls’ Area
Feb 21    Girls’ Regional Quarterfinals & Boys’ Bi-District
Feb 24    Girls’ Regional Tournament & Boys’ Area
Feb 28    Boys’ Regional Quarterfinals
Mar 3-5   Girls’ State Tournament & Boys’ Regional Tournament
Mar 10    Boys’ State Tournament

* = District Game

Head Girls’ Coach: Shella Arnwine            
Assistants: Heather Greenwood, Lacey Gregory, Veronica Cuellar
Head Boys’ Coach: Joe Rackley                      
Assistants: Shawn Speck, Kevin Lavalais
Athletic Director: Jake Freeman                    

--o--

WEATHER REPORT: WARM, WINDY TO COLD, WINDY

 

This morning's sunrise.

We had some mild weather over the weekend with highs of 75°F on Saturday and 70° on Sunday, but even those highs are warmer than usual. The average daily high for November is 66° and the average low is 40°. 

 

Since then, it’s been really hot for November. Both Monday’s and yesterday’s highs topped out at 86°. I heard the weatherman on TV say that the 86° yesterday was a record daily high for Abilene, so I checked for Roscoe.

According to the Weather Channel website, the 86° high on Monday broke Roscoe's November 15 record of 84° by two degrees, and yesterday’s 86° similarly topped the old record of 82° by four degrees.  In addition to the heat, we’ve also experienced some strong southwest winds for the past few days.

All that is due to change today, though, starting at around eleven this morning when the wind shifts to the north and the temperature begins to drop. Today’s high will be around midday at 70° and will steadily fall this afternoon to about 58° at sundown with a brisk north wind--and to 36° or so when the sun comes up tomorrow morning, also with a north breeze. As my brother David used to say, “I love fall in west Texas. It’s my favorite day of the year.” So, get your jacket out of the closet and have it ready because you’ll need it when you leave the house tomorrow morning.

The high tomorrow will be about 60° under partly cloudy skies, and Friday will begin a warming trend with a high of 67°, followed by Saturday back to 79° and Sunday to 77°. Lows will be in the mid-thirties tomorrow, back in the forties on Friday, and in the fifties on Saturday.

Once again this week, neither rain nor that first freeze is in the forecast.

--o--

† SUZANNE MARTINEZ

 

Funeral services for Suzanne Martinez, 65, of Roscoe will be at 3:00pm Saturday, November 20, at McCoy Chapel of Memories with Rev. Phillip Litton officiating. Interment will follow at Roscoe Cemetery under direction of McCoy Funeral Home.

Suzanne was born June 23, 1956, at Loraine to the late Albert and Alice (Mendez) Morales. She married Ralph Martinez in 1995 at Sweetwater. Suzanne worked for U.S.G. as a forklift operator for 19 years and was a lifelong resident of Nolan County.

She is survived by her husband, Ralph Martinez of Roscoe; two brothers, Victor Morales & wife Lulu of Sweetwater and Leroy Morales of Houston; seven sisters, Martha Dillard of Enid, OK; Mary Hardin & husband Horace of Abilene; Penny Lara & husband Leonard of Sweetwater; Becky Alvarado of Roscoe; Rose Morales of Roscoe; Liz Lara & husband Fred of Victoria; and Mary Wren of Oklahoma.

She is preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Bobby Morales, Albert Morales, Joe David Morales and Victor Morales; and two sisters, Beatrice Ramirez and Alice Ronquillo.

Pallbearers will be Nathan Hartkopf, Eric Hartkopf, Kevin Harper, Jonathan Harper, Gabriel Galvan, Joshua Dillard, Aaron Morales and Emilio Morales.

--o--

† BARNEY JAMES BARNETT

 

A memorial service will be held at a later date for Barney James Barnett, 34, of Sweetwater with arrangements by Cate-Spencer & Trent Funeral Home. His body was cremated. He passed away on Thursday, November 4, in Roscoe.

Barney was born on August 15, 1987, in Colorado City. He worked as an oilfield worder for Cholla Petroleum.

He is survived by his wife, Abby Barnett of Amarillo; son, Jacob Barnett; daughter, Riley Barnett, both of Amarillo; parents, Richard and Elizabeth Barnett; grandmother, Kay Barnett of Loraine; aunt, Lori Barnett of Loraine; numerous cousins, and mother-in-law, Ruth Ann Williams of Roscoe.  

