Wildcats Lose to Tigers in Overtime
The Wildcats lost another tough luck district soccer game as the Mt. Pleasant Tigers rallied to take a 2-1 win in overtime at Mt. Pleasant.
The Wildcats actually scored the game’s first goal in the first half. The Tigers tied the game with a goal and it was 1-1 at halftime. After a scoreless second half, Mt. Pleasant scored the decisive goal in overtime.
The loss hampers the Wildcats’ playoff chances. The Wildcats now have a district record of 3 wins, 2 shootout losses, 6 outright losses and no ties. Their season record is 10-5-4. The Wildcats will face Greenville Friday night at the SSHS Track Complex.
Young’s Hat Trick Qualifies Lady Cats Soccer for Playoffs
The Lady Cats’ soccer team qualified for the playoffs with a 5-3 win over Mt. Pleasant Tuesday night at the SSHS Track Complex. Lady Cats’ freshman Sophie Young scored a three-goal hat trick. Young had the go ahead goal and an insurance goal in the victory.
The Lady Cats got off to a quick start. Jo McMillan scored just a little more than 10 minutes into the contest and the Lady Cats led 1-0. Just over four minutes later, Young scored her first goal and the Lady Cats led 2-0. Mt. Pleasant got a goal to cut the Lady Cats’ lead in half with just over four minutes to play before halftime. Mt. Pleasant tied the score at 2-2 just three and a half minutes into the second half. After Gracie Boyer put the Lady Cats ahead, 3-2 at the 29:35 mark, Mt. Pleasant evened the match once again 3-3 with a goal at the 7:48 mark. Then Young scored the difference makers at 7:02 and just before the end of the game.
The Lady Cats are now 7-3 in district play. The Lady Cats will play at Greenville Friday night on the road.
Lady Cats Begin District Play With Win
The Lady Cats’ softball team opened district play in fine fashion with a 5-1 win at Greenville Tuesday night.
The Lady Cats broke a scoreless tie with single runs in the second and the third innings to take a 2-0 lead. They added two more runs in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Greenville scored a single run in the fifth inning but the Lady Cats matched that run in the top of the seventh.
Bailey Haggerty got the pitching win allowing just one run and eight hits in seven innings while striking out 4.
The Lady Cats had eleven hits. Sadie Stroud had three hits and Alyssa Abron and Hannah Crowson had two hits each. Brinklee Driver worked a walk. Among RBI leaders were Alli Fite, Abron and Kalsey Wallace with one apiece.
The Lady Cats are 1-0 in district play and 14-4 for the season. The Lady Cats play Hallsville Friday evening at Lady Cat Park.
Game Day: Soccer and Softball
There is soccer and softball on this Tuesday game day.
The Lady Cats’ softball team will be opening district play at Greenville. The Lady Cats had a successful pre-district campaign. They enter their Tuesday night district opener with a 13-4 record. They played in three tournaments and had a single game at McKinney as well.
The Lady Cats’ soccer team will be at home playing the Mt. Pleasant Lady Tigers. The Lady Cats are currently in second place in the district. They have a 6-3 district record and they are 11-6-2 for the season. A JV contest takes place at 5:30 p.m. with varsity to follow at around 7:15 p.m. We will bring you Lady Cats’ soccer against Mt. Pleasant Tuesday night at around 7:15 p.m. live on KSST Radio. We will also videotape the game for replay on Channel 18 TV on Suddenlink Cable at a later date.
Meanwhile the Wildcats’ soccer team will try to strengthen their playoff outlook as they will face first place and unbeaten in district play Mt. Pleasant on the road. There will be a JV game at 5:30 p.m.with varsity to follow at around 7 p.m.
Lady Cat Track Team Finish First at Home Meet
Lady Cats Track Coach Triston Abron said it was pretty good that the Wildcats varsity and JV along with his Lady Cats all finished first at the Sulphur Springs Meet held last Friday at the SSHS Track Complex. He said that was the first time it had happened.
Lady Cats’ results Friday included sophomore Abbi Beggs taking second in the discus. The Lady Cats finished second, third and fourth in the shot put. Kaylee Jefferson was second in the high jump. Imani Taylor was first in the long jump. N’ysa Dugan was third. In the triple jump, Taylor was first and Tiara Rose was fifth. Pole vaulter Shelby Alsobrooks earned a point for a sixth place finish in her first competition.
Sydney Washburn was fourth in the 3200-meter run and she also ran well in the 1600-meter run according to Coach Abron. The 4X100-meter relay team was first. Dugan won the 100-meter dash and Sadavia Porter was third. Abbi Baier was first in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Freshman Brianna Irving was fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. Gracie Boyer and Macie Williams both placed in the 800-meter run. The Lady Cats 4X200-meter relay was first. Taylor was also fourth in the 200-meter race despite a sore ankle. The Lady Cats 4X400-meter relay team finished fourth.
The Lady Cats and Wildcats’ track teams will compete next at a Gilmer meet on Friday.
