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Volume 33, Issue 44
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September 24, 2020 | 50 Cents
ESD planning May sales tax election
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Commissioners for Williamson County ESD #4 – Liberty Hill Fire – have signaled they intend to move forward with plans for a May 2021 sales tax election in an effort to increase revenues for the growing district. Having just opened Station 2 in 2019, the District is knee-deep in the planning for Station 3 which will be on the western end of the coverage area. That land has been purchased, and Chief Anthony Lincoln estimates it will cost about $1.4 million per year in additional funds to operate the new station once it is open. That estimate includes debt service on land and construction, staffing and operating expenses. The ESD brings in a majority of its revenues in property and sales tax, and there are available local funds under the statewide sales tax cap of 8.25 percent within the ESD. In most areas of the district, that available tax revenue is half or three quarters of a cent, which is all that is left under
the cap. Currently in the area there are different sales tax amounts based on boundaries for the City, ESD and Library District. Part of preparing for an election, the ESD will have to produce a map showing the specific total rate throughout the District. The ESD currently brings in one cent of the sales tax revenue, and the revenue generated by that one cent has grown dramatically each year since the vote first passed back in 2015. In the first full year – 2016 – the revenue was $193, 195 for the District. It more than doubled in 2017, grew by $175,000 in 2018, topped $800,000 in 2019, and this year, through September, the revenue has been $936,545. “We jumped on this a long time ago (in 2015), and this all came back up with the Senate Bill 2 stuff with everybody wondering what they're going to do to raise money,” Lincoln said. “Our Board said there's still funding available and we needed to look at it, so
See ESD, Page 3
In tune The Panthers hosted New Braunfels Canyon Sept. 18 in the team’s only scrimmage this season, putting up for touchdowns and stifling ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
the visitors through most of the evening. Liberty Hill kicks off the 2020 season – its first as a 5A program – Friday at home for Senior Night against Killeen Ellison. Read more about the scrimmage on page 6, and look for details on the season opener online Saturday at LHIndependent.com
Williamson County Sheriff
Chody determined Gleason sets sights to continue work on restored image
With November elections around the corner, Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody is looking to remain in his current post leading the sheriff’s office for another term. The controversial sheriff is facing McCoy’s Building Supply is making its new home in Liberty off against Democratic oppoHill on the southeast corner of SH 29 and RR 1869. (Courtesy nent Mike Gleason. Having an often contentious Photo) relationship with media and other elected officials in the County, Chody believes the people of Williamson County should ignore the negativity and look at the results of his work. By RACHEL MADISON McCoy’s son, Emmett Mc“I think it’s important that Staff Writer Coy, eventually took over the the community sees the results McCoy’s Building Supply has company and started the retail of some of the changes that a long history in Texas, and side and building supply side. met with criticism and pushnow the building supply store Today, the CEO of McCoy’s back that caused some negais expanding to Liberty Hill, is Frank’s grandson and Em- tivity. I want them to see is the with a new store expected to mett’s son, Brian McCoy. He results,” said Chody. “Grade open in the spring of 2021. took the reins as CEO in 2001, me on my report card in the MJ Toops, communications and in 2007, Brian’s daughter, aspects of not negative media specialist for McCoy’s Build- Meagan McCoy Jones, became but the results.” ing Supply, said McCoy’s the fourth generation to join One of the significant changwas founded in Galveston in the company leadership when es during his time in office is 1927 by Frank McCoy. When she was named president of the Chody’s claim of a reduction he founded it, it started out company. in response time from the preas McCoy Roofing Company. See McCOYS, Page 10 vious administration, cutting
McCoy’s coming to Liberty Hill
ROBERT CHODY response times almost in half. The Independent requested the data to confirm but has yet to receive a response. “One of those results is the response time that you’re seeing from the sheriff’s office. When I came into office, the top priority calls, the calls when you need help right away, from a certain period were up to 28 minutes on average,” Chody said. “In 2019, I had those priority calls down to 11 minutes and some change. That’s almost cut in half. That’s something I want the community to know. We are getting there
See CHODY, Page 4
With 24 years of experience in Williamson County law enforcement, Democratic candidate Mike Gleason is looking to top current Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody on Nov. 3. In that more than two decades, Gleason understands the inner workings of various departments that comprise Williamson County law enforcement. “I was there for 24 years. I started as a corrections officer on the midnight shift. I worked in every capacity as either an employee or a commander in every section of every bureau at the sheriff’s department until I retired as assistant chief deputy,” said Gleason. “I ran all the major budgets. I fired, I hired, and I built the field training program. I built the crisis intervention team, swat team, and swift-water rescue. I’ve done everything in that agency.” All that experience is why Gleason believes he’s the right man for the sheriff’s
MIKE GLEASON position. “This is a natural fit for me because the last four positions I held were command positions, budgeted positions. With my last position, I worked in the corrections bureau, and I had a $23 million budget there,” he said. “We almost ran a hospital there. Along with caring, feeding, and transporting up to 800 inmates. When I was on the patrol side and a patrol commander, I had to order and know what we needed to be prepared for. It takes a lot to run something like that, and I
See GLEASON, Page 4
Motal named Region 13 middle school principal of the year By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Liberty Hill Junior High Principal Travis Motal, is the recipient of Region 13 Middle ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent
School Principal of the Year – a rather unexpected honor. The honor was a surprise to Motal, so much so he almost overlooked the email with the good news. “It’s very humbling and exciting. When I saw the email, I almost thought it was spam,” said Motal. “It didn’t jump out at me because that wasn’t in my mind. I didn’t focus on it.
Then I went back and read it, and I was like, ‘Wow, really?’ I was very shocked and very humbled.” Motal is in his eighth year as a principal and his second year in Liberty Hill. Before arriving in Liberty Hill, Motal served as a principal in Taylor for six years – three years in middle school, and three at the intermediate. Motal was an
assistant principal in Pflugerville for five years before Taylor and started as a fifth-grade teacher. Motal sees the award as a manifestation of his efforts to improve LHJH. He’s grateful for the positive feedback from staff, parents, and students. “There are two ways that I’ve been thinking about it. It’s being appreciative of the
hard work you put in and you feel like you’ve spent a lot of time trying to make the school as great as it is,” he said. “You spend a lot of time investing in people, whether it’s staff, students, or parents. So, it’s very nice to feel like some of those fruits are being shown of the labor you’ve put in.” Motal says that he owes much of the credit for his
award to the principals who offered him his early opportunities. “On the other side of it, what stuck out to me was that I immediately thought that I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t get support along the way,” Motal said. “I immediately went back to the first principal that
See MOTAL, Page 3
Page 2
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
Thursday, September 24, 2020
OBITUARIES
Wayne T. Dayton
Wayne T. Dayton, Jr. died Sunday, Sept. 20 after a long battle with lung cancer. Wayne was born in Liberty Hill to parents Beulah Curtis Dayton and Wayne T. Dayton. After graduating from Austin High School in May 1942, Wayne immediately enlisted in the Navy Reserve (USNR) serving as a tail gunner on air-sea rescue operations in the South Pacific and Philippine waters during World War II. Over a year of his service was spent with United States Pacific Fleet Patrol Squadron Fifty-Four (VPB-54), the Black Cats. He was honorably discharged 39 months and 13 days later as Aviation Ordinance Man, Second Class. He received the Air Medal for meritorious conduct in flight. Wayne will be remembered by many Austinites as an entrepreneur and businessman. He founded Wayne Dayton Plumbing and Wayne Dayton Heating & Air Conditioning, which he held for over thirty years.
Wayne was one of Austin’s original live music pioneers. From 1975 until 1997, his nightclubs the Silver Dollar, the Lumberyard, and the Country Palace, hosted the best of local and national country music talent, including such names as Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, and George Jones, to name only a few. Willie Nelson’s Honeysuckle Rose was filmed partially at the original Lumberyard at 9200 Burnet Road. Wayne is survived by his wife Glenda, and his three children with former wife Wilma Dayton, son Randy Dayton and his wife, Treva, and daughters Beverly Jackson and Barbara Smith. He is also survived by three grandchildren Chris, Kayla, and Stephanie, as well as four great-grandchildren Zack, Chance, Garret, and Cooper as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his beloved sisters Laverne, Daisy, Wilma, and Frances,
and by his parents who both died shortly after his return from the war. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Capitol Room at CookWalden Capital Parks Funeral Home, 14501 N IH 35 in Pflugerville. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday in the Memorial Chapel of Cook-Walden Capital Parks. Family will attend interment in the Fountain of Memories II of CookWalden Capital Parks Cemetery. Obituary and memorial guest book available online at www.cookwaldenfuneral-
OTHG prepares for reopening With the recent changes to meeting guidelines by Governor Gregg Abbott and discussions with the Mayor of Liberty Hill, the Over the Hill Gang is preparing to reopen its doors on Oct. 1. Guidelines for entry and involvement at their location will be strictly enforced at all times. Those not feeling well or with symptoms must stay home and not attend meetings. The center will be hosting game night with tables
spread out, and members are required to social distance and wear masks at all times. Per Mayor Rick Hall, up to 75 percent of occupation is allowed. Tables must be spaced out. Food will not be served at this time. Temperatures must be taken upon arrival, and any with temperatures over 100 will be denied entry. Those who want to eat during meetings can bring their food and drink. It is encouraged that after every
meeting tables and other areas are cleaned routinely. The city will be providing members of the Over the Hill Gang with hand sanitizers, gloves, and masks. Members who have any preexisting conditions are highly encouraged to remain at home and not attend meetings. Those with preexisting conditions are at a greater risk for COVID-19 infection, and the virus is more dangerous to those 60 and above.
