One of the smallest school districts in Texas will make history this fall as it transitions to a predominately four-day school week — the first of its kind in the state Olfen Independent School District, a kindergarten-through-eighth grade district outside San Angelo that boasts 56 students approved the new schedule earlier this month Olfen officials cited a new law passed by the Legislature allowing districts more flexibility in setting calendars "We think this is going to be something great for our students and something that can also benefit a lot of parents out there,” said Olfen Superintendent Gabriel Zamora I never thought I would be in the district that had the right circumstances.”  The Olfen school board unanimously voted Jan 12 to approve the change for the 2016-2017 school year The new schedule includes four mandatory instructional days and an optional day on Friday Students who do not receive passing marks on progress reports will be required to attend school on Fridays to receive tutoring while passing students will have the choice to stay home A handful of weeks during the year will have a full five days of instruction who compared the optional day to “Super Saturdays” in other districts said it would include a few hours of tutoring in the morning and activities such as karate Zamora proposed the change after the Legislature last spring passed a law altering how the state defines a school year The law requires districts to have at least 75,600 minutes of instruction each year instead of the previously stipulated 180 days The new Olfen ISD calendar will have 160 class days that total more than 77,000 minutes The district will increase the duration of each school day by 25 minutes “The purpose of the bill was to offer traditional independent school districts more flexibility and local control,” said the bill's author, state Rep. Ken King “Every school district has different needs.” a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency confirmed that Olfen is the first school district in the state to offer a four-day week schedule although others have unsuccessfully pushed for a similar schedule in the past so the chances of something like this working at a Houston or a Dallas ISD “It would certainly be something a district could explore.” Zamora said the schedule is compatible with the unique needs of his rural district where only one student lives within the district boundary Spanish and special education for the older students in the district said he was initially skeptical of the new schedule but now he sees it as an opportunity to improve individual students’ needs and this has always been an issue with us because we are up to 35 miles away from a student’s home,” Cavazos said That distance means if the school wanted to offer tutoring after school it would need to run an additional bus route “This is going to give us the opportunity to pull those students in on Friday," he said who has two children and one grandchild in the district said she thinks the new schedule is a "great idea." She said she will be sending her children to school on Fridays regardless of their grades in part because of the extracurricular programs the district plans to offer.  Cavazos said his older students have already expressed a desire to improve their grades so they can stay home on Fridays.  “I see it as an apple and stick approach as far as the student’s side is concerned,” he said then don’t do your work because you’re going to come in on Friday you’re going to get what you need either way.” Choose an amount or learn more about membership 2018Texas school district moves to 4-day-a-week classesROWENA Texas (KTRK) -- A small school district in west Texas is starting the school year as the first of its kind in modern state history to move to four-day-a-week classes Olfen Independent School District in Rowena which is nearly 30 minutes outside of San Angelo approved the abbreviated instruction weeks back in January it took advantage of the state's new guidelines requiring a minimum of 75,600 minutes of instruction rather than the previous stipulation of 180 days Olfen ISD will institute 77,000 minutes over 160 instructional days for the new school year said not every week of the school year will be four days with some Fridays becoming "fifth day student optional days." In a news release the district said some staff will be on hand on these days to provide additional instruction tutoring or enrichment for students who choose to come to campus The school district also took into account two days set aside for inclement weather You can view the full calendar of Olfen ISD's new school year on its website RELATED: 4-day school week adopted by Colorado school district The 5-year old Brooklyn and the 6-year old D'Alessandro became the winners of the Bundeschampionate qualification classes held at the regional show in Olfen-Vinnum on Thursday 6 August 2020 Selectric was on point and scored 8.1 to tie in second place with barn mare By Your Side yet 6.5 for submission but 8.0 for general impression Warendorf's Hanoverian stallion By Your Side (by Benicio x Dancier) scored 8.1 after receiving 8 for walk 7.5 for submission and 8 for general impression Ten pairs competed in the M-level class for 6-year olds and Spanish Ivan Nieto Sanchez aced the class aboard Equus Invest's Hanoverian stallion D'Alessandro (by Don Frederic  x Stedinger) The pair has already qualified for Warendorf at Hof Bettenrode in July but went for more ring experience in Vinnum  7.5 for submission and 8.5 for general impression Nele Lübbehusen and Warendorf's Westfalian stallion Velvet (by Van Vivaldi x Fidermark) were second with 8.0 Photo © LL-foto Results - 2020 Bundeschampionate Qualifier - Olfen-Vinnum Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot Last October, Texas voted to change the school year from the long-accepted norm of 180 days per calendar year to 75,600 minutes—hour by hour roughly the same amount of instructional time but now with more district-by-district say in how exactly those hours are distributed The first school to take advantage of this new flexibility is in tiny Olfen, a rural West Texas district with a single K-8 school serving about 60 students. Olfen announced last month that with 25 more minutes tacked onto each day—so approximately 77,000 hours over 160 days to receive one-on-one tutoring or participate in enrichment activities The four-day school week is by no means a new concept, as a Schooled story found last year: Madison School District in South Dakota used the schedule as early as the 1931–32 school year offering academics on the first four school days and extracurricular activities on the fifth The schedule didn’t gain national popularity until the 1970s when high gas prices caused by the 1973 Arab oil embargo left school districts scrambling to curb their energy consumption and Massachusetts all began experimenting with the four-day week claiming the switch saved heating and bussing costs Other touted advantages are higher teacher retention (and more opportunity for professional development) Olfen is making the switch for a different reason: to provide more concentrated help to the students who need it struggling students can go to tutorials and get more individualized attention from teachers “Instead of waiting to try to catch a kid up at the very end of the year,” said Gabriel Zamora who came to Olfen as superintendent last year you can give that kid a whole day to work with the teacher every single week When asked about objections to the new schedule “The one question that keeps popping up over and over is: ‘What am I supposed to do on that day?’ ” He said that he repeatedly reassures parents nothing changes: We’re still going to have our staff there and we’re still going to provide transportation We’re going to offer all sorts of enrichment activities”: Various possibilities he mentioned include karate The district, which is about 60 percent Hispanic, has been in the “needs improvement” category since before Zamora’s arrival—enough students hit proficiency benchmarks but struggled when it came to “post-secondary readiness,” which is why Zamora also hopes to use the extra day to provide support for the “upper echelon of learners” as well Zamora hopes to pay for the cost of these programs with increased enrollment from nearby counties: “Olfen will always be a small school but if we can raise our enrollment into the 90s that will more than offset the costs of these new programs.” I couldn’t help but think back to my sophomore year in high school when a series of surgeries kept me out of school for well over a month I showed up early at 7:15 every day to catch up in geometry and took make-up history exams during lunch What if I’d had a whole day every week to get back on track Unimaginable at the time; would’ve been pretty sweet in retrospect and not so much as a stoplight or store in sight the community of Olfen is about as quiet as it gets there's nothing but silence to be heard — until the doors to a small gymnasium open up and the sounds of a basketball game come pouring out Olfen has been staying up late to enjoy high school sports located about 30 miles northeast of San Angelo made the decision in 2017 to expand its school system through 12th grade something that had never occurred since it opened in 1901 a new high school athletic program was quietly born After spending the last three school years playing at the junior varsity level Olfen is about to take the biggest step in its athletic history Olfen will join the rest of the public schools in Texas when it finds out which UIL district it will be aligned into for the next two school years competing on the varsity level in sports across the board New football teams might pop up frequently in other parts of the state San Angelo TLCA was the last newcomer in this area when it joined the UIL ranks in 2010 Veribest and Grape Creek began playing high school football in the late 1990s the Olfen Mustangs will officially join the party Before Olfen could have a team to cheer on the community first needed to keep its school alive with low enrollment and poor grades from the Texas Education Agency Olfen