Tomball Centennial Party one for the ages

By Brian Walzel
Editor

A party 100 years in the making was well worth the wait. The Tomball Centennial Party, held Dec. 2 at the Tomball High School football stadium, will no doubt go down as the biggest event this town has ever seen, and it all went off without a hitch.

Students from Lakewood Elementary prepare for the Parade of the Decades. Lakewood students represented the time period from 2007 and into the future.
Photo by Brian Walzel

Highlighted by a five-minute address by former President George H.W. Bush, the Centennial Party showed off the best of Tomball: its schools, its leaders, and its people. It also was a fitting tribute to the past.

The party kicked off shortly after 5 p.m. with a number of patriotic tunes performed by the Tomball High School Band and Choir. Those entering the stadium were given small American flags, which could be seen waving in the air throughout the stands.

Master of Ceremonies ABC 13 news anchor Tom Koch took the stage and addressed the crowd of thousands.

“Happy birthday Tomball,” he said, “100 sure does look good on you.”

Following the invocation by Pastor Rick Brown of ChristBridge Church, the National Anthem and pledges, Koch introduced the many elected officials on hand.

Up next was a video presentation telling the story of Tomball’s beginnings. The video featured comments from town historian Lessie Upchurch, Tomball Independent School District Superintendent John Neubauer, Elmer L. Beckendorf, Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist, and Tomball Centennial Commission Chairperson Diane Holland.

Following the video, the Tomball Master Chorale performed two musical pieces, including one original piece.

One of the highlights of the evening followed, the Parade of the Decades.

Students from 10 Tomball ISD schools, each representing a decade in history and dressed in period clothing, paraded across the field and in front of the stands as Koch read a timeline of events from the past 100 years.

By the time the parade reached the late 80s, the party began to kick into high gear.

“And in 1988, George Herbert Walker Bush was elected our 41st President,” Koch announced.

It was then that the former President finally emerged, standing in line with students from Rosehill Elementary, and arm in arm with Holland.

State Sen. Dan Patrick (left) accepts a proclamation from Mayor Gretchen Fagan (right) recognizing the 100th birthday of the City of Tomball at the Dec. 2 Centennial Party.
Photo by Brian Walzel

The crowd erupted into a standing ovation as Bush joined the parade, then climbed the stairs of the enormous stage to take his seat.

Following the parade’s conclusion, Tomball High School Senior Class President Candi Clem read her contest-winning essay, which also brought the crowd to its feet and some to tears.

Air Force Major General Chris Adams, a 1948 graduate of Tomball High School followed with a speech about his life growing up here.

Introducing Bush was Holland, who worked for more than a year to bring the former President to the party.

Bush finally took the microphone more than an hour into the festivities to a rousing standing ovation.

His speech was both humorous and heartfelt, teasing himself about his penchant for sky-diving and discussing how events such us the party are true symbols of patriotism.

After Bush concluded his speech, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan presented him with a mayoral proclamation and a plaque with a key to the city.

The evening came to a crescendo when Tomball recording artist Jodi Adams and the Rosehill Band performed their original song, “Hometown with a Heart.”

The entire crowd then sang “Happy Birthday” and the evening concluded with an impressive fireworks display above the football stadium. As the party-goers left, they were each given a slice of birthday cake.

After the party, Holland said the event was better than she could have hoped for.

“It couldn’t have turned out any better,” she said. “I wanted our birthday party to be something people would remember for a long, long time. I’ve heard it created a memory for them and for their children.”

According to Holland, Bush was thoroughly impressed.

“He said ‘I want to thank you for an opportunity of a lifetime,’” Holland said. “He was so gracious and so genuine; we’re all gracious. His generosity, his acceptance of (the party) just made it perfect.”

A DVD of the event is in the works, but Holland said the Centennial Commission wants to gauge interest in the project. Those who may be interested in purchasing a DVD of the party should visit tomballcentennial.com.

Waller High School Band Senior Drum Major and Wind Ensemble member Lauren Forester has been selected as a member of the prestigious Music for All “Honor Band of America.” This ensemble is a group of musicians whose roster reads like a “Who's-Who” of outstanding high school music programs from across the country. Much like the All-State process in Texas, thousands of students submit auditions each year. Only a select few are invited to participate. The Honor Band of America is one of three marquee ensembles associated with the Music for All National Festival held annually in Indianapolis, Ind. Forester is the first-ever Waller HS musician to participate in this nationally-recognized event.

