Alpine Daily Planet

Statewide scores

CLASS 5A

• Alief Elsik 41, Aldine Nimitz 17
• Alief Taylor 42, Aldine MacArthur 14
• Allen 45, Lewisville 13
• Arlington 47, Arlington Martin 16
• Arlington Bowie 49, Arlington Houston 0
• Arlington Lamar 42, Weatherford 0
• Austin Anderson 31, San Marcos 6
• Belton 35, Killeen Harker Heights 25
• Bryan 21, Killeen Shoemaker 19
• Cedar Hill 28, Mansfield Timberview 22
• Clute Brazoswood 24, Dickinson 21
• Colleyville Heritage 21, Irving MacArthur 3
• Conroe 31, Conroe Oak Ridge 26
• Copperas Cove 49, Temple 42
• Cypress Fairbanks 26, Cypress Ridge 7

Other West Texas scores of interest

• Wall 40, Alpine 19
• Kermit 21, Denver City 10
• Colorado City 51, Grape Creek 0
• Fort Davis 70, El Paso Immanuel Christian 2 (called at half)
• Ira 54, Rankin 46
• Garden City 38, Ropes 30
• Seminole 37, Dalhart 14
• Andrews 42, Pecos 21
• Monahans 21, Borger 7
• Fort Stockton 16, Lamesa 14
• Greenwood 35, Big Spring 14
• Iraan 34, Bovina 28 (OT)
• Wink 27, Smyer 20
• McCamey 49, Eldorado 7
• Tornillo, Van Horn
• Grandfalls 62, Buena Vista 14
• Balmorhea, Sanderson

 

Bucks can compete with anyone, but Wall game proves they must eliminate the mind-blowing mistakes

Oscar Trevino's 58-yard touchdown romp got the Bucks back in the game.

Coaches put the game into perspective for disappointed Bucks.

It took two Wall tacklers to bring down quarterback Evan Moore.

The Alpine defense made some mistakes, but it also made some extraordinary stops against a Top 10 team.

Getting the signal from the bench

Ely Gallego and Oscar Trevino bring down a Wall ballcarrier.

Moore handing off to Trevino

J.D. Flud (31) had another extraordinary night on defense.

By Mike Perry, Alpine Daily Planet

WALL – There are no moral victories. Let’s get that out of the way first; you won’t hear any of that nonsense coming from me.

And I won’t make any excuses for the Alpine Bucks, who lost, 40-19, here Friday night to the Wall Hawks in an important District 2-2A football game.

Wall won the game, deserved to win the game. The Bucks lost, and considering the way they played, they deserved to lose.

OK, that’s the bad side of a dark night in Wall.

If you want to know some of the whys (and bear with me, because we’re going to get to some good stuff here in a minute), it was simply a case of the Bucks making way too many mistakes in a big game against a Top 10 team.

Consider:

• Alpine turned the ball over three times in the first 15 minutes of the game.
• Wall had two turnovers in the first half, but one came on a fourth down and the Hawks had already been stopped.
• Alpine had seven penalties for seven – that’s 7, as in once every five times they snapped the ball – penalties for 75 yards in the first half
• Wall had one penalty in the first half for five yards. Put another way, they snapped the ball 39 times in the first half and were penalized once.
• Wall’s speedy little running backs racked up huge runs, mostly running wide but occasionally running right up the gut.

So, the Bucks made just about every mistake possible in the first half.

Here’s the deal, though, and it’s something head coach Stacey Martin stressed to the team after the game:

The Bucks can play with Wall. They proved – at least to me – that they can line up and slug it out with the Hawks. In fact, I’m convinced that if – and it’s an enormous but realistic “if” – the Bucks play these guys again, they can beat them.

What the Bucks showed me – and a sell-out crowd – was a ton of heart and the ability to fight back from adversity.

Granted, the final score was 40-19, but with six minutes left in the game, Alpine had narrowed the score to 27-19.

I think part of what happened Friday night comes down to the fact that Alpine hasn’t been in a game this big in a long time. It took them most of a quarter to realize it, but they finally discovered (or maybe knew all along) that the guys in purple and gold can play the game just as well – and with just as much ferocity – as the guys in green and white.

“Penalties and mental mistakes will come back to haunt you every time,” Martin said. “We’ve got to learn to finish [a game]. It was 27-19 with six minutes left. We were in this game, but stupid mistakes” let the game get away.

Martin was quick to add, however, how proud he was of the effort the team put forth. And not just effort; he and the other coaches stressed, as Martin put it, “that you can play with them (Wall).”

“We had great effort,” he said, “but there are no moral victories. … Now you have to come back against Crane” next week at Jackson Field in Alpine.

“Don’t hang your head over this game,” Martin told the team. “Yes, you should be upset, angry, but keep your head up and learn from the mistakes; think about the positives (and there were a lot of them) and learn from the negatives.”

Amen, brother.

Martin concluded by saying, “We’re going to be all right. Our goals are still the same, we’re 1-1 in district and everything is still wide open for us.”

Anyone who saw the game knows there were a lot of positives to embrace. We’ve talked about the mistakes, and you can bet your … that the coaches will be addressing those mistakes in practice this week.

However, this bunch has come so, so far from where they were a year ago. Hell, from where they were two and three weeks ago. They proved to me tonight they can play with anyone.

For example, consider this:

Wall took the opening kickoff and quite simply strolled down the field to a touchdown, going 82 yards in five plays. Sixty-two of those yards came on a sweep around the right side. With 9:59 left in the first quarter, it was Wall, 7-0, and I’m sure the green people packed in the stands across the way figured the rout was on.

On top of that, the Bucks took the kickoff and appeared to be driving, but on their fifth play from scrimmage, at the Wall 32, quarterback Evan Moore threw one of his rare, rare interceptions.

Now, this is where the Bucks proved to me just how good they’ve become and what they’re capable of becoming. After the interception, Wall took over at the 50. Four plays later, they had a first down at the Alpine nine. In fact, the Hawks even had a third and two from the two-yard line and then a fourth and one from the one-yard line. The Bucks held. I mean, they stuffed the Hawks (no pun intended). They did it with precision and with, as I said before, ferocity.

(By the way, this might be where I should insert the comments from the Dad of the Wall quarterback, who was walking up and down the sidelines with me during much of the game. Nice guy, and his son is a helluva ballplayer. Anyway, Dad told me that Alpine is as tough as they’ve seen and head-and-shoulders above what they were last year).

But back to the game.

As I said, the Bucks held Wall at the 1 and started a mini-drive, taking the ball out to the 27 before fumbling a handoff. Wall recovered. Time for the Bucks to fold, right?

Not this bunch. After reeling off a quick first down, which set them up at the Buck 14, the Hawks ran off four plays before Jimmy Miller intercepted a Wall pass in the end zone and ran it out to the 10.

Again, the Bucks got a little mini-drive going but a five-yard motion penalty stalled the drive. The Bucks punted and then the two teams traded fumbles. First, Jason Salcido recovered a Wall fumble at the Alpine 36. Then the Bucks fumbled the ball right back to the Hawks two plays later.

Wall took over on the Alpine 30 and scored in two plays, 25 of the yards coming on a rare pass. With 8:19 left in the half, Wall had stretched its lead to 14-0.

Wall and Alpine traded punts, and with about five minutes left in the half, the Bucks took over on their 28. They put together a beautiful 12-play drive – no penalties plus one critical third-down conversion and a successful fourth-and-five conversion from the Wall 25. On the 12th play of the drive, Moore hit wide receiver Taylor O'Bryant right at the goal line on the right side of the field. The PAT was no good, but the Bucks were back in the game, trailing 14-6, with 1:08 left in the half.

Wall made a stab at putting the game away early in the third quarter, something they’ve done to just about every other opponent they’ve faced this year. On their first possession, the Hawks drove (breezed might be a better word) to a score in three plays. With the conversion, Wall led 21-6 with 9:24 left in the third quarter.

Again, after trading punts, the Bucks got it back. On a first down from the Alpine 42, Oscar Trevino went 55 yards on an end around down the left side of the field. The extra point was good and we still had a game, a damned good game, with Wall leading 21-13 and 5:41 left in the third quarter.

Late in the third quarter, Wall went on a five-play, 60-yard drive and took a 27-13 lead.

But I have to tell you, most of us in purple were beginning to believe that the Bucks were indeed going toe-to-toe with the Hawks and winning their share of the battles.

The Bucks gave proof to that feeling by putting together another beautiful 13-play, 61-yard drive with Moore going head over heels from one yard out for the score. The PAT was blocked but with 6:58 left in the game, Wall’s lead was only 27-19.

At that point, I truly became a believer in this team. And I’m still a believer, even though they allowed Wall to score two easy ones in the final six minutes. The Buck defense seemed to be holding the Hawks and the hitting was violent, but then one of Wall’s speed backs got outside and went 42 yards to make it 34-19 with 5:08 left in the game.

Alpine’s offense tried to get something going, but an eight-play drive netted only six yards – and three five-yard penalties for various motion and movement infractions. The result was a punt that set up Wall’s last score, which came on a one-play, 50-yard pitchout that went, you guessed it, wide right.

I liked, I mean I really liked, what I saw next from the Bucks. Trailing 40-19 with 3:44 left, the game over for all practical purposes, the offense drove down the field before running out of time and downs at the Wall 3.

I talked with the high school beat writer from San Angelo, who has seen Wall play a lot in the past couple of years. And he saw Alpine lose to Wall last year. He said two things worth remembering: (a) the Bucks are sooo much better than they were last year, and (b) Wall is better than the team that went four rounds into the Class 2A playoffs last year.

A big game was played at Hawk Stadium Friday night and the Bucks lost. But the world didn’t end. And the Bucks found out they can compete with anyone in their division. And they are, after all, 5-1 on the year and 1-1 in district. Crane’s up next. Should be fun. As Coach Martin said the other day, “Is there anything that’s more fun than high school football on a Friday night in Texas?”

I can’t think of anything. Even though the Bucks lost, I’m confident they will correct their mistakes, learn from their mistakes, embrace the positives and challenge for a playoff spot. Once this team gets to the playoffs, it should get really interesting. Like Coach said, “Don’t hang your heads.”

Alpine 0 6 7 6 — 19

Wall 7 7 13 13 — 40

First quarter

• WALL — 9:59 remaining, Austin Matschek 63 run (Collin McCrory kick).

Second quarter

• WALL — 8:48, Matschek 5 run (McCrory kick)
• ALPINE — 1:08, Taylor O’Bryant 9 pass from Evan Moore (kick failed).

Third quarter

• WALL — 9:24, McCrory 20 run (McCrory kick).
• ALPINE — 5:41, Oscar Trevino 58 run (No. 11 kick).
• WALL — 0:39, Grant Eubank 1 run (pass failed).

Fourth quarter

• ALPINE — 6:58, Evan Moore 2 run (kick blocked).
• WALL — 5:08, Eubank 58 run (McCrory kick).
• WALL — 3:49, Matschek 50 run (kick failed).

Alpine Wall

• First downs 16 20
• Rushes-Yards 41-226 45-497
• Passing 138 69
• Comp-Att-Int 13-28-1 2-5-1
• Punts 7-38.5 4-36.0
• Fumbles-Lost 2-2 2-1
• Penalties-Yards 9-70 5-40
• Individual statistics
• RUSHING: Alpine —Evan Moore 26-101, Oscar Trevino 3-74, Cody Arnold 4-19, Vince Molinar 5-19, Jeremy Ontivares 1-11, Taylor O’Bryant 2-2. Wall — Austin Matschek 15-255, Grant Eubank 6-95, Landon Meek 8-45, Trent Schwartz 9-46.
• PASSING: Alpine — Moore 12-28-1-138. Wall — McCrory 2-5-1-69.
• RECEIVING: Alpine — Trevino 8-66, O’Bryant 5-72. Wall — Eubank 1-44, Jake Henderson 1-25.
• RECORDS — Alpine is 5-1, 1-1 district. Wall is 6-0, 2-0.

Power Play: Game of the week in West Texas

Alpine Daily Planet editor's note: We drove into San Angelo about 4 p.m., headed to Western Sky Steakhouse before driving out to Wall for the football game. I picked up a copy of the local paper, the San Angelo Standard-Times, where I started as a sports writer 43 years ago, and lo and behold, there's was the biggest damned headline I'd seen in a paper in some time. It said: "Power Play: Game of the Week, Alpine at No. 9 Wall." Here's the story. I'm going to get some steak.

By Mark Whitson, from the San Angelo Standard-Times

Two unbeaten teams will enter Hawk Stadium tonight for the Standard-Times' Game of the Week — but only one will walk out with its perfect record still intact.

The Alpine Fightin' Bucks (5-0 overall, 1-0 in district) and the Wall Hawks (5-0, 1-0) square off in a clash that could have huge early implications on the District 2-2A race.

"We're looking at it as a big game, just for the fact that the winner will be 2-0 in district," Alpine head coach Stacey Martin said. "To go 1-1 at this point in district, it would be an uphill battle trying to win that district championship."

Alpine has made quite the turnaround from last season's 3-7 finish, and have their sights set on the 2-2A title, just like Wall does.

The Bucks have bounded through the nondistrict half of their 2011 schedule with an average margin of victory of more than 24 points per game.

Last week, Alpine sophomore quarterback Evan Moore passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns against Grape Creek, plus he ran for another as the Bucks opened district with a 41-14 win.

Senior all-state receiver Taylor O'Bryant returned to the lineup just in time for district and caught eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Moore started all 10 games as a freshman last season, and the experience has so far paid big dividends for the Bucks.

"We feel like we're a little bit better than we were at this time last year," Martin said. "The kids are understanding what we want to do. (Moore) has played now 15 games on varsity, but at times he's still just a sophomore and we kind of lose sight of that."

Martin says his young signal caller has benefitted this year from veteran receivers like O'Bryant and Oscar Trevino, as well as an improved running game.

The Hawks also have jumped out to a 5-0 start, and after passing tough tests against Bangs and Merkel to begin the year, have outscored the opponents in their last three games by 83 points.

In Wall's district-opening win over Crane, Austin Matschek, Grant Eubank and Collin McCrory each ran for more than 130 yards to top the Golden Cranes, 33-7.

"At any point in time, any one of these kids can have a breakout game," Wall head coach Houston Guy said. "In the second half against Crane, we kind of put it all together and showed exactly what we're capable of doing. Crane is a hard place to go in and get a win."

With the 1-0 district start, and a new group of Hawks coming into their own this season, Guy likes where his team is at mentally and physically.

"I feel like we're in a good position district-wise," Guy said. "But this is a big game and we'll have to play great defense against Alpine.

"We'll have to keep (Moore) contained, keep everything underneath us and get to the quarterback. I think it's going to be a good district contest."

Offensively, Guy said it will be business as usual for the run-oriented Hawks.

"We want to run the ball," Guy said. "If we can run the football, we're going to run it. If they try and force us to throw it, we're going to try and throw it. We don't get real complicated. We're going to be pretty vanilla."