ISD was in danger of closing when Gabriel Zamora arrived as the school's new superintendent in May 2015 I knew I was either going to be known as the guy that got the place turned around or got it shut down We were up against the ropes," Zamora said "It was our third year of 'improvement required' for accountability (with the TEA) typically the state sanctions you and puts you in a position to shut you down Zamora and the Olfen school board had to get innovative fast if they wanted to save the school So they made the bold move in 2016 of implementing a four-day school week becoming the first school in Texas to do so Here's how the four-day week essentially works — students who don't receive passing marks on progress reports are required to attend school on Fridays to receive tutoring while passing students have the choice to stay home The move was critical in turning things around academically Olfen received a B on its 2019 accountability ratings report card which included an A in the category for school progress "A lot of people around the community said I love the environment and the flexibility.' What they didn't like was that after eighth grade they had to leave the district and go to either Paint Rock or Ballinger," Zamora said "A lot of parents and kids didn't like the idea that their group spent so much time together over the years and then they'd end up at different schools Zamora felt a high school would help Olfen attract and keep kids — instead of the school just taking anyone that happened to come their way 'We'll just send them our bad ones,' because we were accepting anybody," Zamora said "I even had people tell me they looked at us like an alternative campus "The kids we have now are among the best in all of Region XV They make the sacrifice to travel out to us We have kids busing from San Angelo every day It'd be convenient to walk to the school right next to you When Olfen High School reported its first enrollment to the UIL in 2017 making it the second-smallest public high school in Texas behind only Valentine Olfen was up to 31 students when it reported enrollment in 2019 As a school from kindergarten through 12th grade as the school has controlled the influx of students "We'll stop at 150 next year," Zamora said Olfen hired its first-ever athletic director Tennison might not be who you'd expect as Olfen's AD The 6-foot-7 former college basketball player was a big-city guy coaching in Houston when he was offered the job at Olfen Yet Tennison has some connection to this area as he attended college at McMurry University in Abilene and was an assistant coach at Hamlin High School He also seems uniquely qualified for helping jump-start a brand-new athletic program at a small school "When I first got started back in San Antonio I was an assistant athletic director and helped build programs at a charter school," Tennison said it kind of gave me the foundation to be able to do this here but I'm just prepared for all the things that have happened as far as how to build it Olfen actually began competing at the varsity level in cross country and track in 2018 and Anastasia De La Cruz made school history last fall by becoming its first regional qualifier in any sport when she took fourth place at her district cross country meet "I'm trying to get them to understand how special they are to what we're trying to do here They can leave a legacy," Tennison said of the first athletes to compete for Olfen High School that I'll probably forever talk about here for the sacrifices they've made." Olfen principal Lizette Paceley said there have been some growing pains along the way especially the first year when they could barely field teams so we had to try to get the kids to participate — even if they didn't want to do basketball just so we'd have enough to participate," Paceley said "We've slowly been seeing bigger classes as students move in instead of just having one or two seniors So I think (athletics) has been growing organically Olfen teams will be eligible to compete for a spot in the playoffs for the first time the coaches and athletes have been trying to lay a foundation for the future with these first steps "It's been really crazy trying to start it — in the best way possible but the coaches and everyone have been helping and encouraging us Sanchez said she's happy she could help get Olfen's athletic program off the ground "I'm proud that I was at least part of it in the beginning," she said Tennison said Olfen's junior high teams are showing promise — even splitting boys and girls basketball games recently with Wall which is a state power at the high school level "Our junior high kids are putting us on the map a little bit," Tennison said There are also plans in the works to construct a weight room at the school The Olfen Mustangs have played junior high football on and off over the years The sport was dormant at the school for five years before being revived at the JV level in 2017 Tennison got his first taste of six-man football in 2019 when he became the Mustangs' head coach "This year was kind of rough," Tennison said "We hadn't really learned the fundamentals of the game so it's been kind of more about the teaching and learning We'll have a lot more kids come out and play We're estimated to have 16 or 17 next year and we could actually have a legitimate team." Olfen will be in a varsity district this fall The Mustangs will find out Monday who they'll be grouped with The closest Class 1A Division II football teams to Olfen are Panther Creek and Lohn which are in a district with Richland Springs Those could be Olfen's new district neighbors though it's anyone's guess how the UIL realignment will shake out very excited (to find out)," Tennison said "The administration is wanting to see where we fall in .. along with other activities such as One-Act Play has made a difference in the students' attitude Olfen also had homecoming and a prom for the first time in 2019 "We're so small that even as low as the pre-K and so that already builds a family-type environment," Paceley said "But then as we're incorporating these things they're getting to get more into the spirit side but now it's going on to the competitive side the community has also been rejuvenated by having a team to root for and a brighter future to look forward to "I think they're excited to see Olfen is growing because for a while the school was going to close down," Paceley said "The people that came here before are happy to see it thrive They're excited that it's growing and flourishing finally because it is a great town and a great community." Tennison said he hopes to see his athletes make a name for their small school in the near future and they can put their pictures with their names on the wall and now they're forever cemented in history," Tennison said Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The first season of Olfen High School football didn't get the chance to be much of a season The Mustangs had the misfortune last year of starting up their football program in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and they're still waiting to score their first touchdown has returned to the small school he attended until eighth grade (as far as Olfen went at the time) to help get the program off the ground following the departure of former coach Travis Tennison The process of building a new program isn't easy and the improvements have been really dramatic but it's exciting to watch them get excited about their improvement," said Halfmann a 1988 graduate of nearby Ballinger High School who previously coached at Olfen from 1995 to 2012 Halfmann may be best known to area sports fans from his time coaching the girls basketball team at Blackwell where he led the Lady Hornets to their best season in school history in 2020 with a regional semifinal appearance He was also the head coach of the Paint Rock football team for four years from 2012 to 2015 so he has a history with six-man football and a lifelong history in this part of Texas His biggest challenge at Olfen this year may be a lack of numbers The Mustangs have only nine players on the team heading into next week's season opener at Mullin on Friday It means Olfen is only a few injuries away from being unable to play but the Hornets aren't going to worry about that "Injuries are kind of like turnovers — the more you think about them it's been nothing more than bumps and bruises and we came through our first scrimmage OK So we're going to be positive that we're going to make it through and everything's going to be alright." 150 pounds) is projected to be the starting quarterback but he just goes out there every day and really works hard you'll only get two words — 'yes sir' — and he'll do his best He's been really good," Halfmann said of Guzman.  "They're pretty big kid and they're doing a real nice job They'll get after you a little bit," Halfmann said.  Olfen scrimmaged Bronte and Blackwell last weekend giving the Mustangs some much-needed live action We didn't do the little things that we did last year because they know we're better than we were and now we'll go from here and we'll see where we're going to be and see how much better we're going to get." Olfen Mustangs District: 6-1A Division II Head coach: Brandon "Bud" Halfmann (14-27; 0-0 at Olfen) Last year’s record: 0-5; 0-3 in district Last district title/playoff appearance: Never/Never OLFEN -- This tiny West Texas community got its first taste of Friday night football as Olfen High School made history in the 2020 season opener at Mustang Field The Mustangs didn't get the results they were hoping for but all that really mattered for the home team was that Olfen began a new chapter as a varsity football program The Mullin Bulldogs didn't look like a team that finished 1-9 a year ago as they rolled to a convincing 64-0 shutout that ended at the half by six-man's 45-point mercy rule More: Olfen Mustangs preparing for first season of high school football "We mainly have got a lot of (junior varsity) guys out here and they fought hard and I just think our preparation has to be a little more intensified," Olfen head coach Travis Tennison said I thought they gave a great effort and I think that sometimes experience is what gives you a good understanding of what you've got to do going forward.  