Disabled mom combats Medicaid system for kids

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Denise Caples is a woman of courage. Despite being a victim in many possible ways, Caples, 34, said she will not give up in her pursuit to be a mother to her two children.

Her story is not unique, but it is heartrending. Like many single mothers, Capels wants to work, provide a home for her children and have the good health that will allow her to do that.

But somewhere along the way, fate made her choices for her. Now, Capels is disabled and diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She is being tested for colon cancer and cannot work due to her illness.

As a result, she applied for Medicaid and TANF assistance, while she creates pottery and craft works to supplement her income.

In applying for Medicaid, Capels said she has gotten lost in the Tiers system. Tiers are levels of documentation requirements to prove citizenship within the Medicaid system that are assigned to an applicant.

Though Capels is proudly from Hispanic descent, she said, she was born in New York and has gone to school, worked and lived in the United States all her life.

Until proof of citizenship is made and accepted, applicants are not entered into the Medicaid system. This hampers the ability of local service agencies to provide supplemental assistance to Medicaid applicants.

“When I try to get assistance from the local supplemental service agencies I am turned down,” she said. “There’s a lot of quirks and Tiers does not work properly.”

As of July 1, 2006 any individual applying for or seeking to renew eligibility for Medicaid coverage must provide evidence of U.S. citizenship. Subsequently, each applicant is assigned a Tiers level.

According to the National Mental Health Association Web site, “Mental health advocates have an important role in working with state Medicaid offices to ensure that consumers are informed of the new requirements and receive support in securing needed documentation.”

Though the application process allows for time to acquire and submit the appropriate documents, Capels has struggled with on-hold times, long lines, missed calls, the perpetual computerized phone-loop and turn around times for processing.

Time, she says, is running out for her.

Though Capels often feels overwhelmed by the system, she said she survived domestic abuse and assault in both of her marriages and she can survive the system, if she knows what to do.

“Who do I have to call? Where do I need to go? Do I have to deny my Hispanic heritage to receive assistance through a system I have paid into all my life?” she asked.

In walking away from domestic abuse to start a new life helping soldiers as an Army combat medic, Capels ended up an injured soldier herself.

During military training in South Carolina, Caples injured her hip on a march and eventually fractured both of her knees, which landed her in the base hospital.

“They told me I was not going to heal, that I might never walk again,” said Capels, but she kept up her physical therapy. “From the sense of honor and pride I got from being in the Army I could hold my head up high and be proud of who I was. I loved that.”

When Children’s Protective Services notified her that her children had been removed from the custody of their guardians, Caples accepted a medical discharge from the Army, tracked down her kids and examined her options.

“I can’t dance, run or jump, but my brain still works,” she said. “So, if what I’ve gone through has helped the next person, then my circumstances are not in vain. The system is not ever going to be 100 percent fixed, but someone has to look at what’s going on.”

For more information on Medicaid Tiers documentation requirements visit www1.nmha.org/shcr/community_based/
medicaid_citizenship.cfm.

Magnolia teen stabbed in roadside conflict

By Brian Walzel
Editor

A Magnolia juvenile was arrested Dec. 3 in connection with the stabbing of an 18-year-old man after an alleged fight between the two on a city roadway.

At first, Marcus Arnold reported that he had been stabbed by an unknown person in front of a Magnolia Mexican food restaurant. But after Magnolia Police pressed Arnold, he admitted that he and a friend, Jess Ramirez, 18, also of Magnolia were driving through the city when they approached a young man on foot walking in the 18000 block of FM 1488. Arnold said he yelled at the juvenile, who yelled back.

Arnold and his friend stopped their vehicle and got out to confront the young man. The confrontation turned physical, Arnold reported, and the juvenile then stabbed him in the back between the ribs on his left side.

The knife was reported to be a pocket fold-out style with about a 3-inch blade.

According to Arnold, he did not know the alleged assailant. Ramirez immediately drove him to the Magnolia Fire Department at the intersection of FM 1488 and FM 1774 seeking medical care. Magnolia police and EMTs then arrived at the department to treat Ramirez.

“He was talking. He was coherent,” Det. Milton Horton said.

Arnold was later taken by emergency air ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

He declined to press charges.

Later that evening the suspect called the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and reported his involvement in the incident.

