Three Wildcats Sign to Play College Football
Wildcats Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Greg Owens is announcing (on February 18) that three more of his football players have made commitments to play college football.
Landry Tyson and Austin Dodd, who played both safety and wide receiver for the Wildcats this fall, are committed to Texas A&M-Commerce.
Defensive back and receiver Damiyon Dugan is committed to Hardin- Simmons in Abilene.
On National Signing Day on February 6, Wildcats quarterback D’Corian Young signed with Trinity Valley Community College in Athens and nose tackle Jose Rodriguez signed with Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana.
Willis Expected to Return for Bi-District Basketball
On KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning (February 16) Coaches Show, Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta said senior point guard Keaston Willis has been cleared by doctors to play in Tuesday night’s (February 19) bi-district game at 7 p.m. against John Tyler at Wills Point. The Wildcats will be the home team.
Coach Cipoletta said Willis will probably need surgery on the fractured ankle after the season ends but he’s been told that Willis should not make it any worse by playing. Coach Cipoletta said Willis returned to practice Friday and looked good. Willis injured his right ankle against Texas High at home on January 18. He missed the last 7 district games. Monday was a student holiday due to Presidents’ Day but the Wildcats practiced Monday morning.
The Wildcats are ranked #4 in Class 5A. They went a perfect 10-0 in district 15-5A play and are 24-8 for the season.
Game Day: Softball, Soccer Games Moved to Monday Due to Weather, Tuesday Playoff Game
Lady Cat Softball
A scheduled Tuesday game against Mineola at Lady Cat Park has been moved to Monday night due to concerns with Tuesday weather. The teams will be playing a varsity only game at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The game will be broadcast on KSST Radio beginning at 4:30 p.m. The game will also be videotaped for replay at a later date on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
The Lady Cats’ softball team opened the regular season with five wins in five games in the Sulphur Springs Tournament last Thursday through Saturday (February 14-16). Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo said the Lady Cats played very well. He said it is challenging hosting a tournament not only for him but also for the team. Coach Carrillo said his Lady Cats’ team is very deep. He is carrying 15 Lady Cats on the varsity roster. Coach Carrillo said he continues to stress a “We Over Me” approach. He said players will have to earn their playing time this season. Coach Carrillo said the team has a chance to do great things this season. The Lady Cats have received great pitching from Bailey Haggerty, Addison Caddell and Tessa Holt. Coach Carrillo said they are minimizing their mistakes. He said he is comfortable sending any of the three out to the pitching circle. The Lady Cats have also been hitting the ball. Everyone seems to be contributing. Coach Carrillo said Kelsey Wallace hit three homers in the Sulphur Springs Tournament and Maddie Millsap had one. He added Landri Bell and Sierra Smith were also hitting very well. A scheduled Tuesday game against Mineola at Lady Cat Park has been moved to Monday night due to concerns with Tuesday weather. The teams will be playing a varsity only game at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The game will be broadcast on KSST Radio beginning at 4:30 p.m. The game will also be videotaped for replay at a later date on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
Soccer
The Lady Cats will face Mount Pleasant Monday night at Gerald Prim Stadium with a JV game at 5:30 p.m. And a varsity game at 7 p.m. The Lady Cats are 0-2 in district play with road losses at Greenville and against Lindale. The Lindale match, a 1-0 Lady Eagles win, was played to Tyler Junior College due to renovation work at the Lindale field. Lady Cats Coach Joel Bailey said his team made a mistake and Lindale capitalized with a goal. He said the Lady Cats had several near misses for goals late in the contest. Mount Pleasant comes in 2-0 in district play.
The Wildcats will be making their trip to Mount Pleasant a day early. They face the Tigers Monday night with a JV contest at 5:30 p.m. with a varsity match to follow at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are 0-2 in district play after home losses to Greenville and Lindale. Mount Pleasant is coming off of a one goal win in a big face off with Greenville. The Wildcats’ soccer team lost 4-0 at home to Lindale last Friday. Coach Upton said he visited the Eagles locker room after the game to congratulate them on the way they played against the Wildcats.
Lady Cats Play in Cold Regional Warm Up
Lady Cats Golf Coach Whitney Spigener said she had never been involved in a golf tournament colder than the one the Lady Cats played in Monday (February 18) at Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club. Coach Spigener said the wind chill was 23-degrees when her golfers teed off Monday and only got up to 36-degrees at the end of the round. With worse weather expected for Tuesday, round two of the tournament has been canceled.
Coach Spigener said scores were high Monday. The lowest score recorded was 81. Lady Cat Mariam Tran shot 86 to finish fifth in the tournament. Coach Spigener praised Lady Cat Charleigh Potts for showing improvement in her long game. She hoped the tournament at the site of this year’s Regional Tournament would be one that her golfers could learn from. Coach Spigener said conditions were too brutal for that.
The Lady Cats play next at Lindale on February 25.
