Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Said Strong Royse City Defense Hampered Wildcats Last Friday
Here is the way Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young described the Wildcats offensive play against Royse City last Friday in the 36-9 loss on Homecoming at The Prim. First he said the Wildcats did a good job on execution and on their assignments Friday. He added the Bulldogs physically got after the Wildcats. Coach Young said the disruption by Royse City’s nose guard made the Wildcats running game just about non-existent. He said the Wildcats fought their tails off. He said it was about as hard as he’s ever seen an offensive line have to fight snap after snap. He said running backs got what they could get which was often just a yard or two. Coach Young said at one point in the game the Wildcats had a 13 play drive that would usually put you into the end zone or at least the red zone. In this case, the Wildcats were only at midfield. It was taking them three or four plays to get ten yards. Coach Young credited quarterback Kaden Wallace with playing better. He did say near the end of the game, Wallace began to pick receivers rather than reading what was available. Coach Young said Chase Haney made a big catch to convert a third and 16 situation. He said Bryant Sanchez mae on good run. He said running backs did a good job receiving and then running after the catch. He called it something to build on. Coach Young praised the offensive tackle play of Giovanni Pizano and Somjai Pryor. He said there was some pressure on the quarterback the first two series but then he noted it eased up until the fourth quarter. Overall he said the offense has to get better. Coach Young said the attitude has been very good in practice this week. Going into last Friday’s game, he said the Royse City defense would be the best the Wildcats have faced this year and he said that played out Friday. He compared the 14 first downs the Wildcats got Friday with their average of over 20 and about 200 yards of offense to the usual 350 yards. Coach Young said this week the offensive staff is assessing the things the offense does well so they can build on those. On the offensive weaknesses, he said the staff would decide to make improvements to those areas or perhaps not to do those things anymore. He said the off week was an opportunity for the Wildcats to get refocused.
Coach Dorner Says Struggles With Passing Hampered Lady Cats Against Community Tuesday
The Lady Cats Volleyball Team was certainly seriously tested in their final non-district game Tuesday evening (September 24) before district play begins Friday. The Lady Cats traveled to Nevada Community. Former Lady Cats Coach Justin Maness has the Lady Braves playing at a very high level. Community came into the match with a 25-5 record and ranked #12 in Class 4A. Community won the match 3-0. Still the Lady Cats hung with the Lady Braves for at least the first set. Late in the set, the Lady Cats rallied to tie the set, 21-21. The Lady Braves outscored the Lady Cats 4-1 to take set one, 25-22. Lady Cats Coach Bailey Dorner said the Lady Cats missed a couple of serves at the end of that set that hurt their chances. Coach Dorner said overall the Lady Cats struggled to pass the ball off of serve and receive impacting sets and the ability to get good kills. The Lady Cats started fairly well in set two and at one point trailed only 9-8. Then Community went on an eight point run to lead 17-8. Right near the end of the run, the Lady Cats’ major finisher Sadie Washburn suffered an ankle injury. As a precaution, coach Dorner said she decided not to play Washburn any more Tuesday. Coach Dorner is hoping with rest that Washburn will be able to play Friday against Royse City in the district opener at home. With Washburn out Tuesday, several Lady Cats players upped their games and Community only outscored the Lady Cats 8-7 after the injury in taking set two, 25-15. The Lady Braves completed the sweep with a 25-16 win in set three. In KSST unofficial stats, Sadie Washburn led the Lady Cats with 7 kills. She also had a service ace. Sydney Washburn had 4 kills with 1 block. Nylah Lindley had 3 kills. Setter Peyton Hammack, Brooklyn Burnside and Kate Womack all had 2 kills. Burnside had 2 blocks on one volley. Hammack has 2 service aces. Erika VanBenthem had 1 kill. Libero Czhela Moya had a pair of service aces. The Lady Cats season record is now 18-11 and they have lost their last two matches. Any coach will tell you a more relevant stat is that all the district teams enter play Friday tied with 0-0 records. The Lady Cats open district play Friday at 5 p.m. against Royse City in the main gym at Sulphur Springs High School. KSST will broadcast the game with Wildcats football taking this Friday night off.
Lady Cats Have Golf Team Again, Played First Fall Tournament Monday at Allen
Last year the Lady Cats did not have enough golfers to have a team for competition. Girls were required to compete only as individuals. Coach Whitney Spigener has three Lady Cats returning and she has added three new golfers to give her more than enough for a team this year. The Lady Cats played their first tournament of the year Monday (September 23) at Watters Creek Golf Course in Allen. The tournament was sponsored by Lovejoy. After a mostly cold spring earlier this year, the Lady Cats played in the heat Monday. Junior Mariam Tran finished fourth in the tournament with an 84. Coach Spigener said her round included three double bogeys. She said without those Tran could have finished second. Lady Cats returnee Addison White shot 108. Coach Spigener said Addison was on pace to break 100 but the effects of the heat and the long, slow play got to her. She said her new golfers, junior Makayla Pullen, freshman Mykylie Meador and freshman Maddie Schmidt, impressed her with their competitiveness and their desire to get better. Veteran Lady Cat Golfer Charleigh Potts is currently facing some medical issues according to Coach Spigener, who said she expects her back soon. The Lady Cats will play their second and final fall golf tournament on October 14 at the Sulphur Springs Country Club.
