AISD Insights: Nov. 2023 Vol.2

The Abilene High Eagles had no trouble with their bi-district opponent Thursday night as they blistered the El Paso Hanks Knights, 84-14, on a cold, rainy evening at Shotwell Stadium. The 84 points are the most scored by AHS in a playoff game in the modern era (since 1950), and the second-most scored in a playoff game overall, trailing only a 95-0 win over Fort Stockton in the bi-district round in 1923. The 84 points are the fourth-most scored by Abilene High in any game, trailing the 104 points the Eagles scored in a 104-0 win over Dublin in 1923, the 95 points scored in the win over Fort Stockton, and 89 scored in an 89-6 win over Haskell in 1928. The Eagles scored one minute into the game and led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter before scoring six times in the second quarter to take a commanding 70-0 lead into halftime. Wide receiver Ryland Bradford scored four touchdowns in the game: two rushing, one receiving, and a 77-yard kickoff return to start the second half. Quarterback / running back Brayden Henry scored three times in the first half, and senior running back Bam Rashaw – who has been out most of the season with a lower leg injury – returned to the field against Hanks and scored on a 27-yard run in the third quarter. The Eagles await the winner of Friday night’s game between Denton Ryan and Lake Belton to determine their area-round opponent. Stay tuned to Abilene ISD social media platforms for more details on when and where the Eagles will play their next playoff game. Fans can see a replay of the win over Hanks on AISD-TV Channel 2 on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. The game will also be online beginning Wednesday, Nov. 15.

The Cooper Cougars will open the Class 5A Division II playoffs on the road as they head west to take on El Paso Chapin in a bi-district game. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. (central time) at McKee Field on the campus of El Paso Austin High School (3500 Memphis Ave., 79930). Cooper – making its 17th straight playoff appearance (2007-present) and 32nd in program history – is 4-6 on the season after finishing third in District 2-5A Division II, while the Huskies of Chapin are 7-3 after finishing second in District 1-5A Division II. Cooper fans attending the game can purchase tickets online here or pay for them at the gate ($6 for adult general admission and $4 for student general admission). The El Paso ISD will not honor any regular-season or employee passes for the game. While there will be no live video feed of the Cooper game, fans can listen to the play-by-play of the game here. Fans can see a replay of the game on AISD-TV Channel 2 on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. The game will also be online beginning Wednesday, Nov. 15. 

Shotwell Stadium will host a Class 4A Division II playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. as Glen Rose takes on Midland Greenwood in a bi-district contest. Greenwood is 3-7 overall and finished fourth in District 3-4A Division II, while Glen Rose is 6-4 after winning District 4-4A Division II. Glen Rose has won eight straight district championships and 36 straight district games since 2016. Glen Rose went 13-2 last year and lost in the Class 4A Division II state semifinals. Tickets to the game can be purchased here. District and THSCA passes will be accepted for entry into the game.

Fine Arts Roundup: Several elementary schools in the district have Veteran’s Day programs on their schedule for this weekend, Ortiz and Bassetti honored veterans Nov. 9. Ortiz third graders presented the “Red, White and Blue Veteran’s Program” at while Bassetti hosted its Veteran’s Day on Thursday and will perform again Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 10. … The Alcorta Elementary School will host the “5^th Grade Patriotic Assembly” at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 10, and Taylor Elementary School will host its Veteran’s Day program at 1 p.m. on Friday. … The All-Region Band Clinic / Concert starts at 9 a.m. Friday at the Wylie ISD Performing Arts Center. … On Saturday, Nov. 11, the Cooper High School choir will perform at the Front Porch Coffee Co. and Bakery (702 N. 2^nd St.) beginning at 6 p.m. … The Dyess Elementary School kindergarten classes will host the “Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Program” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16.

Abilene High cross country standout Andruw Villa closed his cross country career on Nov. 3 by finishing second at the UIL Class 5A state championship meet, the best finish ever by an AHS athlete at the state meet at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock. Villa covered the 5,000-meter course in 15 minutes, 20.30 seconds, finishing behind state champion Ethan Gonzalez of North Richland Hills, who finished in 14:55.80. Villa. who reached the state championship meet three times in his career. won the District 4-5A individual title earlier this season and finished second at the Region I-5A championship meet on Oct. 23. On the girls’ side, AHS senior Marin Murray finished 24^th and junior Zoe Vann finished 34^th. Murray covered the 5000 meters in 18:52.20, while Vann finished in 19:13.20. Lucas Lovejoy won the boys’ and girls’ state team championships as the boys topped second-place Georgetown and the girls won the title over runner-up Aledo.

Robotics at The LIFT: The competitive robotics season comes to The LIFT this weekend as ATEMS Robotics hosts The Battle in the Big Country VEX Robotics Over Under High School/Middle School Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 11. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., and elimination rounds will start at 10 a.m. with the finals set to begin around 3 p.m. Over Under is the VEX Robotics game for the 2023-24 competitive season. More than 30 teams will be participating in Saturday’s competition, which is free and open to the public. ATEMS Robotics will host a second Over Under tournament on Saturday, Feb. 3, and will host the Region 5 VRC State Championship on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The AISD Memorial Park honors the memory of deceased AISD students and staff who honorably served in the United States Armed Forces. The park is located on the grounds of Dyess Elementary School and includes a Veterans Memorial Wall commemorating the names of those who served. If you want to nominate a loved one who has passed away for memorialization on the district’s Veterans Memorial Wall, please click here to submit their information. If you’d like to search the AISD database for the 77 names that already have their names etched onto the wall, click here.

The Marine Corps Toys for Tots program is currently accepting applications for their program. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, Dec. 10. The program is for children 14 and under. Distribution to the community is planned for Dec. 19-Dec. 21. If you have any questions, email abilene.tx@toysfortots.org. The Toys for Tots program distributed 18,425 toys last year, supporting 4,411 children in Abilene and the surrounding area. If parents need assistance with the application, they can call Abilene ISD School Social Worker Diana Hall at 325-677-1444, ext. 7123. The application can be found here. If you would like to make a financial donation, click here. If you want to donate a toy, click here to learn where to drop off your donation.

Abilene ISD Sports Roundup: The Abilene High and Cooper girls’ basketball teams got their seasons started last week, and each is 1-1 after the first two games of the 2023-24 season. The Lady Coogs opened the season on Nov. 3 with a 56-34 home win over Odessa High, while AHS opened the season the same night with a 47-26 loss at L.D. Bell. The Lady Eagles bounced back on Nov. 7 with a 57-31 home win over Breckenridge, while Cooper lost to Merkel, 47-44. … Both girls’ teams will be back in action this weekend as Abilene High will be at the Eaton Tournament, and Cooper will be playing at Godley on Friday. … The Cooper boys – under first-year head coach Michael Bacon – will host Odessa High at 7:30 p.m. at Cougar Gym on Friday, Nov. 10/. The next day (Saturday, Nov. 11), Abilene High will play Del Rio in its season-opener at noon at San Angelo Lake View.