SSISD Invites Public to Open House at Each School March 11-14, 2019
Sulphur Springs Independent School District would like to invite parents and the community to visit our schools during Texas Public Schools Week. Below is the Open House Schedule for each campus:
Monday, March 11 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Sulphur Springs Elementary School Grades 4 – 5 Sulphur Springs Middle School Grades 6 – 8
Tuesday, March 12 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Bowie Primary Kindergarten (K) – Grade 3 Bush Primary Kindergarten (K) – Grade 1 Lamar Primary Kindergarten (K) – Grade 3 Travis Primary Kindergarten (K) – Grade 3
Thursday, March 14 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Douglass ECLC Head Start 3, Head Start 4, and Pre-K Sulphur Springs High School Grades 9 – 12
North Hopkins FFA CHapter Participating in the Hopkins County Jr. Market Show
Seniors Breeanna Hicks and Sydnee Bell have been schoolmates in the North Hopkins ISD since Pre-K and they will graduate in Spring 2019. Both have a love for animals and are among the 80-member North Hopkins FFA Chapter. Both girls are Vice-Presidents of the chapter, and both are showing livestock in the Feb 21-23 county show.
Breeanna Hicks, who was also 2017/2018 Fall Festival Cover Girl, is active in sports and hobbies but has a special love for agricultural interests. She began in middle school with Junior FFA, and this is her 6th year to enter Broilers in the county show. Along with her brother, they accepted a shipment of 50 day-old chicks about five weeks ago, and have seen them grow into good judging prospects. Out of Breeanna’s 25 chicks, she will ultimately select three which are about the same size and weight, to be judged as a “pen” on Friday February 22. Of course, both Breeanna and her brother hope to qualify for the Sale of Champions, to be staged by the Northeast Texas Livestock Association for the benefit of the student participants.
Sydnee Bell, a 3-year Varsity Softball player for North Hopkins, is also very involved with youth in agriculture. She helps daily in the care of the livestock on her family farm and with the very specialized tasks of raising a show goat. In her fifth year of entering a goat, she also hopes to “make the sale” with top judging scores during this week’s competition and showmanship divisions. Like Breeanna, Sydnee’s earnings of scholarship money over the past few years has helped her purchase her own vehicle, pay for dual-credit classes and get prepared to enter college in the Fall of 2019. Sydnee hopes to enter medical school, but feels she would also be fulfilled in a teaching career as a high school agriculture instructor.
During the past few years with Britany Bettes as Ag instructor, the North Hopkins FFA Chapter has performed service projects n the community. The members repainted the cabins at Cooper Lake State Park after water damaged the buildings, took part in the holiday Angel Tree program by the Senior Citizens Center in Sulphur Springs, and regularly cleans a 2-mile strip of roadway in the Adopt-a-Highway program. During Hurricane Harvey, the chapter members wanted to do something to help the stricken farms in the Houston area. They held donation drives, asking for money or supplies from individuals and business owners in Hopkins County. The members were surprised at the amount of feed, hay, water, shavings for dry bedding, feed buckets, etc. they collected. They loaded it all into a cattle trailer and drove it to Mt. Vernon, where they met with other chapters who had done the same. They saw it all loaded onto an 18-wheeler bound for areas where livestock needed help the most. “It was a great feeling to know that our small chapter could lend assistance to the victims who couldn’t speak for themselves, the animals” echoed both girls.
The public is invited to come and see the individual students show their animals in the ring and congratulate them on their projects. Admission is free to spectators. And on Saturday, everyone is invited to the Sale of Champions, where the top 15 animals of each specie will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with proceeds going to the student livestock owners for their college scholarship funds. Everyone is invited to this most exciting local event of the year!
TxDOT Begins Improvements to State Highway 154; Traffic Study at I-30/State Highway 19
TxDOT work planned in Franklin and Hopkins Counties during the week of Feb. 18, 2019 include:
Sulphur Springs Area (Hopkins, Franklin Counties):
SH 154, Hopkins County: From SH 11 to Loop 301. Watch for survey crews as they begin marking locations for upcoming roadway surfacing operations.
SH 19, Hopkins County: At Interstate Highway 30. Watch for workers placing counters for an upcoming traffic study at this location.
SH 37, Franklin County: From Mt. Vernon to Winnsboro. Watch for lane closures and short traffic delays as crews perform surfacing operations; flaggers will direct traffic.
These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Motorists are advised to remain alert and pay special attention to all signs, barricades and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach and travel through work zones. They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems.
Dinner Bell Menu For February 20, 2019
Dinner Bell February 20, 2019
Community Partner:
Legacy Hospice
Menu:
Mexican Lasagna
Pinto Beans
Salsa
Salad with Guacamole Ranch
Garlic French Bread
Honeybun Cake
Baked Pears (no added sugar dessert)
Same time (11:45 a.m.). Same place (Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church). Won’t you join us for great food and wonderful visits with friends at the tables where you are seated? Hope to see you.
PJC-Sulphur Springs Science Major
SCIENCE MAJOR
Adriana Yepez continues her study in science as she registered for classes at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center. Assisting her is Advisor Carey Gable. For more information about classes, advising and enrollment, call 903-885-1232.
Saltillo Lions Win District Championship
The Saltillo Lions’ basketball team captured the district championship with a double overtime win over Avinger, 50-44 Friday (February 15).
After trailing Avinger, 9-8 after one quarter, the Lions outscored Avinger 12-3 in the second quarter to lead 20-12 at the half. Avinger trailed 29-23 after three quarters. The teams were tied 26-26 after regulation play. During two overtime periods, the Lions outscored Avinger 14-8 to take the win. The Lions also earned the #1 district seed in the playoffs.
Ben Moore led the Lions with 24 points. Chris Boekhorst had 18 points. Andrew Redburn scored 5 points. Levi Hoover added 2 points and Matthew Gurley had 1 point.
The Lions improved their season record to 25-8. The Lions play next on Thursday or Friday with opponent and site to be determined.
