Commercial Roofing Contractors in Ponder, TX

AUSTIN, Texas — The final game of the regular season is here against, nonetheless, last year’s Big 12 Champions, the Baylor Bears. The good news is the game is at DKR this year and Baylor is not playing as well as they did last year.

Baylor did, however, almost beat TCU in a game where they scored four touchdowns against TCU and Texas was not able to put up any TD’s on offense against TCU, but did on defense with a fumble recovery by Jahdae Barron for a touchdown.

This game, if Texas wins, gives them one day to pray that Kansas beats Kansas State. If they do, Texas plays TCU in the Big 12 Championship. If Kansas cannot stop Kansas State, Texas will be looking at their last game of the season in a Bowl game.

This season was a roller-coaster ride of emotions with Texas coming — this close — to beating Alabama, crushing OU 49-0, and then falling to Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and TCU.

There are rumors swirling that are hard to ignore, however in the New World Order of College Football, anything is possible.

7 questions (some based on the rumors that are swirling) to ponder as Texas wraps up their regular season.

1.) Is Xavier Worthy really considering going into the transfer portal? This season has been not as productive as last year, but is that because he has not made more catches, or that the passes were not catchable? (non verified rumors)

2.) Will Bijan Robinson really be going into the NFL Draft after this season? This is a legitimate question that is not based on rumors. Robinson deflected a question about it during a news conference and said let’s talk about it after the season.

In fairness, even though not having Robinson around will leave a gaping hole, what else does Robinson need to accomplish and what if he gets injured next season? He will likely go high in the draft.

3.) Does Bijan Robinson rush for more than 98 yards in the game to move up to fourth place in the All-Time Leading Rusher at Texas? If Robinson stays, he will need just 1,212 more yards to hold the third most all-time rushing yards and surpass Earl Campbell.

4.) Will Hudson Card get to play — at all — during this final, and most important, game against Baylor? If Quinn Ewers does have another unproductive day, will Sarkisian do what fans have been screaming for him to do?

Which leads to a bonus question: Will Hudson Card enter the transfer portal after the season is over? (non verified rumors)

5.) What will Quinn Ewers do in the game? He has shown to have the ability to throw the ball long and accurately, and can get flustered against a little pressure.

6.) What Bowl game will Texas play in? Some predict the Cheeze-It Bowl, others say Alamo Bowl. What do you think?

7.) If Texas does go to the Big 12 Championship against TCU and Texas’ offense and defense play to the full potential to beat TCU, will Sarkisian and the Texas program win back the hearts and minds of pundits and fans across the world?

One thing for sure, Texas has provided some great entertainment this season and has a bright future..

We believe (of course we do) Texas will beat Baylor 31-24.

A win 364 days in the making.

Nearly one year to the date of its March 1, 2022, loss to Dallas Madison in last year's regional quarterfinals, No. 8-ranked Ponder upset No. 1 Madison 68-53 on Tuesday at Ryan High, in the same round.

The moment is one the Lions had dreamed of ever since last year's disappointing 62-43 defeat at the hands of the eventual state champion Trojans.

"We've been thinking about this since the very start of basketball season, even in the offseason — getting here and getting to this moment," junior guard Case Peacock said. "All the days at practice, all the 7 p.m. practices and everything, it really helped us."

It was an accomplishment the Ponder community cherished, too, as the packed home bleachers erupted when the final buzzer sounded.

After Madison's players and coaching staff left the court, the fans stormed the floor and said a prayer with the team at midcourt.

"I think it meant more to our community than it meant to any of us individually," Ponder coach JD Sullivan said. "Our fans knew that, just to get to the regional tournament, we'd have to go through the No. 1 team in the state who's also the defending state champs.

"The people poured out of the stands to pray with us. That's just public profession of faith and our way of saying thank you to the Lord, for taking care of us and giving us all the blessings. So, glory to God, first and foremost."

With the win, Ponder (32-5) advances to face Hooks (30-5) in Friday's Class 3A Region II semifinal at Prosper High with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Early in the fourth quarter of the contest, though, it was not quite so clear that Ponder would be the team to move on.

The Lions' 10-point lead after three periods was quickly trimmed to five just over 1:45 into the final frame as Madison's relentless full-court pressure turned several Ponder turnovers into baskets. Although Ponder answered with an 8-2 run, the Trojans rallied once more to trail 55-48 with 2:47 to play.

The Lions found one more response, though, as Peacock made a layup, then Tyler Long came through with one of his multiple blocks on the night to spark a 13-5 run the rest of the way.

