The Advocate - Looking Back @ 2015 - December 30, 2015

FEATURE STORIES IN REVIEW

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A New, Familiar Face at Jarrell Bank Tommy Gonzalez has joined the Fort Stockton National Bank as President of the Community Bank of Jarrell.

The Fort Stockton “family” was founded in 1958 and has three branches in Texas.

Gonzalez believes the local branch is a great opportunity to be a part of a growing bank that will help Jarrell and Williamson County to grow as well. “I am very familiar with the area and will be able to use all my skills and experience from 20 years of banking to exercise some autonomy and flexibility. I am eager to keep business and profits local, and grow a new bank to be a bigger part of the community.”

The Community Bank of Jarrell is looking to help all businesses in Texas to grow.

“We will focus not only on Jarrell, but also Williamson, Travis, Hays Counties and more. At Community Bank I will have the chance to make decisions that can really affect change for Jarrell.”

The new President takes the helm January 4th.

Open Letter from Tony Trumps

Trumps Drops Sheriff’s Bid; Now Backs Chody

I

entered the race for sheriff with one goal in mind; to place myself in a policy-making position so that I might improve the working environment, thus the morale, in the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Further, to make the Sheriff’s office the premier law-enforcement agency in the Hill Country.

During the 2012 election my warnings about morale and staffing fell on deaf ears.

No matter how loudly I beat the drum, few were listening.

Unfortunately, denial did not fill vacancies that plague the department. Currently, there are over 20 vacancies in jail personnel alone. In some areas, WilCo’s pay and benefit packages are not comparable to similar law enforcement agencies across the state.

I believe the atmosphere and working environment reflects the tone of underpaid and overworked personnel. Those who can, leave for greener pastures.

Top-notch personnel will flock to, and stay with, the sheriff’s office if pay and environment are equal to their profession.

Four years later, it seems candidates for sheriff are beating the same drum and touting the same dismal conditions.

Although there are many improvements to be made across the board in the sheriff’s office, I believe those listed above are parSee Trumps, p. A8

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

Teen Court Wins Spotlight Award

The Georgetown Teen Court was again the winner of the Spotlight Award for 2015 from the Teen Court Association of Texas. The award is given to one court in the state that has shown the most progress, innovation and achievement. This is the third time in seven years for the Georgetown Teen Court to win the award.

Teen Court members were honored with a proclamation by Mayor Dale Ross at the City Council meeting on December 8.

Tyler Tidwell, Sydney May, Timberly Abell, Brittany Maldonado, Lissy Martinez, Peyton Williams, Ricardo Romero (Georgetown High School coordinator), Judge Randy Stump, Tina Heine (Teen Court coordinator), Keely Martinez, Ben Brody, Bethany Wilson, Kathryne Thomas, Mac Sommerville, and Philip Lloyd.

City Closings for New Year’s

City of Georgetown offices and facilities will be closed Friday, January 1 for the New Year’s holiday. This includes the following: • Animal Shelter, 110 W.L. Walden • City Hall, 113 E. Eighth Street • Mun Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave • Municipal Court, 101 E. Seventh St • Parks and Rec, 1101 N. College St • Public Library, 402 W. Eighth Street • Recreation Ctr, 1003 N. Austin Ave • Tennis Center, 400 Serenada Drive • Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh St Note that City facilities with weekend or evening hours will observe these additional closures: • Airport Terminal, 500 Terminal Drive: closed January 1 • Collection Station, 250 W.L. Walden Drive: closed January 1, and closing at 3 p.m. on January 2 • Public Library, 402 W. Eighth Street: closing at 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays • Tennis Center, 400 Serenada Drive: closing at 6 p.m. on December 31 • There will be no solid waste and recycling collection for Texas Disposal Systems customers on January 1. Friday collection will slide to Saturday.

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GOVERNMENT & POLITICS - 2015 REVIEW PAGE 3

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

Courthouse Open House: Hobbs, History & Help

APRIL

New City Mgr: David Morgan

MA R C H

The Williamson County

Attorney’s Office hosted an open house February 27 at their office in the Williamson County Justice Center.

The free event was open to the public and featured displays of county history, including those honoring former county officials; most created with assistance from the Williamson Museum and Minuteman Press.

In addition, the open house showcased the people and technology that make possible the many services provided by the County Attorney’s Office.

Technology in justice advances every day to keep up with the demands in one of the fastest growing counties in the country, and the staff’s dedication to continue to build a legacy of service in Williamson County.

County Attorney Dee Hobbs said, “Our entire staff of 50 is available for questions today. We want to educate people on what this office does and how we can help. There is sometimes a fear in the justice community that people won’t come to us because they don’t know what we do.”

The County Attorney Office is responsible for protective orders, domestic violence cases, juvenile prosecution, hot checks, restitution, and victim services. The office handles 10-15,000 cases each year.

Hobbs explained that the physical space was redesigned and appointed to increase efficiency, improve morale, provide greater security and comfort, and make allowances for future growth.

Change is most evident in the evidence section; CD drives and computer equipment on a desktop have replaced yards of file cabinets. With several thousand

folders still active, the plan is to move to even less physical storage using Cloud computing and networks.

Rules of evidence changed dramatically with the passing of the Michael Morton Act, and data volume has increased nearly four-fold.

The new spaces are also awash with the history of Williamson County Justice, With photos of Williamson giants like Dan Moody and Billy Ray Stubblefield, the office is quite formidable, including the photo of the Judge; “It shows when you come here, you’re dealing with heavy, serious people.”

I want my prosecutors to know our history, take pride in it, and keep such things in mind when we go into court and say, ‘We’re ready.’ ~C.A. Dee Hobbs

The Laibovitz Conference Room is named for ACA David Laibovitz, known as a man of great character who treated everyone with respect. He passed away just shy of his 40th birthday but was remembered by his wife, mother and family, who enjoyed seeing his name and photo on the wall.

Other rooms are designed entirely to put visitors at ease, and the designer spared no detail to ensure witnesses and staff have

I like the challenges of the job and of course to be successful you have to be willing to work through the challenges. I enjoy that I have a different job every day and playing out the tasks in terms of what my role is and how I can be effective doing it.

MA R C H

“It’s funny how things work out,” muses Charles Ashby, a real estate fixture in the burgeoning community of Jarrell, Texas. By outward appearances, Jarrell, a community that was, for a century, practically hidden in the northernmost part of Williamson County, did little to belie the magnitude of the relationship that would develop out of a chance meeting in 2006.

Troy Bradshaw, a builder, developer and investor, received a proclamation from Mayor Bush applauding his investment in Jarrell and representing the City’s take-over of the water tow-

all around. My extended family lives between Waco and San Antonio. I and my wife of 20 years, Leticia and two boys—7th and 9th grade—feel like this is a good transition time for us and we don’t take lightly the quality of life we had in Richardson. We had amazing roots in the community, neighborhood and church. We are all very excited to be in Georgetown. It is not home yet, but we are a Central Texas family and the region is home to me.

My experience in Richardson gives me the knowledge of the tremendous benefits and drawbacks of decisions made previously. I’ve gained perspective of longer-term impacts and how they relate to development, quality of housing, and long-term maintenance and redevelopment.

JANUARY

Republican primaries were over nine months ago and the victors of each race were finally sworn into office.

On a rainy cold holiday afternoon, state and county officials took the oath before a standing room only crowd at the historic county courthouse. Judge Dan Gattis was master of ceremonies and families and friends were invited to take part and celebrate at a reception after. Sworn in were Judge Stacey Mathews (277th Dist Court), Judge Rick Kennon (368th Dist Court), Judge Tim Wright (County Court #2), Judge Doug Arnold (County Court #3), Judge John McMaster (County Court #4), County Treasurer Jerri Jones; County Judge Dan Gattis, who also announced his final term; Cynthia Long Commissioner Pct #2, Ron Morrison Commissioner Pct #4, Judge Dain Johnson (JP1), Judge Edna Staudt (JP2), Judge Bill Gravell (JP3), Judge Judy Hobbs (JP4), Constable Kevin Stofle (Pct 3) and County Surveyor Joe Baker.

2015 Oaths of Office

whatever they need at their fingertips. There are special touches like applesauce bags for kids, in fully decorated play rooms, who might be hungry after a few hours of questions. Everything in the “homey” rooms was donated, bright lights have been replaced with soft lamps, and each is outfitted with recliners or easy chairs. The hope is that kids will remember it was a play-place rather than a sterile law enforcement environment. The comfort rooms are also available for staff de-compression or law enforcement who may be waiting to testify after a night-shift.

“We’ve advanced our digital evidence management, honored people who built what we have, and created a liveable, secure and comfortable environment here. “As the county grows,” Hobbs said, “I want to instill the same sense of teamwork and camaraderie in the next generation.”

Hobbs encouraged the 100-plus visitors to make inquiries at any time; his staff is ready to help.

County Court #1 John McMaster speaks to the assembly during the oath ceremony for all those elected to office in 2014. Seated 368th District Judge Rick Kennon, Count Commissioner Pct 1 Cynthia Long and 277th District Judge Stacey Mathews.

Republican primaries were over in March 2014 and the victors of each race were finally sworn into office January 1. On a rainy cold holiday afternoon, state and county officials took the oath before a standing room only crowd at the historic county courthouse. Judge Dan Gattis was master of ceremonies and families and friends were invited to take part and celebrate at a reception after. Sworn in were Judge Stacey Mathews (277th Dist Court), Judge Rick Kennon (368th Dist

Court), Judge Tim Wright (County Court #2), Judge Doug Arnold (County Court #3), Judge John McMaster (County Court #4), County Treasurer Jerri Jones; County Judge Dan Gattis, who also announced his final term; Cynthia Long Commissioner Pct #2, Ron Morrison Commissioner Pct #4, Judge Dain Johnson (JP1), Judge Edna Staudt (JP2), Judge Bill Gravell (JP3), Judge Judy Hobbs JP4), Constable Kevin Stofle (Pct 3) and County Surveyor Joe Baker.

Top: Retired Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield at the conference room bearing his name.

Above: County Attorney Dee Hobbs

Bradshaw’s Water Tower A Boon To Jarrell

er project.

When asked about finally seeing his vision come to fruition, Bradshaw noted, “It takes someone willing to take a huge gamble and to realize that it will take more than a few years to pay a little dividend. That time,” he says, “is finally here.”

Looking back, the true harbinger of all that Bradshaw and Ashby have accomplished in Jarrell was the construction of the Jarrell Town Center Water Tower that rises above the southwest corner of Bradshaw’s property.

Bush extolled, “Jarrell is on the path to sustained

Georgetown was such a good opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up. The city is in an amazing time in its history thanks to the blending of several different things.

It is growing by leaps and bounds but blends a special and unique heritage, not only from a historical perspective, but also the physical environment and resources it has. Georgetown has natural assets that make it very appealing, and I believe the city has recognized the best way to take advantage of the growth potential and capitalize on it. We are also going to make sure we don’t lose the character and unique history Georgetown loves and represents.

Coming here was a twoway street and a good fit

DECEMBER

The 2016 Local Ballot Finalized

solid growth with the acquisition of this asset. It is another link in completing the resources necessary for growth; both water and sewer. This is the best case example of a premier public-private partnership.

This is a relationship where the total equals more than the sum of its parts.” The Mayor went on to thank Mr. Bradshaw for his faith and his efforts in the city of Jarrell.

U.S. House, Dist 31 John R. Carter (i) Mike Sweeney

District Attorney Shawn Dick Jana Duty (i)

Board of Ed, Dist 10 Tom Maynard (i)

County Attorney – Dee Hobbs (i)

State Rep District 20 Terry Wilson Marsha Farney (i)

County Court at Law #2, unexpired term Warren Waterman Lesli Fitzpatrick Brandy Hallford Laura Barker

26th District Judge Donna King (i) 395th District Judge Terence Davis Ryan Larson 425th District Judge – Betsy F. Lambeth (i)

Sheriff Randy Elliston Tony Trumps Bill Kelberlau Mike Cowie Robert Chody

Tax Assessor-Coll Larry Gaddes

Pct. 3 Constable – Kevin Stofle

Pct. 1 Commissioner Donna Parker Landy Warren Paul B. Matthews

Pct. 4 Constable – Marty Ruble

Pct. 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey (i) Matt Heaton Pct. 1 Constable Vinnie Cherrone Leo Enriquez Pct. 2 Constable Richard Coffman (i) Mike Pendley

Pct. 275 Chairman Pam Farley (i) Bleecker Morse Pct. 287 Chairman James Richardson Tim Kelly The Primary Election will take place March 1, 2016.

Early voting takes place February 16-26.

- 2015 Year in Review PAGE 4

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

Dedicated to Colton Turner

AP R I L

The Williamson Coun-

ty Children’s Advocacy Center (WCCAC) hosted an Open House and Dedication of Colton’s Way on April 17.

Thanks to the outpouring of community support, and with the blessing of Colton’s family, WCCAC renovated three playrooms and a special area of what Judge Bill Gravell called the most important building in Williamson County, and renamed the space “Colton’s Way.” The unveiling and dedication affirmed the county and the state’s commitment to Colton’s family and their work to break the cycle of abuse, one child at a time.

The ceremony was underwritten by CookWalden/Davis Funeral

Home, and several other local businesses provided gifts and services. It was attended by nearly every elected official in Williamson County, as well as law enforcement, members of Bikers Against Child Abuse, and many of the 110 members of the Children’s Protection Team.

Judge Bill Gravell spoke on behalf of elected officials. Judge Gravell responds to death inquiries in Precinct 3 and talked about having to deal with the death of children and the difficulty of that part of his job. “This is not just an important day for our community and for Colton, but for our county. To the family, this building that stands behind me, is the most important building we have in Williamson County; where children who are

hurt or in great need, come for refuge and comfort.”

The WCCAC unveiled their refurbished playrooms, named for Colton, to remember his life and remind everyone that because of his death, children’s lives will be saved in Texas.

Colton’s story has been shared many times, but many still live with abuse.

Harris was adamant that abusers should not be able to negotiate please, and addressed the officials directly; “Colton was failed in life and should not be failed in death. By passing HB2053 and not allowing the people responsible for his death to get away with it, you are sending a message to anyone who dares lay their hands on helpless children. Thank you guys!”

JP3 Court Expunges Truancy Records September 1, 2015.

As a result of truancy, many of them now have criminal records.

“This has been a contentious matter however,” Hobbs said. “The Legislature has created new laws and this law will soon be in effect. As this Court will, all Courts in Texas should follow the new laws. In the interest of justice and to protect our children, our Court will be expunging and dismissing all cases filed prior to September 1, 2015.

County Attorney Dee Hobbs, State of Texas’ Terra tucker and Justice of Judge Bill Gravthe Peace Pct 3 Bill Gravell, Jr. ell. “I am extremely proud of the way In a historic move, on SEPTEMBER 3, Williamson County Judges have handled Williamson County Attorney Dee Hobbs truancy cases in this county. The Judges presented 2018 truancy records and nearly have proven over time they are about solv200 additional cases related to or resulting ing problems regarding truancy without from truancy charges to Judge Bill Gravell sacrificing the best interest of the student.” for expunction. The Texas Legislature voted to decriminalize truancy beginning

JUSTICE 37-Years for Abuser

January 7—a Williamson County jury of 5 men and 7 women took just 40 minutes to find Everton Roxroy Bailey guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for an attack on his wife on the morning of May 17, 2013.

During the penalty phase, ADA Sunday Austin was able to share details of his ongoing family violence, which contributed to the 37-year sentence.

Bailey’s own sisters took the victim to Round Rock law enforcement. Prior to trial, Bailey had been offered a 40 year plea deal, which was subsequently reduced to 30 years. Sources say he may have thought he would fare better with a jury. Bailey will be eligible for parole in 2031.

Reser Guilty

June 26, a Williamson County jury found James Michael Reser guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint and exposure to serious bodily injury. He was sentenced to 15 years for the assault and 10 for the unlawful restraint.

Reser made headlines in 2012 when the incident occurred. Several news stations provided live coverage of the incident when it escalated into a hostage situation and the SWAT team had to get involved.

Assistant District Attorney Lytza Rojas says, “There was never any question that the defendant was responsible for the incident.