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Amateur radio operators and proud “hams”, Mark B. Hensley and his daughter Irasemi, hope to keep the hobby of amateur radio alive and kicking. (Courtesy Photo)
Hamming it up
Enthusiasm for radio hobby shared by father, daughter By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As the COVID pandemic works to keep people separate and distanced, the hobby of amateur radio (ham) radio is bringing people, electronics, and communication together. For ham radio enthusiast Mark Hensley, the amateur radio is more than a hobby, it’s a lifelong discipline. To become a ham radio operator, you must become FCC certified. Once certified, radio operators will have access to operate on radio frequencies allocated by the FCC for amateur operators. Certification is required because the FCC designated the frequencies to increase the number of radio experts who can assist during times of emergency. Ham operators can communicate with others in their hometowns or with others around the United States. There are three levels of FCC certification in amateur radio, technician level, general level, and extra level. Each rank has access to more
frequencies. Hensley is certified as an advanced operator. Advanced is no longer available and is often a signifier of veteran status among amateur radio operators. “It takes dedication. You have to have that drive. The first time I took the test I failed it and passed it the second time,” Hensley said. “When I took the advanced exam, I missed it on the first try and had to test again. There’s the extra class that has a few more perks to it, but I keep my advanced because it shows that I’m an old-timer.” For Hensley, the old-timer status that comes with being an advanced class is a badge of honor and pride. “When you’re advanced, you have to learn code, and you have people with extra class tickets that never learned code,” he said. “There are a few of us in the Georgetown area that has advanced, and we want to keep it sort of as a status symbol to say we’re old-timers, and we learned to code.”
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A once expensive hobby, gathering the necessary items to delve into the world of amateur radio is more affordable than ever today. “It’s more affordable today than it was in the late ’60s,” said Hensley. “At that time of day, it was expensive to gather all the equipment, the oscilloscope, the sigma generator, and the tuner. By the time you got all the parts together, you could buy a Volkswagen. It’s just so much cheaper today. A lot of time we build our antennas. I have my homemade wire antenna in an oak tree next to my house. I’ve had my rig for 20 years, and it still works.” Hensley is retired from the army as a Sergeant First Class. Like many retired members of the various branches of the military, Hensley gravitated towards amateur radio as a means to aid others. Hensley’s passion has passed down to his daughter, Irasemi. “I was her Elmer as we call
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Thursday, September 24, 2020
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
ESD Continued from Page 1
that's been one of our special projects.” In August, the ESD Board voted to lower the property rate to .09325 per $100 valuation. The reduction in rate is offset by the ever-increasing sales tax revenues. The total budget for the ESD for the 2020-21 fiscal year is $5.3 million, an increase of $456,977 over last year. Truck purchase The ESD has officially purchased a new ladder
truck, something the department has been looking into for a few years. The department had the same discussion when the last truck truck was purchased in 2018, but the need is greater than ever today, according to Lincoln. He cited larger school buildings, apartments and an increase in multi-story structures. Getting a new truck into the station is a lengthy process, with more than a year wait for delivery, and it is a high-dollar purchase. The ESD will not begin
making payments for two years. The truck is costing the ESD $1.2 million said Lincoln, compared to the engine brought into service last year at $680,000. The truck will have 500 gallons of water on it so it can be an engine or a ladder. It has a 35-foot ground ladder on it plus the ladder on top is 107 feet. The truck is shorter than the traditional truck, which means it will fit in the two current stations with 50-foot bays and 12-foot doors.
MOTAL Continued from Page 1 talked with her. She was excited for me, and I told her that had she not hired me I would have never made it here. I called some of the other principals that had hired me and some superintendents and they were all very supportive. Part of that was just to acknowledge that without them I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be in this position.” Amid the feedback from staff, parents, students, and the letters of praise, Motal is trying to remain humble. “It’s kind of weird because you want to go tell everybody because it’s really exciting, but you don’t want to be, ‘hey look at me,’ Everybody is very supportive,” Motal said. “Parents have contacted me, kids tell me when they walk by, I’ve had several thank you notes dropped off, and it’s just been nice. Everyone is super supportive. It’s very humbling to see yourself that way and for other people to see you that way.” For Motal, the award is not just his but one that belongs to the entire school for their diligent work. “To get some good news in combination with all the other things we’ve been dealing with, I think it’s refreshing,” he said. “Not only for me but I think for the staff. It’s like I told them, I’m just one person being recognized, and I wouldn’t be without all of them. It’s an award for all of us. It’s nice to see the work they put in last year and into the summer recognized. I think that’s good for them and good for the school.” Motal sees his role as a principal as a calling to help others advance their careers and achieve great things. He takes great pride in seeing those he’s working with reach new heights. “One of the best things I’ve had in my career is watching other people grow into what they want to become. I want to take that leadership and make it an action word, not only for me but for other people,” said Motal. “Watching my first couple of teachers get assistant principal jobs was great, and watching my first assistant principal become a principal was great. I was almost in tears because I felt so proud. You can’t help it because you helped
Page 3
RADIO Continued from Page 2 that’s someone that a person who gets into the hobby looks up to,” said Hensley. “My Elmer back when I was in Port La Vaca was a radio operator on a B-17 Bomber in World War II. Many radio operators were in the signal corp. and once they got out, they pursued the ham hobby.” Hensley’s daughter is at the second level of general, a rank she tested for and earned during the pandemic. “My favorite is the feeling of accomplishing of passing the exams. I had to take to achieve the General Class license. My least is studying for the exams because the exams are difficult,” she said. “My dad showed me how to used his equipment, to include a generator, in the event of an emergency. Telephone and electrical service
could disrupt, and it’s good to have backup communications.” Hensley’s reason for getting his daughter involved in his passion is primarily to be ready for potential emergencies. Ham radio operators are known for heeding the call for help when disaster strikes.
“It’s a hobby, and it’s also a public service,” he said. “Like in the areas that were affected by Hurricane Laura, the hams set up in that area to aid with communications a rescue effort. Whenever there’s a hurricane, tornado, or a man-made disaster, you can count on the hams showing up. The hams are there to help.”
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TRAVIS MOTAL that person get there. I’m trying tention of leaving. I’m also not to pay forward now what other going to pass up an opportunity people have done for me.” that I think would be good for What the future holds for me personally or professionalMotal is uncertain, but nev- ly,” said Motal. “I do, in the fuer one to settle for remaining ture, aspire to do higher things. complacent, the award winner I feel like my next steps will is looking at the next level of either be a high school princihis education career. At the pal job or something in the cencore of his aspirations is the tral office. Ultimately, if I can desire to affect as many people move up to a position to help as possible. more principals be at their best, “One of the things I’m work- it starts to multiply how many ing on right now is my super- get helped. I’m excited about intendent certification. What I where the future is going. I’m tell everybody is I have no in- not sure where it’s going.”
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CHODY Continued from Page 1
faster in an emergency because of some things our leadership has done. Don’t listen to the media on the negative things.” The incorporation of new technology and social media is one of the critical focuses of Chody’s administration. “Look at some of the technology we’ve brought in since I’ve been in the sheriff’s office,” he said. “We can talk about the sheriff’s app; we’ve modernized the sheriff’s office in the aspects of technology on transparency. When there’s a collision in the community, you know it through Twitter, Facebook, and the sheriff’s app.” Along with the sheriff’s app and social media, the office is implementing a canine tracking program to aid with setting up perimeters during burglary situations. Drones are helping the office during searches for the elderly and autistic children. “We have our drone programs where we have drones that are looking for elderly people as well as autistic children. All of our shifts have access to drones now,” said Chody. “Drones were not even a part of the Williamson County Sheriff’s office when I took over, and now, we have over 20 drones. That way, each shift has access to that. Those are some of the things I’m very proud of when we talk about technology in the sheriff’s office. They were nonexistent when I first got here.” While Chody admits that he isn’t the first to attempt improving the county’s cold case unit, he believes the changes
applied have created positive results. “What used to be done in the past was that you’d have an active investigator working ten burglary calls they took yesterday and the cold case from ten or 20 years ago,” he said. “Because they’re working the ten burglaries, they don’t have the opportunity to work a lead or create a lead. Now, because I created a cold case unit of very qualified detectives, 26 of them, they are more likely to get results. How do I know that? We’ve got two great results, the identification of a 40-yearold case of a murder victim and a 30-year-old case of a murder victim.” Stepping into the position, Chody immediately saw the need to reinforce the understaffed office, making his case during budget season. “When I took office, there was an immediate need for personnel. I believe that the sheriff’s office has been understaffed and under budget for some time. I made that argument the first and second years that I was in office. We had eight personnel on patrol, and there was a lot of discussion about that,” said Chody. “The court has a separate duty to determine all of the other needs for the other departments. My needs may be great, and they may not appreciate the amount it is. I can not honestly look my constituents in the face and say we’re doing everything we can if I’m not asking for enough funds.” The relationship between Chody and the Commissioner’s court is of-
GLEASON Continued from Page 1
have the educational experience, and I have the hands-on experience from many numbers of years of doing that. My opponent does not, and that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in now.” He believes Sheriff Chody is undoing years of progress and efficiency, saying Chody is failing to keep promises made during his campaign for office and is responsible for almost 300 people being fired or resigning from the office. The Independent reached out to the county to confirm the number of firings and resignations since Chody took office in 2017 but has not yet received a response. “Sheriff James Wilson retired and turned over the keys to one of the best, if not the best, sheriff’s office in the state of Texas. It was a well-
oiled machine and my opponent came in and said he was going to keep going in that direction,” Gleason said. “That’s what he promised to everybody, and when he won the primary, he lied to everybody. He lied the entire time. He used everybody to get elected and now has summarily come in and fired, let go, runoff, or made life miserable for almost 300 people. Half of the workforce is gone. We did an open records request and did the math. He’s run off 1,800 years of experience in the sheriff’s office that taxpayers paid to train.” In an interview with The Independent, Chody claimed Gleason failed to get backing from his predecessor. A claim Gleason says is true, because at the time he supported Chody’s bid for office. Gleason, in
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ten tense. During a discussion with citizens from Liberty Hill’s Santa Rita Ranch neighborhood earlier this summer, Chody made no apologies for the requests to improve his office. “The problem I have is that I have to go to the court for my positions. I have to have four commissioners and judge approve my budget,” he said “I even had one Commissioner complain because it was the highest budget that we’ve ever requested, and I make no apologies for that. If something happens, I will say that I asked, and you didn’t give this to us. I’m telling you what I need.” Because of ongoing litigation, Chody had limited comments on the issue of Live PD and its relationship with Williamson County. The incumbent discussed some of the reasons he agreed to bring the program back to Williamson county despite the disapproval of the county commissioner’s court. “I want to be careful because there’s litigation that I’m paying out of my pocket for because I don’t want the taxpayers charged for it,” said Chody. “What Live PD did was show what law enforcement did in Williamson County. There were many positives to Live PD. It helps us in our recruiting efforts. Live PD specifically helps us with our community engagement and it is one of the things that I appreciated about it. That’s all I’ll say at this point about Live PD because of things going on. Lots of positives but certainly