He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Barney Barnett.  

--o--

City Council Meets, Sets Transition Goals

Carl Childers addresses the Council at yesterday's meeting.

At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the Roscoe City Council got its first report from interim City Manager Jack Brown, received an update on happenings at Young Farm Estates, heard the monthly report from the Police Chief, and passed a number of agenda items.

Carl Childers of Young Farm Estates, who is now on the board of the Big Country Sports Hall of Fame, reported that former Roscoe High School track star Elmer Gray will be inducted into the Hall at this year’s meeting. He went on to report that a couple of Abilene builders have expressed interest in building some houses at Young Farm Estates, although nothing is definite yet. He added that the gypsum plant in Quanah will be moving its operation to Sweetwater, which will bring many families to Nolan County, and Roscoe could be a beneficiary.

Interim City Manager Jack Brown then gave his initial report to the Council. Brown, who grew up in Roscoe and was the City Manager here from 2001 to 2008, is now the City Manager of Roby. He has agreed to help Roscoe on a part-time basis until the town can get a new permanent City Manager.

He said that City workers had spent considerable time recently working with leaks, particularly the big one downtown under the bricks on Cypress, which involved an 8” line. He also said the City is currently short of cash and would see about selling some City equipment to ease the problem.

He has been working with eHT Engineers of Abilene to run Roscoe’s water treatment plant because no current City worker is qualified to do that job. He expressed full confidence in eHT’s ability to run the plant but noted that it would be expensive.

He is also working with the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and the TWDB (Texas Water Development Board) to get the City in compliance with state rules and requirements. The City is currently lacking in several areas, and the two state environmental agencies have set up a series of points that the City can immediately begin working on to get Roscoe back into compliance. He says the process can be completed much quicker this way than he had initially anticipated.

Police Chief Felix Pantoja then gave the Police Report for October, saying that the City had a light month as regards Police activity. They handled only 37 calls and made one arrest. He did mention a gun threat that occurred at the school and expressed concern that it had been mishandled, not because of anything that happened but because of what could have happened.

Cemetery maintenance man Skeet Kimbrell asked for an extension of a month of maintenance at the Roscoe Cemetery because there has not yet been a freeze, but, given the City’s current financial crunch, was turned down.

The Council then authorized a resolution adopting policies in connection with the American Rescue Program, a federal program that will bring in $157,000 a year to the City for improvements.

The Council tabled until next month a new credit card policy for City employees as City Attorney Zollie Steakley wanted to make sure of the legalities in doing so before making the move.

The Council also passed an ordinance recognizing January 23-29 as School Choice Week.

--o--

ANDY WILSON RESIGNS AS RCISD SUPERINTENDENT

On October 18, 2021, the Roscoe Collegiate ISD Board of Trustees and superintendent Andy Wilson approved a mutually agreed upon separation, which will be effective no later than January 31, 2022. 

The RCISD Board of Trustees would like to thank Mr. Wilson for his hard work and dedication over the years and wish him well in his future endeavors. A search for an a new superintendent will begin soon.

--o--

PLOWBOYS BEGIN PLAYOFFS, FACE QUANAH TOMORROW

The 2021 Plowboys, District 5-2A-II Champions, begin their playoff run tomorrow in Post with a bi-district matchup with the Quanah Indians. 

The Indians are from District 6-2A-II and finished 2-3 in district play. They are 2-8 on the year. Their victories were over Munday 42-14 and Electra 41-27, their losses to Haskell 22-6, Lubbock Christian 46-22, Wheeler 24-18, Ralls 48-8, Clarendon 49-27, Archer City 42-20, Seymour 41-28, and Olney 38-20.

They are led on offense by QB Michael Garza, wide receivers Brennan Thomas and James Honea and on defense by LB Jacob McGary and DB Honea.

Kickoff is at 6pm tomorrow in Post.

--o--

PLOWBOYS DEFEAT HAMLIN, 61-0

The Plowboys wound up their regular season schedule Friday evening with an easy victory over the Hamlin Pied Pipers at Plowboy Field, 61-0.

