Wildcats Soccer Finishes as Co-District Champions
Wildcats soccer with their win Tuesday have secured a share of the district championship.
Sulphur Springs just had to beat North Lamar convincingly at home for Senior Night, getting 4+ goal differential against the Panthers which in turn would give the Wildcats at least a share of the district title.
They did just that, putting three goals in the net in the first 23 minutes of Tuesday night’s game en route to a huge 4-0 blowout of North Lamar.
Tuesday, Mar. 14’s win at the Prim came on Senior Night, where Coach Upton and his squad gave a proper sendoff for his 12 seniors.
Coach Upton said losing this group of graduating students is particularly tough for the soccer coach.
“We’ve got an incredible group of seniors,” Coach Upton said. “I can’t speak enough [praise] about them… my five years here has been since their eight grade year, so we’ve kinda grown together, we’ve kinda learned together… they’re just an incredible group of guys.”
And what a night it was, as two seniors scored their final goal in their last game at the Prim. Uriel Santacruz put one in on an assist from fellow senior Jose Rodriguez to get the scoring underway for Sulphur Springs. Santacruz also assisted on the second goal in the game, as Jaxon Haire beat the keeper for the second goal on the evening.
Eric Rodriguez and senior Alexis Pasion both put goals in the net, with both coming unassisted.
From there, Coach Upton and Wildcats soccer cruised to a 4-0 finish on Senior Night.
“Respect to our guys, they played incredible,” Coach Alexi Upton said Tuesday night following the win. “It was just a good game all around… We played very well. There were very few chances for them to score.”
Sulphur Springs with their win Tuesday have not only completes a stellar 11-1 district season, but their 4-0 blowout of North Lamar secures the men’s soccer program their first district championship since 2013.
“That’s been the goal since the start of the year, to go win a district championship,” Coach Alexi Upton said Tuesday night post-game.
Although it is more than likely to be a shared district championship (Paris, 10-1, plays 3-8 Chapel Hill Friday), Sulphur Springs with a Paris win falls down to the #2 seed as men’s soccer is bested by Paris in terms of goal differential.
“We’ll tie [with Paris] because we have the exact same points, so we’ll be co-champs,” Coach Upton said Tuesday night following the senior night win. “They’ll just take the one seed pending any catastrophes on their end.”
As unlikely as it may be, Wildcats soccer looks for the upset in the hopes of securing on outright district title. Whether Friday’s game falls Sulphur Springs’ way remains to be seen, but Coach Alexi Upton and his squad will gladly accept a share of the 15-4A crown for the 2023 season.
Next up, Wildcats soccer plays Athens in the opening round of playoffs.
Coach Upton said following Tuesday night’s win their Bi-District game will be played Thursday, Mar. 23 at 7 P.M.
That game is scheduled to follow the Lady Cats, who also play at Lindale Eagles Stadium but at 5 P.M.
Next Thursday brings a great double-header for the soccer program, both playing in the opening round of playoffs.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
17th Annual Lights Of Life Gala Sponsor Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation appreciates all their partners in bringing state-of-the-art health care offerings to our local community. Thank you to Sunny Springs Nursing & Rehab for their $7,500 Bowties and Bandanas sponsorship gift to the 17th Annual Lights of Life Gala.
Back Row: Gala Co-Chair Logan Vaughan, Becky Vargas, Welda White, Linda Mobley, Debbie Chaney, Tina Fenimore, Karri Butts, Brittany Covington, and Becky Cady
Meal-A-Day Menu And Senior Citizen Center Calendar March 20-24, 2023
Volunteers prepare meals at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center and deliver them five days a week to Meal A Day program recipients in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The Meal A Day Menu for the week of March 20-24, 2023 includes:
MONDAY, March 20- Fish Sticks, Corn Fritters and Coleslaw
TUESDAY, March 21- Chicken Thigh with Mushroom Sauce, Rice and Broccoli
WEDNESDAY, March 22- Chicken & Dumplings, Crackers and a Salad
THURSDAY, March 23- Southwest Sausage Egg Bake, Banana Nut Muffin and Mixed Fruit
FRIDAY, March 24- Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
CraversTX Community Garden Spring Break Activities Cancelled for Thursday Only
The CraversTX Community Garden has cancelled the Thursday Springs Break Activities. Friday’s noon till 2pm events are still happening.
Be weather aware today, and we will see you Friday.
Texas Rent Relief To Close March 16 2023 At 11:59 AM CT
March 16, 2023- With more than 70,000 applications submitted within the first 24 hours of re-opening, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announced it will be closing the Texas Rent Relief (TRR) application portal on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 11:59 am CT. For comparison, the highest number of applications seen in a single day when the portal first opened in 2021 was less than 20,000.
- Applicants facing eviction will be prioritized, as long as their application includes a valid eviction docket number.
- Applicants that have started but not yet completed an application, must upload all documents and submit the application by Thursday, March 16, at 11:59 am CT. Submitting an application does not guarantee payment.
- Closing the portal with this new deadline helps ensure program staff can more quickly review applications and distribute the remaining funds.
- If you are facing eviction, we encourage you to seek legal assistance, go to your eviction hearing and stay in communication with your landlord and the court. You can visit https://texaslawhelp.org/eviction-referral or call 855-270-7655 for help understanding your options and seeking free or low-cost legal assistance.
Since the program launched in February 2021, TRR has provided over $2.1 billion in emergency funds for rent and utility relief, served over 316,000 households in 250 Texas counties and prevented evictions for over 21,000 households. Visit TexasRentRelief.com for more program highlights.
2023 USA Pickleball National Championships Coming To North Texas
March 15, 2023- North Texas will be the home to the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships this November. The tournament will be held from Nov. 4 to Nov. 12 at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch.