In last year's matchup, Alpine "stacked the box," and the Hawks rolled to a 42-13 win via the play-action pass.

Martin said however Wall takes aim at the Bucks, his team will have to be ready.

"They've got three good running backs, a good quarterback and they can throw the ball," Martin said. "I think they throw the ball better this year than they have in the past. It's going to be a tough, tough task, but one we've been preparing for."

 

Lobos play first home game

Alpine Daily Planet

On Saturday, the Sul Ross Lobos’ football team will finally get a chance to perform in front of a home crowd.

The Lobos kick off at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) against the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs in an American Southwest Conference game.

By a strange quirk in the schedule – three straight road games followed by an open date – the Lobos are not playing their first home game until October. Hopefully, the results in October – with two of three games at home – will reverse the September trend.

The Lobos have, at times, played some very good football this year. The defense has consistently met the challenge and is holding opponents to a bit over 20 points a game.

The Lobos enter Saturday’s game with a 1-2 record, and the three games have been decided by a total of 16 points. If you’re into playing the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” game, the Lobos could easily be 3-0; probably should be 3-0. They outplayed Western New Mexico (a Division II school) before losing in the final 20 seconds, and the loss to Howard Payne two weeks ago was, well, strange.

The Howard Payne game was played on the road, included a five-hour weather delay and was one of those games in which Sul Ross always seemed one play away from breaking the game open.

Unfortunately, at least against Howard Payne, the two or three big plays, all came from the Yellow Jackets.

A win over Texas Lutheran, which is 3-1 for the year and 2-0 in conference could go a long way toward getting a promising season back on track.

The Lobos appear to be mostly healthy after a one-week layoff. They’ll go with their balanced, no-huddle offense and their swarming defense brought in by new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.

The Lobos follow up this week’s game with a trip to McMurry next week in Abilene. On Oct. 15, they return to Jackson Field to host Hardin-Simmons. 

School board to consider redistricting, superintendent applications

Alpine Daily Planet

The Alpine Independent School District board of trustees will talk about redistricting and their search for a new superintendent at their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Agenda items include:

Item: Public workshop on redistricting of trustee districts, election precincts and polling places. Presenter is attorney Greg Hudson of Hudson & O’Leary LLP

Item: Convene public hearing on redistricting plans

Item: Consideration of and possible action on a resolution to adopt a plan for redistricting for trustee districts

Item: Closed session regarding personnel matters and review of applications received for position of superintendent of schools

 

Snapshots from Alpine-Wall junior varsity game at Buck Stadium

The Wall Hawks junior varsity used several big plays to stop the Alpine JV, 27-0, Thursday evening at Buck Stadium.

The Alpine defense looked good for long stretches during the game, but would then give up a long-distance play that would either set up or be a touchdown.

The Buck offense looked capable in spurts but simply couldn't mount any kind of passing game. The Bucks were able to run on Wall but inconsistently.

The Buck defense did stop the Hawks once in the second half in side its 10-yard line. And on another occasion, the Bucks intercepted a pass deep in their territory.

Brewster County Jail Booking Log

Sept. 19

• Joel Luna Hernandez Assault Causes Bodily Injury APD

Sept. 20

• Terrell Jerome Adams POM < 2 oz., DWLI w/Previous Conviction or Suspension APD
• Omero Velasquesz-Urias Re-Entry After Deportation USBP

Sept. 21

• Jose De Jesus Cerino-Ramos Fraud Documents USC

Sept. 22

• Michael Cole Gray POM < 2 oz Drug Free Zone APD
• Ashley Rena May POM < 2 oz Drug Free Zone APD

Sept. 23

• Roxanne Rojo Smith Theft Prop>=$500<$1,500 APD
• Patrick Glenn Cadle DWLI w/Previous Conviction or Suspension BCSO

Sept. 24

• Alfonso Julian Vega DWI APD
• Terrell Jerome Adams Evading Arrest Detention, DWLI w/Previous Conviction or Suspension BCSO
• Pedro Camarillio-Orta Illegal Entry BCSO
• Christian Ayala-Cepeda Illegal Entry USBP
• Victor Ayala-Cepeda Illegal Entry USBP
• Jaun Bautista-Mateo Illegal Entry USBP
• Marcelio Pedro De Lima Entry w/o Inspection USBP
• Albino Merilande De Silva-Olivera Entry w/o Inspection USBP
• Francismar Ferreira-Albino Entry w/o Inspection USBP
• Ismael Hernandez-Sanchez Illegal Entry USBP
• Baltazar Mancha-Cardona Illegal Entry USBP
• Pamela Moran-Carillo Illegal Entry USBP
• Juan Jose Ortiz-Cabrera Illegal Entry USBP
• Simon Perez-Macias Illegal Entry USBP
• Jose Luis Pizano-Guytan Illegal Entry USBP

Sept. 25

• Raul Gonzalez Jr. POM < 2 oz BCSO
• Joseph Eric Vannoy POM < 2 oz BCSO
• Jorge Alberto-Zuniga POM WITD DEA
• Juan Luis Betance POM WITD DEA
• Alejandro Castro-Delgado Possession WITD DEA
• Miguel Angel Ceniceros-Contreras Possession WITD DEA
• Hector Miguel Chaparro-Gutierrez Possession WITD DEA
• Christian Aaron Galindo-Lopez POM WITD DEA
• Juan Hernandez-Medrano Possession WITD DEA
• Christopher Moya POM WITD DEA
• Eulalio Rangel Possession WITD/Smuggling DEA

 

Brewster County sheriff’s office

• Total Calls: 107
• Total Investigations: 59
• Traffic Stops: 61
• Citations Issued: 32           
• Civil Process: 2

Sept. 19

• Shots Fired  Terlingua Ranch            Investigated/Cleared
• Animal Control-Cattle N of US 67/W of FM 1703 UTL
• Stolen Property Marathon Information Taken
• Minor Accident Stripes Parking Lot Report Taken/Citation Issued

Sept. 20

• Animal Control-Cattle Hwy 90 e of Marathon UTL/Owner issued Verbal Warning
• Motorist Assist Terlingua Directions Given
• Missing Person/Welfare Concern Alpine Individual Located/Family Notified and picked up
• Reckless Driver Cemetery Road Verbal Warning Issued
• Possible Fire S Hwy 118 Investigated/Cleared
• Possible Assault Alpine Investigated/Cleared
• Alarm Alpine High School Investigated/Cleared

Sept. 21

• Animal Control-Cattle S Hwy 385 Put Up
• Cruelty to Animal-Horse Alpine Report Taken/Under Investigation
• Animal Control-Cattle S Hwy 385 Owner contacted to repair fence
• 911 Call-Possible Fire Marathon Put out by rain
• 911 Call-Possible Fire Terlingua Investigated/Cleared
• 911 Call-Ambulance Request Lajitas No Transport
• Agency Assist-APD Kokernot Park Transport 1 Arrest for APD

Sept. 22

• Animal Control-Cattle Marathon UTL
• Animal Control-Abandoned Goat Terlingua Arrangements made for neighbor to care for goat
• Agency Assist-APD/K9 Search Sul Ross Entrance Cleared by Assist

Sept. 23

• Complaint of Rowdy Individuals Lobo Hotel Office            Asked Individuals to leave
• 911 Call-Ambulance Request Lajitas No Transport
• Animal Control-Sheep Mosley Loop/Hwy 90 Put back in pen
• Traffic Stop N Hwy 118 Arrest Made/DWLI
• Cruelty to Animal  Alpine Under Investigation
• Motorist Assist 4 Miles W Hwy 67 Wrecker Dispatched
• Hit and Run Wagon Road Information Taken/ATL Vehicle
• Suspicious Vehicle Hampton Inn Parking Lot Arrest Made
• Alarm Alpine High School Investigated/Cleared

Sept. 24

• Harassment 600 Block S 11^th Street Criminal Trespass and Verbal Warning Issued
• Fire Terlingua Advised Forrest Service
• Possible Fire Dead Horse Mountain Fire Department on Scene/Fire burned itself out
• Alarm Alpine Elementary School Investigated/Cleared
• 911 Call/Fire Terlingua Advised Fire is in BBNP
• POM Behind Texas Fusion 2 Arrests Made

Sept. 25

• 911 Call/Ambulance Request Dagger Road Call Transferred to BBNP
• Agency Assist-APD/Major Accident Front of Maverick Inn Medical Transport Refused
• Alarm Alpine ISD Investigated/Cleared

 

Marathon Library holding fundraiser

The Marathon Branch of the Alpine Public Library will hold a craft and flea market fundraiser on October 14 and 15 at Shirley’s Burnt Biscuit in Marathon from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tables are $20 donation.  Please call Carol at 432-364-4136 to register.

Q&A with Alpine head coach Stacey Martin as Bucks prepare for road game at Wall

Oscar Trevino (8) is one of the offensive weapons the Bucks will rely on against Wall (Photo by Felipe Fierro)

By Mike Perry, Alpine Daily Planet

Both teams are 1-0 in District 2-2A, both teams are 5-0 on the season. We’re talking about Wall vs. Alpine in a key district match Friday night in Wall. Kick off is 7:30 p.m.

Other than the identical records, the two teams are in many ways studies in contrast: Alpine is coming off a 3-7 season; Wall is dishing out more of the same after a run to the regional finals in 2010. Alpine has gone from a finesse team to a team that is very physical while retaining its quick-strike offense. Wall is a running team with three very fast running backs capable of breaking loose on any given play. Alpine has shown it can effectively run the ball, probably for the first time in years; plus, the Bucks have a quick-strike passing offense that has at least one touchdown pass to its credit in every game thus far.

The winner of this game will be a step up in the race for the playoffs but as tough as this district is, a win is not a guarantee of future success. At the risk of over-using an old cliché, District 2-2A is a virtual murderer’s row of tough, tough opponents.

But make no mistake, however: Friday night’s game is important to both programs.

What follows is the weekly Q&A with Alpine Buck head coach Stacey Martin:

ONE: At the risk of being too general, exactly how big is this game? After all, win or lose, you still have four tough games left – two against teams that have been mentioned at one time or another as Top 25 teams.

Stacey Martin: This is a big game because the winner will be 2-0 in district besides that we have gone at it like any other week.

TWO: Despite the fact that both teams are 5-0, this game is portrayed as David (Alpine) vs. Goliath (Wall). Is that accurate? Is Wall more talented, faster, bigger? I guess what I’m asking is an opinion from you as to what makes Wall a much better team “in the eyes of the experts.” I’m not saying that’s true, but that’s the perception.

Martin: Wall is a very good football team. They have very few if any weaknesses and we will have to play flawless to win Friday. They deserve the notoriety they have received for what they are doing now and what they accomplished last year.

THREE: What do you do fight perceptions such as that with your players? Do they pay attention to perceptions? Does your team run the risk of being intimidated by Wall? (I’m not in any way trying to be insulting when I ask that question; I’m trying to get a feel for the mindset, or the mindset you perceive, in your team.

Martin: We are not intimidated at all, we respect Wall and their talent but we believe we can be a very good team as well. They have to put their pads on like any other high school team and as the saying goes " on any given night"

FOUR: What must Alpine do to win this game or be in a position to win this game?

Martin: no turnovers or bad penalties. Tackle and block well and execute what is called.

FIVE: You hear a lot about adjustments made at halftime. Well, Wall must be one of the better “adjusting” teams around. They were up only 6-0 (and lucky for that) against Crane the other night. They held only a 14-7 lead on you guys at the half last year. What is that they do – is it adjusting, is it better conditioning?

Martin: They make sound adjustments and their style of play wears opponents down

SIX: You may have touched on this above, but how much adjusting do you normally do during a halftime, particularly in a big game like this? Do team’s hold back certain things until the second half?

Martin: We won't hold anything back in district no matter who it is.

SEVEN: You’ve preached after every game that your team – which plays with great passion – that tempers need to be controlled because of the inordinate number of personal fouls called on Alpine. In fact, you could make an argument that officials, whether they like to admit it or not, probably enter a game with an expectation that Alpine is a “personal foul” kind of team. How have you attacked that issue during practice – without affecting the passion with which the team plays?

Martin: We just want to eliminate the stupid and selfish penalties. Always keep in mind your teammates before you act.

EIGHT: What is Wall going to try to do against you offensively?

Martin: Run the ball with power and the option attack.

NINE: What is Wall going to try to do against you defensively?

Martin: Wall will try and make you one dimensional offensively.

TEN: Grape Creek came in as a running team but threw the ball successfully against the Bucks. The secondary has been one of the team’s strengths; how do you ensure that Wall – which wants to run every down, it seems – doesn’t sneak a pass in on you?

Martin: You just have to concentrate and do your job against a team like Wall. don't try and do someone else's job.

ELEVEN: Wall seems to have speed to the outside – or quickness in space, which is one of the few things that’s given your defense trouble this year. Is that fixable?

Martin: Wall is maybe the fastest team in the region, key for us is to get them before the get north and south.

TWELVE: Do you feel positive about what the team has accomplished in practice this week?

Martin: I really think we are ready to give our best effort, that is all you can ask of the kids, to give 100% effort.

THIRTEEN: Is everyone going to be able to play?

Martin: We should be 100%.

FOURTEEN: Can the Bucks run on Wall? My truly uneducated eye tells me that’s it mandatory that the Bucks be able to run and control the clock as much as possible. Sure, you have a quick strike offense – with Evan to O’Bryant, Trevino or Mallouf – that can reel off two-play drives against just about anyone. But don’t you want to be able to grind it out to keep their offense (and our defense) off the field as much as possible?

Martin: We are just going to play our game, we really can't reinvent ourselves but need positive drives when we have the ball.

FIFTEEN: I’ve kinda asked this earlier but I’m going to ask it again: Do the players truly believe they can win this game – and will they continue to believe even if they get down a touchdown or two? I ask that because of what I’ve seen in the past with some pretty good Buck teams (before your time here) who went into big playoff games against some of those big boys in the Panhandle but once they met a bit of adversity, they turned into average teams. Does that question make sense and is it answerable?

Martin: Absolutely, they believe and adversity is going to hit at some point but it is what we do to rise above it that matters.

SIXTEEN: As a coach, what does it feel like to have the pride of an entire town riding on our shoulders? 

Martin: Not really, to us this is important because it is two 1-0 teams in the second week of district. That really is the bottom line.

SEVENTEEN: Conversely, what do you think it feels like for the players? Do they feel, understand the long-term meaning of games like this. Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on you and them by simply asking the question. It is, after all, just a game. But, then again, it’s Texas and it’s more than a game.

Martin: I don't think they put that pressure on themselves, they are a pretty loose group.

EIGHTEEN: You see the players on and off the field – probably see them more than their parents in some ways. How has this bunch matured – off the field, as individuals and as students and as representatives of their institution? I may be getting a bit esoteric.

Martin: This is a great group we have here. both the varsity and JV. They work hard and at times they are fighting with a small stick in the district we are in, but one thing is we won't back down.

