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2020

Volume 33, Issue 52

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No decision yet in potential wastewater plant lawsuit

Branigan sworn in as next Mayor

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Liberty Hill officially has a new Mayor after Liz Branigan was sworn in Tuesday evening at a special called meeting for the purpose of canvassing the election and swearing in new council members.

Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Edna Staudt was on hand to administer the oath of office to Branigan, as well as Place 4 Council member Tony DeYoung and Place 2 Council member Kathy Canady.

Former Mayor Rick Hall did not attend the meeting, and Council members Steve McIntosh and Gram Lankford were also absent.

Branigan set a Liberty Hill City election record with 609 votes to Hall’s 506 despite being out-raised by Hall $19,300

November 19, 2020 | 50 Cents

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTO

Liz Branigan was sworn in as Liberty Hill Mayor by Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Edna Staudt at a special called Council meeting Tuesday. Incumbent council members Tony DeYoung and Kathy Canady were also sworn in to a new term. DeYoung and Canady ran unopposed. to $1,380.

DeYoung and Canady were not opposed on the ballot, and each was appointed by the Council in 2018 to finish their first term after the passing of Council member Wendell Mc-

Leod and resignation of Ron Rhea.

A monthly salary of $1,000 for council members was budgeted for the current fiscal year and DeYoung and Canady will be the first to draw it. Branigan

has said she will not accept the annual salary of $40,000 budgeted for the Mayor’s position.

After the meeting Tuesday, Branigan said she hoped to

See BRANIGAN, Page A4

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The 60-day wait has come and gone since the City of Liberty Hill was notified of an intent to file a lawsuit on behalf of landowners along the South San Gabriel River downstream from the City’s wastewater treatment plant.

According to attorney Amy Johnson, the lawsuit has not been filed and discussions are ongoing with the City, though neither side could elaborate at this time.

If filed, the suit would be brought in federal court by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), representing resident Stephanie Morris who owns property along the South San Gabriel River.

The City Council first discussed the issue at its Sept.

14 meeting during closed session.

The 60-day notice is a re-

quirement when filing a Clean Water Act suit.

In September, Johnson said there is the possibility a settlement could be reached, but such a settlement, according to what is being sought, will demand considerable change in how the plant is operated.

She said past violations are not the most critical issue, but future problems anticipated with the plant and its impact on the river.

The primary issue is regular algae blooms that choke the South San Gabriel downstream from the plant, but do not typically appear upstream, leading residents to argue that the plant’s effluent is causing the algae.

The City has argued in the past that the effluent is not causing the algae – often pointing to development

See LAWSUIT, Page A5

COVID spread raising concerns of new wave

LHPD Stuff a Cruiser

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

The Liberty Hill Police Department is collecting food donations to help local families during the holidays. On Tuesday, Sgt. Robert Fox, Lt. Jeff Ringstaff and Officer David Joiner were at Higginbotham Brothers Hardware. In three days, LHPD has collected 860 pounds of food and $510. They will be accepting additional donations at Dollar General on Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the parking lot at Prosperity Bank on Nov. 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Love of pecans translates to success for Florence family

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer FLORENCE -- Bobby and Wanda Shelton have grown up around the farm, being a part of it all their lives. With a rich family history of farming dating back to before the Texas Revolution, the couple is working hard to make Wanda’s family farm and pecan orchard a success.

“About five years ago we started looking at what we were going to do when we re©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent

tired and wondered what we were going to do to keep busy and generate a little income on the farm,” said Bobby Shelton.

“We started revitalizing Wanda’s family orchard here in Florence.”

Trying to revitalize and reinvigorate a decades-old orchard demands hard work and patience, something that Bobby understands is necessary to the couple’s success.

“It is a long-term project. If you buy a small tree from a nursery, it’s about eight years before you actually make anything off of it,” he said. “You have to do a lot of hard work to get there. You can’t just plant it in the ground, and after eight years have pecans. Fertilizer

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor A recent spike in confirmed COVID cases locally and across the state have raised concerns of a new wave of virus spread.

The recent increase in cases has had the biggest impact on area schools as well as the growing strain on hospital capacity.

Liberty Hill ISD announced Monday that a spike in cases at the Junior High forced the closure of the campus for the remainder of the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Over a four-day period beginning Nov. 12, the Junior High had 13 confirmed cases, 10 probable cases and was looking at needing to

quarantine 200 others. At that point, the temporary closure made the most sense for administrators.

“That gives us four days going into the break plus another 10, and that puts everybody in that 14-day limit with only missing four days of school,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “To us, we felt that was the best common sense decision to keep our students and staff safe. It is definitely not a decision we wanted to make, because it effects 900 families and 100 staff members.”

The rapid spread on the Junior High campus made the biggest impact on the decision.

“When you think about it, from July 1 until last Thurs-

day we had 23 cases total -staff and students,” Snell said.

“As of last Thursday, we had one official case, an adult, and 11 kids quarantined, that’s it.

All of the spread we had seen was from individual families with a sick family member, but we had no spread on campuses. What happened at the Junior High is we had a student case pop up Thursday and from Thursday to Monday we had 13 cases, 10 probable and it was going to put us over 200 kids quarantined at the Junior High.”

No single number or indicator led to the decision on its own, he said.

“We have a ton of procedures

See COVID, Page A6

and rain or supplemented water for irrigation are as important as anything else.”

What makes a good pecan?

Well, according to Shelton, there’s one thing he and commercial interests look for.

“The number one thing for a good pecan is if it fills out fully in the shell,” Shelton said. “If you don’t have the rain or the fertilization, then that pecan will not be full, and you’ll get a dry powdery taste and appearance. In the business it’s the percentage of pecan meat versus the shell.”

In the 2019 Texas Pecan show, the Florence couple took the top prize for the best Florence residents Bobby and Wanda Shelton will be entering the 2020 Williamson County Pecan Show after the couple earned the top spot in the 2019 Texas Pecan Show for their Shoshoni See PECANS, Page A5 pecan. (Courtesy Photo)

Page A2

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Community mourns loss of 14-year-old boy

The Liberty Hill community – especially the LHISD family – is mourning the loss of 14-year-old Alex Sadler after he was killed Saturday in an auto-bicycle crash on SH 29.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), troopers responded at 8:29 p.m. Saturday to a fatal crash on SH 29 when a 2010 Toyota Prius traveling east on SH 29 in the outside lane struck a bicyclist with no lights, also traveling east on SH 29 in an unlit portion of roadway. Sadler died at the

scene. No charges have been filed to date, according to DPS. The loss of the Liberty Hill Junior High student was a tragic shock to his classmates and teachers.

“Liberty Hill Junior High and Panther Nation extend our hearts for the loss of Alex,” said Principal Travis Motal.

“He had a bright personality, a great smile and the ability to make everyone around him laugh. Alex’s many friends, our campus staff and our school community pray for Alex and his family. We will

come together to love and support Alex’s family and friends through the grieving process.

We send a huge thank you to everyone from all around central Texas for their thoughts and prayers.”

Motal remembered Sadler as a quiet, happy young man.

“Alex had a great personality,” Motal said. “He always had a smile. Alex was quiet but engaged. He never said much but was always there for his friends.”

Administrators and teachers spent Monday, before the an-

nouncement the campus would be closed the remainder of the week due to COVID, helping everyone on campus cope with the grief of the loss.

“On Monday, the campus had a healthy balance of structure and grief. We knew the school would play an important role to provide stability and structure for the students but would also be an outlet for them to express their sadness,” Motal said. “Our staff did a tremendous job of allowing students

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell and Veteran Services Director Sherry Golden took some time to discuss the growing need for veterans services, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. Those services have proven to be critical as Williamson County is now home to 48,622 veterans.

“We have the largest veteran population in a county in the entire state in Texas, and we rank number seven in the nation,” said Gravell. “Our veterans are important to us, and we place a high priority on caring for them and making sure their needs are met.”

Innovative ways to continue with service through the pandemic were critical and the

County focused on ways to do so. “(The phone bank) made over 5,200 phone calls to veterans throughout the county,” said Gravell. “Even though the county shut down and services were limited, we wanted to make sure our veterans were cared for. You haven’t heard anything more incredible until you’ve talked with a veteran who fought in World War II, in Korea or Vietnam. We’re grateful.”

Backed by the County’s call center initiative, the Veterans Services office continued its work through the pandemic.

“Over the past eight months, our department has continued its services to the public while practicing social distancing.

We have serviced 1,921 phone appointments, 12,366 emails,

4,999 phone calls, and 332 new clients,” said Golden. “Our departmental services include filing VA claims, local resources, guidance to VA healthcare, education, and research-based items per veteran. Our veteran officers have maintained training requirements with the Texas Veterans Commission and other veterans service officer organizations to keep our credentials.”

Even with access to $93 million in CARES Act funds, the county was able to continue its veteran’s support without having to dive deeply into that money.

“Some of the first dollars we spent on our CARES Act was to pay for employees working overtime. We had many employees that worked overtime in our call center to make

calls out to our veterans,” said Gravell. “Every need discussed, we’ve been able to meet that need without having to dive into the CARES Act funds.”

As Veterans Services director, Golden sees the day to day needs of veterans and urges them to reach out whenever they need aid.

“With the pandemic, our office had to abide by the shutdown of county offices and government entities. However, we continued and are continuing our services for veterans and their families,” Golden said. “I want to thank my staff of officers and admin. Our success has been and will continue to be due to a team effort.

I urge veterans and families to contact our office. We are here to help.”

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Liberty Hill Police Blotter Week of Nov 9-15, 2020 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 461 incidents resulting in 13 cases, 31 citations, 43 warnings and

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Weekly Highlights: - On Nov. 9 at approximately 6:46AM, officers responded to the 11000 block of W. SH 29 for an injured deer.

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- On Nov. 9 at approximately 3:30 PM, officers responded to San Gabriel Road to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On Nov. 9 at approximately 8:28 PM, officers responded to Rebel Red Road to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On Nov. 9 at approximately 10:33 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity.

- On Nov. 10 at approximately 8:46AM, officers responded to Grange Street for a theft complaint.