“He said he had been involved in a fight and had stabbed someone,” Horton said.

The juvenile was subsequently arrested and transported to the juvenile detention center in Conroe.

The case has been referred to the Montgomery County Attorney’s Office.

Academy Open House
The Tomball College Academy for Lifelong Learning will hold an open house from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 at the Elmer L. Beckendorf Conference Center, located at 30555 Tomball Parkway. The Academy for Lifelong Learning is a program that offers a variety of fun and educational courses to people age 50 and over for an annual $15 membership fee. For additional information, contact Tomball College Continuing Education at 281-357-3676, or at tomball.ce@nhmccd.edu.

Pictures with Santa
The Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring free pictures with Santa on Dec. 20 from 2:30 to 6:30 pm. The event will be hosted by Realty World, located at 6910 FM 1488 just one block west of FM 2978, who is providing refreshments. There is no charge for the pictures, but participants are asked to bring at least one canned good item that will be given to The Montgomery County Food Bank.

WHS Bulldogs derail Lumberton, advance to quarterfinals

The Waller High School Bulldogs continued their march toward a state title Nov. 30 when they knocked off the Lumberton Raiders, 42-14, in Deer Park.

The Bulldogs left no doubt as to who was the better team.

Offensively, the Bulldogs were paced by Jeremy Phillips who finished the evening with 11 carries for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremy Luckett carried the ball 17 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Eddie Brown and Jerrad Jefferson rolled in during short yardage situations to keep drives alive. Brown also scored two touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ offensive line and fullback positions continued to be a bright spot as they constantly dominated the Raider defensive front.

Waller receivers also made big plays on the evening. Stephen Williams hauled in two catches for 60 yards while Joplo Bartu and Mitchell Kapalske continued their sparkling blocking efforts on the edge. At one point, Bartu sprung Phillips for a touchdown run by pancaking two Raider defenders on the same play.

Defensively, Lumberton was mismatched from the beginning. The Bulldog defense continued to show why they are one of the best units in the area by shutting out the Raider offense in the first half.

The Bulldogs had several fourth down stops. Brown, Jefferson, Robert Nicholson, Trevor Barry, Bartu, Byron Abbs, and Josh Dorsey led the front seven.

Robert Loewe added his sixth interception of the season, while Jefferson recovered an opening drive fumble to help set the tone early.

With the win, the 2007 Bulldogs became the first squad in Waller history to advance to the state quarterfinals. Waller took on the Dayton Broncos in the state quarterfinals last weekend. Results were not available at press time. A win would send the Bulldogs into the state championship tournament as one of the final four teams remaining.

WHS Freshman Brandon Reyes qualifies for Cross Country Regional Meet

Waller High School freshman Brandon Reyes competed in seven varsity cross country meets this fall and posted a season best time of 17:09 in the 5K run.

Brandon Reyes qualified as a freshman for the regional cross country meet this fall.

In the district meet held Oct. 25 at Montgomery High School, Reyes placed 10th as an individual and led the team to a fourth place finish, just one spot away from a top three finish, which would have qualified them for a spot in the regional meet.

At the regional meet, which Reyes did qualify for, held Nov. 3 at North Harris College, he placed 48th.

According to Waller coaches, Reyes has a promising career ahead of him with a great work ethic. With three years remaining at Waller, Reyes, who also plays soccer, has already taken on a leadership role and has a young cross country team headed in the right direction.

In fall 2006, as an eighth grader at Waller Junior High, Reyes was also a member of the cross country team, which was crowned District Champions.

On Dec. 4, members of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office delivered an 18-wheeler full of Christmas gifts to the Children’s Assessment Center. All of the gifts were purchased and donated by members of the Sheriff’s Office “in an effort to share Christmas with less fortunate children,” Lt. John Martin said. Last year, more than 500 children’s wish lists were fulfilled by the Sheriff’s Office employees. This is the 12th year that the Sheriff’s Office employees have donated gifts to the Children’s Assessment Center. Pictured, Sheriff’s Office employees unload a tractor trailer full of gifts.
Submitted Photo

Birthday campfire results in family tragedy

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

A 12-year-old Magnolia boy is slowly recovering after being burned Nov. 18 at a family birthday party on more than 85 percent of his body.

Prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, Joshua Shupak was visiting his father, Donald, according to his mother, Cheryl. She and Joshua had moved from Magnolia to Bastrop in October for the start of the new school year.

Joshua Shupak
Submitted Photo

That weekend, Joshua played in the last football game of the season for his championship team, the Gladiators, and was to attend a birthday party on Stapleton Dr. in Montgomery for a family member who was turning 21.

In the course of building a campfire at the party, an unidentified person poured on a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel to kindle the fire.

Flames shot into the air and blew back onto Joshua, igniting his clothing. Joshua’s father, who was standing next to him, was also caught in the blast and stumbled to the ground in shock as others tried to put out the flames.

In his fright, Joshua ran from the flames.

Heath Hughes raced to douse Joshua’s flaming clothing by smothering the flames with his own shirt, Cheryl said.

The Lake Conroe Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene and assisted in transporting Joshua and Donald by air ambulance.

Joshua was flown to Shriner’s Burn Center in Galveston, while Donald was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch. Donald has undergone two skin grafting surgeries and treatment for extensive burns on almost half of his body.

“Joshua is walking and talking,” said his mother. “He’s had four surgeries, but he’s improving.”

Because of extensive burns on his body, he has had some trimming of his fingers and ears and some skin grafting.

Tracey Berry, a kindergarten teacher at Magnolia Elementary, was Joshua’s Hug Buddy in the school’s fifth grade mentoring program.

“He’s very sweet,” said Berry. “He’s got a lot of people out there praying for him. He’s going to do good.”

Berry’s kindergarten class and the fifth grade students at Magnolia Elementary made cards for Joshua, which were delivered by Berry during the Thanksgiving weekend. The Student Council is organizing a fundraiser and is asking students to put their change together to help Joshua.

Berry has started a trust fund for Joshua at Woodforest National Bank to assist with his expenses and medical treatment. For more information, e-mail tberry@magnoliaisd.org.

A fundraiser is planned for sometime in January. Donations can be made in Joshua’s name to Tonya Stockwood at Woodforest.

Alleged suicide pact turns to murder charge for Magnolia man

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

A Magnolia man was indicted Nov. 27 for first degree felony murder in the August death of 24-year-old Jessica Lee Hays of Magnolia.

Police initially charged and arrested Duane Shannon Hill, 25, with assisting suicide, a felony, in Hays’ death. However, the charge was quickly upgraded on Aug. 31 to murder after close examination of additional evidence, police said.

Hill told police that he and Hays had a suicide pact where he was to provide a handgun to Hays for the purpose of committing suicide.

Police initially reported the two were romantically involved. However, investigators have not confirmed whether the two were still seeing each other at the time of the incident.

The morning of Hays’ death, Hill called a cousin who in turn called the police. Hays’ body was found in a motor home where she and Hill had been staying.

The cause of death was reported as a single gunshot wound to the head. The weapon was recovered.

Hill was arraigned on Nov. 30 and posted a $7,500 bond on Dec. 5. He awaits a Feb. 19 trial. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Originally, Hill’s bond was set at $75,000, but was reduced to $7,500 by Judge K. Michael Mayes of the 410th District Court.

According to Stephen Jackson, Hill’s attorney, the district attorney’s office failed to file the indictment within 90 days from the date of arrest. As a result, Hill is entitled to a personal recognizance bond or a reasonable bond that the defendant can pay as determined by the judge.

“They missed the 90-day indictment by a few days,” said Jackson.

Jackson said his office would have a good case to defend and would be busy reviewing the offense reports and evidence, ordering a panel of forensic tests, and reconstructing the scene.

“It could be six months or more before the case reaches trial with the type of experts we will need,” he said.

Eight Tomball Community College students auditioned and were selected for the Texas Two-Year College All-State Choir. Pictured, (front, left to right) sopranos Jessica Dudley and Angela Schmidt, altos Hillary Harris and Karla Molina; (back, left to right) tenor Scott Travis, bass Tyler Hodgson, and tenor James English. Also selected, but not pictured is bass Jared Barnes. In February these students will travel to San Antonio to perform with the honor choir at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference. The Tomball College Choir is under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Bates, music program director.
Submitted Photo

Tomball council to consider zoning plan after commission approval

By Brian Walzel
Editor

A zoning plan for Tomball is on to the city council after the Zoning Commission unanimously adopted both a zoning map and ordinance at a Dec. 5 meeting.

