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EDGE THE COMPETITIVE

ISSUE #24

ALL ARE A SPORTS MAGA ZINE

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The Competitive Edge Magazine Editor Robert Rankin Creative Director Jonathan Bryant Graphic Design Jonathan Bryant Sales and Marketing Robert Rankin Staff Photographers Mava Oden Tim Graham Kelly Ratcliff Contributing Writers Tim Graham Kelsey Rankin Jason Boston Chuck Zach Tony Kirk

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East Texas Executive Advisor Roger Sheppard

from the fieldhouse : : Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is MORE IMPORTANT than fear. It is your decisions, not your conditions, that truly shape the quality of your life. Anthony Robbins, a great teacher of mine, states that life is found in the dance between your deepest desire and your greatest fear. If you are really interested in change in your life you must be willing to listen or to read. How do we keep our inner fire alive? Two things are needed: an ability to appreciate the positives in our life and a commitment to action. Every day, it's important to ask and answer these questions: What's good in my life? And what else needs to be done? I can tell you without a doubt that if you come to a conclusion on these two questions you can't help but to get better. If your ship doesn't come in, I would expect you to swim out to it. There is one thing for sure, We can not direct the wind, but by gosh we can adjust the sails. I love this statement from Franklin D. Roosevelt, â€œwhen you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!â€? Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your truth. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny. You have within you right now everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you. You need to practice your self talk and your communication to YOU in the mirror. It takes about 45 days to implant a new YOU into your subconscious mind.

Your body and mind will respond to your wishes but must be practiced every day until it accepts the notion. I know it sounds silly, but we are creatures of habit. Our mind accepts what we are truly committed to. Your biggest challenge is to practice it for 45 days. I will follow up with techniques that I created to get myself over the hump. I will tell you my story of how low and defeated I was some 35 years ago, and how I beat the curse. I call it a curse not because I thought someone cast it upon me, but because of the mysterious power it had on me. I want you to know this and hope it can help you in a small way. When you are happy, Roger has more fun!

Roger Sheppard

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TEXAS Released in 1993 by Little Texas, the song “God Blessed Texas” was already nine years old by the time Carlee Ratcliff was born. Yet when the fall of 2020 rolls around, this star softball player will don the burnt orange and white of the Texas Longhorns to continue her softball career, and there could not be a more fitting phrase for one of their newest acquisitions.

With years of exposure under her belt with Select Softball Teams, “Ratt” feels like she is up to the challenge. Planning on majoring in Kinesiology, she already knows about the workload that she will face. A daily routine of softball practice, three hours on fundamentals and one hour in the gym, will be added to her course load of study in the fall. With a minimum of 56 games on the schedule for the spring of 2021, it will take all of the lessons that she has learned on focus and on time management to balance academics with softball. She will join a stellar roster of players, many lured from the West Coast by Longhorns Head Coach Mike White’s reputation, that will include at least one familiar face, Jordyn Whitaker from Jacksonville, Texas. Texas Bombers 18U Gold NTX Head Coach Chet Zachary from Mount Pleasant, Texas is the chosen one who has had the good fortune of coaching Ratcliff and Whitaker for these past two years, with this going on his third. According to Zachary, Ratcliff is a “kid who plays the game wide open”, and she leads off for his team and anchors third base. He describes a moment when

by Tim Graham a game had been moved up from its originally posted time, and Carlee was just pulling up to the field with her parents as the game was starting. She walked out of the parking lot, to the on deck circle, to the batter’s box and promptly sent the second pitch sailing 270 feet over the fence for a quick 1-0 lead. His theory of batting her in the lead off position is that it “sets a tone in both dugouts”. The Bombers creed of “Attack, Win, Repeat” is not lost on him. Zachary commented that “she pushes the other kids to get better” and “that her softball IQ is off the charts, she is always two pitches ahead of me.” Coach Zachary has the good fortune of coaching extremely talented softball players, and his assessment of Ratcliff’s abilities does not seem to be lost on the coaching staff at the University of Texas. Ratcliff credits Brian Repole, The Bombers Fastpitch Recruiting Director, with a lot of her success during the recruiting process as well. Many high school athletes do not understand that colleges and universities are just as concerned with their character as they are with their athletic ability. Team chemistry is vital when you are recruiting new players to any college roster. Social media accounts and social activity can often deter and even prevent coaches from signing new recruits, and there have even been instances where coaches have decommitted players due to their blunders. Repole has witnessed the mistakes and seen the effects that can devastate not only a player’s career, but their chances of receiving a secondary education without financial assistance. He cares