- On Nov. 10 at approximately 1:03PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident.

- On Nov. 10 at approximately 7:26 PM, officers responded to the Munro Street for a disturbance.

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7:59 PM, officers responded to Stubblefield Road for a disturbance.

- On Nov. 11 at approximately 4:04 AM, officers responded to the 3000 block of RM 1869 for a missing person.

- On Nov. 11 at approximately 9:45 AM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 for an alarm call.

- On Nov. 11 at approximately 12:55 PM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 theft complaint.

- On Nov. 11 at approximately 4:18 PM, officers arrested a male adult for evading arrest.

- On Nov. 12 at approximately 2:10 AM, officers arrested a female adult for driving while under the influence, as the result of a traffic stop.

- On Nov. 12 at approximately 9:49 AM, officers responded to Bell Street for a theft complaint.

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OPINION

Madame Mayor: One last look back at that hill you just climbed An open letter to the Honorable Liz Branigan

By WILT CUTTER Columnist Today, you’re everybody’s mayor. And that’s the way it should be.

But before you take the gavel and begin your journey into looking at the fair, decent way to treat all the issues and the multitudes of crises that turn up in the middle of the road it should be noted that you fought Goliath and won.

We’re not just talking about putting your name on the ballot against an incumbent. That, in itself is rarely rewarded. Not just talking about taking on an incumbent with lots of entrenched politically powerful friends, that’s also tough. Also, we’re not talking about taking on a sitting Mayor who raised the most cash of any candidate in the history of our town.

Nevermind about the fact that the gender card was played against you on every street corner where the town good ol’ boys were scratching their extremities and grinning. Not talking about being called an Obama liberal Democrat (the political kiss of death in any small town in Texas.) No, it’s about something else entirely that you should make note of.

Madame Mayor, you faced an entire political army complete with big guns, counterintelligence, calvary screens and fully engaged street

ďŹ ghters. If you had known for sure what and who you were up against, you and your supporters surely would have assumed you were beat.

Besides unknowingly going up against a secret operation designed around an entirely new publication based in Jarrell and funded almost completely by outside political donors, you also faced the monied interest of the power elite who were on the ballot and desperately needing to hold onto political position and the promises that had been made to them. A political consulting ďŹ rm was openly working to defeat you with professionally crafted messaging, advertising and fundraising efforts.

You also faced the taxpayers’ machine. That’s right.

Some employees of the City who should have been hard at work in the public’s interest were in full defense of the incumbent. Yes, those public employees in addition to some appointees to City’s boards and commissions who should have shown no favoritism in this election or taken part in any political issues involving council members, were fully operational in their support of your opponent. They posted on social media defending their candidate, asking questions, creating smoke screens, all of which added doubt to your credibility.

While all of this is unethical, and if it happened in the workplace was actually ille-

VIEWPOINT:

By KATIE WILKISON In the past week, my cousin and his wife died from COVID-19. After a long fought battle over the past month in separate rooms in ICU, the couple passed away far too young.

Just one week before they tested positive, they made a careful decision to get on a plane from California to come visit their family in Texas.

They wore masks and thought that everything would be ďŹ ne.

They, like so many others across the country, have been told highly conicting messages from people who do not hold their best interests at heart.

They traveled as safely as they could, and within a week of their arrival they tested positive and another one of my cousins was infected.

It’s easy to think the pandemic won’t affect you. The numbers are so high and it doesn’t seem real. After all, I look around central Texas and all I see are people bustling about like normal. Restaurants, stores, ofďŹ ces, are all full. Some changes have been made but overall it is business as usual with an occasional mask.

gal, it would be a never-ending investigation to attempt to determine the public resources dedicated to defending a politician and countering your candidacy and your message.

These faux public servants appear to have worked hand in glove with the political professionals from outside Liberty Hill to defeat you.

Unlike your opponent and professional political types who tried to destroy your campaign for the people -you owe no one but the citizens who will depend on your common sense, decency and ethics to guide this city forward.

And today, you can look back at what you and your handful of believers accomplished. It’s a story as old as David and Goliath.

You ignored the “Batter, Batter� chatter and kept your eye on what mattered.

The people trusted you -- the underfunded, the mislabeled, maligned and even hated. You took your time, you were deliberate and patient and you hit like a girl.

Next time, here’s to you and your band of do-gooders loading the bases and swinging for the fences.

Wilt Cutter is the only man in the Free World whose name is his profession.

Wilt’s typewriter hates injustice. He is a man who ďŹ nds beauty in the people and naturally occurring poetry of the Shin Oak Ridge of Texas.

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, November 19, 2020 Section A Page 3

EDITORIAL:

For one another

This is the time of year we encourage one another to think of others, to give, and to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives.

The year 2020 will never be remembered fondly as a year of prosperity, comfort and calm.

And as it winds down, we are left with one ďŹ nal question – will we end it better than we started it?

Call it COVID fatigue, call it obstinance, call it paranoia, fear or just anger, but as we trudge down the same path that carried us into skyrocketing case numbers of the virus, hospital crowding and a death toll hard to make sense of, there seems to be even more resistance to putting family, neighbors and even strangers ďŹ rst when it comes to taking precautions to try and mitigate the spread.

There is a new surge, every bit as devastating as the ďŹ rst surge many labeled as fake and overblown. As we watch the numbers skyrocket again, it is difďŹ cult to not see us collectively as even more ridiculous this time around.

Reach for a hot pan once and someone might say, “well, now you know.� Do it twice and they just look at you in confusion.

When the State and local governments began ďŹ rst implementing restrictions in mid-March on businesses, closing schools and promoting individual safety precautions, statewide case numbers were less than 10,000 with very few fatalities. In Williamson County, there were fewer than 100 cases.

In May, people had had enough, and restrictions began to be slowly lifted. Texas had just under 30,000 cases total, and 801 deaths up to May 1. Williamson County had 306 cases and 10 deaths.

The surge that followed resulted in 103,775 cases in Texas in June, 262,423 in July and 186,848 in August, dwarďŹ ng the original numbers that led us to be so careful in the beginning. Numbers dwindled, but never dipped below 100,000 in a month and now Texas has had more than a million cases and 19,000 deaths.

With 134,658 cases halfway through November and 1,019 deaths, this month could turn out to be one of the worst since the beginning.

Despite those numbers, in our community, we see more and more signs that some people have just had enough. Social media comments

ranting against possible new restrictions, telling people they should just live their lives, and issue brief declarations against masks and other “overwhelming� restrictions that threaten some “freedom�.

It’s time we did something for one another.

Wear the mask. Stay home when you have a choice. Social distance and think of others when you don’t.

We should not gather for festivals or holiday events. Not in Liberty Hill or anywhere else.

Time and again over the last 10 months we’ve seen tragic results from those decisions. Do any of us in Liberty Hill believe that a large gathering to celebrate the holiday is more important than any 10 lives in our community?

By now most of us have been touched by coronavirus somehow in our lives. If the only impact you have felt is the fear that your liberty is being siphoned off in some secret scheme to steal your freedom, then consider yourself lucky.

There is truly a common good, and while we can all understand it, many of us still have trouble ever considering it before we think of our own small aches, pains and grumbles.

We are supposed to care about one another, and in this time the best way to care for someone else is to recognize that selďŹ sh decisions could cost others and their families dearly.

This is a time we all want to be together. We want to celebrate, worship and reacquaint ourselves with friends and family who feel very distant these days. But is any of it more important than someone’s health and life? Is a celebration now or a declaration of freedom to do as we please today going to mean much in the early days of 2021 if we are left watching thousands die again and cities creating makeshift hospitals in the streets?

It happened. It will certainly happen again if we don’t make mitigation a priority. And while we were foolish the ďŹ rst time in our slow reaction, we will be willfully negligent this time around, and all that love, charity and grace we share through the holidays will seem like a very hollow gesture.

For one another, let’s focus on mitigating the risk and limiting the spread of this virus, and look forward to a better 2021 because we ďŹ nished 2020 thinking of each other.

Do whatever it takes to keep your families safe

Across the political spectrum and crossing all racial/ethnic lines, people are not staying home. And why would they?

The weather this time of year in Texas is perfect. And how could they? The majority of people still have to go in to work.

Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 are soaring. More than 1 million of those cases are children. 248,687 people in America have died.

This virus has killed more than 83 times the amount of Americans who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, but we can’t even all agree on if we should do anything about it.

Washington has successfully turned this into a political issue. It’s not. Your life is worth just as much as anyone else’s regardless of who you voted for or if you voted. Everyone deserves to live a long and healthy life regardless of their political views. Listen to public health ofďŹ cials, not politicians from either side.

Instead of letting Democrats and Republicans in Washington continue to make the pandemic a value issue and separate us based on if we wear a mask or not or who we voted

for, we should be asking ourselves what are we willing to do to protect our families from illness and suffering.

Are we willing to give up any of our pleasures in order to extend the lives of our families?

Are we willing to keep our distance from others and wear a face covering in order to extend our own lives and prevent the trauma and grief that it would bring to our families to lose us to this illness?

Is our love for our kin strong enough to cope with their physical absence this holiday season?

Perhaps a great aw in the messaging of late has been that we are being asked to think about other people’s families when we make the decision to travel or whether or not to wear a mask. As Americans, we are individualistic people.

We focus on our own ďŹ nances, our own protection, and our own health.

I’m asking you to think about you. Your own health and your own family are the most important considerations. What are you personally willing to do for your family? Can you wear a mask? Can you stick to your own household this

Thanksgiving and Christmas?

Katie Wilkison is a 2015 Community Housing Program I ask this because so many graduate of Liberty Hill High Coordinator at Austin-based people in my family are sufSchool, a 2018 graduate of Ending Community Homelessfering from unspeakable grief. The University of Texas, and is ness Coalition (ECHO).

Had they all known that this pandemic would rip loved ones from their lives forever, they would have sacriďŹ ced the visit.

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Liberty Hill is a beautiful town with wonderful people in it, many of whom I don’t agree with on everything. But I wear my mask when I’m running errands in my hometown or visiting my parents in their backyard from six feet away, because I love them and I love this town. And loving someone means protecting them and An Independent Insurance Company putting their needs ahead of your own.

