Wildcat Football Continues to Prepare for 2018 Season: Running Backs, Defensive Linemen
Editor’s Note: Wildcat Football continues to prepare for the 2018 Season. KSST Sports Director Don Julien is doing a series with various position coaches regarding players that will make an impact this season.
Young on Running Backs
Wildcats Football Offensive Coordinator Matt Young also coaches the varsity running back group. He has a group of four this season. Coach Young has two seniors: veteran Colton Allen and Kaleb Myles. Allen is an experienced back with three years on the varsity. He has been a team leader in carries and yards rushing. Coach Young said Allen is strong, runs low to the ground and can make cuts that seem impossible. He said Allen has converted a lot of third downs for the Wildcats. Coach Young calls him “Sunshine”. Senior Kaleb Myles is a physical runner according to Coach Young. He added that Myles is a great teammate, is pleasant to be around and really goes to work when he hits the field. Coach Young also has junior Da’Korian Sims. Coach Young said Sims weighs 190 to 195 pounds and is a load when he carries the football. He also said Sims can show explosive speed. Sims had a tremendous summer getting in shape according to Coach Young. The Wildcats fourth varsity running back is sophomore Caden Davis. Coach Young said Davis plays with a lot of energy and runs with his knees high. He said Davis’ tremendous work ethic has him in the mix for playing time. Coach Young said the running backs need to be able to pass protect and be dependable with the football.
Coach V on Defensive Linemen
Chris Valdovinos is in his fourth year coaching defensive linemen for the Wildcats varsity. The defensive line was a strength for the Wildcats last year and they lost three very good defensive linemen to graduation. Coach V said senior Jose Rodriguez is his most experienced returnee. Rodriguez has been on the varsity since he was a sophomore. Senior Evan Rushing also took some varsity snaps as a defensive lineman last season. Coach V’s largest man on the defensive line is senior Ignacio “Nacho” Guerrero. Coach Valdovinos is intrigued with junior Cameron Kaufert, a JV player last year that Coach V said is tall, long and rangy. Senior Michael Arrington also played some last year. Another of the larger defensive linemen is junior Chandler Leo. Other defensive linemen include junior Romeo Hawkins-Davis, junior Landis Holt-Hughes and senior Hunter Goodson. Coach V said most of the defensive linemen have not played on Friday night before so he is challenging them to play at that level. Coach Valdovinos said the role of the defensive linemen in the Wildcats’ 3-4 defense is to tie up as many offensive linemen as possible so Wildcats’ linebackers can run free and make tackles. He said defensive linemen must also stop the run, especially plays between the tackles. Coach Valdovinos said Sulphur Springs does not usually have prototypical defensive linemen but he said the ones he has are feisty and will fight you. Coach V said he loves football and coaching kids. He said that’s why he does what he does.
Game Day: Lady Cats Host Forney Following Weekend Tournament Win in Wills Point
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team captured the championship of a Wills Point tournament last Friday and Saturday (August 17-18) and Coach Justin Maness said the Lady Cats played extremely well. He said they really seemed to put it all together on Saturday with victories over Wills Point, district foe Texas High and Commerce. Volleyball district includes Texas High. Football district will not in 2018.
Coach Maness said the victory over Texas High was especially big. He said he wants his team to always have the Lady Tigers on their minds. He said the Lady Tigers can explode on offense with their very good left hander. Coach Maness said the Lady Cats seemed to be able to slow her down Saturday. He said the Lady Cats were in control and did a good job executing the game plan.
Coach Maness said all of the Lady Cats played well in Wills Point and he continued to be impressed with the Lady Cats’ blocking. He said the Lady Cats, 13-3 so far, have some tough matches coming up. One is scheduled Tuesday evening (August 21) at Wildcat Gym as Forney comes to town.
The Lady Cats come in having won seven matches in a row. Their last loss was to Forney in the Garland ISD Tournament. Tuesday, freshmen and JV games start at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity match following at 6:30 p.m. We will have live coverage of Lady Cats and Forney volleyball on KSST radio. We will also videotape the game for replay at a later date on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
School Starts and It Is Official: Wildcat Basketball Looses Three to Family Move
Tuesday (August 21) was the first day of school in the Sulphur Springs ISD, and school started Tuesday at Sulphur Springs High School without three of the school’s top basketball stars enrolled. The Jefferson family has relocated to the Waco area.
The Wildcats’ basketball team will be without senior post Victor Iwuakor, junior forward Godsgift Ezedinma and junior point guard Michael Jefferson this season. The trio are headed for Hewitt Midway near Waco. The family moved after father Michael Jefferson Sr. got a job in the Waco area earlier this year.
