Shelby County Today

Panola College sophomores on the Fillies Volleyball team were honored Wednesday before the match against TJC. (Photo courtesy Kraig Cain Photography)

October 25, 2019 - Seven Fillies Volleyball sophomores were honored on Wednesday, October 23, in the Arthur Johnson Gymnasium at Panola College.

“We honor our seven sophomores and their families for the heart, dedication, and time they have devoted to Panola College and our volleyball team,” said Don Clinton, Athletic Director. As he introduced the sophomores, they walked out to center court, escorted by friends and family.

Manager, Mily Luna, from Joaquin, is a graduate from Joaquin High School. Luna has taken over the managerial aspects of our program and has done an amazing job. She consistently puts others before her and for that we are forever grateful. Luna currently has a 3.75 GPA and will graduate in the spring from Panola with an Associate degree in Mathematics. Luna is escorted by her parents, Rosa and Juan Luna.

The second sophomore is April Brown, a middle blocker from Tyler, graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and transfer from Texas Southern University. Brown has appeared in 29 matches this season and 64 sets, tallying 107 kills and contributing 1.67 kills/set with a .343 hitting efficiency. Her career high of 12 kills came this season against Lee College. Brown will graduate this spring with an Associate degree in Kinesiology and plans to play at the next level.  She is escorted by her God-parents, Christie and Stan Cook.

The third sophomore honored is McKenzie Dimery, an outside hitter/defensive specialist from College Station, and a graduate of A & M Consolidated High School. As a freshman, Dimery appeared in 31 matches, recorded 27 total kills and 76 total digs.  As a sophomore, she has appeared in 56 sets with a total of 82 digs, averaging 1.46 digs/set with her career high of 10 digs coming against Cedar Valley this year.  After her spring graduation from Panola College, Dimery plans to continue her playing career and education at a university where she will pursue a Kinesiology degree with hopes of becoming a physical therapist. She is escorted by her dad, Thirman Dimery.

The fourth sophomore quad-captain is Hannah Floyd, a libero/defensive specialist from League City and a graduate of Clear Springs High School. As a freshman, Floyd played in 32 matches and 85 sets, totaling 243 digs and averaging 2.86 digs/set.  In 2018, she had a career high 32 digs twice, with the first one coming against Polk State and the second one against Missouri-West Plains. In 2019, Floyd’s role has increased stepping into the Libero position playing in 31 matches, 104 sets with 396 total digs on the year. She leads the team with 40 total aces and is averaging 3.81 digs/set.  Floyd is majoring in business with dreams of owning her own company one day. She plans to continue her playing career and education at a university to be decided after graduation from Panola this December. She is escorted by her parents Rhonda and Chris Floyd and younger brother, Drew.

The fifth sophomore quad-captain is Masha Idjilov, a setter from the Republic of Moldova and a transfer from the College of Central Florida. Idjilov instantly made her presence known on the Fillies volleyball court, appearing in 31 matches and 104 sets. She helped anchor the Fillies’ offense, tallying 1084 total assists and averaging 10.42 assists/game while also picking up 82 digs, averaging 1.73 digs/set on the year. Her career high of 48 assists came in the 4-set win over Brookhaven last month. Idjilov is currently ranked 8th in the nation in assists/set and 3rd in the nation in total assists. Idjilov will graduate in the spring with an Associate in Liberal Arts and plans to finish her degree and playing career at a university after Panola.  She is escorted by her home away from home parents, Rhonda and Chris Floyd.

The sixth sophomore quad-captain is Riley Seegers, from Beckville, and a graduate of Beckville High School.  As a freshman, Seegers played in 24 matches and 48 sets contributing 45 kills with a hitting efficiency of .238 and 31 blocks on the year. As a sophomore, she has thrived in the role of being the heart and soul of the team as you can see in her effort and her play.  Seegers has played in 31 matches and 74 sets, contributing 75 kills, 40 digs and 51 total blocks on the year. After graduating from Panola in December, Seegers plans to continue her education at Texas State University and major in Respiratory Care. She is the proud daughter of the late Eric Seegers. She is escorted by her mom Jaime Seegers and her brother, Jesse Sipes.

The seventh sophomore is quad-captain Mikayla Ware. Ware is an outside hitter from San Antonio and graduate of Clark High School. Ware emerged as a prominent player for the Fillies mid-way through her freshman year, going from a reserved role to finishing the year 3rd on the team in total kills with 219. She also picked up 297 digs, 14 blocks, 21 aces and 21 assists and was named Honorable-Mention All-Conference for Region XIV. This year, she has been a consistent force on the outside for the Fillies, leading the team in total kills, kills per set, and points earned with 395, 3.80 and 442.5 respectively. Ware has notched 17 double-double performances in kills and digs this season, with her season-high of 21 kills and 11 digs coming against Blinn College. After spring graduation from PC, Ware plans to continue playing at a university while completing her education degree in Nursing. She is escorted by her mom, Tanya Aleman, grandparents Mary-Ellen and Jerry Rodriguez and her dad, Anthony Ware.

