While Winning, Losing Benitez Represented SSHS Wildcat Tennis Well
Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez said senior Alex Benitez represented Sulphur Springs very well at the Regional Tennis Tournament last week in Allen. Coach Martinez said Benitez did that while winning and losing. Other than Benitez, only a girl from Greenville won a first round match while Texas High and Hallsville came up empty. In round two, Benitez was paired up with Michel Zobel, a German exchange student, with Midlothian and the #1 seed in the tournament. Coach Martinez said Zobel will be a Division 1 player at some college someday. Despite the 6-0, 6-0 score, Coach Martinez said Benitez played some of his best tennis and kept a good attitude throughout the match. He said Benitez left the court satisfied that he had done his best against someone who was just better than he was.
Coach Martinez said Benitez is leaving a legacy as he departs the team. Coach Martinez called Benitez his volunteer assistant coach who would hit with anyone on the team while encouraging them. The Wildcats will also lose senior Jasmine Cruz. Coach Martinez looks forward to working with the players coming back next season and with some new freshman coming to high school.
Coach Talk: Hammack on Wildcat, Carrillo on Lady Cat Verses Mt Pleasant
Hammack on Mount Pleasant Win
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said he always feels good when Ryan Humphries is on the mound for the Wildcats. Coach Hammack was on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show last Saturday (April 21). Humphries got his third district shutout last Friday, 7-0 over Mount Pleasant. He has shut them out twice this season. Coach Hammack said the offense got off to a slow start. Dawson Draper changed all that when he hit the first ever home run at new Wildcat Park. Draper was 3 for 3 and he also hit a double. Coach Hammack said when Ryan is going well on the mound and the Wildcats put together some good at bats, the Wildcats can beat anybody. Coach Hammack called Humphries a bulldog warrior. Coach Hammack said he’s beginning to get a feeling about new Wildcat Park that it’s a place where the Wildcats will find success. He said with the win, the Wildcats continue to control their own destiny. The win gave the Wildcats an 8-2 district record. They are one game back of first place Hallsville and one game ahead of third place Texas High. Texas High plays at Hallsville Tuesday night. The Wildcats are 15-9 for the season. The Wildcats play host to the Greenville Lions Tuesday night at Wildcat Park. The Wildcats won the first district game against the Lions, 8-2 in Greenville. Coach Hammack said he will start either Pacen Edwards or Jaxon Chaney against Greenville. Saturday the Wildcats were scheduled to face Rowlett on the road in a non-district game. That game was canceled due to rain.
Carrillo on Mount Pleasant Win
After the Lady Cats’ softball team defeated Mount Pleasant, 7-5 to clinch the district championship and the district’s #1 seed in the playoffs, a bi-district rematch with Lovejoy was set up. The two teams have met twice in recent years with Lovejoy winning both series. Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo, on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show, said this year’s Lady Leopards team is quite different from last year’s senior laden team. He is telling his team that they must bring their A game to the field to win. Coach Carrillo is also encouraging his team to enjoy the playoffs and have fun. He wants his team to play with confidence and he said the Lady Cats want some payback after losing last year. This year’s bi-district schedule calls for game one at Lovejoy Thursday night at 7 p.m. Game two at Sulphur Springs Lady Cat Park Friday at 7 p.m. Game three, if necessary, will be at Royse City Saturday at noon. The district championship the Lady Cats won outright is Coach Carrillo’s first sole championship here. His 2009 Lady Cats team shared the district championship with Texas High. The last step to the district championship was not an easy one. Mount Pleasant kept battling to the end having the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh inning. Coach Carrillo said the key moment for the Lady Cats was the bottom of the third inning. The Lady Tigers had just gone ahead, 3-1 with two runs in the top of the third. After a fiery dugout speech by Coach Carrillo intending to light a fire under his team, the Lady Cats responded. They tied up the score before a single out was made. They added two more runs for good measure and went back up, 5-3. The Lady Cats later added two more runs that would turn out to be the difference.
Six Year Sentence when Probation Revoked
Tina Valerie Darlin Boles, 38, was sentenced to six (6) years when her probation was revoked Monday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court. Boles was on probation for a 2012 conviction of Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams, a Felony 3.
Boles was also sentenced to six years by Wood County District Court last month.
Probation Revoked and a Five Year Sentence
April 23, 2018 – Monday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court, Shelby Lynn Lyons, 34, was sentenced to 5 years when her probation for Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence with Intent to Impair, a Felony 3 was revoked. The charge dates back to January, 2016.
Shelby Lynn Lyons
Former University of Memphis, University of Tennessee Basketball Player Sentenced in Eighth Judicial District Court
Former University of Memphis Tiger and University of Tennessee Volunteer basketball player, Cornelius “Scooter” McFadgon, 35, of Memphis, Tennessee and Dallas, Texas will serve 20 years for possession of Marijuana and 20 years for Possession of Cocaine following his plea in Probation Revocation cases heard in Eighth Judicial Court Monday. The sentences will run concurrent. McFadgon was arrested in June, 2014 when 2.5 pounds of cocaine and 193 pounds of Marijuana were found in the SUV he was driving.
McFadgon also played in the European Basketball League averaging 11.6 points per game for Upea Capo d’Orlando.In 2017, McFadgon was arrested on drug charges in 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee
Jason Ricketson, then a Lieutenant with the Sulphur Springs Police Department and now Patrol Captain, said at the time he believed the drugs were picked up in Dallas or Houston.
Simpson Sentenced to 25 Years in TDJC
In an agreement between the District Attorney’s office and Larry Wayne Simpson, 46, of Commerce, Eighth Judicial District Court will sentence Simpson to 25 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, according to Matt Harris, Assistant District Attorney. Simpson entered a guilty plea for Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 more than 4-grams but less than 200-grams in the agreement.
Simpson was the driver of an older Chevrolet passenger car that failed to stop at a designated point, a stop sign, at the intersection of Frisco Street and Main Street in Cumby last July. A traffic stop by Cumby Police was initiated at that time. Although the driver and passenger in the vehicle stated there was nothing illegal in the vehicle but that proved to be false.
The Cumby officer asked for consent to search the vehicle but was denied. He asked the driver, Larry Wayne Simpson, 45, of Commerce to step out of the auto. During a Terry Frisk, Simpson tensed when the officer touched his right front pocket. He admitted to a bag being in that pocket but did not reply to the numerous requests asking if there were weapons or drugs in the pocket. Simpson was arrested for the traffic violation and a property inventory of his personal belongings followed. The black bag in his pocket concealed a large amount of a white crystal like substance believed to be Methamphetamine was found in the bag.
Miller Grove Qualifies 4 Hornets, 6 Lady Hornets for Regional Track
Miller Grove had four Hornets and six Lady Hornets qualify for the Regional Track Meet at an Area Track Meet last week at Mount Pleasant. Miller Grove was third as a team in Area.
In the 1600-meter run, Albert Serrano was first, Kobe Robertson and second and Grant Earp finished fourth. All three also qualified in the 3200-meter run with a 1-2-3 finish, Serrano first, Robertson second and Earp third.
Grant Sharp qualified with a third place finish in the 400-meter run. Serrano and Robertson also qualified in the 800-meter run with Serrano first and Robertson third.
Other Hornet results included Sharp with a sixth place finish in the 200-meter dash and Matt Brignon with a fifth place finish in the 800-meter run.
For the Lady Hornets, who finished fourth as a team, Jorja Bessonett was first in the 1600-meter run with Jolee Fox fourth.
In the 3200-meter run, Bessonett was first, Fox was third and Lauren Bullard was fourth.
In the 400-meter run, Cassidy Seaney was first, Rosa Schones was third and Alexa Pelerose was fourth.
In the 800-meter run, Seaney was second and Bullard was third.
The Lady Hornets’ 4 X 400-meter relay team qualified with a first place finish. Relay members are Seaney, Bessonett, Bullard and Schones.
Other Lady Hornets’ results included Pelerose with a fifth place finish in the 800-meter run and a sixth place finish for the 4 X 200-meter relay team consisting of Kamryn Hall, Harli Watson, Alexis Green and Cara Ford.
Regional Golf, Monday; Regional Track Friday, Saturday
Wildcats’ golfer Carter Lewis is representing Sulphur Springs at the Regional Golf Tournament for Region II in Class 5A Monday (April 23) at the Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club. The tournament runs Monday and Tuesday. Lewis qualified for the regional tournament at the district tournament by shooting a 78 and 85. The Wildcats team finished in third place at district, just one spot away from qualifying.
A fourth Wildcat will be going to the Regional Track Meet being held this Friday and Saturday (April 27-28) at UTA’s Maverick Stadium. At the Area Meet last week, Eli Sellers came in fifth in the 800 meter run after a photo finish and frame by frame comparison showed he missed out on qualifying by .008 of a second. Wildcats Track Coach Matt Young said he had never seen such a slim margin. However one of the qualifiers in the 800-meter run decided he wanted to concentrate on the 1600-meter run at regional so he pulled out of the regional field in the 800-meter run. Sellers, as the alternate, will now go in his place. Coach Young noted that Sellers ran a personal best in that 800-meter run at Area. Other Wildcats to qualify for the Regional Track Meet were Dedric Godbolt in the high jump, Landry Tyson in the 300-meter hurdles and Kylan Wade in the 110-meter hurdles. Tyson replaces Ryan Humphries who qualified with a second place finish in the 300-meter hurdles but has decided to play in a big Wildcats’ baseball game Friday (April 27) rather than run at the Regional Track Meet.
Clara Bridges 90+ Banquet: A Celebration with Food, Fun, and Loved Ones
The Guests were served Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls Cake, Pie and Pear Dump Cake. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Elaine Harrison. The Music was given by: East Caney Youth Choir and Buddy and Ina Gore, Psalm 100. The Special Speaker was Lucinda Benton.
Thank You to the Sponsors: 1st Choice Home Health, Texas Heritage Bank, Farmers Electric Cooperative, Guaranty Bank and Trust, Alliance Bank, City National Bank, Grocery Supply and East Texas Physical Therapy.
Thank You to 1st Baptist Church for the use of the ROC to hold the Banquet.
