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Olton Enterprise • Copyright 2021 • All Rights Reserved
COVID-19 Reports
No active COVID cases reported in Lamb County
For the first time since March 27, 2020, Lamb County is officially COVID-free.
County Judge Mike DeLoach announced Tuesday that the county would be COVID-free after an Amherst resident competed their quarantine period on Wednesday.
“Currently, Lamb County has one confirmed case of COVID-19. This case is in Amherst and will be moved to the recovered list tomorrow,” DeLoach said Tuesday in announcing that his weekly COVID status reports will be suspended until there are at least 10 active cases again in the county.
Officially, there have been 1,653 active cases of COVID in Lamb County since the first case was reported in March 2020. Of that total, 1,596 people recovered. There have been 57 COVID-related deaths in the county. Based on an estimated population of 13,385 for Lamb County, 12.35 percent of the population contracted the virus with a fatality rate of .4 percent.
Sources: Lamb County Judge Mike DeLoach, Lamb County Health Authority and Texas Department of State Health Services
Read the complete story in the Feb. 26, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Sports
Noack named Co-Newcomer of the Year, six others receive All-District honors
Noack named Co-Newcomer of the Year, six others receive All-District honors
Noack named Co-Newcomer of the Year, six others receive All-District honors
Kylee Noack is the District 3-AA Girls Basketball Co-Newcomer of the Year.
The sophomore is one of seven players on the Bi-District Champion Olton Fillies team that District 3-AA girls basketball coaches selected for All-District recognition for the 2020-2021 basketball season.
Karla Arriola, Shaylee Leathers and Celestte Ramirez have been named to the All-District Team, while coaches placed Makenly Smith on the All-Defense Team. Jasmine Reyna and Marisa Rodriguez are receiving All-District Honorable Mention recognition.
Noack joined Olton’s varsity team after having a strong junior varsity season as a freshman.
“Kylee added speed and intensity to the squad,” Coach Kyle Johnson said. “Many times she was asked to defend the other team’s best perimeter player.”
Read the complete story in the Feb. 26, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Streak ends: Mustangs fall 57-54 to Ralls in Bi-District
Noack named Co-Newcomer of the Year, six others receive All-District honors
Noack named Co-Newcomer of the Year, six others receive All-District honors
Trailing by three points with 2.4 seconds left, the Olton Mustangs needed a miracle.
But last-second miracles are hard to come by when your opponent is about to in-bound the ball with no real time left to defend your 18-game winning streak and get the Bi-District Championship almost everyone expected Olton to get. Nevertheless, the Mustangs played to the last tick of the clock last Friday night at Rip Griffin Center on the Lubbock Christian University campus. The Ralls Jackrabbits ended what may be Olton’s longest winning streak ever with an upset 57-54 win.
“There aren’t many words to describe the feeling that we were left with Friday night,” Coach Bobby Workman said. “I think we will always question the things that happened in that game and why it happened the way it did because that’s how we grow. But we won’t ever doubt how we did things, because those were the same things that led us to a 23-1 record up to that point.”
It was a game that started like almost all the rest Olton had played this season, with the Mustangs grabbing an early lead. Olton was up 4-0 on a jumper by Jake Soliz and a couple of free throws from Chris Urbina, when things changed quickly. The Jackrabbits could hit anything and the Mustangs could hit nothing. Ralls scored 14 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead, and they were not done. Israel Santillan popped a three for Olton, but the Jackrabbits added four more to put the score at 18-7 at the end of the first quarter.
“We knew going into the game that Ralls was a much better team than they were when we beat them by 26 on Jan. 2,” Workman said. “Throughout district they were in every single game and went into OT with the Co-District Champions of that district. It was no surprise how hard they play and how physical they are."
Read the complete story in the Feb. 26, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Fillies Bi-District Champions with 49-47 win over Ralls Lady Rabbits
Mustangs take on the Ralls Jackrabbits in Bi-District Championship game
Mustangs take on the Ralls Jackrabbits in Bi-District Championship game
Call her Celestte “The Rock” Ramirez.
With the score tied at 47-47 and 6.6 seconds left on the clock, Ramirez calmly stepped up to the foul line last Thursday night and prepared to do what she had done all season, connect on a couple of free throws.
But this time it was different. A gold ball was on the line — the Bi-District Championship.
“It was great to have Celestte, one of our best free-throw shooters, at the line knocking them down,” Coach Kyle Johnson said.
About the only person not feeling the pressure on Ramirez’s shoulders at that moment was the athlete herself as she stood at the charity stripe. But there was nothing charitable about the line at that moment.
“I was actually really calm,” Ramirez said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to knock these down like it’s the first part of the game with the whole game left.’ I was pretty confident.”
It was nothing but net on both shots as Ramirez provided the Fillies with a two-point lead. The Olton defense took it from there, denying the Ralls Lady Rabbits another opportunity to score in those final seconds. In an upset victory, the No. 3 seed Fillies won the Bi-District Championship game, 49-47, over the No. 2 seed Jackrabbits. There was a massive celebration at center court at Plainview’s Doghouse Gymnasium.
