September 19, 2025

ALEDO ISD

District names new Executive Director of Special Programs

Lynn Jameson brings 27 years of experience

By Mercedes Mayer Aledo ISD

Serving Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park, Texas ALEDO ISD

McKinney addresses TEA report

Bearcats of Character honored

Lynn Jameson has been named the executive director of Special Programs for Aledo ISD, bringing more than 27 years of experience working with special education students, including more than a dozen years in leadership roles.

“Finding someone with Mrs. Jameson’s experience can be extremely difficult, so we are very grateful to have found a leader with the expertise she has to serve our special education students and staff,” Aledo ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn said. “I know her knowledge and significant leadership capacity will have a huge positive impact on this very important, significant and complex program, but equally so will her deep commitment to students with special needs, the staff who serve them, and the families who raise them.”

Jameson will fill the position as Lynn McKinney, retired Aledo ISD deputy superintendent and namesake of McKinney Elementary, steps away from her interim role as the executive director that she has held since July. McKinney will assist Jameson in the transition when Jameson officially joins AISD in mid-October.

“Even after giving 37 years of her life to our students and staff and this community and while she was thoroughly enjoying her retirement life, Lynn McKinney felt the pull to come back and give even more to our Bearcat family,” Bohn said. “All I had to do was ask. Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat! We are so grateful for her stepping back in and for the work she will continue to put in to ensure a smooth transition and continuous support for our special programs staff and students.”

Jameson has been the executive director of special education in Keller ISD since 2021. Prior to that, she was the executive director of special education in Castleberry ISD for six years.

Jameson has worked in Mansfield ISD as an educational diagnostician, a lead educational diagnostician and a special education coordinator. She was an educational diagnostician and American Sign Language teacher in Arlington ISD, and an ASL or Deaf/Hard of Hearing teacher in Fort Worth ISD, Plano ISD and at Tarrant County College.

“I am honored to join the Aledo ISD as the executive director of special programs,” said Jameson, who will join the district in mid-October. “I look forward to working together to serve the students and families, support the dedicated teachers and staff, and contribute toward the momentum of growing greatness in everything we do.” In her time serving special education students, Jameson has vast experience ensuring compliance with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and state and federal regulations, overseeing ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) processes, administering grant funds and the department budget, supporting program evaluation and compliance reporting, and leading a large staff while ensuring consistent

Turn to JAMESON page 2

Alex Hoben The Community News

The recent reports from the Texas Education Agency were addressed during the September Aledo ISD school board meeting during an in-depth presentation on the special education programs offered in the district.

The topic of special education students and their programs headlined the meeting, with community members and staff filling the seats. Teachers and staff were wearing shirts showing support for the SPED programs around the district, many of those who work for the program itself.

Before the presentation, multiple members of the public spoke to the board in regard to the special education program. Some came to thank the board as well as the teachers present for the work that they have done, and others came to talk about their concerns with the program.

Recently, a TEA investigation report came out about the special education program and was reported by newspapers such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the CBS Texas affiliate. Courtney Morey, a parent mentioned in the CBS story, was there at the meeting and spoke to the board.

Morey, who has been regularly speaking at board meetings about her concerns, has a 3-year-old daughter named Annie who she has spoken of multiple times. Her main concerns lie in how she said she was told her child required an IQ test and when she refused, Annie was excluded from the program.

She spoke to the board about how she was frustrated with the communications she had with previous staff members and is looking into transfer options for her daughter.

“You want to do the least and make it appear like you’re doing the most,” Morey said. “I’m so tired of all the appearances. You want the general community to think

ALEDO

Local business fights back — Again

By John English Contributing Writer

things at Aledo are perfect and shiny. It’s okay for things to be wrong. We need to work together and make them better.”

John Turnage, an Aledo resident with a son in the SPED program, spoke at the meeting, thanking the board and the program staff for working with parents and staff to make a focus group about the concerns that parents have. He got emotional when saying how, because of the teachers and staff who have worked with his son, his son now not only knows how to read but enjoys to, and the district has enhanced his son’s sense of ownership and pride.

“He has made strides in other academic areas, and he has embraced the love of serving others,” he said. “The way you continue to show up every day with smiles on your faces and serve our children and handle the unique challenges that come from time to time with special needs in the midst of an undeserved degree of public criticism is a testament to your heart for our kids and your professionalism.”

John Roach, another parent with a child in the SPED program, said he came forward in April with concerns about the program and said that, after meeting with

board members, 90% of his concerns were addressed and said that the work done has caused dramatic improvements for his son Ben.

“We have considered moving,” Roach said. “We have considered changing schools, and this is the place for us in part because [the staff] care and y’all listen, and that’s what I can ask. Nothing more for y’all to do. There’s always room for improvement, and I hope that we look for the next big thing that can be worked out.”

Program Changes

Interim Executive Director of Special Programs Lynn McKinney gave a presentation about the changes that have been made to the program since she came out of retirement for this position.

McKinney began the presentation by thanking the new team of program coordinators and the teachers and staff who make the program possible, then gave a brief overview of each SPED program offered around the district.

She also touched on how this year they have added increased staff support Turn to BOARD page 2

Invisible company returns

Robert Rushing spent roughly two-thirds of 2023 correcting a problem that was not of his own making.

The Operations Manager of Aledo Overhead Door had to prove that his then five-yearold company existed, while another “company” called Aledo Garage Doors & Gate, whose listed address turned out to be an empty field in Aledo, was allowed to advertise fraudulently and with seeming impunity.

TX,” Rushing said. “We have on recording someone named ‘Jimmy Lee’ that was pretending to be our company, Aledo Overhead Door. Our listing was wrongfully suspended for those eight months while Jimmy Lee was able to continue operating under this fake, empty field listing.”

directly if he was the same Jimmy Lee that tried to pretend he was in the empty field. He proceeded to cuss me out and then hung up.”

Rushing then went to Lee’s office and took photos of a picnic table with paper on it and two garage door samples on the floor.

told the landlord that he probably won’t actually be in the office very much…this type of fraud should be illegal and punishable.”

Rushing took the step of submitting a Business Redressal Form last week and reported what he said were “fake reviews” that had just recently appeared.

After several months of research, investigation, phone calls and emails, Rushing finally got this fake listing removed and the company’s real listing restored by January 2024.

The Aledo man thought the matter was over — until recently.

Rushing said the facility was “completely unmanned.”

The Aledo man said he interviewed the two other tenants in that building, and they said that they have only seen Lee there one time in the last year.

The issue was brought to the Aledo business owner’s attention through a recent phone call.

“Back in 2023, we tried for eight months to remove the fake listing Aledo Garage Doors & Gate that was located in an empty field at 241 S. Front St., Suite 400, Aledo,

“So now they are back as TCAMM Door & Gate located at 6900 I-20, Suite 107, Aledo, TX 76008,” Rushing said. “I called them to see who they were a few nights ago and recorded the very same Jimmy Lee on the phone. I asked him

“One of the tenants also said that when Jimmy Lee first rented that space, the landlord and Jimmy Lee were discussing how to work the lease so that when Google tries to verify everything that it will pass verification,” Rushing said.

“This was because Jimmy Lee

“I received a call from someone that got ripped off for $1,700 to replace their springs,” Rushing said. “They needed help getting their money back. That’s what led me to check the listings again to see if the fake ones had come back. Press Cafe, The Community News, and Aledo Diner all had become garage door companies.”

Turn to INVISIBLE page 2

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Bearcat of Character Maverick Wright shows his certificate to fellow awardee Eleanor Hanover, telling her how it says his name.

Lynn Jameson

through specialized professional learning for the teachers, as well as a full day sub every nine weeks, and two additional flex days. McKinney said these measures are mainly in place for the staff member to work on the heavy paperwork load that comes with the job. She said in the past year the program has added 53 staff members.

McKinney also addressed two TEA complaints. First speaking of a TEA investigation of a complaint on May 9 about a parent asserting their child is not eligible for the alternative STAAR test that has closed after the district submitted information for the case.

The second complaint from June 4 had eight allegations in it relating to Child Find and implementation of IEPs. According to McKinney three of the eight allegations were unsubstantiated, but the for the remaining five the district must take corrective action.

In her presentation she showed the allegations and the steps that have been put in place now to prevent such cases in the future as follows:

Issue: Implementation of feeding and instructional services AHS FA classroom

Solution: establishing a districtwide feeding log, training AHS FA staff and administration, as well as institute a system for double checking.

Issue: Co-teach services were not provided when a teacher was absent at MMS.

Solution: Established a new system of checks for documentation of co-teach services.

Issue: Compensatory services to 13 students who were due services due to absence of a teacher

Solution: Established new system for ensuring the services are delivered, currently providing services to all students after parents were contacted

Issue: Review of district’s determination not to evaluate three students in a 2-year period (202324, 2024-25)

Solution: Contacted parent and offered full evaluation to one student

Issue: Extent of evaluation of nine students who were evaluated in same 2-year period

Solution: Contacted parent and are providing OT evaluation to one student, also establishing new procedure for evaluation review

After going through the items McKinney said the new procedures in place will continue to stay in place pending future updates.

Corrective Actions

“We have provided information to TEA regarding all of the corrective actions that have been taken, and we’ll continue to do so based on those TEA deadlines,” she said. “All district action other than the completion of compensatory services will be done by Oct. 31.”

She also gave a brief overview of the program itself and said in June 2025 there were 1,465 special education students. Some of the upcoming events for the SPED program include the first

INVISIBLE

Rushing said the Press Cafe, the Community News building and the Aledo Diner were all compromised on Apple Maps.

The Aledo man said the company has not broken any laws but has violated Google policy.

“We have notified Google using the Business Complaint Redressal Form,” Rushing said. “We also wrote the above statement (information) in Google Business Profile Help, which is a support forum. We submitted these on Aug. 8, and we have not received a response. It’s been three weeks.”

Rushing said TCAMM Door & Gate had zero reviews at the time of reporting this incident, and as of last week, they had 17 five-star reviews.

“The more reviews they get (whether fake or real) makes it

18+ Transition Alumni Tailgate on Sept. 24 and the upcoming SPED cheerleaders Jumpin Jamboree event.

