Lady Cats Soccer Leads District
The Lady Cats Soccer Team continues to roll on in district play this year. Friday night the Lady Cats bested Greenville 6-1 on the road. The Lady Cats scored two first half goals to take a 2-0 halftime lead and then exploded for four second half goals en route to the 6-1 win.
The Lady Cats are now 4-0 in district play, which includes two wins at home and two on the road. The Lady Cats are an incredible 13-1 this season and they have won 11 matches in a row.
Next the Lady Cats play their third straight road contest as they travel to Longview on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Bobcats Second Quarter Too Much for Wildcats
When the Wildcats Basketball Team struggled with their three-point shooting Friday night, Hallsville claimed a 70-53 win in Wildcats Gym. The Wildcats made 11 three’s against Greenville Tuesday night but could manage only three long range baskets in the Friday night loss. A big second quarter by the Bobcats did the Wildcats in.
Hallsville outscored the Wildcats 24-13 in the second quarter to increase a six point first quarter lead to 17 points at the half. Bryson Lynn led the Wildcats with 17 points while Ke’Ontae Dunn scored 12 and Keaston Willis 10. The Wildcats are now 3-8 in district play and 10-17 overall.
The Wildcats play Pine Tree next Tuesday night on the road. The Wildcats topped Pine Tree, 45-31 in Wildcats Gym on January 15.
Lady Cats in First; One Win Away From District Title
The Lady Cats Basketball Team took a giant step toward winning the district championship as they just got by Hallsville, 44-42 Friday night in Hallsville. The victory avenged a Hallsville victory in Sulphur Springs, 49-47 back on January 12. The Lady Cats are now at the top of the district standings with a record of 11-2. Their season record is 24-6.
Hallsville falls to 10-3 in district play. The Lady Cats are one game ahead of Hallsville with just one game to go. The Lady Cats only need a victory over Pine Tree at home next Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to clinch the district title. The Lady Cats defeated Pine Tree on the road 60-13 back on January 15.
Lady Cats Softball Scrimmages Underway
At a scrimmage Monday at White Oak, the Lady Cats Softball Team lost a close one to White Oak, 2-1 and then edged by Gilmer, 3-2. Lady Cats Coach David Carrillo said both opponents featured strong pitchers. The White Oak pitcher has committed to Stephen F. Austin. Coach Carrillo said a one hour time limit for the scrimmage games meant batters had only one or two at bats, hardly enough to get in a good groove.
Coach Carrillo was also impressed with his pitchers including Sarah Womack, Brinklee Driver and Landri Bell. Driver also blasted a two run homer against Gilmer. Coach Carrillo said his team this year features a good blend of returners and new young talent. He said competition for jobs would be fierce. Coach Carrillo said he had 36 players in the program and all 36 were good ballplayers.
Coach Carrillo said the evaluation process would continue Saturday as the Lady Cats scrimmage Rockwall, The Colony and North Forney at Rockwall. He expected to see more good pitching at this second scrimmage.
Wildcats Baseball Scrimmages Sherman Monday
Eagle Stadium
This is a unique year for Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack and his Wildcats Baseball Team. For ten previous years, Coach Hammack has fielded senior laden teams with just a few underclassmen on the roster. After last year’s graduation of the largest baseball senior class ever, the Wildcats will return only one starter, ace pitcher Tyler Follis. Coach Hammack says he will be starting from scratch.
Hammack says he’s looking at four or five sophomores along with members of a large and impressive freshman class. Three or four players will come from the basketball team when they are through. Scrimmages and early games will be big for player evaluations. The process begins Monday as the Wildcats scrimmage Sherman on the road beginning at 6:30 p.m. Coach Hammack says this will be a good year for young guys to be on the varsity. He adds the future may be now.
Varisty Basketball by Justin Brock and Brenden Lynn
“To make Varsity, you must be a player who’s invested in the game of basketball. A player who will go the extra mile to be better and to make the team better,” Coach Cipoletta adds. Coach Cipoletta, or as everyone else calls Coach Cip, is the head boys and Varsity coach at Sulphur Springs High School (SSHS). Coach Cip likes for his players to pay attention to details. “In order to be a good basketball player you have to work hard and earn it. We need kids willing to put in time during the summer to improve their game. This is the only way we, as Sulphur Springs, can be very good,” says Coach Cip.
There are many different players who make up the Varsity team this year. It consists a total of 15 players this year (list of names below). Keaston Willis, who’s the only freshman on Varsity, is youngest player, and he’s averaging the most points per game on the team with 17.4. “Having this freshman on the team is a good addition knowing that most of my players are seniors and are leaving after this year,” Coach Cip adds. Trenton Brock, Cain Cody, Garret Jones, Matthew Malone, Derrick Weeks, Keylon Hall, and Zach Haywood are the seniors that’ll be leaving after this year.
Injuries are some of the hardest things Coach Cip has to deal with this year, so far. Cain Cody and Simeon Taylor are two of the players who started last year but both out for the season with injuries. Simeon, only being a sophomore, has two more years at SSSHS, but as for Cain, he’s going to be leaving SSHS after this year, due to him being a senior and having a foot injury. Knowing that he’ll be out for the year, Coach Cip says, “Cain has been our biggest lost this year. He has been the defensive MVP of our district 2 years in a row.” Hopefully he’ll be back in time for the next athletic event, which is baseball or track and field, so we can use his skill and potential in order to win games.
So far this year, the Wildcats are 10-15. “Our hardest opponent that we played this year so far has been Mount Pleasant, and we lost 63-53. They have the size we don’t and guards to go along with it. We played them well, but in the end, their size killed us on the boards..,” says Coach Cip. Our district is tough and they are hard to play against (district schedule on page 2). Coach Cip thinks we’ll make it to the playoffs if we play the way we know how, and finish our season with a positive record.
“My expectations for this team is that I want them to reach their full potential. I don’t focus on loss and win record. I worry about making out guys as good as they can be and the winning will take care of its self,” Coach Cip replies. All Coach Cip is trying to accomplish this year is to make it to the playoffs. “After this year I think that the players would learn how to be good teams and how to handle adversity. All I’m trying to teach them this year is most importantly that the team is the most important. Without it, you won’t have much.” Coach Cip might be one of the best Varsity basketball coaches that Sulphur Springs, Texas has ever seen. Hopefully he’ll use his skills to teach, not just the basketball players, but every other student that enrolls into SSISD.
| # | Name | Class | Height |
| 1 | Ke’Ontae Dunn | Junior | 5’10 |
| 2 | Keaston Willis | Freshman | 6’1 |
| 3 | Mason Buck | Junior | 6’1 |
| 5 | Keylon Hall | Senior | 6’3 |
| 10 | Matthew Malone | Senior | 6’0 |
| 11 | Bryson Lynn | Sophomore | 5’10 |
| 12 | Zach Haywood | Senior | 5’9 |
| 14 | Dane Rutherford | Junior | 6’1 |
| 21 | Trenton Brock | Senior | 6’2 |
| 22 | Michael Arnold | Junior | 6’0 |
| 23 | Garrett Jones | Senior | 6’1 |
| 24 | Iverson Wade | Sophomore | 6’3 |
| 30 | Cain Cody | Senior | 6’3 |
| 32 | Tyrese Pryor | Sophomore | 6’2 |
| 33 | Derrick Weeks | Senior | 6’3 |
Varsity Basketball Players (2015-2016)
Additional Allocations for United Way 2014-2015 Fund Drive Presented Friday
Hopkins County United Way presented additional funds to the 17 beneficiaries of the 2014-2015 campaign allocations during a special event Friday, February 05, 2016. Chris Voorheese, Campaign Chair for the 2014-2015 drive and current Chair of United Way, presented an additional $36,423.12 to the various organizations.