retrospect, regrets supporting Chody. “My predecessor did not back me because he backed Mike Cowie, a fellow DPS friend of his. To be quite honest with you, my predecessor didn’t back me because I was backing Robert Chody,” Gleason said. “I regret backing Chody, and most of the county does. He sold everybody a bill of goods. He’s a snake-oil salesman. Look at the guys he brought in, Tim Ryle, the disgraced chief of police from Round Rock who left them with 23 excessive use of force lawsuits that they’re still paying off. The list goes on.” Chody also claims that Gleason is supported by organizations calling for the defunding of law enforcement and has those same intentions should he win the election. Gleason says it would be counterproductive to defund the organization he intends to run and that Chody opened the door to calls for defunding with recent controversies. “Robert Chody had never heard of the word defunding until he started this mess on a national scale himself. All these calls for defunding came when Javier Ambler was killed. Robert is to blame for this not me. Why would I want to run for an agency that I’d want to defund and cripple? I was there 24 years and helped make the place the agency that it was. It was the greatest in the state of Texas,” said Gleason. “We had the greatest CIT program, the greatest SWAT team. Why would I do all that work and then have my master plan of 24 years be to come in and finally tear it all down? Robert is the one tearing it up. We’re bankrupt and the taxpayers are paying his bills now. We’re about to lose our insurance. The entire county insurance is about to go away because of the lawsuits that we’re paying. We’ll have to go back to be-
Thursday, September 24, 2020
some negatives with things that arose from it. It shows what police have to deal with.” During his first bid for the sheriff’s position, Chody’s current opponent supported the sheriff’s run. Since then, things have changed between the two. Chody says that Gleason had ample time to improve response times during his tenure as a patrol captain but failed to do so. “When he was patrol captain, he’s had many years to address the response times,” He said. “When you look at the average response times, which were anywhere from 21 to 28 minutes on average for priority calls. He certainly has a poor record when dealing with that while we were able to cut that in half.” In criticism of his opponent, Chody brought up a 2015 lawsuit against Williamson County and the City of Georgetown Police Department alleging excessive violence against 81-year-old Herman Crisp. “My opponent is good at talking about the things that are in the paper. He’s guilty of some of the very same things because sometimes things occur that are out of your hands or out of your control,” said Chody. “I think he’s been sued for things that occurred in that jail when we talk about violation of civil rights and things of that nature. He was in charge of the SWAT team for hurting an elderly man.” Chody also accuses his opponent of having the support of organizations
ing self-funded all because of him and his inability to run his agency.” Gleason says that if he takes office, he’ll have to do the opposite of defunding and seek more funds to repair the damage he believes has occurred under Chody’s watch. “I have to come back in and not defund the police but find more funds because we have a state-of-the-art training facility that’s sitting dark because of his scandals,” he said. “That place is shut down by the state of Texas. I’ve got to go back in and rebuild that. I was the one who built it before he took office and then he came in and did take all the credit for it.” One of Gleason’s major goals is to repair the reputation of the Williamson County police training facility. The facility is a center of controversy, with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement launching two investigations into allegations centered on the use of racial, homophobic, and misogynistic slurs against cadets by a now-departed trainer. Along with those claims, there are claims of test score manipulations and elevation to valedictorian status for one cadet who failed multiple tests. Gleason’s goal is to reopen the facility. “I have to personally go and meet with each chief, some who I’ve had a lifelong relationship with, and I need to meet with each one and ask them to give me their trust. I have to deliver, and they need to know the quality of the staff we’re going to provide,” said Gleason. “I’ve got a plan, and I am going to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and having the court fund a position. Even if I have to give up a training position so their employee can come to work in the academy and keep an eye on us. We’ll do everything by the book. They will guide us and direct us. With that reassurance, I hope we can get these other chiefs
calling for the defunding of law enforcement. “When I look at the organizations that are supporting and rooting for him, I see the defund the police aspect of it. When I see what Austin has done, if my opponent is elected, then I think that could be a danger,” said Chody. “When you talk about a candidate that is being supported by groups like Indivisible and other organizations affiliated with defunding the police, that is a dangerous area to be involved. I don’t believe in defunding the police.” Despite being a controversial figure and sitting at the center of multiple lawsuits, Chody believes he is the best person to lead the Sheriff’s Office into the future. He hopes to bring more positive change and transparency to the people of Williamson County. “I think people should vote for me because I think they have seen some positive changes in regards to their public safety. My passion is still to serve as their sheriff is as strong as ever. I want to finish the things that we’ve started.,” he said. “Are we perfect? No way. Do we deserve some of the criticism? In some aspects, yes. Do we deserve all of it? In some aspects, no. We believe in our community; we believe in what we do. We’ve never been more transparent. We’ve opened up our jail as far as tours, we’ve created the junior deputy academy. Williamson County Sheriff’s office has never been more open to the community, and we want to continue to do that.”
back on board.” Gleason wants to bring back some of the former employees he claims Chody pushed out in favor of his own “yes men”. He also plans to focus on crisis intervention, mental health, and substance abuse. “I want to bring back all the good people that got let go. All of those 300 people want to be there and take it back. They are competent in doing their job and want to get it back to where it needs to go again,” he said. “The crisis intervention team he dismantled on day one needs to be put back in. Anyone believes that mental health and substance abuse issues are not a priority for any law enforcement agency in this day and age, are in for a rude awakening. He has ignored crisis intervention in jail and on the street.” Gleason says Chody is focused on being a television star, and he intends to clean out the officers that are lacking qualifications. Gleason claims several employees in the sheriff’s office are without personal history statements on record. The Independent reached out to the county to confirm the claim but is still waiting for a response. “Live PD is the only thing he wants to deal with. He wants to feed his urge to be a movie star. We need to get training standards back up,” said Gleason. “We need to get rid of the cancers he’s brought in with no background in investigations and no qualifications. They need to go. They’re not qualified. Half of them don’t have personal history statements on file, and that’s against the occupation code. State law requires you to have an application on file, and they don’t.” One of the biggest campaign points Sheriff Chody touts is the improvement in response times to priority one calls. He claims he cut times in half. Gleason says it’s a manipulation of the numbers and breaks
down why it’s not possible to cut times by 50 percent and how they can are easily manipulated. “The response times are manipulated. First of all, he claims he cut priority one response times down by 50 percent, and that’s impossible. You have to understand how the process works. There’s the time the call is picked up at a home and hits the dispatcher. The dispatcher has to forward it to the correct agency, then they have to forward it to fire, EMS, or what department it needs to go to,” said Gleason. “Then it’s sent to the deputy’s computer in his car. Then the deputy has to click on and recognize it and respond to it and arrive. Do you see where there are 15 steps there and the different points where you can pick the time you want to highlight? Is it the time from when I call the dispatcher, and there’s a deputy on my porch, or is it the time the deputy receives the call and hits the button in his car and is on my front porch? There are 20 minutes there, and the numbers can be manipulated easily.” Gleason believes that he can foster a unified environment in the county because he has maintained relationships Sheriff Chody is damaging during his term as sheriff. The law enforcement veteran believes this will be key in bringing positive change to the county. “Those relationships are strained with Robert Chody. They aren’t strained with me. I continually talk with people every day, except for Bill Gravel, but he’s got to go too,” Gleason said. “I talk to the commissioners almost every day, and they support me. They’re voting for me. I talk with the county attorney and have a letter of recommendation from when I retired. I talk to the district attorney’s staff all the time. All of those relationships are great to me.”
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Thursday, September 24, 2020
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
Page 5
Community resource centers welcome new partners Community Resource Centers of Texas, Inc., (CRC) is proud to announce its newest partners at its Liberty Hill location. CRC provides one-stop shops for health and social service agencies under one roof and its mission is to raise the standard of living in rural communities by connecting people with services. Not only does CRC offer free office space to nonprofit partners and agencies, it offers free meeting space and conference room. Public computers are provided by Texas Workforce Solutions for those job-hunting, preparing resumes, or corresponding with potential employers, and state or federal agencies. CRC’s newest partners are, Camp AGAPE Grief Recovery, Community Pathways Organization and Bluebonnet Trails Community Services. They join Lori Seeds-Martin, Family Therapist and Hope City Church. Camp Agape Grief Recovery is a non-denominational, Christian-based grief recovery nonprofit that supports children and families who are deeply grieving the death of a loved one. They host a summer kids camp and a fall family camp. Beginning in January 2021, Camp Agape will be adding a weekly peer support program for children and their caregivers. All their programs are offered free of charge, thanks to generous community donors. Community Pathways Organization (CPO) was founded in 2019. CPO is a faith-
based organization that assists at-risk youth and young adults. Whether struggling to complete high school or college, getting a driver’s license or start a successful career path, the organization’s goal is to provide programs for homeless, displaced, or at-risk teens/young adults. CPO empowers them to find the assistance they need to develop independent living skills and be productive members of their community. One program that Community Pathways Organization provides for students in Liberty Hill ISD is the Panther Pack program. Students on the free/reduced lunch program can pick up a Panther Pack Snack bag on Thursday’s 3–6pm in the front parking lot at 155 Hillcrest Lane. Community Pathways Organization was able to provide LHISD students in need with school supplies for the 2020-2021 school year. Lori Seeds-Martin is a licensed counselor who specializes in working with children ages 10 and above, and families experiencing parenting difficulties. Some issues she addresses include attachment/relationship Issues, parent coaching/support, depression, anxiety, adjustment/transition Issues, and trauma. Bluebonnet Trails Community Services (BTCS) is a non-profit, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, serving Williamson and other Central Texas counties with mental health, primary care, substance
use, intellectual, developmental, autism, and early childhood intervention services. All services can be accessed through an Appointment Line: 1-844-309-6385. BTCS also operates a free virtual COVID-19 Crisis Counseling Center and Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, which are accessible through a 24-hour Crisis Hotline (1-800-841-1255). Hope City Church opened in 2016 by its Lead Pastor, Russell Stanphill. It has attracted members from Liberty Hill, Leander, and the Georgetown area. Russell has 22 years of pastoral ministry experience. During these times of isolation, the church meets virtually via Zoom online, by text or Facebook. Russell can be contacted via phone at 512-337-6736, or email church@hopecityatx.com. For more information, visit their website at www.hopecityatx.com. The Liberty Hill group of Alcoholic Anonymous, will begin their weekly meetings on Sept. 24 from 7-8 p.m. Beginning in October, offices will be open for Medicare 101 sessions. To make an appointment for assistance, reserve a conference room, or know someone needing help, please contact CRC’s Site Coordinator, Robbie Shader, at 512548-5091 or email her at williamson@ crctx.org. The Community Resource Center is located on the same property as San Gabriel Crossing Apartments at 155 Hillcrest Lane, Suite B.