She also said they are working on consistent parent communication across all the classrooms and how there is still work to be done.

“We continue to strengthen our partnerships with general education teachers for inclusive learning,” she said. “Our teachers, paraprofessionals, and therapists are working together, and it is amazing to watch these groups of folks come up with solutions.”

She ended her presentation by thanking the board for their continued support and by speaking to the teachers and staff of the SPED program for Aledo, encouraging them to keep doing the work that they’re doing.

“Continue to focus on kids each and every day,” she said. “I know that’s why you come to school. Continue to build those strong relationships with students and their families and grow those partnerships because the thing that we have in common is we all care about that kid that we’re serving. Be proud. When you say you work for Aledo ISD special programs, be proud because the work that you do is astonishing. And it’s important for us to tell our story.”

Commendations for curiosity

With this month’s meeting, the Bearcats of Character commendations made their return. This month’s highlighted quality was “curiosity.”

The students who received this commendation were:

Luke Franklin, Aledo High School/Daniel Ninth Grade Campus; Talan Griswold, Aledo Learning Center; Grady Moore, Aledo High School/Daniel Ninth Grade Campus; Reagan Welsh, Aledo Middle School; Xavier Jules-Guerrero, McAnally Middle School; Maren Manthei, Annetta Elementary School; Samuel (Sammy) De Leon, Coder Elementary School; Shepherd Coleman, McCall Elementary School; Ellie Sebastian, McKinney Elementary School; Levi Dobbs, Stuard Elementary School; Maverick Wright, Vandagriff Elementary School; Eleanor Hanover, Walsh Elementary School; Hamilton Ferriss, Early Childhood Academy

Also commended was the featured collaborative team for the month, Annetta Elementary School’s Kindergarten team: Kaley Baum, Madelyn Lucas, Kelly Price, Kimberly Riser, and Shelbie Hebert.

Trustee, subcommittee, and school reports

Annetta Elementary gave a presentation on the LEAD program inviting students up to talk about the acronym and its expectations: Learning, Empathy, Accountability, and Dedication. They also showed a video of teachers leading by example of how the children should behave in certain areas of the school.

During board member, superintendent and subcommittee reports, Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn

harder to report,” Rushing said.

“That’s why I’m trying to start this organization called stoplistingfraud.com. The idea is that we leverage the power of numbers to fight this. So instead of one report coming from me, there will be multiple reports coming from everyone in the organization. The reason Google isn’t paying attention is because the report is only coming from me.”

Rushing said the difference between this situation and the prior incident from 2023 is that this time around he is prepared and knows exactly what steps to take within “my limited ability” to fight this.

“This is why I am approaching this situation so aggressively,” Rushing said. “So, while that makes it a little easier it is still extremely difficult because what I am really fighting against is a concept. I feel compelled to help others with this because this is affecting small businesses across the country.”

brought out the Lone Star Cup won by the Aledo High School. The cup is won when a school wins multiple awards across various academic, athletic, and music competitions throughout the school year, accumulating points based on district and state-level placements. Aledo won the 5A district trophy.

The last time the school had the trophy was when it was co-won by the school in 1997. Bohn said it was good to have it back home.

There was also a brief update on the legislative subcommittee from board member David Lear about the bill that was passed doing away with the STAAR test for students, and instead there will be three smaller tests throughout the year and grades must be posted within 48 hours after the tests are done.

“I think there’s a lot of questions to work out around how this implements into the schools,” he said.

Board member Zach Tarrant gave an update about the Aledo Growth Committee and how they have a meeting open to the public on Oct. 27 to get more public opinion about the future high school facilities that they are working to design.

Other board business

After coming out of executive session the board voted to approve the superintendent’s contract.

“Dr. Bohn, we’re fortunate to have you and we’re going to keep you around for more than a little while,” Board President Forrest Collins said closing out the meeting.

The board approved the action item of the meeting for a form of agreement with Huckabee Architects for the conceptual design of additional high school facilities for the future.

Caleb Bell, chief facilities and construction officer, came to the board to ask for approval so that Huckabee can work with the Aledo Growth Committee and the AISD community to determine what the potential new facilities, a college and career ready academy or a second high school, would need to best serve the community.

“We’re going to get to take an entire semester to ensure that we’re

First Bank Texas appoints Mark Drennan as Chief Lending Officer

getting feedback from the community, making sure we know exactly where our stakeholders are, what they want to see, what kind of spaces we want to design,” Bell said.

The board also voted to approve the consent agenda in full.

Another program highlighted during the meeting was AISD’s gifted & talented program with a presentation by the program’s coordinator Shelly Morrill.

Chief of Police for Aledo ISD David Stevens came to talk about an interlocal agreement in the works between Town of Annetta and the district to put in license plate reading Flock security cameras in the districts in the city, Annetta Elementary School, and Stuard Elementary School.

The cameras will be placed near the entrances of the schools so that when a vehicle comes onto the campuses the license plate will be recorded. Stevens said this 24/7 service will be both a proactive and reactive measure to keep the campuses safer.

The funding for this project will be provided by the Town of Annetta. When asked by board member Hoyt Harris if these cameras could be used on all campuses, Stevens said that through the implementation of these cameras he can see if more are a good option for the district in the future.

“I’m looking at this as our test bed to see how productive and beneficial it is,” he said. “I have not personally overseen such a project yet.”

Chief Technology Officer Brooks Moore talked to the board about an item for the next board meeting regarding fiberoptic cabling upgrades for the Aledo High School and ninth grade building.

He said that the current cables are too shallow and an upgrade is due since the cables were placed around 2008. He estimated the project would take $65,000.

Also, Deputy Superintendent Kim Raymond talked about two items that are set to be on next month’s action items with a list of local policy changes called update 125, as well as the Campus Improvement Plans and the District Improvement Plans.

JAMESON

from page one

program quality, compliance and student support.

“I am excited to have Mrs. Jameson joining the district to continue the momentum we have after a fantastic start to the new school year,” McKinney said. “It has been my privilege to be a part of such an impressive group of dedicated educators and to serve our Bearcats in this way. I know Mrs. Jameson will be welcomed with open arms and will be All In for our special programs department.”

Jameson has a bachelor’s and master’s from Texas Woman’s University, and she is a candidate for her doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty University with expected completion this fall. She is a member of the Texas Council of Administrators for Special Education and is the House Delegate for Region 11 for the organization, a position nominated and voted on by fellow Region 11 TCASE members and special education directors.

First Bank Texas has announced the hiring of Mark Drennan as Chief Lending Officer. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in commercial banking across North Texas, Drennan brings a strategic mindset and relationship-driven approach to the bank’s executive leadership team.

Based in Fort Worth, Drennan will oversee lending across First Bank Texas’ growing network of locations, working closely with commercial banking, commercial real estate, mortgage, and consumer lending teams.

“Mark brings both the expertise and heart for community banking that aligns perfectly with our values,” said Zan Prince, Chairman of First Bank Texas. “His leadership will be instrumental as we continue to expand our lending and related services while staying rooted in the personalized, relationship-based approach our clients trust.”

Throughout his career, Mr. Drennan has focused on serving clients and communities in North Texas. His prior leadership experience includes roles as Regional President for an $8 billion asset community bank and various commercial banking roles with a mid-sized regional bank.

A graduate of Texas Tech University and the Stonier National Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania, Drennan is a Fort Worth native and longtime community advocate. He has served on the boards of Leadership Fort Worth and the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth and was named to the “Top 40 Under 40” and “Top 400 Business Leaders” lists by the Fort Worth Business Press.

“I’ve always believed that banking is about people — building trust, providing guidance, and supporting growth,” Drennan said. “I’m honored to join First Bank Texas and contribute to a culture that truly values service and community impact.”

First Bank Texas, chartered in 1880, is a community-focused financial institution serving customers across DFW and west Texas.

WILLOW PARK TOWN HALL

The City of Willow Park will hold a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 in the Fellowship Hall at Willow Park Baptist Church, 777 Crown Pointe Blvd. The Town Hall will discuss the upcoming reconstruction for Squaw Creek Road and the associated side streets (Verde, Cactus, Mesa, and Yucca).

City staff, elected officials, and engineers will be present to share the plans for the project and answer questions from residents.

For more information about the project visit willowparktx. gov.

If you’re unable to make the meeting, it will be recorded and the recording will be available on the city’s YouTube channel.

For questions or comments, call Communications Director Rose Hoffman at 682-2396049 or email rhoffman@willowpark.org.

Mark Drennan

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Interim Executive Director of Special Programs Lynn McKinney speaks to the board about TEA complaints and the changes the programs have made to address them.

from page one

Marsha and Lee Ancona celebrate 50th anniversary

Marsha and Lee Ancona were married at the Little Chapel in the Woods in Denton, Texas on August 23, 1975. The newlyweds moved to Aledo for Lee’s first teaching and coaching job in Aledo ISD. Marsha worked as an emergency room nurse at Cook Children’s Hospital. A funny early memory in Aledo is when Superintendent Charles McAnally mistook Marsha for a student and tried to put her on the school bus of the visiting team following a Friday night football game. Lee had to intervene! Lee was only a few years older than his students and athletes and has a special bond with them to this day.

Marsha and Lee raised their three daughters, Allison (’98), Lauren (’00), and Molly (’06) in Aledo and enjoyed seeing them grow and thrive in our special community. They are grateful for the wonderful memories and countless, lifelong friends they have made in Aledo over the last 50 years. They are longtime members of the Aledo United Methodist Church where Lee sings in the choir and Marsha is a member of the United Methodist Women.

Marsha and Lee celebrated their milestone anniversary with their daughters in Barcelona, Spain in the spring. Cheers and continued blessings to Marsha and Lee on their 50th wedding anniversary!

Trinity Christian Academy

Special to The Community News

The new school year at Trinity Christian Academy began with more than sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks — it began with a calling.

This year’s theme, “Called to be Kingdom Leaders,” is guiding students, teachers, and coaches to view their learning, leadership, and daily choices as part of God’s greater story.