“This was an incredibly exciting game,” Johnson said. “We knew that the game we played during the holiday with Ralls might not be the same game that we would play, and that sure was true. They are a great team.”
The coach described the battle as “a game of runs.”
“We’d get a few, they’d get a few, and we’d get a few,” he said. “It was nice that we got the last two points.”
Read the complete story in the Feb. 19, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Mustangs take on the Ralls Jackrabbits in Bi-District Championship game
Mustangs take on the Ralls Jackrabbits in Bi-District Championship game
Mustangs take on the Ralls Jackrabbits in Bi-District Championship game
The No. 12 Olton Mustangs took their 23-1 record to Abernathy Thursday night to play for a Bi-District Championship against the Ralls Jackrabbits.
Having gone undefeated in district play this season, the Mustangs already have one gold ball. However they were looking for another Thursday night.
The game was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. in the Abernathy High School Gymnasium. The Olton Enterprise went to press before the tipoff, so results will be published on the publication’s Facebook page as well as in the Feb. 26 newspaper.
A No. 1 seed in the Class AA playoffs, Olton had lost only one game this season. The Mustangs are one of only two teams who came into the playoffs with only one loss. The No. 3 Grapeland Sandies also are 23-1. The No. 17 Wink Wildcats are the only undefeated Class AA team with a 22-0 record.
The Jackrabbits were ranked 38th in Class AA coming into the game. Ralls was 9-9 overall and 3-5 in district. The Jackrabbitts finished tied for third in their district, but they lost to the Lockney Longhorns Monday night in a game to determined their seed in the playoffs.
Having secured the District Championship with a 55-50 at-home win over the Farwell Steers on Feb. 9, the Mustangs traveled to Bovina last Friday. to close out the season. They defeated Bovina, 68-39, to go undefeated in district play.
A very physical game can always be expected when playing at Bovina, but the district finale for the Mustangs was far more than what had been expected.
“We were lucky to get out of this game without any major injuries,” Coach Bobby Workman said. “This was one of the dirtiest games I've ever witnessed.”
Read the complete story in the Feb. 19, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
News
Parkey places two Shorthorns at San Angelo Stock Show
Olton school trustees approve administrative contracts
Olton school trustees approve administrative contracts
Macee Parkey showed a Class Champion during the Junior Shorthorn Heifer Show at the San Angelo Stock Show.
Parkey claimed first place in Class 8 — Junior Heifers, calved May 1 to Aug. 31, 2019 — with Cash Farms Crystal *x. She also placed fifth in Class 11 — Senior Heifers, calved Jan. 1 to April 30, 2019 — with JJ Robin Queen RS *x.
Alex Zuniga also placed in Class 8. He claimed third place in the class with MJS Carrie I Lillie x.
The Junior Shorthorn Heifer Show was held Feb. 10 and 11 and drew 63 entries. Willie Weise served as judge for the show.
Conner DeBerry placed two heifers in the Junior Angus Heifer Show at the San Angelo Stock Show, and Hudson DeBerry placed one. Conner placed second with Elena in the Feb. 7, 2019 Heifer category, and sixth with Talena in the March 18, 2020 Heifer category. Hudson placed sixth with Abby in the Feb. 16, 2020 Heifer category.
The Junior Angus Heifer Show was held Feb. 11 and was judged by Jake Franke.
In the Other Register Breed Heifer Show at the San Angelo Stock Show, Macee Parkey place eighth with Cash Farms Robin. That show was judged by Willie Weise.
There were three local exhibitors who participated in the Goat Show held Feb. 5 and 6 at the San Angelo Stock Show. Payge Davina, Macee Parkey and Kaila Young showed goats.
Four local exhibitors participated in the Barrow Show held Feb. 19 and 20 at the San Angelo Stock Show. Jadyn Vega, Abygael Gomez, Victor Reyes and Casimiro Villarreal each exhibited barrows in the show. However, none of their animals placed high enough to make the sale.
Read the complete story in the Feb. 26, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Olton school trustees approve administrative contracts
Olton school trustees approve administrative contracts
Olton school trustees approve administrative contracts
Olton school trustees have approved two-year term certified contracts for four administrators as well as a one-year term administrator contract for another.
Contracts from July 1 to June 30, 2023 were approved for Gregg Ammons, high school principal; Colby Huseman, junior high school principal; Stacie Ramage, elementary school principal; and Ross Lassiter, athletic director and head football coach. A contract for the 2021-2022 school year was approved for Terri Sandoval, director of Federal and Special Programs.
The actions came on two separate votes following an hour-long closed session during the board’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
Tullie Struve moved to approve the one-year contract for the director of Federal and Special Programs. Michael Ramage seconded the motion, which passed on a 6-0 vote. President Connie Maxwell, Vice President Ruben Luera, Secretary Jesus “Chuy” DeLaCruz and Jay Gorman joined Struve and Ramage. Alicia Sanchez was unable to attend the meeting and did not vote.