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God Blessed

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enough about the ladies under his charge to prepare them for the recruiting process, and to educate them on the dangers that could arise should they choose to ignore his advice. Helping her to improve the hitting aspect of her game over the past three years has been Jimmy Phillips from Texarkana, Texas. Phillips commented that “she is the best hitter I have ever worked with, boy or girl”. It has not always been easy, because anyone with the drive, focus and determination of an athlete like Carlee is not always open to change. When she first came to his academy, she was pulling everything. He finally convinced her to start “spreading the ball around instead of swinging and missing”, and that is when the fun started. As a “Cage Rat”, one who is constantly working in the batting cage to improve their technique, she simply wants to be the best. Instead of using just her upper arm strength to power the ball around the diamond, she has started to incorporate her legs and her hips to consistently hit the ball 300 feet to right field. He mentions that “she does a lot of things that are hard to teach. She needs to be the first one off the bus when the team pulls into town. Her look. Her demeanor. You just cannot coach that”. He is also excited about the prospect

that she is going to Texas to play for White. Phillips is familiar with White’s softball career not only with Team USA and with the Pan American Games, but also when he used to come to the Texarkana Area to participate in the Fastpitch Softball Tournament that was second in the world in size only to the New Zealand tournament. Connie Clark had been serving for six years as an Assistant Softball Coach at Florida State University when she was recruited to become the first coach for the Longhorns in 1995. The Texas Longhorns Softball Team played its first full season in 1997, compiling a 30-24 record, 6-10 in Big 12 play, to come in seventh in the Conference. They enjoyed enormous success under her guidance, winning four Big XII Conference Titles and four Big XII Tournament titles. They also made 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five in the Women’s College World Series. On 25 June 2018, the Program would hire only it’s second Head Coach as Mike White was lured away from the University of Oregon to put his stamp on the team. He wasted little time doing that as the team made it to the NCAA Super Regionals for the

Fortunately for New Boston Lady Lion fans, Carlee is going to stick around for her senior softball season at high school. The hometown crowd will certainly enjoy

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Yet for the defensive phase and for the hitting aspect of the team, he turned to a former Minnesota Twins organization shortstop and second baseman. Steve Singleton was hired as an assistant coach in July of 2019, and his resume covers many aspects of baseball that promise to be an easy transition to softball. He is most certainly excited about the opportunity to be at Texas with White, and has high aspirations that the team can compete for a national title immediately.

that decision as they can travel to watch her play while it is still a day trip. Next year they will not be as fortunate because her home games will be played at the Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas. The Competitive Edge Magazine would like to congratulate the Texas Longhorns on their newest commit, because everyone knows that “if you are going to play in Texas, you gotta have a” slugger “in the band.” Carlee is the daughter of John and Kelly Ratcliff from New Boston, TX and her sister Hannah attends Blinn College in Bryan, Texas.

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first time in five years, and won thirteen more games and dropped nine fewer than the 2018 campaign. Texas-Ex Cat Osterman is widely known for her pitching success that she enjoyed while a Longhorn, and Coach White is looking to build on that legacy. He retired from his own fastpitch playing career in 2007, and is certainly qualified to coach and to recruit those types of players to Austin

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sports

center Most high school athletes dream of being on ESPN. Most of them never imagine actually being AT ESPN. Pleasant Grove alumni Jonathan Weaver may have peaked athletically on the football field in high school, but he found a way to keep connected to the sport that he has always loved in his professional life. Weaver, who graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in 2007, has been working at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut since 2011. He is the associate director for the Early Morning SportsCenter. He typically is in the control booth communicating with the director, inserting score and name fonts, and generally playing quarterback to a number of departments and making the show happen. He has recently been selected to be the media integration Associate Director for College Gameday, taking the live feed from location and adding graphics and live shots to the presentation before it is transmitted out for broadcast.