Secondary Principal Jesse Whiteaker, who selected the theme, said it was born out of watching the world students are stepping into and recognizing the urgent need for leaders who are grounded in faith.

Called to Be Kingdom Leaders at TCA

“Our students are growing up in a culture that is desperate for truth, courage, and compassion,” Whiteaker said. “We want to equip them to lead with conviction and to know that their influence matters.”

At the helm of TCA is President and Head of School Craig Smith, now entering his second year of leadership. Smith has already helped guide the academy through a season of renewed vision and growth, and he says the theme resonates deeply with his hopes for the school.

“My desire is for TCA to love big, listen empathetically and inspire excellence — all while consistently pointing students to Christ,” Smith

said. “If our students leave here as kingdom-minded leaders, grounded in faith and ready to serve, then we have fulfilled our mission.”

Faculty are carrying that vision into their classrooms. Government teacher Candice Gables is challenging her 12th grade students to lead with purpose, intention, and excellence — reminding them that true leadership is more than titles or positions. “When we believe that all authority comes from God, we can discern and uphold the truth while living as active, godly leaders in our community,” Gables said.

“We’re not called to be passive participants,” she added. “We’re called to step up, take an active role, and live with purpose.”

On the athletic field, new head football coach Scott Campbell has set his focus on shaping athletes who lead with integrity.

Christian Valdez — who have contributed greatly to the TCA football program. Together, they will serve as the Eagles’ captains, charged with leading on and off the field this season.

The excitement is already building toward homecoming on Sept. 26, when the school community will gather to celebrate not only athletics, but the values that anchor TCA.

“Each of our coaches have a shared vision: for our players to grow as young men of faith and integrity,” Campbell said. “Wins matter, but the way we carry ourselves and how we represent Jesus matters most.”

She encourages her students to see themselves as part of God’s story of redemption.

The Eagles are led by a nucleus of six seniors — Rhyder Dawson, Patrick Gullatt, Caleb Hart, Kadin James, Dane Southworth, and

As the year unfolds, “Called to be Kingdom Leaders” will continue to shape life at TCA — reminding students that education is not just about gaining knowledge, but about learning to lead with courage, compassion, and conviction.

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Capital Highlights

Abbott limits THC products to those 21 and older

Gary Borders gborders@texaspress.com

After two special sessions ended without lawmakers agreeing on how to regulate the state’s THC market, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order restricting the use of products infused with the psychoactive cannabis compound to adults age 21 and older, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The order goes into effect immediately and comes after Abbott vetoed an outright ban on THC products passed during the regular session.

“Absent the kinds of regulations that apply to other psychoactive substances that may safely be enjoyed by adults like alcohol and tobacco, minors have been allowed to purchase these products without any safeguards,” Abbott said in his order. “The Legislature did not pass any legislation concerning consumable hemp products, not even a ban for minors, leaving in place the status quo.”

Texas outlawed THC vapes effective Sept. 1, but other products such as snacks, gummies, and drinks are still legally available for anyone 21 and older. Since hemp products became legal in 2019, more than 8,000 retailers across the state are selling them.

Talarico launches U.S. Senate campaign

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, announced last week that he is entering the Democratic primary next March for U.S. Senate. The San Antonio Express-News reported Talarico hopes a new face and approach

will give Democrats a chance to garner their first statewide win in more than three decades.

Talarico faces Collin Allred, the former Dallas congressman who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, and former NASA astronaut Terry Verts in the Democratic primary. Others could enter that race as well.

Incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn is facing a stiff challenge on the Republican side from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“There’s a moment here where I think people are ready for something very different,” Talarico said. “It’s been 10 years of Trumpian politics, politics as blood sport, politics as professional wrestling. And I think people are tired of it.”

Texas troopers take in millions in overtime pay

State troopers dispatched to the border under Operation Lone Star are taking in millions of dollars in overtime pay, even as border crossings have dropped to record lows, the Houston Chronicle reported. Data obtained by Hearst Newspapers indicates that the Department of Public Safety is on track to spend about $77 million on overtime this year, surpassing what it spent in 2023 when crossings peaked and thousands of migrants were arrested.

As of June, approximately one in 10 troopers were on track to double their annual salaries through overtime. Operation Lone Star now accounts for a third of DPS’ total overtime spending.

DPS officials say their focus is shifting from policing the Rio Grande to arresting drug smugglers and human traffickers across the state and assisting ICE in finding immigrants with outstanding warrants.

“It is true, you no longer see troopers simply stationed along the riverbanks — that is not

where they are needed at this time,” said Ericka Miller, a DPS spokeswoman. “Troopers, special agents, Texas Rangers, and others are working at various locations — some many miles from the physical border — to apprehend criminals and criminal illegal immigrants and crack down on crime connected to the border including drug cases, human smuggling, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, stash houses, and more.”

Cost of owning a home in Texas on the rise

Despite lawmakers’ efforts to dramatically reduce property taxes, the cost of owning a home in Texas grew in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Texas Tribune reported other home ownership costs, such as insurance and utilities, have eaten into money saved on property taxes. The median Texas homeowner last year paid $1,452 in monthly costs — up 2.7% from 2023.

Texas homeowners’ monthly costs last year were about 7% higher than in 2019, and the typical Texas homeowner with a mortgage spent 22.2% of their income on home costs.

Texas renters are seeing some relief after several years of steep rent hikes. The median Texas rent rose 1.4% in 2024, a slower pace than the previous two years.

Permian Basin counties drive U.S. oil growth

Eight Texas counties within the Permian Basin accounted for 93% of the nation’s oil output growth over the past four years, the Chronicle reported. That production growth comes even as employment numbers have stagnated or dropped.

“We are, through mid-year 2025, producing record volumes of crude oil and natural gas in Texas, with fully 1/3 fewer direct upstream oil and gas employees in Texas compared to the industry peak in 2014,” said Karr

Ingham, president of the Alliance of Texas Energy Producers. “That is an otherworldly achievement in terms of efficiency and productivity growth, and in many respects releases those resources to other endeavors.”

When oil production from two New Mexico counties included in the Permian Basin are added, the 10 counties account for almost 40% of the country’s total crude oil and lease condensate output.

Flea-borne typhus making comeback in Texas

Typhus is making a comeback in Texas, carried by fleas despite having almost been eradicated in previous decades, the Texas Standard reported.

The state has reported the most flea-borne typhus cases in the nation, with more than 6,700 cases recorded from 20082023. About 70% of patients were hospitalized, and 14 deaths attributed to typhus.

One of the reasons for the increase in typhus cases is climate change, with warmer conditions allowing fleas to reproduce faster and spread the typhus bacteria. Symptoms include fever, headache, rash, and cough, and in rare cases more serious illnesses if left untreated. Typhus is successfully treated with antibiotics.

State health officials emphasize pet flea control, yard cleanup (removing brush and outdoor food sources that attract rodents and opossums), and promptly seeking care for unexplained fever — especially after flea bites or exposure to pets and wildlife.

Gary Borders is a veteran awardwinning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress. com.

Who’s in Charge Here?

Dr. Don Newbury newbury@speakerdoc.com

My old Uncle Mort, easily East Texas’ most ancient denizen, never throws anything away. Stuff is stored here and there, including such unlikely items as S&H Green Stamps, “in case they ever come back,” he says. There also are “I Like Ike” buttons and newspaper clippings from the late 1800s.

A while back, he told me of a newspaper item about one of his late nephews who drove a tour bus through Civil War battlefields, pointing out only the sites where the Rebels prevailed. Finally, one lady on board — from Rhode Island — interrupted: “Didn’t the Union troops win any battles in the Civil War?”

“Not while I’m driving this bus they didn’t,” he fumed.

Anyways, Mort recently recalled a note received 40 years ago from yet another nephew, this one still alive. Now 45, one

Jon Benton Newbury wrote it when a five-year-old kindergartner. Scrawled on a Big Chief tablet, it was to-the-point, its print in huge letters and sent in an envelope bearing a twentytwo cent stamp.

Crackling with laughter at almost every punctuation mark, Mort insisted on reading it to me, and I’m glad he did!

“Dear Uncle Mort: I have sat at this desk for almost a year, and am not sure I have learned very much. Every day when I get home from school, my parents ask me what I had learned at school that day. When enough was enough, I told ‘em the truth. The teacher told us to ‘line up and shut up, and we did.’”

Reckon that Jon Benton’s assessment of that day’s learning was precursor to mandates heard so often today? They come from power brokers in Austin and Washington, D. C. It is becoming increasingly and alarmingly obvious that decisions — minor and major — are being made by a handful of major players, who expect the rest of us to “line up and shut up.”

“Whatever happened to referendums to determine what common people think about major issues?” Mort wonders.

He has long believed in establishing term limits for office holders in both capitals. The way things are going, term limits are making more and more sense, even if highly unlikely to ever happen. An axiom commonly heard during the American Revolution is recalled: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” If they could see us now, they’d get a good look at what it’s like with representation.

My uncle has a like-minded friend who lines up with him on many issues. His name is Mickey Eddins, board chairman of Sulphur Springs’ M&F Western Accessories and widely known as a leader in the field. Recently at the 60th anniversary party of Cavender’s Western Wear, it was discovered that Mickey is the firm’s only living original salesman/distributor.

In the early years, he traversed hundreds of thousands of miles in East Texas and Louisiana selling western accessories.

He took great pride in discovering good eating places where locals dine.

Now, years later, he and Linda — his wife of 65 years — enjoy driving the back roads, mostly to ignite memories and

to see which “mom and pop” places remain in operation.

A while back, they checked into a Lafayette hotel — on Pinhook Street, alongside the Vermilion River. They asked the desk clerk to suggest a good local place for a hearty breakfast. “Go to T-Coon’s,” he advised. (In French, this means “little raccoons.”)

For three straight days, they loved eating there — repeatedly ordering typical breakfast items, but taking a particular shine to the grits. “Probably some Cajun recipe,” Mickey figured, his analytical mind spinning.

He didn’t want his first bike any more than he yearned for that grits recipe, but he figured it might be hard to come by. “Reckon the chef would share the grits recipe?” Mickey coyly asked the server, flashing a toothy smile.