The issue was determining exactly what he did.”

Rojas says the verdict and punishment were deserved. “He was escalat-

ing, even on bond, and I’m very happy with the jury’s decisions.”

Indictment for Cop Killer

September­—A Williamson County Grand Jury indicted Colby Williamson on Felony Murder charges for his role in the death of Sgt. Christopher Kelley of the Hutto Police Department.

Sgt. Kelley was a veteran officer and was considered one of the best and brightest in his field.

The Grand Jury met for six sessions and considered all of the evidence available in the case so far. They deliberated for a considerable amount of time before indicting for Felony Murder. Felony Murder is a first degree Felony. Mr. Williamson faces 5 to 99 years or life in prison.

MAY AND OC TO B ER

The Floods of 2015

During the recent floods all over central and eastern Texas, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Swift Water Rescue Team was called out and involved in 17 namesake rescues on Memorial Day. Swift water rescue (also called “white water rescue”) is a subset of technical rescue dealing in white water conditions. Due to the added pressure of moving water, swift water rescue involves the use of specially trained personnel, ropes and mechanical advantage systems that are often much more robust than those used in standard rope rescue.

The main goal is to use or deflect the water’s power to assist in the rescue of the endangered person(s), as in most situations there is no easy way to overcome the power of the water. The Williamson County Team, which is an all-volunteer unit, consists of two sergeants, four detectives, five deputies, all commanded by Lt. James David. Each member is certified as Advanced Swift Water Technician and Advanced Boat Operator and the Team is equipped with two 12-foot inflatable boats, one 16-foot Rescue Boat and numerous pieces of safety equipment to rescue victims from raging creeks and rivers.

Among the rescues performed by this specialized unit were a married couple swept out of their vehicle on North Drive in Taylor. The man was located first, and the Team began searching for the woman, who is a double amputee. She was found downstream, hypothermic, and holding onto a tree limb with only her head above water. The Team maneuvered their boat into position and rescued the woman, taking her to the bank where Williamson County EMS was waiting.

The Team rescued four adults, one child and four family dogs from the roof top of a house on Mustang Drive, in Taylor. The Team also assisted Georgetown Fire Department in rescuing nine persons trapped between two creeks at FM 973 and Rice’s Crossing. Although the Swift Water Rescue Team has been in existence for many years, it wasn’t until Sheriff James Wilson came into office, expanded the Team, and purchased all the latest equipment that enabled the Team to function as an elite rescue unit. The cost is an astonishing amount of money, however Sheriff Wilson spends forfeited drug funds to completely equip the Team.

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

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Towns Around - 2015 Year in Review PAGE 6

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

JANUARY

“Coffee with the Captain” Positive Reflections of National Issues at the Local Level

J AN U A RY

New Jarrell Food Pantry

Jarrell has a local food pantry thanks to the efforts of the Jarrell United Methodist Church (JUMC) to capitalize on an idea brought forward by Jarrell Lion’s Club member, Geena Ramsburg. As owner and CEO of Maranatha Home Health, Geena Ramsburg works one-on-one with Jarrell residents.

In the course of her work, she saw a need for free or reduced food; “Many communities need a food pantry and a way to reach out. I have received those phone calls, so I knew the need was there. I wanted to be involved in some way to meet that need.” Ramsburg proposed the idea to the JUMC; a service- oriented congregation of about 45 people that has been providing Christmas outreach for 11 years.

The church’s Outreach committee is now on track to become an official partner with the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) by March, pending their approval. Tammi Cooper chairs the Outreach Committee and is happy to report that “The church is running with it, has attended a CAFB orientation meeting, allocated funds, held food drives and has secured physical space for the pantry.” Members of the congregation are already at work renovating a portable building by the church to handle the food storage and distribution.

JUNE UP DAT E

Food Pantry Funds Needed For Food

In January, the Advocate featured the new food pantry in the works for Jarrell.

The Outreach Committee at Jarrell United Methodist Church was in the process of trying to qualify as a partner of the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). The budding Jarrell Community Food Pantry served at least 25 families a month in January, February and March on their own to achieve that goal.

The partnership with CAFB allowed the Pantry to serve 67 households with 287 individuals in April, and 64 households of 259 individuals in May. Priscilla King indicates numbers for June are on track to be even higher. The Pantry is operated out of the portable building to the north of the JUMC the group moved into in February. The walls are lined with shelves to hold hundreds of cans of food they go through on a monthly basis.

In May, the group added a commercial refrigerator won at a training session at CAFB. The Pantry is open to the public the 2nd and 4th Sundays from Noon to 2 pm.

The partnership with CAFB allows the Outreach Committee to purchase food at a discounted price.

Jarrell residents and the surrounding community have always been helpful and very supportive with food donations, but monetary donations will make a bigger impact on the Jarrell Community Food Pantry due to the purchasing power of the CAFB. Still, food donations are always welcome and appreciated.

Funds and money may be donated to the pantry at any time. Contact Brenda Cooper at 512-917-5670

MAY

Rotary Int’l Early Act First Knights Rotary Club of Sun City

sponsored the 1st Early Act First Knight (EAFK) program for Jarrell Elementary for the 2015-16 school year.

JISD Superintendent Dr. Bill Chapman saw the success of the EAFK program in Georgetown ISD, he approached the Sun City club to do the same.

EAFK is for K-5 and focuses on building character and integrity through education and action.

Rotary hopes to integrate the instruction of character values in mainstream education; respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion, fairness are just a few of the healthy traits this

program hopes to bring back into every day life for youth.

Administration Director Adair Wolf says, “Rotary reports show the program works! Principal referrals are down 90 percent, as is bullying. Awards are given every six weeks.”

Georgetown PD Captain Evelyn McLean and 7-11 Owner Meddy Tekle The Williams Drive 7-Eleven hosted the first of what promises to be a regular, and important series of events. The Georgetown

Police Department held its first official “Coffee with the Captain,” which turned out to be coffee with the captain, the chief, CSU and

more than a dozen other officers and members of the department.

The officers bought coffee for and had conversation with customers and almost as many members of the press. The intent was to listen to residents and establish closer ties with the community.

The owner of the 7-Eleven store, Meddy Tekle, recently shared with Captain Evelyn McLean a conversation with a customer who felt negatively toward local police. “Hearing Ms. Tekle’s story, it became apparent to me that the recent adverse media stories about police throughout the country had trickled down to a local level,” says Captain McLean. “We are not a reactive police department.

For example, all of our

New Bridge in Jarrell

officers have had body cameras well over a year, ahead of any incident. We are not hosting Coffee with the Captains in reaction to any local event, rather community relations is part of our everyday mantra.

Case in point, we have one of the largest volunteer programs in the State and our police work closely with these volunteers providing for the public.”

McLean added, “Morning coffee is a great way to reach out to the people of Georgetown, and at the same time we are focusing on our relationship with business owners. This is a place where people will always be stopping in for gas or coffee; it’s kind of hub of friendly interaction for all the demographics in the city.”

Looking to Residential and Economic Growth

FEBRUARY 18

A ceremonial groundbreaking of the construction project that connects CR 313 and Bud Stockton Loop in Jarrell. A sixlane bridge will replace the existing narrow, two lane structure. The current bridge was identified as a top infrastructure improvement priority in Jarrell’s strategic plan. Jarrell Mayor Larry Bush noted that the new structure will connect Sonterra on the east side and Jarrell on the west side of the interstate, bringing a greater sense of unity to the community.

“This bridge will service our current economic and residential growth to make the two sides of our city whole,” said the Mayor. “It will provide the infrastructure to keep our business growth on an upward path and a safe route for our children to get to school.

I’m pleased to say there is always something good happening in Jarrell.”

Former Jarrell Mayor Dewey Hulme, who played

Jarrell EDC President Wayne Cavalier, Alderwoman Rusty Bryson, Mayor Larry Bush and Congressman John Carter turn the first shovels of dirt. a pivotal role in advocating for the new structure and securing its funding, says that he is “in awe” that this project has finally come to fruition. Hulme also applauds those who worked behind the scenes to ensure that the project became a

reality.

The $6.7 million project will improve safety and mobility in the area by constructing a new 90-foot bridge across IH-35 with two through-lanes in each direction, one dedicated turn lane in each direction,

and six-foot sidewalks on both sides. The new bridge will be built directly south of the existing structure, and officials indicated that the current bridge will remain open and operational until the new one is complete in spring 2016.

FEBRUARY

Georgetown Public Safety Center Open “Nothing else like it in all of Texas...”

The Georgetown Police and Fire Departments moved to the new Public Safety Operations and Training Center February 2 at 3500 DB Wood Road next to Fire Station 5.

All Police Department offices, including Code Enforcement, as well as Fire Administrative offices, including Fire and Life Safety and Fire Plans Review, are in the new facility.

In addition to office and indoor training areas in the 76,204 square-foot main building, the center also includes a driving track and a training building with 3,897 square feet of office and outdoor classroom space. The building is approximately 60 percent occupied and was purposefully built to accommodate future growth. For now, the City has a five-year lease with the Texas Attorney General to provide some of that extra work space for the state’s Cyber Crimes Unit.

One of the jewels of the center is a 12,800 square foot unfinished training bay with movable partitions and observation catwalks. Chief Nero is particularly ebullient about

Police Chief Wayne Nero demonstrates the scenario catwalk. the department’s ability to create realistic scenario-based training that can be changed constantly, blacked out, include sounds and smells (e.g., distress calls or gasoline), and broken and splintered on purpose. They can also use plexiglass walls for observation.

“What we’re doing is taking the knowledge we’ve given officers in the classroom and adding competency in the field.” Nero explains that it’s one thing to simulate breaking and crawling through a window, but until an officer actually does it, the techniques can not really be perfected.

Thanks to Nero’s foresight and planning, his officers began training to use catwalks and other training tools since he came here in 2011 so “everyone in the department will hit the ground running on day one.”

Assistant Chief Roland Waits says the building will accommodate 20-30 years of growth. “Although we are in the northwest quadrant, as Georgetown grows, the DB Wood site will be closer to the geographic center of the City.”

Waits explained the many aspects of the designs that were geared toward officer morale, including a state of the art weight room, lockers that rival the NFL, and “quiet rooms” to decompress after difficult events that also can be used for female officers to nurse. “In fact,” Waits says, “The number one question right now is ‘When can we get into the weight room?’”

PAGE 7

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

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n a m s e t a t S n a c i r e Austin AmSept. 26, 2015

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The Last Word

PAGE 8

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

EDITORIAL CORNER

OP-ED

attitude that is inviting to businesses that provide goods and services that are sought after by residents, while understanding the importance of maintaining the superior quality of life that makes Georgetown unique. With overwhelming unanimity, this council has moved from the paradigm of the last Mayor, whose stated goal was “to protect my troops.” By “troops”, he meant city staff, and from the year 2000, it was blatantly apparent that Georgetown exhibited a classic “tail wagging the dog” style of governance.

Today, our mayor still relies on city staff, whom he often refers to as “the most professional group of people assembled in one place in Texas.” However, in stark contrast to the previous administration, Mayor Ross maintains that staff takes its direction from the Mayor, Council, and City Manager, and understands that it was hired to follow the mandates from those officials elected to chart the course of the city. And a huge part of that mandate from the Ross administration is a welcoming, professional, ‘can-do’ attitude.

While there are still some snags in the system, they are being addressed and worked out systematically.

One such is the Historical Architectural Review Commission (HARC), that has consistently exhibited behavior that is so far outside the scope of their mandate that they have been threatened with extinction, or at the very least, a complete re-structuring. Common complaints are that some on the board attempt to legislate personal preferences. Shouldn’t these volunteer board members be reminded that this is not their money, so if a project is within guidelines, their preferences have absolutely no relevance? By the way, is Jack-in-the-Box really a historical landmark? It’s on

A Year for the Record Books

2016: The Start of Something Big

by Mike Payne

Another year has come and gone. The national economy is tepid at best, while the local economy, especially in central Texas, is roaring. Georgetown has been named to so many “top tens” that it is difficult to even list them all. To what can we attribute this explosive growth? Eighteen months ago Georgetown elected a new Mayor, Dale Ross and a (partially) new city council, and change began. Less than a year later, new City Manager David Morgan came aboard. Together, these three entities set about to change the tone of Georgetown city government, and, after more than a decade of stagnation, the era of “you can’t do that here” or “we don’t want that in Georgetown” was over.

Since last year, the city has acquired (or is in the process of acquiring) a new City Attorney, a new Chief Financial Officer, and a new head for our Economic Development efforts.

These changes alone speak volumes about the new direction of city government.

What’s the fundamental difference between today and past city governance?

Georgetown is now customer-focused and driven to deliver positive results for those who wish to invest here. City leadership now possesses a positive

their roster as such.

And, then there is the red herring that bears the egregious misnomer “airport expansion.” Quite frankly, I’m to the point where I can only liken this tiresome grandiloquence to the story about to the man in scripture who ends up in Hell and asks to warn his still living brothers of their impending doom, only to be told, “if they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.” Of course, Mayor Ross isn’t Moses, and the council doesn’t claim to be prophets; still, truth is truth. After years of unwavering assurance by city leadership that there is no airport expansion other than it being brought up to FAA standards while being remodeled for economic efficiency and safety, there is still a small, clamorous minority who contend otherwise. There are about 60,000 people who call Georgetown home, and I’m willing to bet that about 59,600 of them would want this airport to be as profitable, safe, and efficient as it can possibly be. So far, they haven’t said much, but when they’re informed that a small group who bought homes under an airport that has been here since November 11, 1945 is working diligently to ensure that it operates at a loss to taxpayers, they will most likely speak up.

What is for certain is that Georgetown has come farther in the last 18 months than it had in the previous ten years. This mayor has charted a new course; one full of optimism, hope, and measured growth. He unashamedly says regularly that political persuasion be damned, it’s what’s best for Georgetown that matters.

And if the next 18 months are anything like the last, we can expect see Georgetown continue to blossom.

TRUMPS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 amount to the quality of law enforcement the department can provide.

There is a candidate running for sheriff who I believe not only recognizes the problems, but also promises his whole attention to them.

Robert Chody has a very impressive résumé. He is energetic, driven, and fully capable of doing what he says he’ll do. I met with Robert Chody and came away convinced he will achieve his goals for the department and provide top-notch professional law-enforcement to the people of Williamson County. Further, Robert Chody has the ear and the backing of many top political officials already in place, as well as the government agencies vital to the furtherance of his agenda.

I’m convinced the men and women of the sheriff’s office with whom I have worked will know their new sheriff, as I now do, and will come to realize he is a benefactor and blessing to their workplace.

In defense of my decision to run and then drop out, it is important for my

supporters to know that Robert Chody’s entrance into the race had only been speculation. I could not let the sign-up period elapse based on assumptions alone.

When Chody officially entered the race, I was already committed. My decision then was convoluted and very difficult. I have never quit a task or shirked a duty, so the decision to concede would be very difficult for me.

Now, after much vetting and soul-searching, I am convinced Robert Chody is by far the man for the job. I’m equally convinced his administration over the sheriff’s office will be superior in all aspects of law-enforcement and the pride of Williamson County.

I humbly ask those of you who have already pledged your support for me, and placed your trust in me, to have faith in my decision. Further, I ask that you join me in my allegiance to Robert Chody for sheriff of Williamson County.

~Tony Trumps

The Republican Club of Sun City (rcsctx.com) is hosting a forum featuring candidates who are running for election to various local & state-wide offices in the March 1 Primary.

by Mayor Dale Ross June 16, 2015

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that in 2014, Georgetown was the second-fastest growing city in the U.S. Our growth rate of 7.6 percent was the second-highest among cities with 50,000 residents or more.

We’ve seen all the new houses and businesses so we know Georgetown is growing. But why is it happening? Why are so many people coming here?

In the past 12 months, we can point to a number of accomplishments of a City Council and City staff committed to preserving our unique character while laying the foundation for future success. Reflecting on the highlights of a remarkable year provides some indications for Georgetown’s popularity as a place to live, work, play, and retire.

We support a safe and healthy community. That’s evident in the one-of-kind, state-of-the art public safety and training complex that opened in February.