NINETEEN: You guys having fun?

Martin: Can't have much more fun than playing football on Friday Nights in Texas.

TWENTY: I have got to the think the way this team plays and its success is paying dividends with youngsters in the community who are choosing whether to play football. Can you see any of that or are you too focused on the task at hand to pay much attention to that?

Martin: We hope our numbers keep increasing. It's easy for kids not to do anything anymore in our modern society where everything is at their fingertips and you don't have to work for that type of thing.

TWENTY-ONE: Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, you've completely turned this program around. I hear it from other coaches: Alpine is feared because of how tough and violent they play -- and I mean that in the best possible way. Did you expect to be able to accomplish this big a turnaround this quickly?

Martin: I don't know if we turned it around or just went in another direction. That is the way I grew up playing and really do not know of any other way but to be physical. Effort, physical play and mental toughness are not athletic attributes but more of a willingness to get a job done. None of the three take athletic talent to be achieved.

Buck Tracks from the AHS principal's office by Verl O'Bryant, Sept. 29 edition

By Verl O'Bryant

I’m trying something different that I hope helps all of us. I will be putting out my Buck Tracks by Thursday mornings of each week in an attempt to avoid surprises on Mondays. Thursdays and Fridays will repeat as you will see.

From now on, when you email me events etc., please type BUCK TRACKS in the subject line to make it easy to catch and include in the appropriate edition.

We are moving right along into the semester with the first six weeks ending Friday and the second Fantastic Friday upon us next Friday.

With the success of the robotics, FFA, band, cross country, volleyball, cheerleaders and football teams, there is a lot of excitement in the air with anticipation of what might be.

As fast and furious as things get at times, keep the goal in front of us at all times... student-centered learning. As I walk through, as I have mentioned on several occasions, I am looking for student engagement with extra points for student authenticity. This translates into student engagement in an activity or process that they may evaluate and relate to real life.

As I also said, I want to see some risk-taking in getting students to this point. Mistakes followed by corrections are usually a good indicator that learning is at a high level. If everything is smooth with no ripples in the water, that is usually an indication that nobody, students or teachers, are being stretched and challenged. I am not disappointed at all.

A few All-Star performances include students in Mrs. Donaghy’s and Coach Barnes’ classes to name a few. I am always excited when teachers let me know when special things are happening in their rooms on a certain day.

Keep up the good work and be aware: Over the next four weeks, research clearly shows a drop off in planning/instruction and ultimately learning until December. It also shows that monitoring does the same (this includes my position). We have shown that we are good at bucking the trends of the common. Arete is our vision and must remain so if we are to defeat the foe of complacency.

“Success is uncommon and not to be enjoyed by the common man. I’m looking for uncommon people because we want to be successful, not average.” Tony Dungy

The mission of Alpine High School is to provide a challenging learning environment that encourages students to take responsibility and become successful, productive life-long learners.

Big stuff this week

Thursday 9/29

• JV FB Home vs. Wall 5 p.m.

Friday 9/30

• Varsity FB @ Wall – Second District Game – Something tells me the Hawks are “Sleeping with One Eye Open.” They are big, they are fast, and they are good. Let’s show the football world we are state contenders.
• Early Out 12:00 Noon – buses will run
• Pep Rally @ 10:40
• Lunch 11:15 – 12:00

Saturday, 10/1

• Big Bend Mountain Ramble CC meet. 9 a.m. Continue to dominate
• VB Open
• Students get in free to SRSU football with a canned good to benefit the West Texas Food Bank

Monday, 10/3

• Grandes due by 9 a.m.
• Sul Ross Marching contest all day
• NHS induction ceremony at the Administration Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 10/4

• Volleyball team at home vs. Tornillo. First district game.

Wednesday, 10/4

• SRSU Tech Symposium
• Student picture day

Thursday, 10/6

• JV football at Crane

Friday, 10/7

• Fantastic Friday: Junior Frenzie Group brings goodies for lounge celebrantion
• Football vs. Crane at Jackson Field
• Cross country team at Lubbock

Big stuff for the future

• 10/11 – FFA officers, assembly schedule that you received on 9/267 in your box
• 10/12 – PSAT 8 a.m., $13. Limited number of tests left.
• 10/22 – Area band contest in Odessa

 

Q&A with Marfa head football coach Jeff Jones: Time to prepare for district grind

Head coach Jeff Jones talks to his Marfa team after come-from-behind win over Plains (Photo by Fred Martinez)

By Mike Perry, Alpine Daily Planet

After what could prove to be a momentum-changing win against Plains last Friday night, the Marfa Shorthorns will not play another football game until they travel to Van Horn to open District 5-1A (Division II) on Oct. 14.

Although coaches dislike having two straight weeks off, the lay-off might be a good chance for the Shorthorns to heal up and get mentally and physically focused for the tough four-game march through district. With teams such as Van Horn, Wink, Iraan and McCamey, the Shorthorns are competing in one of the state’s toughest districts.

The Shorthorns finished their non-district schedule with a 2-3 record. The high point thus far has been the late comeback to defeat Plains; the low point was the loss of the year’s starting quarterback Jerram Rojo.

However, the Shorthorns have moved past the loss of their quarterback and seem to be finding a comfort level with their new line-up.

What follows is the weekly Q&A with Marfa head coach Jeff Jones:

ONE: What are you trying to accomplish during the off week? Heal? Put in new parts of the offense and/or defense? 

Jeff Jones: We are healing up, but at the same time, we are working on a lot of our basics. We are stressing fundamentals on both sides of the ball.  We are trying to rest their minds and bodies this week. Next week, we'll start game planning Van Horn and concentrating on them.

TWO: You open next week against a Van Horn team that is emerging as potentially the best team in the district, with wins over Ozona and Kermit (and probably Tornillo this week). How do you expect to match-up against them. What will you need to stop? What will you try to do on offense?’  

Jones: We are actually open next week, as well. We play Van Horn the week after (two weeks from Friday).  We had tried to fill one of the open weeks, but in the middle of re-alignment years, it's tough to find games. As far as Van Horn, they are looking good.  They have the best rushing attack in the Permian Basin, and I don't see them changing anything there.  We will need to play hard-nosed defense, and not let them run up and down the field on us. On offense, I think we can move the ball through the air on them, as long as Fabian has time in the pocket. We still need to improve on the ground.

THREE: How’s the health of the team going to look like when district opens next week?  

Jones: I think we'll be healthy. We are still hoping to get back Eli Castillo and Jesus Molinar (he was a first team all-district DT last year, and had gotten knee surgery before two-a-days). Those two will really help on the defensive side of the ball.

FOUR: The players entered the season with high expectations, then, I thought, they got a bit down, but they have to be feeling good about themselves after that win over Plains, particularly the way they pulled it off. What are your thoughts? 

Jones: I think that's a pretty good observation. They have been a lot more excited this week, and I think they are ready for district to begin.

FIVE: What do you do fight perceptions such as that with your players? Do they pay attention to perceptions? Does your team run the risk of being intimidated by anyone in district? (I’m not in any way trying to be insulting when I ask that question; I’m trying to get a feel for the mindset, or the mindset you perceive, in your team).  

Jones: I don't think they are intimidated by anyone. They weren't last year. The main thing is keeping their heads up during games when bad things are happening. It always seems bad things come all at once in our games, and turn close games into blowouts, and vice versa. We were playing great against Permian JV, and then, all of a sudden, it was closer than it needed to be. We just have to learn to overcome adversity. There will be some adverse conditions in every district game. We just have to play to our capability.

SIX: Plains was able to run the ball on you guys but you stopped the run when it really counted. How much can that carry over? What are you facing in district: mostly running teams, passing teams, etc.?  

Jones: Every team in our district makes their living off the run.  We did well in the fourth quarter against Plains, and I do believe it will carry over.  We just can't afford to only play in the fourth quarter from here on out.

SEVEN: Do you feel positive about what the team has accomplished in practice this week?  

Jones: So far, so good.  It has been relaxed, but the kids have worked hard when we put the pads on.

EIGHT: I’ve kinda asked this earlier but I’m going to ask it again: Do the players truly believe they can win the games they have left on the schedule. And will they continue to believe even if they get down a touchdown or two? I ask that because this is a pretty good Marfa team (just not very deep; hell, downright thin, when you think about it). They could turn around the mentality that teams have toward Marfa.  

Jones: Our players know they can play with anybody in this district.  I actually think we turned some heads last year, and the kids know these teams will not look past us,  which means that we will have to prepare that much harder.

NINE: Marfa’s kind of a strange town – half the town only lives there parttime and has no interest in the school or its athletic teams. How, as a coach, do you deal with that?

Jones: Our kids have never been very worried about who (or who is not) in the stands, at least it seems that way.  The fans that have been at the games have been very supportive of our kids, win or lose. 

TEN: Conversely, what do you think it feels like for the players? Do they feel, understand the long-term meaning of the district games they’re about to play. If they can make the playoffs again, maybe they can turn around the thinking toward and within Marfa. Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on you and them by simply asking the question. It is, after all, just a game. But, then again, it’s Texas and it’s more than a game.  

Jones: The kids know what year the last district championship came back to Marfa, and they know what year Marfa last won a playoff game.  They want to make a name for themselves, and then the bunch after them will want to do the same, and so on, and so on. That's how traditions get started, and this is a good group to do just that.

ELEVEN: You see the players on and off the field – probably see them more than their parents in some ways. How has this bunch matured – off the field, as individuals and as students and as representatives of their institution?

Jones: This is a special bunch of kids.  They are very athletic, and they are very good in the classroom. They have been waiting for this chance since they were in junior high.  This season didn't start the way we wanted it to, but the goals and mindset are still there. 

Q&A with Fort Davis head coach Jess Roberts: Now the tough part begins

Midland Trinity ballcarrier scores in the first quarter against Fort Davis in record-breaking ballgame last week. However, Fort Davis made adjustments at halftime and made some key stops on defense in the second half

By Mike Perry, Alpine Daily Planet

What follows is the weekly Q&A with Fort Davis head football coach Jess Roberts.

The Indians are 4-0 on the year and are coming off an astounding 124-108 win over Midland Trinity.

This week, the Indians host El Paso Immanuel Christian in a non-district game on Friday night. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. The Indians have one more non-district game before starting District 7, Division I, six-man play. That final non-district game is against Throckmorton, which is rated No. 2 in the state in Division 1.

The Indians, by the way, are rated No. 22.

And if you’re wondering who’s rated No. 1 in the state, well, it’s Rankin, which is a district opponent. The Indians host Rankin on Nov. 4 in the final game of the year.

Oh, and one other team from District 7, Garden City, is rated No. 11 in the state. So, in the next five weeks, the Indians will play three of the Top 11 teams in the state.

Here’s this week’s Q&A:

ONE: At the risk of being too general, exactly how big is this game? Absurd as it sounds, is there pressure to “hang a hundred” again. 

Jess Roberts: This is a big game from the standpoint that I don't want to "give up a hundred."  We have worked all week on making some changes to our defense, and I hope they pay off.  From an offensive perspective, we just want to come out and keep doing what we've been doing.

TWO: You’re half-way home. If you play your game, you guys should win this one. Then you have Throckmorton and then you start district, which is one of the toughest (if not the toughest) in the state. How do you assess this team now as opposed to what you saw on Aug. 1? 

Roberts: The kids are coming into their own right now...Sure the defense needs some work, and we are addressing that right now. We've got 3 weeks to work on it.  Offensively, we have found our niche in the spread; the kids understand it, and we want to keep pushing ahead. I think the next couple of weeks will really tell us where we are as a team.

THREE: I think at the beginning of the year, most prognosticators (and you know what they’re worth) probably had Fort Davis as a weak No. 3 in district. Are the Indians a legitimate challenger to Rankin and Garden City? And why? 

Roberts: I hope we are. We set a goal at the beginning of the season to make the playoffs. Unfortunatley, there are a couple of very good teams in the way...

FOUR: What do you know about this El Paso school that’s coming into to play you this week? 

Roberts: Solid team. Good numbers and talented on the field. I've watched plenty of film on them and have scouted them early in the season. We need to be on top our game tomorrow night.

FIVE: Making adjustments has to be a big part of coaching, maybe, it seems, even more so in the six-man game. After all, Midland was ahead of you guys by 18 at one point. How much adjusting do you normally do during a halftime. Do team’s hold back certain things until the second half? 

Roberts: I have in the past and we did last week.  We made a big adjustment during halftime against Midland having to do with alignment, and it led to a couple of stops for us in the fourth quarter. 

SIX: Do you feel positive about what the team has accomplished in practice this week?

Roberts: Yes. We made some changes on defense, and while they are new, I feel it was a good time for them.  We battled a couple of thunderstorms this week, worked on some special team problems, and continued to work in the weight room.  Even though it's Homecoming this week, I feel the kids are focused.

SEVEN: Is everyone going to be able to play?

Roberts: We are pretty injury-free right now.  We have picked up a couple of players this week that decided they wanted to play. I'm not sure if they will play. 

EIGHT: As a coach, what does it feel like to have the pride of an entire town riding on our shoulders? Particularly after the year that Fort Davis, the town, has had – I’m speaking specifically about the fire.

Roberts: It's not something that we as coaches ask for. Even so, we are thrust into young kids' lives and part of our job is making a difference in their lives, whether it's helping them in school, football, or with issues at home. We put so much into developing these kids into men that when they do have success, it has a profound effect on us and often the community. I hope the town has pride in what these young men are doing, and I hope that even a little bit of the success we've had helps heal the tragedy that we experienced last spring.

NINE: Conversely, what do you think it feels like for the players? Do they feel, understand the long-term meaning of games like this. Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on you and them by simply asking the question. It is, after all, just a game. But, then again, it’s Texas where it’s more than a game.

Roberts: It is more than a game to them.  I've told them during more than one practice to have no regrets and to leave it all on the field.  Even so, they are still young men, and try as I might to get them to understand the importance of each game and practice, they are just out here playing their guts out and trying to win football games. The want it right now. They want to win so bad they can taste it, but football is just something these kids love to do. They only real pressure most of the kids have is what they and (myself) put on them.

TEN: You see the players on and off the field – probably see them more than their parents in some ways. How has this bunch matured – off the field, as individuals and as students and as representatives of their institution? I may be getting a bit esoteric. 

Roberts: It's always been my message to the kids to represent themselves off the field and in the community as if they were on the football field. They are great kids. I love them all.

ELEVEN: You guys having fun?

Roberts: Absolutely. These kids have made me have more fun coaching football.  I'll live longer because of these kids.

TWELVE: I have got to the think the way this team plays and its success is paying dividends with youngsters in the community who are choosing whether to play football. Can you see any of that or are you too focused on the task at hand to pay much attention to that?

Roberts: I'm pretty in touch with the younger kids. I see them almost daily, and I have young kids in elementary myself. My wife teaches 6th grade. These youngsters are ready to step up and contribute, and I can't wait to have them.