I don’t want anyone, especially in Liberty Hill, to experience what my family is experiencing now. Save yourself from regret and “what if’s�.

Do everything in your power right now to protect your loved ones from this virus, and you

will have no regrets.

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Page A4

BRANIGAN

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page A1

begin a series of meetings with Council and staff beginning Wednesday.

“I’m moving into my office and I’m going to invite each staff member and each council person to talk one-on-one and then we’ll have a better idea what direction to go,” Branigan said. “I need to know where we are so we can decide how to move forward.”

Her first regular Council

meeting is scheduled for Monday, and while Branigan promised to review and evaluate a number of issues and projects, she expects that will not happen immediately.

“It probably won’t be until the second meeting that we get into the really meaty topics on the agenda, but we’re going to review the budget and the things I talked about in my campaign,” she said. “We will

review the capital improvement projects.”

Since the election, Branigan said the show of support in the community has reinforced her resolve.

“It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Branigan said. “I’m hoping to get a chance to do the things that we’ve been talking about in the community.”

LOSS

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Continued from Page A2

to process the tragedy and also keep school moving. I was very proud of them.”

Counselors from across the district were made available to students and staff.

“We let kids know it’s okay to grieve and its okay to be sad,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “It’s a learning moment, too, to learn what’s appropriate and learn good

healthy ways to grieve and be supportive.”

Snell applauded the work over the weekend by Junior High staff to prepare to help students Monday, but said there is no easy solution for how to cope with such a loss.

“My initial reaction is to just love kids,” Snell said. “And it’s not just kids, it’s the teachers, too, that are grieving. We

spend so much time and energy with these students they become like family to us. In addition to having sad students we have sad teachers as well.”

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to assist the family, raising $10,954 from 160 donors since Monday.

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Thursday, November 19, 2020

LAWSUIT

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page A1

runoff or lawn chemicals making their way into the river as the culprit. The City has also stood behind its stance that it is operating according to its permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Not only is there concern among residents about the current situation, but there is worry that the current expansion plan will create even bigger issues if the permit renewal is granted and the City continues to operate as it is now while increasing the amount of effluent put into the river.

The City has, in the past, touted the strictness of its permit and the new technology being used in the plant, but Johnson argues both the permit renewal and its strictness are issues.

“There are two different actions going on right now,” Johnson said in September.

“One is the City is trying to renew its permit at TCEQ, and in that case what we are saying to the State is the permit is not strict enough. In front of the federal court what we are saying is the City is violating the permit as it is. The City has violated the permit that is not strict enough.”

According to the lawyers from TRLA, the Clean Water Act allowed the State to take over regulation of state water quality if the State took certain measures, including classifying all the streams, determining the baseline water quality of Texas streams.

The South San Gabriel is considered high quality, meaning it is fishable and swimmable, and is to be protected aesthetically.

When discussing aesthetics, Johnson said some might think it is an ambiguous term, but she said the evidence is clear.

“You can look at this river upstream of the discharge and downstream from it and you can see what the City is doing to this river is ruining it aesthetically,” Johnson said.

If the lawsuit is filed the first order of business will be to seek an injunction.

The suit would address not only about past violations or issues with the algae, but also attempt to prevent the same in the future.

“We have to tell them what they’ve done wrong and there’s a time period that we can tell them that,” Johnson said previously. “So far as future violations go, when we ask the court to enjoin and to stop them from doing certain things we will show to the court – unless something changes – that the aesthetic problems and the fishable/ swimmable problems and the violation of the narrative standards continues.”

Attorneys allege miscalculations in past reporting on the plant’s effluent quality.

The solution to the problem, according to TRLA attorneys, is simple but dramatic – stop discharging into the river.

In the letter of intent addressed to then-Mayor Rick

Hall as representative of the City, TRLA outlines the reasons for the intent to sue on behalf of Morris, detailing concerns over the City’s permit, past alleged violations, reporting violations and a brief history of TCEQ investigations and inquiries.

“In the last five years, TCEQ has investigated Liberty Hill and the South Fork San Gabriel River several times, including multiple times in the last few years. This includes compliance investigations in May 2018, December 2018, January/February 2019, March 2019, August 2019,” the letter states. “These investigations have led to alleged violations based on a large variety of issues, including discharge of wastewater solids, algae growth, discharge of chlorine, high levels of foam, impairment of the aesthetic condition of the river, and more. However, TCEQ has acted slowly in its enforcement, and, even when it has gone through with an agreed order, has failed to deal with many of the relevant violations.”

The TRLA is a legal aid provider that was founded in 1970 to represent Texas farmworkers, and today, one of its many arms includes an environmental justice team.

There is a potential fine for the City of up to $55,800 for each violation of the permit.

Page A5

The Sheltons’ pecan grove in Florence produced the award-winning Shoshoni Pecan.

(Courtesy Photo)

PECANS

Continued from Page A1

Shoshoni pecan. Like commercial interests, judges for the pecan show are looking for a full nut or kernel, color, and nut size.

The pecan show began in the 1950s so that growers could grade their pecans for better prices. Winners of the regional contest advance to the state level for the chance to earn the title of Top Pecan in Texas.

“It’s rewarding after you spend all the time, depending on the crop, to see what you get to harvest,” Bobby said.

“That’s your reward. That you did the best you could and get to see it pay off with a win like this.”

The Sheltons will be competing in the 2020 Williamson County Pecan Show, set for Dec. 17. The event is open to anyone with a pecan tree in the

county.

Those who don’t grow can enter the Pecan Food Show.

The food show is where Wanda shows her skillful usage of pecans.

“My wife gets in on the pecan food side, making products out of pecans,” said Bobby. “She makes pecan pies, pralines, and she has a pecan pie muffin that is my favorite and most of the people’s favorites. That muffin is something different.”

With a top prize-level product, 250 trees, and a wide variety of pecan types, the Sheltons are looking into other uses for pecans that can expand their popularity beyond the traditional pies during the holidays.

“We just started marketing a pecan oil where we take the press that they use to make

olive oil. It’s kind of the same process. It’s been around for a while, and it’s a brand new product we’re working on.

The saturated fats are less than what they are in olive oil,” he said. “There’s a lot of research to show that the pecan has a lot of health benefits to it. As an industry, we’re trying to promote it more and make it more of a healthy snack and show the health benefits year-round, rather than pecan pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

For Shelton, working alongside his wife on their farm is all the satisfaction he desires.

“For a lot of other people, they relax by golfing or fishing, but for me, working on this farm and doing this every day, that’s relaxing to me,” he said.

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Page A6

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, November 19, 2020

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTOS

Newly elected LHISD Board members Kendall Carter (above left) and Terry Smith (above right) were sworn in Monday after both claiming seats in the Nov. 3 election. The addition of the two new members also signaled a reorganization of Board leadership, with Megan Parsons being elected President, Kathy Major Vice President and Anthony Buck Secretary. The new trustees were sworn in by Board Secretary Donna Cox.

LHISD Board gets new look, new leader

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees welcomed two new members – Kendall Carter and Terry Smith – to their first meeting Monday after a swearing-in, and elected new officers, unanimously selecting Megan Parsons as the new Board President.

Board member Kathy Major was named Vice President and Anthony Buck Secretary.

Among the first key decisions the new board made was to approve moving forward with designing expansions for Liberty Hill Elementary and the Intermediate campus as it transitions to a new elementary campus.

The unanimous decision to move forward doesn’t mean the campuses will be expanded, but designs will be in place should that be the direction the

COVID

district chooses in the near future.

“Depending on what we decide in the future as far as elementary campuses we’re going to have to hit the ground running with our demographic projections,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “What we’re coming to you today with is to start the design process to bring them up to 900 student (capacity), which is what the rest of our campuses can flex to.”

The design of the expansion will take roughly five to six months, and with plans completed and ready to go, projects could move forward much quicker.

“Should we have a successful bond in May and this is part of that bond, that we can hit the ground running with the bid process and move into building to have it ready

“The facilities committees are actively discussing this now,” Sledge said of the capacity question. “Clearly these schools have the capacity of a little over half of your newer schools and the term equity has come up quite a bit. It’s not just capacity, there are other things. It’s a much different library experience, there are different outside experiences and the cafeterias are different.”

No decision has been made on whether to call a May 2021 bond election, or how much it might be for, but if it goes forward the decision will have to be made by early February 2021.

The Board also approved a new agreement with Sledge Engineering for facility planning services for possible future projects, as well as program management for the design of the expansion

projects. The contract is for $12,000 for facility planning and a fee of 2 percent of the actual programming cost of the expansion projects.

Santa Rita – all student cases.

As far as symptoms among the positive cases across the district, health services staff indicated most common symptoms include congestion, sore throat and fatigue, and noted that many of them do not have fever. The staff cases have shown a longer recovery time than the student cases.

The pivot to remote learning from Monday to Tuesday was not one that concerned Snell, as the district has been focused on being ready to make that quick change since the school year began.

“We struggled and fought technology all in the spring and we’ve had some road

bumps along the way, but we feel we can make a smooth transition directly to remote for everyone,” he said.

That said, he also said that there are struggles seen among some on remote learning and the district is looking forward to being able to get everyone back on campus.

“Absolutely, K through 12, the time lost last spring, plus the summer, that’s six months with no school whatsoever, there’s going to be some gaps for everyone,” Snell said. “As we started this year remote, some students and some families are very successful on remote and we want to keep that an option for them, but there are a lot of kids on remote that we’re not seeing the success we’d like to see. We feel the absolute best place for all students is in front of that qualified teacher in the classroom, interacting.”

The campus closure in Liberty Hill comes as other districts are dealing with similar increases. Austin ISD temporarily closed Austin High last week and Stony Point High School in Round Rock closed until after the holiday break.

Llano ISD has gone to remote learning for all district cam-

puses.

COVID numbers Williamson County changed the gating stage – which indicates the threat or amount of community spread of COVID-19 – from yellow to orange on Nov. 12.

Their are four phased stages beginning with green, which indicates flat or declining numbers, to yellow, then orange, followed by red, which indicates uncontrolled community spread.

