Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 8, 2005 Page: 1 of 20
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Cedar Hill Today ff*
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Tigers fall eight points shy of TAPPS state title
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
WACO — Trinity Christian
head football coach Mike
Helmer was proud of the way
his “ponies” played.
“(Carrollton American
Heritage) has some horses, and
we tried to beat ’em with our
ponies, and we almost did,”
Helmer said after the Tigers
narrowly lost, 27-20, in the
TAPPS District IV state cham-
pionship game Dec. 3 at
Baylor’s Floyd Casey Stadium.
The Tigers finished the sea-
son 7-6, while American
Heritage, a team that defeated
Trinity 35-0 during the regular
season, finished its season with
a 12-1 record.
Helmer, in speaking to his
team and fans after the game,
wanted the Tigers to know that
the best might be yet to come.
“We’ve got 26 players who
will be back next year,” he said.
That number includes the
best athlete on the field that
day, Trinity running back Josh
Hicks.
The junior ran for 222 yards
on 29 carries and scored two
touchdowns — and an extra
one late in the game that was
called back because of a penal-
ty-
The Tigers overcame a 27-
14 deficit late in the game on a
15-yard run by Hicks with 2:37
left, but American Heritage
secured the victory by falling
on an onside kick attempt and
running out the clock.
The Stars took advantage of
two short-field opportunities to
win the game, both on Trinity
punts. One traveled only 13
yards to set the Stars up at the
Tigers 24, and a fumble on
another punt try late in the first
Today photo by JUSTIN JONES
Permenter Middle School teacher Gary Wood was able
to keep his sense of humor throughout his ordeal.
Students may have
saved teacher’s life
Today photos by CHRIS HUDSON
Trinity Christian Coach Mike Helmer addresses students and parents at a pep rally to
send the Tigers off to Waco on Dec. 2. Trinity lost to Carrollton American Heritage 27-
20. Below, Trinity cheerleaders fire up the crowd.
half led to an American
Heritage touchdown.
Trinity’s late fourth-quarter
touchdown was the perfect def-
inition of a gut check. Trailing
27-14 and starting at their own
10-yard line, the Tigers
marched 90 yards to dramati-
cally get back into the game.’
Along the way, they were
helped by two personal-foul
calls against American Heritage
and overcame a 77-yard touch-
down run by Hicks on the
drive's second play that was
called back because of a ques-
tionable block-in-the-back call.
Hicks had one defender left
to beat on the run, and it looked
as if his lone chaser simply fell
down at his feet, rather than
from an illegal block from
behind.
The Tigers eventually got
the score back, but it came after
15 ipore plays had been run and
three more minutes had been
drained from the clock.
Instead, the Tigers only had
a little more than two minutes
to work with once Hicks found
the end zone.
The game started just the
way American Heritage hoped
it would.
After stopping American
Heritage on its first possession,
Trinity found itself in trouble
right away, pinned deep at its
own 12-yard line after a punt.
The Tigers had a net no gam
on the possession and were
forced to punt, but the end
result was a 13-yard punt into
the wind that came to rest at the
Stars 25-yard line.
One play later, Chima
See TRINITY, Page 14
Quick actions helped him after collapse
By JUSTIN JONES
Today Staff
Nov. 4 will be a day
Permenter Middle School
teacher Gary Wood and his
eighth-period students will
never forget.
For Wood, he will forever be
grateful for his alert and calm
students.
For his students ... well, they
are all just happy W'ood is alive
to teach another day.
That’s especially true con-
sidering 10 minutes could have
been the difference in life or
death for Wood, who while
teaching his class, abruptly col-
lapsed ri^dit in front of his stu-
dents, fermenter Principal
Joseph Showed said.
Half the students tended to
Wood, who laid unconscious
after hitting his head against a
desk while falling, while the
others quickly sprinted down
the hallway for administrators,
who put together a crisis team
and rendered support.
“You guys are heroes and
you rose to the occasion. You
guys had an active part in sav-
ing Mr. Wood. We are very
proud of you,” Showed said
during a recognition ceremony
on Nov. 29 for the students'
efforts. “You guys are excep-
tional and you represent what
we have here at school (and)
what we have here in this dis-
trict.”
For their roles in saving
Wood, the students each
received a certificate and
medal.
The certificate honored the
students for showing excep-
tional maturity in a crisis situa-
tion, and it recognized the kids
for their quick safety attitude
that possibly helped save a life.
“This is the kind of behavior
that we expected from you ad,”
Permenter assistant principal
Paula Horn said to the students.