Scoring by quarters:
Plowboys         15        52        52        61
Hamlin              0         0          0          0

Quarterback Jax Watts completed 17 of 18 passes for 436 yards and 6 TDs, and Antonio Aguayo led all receivers with 9 catches for 288 yards and 4 TDs. Seth Wilcox had 2 catches for 96 yards and 2 TDs, Ivan McCann 2 for 17, Parker Gleaton 1 for 16, D. Moore 1 for 3, and Lupe Leanos 1 for -3.

Aguayo led the rushers with 3 carries for 50 yards, followed by Gavin Martinez with 7 for 21 yards, Jake Gonzalez with 8 for 19 and 2 TDs, and Seth Wilcox with 3 for 14.

--o--

JAX WATTS IS BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Plowboy quarterback Jax Watts has been named the Capital Farm Credit Big Country Player of the Week on the Big Country Preps website, That’s quite an honor when you consider all the great high school players in the area.

He was cited for his completion of 17 of 18 passes for 436 yards and 6 TDs in Friday’s game against Hamlin. On defense, he had 4 tackles, 2 pass breakups, and an interception.

Roscoe Head Coach Jake Freeman also noted his growth as a player and team leader over the course of the season.

Congratulations, Jax, and keep up the good work!

--o--

PLOWGIRLS LOSE OPENER, WIN SECOND GAME

Shauna McCambridge and Plowgirl Head Coach Shella Arnwine.

The Plowgirls dropped their first game against Robert Lee on Saturday, 44-33. However, Shauna McCambridge got her 1,000th rebound as a Plowgirl, which has to be some kind of record. She was also ranked #2 on post for Big Country Preps preseason picks.

Robert Lee 44 = Plowgirls 33

Scores by quarters:
Robert Lee       9          21        32        44
Plowgirls          8          13        26        33

Plowgirl scoring: Shauna McCambridge 13, Kaidy Ornelas 11, Cameron Greenwood 5, Bayleigh Deolloz 4. Rebounds: McCambridge 14, Cm. Greenwood 4, Deolloz 2, Cr. Greenwood 2, Jacey Rodriquez 2.    

Then last night, they won an easy one against Ira, 66-17.

Plowgirls 66 - Ira 17

Scores by quarters:
Plowgirls          14        29        50        66
Ira                        1          6         14        17

Plowgirl scoring: Cameron Greenwood, 20, Carson Greenwood 12, Shauna McCambridge 10, Jacey Rodriquez 6, Kaidy Ornelas 4, Bayleigh Deolloz 4.

2021-2022 Plowgirl Roster

No.       Name                               Class    Position
00        Jacey Rodriquez               Sr        Guard|
05        Kaidy Ornelas                   So        Point Guard
10        Jissel Rodriquez                So        Guard
11         Bayleigh Deolloz               Fr         Guard
13         Kirsten Welch                   Jr         Guard
14         Carsten Greenwood         Jr         Guard
23        Mia Lavalais                      Jr         Guard
24        Cameron Greenwood       Jr         Forward
30        Shauna McCambridge     Sr         Post  

Head Coach: Shella Arnwine
Assistant Coaches: Heather Greenwood, Lacy Gregory, Veronica Cuellar
Managers: Vonnie Watts, Jalin Freeman, Ferron Smith

--o--

COVID-19 HITS THE ROSCOE HARD TIMES

By now most of you know I have been in and out of the hospital for the past couple of weeks. As an immunocompromised old person, I was first in line for vaccination back in January 2020. I completed the second shot the first week of February and went the entire year Covid-free.

However, it does happen that some people catch the bug even when vaccinated, and four weeks ago I woke up to find I had Covid. This began an ordeal that I am still dealing with. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was hit hard with fever, nausea, dizziness, inability to eat, passing out three times, and an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) that only made matters worse.

I was in Rolling Plains hospital for a couple of days, released for a day or so, and then re-admitted when my condition deteriorated. Back in the hospital, my heart resumed normal rhythm, and I have been slowly improving since then. I got out of rehab on Saturday and am now back home with one of my daughters, who is here to help me out until she returns to upstate New York on Friday.

