Normal Lake Level
is 322.00 feet above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 314.98
Water Temperature:
46 degrees - top
49 degrees - bottom

Sports in Brief

Turkey Shoot
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 4133, in Trinidad, will host a turkey shoot from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7.
Only 12, 16 and 20-gauge shotguns will be allowed, rules and safety requirements are available at the VFW post and prizes will be awarded.
For more information, you can call the VFW post at (903) 778-2677.

Birding Basics
Purtis Creek State Park will host an afternoon of bird watching from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7.
Take a hike and learn about techniques for finding and identifying birds. Wear comfortable shoes, bring binoculars if you have them otherwise we have a few to loan out. Meet at the overflow camping parking lot.
For more information, contact the park at (903) 425-2332.

Geocaching at Purtis Creek
Purtis Creek State Park will hold a "basics of geocaching" program from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.
Geocaching is a type of treasure hunt using a GPS unit to help you find hidden "caches" placed by people all over the world.
Geocaches are everywhere - from just down the street to the most remote wilderness areas.
The program at Purtis Creek will teach the basics of using a GPS for geocaching and how to get started. Meet at the Amphitheater. For more information, contact the park at (903) 425-2332.

Stargazing at Purtis Creek
Purtis Creek State Park will host an evening of stargazing from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.
Make a star wheel and learn how to use it, learn about the solar system and view the night sky through a telescope. Weather permitting, meet at the over flow camping parking lot.
For more information, contact the park at (903) 425-2332.

Upcoming Events

Basketball (boys)

Jan. 3
• Eustace @ Teague – 5 p.m.
• Palestine Westwood @ Kemp – 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 6
• Mildred @ Eustace – 5 p.m.
• Palestine @ Kemp – 5 p.m.
• Mabank @ Quinlan-Ford – 4:30 p.m.

Basketball (girls)

Jan. 2
• Kemp @ Quinlan-Ford – 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 3
• Eustace @ Teague – 5 p.m.

2011 brought surprises, highs, lows
By Sam Epps
Sports Editor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–Nobody thought things would work out the way they did in 2011. Some had high expectations, and were let down. Some had low expectations, and were pleasantly surprised.
The Cedar Creek Lake area lost two longtime photojournalists, The Monitor’s Kerry Yancey in July, and the Cedar Creek Pilot’s Charles Stiff two months earlier in May. They were big shoes to fill, and left a legacy behind many will remember for years.
As January began, area basketball teams were beginning district play, and aiming for playoff spots.
A rural Van Zandt County couple spotted an unusually large black cat on their property. The jury is still out on if it was one of the rumored black panthers in the area, or if it was an unusually large domesticated cat.
The Mabank Lady Panthers opened their District 13-3A schedule by going 2-0, and the Kemp Lady Yellowjackets started off 1-1. The Lady Panthers advanced to a 3-0 district record after defeating the Kemp girls.
The Mabank boys and the Canton girls took the top spots at the annual Mabank Invitational powerlifting meet.
The Eustace Bulldogs basketball team slipped past Malakoff, 54-52, to take their district record to 4-3.
In February, the Mabank girls clinched a playoff spot after defeating Kemp, 51-38. They finished in second place in District 13-3A.
The Eustace Bulldogs missed the playoffs, despite a win in their final game, and a 6-5 District 14-2A mark.
In the first round of the Lady Panthers’ playoffs, Mabank defeated the Quinlan Ford Lady Panthers, only to be stopped by Spring Hill in the area round.
The Mabank boys clinched a third-place playoff berth, but were eliminated by Wills Point in round one.
In March, the Kaufman boys and girls track teams won the annual Bulldog Relays track meet in Eustace.
The Eustace Lady Bulldogs track team took the top spot in the Kemp Yellowjacket Relays March 31.
The Mabank Lady Panther soccer team made school history by winning Mabank’s first-ever soccer playoff game.
In April, they had advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
Mabank High School junior Barrett Brown turned pro ... in professional wrestling, and made his professional debut at the Germanfest Wringenmeisterschaft Tournament in Meunster.
Meanwhile, the Whitehouse Lady ’Cats knocked the Mabank Lady Panthers out of the soccer playoffs after winning 4-1.
The Mabank boys and girls golf teams won the District 13-3A golf tournament to advance to the Region II tourney.
In May, the Eustace Bulldogs won the bidistrict championship, defeating the Teague Lions, 2-1.
Mabank’s Natalie Torres and Cameron Cantrell were named Mabank’s Athletes of the Year at the annual sports banquet.
In Kemp, Michelle Ritterbach and Johnny Kilgore were named Athletes of the Year.
Eustace’s Allie Cass and Addison Scott were named Bulldog Athletes of the Year.
As school let out for the year, fishing and youngsters took center stage.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department held its annual Kid Fish event at Purtis Creek State Park. More than 215 young people registered.
Youngsters of varying ages also participated in little league baseball and softball.
In June, The Eustace Bulldogs had a new athletics director and head football coach after Brian Herman took the reins.
Mabank’s two-time all-around cowboy winner Dustin Jackson qualified for the 63rd annual National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo.
As schools began to crank up, area students began attending sports camps and getting ready for a new sports season.
Football and volleyball practices began and by August, teams were ready to begin the grind of the sports season.
Mabank assistant football coach Wayne Spruill retired after coaching the game for 50 years.
In Mabank and Kemp, the football teams experienced some letdowns.
In Eustace, the Bulldogs appeared to be cruising past all opponents.
The Eustace boys cross country team saw success, taking first place at the Tyler Lee Classic meet.
The Kemp Lady Yellowjacket cross country team took second place at the Malakoff cross country meet.
The Lady Bulldogs started their district volleyball schedule by going 3-0, while the football team continued to blow past opponents, remaining undefeated through their first five games.
The Kemp Yellowjacket football team had difficulty getting started.
Mabank edged out Brownsboro in a heart-stopping 17-14 win over the visiting Brownsboro Bears for homecoming.
Eustace continued to dominate headlines throughout football season, remaining undefeated until a loss to the visiting Grandview Zebras.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season in good shape, and advanced to the playoffs to face Callisburg.
After shutting Callisburg down, 28-0, the Bulldogs faced the Melissa Cardinals in the next round of the playoffs.
The Cardinals edged out a 19-10 win, ending the Bulldogs’ season with an 11-2 overall record.
Three Bulldog running backs finished the season with more than 1,000 yards rushing.
The Mabank Panthers were eyeing a trip to the playoffs until a loss to the Crandall Pirates ended those thoughts.
Mabank finished the season with a 4-5 overall record, and a 11-3 District 13-3A mark.
The Kemp Yellowjackets struggled all season.
The Bulldog cross country team finished in second place at the Region II cross country meet to earn a trip to Round Rock and the state meet.
The Lady Bulldogs cruised through the volleyball season and made it to the Region II quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
There, the Lady Bulldogs were stopped by the Franklin Lady Lions in three games.
Stay tuned, 2012 looks to be an interesting ride for area sports.