“I don’t know; I’ll check,” she answered. A few minutes later, she returned. “He said the recipe is printed on the box of Quaker Instant Grits.”.

Dr. Newbury, a speaker in the Metroplex, may be reached at 817-447-3872; email: newbury@ speakerdoc.com. Column audio version at www.speakerdoc.com.

Artist of the Month winners announced

Weatherford Art Association

Special to The Community News

The Weatherford Art Association has announced the winners of Artist of the Month for September. Each month, WAA members can compete for first, second, and third place ribbons and the opportunity to showcase their artwork at local Weatherford banks and The Doss Heritage and Culture Center.

Artist of the Month first place winners are eligible to compete for the Artist of the Year award which is voted on by online proxy every June.

First place was awarded to artist Joyce Pinkerton with her watercolor painting “Walker, Texas Rancher.”

Joyce’s grandfather is the subject of this heartfelt painting. Joyce found an old photo of him that she felt she had to bring to life in a painting. Her entire family is excited about this piece and how it represents what their grandfather meant to them. Joyce’s piece will be featured at The Doss Heritage and Culture Center throughout September.

Second place went to Cindi Neverdousky with her oil painting “Brass.” Cindi has been taking oil painting classes with Linda McCall

all summer and this is one of the pieces she has been focused on. It was a challenge to bring out the correct brass color, but she succeeded

Friends of the Library planning annual meeting

Public invited to attend

The Friends of the Aledo Public Library will conduct their Annual Meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Aledo Public Library. Goals for the meeting include electing Executive Board officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) and setting meeting dates for the meetings in March, June, and September. Potential events and committees will also be discussed.

The public is invited to join the meeting.

The Friends group was established by advocates for the library and community to enhance the Aledo Public Library by pursuing and accepting gifts, applying for various grants and endowments, and participating in relevant fundraising movements to maximize opportunities for its library patrons. The group works to cultivate a community of support and involvement.

Funds raised will be used for literacy and educational enrichment programs such as the Summer Reading Program, Storytime, Homeschool Sessions, and Makerspace Sessions. Additional library programs the group would

like to support include Puzzle Exchange, Yoga Storytime, Project BAT, Teen Time, Dungeons and Dragons, Mahjong, Book Club, Common Threads, the Seed Library, and Open Play. They are looking at larger projects to invest in once the new library building is open.

To join the Friends of the Aledo Public Library, download and fill out the form at https://www.epclibrary.com/friends/Friends%20 Survey%20Form.pdf/ stop by the library. Your membership fees also provide revenue to support the Friends, and the Library. Together we can support literacy and the special library activities in our community.

Your membership entitles you to:

• Email notification of pop-up sales and other events.

Advanced access to book sales; You get first pick!

• Donor recognition in our Friend’s newsletter and more.

Join the Friends today!

Membership Levels:

• Individual membership (annual): $ 25.00

Family membership (annual): $ 50.00

• Lifetime membership: $300.00

• Business membership (annual): $250.00/ year

which resulted in a beautiful still life. Cindi’s piece will be on display at the First Bank Texas in

Weatherford through the month of September.

Third place honors were awarded to Ann Feriend with her watercolor “The Piano Room.” Based on a beautiful setting of a sunlight piano in an old home. Ann did a great job representing the light and the peaceful old time feeling of the scene. View Ann’s work in September, at the Fort Worth Community Credit Union on South Main Street in Weatherford.

As part of its mission as a nonprofit 501 © (3) corporation, the Weatherford Art Association provides monthly demonstrations to increase the knowledge of our members and support arts education for the community. Its monthly meetings are held at the Senior Center, 1225 Holland Lake Drive in Weatherford from 6:00 to 7:45 pm on the fourth Monday of each month, except December. You can learn more about Weatherford Art Association at its website, weatherfordart.com.

WEATHERFORD Property tax rate proposed for FY 26 budget

By Candy McMichen The Community News

The city’s FY26 tax rate of .0392246 per $100 valuation for property owners was proposed during the City Council’s August 26 meeting. Dawn Brooks, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer, presented the rate to the Council before they voted unanimously to accept the proposal.

Six public hearings’ requests were held for consideration before all were unanimously accepted by members, including a hearing on the Proposed FY26 budget.

The request for a conditional use permit for Holiday World’s recreational vehicle (RV) display or sales for new, used, or repair use on a 26.31-acre tract at 2328 East Interstate 20, was presented by Assistant City Manager Chad Marbut.

Marbut also tendered the consideration of Weatherford College’s request for a zoning map amendment from general commercial and one family residential to planned development on several parcels adjacent to the college’s existing property.

Jason Kuritz requested a conditional use permit for an auto repair use on a 1.192-acre tract at 113 South Line Street, as presented by Marbut.

A general plan and zoning map amendment from general commercial to interstate commercial with a conditional use permit for an RV park/campground use on a 10.97-acre tract at 2205 Tin

Top Road request from James McDonald was also presented by Marbut.

Jon Olson of the Foresite Group LLC, requested a zoning map amendment from agriculture to interstate commercial with a conditional use permit for a fueling station on a 7.341-acre tract at 1825 Old Brock Road.

Consent agenda items that passed included Mayor Paul Paschall’s appointment of Luke Haynes and reappointment of Steve Martin to the Weatherford Housing Authority. The reappointments of Jenni Day, Kathryn Garafalo, and Montanna McMasters to the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee were considered.

City Manager James HoTopp was authorized to execute a professional services contract with Halff Associates for the design of the Clairemont Boulevard Extension project not to exceed $1,622,000. The council authorized an increase in previously approved funds for the purchase of asphalt materials from Texas Materials, raising the amount from $450,000 to not exceed $500,000.

A preliminary plat for Race Trac Weatherford, on 7.341 acres, located at the northeast corner of Ric Williamson Memorial Highway and Interstate 20, was approved.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at 6 pm, September 9, at 303 Palo Pinto Street.

WEATHERFORD ART ASSOCIATION

September’s Artists of the Month for the Weatherford Art Association are (from left) Joyce Pinkerton, Cindi Neverdousky, and Ann Feriend.

Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Support Group

The Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group meets from 1-3 p.m. every second

Thursday of the month at Aledo United Methodist Church. If you are a caregiver for someone and want to learn more about the daily tips, resources, and advice, please come join us. We also have a separate activity for your loved one to attend that will be appropriate for them while you meet with our support team. The next meeting is October 9.

SEPTEMBER 19, 26

duce, unique handcrafted goods, and more. The market will run every Saturday through November from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parking and entry are free. The market is located in the city parking lot west of Rotary Dream Park on W Front St, Arlington. For more information, visit downtownarlington.org/ market.

SEPTEMBER 20, 27 (SATURDAYS) AND SEPTEMBER 24 (WEDNESDAYS)

Alcoholics Anonymous Weekly Support Group

Alcoholics Anonymous meets weekly on Saturdays at 12:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. in the Saint Leonard Casanova Room at Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish (16250 Old Weatherford Road, Aledo). If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, join the group for guidance, fellowship, and healing. For more information call Mary Ann at 714-612-7056. All inquiries are confidential.

SEPTEMBER 20, 27

The

SEPTEMBER 24

Friends of Aledo Public Library Annual Meeting Come to the Aledo Public Library at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24 for the annual Friends of Aledo Public Library meeting. Goals will include electing Executive Board officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary)

and setting meeting dates for the meetings in March, June, and September. Potential events and committees will also be discussed.

SEPTEMBER 25-27

Fort Worth Oktoberfest

Fort Worth’s Oktoberfest is coming to town for a threeday weekend. The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday Sept. 25-26, and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Trinity Park in Fort Worth (1501 University Drive).

Oktoberfest will feature food, drinks, artisan vendors, music, carnival rides, and entertainment. Tickets range from $10-20, and online tickets bought before Sept. 24 come with a free commemorative 2025 stein. For more event information and to purchase tickets go to www. fortworthoktoberfest.com.

OCTOBER 18

Annetta’s 3rd Annual Seed Ball Event

The town of Annetta and Mayor Sandy Roberts will be hosting the 3rd Annual Seed Ball Event at 9 a.m.noon on Oct. 18 at Annetta Town Hall (450 Thunder Head Lane, Annetta, TX).

The event will include making milkweed seed balls for the Monarch Butterfly population to grow in the town. A box lunch

for the event.

Community Life

Two former students say there is still room to grow

By Randy Keck The Community News

It was early September 60 years ago when bus 22A pulled up to three Aledo campuses and students of color began attending school in Aledo.

It took a full 11 years after the landmark Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court Case for it to be accomplished in Aledo, and even longer in other Texas school districts. Brown overturned then then-prevailing notion of “separate but equal,” which had segregated school districts throughout the state.

Texas Governor Allan Shivers was strongly opposed to desegregation, and the state resisted implementing the Supreme Court’s ruling. It took until the 1970 United States v Texas decision by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to get the state fully on board. That decision ordered the Texas Education Agency to assume responsibility for desegregating Texas public schools.

It was in that context in Texas that those students began their studies in Aledo.

Jeff Brazzell and Alice Trishell Cain, both of Weatherford, were two of the students who got off the bus that day, and they have shared their story.

Jeff was going into fifth grade. He lived on a farm off FM5 in Annetta. The summer after the fourth grade he did the things boys did who lived on farms: he did the chores, he fed the pigs and the chickens, and he had friends over to play when he could.

“I had the freedom to rip and roam on the 100-plus acre farm,” Jeff said.

Alice, a couple of years older, also lived on the farm. The students were accustomed to riding the bus together because Jeff’s uncle, Roy

Gratts, drove them to school at Como in Fort Worth.

“He [Roy Gratts] carried the black kids from Annetta, and we would get on Highway 80 and head east,” Brazzell said.

He recalled stopping in the Linkcrest area to pick up two black students, Calvin and Cullen Lambert, who also could not attend Aledo schools at the time.

Gratts would return to Annetta after dropping the students off at Como to work at “The Castle” on FM 5. He would return after school to pick the students up.

