Football season kicks off

Vandegrift Vipers senior wide receiver Peyton Ausley (6) leaps to bring in a would-be touchdown pass as Permian Panthers cornerback Christian Tschauner (5) breaks it up in the corner of the end zone during a high school football game between the Permian Panthers and the Vandegrift Vipers at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, Texas, on Friday, September 1, 2017.

Vipers’ 2nd-half rally falls short against Permian

By SCOTT W. COLEMAN
Four Points News

Despite a tough loss on the road to Odessa’s famed Permian Panthers, there was no time for players to hang their heads on Friday night.

Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders stood on the turf of Ratliff Stadium Friday night, after Permian regained the lead for the final time to win 28-24, and told his team to keep their heads high.

“You were that close,” Sanders said, reminding the Vipers that they’d fell into a two-touchdown hole in the first half. “That’s a really good team. You were that close to winning.”

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Hurricane Harvey relief efforts fill the community

ACF volunteers at the Port Aransas clean up site.

The outpouring of community support to help fellow Texans in the recovery and healing process after Hurricane Harvey has been huge.

Many local families, churches, businesses and organizations are backing the relief efforts. Here are a few examples of how local people are making a difference.

Makenna, 2nd grader at Grandview Hills Elementary, and Carter, 6th grader at Four Points Middle School, at their lemonade and bake sale stand over the weekend. They raised more than $1,000 for Hurricane Harvey disaster relief.

Grandview lemonade stand
“As my family and I’ve watched the news of Hurricane Harvey beating down on our friends, family and fellow Texans, we have been heartbroken and we wanted to find some way to help those affected,” said Annie Fojtik of Grandview Hills.

Annie, and her husband, Daryl, have two children, Makenna in 2nd grade at Grandview Hills Elementary, and Carter in 6th grade at Four Points Middle School.

The Fojtik kids had been asking all summer to do a lemonade stand and they turned the opportunity into a way to help those in need after the hurricane.

“We built the stand from lumber, painted the banner, bought the supplies, beat the eggs, whipped the batter, etc,” Annie said. They even squeezed lemons for lemonade.

 

 

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Arrests made in Steiner mailbox theft ring

After four mailbox break-ins in Steiner Ranch this summer, several members of a mail theft ring are now behind bars, according to Mike Sullivan, postal inspector, US Postal Inspection Service.

After multiple break-ins, mailbox
improvements to come

By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

Over the summer, there were four break-ins to community mailboxes in Steiner Ranch, affecting hundreds of residents. Mail thieves have been arrested and the homeowners association announced last week that it will spend more than $20,000 to update the mailboxes to deter it from happening again.

The most recent hit was at the end of July and arrests have been made, even though the investigation continues as financial losses continue to be reported when discovered by residents.

“The investigation is going on and arrests have been made. There are more than one person behind bars,” said Mike Sullivan, postal inspector at US Postal Inspection Service in the Austin area.

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Viper football preview

Vandegrift at Odessa Permian
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
Ratliff Stadium
1862 E Yukon Rd, Odessa, TX 79765

Vandegrift will start the season with plenty of experience on both sides of the ball, but with a new quarterback and looking for new leaders in key roles.

On the other side of the field, the Permian Panthers return eight offensive and nine defensive starters from last year’s 6-4 campaign that ended with a pair of strong wins over rivals in District 2-6A play. However, those two wins were the only district wins the Panthers managed. None of the 2-6A playoff teams fared well in the postseason, with San Angelo Central as the lone team to reach the third round.

The Panthers’ dual-threat quarterback Steve Steen returns, along with a pair of running backs, Brother Miller and Ed Williams, who combined for 13 touchdowns last season despite Miller missing half the season with a torn ACL.

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