When Covid hits hard, it weakens the body considerably, and the energy and stamina level go way down. So, even though I am getting better every day, the road to full recovery is going to take a while. In the meantime, I am planning to resume posting the Roscoe Hard Times, but it may not be as thorough as usual. I doubt I’ll be attending the high school games, P-Tech meetings, and other school functions like I normally do. The same goes for town events such as Christmas Open House or the car show I recently noticed on Facebook. However, I will try to post all the important news so people can keep up with what’s going on in Roscoe.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT: MILD DAYS, NICE NIGHTS

It’s now that time of year when daylight savings time ends, cotton farmers hope for the year’s first freeze to defoliate their cotton for them, and heating and cooling the home is essentially unnecessary.

Most recently, days have been nice and warmer than average for this time of year. Saturday’s high was 76°F and then Sunday, Monday, and yesterday all peaked at 80°. Lows were in the fifties at 52°, 58°, snd 56°, perfect for people who like to sleep with their bedroom window open.

Today’s forecast is for a high of 83°--not your average November weather—with strong southwest winds of 20-30mph, gusting into the 40s. Then the wind will shift to the north tonight, and tomorrow’s high will reach only about 70° under clear skies. The remainder of the week will be sunny with highs in the seventies, lows in the forties, and moderate breezes.

Neither rain nor that first freeze are in the forecast for the coming week.

--o--

 

West Texas Wind Festival This Saturday

The Cornell Hurd Band

Plans are being finalized for the fifteenth annual West Texas Wind Festival this Saturday, and organizers anticipate a good crowd, especially for the free concert and the fireworks show.

The downtown streets will be lined with vendors in the afternoon and evening, and downtown shops will be open for business. Vendor applications contact City Hall at 325-766-4150.

The Roscoe Historical Museum will also be open, and the Roscoe Express Shuttle will be on hand to take people to and from selected parking areas, the Plowboy Mudbog, and downtown all afternoon at no charge.

The Plowboy Mudbog competition begins at noon at the baseball field at Second and Sycamore in east Roscoe. It will go on until 4 or 5pm depending on the number of entries. Admission is free.

Music for the free concert and street dance on Cypress Street will begin around five with Lyndall Underwood and the Dusty Creek Band until 7:15 or so. Then at around eight, the Cornell Hurd Band will take the stage to play until the fireworks show at around 9:30pm.

The Cornell Hurd Band is a Texas swing band from Austin, and a former house band for the iconic Broken Spoke. They play a mix of Western Swing, progressive country, rockabilly, Texas standards, truck driving music—a little bit of everything. They’ve been around in one form or another since 1976 and were based in California before making their home in Texas. Back then the band often opened for Commander Cody and Asleep at the Wheel and were influenced by both. Since then, they have played in venues all over Texas, as well as at shows in Switzerland and France. Along the way, they have produced several albums including A Stagecoach Named Desire, Live at the Broken Spoke, and Song of South Austin. Their latest is Rockets, Romance, and the Rhythm of the Road (2020).

Notable singles include “I Got It from the Girl Next Door,” “Heaven, Hell, or Houston,” and “Old South Austin.”

The fireworks show will follow Cornell Hurd’s performance at about 9:30pm and conclude this year’s Wind Festival.

Plowboy Mudbog

As always, mudboggers will be coming in from near and far to try their vehicles in Roscoe’s blackland mud at the Plowboy Mudbog,

Registration for entrants begins at 9:30am Saturday morning at the northwest corner of George Parks Baseball Field at Second and Sycamore Streets. 

Entries will be in five classes, possibly six:
          1. Street: 35” tires & under with limited engine modification
          2. Super Street: 35” with engine vac under 13”
          3. Modified: 36” to 39” with limited engine modification
          4. Super Modified: 36” to 39” with engine vac under 13”
          5. Open: 40” and over.
          6. Tractor Tires (possibly)

Since there’s an advantage in going last rather than first, each mud vehicle makes two runs, with the second run in reverse order from the first. Street and Super Street classes will do both their runs first, and then the rest of the classes will follow in order.

The public gate will open at 11:00am with mudbog competition beginning at noon.  Admission is free of charge, and the concession stand will be open.  

Spectators are encouraged to bring sun block, canopy, and lawn chairs. For more information, see the Plowboy Mudbog Facebook page, or contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384.

Downtown Schedule:
          5:00pm – Lyndall Underwood & the Dusty Creek Band
          8:00pm – Cornell Hurd Band
          9:40pm – Fireworks Show
        10:00pm – Event Ends

Fireworks Show: The always popular fireworks show brings a spectacular conclusion to the day.