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$10/week for Minimum 30 Words Additional Words $0.20 Deadline 12 Noon Tuesdays NEWS@LHINDEPENDENT.COM EMPLOYMENT HOMETOWN WATERING HOLE is how accepting applications for servers/waitstaff positions. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be over 18 years old, have servsafe food handlers certification, have reliable transportation, and pass drug test. Nights and weekends a must. Pay begins at $7.25 an hour plus tips. Apply in person or email htwateringhole@gmail.com. (9/24) LABOR HELP NEEDED at Bertram, TX. Factory (Hand & Machine cutting stone) Full time, with or without experience, good pay. Call 512-3392299. SE NECESITA TRABAJADORES en Bertram, TX para una fabrica de acabado a mano y use de maqunaria para piedra natural. Tiempo completo, con o sin experiencia, buena paga. Interesados llamar al telefono 512-339-2299. (10/1) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT for range of duties to include office work, answering phones, mailing letters,small boxes. Learn the stone business and the world of architecture. Room to grow. Must be able to work legally in the USA. Location in Bertram off Hwy 29. Send email to BertramStonejobs@gmail.com. (10/1) MRS. AMY’S ADVENTURES IS HIRING Lead and Assistant teachers. Join our team of experienced teachers working with children ranging from 6 weeks old to Pre-K. Call 512-548-6906 for more info! (10/8)
SERVICES SELL YOUR UNIQUE home made or grown items locally! The Market At Indian Mound Ranch is currently accepting Vendors for the 2020 Season. Saturday’s 9-1 weather permitting. $20 space fee. 12805 SH 29 W. Send email to imr1873@ gmail.com for details.
PUBLIC NOTICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Liberty Hill ISD is seeking bids for Athletic Supplies and Equipment. All interested vendors please see RFP #21-001 at: https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1KhLCxphjwyJZbzUKGXY_KgvCEwHBqjIP/ view?usp=sharing Or request a copy by emailing: mvance@ libertyhill.txed.net. (10/1) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS, AMENDING OR-
DINANCE NO. 20-O-O4 ORDERING AN ELECTION FOR NOVEMBER 3, 2020 FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING CERTAIN OFFICIALS AND FOR SUBMITTING TO THE VOTERS CERTAIN PROPOSED MEASURES RELATED TO TERMS LENGTH FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND THE MAYOR; DESIGNATING ELECTION PRECINCTS AND POLLING PLACES; PROVIDING FOR EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY VOTING; PROVIDING FOR PERFORMANCE OF REQUIRED ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES; MAKING PROVISIONS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SUCH ELECTION; CERTIFYING PROVISION OF REQUIRED ACCESSIBLE VOTING SYSTEMS AT EACH POLLING PLACE; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO SUCH ELECTION. (9/24) CITY OF LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS CITY HALL RENOVATIONS ADVERTISEMENT AND INVITATION FOR BIDS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the City of Liberty Hill, Texas for the LIBERTY HILL CITY HALL RENOVATIONS. SCOPE OF WORK: Demolition of existing walls where noted, removal of existing barn doors where noted and removal of existing water fountains where noted. New 2x4 wood walls shown with 5/8” sheetrock. Patch, repair, and paint existing ceiling due to walls that were removed, and new walls added. Tape, float, texture and paint new drywall and areas affected by demolition. Install base in affected areas. Re-use salvaged doors at proposed locations. New French door where noted on plans. Re-use salvaged barn door at new location and add wood shelves to closet. Patch carpet to match existing as best as possible. Modify electrical and HVAC systems for new layout. Bids must be submitted on the complete project. Bids must be received by the City of Liberty Hill, Attention: Jay Holmes, P.O. Box 1920 (926 Loop 332), Liberty Hill, Texas 78642 until 2:00 PM local time on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at which time the bids received will be opened and read. Plans will only be made available electronically. To obtain access at no charge, please contact Jay Holmes Project Manager, jholmes@ libertyhilltx.gov. Bids received after the date and time of bid opening will be returned unopened. After receipt of bids, no bid may be withdrawn within ninety (90) days after the date of bid opening. The City of Liberty Hill reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any in-
formality in bids received. The project site will be available for inspection by prospective bidders by appointment, contact Jay Holmes at 512745-1222. Representatives of the Owner will be present to discuss the project. Oral statements may not be relied upon and will not be binding or legally effective. (9/24) ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS City of Liberty Hill Separate sealed bids for City of Liberty Hill Downtown Bike & Ped Loop Project (CSJ: 0151-08-010) for City of Liberty Hill will be received by the City Project Manager at 926 Loop 332, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 until 3:00 PM, September, 30th, 2020 and then publicly opened and read aloud shortly thereafter at the same location, on the same day. Please include a flash drive of all bid documents in the submittal package. The information for Bidders, Form of Bid, Form of Contract, Plans Specifications, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance and Payment Bond, and other contract documents may be examined at the following: Bowman Consulting Group, Ltd. 1120 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Building 3, Suite 220, Austin, Texas 78746. Copies of the bidding docum ents can be obtained electronically online from CivCast (www.civcastusa.com). Questions will be received only in writing at mhernandez@bowmanconsulting.com until September 23rd, 2020 and will be answered on September 25th, 2020. There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid conference held at 9:00 AM CST on September 16th, 2020 online at https:// bowmanconsulting.zoom. us/j/91386218347. There is railroad ROW work required for this project; therefore, the contractor is required to submit their Permit Application (RE3), Certificate of Insurance, Roadway Workerin-Charge (RWIC/RE3) Request and RWIC Fees for the actual construction of the path. The contractor can access Capital Metropolitan “online application system” to submit and become familiar with their process. Please make the check payable to Cap Metro and send it along with a copy of the Permit Application to Cap Metro, Attn: Accounts Receivable, P. O. Box 6308, Austin, Texas 78762-6308. Prior to any work, the contractors will need to contact Cap Metro’s Courtlin Boakes at 512.770.8663 to arrange for “Roadway Worker Protection Training”. The virtual training is offered the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. The federally determined prevailing (Davis-Bacon and Related Acts) wage rate, as issued by the Texas Department of Transportation and contained in the contract documents,
Clawson Disposal, inC. Residential * Commercial * Roll off
(512) 746-2000 301 County Road 307 PO Box 416 Jarrell, Texas 76537
must be paid on this project. Each bidder must deposit with his bid, security in the minimum amount of 5% of the greatest amount of bid. The bid bond and surety’s power of attorney must both carry the date of the bid opening. No bidder may withdraw his bid within 60 days after the actual date of the opening thereof. The owner reserves the right to waive any informalities or to reject any or all bids. (9/24p)
VOTE NOV 3 JUDGE 26TH DISTRICT
MISSING PROPERTY If you believe the police department may have a found item that belongs to you, you can call the Property Division directly at 512-548-5530 or email at ekrause@libertyhilltx.gov. When contacting the Property Division, describe the item(s) you are looking for, in detail, and we will let you know if we have it. If we do, we will make arrangements to get it back to you. (9/24) NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant to section 59 of the Texas Property Code, NSS MANAGEMENT will hold a public auction in order to satisfy a landlord’s lien of personal property for Easy Stop Storage, 10640 W STATE HWY 29, LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS 78642. THE AUCTION WILL BE HELD ONLINE: AT WWW.STORAGETREA SURES.COM. Bids will begin October 12th, at 10 am and end October 19th, at 1pm. Storage units and parking spaces are believed to contain general household items. Units to be auctioned include: Joshua Lukyamuzi and Chris Magonigal. Cleaning deposit is required. Seller reserves the right to withdraw the property at anytime before the sale date. Unit items are sold as-is to highest bidder. The sale is open to cash buyers only. The facility has a right to place a minimum bid on each unit. All sales are final. All questions can be directed to The Property Manager: 512-515-5310. (10/1)
Jarrell (512) 746-2000 Leander (512) 259-1709 FAX (512) 746-5807
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE COMPASSION Political ad paid for by the Donna King Campaign in compliance with the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.
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SPORTS
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, September 24, 2020 Page 6
Tuning up, dialing in
Panthers make good use of lone scrimmage By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
Officially, there was no score kept at Panther Stadium on Friday night, as the board at the north end of the field showed a pair of zeros throughout Liberty Hill’s scrimmage against New Braunfels Canyon.
This week
Panthers vs. Ellison 7:30 p.m., Friday Panther Stadium But, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of scoring – especially by the home side. The Panthers outscored the Cougars, 27-7, in their one and only tuneup before the lights go on and the ball is kicked off for real on Sept. 25 when Class 6A Killeen Ellison will visit for the regular-season opener. The evening was broken down into two separate portions as both squads were anxious to be able to get as much work in as possible. First, there were four 10-minute segments played with a running clock, which was followed by a “live” half, played under normal game conditions. Surprisingly, the Panthers came out throwing, as senior quarterback
Charlie Calabretta hooked up with Trey Seward for a 28-yard gain on the Panthers’ opening possession, which was followed by a healthy portion of Liberty Hill’s usual breadand-butter – the running game. Blake Simpson had a strong run for positive yardage, which opened the gate for Seward to break off a 24-yard scoring sprint down the left sideline after the Panthers’ offense had methodically moved the ball into Canyon territory for a 7-0 advantage. As the second segment unfolded, Lloyd Johnson stuck a Cougars ballcarrier in the Canyon backfield for a loss, as the Liberty Hill defense took its turn in the spotlight, culminating with a stop on fourth down after the visitors had moved into position to score. The third segment was highlighted by a pair of long Panthers scoring strikes, as Calabretta found fellow senior Jonah Anderson wide open for a 60-yard catch-and-run before freshman Noah Long took a handoff and rumbled 80 yards for another touchdown and a 21-0 lead. According to Liberty Hill head coach Jeff Walker, Long is definitely one to watch this season. “Noah’s very mature for his age,” said Walker, of the only freshman on the entire varsity roster. “He already fits in with the rest of the guys in everything he does and he’s probably
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Freshman Noah Long made a strong first impression at the Panther scrimmage, logging an 80-yard touchdown run as part of the Liberty Hill rushing attack. the fastest kid on our team. Noah will back up Trey (Seward), play some safety for us if we need him to and return kicks.” In fact, Long is the first freshman to break into the varsity lineup in Walker’s three seasons as Panthers head coach and added his second
Liberty Hill off to blazing start to volleyball campaign
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
When Kindsee Escamilla arrived at the first open gym ahead of her senior season of volleyball in early August, something happened inside her which she can’t quite explain. “I don’t really know,” said the Liberty Hill outside hitter. “It was kind of like something clicked in my brain.” All of the sudden, Escamilla found herself playing harder than ever before, with a reckless abandon which was previously missing from her game, she said. “Before, I thought I was trying harder,” said Escamilla. “But, now I find myself running all over the court – I want to touch every ball.”
touchdown of the evening on a 30yard run in the fourth segment after Canyon had pulled one back, making the final margin, 28-7. After the first portion of the scrimmage was complete, the teams played a “live” half under normal game conditions with play stoppages.
Simpson wasted no time in breaking free for an 80-yard scoring run on the Panthers’ first offensive play for a quick 7-0 lead. Liberty Hill’s defense then made more plays, including a goal-line
See SCRIMMAGE, Page 9
PANTHER OF THE WEEK
Apparently, she had an epiphany on that opening day of practice which caused her to want to make the absolute most of her final season of high-school volleyball – and she’s loving each and every moment. “So far, it’s been really good,” she said. “It’s hard to believe I’m a senior – it’s kind of weird to think about it – in the past I always looked to the girls who were seniors and now that’s me – I’m super excited.” Another aspect of this season which is fueling Escamilla is the fact the Lady Panthers are competing as a Class 5A team for the first time, she said. “I’m really excited we’re going to get to play
See VOLLEYBALL, Page 9
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Ryan McCarn has overcome multiple injuries on the way to being the Panthers’ No. 1 cross country runner.
Runner overcomes adversity
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Senior Kindsee Escamilla (2) can once again celebrate with her Lady Panthers teammates after leaving a chronic ankle injury in the past and discovering a newfound passion for the game.
Most student-athletes are adept at juggling – as in the ever-precocious balance between sports, school and a social life. In order to be successful, one must have the ability to keep those three aspects of high-school life in constant motion, skillfully and seamlessly shifting from one to another in the blink of an eye
over the course of an average teenage day. However, Ryan McCarn has taken that catch phrase quite literally, indeed. “I was really bored during the pandemic shutdown and I saw a video about juggling and loved it, so I decided to try it out,” said the Liberty Hill sophomore cross country runner. “I knew my dad knew how to juggle, so I asked him if he would teach me how. I actually picked it up pretty
quickly.” But, wait – there’s more. Seems as if a young McCarn wasn’t content enough to ride around on a conventional bicycle with training wheels attached. No. He decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to subtract one from the equation. “My grandma got me a unicycle,” said McCarn. “At
See MCCARN, Page 9
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Thursday, September 24, 2020
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
Page 7
Pain and gain
CC runners must recognize being hurt, injured
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
Runners are going to feel pain. Not a question of if, but when. Add to the equation traversing an uneven surface with all manner of potential pitfalls with every stride and one enters the mind of a cross country athlete. However, when does one know when a knock is simply momentary adversity which can be run through as opposed to a harmful injury which can be made worse by continuing on down the trail? According to Liberty Hill junior Greg Miller, that’s the million-dollar question. “From a runner’s standpoint, it can be pretty difficult to determine when you’re injured and should stop what you’re doing, versus being hurt and pushing through,” said Miller. “Injuries in the world of running can have a huge impact on the success of an individual and their team – especially in high school meets. The best thing to do when you feel hurt is to use your resources – ice baths, foam rollers, muscle-massage guns, recovery pumps, etcetera – and gauge how you feel afterwards. If you don’t feel any better, then the best thing to do at that point is get help and go see a trainer before you hurt yourself more.” Miller added as a runner, one gets to know one’s own body, which comes with the ability to know when something just isn’t right, compared to regular soreness or discomfort.
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Greg Miller (719) and his Liberty Hill cross country teammates must be able to discern between pain which can be run through and that which can lead to injury. “Most of the time, us runners are able to recognize why we’re in pain in certain spots of our bodies and do what we have to do to feel better,” he said. “It really does just come down to knowing your body and its limits. If you’re in pain you’ve never experienced before, that’s a huge sign you need to talk to someone.” Miller, who also plays soccer for Liberty Hill, has been fortunate in the fact he’s never had to deal with injury in his young athletic career, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t considered it or isn’t ready to handle it at some point, he said. “As long as I’ve been involved in sports, I’ve never had an actual injury,” said Miller. “Sure, I’ve been hurt and in pain every now and then – every athlete experiences that –
but to take it a step further and consider anything I have dealt with as an injury would simply be inaccurate.” One thing Miller does know for sure is when an injury does occur, it’s unlikely to diminish that athlete’s desire to compete. “Being hurt will not necessarily prevent someone from dealing with the pain and continuing what they enjoy doing – even if that’s how they got hurt,” he said. “An injury on the other hand, is something someone can’t just fight through without permanent or extended consequences on their body.” Liberty Hill head coach Kim Holt said she and her assistants make it perfectly clear to their charges the spectre of pain is always lurking and just waiting to strike.
“We tell the kids as runners, they’re going to have some pain,” she said. “They won’t always feel good, but if it’s a pain that just isn’t getting better, then we want to get them evaluated and see what’s wrong and what the trainer can do for them to start to feel better.” Holt said it’s ultimately down to each individual to determine the possible severity of a potential injury. “I guess it’s the degree of their pain and when it just hurts too much to run,” she said. “Everybody is different and I assume everyone knows when they’re feeling a bad pain.” One aspect of analysis to be on guard against is to not give in to the temptation of wanting to continue on by concealing an injury from coaches, train-
ers and teammates, said Holt. “We’ve had kids do this before and we always tell them to please talk to us about when you’re feeling pain,” she said. “So, we can talk to the trainer and have them evaluated to see what’s wrong.” All that being said, Miller believes he and his teammates remain completely transparent when it comes to revealing what’s wrong – despite what’s at stake on a personal basis – for the overall betterment of the collective group. “Personally, I feel as though a majority of runners on our team are willing to let the coaches know when they’re in pain,” he said. “While competing for a spot on varsity can be a physically and mentally tough concept, the cross country coaches we have at our
school are very approachable and understanding, making it easy to talk to them when we suspect an injury. None of us want to push through an injury that could keep us out for the rest of an important season.” At the end of the day, though, one must maintain vigilance against injury at all times – be it during training or competition – but simultaneously have the psychological awareness to be able to process pain and come out on the other side with flying colors on the way to the finish line, said Miller. “Everybody who runs long distance competitively or is involved in it some way knows the sport itself is tough both physically and mentally,” he said. “When you have to run for great distances at a fast pace, your body is going to hurt in one way or another. To continue running through that pain because you have goals you need to reach is where the mental part comes in. A high pain tolerance can get you far, but in order to truly find success in dealing with your pain and getting the results you want, you have to be able to keep your eye on the prize and not let the pain stop you from getting there.” So, what then is the ultimate determining factor between a competitor who has the ability to gut out results compared to another who is content to settle for second-best? Simply put, it’s all in one’s head, said Holt. “Some people are just more mentally tough than others,” she said. “We’re all different.”
Pantherland back in business By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
It was a very busy 24-hour period for us last Friday and Saturday – the likes of which we haven’t encountered since you-know-what shut the entire world down six months ago. We’re not going to talk about any of that anymore – and do you know why? Because we’re back in business when it comes to all things Purple-andGold. Sure, everything’s a bit different, but the important thing – and what really matters – is the powers-that-be have finally let us start getting on with our sports lives once again. Far from normal. But, for now anyway, normal enough. So, now that we have that bit of unpleasant business out of the way, we will no longer even refer to any of the above. People far above me in the societal pay grade can worry about that mess. Not us anymore. Anyway, we found ourselves back at Panther Stadium on Friday evening for the oneand-only football scrimmage of the fall before the lights go on for real and it seemed as if we had never left. Despite the fact the last actual event we covered on the plastic pitch on SH 29 was the Class of 2020 commencement ceremony back in the spring, helmets still banged and shoulder pads still popped just as loud as ever, as the home side put on a dress rehearsal ahead of the season-opener at home this week against Class 6A big boys Killeen Ellison. One player who definitely stood out headand-shoulders above the rest was Panthers freshman running back Noah Long. Yes, we said freshman. In fact, the rookie runner broke off an 80-yard touchdown run senior starters Trey Seward and Blake Simpson would’ve been proud of as part of his debut performance. One must understand freshman simply don’t make the Liberty Hill varsity roster. In fact, Long is the one and only first-year player to crack the Panthers’ lineup in the three seasons since head coach Jeff Walker returned to run the show.. Even before, it has been a rarity for a player who was playing junior-high football just a year earlier to be lining up on Friday night instead of Thursday afternoon. Not to put any undue pressure on the lad, but Walker must certainly recognize something in this young man to throw him into the fire straight away upon his arrival on campus. As for how the rest of the squad looked against Class 5A New Braunfels Canyon, one could say pretty well. Walker gave his team a B-minus for its efforts on the evening, which was probably a fair assessment. By far, the most surprising – no, downright shocking – aspect of the festivities was to see Liberty Hill quarterbacks drop back to pass on several occasions. Both senior starter Charlie Calabretta and junior backup Will Szewczyk not only looked downfield, but a fair distance, dropping passes over a defense which was cheating against the Panthers vaunted running game. Calabretta even hooked up with fellow
senior Jonah Anderson for a 60-yard catchand run touchdown which was called back by a penalty, but in a scrimmage where no official score was kept, it was so refreshing to see a ball fly through the air which wasn’t a punt or kick. Ask yourself this. If the Panthers can develop a proper passing threat to keep opposing defenses honest, how much more effective can the Slot-T run offense be? Calabretta later found Andrew Hunter in the end zone for a touchdown which actually counted, meaning we had two – count ‘em, two – Liberty Hill scores achieved through the air on the night. Considering the Panthers only attempted 40 passes all last season – completing 16 of them – over the course of a entire 13-game campaign, this is certainly a good sign. Make no mistake, though, Liberty Hill’s bread-and-butter on offense is pounding opponents into submission on the ground. However, it’s okay to actually throw the ball down the field to stretch a defense every now and again. We’ll see if this pattern continues in the regular season – we sure hope it does. Little more than 12 hours later we were back at the Purple Palace for the Lady Panthers’ volleyball home opener against Class 6A Cedar Ridge. Speaking of which, when one enters the main foyer at the local high school, it feels as if one is entering a cathedral of some kind, so pristine and proper are the premises. It’s absolutely a pleasure to have such a beautiful place to cover sports. In fact, we would venture a guess there are many junior colleges and small universities who can only dream of calling such a wonderful place home for its sports teams. For a small-town, high-school sportswriter, it’s like going to Disneyland every time we visit – be it for practice or games. Almost like entering a bubble (sorry, had to use the term) where all that matters is Liberty Hill sports. A place where Panthers supporters check everything but their Purple-and-Gold allegiance at the door. All of a sudden, things like political or religious affiliations simply don’t matter. You’re either with us or against us. Anyway, we digress. As the Lady Panthers move up to Class 5A competition this season, there’s no question the going will get a lot tougher right from the off. No longer will head coach Gretchen Peterson’s club find themselves looking across the net at the likes of Lampasas, Burnet and Taylor. Oh, no. District foes in the forms of state-ranked Cedar Park, the Leander and Georgetown schools and Marble Falls will be staring right back ready to give Liberty Hill all they can handle. Case in point was Saturday’s match against Cedar Ridge, a contest the home side managed to defeat in four sets, but it was by no means easy. The teams actually split the opening two sets, with the visitors jumping out to an early advantage in the third before the Lady Panthers stormed back to ultimately take control and
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LAURA COLEMAN PHOTO
Ethan Wukasch returns a shot during Liberty Hill’s 14-5 home victory against Taylor on Sept. 14.
Improving a relative concept as players evolve differently By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor
When Liberty Hill head tennis coach Sherry Rhoden instructs one of her players, she knows there is a particular way to impart information in order for it to be properly soaked up. Once that instruction has been mentally digested, she observes the player to determine if improvement is being made in the selected area of emphasis. However, the next step can be tricky, as the degree of improvement must be accurately measured to provide a picture of how much improvement the player has made and what needs to be done in addition moving forward. According to Rhoden, often she can simply read a player’s emotions in a physical nature to find the answer. “Many times I can see their improvement in the way they carry themselves,” said Rhoden. “When they know they’ve improved, I see it in their body language. They walk taller, shoulders are back and they have a smile on their face with a light in their eyes.” Of course, tangible must blend seamlessly with intangible to
produce the desired results and one effective way to do that is to work with players on a certain aspect of their game and let them know on the spot how they’re doing, said Rhoden. “We do drills on the court where they work on their percentages. For example, it they’re working on serves, then I have them serve 10 balls and whatever number they get in the service box becomes their percentage,” she said. “This gives them direct feedback. When numbers are low, that’s when I step in and look at what specific detail needs improving. At this point, they take my coaching tip and add it to their motion. We see percentages go up after some concentration and repeated correct movements.” Which is exactly the name of the game – although sometimes young players expect instant results and are impatient if the fruits of the work they’re putting in takes a while to come to fruition. “Absolutely. Our younger players with less court experience haven’t matured yet in their thinking. They haven’t played long enough to know adjustments take time,” said
Rhoden. “It also depends on how much time they’re willing to put in outside of the team practices. I try to give them an idea of how long a certain adjustment normally takes, so they have a gauge. It’s nice for them to know I don’t expect immediate results and they shouldn’t either. I tell them any pressure they feel is not from me, but it may be from their inner critic or other people in their support system.” Along with an acceptance of this methodical process, sometimes a player will be set in their ways and therefore resist changes – barriers which must be broken down to allow growth, she said. “Mental blocks definitely happen,” said Rhoden. “When I see this occurring, I remind them about what their history looks like. I remind them where they were three years ago, two years, one year ago so they can think back and know they’ve truly improved. I keep telling them all the positives I like about their game and also ask them what they like about their game. I just keep it positive and when they’re less stressed, the
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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Volleyball vs. Cedar Ridge If Saturday’s home volleyball opener against Class 6A Cedar Ridge was any indication of how this season is going to go for the Lady Panthers of Liberty Hill, we’re certainly in for a wild ride. After splitting the first two sets of the match, the Lady Panthers stormed to a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-19) victory over the Lady Raiders, as sophomore outside hitter Kaileigh Truslow continued to shine early on in her varsity career, leading the home side with 17 kills on the match. According to Truslow, her early-season success can be attributed to the team atmosphere which is prevalent among the squad. “We have a great team here which is really accepting,” said Truslow. “Today was a lot of fun.” Junior setter Emma Becker added 11 kills in a match which was full of momentum swings throughout, while Emma Parsons led with 23 assists and Maddi Rowley contributed 20 digs to the cause. Truslow set the early tone, with six kills in the opening set in a stanza which saw the Lady Panthers take the lead for good at 13-12 midway through, powered by a pair of Truslow kills, a kill and a block by Ailie Hair and a pair of back-to-back Becker bombs. However, Cedar Ridge rebounded in the second set, leading most of the way, as Liberty Hill struggled to carry the momentum they had gained in the first set over to the second, despite seven more kills from Truslow and a pair each from Becker, Hair and senior Kindsee Escamilla. At the beginning of the third set, it looked as though the Lady Raiders would succeed where the Lady Panthers had failed by maintaining momentum from their second-set win by jumping out to a dominant start to the third, leading by as much as six points at 8-2, 9-3 and 10-6. But, that was when the home side recovered and began to work its way back into the match, which was due to taking better care of the ball, said Liberty Hill head coach Gretchen Peterson. “One thing we talked about was no more unforced errors,” she said. “We gave away six points in the second set. Once we tightened things up, we were able to play a lot better.”
Included in the mid-match adjustments was a step-up on defense by the duo of Haley Kuhlmann and Rowley, said Peterson. “I think just about every ball we played was touched by either Haley or Maddi,” she said. “They played really good defense, which they were able to do because our blockers were active – everyone was where they were supposed to be.” After the Lady Panthers had pulled to within a point of the visitors – at 14-13 and 15-14 – but failed to level the score, the third time was the charm, as they equalized at 17-17 on a Kuhlmann ace, then took the lead on a Becker kill before Rowley helped seal the set victory with a pair of aces and Becker hammered one home to take a 2-1 set lead heading into the fourth. Midway through the fourth, the Lady Panthers took control once and for all, as they built and increased their lead to as much as seven points at 15-8 on another Kuhlmann ace. But, it was Wilkins who took charge at the net down the stretch, with a pair of blocks and two kills to help secure the victory. Peterson said Wilkins was able to have her way with the Cedar Ridge front line as a result of having studied the Lady Raiders up to that point in the proceedings. “Lilli really figured out the timing of their hitters,” she said. “Kindsee (Escamilla) and Emma (Becker) also had it dialed in.” As for Truslow’s exploits, Peterson said she’s not surprised with how well she’s fit in with her new teammates. “Kaileigh’s a phenomenal talent,” she said. “She’s still learning our system, so sometimes she gets caught watching the ball, but she’s blending in very well and she’ll keep challenging herself to get better as she accelerates the other aspects of her game.” Kuhlmann served four aces and had 16 digs in all, while Wilkins had five blocks, Hair a pair of blocks and Becker added 18 assists. Two wins in SA Liberty Hill’s volleyball squad headed south for a pair of matches in San Antonio on Sept. 18 and returned home with a pair of victories. First up was a matchup against Class 6A Antonian, which the Lady Panthers prevailed in by a score of 3-1 (2514, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18), as
sophomore Kaileigh Truslow led Liberty Hill with 12 kills, while Emma Becker added 11. Junior setter Emma Parsons supplied 27 assists and nine digs, while Becker added four blocks and 18 assists. Senior middle blocker Lilli Wilkins had a big match at the net with four blocks to go along with three aces and Truslow also added a trio of aces, with Maddi Rowley contributing nine digs to the victory. Next up was a straight-sets victory over Samuel Clemens by a scoreline of 3-0 (25-11, 2518, 25-15). Outside hitter Truslow again led the way, with eight kills, six aces and eight digs, while Ailie Hair added seven kills and a pair of blocks. In addition, Becker supplied 12 assists and two aces, as Parsons led with 17 assists and Haley Kuhlmann had a squad-leading 10 digs on the match, while Wilkins added three blocks.
Volleyball vs. Ellison Junior middle blocker Ailie Hair recorded nine kills and a team-leading four blocks in the Lady Panthers’ 3-0 (25-23, 2519, 25-14) home victory against Class 6A Killeen Ellison on Sept. 22. Emma Becker led the home side with 10 kills to go with three aces and 13 assists, as Liberty Hill moved to 5-0 on the season with the victory over the Lady Eagles. The Lady Panthers got off to a slow start to the match, falling behind by as much as 13-8 in the first set, only to rebound on the strength of a Becker kill and an ace by Emma Parsons as part of a 5-0 run. Liberty Hill managed to even the score on three different occasions, only to lose the next point before finally going ahead on the fourth time of asking at 23-22 – a sequence which included a kill and a block by Maddi Rowley, as the Lady Panthers prevailed in the opening set after Hair and Becker teamed up for a block with the score at 23-23 before Kaileigh Truslow hammered home a winner to close out the stanza. According to Liberty Hill head coach Gretchen Peterson, her club’s resurgence began when they started eliminating mistakes which plagued them early on. “We stopped missing serves and started being smarter,” said Peterson. “We also stopped missing shots at important times.”
