Lady Cat Volleyball Claims Consolation Championship in Wills Point Tourney
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team ended up claiming the consolation bracket championship by winning their final two matches at a Wills Point tournament Saturday. The Lady Cats opened play Saturday with a disappointing loss in the championship bracket to district foe Greenville.
The Lady Cats won set one convincingly against the Lady Lions. The Lady Cats got to within one point of a win in set two but the Lady Lions rallied taking the last seven points to win. The Lady Lions also won a close set three. The score was 25-12, 24-26 and 23-25. The loss put the Lady Cats in the consolation bracket where they won two matches. The Lady Cats defeated Grand Saline, 25-19, 25-17. The Lady Cats also topped Crandall, 26-24, 22-25 and 25-20. The Lady Cats improved their season record to 10-5.
For the Lady Cats on Saturday, Kaylee Jefferson led the team in kills with 37. Autumn Tanton had 21, Madi Vickery and Mieke VanBenthem added 11 each. Lexie Whisenhunt had 73 assists. Jefferson also had a team leading 37 digs. Imani Taylor had 26 and Anden Hammack 22.
The Lady Cats will have another tough week of competition this week. They will travel to Forney Tuesday night to play their bi-district opponent from last year. Forney won three matches against the Lady Cats last year including the bi-district contest. Thursday and Saturday the Lady Cats will play in a Tyler tournament. In between, they will play host to Caddo Mills Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Wildcats Gym.
Hinton, Fite Win Senior Citizens Center 42 Tournament
1st Place – Jr. Hinton and Larry Fite 
2nd Place – Ronny Martin and Ernest Young 
3rd Place – Steve White and Leana Titsworth
4th Place – Larry Wayne Conner and Anne McConnellRegister Now for 48th Annual World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest
Letters have gone out to those who prepared stew for last year’s Hopkins County Stew Contest. Those who desire to cook stew for the 48th Annual World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest, Saturday October 28th may sign up now. A copy of the rules and registration form may be found below. Chamber Executive Lezley Brown says an overwhelming response from those wanting to be a part of the stew contest this year has already begun.
New this year… if you have cooked before, you may pick up your goody bags and grocery check on October 17th at the Dairy Museum between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. This will be a come and go reception style, and you will not need to stay for the cook meeting. If you have not cooked before, there will be a small orientation at 6 p.m. on October 17th at the Dairy Museum. A review the rules and receiving your goody bags and grocery checks will follow. Also, you will be able to purchase t-shirts at the cook reception on October 17th. The t-shirts will be available to take home that evening. You may order hoodies and long sleeved t-shirts that night, and they will be ready for pick-up before the stew contest. For more information contact the Chamber at (903) 885-6515, or visit the Chamber website at www.HopkinsChamber.org.
World Champion “Hopkins County Stew” Contest
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Rules and Regulations
All cooking teams: please be mindful and considerate of your neighbors. All sites MUST set up 5 feet off the sidewalk to allow ample walking room. This should be plenty of room for everyone, so please do not invade someone else’s site. Also, please remember that this is a cooking contest, and pets are not allowed at the cooking sites.
All 2016 Cooks will have the same site as in 2016, and they will be reserved until September 15th @ 5:00 p.m. at the Chamber office. As in the past, on September 18th all sites will be released to other contestants on a first-come, first-served basis.
New participants may select their stew site on or after September 18.At least one of the cooks on a cooking team must live or work in Hopkins County. The “cooking team” consists of up to two cooks and up to two helpers.
Cooking Team: PLEASE ARRANGE FOR YOUR OWN SPONSOR.
Sponsors provide $175.00 with the official entry form for one pot of stew (or two sponsors at $87.50 each). Each cooking team will receive $125.00 to purchase their ingredients. $50.00 is retained by the Chamber of Commerce for contest expenses. We now accept Visa and MasterCard. The $125.00 ingredient check may be picked up at the “Cooking Team” come-and-go reception, which will be held on October 17th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Southwest Dairy Museum. At least ONE person from each team must come to the reception. Checks will be distributed at that time. First time stew cooks will attend a short informational meeting at 6:00 p.m. then receive their goody bags and checks.
Stew MUST BE prepared on site. Meat may be cooked ahead of time, but everything else must be prepared on site. Stew will be judged on the original Hopkins County Stew recipe and flavor. If extra ingredients are added, there will be a deduction, but it will not eliminate the stew from winning. You may use condiments and spices as desired. The original Hopkins County recipe includes chicken (or beef), potatoes, tomatoes, corn, onions.
COOKING TEAMS MUST USE USDA-APPROVED MEAT. For uniformity and authenticity, the cooking team must use a large cast iron pot over a hardwood fire. Please do not use pine or other soft wood. Cooking teams furnish their own wood.
Cooking teams are allowed ONE vehicle on the campsite UNTIL 6:30 AM the day of the contest. At that time, ALL vehicles must be moved. Violators WILL NOT be judged if vehicles are not removed from the stew contest grounds by 6:30 AM. Each cooking team will receive ONE parking permit, so that one may vehicle may park in the swimming pool parking lot. The small parking lot on League Street will be used for loading and unloading ONLY (20 Minutes). There will be NO parking in the small League Street Lot. It will also be closed at 6:30 AM the day of the contest. Also, NO CAMPERS may be parked along Buford Circle.
Cooking teams must have a minimum of 10 gallons of finished stew available for sale. All stew becomes the property of the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce to be sold.
Stew MUST be ready for judging at 10:45 AM. Cooking teams will supply TWO quarts of stew. The quart containers will be provided. One quart will be turned in at the judge’s tent at 10:45 AM for judging. The second quart will be held by the cooking team for potential sale of the top twelve winners. AFTER the winners in each category have been announced, quarts of stew will be for sale to the public at the service tents. When you run out of stew, please hang the “Out of Stew” sign, provided by the Chamber, over your empty pot. In the event of rainy weather, a drive-thru will be available. The Chamber will collect your second quart only if it is raining.Cooking teams should serve ONLY ticketed customers. Tickets are $5.00 each. FRIENDS AND FAMILY DO NOT EAT FREE; cooking teams who violate this rule will be disqualified from judging. Each team will be given two bowls for the cooks.
For health reasons, only the Styrofoam quarts, bowls, and plates which are provided with the purchase of a $5.00 ticket may be used.
For health reasons, cooks must clean their pots. Do not use a dirty stew pot. Do not use non-food-safe materials to clean your stew pot, such as diesel or abrasive chemicals.
Each cooking team is responsible for and required to furnish a sign (approximately 18” X 24”) recognizing their sponsor(s). A sponsor’s logo or sign may be used as long as they meet the size requirements. Nothing may be sold or distributed from a stew site except stew.
Outline of Prizes:
1st Place Chicken & Beef Stew $300.00 & Trophy 1st Place Super Stew Chicken & Beef $500.00 & Trophy
2nd Place Chicken & Beef Stew $150.00 & Trophy 2nd Place Super Stew Chicken & Beef $250.00 & Trophy
3rd Place Chicken & Beef Stew $100.00 & Trophy 3rd Place Super Stew Chicken & Beef $100.00 & Trophy Campsite/Costume $200.00 & Trophy Super Campsite/Costume $250.00 & Trophy
The check for grocery reimbursement is in the Cook goody bags, which will be distributed at the come-and-go reception on October 17th at 6:00 p.m. If your check is not in the bag, it is because we have not received payment from your sponsor. If you do not plan to cash this check and use it for groceries, please return it to the Chamber. Turning in your check helps keep bookkeeping straight.
Complete this form and return to the Chamber of Commerce by September 15th to keep your 2016 stew site. On September 18th, all unreserved sites will be released to new contestants and those who wish to change sites, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please fill in ALL information
Cook #1 Name_________________________________________Phone_________________________
Address______________________________________ City, State, Zip_________________________
Email Address________________________________________________________________________
Cook #2 Name_________________________________________Phone_________________________
Address______________________________________ City, State, Zip_________________________
Email Address________________________________________________________________________
Helpers_______________________________________________________________________________
Category: Chicken ______ Beef ______ (Please check one)
Super Stew: Chicken______ Beef______ Year qualified for Super Stew_____
How many years have you participated in the stew contest? ____________
Campsite/Costume Judging: ____Yes (Wish to be judged) ____No (Do Not Wish to be judged)
Sponsor(s) __________________________________ ________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ ________________________________________
City, State ___________________________________ ________________________________________
Phone ___________________________________ ________________________________________
Please mail your entry form & check to: Chamber of Commerce, 300 Connally Street, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. Entry deadline October 6, 2017.
We now accept Visa and MasterCard.
For Chamber of Commerce Use Only: Site #____________________
Date:______________________ Invoice #____________________ Check #__________________
Credit Card #____________________________________ Exp. Date: ______________________
Cook’s Check #__________________________________ Sign Made:______________________
Lady Cats Volleyball Win 3 Friday at Wills Point Tourney; Continue Play Saturday
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team won all three games they played Friday to win their pool in a Wills Point tournament.
The Lady Cats started out slowly losing a first set to Van before rallying to take the next two sets. The score was 14-25, 25-21 and 25-18. The Lady Cats then defeated Lone Oak, 25-19 and 25-15 and topped Paris, 25-18, 25-18. The Lady Cats season record is now 8-4.
For the Lady Cats Friday, Kaylee Jefferson led the team in kills with 22. Autumn Tanton added 19. Mieke Van Benthem had 10 kills and Abbi Baier 5. Setter Lexie Whisenhunt had a team high 54 assists. Libero Anden Hammack led the team with 24 digs and Jefferson had 23. Lady Cats Coach Justin Maness said the Lady Cats got off to a slow start but then they started finding their rhythm. He added they got to see different speeds of the game Friday. Coach Maness said the Lady Cats had to make adjustments and were successful in doing so.
The tournament continues Saturday with the Lady Cats playing district foe Greenville at 11 a.m.