The loss for the Wildcats will spell opportunity for other members of the team. High scoring senior shooting guard Keaston Willis does return. Perhaps the tallest of the Wildcats, 6-foot-9 senior Xavier Cork should see increased court time. Look for bigger contributions also from juniors 6-foot-5 forward Cameron Kahn and 6-4 forward Sadaidriene “Day Day” Hall. Promising 5-foot-10 point guard Grayson McClure spent all summer in the gym putting up shots to improve his touch from behind the three point line. Other players will have the opportunity to step up as well.
SSISD Board Sets Special Meeting for Friday
AGENDA
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
SULPHUR SPRINGS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD ROOM, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018
12:00 PM
I. CALL TO ORDER: Invocation
II. FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS
A. Announcement by the President whether a quorum is present, that the meeting had been duly called and that the notice of the meeting had been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551.
III. PUBLIC FORUM:
Public participation is limited to the designated open forum portion of a meeting per policy BED(LOCAL).
IV. ACTION ITEMS
A. Consider approval of budget amendments for the fiscal year ending August 31, (Budget amendments will be available at the meeting)
V. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Executive Session will be held for the purpose of consideration of matters for which closed or executive sessions are authorized by Title 5, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, Section (.074).
A. Discuss and consider personnel to be employed, personnel to be assigned, acknowledge and accept resignations of personnel, and other personnel matters.
VI. RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR ACTION RELATIVE TO
ITEMS COVERED DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
Congressional Candidate Krantz to Attend Hopkins County Commissioners Court August 27th
Democratic Candidate for Texas Congressional District 4, Catherine Krantz will be in Hopkins County to attend the August 27th Commissioners Court meeting. She will be in Sulphur Springs from 9 a.m. until noon as part of her 18 County Listening Tour. Krantz is challenging incumbent Republican John Ratcliffe for the congressional seat.
Krantz is attending commissioners’ court meetings and city council meeting across the district to get a better understanding of the issues and challenges facing the communities that make up the district.
Krantz announced her intent to attend the court and to meet with local residents following the meeting on social media.
Teams, Sponsors Sought for 49th Annual Hopkins County Stew Contest
It is with great excitement that we announce this year’s 49 th Annual World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at Buford Park, where hundreds of contestants will compete for cash prizes with their favorite stew recipes. (Registration form for contestants found below.) Over 7000 people are expected to attend this year’s event. Sponsors for the contest are also being sought.
Sponsors for the contest will be listed on the Sponsor Board; it will be broadcast during the event; and the banner (if provided by sponsor) will be displayed on the stew grounds for the week leading up to and the week following the Stew Contest. Many opportunities are available for sponsorships, whether one chooses to purchase the winning stew in a specific category, provide prize money for the contest winners, supply a product for the actual event, or provide an item for the goody bags for the stew cooks. Sponsors may also have someone from the business to enter the stew contest.
Both sponsor form and contestant form can be found below. Return the appropriate form to the Chamber of Commerce office no later than September 14, 2018. Sponsorships will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. If you have any questions, please call 903-885-6515.
Tax Rate Increase on Special Session Agenda for City Council
Tuesday evening at 6PM, the Sulphur Springs City Council will meet to discuss appointments to the Charter Review COMMITTEE, discuss a proposed tax rate increase, and set dates for the public hearings regarding the tax rate.
Council will also conduct an executive session as they begin. The executive session will focus on personnel matters related to the city municipal judges and city secretary
Two Yantis Residents Arrested in SCU Investigation
Two Yantis residents were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 less than 1-gram in a Drug Free Zone, a Felony 3, Monday at 3:30 p.m.
The two were involved in an investigation by the Special Crimes Unit in the 1200 Block of League Street. During the investigation, the SCU officer located less than 1-gram of methamphetamine in the center console of the 2001 Dodge pickup they occupied.
The driver of the vehicle, Gary Lee Gibson, 42, and passenger, Tamara Michelle Fouse, 39, were arrested and placed in Hopkins County Jail.
North Hopkins Invitational Tournament
On August 17th and 19th the North Hopkins High School hosted their annual invitational volleyball tournament. Teams from all over the District and Area came out to compete and prepare for the up coming season. Sixteen teams participated, trying their luck to win the championship title. After two days and multiple rounds of volleyball, the coveted Championship plaque was between the last two teams, Community and Prairieland. The rivaling teams battled it out for two sets with Prairieland dominating the court. The tournament ended in a final score of 25-17 with Prairieland taking home the win and the Championship title.