New school

Alice got the news from her mom in the summer of 1965 that she would not be attending Como anymore, and would instead go to school in Aledo.

“I was feeling kind of excited and scared at the same time,” Cain said, “because it was going to be a white school.”

Jeff and Alice had a connection to some of the Aledo students.

“There were white people that were friends of ours and we would mingle and play together on the weekends,” Brazzell said.

If you have ever walked in a room and realized you are the only person there of a given physical characteristic, you can feel uncomfortable.

“I felt some of that, sure,” Brazzell said. “At that age, you wonder why; you go home and ask your parents — it’s a different feeling, and that’s why I always tell people, until you walk in somebody’s shoes, you don’t know what you don’t know.”

Alice was involved in FHA (Future Homemakers of America) and Jeff, being a farm boy, joined FFA (Future Farmers of America).

“I dabbled in football and track, and one year I thought about basketball, but wound up serving as the manager of the basketball team,” Brazzell said.

One of Jeff’s best friends in school was Alice’s younger brother, Roger. Jeff characterized himself

as an A, B, and C student, while Alice and her brothers were A and B students.

During their sophomore year, Roger told Jeff he had enough credits to graduate early, mid-term 1973.

“That shocked me,” Jeff said. “It just threw me for a loop.”

That, along with some of the other things he was feeling at that time about Aledo, led Jeff at the end of that year to tell his mother he was either going to quit or transfer to another school.

“I knew more blacks in Weatherford, and I felt I would be a little bit more comfortable finishing my high school there,” he said. His mother was able to convince Superintendent Charles McAnally to get Jeff transferred to Weatherford, where he finished high school.

Jeff’s discomfort at Aledo sprung from his daily experiences.

“It was daily, whether it be on the bus or whatever,” Jeff said. “You could hear the ’N’ word and stuff occasionally coming from somebody. There was always somebody in one of the classes who would throw the word around. You know, didn’t have that coming from the teachers.”

Jeff’s striving for acceptance led him to be among the top finishers in the spelling bee.

“It was a victory, but the victories were short and far in between.”

Alice stayed in Aledo schools until she graduated in the Class of 1971.

After School

After high school Alice enrolled in Weatherford College and became a nurse, an occupation she practices to this day. She and her late husband had six children (all now grown).

Jeff had a bit of an issue figuring out who he was. He had a wife and daughter by the time he was a senior in high school.

“I felt the need to get back to my people from whence I had come. We moved Fort Worth and — quote,

unquote — lived for the city. That’s what I did early on until I got a grip.”

Jeff had a number of different jobs in those years.

“My sense of direction was still a little out of kilter. But, once I righted this ship and really figured out what I wanted to do, after working in construction for a few years, I finally went to college. My kids were growing up, and I wanted them to go to college, but neither my wife or I had a degree, so I went to college in the 80s.”

Jeff started his college career at Weatherford College and then graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Jeff graduated from UTA in 1990, and his daughter graduated from high school in 1991, “just in time for me to have that degree slapped on the wall. And having preached that you’re going to college, I told that to my two girls, you’re going to college. And how can you tell somebody they’re going to do something when you haven’t done it?”

Jeff spent his working career with AT&T, where he retired in 2013. He also recently retired from his own DJ business, which he did for 42 years.

Aledo athletes and coaches recognize Jeff for his involvement in athletics and because of his Coaches Outreach ministry in Aledo.

Takeaways

Recently in the news it has been reposted that the administration wants to tone down displays of slavery in Smithsonian museums

because of how far we have come. Jeff and Alice replied to a question about that.

“Do you feel like we’ve advanced to a degree, or we’ve taken baby steps in America?” Jeff said. “Yeah, that’s it in a nutshell, growing up through segregation and seeing the advances that were made through the Martin Luther King marches and this and that of the 60s, we’ve come a ways, but not as far as we should have come.

“I’m 70 years old, and I’ll stand on the top of the tallest building in this country and speak this truth: in recent times it has really gotten bad due to social media. We don’t talk anymore, and that’s very sad. Everybody’s in their own bubble. You got a certain segment of society that’s in a bubble that refused to come out of that bubble. And we are waxing. The Bible talks about, we will wax worse and worse. We’re waxing worse and worse.

“I never thought that I’d live to see us taking steps backwards in society versus going forward.”

Alice agreed.

“We are, most people, in our own little world. We need to get out of our own little world and be kind to each other. We need to love each other. You know what the Bible says — love your neighbor. Who is your neighbor: the person next door to you, the person next to you, the person who you meet. People don’t love each other. People want to kill. It’s all of us that have to come back to the Lord. We all have gotten away from God, from Jesus. Yeah, Jesus loves us, and commanded us to love each other.”

FOOTBALL

Aerial assault aids No. 1 Aledo in district-opening win

Bearcats beat Brewer for 126th consecutive league victory

By Geoff Heppes The Community News

Following two strong showings in their pre-district outings, the No. 1 Aledo Bearcats turned their sights to the district portion of their season. The Bearcats hosted the Brewer Bears for the teams’ district opener Friday night, Sept. 12, at Tim Buchanan Stadium. Once the ball was kicked off, Aledo was off to the races as the home team dominated, emerging victorious by a final score of 54-7. The win increased Aledo’s record-extending district winning streak to 126 in a row with the program’s last league defeat coming in 2007.

Notably, the Bearcats were explosive with their offensive passing game. Overall, Aledo amassed 324 yards through the air with most of the production coming from junior Nash McElree, who finished 13-for-16 with 249 passing yards and four touchdowns against one interception.

“We’re still going to work both of those guys at quarterback [McElree and Lincoln Tubbs],” Bearcats head coach Robby Jones said. “How much time each one gets is going to depend on how the game flow is going. Tonight, the game flow was going pretty good, I believe, when Nash was at quarterback. But then, when Lincoln was in there, we were equally as good. So, we got to keep using both of them. They both provide us with opportunities to move the football, and that’s the key is moving the football and putting points on the board.”

The chemistry of Aledo’s current dual-quarterback system showed new strengths and facets such as more pop passes, rotating series and reading the field with increasing accuracy. Additionally, both players have shown their skills with their legs and positional versatility as well.

“We’re always watching film together, taking reps at quarterback and sometimes he’s the receiver. And, you know, we’re friends on and off the field, so we just have a good connection,” McElree said of Tubbs.

“We’ve got a connection and I love playing with him, he loves playing with me.”

Commanding first quarter

Aledo moved the ball down the field at will and collected chunk plays in bunches as they took a commanding 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The first score came off a short run by senior Kaden Winkfield, whose scoring plunge was set up by an earlier 45-yard scramble from McElree. The second touchdown drive began a pattern, an emphasis, and a statement all in one: throwing the ball through the air with success and efficiency.

“That’s what we wanted to see out of the passing game tonight was just getting the ball out to our playmakers and letting them go make plays,” Jones said. “We had several guys get a lot of catches tonight – I don’t know the stats or keep up with all of that – but I just know we were moving the football a lot better than what we’ve done in the past two weeks.”

Following the opening score, the Bearcats defense quickly ushered Brewer’s offense off the field to set up Aledo’s second scoring drive. The drive began at the Aledo 53 with 9:23 left and began to stall out near the red zone with less than seven minutes. Facing 4th-and-5 from the Brewer 24, McElree evaded the rush and found Kaydon Finley running strong across the middle. Finley then ripped away from his defender and bolted untouched into the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 6:28 to go.

Finley was just getting warmed up, though.

The standout senior and Notre Dame commit hauled in five passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. His second score was a 40-yarder that came with 42 ticks before halftime. Along with his large statline and NFL pedigree in his bloodline, Finley showcased his strength after the catch and competitiveness at the point of attack both in pass catching and as a blocker.

“It feels great, especially coming off last year’s season – had a pretty good season last year,” Finley said. “Just trying to improve this year, but it felt like a big confidence booster for me and the offense overall.

It was a great team win, and I’m thankful for all these guys. It was just great to be back on the field and do my things.”

Finley shined brightly, but he was not alone. Junior wideout Bayne Martin made his presence known with a 24-yard, first-quarter touchdown snag as did Tubbs, who caught a 13-yarder. The duo combined for 77 receiving yards while senior Jamal Hollister produced 60 receiving yards.

Full speed ahead

“The whole week we were just working on staying at full speed and tempo at practice, and I think that just translated over to the game,” McElree said. “We watched a bunch of film on their defense, so we knew what they were doing pretty much every time we were out there and knew the attack zones – we were just on point today.”

The ball distribution was strong as Aledo quarterbacks completed passes to eight different receivers with a nearly 87-percent completion percentage, and the overall execution and ball handling was clean with touchdowns against one interception.

“They’re doing better. We’re getting up to the state of play we should be playing at,” Finley said. “I have a lot of trust in the quarterbacks. We built that trust over the past few weeks. They have a lot of trust in the receivers also, so it’s good just to have a game where we’re on the same page. We can carry that on, carry the momentum into the rest of the season and into the playoffs. And, you know, hopefully we will win number 13.”

The championship-level defense could be a catalyst in the possibly of capturing a 13th crown, and the defense flexed its muscles once again with another suffocating performance. Senior defensive lineman Cooper Cyphers was particularly disruptive against the beefy Bears offensive line. Cyphers recorded a sack in the end zone for a safety early in the second quarter, had four tackles, two quarterback hurries, and two tackles for a loss. His force also paved the way for plenty of playmaking as the Bearcats recorded two sacks, six tackles for a loss, and seven passes defended throughout the contest. Additionally, the defense kept the Brewer offense out of the red zone the entire contest until the late score against reserve defenders.

“I really like what the defense is doing. The first-team defense shut them out and, you know, they got the late trash touchdown on our

backups,” Jones said. “What I didn’t like was some of the penalties that we were getting. Some of them were kind of touchy, but we don’t need to have unsportsmanlike penalties. That is not characteristic of us, and we’re going to address that tomorrow morning.”

Jones expects to corral the competitive emotions of the team moving forward, and the team is eager to improve further, even after the dominant performance they put together against the formerly unbeaten Bears.