“We are extremely proud of
you that you held it together
and took care of business.
That’s just the long and the
See TEACHER, Page 10
Trinity battles to end
Members of the First United Methodist Church Bell Choir perform Dec. 1.
Holiday on the Hill sparkles
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
The chid in the air might have been a bit much
for some, but it also contributed to a festive, hol-
iday-appropriate atmosphere as Cedar Hid cele-
brated Old Town Holiday on the Hill on Dec. 1.
The annual night-time celebration always
kicks off the Christmas season with musical per-
formances, Santa Claus and the lighting of the
city’s Christmas tree.
“I really hope you take the time tonight to just
meet some people and have a wonderful time,”
Mayor Rob Franke told the crowd as the evening
got under way.
Cedar Hill Police Chief Steve Rhodes urged
everyone to get to know their neighbor better by
giving ‘‘everyone a hug and tell them ‘Merry
Christmas,’” he said.
He also urged revelers to contribute to Cops
and Robbies, the police department’s annual hol-
iday gift drive for senior citizens and underprivi-
leged children.
Cops and Robbies Director Robbie Slotter —
“the Robbie part of Cops and Robbies,” Rhodes
said — also spoke briefly about the program.
“I’ve been doing this for about 20 years, and
this year things seem to be moving really slow,”
she said. “If you donate, I think you’ll get just as
much out of the program as (the clients do).”
Cory Spillman, Cedar Hill’s mayor pro tern,
had to fill in Tor Franke and perform a very
important job — welcome Santa Claus to Cedar
“Come on, Santa! We’re waiting for you!”
Spillman said, urging children to cheer on the
arrival of the jolly old man, who made his
See HOLIDAY, Page 11
Cops and Robbies has plenty
of room for more presents
By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor
Cops and Robbies still
needs plenty of help from the
public in making the
Christmas wishes of senior
citizens and underprivileged
children come true.
The non-profit program,
which pairs with the Cedar
Hill Police Department to dis-
tribute gifts to the elderly and
needy children, received a
S500 check from Country Day
on the Hill during Old Town
Holiday on the Hill activities
Dec. 1.
In addition, the Cedar Hill
Cruisers Club donated $400,
and students from High Pointe
Elementary collected
$157.17, Cops and Robbies
Director Robbie Slotter said.
People are picking angels
off city-wide “Angel trees” at
a decent pace, but the tree at
Wal-Mart, located just outside
McDonald’s, still has plenty
of angels on it, Slotter said.
Angel trees contain paper
angels with the names of chil-
dren or senior citizens on
them and what they would like
for Christmasr People pick
names off the trees and then
buy gifts for the program.
This year. Cops and
Angel tree
locations
Wal-Mart
Citizens Bank 1382
UPS Store
Ashley’s Private School
Bray Elementary
Fire department on Belt Line
First United Methodist Church
Children’s Enrichment Program
(CEP)
Waterford Oaks Elementary
Hillcrest Baptist Church
Salon 67
Crescent Point Retirement Center
Rock Harvest Church
Rotary C lub
Robbies will serve almost 600
people, which is about 100
more than last year, Slotter
said.
The effects of Hurricane
Katrina might have some
impact on giving, because
people have spent thousands
of dollars in an effort to help
hurricane victims get their
lives back together.
Lone Star Santa, a Dallas-
based program that works
closely with Cops and
Robbie, issued » pies for cit-
izens not to forget their local
children over the holidays,
Slotter said.
Lone Star Santa has also
been hit with a larger number
of clients this year and might
cut back on donations to Cops
and Robbies because of
demand elsewhere, so Slotter
urged local residents to help
pick up the slack
In other Cops and Robbies-
related activities. Holy Spirit
Catholic Church at 1111 W.
Danieldale Road in Duncan-
ville is hosting a party from 2-
4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. and
the only way to get in is with
the donation of an unwrapped
toy, Slotter said.
In addition, a group of C ub
Scouts will be honored for
their donations to the program
at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec 12, at
Waterford Oaks Elementary.
“About 36 scouts took
angels off trees and will be
recognized by the chief of
police,” Slotter said
Cops and Robbies clients
can pick up their gifts from 1 -
9 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Cedar
Hill Community Center at
1740 Mansfield Road.
Anyone with questions about the
Cops and Robbies program should
call the following number at the
Cedar Hill Police Department Store
Front in the Minyard's Shopping
Center 972-293-5284, extensions
2501 or 2145
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Gooch, Robin. Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 8, 2005, newspaper, December 8, 2005; Duncanville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth623542/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Zula B. Wylie Memorial Library.