by Chuck Zach Weaver’s path to ESPN started at the University of Arkansas. During his senior year, thanks to a cooperative agreement with the Southeastern Conference, of which Arkansas is a member, Weaver was able to intern at ESPN. That opened the door to a full time job offer after graduation. “I always wanted to be a director. I learned the technical, behind the scenes process first and spent a year working in that role before I became a stage manager. I gave directions to talent so they know where to stand, gave cues to camera operators, making sure that things were ready for guests who were on set” “I love being an associate director, I get to make television. I get to use my creativity, pick out graphics or images and shoot a scene of what I want the story to tell.” I have worked at a Monday night football game in Mexico City, couple of NBA drafts, the Super Bowl in Minneapolis where the wind chill was -21 degrees. “The ‘Campus” as ESPN is called is just like a small college. We have a cafeteria and one a one stop shop inside the 15 building complex.” “Our job is just like any other job. Our jobs are just dependent on what is happening in the sports world. Some days are hectic and chaotic, like when Antonio Brown was released by the Patriots, and everyone is scrambling to get

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After the games, Weaver edited game tape on the rides home so the highlights would be prepared for the coach’s show. He wrote stories for the Pleasant Grove journalism department; something that his older brother Matt did six years earlier. That made an impact of Jonathan. “Matt took journalism classes with Charla Harris and I saw how much he enjoyed having that opportunity to go beyond what a normal high school student experiences. His stories had an impact on other students and even on their families when they got a copy of The Edge (PG’s student newspaper). Seeing that, I always knew that was something that I wanted to do too.” He had nothing but praise for Mrs. Harris, “Sometimes teachers take the full reins and only teach you what you need to learn and that’s it. But Mrs. Harris was great. She gave us the tools and let us explore within the boundaries of what you

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the latest updates and information on the air. Those days are crazy. Other days when there may just be a Little League game on, is a lot less crazy.” In high school Weaver was in the middle of the action, literally. He was an offensive tackle during his freshman year and during his junior year he was the backup center to John Allen Cockrell. Cockrell tore up his knee early in the year and Weaver became the starting center. The next year, Weaver’s senior season Weaver was named the All-District center and the team, led by Hunter Goodman and Clint Herrington made the playoffs for the first time in Kevin Davis’ tenure as the head coach of the Hawks.

should be learning. So I was able to experiment and discover the skills that I am using in my professional career.” He was also complimentary of the program at the University of Arkansas. “A lot of colleges that I looked at wouldn’t let underclassmen touch any of the equipment. But I was running the teleprompter during my first week at Arkansas for some of the school’s TV newscasts. They learned quickly that I had already learned a lot from the program at Pleasant Grove and I was able to do as much as I wanted to do.“ Despite working at ESPN for the past eight years, Weaver said that most of his friends from Texarkana still think that he sits around watching sports on TV all day. While that is far from the truth Weaver admits that he does have a pretty cool job. “I talk about sports for a living – it’s hard to beat that.”

2019-2020

LIBERTY-EYLAU leopard basketball DATE

Nov. 16 Nov. 19 Nov. 21 / 23 Nov. 22 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 - 7 Dec. 10 Dec. 12 - 14 Dec. 17 Dec. 20 Dec. 26 - 28 Dec. 30 Dec. 31 Jan. 3 Jan. 7 Jan. 17 Jan. 21 Jan. 28 Jan. 31 Feb. 4 Feb. 7 Feb. 14 Feb. 18

OPPONENT

PLACE

Marshall Mt Pleasant Pleasant Grove Tourn Rains Clarksville Athens Tourn Idabel Gunslinger Tourn Atlanta Center Idabel Tourn Alumni Game Hughes Springs New Boston Texas High *Paris *North Lamar *Pittsburg *Pleasant Grove *Paris *North Lamar *Pittsburg *Pleasant Grove (Sr Night)

There There There Here There There Here There There Here There Here Here Here There There Here Here There Here There There Here

* Denotes District Game

Head Coach: Dewaski Davis Assistant Coach: Will Harmon Athletic Director: Klint King High School Principal: Kendrick Smith Superintendent: Ronnie Thompson Trainer: Greg Fenton

TEAMS

TIME

JV, V JV, V 9, JV 9,JV,V JV, V V 9,JV,V V JV, V 9,JV,V V V JV, V JV, V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V 9,JV,V

2:00 5:00 TBA 5:00 5:00 TBA 5:00 TBA 6:30 5:00 TBA 6:00 12:00 5:00 5:00 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30

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Dave Van Horn BY TONY KIRK

On Tuesday evening September 10th, University of Arkansas head baseball coach Dave Van Horn dropped into Texarkana to speak to local Razorback boosters. Before heading over to the convention center for BBQ and A with local Hog fans, he took time out to visit with the media at Texarkana Regional Airport. It was a sentimental trip down memory lane as he discussed his time here in Texarkana as the head baseball coach for the Texarkana College Bulldogs. Van Horn served five seasons as the head Bulldog for the now disbanded TC program. Starting in 1989 Van Horn’s teams compiled a record of 212 wins and 72 losses. Four of the five seasons his teams set school records for wins. Coach Van Horn shared that in his first ever head coaching gig, his time at TC was a learning experience. He called Texarkana a really good baseball town that was fertile soil for recruiting at the Junior College level. Van Horn also smiled and laughed as he recalled butting heads with the city over conditions at Dobson Field in Spring Lake Park. The coach mentioned he had to buy his own tractor to

tend to the grounds because he wanted it to look better. There was no bitterness in his tone as recalled what it was like starting out as a head coach in college baseball. When asked about running a baseball program that draws the biggest crowds in college baseball today, and exceeds the success of other major sports at the U of A, the coach commented on the great changes in his sport. “Twenty years ago I would have never believed college baseball would be all over TV, and college baseball coaches would not be getting paid what they are today.” Coach Van Horn who makes a reported $925,000 annual salary emphasized that he didn’t get into coaching for the money. Time and time again in speaking to Dave Van Horn you get the feeling you are listening to a man in a lifelong romance with the game of baseball. After leading the University of Nebraska to a couple of college World Series appearances, Van Horn answered the call to return to where he played his junior and senior year in college in Fayetteville. In the 15 seasons as head coach of the Hogs, he has made an additional four trips to the College World Series. With a recent extension on his contract through 2023, you figure the wins and trips to Omaha will continue to add up for a man who got his head college coaching start right here in Texarkana.

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TEXARKANA, Texas â€“ Texas A&M University-Texarkana recently announced the 2019 Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Faculty, as well as the winners of the universityâ€™s Pioneer Award and Spirit of A&M-Texarkana Award. The 2019 Distinguished Alumni are Kristen Giles, Fred Meisenheimer, and Jenell Ingram, and the 2019 Young Alumni award winner is Fernanda Hernandez. The 2019 Distinguished Faculty award winner is Dr. Sara Lawrence, A&M-Texarkana Associate Dean of CASE, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, and Director for the Quality Improvement Program. The TAMUT Alumni Association Pioneer Award recipient is Jerry Sparks, and Don and Patsy Morriss have been named the Spirit of A&M-Texarkana winners.

Kristen Giles

Distinguished Alumni- Kristen Giles completed both her undergraduate degree and her Masters of Education Administration degree from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. She has been employed by the Pleasant Grove Independent School District for 25 years, where she has worked as a Teacher, Instructional Technologist, Director of Business and Community Partnerships, and is currently the Dean of Students at the PGISD Middle School. In 2007 she began the Education Foundation alongside Margaret Davis and has worked on multiple bond issues. In her community roles, she has served as the President of the Junior League of Texarkana, as well as on the boards of Junior Achievement, Race for the Cure, TAMUT Alumni Association, United Way, American Red Cross, Women for the Arts- Picasso Committee, Northeast Texas Alliance of Black School Educators, and First United Methodist Church of Texarkana, Arkansas. She and her husband Derick Giles have twin sons, Clark and Jackson, who are freshmen in college.

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Fred Meisenheimer

Fred is actively involved in Williams Memorial United Methodist Church in Texarkana, where he currently serves as a Trustee, and is a Board Member of Pleasant Grove ISD, serving as President since 2017. Fred was appointed to the Board of TexAmericas Center in November 2018. He is also currently involved with the J.K. and Susie Wadley Foundation, Pleasant Grove Youth Association Board of Directors, Pleasant Grove Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee, Wilbur Smith Rotary, and is a graduate of Leadership Texarkana. Fred’s spare time is primarily spent coaching his two sons in youth sports or spending time with his wife, Cassy.

Jennell Ingram

Distinguished Alumni- Jennell Ingram holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business degree from Ouachita Baptist University, and master’s degrees in Business and Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Texarkana, where she has also recently completed the requirements for superintendent certification. Jennell began her education career as a teacher in TISD. She served as the principal of the district’s Theron Jones Early Literacy Center, and is now the Coordinator of Teacher Mentoring and Academic Services at TISD. Mrs. Ingram is a member of the Board of Director’s for the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, and has served as a member of Christus St. Michael Hospital Regional Board of Directors. Jennell also serves on the Scouts of America Board, United Way Board, and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Board. She is a board member of Women for A&M-Texarkana and a member of the Leadership Texas class of 2010. She has also been named Woman of the Year by the Iota Phi Lambda business organization, Educator of the Year by the NAACP and served on the Texarkana College Board of Trustees. Jennell is a member of First Baptist Church where she is active in the choir and women’s ministry. She is married to her husband of 34 years, Douglas, and they have two grown children.

Fernanda Hernandez

Distinguished Young Alumni- Fernanda Hernandez, a 2015 graduate of A&M-Texarkana, has been named the 2019 Young Alumni award winner. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and currently works for KTAL NBC 6 in Shreveport, Louisiana. She began her media career as an intern at a local online news organization before graduating and taking a full-time position as a general assignment reporter for an online news outlet. In 2017 she accepted the position of Multimedia Account Executive with KTAL NBC 6 and began contributing as on air talent and helping with content creation. In 2018 she became a producer and host of Loving Living Local, a lifestyle show on KTAL NBC 6. She plans to continue to grow her career in broadcasting and hopes to inspire young professionals, particularly young women, in the pursuit of their dreams.

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Distinguished Alumni- Fred Meisenheimer holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and an MBA from Texas A&M University- Texarkana. In 2017 he joined Texarkana Funeral Home as Chief Operations Officer where he handles operational, regulatory, and accounting aspects of the funeral home and its affiliates. Fred also has an extensive background in finance, investments, banking, and sales.

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Dr. Sara Lawrence

Distinguished Faculty- Dr. Lawrence serves as Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. As an associate professor in Educational Psychology, Dr. Lawrence chairs doctoral dissertations and researches learning and behavior in contexts relevant to public school education, education leadership and higher education. In addition, she co-directs the Quality Enhancement Program working, with faculty and staff to broaden and deepen experiential learning opportunities university-wide. Dr. Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Science in Psychology and a PhD in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Dr. Lawrence has over 50 peer-reviewed or invited, national and international, presentations. She has acted as researcher and consultant on grants with schools and districts in Northeast Texas and has served as a chair and reviewer for the American Education Research Association. She continues to proudly serve on committees at A&M-Texarkana, within the Texas A&M University System and throughout the region. Dr. Lawrence is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Texarkana and 2008 graduate of Leadership Texas.

Jerry Sparks

Pioneer Award- Jerry Sparks is a retired consultant who provided economic development services to municipalities and other governmental entities including the City of Texarkana, Texas. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at TAMUT, teaching a course in entrepreneurship. He has served on a national steering committee for the Economic Development Finance Service, served on committees for the Industrial Asset Management Council, and has been a Resource Team Member for the Texas Rural Partners. He was selected as one of forty members of the first class of “The Entrepreneurial Effect-Impacting Economic Development Through Entrepreneurship” sponsored by the Kaufman Foundation, and was a Program Manager for a regional loan program in East Texas sponsored in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote better access to primary health care in rural areas. He has also been an active member of the community leadership responsible for helping to retain jobs at Red River Army Depot and Cooper Tire & Rubber, and has served as the president of the Wilbur Smith Rotary Club, Northeast Texas Economic Development Roundtable, and the TAMUT Alumni Association.

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Don and Patsy Morriss

Spirit of A&M-Texarkana Award- A&M-Texarkana is extremely fortunate to have a strong base of support from the area in which it serves. This year TAMUT salutes the Spirit of A&M-Texarkana recipients Don and Patsy Morriss. The Morrisses are steadfast in their support of the university’s mission to prepare students for a lifetime of leadership and service. They are committed to the success and growth of A&M-Texarkana, and to the entire Texarkana community as well. Don and Patsy Morriss are both graduates of Southern Methodist University. Don is the president of FW Offenhauser and Co. and they are active members of Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, where they serve as Lay Leaders and Chancel Choir members. Don is a member of the Texas A&M University-Texarkana Foundation Board and is a past president of the TRAHC

Board, Cornerstone Advisory Board, Texarkana Country Club Board, Kiwanis Club of Texarkana, and Texarkana Museums. He has also served as a past chairman of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce the, a past campaign chair and board president for United Way, and is a member of the Texarkana College Foundation Board. He is a graduate of Leadership Texarkana and the recipient of the 1995 C.E. Palmer Award. Patsy Morris serves as a member of the Women for A&M-Texarkana Board (past president), the Alzheimer’s Alliance Board, the CASA Women of Hope and Courage Board, the Susan G Komen Foundation (past president), and the Texarkana Public Schools Foundation (past president). She is a Sunday school teacher, a Leadership Texarkana Graduate, and the winner of the 2010 Idalee Hawkins Leadership Award. The award winners will be featured guests at A&M-Texarkana’s annual Eagle Roundup on Thursday, October 3rd, a night of live music, great food, and a silent auction that coincides with Homecoming Week. The 2019 Eagle Roundup will feature Big Jake’s BBQ with all the fixins’ and the music of the Split Decision Band. Tickets to the Roundup are $35 each and may be ordered online at http://www.tamut.edu. For more information contact Mark Missildine at mark.missildine@tamut.edu or 903.223.3153.

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A&M-Texarkana and NTCC Continue to Work Together To Benefit East Texas Students TEXARKANA, Texas â€“ Officials from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and Northeast Texas Community College met on the campus of A&M-Texarkana September 4th to sign a Memorandum of Agreement, a Dual Admissions Agreement, and a Financial Aid Consortium Agreement between the two partners in higher education. The agreements between the two institutions facilitate easier transitioning between the two schools and allows them to share resources, saving money and making the enrollment process more efficient for students. The Memorandum of Agreement consists of three basic elements between the two institutions. These elements include shared facilities, (TAMUT operates out of a space on the NTCC campus), marketing and instruction, and recruitment, transfer, and graduation efforts. The Dual Admissions Agreement is designed to promote successful undergraduate educational experiences for students who wish to attend both institutions. Some goals of the collaborative agreement are to enable students to be jointly admitted and to enroll concurrently at both institutions, improve student access, success, and 4-year degree completion, expand student options for college-level services and curriculum, improve academic program articulation, and to use resources at both institutions more efficiently and effectively.

The final document to be signed is the Financial Aid Consortium Agreement. This agreement makes it easier for the two institutions to share studentâ€™s financial information and apply financial aid to the combined credit hours in which the student is enrolled at either or both institutions. In addition to assisting the students of the east Texas region, agreements like the ones between A&M-Texarkana and NTCC are helping to work towards the state-wide 60x30TX initiative. Launched by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2015, the initiative calls for ensuring that by the year 2030 60% of Texans will hold some sort of certificate or degree. By enabling the two institutions to work together efficiently and provide clear pathways for student success, these agreements will help shape the future of Texas students for years to come. For more information on the agreements between the two institutions contact Kelly Coke, Director, Texas A&M University-Texarkana at Northeast Texas Community College at 903.434.8355 or kcoke@tamut.edu.

Stewart Title Supports All Local Teams

Recently voted #1 Title Company in Bowie County

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battle of the bridge HOPE, AR – October 28, 2019

Halfway between Texarkana and Hope, Arkansas, stands the iconic Red River Bridge. On Friday night, November 1, the “Battle of the Bridge” rivalry, sponsored by the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT), will continue between Arkansas High School and Hope High School. “Everyone at UAHT is excited to participate in the second year of the Battle of the Bridge showdown between Arkansas High and Hope High. This renewed rivalry not only showcases the tremendous student-athletes attending our schools but is also a great example of the shared values of all our communities in Southwest Arkansas. The UAHT family is thrilled to sit with all of you on Friday night to cheer on our teams and the communities we call home,” said UAHT Chancellor Chris Thomason. Hope High Head Coach Phillip Turner said, "It will be a hard-fought game, and we will be ready for it. They are a very good football team, but we're coming over to try to win a football game for our team and the community of Hope." Arkansas High Head Coach Barry Norton added, “We are very much looking forward to the game against Hope. The proximity of the two schools creates a natural rivalry and playing for the Battle of the Bridge Trophy makes it even more special. We have the trophy and are not looking to relinquish it." Once again, these two storied teams will compete for a replica of the old Red River Bridge, which is awarded as a traveling trophy that goes home with the winner of the Battle of the Bridge each year. Everyone at UAHT invites the Hope and Texarkana communities to join us in celebrating this great rivalry that kicks off Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Razorback Stadium in Texarkana, Arkansas.

Sept. 14, 2019 at Lake O the Pines Austin Gonzalez and Tanner Rankin weighed in 3.80 and came in 37th place.

On Oct. 12, 2019 ---Austin Gonzalez and Tanner Rankin weighed in 9.37 and came in 6th place at Toledo Bend South. Jaybrein Aubrey and Jaksun Phleps weighed in 1.51 and came in 36th place at Toledo Bend South.

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LE Fishing Team

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2019 Football Liberty Eylau Date 8/30 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/18 10/25 11/1 11/8

Opponent Arkansas High Carthage Texas High Atlanta Argyle LaVega Spring Hill Pleasant Grove Pittsburg Gilmer

Place Home Away Away Away Home Home Away Home Away Home

Time 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM 7:30PM

Fouke Date 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/1 11/7

Opponent Gurdon Mineral Springs Glen Rose Prescott Centerpoint Bismark Smackover Harmony Grove Genoa Central Horatio

Place Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Away Home

Time 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM

Genoa Central Date 8/31 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/19 10/26 11/1

Opponent Gurdon Lafayette County Spring Hill Horatio Camden H.G. Centerpoint Prescott Smackover Fouke Bismark

Place Away Away Home Home Away Home Away Home Away Away

Time 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM

Opponent Portland State Ole Miss Colorado State San Jose State Texas A&M Univerity of Kentucky Auburn Alabama Mississippi State Western Kentucky LSU Missouri

Place Fayettville, AR Oxford, MS Fayettville, AR Fayettville, AR Arlington, TX Lexington, KY Fayettville, AR Tuscaloosa, AL Fayettville, AR Fayettville, AR Baton Rouge, LA Little Rock, AR

Time 3PM 6:30PM 3PM TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 1:30PM

HOME OF YOUR RAZORBACK WATCHING PARTY

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Date 8/31 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/12 10/19 10/26 11/2 11/9 11/23 11/29

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University of Arkansas Razorbacks

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a crowded field In the fall of 2002, Chuck Zach asked me if I wanted to accompany him to Nashville, Arkansas to broadcast a Pleasant Grove football game. I agreed to, and for the next decade and a half Chuck and I broadcast Pleasant Grove athletics together on the radio. A few months after we did that original football game, we started doing an afternoon sports talk show on KCMC 740 AM. At that time, it was us doing local sports talk, and Al Hanna doing sports updates on a group of radio stations located together in downtown Texarkana. Al broadcast Texas High on KCMC which was an ESPN radio affiliate. Over at the Texarkana Gazette, the threesome of Johnny Green, Louie Avery, and James Williams maintained one of the better regional sports sections ever to be read. Today, after industry wide cuts in newspapers, Josh Richert has managed to keep the Gazette’s coverage of local sports at a high level. He and I butted heads last year over my disappointment with the printing of the paper in Little Rock and its early deadline result, but I still appreciate the product in this day and age. The Gazette has tried to fill in the cracks in coverage with upping their online game. It may have been that weakening of spending on local newspaper coverage or the easy entry that has fueled so many

people entering into the coverage of sports in Texarkana. TXK Today toyed with it for a while, but Field Walsh decided sports coverage was not worth the effort. TexarkanaNews.com recently came online and is taking a stab at some local sports coverage. Bill Owney retired from the Gazette after covering Pleasant Grove athletics and is now operating the In the Grove website covering the Hawks. TXK Sports website has been around for a while and covers all kinds of local sporting events with lots of photos. A few years back, Roger Sheppard launched our publication, The Competitive Edge. Local school districts are doing what Chuck and I recommended to PG almost a decade ago, more self-coverage. About halfway through our run doing radio Chuck, our buddy Robert Cochran, and I agree to work for Bob DelGiorno who brought Fox Sports Radio to Texarkana. Eventually Bob would add the ESPN radio affiliate to his family of stations. As Chuck and I returned to the Texarkana Radio family this summer, I couldn’t help but notice that the field covering sports has come a long way in the last twenty years here in Texarkana. I personally think that is great. In a time

by Tony Kirk

when corporate media is cutting costs, somehow sports media has flourished. The consumer is better off for it. High school kids in particular are getting more coverage than ever before. This football season local entrepreneur Morgan Smith launched Texarkana Game Day on Facebook live. It has brought a College Game Day feel to local high school games. A few years back when Pleasant Grove was not doing well in football, one season Chuck and I had to broadcast games over the internet because no one wanted to broadcast their games on the radio. Now stations and advertisers seem to be lining up to carry local sports. For Chuck and myself, we are getting ready to bring Texas A&M Texarkana athletics to this market in a way in which it has never been covered. In this media climate, we hope to turn people on to college basketball for the first time ever in our neck of the woods. Even on the radio, the players will be tall. That’s important when you are trying to stand out in what has become a very crowded field.

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26 It is not very often that an opportunity comes along that you know will never present itself again. Kevin Dobbs, the newly christened women’s head basketball coach at Texas A&M University - Texarkana, has walked into one of those opportunities courtesy of Athletic Director Michael Galvan. Sitting with Kevin at a table at Gusano’s on Richmond Road, you can tell he is excited about the opportunity. He has been around basketball all of his life, and it has played an enormous factor in shaping him into the man he is today. He has been absent from the coaching ranks for a while, and he is ready to get back to the hardwood. He graduated from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska in 1995 where he was a member of the Tiger Basketball Team. Not satisfied with just his undergraduate degree, he pursued his Master’s in Physical Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. This is where he received his first taste of coaching as a Graduate Assistant with the Men’s Basketball program from 1995 to 1997. Upon

graduation in 1997, he headed to Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota to head the Women’s Basketball Program. He remained there until June of 2003, when he travelled to West Virginia University Tech, a NCAA Division II school, to serve as an assistant with the Women’s team there. His next stop would have him serving as Head Coach for both the Women’s Basketball and Women’s Golf team at NAIA Peru State College in July 2006. He would stay there a year until Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina recruited him to take over as Head Coach for their NCAA II women’s basketball program for two years. In June of 2011 he was offered the same position at the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico. After a three year stint in Hobbs, he hung up his high tops for a brief hiatus from coaching. Not until Galvan came calling, did he decide to enter the fray of women’s college basketball just one more time. While starting a new job is usually interesting enough, starting with a clean slate is a rare privilege. When you open the book on Women’s Basketball at Texas A&M Texarkana, you are staring at a blank page. To be the one that pens the opening chapter when there are no traditions in place, no players on the roster and no records to break, it is a once in a

by Tim Graham

lifetime opportunity. He has been on the road recruiting already, and he knows West Texas inside and out due to the level of women’s basketball talent that is churned out of that region on a continual basis. He also travels to Houston, San Antonio, Lubbock and Tyler on a regular basis to evaluate talent and recruit for his programs. Outside the state of Texas, he visits the University of the Southwest in Hobbs and the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Yet when he starts talking about his own conference, I am only vaguely familiar with one of them. He will play against Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Wiley College in Marshall, Huston-Tillotson University in Austin and Paul Quinn College in Dallas, all of which are in the Red River Conference. Looking for fifteen to sixteen kids to put on a team is not the real challenge. He must find leadership immediately either in the junior college ranks or from other universities to make this team competitive from day one. He started out coaching men's teams and when asked why he made the switch to the women's teams, his answer was similar to that of any dad who has ever raised a teenage daughter, “girls challenge him”. He has been offered to switch

back to coaching men three times and he has always had zero interest in returning. Why? “Women have a much more holistic view of the role of athletics and sports in life than men do. Most male athletes believe that they SHOULD be the man, the best player on the team, and if not, it’s a failure of coaches to recognize their value and talent. Women don’t subscribe to an ego. Women will accept any role on a team, from MVP, 6th man, 12th man to redshirt..if and ONLY if they are made to feel like their role is one that is significant to the teams production and performance. If they feel significant in their role, they will go through a wall for you. And that, to me is truly what sports should be about.” The real challenge lies ahead for Coach Kevin Dobbs as he is in charge of a construction program unlike any other that he has been around in his career. As our dinner comes to an end, and he is off to other duties, he makes a closing remark that is probably the basis for any coach getting into the profession. He states “I have become the coach that I always wanted to play for”. Any athlete that has ever competed in an arena for supremacy, has enjoyed their share of wins, suffered through losses and learned from each and every experience. They have played for and against coaches with different motivational tactics, with styles that may or may not have been effective, and with teammates they may have loved or hated. Yet in the end, every struggle is beneficial. Coach Dobbs has hit the ground running with this new position, and there is no doubt that his experiences will be paramount to the success of this young program. The Competitive Edge and its staff would like to wish the Texas A&M University - Texarkana Eagles success in their inaugural season of Basketball in 2019.

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Redwater High School Band Jay Sutton, Director of Bands

New Boston High School Military Stride With Pride Marching Band New Boston ISD Band Directors 2018-2019 Pictured L-R KEVIN SUTTON, AARON HOLT, CHARLIE MELTON, MELISSA MORTON

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