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez Comments on Two Recent Wins and Playoff Prep
Wildcats Team Tennis Coach Tony Martinez was savoring two wins in three days at the Wildcat Tennis Center Monday (September 23) night. Saturday the Wildcats topped Van, 11-8 on the road and Monday night, after accepting a 1-0 forfeit from Mount Pleasant, Coach Martinez set up some practice matches so Tigers players could compete in some practice matches against Wildcats players. Coach Martinez said it took a team effort Saturday to defeat Van. He noted that the Vandals have been almost impossible to beat in the past. The Wildcats got six boys points and four girls points along with the mixed doubles point against Van. Monday the Wildcats will face Royse City at home at the Wildcat Tennis Center. The Bulldogs forfeited all of their district matches this year. Coach Martinez said they have agreed to play practice matches Monday. The Wildcats will also play Anna on October 8. Both of those matches will be used as prep for the Wildcats bi-district match on October 15.
Pumpkin Season Opens at Shannon Oaks Church in Sulphur Springs on I-30
Who doesn’t like an outdoor romp with the smell of Fall in the air, child’s play among colorful Autumn leaves, and pumpkins everywhere? Shannon Oaks Church is once again hosting a Pumpkin Patch that’s already experienced phenomenal growth! More families are visiting the popular Pumpkin Patch in Sulphur Springs each year! So, to accommodate the flow of children, teens and adults during October, this year’s expanded Pumpkin Patch will feature new play areas, special games and attractions, and between 5,000 and 7,500 pumpkins in all sizes and colors! ‘Tis the season, and the fun begins Saturday October 5, 2019!
Opening Day for the public is Saturday October 5 at 11am, with a cost of $5 per person to enter, with age 2 and under admitted free. The Pumpkin Patch will be open to visitors each Saturday in October between 11am and sunset. Of course, there will be pumpkins for sale, and you can be sure that you’ll find the color, size and shape perfect for your Fall decor. There will be little pumpkin varieties weighing less than a pound all the way up to massive Big Macs weighing 80 pounds and more.
Shannon Oaks Pastor Eric Godwin and the Patch Committee are more than pleased with the way that individuals, families and groups from Hopkins County and beyond have responded. “We’ve been told there’s just not another old-fashioned down-home pumpkin-themed event anywhere around this region that comes close to this one. We were led to the idea four years ago as an outreach ministry for the local community, and we’ve been rewarded with it’s acceptance. Now as our visitor radius grows, we want to make 2019 even more exciting than last year for visitors, toddlers to grandparents, so here are some new attractions….a Giant Pneumatic Air Cannon that can shoot ears of corn, a Baking Contest, a Cornhole bean bag contest, and a Dinner served at $10 person ($5 for age 10 and younger, and free for age 3 and younger) and a Dinner Family Pass ($30 limit for immediate family only). These activities and many more will be available each Saturday for the general public. The Pumpkin Patch is all about fun, joy and freedom”.
You can register in advance for the Baking Contest and Cornhole competition on the website. Also, a few of the activities will have an additional fee, such as Dinner, the Concessions and the Corn Cannon, but most of the activities are included in the regular admission fee of $5 person. With regular admission, you can stay on the grounds as long as you like.
Regular attractions include Hay Maze, Hay Ride, Giant Hamster Wheel, Hay Slide, Barrel Train, Pumpkin Storytime and live music. There’s something fun for every age to enjoy at their own pace. Visits from school classes and church groups will be scheduled during weekdays in October. Birthday party packages are also available. Find out how to schedule and check out the attractions at http://pumpkins.shannonoakschurch.com or on Facebook at SOC pumpkin patch.
Sulphur Springs FFA Show Team Members Earn Recognition
The last month has been a productive one for the Sulphur Springs FFA Show Team. Students have earned class and showmanship recognition at three different events.
Annie Horton competed in the West Texas State Fair in San Angelo with two of her lambs and placed second in two classes for one show, a third place, and a sixth in the other show ring, according to to Sulphur Springs High School FFA advisor John Holland.
Savannah Allen, Blaine Allen, Cash Vititow, Maurie Flecker, and Jace Mayers all took heifers to Four States and East Texas State Fair and Livestock Show in Texarkana, Arkansas. In addition to a few class winners at Four States, Savannah Allen won the Senior Showmanship class, Holland noted.
At the East Texas State Fair in Tyler, Cash Vititow won Reserve Grand Champion Red Brahman with his heifer. Savannah Allen placed first in her class with her Gray Brahman and she won the American Division Senior Showmanship at East Texas State Fair as well, according to Holland.
“All students did an amazing job with their animals especially since it was the first show for a few heifers and kids! We will have lambs, pigs and cattle at the State Fair of Texas over the next few weeks, so be on the look out for more information,” stated Holland.