Orange indicates high community spread, and Williamson County numbers have shown a sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations in November.

There have been an average of 64 confirmed cases per day this month, after averaging 33 per day in October and 24 in September.

The number hospitalized for COVID-19 in Williamson County has increased from 25 on Oct. 1 to 48 on Tuesday.

Despite the increases, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said he has no plans to enact more strict guidelines in the County.

“The Williamson County and Cities Health District makes recommendations based on the COVID-19 transmission rate

Continued from Page A1

obviously and we’re in close contact with the Williamson County Health Department,” Snell said. “There’s no number we focus on. It is a data-driven decision. We try to add common sense to the equation.”

Because the recent spike was confined to the Junior High, Snell said the data didn’t support shutting down other campuses. As painful as he knows it is for families to cope with the closure, Snell asked for understanding and cooperation from parents.

“Everybody has to be honest with what they’re seeing,” he said. “If your kid is sick you understand staying home.

When your kid has direct ex-

posure, but they’re not sick, it is very frustrating when the school calls and says you have to stay home. We feel we’re doing the right thing 100 percent and our health services team is doing an amazing job.

We want people to know to please be nice to our health services team if they call.

They’re doing exactly what we’re asking them to do in the best interest of their child and safety.”

Across the district, LHISD has nine other active cases, with four student cases at the High School, two staff cases at the Intermediate School and one each at Liberty Hill Elementary, Bill Burden and

1

Doing a virtual turkey trot or holiday run

1

Watching holiday movies at home with your household

1

Viewing holiday lights with your family in your car

1

Building a snowman with your household

KNOW YOUR RISK THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

1

Mailing a letter to Santa

1

Donating canned food

2

Joining a physically distanced outdoor scavenger hunt

COVID-19 is here, and so is the flu.

Smart choices promote #HealthyHolidays T

On a scale of 1 to 10, how risky is...

Example activities ranked by physicians from the TMA COVID-19 Task Force and the TMA Committee on Infectious Diseases.

3 4

Doing an in-person turkey trot or holiday run (outdoors)

4

Decorating a gingerbread house with another household

4

Attending an outdoor public tree lighting ceremony

4

Ice skating at an outdoor rink

5

Attending an outdoor sports event

5

Going on a hayride

5

Attending an outdoor cultural or religious celebration

5

Traveling by plane to visit family or friends

6

Attending a holiday parade

6

Ice skating at a public rink indoors

6

Watching a public fireworks display

6

Visiting someone in assisted living

7

Taking photos with Santa

7

Attending an indoor holiday craft fair or market

8

Attending an indoor sports event

8

Attending a Super Bowl party

8

Shopping in-person on Black Friday

8

Caroling with a group

8

Hosting a holiday party with friends and family

8

Attending an indoor cultural or religious event

9

Attending a homecoming dance

10

Attending a college house party

10

Attending a large indoor celebration with singing

10

Celebrating New Year’s Eve at a bar or nightclub

HIGH RISK

Having Thanksgiving dinner with family or household members Traveling by car to visit family or friends

MODERATE-HIGH

3

MODERATE RISK

Shopping for gifts online

LOW-MODERATE

1

LOW RISK

a year from August,” Snell said. “We feel if we wait until a bond passes to start the design work we would be behind a couple of months and might not be ready for the amount of growth we have.”

Many options for accommodating growth are being discussed, but expanding these two campuses have advantages.

“These are the two fastest opportunities to get elementary seats built,” said engineer Casey Sledge. “A new campus would take longer, and because you have enough money left over in the 2018 bond you can also choose to start now using those funds.”

Aside from eliminating the need for portables on those campuses with the greater capacity, there are other advantages for students at those campuses as well.

Please assume participants in these activities are following currently recommended safety protocols, including social distancing, mask wearing, and washing hands frequently.

The more people, the closer together, the fewer the masks, the more mingling indoors, the longer the time, the more singing and voice projection, and the more alcohol – the greater the risk.

Texas Medical Association | 401 W. 15th St. | Austin, TX 78701-1680 www.texmed.org

@texmed

@wearetma

#HealthyHolidays

This chart provides general information regarding exposure risks related to certain activities. It does not constitute medical advice and does not substitute for the advice of your physician. Consulting your personal physician is recommended when assessing your risks taking into consideration your medical condition.

School naming The district will soon be soliciting suggested names for the fifth elementary school with the Intermediate campus transitioning to an elementary campus, and also for the new middle school.

“The Board will officially name those, maybe as early as December,” Snell said. “I’ll put out something asking for community input on the naming of our schools. It will be like a Google Form, here’s the name I think, here’s my name and contact information and here’s why I want to name the school this, so we can give that person credit should we choose that name. I think we’ll

get some good input from our community.”

FIRST Rating For the fourth consecutive year, LHISD has received a Superior FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) Rating, this year scoring a 92 out of 100.

The district is rated on 15 indicators, and the information obtained from financial audits, PEIMS reported data, and other governmental entities.

The rating covers areas such as financial and audit-related opinions, cash and investments, financial ratios, fund balance, debt management, administrative costs and staffing levels.

to help residents understand the risks. The guidelines are suggested for planning, but are not requirements,” Gravell said. “Each governing body is responsible for making decisions for their entity. As the County Judge, I have no plans to enact another stay home order. Williamson County trusts our residents to be smart and prudent. We know that they will take the appropriate measures to stay safe.”

In Liberty Hill, Emergency Management Coordinator Casey Cobb reported Wednesday 18 current confirmed cases, up from four last week.

While no decision has been announced, the City of Liberty Hill posted on its Facebook page this week that the Christmas Festival is still scheduled for Dec. 12, but that the situation was being monitored and that modifications to festival plans would be announced Nov. 24. In the meantime, the City continues to advertise the event on social media, area billboards and in a Jarrell-based magazine.

The City did not respond to questions from The Independent about how the decision to make any changes would be made.

COVID-19 SNAPSHOT TX cases 103,775

TX Deaths 1672

JUNE WC Cases 1718

WC Deaths 5

TX cases 262,423

TX Deaths 4,356

JULY WC Cases 3,493

WC Deaths 51

TX cases 186,848

TX Deaths 5,844

AUGUST WC Cases 1,864

WC Deaths 43

TX cases 135,168

TX Deaths 3,142

SEPTEMBER WC Cases 703

WC Deaths 20

TX cases 152,354

TX Deaths 2,254

OCTOBER WC Cases 916

WC Deaths 11

TX cases 134,658

NOVEMBER (TO NOV. 17) TX Deaths WC Cases WC Deaths 1,019 1,088 4 Sources: Texas Department of State Health Services, Williamson County and Cities Health District

SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, November 19, 2020 Section B Page 1

Panthers back in action against Navarro

LHHS to play football for first time in three weeks

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Anyone showing up to take in Liberty Hill’s home football game against Navarro on Nov. 20 shouldn’t expect much.

Except for a lot of scoring by the home team, that is.

To properly put this game into perspective, consider this.

The Vikings have scored exactly 20 points all season.

Liberty Hill has scored 332 points.

In fact, the Panthers have scored 20 or more points in a single quarter on five different occasions this season – more than Navarro has managed to put on the board in six entire games combined.

Not exactly what the doctor ordered for head coach Jeff Walker’s club, especially coming out of a 20-day period without a game on the schedule – but it will have to do, he said.

“We’re putting a big emphasis this week on the fact we can’t go slow against these guys because that’s when injuries happen,” said Walker.

“We’ve seen on film how a lot of teams have played down to their level and it causes a lot of

ugly football – we can’t afford to do that.”

Walker conceded there is virtually nothing his team can get out of the game but a win on the scoreboard after already having all but clinched the district title after a convincing 40-7 road win against Marble Falls in the Panthers’ last game on Oct. 30 before the back-toback bye weeks – except for perhaps valuable varsity playing time for some of the program’s younger players.

“We’re bringing up a lot of JV and freshman players for this game,” he said. “We’re not going to embarrass Navarro.”

However, that doesn’t mean the pedal won’t be to the metal early on, said Walker.

“Whether we score six points or 70 in the first quarter, we’re going to play how we need to in order to get better,” he said.

“After that, it’ll depend on how the game goes.”

Walker took the opportunity to answer critics who complain about the Panthers’ one-sided scores this season.

“People are out there who want to gripe about us running up big scores,” he said. “But, if we don’t, we’re not going to

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Senior backup quarterback Will Szewczyk (#11) should see plenty of action during the Panthers’ home game against Navarro on Nov. 20.

Thomas also leads the Pan- backs. be where we need to be for the all is the trio’s yards-per-carry Not only does Navarro not playoffs.” average, as Seward is gaining thers with five sacks and two Currently, Liberty Hill is av- 9.4 yards every time he runs interceptions on the season, to provide his team with any kind eraging 413 rushing yards per the ball, with Simpson (9.3) go with three defensive touch- of challenge on the scoreboard, game, as the Panthers’ Slot-T and De La Cruz (8.2) not far downs (two interception re- but the Vikings also aren’t exoffense continues to roll up behind, which means the Pan- turns, one fumble return) and actly a proper measuring stick yardage at its customary pro- thers gain nearly a first down has as many scores as anyone to gauge his team’s progress lific rate. with each of the seniors’ car- on the entire roster other than with the playoffs looming only Seward, Simpson and De La a few weeks away, said WalkTrey Seward leads the way ries. er.

Andon Thomas leads the Cruz. with 856 yards on 91 carries All those touchdowns means “Against a team like this, it’s and 11 touchdowns, while Liberty Hill defense with 69 Blake Simpson has 812 yards tackles – an average of 11.5 a lot of work for junior kicker hard to judge where you’re at,” on 87 attempts and 12 touch- per contest – while fellow ju- Ethan Minix, who has already he said. “All we can do is go downs and Eric De La Cruz nior linebacker Aaron Brewer booted 39 extra points on the out and try to get better.” has added 490 yards on 60 car- is second on the squad with 40 season, while senior Konnor and senior backer Luke Hud- Bye is averaging 47.5 yards ries and eight touchdowns. on kickoffs with three touchPerhaps most impressive of dleston is third with 35.