It's a run that epitomized Ponder's performance on the night in overcoming several Madison pushes to maintain control of the contest, which it never again trailed in after surmounting an early 5-3 deficit.

Kade Irons led the way with 18 points on the night, including 10 in the first quarter alone as he knocked down two of his four 3-pointers during the period. Case Peacock came in just behind him with 16 points, 14 of those coming in the second half alone, including several tough layups down the stretch.

Timber Crider and Tyler Long added 12 points apiece to round out the double-figure scorers, while Javien Gonzalez chipped in nine.

"It just felt good," Irons said of his performance. "We don't have to have one person be the leading scorer every night. Our offense is good enough where one person can step up every night and lead."

The contest's frenetic energy was evident from the jump, on both sides, as both fanbases made their presences felt early and often, matching and elevating the players' intensity.

Ponder pulled ahead 15-6 midway through the first period to raucous approval before Madison rallied to make it 19-12 after a quarter. The Trojans battled back into the contest to tie it at 23 with 2:51 left in the second frame, but the Lions struck back to make it 32-25 at halftime on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Long.

From there, Ponder found a way to finish off an emotional victory and extend its season by at least one more round. The Lions held Madison's high-powered offense to just 53 points after it entered the contest averaging nearly 72 points per game.

"If we play our defense, we're tough to beat," Irons said.

Bigger goals remain ahead for the storied program with five state championships to its name. All five of the Lions' titles came in Class 2A, the first in 2001, three straight from 2008 thru 2010 and the latest in 2014.

To return to those lofty heights for the first time at the 3A level, Sullivan knows his team will need to quickly put this victory behind it and focus on its Round 4 foe.

"We're doing our best to enjoy it, but tomorrow morning it's time to get ready for somebody else," Sullivan said. "A big part of it is going to be not being satisfied with beating the No. 1 team in the state. You can't just feel like you've accomplished what you want.

"As huge of a step as it was, it's just one step."

Enjoying its first-ever trip to the state 7-on-7 tournament, Ponder made some waves Friday in College Station by advancing all the way to the semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Hitchcock.

The Lions’ improbable run came after going 1-2 in Thursday’s pool play portion of the Division II tournament, knocking off Pleasanton 27-21 while falling by double digits to Hamshire-Fannett and Graham. They caught fire Friday down at Veterans Memorial Park, however, winning three consecutive games over Cameron, Celina and Lago Vista.

“It was a great day. So proud of them,” coach Kyle Cooper said. “Started off with a great win over Cameron, [they have] the most wins in 3A in the state of Texas. … They started fast and did a great job, got some stops on defense early and were able to keep the scoring going. Just got us off to a great start to the day.”

Ponder took the opener from Cameron 41-28 before knocking off its next two opponents by just two points apiece. A 21-19 second-round victory over four-time champions Celina meant the Lions knocked off the winningest team in the tournament’s history and the one with the most 7-on-7 titles of any school.

They followed that up with a 34-32 triumph against Lago Vista to clinch a semifinal spot alongside Hitchcock, Lorena and Wichita Falls. The Lions fell 32-20 to Hitchcock, which went on to run away from Lorena 33-6 for the state crown.

After going 4-6 during the 11-man season last fall, including a 1-6 record in District 4-3A (Division I), the Lions will look to rebound in 2022. They return a pair of key pieces on the offensive side in starting quarterback Clifton Cooper and leading wide receiver Case Peacock. The duo played a pivotal role in Ponder’s 7-on-7 success this summer.

A rising senior, Clifton Cooper threw for 2,535 yards and 24 touchdowns last season along with nine interceptions while rushing for 260 yards and four more scores. Peacock, who will be a junior this fall, racked up 72 catches for 1,136 yards and 11 touchdown grabs last season.

Advancing so deep in the tournament is something Kyle Cooper feels can benefit his team heading into the 11-on-11 season this fall.

“Ponder’s a fairly new football program, we have not had a ton of success,” Kyle Cooper said. “I’m a firm believer that confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence. When you come down and make a run like that, your kids start to believe and see what they can be and what they are.

“It just helps them believe and have confidence in themselves to see more success come Friday nights in the fall.”

More high school sports in your inbox!

Athletes from nine local high schools competed at the state track and field meet, which was held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin from March 11-13.

Check out a collection of all of the Denton Record-Chronicle's coverage leading up to the meet and after each day below.

Ponder ISD announced Tuesday that it has hired Humble’s Marcus Schulz to be its next head football coach.