It's Year 2 for us in the sense that this is our second year together and we're still kind of learning the ropes and learning the rules of the game But I think everything is going to work out in the long run." Olfen High School has been around for 100 years but the Mustangs had never fielded a varsity football team before this season And ironically it comes on the 100th anniversary of University Interscholastic League football As you would expect from any high school football team making its varsity debut Olfen had more than its share of mistakes -- sloppy tackling high snaps over the quarterback's head that resulted in safeties But despite being in over their heads and noticably nervous the Mustangs kept battling and showed a lot of grit and determination Olfen junior lineman/linebacker Thorin McDurmitt said Friday's experience something the Mustangs will build on "I enjoy playing football with my family," McDurmitt said and we need to learn a little more and come back stronger." The Bulldogs gave the Mustangs a lot of credit for continuing to battle despite the lop-sided score they put up a good fight and they had some good hits," said Mullin freshman Cutter Baird who had a TD reception and a fumble recovery Mullin set the tone by returning the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown.  Olfen had a high snap on a punt and the Bulldogs took over at the Mustangs' 7-yard line and punched it in for a 14-0 advantage after the two-point conversion kick Mullin recorded a safety and added another TD to build a 22-0 cushion at the end of the first quarter It was hard to stop the bleeding from there as the Bulldogs reeled off 42 points in the second quarter to end things at the half Years from now when they tell their grandchildren about making school history on a hot August night the Olfen players can look back on this night with a lot of pride despite what the scoreboard reflected "It's more exciting for the kids than it is for me as a coach," Tennison said "I've played sports and for them to have this experience is something they can look back on when they get to be adults But it's still awesome for the kids and it's something they'll talk about."  Heading into the high school football season there was a lot of uncertainty about whether games would be played at all due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that's something that makes the Olfen players cherish every minute they can get on the field even more give us some more opportunities to play,' because no one thought COVID was going to happen," the Olfen coach said not just football but basketball and track and golf and swimming and all those other sports." Olfen will have two weeks to prepare for another home game against Lohn on Sept 11 before playing their first varsity road game against Santa Anna on Sept Charles Bryce is a journalist covering sports in West Texas. Send him a news tip at cbryce@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com Coach Brandon "Bud " Halfmann's new assignment in Olfen is a homecoming a graduate of Ballinger High School and Angelo State University has spent more than a quarter-century of his life at the school located 35 miles northeast of San Angelo in Runnels County "The only reason I ever left is because I wanted to coach high school kids," said Halfmann who was recently named athletic director and head football coach for the Class 1A school that for most of its 100-plus years of existence held classes only through the eighth grade to pick a high school nearby to complete his education accepting a job at Olfen after graduation from ASU in 1995 he left Olfen to try high school athletics first at nearby Paint Rock and then a little farther away at Blackwell where Halfmann came within two wins of the girls state basketball tournament and won a regional track title while coaching the Lady Hornets Olfen expanded to a full pre-K through 12th system in 2017 and as the 2021 football season approaches the Mustangs prepare for a second full season as a full-fledged high school athletic program A LOOK BACK: Olfen prepares for first season of high school football the Olfen native is already proud of his hometown's athletes and excited to work with a young new staff of coaches "We've had up to 13 in summer workouts and that's a pretty good number because we've got 18 to 20 high school kids in athletics out of 35 total," Halfmann said "I was really impressed with how hard they want to work." Summer strength and conditioning workouts are held for all athletes as allowed by the UIL while sport-specific training for football and volleyball is set to begin Aug 9 while football games start the last weekend of August who will also coach boys basketball, leads a complete overhaul of the Mustang athletic program after replacing Travis Tennison as athletic director and all-around coach "It's a lot of young coaches," said Halfmann "But one thing I was impressed with was how they all said "whatever you need," when they were asked what they wanted to do Anton and Mary Catherine Daldrup Hoelscher and their sons left Olfen in Westfalen Germany to finally arrive at Indianola port on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County several months later The Anton Hoelscher family first lived in the Cummins Creek settlement near Frelsburg in Colorado County Franz and Bernard – had applied for naturalization in Fayette County and were granted citizenship in 1855 1870 to Christoph Joseph and Katherine Sommer Hoelscher in Ohio where they moved in 1866 his family moved back to Texas and settled in Colorado County In the early 1880s the family moved to Westphalia in Falls County Clements and Minnie were married January 3 1873 to Stanislaus and Louisa Schneider Rollwitz They had six children: Louisa Hoelscher Ernst Alphons Hoelscher and Olga Hoelscher Jenness Pickett was the second child born to Clements and Wilhelmina “Minnie” Rollwitz Hoelscher About 1911 the Hoelscher family moved to Runnels County and settled at Olfen It was at a community dance in 1917 when friends introduced Clemence Hoelscher Jr. who had graduated from a state teachers college in Corpus Christi had accepted her first teaching position in the Olfen public school 1895 at String Prairie in Bastrop County to Charles and Theresa Ott Frerich According to “The Hoelscher Family of Texas (1846 – 2003)” enjoyed dancing and basket picnics with their friends which led to their marriage on June 16 1920 at Brackettville where her parents were living at the time referred to as “Miss Agnes” by her students In 1923 they moved to his family’s rock house when his parents moved to other farmland and built a new house The historic “Rock House” became the C.J and Agnes Hoelscher’s permanent home was one of the original ranch homes of the county Their surviving children still own and operate the original homestead Family life centered on farming and raising cattle and sheep but also many memories of summer afternoons spent at the river swimming and eating with Hoelscher grandparents and Agnes had seven children: Aldus “Ace” Hoelscher (1922 – 1998) Bernadine Hoelscher Gardner (1924 – 2012) Audrey Hoelscher Russell (1927 – 2000) and Cecelia “Ceda” Minnie Hoelscher Brosig (1936) Bernadine Hoelscher married Bob Gardner January 16 1964 and Audrey Hoelscher married Lee Russell February 9 Leoran Hoelscher and Margaret Rohmfeld were married October 28 They had one child: Patricia Ann Hoelscher Kahlig Hoelscher and Antoinette Lange were married June 13 They had five children: Scott Charles Hoelscher Derrick Matthew Hoelscher and Toni Nicole Hoelscher Hill Mary Hoelscher and Marcus Andrew Hoelscher married January 29 Richard Hoelscher (deceased) and Ted Hoelscher Cecilia Minnie Hoelscher married Emmett Hugo “E They had four children: Clayton Charles Brosig Clemens Hoelscher was 71 when he died August 13 Minnie Rollwitz Hoelscher was 73 when she died January 28 Clemence “C.J” Hoelscher was 47 when he died September 29 Jerry Lackey is agriculture editor emeritus Clemence Hoelscher and Agnes Frerich are pictured on their wedding day June 16 Editor's note: This file has been updated due to schedule changes What if there was a fan whose allegiance wasn't so much to a particular team every Friday night but instead to the search of good high school football that fan chose a new town to visit to watch a game Distance didn't matter — sometimes the trip is half the fun — and the games would vary from big-time 6A matchups to small-town six-man battles Here's our guide to the best games to watch each week during the 2020 high school football season in West Texas: We have a packed slate of exciting season-opening games on Friday 28 — including Wall (12-1) at Eastland (9-2) It's easy to forget about Mullin (1-9) at Olfen (0-0) This matchup guarantees you'll see a little piece of history as Olfen — located about 30 miles northeast of San Angelo — is set to play its first-ever varsity game when it hosts Mullin It's also a meeting of two of the smallest schools in Texas as Olfen has 31 students Mullin struggled to a 1-9 record last year so the Bulldogs have the chance to break an eight-game losing streak — or Olfen will make school history with its first win under the Friday night lights More: Olfen experiencing first taste of high school sports These two powerhouse programs have had a brief but entertaining rivalry since they began playing in 2014 All but one of their matchups have been decided by seven points or less A late goal-line stand helped Wall hold on for a 20-13 win last year and the Hawks have a 4-1 edge in the series This year's game looks like it has the potential to be another memorable meeting 5 in Class 3A Division I by Texas Football magazine let's head to the Hill Country for a game at the Puncher Dome in Mason This is an intriguing matchup of teams ranked in the top 10 in the state in Class 2A Division I 6 Mason returns only four starters on each side of the ball but the Punchers do bring back quarterback Matthew Kerr 10 San Saba will be more experienced with seven returning starters on