Approved by the voters in 2011, this facility will help us to recruit, train, and retain first-rate professionals in our already top-rated police and fire departments.

For the second year in a row, Georgetown is on the 50 Safest Cities in Texas list by SafeWise, based on FBI statistics.

The recent City Council decision to expand EMS services with additional paramedics and vehicles will allow the City to provide an integrated emergency medical response for our citizens. As part of this expanded service, the Fire Department recently conducted its first Firefighter Cadet Academy with eight graduates that have joined the department.

In addition, Georgetown is in a county named one of

e m o H

the top three healthiest in the state for the sixth year in a row.

We create serious playtime in our parks. The grand re-opening of the iconic playscape in San Gabriel Park gives our citizens a wonderful place to play. Renovations at San Jose Park and Chautauqua Park as well as a trail expansion along Scenic Drive provided new amenities for established neighborhoods.

Just weeks ago, Jack Garey announced that his 525acre ranch would be given to the City in the coming months, allowing for the final design and development of what will become one of the largest municipal parks in the state.

We plan for the future. A merger of the City’s water utility with the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District to our north was the largest utility merger in Texas history. The merger creates revenue for city operations which decreases the tax burden and provides reliable infrastructure in our highest-growth corridor while maintaining rates that are among the lowest in the region.

We are innovative. The City’s announcement in March that our electric utility will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy has garnered international attention. When the wind and solar farms are both online in 2017, Georgetown will be one of a handful of cities in the U.S. to be 100 percent renewable. We believe that this cost-effective move will allow us to attract investment from businesses looking to join a community committed to sustainable energy production. We invest in infrastructure. The voters have recently passed a $105 million bond issue—the largest in the city’s history—to address our current and future mobility issues as Georgetown grows. A contract with the voters ensures the tax rate will not increase more than 2 cents a year and no more than 10 cents over the life the bonds. Last fall our voters also reauthorized a sales tax dedicated to street maintenance.

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Thursday, January 14, Sun City Ballroom Social: 6 p.m.; Dinner: 6:30 p.m.; Program: 7 p.m.

Contact: Bill Harron, 512-864.0965 or BHarron@aol.com for Club information.

There is a $16 charge per person for dinner. Checks payable to “The Republican Club of Sun City” must be received no later than Friday, January 8 to The Republican Club of Sun City, 1530 Sun City Blvd., Suite 120, Box 227, Georgetown, TX 78633.

Our financial position is strong. Last year the City Council approved a budget for this fiscal year that included a half-cent tax decrease. We have earned an AA bond rating for our utility department and AA+ for general government, and continue to have one of the lowest tax rates in Central Texas. Our economy is sound and balanced.

The Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, currently under construction, will bring conferences and visitors to our city on a scale we have not yet seen.

Two new behavioral health hospitals are meeting a key medical need in the County.

The Texas Life Sciences Collaboration Center welcomed the expansion of Dispersol’s operations and the relocation of RDC from California.

My recent privately-funded trip to China with Dr. Mike Douglas, TLCC director, as well as a representative from Governor Abbott’s office allowed us to cultivate key relationships with the growing Chinese biotech sector.

Our rich history is treasured. This year we marked the start of the 50th year of the Georgetown Public Library and the 175th birthday of Southwestern University, the first chartered college in the state. Our newly-designated cultural district hosted a range of arts and cultural offerings including the first year of the Georgetown Arts Center in the 1892 fire station and city hall. And our downtown, home of the Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas, was voted one of the top eight main streets in the country in a contest in Parade magazine. All these events and developments help to explain why so many people want to live here. And as we grow, we are careful to protect those qualities that define our character and traditions.

It has been a remarkable year of headline-grabbing innovations, ventures, and announcements. We know there are more exciting developments to come as we embrace a bright and dynamic future.

How Much Money Will I Need At Closing?

Your down payment & any costs not paid by the seller will be due at the time of closing.

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There are a variety of costs needed to fund a loan & purchase a home.

We will let you know about all of these expenses up front.

Tommy Sladecek, Senior Vice-President- Eagle Bank Eagle Bank, A Branch of Round Top State Bank – Jarrell 512-746-2531 or TSladecek@eagle-bank.com Johnnie Mikeska, Regional President – Eagle Bank Eagle Bank, A Branch of Round Top State Bank – Round Rock 512-218-3903 or JMikeska@eagle-bank.com Regina Wharton, Senior Vice President – Eagle Bank Eagle Bank, A Branch of Round Top State Bank – Round Rock 512-218-3903 or RWharton@eagle-bank.com

Equal Housing Lender. Some products may not be available in all states. Credit & collateral are subject to approval.

This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms & conditions are all subject to change without notice.

E.O.E.

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SECTION B • PAGE 1

TX RTS .COM DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

GHS, EV Make 2015 State-ments

Patriots Reach State Soccer Title Contest

by Allan Shiflet Advocate Correspondent

East View had a solid 2015 in sports highlighted by outstanding team and strong individual performances. The achievements and their diversity exemplify the quality and vision of the student/athletes, coaches, administrators and parents.

The highlight of the year was the Patriots (26-1-1) reaching the Class 5A finals of the UIL State Soccer Tournament at the GISD Athletic Complex in April. Coach Frank Litterst’s senior-ladden squad won their first six playoff starts before falling to Lufkin, 3-1, in the state championship game.

East View, which shut out 16 of its 28 opponents and only allowed more than one goal in four matches, marched through District 25-5A with a perfect 14-0-0 record (42 points, giving it 14 more points than runner-up Vandegrift). They outscored their district opponents, 47-6, including a 29-0 run through the first round.

In the playoffs, the Patriots bested Austin Crockett, 4-0; San Antonio Jefferson, 2-1; 25-5A rival Leander, 1-0; Brownsville Porter, 1-0; Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest, 4-2, in the Region IV finals in Corpus Christi; and Clint Horizon, 4-2, in the state semifinals.

Lars Matthews sends a header into the Lufkin goal for the Patriots lone goal during their 2015 state championship match against the Panthers.

Photo Russell Rinn

East View cont. on B5

Eagles Gain Baseball State Finals Berth

by Jon Whittemore Advocate Correspondent

The calendar year 2015 was a period of accomplishment for Georgetown athletics with coach Adam Foster’s baseball team highlighting the accomplishments by reaching the Class 5A finals of the UIL State Baseball Tournament.

The Eagles, who completed the campaign with a 27-14 record, besting traditional power Corpus Christi Calallen in a best-of-three playoff to win the Region IV-5A title and a berth at state. GHS won its state semifinal with an 8-2 victory over Aledo behind the five-hit pitching of Blake Anderson before dropping an 8-0 decision to Prosper (34-3) in the championship contest at the Dell Diamond.

“It was a great feeling to be here,” Foster said. “We got everything we could out of this team. I’m very proud of them.”

The Eagles started slowly, winning their season opener and then falling to 1-5 before finishing non-district play with a 5-6 mark. The Eagles built momentum with Georgetown cont. on B4

Eagle coach Adam Foster awards silver medals following Georgetown’s loss to Prosper in the 2015 5A state championship game.

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

GHS, EV Soccer Teams To Open Season

By Galen Wellnicki Sports Editor

As in most sports in Region IV, District 25-5A has made its mark on competition at the upper levels of the UIL state soccer playoffs.

Girls teams from the Leander ISD have made the UIL State Tournament, which is played each April at the GISD Athletic Complex, a permanent residence for the past five campaigns.

It stands a good chance of annexing its sixth consecutive state berth this season.

Vandegrift, again a solid favorite to win 25-5A, has swapped state titles with Wylie East each of the past two seasons. East won last year by a 1-0 count after losing to the Vipers by the same score in 2014.

Prior to Vandy’s run, Cedar Park reached the big dance in 2012 and 2013, and Vista Ridge made the finals in 2012 before losing to Frisco Wakeland, 2-1.

East View’s Patriots finally ended the GISD’s drought at state this past season before losing to Lufkin, 3-1, in the finals after topping Clint Horizon, 4-2 in the semifinals. For most of the season, Frank Litterst’s Patriots were dominant with a 26-1-1 record, shutting out 16 of their 28 opponents, including a run in which they outscored their first seven district foes, 29-0.

Georgetown reached the regional finals in 2013 and 2014 only to be thwarted

by Pharr Valley View, 6-0 and 3-1.

This year’s races again look highly competitive with coaches indicating that they didn’t feel this season’s titlists being quite as dominate as last year -East View boys (14-0) and Vandegrift girls (13-0-1).

Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, Georgetown and East View are expected to finish at the top of the boys race in an order that will be determined by the 14-game double-round-robin schedule.

The Texas Association of Soccer Coaches preseason rankings for Region IV5A boys have Vandegrift second behind Brownsville Porter and ahead of Alamo Heights and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo. East View is listed fifth ahead of (in order) San Antonio Jefferson, Bastrop Cedar Creek, Boerne Champion, Corpus Christi Calallen, and Austin LBJ. On the girls side, Vandegrift, Cedar Park, Georgetown and Vista Ridge are getting most of the early

props in the district race, but TASCO has six 25-5A teams listed in its Region IV preseason rankings -- 1.

Vandegrift, 3. Cedar Park, 5. Vista Ridge, 6. Georgetown, 8. East View, 9.

Leander. The space holders are Alamo Heights, No. 2; Boerne Champion, No. 4; Austin LBJ, No. 7; and Brownsville Porter, No. 10.

The regular season will open on Thursday, Jan. 7, with the GHS and East View boys playing in the Kilt Cup at The Woodlands, the GHS girls competing in The Highlander Invitational at The Woodlands and the East View girls kicking things off at the Blue Bell Invitational in Brenham. All three events run through Saturday.

The annual Governor’s Cup is set for Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 1416, with the Lady Governor’s Cup to follow on Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 21-23.

District 25-5A action will kick off on Tuesday, Jan. 26. GHS and EV will collide on Feb. 5 and March 1. On Feb. 5, the girls will play at Georgetown and the boys at East View. The sites will be reversed on March 1.

A preseason look at the four GISD teams as seen by their coaches:

BOYS TEAMS EAST VIEW PATRIOTS Head coach: Frank Litterst 2015 record: 26-1-1 (Class 5A state finalist).

2015 District 25-5A record: 14-0.

2016 outlook: “It will be a totally different looking team,” Litterst said. “We graduated 20 seniors and 10 starters from last year’s state final team. There are only six seniors on this year’s team. Right now there are three freshmen, one sophomore, and the rest are juniors.”

Patriots strength: “I believe that we have some good attacking talent,” Litterst said.

Patriots concerns: “I am concerned with our team’s lack of experience,” Litterst said. “There are only four returning letterman and only one that started.

Top returning players: Oscar Deleon jr. midfielder; Miuller Avila, jr. forward; Dillon Luterek, sr. forward; Jason Martin, jr., midfielder.

Top newcomers: Roberto Avila, fr., forward; Manuel Zavala, sr., defender; Daniel Orozco, sr., defender.

How do you see the

many of its players, but they had a very good JV team. In this district, as in all sports, every team is a good team!”

Sophomore keeper Miles Motakef, last year’s 25-5A Newcomer of the Year, hopes to help lead the Eagles back to the state playoffs.

Photo: Russell Rinn

upcoming 25-5A race: “Once again one of the toughest districts in the state,” Litterst said. “I think every team has a chance to finish in the top four, with Vandegrift, Vista Ridge and Georgetown leading the way.”

GEORGETOWN EAGLES Head coach: Wesley Kidd 2015 record: 12-5-5 (lost in bi-district). 2015 District 25-5A record: 8-33 (third on tie-breaker).

2016 outlook: “We have a lot of promise,” Kidd said. “The team last year was primarily a young team with most of them returning this year. We had a talented JV team and I am expecting a few to make the jump to the varsity.”

Eagles strength: “I think this team is a very close team,” Kidd said. “The chemistry is very good with this team. I am hoping that playing so many sophomores last year will help with experience this year.”

Eagles concerns: “Working towards this team peaking at the right time,” Kidd said. “Playing our best soccer once we get into district and continually improving throughout the season. Things out of our control, injuries.”

Top returning players: Carlitos Ramirez, sr., midfielder (injured, might be out for the season); Javier Carrillo , sr., forward; Jessie Zavala, jr., defender; Brian Soto-Mendez, jr., midfielder; Christian Soto-Mendez, jr., midfield-

er; Luis Diaz, jr., defender; Miles Motakef, soph., keeper.

Top newcomer: Khristian Mumford-Hollis, jr., defender.

How do you see the upcoming 25-5A race: “I think East View and Vandegrift are the teams to beat,” Kidd said. “East View was in the state finals last year and Vandegrift was in the regional tournament with a lot of returning players to this year’s team. Vista Ridge will have a very good team. Many of their talented players are returning and should make a run for the district playoffs.

“Cedar Park has a new coach that will be a spark to their team. Dripping Springs is retuning its head coach from a few years ago. He went over to coach the girls side and is back with the boys. He is a very good coach and they are retuning many young players. Leander is a very wellcoached team with some talented players returning.

Marble Falls graduated

GIRLS TEAMS GEORGETOWN LADY EAGLES Head coach: Sam McCutchen 2015 season record: 13-5-3. 2015 District 255A record: 8-4-2 (fourth place).

2016 outlook: “We are very optimistic,” McCutchen said. ““We believe that we are further along in our systems of play than we were at this time last year.

We continue to develop the depth of our program with excellent numbers feeding Georgetown from our middle schools. Our players who are playing both club and high school balance their responsibilities well.

We hope to continue our progression of improvement and success in a very tough 25-5A.” Lady Eagles strengths: “Experience and speed,” McCutchen said. “The team is returning nine starters. The anchor positions on defense are in their second year with senior Alexis Barrientez and Baylee Ford in her third year as our center back. The midfield has multiple players with extensive experience and skill. Brandi Lugo, Amy Lucroy, Kayla Fithian welcome newcomers; Sarah Elston and Lauren Samford. Our squad is so lucky to have both Sabrina Pescatore and Peyton Nunez leading the Lady Eagle attack at the forward positions. Another newcomer, Nadia Gomez will bring excitement and recovery time at the forward position. Our Bench has six returning and experienced upper-class players that will give us depth for success. I love the work and effort generated by Caitlin Anderson, Shawna High, Ashley Thiel, Amanda Montgomery and Mackenzie Pruitt.”

Lady Eagles concerns: “We work every day on strength, conditioning and injury prevention,” McCutchen said. “I hope that our girls have a chance to rest and rejuvenate themselves during the winter holidays while maintaining their fitness. We have a couple of players that have nagging injuries that need a bit of recovery.”

Top returning players: Brandy Lugo, sr., midfielder (committed to Our Lady of the Lake); Amy Lucroy, sr., midfielder; Sabrina Pescatore, sr., forward (committed to Trinity); Katrina Buck, sr., keeper (committed to Incarnate Word); Baylee Ford, jr., defender (committed to Sam Houston State); Kayla Fithian, jr., midfield/forward.

Top newcomers: Annika Brandenburg, fr., defender; Lauren Samford, fr., midfield; Nadia Gomez, fr., forward.

How do you see the upcoming 25-5A race: “Very similar to last year as the top teams have so many ECNL club players (making up most of their teams), while we have only two,” McCutchen said.

“I see it probably being -- No. 1 Vandegrift, No. 2 Cedar Park, No. 3/No. 4 Vista Ridge /GHS, No. 5/ No. 6 Dripping Springs/ East View, No. 7 Leander and No. 8 Marble Falls.

There won’t be much of a spread in the first four or five slots, and I don’t see any team going undefeated or winless in District 25-5A this season.”

EAST VIEW LADY PATRIOTS Head coach: Jim Donahue.

2015 season record: 5-14-1. 2015 District 255A record: 3-11-0 (sixth place).

2016 outlook: “We are very optimistic,” Donahue said. “We look for continued improvement. The core SOCCER, ON PG B7

2016 GISD SOCCER SCHEDULE GEORGETOWN BOYS SCHEDULE Coach: Wes Kidd DECEMBER Scrimmage 30 -- Georgetown 4-team scrimmage, TBA JANUARY Scrimmages 2 -- at New Braunfels Canyon scrimmage, TBA. 5 -- Round Rock, 7:30 p.m.