The plan is contingent on minor alterations by Sefko and Associates, the consultants hired to draw up the map and ordinance.

The next step, according to City Manager Jan Belcher, is for the city council to set a date for a public hearing. That decision will come at the Dec. 17 council meeting.

The public hearing will give the Tomball community an opportunity to voice their concerns over the plan and for zoning in general. After that, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen.

The council could move to adopt the zoning ordinance without public approval, or they could turn the plan over to voters in a May election. Mayor Gretchen Fagan said that decision had yet to be made by the council.

Meanwhile, Dan Sefko and Craig Farmer worked through a list of 50 disputes on the proposed zoning map during the Dec. 5 meeting with the Zoning Commission.

Many of the disputes had already been settled with property owners, Farmer said.

“We have 23 of about 47 folks satisfied,” he added.

Many of the disputes were regarding the proposed designation to land owner’s property.

For example, some property owners whose land had been designated as single family residential were asking that it be zoned commercial, agricultural or general retail.

Of the remaining disputes that had not been settled, Sefko and Farmer turned the final decision over to the Zoning Commission.

Beginning at an open house meeting in October, Tomball residents could file disputes and comments regarding the proposed ordinance and map. Those comments were compiled into a list, which Sefko and Associates have been working to resolve over the past several weeks.

Now that the majority of those disputes have been resolved, all that’s left to do is make minor, unsubstantive changes to the ordinance, Sefko said.

From the Book of Clifford

By Clifford Parker
Contributing Writer

I have started a series of stories using my mental memory of Main Street as it used to be during the 60s and 70s. I started on the north side of Main at Tomball Parkway and headed east down Main or FM 2920, if you will.

I’m already having people call me and try to help me with my memory. When I first started this story, I cautioned all of you to the fact that I am working from my own memory and my memory is my own. If it’s wrong, so be it. I’ve never said I am a historian. I’m simply telling of things I remember as a teenager growing up here in town. Besides, if I got everything right all the time, you would never have anything to correct me on - some of the time!

It has occurred to me, even though I have made it as far as the Baker Drive area, that I have missed some spots, so I’m going to back up all the way to the building now known as the NAPA Auto Parts store. The Walker Family owned this location and it was known as Walker Automotive. Some how the word tractor fits into the name, as well, but I really don’t recollect the proper wording. A couple of things I do remember, however, is Mr. Ulrich worked there as a mechanic and my dad took his old Ford tractor in for repairs.

Several years later I recall a story of the day a deer ran across Main Street and ran smack dab into their front plate glass window and broke it out. I never did find out if the story was really true or not, but it made for a good lunch topic in high school. For all I know Fred may have accidentally broke it out himself and he had to cook up a good story for his dad.

Next door was a business called Dugans Appliances. It’s now called Worthley’s. If I’m not mistaken, it was one of the first appliance stores in town and may have actually been started in the middle of town at one time, but I don’t recall. I do distinctly remember, however, an earlier story I wrote many years ago about a young lady who passed out in my arms in the biology lab. Her dad owned the place. I’ll retell the story in the future.

Now, I know I just called Dugans the first appliance store in town and that’s not quite true. I know Tomball Furniture also sold appliances, but something tells me Dugans was probably the store that offered the first new fangled fancy appliances before Tomball Furniture did. Tomball Furniture was further in town and they offered a different array of products and I'll tell more about that when we get further east on Main.

As I jump back to where I left off last week, I have arrived at the convenience store that was once called Smitty’s. I cannot pronounce the name of the place now ‘cause it’s in Spanish. This building holds special memories for me. During my high school days it was a hamburger place called Isabells. Mr. and Mrs. Isabell owned the place and a young lady started working there whom I really developed an eye for.

The problem about finding a girl who works for a fast food place is a guy can only eat so many hamburgers. Fountain drinks could become expensive, so I forced myself to develop a tolerance for coffee. It was only a nickel a cup.

As my kidneys began to strain, I soon was able to get the nerve to simply stop by to say ‘Hi’ to her and that was 36 years ago this week. I’m pleased to say I have been able to say ‘Hi’ to her each and every morning since then and I hope we have the rest of our lives together. I now drink instant coffee.

The buildings next door are now part of a Laundromat/cleaners. It used to be called R&S Cleaners. Before they built their new store, a small strip center occupied the location. In one end of it was the cleaners and Laundromat and on the opposite end was a shop called the Record Rack operated by our good friend Beatrice Cortez.

