Hello everyone and welcome back to another “What’s Going Orange?” So we’ve narrowed our choices for this weekly column to “What’s Going Orange?” or “The Juice” submitted by Bridget Trahan. We had some other great suggestions but they had either been used in the past or were too long. If you want to vote on one or the other my email is at the bottom.
A few weeks ago in this column I told you about the passing of longtime West Orange-Stark educator Andrew Hayes. It was a private service and most didn’t know about it. I spoke with Supt. Rickie Harris this week and he said the school will be having a Celebration of Life for Mr. Hayes. It’s scheduled for Feb. 22 inside the gym named after him at the WOS Elementary. We’ll share the details when we get them.
Wednesday saw a handful of local athletes sign to play at the next level. I was able to be at both WOS and LCM for their signings and got a chance to see some former baseball studs and I covered most of them. Clay Richards’ son Landon signed with Angelina. Even though its been four years I still double take at Clay in LCM gear after his career at Bridge City. And Shaun Seago (LCM) was there with his son Parker, who is going to Centenary.
Jamey Knight (BC) was there also along with Mike Stewart and Brady Fountain (both LCM). Clay and I were talking about how colleges recruiting has seen so many changes. And now, according to recent rulings, athletes can now play two years at a junior college and then transfer to a D1 school to play for four more years. That means they could possibly play until they were 24 or 25. The JUCO route could be tougher to get into because everyone will want to get two extra years. It’ll also mean the D1’s will no longer be recruiting high school kids unless they’re five star and ready for the jump.
If you drive up and down I10 in Orange County, it’s hard to miss the Stuckey’s billboards near the 1442 location. And you probably noticed the word Halal on the billboard. I’ve always wanted to know what that meant so I stopped in.
Halal dietary laws guide Muslims in making food choices that are in alignment with their religious beliefs. Halal food must not contain substances that are prohibited in Islam, such as pork or its by-products, and any intoxicants or alcoholic beverages. And the method of animal slaughter must be with a sharp knife ensuring a humane and painless death. The term Halal means “permissible” so it can also pertain to clothing, finance and attitude.
The Orange Mardi Gras Ball is Saturday and one of the more popular events is the release of the KOGT MG Ball Photo Album on Sunday so everyone can see their friends and family all dressed up! Unlike the parade where everyone is invited, the ball is Krewe members and their guests because of the size of the VFW. It’s always amazing how the Krewe’s transform the four walls of the VFW into a Mardi Gras wonderland.
Sunday is also Super Bowl Sunday so my hope is to have the gallery ready to view before the game starts at 5:30pm. Jon Batiste, who is from Metairie, La. is set to perform the National Anthem. Lauren Daigle, who is from Lafayette, will perform “America the Beautiful.” I’m picking/pulling for the Chiefs to win. I have no problem with the possible three-peat plus I can’t pull for the Eagles because of their fans, and because they’re in the NFC East. I do hope QB Jalen Hurts has a good game since he is from Texas. In fact both teams have a handful of high school players from Texas as listed below.
Kansas City
QB Patrick Mahomes – Whitehouse
DE Charles Omenihu – Rowlett
RB Samaje Perine – Pflugerville Hendrickson
TE Jared Wiley – Temple
TE Baylor Cupp – Brock
LB Nick Bolton – Frisco Lone Star
Philadelphia
QB Jalen Hurts – Channelview. …
S Tristin McCollum – Galveston Ball
WR Ainias Smith – FB Dulles
DT Milton Williams – Crowley
WR Danny Gray – Dallas Madison
LB Ochuan Mathis – Manor
LT Lane Johnson – Groveton HS.
P Braden Mann – Cy Fair
Thanks for reading, vote if you wish, or let me know what else you might want to read in this column. Have a great weekend!
-Gary Stelly, KOGT-
gstelly66@gmail.com
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