“We’ve just got to get better at what we do, and that’s the main focus,” Jones said. “We are going to look within and see what we can do better. We can get better on the offensive line, we can get better out at receiver and I know we’ve missed a few blocks out wide and also had some defensive busts. We need to make sure we’re not busting things. We had one play where we had a receiver get blown up and his buddy’s supposed to be blocking for him out wide but didn’t. We’ve got to take care of the little things and make sure that everybody’s doing their job on every play.”

The players are on the same page as their coaching staff with their sights set on the long term prize through dedication to the dayto-day preparation.

“I’m definitely improving week by week, the team is improving week by week – it’s just been how we’ve practiced,” McElree said. “We had one of our best practice weeks we’ve had this whole year, and I think that’s how we were playing so fast and physically today while scoring a bunch of points.”

McElree showed some of that improved decision making with two big scrambles he reeled off against the Brewer defense. McElree finished with 66 rushing yards on three carries while Winkfield was the lead rusher with another steady performance for Aledo. He finished the night with 11 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Aledo rushed for 237 yards as a team.

Tubbs produced on the ground, through the air, and as a receiver. He had three carries for 33 yards, three receptions for 31 yards and a score, and completed all three of his pass attempts for 30 yards and a score. Jordan Hall stood out in the secondary with a tackle and three pass breakups while senior kicker Peyton Shaffer nailed all five of his extra point attempts along with a 28-yard field goal.

The Bearcats (3-0, 1-0) will take the field again for another district contest at 7 p.m. Friday at Birdville.

BRELEIGH MAYER/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Cooper Cyphers (42) makes a tackle for a safety against Brewer. Also shown is Ethan Marchlinski (98).

BRELEIGH MAYER/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Kaydon Finley (2) pulled in several catches against Brewer.

BRELEIGH MAYER/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Quarterback Nash McElree (8) had success both passing and picking up yardage on the ground.

Nash McElree w Football

The junior quarterback accounted for more than 300 yards as the Bearcats defeated Brewer 54-7 at home on Sept. 12. He was 13-of-16 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, he rushed three times for 66 yards with a long run of 46 yards.

Hadley Walton w Cross Country

The sophomore junior varsity runner competed at the varsity level in the Boswell Invitational on Sept. 13 and finished fourth. She ran the 5K course in a time of 19 minutes, 32.45 seconds.

No. 2 Ladycats prevail in straight sets

Aledo bests Brewer 3-0 for second district victory

By Geoff Heppes The Community News

ing win to open district play Tuesday night against Azle. On Friday night, the Ladycats defended their home court successfully for the second match in a row. Aledo

faced stiff competition in the second set but ultimately tamed the Brewer Lady Bears in straight sets. The Ladycats earned the victory by a final score of 25-7, 25-21 and 25-17.

Standout junior Kaelee Berkley started the first set off with three straight kills and her contagious energy fueled a 6-1 lead that forced a Brewer timeout call after senior middle Evie Rivera blocked a shot for a point. Then, middles Karsynn Trott and Lily Lufkin got in on the action at the net with multiple kills apiece through a long stretch of the first set that saw Aledo’s lead balloon to 16-7. Brewer’s second timeout call could not stop the bleeding this time, either, as Alyssa Todd produced a powerful back row kill that ended a long rally. Senior setter Sophie Frank produced two aces down the stretch, including on the clinching point that capped Aledo’s closing 12-0 run.

The Ladycats faced stiffer competition in the second set, holding a slim lead through most of the action. Frank and Kailey Hamilton went to Todd and Trott early and often through the second second, and the defensive presence up front added to the cause as Aledo took an 11-8 lead after a block by Lufkin. Then, Todd hammered back-to-back kills for a 13-8 lead that forced a Brewer timeout call. The Ladycats’ lead grew as large as 17-9 following kills by Todd and Lufkin and an ace from Hamilton. Despite that, Brewer closed to within 17-13 after putting together a 4-0 run of its own. Aledo, though, stayed connected and held the Lady Bears at bay for the tight win. After that, Aledo escaped from the close competition and was able to pull away later in the frame to complete the sweep.

Todd led the way up front with 19 kills to go with 12 digs and two aces. Berkley shined as well for Aledo with 13 kills, 11 digs, and one ace. Trott impressed with nine kills and a block while Lufkin added five kills and a block. Frank had 27 assists, 14 digs, and two aces while Hamilton registered 12 assists and an ace. Senior libero Karsyn Evans anchored the back line with a team-high 20 digs while Rivard had a kill and a block.

The Ladycats completed a program sweep amongst the sub varsity teams. The 9th grade B team swept Brewer (25-8, 25-12), the Freshman A team won 25-7, 25-9, and the JV squad earned the sweep 25-7, 25-10.

The Ladycats are home for two matches next week, both at 6 p.m. They will face Saginaw on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and have homecoming on Friday, Sept. 26 against Keller Fossil Ridge.

Bearcats seek fourth win in Birdville

Top-ranked Aledo aims to continue strong start to season

By Geoff Heppes The Community News

After two opening weeks of suffocating defense, the No. 1 Aledo Bearcats turned up the juice on the offensive side of the field in an explosive, 54-7 win over the visiting Brewer Bears to open district play. Aledo scored 44 of its 54 points in the first half while limiting the Bears to only seven points.

“It’s important to go out and keep the opposing offense from scoring, which our defense has done a good job of doing,” Bearcats head coach Robby Jones said. “Brewer got a late touchdown on us or we would have had two straight shutouts, but what was big for us last week was the offense. The offense finally started clicking a little better after facing two really good defenses in the first two weeks. Brewer’s defense is not a bad defense, but our guys were able to go out and throw and run the football. When we’re starting to get

the ball out to our playmakers out wide, you can see how explosive our offense can be.”

Aledo fans got a taste of that with a breakout performance by star senior Kaydon Finley, son of former NFL tight end Jermichael Finley. The younger Finley showed his NFL-caliber projections and that football is in the bloodline with a five-catch, 131-yard, two-touchdown first half against the Bears secondary. Jones hopes that while Finley continues to produce, opportunities will open up for the rest of the talented skill players catching passes.

“Well, he’s going to be a big focus of our game plan. He’s going to Notre Dame for a reason,” Jones said. “He’s got great size, speed and all the skill sets that you need to be a great receiver. We’re going to make sure that we’re trying to get him the ball, but we also have to get the other receivers involved. We’re not just a one-receiver team, we’ve got other good receivers. When we put Lincoln (Tubbs) out at receiver, he’s really good for us out there. Jamal Hollister is another good receiver

and then Bayne Martin, who’s a junior, is a good one. We also have two tight ends that we can use at any time that can catch the ball. They are good receivers as well. The offense has an opportunity to be a very explosive offense.”

If Aledo’s offense has the potential to be explosive, then Friday night’s contest against Brewer could serve as the first of many detonations. The Bearcats amassed 561 total yards of offense – 237 on the ground and 324 through the air. In addition to accumulating more than 300 passing yards, the Bearcat quarterbacks distributed the ball to eight different receivers.

“Last week, we went with Nash (McElree) a little bit more. He was being really accurate with his passing and, when he’s in kind of a groove like he was in, we felt like we needed to keep going with him,” Jones said. “We put Lincoln out at some receiver more than quarterback at times because of that, but both of them have been throwing the ball well during practice this week. I stood behind them most of practice

The No. 2 Aledo Ladycats finished a brilliant stretch of preseason play and followed that up with a resound-

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Aledo senior setter Sophie Frank (12) sets the ball for one of her outside hitters during the Ladycats’ straight-sets home win over Brewer.

BRELEIGH MAYER/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Chase Wilburn (32) tackles a Brewer ball carrier. Also shown are Cole Cox (16), Kamron Hall (9), and Lamel Swanson (6)

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Ladycats senior libero Karsyn Evans (10) serves the ball at home against Brewer.

FOOTBALL

Roos fall despite Quimby’s big night

The Arlington Colts dropped the Weatherford Kangaroos to 1-2 with a 38-27 victory at home on Sept. 12. Despite the loss, the Kangaroos’ DJ Quimby rushed for 205 yards on 31 carries, along with catching two passes for 33 yards. Also, Jakob Hemphill caught six passes for 75 yards as quarterback Cutter was 10-of-20 passing for 133 yards, a TD and two interceptions.

On defense, Moises Barco and Kadlilac Galindo each had 10 tackles, along with a sack for Galindo, while Brennan Boehl and William Merritt registered nine tackles each. Rule Doss had an interception and Quinton Martinez had three tackles for a loss with a sack.

Kerbow, Roos honored Brooks Kerbow of the Weatherford Kangaroos received the Most Driven Scholar Athlete Award presented by Higginbotham Insurance. The Kangaroos are one of 10 finalists for the Most Driven Team Award and $10,000 grand prize.

Aledo Middle School

scores

Eighth grade

Vs Kennedale: A won 51-0, B won 35-0.

Vs. Burleson Hughes: A won 59-0, B won 38-0, C won 36-0. Seventh grade

Vs. Hughes: A won 12-6, B tied 6-6, C won 38-0.

FOOTBALL

Weatherford Hall vs. Nichols

Seventh grade: A won 36-12, Player of the Game Tyson Gray; B won 20-6, POG offensive line.

Eighth grade: A won 16-12, POG Gaylord Henderson and Stephen Marquez. B won 20-8, POG Gage Seal (rushing and receiving TDs).

Weatherford Tison vs. Granbury

Seventh grade: A won 30-0, Players of the Game, Caden Crow (punt return touchdown), Paxton Peterson (two rushing TD), Cannon Coleman (rushing TD).

Eighth grade: A won 40-22, POG Jonah Barzaga (defense) and Parker Wren (3 TD). B won 30-14, POG Cooper Cavet, Trenton Kuhn (interception return for TD) and Mason Everett (2 TD).

Trinity Christian MS wins

Willow Park Trinity Christian Academy Middle School took home a 28-8 victory over Arlington Newman International Academy on Sept. 11.

WCS JV undefeated

The Weatherford Christian School junior varsity Lions improved to 3-0 with a 53-6 win over Pinnacle Christian.

