Commercial Roofing Contractors in Lucas, TX

Four-star linebacker Payton Pierce of Lucas (TX) Lovejoy High will announce his college decision today at 6 PM Central Time.

The 6-foot-2, 225 pounder will choose between Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.

He discussed his finalists.

Texas was one of the first schools that recruited me. Me and coach Choate have had a great relationship and I believe he is a great coach. Playing in my home state would be a pretty special opportunity as well.

Tennessee was awesome. I fell in love with the campus and the school right when I stepped on it. The atmosphere there is unmatched and I believe their coaching staff is top notch and their success this year proves that.

Notre Dame has been one of my top schools for a while now. They can offer a lot of things that most schools can’t with their degree and connections that Notre Dame has. I believe coach Freeman and Coach Golden are some of the best coaches I’ve seen in this recruiting process.

Growing up as a massive OU fan it is pretty unbelievable that I get recruited by them. I believe Coach Venables is one of the best linebacker coaches in the country and it is pretty unique to have that as a head coach. I believed they have completely flipped the culture there and I could see myself there.

Ohio State came into my recruitment a little later but they have recruited me just as hard has any other school. Their culture and the type of players on their team really stick out to me. I have close relationships with the coaches on the staff and I believe that they are some of the best of the best.

I’ve visited Texas A&M a lot and I think a lot of things stick out about them. They’re very close to home, the linebacker room is very thin and playing in the SEC and Kyle field is awesome. I have really good relationships with their coaches and I believe that they could make me better.

Pierce ranks as the No. 201 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 21 linebacker and the No. 37 player in the state of Texas.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $70K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Not too long ago, it seemed like Oklahoma had possibly broken Texas.

The Sooners, however, may have inadvertently fixed their rival.

Back in April, Oklahoma swept Texas in three straight wins at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Sooners hadn't swept Texas since 1998 and they never had done it in Austin. Plus, Oklahoma entered that weekend series as the last-place team in the Big 12 while Texas was leading the conference.

So yes, that was a low point.

But during that Sunday loss, Texas received a solid showing Lebarron Johnson Jr., out of the bullpen. The next weekend at TCU, Johnson pitched 6⅓ innings of three-hit relief.

Texas then moved Johnson to the starting rotation, and he has since recorded five strong starts.

On Wednesday, head coach David Pierce was asked if Johnson’s late-season surge would have happened without those losses to Oklahoma. He couldn’t rule out the premise.

"I think he ends up being pretty darn good; I don't know if he's that confident and sitting as a Saturday starter without that great outing," Pierce said. "The kid, he just has gotten so much more comfortable being on that mound and competing, confident. You can just see it in his mannerisms, his body language."

'That was a really good pitcher'

Since entering that 6-4 loss to OU on April 22, Johnson has allowed 36 hits, 10 walks and nine earned runs over 43⅔ innings. That equates to a 1.85 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He’s also struck out 50 batters over those seven appearances.

During Texas' second game at the Coral Gables regional last Saturday, Johnson went the distance in a 4-1 win over Miami. He worked around three walks and seven Hurricanes hits during what was the first complete game for a Longhorn in the NCAA Tournament since 2014.

"At the end of that day, that was a really good pitcher," Miami coach Gino DiMare said after the game. "He seemed to be on his game and he got the better of us tonight. That's the bottom line."

Texas will battle Stanford this weekend for a spot in the College World Series. It's a super regional pitting strength against strength. Texas is No. 10 nationally in ERA and No. 17 in fielding percentage. Stanford boasts a top-15 batting average and scoring offense.

Texas pitching is strong at the top

Johnson's emergence has given Texas a formidable 1-2 punch in its pitching rotation. For the season, Johnson is 8-3 with a 2.62 ERA and 94 strikeouts. Left-handed ace Lucas Gordon heads to his home state of California with a 7-1 record, 2.45 ERA and 98 strikeouts.

Gordon was named the Big 12's pitcher of the year this season. Among the starting pitchers in the conference, he and Johnson claim the two-lowest ERAs.

"It's incredible, you know what you're getting from those guys every time they take the mound," shortstop Mitchell Daly said.

A strong season from Gordon, who's a junior, was expected. An all-conference honoree last year, he was named the team’s Friday starter in February and was on the Big 12’s preseason team.

Johnson, though, was a wild card. A third-year right-hander who redshirted in 2021 and made 18 relief appearances in 2022, he was viewed by Pierce at the beginning of the season as a pitcher who could help bridge the gap between UT's weekend starters and the back end of the bullpen.

But when the season got underway, Johnson excelled as a midweek starter. Most notably he shut out then-No. 1 LSU for five innings on Feb. 28. He eventually earned a few weekend starts, but was sent back to the bullpen after a midseason swoon that was attributed to his mechanics. He was starting again by May.

"When you talk about a developmental story, that may be the best ever," Pierce said. "From where he was when he got here to where he is right now."

Gordon and Johnson have had a pact this season. The pitchers both agreed to use Jay-Z songs as their introductory music at home games. Gordon mixed things up in the Oklahoma series and instead warmed up to Dolly Parton's "Jolene," but he switched back to Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" the following week. A deal is a deal, he later explained.

Johnson's Jay-Z song of choice has been "Show Me What You Got." Fittingly, both he and Gordon are doing just that.