Non-District 7-9 -- at Kilt Cup, The Woodlands (Thursday -- College Station A&M Consolidated, Bear Branch No. 1, 5 p.m. Friday -- LaPorte, 10 a.m., Bear Branch No.3. Saturday -- Katy Cinco Ranch, Woodlands auxiliary, 11 a.m.

12 -- Austin Travis, 8 p.m. 14-16 -Governor’s Cup, GISD Athletic Complex (Thursday -- Friendswood, 4 p.m. Friday -- Highland Park, 3 p.m.

Saturday -- Beaumont West Brook, 1 p .m. 20 -- at Elgin, 7:15 p.m.

District 25-5A 26 -- Leander, 7:15 p.m. 29 -- at Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2 -- Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m. 5 -- at East View, 7:15 p.m. 9 -- Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 12 -- at Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m. 16 -- Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m.

19 -- at Leander, 7:15 p.m. 23 -Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m. 26 -- at Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m.

MARCH 1 -- East View, 7:15 p.m. 4 -- at Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 8 -- Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m.11 -- at Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m.

Playoffs 24-26 -- Bi-district, TBA. APRIL 1-2 -- Area, TBA. 4-6 -- Regional IV-5A quarterfinals, TBA. 8 -- Region IV-5A semifinals, Corpus Christi. 9 -- Region 1V-5A finals, Corpus Christi. 15-16 -- UIL State Tournament, Georgetown.

EAST VIEW BOYS SCHEDULE Coach: Frank Litterst JANUARY Scrimmage 5 -- at Rouse, 8 p.m.

Non-District 7-9 -- at Kilt Cup, The Woodlands (Thursday -- Corpus Christi Ray, Bear Branch No. 3, 5 p.m. Friday -Spring Westfield,Bear Branch No. 1, 4 p.m. Saturday -- Smithson Valley, Woodlands No. 3, 9 a.m.). 14-16 --

Governor’s Cup (Thursday -- College Station A&M Consolidated, East View, 4 p.m. Friday -- El Paso Burges, GISD Athletic Complex, 1 p.m.

Saturday -- Humble Kingwood, East View, 3 p.m. 19 -- Temple, 8 p.m.

District 25-5A 26 -- at Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m. 29 -Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2 -- at Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m.

5 -- Georgetown, 7:15 p.m. 9 -- at Leander, 7:15 p.m. 12 -- Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m. 16 -- at Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m. 19 -- Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m. 23 -- at Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 26 -Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m.

MARCH 1 -- at Georgetown, 7:15 p.m. 4 -- Leander, 7:15 p.m. 8 -- at Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m. 11 - Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m.

Playoffs 24-26 -- Bi-district, TBA. APRIL 1-2 -- Area, TBA. 4-6 -- Regional IV-5A quarterfinals, TBA. 8 -- Region IV-5A semifinals, Corpus Christi. 9 -- Region 1V-5A finals, Corpus Christi. 15-16 -- UIL State Tournament, Georgetown.

GEORGETOWN GIRLS SCHEDULE Coach: Sam McCutchen DECEMBER Scrimmage 30 -- Blue vs. White scrimmage, TBA. JANUARY 2 -- Georgetown four-way scrimmage (Austin Bowie, Round Rock, Belton), TBA. 5 -- Alumni reunion, TBA. Non-District 7-9 -- at Lady Highlander Invitational, The Woodlands (Thursday -- The Woodlands College Park, Bear Branch No. 4, 3 p.m. Friday -- Katy Tompkins, Bear Branch No. 5, noon. Saturday -- San Antonio Brandeis, Woodlands No. 4, 9 a.m.

12 -- Round Rock, 6:30 p.m. 21-23 -- Lady Governor’s Cup, GISD Athletic Complex (Thursday -- Conroe Oak Ridge, 8 p.m. Friday -- Coppell, 8 p.m. Saturday -- San Antonio Johnson, 5 p.m.)

District 25-5A 26 -- at Leander, 7:15 p.m. 29 -Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2 -- at Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m. 5

-- East View, 7:15 p.m. 9 -- at Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 12 -- Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m. 16 -- at Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m. 19 -- Leander, 7:15 p.m. 23 -- at Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m.

26 -- Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m.

MARCH 1 -- at East View, 7:15 p.m. 4 -- Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 8 -- at Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m. 11 -- Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m.

Playoffs 24-26 -- Bi-district, TBA. APRIL 1-2 -- Area, TBA. 4-6 -- Regional IV-5A quarterfinals, TBA. 8 -- Region IV-5A semifinals, Corpus Christi. 9 -- Region 1V-5A finals, Corpus Christi. 15-16 -- UIL State Tournament, Georgetown.

EAST VIEW GIRLS SCHEDULE Coach: James Donahoe JANUARY Scrimmages 1 -- Liberty Hill, 12:30 p.m. 2 -- at Round Rock Westwood, TBA. 5 --Pflugerville, 6 p.m.

Non-District 7-9 -- at Blue Bell Invitational, Brenham, TBA. 12 -- Pflugerville Connally, 7 p.m. 21-23 -- Lady Governor’s Cup, East View (Thursday -Austin Bowie, 2 p.m. Friday -- Round Rock Westwood II, noon. Saturday -- Uvalde, 3 p.m.).

District 25-5A 26 -- Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m. 29 -- at Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2 -- Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m. 5 -- at Georgetown, 7:15 p.m. 9 -- Leandrr, 7:15 p.m. 12 -- at Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m. 16 -- Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m. 19 -- at Vandegrift, 7:15 p.m.

23 -- Vista Ridge, 7:15 p.m. 26 -- at Dripping Springs, 7:15 p.m.

MARCH 1 -- Georgetown, 7:15 p.m. 4 -- at Leander, 7:15 p.m. 8 -- Cedar Park, 7:15 p.m. 11 -- at Marble Falls, 7:15 p.m.

Playoffs 24-26 -- Bi-district, TBA. APRIL 1-2 -- Area, TBA. 4-6 -- Regional IV-5A quarterfinals, TBA. 8 -- Region IV-5A semifinals, Corpus Christi. 9 -- Region 1V-5A finals, Corpus Christi. 15-16 -- UIL State Tournament, Georgetown.

SOUTHWESTERN DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

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Pirates Program Progressing Under Austin

By Galen Wellnicki

players in things like life skills,” Austin said.

Another item that makes Southwestern different in recruiting is the size of the program and the reason for those dimensions.

“This will be our fourth recruiting class,” Austin said. “We’re developing talent and there is no limit on that. We aren’t a school that’s going to bring in 180 to 220 people every year (to select a team). We’re into retention. It’s important for us to offer our student/athletes a four-year experience.

We’re more in the 120 (player) range.”

NCAA Division III schools have a 10game regular-season limit. In addition to their home-and-home series with current conference rivals -- Trinity, Texas Lutheran and Austin College -- the Pirates will play home games with Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, along with road games with East Texas Baptist and Wisconsin-Rivers Falls. TLU will be making the 2017 move with Southwestern to the ASC. With Austin and SU’s philosophies meshing together, the Pirates plan to take another step up the competitive ladder this coming fall -- a reason that more seats will be filled on certain Saturday afternoon’s at the GISD Athletic Complex. Southwestern’s values build character and a successful future, but winning builds a following that buoys its existence.

Sports Editor

Starting a non-scholarship college football program probably is not one of the easiest things in athletics -- especially at an academically oriented university where GPA is as or more important than points scored or points allowed per game in Saturday’s 100-yard wars.

Southwestern University, with head coach Joe Austin at the helm, is in the midst of such a project. The Pirates, who returned to competitive football in 2013 after being dormant for 63 years, has won three of 29 games in their first three seasons -- 0-10 in the 2013 debut, 1-8 in the 2014 campaign and 2-8 in the recently completed season.

The historic first victory was a 27-20 victory over Sul Ross State on Sept. 13 in 2014, and then this year the Pirates beat McMurry, 7-6, and Austin College, 35-28.

Both of this season’s wins were on the road.

Austin is a youthful, energetic head coach with a midwestern background. He is schooled in the ins-and-out of Division III football where players must pay their own way to do something they love with the only aid being grants and scholarships not attached to athletics. An NFL career is a rarity, but a high-paying career is quite possible from a school with academic chops.

At Southwestern, prospective athletes must compete academically for admission on a level playing field with other candidates. There are no shortcuts or presidential overrides for perspective student/ athletes. Admission requirements are admission requirements. It’s about intellect, personal skills and human potential. A 4.3 40-yard dash time and a 2.24 GPA isn’t going to open the door. Five-star recruits no; genuine student/athletes yes.

How much progress does Austin feel his Pirates have made in their three seasons?

“We are where we want to be,” Austin said recently in his office in SU’s new on-campus football field house. “We doubled our win total this year, and were in six other games in the fourth quarter.

We scored more and gave up less. The progress we wanted is there.

“We’d like to finish in the fourth quarter.

We had a lot of injuries. We lost (junior receiver) Matt Gillen and used four centers in our first five games. We played the last game without our three starting linebackers. We’re not old enough (as a program) to have the depth to overcome things like that. We will develop that depth in the future. We had a chance this year to win six or seven games.”

Although some people have questioned Southwestern’s move from the Southern

Southwestern Notebook

After a 63 year absence from collegiate football, third year Southwestern head coach Joe Austin believes his football program is headed in the right direction, playing within the strict academic dictates of his school.

Photo: Russell Rinn

Collegiate Athletic Conference to the more-athletically leaning American Southwest Conference in 2017 with big-bad national powers like Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons as being too big a step for what they feel is a fledgling program.

However, Austin disagrees.

“It will be a big boost,” Austin said.

“It’s the best conference in the region.

Our coaches out recruiting will have more credibility. It gives us a chance to differentiate from other programs. By any measure, we (Southwestern) are academically different. We are where smart players should be.

“We’ll recruit from a smaller player pool than other schools in the conference.

Our situation is a double-edged sword.

We make no (academic) exceptions for football players.”

SU has increased its maximum student

body size from 1,250 in recent years to 1,550 with about 100 of those spots being reserved for football players who meet the school’s exacting academic standards.

“Having a football program also tends to make a school more attractive to other prospective students,” Austin added.

While many would expect Austin to point in a different direction when asked what the toughest position to recruit with SU’s standards, he does not go to the “skill positions.”

“The offensive line,” Austin answered.

“The combination of large athletes with the desired academics is in considerable demand. They have tons of options.”

Coaching on the small college level also means coaches have to work in the lecture halls if they have the correct academic background.

“There’s plenty of pressure to succeed, but we have the ability to do more with our

FOOTBALL: Southwestern University’s head football coach Joe Austin helped Team Stars & Stripes to a 15-14 victory over CONADEIP All-Stars in the seventh annual Tazon de Estrellas en Baja on Saturday, Dec. 19, at CETYS Universidad in Tijuana, Mexico.

Austin, who served as the offensive coordinator, guided Stars & Stripes to a thrilling win after trailing by 14 points in the final quarter. The victory gave Stars & Stripes a 4-3 edge in the series.

Team Stars & Stripes was made up of selected NCAA Division III student-athletes.

SOCCER: The National Soccer Coaches Association of America released the women’s soccer Scholar All-Region teams Thursday and Southwestern’s Audrey Silver and Hayley Miesse were named in the report.

Silver, a junior defender from Allen, holds an impressive 3.75 GPA in communications with the Pirates. She played in 20 games this season, making 19 starts. She helped a Pirates’ defense that posted six clean sheets on the season.

Miesse, a junior midfielder from Austin, has a 3.57 GPA, majoring in Kinesiology.

She ranked second on the team with four goals this season, while playing and starting in all 20 games.

GEORGETOWN 2015 REVIEW PAGE B4

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

GEORGETOWN, FROM PAGE B1 an 11-3 record in District 25-5A. Prior to besting Calallen for the regional crown, GHS’s playoff journey included a two-game sweep of Austin LBJ and San Marcos, a best-of-three win over Boerne Champion and Mission Veterans Memorial.

There were many notable efforts during the season.

Senior pitcher Ben Bottlinger pitched a no-hitter in district competition against Cedar Park on March 27. The team was led in hitting by senior TJ Raguse with a .536 average. Raguse signed with Baylor University.

The top pitcher was senior Blake Anderson with an 11-4 record. Shortstop George Janca was the key defensive player and signed with Texas A&M to play baseball in College Station. Also earning the opportunity to continue on the college level were CF Jack McDonald (Navarro College) and catcher Wyatt Smith (Temple College).

Raguse, Janca and Smith also were named to the 5A All-State Tournament team.

Raguse also was selected to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association 5A All-State first team at first base.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Lady Eagles posted an outstanding 31-6 season record and advanced to the Region IV-5A finals in San Antonio before ending their season against District 25-5A foe Vista Ridge 5340. GHS and Cedar Park tied for second at 11-3 in district competition with the Lady Eagles entering the playoffs as the second seed.

En route to the regional finals GHS posted playoff wins against Bastrop Cedar Creek, San Antonio Highlands, Cedar Park and Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway.

It marked the Lady Eagles 25th consecutive season in the state playoffs under Hall of Fame coach Rhonda Farney.

Among the many individual honors received, Amanda Johnson was named 25-5A Offensive MVP. Junior Kendrick Clark won the Defensive MVP and soph point guard Brooke Elliott was named Newcomer of the Year.

Also making the all-district squad were senior Taylor LaCour (first team) and soph Taylor Green (second team).

Advancing to participate on the college level were Johnson (Houston Baptist), LaCour (West Texas A&M) and Maddie Anderson (Hendrix College).

Georgetown pitcher Blake Anderson warms up before the Eagles’ 8-2 state semifinal victory over Aledo.

FOOTBALL: The Eagles surged, stumbled and surged again. The team was incorporating a replacement for two-year starter at quarterback (Bottlinger) in junior Chandler Herman. They won their three non-district games against 6A competition, then lost their opening 25-5A game to Leander, an opponent that was 0-10 the season before. To compound the slide, GHS lost to eventual state champion Cedar Park in the second week of district. After an open week in early October, the Eagles surged to two straight victories at Marble Falls and in their homecoming game against East View.

Against Vista Ridge in week eight, the Eagles lost a hard-fought battle 30-25 where they fumbled once going into the end zone, missed an extra point and outgained the Rangers, 512 yards to 350. That loss left the Eagles with a 2-3 district record and placed them in a virtual must-win situation against Dripping Springs and Vandegrift to have a chance at the playoffs.

GHS beat Dripping Springs at home 44-37, and then prevailed over stateranked Vandegrift, 42-28, qualifying for the playoffs when Leander lost to Dripping Springs in the closing seconds on the final night of the regular season. The Eagles beat Austin Reagan 44-17 in bi-district, and they then lost to Boerne Champion, 70-66, in the area game at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio. In the Champion game, the teams combined for 1,355 yards in total offense and scored a total of 19 touchdowns.

They finished the season with an 8-4 record.

squad often starting three sophomores. The only upperclassmen that received extended playing time were postman Mookie Walton and guard Josh Cruz. Both were seniors. The Eagles won 19 games while losing 14, and qualified for the state playoffs for the eighth year in a row. They lost to Austin LBJ, 46-40, in the bi-district round.

The team had successes in addition to qualifying for the playoffs. They were runners-up in the Pride of Texas Tournament in Corpus Christi. They also set a school defensive efficiency record by allowing only 42.7 points per game.

Sophomore Beau Corrales was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in District 25-5A. Cruz and Herman were named firstteam all-district. Walton and Corrales were named to the second team. Cruz was named the team MVP.

Individual leaders were senior Dakota Cahill in rushing with 1,355 yards.

Herman manned the quarterback position completing 219 of 330 passes (66 percent) for 2,726 yards.

Senior receiver Jo’Vonta Grimble caught 86 passes for 1,238 yards.

Five Eagles were named first-team All-District 255A -- Cahill, Grimble, tight end Logan Olson, junior kicker Luiz Diaz and senior defensive lineman Hunter Creasey. Second-team choices were Herman, junior wide receiver Beau Corrales, senior center Kade Clapper, senior defensive lineman Cole Northcutt, senior defensive end Will May, junior inside linebacker Matt May and senior outside linebacker

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Diaz and Creasey were honorable mention selections on the Texas Sports Editor’s Class 5A All-State team.