Maxwell moved to approve the two-year contracts for the principals and athletic director. Gorman seconded the motion, which passed on a 5-0-1 vote. Luera, DeLaCruz and Struve joined Maxwell and Gorman to approve the contracts. Michael Ramage abstained due to the conflict of interest in approving his wife’s contract.
Trustees also employed Chelsea Hildebrandt as a speech language pathologist on a motion by Luera that was seconded by DeLaCruz and approved on a 6-0 vote.
Building on the “Grow: Every Student, Every Adult, Every Day, Every Way” mission statement approved last month, the board adopted a vision statement for the district. The new vision statement, which was approved on a motion by Struve that was seconded by DeLaCruz, is “By 2026, Olton Independent School District will succeed through a foundation built on strong relationships, universal accountability and no excuses.” Trustees voted 6-0 in favor of the statement.
Read the complete story in the Feb. 26, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Limited seating available at annual Chamber banquet
Students recognized for 76th Olton Livestock Show animal projects
Students recognized for 76th Olton Livestock Show animal projects
Fiesta!
That’s the theme for the annual Olton Chamber of Commence and Agriculture Banquet, but if you want to be a part of the celebration, you better get you tickets fast. There will be only 30 tickets available for purchase.
“Due to COVID-19 and restrictions concerning mass gatherings, we are having to limit the number of people in attendance this year,” said Chamber Manager Adrienne Synatschk. “The tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.”
While there will be plenty of good food and entertainment like usual, some things will be different. For years, local businesses have decorated tables, but this year that won’t be possible. Social distancing will be required, masks should be worn, and hand sanitizer will be available.
Tickets for the banquet, which takes place at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 6, at Olton Schools Cafeteria, are $15 each and include a delicious fajita dinner. Tickets will be sold on Tuesdays and Thursday at the Chamber Office on Eighth Street.
The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Citizen Awards. The awards this year include: Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Educator of the Year, Business of the Year, Support Staff of the Year and Citizen through the Years. There will also be special presentations.
During the banquet, Chamber members will vote to fill three seats on the Chamber’s Board of Directors. Nominations for candidates to fill those three seats on the board are now open. Persons interested in serving should contact Synatschk or a current board member for more information.
Longtime directors Tonya Morris and Christy DeLaCruz are not seeking re-election. In addition to the two three-year seats, one person is needed to fill the unexpired term of Chris Jones, who passed away in December. There is one year remaining on the unexpired term.
Read the complete story in the Feb. 12, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
Students recognized for 76th Olton Livestock Show animal projects
Students recognized for 76th Olton Livestock Show animal projects
Students recognized for 76th Olton Livestock Show animal projects
Makenzie DeBerry showed the Supreme Champion Heifer at the 76th annual Olton FFA & 4-H Livestock Show, which was held Jan. 21-23 at Olton Ag Pavilion. On Saturday, Judge Rebel Royal selected the winning heifer, which is a Simmental.
Wyatt Deberry had the Reserve Supreme Heifer, a Simmental. Both heifers are Spring Yearlings.
Alec Pinkerton’s 1,355- pound Heavy Weight Exotic was selected as the Grand Champion Steer. The steer brought a winning bid of $2,200 from Olton Buyers Club during the premium sale Saturday afternoon. Kyle Blount showed the Reserve Grand Champion Steer, a 1,185-pound Exotic that brought a bid of $1,800 from Ag Producers during the premium sale.
In the Barrow Show on Friday, Victor Reyes had the Grand Champion, a 275-pound Heavy Weight Cross that was one of two that drew high praise from Royal throughout the show. The prize-winning Cross brought a bid of $1,300 from Texas Best Bean & Seed. Celestte Ramirez showed the Reserve Grand Champion Barrow, a 280-pound Heavy Weight York. Olton Buyers Club also had the winning bid of $1,100.
In the Goat Show, Payge Davina had the Grand Champion and the Reserve Grand Champion. Her 117-pound Heavy Weight was the Grand Champion Goat and brought a winning bid of $1,100 from Olton Buyers Club. Her 143-pound Heavy Weight was the Reserve Grand Champion Goat and brought a $900 bid from Olton Buyers Club.
Madison Young showed the Grand Champion Lamb, a 176-pound Heavy Weight Medium Wool. The top lamb brought a combined bid of $1,250 from Friends of Olton Junior Livestock Association, Quarterway Cotton Growers, Pinkerton Club Lambs and Care Pest Control. Emma Acker had the Reserve Grand Champion Lamb, a 151-pound Light Heavy Weight Medium Wool that brought an $1,100 bid from Ag Producers.
The show was formally dedicated to Steve Hasha, who has helped many kids with pig projects through the years, served on the Olton Junior Livestock Association Board of Directors for 13 years, and was instrumental in the planning and construction of the expansion of pens at the Olton 4-H and FFA Ag Project Center. (Read more about the show dedication on Page 3).
Read the complete story in the Jan. 29, 2021 issue of the Olton Enterprise
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