When opportunity knocks

Players capably filling in for quarantined teammates

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Olivia Shelton usually begins basketball games on the bench, waiting for her number to be called when it’s time to give starters a break.

However, in the Lady Panthers home game against Copperas Cove on Nov. 14, she found herself on the court a lot more than the senior center is accustomed to in Liberty Hill’s 45-43 victory.

Shelton was one of only six varsity regulars who were available for the contest due to a team-wide quarantine, providing her with an opportunity to play a much larger role than usual.

According to Shelton, she relished the chance to get more minutes, even if it was a bit

strenuous.

“I had to run a lot more, but I felt excited,” said Shelton.

“I’m proud I got to play more.”

The fact she and her club were able to cobble together a victory – against a Class 6A side, no less – was a testament to the program’s overall philosophy, said Liberty Hill head coach Chris Lange “It’s always a challenge when you’re missing players,” he said. “But, all of our girls have been coached the same way.

Some know more than others, but you just have to go in and compete. I’m pretty proud of them.”

Madison Walker led the Lady Panthers with a game-high 15 points in the victory, but scoring was spread around the roster, as senior guard Jessica

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor As the clock ticked down toward zero, Gunter Daniels got the ball beyond the three-point line with his team trailing by a point and hoisted a shot which ripped the net with the winning points in Liberty Hill’s 65-63 home victory over Copperas Cove Nov. 14.

It was the kind of calm, cool, collected play usually seen from a seasoned senior who had already been there and done that over the course of a career.

But, Daniels is a sophomore who was playing in only his second-ever varsity game.

Definitely indicative of the kind of season Panthers head coach Barry Boren and his club are beginning, with an infusion of young players making their varsity debuts mixed in with returners from last season’s club.

Good thing because after losing leading scorer and all-state performer Carson Perkins, as well as Division I football player Walker Baty from last season’s team, current senior guard Kadin Knight and junior forward Walker Weems are currently nursing ankle inju-

ries, leaving Boren no choice but to play his youngsters.

Another new arrival to this year’s squad is 6-foot-3 junior forward Anthony Sierras, whose family moved to Liberty Hill from California, providing Boren with a boon he wasn’t counting on, he said.

“Anthony came from a high school of 1,800 kids where he was on the varsity as a freshman,” said Boren. “So, I knew he was going to be an accomplished player. He can pretty much do anything.”

Indeed, Sierras picked up his new Panthers teammates with a 23-point performance in the victory over Copperas Cove and looks fully capable of filling the void left behind

by Perkins’ departure from a points-producing standpoint.

However, it’s now the responsibility of senior Kadin Knight to run the Liberty Hill offense from the point guard position, as opposed to last year when he played shooting guard – an adjustment, to be sure, but not one Knight doesn’t have experience in handling, he said.

“I played point guard when I was younger and still do now on my select team,” said Knight. “I’ve worked on my

Holliday poured in 13 points, Shelton added seven and Kenzy Wise five in the contest.

Walker was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line and said it’s a primary objective of her game to get to the line.

“I’m faster than most people,” she said. “So, I can usually beat them to the basket.”

The result is usually a bucket, a foul or both, which happened numerous times in the Copperas Cove contest.

All in a day’s work for a player who never passes up an opportunity to get better with a basketball in her hands and a hoop in her sights.

“I probably shoot about 350 free throws a week,” said Walker. “I’m always in the

See GIRLS, Page B4

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Olivia Shelton (#22) was one of only six varsity players available for the Lady Panthers’ 45-43 home victory over Copperas Cove on Nov. 14.

Panther hoops off to a flying start

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Anthony Sierras (#10) will be counted on this season to fill some of the scoring void left by last season’s graduating seniors.

ball-handling more, but it’s really just me going back to my roots.”

Knight said he doesn’t believe there is any extra burden on his shoulders with his new job description.

“I don’t really feel any pressure,” he said. “It’s not too difficult.”

As far as having to step in

for those who have graduated and moved on from the program, Knight knows it’s simply all part of how the machine works.

“When guys graduate, you find players to fill their roles,” he said. “I think we’ve found some players who aren’t scared.”

But, the only way the machine

will run properly is if it’s welloiled, which is everyone’s responsibility, said Knight.

“We have guys who are ready to do their role,” he said. “We all need to respect one another and have everyone engaged.”

In his new role, Knight said he needs to be a bit more outgoing than before.

“I try to be more verbal,” he

said. “Guys need to hear something encouraging, even when we make mistakes because we can fix it. I had older guys around me when I was younger to encourage me when I made mistakes.”

Boren has 11 players on either the varsity, JV or freshman teams who are also football players, including Kaden McMahan and Aaron Brewer, who are varsity mainstays and critical contributors, but won’t join forces with their hoops teammates until after the gridiron season is done, so in the meantime, players such as Daniels and fellow sophomores Cayden Branch and Camden Justice will get plenty of playing time.

“We’re going to live and die with our sophomores,” said Boren. “I figure if they’re on the varsity, we need to play them.”

All three players’ presence on the varsity roster has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the program, he said.

“With those three up on varsity, more of our JV kids are going to get a chance to play,” said Boren. “So, it’s a good problem to have.”

Recognize your student athlete in the 2020 LHHS Basketball Program Student Ad rates start at $50 (ad design included) Contact us today: (512) 778-5577 or news@lhindependent.com

Thursday, November 19, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

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On the home stretch Seniors embrace last hurrah on court

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Before Liberty Hill’s home volleyball match against Marble Falls on Nov. 6, Kindsee Escamilla, Lilli Wilkins, Ashleigh Dubbs and Gabby Guerra stood out on the court, holding flowers, gift bags and framed team photos, all of which were presented to the quartet as a part of Senior Night festivities.

Despite the fact they had been bestowed with presents to commemorate their time in Purple-and-Gold, what they have provided their teammates over the years has been far more valuable than material items can measure, said head coach Gretchen Peterson.

“Our seniors offer up their experiences – they’ve lived it all, they understand – been there, done that,” she said. “Underclassmen appreciate the sincerity of those conversations because they know they’re real, they’ve been through it all, have made it and have become better for it. It’s a great and valuable thing to have seniors that can take younger players under their wings and do it so effortlessly and without prompting – they just seem to know when to step up and step in.”

According to Escamilla, this season has been like no other she’s ever experienced.

“Being a senior this year has almost been unreal,” said Escamilla. “I would say my se-

nior year so far has been really great and I’m extremely excited for the rest of our season and all that comes with being a senior like project grad and graduation.”

Escamilla added although she anticipated what was going to be in store for her this season, her focus on team goals has somewhat clouded any individual feelings.

“Throughout high school, I haven’t really thought about these last moments, but when I did, I thought it was going to be more overwhelming when in reality, it feels almost just like another season,” she said.

“I haven’t really focused on the fact I’m a senior. I’m more focused on our overall goal of going to state and what it takes to get there. When playing, I do think to make this game as fun as possible not only for myself, but for the other seniors. It’s our last year, so I want to make this as fun as possible so these last moments are the best and most memorable.”

Peterson said each of the seniors has their own unique way of contributing to the cause.

“Ashleigh (Dubbs) is always willing to step up and help the team in any way she can – she plays all out all the time and is always looking to contribute and be a positive impact to the team. Lilli (Wilkins) is the elder – always looking to better her game, but also willing to step up and offer

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Seniors Ashleigh Dubbs, Kindsee Escamilla, Gabby Guerra and Lilli Wilkins have all embraced and exuded what it means to be a leader for the Lady Panthers in their final seasons. guidance and advice to the younger players – she thrives in helping and leading others,” she said. “Gabby (Guerra) has the biggest heart on our team, she only wants to help and lift others up, is always positive and loves her teammates.

For Kindsee (Escamilla), this team is her family. She wants nothing more than to make her family proud and she expects

Purple-and-Gold weekend lessons learned at The Palace

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Apparently, the gym at Liberty Hill High School is known as “The Panther Den,” as there is a sign painted above the windows that provide a view of the playing surface upon entry before ascending up the flight of stairs, which leads to the seating area welcoming Purple-and-Gold supporters on their arrival.

Only problem is, nobody calls it that.

In fact, we’ve never heard anyone say something along the lines of, “Hey, big game at the Den tonight! Be there or be square!”

We’re all for nicknames across the sports landscape – be they for people, places or things.

Custom monikers provide said things with added personality and color, which are interwoven with a team – or in this case, a school’s – culture and identity.

Now, the Panther Den is a fine name, as it conjures up images of a place one certainly doesn’t want to enter as an uninvited guest – like say a visiting team – for fear of very bad things happening up to and including being dinner for the residents.

But, it’s a bit too common and definitely too easy.

Perhaps something a bit more regal is required, as Liberty Hill’s school colors would suggest a theme of royalty and shininess all wrapped up in one.

Like, oh, we don’t know.

“The Purple Palace.”

Sounds like a place where you must still be invited to go, but with a much more classy and sophisticated ring to it – a place where kings, queens and all manner of luminaries congregate – although at the same time, a place where one must watch one’s step, as the wrong kind of glance or word might bring swift and sure consequences and repercussions.

Off with their head!

Or, at least something in the sports realm of rejection, such as a blocked shot in basketball, for example.

Anyway, there’s certainly far more to learn and enjoy in a palace compared to a den and over less than a 24-hour period last week, we were treated to plenty of both as a Friday evening volleyball match was followed by a girls-boys hoops doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

First off, we had the Lady Panthers volleyball squad host district-leading Rouse in the final regular-season match for

head coach Gretchen Peterson’s club and weren’t disappointed with what we saw.

Only the result, as Liberty Hill was defeated by the Lady Raiders in five sets after having won the first two.

No worries, though, as a victory would’ve been nice – especially considering the Lady Panthers had already lost to Rouse in the district opener, also in five sets, but win or lose, they were already locked into a third-place finish in the league standings, so no harm done to their postseason prospects.

By the way, a quick shoutout to Rouse, who after having quarantine issues earlier in the season disrupt its schedule, had a backlog of matches to make up in a short amount of time to complete the campaign after being completely shut down for two-and-a-half weeks.