VOLLEYBALL: The Lady Eagles finished the season 29-18 and posted a 9-5 record in district.

Their fourth place finish in 25-5A qualified them for the postseason playoffs. They beat Bastrop in bi-district, Boerne Champion in the area round and then lost to district rival and eventual state champion Dripping Springs in the Region IV-5A quarterfinals.

Individually, senior Caroline Furrer was named 25-5A Offensive MVP and Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State. She signed to continue her career at the University of Pennsylvania. Senior Maddie Douglas was also named first-team all-district and signed with Texas A&M. Second-team all-district selections were senior Riane Pope, junior Georgia Quiroz, senior Shay Haas and senior Zoe Saavedra. Haas announced she will continue her career at NCAA Division III Hardin Simmons and Saavedra signed with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Lady Eagles coach Jenny Richardson continually expressed her pleasure in working with this group.

She was especially pleased that all 18 varsity players were academic all-district selections.

BOYS BASKETBALL: The Eagles were an underclassman-heavy

SOFTBALL: The Lady Eagles had an unusual season. “We had a losing record overall,” explained new head coach Jessica Bond, who was the assistant coach last season.

“However, we played four rounds into the playoffs.

I guess you could say we peaked at the right time.”

GHS finished 15-16 on the year, and qualified for the playoffs as the thirdplace team from 25-5A. They eventually lost in the Region IV-5A semifinals to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. They bested Austin Crockett, San Marcos and Leander to reach the showdown with the Lady Hornets.

Notable performers were 25-5A Defensive MVP, sophomore catcher Taylor Ellsworth, already committed to Texas. Additional first-team all-district selections were shortstop Ashley Goetz, second baseman Megan McGuire and center fielder Megan McDonald. Goetz signed with Sam Houston State, McGuire with Clarendon College and McDonald singed early this fall as a senior with Sam Houston.

Utility player Avery Kelly, a junior, was a second-team all-district selection.

BOYS SOCCER: The Eagles finished the season 12-5-5. They finished tied for third in district competition and entered the playoffs as the district’s No. 3 seed on the tie-breaker. They lost in bi-district to Austin LBJ High.

Head coach Wes Kidd posted the 400th victory of his 29-season career with a 1-0 shutout of Smithson Valley in the Kilt Cup at

Photo: Russell Rinn The Woodlands.

Key contributors were freshman keeper Miles Motakef, who was named District 25-5A Newcomer of the Year. Also on All-District 25-5A firstteam were senior defender Darrin Speer, junior midfielder Carlitos Ramirez, and sophomore defender Jessie Zavala. Second-team all-district picks were three sophomores -- defender Luiz Diaz, midfielder Brian Soto-Mendez and midfielder Christian Soto-Mendez.

GIRLS SOCCER: The Lady Eagles soccer team produced a record of 15-6-3, including an 8-4-2 mark in 25-5A. GHS was bi-district champion, beating Bastrop. They then topped San Marcos in the area round before being eliminated in the Region IV-5A quarterfinals by 255A champion and eventual state runner-up Vandegrift.

They also posted a 3-0 record in the annual Lady Governor’s Cup. Individual team accolades included Offensive MVP Sabrina Pescatore, Defensive MVP Baylee Ford and team MVP Bailey Fithian.

First-team all-district performers were Fithian, Kyleigh Ellis and Ford and Caylee Kidwell and Sabrina Pescatore on the second team. Fithian, Ellis, Kidwell, Sarah Holder and Norma Montanez were seniors, who all committed to play on the college lever.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Coach Andrew Braun’s Eagles won the Region IV5A title for the second year in a row and finished 12th in a 16-team field at the UIL State Meet at a muddy bog called Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock. The Eagles’ top finisher at state was sophomore Jonathan Parks, who finished 46th overall with a 17:42.60 for 5,000 meters.

The biggest downer for GHS was having its string of five consecutive district championships snapped

by Cedar Park. However, the regional title at Corpus Christi marked the first back-to-back regional titles in school cross-country history.

The Eagles scored five team victories including a perfect score (15 points with all five runners finishing in the top five) in the ProFit Meet in Killeen.

Key performers were Joseph Proctor, Parks, Collin Turner, Sam Needler, freshman Carter Smith, Ryan Thiele and Mason Motakef.

Turner, Needler and Thiele GEORGETOWN, ON B6

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EAST VIEW, FROM PAGE B1 athletes to the area, regional, state meets and the Texas Relays in East View track history. . . . the boys and girls teams collectively broke 15 school records in one season. We also had our very first college track commitment (Watts),” said coach Emily Durell.

Bailee Broddick qualified for the area and regional meets in the discus, while the boys 4x100 relay of Justin Salazar, Josh Covey, Hester and Adrian Contreras also qualified for both the area and regional meets.

Four Patriots were named to the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches All-State team -- senior defender Caleb Vandergriff, senior keeper Brendan Soto, and senior midfielder Leonel Jaramillo were first team choices, and senior midfield Tommy Ketterhagen on the second team. Vandergriff also was the District 25-5A MVP and the Outstanding Player on the Austin American-Statesman’s All-Centex team. Soto was the keeper of the year in both 255A and on the All-Centex squad.

Also, senior Shawn Moynihan shared the 25-5A Defensive MVP nod, and Ketterhagen shared the Midfield MVP. Litterst was the district’s coach of the year.

Seven other East View players earned spots as either first-team or second-team all-district choices. Seniors Ricky Aviles, Elrick Bonner, Eduardo Zuluaga and Jaramillio were first-team picks, and seniors Bryan Argueta and Lars Matthews and junior Dillon Luterek were voted to the second team.

BASEBALL: East View finished sixth in District 25-5A with a 4-10 mark.

The Patriots placed two athletes on the all-district squad -- junior Corbin Neffendorf was a firstteam choice at a designated hitter, and sophomore outfielder Mason Tyndall was placed on the second team.

“The high point of our season was coming off a tournament in which we beat some good people, and then sweeping Vandegrift in out opening district series,” head coach Matt Pullin said.

GIRLS SOCCER: The Patriots finished sixth in 255A in Jim Donahue’s first season at the helm with a 3-11-0 record.

They were 5-14-1 for the season.

First-team all-district selections were Kenyon Rabadon and junior Taylor Marquez, while sophomore Bailey Aleman and senior Alyssa Luna were placed on the second team.

WRESTLING:

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The young Lady Patriots played six 6A teams and the state’s two top ranked 5A teams (Georgetown and Vista Ridge) four times during district play. They finished the season with a respectable 1120 overall record and 6-8 in 255A games. They fell to Leander in a one-game showdown for the district’s fourth spot in the state playoffs.

Junior Abby Holland and sophomore Emily Daniel were selected to the all-district first team, while freshman Rachel Wisian was named to the second team. Freshman guard Diamond Morrison was the district’s newcomer of the year.

“We had a lot of near misses,” veteran coach Dave Walla said.

“Abby was out early in the year and we started two freshman and a sophomore, so we learned a lot early on. We didn’t achieve as high a level as we would have liked, but I was proud of our kids almost making the playoffs in our tough district.”

VOLLEYBALL: The Patriots started the year with two-time All-District 25-5A second-team selection and TCU signee Calli Novak injured. Her sister, Corrine, was lost for the year halfway through district play. Despite a slow start the Patriots’ season was marked by steady improvement to the point where they were playing on a par with some of the playoff-bound teams in arguably the state’s strongest district that included state titlist Dripping Springs.

They finished strong with a 5-9 record in 25-5A. In addition to Novak, Miranda Klein and Mady Heald named all-district second-team.

“We have grown so much this year and I couldn’t be more proud,” coach Justeen Coulson said. “We improved each match.

Our girls overcame a lot of adversity, especially when it came to injuries. I think the life lessons these young women learned this season are invaluable. I have no doubt that we have come out stronger and even hungrier to make the playoffs next year.”

SOFTBALL: The Patriots, 22-13 for the season and finished fourth in 25-5A.

Tommy Ketterhagen and the Patriots became the first East View sports team to take part in a state championship game.

Photo: Russell Rinn

They lost their bi-district series with Bastrop Cedar Creek, 2-1 (3-2, 3-6, 5-4). First-year coach Jolene Volek was in a rebuilding phase after heavy graduation losses from the 2014.

East View’s junior threesome of Shelby Edwards, Bailey Garrett and Emily Jones were honored with first-team all-district selections, with seniors KyLeigh O’Daniel and Holly Callahan making second team.

“The season was an amazing ride for all the East View family,” Volek said. “This team has overcome so much adversity and stood out.”

FOOTBALL: The Patriots -- in a rebuilding phase after losing considerable talent from the 2014 team that advanced to the second round of the 5A playoffs -- gained experience and had success early, winning their season-opening non-district contests with Austin Travis (40-13), Waco University (34-28) and Austin Crockett (56-14). Injuries and youthful mistakes made for a 0-7 25-5A mark and 3-7 overall record.

East View ran a wide open, imaginative offense but couldn’t match up with the brutal district competition. East View Coach Rob Davies said, “Tough year for us. Injuries mounted up to the point we just could not overcome.

I appreciate the efforts of our players and coaches.”

Senior defensive lineman Corbin Truslow was a first-team all-district selection.

BOYS BASKETBALL: The Patriots were 3-11 in 255A last season and 8-20 for the campaign. Sam Campbell was a second-team all-district selection last year.

“The guys worked hard and improved as the year went on,” said new head coach Jason Jones, who was the varsity assistant last season.

TEAM TENNIS/ SPRING TENNIS: In the spring, Jeffrey Watts and Alex Yeager were District 25-5A finalists and Region IV-5A quarterfinalists in mixed doubles.

During the fall team tennis season, EV was 0-7 in the district round robin and lost in the opening round of the 25-5A Tournament. They were 2-14 overall.

District honors included: Jeffrey Watts, second-team boys singles; Watts/Tyler Williams, second-team boys doubles. Varsity eam awards: Most improved -Danielle Halter/Quincy Sorenson.

MVP -- Watts, Sam Albertson.

Patriot Award -- Jordyn Finkenkeller, Dominic Jackson.

CROSS COUNTRY: The East View boys finished fifth in the 25-5A District Meet at Old Settlers Park with 112 points and the Patriots girls were eighth with 206 points. Sophomore Guillermo Carrillo led the boys with an 11th-place finish with a time of 16:41.6 over the 5,000-meter course, and sophomore Isabell Zane topped the EV girls finishers in 31st with a 20:58.3.

“I’m very pleased with the direction our team is head,” said coach Michael Burton, who shares the coaching duties with wife Sarah Burton. We increased our team size from 35 runners to more than 60 this year. The boys and girls teams earned nearly 50 medals throughout the season, which is an increase from less than 10 last season. The boys team took over two minutes off of their average time at the district meet (17:12 in 2015, 19:25 in 2014).”

Boys school records set: Sophomore 5,000 -- Carrillo, 16:41.6; Freshman 5,000 -- Luis Andana, 16:51.8. Overall school and sophomore 3-mile -- Carrillo, 16.36.9. Senior 3-mile -- Daniel Rowe, 16:42.0. Junior 3-mile --

RJ Simmons, 16:41.2. Freshman 3-mile -- Andana, 16:41.9.

Girls school records set: Sophomore 5,000 --Zane, 20:40.2.

Sophomore 3-mile -- Zane, 20:36.6.

GOLF: The East View boys placed fifth in District 25-5A. The top individual was Cale Cantu, a second-team all-district selection.

The Patriots girls were eighth with freshman Paighton Corley being the top finisher in 30th in a 50-played field with a 106-98-204 in the 36-hole district meet.

The top score by an East View girls golfer for the season was a 90 at the Georgetown Country Club by team VP Kiana Hines, who had a hole-in-one at Hancock Park in Lampasas. Corley was the newcomer of the year.

“The EVHS team was comprised primarily of beginner-level players learning the game and becoming tournament competitors,” girls coach Kris Inman said.

TRACK: According to coaches, the 2015 team was the strongest in the four-year history of the program with two individuals advancing to state -- senior high jumper Annie Watts and senior 110-meter high hurdler Apollos Hester. Watts finished third with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches in the big show at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, while Hester was seventh with a time of 14.58 seconds.

As a team the boys finished sixth in 25-5A with 46 points and the girls were eighth with 31 points.

Watts, who signed to attend NCAA Division I Weber State, also was the 25-5A runner-up 5-7 1/2), first in the area meet( 5-8), first in the regional meet (5-6) and second in the Texas Relays (5-7 1/2).

Hester won the 25-5A title in 14.69, was second at area (14.69) and third at regional (14.60).

“In 2015 we took the most

The Patriots tied Cedar Park for fifth place in the District 13-5A Meet and advanced five wrestlers to the Region IV-5A Meet, including state qualifier sophomore Alex Velazquez at 285 pounds.

Velazquez finished fourth in both the district and area meets. He was eliminated at state in the first consolation round.

Other East View athletes advancing to regional were junior Devin O’Keefe at 170, freshman Michael Guerrero at 106, junior Dalton O’Keefe at 160 and sophomore John Kiem at 182.

POWERLIFTING: The East View girls advanced two entries to the Region II Division I Meet at Kyle Lehman and Kelsey White and Do Leuyen combined to placed 15th in the 23-school field with three points.

Leuyen placed fourth at 106 pounds with a three-discipline total of 538 pounds, while White was fifth at 97 pounds with a total of 410 pounds.

In the Region II Division I boys meet at East View, Anthony Ortegon placed a non-scoring seventh at 148 pounds with a total lift of 1,005 pounds.

SWIMMING: The Patriots boys finished in a three-way tie for 14th in the Region V-5A Meet with 38 points with Hutto and Georgetown Gateway, while the girls team ended up 16th with 30 points.

The boys scored their points on a 14th in the 200 medley relay (Noah McBee, Caleb Gober, Josiah Florczykowski and Daniel Rowe) in 1:51.68; a 16th in the 200 free John Pugh in 1:58.22; a ninth in the 50 free by Florczykowski in 22.64; a ninth in the 200 free relay (Gober, Pugh, Rowe and Florczykowski) in 1:35.50 and a 15th in the 400 free relay (McBee, Tiger Koster, Devin Rardin and John Pugh) in 3:48.38.

The girls’ points came on a 14th in the 200 medley relay (Lauren Glenn, Elizabeth Bissonett, Emily Breckenridge and Kira Shaw) in 2:06.88; a 10th in the 200 free by Lauren Glenn in 2:03.10; a 15th in the 50 free

by Shaw in 27.16; a ninth in the 500 free by Glenn in 5:30.58; and 14th in the 400 medley relay (Breckenridge, Erin Carruth, Ashley Sargeant and Bissonett) in 4:43.09.

Sports Editor Galen Wellnicki contributed to this report.

SPORTS PAGE B6

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

Loyal Aggie Hubenak Gets His Chance

Former Eagle QB Jake Hubenak gets his first collegiate start against Louisville in the Music City Bowl in Memphis.

Photo: Russell Rinn

To say I’m not a fan of sports talk -- electronic, internet or print -- is an understatement. It may sound somewhat conceded, but after 53-plus years in this business I feel confident that I can walk into any stadium or arena and understand what I’m watching and place it into the proper context.

I prefer watching Hallmark Chanel movies, reading good books, and listening to several types of music to watching talking heads like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith pontificate. Somewhere along the way I have failed miserably in developing a taste for the inflated infatuation with celebrity. I don’t care whether Rousey or Kobe wear boxers or briefs, or that actor so-and-so spent a week in a Monahan’s motel with singer so-and-so.

I’m not trying to trash your interest in such things; I’m just trying to express my philosophy on such things as we prepare

for former Georgetown standout quarterback Jake Hubenak’s starting role against Louisville in Texas A&M’ s Wednesday’s 6 p.m. Music City Bowl battle at 69,000-seat Nissan Stadium in Memphis.

I have dodged most of the pre-game hype, gnashing of teeth and varied opinions on a once thirdstring quarterback starting a bowl game. Hubenak is someone I know and covered. I consider his parents Coco and Trish Hubenak my friends. He helped take the Georgetown Eagles to the ultimate game in their history -- the Class 4A state championship game.

