Sports

There’s something very special about river fishing. I grew up a few miles from the Red River in Red River County and have fond memories of bank fishing along the river. I remember my dad telling me there was a dam many miles upstream that impounded a huge body of water situated along the Texas/ Oklahoma border called Lake Texoma. I was well into my twenties before I discovered Texoma and sampled the great striper fishing there.

This past week was a very good one for me. I was fortunate to enjoy some great times on the water and in the woods with a couple of very good friends. There was a time when I was young when I judged every outdoor outing by the fish in the cooler or game on the meatpole. Granted, fresh fish fillets or backstraps from wild pork or venison is a big plus but what really matters is the quality time spent with good friends. This past week definitely provided a lot of white bass and catfish fillets for the freezer. I even had an up close and personal encounter with a chunky wild porker that I had earmarked for the smoker. The real reward though was the time spent with a couple of close friends. Let me tell you about my two adventures, the first with Brandon Sargent, Lead Slingers Guide Service on Lake Ray Hubbard, for a few hours of catching post spawn white bass and then on to Wood County for some hog hunting and creek catfishing with Jeff Rice.

Karate students Athena and Atlantis Escobedo competed in the Ennis Lions Den Challenge and came home winners on Saturday, May 9. Known as the A-Team at their karate school, Comito’s Championship Martial Arts in Kaufman, the girls competed forms and fighting divisions for there age and belt level.

Seven Kemp High School student-athletes signed to continue their athletic and academic journeys at the collegiate level on National Signing Day on April 30. Alexia Darquea and Ruben Alanis both signed to play college at Southwestern Christian College. Emma Johns signed to play soccer at Cedar Valley Community College while Sara Sanchez and Gracie Vasquez both signed to play college soccer at Texas College. Both Maddox and Mason Henderson signed to play football at Bethel College.

The modern-day eastern turkey restocking program that began back in 1979 has been successful in some areas and somewhat of a bust in others. In earlier days, pen raised domestic birds were introduced in the wild without success. Biologists learned that live trapped wild birds were the key to success and by 2003 about 7,000 birds were released in east Texas, since the initial stockings, super stockings in areas with prime habitat seems to be succeeding.

The Kemp Yellowjackets varsity baseball team celebrated their seniors in their final game last week. Following the game, Kemp honored seniors Adrian Culpepper, Dayne Postlethwait, Nathan Dunn, Ettore Schiapparoli, and athletic trainer Carly Williams. After the game, seniors shared one final pitch with their parents and ran the bases one last time; a special moment to celebrate a chapter they’ll never forget.

Country music artist Tracy Byrd is set to perform a benefit concert at Kemp High School on Saturday, May 16. Byrd will perform at the Second Annual Benefit Concert to benefit Kemp FFA.

news@kaufmanherald.com The Scurry-Rosser Wildcats baseball team took down the Clifton Cubs in the Bi-district round of the playoffs on Wednesday, April 29. The Wildcats swept the first two games of their best-ofthree playoff series over the Cubs.

Kaufman Lions basketball player DJ Gaddis played in the Azalea Orthopedics All-Star Basketball Game this past weekend. He scored 20 points and had seven rebounds and hit six three-pointers. His team won by three, and Gaddis was named MVP of the game.

The Kaufman Lions Special Olympics squad took first place in the relay at Wills Point on April 27. .