Schulz takes over the role from Kyle Cooper, who led the Lions for the last two seasons before leaving in February to take over as La Grange’s head football coach and athletic director. Cooper led Ponder to a 7-13 overall record in his time at the helm.

Ponder ISD announced the news with posts to its Twitter and Facebook pages that include the following caption.

“We are excited to announce that Marcus Schulz will be joining the Lion Nation as our new head football coach! Coach Schulz is coming from Humble High School and has numerous years of head coaching and teaching experience to bring with him to Ponder HS.”

Schulz makes the move to Class 3A school Ponder after spending the last two seasons leading 6A Humble. After a 2-8 campaign in 2021, Schulz led the Wildcats to an improved 5-5 record last fall.

A Sanger native, Schulz was some Sanger residents’ favored candidate to take over as the Indians’ head football coach and boys athletic director before Chad Rogers was hired in February. There was some controversy over Rogers being the ultimate choice over a candidate with strong local ties in Schulz.

Ponder’s proximity to Schulz’s hometown — the two cities’ high schools are separated by less than 20 miles — appears to have been a factor in him taking the job.

“Ponder is in the early stages of becoming a football town,” Schulz told Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. “They’ve been successful in a lot of sports. They’ve got a growing community that supports their athletics and school. I’ve got family in the area. I grew up nearby, and having the opportunity to be close to home was too good to pass up and was appealing for the entire family.”

Schulz, who played collegiate football at Austin College, began his coaching career as a secondary coach for two seasons at Gainesville High, including the school’s 2005 state runner-up finish. He then spent two seasons on the staff at Sanger before making stops as the defensive coordinator at Andrews and Hillsboro.

Schulz got his first head coaching gig in 2014 in taking over Splendora’s program. His teams won just nine total games over his first four seasons before breaking through for a 10-2 campaign in 2018, notching the school’s first 10-win season, fifth district title and first playoff win in the process.

After seven seasons at Splendora, Schulz spent the last two seasons leading Humble.

Schulz now takes over a Ponder program that has struggled to find success since its first season of varsity competition in 2010. The Lions have posted two seasons with winning records when they notched their lone playoff berths in 2014 and 2016, winning no more than one district game starting in 2017.

Some strong returning talent in the wide receivers room could help elevate the program next season under Schulz.

Although standout quarterback Clifton Cooper has graduated, Case Peacock and Mitchell Nuziard are two of the top 20 returning wide receivers in the state by receiving yards. Peacock posted 100 catches for 1,559 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Nuziard added 63 catches for 1,185 yards and 13 scores.

With Schulz now at the helm, the hope will be that he can build Ponder’s program up in a similar manner to his exploits at Splendora and Humble.

PONDER, Texas -- Some residents in the small town of Ponder have complained about the water quality over the last several months. Residents complained of a heavy chlorine smell, rashes, and itchiness during showers.

“There were rashes in different spots. [Her daughter] had it on her legs and was really itchy,” said Meghan Avigliano.

Avigliano first felt the rashes late last year. The town of Ponder said it was first made aware of the complaints at the beginning of the year.

“I feel it instantly. I feel it as soon as the water hits me,” Meghan said.

Ponder has six wells that draw from the Trinity Aquifer. Gary Morris, the Public Works Director of Ponder, says before that water reaches homes it is chlorine-treated.

“We immediately started checking our chlorine residuals,” said Morris.

Morris says the town even hired a third-party consultant to test the water and those results aren’t out yet. The town will reveal those results at a June town hall meeting.

“I feel like we’ve gone over and beyond what we need to do,” said Morris.

TCEQ, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, also tested the water in the Ponder area and a spokesperson tells WFAA the water system is “in compliance with drinking standards.”

This week, a group of residents reached out to CLEAR: the Collaborative Laboratory for Environmental Analysis and Remediation. The research group is affiliated with UT Arlington and is comprised of scientists and engineers. The team of researchers went to several homes and tested the water and also swabbed skin from adults who reported rashes and itchiness.

“We’re going to be screening this water samples for over 2,500 different species of bacteria,” said Dr. Zac Hildenbrand, who is a CLEAR scientist. “There may be incomplete disinfection going on where there is residual bacteria in the water that could be leading to the rashes,” he said.

Hildenbrand says he will wait for the results to come in before making a final judgment on what is causing the reactions. Residents like Lana Weides is desperate for answers.

“I’ve had kidney infection after kidney infection and every single one turned out E.coli,” she said.

The results from the researchers make take several weeks to process and analyze. For some of these residents they are hopeful there are answers that, they say, explain what they’re feeling and tasting.