So, make plans now to attend, bring lawn chairs and coolers to the free concert, and help us celebrate the day!

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CITY MANAGER TO RESIGN NOVEMBER 1

Virg Pruitt (3rd from right) speaks at yesterday's meeting.

At its monthly meeting at City Hall yesterday evening, the City Council went into closed session after citizen complaints of mismanagement and questionable activities, and the result was the impending resignation of the City Manager, effective November 1.

The meeting began on a completely different topic when Virgil Pruitt and Roscoe Cemetery maintenance man Skeet Kimbrell complained about conditions at Roscoe Cemetery, saying that several graves were covered with objects such as lights, marbles, and other moveable materials that made cleanup difficult. After some discussion, Mayor Pete Porter said the Council would look into the matter and find a way to solve the problem legally as the plots are private property.

Then Eddie Brown said that as a former City Manager, he had studied open public records regarding City expenditures and found examples of gross mismanagement and possible illegal activities over the last ten years. He was followed by Michael Owen, who said he had done the same and accused Council member Edwin Duncan of being involved and calling for his termination. These accusations were dealt with later in a closed session.

The Council then approved the appointment of Amanda Fullwood to the Roscoe Community Development Corporation Board. They also approved awarding Administration Services for the City’s American Rescue Plan. This involves $156,000 toward new fire hydrants and repair of old ones as well as replacement of City water valves. The Council also approved appointing engineering services for the project to eHT (Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, Inc.) of Abilene.  It also appointed eHT to select a provider for the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.

The Council then approved the Investment Report for the Fourth Quarter. It also discussed procedures for replacing the City debit card with a credit card but tabled any action to next meeting in order to determine the legalities involved in doing so.

The Council then went into closed session to further discuss the issues raised earlier in the meeting by Brown and Owen.

After completion of the closed session, the Council resumed the public meeting. A motion was made and seconded on accepting City Manager Cody Thompson’s resignation on November 1. It passed but with one vote against.

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PLOWBOYS FACE RALLS IN DISTRICT OPENER FRIDAY

After two weeks with only a five-play contest in Sudan followed by a bye week, the Plowboys resume play Friday with a big road game with Ralls. This will be the first district game for both teams, and it is a big one—the one that will most likely determine the district champion.

The Plowboys are on a 4-game winning streak, while the Jackrabbits have won their last five. Ralls was the pre-season favorite to win District 5-2A-II after their 4-1 district record last year and advance to the area finals before ending their season. They returned 7 starters on both offense and defense this year. They also have played seven full games while the Plowboys have played only four. They lost their first two games to two good teams, Farwell (2A-I), who beat them 42-21, and Clarendon (2A-II), who won 12-8. Since then, they have won five in a row with only the first being close, a 14-13 win over Seagraves. They beat Quanah 48-8, Plains 55-0, New Home 46-6, and Hamlin 68-0.

They have a strong defense, led by last-year’s District Co-Defensive MVP DL Coby Rendon (190), and LB Ryno Garcia (175). In a run-heavy offense, they are led by QB Garcia and running backs Steve Salazar (185) and Benjamin Njenga (175).  

Kickoff in Ralls is at 7:00pm.

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NICK PANTOJA RUNNER-UP IN BURNET DEMO DERBY

This was all that was left of Nick Pantoja's derby car Saturday night as he finished second in the Burnet County Fall Demolition Derby at the Burnet County Fairgrounds.

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COVID-19 NUMBERS STILL FALLING

In the United States, the “delta surge” of the summer continues to recede as most states see drops in numbers of new cases (24% in last two weeks), hospitalizations (20%), and deaths (10%). Hardest hit states remain Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and West Virginia. However, the numbers are now decreasing in all those states except North Dakota.

Texas remains number 33 of U.S. states in prevalence and spread of Covid-19 as the numbers continue to fall. As of yesterday, 6,211 Texans were hospitalized with Covid-19, compared to 7,769 last week and 9,551 two weeks ago. The number of new cases also fell again this week with a 7-day average of 1,981 fewer than last week. The number of active cases in Texas has also fallen to 180,581 from 214,041 last week. Deaths also decreased with a seven-day average of 8 fewer daily than last week.

In the Big Country, the numbers are better. Taylor County’s number of active cases is down to 1,556 compared to 2,005 a week ago and 61 Covid-19 hospitalizations compared to 76 a week ago with 21 of those in the ICU compared to last week’s 27. Taylor County also reported 5 more Covid-19 deaths since last Tuesday, making 11 total deaths so far in October and 485 overall.

In our four-county area, the numbers are slightly better. Nolan County now reports 43 active cases, the same as last week; Mitchell County reports 12 active cases, 7 fewer than last week’s 19; Fisher County has 6 active cases compared to last week’s 10; and Scurry County has 56 active cases, 24 less than last week’s 80. Nolan County reports 52 total Covid-19 deaths, 1 more than last week with 13 in September.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD reports 1 positive student and 2 positive staff in Early Childhood, 1 positive student and 2 positive staff plus 5 students and 1 staff quarantined in Elementary, and no positives or quarantined in Secondary.

Here are the estimated active cases of the Big Country’s counties (compared to last week’s number in parentheses): Howard, 153 (160); Jones, 140 (141); Stephens, 113 (115); Brown, 101 (162); Scurry, 56 (80); Erath, 45 (51); Nolan, 43 (43); Coke, 25 (31); Callahan, 23 (27); Eastland, 17 (25); Comanche, 13 (18); Coleman, 13 (17); Mitchell, 12 (19); Knox, 11 (0); Haskell, 10 (6); Runnels, 9 (6); Fisher, 6 (10); Stonewall, 3 (4); Shackelford, 2 (2); Throckmorton, 1 (1); Kent, 0 (1);. The total of all these counties is 796, a drop of 213 from last week’s 1,009. The total has been diminishing every week for over a month now as the numbers continue to go in the right direction in the Big Country.
 
Selected west Texas counties’ estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Lubbock 2,530 (3,781); Midland 1,223 (1,372); Wichita (Wichita Falls) 997 (1,378); Ector (Odessa) 935 (1,424), Tom Green (San Angelo) 464 (741). The total for these counties is 6,149, a drop of 2,547 from last week’s 8,696. So, these more populated counties are also moving in the right direction.  

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WEATHER REPORT: HEAT, HIGH WINDS, POSSIBLE RAIN

The western sky on Sunday afternoon.

This past week has been marked by summerlike heat and high south winds, but with the prospect of possible showers today and tonight.

After the previous week’s milder days with highs in the eighties, daily temperatures returned to the nineties, starting with Friday’s high of 93°, Saturday’s 94°, Sunday’s 95°, and Monday’s 94° before mostly cloudy skies dropped yesterday’s high down to 84°. Strong south winds accompanied the heat. Friday and Saturday had sustained winds of 20mph with gusts up to 35mph. On Sunday afternoon, the wind picked up to 25mph with gusts up to 40mph, and the sky turned brown with high flying dust. A wind advisory was issued for several counties in the area, including Nolan County. Monday was similar, and so was yesterday although the sky had returned to its normal blue color.

Today that all changes as the wind dies down to 5-10mph and shifts to the west-southwest. Skies will be cloudy with a high temperature this afternoon of only 80°. There is a 20% chance of showers this afternoon. Those chances will increase to 24% early tonight before clearing later. Tomorrow, the morning clouds will clear to mostly sunny skies in the afternoon. The high will be about 90° with southwest winds returning and with chances of rain decreasing to 17%.

On Friday, the winds shift to the north, and high temperatures will drop into the seventies for the following days. Friday and Saturday’s highs will be around 73°, Sunday’s 76°, and Monday’s 79°, all with lows in the forties and with no rain in the forecast.

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† JESSIE BUFORD “BUD” BYARS

Memorial services for Jessie Buford “Bud” Byars, 69, of Clyde were at 3:00pm on Monday, October 11, at Bailey-Howard Funeral Home Chapel in Clyde with Brother Larry Hooper officiating. He died on Friday, October 8, at his home in Clyde.

Bud was born February 5, 1952, in Sweetwater to Richmond Joe and Vivian (Brown) Byars.  He attended school in Roscoe and Clyde.  Bud was an independent trucker and a shade tree mechanic.  He loved building old cars and racing them, and he loved to play pool with his friends.  He was a member of the Baptist Church.

Bud is survived by two sons, Philip Byars of Corpus Christi and James Junek of San Marcos; six daughters, Jessica Davis of Abilene, Roberta Seaton of Abilene, Tammy Seaton of Abilene, Coni Byars of Corpus Christi, Angela Byars of Clyde and Tana McKillip of Abilene; one brother, James Byars of Clyde; one sister, Joanne Byars of Clyde; 22 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Bud was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Carole Jones.

Online condolences may be made at www.baileyhowardfuneralhome.com

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Roscoe FFA's annual fundraiser.

Thursday Thunderstorm Brings Rain, Hail

A week ago, this was nice-looking cotton.

A heavy thunderstorm that struck Thursday afternoon brought both welcome rain and unwelcome hail and high winds to the Roscoe area for about an hour before moving on.

Heavy hail wiped out whole fields south and southwest of town. The hailstones were not huge, most around marble-sized, but they fell thickly and long enough to completely cover the ground and kill the cotton. About 3,500 acres of both dryland and irrigated cotton were totally destroyed, and about 2,500 acres more were significantly damaged. Several pivots were ruined, and FM 608 was temporarily closed after the storm. 

Even with hail insurance, the loss to farmers is particularly vexing as cotton is now selling for $1 a pound because of the transportation bottlenecks caused by Covid-19.

In areas where the hail was light, the rain did more good than harm, as it was the first decent shower since mid-July. The amount of rain depended on the area and ranged from less than a half-inch around Wastella to four and more in places south of town. Here in town, I had 2.25” from the storm on Thursday afternoon and .15” more when I got up Friday morning. Roscoe weatherman Kenny Landfried got an official 1.74” at his home in east Roscoe on Thursday afternoon.

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PLOWBOYS WIN 6-0 IN FIVE-PLAY FOOTBALL GAME

Wet cheerleaders wait in the bus for the rain to stop. It didn't.

In probably what was the shortest game ever played in over a century of Plowboy football, Roscoe was declared the winner over Sudan Friday evening when the game was halted because of lightning and later called off when conditions didn’t improve.

The entire game lasted only two football minutes and consisted of five plays, but in that time the Plowboys made a touchdown when Jake Gonzalez ran the last 19 yards into the end zone.  

The Plowboys had received the opening kickoff, started on their own 37, and driven for the score, aided by a 31-yard pass play from Jax Watts to Antonio Aguayo and two other runs by Gonzalez. The extra-point kick was no good, and with the score 6-0, the game was then halted because of the weather. Later, a Sudan administrator declared the game over as a victory for Roscoe, whose record now goes to 4-1.

This week the Plowboys have no games as they prepare for district play, which will begin next Friday when they play Ralls in Ralls.

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CROSS-COUNTRY PLOWGIRLS DISTRICT RUNNERS-UP

Qualifying as a team: Cameron Greenwood, Mahalia Calderon-Ruiz, Jacey Rodriquez, Mackenna Garcia, Zoey Welch, Yaniez Aguilar, and Jissel Rodriquez.

The Plowgirls finished second at the District Meet in Coleman Monday and will be competing as a team in the Regional Cross-Country Meet in Lubbock. 

Plowgirl Zoey Welch won the race, and Jissel Rodriquez was second.  

On the boys’ side, Plowboys Graham Gleaton and Brayden Covington are also regional qualifiers after placing sixth and eighth respectively.

The Regional Meet will be in Lubbock Monday, October 25.

Qualifying as individuals: Graham Gleaton, Brayden Covington, Jissel Rodriquez, Zoey Welch, Coach Heather Greenwood.

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PLOWBOY BAND RECEIVES FIRST-DIVISION HONORS

The Plowboy Band at Wylie on Saturday.

The RCHS Plowboy Band was selected as a first-division band Saturday at the Big Country Music Festival at Wylie High School, where 24 high-school bands participated. Their show was called “The Four Elements.”

Band Director is Tommy Ray, and the Band Major is Athena Newman.

The band will next compete at the UIL Regional Marching Contest at Wylie High School on Monday, October 18.

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PLOWBOY BANNERS FEATURE RCHS STUDENTS

Have you noticed the banners attached to telephone poles along the streets downtown?  

Last month, a group of Plowboy boosters received permission from the city to post banners of RCHS high school students, and now they are up. Each is a Plowboy or Plowgirl athlete, a cheerleader, or a band member currently involved in one or more of the school activities. There are 33 banners in all, each with a student on both sides, so 66 students in all.