In the near future I’ll back up one or two locations and share the story of Mrs. Hale and her fig trees and personal phone booth.

-- Clifford

A major accident occurred Dec. 6 on FM 2978 at approximately 10 a.m. when a 2006 Ford Mustang collided with a septic tanker truck. The driver of the Mustang was seriously injured and was taken by air ambulance to Hermann Memorial Hospital. Her status was unavailable at press time last week. The driver of the septic truck sustained only minor injuries.
Photo by Brian Walzel

Magnolia ISD achieves 27 Gold Performance awards

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

While all Magnolia Independent School District campuses passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), several campuses are celebrating the receipt of Gold Performance Awards (GPA).

“The Gold Performance Acknowledgement system acknowledges schools for high performance on certain indicators other than those used to determine campus (TAKS) ratings,” said Dr. Todd Stephens, assistant superintendent of the Magnolia Independent School District (MISD).

Nine campuses received awards in the four core subjects and six received Comparable Improvement awards in reading/ELA and math for a total of 27 GPA acknowledgements.

There are 14 indicators that are used to determine GPA in conjunction with TAKS scores.

To be eligible for a commended performance rating, campuses must have a minimum of 25 percent of students score at the commended level of 2400 on one of the TAKS subject tests. Commended is the highest rating a student can receive on the TAKS. A passing score is 2100.

Of Texas campuses, 31.4 percent achieved the elite GPA status in reading, including six MISD campuses. Four MISD campuses are included in the states’ GPA campus percentile of 24.5 percent, and three achieved the writing percentile of 27.1 percent.

“MISD schools receiving GPA for Comparable Improvement had a high rate of student improvement measured over two years,” said Stephens.

In a group of 40 demographically similar schools, MISD campuses were in the top quarter for Comparable Improvement.

Elementary school campuses can be recognized for achieving a 95 percent attendance rate and commended ratings in the four core subjects, as well as comparable improvement in reading and math.

Middle school and junior high campuses can be recognized for achieving a 95 percent attendance rate and commended ratings in five subjects, as well as comparable improvement in reading/English/language arts and math.

High school campuses can be recognized for achieving a 95 percent attendance rate and commended ratings in five subjects, as well as comparable improvement in math, reading/English/language arts, dual credit and advanced placement courses, SAT/ACT scores, distinguished achievement, and two Texas Success Initiatives in English and math.

Click here to see a graph

Concordia’s state title run comes to an end

By Brian Walzel
Editor

The Concordia Lutheran Crusaders’ run to a state title came to a screeching halt last week when they ran into a juggernaut in the Denton Liberty Christian Warriors in the football Division II TAPPS state semi-finals.

Needing just one more win to advance to the state championship, the Crusaders had a difficult time handling Liberty’s balanced offensive attack on their way to a 49-14 loss. The lopsided final score belied a scoreless first quarter when it looked like it would be anyone’s ball game. But Liberty erupted in the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns, including the game’s first score on a blocked Concordia punt that Liberty’s Bailee Brown returned 34 yards for a touchdown.

The Crusaders quickly responded less than a minute and a half later when Ryan Feuerbach scored on a three-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Christian.

From then on, it would be all Warriors. Liberty scored four unanswered touchdowns between the second and third quarters to take a commanding 35-7 lead.

The Warriors’ balanced offense was no more evident than in the scoring strikes led by four different players. Quarterback Andrew Lock threw touchdown passes to Kendall Edmondson, Matt Lucas, and Luke Jenkins, and ran for a touchdown of his own.

The Crusaders finally answered late in the third quarter when Christian scored on a one-yard touchdown run.

But any hopes of a Concordia rally were quickly squashed when the Warriors tallied two more touchdowns; one on a Lucas one-yard run late in the third and the last on a Jenkins one-yard run in the fourth.

The Warriors were a threat both through the air and on the ground, amassing 234 rushing yards on 40 carries, while also gaining 211 yards through the air.

The Crusaders also showed a balanced offense, but not quite to the level of Liberty.

Concordia ran for 170 yards on 35 carries while throwing for 128 yards. Josh Bartholomew led the Crusaders in rushing with 96 yards.

The Crusaders finish the season with a 10-4 overall record.

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