Community Chest, which received $70,000 in the initial allocation will received $18,103.84 or 49.7% of the total received in the 2014-2015 campaign. Others receiving allocations include North East Texas Child Advocacy (2.09%), ETCADA (0.89%), Christian Alliance (5.86%) , The Dinner Bell (2.49%), NETSEO Trails Council/Boy Scouts (1.30%), Our Place/Lakes Regional MHMR (3.55%), Teen Court (3.11%), Lakes Country CASA (6.39%), SAFE-T (2.41%), Hopkins County 4-H (2.34%), Girl Scouts of North East Texas (1.42%), Meal-A-Day (4.86%), CANHelp (5.57%), Heritage Outreach (5.56%), Shadow Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center (2.09%), and Winnsboro Community Resources Center (0.36%)
Allocations in the 2014-2015 campaign totaled $140,833 prior to the additional allocations paid out Friday. The 2015-2016 campaign totals climbed even higher.
Kids Kingdom Closed Monday – Wednesday
Kids kingdom will be closed Monday February 8, Tuesday February 9, and Wednesday February 10 for mulching.
Brashear News by Debbie Young
Is time flying by fast for anyone else besides me? Cannot believe that we are in February 2016 already. The weather has been spectacular. The cool is needed to kill off all of the bugs. Thank goodness not too cool though.
Gardening time is upon us. Everyone we meet is asking how the garden is coming along. Someone we met last week already had blooms on their Brussels sprouts. Tom bedded the garden and has started the process. He planted greens, onions, and, He is thinking of getting the potatoes in the ground just wondering when the rain will come. They will need some rain before too much longer. It is getting dry again.
We were visiting the Brashear Library and found a box of new books. We want to thank the person who donated these books. Also to thank everyone else who is sharing books with all of us in Brashear. The selection is very eclectic. Check it out.
The Brashear Store is busy. Decided to lunch there this week, and had to wait in line. Lot of people had the same idea we had. The hamburgers were delicious and Taco Soup was the dish of the day. It was just right for a cool day.
If you know of anyone who would like to purchase a church pew, the Brashear Community Center has a few for sale. Contact Red George for more information. You can usually find him at the store from 8:00 until 9:00 in the morning.
Has anyone else noticed the large number of buzzards in the air lately? We have seen several in the air. Just wondering if they have increased in number around here or what.
Just winding down, for everyone has been remiss in getting their news to me lately, so not much to report. So remember to call me at 903.612.8806; or email me at [email protected]; or drop by and swing a while with us. We have a large selection of swings to sit and watch the world go by. Love to hear from each and every one of you. Take care.
Tira News By Jan Vaughn
A large group of Panthers fans gathered for the North Hopkins School Homecoming game on Tuesday night. Aysha 
Day was voted Homecoming Queen for 2016 by the student body. She is the daughter of Brandi Day and Chanse Fite and the grand-daughter of Kathy Day and the late Jimmy Day, Debbie and Bobby Harris, Mike and Valaree Fite and Sherry Smiddy and Powell Vickery. Aysha was escorted by her dad Chanse Fite and her pop Bobby Harris.
Powell Vickery is in Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano. Sherry shared that he is in stable condition and wanting to come home. Please be in prayer for him.
Dustin Weir spent Saturday the 23rd visiting with his parents, Robert and Yvonne Weir. They went to see the movie, The Revenant. Yvonne shared that the story of Hugh Glass occurred near her South Dakota home.
Dacy (Weir) Campbell and her children, Elise and Eli, spent last Friday night with Robert and Yvonne. Dacy helped put up a new mirror. On Saturday, they all went to garage sales and had lunch at Juan Pablo’s before Dacy and the kids returned home. On Sunday afternoon, Wesley Weir’s bowling team, My Heroes, went on a hayride and enjoyed hot dogs and the beautiful weather at their coach Johnny’s country retreat.
Tiffany, Kenden, Jaidyn, Chip, and I attended a fellowship for the hearing impaired at the ROC on Saturday. The group enjoyed pizza, bingo and visiting. Tiffany and I interpret for the deaf at First Baptist Church. Morgan was teaching a rocketry class at the Sulphur Springs airport that day. I shopped for Bingo prizes in Greenville on Friday and visited my friend, Natali Lawson, in the hospital. She had taken a bad fall and had broken bones in her arm and leg. She was very disappointed to miss the deaf fellowship. Prayers for her recovery would be welcome.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945-2190 or 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