“We applaud this outstanding group of sophomores and the accomplishments they have achieved as a team as we wish them the best of luck the rest of this year and beyond,” Coach Thorn said.

October 23, 2019 - A life can change in 8 seconds. Ask Daylon Swearingen, Professional Bull Rider and a member of the Panola College Rodeo Team. Ranked #12 in the nation by the PBR, Daylon knows the value of hanging on for 8 seconds. But as a little boy, he lived through an event that changed his family forever. And that nightmare probably didn’t last even 8 seconds.

Look closely at Daylon’s gear. He wears a cross on his vest, and a ribbon logo with a hand-tooled leather cross over it on his chaps. That purple ribbon logo is the symbol for Domestic Violence Awareness. Daylon and his little brother Colton witnessed their mother Carrie experience a devastating injury in a domestic abuse crisis that changed their lives.

“I wear the symbol for Domestic Violence Awareness because of what happened to my mom,” Daylon says, “She now does testimonies to help other people. I travel so much, but I have a church program on my phone and when I’m in Carthage, I go with the team to the Still Waters Cowboy Church.”

Once she recovered from her injuries, Daylon’s mom bundled her boys into the truck, left North Carolina and moved to Piffard, New York. Change is hard. Starting over is hard, but sometimes it’s the only choice. Daylon’s mom and her boys needed a fresh start. Rodeo in New York? Piffard is far from New York City, and the town has become a mecca for rodeo in the Northeast.

Carrie settled in, found a man who loved rodeo as much as she did, remarried, and her new husband adopted the boys. “Sam Swearingen is our dad. He adopted us and he is our dad. He was a bronc rider and now he and my mom own our rodeo company called Rawhide Pro Rodeo. Colton and I know we are adopted, and Sam Swearingen is our dad,” he says.

Rodeo is in Daylon’s blood. His mom is a nurse and also a barrel racer and trick rider. She and Sam produce rodeos around the country using a portable arena or they contract with other rodeo venues. They also raise bulls and bucking horses. In the Northeast, the rodeos start in June and run through the end of September.

Rodeo is a family affair for the Swearingens. Daylon’s brother Colton is a calf roper and steer wrestler. He’s currently going to school and competing on a rodeo team at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.

While Daylon can handle any rodeo event, he is first and foremost a bull rider. “I’ve always enjoyed being around bulls. When I was a kid, I started out riding on sheep and calves,” he said. He kept on riding and practicing and achieved success in high school rodeo.

“I won the high school national finals in bareback rodeo as a senior,” he said. “That was my first big success, but I’ve always been more passionate about bull riding. I was the youngest competitor to the RAM National Circuit Finals in Kissimmee, Florida. This year I’m making it to the NFR and PBR finals, and I’m the youngest to make it to both in the same year.”

Daylon is on the road so much traveling around the country to compete in rodeo events that he is grateful for the opportunity to take most of his Panola College classes online. “Panola really works with you to help you get your degree. This semester all my classes are online, and in the spring, I’ll have one face-to-face class. I’m on track to graduate in May 2020.”

How did a rodeo star from Piffard, New York, find his way to Panola College in East Texas? “I met Coach Jeff Collins at the high school finals,” Daylon said. “I liked his mentality, how he looks at life in general. Coach Collins won the world PRC bareback riding competition in 2000 – he’s done something I want to do. My mom and brother and I came down for a campus visit. When I realized Panola College offers a degree in land and ranch management, I knew this was where I needed to be.”

Daylon arrived back on the Panola College campus at 3 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, and was ready for his interview for this article at 10 a.m. He competes with his team in the Mt. Pleasant Community College Rodeo on Friday, Oct. 18, then he flies out to Nampa, Idaho, for a PBR bull riding event on Saturday, the last PBR event before the World Finals, scheduled for ATT Stadium in Las Vegas in November.

Rodeo is big not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, so the World Finals draws a huge crowd of international fans.

Rodeo competition is based on a point system. For college students like Daylon who are on scholarship, it’s hard to balance the commitment to the college and making it to the pro events that offer winnings. Daylon said the PBR updated its rules to allow college rodeo team members to miss an event in the “Unleash the Beast” series. “There are only 10 rodeos in college, and I have to make every one count. Last year we won the National College Finals with a great team. I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Now in his second year at Panola College, Daylon says he has learned so much. “Last year, I put a lot of time in my school work. This year, it’s been more of a struggle. But I remember that my mom always preached to stay away from drugs and alcohol. It can lead you astray. I’ve seen that in traveling all over. I try to eat pretty healthy, especially when I’m on the road. If I have a 7 p.m. show that night, I eat at 12 noon, and don’t eat again until afterwards. I like to feel light.”