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
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secure a hard-fought victory. Certainly, there was nothing hardfought in district play last season, when the Lady Panthers failed to drop even a single set all the way through the entire district schedule. But, then again, all that regular-season dominance meant nothing after a second-round playoff ouster in the form of a five-set loss at the hands of Caldwell. So, all this extra fire-and-brimstone this year’s team will go through long before the postseason will do them plenty of good, as op-
Thursday, September 24, 2020
SPORTS BRIEFS
Kaileigh Truslow (18) led the Lady Panthers with 17 kills in Liberty Hill’s 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 2521, 25-19) home victory over Cedar Ridge on Sept. 19.
Column
posed to simply breezing through to a district championship without ever being even remotely challenged. Earlier, we spoke of young Long, who lit up the gridiron during the Panthers’ football scrimmage on Friday, so it’s only fair to highlight another Liberty Hill varsity rookie in sophomore outside hitter Kaileigh Truslow, who bombed away with 17 kills in the Lady Panthers’ volleyball victory on Saturday. Sometimes in sports – at any level, really – there’s a player who simply stands out among his or
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Senior Ayanna Donwerth (705) won the girls’ varsity race in 18:35.40 – 46 seconds ahead of her closest competitor – at the Waco Invitational on Sept. 17. The second set was a backand-forth affair, as the teams traded momentum and were never more than a point apart until midway through when Hair blasted a winner and the Lady Panthers took the lead for good at 11-10. Truslow had six kills, while Haley Kuhlmann served up back-to-back aces to help win the set. In the third set, Liberty Hill dominated from start to finish, winning the first five points of the period, including an ace by Bailey Becker, as the advantage grew to as much as 20-10 before senior Ashleigh Dubbs picked up a pair of kills late on, along with another by Rowley before Emma Becker finished off the visitors with the winning point in completing the straight-sets victory. The Lady Panthers were without seniors Kindsee Escamilla and Lilli Wilkins, who were unavailable to play, which meant Peterson was forced to insert Bailey Becker and Reese Williams into the lineup. However, the young duo acquitted themselves well despite being thrown unexpectedly into the heat of battle, she said. “It was definitely good to get them some experience,” she said. “They certainly didn’t panic and did a good job for us.” Wilkins’ absence meant most of the middle blocker responsibilities fell to Hair, who met the challenge set before her, said Peterson. “Ailie stepped up and did really well,” she said. “She had some big shoes to fill, but during practice everybody gets tons of reps.” Peterson also singled out another pair for praise. “Maddi (Rowley) and Haley (Kuhlmann) touched most of the balls we got kills on,” she said. “What they do isn’t glamorous or necessarily shows up on the stat sheet, but they just did what we needed them to do – they kept the match calm and under control.” Parsons led Liberty Hill with 16 assists, while Kuhlmann and Rowley picked up 14 and 10 digs, respectively. Kuhlmann and Truslow each served three aces and Dubbs and Emma Becker each blocked two shots. Liberty Hill (5-0) will next hit the road for matches at Pflugerville on Sept. 25 and a pair against Brenham and Huntsville on Sept. 26 before opening district play at Rouse on Sept. 29. Cross Country at Waco Liberty Hill’s cross country squad awakened in the wee
her peers – the kind of athlete who makes the game look easy. Truslow is one of those players. Especially when she steps back to serve and lofts the ball higher and with more spin than her contemporaries, which creates heat-seeking missiles off her clenched fist we wouldn’t want to be in the way of. Rumor has it the young spiker has honed her considerable skills playing sand volleyball in addition to the traditional indoor game. Now, we’re from California, so we know all about beach volleyball, but that’s a story for a differ-
hours on the morning of Sept. 17 for a 4:30 a.m. departure on the way to the Waco Invitational. Clearly, the lack of sleep had no effect on the Panthers as both varsity and junior varsity girls’ and boys’ team all won their respective team competitions. The varsity girls placed all five point-scoring runners in the top 10, including winner Ayanna Donwerth, who blew the field away, crossing the finish line in a time of 18:35.40 – which was 46 seconds ahead of her closest pursuer. Liberty Hill head coach Kim Holt said Donwerth was motivated after what the senior considered a subpar performance at the Cedar Park Invitational in the season-opener less than a week before. “I think Ayanna wanted to do better than she did at the Cedar Park meet,” she said. “She’s a competitor. The course was very fast and flat and the varsity girls ran at 7:30 a.m. when the weather was good.” Freshman Daisy Anaya finished fourth in 20:44.10, while teammate Angela Mena was right behind in fifth in 20:48.60. Natalie Roth finished eighth in 20:55.20, while Avery Holland was 10th in 21:08.40. Also finishing for the Panthers were Tyler Goode (14th, 21:27.50), Olga Albarran (15th, 21:47.30), Amelia Clancy (17th, 21:50.50) and Summer Lewis (28th, 23:20.20). Liberty Hill finished atop the team standings with 28 points, ahead of runners-up McGregor, who posted 33. On the boys’ varsity side, sophomore Ryan McCarn was the highest finisher for the Panthers, in fifth place with a time of 16:39, with teammates Jacob Russell (sixth, 16:43.90) and Caden Glenn (seventh, 16:51.50) right behind. Senior Isaiah De La Garza also cracked the top 10 in ninth in 16:55.20 to round out the point-scorers. Also finishing for Liberty Hill were Anthony Barreras (14th, 17:02.90), Greg Miller (16th, 17:09.80), Cayden Branch (17th, 17:14.30), Cade Johnson (18th, 17:15.50), Toby Rimann (23rd, 17:38.00) and Noah Ybarra (27th, 17:59.90). In all, the boys finished with 41 points to McGregor, who was second with 68. After a fourth-place showing at the opener, Holt said they were determined to im-
ent time. After seeing her toy with a tough Class 6A opponent, one wonders how she wasn’t on the varsity roster last season as a freshman. But, who are we to question the wisdom of Peterson, who has already forgotten more about volleyball in her nearly two decades of coaching than we’ll ever know? With this year’s shortened preseason, we won’t have to wait long to find out how the Lady Panthers will react to their new district, as the opener against Rouse is already less than a week away.
prove the following race and ran together in packs to maximize performance. “The boys wanted to do better than their finish at Cedar Park,” she said. “They were ready to compete and do well. The boys do a good job of closing the gaps and trying to stay close to their teammates.” But, that wasn’t all,as the junior varsity also claimed victories in both the girls’ and boys’ team competitions, as well as individual winners in both races. Ashley Price won the girls’ race in 22:41.00, with teammate Eimilie Taylor in second at 22:53.40. Megan Pfeiler was fifth in 23:23.70, Sophia Revere ninth in 24:14.00 and Anne Deamaral 10th in 24:16.20. Also finishing for the Panthers were Sofia Fernandez (11th, 24:16.30), Makenzy Webb (17th, 24:52.10), Payton Stephenson (18th 24:52.50) and Juliana Perez (46th, 31:41.90). The girls finished with 27 points to easily outdistance second-place Temple, who had 60. Brandon Colicher won the boys’ JV race in 17:26.70, with teammates Jack Roth (fourth, 18:11.00), Christopher Higginbotham (eighth, 18:32.30) and Luke Lande (10th, 18:49.00) all finishing in the top 10. Senior Jason Hiebner (11th, 18:56.60), Jackson Hope (12th, 18:59.40) and Caden Garner (13th, 19:04.70) all crossed the line consecutively for the Panthers, with Braden Gilbert (16th, 19:17.10), Lane Shaw (17th, 19:36.00) and Brayden Parker (25th, 20:40.30) also finishing. In all, the boys finished even on 34 points with Killeen Ellison, but were declared winners based on Colicher’s individual victory. Holt said the fierce competition within the ranks of all her teams provides opportunities for those who do well each race to move up the ladder. “The kids know each week the varsity could change, so if we have kids do well on JV, then we’ll move them up,” she said. “We’re looking for the best seven runners to compete at the district meet on the varsity.” Liberty Hill’s varsity will next compete at the Mcneil Invitational on Sept. 26, while the JV will run in Belton on Sept. 24.
So, after a pair of Panthers events with only a 12-hour turnaround in between, your humble local sports scribe was ready for a deep breath and a few beverages. But, you know what? No worries because it sure beats the alternative we dealt with for six months. In closing, we’ll paraphrase rock legends Thin Lizzy in saying the boys and girls are back in town – and we’re pleased as punch to be there bringing their exploits to you once again. Rock on, Panthers!