Sports Briefs

GOLF

Aledo JV boys season underway

The JV Bearcats began the season in the Mansfield Tournament at Pecan Valley on Sept. 9. They were led by Archer English with an 85, followed by Cain Goggans with an 88 and Alex Dolman with an 89.

Lady Coyotes second

The Weatherford College women’s golf team finished second at the Texas Intercollegiate tournament at Hawks Creek Golf Club, two strokes behind the first-place team.

Tasnim Smaili finished fourth individually in her collegiate debut, while Emily Gutierrez tied for sixth and Corrina Haros tied for eighth.

Bearcat/Ladycat Fundraiser set

The annual Aledo Bearcat/ Ladycat Fundraiser Tournament will be held Oct. 19 at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Willow Park. The tournament features a 1 p.m. shotgun start with lunch at 11:30 a.m.

For more information about playing and/or sponsoring visit Aledo High School Golf on Facebook.

Trash to Treasure Tournament

The Fifth Annual Trash to Treasure Tournament benefiting Freedom House will be held Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. at Canyon West Golf Course. Check in is at 7:30 a.m.

Eagles’ season off to rough start

Losses at home and on the road

Staff Reports

The Community News

The Trinity Christian Academy Eagles have experienced a rough start to the 2025 football season, starting 0-2 with losses of 36-13 at home to Muenster Sacred Heart on Aug. 29 and 28-7 at Waco Live Oak on Sept. 5.

In the loss to Live Oak, the Eagles took an early 7-0 advantage on Hank Nash’s touchdown catch from quarterback Patrick Gullatt, who was 10-of-16 passing.

Nash also had two interceptions on defense. In addition,

defensively against Live Oak, linebackers Christian Valdez and Brogan Chapman each had double-digit tackles. Also, punter Caleb Hart averaged 45 yards on his kicks.

“Live Oak defensive pressure forced some quick three-and-outs, and our lack of depth showed up quickly,” first-year TCA head coach Scott Campbell said. “Credit Live Oak, they played hard and were much improved from their first ballgame.

“We continue to get young guys quality game experience and that will pay off.”

Against Sacred Heart, Gullatt was 11-of-27 passing for 182 yards with a TD pass to Hart, who caught four passes for 89 yards. Also, Nash

had five catches for 38 yards, Dane Southworth caught two for 70 yards and Brayden Terrell netted a 25-yard catch.

Pearson Kuykendall carried the ball 11 times for 58 yards and a TD and Gullatt had five carries for 20 yards.

In all, the Eagles had 308 total yards of offense.

Valdez led the defense with 10 tackles and Nash had an interception.

“Lots of young guys gained experience, including two freshmen starters on defense,” Campbell said.

The Eagles are off this week before before traveling to Tyler Bishop Gorman on Sept. 19 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

For more information, contact 817-596-7543 or email Patti.wilson@freedomhouse.org.

RODEO

WC to host home Lone Star Region Rodeo

With the reorganization of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, Weatherford College will now host a home rodeo on an annual basis. The inaugural WC Lone Star Region Rodeo will take place Oct. 9-11 at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse grounds.

This new opportunity for a home rodeo is a result of the NIRA splitting the large Southwest Region into two smaller, more manageable regions. WC joins Angelo State University, Cisco College, Ranger College, Sul Ross State University, Tarleton State University and Vernon College in the newly-formed Lone Star Region.

The rodeo will feature more than 500 contestant runs. Concerts are scheduled to follow each of the rodeo performances. Sonny Burgess will perform Friday night and the Rowdy Decker Band on Saturday. Sponsorships are also being offered starting at $300.

TENNIS

Roo stay perfect in district

The Weatherford Kangaroos rolled to a 19–0 sweep over North Crowley on Sept. 9, improving to 3-0 in district play and clinching a playoff berth.

FOOTBALL

from page eleven

today and Nash was continuing with that accuracy, but Lincoln was matching it today. I feel comfortable with both quarterbacks and we’re going to continue to use both of them right now. You may see Lincoln at receiver when he’s not playing quarterback, but we feel good when either one is back there.”

Now, Aledo has its sights set on its next district foe in the Birdville Hawks. Through three weeks, Birdville has wins at Crowley (3427) and Granbury (35-14) with one home loss to Grapevine (2421). The Hawks have averaged more than 250 yards per game with at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in all but one game.

“I feel like their rushing attack is pretty good with some good running backs,” Jones said. “Then out wide, they’ve got some guys that we’ve seen on film that, when they get the ball to them, they can take it to the house. They’ve got some speed out wide and their quarterback plays a lot better than they did at the position last year. They (Birdville) were on their second quarterback when they started the game against us last year and ended up with their third quarterback because the guy starting now (Zach Wells) got hurt against us. I just see a lot of improvement with Birdville, which we kind of expected. It was their coaching staff’s first year last year, so now that they’ve felt things out and have an idea of the right direction which they want to go.”

VOLLEYBALL

WC accolades

Mirabel Onyegwu and Kiana Souza of the Weatherford College Lady Coyotes were named Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Volleyball Players of the Week this past week. This is Souza’s second week in a row winning Defensive POW.

Weatherford JV fares well in tourney

The Weatherford Lady Roos junior varsity went 3-1 in the Birdville JV Jam Tournament recently, defeating Boswell to claim the Bronze Division championship. The team was led by Bayley Ballew and Maddison Schuerman, whose serving, defense, and reception earned them Players of the Tournament honors.

Weatherford Hall vs. Mineral Wells

Seventh grade: A won 25-17, 25-23; B won 25-14, 25-6. Eighth grade: A won 25-13, 25-8; B won 25-11, 25-17.

Weatherford Tison vs. Acton

Seventh grade: A won 25-9, 25-18, Players of the Game Cheyenne Jones and Macy Wilson; B lost 11-25, 25-21, 12-15, POG Ashlyn Gunter and Atleigh Melton. Eighth grade: A lost 14-25, 16-26; B lost 24-26, 22-25.

Defensively, the Hawks have made some schematic changes and, thus far, have shown improvement. Through its first three games last year, Birdville surrendered 98 points compared to 65 through its first three contests to open this season.

“They changed their defensive scheme going from a 4-3 to a 3-3 stack with three safeties, which is kind of a fad defense right now,” Jones said. “It causes some problems because that middle safety is hard to account for. He’s going to be a run-first guy, but he’s not somebody that the offensive line is really accounting for, so it makes it difficult on the run game and the pass game.”

Aledo expects to keep its goals intact and continue to build on the successes they experienced on the field against Brewer in its second road contest of the year.

“The expectations are for us to show improvement from last week,” Jones said. “We want to clean up some of the things that we weren’t doing as well as we should have. Our receivers need to do a better job blocking – we can’t leave our buddy out to dry by missing a block outside. Defensively, we want to make sure that we’re making tackles – no missed tackles. We had a guy out of his gap and another guy not fill his lane correctly on that long touchdown run. Even with our backups in, we want to make sure that we’re executing at a high level.” The Bearcats (3-0, 1-0) will hit the road for another district matchup at 7 p.m. Friday at Birdville.

SPECIAL TO THE COMMUNITY NEWS

The Trinity Christian Eagles (in white) faced off against Live Oak in Waco this Sept. 5.

Aledo teams return plenty of experience

Boys open season at Granger tourney

By Rick Mauch The Community News

The Aledo Bearcats/Ladycats golf program is one of the most renowned among high school teams in Texas.

Don’t expect that image to change in 2025-26.

The Ladycats have five players back from a squad that won district and narrowly missed a berth at state, finishing fourth at the regional tournament. The Bearcats, likewise, return a handful of members from a team that won district and finished sixth at regionals.

Each team also returns a player who competed at state over the past couple of seasons, both seniors.

Ladycat Emily Crick qualified for state last spring and Bearcat Braden Stokes competed at that level in 2024.

Both players competed with their entire team at the 2023 state tournament.

Also back for the Bearcats are juniors Tyler Anderson and Evan Boukadom, along with seniors Maddox Jessup and Logan Lund. Other returning Ladycats are juniors Kylie Kirkland and Sydney Purdon, with seniors Harper Price and Addison Russ.

“We have a couple of younger kids that we hope that can step up this year and fill some holes on the varsity roster. No one in particular as of yet but we have few that have potential,” head coach Brian Mourning said.

As for District 5-5A, Mourning sees Granbury as his team’s biggest competitor for both the boys and girls.

“As always, Granbury will be tough. They have great coaches, who I respect a lot, and will have their kids ready to go,” he said. “The boys team in Granbury is going to

Racquet Cats enjoying another strong season

Undefeated in district

By Rick Mauch The Community News

The Aledo Racquet Cats have been a dominant program for years under the coaching of Joe McCoy. This season is no different.

The Racquet Cats improved to 13-2 overall and 3-0 District 5-5A with their recent 19-0 dismantling of Saginaw at home on Sept. 9.

The program returned four boys and four girls from last season. Returning for the boys are senior Noah Nottingham and juniors Ben Kurth, Casen Freeland, and Paxton Psencik. Back for the girls are junior Lila Satterfield with seniors Sydney Byrd, McKinley Hayes and Natalie Nawrocki.

Satterfield qualified for the Class 5A State Tournament this past spring in individual play.

McCoy noted several newcomers have garnered some spotlight, starting with freshman Tai Van.

“He is very talented and is playing mixed doubles this fall as well as singles at the top of our ladder,” McCoy said.

McCoy also praised the play of sophomore Alex Vozeh among the boys.

“Alex is much improved and joins the lineup at our top line in doubles and also playing singles,” he said.

McCoy said four new girls have joined the lineup this fall and all are contributing in singles, doubles or both. They names are sophomores Kieren Christensen, Vivian Beeby and Bailey Martin, along with junior Kjersten Loy.

The Racquet Cats are going for a fourth consecutive district championship.

“We have high expectations in our tennis program, and that doesn’t just come from the coaches. Our players, parents, school, and

community all expect high achievement both on and off the court,” McCoy said. “As players come into our program and work within the program, they want to be on varsity and put in a lot of time and effort to meet that goal and be a part of the great success.