At 5’6” and 150 pounds, Daylon focuses his fitness routine more on flexibility and balance than weight-lifting. “My routine is similar to Crossfit. I do lots of reps but not with heavy weight. I work on my balance by standing on a yoga ball.”

Standing on a yoga ball…

Panola College has been good to Daylon in other ways. About a year ago he met another rodeo team member named McKenzie Bush, a barrel racer and breakaway roper from Center. “I met her at a meeting here at Panola, and we’ve been together for 11 months.”

Daylon prepares physically and mentally before each rodeo competition. “My mindset is ‘I’m going to go there and win. I’m going to try to do the best I can on whatever animal I draw’.”

And it’s the luck of the draw. Daylon says his hardest bull was Cochise, owned by Gene Owens. “You can’t really size them up by looking at them. I’ve been on the same bull three times, and he’s bucked me off every time. They are smart. Some are mean, but they are all wound up and they are trying to buck you off,” he said.

When Daylon completes his associate degree in land and ranch management, he plans to shift his focus to full time rodeo competition and building toward the future. “I would like to raise bucking bulls and own my own ranch one day,” he said.

Daylon has made significant money on the pro circuit but he covers his own equipment and travel expenses. Right now his sponsors include Wrangler, Total Feeds, and Rather P Chaps. For now, Daylon is focused on earning his associate degree, competing with the Panola College Rodeo Team in collegiate rodeos, and making it to as many pro events as he can.

“I’ve been blessed meeting everyone here at Panola College, and I’ve met so many great friends on the road. I’m already on the pro circuit so I’m doing now what I plan to continue doing next year. My goal is to stay on the bull for 8 seconds, every time,” he said.

Daylon has a vision, a dream, and a network of family, friends, the pro rodeo circuit, and his Panola College team to support him as he holds on for those 8 seconds, whether it’s a bull ride or surviving a life-changing event. He holds on…

October 21, 2019 - The Fillies improved to 24-7 for the season and 6-2 in conference play sweeping Pearl River twice, along with Coastal Bend and Laredo.

On Monday, the Fillies took on the Pearl River Wildcats at home defeating them in three straight sets (25-10, 25-12, 25-8). Nyah Walker led offensively with 10 kills, followed by Maria Idjilov with seven, and Ashton Brown added six. Idjilov dished out 24 assists. Defensively, Erin Perez led with 16 digs, followed by Mikayla Ware with 10, and Brown chipped in five. At the net, Brown led with five block assists and Walker followed with three. 

On Tuesday, the Fillies swept Pearl River again (25-10, 25-13, 25-12). Offensively, Nyah Walker led with nine kills, followed by Ware with seven, while Carol Melo and April Brown added six apiece, respectively. Idjilov ran the offense contributing 30 assists. Hannah Floyd led the defense with eight digs, while Payton Jones, Perez, and Ware added seven of their own. 

Friday, the Fillies swept Coastal Bend to add another conference win (25-18, 25-18, 25-15). Ware led the offense with 12 kills, followed by Mylena Testoni with seven, and April Brown added five. Idjilov dished out 30 assists. Hannah Floyd anchored the defense with 13 digs, followed byTestoni with seven, and Ware chipped in six. 

Saturday, Panola hosted their Dig Pink Match honoring the Fillies and their family members affected by breast cancer, sweeping Laredo to add another conference win (25-15, 25-10, 25-8). Offensively, Ware led with 14 kills, followed by Walker with 10, and Testoni added six. Idjilov ran the offense and dished out 34 assists. Defensively, Perez led with 10 digs, followed by Testoni with nine, while Ware added eight. At the net, Riley Seegers and Idjilov contributed two block assists.

The Fillies return to play on Wednesday, October 23rd facing TJC at home for Sophomore Night starting at 6:00 PM. If you wear your Junior Fillies shirt, Panola Volleyball Camp shirt, or bring your high school ID, you will get in FREE. Lets pack the gym to conclude conference play and support our sophomore's last game in AJ Gym! Go Fillies!!

October 15, 2019 - The M.P. Baker Library of Panola College will be co-hosting a local author showcase with the Sammy Brown Public Library on Monday, October 21st from 2:00 – 4:00 PM in the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms at Panola College. Five East Texas area authors will be on hand to sell and sign copies of their various works. Authors include Ryan Burchett, Dr. Barbara Cordell, Bill O’Neal, Elizabeth Powell, and Louis Powell. Several genres will be represented at the event.