offense and defense but the Armadillos must replace all-state QB Sean O'Keefe Mason and San Saba have played on and off since the 1930s but this is their first meeting since 2013 4 Sterling City in one of our best nondistrict matchups of the year Both teams bring back five starters on offense Borden County also returns five starters on defense Each team was knocked out of the playoffs by Rankin With these two state powers in the same region this could also be a preview of a playoff meeting down the road Rankin sits just outside our coverage area but we'll cheat a little to see a team that enters the season ranked No Rankin sits atop the Class 1A Division I rankings following last season's run to the state semifinals The Red Devils return five starters on each side of the ball including standout running back De'Shon Goodley the defending state champion in 1A Division II, was Rankin's opponent for this date before a schedule change You can't ask for a much better team to step in and replace No The Trojans were 8-4 last season and nearly tripped up Richland Springs in a 34-29 loss in the second round of the playoffs Calvert returns three starters on offense and four on defense including all-state running back Ja'Quarious Ford and all-state defensive back Davien Flentroy so you can make some other football plans for Friday This will actually be only Week 2 for these schools The Central Bobcats' nondistrict schedule was scrambled due to the UIL's decision to push back the start date for all Class 6A and 5A schools by four weeks While Central was unable to keep matchups with Amarillo Tascosa the Bobcats picked up two new matchups against Schertz Clemens and A&M Consolidated The game with Schertz Clemens will take the Bobcats just outside the city limits of San Antonio The Buffaloes had a record of 10-2 last year and went undefeated in their district They return eight starters on offense and three on defense Central brings back six starters on offense and five on defense from a 6-5 team that reached the playoffs for the 10th straight year These two longtime rivals have been playing since the 1920s The last two meetings have been some of the best — with Ballinger winning 26-22 last year on Tyler Vaughn's last-minute interception in the end zone and a 20-19 overtime win by Ballinger two years ago Ballinger returns 17 starters from last year's 8-3 team Brady brings back 10 starters from a 5-6 team Ballinger looks like the favorite to win again in what will be the 90th all-time meeting in this rivalry but the Bulldogs will be a capable opponent on their home field in Brady our tour will take us through Robert Lee to see a good old-fashioned rivalry game Bronte and Robert Lee is one of the state's oldest rivalries with 105 games played between them Robert Lee holds a 51-50-4 edge after winning the last two meetings against six-man newcomer Bronte These two towns separated by 12 miles first played in 1927 The series went on hiatus after Robert Lee dropped to the six-man ranks in 2004 but Bronte's move to the six-man game in 2018 has rekindled the rivalry The Longhorns haven't been able to keep up with their neighbors on a six-man field yet They'll try to close the gap some more this fall Week 9: Christoval at EldoradoThis game has decided the district title the last two years Eldorado held off Christoval 14-7 last year Christoval earned a 39-30 win two years ago Both teams had records of 10-2 last season and they return the majority of those squads Eldorado returns seven starters on each side of the ball and enters the season ranked No Christoval brings back nine starters on offense — including star quarterback Brayden Wilcox — and eight on defense The Cougars will begin the season ranked No We'll stay in town this week and catch a rivalry game between the Lake View Chiefs and Andrews Mustangs and they've played nearly every year since 1980 it's a rivalry that's been owned by Andrews for the last couple of decades The Mustangs have won 13 straight matchups With eight starters back on offense — including 2,400-yard passer Albert Rodriguez — Lake View should have more firepower to battle Andrews this time where the Bulldogs have a chance to win their third straight district title They'll have to fend off an Irion County team that hit the ground running last year with a 7-3 record in its first season of six-man football Each team returns four starters on both sides of the ball Eden is led by star quarterback Hunner Rodgers while Irion County has a promising young quarterback of its own This has the chance to be an entertaining regular-season finale More: West Texas All-Decade Football Team (11-man) More: West Texas All-Decade Football Team (6-man) More: Memorable moments from a decade of West Texas football The life journey for 92-year-old farmer Earl J has been filled with typical struggles and successes mostly dictated by the weather.   and Mary Ann Glass Halfmann moved to their farm near Vancourt after their marriage January 5 They had no electric power for the first three years of their marriage and used coal oil lanterns There were no bathrooms – only a two-seater outhouse – until 1958 there was no water heater until years later 1925 to Charles and Ella Wanoreck Halfmann at Olfen in Runnels County Charles and Ella Halfmann had five children: Earl Halfmann Elvie Magdalene Halfmann Ahlert (1929 – 2009) and Georgie Ann Halfmann Meeks (1938 – 2017) 1930 to Ben William and Elizabeth Margaret Franke Glass at Rowena Ben was born in 1893 to William Raymond and Lucy Marie Hoelscher Glass Earl and Mary Ann Halfmann had six children: Wanda Susan Halfmann who married Allan Lange and Deborah Marie Halfmann who married Bill Scott Charles Bernard Halfmann who married Shelia Alexander Kevin James Halfmann who married Julie Massey and Joan Elizabeth Halfmann who married Waylon Pierce; 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.  “During the severe drought of the 1950s the dust storms would drive the whole family into the cellar Charles was a baby and they would put wet diapers across the bassinet to keep him from choking from the dust,” remembers daughter Ruth Ann Halfmann he got lost in the cotton field because the cotton was taller than he was,” Ruth said Most farmers on the Lipan Flats east of San Angelo found other work to help support their family and hold on to their property Earl Halfmann went into the chicken business with 300 laying hens They said when opening the cellar door it looked like a snow storm hit with feathers flying through the air and dead chickens everywhere So Earl worked at other jobs including the Arley Guess Service Station in San Angelo for a short time before becoming a welder at Wendland Manufacturing Company his full focus turned to farming and raising cattle and hogs “We had over 100 hogs at one time,” Kevin Halfmann said “Neighbors would come at hog butching time and help process the meat separating it into ham “In the early days before the coming of cotton strippers Earl and other farmers in the Vancourt and Wall area would wait along the highway all the way to Eden for migrant workers heading north from the Rio Grande Valley to the big cotton fields on the South Plains They would flag them down and hire them to pick cotton before continuing up the country,” Kevin said “Dad had one of the first two-row tractor-mounted cotton strippers in the area It blew the cotton in the trailer pulled behind the tractor He bought the stripper in 1959 and mounted it on a John Deere 730 tractor,” Charles said “But we still had to hand pick cotton along a five-foot strip next to the neighbors’ fields because he didn’t want to turn around at the end of the rows and destroy their cotton and we kids would pick the cotton in the five-foot strip between our field and the neighbor,” he said Mary Ann worked in the office at the Dorotik Gin during ginning season 1944 and was with the 305th Infantry Division he was sent to Japan with the Army of Occupation After his discharge from the army in July 1946 he farmed in the Olfen and Norton communities The Halfmanns have been active members of St Earl was Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus and served several years on the parish council Mary Ann was Grand Regent of the Catholic Daughters at St “Dad instilled in us a good work ethic and strong faith devotion,” Charles said Earl retired from farming at age 82 and turned the operation over to son Charles who lives nearby with wife Shelia and their family live on a small acreage of the farm and run a few head of cattle he is in the real estate and appraisal business.  went to be with our Heavenly Father peacefully holding the hand of his beloved wife and surrounded by family on December 4th Wake service and rosary will be held at 5:00 PM Sunday Funeral Mass will be 10:00 AM Monday December 11 Lawrence Catholic Church followed by burial with Army Honors rendered by Ft the eldest son of Mack & Emma (Gerngross) Halfmann in Olfen Texas where he grew up helping his father farm he was drafted into the Army and served in the Military Police in Germany during the Korean War 1953 Cecil married the absolute love of his life Texas where Cecil spent the next 38 years farming After retiring he picked up the hobby of carpentry The Lord blessed him with such talent in his art of wood working and in return he used that skill for the Lord He even had the pleasure of making the beautiful Crucifix that hangs behind the altar and a stand for the incense thurible just to name a few He also made many gifts for family and friends Cecil and Wilma lived life to the fullest and kept Christ the center of their marriage and family Cecil had a love for music all of his life and had a tune with him wherever he went You could bet your bottom dollar that if there was a polka dance within a 100 mile radius of him (maybe even farther for some Mollie B) that he and Wilma would be there dancing the night away to every single song Cecil was the past president and member of the St Lawrence Polka and Dance Club He was also a devoted member of the St.Lawrence Catholic Church Cecil was on the founding committee of the Glasscock County Co-op and served on the committee for the Glasscock County FSA Cecil was also involved in helping get the Glasscock Co Senior Citizen Center established in Garden City sister Frances and brother-in-law Buddy Hering He leaves behind a beautiful family to carry on his legacy starting with his wife of 70 years and his 10 children: Lynn (Jerri) Halfmann brothers Leon (JoAnn) Halfmann and Wayne (Barbara) Halfmann 30 grandchildren and 60 great grandchildren The family suggests memorials to Romeboys.org and St Gift Bearers (grand daughters): Marla Halfmann Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home and Crematory Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com Cecil Francis Halfmann, 93, of St. Lawrence, Texas, went to be with our Heavenly Father peacefully holding the hand of his beloved wife and surrounded by family on December 4th, 2023. Wake service and rosary will be held at 5:00 PM Sunday, December 10, 2023 at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will beContinue Reading To send flowers to the family or place a tree in memory of Cecil Halfmann, please visit our Tribute Store Your condolence may need to be approved before it appears on this page It may not appear immediately once submitted Upload attachment  (Allowed file types: jpg and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Thank you for leaving a condolence..Your comment has been submitted for moderation Designed and produced by @document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); MKJ Marketing | http://www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov/ | Privacy Policy The Lady Longhorns swept Colorado City in a District 7-2A volleyball match Tuesday in Bronte 25-13 and improved to 9-13 overall and 2-0 in district play The Lady Longhorns were scheduled to play at Olfen on Saturday but the Lady Mustangs program has been suspended for the rest of the year Olfen still plans to compete at the junior high level Colorado City fell to 0-2 in district play Veribest travels to Water Valley on Saturday Nevaeh Oviedo had 38 assists for the Lady Eagles Daisy Gonzalez had 13 kills and a service ace while Madison Smith had eight kills Oviedo also had four kills along with two aces Jaylen Hernandez had five kills and five aces Sonora (14-8) hosts Wall Saturday in another nondistrict match 15-11 in a battle between District 29-2A heavyweights in Johnson City 0-1) and Johnson City took second and first with Harper advancing to the Region IV-2A tournament for the second year in a row Talli Millican led Harper at the net with 24 kills Wood also had three serving aces while Millican had two Kamrynn Baethge had 28 assists for the Ladyhorns while Rachel Perkins had 18 Brittany Evans led Harper with 20 digs while Perkins finished with nine and Wood and Emily Seewall added eight apiece Kyndell Malaer led the Lady Bulldogs with seven kills and a block Gracie Galindo had five kills and 11 digs while Abby Torrez added four kills and 12 digs Amerie Stidham had five aces while Cassie Holloway finished with three The Bluekatts totaled 134 digs in a massive defensive effort against the Lady Hornets who had a 2-0 lead before Coleman stormed back for the win Ana Kilpatrick led Coleman defensively with 30 digs Brylei Gilbreath added 28 while Jordan Rae had 20 Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com Riding Master Heinz Lammers passed away on 8 February 2022 Lammers discovered his passion for horses and riding when he was 10 years old He got his formal education at the legendary Gestüt Vornholz where Willi Schultheis took him under his wings He was further trained in classical equitation by General Niemack He began his sport career mainly as an eventing rider and also competed in show jumping before finally settling for dressage he achieved over 120 victories in small and big tour classes in his career Lammers was equally successful as a trainer First he taught in the riding schools in Saerbeck and Greven He had a training stable in Olfen and was a heavily sought after coach His students include Olympians Eva Maria Pracht Amongst his students are also his sond Heinz-Holger and Hartmut Lammers as well as Marion Wiebusch and Alina Röhricht He was also regional team trainer for Westfalia for almost 25 years Lammers was decorated with the Golden plaque by the Westfalian equestrian federation in 2002 The German equestrian federation proclaimed him "riding master" in 1989 and in 2013 he received the Stensback plaque "No other riding master has influenced Westfalian dressage sport as much as Heinz Lammers," said Martin Plewa who is a riding master humself and former manager of the Westfalian riding and driving school                                 District  Overall Crane                          2-0         7-6 Coahoma                     1-0        10-1 Sonora                        1-0         10-3 Odessa Compass        0-2         7-5 Reagan County            0-2         n/a Tuesday’s matches: Coahoma at Compass                         District  Overall Jim Ned                2-0         13-1 Clyde                    2-0         12-6 Wall                       1-1         15-4 Grape Creek         1-1         7-10 Brady                     0-2         n/a San Angelo TLCA  0-2         n/a Wink                           6-0         17-4 Sterling City                6-0         11-5 Buena Vista                4-2         n/a Rankin                        3-3         n/a Grandfalls-Royalty      2-4         n/a McCamey                   1-4         n/a Forsan                        1-4         2-12 Midland TLCA             0-6         n/a Saturday’s scores: Sterling City def Tuesday’s matches: Grandfalls at Rankin                        District  Overall Veribest             6-0         9-0 Water Valley      6-1         7-2 Bronte                4-2         7-8 Colorado City     2-2         n/a Miles                   2-4         2-9 Loraine               2-4         n/a Paint Rock          1-3         3-8 Olfen                   0-7         n/a Friday’s score: Paint Rock def. Olfen 25-13 Tuesday’s matches: Paint Rock at Bronte Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb CLICK HERE for High School Football Scores TX — If you’ve never been to a six-man football game you’re missing out on one of the gems of the high school football experience in Texas Fans sitting in lawn chairs along the fence The energy from everyone in town hanging out at a little stadium And the feature attraction is a unique brand of football with 80-yard fields The vast majority of the players will never get a bit of college interest but you won’t find a more pure form of football like a backyard game you played when you were a kid you’re in luck because it’s home to some of the best six-man football you’ll find Here’s a look at the six-man teams in our area this season (listed in alphabetical order): When you’re state-ranked coming off a losing season The Blackwell Hornets enter this fall ranked No 25 in the state in Class 1A Division II despite a record of 4-5 last season It’s a nod to Blackwell’s success in recent years The Hornets have won seven playoff trophies since 2017 including a memorable run to the state semifinals in 2019 when they stunned No who is in his seventh year overall with the program said last season’s struggles began with a critical injury in Week 1 Our guy who was supposed to be the quarterback broke his hand the first game and we never could get right,” Cummings said “So we had to start a little freshman guy (Brayden Claborn) Claborn is one of four returning starters on offense along with junior running back Kreed Cummings who was the district’s Newcomer of the Year last season who was a first-team all-district selection as a defensive utility player Other returners include seniors Eli Drake and Alex Hall Blackwell is the favorite to win District 6-1A “The main thing is we’re just trying to get back in the playoffs “But we’ve got to stay healthy and keep growing each week.” Bryce Meador played for two football coaches when he was in high school at Aspermont — Kevin Ray and Vance Jones Both are in the Texas Six-Man Coaches Association Hall of Fame Meador hopes to take what those two legendary coaches taught him and apply it to his new team this season I don’t try to make it overcomplicated,” Meador said Meador inherits a team with four returning starters on each side of the ball The Longhorns went 4-8 last year and won a playoff game Bronte had 15 boys out for football practices Meador said he expects his offensive leaders to be senior tailback Cole Knight junior quarterback Joel Pena and sophomore fullback Jack Robbins and this is the first school I rolled up into and they said we’ve got a kicker and we’re solid,’ and he’s backed that up.” Senior Kolten Dyer also returns after being named a second-team all-district tight end last year “He’s going to help on both sides of the ball,” Meador said “He’s not as explosive as those other guys who was a first-team all-district defensive lineman Bronte is picked to finish third in District 6-1A Division II by Texas Football Magazine because almost everybody is in the same boat Four of the teams have new coaches,” Meador said “So everybody’s in the same mix of whose kids can learn it better Meador said the goal is to get in the playoffs and keep adding to the trophy case It really depends on what part of the bracket you fall in,” Meador said So I’m expecting to succeed and do well in district The Eden High School football team is hoping to find some traction this season in the Hill Country The Bulldogs are on the move from a Concho Valley-based district to one with Hill Country schools from Medina Nueces Canyon and Leakey — along with an old rival from Menard Considering Eden’s former district now has three Top 25 teams in it Bulldogs head coach Steven Grigsby is willing to put up with all of the extra driving but I’m glad we slid south where we can at least be competitive,” Grigsby said “I know there’s still some good teams down there but the Bulldogs were better than their record suggests and they beat a Bronte team that went on to win a playoff game Eden also had a respectable showing in a 46-25 loss to a Blackwell team that enters this season ranked No “We played with people and hung around with people and then either their talent took over or our lack of depth killed us,” Grigsby said who was a first-team all-district player last year as a sophomore Junior Julian Morales will take over as the team’s signal caller with sophomore Gharitt Cogbill backing him up “Both are looking pretty good and doing a lot of good things and making good reads,” Grigsby said Junior Blake Teeple returns at running back while junior Avery Condarco is a returning wide receiver Both were second-team all-district last year Sophomore fullback Nate Barba could also make an impact Grigsby is hoping to see his team push for a playoff spot this year the race for second place could be wide open “Maybe the experience (from last year) will help us out and we’ll be more competitive An almost completely new team will be taking the field for the Garden City Bearkats this fall Garden City has only three players on their roster who have seen any significant playing time on varsity The Bearkats have inexperience and lots of it But the group has hit the ground running in workouts so far “The kids are really having fun playing football again Garden City had a relatively big senior class last year but it was injuries that really contributed to the lack of playing time for this year’s players It was just one of those years for us,” Jones said Garden City went 3-7 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011 The Bearkats’ only returning starter on offense is senior Carson Goodwin who began last year as a tight end but ended it as a running back who took fifth place last year in the 100-meter dash at the regional track meet will use that athleticism as an offensive lineman Jones said Dellinger made a joke about being a lineman once “Don’t joke with coaches about that,” Jones laughed “We do get our guard involved with a lot of receiving plays and run plays even We’re going to use him and he’ll be one of the better weapons on the team He got stronger over the summer and his blocking is really good who was Garden City’s JV quarterback last year “We were a little worried about how he’d handle the varsity speed of the game He was also the point guard on the basketball team last year Garden City also has an exciting returner in sophomore Brody Walts who tore his ACL last season against eventual state champion Gordon “He made them all miss and shrugged off a couple as a freshman Not many people did that against Gordon,” Jones said Garden City will have a strong defensive front with Dellinger and junior Roberto Almazan and all of them were spectacular football players He’ll be anchoring our line on both sides of the ball,” Jones said Junior linebacker Uziel Lopez will also be a leader for the Bearkats’ defense “He’s just got a bunch of natural instincts and it’s fun to watch him play,” Jones said Garden City is in District 4-1A Division I so grabbing one of the two playoff spots will be a task Jones said he’s not focusing on long-term goals but rather short-term ones like trying to minimize mistakes like turnovers and penalties “When you do that type of stuff and you’re prepared the winning pretty much takes care of itself,” Jones said Irion County has been home to one of the area’s best six-man football teams in recent years The Hornets have won at least eight games for four straight seasons highlighted by the 2022 team that went 12-1 and reached the state semifinals Irion County took a step back last year with an 8-3 record and first-round playoff loss 19 in the state and should again be a formidable team it’s reloading,” said new head coach Tell Rutledge and we’ve got a really good senior bunch.” Posey was a menace on defense last year with 151 tackles 3 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions to earn second-team all-state honors He’s a hard worker and just a good kid overall He’s probably a little bit more obsessed than we are as coaches “We’re going to put a lot on his shoulders He’s that typical Ray Lewis-like linebacker leader We’re depending on him to get everybody lined up right and everybody on the same page for us Posey will also see time at running back after being named a second-team all-region fullback last year He’ll be joined in the backfield by another returning starter along with senior Aidan Taylor and junior Hagen Turman Senior Daniel Crutchfield will take over at quarterback Maison Siller and Luke McDonald are expected to lead the way on the offensive line Many of the same players will contribute on defense who was a second-team all-region defensive utility player last season Though Irion County is the back-to-back defending district champion the Hornets were picked as the runner-up this season by Texas Football Magazine due to Water Valley (ranked No along with Veribest (8-2 last year) and Paint Rock (6-5) “It’s going to be a tough district,” Rutledge said “It’s going to be a district where you can’t take any weeks off “The main thing we emphasize with the boys is we just want to be the best football team we can be each week and get better each week The Hornets should be well-prepared by the time district rolls around Their nondistrict schedule includes games against No Lohn High School's sign commemorating its 1987 six-man football state championship there’s some real excitement around the Lohn High School football program Lohn has managed only one win in the last nine years Lohn remains one of the smallest schools in Texas but the Eagles have 17 boys out for football this fall They return five starters on each side of the ball “This past spring was my first time having an offseason with them we took 16 boys to the district track meet so that’s big and it’s getting the kids fired up.” who was named second-team all-district as a quarterback and safety the son of new defensive coordinator Jason Moreno defensive end Connor Nuncio and special teams ace Joe Anthony Delafuente are all back after second-team all-district seasons Tight end Cal Slatton is a newcomer who could make an impact tall rancher kid who’s homegrown here in Lohn and he’s doing some really good things,” Brock said Lohn has the misfortune of being in District 15-1A Division II with No “The goal is you always want to win that first game and you want to win that first district game Clay Holland is finally back in his neck of the woods who quarterbacked the Junction High School football team to its last district title in 2003 about 30 miles up the road from his alma mater While Holland grew up playing 11-man football — followed by a college coaching career primarily in track and field most recently at Tarleton State — he also spent two years as an assistant coach at Gordon a school with a strong six-man football tradition “I knew that Menard had the numbers to go down (from 11-man) a few years ago and I was kind of always looking to see if they’d ever go six-man because it’s something I’d be interested in “The tradition of the community and the school was something I was always really intrigued by So I’m excited to be here to continue the athletic tradition at Menard but also to build on the six-man tradition.” Menard is about to begin its third season in the six-man game who was also a state champion in the 110 and 300 hurdles competed collegiately in track at Texas State University He then had assistant coaching jobs at Texas State before spending the last three years as Tarleton’s head coach The thought of Holland’s next stop being in Menard with an enrollment of 92 students in its high school “I never thought he’d actually take it,” said Menard High School principal Jacob Hand in an interview with the Menard Messenger Holland inherits an inexperienced squad with only one returning starter on defense and two on offense Menard’s junior high team went 9-0 last year “We have 24 football players out right now and workouts have been going well,” Holland said “We have a lot of inexperience … but I’m really excited about some of the guys that have moved up into these positions Junior Jayden Payton returns at running back and safety while senior Logan Powell is back at quarterback “He’s really stepped up as a blocker at the quarterback position so far Junior tight end Cado Bannowsky has “really transformed into a good blocker but he’s going to lead the way on the offensive side,” Holland said Junior Tucker Pullen returns after being sidelined by an injury last year and will be a running back and linebacker has missed three years due to numerous injuries but he’s attempting to finish strong his senior year which would give the team some speed and maturity Junior Zeke Hernandez could make an impact in the trenches and we’re hoping on the offensive and defensives lines that he comes in and has a presence,” Holland said Then there’s the incoming class of freshmen who saw overwhelming success in junior high Menard has gone 7-4 and 6-4 in its first two years of six-man The Jackets are picked to finish second in District 15-1A Division I this season by Texas Football Magazine “A lot of those teams might have not had great records last year so I feel like it’s going to be a dogfight every week,” Holland said Menard’s season begins with four consecutive road games so the Jackets won’t make their home debut until Oct one of their only three home games in 2024 The Olfen Mustangs have been trying to find their footing as a football program which has been playing at the varsity level since 2020 The Mustangs bring back head coach Jacob Halsell along with three players from last year’s team that went 0-4 while playing an outlaw schedule “It’s going to be a building year for sure,” Halsell said who was a regional track qualifier last spring Freshman Grant Halsell could also make an impact after leading the Mustangs’ junior high team last year The Mustangs currently have an eight-game schedule planned “Really what we’re looking for is to establish an identity and try to kind of solidify football as a sport here at the school It’s our eighth year as a high school,” Halsell said “So we’re really just trying to get our foot in the door and get the program started If we can make it through the whole season and play every game and be competitive The Paint Rock Indians football team meets