2025-2026 Sports Schedules
Cross Country - Center (JH), Center (HS), Joaquin, Timpson
Football - Center, Joaquin (V), Joaquin (JH,JV), Shelbyville, Tenaha, Timpson,
Tennis - Center,
Volleyball - Center, Center Christian Academy, Shelbyville (JV,V), Shelbyville (JH), Timpson (HS), Timpson (JH),
September 1, 2017 - The September 1 opener of dove season is always a big deal with Texas hunters, but it will be especially big this year because opening day falls on a Friday. For those lucky enough to escape the wrath of Harvey, it could mean a four-day hunting weekend with the September 4 Labor Day holiday figured in.
If that's not reason enough to celebrate, I don't know what is. Just play it smart out there and don't get so caught up in the all the excitement that you let your guard down or make a serious mistake that you can't take back.
Dove hunters tote shotguns loaded with shotshells capable of throwing a spray of lead pellets a considerable distance before they fall to the ground under the laws of gravity.
Shotguns are deadly weapons at close range, even when loaded with light field loads. They can cause serious injuries at long range, too. One stray pellet could put somebody's eye out from 100 yards away, possibly farther.
There were 24 hunting-related accidents reported in Texas last year, 14 of them involving shotguns. Five of the accidents were fatal and 19 non-fatal.
Dove hunters were involved in more of those accidents (7) than hunters of any other game. Quail hunters accounted for the second highest total with four.
Dove and quail hunters are typically shooting at flying targets that are prone to dart, dive or change flight course erratically. Some bird hunters get so caught up in tracking the birds that they forget where their hunting buddies are at.
Bad things can happen if the trigger is pulled at the same time the shotgun muzzle crosses paths with another hunter in the line of fire.
Poor hunter judgement has a long history of being a major contributor of hunting related accidents in Texas, and the trend continued last year.
Five accidents came as the result of swinging on game outside the safe zone of fire and another five happened because the victim was out of sight or moved into the line of fire. Two more involved hunters who were shot after being mistaken for game.
A quick review of Texas Parks and Wildlife's 2016 Texas Hunting Incidents Analysis report shows just how quickly accidents can happen out there. Here is a synopsis the reported incidents involving dove hunters and how the accidents may have been prevented.
* Accident 1 (Fatality)
How it Happened: Right after firing a shot from his double-barrel shotgun, the shooter turned towards victim with a loaded second barrel, which went off just as the muzzle was pointed at the victim. The shot pellets penetrated victim’s right back torso at extremely close range.
Prevention: Always point muzzle in a safe direction; keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot. Remember that in semi-automatic and double-barrel firearms, the chamber may be loaded immediately after taking a shot and that the ‘safety’ is usually in the ‘off’ position.
* Accident 2 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: Shooter shot at a dove, and as he went to retrieve it, the dove flew away. The shooter again swung on the dove, but this time outside of a safe zone of fire, towards the victim who was standing in a nearby ditch. About 25 pellets struck victim in head and upper torso from 50-60 yards.
Prevention: Always maintain a safe zone of fire; communicate with hunting companions; know where others are positioned at all times; make sure to identify the target clearly; identify what is in front of and behind the target before shooting.
* Accident 3 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: Victim was “peppered” by pellets by an unknown shooter, causing bleeding from his neck area.
Prevention: Same as above.
* Accident 4 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: Shooter swung on victim outside of his safe zone of fire. Victim was sitting behind some cover and was struck by pellets in his upper right shoulder area from about 25-30 yards.
Prevention: Same as above.
* Accident 5 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: The victim was retrieving a downed bird when he was peppered by pellets by an unknown shooter.
Prevention: Same as above.
* Accident 6 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: Victim was in the line of fire of three other hunters and was struck by a pellet in his eye. It was determined that the pellet came from one of the hunter’s direct line of fire; however, it could possibly have come from all three of the other hunter’s shotgun blasts. Alcohol may have played a role in the incident.
Prevention: Same as above; avoid using alcohol and drugs.
* Accident 7 (Non-Fatality)
How it Happened: Shooter had loaded shotgun on the ground between him and victim and it discharged as he picked it up, shooting the victim in his right buttocks.
Prevention: Always point muzzle in a safe direction; keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot; handle firearms carefully; always unload before placing firearm on the ground or against a secure rest.
The message here is for hunters to use their heads out there. Watch out for others and watch out for yourself.
Dove hunters can reduce the odds of being involved in an accident by careful positioning and communicating among themselves. Never set up in front of or behind another hunter. Speak up if you see a shooter move into a location that could put you or someone else in the line of fire. If the shooter refuses to change locations, move yourself.
Dove hunters should space out in a horizontal line a considerable distance apart. Multiple hunters positioned too close together or in a crossfire is a recipe for disaster.
Dove hunting is a fun sport. Hunters can enhance the experience by doing their part by doing some police work to make sure the field is kept safe for themselves as well as others.
September 1, 2017 - The details are sketchy at this point, but more changes are coming down the pike with Toyota ShareLunker this season as Texas Parks and Wildlife's inland fisheries division works to refresh a popular conservation program that seems to have become stale with time. ShareLunker is a spawning and genetics research program run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department since 1986. The program solicits anglers who catch Texas bass weighing 13 pounds or more to loan the fish to the state agency for spawning and genetics research.
ShareLunkers are always females. The big fish are paired with hand-picked males for spawning in hatchery raceways. A portion of the offspring are retained for research and the rest are stocked into donor lakes.
The minimum weight for entry was set at 13 pounds based on the belief that jumbo bass have superior genetics and would offer the best shot for producing more giant bass though selective breeding. The concept makes good sense, but more than three decades down the road things haven't panned out as well as a lot of people had originally hoped.
Texas bass fishing hasn't seen a new state record since 1992 and only handful of Top 50 fish have been documented over the last decade. Even so, the program has been a great public relations tool for promoting Texas bass fishing and getting the word out about catch-and-release. It also has provided researchers gobs of opportunity to learn more about proper handling techniques for heavyweight bass. To date, the program has taken in 570 entries.
The program got a confidence boost last season when genetics testing showed that two of the five entries turned in were the offspring of former ShareLunkers. One of the fish was caught last February at Marine Creek Reservoir near Ft. Worth. The bass weighed 13.07 pounds. Genetics testing linked the 11-year-old fish to a 2006 stocking of ShareLunker prodigy.
The other ShareLunker - a 13.06 pounder reeled in from Lake Naconiche - was linked to a 2009 stocking of ShareLunker offspring. Both fish were in excess of six inches when they were stocked.
ShareLunker kicked off its 31st season last October under a set of revamped guidelines from previous seasons. The changes were implemented under new leadership following the program's worst participation year on record. Only two entries were turned in during the 2015-16 season. The all-time high was 36 entries in 1994-95.
Changes put in place last year included a three month spawning season beginning Jan. 1, accepting non-pure Florida bass entries for spawning and eliminating private lakes as recipients of ShareLunker offspring.
Another noteworthy change was to begin relying strictly on ShareLunker offspring from pure Florida bass entries to rebuild TPWD's Florida bass hatchery program within 6-7 years. There wasn't any headway made towards that goal last season because none of the fish pulled off successful spawns in hatchery raceways.
TPWD is holding its cards close the vest regarding additional program changes that are coming this season, mainly because all the details aren't ironed out just yet. But one change that has been confirmed is that the season's traditional Oct. 1 starting date will shift forward four months to coincide with the new spawning season of Jan. 1 - March 31 put in place last year.
The new spawning season was implemented because data showed nearly 90 percent of successful Sharelunker spawns occurred during that time frame, and 75 percent of Sharelunker entries were caught during the months of January, February and March.
TPWD inland fisheries director Craig Bonds says additional tweaks will be announced long before the season opener and he is hopeful the changes will be well received by the angling public. One thing that won't change, however, is the threshold for entering a bass in the spawning phase of the program. Only fish weighing 13 pounds and up will be accepted.
"TPWD is in the process of relaunching the Toyota ShareLunker program to expand participation and increase engagement with our bass anglers," Bonds said. "We are very excited about the changes and will be sharing more news about the new program this fall."
There was plenty of chatter circulating last year that ShareLunker's new direction may lead it in the direction of a 12-month gig that would mirror Florida's TrophyCatch program in a lot of ways. If that is what winds up coming down the pike, it could be a good thing.
Run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, TrophyCatch is an incentive-based conservation program designed for anglers who catch-and-release largemouth bass heavier than eight pounds, in Florida. The FWC describes the program as a "citizen science partnership" instrumental in ensuring that FWC biologists are able to make informed decisions for the management and improvement of Florida’s lakes and rivers.
Anglers can enter TrophyCatch electronically by providing quality photos of the fish, including one that shows it on a scale with the recorded weight in clear view.
Participants are eligible to win all sorts of cool prizes like gift cards, fishing rods, decals, tackle discounts, etc….. The value of the prizes varies with the club level in which a fish is entered. The bigger the fish, the bigger the club and the bigger the prize. Everyone who enters a fish is automatically entered in a drawing to win a fully-rigged Phoenix bass boat at the end of the season.
Not surprisingly, TrophyCatch has been very well received by its constituents. Through four seasons more than 5,325 catches have been approved, and it continues to grow.
It will be interesting to see if Texas bass anglers respond likewise to tweaks in Toyota ShareLunker, once regarded as one of the most innovative freshwater fisheries programs in America.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.
September 1, 2017 - Timpson's football game against West Sabine for today has been rescheduled to be played in Shelbyville at 12noon on Saturday, September 2, 2017.
August 22, 2017 - The Center Lady Roughrider volleyball team schedule started at the beginning of August. Their next competition for 9th, Jr Varsity, and Varsity is Tuesday, August 22, 2017 in Center against Gladewater at 4:30pm. If you can't make it in time for today's game, they will play in Center against Timpson on Tuesday, August 29th starting at 5pm.
For a composite 2017 Volleyball schedule, click here.
August 22, 2017 The Center High School tennis team has already begun their Fall 2017 season and are scheduled to compete Saturday, August 26, 2017 in Jacksonville. Varsity will play at 8am against the host team Jacksonville and again at 1pm against Nacogdoches. For the full Fall Schedule, click here.
Editor's note: Quick links to sports schedules are listed at the top of the sports page.
August 21, 2017 - The Center Recreation Department is proud to announce that registration for the 2017 Fall Football and Soccer seasons will begin soon.
Where? The Center Middle School Cafeteria
Who? Boys and Girls ages 4-14
When?
Tuesday, August 22 starting at 5:00 pm
Saturday August 26 starting at 10:00 am
Cost: Soccer - $65; Flag Football - $75; and Tackle Football - $100
Each participant must present a Copy of their Birth Certificate. A Medical Form must be signed by their parent or guardian at Sign-Ups. We are also looking for a few good volunteers to Coach and/or Referee.
See you there!
For more information contact Jason Mitchell, City of Center Recreation Director at 936/590-7196.
August 16, 2017 - Attention all "Lil Riders": Girls and boys that are entering Kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to attend the third annual "Lil Rider Punt, Pass, and Kick" camp. The event will be held at 5pm Thursday, August 17th at Roughrider Stadium in Center, Texas.
The varsity football team and coaching staff will work with the kids in throwing, kicking, catching, agility drills, and more. There is no cost to participate, so bring your "Lil Rider" and join the fun! The event is sponsored by the Center Athletic Boosters.
About Center Athletic Boosters
Center Athletic Boosters' Mission Statement: "Building Character One Play at a Time". Our goal is to support student athletes as they compete both on and off the field so they may win in the classroom, on the field, and in everyday life.
This was a photo taken with some of the teams sponsors.