In fact, with the UIL loosening up the rules to allow more than two matches per week, the Lady Raiders found themselves staring at a stretch which saw them having to play 10 matches in 18 days, including three in a 24-hour span, two of which were a doubleheader against Cedar Park and Georgetown – a gauntlet they passed through with flying colors in finishing the season with a seven-match winning streak to claim the district title in the process.

Not often we take time to sing the praises of Panthers opposition in this space, but we know a remarkable achievement when we see one.

But, now back to the home team.

During Rouse’s seven-match streak, the only team to push them to five sets was – you guessed it – Liberty Hill, in a contest the Lady Panthers honestly should have won.

Before the season, we anticipated what was in store for the Lady Panthers as they embarked on a journey across Class 5A waters for the first time and we certainly got everything we expected and more.

Peterson’s club is definitely head-and-shoulders better this season than last, when they cruised to yet another district title in a watered-down Class 4A league, so third in such a rugged district against bigger schools with a 10-4 mark is nothing to apologize for.

Now, we’ll see what all that trial-by-fire does for them in the playoffs, where there won’t be an easy, straight-sets victory over a much inferior team in the first round, like last season when they swept aside Bandera, who had finished fourth in their district with losing overall and league records.

No, this time around, it will

be slightly more difficult, as the Lady Panthers will face Alamo Heights of San Antonio as the lower seed, a side which finished second in District 26 with a 13-2 record behind an undefeated Canyon team.

So, all we can do now is wait and see how the playoff picture unfolds, but if the grit and determination the Lady Panthers showed over the course of their district campaign is any indication, there’s no reason they can’t progress in the postseason.

As if all that weren’t enough, we then saw the Panthers’ girls’ and boys’ basketball squads host Class 6A Copperas Cove in a Saturday matinee doulbleheader First of all, it was great to be able to watch the girls and boys play back-to-back games against the same opponent on the same day and we wish it was going to be like that during the upcoming district schedule.

But, no.

Apparently, that would make too much sense for everyone involved.

Instead, how it will work is if the girls are hosting, say Cedar Park at The Purple Palace (see doesn’t that have a lovely ring to it?) the boys will visit the Timberwolves simultaneously.

Now, we’re good, but not good enough to be in two places at once, so it’ll be a case of one or the other on a given night.

Boo. But, we digress.

First up were the Lady Panthers, who are currently dealing with quarantine issues of their own, meaning head coach Chris Lange only had six varsity players available for the game against the Bulldawgs – as they’re called, as opposed to just “Bulldogs,” but, whatever.

Certainly, it was a game where you couldn’t tell many of the players in Purple-andGold without a scorecard, so the fact Lange was able to coax a 45-43 victory against a higher-classification club speaks well for their chances against Class 5A competition once the district schedule begins in a few weeks.

One regular player who was in uniform was Madison Walker and the junior guard provided a powerful performance in which she scored a game-high 15 points – including a perfect 10-of-10 effort from the line – and made the steal that sealed victory on the final play of the game.

Leave it to a Walker to be gritty and gutty enough to come up in the clutch with the kind of in-your-face tenacity opponents hate to play against, as Madison and twin sister Regan

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the best from herself so she can give her best to her team.”

Escamilla is completely cognizant of the responsibility she’s shouldered this season compared to years past, she said.

“Approaching this season, I never really changed my mindset,” said Escamilla. “But, I amped it up more because of the higher level of competition. My role has changed to

needing to be more of a role model to the underclassmen and even the middle-schoolers because now I’m the top dog and the oldest.”

Seniors will many times exude a sense of urgency due to the fact they’re in the midst of their last season – something which can be a catalyst for overall team chemistry resulting in a more intense focus on

everyone’s part, said Peterson.

“Each and every senior – no matter the year or number of years on varsity all have the same perspective coming in – the message from them is always the same,” she said.

“Enjoy the ride, enjoy each moment and make it count because it goes by so fast. The

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PANTHER OF THE WEEK

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Carter “Rocket” Hudson (#24) got his nickname as a speedy t-baller and it has stuck with him ever since.

Born to run - very fast

Carter Hudson got his nickname early on

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Carter Hudson stood at the plate as a young t-baller many years ago with a bat in his hands and a runner on second base.

What happened next quite possibly changed the course of history.

Or, at least Hudson’s nickname.

“My dad was the coach and he always had me bat last so nobody would think he was playing favorites,” said Hudson. “So, one game I was up, hit a ball and ran so fast I passed the kid who was on second. We both ended up getting in rundowns and were out. When I got back to the dugout, I was stompin’ mad and somebody said, ‘Well, you shouldn’t be such a little rocket.’”

Just like that, Hudson was no longer Carter.

He was “Rocket.”

“Soon everyone was calling me that, then it got to the school with teachers and coaches,” he said. “Been Rocket ever since.”

But, it’s not just a meaningless moniker, as to this day, Hudson has remained one of the fastest – if not the fastest – on his team.

These days, Hudson patrols the Liberty Hill secondary as a junior defensive back, where he utilizes his speed to close on opposing receivers when the ball is in the air or chase them down after a catch, but for most of his football life prior to high school, he carried the ball on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

“I played both ways back then,” said Hudson. “But, once I got to high school in my sophomore year, they

switched me to defense and now I wouldn’t go back to offense if I could.”

However, the switch wasn’t before Hudson suffered a broken leg as a running back his freshman season – something which caused him to experience feelings he had never dealt with before, he said.

“Actually, it was really tough to overcome,” said Hudson. “I was in a dark place for awhile – suddenly the one thing I loved was taken away.”

The injury occurred midway through the season, which meant the seven-month recovery period required cause Hudson to miss the rest of the campaign, but was back to full strength and ready to go the following year.

Any apprehension he might have had regarding whether or not he was good to go was nonexistent, he said.

“Absolutely none,” said Hudson.

Ever since, Hudson has been searching for ways to add to his speed, enlisting the help of outside coaches to improve his game to the point where he’s a solid college prospect, which is his ultimate goal, he said.

“It’s every kid’s dream to get college offers,” he said. “My dream school is any Division I team who would make me an offer.”

In the meantime, Hudson finds himself constantly pushed by fellow junior Andon Thomas, who is one of the few Panthers who can actually keep up with – and even sometimes beat him in a foot race.

“We just ran an 800 recently,” said Hudson. “We were right next to each other toward the end and he ended

up winning. Andon’s the one guy who’s a really tough challenge.”

But, that challenge doesn’t begin and end only in the athletic arena, he said.

“I’ve played Call of Duty against him and I’m always dead right away,” said Hudson. “I’ve never seen a kid like him who just always wins at everything. As of right now, he’s my biggest motivator.”

Hudson, who moved to Liberty Hill with his family from Lubbock in eighth grade, was initially taken aback by the work rate the Liberty Hill coaching staff demands from their players and although he’s since embraced it, he needed to see it for himself to believe what he was being told upon his arrival.

“Austin Knox would tell me how tough the offseason program was,” said Hudson, of his former teammate. “Liberty Hill is the hardest-working place I’ve ever seen.”

According to Liberty Hill head coach Jeff Walker, Hudson uses competition to bring the best out of himself.

“Rocket uses his technique and competitiveness to his advantage,” said Walker. “He could definitely play tailback for us, but we need him in the secondary and it’s all about what’s best for the team.”

Along those lines, Hudson said if there’s one thing he wants people to remember him by once his days in Purple-and-Gold are done, it’s that he was selfless.

“I think a lot of people see me and think I’m all about myself,” he said. “But, I want to be known as a team guy – what makes me smile most is seeing the celebrations of my teammates after we win.”

Thursday, November 19, 2020

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Gunter Daniels (#22) celebrates with teammates after hitting a game-winning, buzzer-beater in Liberty Hill’s 65-63 home victory against Copperas Cove on Nov. 14.

Daniels scores 22 in 65-63 LHHS victory over Copperas Cove

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Sometimes the best plays are the ones that don’t end up happening like they’re drawn up.

So it was the case on Saturday afternoon when Liberty Hill defeated visiting Class 6A Copperas Cove, 65-63, on a game-winning buzzer-beater by sophomore forward Gunter Daniels in the Panthers’ home opener.

“We wanted to get the ball in deep all the way to the basket,” said head coach Barry Boren. “But, they put a box around Anthony (Sierras) under the basket and Bobby (Mundy) didn’t force it.”

Instead, Daniels ended up with the ball in his hands beyond the arc as time ran down as he lofted his game-winner toward the goal.

The basket completed a stunning turn of events at the death as the visitors had just hit what appeared to be a game-winning 3-pointer of their own moments earlier when the Bulldawgs had gone up 63-62 with only five seconds left on the clock.

But, after Panthers senior guard Bobby Mundy received the inbounds pass and called time-out upon reaching the half-court line on the ensuing possession, Boren went to work drawing up what would happen next.

“I told the guys after the

game they stole defeat from the jaws of victory, they let it get away, then got it back again,” said Boren. “What an emotional swing.”

However, it took the home side quite awhile to get to the point where they could win the game.

After leading 12-10 midway through the first quarter, the Panthers wouldn’t again find themselves in front until they went up by a score of 60-58 on a pair of free throws by junior forward Anthony Sierras after he had stolen the ball and was fouled.

Sierras had scored the first two points of the contest in the same manner, then had a pretty reverse under the basket moments later during which he was fouled and added the and-one on his way to eight first-quarter points despite the fact the Panthers trailed after the opening period, 21-16.

In the second quarter, the Bulldawgs steadily pulled away and led at the break, 35-26.

The third quarter saw Daniels start to come to life after only scoring five points in the first half, as he hit back-toback baskets, which were followed by a three from Sierras and another pair of scores, which cut the deficit to 42-37.

Daniels then hit a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched around a Sierras free throw and it was

50-46 in favor of Copperas Cove at the end of three.

In the fourth, Liberty Hill continued its comeback as Hunter Clayton scored the first four Panthers points of the period on a pair of free throws and a bucket, followed by a Sierras score to even the contest at 52-52 before the Bulldawgs once again pulled away and led, 58-52.