THIRTEEN: Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, you've accomplished a lot with a program that was expected to be way down. I hear it from other coaches: Fort Davis is feared because of how tough they play. Did you expect to be this good this quickly with just 12 players, particularly when the program has been used to have 25 or so and a JV to boot. 

Roberts: I expect teams that I coach to do certain things well, to be disciplined and work hard. These kids have surpassed my expectations, and I'm proud of what we've done so far. Even so, the kids are not content. They are hungry. I see it in the weight room, on the field, before a game. They want more. It's my job to get them there.

 

Losses reach $150 million due to fires, mostly in fences and scorched infrastructure

Special to the Daily Planet

COLLEGE STATION — Enough fencing to cross Texas from east to west nearly seven times, more than 1,500 head of livestock and swaths of pasture nearly twice the area of Delaware have burned in Texas wildfires this year.

As if the state's crippling drought hadn't banged up Texas agriculture enough, experts with Texas AgriLife Extension Service said Wednesday the wildfires continue to burn through the dried remains on a daily basis.

David Anderson, an economist with the service, estimated Texas agriculture lost $152.1 million through Sept. 19. The bulk of that total comes from the 5,965 miles of fences and other infrastructure that burned. Second are the nearly three million acres of scorched pasture.

That all comes on top of the estimated $5.2 billion lost to crops and livestock from the drought in Texas. It has been the worst single-year drought on record and more than four-fifths of Texas is in exceptional drought.

Since wildfire season started on Nov. 15, 2010, officials say firefighters have responded to 23,519 fires. And there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.

The Texas Forest Service said this week that the wildfire danger would continue through fall and possibly into winter. Below average moisture and above average temperatures are predicted through the end of the year.

Timber losses have also been huge in East Texas where more than 200,000 acres or $97 million of timber have burned since the start of wildfire season last November.

 

West Texas football standings, scores and schedules

District 5-4A
Team	All	Dist	Pts For	Pts Ag
Midland (1,871)	5-0	0-0	198	73
Midland Lee (2,907)	5-0	0-0	184	44
Permian (3,260)	3-2	0-0	224	220
Cooper (2,139)	3-2	0-0	197	112
Abilene (2,283	2-3	0-0	215	134
Odessa (3,857)	1-4	0-0	80	142

Note: Top four finishers qualify for playoffs; teams with highest two enrollments qualify for Division I bracket and other two will be in Division II bracket.

Last week’s games

• Permian 56, Lubbock Monterey 14
• Amarillo High 35, Odessa High 17
• Abilene Cooper 55, Lubbock Coronado 3
• Midland Lee 27, Amarillo Tascosa 3
• Midland High 35, San Angelo Central 28
• Longviw 35, Abilene High 28

This week’s games

• All teams are open

Oct. 7 schedule

• Permian at Midland High
• Abilene High at Odessa High
• Midland Lee at Abilene Cooper

Dist. 2-2A, Division I Standings
Team	All	Dist	Pts For	Pts Ag
Alpine (305)	5-0	1-0	178	55
Wall (337)	5-0	1-0	174	78
Colorado City (296)	4-1	1-0	145	85
Crane (294)	3-2	0-1	130	87
Kermit (345)	2-2	0-0	147	62
Denver City (377)	2-3	0-1	69	131
Grape Creek (323)	0-5	0-1	40	211

Note: Top three finishers qualify for playoffs

Last week’s games

• Alpine 41. Grape Creek 14
• Colorado City 42, Denver City 7
• Wall 33, Crane 7

This week’s games

• Alpine at Wall
• Kermit at Denver City
• Colorado City at Grape Creek

District 13-2A, Division II
Sonora (249)	5-0	0-0	206	46
Harper (220)	3-1	0-0	129	127
San Saba (202)	3-2	0-0	120	130
Coleman (278)	3-2	0-0	95	77
Junction (206)	3-2	0-0	166	173
Ozona (211)	2-2	0-0	81	56

Note: Top three finishers qualify for playoffs

Last week’s scores

• Harper 35, Johnson City 27
• Albany 34, Coleman 13
• Junction 40, Brackettville 34
• Lago vista 34, San Saba 16
• Ozona 34, McCamey 7
• Sonora 16, Blanco 9

This week’s schedule

• Harper at Kenedy
• Ozona at Big Lake 

District 5-3A
Team	All	Dist	Pts For	Pts Ag
Snyder (714)	4-1	0-0	163	61
Brownwood (877)	4-1	0-0	146	134
Sweetwater (598)	3-2	0-0	89	53
Wylie (948)	2-3	0-0	102	115
Big Spring (974)	0-5	0-0	41	150

Note: Top three finishers qualify for playoffs

Last week’s scores

• Midland Christian 34, Big Spring 9
• Lovejoy 21, Wylie 17
• Brownwood 21, China Spring 17
• Snyder 30. Levelland 0
• Greemwood 29. Sweetwater 27

This week’s games

• Greenwood at Big Spring
• Snyder at Pampa
• Wylie at Estacado
• Sweetwater at Midland Christian
• All Saints (Fort Worth) at Brownwood

District 3-3A
Team	All	Dist	Pts For	Pts Ag
Clint (589)	2-3	0-0	100	109
Pecos (609)	1-4	0-0	51	97
Fabens (726)	1-3	0-0	56	105
Clint Mt. View (923)	0-5	0-0	48	164
Anthony (221)	0-5	0-0	48	232

Note: Top three finishers qualify for payoffs; team with highest enrollment qualifies for Division I bracket and other two will be in Division II bracket

Last week’s scores

• Andrews 67, Anthony 6
• Lamesa 25, Pecos 12
• Monahans 49, Mountain View 7
• Clint 36, Tornillo 6
• El Paso Cathedral 27, Fabens 7

This week’s schedule

• Clint at Silver City, N.M.
• El Paso Riverside at Mountain Viw
• Andrews at Pecos
• Lamesa at Fort Stockton 

District 4-3A
Team	All	Dist	Pts For	Pts Ag
Fort Stockton (656)	5-0	0-0	106	37
Seminole (626)	4-1	0-0	172	113
Monahans (565)	4-1	0-0	143	57
Andrews (678)	3-2	0-0	160	116
Greenwood (517)	3-2	0-0	113	156

Note: Top three finishers qualify for payoffs; team with highest enrollment qualifies for Division I bracket and other two will be in Division II bracket

Last week’s scores

• Andrews 67, Anthony 6
• Greenwood 28, Sweetwater 26
• Monahans 49, Mountain View 7
• Fort Stockton 43, Lovington 13
• Seminole 55, Brownfield 29

This week’s schedule

• Seminole vs. Dalhart at Plainview, Thursday
• Andrews at Pecos
• Monahans vs. Borger at Woodrow
• Lamesa at Fort Stockton
• Greenwood at Big Spring

Dist. 5-1A Division II
Team	All	Dist	Pts for	Pts ag
Iraan (126)	4-1	0-0	168	97
Van Horn (150)	3-1	0-0	98	79
McCamey (121)	2-2	0-0	120	83
Wink (99)	2-2	0-0	117	138
Marfa (118)	2-3	0-0	126	179

Note: Top three finishers qualify for playoffs

Last week’s scores

• Marfa 26, Plains 21
• Iraan 27, Eldorado 6
• Eunice, N.M. 50, Wink 35
• Ozona 34, McCamey 7

This week’s games

• Iraan vs. Vovina at Lamesa
• Wink at Smyer
• Tornillo at Van Horn
• Eldorado at McCamey 

District 13-1A, Division I
Team	All	Dist	Pts for	Pts ag
Mason (184)	4-0	0-0	209	42
Goldthwaite (171)	4-1	0-0	166	65
Winters (181)	4-1	0-0	160	83
Reagan County (194)	2-2	0-0	75	65
Eldorado (177)	2-3	0-0	91	58

Last week’s games

• Goldthwaite 20, Mart 17
• Mason 47, Ingram 0
• Reagan County 30, Irion County 8
• Iraan 27, Eldorado 6
• Winters 34, Bronte 31

This week’s schedule

• Albany at Winters
• Mason at Olney
• Eldorado at McCamey
• Ozona at Reagan County
• Goldthwaite at Marion

Dist. 7-6M, Division I
Team	All	Dist	Pts for	Pts ag
Rankin (58)	5-0	0-0	299	88
Fort Davis (68)	4-0	0-0	332	252
Garden City (51)	3-2	0-0	316	152
Sierra Blanca (79)	1-2	0-0	95	250

Note: Top two finishers qualify for playoffs

Last week’s scores

• Fort Davis 124, Midland Trinity 108
• Garden City 84, El Paso Faith 12
• Rankin 77, Meadow 30
• El Paso Jesus Chapel 58, Sierra Blanca 8

This week’s schedule

• El Paso Immanuel at Fort Davis
• Garden City at Ropes
• Ira at Rankin
• El Paso Home School at Sierra Blanca

District 6-6M, Division II
Team	All	Dist	Pts for	Pts ag
Grandfalls (29)	4-1	0-0	287	183
Balmorhea (43)	2-3	0-0	213	220
Sanderson (42)	3-2	0-0	167	158
Buena Vista (37)	2-2	0-0	165	176
Dell City (29)	0-3	0-0	28	128

Note: Top two finishers qualify for playoffs

Last Week’s scores

• Buena Vista 55, Sands JV 13
• Grandfalls 104, Balmorhea 54
• Sanderson def. Dell City, forfeit

This week’s games

• Balmorhea at Sanderson
• Buena Vista at Grandfalls

Snapshots from hot-dog Wednesday at Alpine High School

 

Getting ready for Wall: Snapshots from Wednesday's Buck practice

'Occupy Wall Street' fighting bankster greed and the surveillance state

Over a week in, and despite mass arrests, the protesters are still camped out around the corner from Wall Street, and the Internet is watching.

Editor's note: Sarah Jaffe is an associate editor at AlterNet, a rabblerouser and frequent Twitterer. You can follow her at @seasonothebitch. 

By Sarah Jaffe, afternet.org

The crackdown on the Wall Street protesters this weekend seems to have backfired. The campsite-cum-experiment in radical democracy is still there, holding general assemblies just shouting distance from Goldman Sachs and the Wall Street bull. It even appears to be growing.

The complaints that the media has ignored the sustained protest seem to be resonating—the park has cameras aplenty today, and food trucks line one side of the plaza. (Local eateries have been taking out-of-town orders for protesters.) Tourists seem to be catching on that this is something, as they snap pictures of protest signs.

While even theoretically like-minded folks had been a bit dismissive of the Wall Street occupation before Saturday, the heavy-handed moves by police to control a small march have brought worldwide attention to Zuccotti Park, formerly Liberty Plaza. The Guardian has broken stories ahead of the New York media, outing the police officer caught on tape pepper-spraying penned-up protesters as the same officer named in a wrongful arrest lawsuit from 2004's Republican National Convention protests.

Techniques honed from the “Battle in Seattle” in 1999, including penning up protesters with temporary fences or an orange mesh net, were deployed in 2004 and then exported to the UK in the past year, as student activists fighting their government's attempt to impose fee hikes on university attendees found out when they were trapped outside in so-called “kettles” for hours in the cold, unable to leave.

The orange mesh net came out on Saturday and the #OccupyWallSt Twitter hashtag was filled with warnings from those who had been there in 2004. “Anyone who finds themselves on the wrong side of the net, even if they were just out buying milk, is going to be arrested,” New York blogger and activist Phillip Anderson said.

The anger in 2004 stemmed from two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the GOP's politicization of the September 11 attacks, while the protests now are aimed squarely at Big Business and indeed at least some of the protesters would be happy if government would take action against the big banks. Camille Raneem, who has been at the occupation since the beginning, told me that she voted for Obama in 2008, but found herself getting involved in activism when the things she'd hoped to see didn't happen.

“I've been waiting for this for three years,” she said. And like many in 2004, she was angered by Guantanamo Bay, and the crackdowns on civil liberties of the Bush administration—things she sees continuing under Obama, and proved this week when many of the Wall Street protesters were arrested.

Many of the overzealous police moves in the past have been around political rallies or events where there were diplomats, politicians, world leaders involved that police could perhaps be justified in claiming a need to protect. Who was being protected in Union Square from girls behind an orange mesh net?

The revolution begins at home: A clarion call to join the Wall Street protests

By Arum Gupta, afternet.org

What is occurring on Wall Street right now is truly remarkable. For over 10 days, in the sanctum of the great cathedral of global capitalism, the dispossessed have liberated territory from the financial overlords and their police army.  

They have created a unique opportunity to shift the tides of history in the tradition of other great peaceful occupations, from the sit-down strikes of the 1930s to the lunch-counter sit-ins of the 1960s to the democratic uprisings across the Arab world and Europe today.  

While the Wall Street occupation is growing, it needs an all-out commitment from everyone who cheered the Egyptians in Tahrir Square, said "We are all Wisconsin," and stood in solidarity with the Greeks and the Spaniards. This is a movement for anyone who lacks a job, housing or health care, or thinks they have no future.  

Our system is broken at every level. More than 25 million Americans are unemployed. More than 50 million live without health insurance. Perhaps 100 million Americans are mired in poverty, using realistic measures. Yet the fat cats continue to get tax breaks and reap billions while politicians compete to turn the austerity screws on all of us.  

At some point the number of people occupying Wall Street -- whether that's 5,000, 10,000 or 50,000 -- will force the powers that be to offer concessions. No one can say how many people it will take or even how things will change exactly, but there is a real potential for bypassing a corrupt political process and for realizing a society based on human needs, not hedge fund profits.  

After all, who would have imagined a year ago that Tunisians and Egyptians would oust their dictators?  

At Liberty Park, the nerve center of the occupation, more than 500 people gather every day to debate, discuss and organize what to do about our failed system that has allowed the 400 richest Americans at the top to amass more wealththan the 180 million Americans at the bottom.  

It's astonishing that this self-organized festival of democracy has sprouted on the turf of the masters of the universe, the men who play the tune that both political parties and the media dance to. The New York Police Department, which has deployed hundreds of officers at a time to surround and intimidate protesters, is capable of arresting everyone and clearing Liberty Plaza in minutes. But they haven't, which is also astonishing.  

That's because assaulting peaceful crowds in a public square demanding real democracy -- economic and not just political -- would remind the world of the brittle autocrats who brutalized their people demanding justice before they were swept away by the Arab Spring. And the state violence has alreadybackfired. After police attacked a Saturday afternoon march that started from Liberty Park the crowds only got bigger and media interest grew.   

Fire crews battle blazes in Brewster and Crockett counties

Fire crews continue to battle wildfires in Crockett and Brewster counties. 

The Brewster County fire started at the Shakelford Ranch but has now moved into Big Bend National Park. The Texas Forest Service estimates more than 3,000 acres have been destroyed in the blaze.

The Texas Forest Service reports that the wildfire is in such a remote and rough area, they can only monitor the fire from the air.

The fire is burning in Big Bend National Park in a wildlife management area and is zero percent contained at this time, said Marq Webb, a spokesman for TFS. No structures are threatened at this time, Webb said.