Hopkins County Junior Market Livestock Sale of Champions Final Total $363,882–A Record Total
The Northeast Texas Livestock Association has announced the final total of $363,882 for the 2017 HCJMLS Sale of Champions held Saturday February 25th. This will be the 6th consecutive year that a record total has been spent on the youth of Hopkins County, who worked for weeks and months to prepare their animal projects for showing and judging.
A total of 125 youth from FFA & 4-H chapters all over Hopkins County earned the right to participate in the Sale of Champions.
Prim Stadium Construction On Target for September Home Opener; School Board Approves Batting Cages and Concession Stands for Baseball/Softball
Construction on Gerald Prim Stadium continues as the playing field is put in place and foundation work begins for home-side seating and Press box. According to Athletic Director Greg Owens work at the stadium is currently on target to be completed by the first home game of the 2017 season when the Wildcats host Seattle, Washington’s Garfield High School September 8th.
Work is also progressing at the new construction of a baseball field and the reconstruction for Lady Cat Park. Monday night, the Sulphur Springs school board approved an expenditure of over $84,000 for the construction of two batting cages at the baseball field and a concession stand at both the baseball field and softball fields. The new concession buildings will be bolt-up buildings. The concrete work has already been approved.
Federal Magistrate Seals Proceedings and Award Made in Chance Ross Family Case Against City
When the Sulphur Springs City Council meets Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. in Executive Session, one item discussed will focus on pending litigation. In open session the council will discuss and take action on the Executive Session item regarding pending litigation. That litigation is the decision of a Federal Magistrate handed down Monday in Federal Court regarding the case. The council will be presented the findings of the magistrate and the award given to the family of Chance Ross.
The Ross case was presented to the federal court in February 2016. As reported by KSST, the family of Chance Ross was seeking a jury trial in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District Court of Texas. Shelly and Tony Ross seek damages for emotional distress, medical and funeral expenses, plus attorney fees in case number 4:16-cv-00095-ALM-CAN filed with the court by the David D. Davis Law office of Grand Prairie.
Named in the suit as defendants were the city of Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Sulphur Springs Police Lt. Brad Horton and officers Adrian Pruitt, Brandon Mayes, and Joe Scott, county deputies Nick Floyd and Paul Fenimore, as well as jailer Jeff Hightower. The suit claimed these officers used excessive force, failed to protect, and inflicted emotional distress.
Ross died Sunday March 8th in Trinity Mother Frances Hospital where he had been transferred from Hopkins County Memorial Hospital where he had been taken for emergency treatment following what seemed to be a cardiac arrest while in custody at Hopkins County Jail. A Tyler Justice of the Peace ordered an autopsy (complete autopsy found here) immediately following his death.
Ross, 34, was arrested early Friday evening March 6 by Sulphur Springs’ police officers who responded to a call on Whitworth Street of a shirtless man acting erratically (video from arrest found here). Prior to being booked into Hopkins County Jail he was placed in the padded violence cell where he remained for 11 minutes before being found face down and unresponsive. Officers were able to find a faint pulse and called EMS. CPR was stared at the jail and his pulse was stronger but he was not breathing on his own when he arrived at Hopkins County Memorial Hospital.
According to police reports, Ross was arrested when officers encountered him and he was said to have balled his fist and charged an officer. The officer tazed Ross but Ross was able to pull the wires out and fled. The officer pursued and a fight ensued. Officers said Ross was difficult to contain and they were forced to taze him more than once. Ross continued to resist even when taken to jail according to Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jay Sanders.
On April 9, Chief Sanders responded to a question asked during the Tuesday April 7th city council meeting. “Why are the three arresting officers still on duty while an investigation of the death of Chance Ross is being conducted?” This was the question asked by Ross’ brother, Chad Ross Tuesday night April 7th during the city council’s regular session. Ross stated that the family had viewed video of his brother being brought into jail without a shirt and having burn marks on his shoulders that seemed to have been the result of his having been tazed. Ross said his brother was handcuffed and escorted by three Sulphur Springs’ officers and that three county officers assisted those officers in stripping his brother of his pants and placing him in a cell. City officers remained on duty following questions regarding the arrest.
Local Beef Producer Don Smith Elected to Cattleman’s Beef Board
Don Smith of the Starr Ridge Community of Hopkins County has been involved in agriculture on the family farm for a number of decades. First in the dairy business, Don and his wife Marilyn began to shift to beef production in recent years. This week, Don was named to the 100-member Executive Committee of the Cattleman’s Beef Board, a part of the national Beef Checkoff Program. Because of his tireless service to organizations including Texas Beef Council, Texas Association of Dairyman, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Texas Farm Bureau and others since the 1980’s, his name came up for nomination. The committee selection process actually comes through the White House by the Secretary of Agriculture. Collectively, the members of the committee have backgrounds in and are involved in every aspect of agriculture in the US. Over the next few weeks, Don will be attending a number of meetings as new committee members learn about long-term beef promotion and research projects already in place. He and his wife plan to continue their ranching operation in Hopkins County and their support of local youth-in-agriculture organizations.