Clayton then missed a three, but got his own rebound before shooting again from distance and being fouled, making two of the three free throws and it was 58-54.

Daniels then hit another basket and a pair from the line to tie the game at 58-58, which set up the final sequence, resulting in a Panthers victory.

Sierras, who transferred to Liberty Hill from California before this season, led the Panthers with 23 points on the game, while Daniels added 22 and Clayton finished with 11.

LHHS 87, Lago Vista 31 The Panthers opened their season with a road game against Lago Vista on Nov. 13 and emerged with a dominant 87-31 victory over the Class 3A Vikings.

Clayton led Liberty Hill with 15 points, while Camden Justice and Bobby Haddaway each scored 12 and Cayden Branch, Sierras and Daniels each added 10 in the victory.

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Madison Walker (#4) led the Lady Panthers with 15 points – including 10-of-10 from the freethrow line – in Liberty Hill’s 45-43 home victory against Copperas Cove on Nov. 14.

Walker leads Lady Panthers to victory over Copperas Cove, 45-43

With several regulars missing from the Liberty Hill lineup on Nov. 14, it was junior guard Madison Walker who came to the rescue for the Lady Panthers in a 45-43 home victory over Class 6A Copperas Cove.

Walker led Liberty Hill with 15 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, in propelling the Purpleand-Gold to victory.

However, it was the Lady Bulldawgs who led at half-

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time, 22-19 and after three quarters by a score of 33-30.

But, Jessica Holliday hit a pair of threes in the fourth period to go with another two the senior guard had drained in the third, which helped set the stage for the home side’s win.

Once Olivia Shelton sunk a free throw to put the Lady Panthers up, 38-37, they never relinquished the lead.

Fittingly, it was Walker who stole the ball on the final des-

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way they relay that message and walk that walk will vary, but it always comes across crystal clear. Their teammates can feel that sense of urgency and nostalgia – it’s extremely motivating.”

From an individual perspective, Escamilla doesn’t necessarily consciously look ahead to her approaching college experience, but what she does do is make each and every moment count.

“I don’t really find myself getting distracted,” she said.

“I would say I’m more determined about making this the best season by playing at the highest level possible and having fun to get ready for college. All this determination makes it easier to push others

and enjoy every last bit.”

All that being said, she’s also making sure she does what she can to not let it fly past too quickly.

“Not really a sense of urgency – it’s more of I want this to go a little slower so I have more time with the team to play and make memories,” said Escamilla. “Taking it day by day also helps us not get to ahead of ourselves so we can really focus on what we need to do to go as far as we can and do the best we possibly can.”

Peterson said the four seniors are simply the latest in a long line of Liberty Hill players who understand what Lady Panthers volleyball is all about and have done an exquisite job extolling its virtues.

peration inbounds play by Copperas Cove to seal the deal.

Liberty Hill was playing with only six varsity players, along with four junior varsity call-ups due to a teamwide COVID-19 quarantine.

Holliday scored 13 points, while Shelton added seven and Kenzy Wise five for Liberty Hill.

“Leadership, tradition and culture are huge parts of our program,” she said. “It’s the relationships that matter – you can’t do anything if you don’t have strong relationships among players, teammates and coaches. We’ve been blessed to have strong leaders in every possible way – they all understand the importance of knowing when to lead and when to follow. We have a great group of seniors who have balanced this perfectly. Good leaders are good leaders – no matter the number of them – but, part of being a good leader is also knowing when to listen, when to speak and when to just be there – this group really gets that concept.”

Lady Panthers lose thriller in finale, post 10-4 district record

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor The first time Liberty Hill met Rouse on a volleyball court this season, it was the district opener for both teams, so it was only fitting for a rematch to bookend the league schedule on Nov. 13.

In that match, Liberty Hill lost the first two sets, only to come storming back to force a fifth-set tiebreaker before ultimately falling to the Raiders.

This time around, the Lady Panthers flipped the script in winning the opening two stanzas before the visitors were the ones who fought back and forced a fifth set.

Only this time, the result was the same in a 3-2 (25-19, 2511, 22-25, 23-25, 7-15) Rouse victory, meaning a win over East View on Saturday would clinch the district title.

The Lady Panthers had all the momentum entering the third set, but Rouse quickly took charge in jumping out to a quick 4-1 lead.

However, Liberty Hill bounced right back on a pair of Emma Becker kills, an ace by Kaileigh Truslow and finally a block by Becker, followed by another kill to give the Purpleand-Gold the lead at 6-5.

Truslow added four kills,

along with a kill and a block

by Ailie Hair down the stretch, but the visitors held on for a 25-22 set victory.

In the fourth set, Liberty Hill built as much as a 12-8 advantage, only to let the Lady Raiders back in until the score was eventually even at 21-21.

Despite kills from Kindsee Escamilla and Truslow in the waning moments, Rouse claimed the set, 25-23 and forced a deciding fifth set.

Becker continued her dominant net play with a pair of kills early on the fifth, but Rouse pulled away and ended the match with a 5-0 run.

With the result, Liberty Hill’s five-match winning streak was ended while Rouse extended theirs to six.

Becker led the Lady Panthers with 14 kills, while Truslow added 12.

Emma Parsons collected 22 assists, with Becker picking up 20 and Haley Kuhlmann had 15 digs to go with 12 from Truslow on the match.

Becker and Parsons also served three aces apiece, with Maddi Rowley blocking five shots and Hair, Bailey Becker and Emma Becker each getting a pair.

Entering the match, Liberty Hill was already assured of fin-

Haley Kuhlmann (#21) lunges Rouse on Nov. 13. ishing third in the district, so although a victory would’ve been encouraging, the Lady Panthers used the occasion as a dress rehearsal for the postseason, said Liberty Hill head coach Gretchen Peterson.

“We’ll find the blessings in this one as far as what we did well and what we need to be better at,” she said. “We just made more mistakes then they did tonight.”

Despite the same result as in the first meeting with Rouse, Peterson said her club has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

“They’ve always been a great

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for a loose ball during the Lady Panthers’ 3-2 (25-19, 25-11, 22-25, 23-25, 7-15) home defeat to group,” she said. “But, now they’re more cohesive, confident and trusting than before.”

As for how her team fared in its first Class 5A campaign, Peterson is proud of how her players handled the newfound adversity they encountered along the way, she said.

“There are some really good teams in our district,” said Peterson. “But, our team really responded well to the challenges, which is a testament to them – they represented our school very well.”

Liberty Hill (16-5, 10-4) will open the Class 5A playoffs on Thursday at a yet-to-be de-

termined site against Alamo Heights, who finished second in District 26 with an overall record of 15-2 and a 14-2 district mark.

Peterson knows the Mules will present her club with quite a challenge right out of the postseason gate.

“We’ve been watching film on them already for a while now and they’re a really tough opponent,” she said. “Which is why we wanted to use this match (against Rouse) as a trial run for the playoffs.”

Peterson wants to avoid the postseason disappointment of last season, which ended with

a defeat to eventual Class 4A state regional finalist Caldwell in the second round and is determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself this time around, she said.

“Once you get to the postseason, the teams which handle the distractions better are the ones which go further,” said Peterson. “All we can do is take care of everything we can control.”

Liberty Hill (16-5, 10-4) will next open the Class 5A state playoffs against Alamo Heights on Nov. 19.

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display on a regular basis with their combination of ball-handling and defensive intensity.

Bottom line is if the Lady Panthers could beat a pretty good team in the “Bulldawgs,” they should fare well against the likes of their new district foes.

On the boys’ side, the result was the same – a two-point victory – by a score of 65-63.

Panthers head coach Barry Boren had his entire squad at his disposal, with the exception of starting senior point guard Kadin Knight and fellow starter and junior Walker Weems, who were both out with ankle injuries.

However, much like the girls, who had earlier performed quite admirably under adverse conditions, Boren’s boys also acquitted themselves well on the field of battle, with a pair of underclassmen leading the way in junior Anthony Sierras and sophomore Gunter Daniels,

who scored 23 and 22 points, respectively.

But, the best part of the contest was how the Panthers responded against an athletic side, who they couldn’t quite catch over the course of the game, chipping away at the visitors’ lead and pulling within a few points time and again only to let Copperas Cove slip away.

Until the waning moments, when Liberty Hill finally overtook the Bulldawgs on the scoreboard, but then an “Oh, no!” moment, as after doing everything right in properly managing the final minutes after finally taking the lead, Copperas Cove hit a desperation 3-pointer with only five seconds left and it was game over with a 63-62 lead.

Or was it?

Not so fast, Dawg.

After the play Boren had called during a time-out failed to materialize like it was drawn up, Daniels got

the ball beyond the arc and sent a shot that got nothing but net as time ran out and the buzzer sounded, sending the Panthers into raptures of joy as they poured off the bench onto the court.

Again, a good sign they were able to tough it out and stay in the game until they could find a solution which resulted in victory.

Bottom line here is bring on Class 5A. So, there we have it.

All that in less than 24 hours at the – repeat after us – Purple Palace.

We learned Liberty Hill’s volleyball squad is quite well-poised to make a playoff run and both Panthers hoops teams seem to possess the kind of resolve required to hammer out results under pressure.

Wouldn’t expect anything less from athletic royalty, would we?

Alexander Ahern (#3) runs the ball during Liberty Hill Junior High’s home game against Hutto on Oct. 14.

LH Junior High Radziwon and Thayer Vallejo “This was a great win for our each added a touchdown.

Gold team,” said Mason. “The football briefs “The kids had to battle kids fought hard all four quarLiberty Hill Junior High through adversity in the first ters.”

School’s football teams faced half,” said Liberty Hill head 7th-Grade Purple won, 38Marble Falls Nov. 10, with coach John Mason. “But, they 6, as Grey Hargrove and Cole the Panthers sweeping all four never gave up and ultimate- Borden each scored two touchgames against the Mustangs. ly came out victorious in the downs to lead the Panthers.

8th-Grade Purple end.”

Gavin Meuse added another won, 40-32 8th-Grade Gold won 16-0 touchdown.