“It is in an inaccessible location,” Webb said.

A night crew was left Tuesday night to combat a 580-acre fire near Mitchell Ranch in Crockett County, 30 miles from the town of Ozona. So far, 1,000 acres have been scorched.

The TFS reported the fire was 50 percent contained as of Wednesday morning.

The fire in Crockett County is threatening at least homes and oil structures. The blaze has been burning since Monday night. Fire crews are out in force trying to snuff the blaze, which started at the Mitchell Ranch.

The Texas Forest Service and Crockett County fire volunteers are battling the blaze, and air tankers have been called in to help.

 

Draft water plan says Texas will not have enough

Every five years, the Texas Water Development Board publishes a water plan for the state. The 295-page draft of the 2012 plan, published last week in the midst of the worst-ever single-year drought Texas has ever experienced, is a sobering read.

"The primary message of the 2012 state water plan is a simple one," the introduction states. "In serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, and its businesses, and its agricultural enterprises."

The report is packed with data and projections, but a few stand out. The state population, now 25 million, is expected to increase to 46 million by 2060. During that time, existing water supplies will fall 10 percent as the Ogallala and other aquifers are depleted.

If Texas does not plan ahead, a drought as bad as that of the 1950s could cost Texans $116 billion a year by 2060, the report says, and cause the potential loss of more than one million jobs.

Building new reservoirs and wastewater treatment plants and other water infrastructure is projected to cost $53 billion.

There's a bit of good news: Demand for water is projected to rise by only 22 percent by 2060 — in other words, less quickly than population growth. That's partly due to expected declines in agricultural usage. 

The report offered a number of recommendations to the Legislature. Texas lawmakers, it said, should get moving on three reservoir sites (Turkey Peak Reservoir, Millers Creek Reservoir Augmentation and Coryell County Reservoir). Lawmakers should also make it easier to site other reservoirs, and to transfer surface water between different areas. They should require public water utilities to audit their water losses annually rather than every five years.
 
The TWDB also asked lawmakers to remove it from handling petitions protesting the results of a new groundwater planning tool called "desired future conditions," which refers to the projected health of the aquifer in 50 years. 

On climate change, the report states:

"In Texas, temperatures are likely to rise; however, future precipitation trends are difficult to project. If temperatures rise and precipitation decreases, as projected by climate models, Texas would begin seeing droughts in the middle of the 21st century that are as bad or worse as those in the beginning or middle of the 20th century."

The report says that irrigation now accounts for 60 percent of water demand in Texas, but as cities grow its share is expected to drop to 45 percent by 2060.

Some of the TWDB's projections for "mining," a category that includes natural gas drilling, "were developed before the boom in natural gas extraction extended to some eastern and southern areas of the state late in the last decade," the report said.

Big Bend Livestock Association elects officers, sets dates for 2012 show

Special to the Daily Planet

Officers were elected Monday and dates set for a variety of activities for the Big Bend Livestock Show.

The show’s association re-elected Cleat Stephens of Fort Davis as president and chose Becky Watley of Alpine to be the new vice president, replacing longtime officer Tim Leary of Marathon and Fort Davis, who retired from the board this year. Rusty Moore of Alpine remains as treasurer, Mike Wright of Fort Davis is the secretary again and Bob Dillard of Fort Davis continues as reporter.

The annual show will be Jan. 12, 13 and 14 at the Alpine FFA facilities. with the sale Jan. 14 at the Alpine Civic Center.

Rusty Mertink of Giddings will be the auctioneer, replacing longtime auctioneer Jason Spence of Pleasanton, who had a conflict with the show dates this year.

Dale Caddell of Sonora will be the judge for goats, lambs and steers. and Brian Patterson of Farwell will judge pigs. Both are returning for their second year as Big Bend judges.

Validation dates were established for three species — goats will be validated from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 16 and from 3 to 5 p.m. for lambs —  at the Alpine FFA facilities. On Nov. 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., pigs will be validated.

Members of the livestock committees are: Roger Criddle of Alpine in charge of lambs with help from Jonny Vick of Alpine, Scott McIvor and Worth Puckett, both of Fort Davis.

Caroline Fox and Mary Criddle, both of Alpine, chair the goat committee with Stephens, David Whitesell and Justin Edmiston, all of Fort Davis.

Dillard chairs the hog committee with Keith Sternes, Paul Loeffler and Rod DeVoll of Alpine and Mark Sanchez of Fort Davis. Ellery Aufdengarten of Fort Davis chairs the steer committee with Leary and Harry Wells of Alpine.

Members of the social and sales committees are being sought.

The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Jeff Davis County Courthouse in Fort Davis.

Sgt. Jake Roelli, son of Dawn Lacy of Fort Davis, killed by insurgents in Afghanistan

 

By Bob Dillard, Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch

FORT DAVIS — The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that a soldier from Wisconsin with ties to Fort Davis and Alpine was one of two men killed when insurgents attacked their unit in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 21, 2011.

Twenty-four-year-old specialist Sgt. Jakob J. “Jake” Roelli of Darlington, Wis., and the son of Dawn Lacy of Fort Davis and formerly of Alpine, died after his unit was hit with small-arms gunfire.

Spc. Robert Dyas of Nampa, Idaho, was also killed in the attack.

The soldiers, part of America’s Operation Enduring Freedom, were assigned to the Company A, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley, Kan.

Sgt. Roelli’s father, Richard Roelli, said his son was “the best of the best.” The Roelli family traveled Sept. 22 to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive his remains.

No services have currently been scheduled in either Wisconsin or in Fort Davis, where a memorial service may be scheduled.

In lieu of flowers, all memorials may be given to the Darlington Area Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 37, Darlington, WI 53530.

Sgt. Roelli was born July 30, 1987, in Darlington to Dawn Gill Lacy and Richard Roelli. He grew up on the family farm outside Darlington.

He was a member of First Baptist Church in Darlington. “He was 13 when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and chose to be baptized,” his family said.

He attended Darlington High School, where he was a member of the football team for two years and ran cross-country and wrestled on the school team.

He was a four-year member of the school’s Odyssey of the Mind team, in which students compete in creative problem-solving exercises. The team won the state competition in 2006, Roelli’s senior year.

He was active in theatre, singing and dancing in “Beauty and the Beast,” and acting the role played by Paul Newman in “The Sting.”

“He was a young man who was not afraid to try new things — a good singer, a good dancer, a good actor — just a fun-loving kid,” said his Darlington Principal Doug McArthur.

Asked to describe his son, Richard Roelli said “he was a better man that I’ll ever be.”

In 2006, Sgt. Roelli graduated from high school and continued his education at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He studied business and pre-law and planned to go to law school after the military.

In 2007, he joined the U.S. Army. Following basic training, he went into the infantry; he later received Special Forces training, and was then deployed as an infantryman to Afghanistan in 2011.

“When Jake decided to join the Army, he fully embraced all aspects of what it meant to be a soldier,” said his former girlfriend, Amy Siegenthaler, a UW-Madison senior. “His summer before basic training, you could find him running around Darlington in his Army boots and a backpack full of rocks or bricks.

“When he found out his scores were high enough for him to be in Special Forces, he was beyond happy. He wanted to be right in the middle of all the action,” she added. “He was a fearless man who would take on any challenge.”

Sgt. Roelli is survived by his mother, Dawn and husband Chris Lacy of Fort Davis; his father, Richard Roelli of Darlington; one brother, Matthew (Eryn) Roelli of Verona, Wis.; niece Olivia Roelli of Verona; his fiancée, Caitlin Pixler of Manhattan, Kan.; his maternal grandfather, Robert Gill of rural Shullsburg, Wis.; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Margery Gill, and his paternal grandparents, Edwin Roelli and Anne Roelli.

“Two defining forces have ever offered to die for us: (1) Jesus Christ and (2) the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom,” Sgt. Roelli’s family said.

 

OLP Fall Bazaar, pageant coming up soon

Alpine Daily Planet

It’s that time of year, time for Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church’s Fall Bazaar and all the food and fun that go along with it.

And they will once again hold there pageant featuring contestants who are raising money for the church with various activities such as selling raffle tickets, holding bake sales, brisket sales and even putting up glass jars in businesses.

There will be a Mass honoring pageant contestants and their families at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. On Sunday, Oct. 16, pageant presentation and coronation will be held at 1 p.m. on the church patio.

This year’s festivities will begin with a parade at 11 a.m. Oct. 15 on Holland Avenue with the theme “Focus On Family Fun.”

The bazaar will be held on the patio from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Oct. 16 with lots of food, games, fun and entertainment.

This year pageant contestants in the Princess category (ages 3-5) are DiAndra Villarreal of Alpine and Saya Soto and Leilani Enriquez of Balmorhea. In the Sweetheart category (ages 6-9) are Sara Carrillo, Victoria Lancaster, Aneesa Payne, Elyse Ramos and Jenna Reyes of Alpine. In the Pre-Teen category (ages 10-12) are Alpine residents Desiree DelaO and Skyler Torres. The contestant in each division who has raised the most money for the church will be crowned. Each contestant is being sponsored by a business, and local businesses have also donated items or services for the drawing.

“The pageant is one of the highest fundraisers the church receives, and the girls are so excited about giving back to the church,” said Rory Contreras. “It makes them feel important and special to know that they are being recognized for helping their church.”

The girls are being led by coordinators Carmen Jimenez, Gloria Gordan and Contreras. The contestants will be selling raffle tickets that include $500, $300 and $200; a $100 gift card for Porter’s Thriftway; $100 gas gift card; Bud Light lounger with canopy; Bud Light cooler with iPod; and metal Budweiser tub. The raffle drawing will be held during the bazaar and you need not be present to win.

For more information about the bazaar and pageant, call Rory Contreras at 432-837-3304.

Tourism Council has plans to fight border-image issues

Alpine Daily Planet

At Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting, Greg Hennington of the Brewster County Tourism Council gave Brewster County commissioners a bleak look at the condition of tourism conditions in the Big Bend region.

“After 4 to 6 years of good years, we’re down,” he said. “Between the border issues, fires and drought, we’re off.”

But that said, Hennington stressed “we’re in good financial shape” and the council will push forward, spreading the gospel about the Big Bend. He said the Tourism Council will continue taking advantage of every opportunity to let people know how great this area is. “Our big challenge is to improve our message.”

One bone of contention for Big Bend boosters is that some people still think that the Big Bend region has the same border issues that other parts of the nation are fighting. And that simply isn’t the case, Hennington said. And the Tourism Council is working to destroy myths and rumors about border problems.

The Tourism Council, Hennington said, is going to conduct a market survey much like the one it commissioned in 2004 from Texas A&M University. Key questions will be what motivates people to visit the Big Bend, why current tourists came here, and similar queries. The market survey is expected to begin gathering data in a couple of weeks, and will take about a year.

Tourism was just one in a lengthy list of topics address during a day-long commissioners meeting.

This week's opponent: A look at the 2011 Wall Hawks

Fast facts

• What: Alpine vs. Wall
• Where: Hawk Stadium, Wall
• When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
• Records: Wall is 5-0, Alpine is 5-0, both are 1-0 in District 2-2A
• Last year's score: Wall 43, Alpine 13

Daily Planet editor's note: This story from the San Angelo newspaper is intended to give Alpine fans a bit of background on this week's Buck opponent -- unbeaten Wall.

By Mike Whitson, from the San Angelo Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO — Backfield trio helps Wall to 5-0 start, Top 10 spot

When it comes to running the ball, nobody does it quite like the Wall High School football team.

And in the Hawks' 33-7 district-opening win over the Crane Golden Cranes on Friday night, they did it just about as good as it can be done.

Three different players — Austin Matschek, Grant Eubank and Collin McCrory — rode a solid performance from the offensive line, each surpassing 130 yards rushing on the night as Wall put up 455 yards of offense and improved to 5-0 on the season.

"At any point in time, any one of these kids can have a breakout game," Wall head coach Houston Guy said. "In the second half against Crane, we kind of put it all together and showed exactly what we're capable of doing."

On Monday, the Hawks also ran into the Associated Press Top 10 rankings, debuting at No. 9 in Class 2A.

Last week, clinging to a 6-0 lead after two quarters, the Hawks answered the second-half bell with a purpose.

In a span of just over eight minutes in the third quarter, the Hawks put the game out of reach.

Matschek, who scored the lone first-half touchdown, got the offense going with another score to open the second half.

Quarterback McCrory broke loose on a 48-yard touchdown run moments later, before Eubank sealed the deal with scores of 41 and 62 yards within two minutes of each other.

"We run kind of a different offense," Matschek said. "In the triple option, the quarterback, running back or fullback can all end up with the ball, and it's just tough to stop, not knowing where the ball is coming from."

Matschek finished the night with a game-high 136 yards on 14 carries, Eubank turned in a 135-yard performance on just six carries, and McCrory kept the ball 11 times to go for 131 yards.

All three Hawks' backs credited their offensive line with paving the way for their big numbers.

"It all starts at the line," McCrory said. "They make huge holes and make things a lot easier for us. If they're not doing their job, we can't do ours."

Matschek appreciates the work the offensive line puts and says he realizes how much everything depends on them.

"Being a lineman is tough," Matschek said. "Everybody on the line has to get their block, or the play is not going to work right. If we get a 10-yard gain, it's because of them, because we can't do it without the line."

Center Turner Bickford stepped into the role of starter this season, and along with his fellow linemen, is a big reason the Hawks have gotten out to such a dominant start this season.

But for Bickford, he says the linemen take a lot of pride in doing their part to make the offense work.

"We try to get our blocks down and help (the backs) get out in space," Bickford said. "When they get out there, they're fast enough to just make things happen and get down the field."

Size is one thing really impressive how the Wall line dominates the run game.

Just looking at most of them, you wouldn't realize that they're offensive linemen, or just how physical they can be in the trenches.

"Most of them are undersized," Guy said. "So when they're going against some of those bigger defensive linemen, they kind of take that as a chip on their shoulder, and they're going to show you how good they can block."

Guy says the size differential is not only a motivator. He feels the smaller, more athletic linemen is what makes the Hawks' offense work as well as it does.

"They're not big kids, but they've all got speed," Guy said. "That's a rule of our offensive line — if you're a slow kid, you're not going to be able to play. We put kids on the line that can run and get down there, and that's what they do."

In four of Wall's five games this season, the Hawks have either come back or blown the game open in the second half, all while imposing their will to run the ball.

Guy says it is a combination of his team's conditioning and effects of their triple-option attack on the opponent's defense.

"Our kids play hard, and they'll play for four quarters," Guy said. "In what we do running the ball, it's kind of taxing on a team trying to defend it. After four quarters, it's tough and it really wears on them."

Wall hosts Alpine (5-0) on Friday night at Hawk Stadium.

New ordinance proposed to establish Alpine's gas department

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

What follows is the amended, proposed ordinance that will set up a gas department within the city of Alpine as an operating enterprise fund. An "operating enterprise fund" merely means the gas department will have a separate line item and a separate budget from the general fund.

The proposed ordinance was to be read for approval at Tuesday night's Alpine City Council meeting. However, Councilwoman Angie Bermudez wanted to add a significant amount of language to the end of the ordinance. Thus, the original ordinance was scrapped and the ordinance that follows will be read before the council at its next meeting. The ordinance is expected to pass easily. 

The ordinance now reads:

Now, therefore, be ordained that the city of Alpine City Council has created a gas department within the organization to provide gas service to the residents of Alpine and other locations.

• The City will initiate proceeds to assume the operation of the gas system, as it exists.
• The City will incorporate the existing personnel, as needed, to help operate and manage the gas system.
• The City will continue to operations within the corporate limits of the city of Alpine and environs.
• The City will continue to provide services to its customers as a utility company within the city of Alpine, its extraterritorial jurisdiction, and any other location where services may be legally provided.
• Gas personnel will become staff members of the city of Alpine with the same privileges and benefits as regular employees of the city of Alpine.
• The city of Alpine will assume all assets as prescribed in the inter local agreement and will assume all infrastructure (gas plan operations) a determined by the board of directors of Southwest Texas Municipal Gas Corporation, subject to SWTMGC agreeing that:
  • SWTMGC remain in existence legally for two years after the spin off of assets to the cities of Alpine and Marfa, or until the SWTMGC Board and Auditor verify that there are no outstanding debts liabilities, lawsuits or contingent liabilities owed by SWTMGC.
  • SWTMGC indemnify the city of Alpine from any and all claims, debts, lawsuits or contingent liabilities of any kind arising from SWTMGC operations prior to the city of Alpine assuming ownership and operation of Alpine's portion of the gas company.
  • SWTMGC perform an audit to ensure that all claims, debts, and liabilities are paid by SWTMGC as of the date of dissolution. This audit must be given to the city of Alpine prior to dissolution.
  • SWTMGC set aside funds sufficient to pay any future contingent liabilities.
  • SWTMGC ensure that insurance policies sufficient to cover contingent liabilities of the Melvin Davis employment claim remain in force. If the claim is not completely covered by insurance, a reserve fund must be set side to cover any potential liability.
  • SWTMC ensure that all SWTMGC employee obligations, retirement plan obligations, etc., have met prior to dissolution.
  • SWTMGC attorney and auditor certify that there are sufficient reserve funds and insurance policies to cover any and all unpaid or future debts, obligations or contingent liabilities of SWTMGC.
  • SWTMGC certify, upon transfer of assets to the City of Alpine that the foregoing steps have been taken, and that the assets being transferred to the City of Alpine are free and clear of all debts, obligations and contingent liabilities.
• The gas department will operate as an enterprise fund within the city of Alpine.
• Ordinance will not [take] effect until Nov. 1, 2011 or at the time of actual dissolution of the corporation.

Litton presents counter argument to proposed airport regulation changes

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

Alpine journalist Bob Litton read the following presentation at Tuesday's Alpine City Council meeting. Litton said he is concerned about what he perceives as preferential treatment afforded some hangar owners at the airport. An ordinance proposing new rules and regulations for the airport was presented at Tuesday's council meeting but action was postponed, primarily because of disagreements over a section on insurance.

Here's the text of Litton's presentation:

My name is Bob Litton. I live in Alpine, Ward 1.

I want to discuss Items 11 and 16 on the agenda concerning replacement of the old regulations governing use of Casparis Municipal Airport with some new regulations.

In the paragraph at the top of Page 10 of the proposed regulations, it states:

"If the aviation needs of the airport are sufficiently met, the city council may authorize non-aviation use of any portion of the airport or any building on the airport on a case-by-case basis. Application of such non-aviation use shall be made to the city council, an approval from TxDot Aviation Division must be received prior to granting authorization for non-aviation."

And on Page 4, where a list of rules are give, Rule 2-15 Living Quarters, states:

"No person (unless approved by the city council) may make permanent living quarters on airport."

Now, at this point I must tip my hat (if had one) to Mr. Walter Pyle. He has proved to me that all it takes is years of perseverance and noise to get one's way in Alpine.

This issue came up before you last June 7 when Mr. Pyle acknowledged using his hanger at the airport for a non-aviation purpose. His acknowledgment followed my revelation [of] complaints from others that Mr. Pyle was parking his work truck there and after City Code Inspector Robert Planco clamed that the only information he had about the matter was "rumors."

Now, Mr. Pyle has not only [gotten] himself appointed to the city's airport advisory board, he has copped the vice-chairmanship of the board after being nominated for the chairmanship. And am I imagining things when I suppose that he has had a major role to play in fashioning the new regs?

I pointed out to you at the June 7 council meeting that other businessmen, Mr. Pyle's competitors -- he told me then he is a building contractor -- do not have the advantage of paying only 10 cents per square foot for storage space. (I will give Mr. Pyle credit here for saying at the June 16, 2009, council meeting that anyone who subleases their hanger should be charged 30 cents per square foot because they are making more money than the city.)

Fast forward to June 7 of this year. I emphasized to you that I consider it unethical -- if not illegal -- for the city to give any persons preferential treatment when approving leases for aircraft hangers. But that is exactly what you are doing if you approve these new regs as written.

As for the Living Quarters Rule, I find that unbelievable. Does that mean that if I get kicked out of my apartment, I can search out a large cardboard box and set up camp at the airport ... for 10 cents a square foot ... after pleading my need before this council? Does it mean that now Mr. Pyle is looking for a cheap place to establish his home?

I wish I had Mr. Pyle's level of influence or power or whatever it is ... Well, no, I don't either. I want to be able look at my face in the mirror every morning.

Thank you for your attention.

Bob Litton, Alpine

A little bit for everyone at Alpine City Council meeting

By Mike Perry, Alpine Daily Planet

The Alpine City Council seemed to have a little bit for everyone at Tuesday night’s regular meeting:

• From city staff reports that revealed that a strip club is being contemplated
• To the gas company debates
• To much-discussed faulty fire hydrants that still have not been checked
• To new airport regulations that were postponed due to questions about insurance
• To citizen demands for and safety cautions regarding the railroad quiet zone
• To an attempt to fire City Attorney Rod Ponton

The first part of city council meetings are usually set aside for city staff reports. These reports are usually quite routine and rarely draw much interest. However, Tuesday night, a couple of intriguing nuggets came out of the reports:

First, City Attorney Rod Ponton, in his report, said that it was brought to his attention that Alpine may be getting a strip club. Ponton, who further stated that he is opposed to such businesses, told councilors that he would research the topic and find out what city ordinances might apply to a strip club.

In the 18-month-long saga regarding the city’s pump station on the hill that doesn’t work correctly, Ponton said he finally has the city’s engineering firm – Naismith of Midland – working face to face with the contracting company that did the work. He’s hopeful the issues affecting the pump station can finally be rectified -- without cost to the city.

In the city manager’s report, Chuy Garcia was asked by City Councilman Hugh Johnson if he had started advertising for a manager for the city’s new gas department, which is expected to begin operation once Southwest Texas Municipal Gas Corp. – jointly owned by the cities of Alpine and Marfa – is dissolved and divided between the two cities.

Garcia said he would start advertising immediately.

The city staff reports were followed by two impassioned presentations during the time set aside for citizen comments.

First, Bob Litton, local journalist, prepared and read an opinion piece on what he considered questionable preferences shown to some individuals who operate hangars at the airport. It’s Litton’s contention that some hangar owners use the hangars for non-aviation purposes, which is against city ordinance. The text of Litton’s presentation is published in full just above this story.

By the way, Litton’s presentation came at the meeting at which the pilot-dominated airport board presented new rules and regulations for council approval.

Second, B.J. Gallego talked to the council about two issues:

• Gallego said the city’s plans to make 6th Street, between Holland and 5th Street, a one-way street was an unsound move that would cause undue inconvenience to many people.
• Gallego then asked city council to consider the safety issues attendant to the railroad “quiet zone” through Alpine, which was approved recently and is now awaiting a sign-off from Union Pacific before construction can begin. A quiet zone involves configuring all railroad crossings so that cars cannot “cut through” or “cut around” impediments when trains are passing through a crossing. If that is accomplished, the trains would not be required to blow their whistles while going through Alpine, a practice that has become an intense irritant to those who work and/or live close to the railroad. Gallego cautioned that the council should ensure that trains would not increase speeds and that all due safety measures would still be taken. He cited his research that shows that 13 people have lost their lives at railroad crossings over the past several decades at Alpine railroad crossings.

City Councilwoman Diana Asgeirsson asked for a progress report on fire hydrants in Alpine. A few months ago, the city council discussed the need to fix, replace or eliminate fire hydrants that don’t work. Several council members have expressed frustration over not knowing the extent of the problem facing Alpine. As one councilman said, “We don’t know what works and what doesn’t work. We need to find out.”

City utility manager Cindy Hollander said the fire hydrants would all be tested but not until October. The testing has been delayed because (a) she did not want to test during the high-water usage months of the summer and (b) manpower problems make it difficult to get to all problems in a timely manner.

During the discussion, there was an intriguing give-and-take between Hollander, who said that she knows of no cities who test fire hydrants annually, and city Councilman Hugh Johnson, who used to be a volunteer fireman for the city. Johnson said the fire department, when he was a volunteer, tested every fire hydrant in the city every year. Hollander disagreed with Johnson’s statement.

During the fire hydrant discussion, the issue of four-inch water lines was also brought up. Hollander seemed to be saying that if hydrants were attached to four-inch lines and the city found out that the hydrants attached to the four-inch lines didn’t work, then the four-inch lines would have to be replaced.

After the fire hydrants, it was on to the first of at least five agenda items dealing with SWTMG.

Joseph Goldman, who is part of a two-man committee (with former councilman and former gas board member Avinash Rangra) that is charged with negotiating gas company issues with a committee representing the City of Marfa. It seems that the committee’s main responsibility has evolved into determining who will take over the gas company’s Fort Davis assets and ensure continued service to Fort Davis customers.

Goldman made the point that the unfixed assets – spare parts, assorted equipment and cash – that need to be distributed equitably between the two cities includes $121,000 in cash, an amount that was $2 million when former general manager Melvin Davis was fired a year ago. “I think there should be an investigation” into what happened to the cash, Goldman told the council.

In other business, the council:

• Approved an amendment to the 2011-12 fiscal-year budget that would allow for no more than eight employees, including the gas manager, to be hired for the Alpine gas department. City Manager Chuy Garcia had been operating under the impression that the city would hire all the current 14 employees of the gas company. (Marfa, by the way, has already hired employees to run its gas department, none of whom have been or are now employed by Southwest Texas Municipal Gas Corp.)
• Withdrew an agenda item calling for a review and update of the city’s Drought and Water Plan. This was done after City Manager Garcia told the council that his staff is already working on an update with the city’s engineering company, Naismith of Midland. That report will be presented to the council sometime in the next couple of months.
• Postponed action on the new recommended rules for the municipal airport. The main bone of contention was the availability or unavailability of insurance for hangar owners. The new rules recommended that the hangar owners not be required to have insurance because, they said, no insurance company would sell them insurance; rather, the hangar owners would sign a waiver of liability. This did not sit well with several council members who felt such a regulation would place the city under undue legal liability. There also seemed to be disagreement about what kind of insurance was needed and whether hangar owners/users could actually get the insurance. Both the city secretary and city manager said everyone at the airport already had insurance, which seemed to contradict the testimony of airport board members. It was finally decided to have City Attorney Ponton work with the airport board to review the language of the new regulations and to investigate the types of insurance that might be available and affordable.
• Voted down an ordinance creating a gas department and enterprise fund within the city of Alpine. This was done so that a significantly altered ordinance could be introduced by Councilwoman Angie Bermudez next council meeting. (The text of the ordinance to be proposed at the next council meeting follows this story.)
• Went into executive session and came out with two motions, one of which passed, one of which failed. First, a motion was made to have the city manager work with the gas company negotiating team (Goldman and Rangra) on the purchase of the gas company’s Fort Davis assets. That motion passed. Second, Councilman Hugh Johnson made a motion to fire City Attorney Ponton. That motion failed for lack of a second.

Marfa varsity volleyball team defeats Fort Davis

The Marfa varsity defeated Fort Davis Tuesday night in volleyball, 25-20, 25-9 and 25-12.

Fort Davis, however, won the junior varsity game, 25-9, 25-22.

On Saturday, Fort Davis hooked up with Marathon in 5 matches, with Fort Davis winning two -- 25-14 and 25-18 -- and Marathon winning three -- 25-23, 25-19 and 15-12.

4-H Costumed Riders, Reining, and a PRCA Specialty Act

Special to the Daily Planet

Have you ever seen a big yellow chicken ride a bridleless horse?  How about a human cannonball who dives off his galloping horse all in time to unforgettable music?  At this year’s 4-H Open Freestyle Reining, open to all participants, on October 22 at the Sul Ross Arena in Alpine Texas, you may see horses in bikinis or hula skirts and best of all, there is no spectator fee.

Creativity in costumes, music, and equine performances are all showcased in this competition divided by groups from ages nine to adult.  All participants will be vying for special prizes to be awarded to the Best Dressed Horse, Best Adaptation of Screen Media, Spookiest Performance, and more.

Each horseback participant will put on a show for the crowd incorporating certain required elements of reining such as a spin or roll-back.  The reining maneuvers themselves are cued to the horse by the rider’s legs, the distribution of weight in the saddle, and by the reins.

Presidio County Agent Jesse Lea Schneider who founded the event 20 years ago will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event along with a tireless and dedicated committee. “Everyone is welcome to come to this top-notch event which encourages and rewards creativity with horses.  Every participant from the youngest to the oldest will receive a prize ranging from a new saddle to the top-scoring 4-Her and a custom made hat for the reserve, to saddle pads, belt buckles, and new tack!”, said Jesse Lea Schneider  Extra points will be awarded by the three judges for
costume, choreography, and originality.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event, PRCA Specialty Act, Brice Chapman will entertain the crowd immediately following the Adult Division and before the awards. A professional trick roper, and his partners, Sooner the dog and Crossfire the horse, have delighted audiences all over the nation, even appearing at the White House.

Crossfire is a registered American Paint Horse, Crossfire has been part of Chapman's show for the last 14 years. Crossfire can count, rear and spin a rope in his mouth. Chapman added Sooner, a red border collie, to the team 10 years ago."I called him Sooner, cause the sooner I got a good dog, the better," he said.

He can perform nearly 200 tricks, including jumping rope, blowing bubbles and pulling Crossfire around on a rope. They have performed in front of thousands at rodeos and on television.  For a glimpse into the October 22nd performance go to: http://www.bricechapman.com/About.htm

Also acting as official announcer for the show, Jesse Lea Schneider says the competition starts promptly at 9:30 a.m. So, design a costume for you and your horse, create your own pattern, set it to your favorite music and join us for “the most fun you can have on a horse”

For rules, required maneuvers, pre-entry forms, further information, and to view photographs of previous year’ competitions, go to http://www.alpinereining.mysite.com/

Alpine girls place fourth at prestigious Lubbock Invitatioinal

Rashae Skillern overtakes a runner from Wall at the finish line to take 5th place out of 117 finishers.

Special to the Daily Planet

LUBBOCK – The Alpine High School Runnin’ Bucks were at the Lubbock Invitational cross-country meet on Saturday. It’s the biggest invitational meet in West Texas, and hosts the top teams from around the region.

The Runnin’ Bucks girls took fourth place out of 24 schools in the Class 2A girls division. Alpine finished among a top group of long-time powerhouse cross-country programs that regularly send teams to state. Spearman (last year’s state champion team) won the meet, followed by Wall and Ballinger, then Alpine. The Alpine girls beat out Jim Ned, who finished 5th overall – Jim Ned was last year’s fifth-place team at state.

Rashae Skillern led the way for the Runnin’ Bucks with a medal for fifth place out of 117 finishers in the meet. Also capturing medals for top finishing in the top 25 runners were Aubany Martinez in 13th place and Sydney McCallister at No. 22. Alpine’s other point scorers included Grace Jahn at No. 28, and Maggie Hillery at No. 46.

The Runnin’ Bucks boys took 10th place as a team. Patrick Hillery led the Runnin’ Bucks in the 2A boys division, finishing No. 34 out 97 finishers. Damian Gonzales took No. 36, Ian Ybarra No. 56, Thai Eckley No. 84, and Austin Monlcova No. 95.

All Runnin’ Bucks squads – high school and middle school – will be in action again this coming Saturday at Alpine’s home meet, the Big Bend Mile-High Mountain Ramble, at Paisano Baptist Encampment.

Lesoya leaving the Alpine ISD board of trustees

Alpine Daily Planet

Darrell Losoya resigned as a member of the Alpine IDSD board of trustees at last week’s board meeting.

Losoya, who represents District 2, said he had no ulterior motives other than the desire to spend more time with his family. Other members of the board expressed their regret that Losoya was leaving and all were very supportive of the work he’d done as a board member.

In other action at the board meeting, board members:

• Approved the establishment and the procedures for a “concussion oversight team and return to play protocol.” AISD athletic director Stacey Martin made the presentation, citing the increased awareness of concussions, particularly in football. In the future, if a concussion is diagnosed, the player will not be allowed to return to play (practice or game) until the district’s concussion team, the player’s personal doctor and the player’s parents sign off. The district’s concussion team is made up of trainer Lori Hubbell, Dr. Adrian Billings and Dr. Sanchez.
• Heard a presentation on redistricting from Greg Hudson of Hudson & O’Leary of Austin. The AISD will need to redistrict because population levels – and ethnicities – have changed more than is deemed advisable by U.S. Department of Justice guidelines. Any deviations above 8-10 percent are generally recognized as the cutoff point for redistricting. The AISD has at least one district-to-district deviation of 37 percent – that is, at least one district contains 37 percent more people than another district.
• Gave Hudson the OK to prepare redistricting alternatives for the board to look at during its next meeting. Hudson’s company will also post those redistricting alternatives online so that citizens can look at them prior to public hearings. The board will meet with Hudson on Oct. 5 to review the redistricting proposals.
• (Side comment: What with replacing Losoya, searching for a new superintendent and redistricting, which needs to be completed by Dec. 1, the Alpine ISD has an extremely full agenda for the next couple of months.)
• Discussed the superintendent search. There have been 22 qualified applications. That number will be winnowed down to a few semifinalists; the first set of interviews with the semifinalists will take place on Oct. 10.
• Heard a report on district-wide enrollment, which now stands at 1,106. It was also noted that attendance has been quite high, which is critical to state funding.

A little told story: Occupying Wall Street

 

Ezra Klein’s Wonkbook: Compilation of "words on the street"

A government shutdown has been delayed, report Paul Kane and Rosalind Helderman: "Senate leaders agreed to a deal Monday evening that is almost certain to avert a federal government shutdown, a prospect that had unexpectedly arisen when congressional leaders deadlocked over disaster relief funding. After days of brinkmanship reminiscent of the budget battles that have consumed Washington this year, key senators clinched a compromise that would provide less money for disaster relief than Democrats sought but would also strip away spending cuts that Republicans demanded. The pact, which the Senate approved 79 to 12 and the House is expected to ratify next week, is expected to keep federal agencies open until Nov. 18...Aides to House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said he will support the compromise."

But it kicks the can down the road to Nov. 18th, and that budget fight will be harder to resolve, writes Suzy Khimm: "Even if Congress manages to resolve its differences over the current budget extension, the continuing resolution funds the government only until Nov. 18. And the next round of budget negotiations will feature much larger stakes...The rapid escalation of the current shutdown fight is over a smallsliver of emergency disaster aid money. That has obscured the broad bipartisan consensus over the vast majority of government spending -- at least until Nov. 18. Both parties have agreed to abide by the debt-ceiling agreement’s overall budget target of $1.043 trillion, and they have decided to meet that number by freezing funding for all non-defense spending at last year’s levels minus a 1.5 percent, across-the-board reduction. That’s not going to happen the next time around, when the funding for all of FY2012 is at stake."

The White House opted to fast-track Supreme Court consideration of health reform, reports Robert Barnes: "The constitutionality of the 2010 health-care law will likely be determined by the Supreme Court this term, meaning the decision could come next summer in the thick of the 2012 presidential campaign. The Justice Department said Monday evening that it had decided not to ask the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta to take up the case. A three-member panel of the court last month decided 2-1 that Congress overstepped its authority in passing the Affordable Care Act, which requires virtually all Americans to obtain health insurance. Although the department declined further comment, the logical next step for the Obama administration is to ask the justices to make what would be the final determination on the law’s fate."

Conservatives are questioning the jobs package's ban on discrimination against the jobless, reports Robert Pear: "Mr. Obama’s jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed. Under the proposal, it would be 'an unlawful employment practice' if a business with 15 or more employees refused to hire a person 'because of the individual’s status as unemployed.'...Republicans and some employers criticized the White House proposal. They said that discrimination was not common and that the proposed remedy could expose employers to a barrage of lawsuits. 'We do not see a need for it,' said Michael J. Eastman, executive director of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, said the president’s proposal would, in effect, establish the unemployed as a new 'protected class.'"

Only large-scale institutional reform can save us, writes David Brooks: "Look at the recent Obama stimulus proposal. You may like it or not, but it’s trivial. It’s simply not significant enough to make a difference, given the size of the global mess...Try to reform whole institutions and hope that by getting the long-term fundamentals right you’ll set off a positive cascade to reverse the negative ones. Simplify the tax code. End corporate taxes and create a consumption tax. Reshape the European Union to make it either more unified or less, but not halfway as it is now. Reduce the barriers to business formation. Reform Medicare so it is fiscally sustainable. Break up the banks and increase capital requirements. Lighten debt burdens even if it means hitting the institutional creditors. There are six or seven big institutions that are fundamentally diseased, from government to banking to housing to entitlements and the tax code."

If you're fed up with gridlock, blame the Founding Fathers, writes Harold Meyerson: "Presidents and congresses are elected not merely independently but at different times and by different electorates. After a midterm election in the United States, no members of the House and only one-third of the senators hold their seats by virtue of having won them in the same election that brought the president to power. The president and the Congress each have separate but equal claims to power and legitimacy. Thus a government divided between a president of one party and a Congress of another, political scientist Juan Linz observes, can reach an impasse for which 'there is no democratic principle on the basis of which it can be resolved.' That’s why nations with presidential systems, not parliamentary ones, Linz continues, have been more prone to military takeovers."

A good government isn't big or small, but smart, writes Edward Glaeser: "The 2012 election is shaping up to be an ugly battle fought along familiar, uninspiring lines: Democratic believers in big government against Republicans determined to cut taxes. This is the wrong fight. The important challenge today is to make government smarter and more effective, not slightly bigger or smaller...We should start by pooling our anti-poverty programs under a single agency chief with a mandate to provide the most effective aid given a fixed budget...When it comes to infrastructure spending, we should move away from the traditional model of congressional earmarking and move toward a system like the one adopted by Chile, where the government facilitates private investment funded by user fees...Just like any well-run private-sector organization, the federal government should rely on constant analysis of costs and benefits."

A shutdown would have cost more than the amount of money being argued over, writes Ezra Klein: "In most budget battles, the two parties are separated by many billions of dollars. Earlier this year, for instance, the compromise budget that averted a shutdown cut $78.5 billion from the president’s budget request. In this debate, however, the parties were separated by a mere $1.6 billion. The fact is that the preparations for -- and certainly the reality of -- a shutdown probably would have dwarfed the difference between the two bills...In 1996, the Office of Management and Budget tallied the two major shutdowns of the decade at about $1.4 billion. Adjusting for inflation would bring that total to more than $2 billion in today’s dollars. But as an analysis by Roy Meyers, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, found, that estimate left out a lot."

Seventh-grade team defeats Pecos in volleyball

The Alpine Middle School seventh and eighth grade volleyball tams hosted Pecos Monday night and played quite well against the bigger school

The eighth grade A and B teams both won in three games.

In seventh grade action, the Alpine squads lost but stayed competitive. The A team won its first match, 25-23, before losing its final two matches 23-14 and 25-11.

The seventh grade B team lost in two matches, 25-10 and 25-7.

“The girls are getting so much better,” said head coach Terra Farmer. “We had lots of hits last night, which made for an exciting evening.”

The Alpine teams host Crane next week.

Carol Wallace and Friends headline next First Friday Concert at St. James’, Alpine

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

Carol Wallace will headline the next First Friday Concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Alpine.

Wallace has been on the music faculty at Sul Ross State University as well as the faculties of Carthage College, the University of Wisconsin, North Texas State University and Texas Woman’s University. She has played solo recitals and with orchestras and chamber music groups. Wallace has also been executive director for Wisconsin Young Audiences and Young Audiences of Chicago.

Also appearing with Wallace are Carol Slocomb, flute, and Don Slocomb, clarinet, both long-time members of the Houston Symphony; Jane Ross, soprano; Marilyne Dieckert, flutist, composer and pianist playing flute; and Jay Davis, Alpine attorney, playing cello. 

The program will include J.S. Bach, Khachaturian, G. F. Handel, Lecuona, Beethoven and Rorem.

The afternoon event begins with a 5:30 service of Prayers for Evening and the Healing of the World. After a short break, the concert will begin at 6 p.m. A wine and cheese reception will follow the concert.

Members of the community are invited to the service and the concert, or may arrive at 6 o’clock for the concert. The church is located at N.6th St. and Avenue A in Alpine.

KRTS welcomes two interns

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

KRTS Marfa Public Radio, 93.5 FM, is pleased to welcome two fall interns to the station.

David Wieland and Alice Quinlan will spend the next few months assisting with station activities, producing radio programming, and learning firsthand how a community supported, non-commercial radio station operates.

Wieland, a native of Houston, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2010 with a degree in tadio-television-film. He’s previously interned at ABC radio in Australia and the Austin Film Festival. Wieland says he’s looking forward to getting to know the community and gaining more radio skills.

Quinlan graduated in May from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., where she studied philosophy and writing. She became interested in radio while taking a radio writing class in college. At Sarah Lawrence, Quinlan started “The Speakeasy Story Project,” a story-telling series. She grew up in Chicago, which "is known as a radio town," she said.

KRTS offers internships to college students and recent graduates on a quarterly basis. Sul Ross State University students are especially encouraged to apply. The application deadline for January 2012 internships is November 1. Interested persons are encouraged to contact Rachel Osier Lindley at 432-729-4578, or visit www.marfapublicradio.org for more information.

Previous KRTS interns have gone onto careers in media, such as Daniel Hernandez, who worked at KTEP-FM and helped start KSRU radio at Sul Ross; Grace Vroom, who went to CBS-TV in New York City; Rachel Neel, who joined KUT-FM in Austin; and Jen Gaffney, who helped launch 92.1 FM in Memphis.

Adult art classes set Oct. 1-2, Oct. 22 at Museum of the Big Bend

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

The Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University will offer a two-day oil painting workshop Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 1-2.

Local and award winning artist Deborah Allison will teach this first-time oil painting workshop. The class will cover the basic elements of color mixing, value and some drawing, as well as specific skills and techniques for painting in oil. The class fee has been reduced to $200 and will include all supplies. Class will meet from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday with a one-hour lunch break on your own.

Allison will return later in the month to teach "Beginning Portraiture in Graphite" in a one-day workshop, scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Oct. 22, with a one-hour lunch break.. Allison will teach the basic elements of drawing the face using a live model. The workshop will include live demonstration and participant time to work from life. 

To register or for more information, call 432-837-8143. Cash, checks, Mastercard and Visa are accepted. 

Sul Ross receives $772,000 Gear Up grant

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

Sul Ross State University has been selected to receive funding under the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Partnership program.

The discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education. The grant will provide $772,000 for the first year (Sept. 26, 2011 through Sept. 25, 2012). It is anticipated the grant will be for a total of seven years.

Sul Ross was first funded for the GEAR UP Project ReACH program in 2005 and received a renewal grant this year.  U.S. Senator John Cornyn was informed of Sul Ross’ selection Sept. 23 by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs.

Under the grant provisions, Sul Ross’ GEAR UP Project ReACH program will serve 965 seventh graders in Alpine, Terlingua, Del Rio and Presidio school districts and provide academic-based services through their first year of college.

Program participants will receive tutoring, mentoring, individual education career plans, academic and personal counseling, parent and student financial aid and economic literary workshops, intensive academic monitoring, as well as college visits, educational/cultural trips an on-campus experiences to gain a head start on college. GEAR UP also provides training tools for teachers, workshops and supplies.

For more information, contact: Aster Trevino, GEAR UP director, (432) 837-8807 or atrevino@sulross.edu.

 

Sul Ross receives $21,691 for Mexican-American students

Hector Acosta-Flores, Consul Titular, representing the Consulado De Mexico (Consulate of Mexico), Presidio, signs a giant copy of the IME-Becas grant check as Sul Ross State University President Ricardo Maestas observes. The award provides over $21,000 to qualified Mexican nationals or descendants of Mexican immigrants for in-state tuition for spring semester and the first summer session. (Photo by Steve Lang)

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

A $21,691 award from the Mexican Consulate and Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) will assist Mexican national students pursuing degrees at Sul Ross State University.

Hector Raul Acosta-Flores, Consul Titular and Erick Hernandez Rodriguez, Promotor del IME, representing the Consulado De Mexico (Consulate of Mexico) En Presidio, made the awards to Sul Ross President Ricardo Maestas on Friday, Sept. 23. The grant was one of three presented in the region, with funding also made to the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa and Casa de Amigos in Midland.

Purpose of the grant is to provide and improve access opportunities for adult Mexican immigrants and students from immigrant families to adult education programs and universities in the U.S. Since the IME scholarship program was established in 2005, over $4.3 million have been awarded through 386 grants to educational nonprofits.