South Locust Street Now Open
According to Sulphur Springs City Staff, South Locust Street is now (Friday, August 18, 2017) open for traffic. Water, sewer, and gas lines were replaced and the street is now concrete. Work on Locust Street began prior to the first of the year and moved from north to south. This should complete the major rework there.
Defensive Coordinator Abron Calls Wildcat Defense “Confident”
The mention of the Wildcats’ football team putting on pads for practice for the first time Friday night brings a smile to the face of Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Triston Abron. He says the two below stuff is over. Coach Abron envisions the sound of pads and helmets coming together. He says the excitement will begin. Coach Abron says now the kids can get physical and get after each other. He anticipates the Wildcats top offensive and top defensive players facing off.
Coach Abron has noticed that this year’s defense is a confident one. If pressed for an inexperienced area, he mentions outside linebackers. Still he adds the Wildcats are as good at that position as they have been for several years now. Coach Abron’s defensive coaches are telling him that some seniors and players with lots of experience are mentoring younger players. Defensive Line Coach Chris Valdovinos mentions that he was going to correct a younger player at a recent practice until he noticed that senior Dee Dugan was already talking to his fellow defender. Inside Linebacker Coach Bruce Silman says Jaxon Reneau and K.J. Abron were assisting Lawrence Worth as Worth has moved from outside to inside linebacker. Coach Abron says veteran safeties Sebastian Adams and D. J. Abron are helping a move in safety new to the program. Coach Abron calls these examples unselfish acts as players help other players competing with them get better.
He says all four days of practice so far have been good. Coach Abron says if defenders keep up the energy level they can do something special this year. Perhaps the defense’s area of strength is at cornerback. Coach Abron says Cornerback Coach Cameron Warren can practically pull names out of the hat and come up with quality players at corner. Coach Abron mentions Terrell Turman, Cor’Tavius Pruitt over from wide receiver, Damiyon Dugan, Tiesan Goodson, Conner Burgin, and Andy Eddins. Some of these players, like safety Austin Dodd, will be also taking some snaps on offense. Coach Abron is stressing a bend but don’t break philosophy on defense.
football
Wildcat Team Tennis Picks Up First Win of Season
The Wildcats’ team tennis squad won their first match of the season, 11-8 against Terrell on the road Thursday. Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez calls it a team win. For the second time this week, a senior girl, who has been playing tennis for only a little more than a month, won her first match ever. Alicia Lusinger got a win at Terrell.
Wednesday Jasmine Cruz won her first match against a Tyler Lee player at the Wildcats Tennis Complex. Coach Martinez says three of his young guns also contributed greatly to the win. They are Aaron Lucas, Jordan Gonzales and Waylon Matlock. The three sophomores played on the JV team as freshmen last year. Coach Martinez says the three won all their singles and doubles matches Thursday. He says the win boasted the team’s morale.
The Wildcats were expecting to play at Forney earlier Thursday but that matched was canceled due to rain.
The Wildcats are now 1-3 for the season. They play Sherman next in a non-district match at the Wildcat Tennis Complex next Tuesday.
Wildcats’ Marching Band Ends Summer Band Practice
The Wildcats’ marching band marked the end of summer band practice with their annual Squad Off competition Thursday evening. Band Director Charles McCauley had to resort to plan B. The Squad Off took place an hour later than scheduled due to a conflict with a Middle School event. Also it took place in the high school main gym due to a wet practice field. McCauley said he’s had a lot of plan B’s this summer due to frequent showers.
The band has been in the Multipurpose Building six or seven times and they even had one practice in the main high school gym. McCauley said this year’s band has handled everything that has come their way. He said a great crowd of parents and boosters showed up for Squad Off Thursday evening. McCauley said the gym at times became quiet and tension mounted. This was especially true as the percussion and clarinets were the only two band sections left marching. Percussion ended up winning. McCauley liked the fact that when they won, they just stood at attention without reacting. He said that showed great pride and discipline.
In the close quarters, the band played the first part of this year’s show, Five. McCauley said plan A had called for the band to play and march. He said they were ready to do so. He said the first part, featuring the classical music of Mahler and Prokofiev, was difficult both to play and to march. The band will continue to refine it for the first football game. McCauley said when the band gets it all together, it will be impressive for judges and the crowd alike. By game two, the home opener at renovated Gerald Prim Stadium, he expects the band to play the first two parts of the show.
The band will start on part two Monday. McCauley said the band was right where he hoped they would be by now.
Lady Cat Volleyball in Wills Point Tournament Friday and Saturday
The Lady Cats’ volleyball team plays in their second tournament of the season beginning Friday. The Lady Cats are in a Wills Point tournament that runs through Saturday.
In pool play, the Lady Cats will be facing Van, Paris and Lone Oak. The Lady Cats are hoping to build off of a big road win Tuesday night against a good McKinney North team. That win gives the Lady Cats a 5-4 record entering the Wills Point tournament.
Last year in the tournament, the Lady Cats won their first five games before losing their sixth and last match to eventual bi-district opponent Forney.