After falling behind 32-18 at AJ Maxey, Matt Jones and 7th-Grade Gold won 24-0, halftime, the Panthers’ defense Caden Campbell led the of- with Kale Kubiak, Lucio Viera shut down the rushing offense fense on two scoring drives and Ty Trapani each scoring a of Marble Falls in the second and the defense shut down touchdown for the Panthers, half. Hagen Oncken led the their offense all night. This while the defense shut down offense with over 300 yards was a great win for our gold the Marble Falls offense. rushing and scored several team. The kids fought hard all touchdowns, while Braden 4 quarters.

No one covers the Panthers better than THE INDEPENDENT! For complete local sports coverage, www.LHINDEPENDENT.COM/SUBSCRIPTIONS

GIRLS

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gym working.”

Under normal conditions with a full squad, Walker shares the point-guard responsibilities with Avery Harrell, but on this day, the wheel was all hers to run the Lady Panthers’ offense – something she thoroughly enjoys doing, she said.

“It’s kind of cool to be able to call plays while I’m out

there,” said Walker. “Depending on how people are moving around.”

Lange said the game against Copperas Cove was an example of his desire to seek out the best sides to test his team in the pre-district schedule.

“We’ve played up the last three years,” he said. “We’re always looking for the best

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competition we can find to make us better – we want a challenge.”

Only problem is when not all hands are on deck, it’s more difficult to work one’s way up the learning curve, said Lange.

“When you don’t have your whole team, you can’t improve,” he said. “Right now, we have players who are play-

ing out of position out of necessity, so we’re doing all individual stuff and even when the others get back, they’ll be two weeks behind.”

All that being said, times like this is when the character of the program is tested.

“It’s always been that way for our varsity,” said Lange.

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“I tell her ‘Anytime you have a good shot, take it.’”

Shelton added when Holliday heats up from long range, the result can be very demoralizing for the opposition.

“I guess it can be pretty frustrating when Jessica makes all those shots in a row,” she said.

Holliday, Shelton, Walker, Wise, Ashton Jordan and Gloria Kostroun are the six Lady Panthers who must keep the ship afloat until the return of their teammates and Lange isn’t surprised they’ve handled the situation with grace.

“I’m never shocked when they do this,” he said. “When you get your opportunity, you have to do a good job and our girls do a good job of not trying to do it all themselves.”

– nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”

After trailing most of the game against Copperas Cove, Shelton attributed the victory to her and her teammates’ ability to control the boards late in the game – something that she was directly involved in with a strong shift under the basket.

“As soon as we stopped them from getting rebounds, we started doing much better,” she said. “We didn’t make it easy for them underneath.”

Holliday – one of Liberty Hill’s regular starters – certainly did her part in the victory, hitting four 3-pointers on the day, with a couple of them from well beyond the arc.

No worries, said Lange.

“Jessica has the green light to shoot the ball from anywhere on the entire court,” he said.

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Thursday, November 19, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Making the Panthers’ puzzle pieces fit Players are put at positions where they’re needed most

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Two years ago, Andon Thomas was the quarterback of Liberty Hill’s freshman football team and could’ve easily been the varsity signal-caller upon his rise to the senior squad as only a sophomore last fall.

But, not so fast.

Despite his prowess throwing and running the ball out of the offensive backfield, Thomas was flipped to the defensive side of the line, where he has become a dominant linebacker for the Panthers, leading the team in tackles last season and again this year.

Why? “Andon could play any position on the field for us,” said Liberty Hill head coach Jeff Walker. “But, we always put players where they’ll help the team and we need them most.”

So, these days, Thomas finds himself barking out defensive signals on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage from where he once belted out snap counts.

All part of the process of Panthers football and how Walker and his coaches get the most out of what they have on their roster year in, year out.

But, what happens if a player who is accustomed to and comfortable playing a par-

ticular position is resistant to change?

“Our kids are smart and understand why we do what we do,” said Walker. “As coaches, one of the best things you can do is put kids in the right places on the field to succeed.”

Walker said a perfect example on this year’s club is junior offensive lineman Chance Pogue.

“We moved Chance to guard this season after he had been a running back his whole life,” he said. “Now, I grew up a running back and I know if someone came to me my junior season and said ‘We’re moving you to guard,’ I probably wouldn’t be too excited about it. I don’t think he liked it, but Chance is going to do anything for the team and he’s done a really good job.”

However, sometimes a little more of a sales job is needed to convince a player it’s in his own best interests – and those of the team – to make a switch, said Walker.

“I’ve had players who come into my office, sit down and say, ‘You know, Coach, I don’t really want to play that position,’” he said. “But, it always works out. We don’t want to have a disgruntled player all season.”

Walker recalled one occasion

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Chance Pogue (#72) made the switch from running back to guard due to team needs and has flourished in his new role. when the player actually won out with his wishes.

“We had a kid who played guard who had been a fullback and all of a sudden, wanted to play linebacker his senior year,” he said. “After looking

at all the options, we decided it would be best if he played there, but only because it was best for our football team.”

Once changes are decided upon, players are brought in and given a precise blueprint

for achieving what the coaches will be asking of them at their new positions, he said.

“It’s a feeling-out process,” said Walker. “We bring them in early and tell them what they need to do. For some

Page B5

kids, it’s to put on 25 pounds or get stronger with their benchpress, for example. We believe in always having a game plan, which I believe is the difference between good programs and elite ones – having a 365day plan where there isn’t a single day where we don’t have a plan.”

The constant quest to find the best players for all 22 positions on the field is an ongoing process, one in which Walker and his coaches begin readying for the following season immediately after the current campaign is over – and one which is also completely transparent, he said.

“We’ll meet with our players as soon as we realize where we’re going to put them,” said Walker. “We’re not hiding anything from them – we’re an open book. In fact, we encourage parents to come out to our practices and see what we’re doing. I think kids just want you to be honest with them.”

Walker added although each parent is concerned about their own individual player, it’s his job to be parental to the collective group.

“I’m really a daddy of 160 players and 350 if you go down to the junior-high level,” he said. “So, I have to try to do what’s best for everybody.”

National Signing Day at LHHS

On Nov. 11, four Liberty Hill student-athletes signed national letters of intent, including Ryan Leary (Texas State University, baseball), Jackson Knox (Tyler Junior College, baseball), Amber Williams (Ranger College, softball) and Madi Fuller (Lubbock Christian University, soccer).

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Page B6

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, November 19, 2020

LH Elementary raises diabetes awareness with annual walk

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Diabetes affects 34.2 million adults in the United States. It is the nation’s seventh leading cause of death, and in the last 20 years, the number of adults with diabetes has doubled.

Liberty Hill Elementary students hosted a walk for diabetes to raise awareness on National Diabetes Awareness day.

Coaches Kasey Faurie and Demi Tatsch worked to organize the event with the backing of the Liberty Hill ISD. Students wearing their shirts or the color blue walked around the track during their PE class.

“Last year, we didn’t celebrate it like I wanted to, so this year, I wanted to make sure to make it a special day,” said Faurie. “I asked her to design a shirt, and she came up with the design.

Then I asked the administration for permission to sell the shirts district and community-wide, and they approved.”

She reached out to local custom apparel store Two Brand It to help with their fundraising efforts. Funds raised are donated to the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation.

“I talked to Two Brand It and asked them if they’d give a percentage to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and they agreed to give $5 per shirt,” said Faurie. “I think our community ended up buying 267 shirts.”

Serving as the inspiration for raising awareness in the Liberty Hill community, Tatsch was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was six years old.

“Type one you usually get when you’re a kid. You’re usually born with it,” Tatsch said.

“I was diagnosed when I was six. Sometimes you don’t find out until a little bit later. It’s been a special day and a special month for me. It’s a day I celebrate every year, and this has been the biggest year yet.”

Type one diabetes is believed

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

Liberty Hill Elementary coaches Kasey Faurie and Demi Tatsch organized a walk for diabetes to raise awareness in the community and funds to help diabetes research. to be caused by an autoim- about the difference between a blue jersey. We’re going to the thought of having to give just be supportive of them, and him a shot was scary. It’s that we don’t know the pain that mune reaction that causes type one and two. The kids try again next year.”

For Kristy Truitt, an active fear. You have a little bit of a they’re living with. Just be the pancreas not to produce have been excited and really volunteer parent at the elemen- fear of what could happen to there and be the support that insulin. Type two diabetes is sweet about it.” they need.”

Tatsch celebrates diabetes tary school, the importance of him.” related to dietary and lifestyle Truitt’s son Caleb is 22 now, Faurie is proud of what they choices. People can live for awareness every year but had raising awareness can’t be unmonths or even years without to adjust her original plans in derstated not just for kids but and since he was diagnosed, have accomplished and knows August. for adults and parents of chil- medicine and treatment of di- it’s working. She sees it in the knowing they have diabetes. abetes has come a long way. reaction and excitement of her Using her own situation, “I was going to do a JDRF dren with diabetes.

“It’s a very important thing. Truitt believes this is why students.

Tatsch helped her students un- Ride to Cure bike ride. I joined “The day we launched this, derstand more about type one the Austin team and we were For type one, it’s not the life- events like the LHE diabetes and two diabetes. going to do a 100-mile bike style that caused this. It could walk and fundraising are cru- it was a very emotional experience to watch her all day ask“I talked to the kids about ride in Wisconsin this summer be something as simple as an cial.

“This meant even more mon- ing the kids who wanted to be type one and my daily routine in August,” she said. “That illness that attacked the panwith it. I think they learned a was when I was diagnosed. It creas,” she said. “That’s what ey so that they could support on her team to find a cure. To lot from it. I know kids might was on August 6. So my ride happened with my son. He research. They’ve come a long see them all raise their hands not fully understand this at was going to be on August 6. was sick before and that ill- way just in the 17 years that and then see them arrive here their age, what type one re- We weren’t able to do it be- ness attacked his pancreas, and my son has had it. Every little in their shirts or wearing blue ally is. Now they know that cause of COVID. Each rider now he’s type one. He was five bit is going to help,” said Tru- is emotional. Them being I’m type one and a little more that was type one would wear years old at the time, and just itt. “I want parents to know to aware is what this is all about.”

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