Sul Ross received its second grant under the program. Eligible students will receive their scholarship awards effective spring semester 2012. The award provides funding to qualified Mexican nationals or descendants of Mexican immigrants for in-state tuition for spring semester and the first summer session.

The scholarship recipients will also be required to successfully complete COMM 1101: IME-Becas leadership class during spring semester. The class will culminate in a service learning project centered on the migrant population of the Big Bend. Sul Ross participates in the state of Texas’ Programa de Asistencia Estudiantil (PASE) Program which allows Mexican nationals who have financial need to pay in-state tuition.

 “We are grateful to the IME-Becas program for this generous grant,” said Maestas. “As a Rio Grande border institution with a long history as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Sul Ross has served Mexican students for many decades. This grant will allow Sul Ross to continue providing tuition assistance to deserving students.”

Sul Ross’s Rubenser publishes book on ‘forgotten’ law enforcement offices

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

A book written by Sul Ross State University faculty member Dr. Lorie Rubenser describes the history, duties and qualifications of lesser-known law enforcement positions in Texas.

 “Constables, Marshals, and More: Forgotten Offices in Texas Law Enforcement,” by Rubenser and Gloria Priddy, San Angelo, was released last week by the University of North Texas Press, Denton.

Rubenser, an associate professor of Criminal Justice, and Priddy, an adjunct instructor, spent about two years writing the book after several years of defining the concept. They spent hundreds of hours interviewing law enforcement officers from constables and marshals to bailiffs, game wardens, brand inspectors, fire marshals, railroad and university police, district and county attorney investigators and other lesser-known positions.

 “We’re very excited. We had a lot of help from a number of officers,” said Rubenser, a Sul Ross faculty member since 1999. “There was little or nothing written about these positions in criminal justice academia. This book can be used as a supplemental text for police courses.”

 “Although this book is state-specific (to Texas), I see this as a beginning in looking at these positions in other states,” she said.

Rubenser and Priddy’s 2004 conference presentation on “Constables in Historical and Modern Perspective” attracted the attention of the publishers. The book is now part of the North Texas Crime and Criminal Justice Series.

 “Constables, Marshals, and More” includes a chapter on legal issues written by Sul Ross Criminal Justice professor Ray Kessler. In addition, Jason Hennington, a news writer/photographer for News and Publications, provided photo assistance.

The book is being featured at the Southwest Association of Criminal Justice conference in College Station, scheduled Sept. 28-Oct 1. Rubenser, who has served as secretary and vice president of the organization for the past four years, will also take office as the association’s new president.

Rubenser and Priddy will be feted at a book signing at Hastings Book Store in San Angelo Nov. 5.

For more information, contact Rubenser, (432) 837-8166 or rubenser@sulross.edu.

Sully t-shirts for Amarillo school

Sul Ross State University Business administration faculty, business majors from Robert Matthews' Accounting for Managers course and graduate assistants display T-shirts to be delivered to Jessica Winks' fourth grade class at Margaret Wills Elementary School, Amarillo. (Photo by Steve Lang)

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

A gift of Sul Ross State University t-shirts may be returned wit 
h interest about a decade later – in the form of incoming students.

Within the next few days, a fourth grade class at Margaret Wills Elementary School in Amarillo will be receiving Sul Ross t-shirts from the Department of Business Administration and the Office of the Dean of the School of Professional Studies. In return, according to NEU Campus team member Jennifer Villalpando, Sul Ross may count on a host of new students within 10 years.

 “These kids are so excited about the Sul Ross t-shirts; all of them plan to attend Sul Ross when they graduate,” said Villalpando.

A letter sent in June from Wills Elementary principal Karen Atkinson, along with Villalpando and Sheila Barton, members of the “No Excuses University” team, sought items that represented Sul Ross, including t-shirts, pennants and banners.

Sul Ross was contacted by Villalpando, who is the niece of Linda McAnally, a lecturer in Business. Jessica Winks is the teacher for Sul Ross’ adopted class.

Now in its second year, the No Excuses University concept “provides a comprehensive approach to ensure that all students are college ready,” according to the letter.

Margaret Wills student population includes 90 percent from homes with incomes below the poverty level and 13 different countries are represented on the campus.

 “That means that 25 percent of our population is limited English speaking and have been in the United States less than three years,” the letter stated. “We believe that every one of our students has the ability to learn, go to college and break the cycle of poverty for their families.”

No Excuses University (NEU) seeks to expose students to the sights and sounds of college, including wearing NEU t-shirts each Monday, displaying university flags outside each classroom as each class has adopted a different university, and learning history and traditions about the respective adopted universities. In additions, students and staff will wear their adopted college t-shirts each Friday and parents, students and staff will sign a three-way contract to ensure success.         

 “The faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Business Administration are excited to adopt the students in Ms. Winks’ fourth grade class. We hope they will enjoy wearing these t-shirts that represent a great university and that they will attend Sul Ross ‘to become who they want to be,’” said Mazie Will, interim chair of Business Administration..

For more information, contact Will, (432) 837-8072 or mwill@sulross.edu.

 

Author, motivational speaker Kevin Carroll to speak Oct. 3

Special to the Daily Planet

Author and motivational speaker Kevin Carroll will address “Dream Big” at Sul Ross State University Monday, Oct. 3.

Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and the author of three highly successful books published by ESPN, Disney Press and McGraw-Hill. He will speak in Marshall Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. There is no admission charge and the public is invited. A reception will follow the address.

Carroll’s appearance is sponsored by the School of Professional Studies John B. Poindexter Speakers Series. The series highlights outstanding individuals who have been successful in their respective professions and allows them to share their stories with the students, faculty and staff at Sul Ross and the community at large. 

As an author, speaker and agent for social change (a.k.a. the Katalyst), it is Carroll’s “job” to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals - from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren - to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth.

With his consulting endeavors, Carroll  has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as The National Hockey League, ESPN, Nike, Starbucks (his words appeared on 17 million Grande cups), The National Basketball Association, The Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Hasbro, Procter & Gamble, The Discovery Channel, Capital One, and many others.

Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Carroll spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball. His subsequent pursuit of play and his “red rubber ball” took him overseas with the Air Force, where he served as a language interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian, and German.

After serving in the Air Force for ten years and earning his college degree, he became an athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia. His expertise in sport performance recognized by the 76ers organization and led to his job as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995. While at the 76ers, Nike tapped Carroll to bring his unique experiences to the sneaker giant in 1997.

Although no job “officially” existed at the time, he was directed to create a position at the company that would add value to the overall mission of the brand. Carroll accepted the challenge and stayed for seven years as “Katalyst” (the ‘K’ is for Kevin) – a creative change agent. At Nike, he was instrumental in helping the company develop a deeper understanding of athletic product performance, team dynamics and interpersonal communication. He left Nike in 2004 to create his own company, Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC, committed to elevating the power of sport and play around the world.

In May of 2005, a notable moment occurred when Carroll addressed dignitaries from 31 nations at the United Nations about the importance of play in their developing countries. He is also heavily involved with many social entrepreneur organizations that use sports as a catalyst to change lives.

He holds a M.S. in Health Education from St. Joseph’s University, a B.A. in Speech Communication with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University, and an Associates Degree in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of The Air Force. Carroll is also a frequent visiting adjunct lecturer across the U.S.

For more information, contact Dr. Melanie Croy, (432) 837-8134 or macroy@sulross.edu.

 

Miss Rodeo Sul Ross 2011 to be crowned Oct. 1

2011 Miss Rodeo Sul Ross candidates include, front to back: Amanda Tenery, Kerrville; Nikki Woodward, Alpine; Molly Jo Collins, Balmorhea. (Photo by Jason Hennington)

Special to the Daily Planet

Three candidates are seeking the title of Miss Rodeo Sul Ross 2011, with the new queen to be crowned Saturday, Oct. 1.

Coronation will take place during the Saturday edition of the 66^th annual Sul Ross NIRA Rodeo, beginning at 7 pm in the SALE Arena, Turner Range Animal Science Center. Reigning Queen is Ashley Buffington, Carlsbad, N.M., a senior Animal Science major.

Candidates are Molly Jo Collins, Balmorhea; Amanda Tenery, Kerrville; and Nikki Woodward, Alpine.

Collins, Miss Art Walk, is the daughter of Laura and Larry Collins and a Sul Ross freshman. She is majoring in Animal Science, is a member of the rodeo team and competes in goat tying and breakaway roping.

Tenery, Miss Big Bend Saddlery, is the daughter of Tammy Tenery and a Sul Ross sophomore majoring in Animal Science. After graduation she plans on traveling to Ireland, then returning to study veterinary medicine. She enjoys barrel racing and training horses.

Woodward, Miss Woodward Aviation, is the daughter of Lowell and Carol Woodward. She is an Alpine High School graduate and a Sul Ross freshman, majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Communication. After graduation, she plans a career in mass communications, preferably television.

Competition begins Friday, Sept. 30, with a horsemanship event in the Muench Arena. The horsemanship competition is open to the public at no charge.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, candidates will be tested on their rodeo, equine and current event knowledge, beginning at 8 am. Following the test each contestant will interview with the panel of judges. 

A fashion show, impromptu questions and speeches will begin at 1 pm Saturday in the Turner Range Animal Science Center, Room 130. This event is also open to the public at no charge.

Sul Ross hosts 66th annual NIRA Rodeo Sept. 29-Oct. 1

Special to the Alpine Daily Planet

Sul Ross State University – where intercollegiate rodeo began – will host the 66^th annual National Intercollegiate Rodeo (NIRA) event Thursday-Saturday Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the SALE (San Antonio Livestock Exposition) Arena. 

Competition begins at 7 p.m. each evening General Admission is $5. Children under 12 and Sul Ross faculty, staff, and students with ID will be admitted free of charge.  Slacks will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, beginning at 9 a.m. each day. There is no charge for the slack. 

Teams competing include: Angelo State University, San Angelo; Clarendon College; Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, N.M.; Frank Phillips College, Borger; Howard College, Big Spring; New Mexico Jr. College, Hobbs, N.M.; Odessa College; Ranger Junior College; South Plains College, Levelland; Tarleton State University, Stephenville; Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Vernon Junior Regional College; Weatherford College; West Texas A&M University, Canyon; and Western Texas College, Snyder.

Saturday evening one of three co-eds will be crowned Miss Rodeo 2011. The reigning Queen is Ashley Buffington, Carlsbad, N.M.

Rodeo Queen 2011 candidates are Molly Jo Collins, Balmorhea; Amanda Tenery, Kerrville; and Nikki Woodward, Alpine.

Sul Ross boasts nine national team championship teams, seven men’s and two women’s; and 24 individual event titles. The rodeo team won men’s championships in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1982, and 1983 and women’s crowns in 1962 and 1985. Only Southeastern Oklahoma State University claims as many national team championships, five men’s and four women’s. 

Harley May, a member of the first three national championship teams, won eight national collegiate titles, three world championships in steer wrestling on the professional circuit and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.  He returned to coach the Sul Ross rodeo teams from 1994-1998.

May won the all-around men’s championship from 1949-51; bareback riding in 1949; bull riding in 1949-50; and saddle bronc riding in 1950-51. Tex Martin (1953) and Cody Lambert (1982) also won men’s all-around titles, while Jo Gregory Knox, (1951), Elisabeth Prude Longbotham (1953), and Donna Saul (1962) claimed all-around women’s crowns. 

Other Sul Ross national individual champions are: bull riders Johnny Ackel (1952), Ira Akers (1953), Tex Martin (1954), and George Eads (1962); saddle bronc rider Don Lee Smith (1958) and Bill James, who tied for first in calf roping in 1961 and won team roping in 1962.

In women’s competition, Charlotte Martin (1954) and Saul (1962) won goat tying championships; Saul won calf tying in 1961; and Jayne Gentry won breakaway roping in 1985.

Lady Lobos drop two

Special to the Daily Planet

The Sul Ross Lady Lobos volleyball team had another tough week.

The Lady Lobos lost to Hoard Payne in three matches, 14-25, 14-25 and 13-25.

Last Saturday, the Lady Lobos extended Concordia to four matches before losing,15-25,  18-25, 25-22 and 16-25.

The Sul Ross record dropped to 1-9 on the year and 0-4 in American Southwest Conference action.

 

Fort Stockton city auditors find $1.4 million in misappropriated funds

By Geena Martinez, NewsWest 9

FORT STOCKTON - A major shakeup in Fort Stockton. One million dollars in mis-appropriated funds. Now the IRS is involved. 

The discrepancy was found a few weeks ago and city officials are taking action.

"I think it's troubling that someone would do this to our town so we're pretty mad," Mayor Bill Lannom, said.

Mad and left to clean up the mess that someone else left behind.

A few weeks ago, Fort Stockton city auditors found money mis-used by former City Manager Rafael Castillo and former Interim Finance Director Roger Carlisle.

According to statement from Mayor Lannom, $1.4 million dollars were moved from the city's certificate of deposit accounts into the general fund account back in 2008.

That money was supposed to be used for infrastructure improvements but was instead used to pay city bills.

"This voids the tax exempt status of the interest from that money borrowed from Wells Fargo and its investors and it violates federal tax law," Mayor Lannom said.

The former officials risked the bank pulling the loan altogether and even the IRS shutting the city down.

Lannom believes Castillo and Carlisle knew what they were doing was illegal.

"They thought they could borrow the million, pay it back and nobody would notice," Lannom said. "Unfortunately that didn't happen."

The city is owning up but now they face the IRS. They've hired an attorney to represent them.

"They may just levy the fines and penalties and monitor our progress," Mayor Lannom said. "Obviously they may go further, we don't know."

Another hurdle will be getting that money back and it's going to fall on the taxpayers.

"We have to raise the taxes by 15 cents for this 12-month period," Mayor Lannom said. "We're trying to be good boy scouts and do the right thing. Myself and the Council are committed to turn this boat around."

Of that $ 1.4 million, $400,000 was identified as funding authorized for projects.

The city attorney is looking into possible criminal charges.

Letter to the editor from 'Heaven to Hell' officials

Letter to the Editor:

This year’s Heaven to Hell Ride was another success, (despite the heat and economy) with 40 motorcycle enthusiasts from across Texas participating in the Alpine Chamber-sponsored event on Saturday Sept. 24.

We would like to thank all the great folks who made it memorable for the riders: the Knights of Columbus for a great catfish dinner; the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office and Porter’s Thriftway for their contributions to breakfast; Nectar Computers for the web site; Chris Ruggia and Victor Noriega for publicity; Morrison’s True Value and Farmers Insurance for donated goods and services, and all the volunteers who helped to make it happen.

This event was self-supporting, and we hope it brought some extra business to the area. Proceeds are being donated to the Texas Forest Service firefighters to support their work all across Texas this year.  Again, many thanks to all … the 2012 Heaven to Hell Ride is already in the planning stages!

Mike Latta, coordinator, 2011 Heaven to Hell Ride