with their coach during a game in 2020 Don Gibson has been at Paint Rock long enough to know his seniors before they were in kindergarten So when a late-year coaching change left the school scrambling for a new head football coach the longtime assistant knew he needed to step up and take the reins of the program who has spent 14 of his 16 seasons at Paint Rock as an assistant also spent one year as the team’s head coach in 2017 He’ll lead the program again this fall as the Indians move up into the 1A Division I ranks Practices have been encouraging with 27 boys out giving Paint Rock the luxury of having a varsity and JV but we’re going to be getting there,” Gibson said Quarterback Kolby Rodgers returns to direct the offense running back Elijah Rodriguez and fullback Joey Hernandez Sophomore running back Angel Briones is a newcomer who could make an impact Paint Rock went 6-5 last year and lost in the first-round of the playoffs The Indians will be hard-pressed to make it back after being realigned into a district with three Top 25 teams — No 23 Robert Lee — along with a Veribest team that went 8-2 but the only way to get better is to play people at least as good as you or better and we’re just looking at it as a challenge,” Gibson said “I don’t think anyone’s giving us much of a shot at anything A sign at Panther Creek High School displays the football program's accomplishments Panther Creek is home to one of our area’s most storied football programs The Panthers won three state titles in 1992 Panther Creek’s numbers have slowly dwindled and the great seasons don’t happen as often The Panthers’ last playoff win came in 2016 when they reached the state quarterfinals Panther Creek has the will to restore that tradition Panther Creek has only 10 boys who will open the season Friday “When you look back on those teams that were so dominant from the 90s and early 200s we were running with 70 to 90 kids in the high school We’re sitting out here now with enrollment in the upper 40s or low 50s,” Beam said what’s hurting (football) the most at the high school level is we’re girl heavy We don’t have a single boy in the junior class you know that when you don’t have underclassmen The lack of numbers is an inescapable fact that has limited Panther Creek in recent years and two or three who are playing have absolutely no experience whatsoever We have a bunch of freshmen who haven’t played a varsity game We just don’t have those kids like they had then Panther Creek battled to a 4-4 record last year and had a chance to earn a playoff spot heading into the final game of the season The Panthers return three players from that team Senior Cason Ainsworth plays at running back and defensive end Sophomore Aidan Patterson plays at center and defensive end and fellow sophomore Malachi Bentley plays at running back and linebacker “We’re progressing a little slower than what I’d like but we’ve got a very young team,” Beam said Panther Creek was realigned into District 15-1A Division II with No so the path to the playoffs will be especially difficult “We’re not using inexperience or any of that as an excuse The playoffs are the goal still,” Beam said “I don’t see us being a team that can just dominate people But I do feel like we have a team that can go out and win some ball games maybe we’ll put ourselves in position where we are playing for the playoffs Expectations are always high in Richland Springs where the Coyotes have brought home nine state titles This year is no different as the Coyotes are ranked No They return four starters on defense and three on offense from a team that went 13-1 last year and reached the state semifinals The Coyotes’ path back will be loaded with landmines 11 Rochelle is in Richland Springs’ district 8 Cherokee could be waiting in the first round A potential rematch with Oglesby awaits in the state quarterfinals but our region is tough,” Richland Springs head coach Shawn Rogers said but anything worth having is not going to be easy.” Richland Springs will be led on both sides of the ball by junior Billy Perry who was first-team all-state as a defensive lineman and the Defensive MVP of his region He was also a second-team all-region running back for the Coyotes last year “We’re expecting really big things out of that kid,” Rogers said Senior Hutton Rogers returns after being named a first-team all-state wide receiver in 2023 Two other players who earned honorable mention on the all-state team — senior fullback Gage Behrens and sophomore utility back Cohen Ethridge — are also back who rushed for 1,992 yards and 42 touchdowns the last two years at Oglesby is an exciting transfer to Richland Springs (and a significant loss for the state’s top-ranked team) Junior Ethan Deeds is another transfer who played quarterback last year for 11-man Goldthwaite Aviles and Deeds could all see time at spread back “We can rotate them all in and probably not miss a beat,” Rogers said Other players to watch include wide receivers Jim Eckerman and Rush Norris Rogers is hopeful all of the offensive talent he has can work on defense as well “I feel like if we can get our defense to come together and jell and get the right people on the field healthy we can have one of the top defenses around,” Rogers said Robert Lee Steers Break it Out with a Victory over the Eden Bulldogs (LIVE The Robert Lee Steers are a rare team that’s ranked in the Top 25 in the state and yet they’re picked to miss the playoffs by Texas Football Magazine 23-ranked Robert Lee shares a district with No The Steers grabbed the district’s second and final playoff spot last year behind Irion County but Water Valley joining the district makes the path to the playoffs much more difficult this year The district’s other two teams also had winning records last season — Veribest (8-2) and Paint Rock (6-5) “It’s going to be a tough district,” Robert Lee head coach Lee McCown said “It’s just going to be one of those deals where we have to work hard and be prepared and it’s all about who stays healthy throughout the season But those are going to be some good district ball games.” Robert Lee held off Veribest 80-54 last year to secure second place The Steers weren’t far off from Irion County in a 56-36 loss Irion County graduated some all-state players so Robert Lee could certainly catch the Hornets this time Water Valley is also returning to six-man after two years in 11-man so it’s a real possibility that Robert Lee can win the district The Steers return three starters on offense and four on defense from last year’s team that went 8-3 and lost in the first round of the playoffs Brenner Sherwood was a second-team all-region spread back last season with 868 rushing yards and 779 passing yards He was also a first-team all-district cornerback with 75 tackles and 2 interceptions Wyatt Bosworth was a second-team all-region tight end who is a “great blocker,” McCown said was also second-team all-region last year with 56 tackles The other returning starter is Jaxon Tavarez who was a second-team all-district defensive lineman “Those four were big players for us,” McCown said “Denver O’Dell is a two-year letterman on varsity and we’re planning on him to make a bigger impact for us as well.” is another two-year letterman that could see significant snaps 260) is a newcomer who is projected to be the team’s center so we’ve still got quite a few that could be surprises for us,” McCown said After a nondistrict schedule that includes games against Blackwell (No 25 in 1A D-II) and the Coke County Championship against Bronte Robert Lee’s district road begins at home Oct “We want to just have a great season and put ourselves in position to go past district and see what happens after that,” McCown said While Rochelle didn’t make the playoffs last year — due to sharing a district with Top 10 teams Richland Springs and Cherokee — the Hornets enter this season ranked No They return all six starters on both sides of the ball from that 7-2 team led by all-region spread back Merek Howell and they bring back a head coach who has been at the school for six years Everything is lining up for a season to remember in the small community about 10 miles northeast of Brady “We have a big senior group with nine seniors They’ve been playing together since their pee-wee years,” Rochelle head coach Matt Maciel said “This is my second year as head coach but sixth year here in total and so I know the kids and they know our schemes offensively and defensively Now instead of teaching the basics and Day 1 stuff we can kind of grow from what we finished on last year So this is definitely a special group of boys that we’re bringing back.” Howell produced nearly 3,000 yards of offense last year in only nine games “He’s probably one of the most intelligent players on the football field I’ve ever coached,” Maciel said of Howell “He’s phenomenal in the open field … He’s a lefty and he’s a gunslinger He can rip the ball 40 or 50 yards in the air and be accurate with his pass.” Senior running back Kelton Williams should be another playmaker He can make the regional track meet in the 100 and 200 Rochelle returns three other senior starters — center Gunner King guard Cole Estes and running back Nate Vasquez who could see time at quarterback and running back he’d probably be our second-best player,” Maciel said Rochelle has a strong nondistrict schedule that includes games against No Maciel hopes it will prepare his team for its Week 10 showdown at home against No “We’ve been right with them the last two years and they just kind of run away with it toward the end of the game,” Maciel said I think we have a good shot at giving them a run for their money the Veribest Falcons had a memorable football season in 2023 Veribest began the year with seven straight wins — including three against playoff-bound teams — and the Falcons ended the season with an 8-2 record Few teams in Texas had that many wins and failed to make the playoffs Veribest was in a district with state power Irion County and up-and-coming Robert Lee and the Falcons were left out in the cold as the third-place finisher “We were excited and happy with the season we had and all the things we accomplished,” said Veribest head coach Justin Morris whose team saw a six-win improvement from 2022 “We had an opportunity to make the playoffs all the way until the very last week.” Veribest returns three starters on each side of the ball from last year’s team to make another run at it the road to the playoffs has only gotten rougher There are now three Top 25 teams in Veribest’s way — No ‘It’s brutal.’ And I would echo that and agree Our district is pretty brutal,” Morris said “Whoever comes out as one of the top two teams is going to be a dang good football team.” Veribest wasn’t far off from Robert Lee last year in an 80-54 loss and Irion County graduated some all-state players from the team that 45ed the Falcons hasn’t played six-man football in two years Veribest is an interesting darkhorse in this district for sure The Falcons have about 25 players out for practices this year Veribest will be led by a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield with senior Lane Howard who had 840 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns last year who primarily played defense last year but will be helping on the offensive line as well this season All of those players will also be leading the way on defense Other newcomers that could be difference makers are junior utility player Xander Colon and junior lineman Colton Schwartz Water Valley in action versus TLCA Abilene Water Valley is dropping back to six-man after a two-year stay in the 11-man ranks the Wildcats reached the state quarterfinals So it’s easy to see why Water Valley is ranked No Second-year head coach Aaron Whitmore said it’s not quite so easy to step right back into six-man and be a state power “Everyone’s thinking these kids are hugely experienced in six-man,” Whitmire said and we have several kids that it will be very new to them.” Texas Football Magazine also predicted Water Valley to win District 8-1A Division I along with a Veribest team that went 8-2 last year “I know the kids enjoy (being picked first) and the parents love it Everybody’s talking about it at the coffee shop But it puts a ginormous target on our shirt,” Whitmire said We should be good enough this season to step up and play with them and compete in this district that’s a bold statement with us having not played a six-man game in two years.” The Wildcats had 23 players out for the start of football practices who moved back last year after a couple seasons in Wall athletic kid and a great basketball player,” Whitmire said Anthony Quintana is also back after rushing for about 850 yards last year as an option quarterback He’ll be joined in the backfield by fullback Boston Wiese Cade Manley and Chris Gray are projected as two of the top offensive lineman “We’ll have a few kids split out here and there but we’re going to ground and pound it,” Whitmire said Brylan Naylor will have a utility role for the team and could see time at numerous positions Water Valley’s defense will be run by Trey Sisco who was Sterling City’s head coach when the Eagles won the state title in 2020 Quintana and Kolster project as defensive ends Water Valley has a nondistrict schedule that includes games against Rochelle (No 13 in 1A D-I) right before district play begins at home against Veribest on Oct Check out more of our season preview coverage here: View Past Issues indie web and mobile news platform with a local audience larger than all the San Angelo TV stations Advertising here can transform your business We understand that seeing some stories may be difficult for some readers Our goal as a news organization is to report on matters of public interest with accuracy and fairness While we recognize that certain stories can be sensitive or unsettling we are committed to providing transparent and factual reporting to keep our community informed If there are specific inaccuracies or additional context you believe would enhance the story, we encourage you to share those with us for consideration. We take our responsibility to the community seriously and strive to maintain a respectful dialogue with our audience. Contact us here Robert Lee ISD has hired former Water Valley coach Nathan Hayes to lead its football program who coached the Steers last year but will step back into a role as boys assistant coach Hayes will be the athletic director and head football coach The district made two other big moves recently To replace retiring head girls basketball coach Brandye Wilson who led the Lady Steers to the UIL State Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1978 The former Olfen and Blackwell coach will be the girls athletic coordinator will follow his brother Nathan to Robert Lee to replace Don Brown the head boys basketball coach who will continue to serve as a boys assistant coach Nathan Hayes led Water Valley to a 12-1 record and a trip to the state quarterfinals last year in Class 1A Division I six-man football Water Valley's enrollment bloomed over the last few years and the school was realigned into Class 2A and 11-man football earlier this year who has never coached at the 11-man level in his 18-season career opted to leave Water Valley after three seasons although he was offered the opportunity to continue as the Wildcats’ head coach Charles Boles was hired to lead the Water Valley program into Class 2A and 11-man football A native of Blackwell who earned his degree at Angelo State University he won back-to-back state championships and compiled a 64-14 record Hayes took over a team that was 3-6 the year before After a 4-6 first season and a rough start to the second when COVID shut down most of the nondistrict schedule the 2020 Wildcats were 6-3 and knocked off a defending champion to win an undefeated district title That team also won a first-round playoff game the Wildcats started hot and rose to the No 4 ranking in the state as they advanced to the third round of the playoffs before losing to eventual state finalist May Much of Hayes’ 2021 team were seniors he inherited as sophomores but one of the top players was his freshman son Tallon who ended up earning all-state honors at linebacker an Olfen native who graduated from Ballinger in 1988 and earned his degree at Angelo State University was the head football coach and athletic director at Olfen for one year before getting back into coaching girls basketball Halfmann had the most success in his career while coaching girls basketball and track at Blackwell There he led the Lady Hornets to within two wins of the girls state tournament and coached the track team to a regional title Hood said he’s excited about getting a coach like Halfmann to replace Wilson whose plans for retirement while not widely circulated were not unknown to the school and community since the beginning of the school year “Half the battle is getting kids to run through a brick wall for you and that’s what (Wilson) did,” Hood said of the coach who led the Lady Steers to the state final “I hope we can make another run over the next few years where he worked 17 years before leaving for a stint at Paint Rock and then Blackwell His departure to Robert Lee leaves a vacancy at Olfen a school in Runnels County that has struggled to compete at the varsity level in athletics since the tiny school decided to expand to a full K-12 enrollment in 2017 He was the second AD and head football coach in two seasons of varsity competition for the Mustangs Halfmann also coached boys basketball last year at Olfen who has coached playoff basketball teams at both Veribest and Water Valley 16 state ranking and within one game of a regional final appearance It was the first time in eight years that the Wildcats were in the regional tournament Hood talked about the competitive nature of football and boys basketball at the 1A level in West Texas where Robert Lee has been aligned with Sterling City and Westbrook in a football district and Irion County in a basketball district "We've been mingling with the state champs or at least state (tournament) qualifiers," Hood said "It hasn't been real easy on our programs." Sterling City won the state football championship in 2020 The Steers have struggled to win just two games in each of the last two football seasons under two different head coaches: Cline and six-man hall of fame coach Karry Owens Robert Lee will be in a football district with Eden The boys and girls basketball teams for Robert Lee will compete in a district against Blackwell 6 December 2021InsurancePE-backed German broker MRH Trowe completes 11th bolt-on acquisition MRH Trowe an owner managed commercial lines insurance broker in Germany has completed 11th bolt-on acquisition of the year acquiring with Olfen-based speciality broker Helmig & Partner Helmig & Partner is a speciality broker for bakery chains currently serving more than 300 clients in the sector with 44 employees and a wide range of pension and non-life insurance products MRH Trowe is backed by AnaCap Financial Partners a specialist mid-market private equity investor in technology enabled financial services The acquired company, whose founding managers will remain operationally involved in line with MRHT’s historical M&A approach is expected to contribute €5 million of revenue to the Group in 2022 the Group is now on track to deliver more than €80 million of run-rate revenue Ralph Rockel (pictured), co-founder and board member at MRH Trowe, commented: “We are delighted to announce another acquisition for MRHT with Helmig & Partner We are bringing onboard a highly respected and well recognised specialist in the field of bakery insurance Tassilo Arnhold, private equity partner at AnaCap, added: “We are extremely pleased with our partnership with MRH Trowe and the acceleration in M&A execution experienced over the last year we will continue to focus on delivering organic growth complemented with targeted buy-and-build in the rapidly consolidating German commercial lines insurance brokerage market.” Did you get value from this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Elliot Field at efield@newtonmedia.co.uk or Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk TwitterLinkedin Copyright © intelligentinsurer.com 2024   |   Headless Content Management with Blaze