I want to sit down in

front of the television Wednesday night and watch the game with no overload of speculation which after kickoff will mean about as much as last Friday’s turkey bones.

Hubenak will take the field with the chance to establish an identity as an Aggie in a family of fiercely loyal Aggies.

He moved up the ladder when two highly recruited quarterbacks -- sophomore Kyle Allen and freshman Kyler Murray -- decided the aura of the 12th Man was not in their futures.

Hired guns acting like hired guns. Having been sports editor of the Bryan-College Station Eagle for more than

four years in the days Kyler’s father Kevin shined during the Jackie Sherrill years at Kyle Field, I know that the departees lacked the prime quality of the A&M Community -- loyalty.

For some, obviously, the grass is greener outside College Station, but for others like Jake and his family, it is home.

Statistically in five games, Hubenak (a 6-foot3, 195-pound sophomore) has completed just 12 of 27 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown for the 8-4 Aggies. What he did at GHS and Blinn, and what he wasn’t allowed to do at Oklahoma State, also don’t matter.

But these numbers are in the past. The only statistics that matter will be the ones against the 7-5 Cardinals.

The important thing a true Aggie will be starting for Texas A&M. He has his chance -- something everybody who puts in the prerequisites deserves.

GEORGETOWN, FROM PAGE B4 were the only seniors.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: For coach Kellye Richardson’s Lady Eagles, the top performer was sophomore Jazmin Hernandez, who was second in the 25-5A Meet, sixth Region IV-5A meets showdown and 24th in the 5A division of the UIL State Meet with a 20:07.32 for 5,000 meters.

The Lady Eagles were third in both the 25-5A meet and the Region IV-5A race and 11th in the 16team field at state.

In addition to Hernandez, the varsity runners were Natalie Parks, McKenzie Hargrove, Hope Shannon, Madison Schacherl, and Maryn Demaio. Parks, Hargrove and Shannon were the only seniors.

BOYS TRACK: The Eagles came in fifth in the 25-5A after being district champs the prior four years under coach Kyle Gandy. The team did have individual successes.

Senior JaQwae Ellison was the district champion in the 800 meters. He ran second at regional and won the gold medal in the 800 at the UIL State Meet with a time of 1:53.55. Also performing well on the state and regional level was senior Darren Medrano who qualified for regional in the 800 and the 1,600.

At state, he was third in the 1,600 with a 4:17.61. Ellison will run collegiately at Texas A&M and Medrano at Texas.

Hunter Creasey qualified

for the regional meet in the shot put, as did the 4X400 relay team of Ellison, Medrano, Beau Corrales and Shon Washington.

GIRLS TRACK: The Lady Eagles were in a rebuilding year in their initial season under Braun.

They carried only eight athletes on the varsity, preferring to load up on the JV level, which won its division at the 25-5A Meet.

Hannah Newman qualified for regional in the pole vault. Destiny Wright qualified for the postseason in the 100-meter hurdles and Jazmin Hernandez, then a freshman, qualified for the regional meet in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Hernandez placed sixth in the 3,200 at state with an 11:24.53.

WRESTLING: In his final season at GHS, Paul Muck coached his Eagles to the district and regional championships and advanced 10 athletes to the UIL State Tournament in Garland where the Eagle finished 12th in Class 5A. State qualifiers were Cameron Wenzel (113); Dax Olsen (120); Marshall Gansheimer (132); Devin Cruse (145); Brkyan Vasquez (152); Jacob Quick (160); Derek Bradenburg (170); Ethan Blankenship (182); Ryland Gentz (195) and Sam Purser (285).

Muck resigned after the 2015 season to accept a similar post at Vandegrift.

He was replaced by Randall Madsen.

SPRING TENNIS: Erika Wong and Paige Sheridan played girls doubles and finished third at the Region IV-5A Tournament in San Antonio. Other key contributors were TJ Fischer and Hannah Waldon in mixed doubles, and Ashley Brooks and Amber Cornman in girls doubles.

Brooks and Cornman finished third in district competition and were Regional tourney alternates.

TEAM TENNIS: The Eagles finished with a 23-9 season record. They placed second in both the district and area tournaments after finishing third in the district round-robin.

They reached the weather-hampered Region IV-5A tournament in San Antonio where they were eliminated in the first round by Sharyland.

Key contributors included Ashley Brooks, Amber Cornman, Justus Aarhus, Lena Arndt, Sam Clark, Mary Blake Windham, Hannah Walden, Rachel Maloy and Bethany Wilson. Their key match was a 10-8 victory over Dripping Springs in the district tournament, reversing a loss in the district round robin.

BOYS GOLF: At the 25-5A District Tournament in April, 2015, the team finished fourth with a starting five of Taylor Kaye, Lucas Garza, Corey Scully, Davis Northcutt and Calvin Price. Kaye and Garza were named All-District.

Veteran coach Vernon

Killen’s team won first place in the 2015 Pflugerville Tournament. They placed fourth in the Burnet Invitational where Garza was named to the all-tourney team, and placed first in the Pflugerville Connally Tournament with Garza, Davis, Northcutt and Will Dietlein being named all-tourney.

GIRLS GOLF: The Lady Eagles competed well at the District 255A Tournament, finishing in third place. Now-graduated senior Brynna Bunte finished sixth individually and was a regional and state qualifier along with being first team all-district.

Also seniors last spring were Bailey Pehl (11th in district) and Jenna Patel (14th in district), who were both named second-team all-district. Rounding out the varsity team at district were sophomores Cailey Scully and Emma Dooley.

Bunte also was named the team MVP and Emma Dooley was chosen as the most improved player.

SWIMMING: Behind the efforts of sophomore Rehgan Hartsell, the GHS girls finished 17th among 52 scoring teams in the 5A girls division of the UIL State Swimming at Diving Meet at the Lee and Joe Jamal Swim Center on the UT-Austin campus. Hartsell was fourth in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:06.86, 14th in the 200 individual medley with a 2:12.41, and handled a leg on the Lady

Eagles’ ninth-place 4x200 medley relay that posted a 1:52.61 in winning the consolation heat. She was joined on the relay team by sophomore Hannah Ignacio, junior Rylan Slocum and junior Grace Innis.

The boys finished 43rd among 53 scoring teams at state with eight points on a 13th in the 4x200 medley relay by a team of sophomore Marc True and seniors Nathan Wyman, Luke Shepherd and Jack McLean. The Eagles had a chance to place in the final event -- the 4x400 freestyle -- but the team was disqualified in the preliminaries.

Tim Pukys serves as head coach for both the GHS and East View swim teams.

POWER LIFTING: The Eagles won four of the five meets in which they participated. Competing in the 123 -pound class of the girls division, senior Bailey Hill placed second at regional and finished ninth at the Texas Women’s Powerlifting Association’s State Meet. Hill was the first state qualifier from GHS in several years.

She squatted 265 pounds, benched 120 pounds and dead lifted 315 pounds.

Bailey’s brother Ty Hill competed in the 181 pound class and qualified for regionals with lifts of 255 (bench), 475 (squat), and 500 pounds in the dead lift. In the 270 pound class, GHS qualified Aaron Johnson for regionals with lifts of 385 (bench), 585 (squat

and 485 (dead). Cody Ullested (270 pound class) rounded out the varsity participants having best lifts of 305 (bench), 500 (squat) and 495 (dead).

Sports Editor Galen Wellnicki contributed to this report.

Gandy Leaves GHS Position Georgetown assistant head football coach and receiver coach Kyle Gandy resigned his position effective the end of the fall semester to enter private business.

“I will be joining Ty Gipson and his team at Water Boy Graphics as a member of the sales team,” Gandy said. “Our main focus will be Texas high schools and/or anyone that wants some quality color on their walls. Getting to visit with and help coaches should be fun and rewarding. I am very excited about the opportunity Ty has given me. January 4th is my official start date.

“I am truly blessed to have been able to serve as a teacher and coach at GHS for the past 11 years.

Countless athletes, teachers and coaches have impacted me and my family and I am very grateful.”

Gandy, who was in coaching for 31 years, has served as an assistant for 20 years at multiple schools.

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PAGE B7

Lady Eagles’ Clark Georgetown Sports Menu Signs With Wayland (DEC.30-JAN. 9)

Kendrick Clark, flanked by parents Cheryl and Kelly signs her letter of intent to play basketball for Wayland Baptist University in Plainview.

Photo: Russell Rinn Georgetown senior Kendrick Clark, a 5-foot11 guard, has signed to continue her academic and basketball career at Wayland Baptist University. Wayland is an NAIA school in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Flying Queens were one of the pioneer women’s college programs in Texas.

The Plainview school has two former GHS players on its roster this season -seniors Brianna Bogard and Krystal Forthan.

GHS coach Rhonda Farney said: “I can remember watching Kendrick play Dribblers and middle school basketball. There was something about her then that made one think.

She is a natural talent that is reinforced by a mighty work ethic and a gentle soul backed by a fierce competitor -- a non-assuming spirit tied to a mature leader.

“Kendrick can take over a game if she needs to; yet she is quiet and reflective.

Another anomaly is that her teammates say she is chatty and funny around them, but her coaches would describe her as a player of few words. One thing that we would all agree on is that she is the consummate team player -- always putting her team above herself and that she has been a big part of arguably the most-successful three years of our program.

I’m looking forward to witnessing her final chapter and know it will be something special.”

Kendrick Clark’s resume: 25-5A Defensive MVP, Lady Eagles MVP, Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State 5A, first team All-District 25-5A, All-Region TABC and academic all-district as a junior. District 17-4A Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore, All-District 174A first team and academic all-district.

The Kendrick Clark File Why did you pick Wayland Baptist?

“I really liked the coaches and the school has a lot of majors and provides a good education.”

How do they plan to use your talents?

“My length as a guard and my versatility with the 3-pointer, jump shot and drive, as well as my length on defense.”

What do you feel you will add to the school’s program?

“Hard work and good ethics.”

How would you describe yourself as an athlete?

“Determined and hard working.”

What motivates you?

“I love winning and I am very competitive and always wanting to do my best.”

personal skills.”

How has GHS prepared you for the next level?

“I’ve gained mental toughness and dedication.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“Being awarded District 25-5A Defensive MVP (as a junior).”

What are your long-range goals both personally and athletically?

“Athletically, I hope to help (Wayland) win a national championship.

Personally, my goals are to make sure I balance good grades with basketball.

I’m thinking -- as of now -- to graduate with either a degree in nursing or child development/psychology and be able to get a job right out of college.”

Who have been the most important people in your development?

“My parents and all my coaches through the years.”

What makes you the person you are?

“My relationship with God has been a major influence on me as a person and all my interests and passions to pursue in my life.”

Compiled by Galen Wellnicki

In what areas do you feel you have to improve for the next level?

“I will need to get stronger and improve on

GIRLS BASKETBALL Wednesday Georgetown in final round of Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, Ada, Okla., TBA. Saturday, Jan. 2 Pflugerville Connally at East View, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 5 Georgetown at Cedar Park, 7:30 p.m.; Vista Ridge at East View, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 8 Marble Falls at Georgetown, 7:30 p.m.; East View at Dripping Springs, 7:30 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL Wednesday Georgetown and East View in final rounds of MT Rice Tournament, Waco Midway, TBA Saturday, Jan. 2 East View at Austin St. Andrews, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 5 Cedar Park at Georgetown, 7:30 p.m.; East View at Vista Ridge, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 8 Dripping Springs at East View, 7:30 p.m.; Georgetown at Marble Falls, 7:30 p.m.

SOUTHWESTERN BASKETBALL Wednesday Men at Texas-Tyler, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 31 Women at Hardin-Simmons, Abilene, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 2 Doubleheader with Texas Lutheran in Seguin (men at 4 p.m., women at 6 p.m.)

Friday, Jan. 8 Doubleheader with Austin College, Robertson Center (men at 6 p.m., women at 8 p.m.)

Saturday, Jan. 9 Doubleheader with University of Dallas, Robertson Center (men at 4 p.m., women at 6 p.m.)

WRESTLING Saturday, Jan. 2 East View at Austin Reagan duals, 9 a.m.

Friday-Saturday, Jan 8 -9 Georgetown and East View at CenTex Invitational, Delco Center, Austin, TBA. SOCCER (Scrimmages) Wednesday Georgetown boys four-way scrimmage, GISD Athletic Complex (GHS vs. McNeil, noon; GHS vs. Austin Bowie, 1 p.m.; GHS vs. Killeen Ellison, 2 p.m.); GHS girls Blue and Gray scrimmage, 5 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 1 Liberty Hill at East View girls, 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 2 GHS girls four-way scrimmage, GISD Athletic Complex (GHS vs.

Round Rock, 11 a.m.; GHS vs.

Bowie, 1 p.m.; GHS vs. Belton, 3 p.m.); Georgetown boys at New Braunfels Canyon, 2 p.m.; East View girls at Round Rock Westwood scrimmages (EV vs.

New Braunfels Canyon, 11:30 a.m.; EV vs. Austin Lake Travis, 2 p.m.; EV vs. Westwood, 3:15 p.m.).

Tuesday, Jan. 5 Georgetown boys vs. Round Rock, GISD Athletic Complex, 7:30 p.m.; East View boys at

Rouse, 8 p.m.; Pflugerville at East View Girls, 6 p.m.

(Regular Season) Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 7-9 Georgetown at The Kilt Cup, The Woodlands (Thursday -College Station A&M Consolidated, Bear Branch No. 1, 5 p.m. Friday -- LaPorte, 10 a.m., Bear Branch No.3. Saturday -- Katy Cinco Ranch, Woodlands auxiliary, 11 a.m.); East View boys at The Kilt Cup, The Woodlands (Thursday -- Corpus Christi Ray, Bear Branch No. 3, 5 p.m. Friday -- Spring Westfield, Bear Branch No. 1, 4 p.m.

Saturday -- Smithson Valley, Woodlands No. 3, 9 a.m.); Georgetown girls at The Lady Highlander Invitational, The Woodlands (Thursday -- The Woodlands College Park, Bear Branch No. 4, 3 p.m. Friday -- Katy Tompkins, Bear Branch No. 5, noon. Saturday -- San Antonio Brandeis, Woodlands No. 4, 9 a.m.); East View girls at the Blue Bell Invitational, Brenham, TBA. SWIMMING Saturday, Jan. 2 Georgetown and East View at GISD Winter Invitational, Georgetown Recreation Center, 9 a.m.

Friday, Jan 8 Southwestern vs. West Florida and Birmingham Southern, Pensacola, Fla., 3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 9 Georgetown and East View at Temple’s Wildcat Winter Classic, Hardin Swim, Center, Temple, 9:30 a.m.

SOCCER, FROM PAGE B7 of the team is returning.”

Lady Patriots strengths: “We are returning a large number of letterman,” Donahue said. “Another year of experience and working together.”

Lady Patriots concerns: “Tough, tough district,” Donahue said.

Top returning players: Jenna VerColen, sr., defender; Taylor Marques, sr., midfielder; Cassie Riebe 11 defender; Michaela Myhre, sr., midfielder; Tara Abraham, jr., midfielder; Macy Johnson, jr., defender; Kaylee Oswald, sr., defender.

Top newcomers: Bren-

da Granados, jr., midfielder; Misty Gonzales, fr., keeper.

How do you see the upcoming 25-5A race: “Very tough, very close,” Donahue said. “The favorites are probably still Vandy, Cedar Park and Vista Ridge.”

2015 25-5A SOCCER STANDINGS BOYS Team W-L-T Pts East View 14-0-0 42 Vandegrift 9-4-1 28 Georgetown 8-3-3 27 Leander 9-5-0 27 Drip. Spr. 3-9-2 11 Marble Falls 2-8-4 9 Cedar Park 1-10-3 6 Bi-District East View 4, Austin Crockett 0; Austin LBJ 3, Georgetown 0.