Ryan Burchett is the pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Garland, TX. Ryan graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, and with his Master of Arts in Church Ministries from the Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. 

In Walking Together Through Trials: And How God is STILL Good, Ryan tells the story of the ongoing challenges he and his wife, Lindsie, face through her dealings with ataxic cerebral-palsy with neuropathy. Told from his perspective as the caregiver, Ryan is open and honest about the inner struggles he faces, along with Lindsie's physical challenges and how both endure through various challenges, trials, and some victories. 

Dr. Barbara Cordell holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Health Counseling and Education, Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist, Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX and several certificates in Holistic Nursing.

Dr. Cordell has published 30+ academic articles in peer-reviewed journals, including three on Auto-Brewery Syndrome. Her work has appeared on National Public Radio, 20/20, and BBC. Cordell is a holistic nurse with forty years of experience and dozens of published articles including research on Auto-Brewery Syndrome (ABS). When her husband Joe, was diagnosed with ABS she took a deep dive into the literature and research in order to help him and others get well by writing a book on the science and stories of the rare disease.

In My Gut Makes Alcohol!, Dr. Cordell takes a close look at all the science, new and old that surrounds ABS. She reveals the painful experiences of ABS patients and in doing so, exposes the medical community’s resistance to new knowledge and potential for cruelty. 

Texas author, Bill O’Neal has written more than forty books and three hundred articles and book reviews on the American West, including gunfighters, lawmen, and ghost towns; Country music, with emphasis on Texas artists; baseball, such as his study of the Texas League, and children's books, including one on the first Thanksgiving held in Texas. O’Neal’s latest non-fiction title is Billy and Olive Dixon: The Plainsman and His Lady. 

Billy Dixon triggered the most celebrated shot in the history of the West at the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874. A few months later, while serving as an army scout, Billy earned a Medal of Honor during an even more desperate engagement, as one of six men battling for their lives against a band of 125 warriors at the Buffalo Wallow Fight. Both of these actions took place in the Texas Panhandle, where Dixon became an icon of heroism. 

A fellow adventure-seeker, Olive King, came to the Panhandle from back East to visit her cowboy brothers. She became a frontier schoolmarm and she met her famous neighbor, Billy Dixon. Billy and Olive fell in love, married, and had eight children. In later years, Olive persuaded Billy to dictate his memoirs to her, and the result was a classic frontier biography, Life of Billy Dixon: Plainsman, Scout and Pioneer. Their story is captured in Mr. O’Neal’s manuscript.

Beth Powell grew up in the small East Texas town of Carthage where she still lives today. In 2005, Beth retired from her career of 34 years as an income tax professional. After retirement, she and her husband, Louis, traveled as much as possible. They have 5 married children and enjoy 15 grandchildren.

In 2010, her husband began going on mission trips. She did not want to go and was not happy being left home alone. But, through time, God changed her heart. In 2018, Beth began a year long journey with a new friend in China. The two have never met, but their hearts are forever joined in friendship and Christian love. This extraordinary friendship caused her to step way outside the box of her happy normal life. Encouraged by her husband, she began to write the story of this friendship. It became a book, Ying Yue and Me. She grew up hearing that God can use anyone, and has chosen to live that truth.

Louis Powell has centered his life around family and work. In July 2010, the day after burying his mother, he left on his first mission trip with his church. It was to Ghana, Africa. The trip changed his life in a profound way and left him with a burning desire to help bring Christian awareness to others, especially those who cannot read. He began to teach about Jesus Christ and the Bible, domestically and then internationally. Through his non-profit organization, Unless They Hear, he distributed thousands of audio Bibles that reached into 50 countries.

Louis has a master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Louisiana Baptist University. He has taught and witnessed to people in 17 countries in Latin America, the Amazon Jungle, Europe, and Asia, and specifically China, having made 19 trips there.

His life changed focus when a young Chinese lady asked him, "Will I be alone in heaven while my family and all my ancestors will be burning in hell, since I am the only family member to hear about Jesus?" For the next several years, Louis concentrated his studies on answering this question from the pages of the Bible. Gaining much more than the answer to this one question, he wrote Seven Resurrections, which mixes God’s plan of salvation with detailed End Time explanations. Louis explains the seven resurrection events of the Bible and presents them as an important truth that many overlook in their biblical studies.

The casual event will give community members an opportunity to visit with these East Texas authors while hearing about their books. For those interested in learning how to publish their own work, these authors can provide more insight into the process. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact the M.P. Baker Library (903-693-2052) or the Sammy Brown Library (903-693-6741).