July 31, 2017 - The Center 6U All-Stars T-ball team has had a great run this season. They were 13-0 in post season. The team took three championships within these 13 games. They won the Diana prep-tournament, the Bullard prep-tournament and the South regional tournament. Coaches Joey and Shea Williams set a goal two years ago to win the South Regional Tournament in 2017. As they welcomed coaches Grant and Heather McDonald and a team of twelve 5 and 6 year old boys' full determination and heart, this year that goal became a reality.
The team went in full force and took the title of South Regional Champions undefeated. As a result of the win at the South Regional Tournament there will be a sign placed at the T-ball field in the honor of these players and coaches.
The team then advanced to the State Tournament in Longview taking 2nd place in the State of Texas. This 2nd place title was taken from between 64 and 70 teams starting out. The team then advanced to the World Series that was held in Ruston, LA.
The World Series tournament consisted of teams from 4 states including Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. During the World Series tournament the team played 2 days of pool play that determined which teams would advance to the championship game. The team was 3-2 in those two days of pool play with their losses totaling only 3 runs. The team did not advance to the championship game but did place 5th out of around 300 teams.
South Regional Champions
Coaches: Joey Williams, Shea Williams, Grant McDonald, Heather McDonald
Players: Joseph Mitchell, Jaylan Henderson, Collin Chandler, Jakobe Evans, Kason Radney, Cooper Crawford, Shade McDonald, Christyce Barnes, Braylon Williams, Easton Jones, Cullen Henson, Canon Dixon
As the team went on their journey to these tournaments it took the support of the community. The team had many sponsors who helped them along the way. These tournaments can get very expensive from uniforms, hotel stays, tournament fees and keeping the boys fed and well hydrated while away from home. The team had an amazing support system from the community.
The sponsors for the 2017 Center 6U T-ball All-Stars team were: Gibsons, Morrison Insurance, Midstream, State Farm Insurance, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, 4C Electrical, Ken Muckelroy, Tammy Steptoe Realty, Center Auto Repair, Sammy Arnold, Advanced Ecology, East Texas Poultry Supply, Automotive Collison, Hardy’s Machine Shop, 96 Equipment, Napa Auto Parts, Mike Johnson, McAdams Propane, Center Noon Lions Club, Center Rotary Club, Renea & Shirel Sanders, DSS Security Systems, James & Sharon Crelia, Long branch Energy, Center Health & Harmony, Borders Poultry Supply, Sniders Paint & Body, R&D Distributors, Dazzle Me Pink & Blue, Ace Hardware, High Roller Wells, Dance Furniture, Monco Motors, Matthew Real-estate, Randy McLeroy, Town & County Realty, Hagler Painting, Steve & Selina Windham, Windham Dental, Steel Building Supply, Center Tire and Extreme Air Rentals.
The team represented the sponsors well as they traveled. The team would like to thank each of the sponsors for without their help they would not be where they are today. Thank you from the Center 6U T-ball team, coaches and parents.
State Tournament 2nd Place
These 12 boys did a great job this season representing the Center baseball league, the City of Center and the great State of Texas. The team put a lot of sweat and heart into the field to prepare for these accomplishments. There were a lot of strengths and weaknesses learned by the team to push forward to a brighter future. The boys will advance this spring season to coach pitch, with most of them playing coach pitch during fall ball.
World Series Tournament 5th Place
July 30, 2017 - Are You Ready??? Can you believe it, summer is almost over!! It's time to get ready for this year's winning volleyball season.
7th and 8th grades CMS Volleyball Camp is set for July 31st (Monday) through Aug 3rd (Thur) in the CMS Gym. Seventh graders are from 8am to 10am and eight graders are from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The cost is $15 which will go toward girls athletic game day shirt. Let's do big things this year!!!
Submitted by CMS Coach Donna Shannon
July 27, 2107 - The Wings of East Texas find themselves sitting in position to make a strong run deep into the tournament.
After taking down the State Champions from Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Virginia, the WildWings position themselves as a contender.
With three days to go the team looks to stay hot and continue to represent east texas well.