Area East View 2, San Antonio Jefferson 1

Region IV-5A Quarterfinals East View 1, Leander 0 Region IV-5A Semifinals East View 1, Brownsville Porter 0 Region IV-5A Finals East View 4, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo South 2 State 5A Semifinals East View 4, Clint Horizon 2 State 5A Championship Lufkin 3, East View 1

GIRLS Team W-L-T Pts Vandegrift 13-0-1 40 Cedar Park 11-2-1 34 Vista Ridge 9-4-1 28 Georgetown 8-4-2 26 Drip. Springs 4-8-2 14 East View 3-11-0 9 Marble Falls 2-10-2 8 Leander 0-11-3 3 Bi-District Georgetown 1, Bastrop 0 Area Georgetown 1, San Marcos 0 Region IV-5A Quarterfinals Vandegrift 3, Georgetown 0

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FEATURE STORIES IN REVIEW SECTION C • PAGE 1

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

JU LY

Third Annual “Art-Up!” Boosts Young Talent and Award Winners

Art Up is a creative pro-

gram begun three years ago at the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center

by Lynn Kessel. It was a dream of hers to have an art program and enough time to allow students to learn various art skills and practice in different media.

She is a full time mental health coordinator for the students at the center, but art has always been in her life and it makes her “happy, spontaneous and free.”

When she began her work at the center, she asked Director Matthew if she could use art in her therapy, and it has turned into a number of different programs, including “Art Up!”. Matthew is very pleased with the program and often encourages his staff’s outside interests to expand kids’ enthusiasm and outlets.

Thanks to a grant from the Williamson County Art Guild, students had plenty of supplies and were able to take some home to

continue their work. (wcArtGuild.org) Kessel says, “We have art activities throughout the department in addition to the Art Up sessions. We do different things all Lakeside Poppies by Lynn Kessel year; holiday pieces at Christmas and cont-shirt contest and she also structive projects to express won the festival People’s ideas about more complex Award. events like Martin Luther “It’s amazing artwork King Day.” and each student has Kessel says the class is created at least ten pieces. “part discovery and part I’m always amazed at the growth” for the students. abilities they have or disSome come knowing they cover here when they are have art skills and abilities given the opportunity just and some are brand new to play,” she says. but love the opportunity to Students say they get inlearn, play and explore. spiration from everywhere.

Many of our readers They Google images, look likely know Kessel’s art through art books or magaalready, if not the woman zines and create variations herself. Her pot-belly pig on famous artworks. Often pieces have somewhat of a Kessel will learn a new following in Georgetown painting technique and and her red poppy art has share the steps with her stubeen featured in every Red dents, then she sits back to Poppy Festival. enjoy the different perspecSeveral of her paintings tives they all bring to it. have been winners in the Matthew says Kessel is

S E P T E M B ER

WHO / MOW Helping Seniors Sun City “Women Helping

Others” (WHO) toured the Madella Hilliard Center as part of their mission to support local non-profit organizations. The Hilliard Center is a senior activity center and the Georgetown hub for Williamson-Burnet Counties Meals on Wheels.

Meals on Wheels is one of four core beneficiaries of WHO donations and they make a point of visiting the organizations they support to educate members and show donors how their funds are being put to good use.

WHO supports dozens

of non-profits in Georgetown but they also have particular affection for The Caring Place, Brookwood in Georgetown, and The Nest.

Meals on Wheels Center Director Deanna Shanklin explained, “We have been here for 36 years. We serve 15-30 clients at the center very day and our volunteers—sometimes as many as 25 per day—deliver between 5-20 meals each on 11 routes. We deliver all over Georgetown and a great deal in Sun City. The meals are coordinated by government nutritionists

and prepared fresh by our very own chefs who take pride in creating catering-quality food for our clients.”

Meals on Wheels is overseen by Opportunities for Williamson & Burnet Counties. Executive Director Diana Phillips talked about all six centers in Williamson and Burnet Counties; congregate and delivery sites and how easy it is to volunteer. “We serve over 140,000 meals each year and we are still expanding; into places like Florence, Granger, Hutto, Thrall and more. And one

Top Left: Lynn Kessel chats with Kelsey, 16, about her latest work. Above: Kelsey’s nearly-finished “Mad World”.

Below: Claudia , 17, finishes her work reflecting how she feels like an alien in her own world sometimes. not willing to brag on herself, “But there’s so much to tell, and she’s doing such a wonderful job. She’s very humble but we want people to know what she’s doing and what she’s about.”

Among just the few students in the room there was one county-wide “best in show” for Mental Health Awareness Week artwork, another placed 2nd in the state. Another student won best in state for poems.

Yet another is waiting to hear (in August) how her artwork was received for a Suicide Prevention art contest.

“They don’t believe they are good but I love to watch this talent bloom and see these kids discover their own special voices.”

Kessel’s works can be

found at Artisan’s Connect in Georgetown; she is a regular exhibitor at the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival in April, and gift items with her art images

on them are for sale at The Escape in Georgetown.

of the things we brag about is that our food is rated superior by the Area Agency on Aging.”

WHO members were served the daily MOW lunch and visited with some of the seniors who were at the center for food and activities.

For information about donating visit MealsOnVolunteers serving at Georgetown’s Madella Hilliard congregant center.

Wheels-WilliamsonBurnet.org. Sun City who attended the luncheon Meals on Wheels is doing residents may call WHO today was just blown such a incredible job and 512-868-1609 for informaaway with the dedication WHO wants to help get the tion about joining. and proud that everyone word out to as many people Stancil said, “Everyone showed in this program. as possible.”

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PAGE C2

Activities - 2015 Year in Review

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

J ULY

AUGUST

TAILGATE PARTY GRIDIRON GOLD GIRLS HELPING KIDS HELP KIDS FOR S

The Locker hosted the third annual Camp Crosby Tailgate Party to raise money for operations and supplies for the student-run organization.

This event is “just for the grownups,” says The Locker founder Karen Crosby, “but it is definitely all about family. We want people to come hang out with our family!”

Crosby’s family includes Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby, who will again make an appearance to visit with guests, provide the assist for games and auction winners, and promote the message and mission of The Locker.

The Crosbys always wanted to have a camp for kids and board members suggested making a fundraiser for the event.

The Crosby kids wanted something casual and fun (just like them), so the Tailgate party was born and guests are encouraged to dress cute or wear their favorite jerseys.

Party attractions include a silent auction, live music by local musicians Brett and Brian McMahon, games, and “The Snow Cone Guy,” famous for his natural and custom flavors.

The auction will include themed gift baskets—spa, entertainment, food—and the big prize, autographed Packers memorabilia, and tickets to an NFL game with a travel voucher to get to Green Bay donated by Doug Townsend of Allstate

Insurance.

Crosby says the money will go toward purchasing goods for the kids in The Locker Program. They provide hygiene items, clothing and school supplies, but since the kids are in charge, they also provide for special moments in teens’ lives.

This year The Locker helped students who couldn’t afford the fees for various things, including 51 caps and gowns, 22 senior picture packages, and 62 field day tickets.

Tickets are $50 and attendance is limited. RSVP to CrosbyTailgate@gmail. com or donate directly at TheLocker.info.

Top: Mason Crosby, auctioneer. Bottom: Founder Karen Crosby gets a big hug from her sons, Quinn Barfield and Rees Crosby.

outhwestern Football Coach Joe Austin provided a very entertaining public service to Georgetown sports fans last week.

The Palace Theater in the square was transformed into an education forum for people (mostly women) wishing to learn or understand more about football.

This was a personal project for the Coach because, he says, there are so many football events geared toward men, and the Coach and his wife, Marissa, wanted to do something fun for everyone. On the heels of the NFL’s hiring of its first female coach, it was timely and enjoyable.

With about 40 RSVPs, including a half-dozen men, Austin used diagrams, films, simple language and a lot of humor to explain why “it’s not just 11 guys running into each other as fast as they can.”

He started out simply; introducing player positions, and made sure to point out, “That guy in the middle—he’s a Center.

When you’re watching TV with a bunch of people around, don’t say ‘the

hiker’; you’re going to out yourself!”

Within 30 minutes there were women in the audience gleefully calling out “That’s a 4-3 defensive front, cover 2!” and high-fiving each other over their newly expert grasp of what goes on in the game.

Although the room was full of folks long past high school, there was still a giggle over the tight ends, and Austin went right with it, describing players that looked like loose ends but that’s not what they are called, and split ends have nothing to do with hair.

He went over offense and defense roles, referee roles, working the chains, what all those lines on the field mean, and even what a coaching staff does with

the 90 percent of their lives not spent on the field.

If you think you know football, there is still a lot to learn from a coach of Austin’s caliber. As a bonus, he performed with patience and without the condescension some women get from their men.

A definite touchdown of an evening; great sports, snacks, beverages, and laughs. Austin plans a full replay next year before the season starts. Watch for the announcement, hustle— don’t walk—to get your tickets for a rare and lively pep talk with the Coach.

Two Faces of Georgetown Baseball

AP R I L

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Alliance (EGA) Rangers Base-

ball team had their first practice March 28 at Georgetown High School The team of 12 local kids were coached and guided by

Georgetown head coach Adam Foster and his Varsity, JV and Freshman players.

“Disabilities don’t take summers off,” Harper says, “So we have programs and partnerships to help children and young adults continue learning and growing in the summer time.

It’s great to see the younger kids light up around the big kids. Some of these older players have grown up playing for Coach Foster, so it’s wonderful to see them out here passing it on.”

Coach Foster enlisted the varsity team to assist on the field with basic skills (and corralling exuberant players) and his JV and Freshman teams converged in the bleachers to cheer for the kids.

Sophomore Alex Cornman has been playing baseball since age four and says, “Coach Foster really cares about these kids; we all do. We are privileged to have a facility as great as ours and we are happy to share it with the next generation of players.”

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JUNE

The Georgetown High School

Eagles baseball team made history last week, having earned the Silver Medal in their first appearance in the UIL State tournament with a season record of 27-13.

The Eagles made it look easy in their 8-2 semi-final win over last year’s state champ, Aledo High School, Thursday night.

On Friday, the team played for the state championship at Dell Diamond, and a record crowd of 8,126, mostly Georgetown fans.

According to Head Coach Adam Foster, the second inning, during which Prosper earned six runs, “was one bad, untypical inning for us. We didn’t execute, and against a quality team, you don’t get to win those.”

He added, “The scoreboard doesn’t matter, this is a great moment in our program’s history.”

Photo: Left, coach Adam Foster helps EGA player learn to catch. Top: Coach Foster speaks to the media after his runner-up performance at the UIL state tournament.

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DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

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People comment about a cure for cancer almost as a cliché sometimes, but there is a company in Georgetown that is literally doing it. Texas Life Sciences (TLS) is currently working on a method of reducing non-Hodgkins lymphoma tumors, which will soon be ready for human trials.

Even better is that cancer is not the only thing they are working on at the site.

Director Mike Douglas says his non-profit organization is a cluster of young companies finding their way in the science community who are in the pre-clinical stages of development. Texas Life Sciences is a means and a resource—also called an “incubator”—that gives individuals and micro companies everything from lab space to funding and helps them navigate the FDA process for their pharmaceutical developments.

“We are unique among incubators,” Douglas says, “in that we are one of the most difficult industries to work, but we are successful in a relatively small town.

We are fed a bit by osmosis from UT, but Central Texas in general is short on life sciences infrastructure and a lack of medical schools.

We do have a clinical presence with A&M in Round Rock but we believe our work here in Georgetown is nothing short of remarkable.” Douglas is rather a giant in the field and his name carries a lot of weight, which helps him manage a network of capital contributors and bring in new opportunities for growth and research.

“The process here is to recruit and retain companies for the benefit of Georgetown,” Douglas says. “We are an economic development component helping bring high-salary jobs to the city.”

Douglas says there are already a few Austin companies coming to TLS for the space. Austin is known for hi-tech work and fast-moving product development, and “life sciences work is a slog.”

It seems modern society is accustomed to so many cures that have been around for a long time, people forget how long it took to create the first antibiotic.

But now that the facilities are here, to be followed soon by manufacturing, Georgetown will be part of the time line for more monumental change. Douglas believes we are not likely to “cure” cancer before we are able to make it manageable. Because it is a natural process, it is conceivable that some cancers could become chronic conditions rather than fatal diseases, which would improve the quality of life for millions.

This is part of the “slog” he mentions and it is his job and goal to make sure that

his entrepreneurs have the means to continue working.

TLS, like many incubators, works from grants at many levels of government but Douglas is hoping to create focus and interest from the community as well.

Dr. Douglas is providing counseling services at the elementary level to get kids interested in science at a very early age. “We want to make our education mission more prominent,” Douglas says, “to be a part of the city and in the lives of the people who have supported us.”

MARCH

Boy Scout Breakfast Raised $30K

Scouting teaches discipline, integrity, and generosity.

The San Gabriel Scouts not only have those characteristics, but they apparently inspire them as well.

Emcee Ron Garland encouraged everyone at the annual breakfast held at the First United Methodist Church to try to give a dollar a day for Scouting.

The result was 199 generous participants, including some who were proxies for dozens more, donating more then $30,000, bringing the total to nearly 89 percent, and helping hundreds of local boys and girls stay in scouting for another year.

J UNE

30 Years at The Caring Place

The Board and Advisory Council of The Caring Place held a 30th birthday party June 6. The event was open to the public, and featured the Georgetown Fire and Police Departments, as well as VIPs who founded and built the Caring Place into what it is today.

The spoken program began with the story of how the agency began, in a slaughterhouse on the square with just a few bags of clothing and $17.

O’Connor reflected “It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how amazing this place is and how much it has grown over time from a little slaughterhouse on the square to a million dollar operation.

“You can’t necessarily put a ‘caring place’ just anywhere. Not a day goes by that I don’t come in with jaw dropping awe at what a great organization this is and how many moving pieces we have.”

The agency continues to grow. With the increased growth in Georgetown, comes an increase in those in need here as well.

The best part of the business plan, the sales from the thrift store are substantial enough to support operating costs, and all donations continue to go 100 percent to those in need.

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AUGUST

Georgetown is “Happening” The “Green in ‘2017”

strategy continues to put Georgetown in the national spotlight.

In June, Mayor Ross’ renewable energy editorial was published in Time magazine, and last week documentary film maker James Redford (Yes, he’s Robert’s son) made Georgetown a stop on his nationwide tour in the production of his latest project called “Happening,” which takes an entertaining look at the grassroots emergence of America’s clean energy economy.

Georgetown will be only the second city in the U.S. to use 100 percent renewable energy, effective January 1, 2017. The first was Burlington, Vermont, but for a city in an oil-rich red state like Texas, it is practically... progressive.

Mayor Ross explained in the film that there are some who have voiced their concerns with the change, but he has said emphatically, over many interviews, “Our city government always makes an effort to put aside national or partisan politics and do only what is best for the citizens we serve in Georgetown.”

The film crew spent two days in town. Production should take about six months, and the film is expected to garner at least one million viewers when it airs on HBO. Redford anticipates a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and is hopeful the timing may work out to put on a red carpet event during the South-By-Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, as well.

Georgetown’s First Lady, Mickie Ross, who is also the director of the Williamson Museum took part in the film tour and she regaled the rich history of our city, as well as the charm of its people. Mayor Ross calls it “another chapter in a year of great national visibility and promotion for our city.”

The movie maker also interviewed the architect of the deal that, thanks to wind and solar energy, guarantees the City of

Georgetown cost certainty in purchasing renewable energy for the next 25 years.

Chris Foster, Manager of Resource Planning and Integration, said it was a great conversation. They did no prep work and just had an easy talk about the technology and the contract. Foster said Redford even complimented him on his ability to simplify the technology and engineering to make the movie science accessible for every viewer.

Foster said the greatest takeaway was that it was comfortable, and when he saw the footage, “We looked like we were at home and he knows his subject matter well, so the movie will be as entertaining as it is informative.”

“We also talked about my boots. I am a motorcyclist and have been wearing my favorite pair about 15 years. Jamie grew up on bikes as well, so it was all very friendly.”

For the Mayor, the takeaway is once again our city will be in the national spotlight and we will have the opportunity to share the city’s decision making process of going 100% renewable energy to over

one million viewers Mayor and Mickie Ross on the of this film. In our Square (Above) and Mayor Ross decision making, “we (Right) during two of several looked at the positive interviews with filmmaker James financial impact to Redford. our customers first and the other signifis best for Georgetown and icant associated benefits its electricity rate payers, as well. The production and the decision provides of wind and solar energy cost certainty in the longrequires less water and term and allows us to consince our region has been tinue to perform long-range in a sustained drought, we strategic planning. “Even will be helping with respect with our expected growth, to water conservation. In we have contracted for addition, the production of enough renewable energy renewable energy is clean to meet the needs of our energy and this reduces the citizens for the foreseeable amount of emissions that future. My thanks go to are released into the air.