Thursday, September 24, 2020
MCCARN
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
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ďŹ rst, I was out in the yard falling all over the place.â€? Which leads us to his next problem. McCarn has had myriad injury issues over the course of his young running career, beginning with a broken hip suffered one day while simply running during a junior-high physical education class. “I was sprinting and all of a sudden, my hip just popped out,â€? he said. “It was pretty painful.â€? But that was only the beginning of his injury woes, as shin splints soon developed, which eventually led to a stress fracture in his right knee, which derailed his freshman cross country season after only competing in the ďŹ rst two junior varsity races of the season. According to McCarn, the shin splints had been bothering him before and after training up to that point, but in that second race of the 2019 season, it ared up for the ďŹ rst time during competition – an ominous sign and one which left the young runner doubting if the athletic life was even the one for him, he said. “After the stress fracture, I started wondering if it was all worth it – I always seemed to be broken,â€? said McCarn. “But, I knew I didn’t want to just quit – I wasn’t wanting to give up – so I thought I would give it one more shot and if it happened again, I would reconsider.â€? So, a lengthy rehab was in order – one in which he would not only recover from injury, but build himself up to make sure there would be no reoccurrences in the future. For the next four weeks, he would not run, but would focus on what needed to be done in order to return to a pain-free athletic existence, he said. “I was doing a lot of exercises to strengthen my legs and everything
VOLLEYBALL
else,â€? said McCarn. “I also went to Run Lab.â€? McCarn is speaking of the Austin outďŹ t which specializes in helping runners deal with and return from injury through a thorough breakdown of the athlete to determine what the best course of action is for each particular runner. For McCarn, it worked wonders, he said. “They gave me a gait analysis, which really helped me work on my form,â€? said McCarn. “Also, a lot of very in-depth exercises.â€? The results were quite remarkable. “I graduated from the course, but then the pandemic hit in March,â€? he said. “But, then my mom saw they were open again in May.â€? McCarn continued his regular visits for the rest of the summer, which led him up to the fall cross country season, when he would make his comeback. Liberty Hill head coach Kim Holt said the fact McCarn was able to return was a tribute to his resolve. “Ryan’s very dedicated,â€? she said. “He really loves to run and last year his body was in transition – we see a lot of boys who come into high school and have problems during growth spurts, so we work on strength exercises to help. But, Ryan has also gotten taller and stronger himself since last year.â€? On Sept. 12 at the Panthers’ ďŹ rst event of the new season – the Cedar Park Invitational – McCarn ďŹ nally got his chance to race against the big boys and certainly made the most of it, with a 12th-place ďŹ nish in a time of 17:42.0 in a tough ďŹ eld of 47 runners. In fact, McCarn’s result was good enough to be ďŹ rst among the Liberty Hill runners who crossed the ďŹ nish line, posting a time 24 seconds better than his nearest Panthers teammate. But, as runners usually tend to be,
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really good competition,â€? said Escamilla, of the much more rugged district schedule she and her teammates will battle through this year. “It’ll really give me an opportunity to show what I can do.â€? Escamailla added the fact the Lady Panthers will deďŹ nitely be challenged by the likes of the Leander and Georgetown schools, as well as state No. 4-ranked Cedar Park, she and her teammates are certainly not tempering their goals. “No, it’s not changing our expectations at all,â€? she said. “In fact, in the past, we really couldn’t play up to our expectations and really show what we’re capable of. I think we can really keep up with these teams we’ll be playing this year.â€? Indeed, the elevated exposure will provide a platform for Escamilla to showcase her consid-
McCarn wasn’t completely satisďŹ ed with his performance. “I got a really bad start and had to catch up,â€? he said. “But, I didn’t freak out or anything – I just knew what I needed to do and had tunnel vision to the ďŹ nish line.â€? There was one ďŹ nal hurdle, though, which McCarn had to clear before his could resume his running career, he said. “After my stress fracture, I fell and broke my arm skateboarding,â€? said McCarn. “I was trying to jump a patch of grass, didn’t clear it and landed wrong.â€? At that point, father Rodney stepped in to discourage any more X Games antics. “He didn’t exactly tell me to stop,â€? he said. “But, I knew he would frown on it.â€? With his injury issues now a thing of the past, McCarn is free to focus on his running – and as far as he’s concerned, the sky’s the limit as far as what he’s capable of in the future, he said. “I’m not really sure what I can do yet,â€? said McCarn. “I just really want to make it to state and be as fast as I can be.â€? McCarn said there was one thing which helped him get through the dark days of his seemingly never-ending injury woes. “I’m a Christian, so I prayed a lot during that time,â€? he said. “Before, I used to just go to church without really thinking much about it, but now I think all this happened so I would get to know God better.â€? What, then about his circus-like skills? “I usually juggle tennis balls, but I ordered some glow-in-the-dark dark balls with LED lights in them,â€? he said. “I’ve always liked doing weird, cool things.â€?
erable skills to college scouts in the hopes of getting the chance to continue her playing career at the next level – something which has been on her radar from the very beginning, she said. “My entire life has been about playing in college,â€? said Escamilla. “Even if it’s at a junior college ďŹ rst, then maybe transfer to a Division I school.â€? Something else Escamilla has going for her these days is the fact she has ďŹ nally left a chronic ankle injury in her rear-view mirror – one which had plagued her since her freshman season. “Playing is a lot easier now because I was always in pain,â€? she said. “Every time I jumped and landed, I’d be worried and it would hurt.â€? Escamilla ďŹ rst injured her ankle as a Lady Panthers rookie, then sprained the same one at
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WORKING FROM HOME? NEED MORE SPACE?
“I thought all four of our backs played well,â€? he said. “As a team, we ran hard and our offensive line is getting better.â€? But, it was the Panthers’ air attack which struck again, as Calabretta hit Hunter with a 11-yard strike for his second touchdown pass of the game and a 21-0 lead at the end of the ďŹ rst quarter. After Canyon scored to make it 21-7 in the second period, De La Cruz got it back with a 31-yard sprint to the end zone to close out the scoring at 27-7. Rampy then followed up his earlier interception by ying into the Cougars’ backďŹ eld with a tackle-for-loss to put an exclamation mark on the proceedings. Walker was happy with how his team played as the Panthers will now have only seven days to get ready for the season-opener. “We feel we have kids in the right spots, but it takes time,â€? he said. “I’ve never had a team in all my years of coaching who looked very good at this time of year, so we still have a lot of work to do, but I’m proud of how they performed tonight.â€?
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mental block is released faster. Here at Liberty Hill, we have great young people on the Panthers tennis team.� Conquering mental blocks means the physical side can do its part without restraints – which once again, can be seen simply in how a player reacts and carries over to how they interact with their teammates in a positive manner, she said. “It’s all about body language – they smile and they want to keep repeating the shot that feels good,� said Rhoden. “They look for others to acknowledge their awesome moments. When they’re happy, they want to en-
the beginning of her sophomore season before ďŹ nally returning for an injury-free junior campaign last fall. However, the pain and discomfort remained until she ďŹ nally had surgery to repair damaged ligaments following last season – a procedure which has brought her back to full strength. In fact, once again having the ability to play without being held back has played a large role in her newfound passion, desire and hunger for the game, she said. “What that did was really open things up for myself,â€? said Escamilla. “Now I can use that to my advantage.â€? Hopefully, all of it will help in her attempt at setting a school record, she said. “I’ve always had this thing about setting a
courage their teammates more. They hustle more. It’s so fun to see all of this as a coach.� Rhoden also said a healthy dose of spirituality helps in opening the door for a critical virtue to be able to take effect. “First, I feel like grace is most important on the player’s behalf and the coach,� she said. “Both have to be realistic and know many mistakes will be made in the process. Once the grace is accepted, the patience portion of the process kicks in. It takes so much hard work, but the reward is why we keep working.�
record for kills,â€? said Escamilla. “Whether it’s most in a match, a season or a career.â€? One thing Escamilla deďŹ nitely won’t miss after she graduates is the grueling one-mile run she and her teammates are put through at the beginning of each season, she said. “I’m very happy I won’t have to do that anymore,â€? said Escamilla. Speaking of doing things for the very last time, she said she hasn’t paid much attention so far to any kind of possible nostalgic moments as her Purple-and-Gold career heads down the ďŹ nal stretch toward the ďŹ nish line. “It’s hit me a couple of times already,â€? said Escamilla. “But, I haven’t really thought about it all that much. I just want to play the best I can this year.â€?
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interception by Bryce Rampy on a deected pass as the Panthers senior found himself in a seated position before hauling the ball in. The Panthers continued to mix in the pass on offense, as Calabretta continued to ďŹ nd open receivers downďŹ eld, including a wide-open Andrew Hunter, who dropped what would’ve been a long touchdown before a roughing-the-passer penalty on Canyon gave the home team a ďŹ rst down. Seward took over from there with a 60-yard scoring run and a 14-0 lead with 7:35 left in the ďŹ rst quarter. Kaden McMahan batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage on the Cougars’ next possession to help stop a drive and give the Panthers’ offense the ball once again. Only this time, it was senior Eric De La Cruz’s turn to shred the Canyon defense, with a bruising run up the middle before a 55-yard run moments later inside the Cougars’ 20yard line. Walker was pleased with the efforts of all of his backďŹ eld runners on the evening.
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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT
MCCOYS
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Though the company started out as one store that sold roofing supplies, it has since expanded to 88 stores throughout Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Now headquartered in San Marcos, the stores offer a full-service lumber yard, farm and ranch supplies and more. “We sell anything professional builders and contractors might need for projects, but we’re also open to all do-it-yourself customers,” Toops said. “And if you need batteries and lightbulbs, you can run in and grab those things too.” When the Liberty Hill store opens, it will be the 89th McCoy’s Building Supply store. Construction is set
to begin on Sept. 28, and should be completed in approximately eight months, Toops said. There will be a 26,000-square-foot retail building and warehouse on 12.5 acres on the south side of State Highway 29 and RM 1869. “The way our stores are designed, we will have the retail space and then a paved, covered, drive-thru lumber yard,” Toops said. “We have lumber inside our store, but there will be a huge selection outside kept in our covered lumber yard. If you have just ordered lumber, you drive up to the yard and can drive through and get loaded up from there.” Toops said McCoy’s aim, espe-
cially in Texas, is to keep growing its stores and reaching new customers. “Liberty Hill was a great place for us to move into so we can better reach our customers,” she added. “Many people in the area already shop with us, but instead of having to drive into Georgetown or another store, if we are in Liberty Hill, we can be right there for those customers and hopefully we will also strengthen our reach. We have several stores in Austin and the surrounding area, and we’re really trying to reach out a little more to those areas that will be a good fit, like Liberty Hill. We want to be a part of the growth in the area.” Toops said McCoy’s will be a
Thursday, September 24, 2020
good fit for the Liberty Hill community because it is not a one-size-fitsall store. “Some people may come in with big projects and be well-versed in construction terms, and for others, it might be their first time working on a project,” she said. “We’re happy to help with it all. We have a good balance of providing personalized service to those doing do-it-yourself projects and professional builders working on large scale building projects.” Besides lumber and building supplies, Toops said McCoy’s also carries a large amount of farm and ranch supplies, from fencing to cattle shoots. “Because of this, we can reach a
unique number of customers and provide really personalized service to those customers,” she added. Toops said once the Liberty Hill store opens, McCoy’s plans to be a thriving part of the community. “We’re really excited to be in Liberty Hill,” she said. “We have a long history as a company and a long history in Texas, and we’re excited to bring that history and experience to Liberty Hill.” While store hours have not been set yet, Toops said McCoy’s is always closed on Sundays and hours during the week are typically from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on McCoy’s, visit www.mccoys.com.
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