Next time you’re driving around Roscoe, take a look. They’re everywhere, and you just might spot your favorite Plowboy or Plowgirl somewhere.

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COVID-19 THREAT CONTINUES TO DIMINISH

In the United States, the “delta surge” of the summer continues to recede as most states see drops in numbers of new cases (28% in last two weeks) and hospitalizations (19%). Even the number of deaths is now beginning to fall (-7%). On Friday, nevertheless, the country passed 700,000 total deaths.

Hardest hit states remain Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and West Virginia. Texas is now number 33 of U.S. states in prevalence and intensity of Covid-19.

In Texas, the numbers continue to fall. As of yesterday, 7,769 Texans were hospitalized with Covid-19, compared to 9,551 last week and 11,210 two weeks ago. The number of new cases also fell again this week with a 7-day average of 2,674 fewer than last week. The number of active cases in Texas has also fallen to 214,041 from 253,666 last week. Deaths also decreased with a seven-day average of 49 fewer than last week.

In Taylor County, the numbers are mixed. The number of active cases is lower at 2,005 compared to 2,327 a week ago. But there are 76 Covid-19 hospitalizations, 4 more than week’s 72, with 27 of those in the ICU compared to 22 a week ago. And Taylor County reported 9 more Covid-19 deaths since last Tuesday, making 40 total deaths in September and 6 so far in October.

In our four-county area, the numbers are also mixed. Nolan County now reports 43 active cases, 9 less than last week’s 52; Mitchell County reports 19 active cases, 10 more than last week’s 9; Fisher County has 10 active cases, 2 more than last week’s 8; and Scurry County has 80 active cases, 66 less than last week’s 146. Nolan County reports 51 total Covid-19 deaths, 1 more than last week with 13 in September.

Roscoe Collegiate ISD reports 1 positive student and two positive staff in Early Childhood, 1 positive staff plus 1 student and 1 staff quarantined in Elementary, and 1 positive staff in Secondary.

Here are the estimated active cases of the Big Country’s counties (compared to last week’s number in parentheses): Brown, 162 (272); Howard, 160 (197); Jones, 141 (54); Stephens, 115 (126); Scurry, 80 (146); Erath, 51 (78); Nolan, 43 (52); Coke, 31 (46); Callahan, 27 (19); Eastland, 25 (32); Mitchell, 19 (9); Comanche, 18 (25); Coleman, 17 (14); Fisher, 10 (8); Haskell, 6 (17); Runnels, 6 (10); Stonewall, 4 (7); Shackelford, 2 (5); Throckmorton, 1 (4); Kent, 1 (1); Knox, 0 (3). The total of all these counties is 1,009, a drop of 113 from last week’s 1,124. Last week also had a drop from the previous week, so the numbers continue to go in the right direction in the Big Country.
 
Selected west Texas counties’ estimated active cases (with last week’s in parentheses): Lubbock 3,781 (4,894); Ector (Odessa) 1,424 (1,834), Wichita (Wichita Falls) 1,378 (1,747); Midland 1,372 (1,706); Tom Green (San Angelo) 741 (1,070). The total for these counties is 7,318, a drop of 3,933 from last week’s 11,251. So, these more populated counties are also moving in the right direction.  

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WEATHER REPORT: AFTER THE STORM, NICE WEATHER

Flags at rest during Sunday afternoon calm.

Since last Thursday’s storm, the fall weather has been beautiful—mild daytime temperatures, light to no breezes, clear blue skies, and nice, cool evenings and nights. It’s almost like we were somewhere besides west Texas. 😉 

The high temperature since last Thursday was yesterday’s 89°F. Other daily highs were in the mid-eighties and the early morning lows have all been within a degree or two of 60°. Winds have been so light as to be occasionally calm with the flags around town taking a rest from their normal flapping in the breeze. It’s been nice.

The forecast for the next week or so should be more typical for the area. Today’s high is forecast to reach only 86°, but tomorrow through Sunday, afternoon highs will be back in the 90s—93° tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday, and 90° on Sunday. Skies will be clear, south and southwest winds will be noticeable at 15-20mph, and lows will be in the mid-60s.

Chances of rain before late next week are almost nil, 0% to 3% from now through Monday.

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