Chris Foster and the GenOur city is also attractive eral Manger of our utility to quality national corpodepartment, Jim Briggs, for rations who have robust developing and executing green policies and are this innovative strategy.” looking to expand their opRoss says, “Promoting erations where renewable our sliver of the environenergy is both available mental world on HBO last and affordable. Therefore, week was fun and a great renewable energy is anothway to demonstrate the er economic development multiple advantages of tool for our great city.” green energy while keeping Ross says, the essence of our great city on the nationthe decision was to do what al radar.”

M ARCH / JULY / OCTOBER

R.O.C.K. Raising the Bar and Funds in 2015 The R.O.C.K. Ride on Center for Kids held their annual fundraiser March 28. A sold-out crowd enjoyed a concert by Gary P. Nunn and raised over $400,000 to purchase new therapy horses, equipment, and send special needs kids to camp this summer. The Center raises money for nearly 60% of its operations on an annual basis.

One of the speakers who shared his testimonial has been at R.O.C.K. since a traumatic brain injury put him in a wheelchair. He was one of several *walking* success stories shared throughout the night.

In July, Austin corporation Convergint selected R.O.C.K. as the beneficiary of its annual community action day. Convergint focuses on solutions for life safety, and security.

Once each year, the company chooses a non-profit to whom they will donate their time, talent and treasure. Vice President Kevin Popejoy said, “After researching them and meeting with Nancy we unanimously chose R.O.C.K. as our recipient for this annual day of giving back.” So 65 employees of and volunteers from Convergint arrived with $65,000 worth of products and labor.

Then, on October 15, the Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation (CTCF) awarded over $40,000 in grants to 14 Williamson County non-profits at the annual Fast-Pitch ceremony. Because of the generosity of the attendees, every one of the finalists received $1400 just for being there. Once again, Jack represented the good work done at R.O.C.K. R.O.C.K. also expanded its veteran programs this year and added a women’s program in the Fall.

R.O.C.K. founder Nancy Krenek with client Jack Sloane at the Barn Dance March 28. Below, Jack speaks to the CTCF while standing next to the wheelchair he no longer needs thanks to equine therapy provided at R.O.C.K.

PAGE C4

Farewell to 2015 Train Wrecks

Everyone loves those “end of year” lists. I’m going to use my 15 minutes to say farewell to the stories we got sick of, didn’t want to hear in the first place, or are still shaking our heads about. #10: Rachel Dolezal.

When stupid people happen to good hair extensions. If she had just said “Hey, I’m white but I love helping people of color” and stopped talking right there, people would have said “You go, girl!” instead of “Girl, just go away.” #9: Dr. Lion Killer.

Walter Palmer couldn’t find

MARCH

Pet Protection The Florence Police Department’s K9 Sergeant will be receiving a ballistic

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE ANY better way to spend $50,000? Didn’t he have to pass a dozen villages without clean water to get to the hunting ground? For 50 grand, Matt Damon would have delivered a few cases of Evian in person. #8: The penny. It is now more costly to produce a penny than it is worth ($.017). We are literally spending money to make money. I have piggy banks loaded with them but can we just get over it and move on to $10.00 instead of $9.99? And don’t get comfortable Nickel... you cost $.08 to make so you’re going on my 2016 list. #7: The overreaction to Ahmed Mohammed.

The 14-year-old who built a clock that authorities thought looked like a bomb was invited to the White House and even had a PR campaign for people feeling sorry for him. Didn’t an innocent looking mother named Tashfeen Malik leave her 6-month old

baby to kill people in San Bernardino? And this kid left a beeping backpack full of wires in the closet of his school. He couldn’t have turned it off to avoid the problem? Nice clock, enjoy your scholarships and pity, but I don’t trust anyone any more. FBI did right by you. #6: Katelyn Jenner. I don’t judge the personal choices people make but merciful heavens don’t call Jenner a hero. Heroes are people who do things most wouldn’t choose to do, for the sake of others. Find me the mom who finally took her kids to a battered women shelter. Or a child smiling in chemo. Even President Francois Holland, who took in Syrian refugees after his country was attacked twice this year. Have a happy life Ms. Jenner but don’t make me celebrate it. #5: Deflategate. Never have I felt less sorry for so many millionaires complaining about something I

vest thanks to a nationwide GROUPON EVENT that rose over $335,000. The “Occasions ” campaign for Groupon Grassroots to outfit police K9’s with bullet and stab protective vests ran February 15th through March 5th at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. as the nationwide non-profit organization and charity partner selected by Groupon Grassroots to participate.

Florence Police Department’s K9 “Sarge” has been with the department since September 11, 2014.

Since Sarge’s arrival

couldn’t care less about.

Except maybe Lamar Odom’s hooker-fueled Las Vegas overdose. See #6 for people with actual problems. #4: Hillary’s email.

Stop using “misspoke” as a euphemism for “lied.”

Running for president while weaving and bobbing to act like you are not dishonest. Telling the world your biggest enemies are fellow Americans (Republicans) and you’re proud of it?

ISIS will be thrilled if you win and you think they’re nothing to worry about. #3: Martin Shkreli. After raising prices on life-saving pharmaceuticals, he is the most hated man in America. Personally, I would have started with his Twitter handle “Martin the God.” Now that he’s been arrested on securities fraud, he will be in prison a while... would be such a shame if he got sick there.

Fa lala la la, lala la la.

with the department, they have had numerous vehicle seizures and cash seized as well, totaling thousands in value. Sarge is highly trained and works alongside his handler, Lt. Christopher Bryce to provide narcotics detection on traffic stops and random school searches as well. “I spend more time with Sarge than anyone else in my life...” says Bryce, “I am grateful to Vested interest in K9s for helping make sure Sarge will be safe and with us for the long term.”

M AY

K9 Retires

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office announced the retirement of K-9 Bak, a

#2: Bill Cosby. Write your own very easy punch line. We’ll wait. #1: Ad agencies. It was annoying when the cartoon bears had pieces of toilet paper on their behinds. I still gag a little when I see the big blob of snot in the Mucinex commercials.

And the lady being dragged around by the hand by her cartoon bladder is just insulting. But I absolutely draw the line on the walking, talking knotted up colon for IBS medicine.

Just WHO is sitting around the ad agency conference table saying “Yeah, go with

that!” Ugh. *sigh* I’m going to keep shaking my head while I wander into the kitchen and make my good-luck blackeyed peas for New Year’s.

Certainly there will be more viral lunacy in 2016 but I will spend time relaxing with my adult coloring book and hopefully some of that new year luck will bring a merciful conclusion to the election season and fewer stories about stupid people. Did you hear that, Kardashian family?

German shepherd who has served WilCo since January 2011.

Bak was responsible for illicit US currency seizures totaling over $800,000.

He was also responsible for the seizure of over 200 lbs. of methamphetamine, 1500 lbs. of marijuana, 150 kilograms of cocaine, 20 lbs. of heroin, and several illegal weapons.

Bak has been a true asset to Williamson County and the Sheriff’s department and will be missed. He will spend his retirement living like a king in East Williamson County. Bak is pictured with his former partner Det. Matt Hartgrove.

Starburst is 1 year old female domestic short hair mix. She is about 8 pounds, sweet and shy and hoping to find a forever home for the holidays.

Tonka is a 5-year-old terrier mix. He is 50 pounds and is a shelter favorite. He has been with us since June and would love to have a forever home. He loves to be with his people.

Sneakers is 8 years old; domestic medium-hair tabby. She is a cute, fluffy petite lady who, along with some other cats, was abandoned. She is sweet and she likes to be brushed, but she is scared in the shelter. Give her a little time to get used to you and she will be a wonderful cuddly companion!

Patches (5) was stray with her buddy Fargo. She’s an adult Catahoula Leopard with beautiful blue eyes. She’s a special girl - gentle, calm and a real heartbreaker. Patches has probably had puppies a few times and looks like she’s had a hard life. Come on by to meet her, you’ll be glad you did!

Melvin (1) is a lug of a fellow. This heavy weight champion is a gentle giant and loves toys, dogs and kids. Melvin is neutered, current on vaccines, microchipped, housetrained, and walks great on a harness. He is the newest member of the unique breed club and is known as a Giant Candy Cane Corso Mastiff.

Ray Ray (2) is one of those hard luck hounds! He was adopted from another shelter to a person who gave him away.

That person then turned him into our shelter. Ray Ray is housetrained, knows sit, down, and walks well on leash.

Ray Ray is known as a Long-Legged Doxie Spaniel.

My name is Frederick (11) and I really don’t know what I did to deserve this. I am declawed so need to be an indoor only cat. I am also great with kids and litterbox trained. I Come visit me in my window perch and give me a loving place to retire.

This 5 year old black and white short haired girl gets along ok with other calm pets and children. This nice girl could use a patient home that will let her come out of her shell at her own pace. She is spayed, current on vaccines, microchipped, and litter box trained. If you want a calm, affectionate girl, Condilou is the one for you!

Leisure DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

PAGE C5

Do you always keep your resolutions?

Kyle, pilot: Yes, but only the ones where I continue doing exactly what I feel like doing all the time.

thing we all say on New Year’s Eve when mom is saying grace. Keeps her happy.

Stephanie, retail associate: Yes. It’s a good practice to try to make a change. They don’t always stick but at least I try.

Paige, mom: Only the ones that I think will help me raise better kids. I could make one every day for that and never be done.

Mandy, restaurant owner: I try to. But it seems silly that we only do it one day a year.

Genesis, middle school student: I try to but it is hard to be good all the time.

Billy, food truck owner: Heck no! It’s just some-

Hayden, elementary student: What is a resolution?

Florence, retired: Yes, I do my best to make reasonable ones. Keep my expectations where I can meet them.

Mindy, occupational therapist: I make a lot of resolutions so I am able to keep one or two. It’s a good average.

DeeDee, speech therapist: Oh heavens no. I have kids and parents to take care of.

I’m lucky I keep my sanity!

Ronnie, attorney: Only the ones where I stop eating forever so I can lose weight. It lasts about a day.

Denise, accountant: I usually try to go on a diet or say I’ll exercise more but that is really hard to stick to once the holiday parties are over and you’re not overindulging any more.

Adam, network manager: I always say I’ll spend less money. And then I go to the comic book store and blow it.

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Make the Season Brighter for Families in Need

Top: Anthony, Nancy and Chloe Birnbaum of College Station have attended the Poppy Festival for the past seven years running. They were joined for the first time by American Girl Doll, Ruthie, and all were outfitted in Nancy’s wardrobe creations. Bottom: Frank Tull shows off his ‘57 Chevy on the Square following the annual parade.

For many of us, a cozy winter’s night isn’t complete without milk and cookies or a warm cup of hot cocoa. But families in need in your community may be missing out on milk and its nine essential nutrients.

More than 46 million Americans - including 12 million children - rely on Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

Milk is one of the most requested yet least donated items year round.

In fact, according to Feeding America, food bank clients receive an average of less than one gallon of milk per person per year, because while Americans are generous

with canned and dry goods, many don’t think to donate milk because it’s perishable. This leaves many families with limited access to milk’s essential nutrients, including 8 grams of high-quality protein per 8 ounce serving.

Since 2014, The Great American Milk Drive has helped deliver more than 8.5 million servings of highly desired and nutrient-rich milk to hungry families who need it most - but there’s still so much more to do. There are a number of ways that you can help kids and families in your own community this season: • Collect food donations when you host. Hosting for the holidays? You can benefit families in need in your community by asking guests to bring something to donate to a food bank.

While most people think of canned or dry goods, perishable foods like fresh produce and

milk are often needed, particularly around the holidays. Find your nearest food bank, check its needs and any donation guidelines at FeedingAmerica.org.

• Donate highly-desired, nutrient-rich fresh milk to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas to help nourish children in your own community.

What many people don’t realize is how big this problem is - one in seven Americans face hunger, including 15 million children, and it’s a problem that impacts all sorts of families, in urban, suburban and rural communities.

And milk is one of the most requested nutritious items by food bank clients, but, it’s rarely donated.

Milk isn’t just a drink, it’s a nutrient powerhouse - but, only if people have access to it. Help local families put milk on the table for their children this season.

DECEMBER 30, 2015  THE ADVOCATE

The Road to Grandma’s House

by Patty Kramer Part 3 of 3

Often I asked myself if I was on the right road toward security for Sharla and me. Working all these long hours and being away from her so much at night.

Didn’t she deserve a better mother? Silently I thanked God that my parents offered to keep her on school holidays. Without their help, I didn’t know what I would do.

A thought swirled inside

my head. Did she, too, wish we could live together all the days of the year?

Never to be banished to her grandmother’s house? Had I imposed on her the same loneliness I felt when missing my parents so many years ago?

My chest felt heavy.

Tears welled in my eyes, and like the hot wax on Grandma’s window so long ago, they rolled slowly down my cheeks.

Here I was, in the middle of night, foolishly seeking in my heart the security of a light in an old farmhouse window that could never shine again. Wanting a sign that I could still be rescued from the island of loneliness I’d built around me.

As I wiped tears from my face, the song Silent Night began to play on the radio.

The lyrics were slightly different from the song I’d learned as a child.

Stepping on the brake, I stopped the car atop the

Family bridge and turned up the volume. I looked up at the huge moon in the clear night sky and listened.

“Silent Night. Holy Night.”

Barely breathing I let the peaceful stillness, heavy like early morning fog, settle over me.

“All is dark, save the light” As the music filled the creek bed, the water began to shimmer, glistening like silver tinsel blowing in the wind. Tiny insect eyes among the tall weeds winked on as if suddenly awaking from a long sleep.

“Shining where the mother mild” A wisp of wind passed over the red road. Quartz that had been hidden beneath the sand sparkled like scattered jewels in the moonlight.

“Watches o’er the holy child” As if the moon had slipped closer to the Earth,

shadows grew longer and darker along the creek’s edge.

“Sleep in heavenly peace” Nothing stirred along the creek. No frogs, no deer, no raccoons scurried away in fear, feeling safe from predators as they stood openly in the radiant light.

“Sleep in heavenly peace.”

The song ended. I reached slowly, as if parting deep water, and quietly turned off the radio.

My face was dry now.

The tears were gone. I tried to remember what I been so worried about just before Silent Night came on the radio.

Lightly touching the gas pedal, I started again down the road to Momma’s house. Up ahead, just past the cattle guard, I’d have one more glimpse of Grandma’s abandoned farmhouse before the road took a downward turn.

PAGE C7 Topping the slight rise, I looked south. I hit the brake.

Inside Grandma’s kitchen window was a tiny, flickering light. For a full thirty seconds, it glowed brightly as if reflecting off her old white stove. Then it was gone, leaving me staring at a darkened window pane.

My fingertips began to tingle. Touching them lightly to my face, I felt heat.

In the distance, two distinctly different dogs began their barking.

I couldn’t help it; I know it was silly of me, but I just had to search the horizon for a shiny, alien space ship.

Finding nothing unusual, I started the car one last time. Thinking all the while how strange it was that on the road that led both toward, and away from my childhood, I’d been rescued once again by memories of Grandma Flossie’s house.

I wouldn’t worry again

about the amount of time my little Sharla would have to spend at her grandmothers. Momma and her love for the Lord would ensure Sharla knew who to turn to if she ever felt hopelessly stranded.

And someday, if God was willing, way in the future when I no longer had to work such long, long hours, maybe I’d have time to spend with a grandchild or two of my own. Just thinking of all the stories we could write together made me smile.

Turning into Momma’s gate, I felt the need to whistle, so I did, disturbing the quiet of the night with my rendition of “I’ll Fly Away.”

Yes, my grandma taught me well. I know I don’t really need a spaceship to be rescued.

Merry Christmas!

PAGE C8

DECEMBER 30, 2015 ď‚Ť THE ADVOCATE

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