The organizers of the event say that the event will be the largest-ever pickleball tournament, with over 3,500 amateur and professional players. The winner of the pro event will win a $150,000 prize, the largest in the history of the tournament.
The fans will have ‘Pickleball boulevard’ full of interactive activities and plenty of food and drinks inspired by Texas. There will be live musical performances every night. More organizers expect more than 25,000 people to attend the event.
Fore more information on the upcoming pickleball game click: Pickleball upcoming games
Texas Rent Relief Accepting New Applications For Limited Time Texas Rent Relief
March 15, 2023 – The Texas Rent Relief (TRR) program has $96 million dollars remaining to help Texans affected by the pandemic. TRR has reopened the Application portal to accept new applications for rent and utility assistance as of March 14 and will continue accepting them until March 28 11:59 pm CT.
How to apply:
- Visit TexasRentRelief.com to review eligibility details and required documents.
- Collect all documents and paperwork ahead of time to help make the application process smoother.
- As of March 14, submit your application online or over the phone by calling the TRR call center at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368).
- Keep an eye out for communication from the program in case we need more information to process your application.
First-time TRR applicants may be eligible for up to 18 months of rent and utility bill assistance, this includes past due payments or a combination of past and future payments. Returning applicants who have not received the maximum allowed 18 months of assistance for rent and/or utility bills can submit an Additional Funding Request by their existing online user account.
Limited Funds are available. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, prioritizing those facing evictions.
If you are facing eviction, it is encouraged you to seek legal assistance, go to your eviction hearing and stay in communication with your landlord and the court. Visit https://texaslawhelp.org/eviction-referral or call 855-270-7655 for help understanding your options and seeking free or low-cost legal assistance.
Sulphur Springs Cars And Coffee
March 15, 2023- The First Baptist Church Parking lot will again be hosting Cars & Coffee on March 25 at 9am. All Cars are welcome to the event, no matter the make or model. This event as always is a come and go event. The event will be from 9 am to 12 pm.
Cars & Coffee Sulphur Springs is a monthly event held on the last Saturday of each month.
9 Million AT&T Customers Affected In Data Breach
March 15, 2023- Service provider AT&T has announced a recent data breach within their system exposing Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) of nearly 9 million customers. The CPNI holds information such as first names, wireless account numbers, wireless phone numbers and even email addresses.
An AT&T spokesperson said, “A small percentage of impacted customers also had exposure of rate plan name, past due amount, monthly payment amount, various monthly charges and/or minutes used. The information was several years old.”
Law enforcement has been notified by AT&T of the data breach, however no personal user information was given during the report. AT&T only reported that a breach had occurred within their systems as required by Federal Trade Commission.
How to protect your data
AT&T is urging people to make a CPNI Restriction Request, which would turn off CPNI data sharing on their accounts and reduce the risk of having their information exposed in the future should AT&T use it again for third-party vendor marketing purposes.
Have good anti-virus software installed on all of your devices. Using antivirus software is the best way to protect yourself from data breaches on your devices. This will also alert you about phishing emails or ransomware scams.
Using Identity theft protection will help allow you to know when your personal information has been used. Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number, and email address, and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account.
Chamber Connection – March 15
We still have a few morning tee times for the 34th Annual Chamber Golf Tournament, set for April 7 at the Sulphur Springs Country Club, but they are going fast.
Like last year, the registration fee for a six-person scramble team is $750, with the morning tee time at 8 a.m. The afternoon slots are already full. Registration includes 12 mulligans, six meal tickets, and three carts.
Check out our registration form online at hopkinschamber.org or drop by the office at 110 Main St. to get in on the action.
We are also accepting goody bag items for the golfers. We need those by noon on Friday, March 31. And we are taking raffle items, so if your business wants to promote itself, goody bag items and raffle prizes are a great way to do it.
Freedom Ball
This year’s Hopkins County Freedom Ball is going to be bigger and better than ever! Come help celebrate our local heroes at the Hopkins County Civic Center on May 20.
This years theme is “Top Gun” and Jason Walden & The Alibis will be providing the music for the evening.
Tickets are $125 each, and 200 tickets are set aside for veterans and their wingman each — first come, first serve. So, get your tickets now.
For tickets, contact Danny Davis at 903-438-4003.
DIY Wedding Expo
The East Texas DIY Wedding Expo, hosted by Frosted Whimsy, is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. March 18 at the Hopkins County Civic Center. Vendors spots are available, starting at $150 Email [email protected] for more information.
Health Fair
A 55+ Health Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to noon at The ROC at First Baptist Church. There will be blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, preneed counseling, hospital equipment, information on hospice and home health as well as assisted living, Medicare and Medicaid.
For more information, contact Karon Weatherman at 903-243-3255.
Health Care Foundation Gala
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation Lights of Life Gala has sponsorships and individual tickets for sale for the premiere event of the season that includes dining, dancing, live and silent auctions and games. All money raised goes to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Sulphur Springs.
Go online to LOLGala2023.GiveSmart.com to purchase tickets or to sponsor.
Lunch and Learn
The Chamber will host its spring Lunch and Learn on Tuesday, April 18, from 11:30-1 p.m. The program will be a roundtable discussion on marketing, both conventional and social media. The seminar will be informational and practical to help business marketers increase their profile by doing it themselves. The cost is $25 for Chamber members and $30 for nonmembers.
Call 903-885-6515 or email [email protected] to sign up.
Ribbon Cuttings
Budding Botanicals hosted a ribbon cutting for their CBD-infused products business on Tuesday, March 7. Check them out on Facebook.
Simply Styling, a boutique for plus sizes, hosted a ribbon cutting at 325 South Davis Street on
Friday, March 10. Go by for clothing, jewelry and accessories.