“We have great kids and parents who work hard and give great support to carry on the tradition of those players who have also had great success in the past.”

The Racquet Cats have advanced to the regional semifinals twice and are seeking that elusive first trip to state.

“Powerhouses such as Amarillo, Abilene Wylie and Argyle stand in the way in our region and we will continue to work to someday get past them,” McCoy said. “We are off to a great start this year.

“We have great kids who work hard, are very coachable, and love to be around each other. I am very excited to watch this team play and grow and succeed and improve and interact with each other this year. They make my job easy and very enjoyable on a day to day basis.”

Aledo 19, Saginaw 0

The Racquet Cats dominated another district opponent. Saginaw managed to win a single set on the day.

Aledo has now defeated its three league opponents by a combined score of 54-3. Counting a 19-0 non-district win over Birdville, the Racquet Cats have won their past four matches by a combined total of 73-3.

The Racquet Cats were hosting Azle in a key district match at press time before ending the regular season with visits to Keller Fossil Ridge on Sept. 23 and to Saginaw Chisholm Trail on Sept. 30.

be tough beat. They were young last year and pretty much return everyone.

“The region is always tough, and its anyone’s to take. I just want to be in position like we were last year on day 2 (third place – one stroke out of first after Day 1) and finish the job this year.

“We’re ready to get going and excited about the kids we have this year.”

Season opener

The Bearcats began the season in the prestigious Bart Granger Memorial Tournament at Pecan Valley Sept. 12-13. The tournament, one of the nation’s most elite, is named after the former Fort Worth Paschal golfer who passed away in an automobile accident.

Aledo placed second in the consolation bracket, 27th overall out of 52 teams. They had a team score of 933 over 54 holes, which included

a grueling 36 holes on the opening day.

The Bearcats opened with a 308, followed with a 315 and finished with a 310. Leading Aledo was Stokes with a 215 that included rounds of 72, 72 and 71. Next was Boukadim with a 235 (77-81-77); followed by Lund, 240 (83-78-79); Christian Moll, 244 (76-84-84); and Anderson, 257 (84-90-83).

The Bearcats varsity Orange team will compete in the Glen Rose Invitational on Oct. 2 at Squaw Valley, followed by the Briggs Berry Memorial Oct. 6 at Pecan Plantation in Granbury. The varsity Black will play in the Granbury Invitational Oct. 17-18 at DeCordova and Harbor Lakes.

The Ladycats Black and Orange teams will begin their fall season Sept. 26-27 in the Harbor Lakes Invitational in Granbury.

Boys doubles

Alex Vozeh/Casen Freeland, 6-0, 6-2. Ben Kurth/Paxton Psencik, 6-0, 6-0.

Noah Nottingham/Bennett Purcell, 6-0, 6-2. Girls doubles

Sydney Byrd/Lila Satterfield, 6-0, 6-1. McKinley Hayes/Kieran Christensen, 6-2, 6-2. Natalie Nawrocki/Kjersten Loy, 6-0, 6-4. Mixed doubles

Tai Van/Bailey Martin, 6-2, 6-0. Boys singles

Van, 6-7, 6-3, 10-6. Kurth, 6-0, 6-0. Freeland, 6-2, 6-1. Vozeh, 6-0, 6-3. Psencik, 6-1, 6-0. Nottingham, 6-2, 6-1. Girls singles

Satterfield, 6-0, 6-0. Byrd, 6-1, 6-0. Hayes, 6-0, 6-1. Christensen, 6-0, 6-0. Loy, 6-2, 6-0. Vivian Beeby, 6-1, 6-1.

Walton leads Aledo in wet Boswell meet

Boone paces Weatherford in Burleson

By Rick Mauch The Community News

With the varsity having an off week from competition, the Aledo Ladycats and Bearcats junior varsity stepped up once again and competed at the varsity level in the Boswell Invitational on Sept. 13 in Saginaw.

Hadleigh Walton led all Aledo individuals, finishing fourth over the 5K course with a time of 19 minutes, 32.45 seconds. As a team, the Ladycats and Bearcats each finished sixth.

Not only did runners have to compete against each other, they also had to take on a wet course.

“The course itself was a little long, and their sprinkler system decided to turn on right before the varsity girls race. That left all the runners to run through the sprinklers and mud, which slowed everyone down,” Aledo coach Mike Pinkerton said. “All things considered, I was very proud of the way our runners battled through the adversity and finished very strong.”

The Aledo varsity is back in competition Friday at the Nike South meet at Texas A&M University in College Station. The JV will compete was competing at Benbrook at press time. Brewer Invitational Varsity division Aledo results

Girls Team, sixth Top individuals 4. Hadleigh Walton, 19:32.35. 11. Kjersten Loy, 20:36.40. 42. Stella Lamb, 22:33.60. 45. Lily Elgin, 22:43.80. 46. Carley Couch, 22:47.38.

Boys Team, sixth Top individuals 16. Brody Bruno, 17:13.52. 17. Reed Murray, 17:24.27. 26. Shane Noviskie, 17:35.92. 43. Holt Huxel, 18:10.85. 51. Andrew Walsh, 18:23.90.

Weatherford

Remington Boone led the Weatherford Lady Roos to a first-place team finish by also finishing first individually at the Mansfield Bill Eaton Invitational Sept. 12 at Chisenhall Park in Burleson. Boone clocked a winning time of 17:47.63 over the 5K course.

The Lady Roos had three top10 finishes as Cayleigh Madrid was fifth in 19:05.02 and Ivy Scott was sixth in 19:19.10. Also for the Weatherford girls, Nayelli Ordonez was 12th, 19:38.44; and Aaliyah Dixon, 20th, 20:09.13. Top runners for the Kangaroos were Aiden Breaux, 13th, 15:58.94; James Roe, 24th, 16:31.52; Gerardo Miranda, 26th, 16:33.64; Aiden Houghton, 29th, 16:43.44; and Kelan Bush, 31st, 16:43.85.

Weatherford was competing in the Benbrook Prowl in the Park at press time.

Weatherford Christian

Jack Muhlenkamp posted a fourth-place individual finish as the Lions and Lady Lions competed in the Lipan Invitational on Sept. 10. He had a time of 17:47.65 over the 5K course. For the Lady Lions, Evelyn Woody was 18th with a time of 13:23.44 over the 3.2K course, while Maggie Butler was 43rd in 14:40.28.

Weatherford Christian was competing in the Poolville Invitational at press time.

TENNIS

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Racquet Cat Paxton Psencik serves during a game.

ALEX HOBEN/THE COMMUNITY NEWS

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The Aledo Independent School District (the District) is requesting competitive sealed proposals for RFP 2610-01 for FOOD, GROCERY, PREPARED MEALS, FOOD TRUCKS, AND CATERING SERVICES -- SUPPLEMENTAL 1; RFP 2610-02 for ACADEMIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND OPERATIONAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES; RFP 2610-03 for TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, SUPPLIES, AND SOFTWARE; and RFP #2610-04 for RETAIL PRODUCTS AND SERVICESSUPPLEMENTAL 1. Specifications for this project may be obtained on the District’s electronic procurement system at https://aledoisd. ionwave.net/. Proposals must be received no later than 3 PM CT on October 17, 2025. Proposals will be electronically unsealed and opened shortly after the specified time of closing. Late

for people with disabilities are

upon request. Submit requests to Kim Whitley at kwhitley@aledoisd.org. The District reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals, to accept the proposal(s) that provide(s) the best value to the District, and to waive all formalities with respect thereto.

Trott battled back to where she

Ladycat bested physical, emotional challenges

By Rick Mauch The Community News

Karsyn Trott is back where she belongs, playing volleyball and focusing on helping the Aledo Ladycats have what could be the best season in team history.

It wasn’t that long ago, however, that she had other things diverting her attention— namely her mother’s fight against breast cancer and her own battle to come back from a knee injury.

Her mother, Kellie, is now cancer free after the diagnosis three years ago, but Karsyn said it is a day she will never forget when she learned the news.

“My mom and I are very close. It’s just me and her in the house. We do everything together. My mom’s my best friend,” she said. “It was hard because we had a lot of stuff going on in our life and we weren’t sure if she was going to be healthy again or not.”

About a year ago they got the results that her mom was cancer-free.

“It made me feel very grateful for the days that we were going to have in our future,” Karsyn said.

Meanwhile, Karsyn experienced her own setback when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament playing club volleyball in March of 2024. She was in rehabilitation for 10 months before being cleared to play again in January of 2025.

She said watching her mother, who also played volleyball in high school, and her battle inspired her.

“I watched her persevere through the battle with cancer and continue to go through everyday life and act as if everything was normal, and she showed up for me through it all,” Karsyn said. “And so, her strength made me realize that I must be strong for myself too.

“Her battle was much bigger than a knee injury, and I realized if she could get through that I can get through anything I was going through.”

Ladycats assistant coach Natalie Gonzales said while Karsyn was unable to physically be on the court, she led the bench as “that loud voice we needed to support the girls on the court.”

“Karsyn has been such a good leader for us this year and last,” Gonzales said. “It’s funny how as a player you see the game one way and as a coach your perspective changes from the sidelines. Karsyn has gotten to see the game both ways these last two years, and I really feel it has helped her game a ton.

“She is just such a steady kid who is there for all of her teammates all the time. I have loved being able to be a part of her journey. She has grown so much.”

Karsyn said the injury also brought a renewed appreciation for playing, particularly with this being her senior year.

“I realized I am not in control of how much time I have left on the court and that every moment was precious,” she said. “I learned patience and a lot more aspects of the game.”

The Ladycats are ranked No. 2 in the state after having reached the Class 5A Division I state semifinals last season. They’ve advanced that far before, but the program is still chasing its first state championship.

She does not plan to play in college. A National Honor Society student, her plans are to study pre-nursing.

“I want to help others,” she said simply.

Karsyn Trott is back in action after a knee injury.

SPECIAL TO THE COMMUNITY NEWS

Aledo volleyball player Karsyn Trott (right), was by her mother’s side as Kellie (left) battled through breast cancer. Karsyn returned to the team this season after recovering from a knee injury herself.