Stanford super regional

Texas (41-20) at No. 8 Stanford (42-17), Saturday-Monday

Game 1 — 5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2, 104.9; Game 2 — Sunday, TBA; Game 3 — Monday if needed, TBA

(Seguin) – An elite team of local actresses will reunite on stage to launch a two-weekend performance schedule of Steel Magnolias. The theater production, as written by Robert Harling, will debut with its first performance this Friday at the historic Stephen & Mary Birch Texas Theatre.

After performing the show almost 11 years ago, Sheila Lucas, who portrays “Ouiser,” says the timing was again perfect for the cast to come together. Making up the solid cast with Lucas will be Lauren Bouquet, Pat Hoppe, Johanna Bain Johnson, Ivy Koehler Meehan, and Mary Jane Windle.

“These ladies and I have been wanting to work together for over a decade and the timing worked out and since Mary Jane’s son said, ‘I’ve never seen Steel Magnolias!’ That’s when Steve Tschoepe said ‘Oh, I guess we can do it again. I guess it’s time to do it again.’ It worked out. We’ve been maneuvering each other for two years to come upon this date and this grouping and this time frame to get this done and it has exceeded, I think, my expectations and I know all of theirs as well. We are having a great, great time,” said Lucas.

Of course, most remember the story as it unfolded in the 1989 film starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley Maclain, and Dolly Parton. Lucas says the story follows the bond of these women as they tackle one of life’s most difficult challenges.

“The show is truly a southern piece of grace. It’s six women who are best friends and they spill their guts to each other. They live with each other. They love each other. They fuss with each other. It’s a true family of southern graciousness,” said Lucas.

Although the script follows in line with much of the film, cast members say there will still be some differences. Mary Jane Windle, who plays M’Lynn, elaborated on the play’s unique elements.

“The main difference, I think, is that the play takes place in the beauty shop. No exterior, and of course, the movie had the Easter egg hunt. It had the wedding. It had the church. It had men. We have no men,’ chimed all the cast members. “But you will see equity actor for the first time on stage,” said Windle.

The women couldn’t be more excited about having the opportunity to work together on this performance. Hoppe adds that it’s a dream team (cast) and a dream come true for most of them.

“I suppose we started reading the script together about two months ago just a few times. We wanted to do it. We laughed the whole time. We cried. If the audience likes it as much as we do, you are in for a treat,” said Hoppe.

Show times are at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday and again on May 26-27. Sunday matinees are also available at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday and Sunday, May 28.

Tickets are $15 for general admission or $25 for reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Gift & Gourmet, the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce, Keepers Interiors, or online at thetexas.org.

The Texas Theatre is located at 425 N. Austin St.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Halloween is right around the corner and if you're in the mood for some thrills, you might be able to spot a few ghosts in Williamson County.

The doors at the Williamson County Jail will open on Friday for their annual Nightmare on Jail Hill event.

Those who dare to enter will get to walk through the hallways and cells that housed inmates between 1889 and 1990. One of those inmates includes Henry Lee Lucas, who was infamously known as the "Confession Killer."

Lucas was convicted of murdering his mother and several others, but he rose to fame after he confessed to about 600 other murders while in prison. However, an investigation by the Dallas Times-Herald newspaper raised many questions and doubts about his confessions, according to the Associated Press.

RELATED: House of Torment offering Austinites a chance to stay overnight ... if they dare

The Nightmare on Jaill Hill will run on Fridays and Saturdays for the next two weekends until Oct. 26. The event will be open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night.

Here's a look at ticket information:

RELATED: Historic Williamson County Jail opens to public for ‘Nightmare on Jail Hill'

Children under the age of eight years old are not allowed in, according to event organizers. The event is also not handicap accessible.

The proceeds of the event will go to the Brown Santa Program, which provides assistance to underprivileged children and their families in Travis County and senior residents of local retirement centers.

The jail is located at 312 Main Street in Georgetown.

WATCH: Real frights: Williamson County haunted jail opens Friday

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WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Halloween is right around the corner and if you're in the mood for some thrills, you might be able to spot a few ghosts in Williamson County.

The doors at the Williamson County Jail will open on Friday for their annual Nightmare on Jail Hill event.

Those who dare to enter will get to walk through the hallways and cells that housed inmates between 1889 and 1990. One of those inmates includes Henry Lee Lucas, who was infamously known as the "Confession Killer."

Lucas was convicted of murdering his mother and several others, but he rose to fame after he confessed to about 600 other murders while in prison. However, an investigation by the Dallas Times-Herald newspaper raised many questions and doubts about his confessions, according to the Associated Press.

RELATED: House of Torment offering Austinites a chance to stay overnight ... if they dare

The Nightmare on Jaill Hill will run on Fridays and Saturdays for the next two weekends until Oct. 26. The event will be open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. each night.

Here's a look at ticket information:

RELATED: Historic Williamson County Jail opens to public for ‘Nightmare on Jail Hill'

Children under the age of eight years old are not allowed in, according to event organizers. The event is also not handicap accessible.

The proceeds of the event will go to the Brown Santa Program, which provides assistance to underprivileged children and their families in Travis County and senior residents of local retirement centers.

The jail is located at 312 Main Street in Georgetown.

WATCH: Real frights: Williamson County haunted jail opens Friday

PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: