By David Wolman
(Click on the link to view a photo gallery from the game: https://www.dotphoto.com/viewalbum.asp?AID=6890390)
COPPELL — For much of Thursday night’s regular-season finale, Plano East was within striking distance of Coppell and a home playoff game.
Then the Cowboys took control.
Coppell scored 28 points in the final 5:21, capitalizing on a series of Plano East mistakes to pull away for a 48-15 victory at Buddy Echols Field.
The Panthers committed three of their four turnovers during that closing stretch, including an interception that junior Anthony Lewis returned 98 yards for a touchdown on the game’s final play.
The loss dropped Plano East to 6-4 and gave Coppell (8-2) the No. 1 Class 6A Division I playoff seed from District 7-6A.
Plano East, which had already secured its first postseason berth since 2023, will instead travel to face Euless Trinity in the bi-district round.
Despite the final margin, the Panthers were in contention deep into the fourth quarter.
Trailing 20-9 late in the third, Plano East put together a scoring drive that brought it within five points with more than 10 minutes remaining.
Senior quarterback Josh Gordon opened the possession with a 15-yard completion to senior tight end Aidan Forthman, then connected with sophomore Cristian Clancy for a 41-yard gain into the red zone.
Gordon finished with 188 passing yards on 10 completions for Plano East.
Sophomore Treyce Seldon finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, cutting Coppell’s lead to 20-15 with 10:13 left.
Seldon finished with 155 total yards.
Plano East also missed other opportunities throughout the game. A touchdown reception in the second quarter was wiped out by offensive pass interference, and the Panthers failed to capitalize on favorable field position on several possessions.
The decisive sequence came with just over five minutes remaining.
Plano East had forced Coppell into a third-and-14 situation, but Zinglemann found senior Ishan Mair for a 15-yard completion to extend the drive.
Four plays later, senior Jayden George scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, stretching the Cowboys’ lead to 27-15.
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Priority registration began Oct. 26 and was determined by the number of completed Collin College credit hours. Students registered for classes through Workday, which was accessible through CougarWeb at www.cougarweb.collin.edu.
The college offered a variety of course formats, including in-person, online and hybrid classes, giving students options to accommodate their academic goals and schedules. Students could review available courses and class schedules at www.collin.edu/academics/class_schedule.
The early registration payment deadline for Wintermester 2026 and Spring 2027 classes was Dec. 9. Students were encouraged to register early to secure their preferred courses and meet payment requirements by the deadline.
Additional information about registration procedures and important academic dates was available at www.collin.edu/register/registration#dates.
Collin College served approximately 60,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offered more than 200 degrees and certificates. Its academic programs included a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Clinical Operations Management. The college also offered a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Software Development.
Based in Collin County, Collin College was the county’s only public college. It partnered with businesses, government agencies and industry organizations to provide customized training and workforce development opportunities.
For more information about the college and its academic programs, visit www.collin.edu.
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]]>What began with an aromatherapy kit and a little experimentation in his parents’ kitchen has grown into a downtown Wylie business where customers can make their own candles, explore new hobbies and connect with others.
For Witty Wick Candles owner R.J. Carranza, the business has become much more than a place to sell hand-poured candles and gifts.
It’s a place where creativity meets community.
Carranza, who grew up in Nevada and attended Community ISD schools, began making candles about six and a half years ago after purchasing an aromatherapy kit on Amazon.
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]]>Murphy residents can pick up free native trees in 3-gallon containers as part of the city’s Arbor Day observance.
The 100 trees will be available, first-come, first-served, from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Community Center, 205 N. Murphy Road.
Supplies are limited, so the Parks and Recreation Department advises residents to come early for the best selection.
Species available include Chinese Pistache, Vitex Chaste, Crepe Myrtle, Chinkapin Oak and Red Oak.
The city of Murphy is proud to have been recognized as a Tree City USA for 15 consecutive years.
The city handed out seedlings in 2024 and last year the Parks and Recreation Department encouraged citizens to join tree-planting projects in Central Park and the Timbers Nature Preserve.
While most of the nation marks Arbor Day in April, Texans wait until fall to celebrate the importance of trees.
Texas observes Arbor Day on the first Friday in November, when cooler temperatures and seasonal rains offer the best conditions for planting. The tradition recognizes the state’s challenging climate, where spring heat and dry soil can be tough on young trees.
Arbor Day began in Nebraska in 1872, when J. Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor and later U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, proposed a statewide day for tree planting.
The first celebration saw Nebraskans plant an estimated one million trees. The idea spread quickly, and in 1885 Nebraska made Arbor Day a legal holiday.
President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day in 1970, but states soon realized one size didn’t fit all. Texas formally established its November observance in 2013, though many communities had long planted trees in autumn.
Across the state, schools, civic clubs and city governments mark the day with ceremonies, community plantings and environmental programs that highlight the vital role trees play in daily life: cleaning the air, reducing heat, sheltering wildlife and beautifying communities.
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]]>The county held a public meeting Oct. 27 at Leland Edge Middle School in Nevada and made a virtual presentation available online for the Collin County Outer Loop-Southeast project.
The project covers Segments 2 and 4, extending approximately 14 miles from County Road 656 northeast of Farmersville to the Collin-Rockwall County line northwest of Royse City.
The project team is finalizing the schematic design and Local Environmental Document for the preferred alignment. The environmental document will then go to the Collin County Commissioners Court for consideration and final approval.
The current study, which began in summer 2024, is expected to conclude in late 2026 or early 2027.
The county has already identified an updated preferred route for the entire project. The alignment is based on what the county calls the previous Technically Preferred Alignment, which was identified through studies completed in 2009 for Segment 2, from U.S. 380 to FM 6, and in 2010 for Segment 4, from FM 6 to the Rockwall County line.
The latest study revisited that route to account for development and other constraints that have emerged since the earlier studies.
After evaluating several variations and considering public and stakeholder input, the county selected what it calls the Pink Alignment, including a western shift through the middle portion of the study area.
Although a preferred alignment has been identified, its precise location and property requirements could still be refined as engineering work continues. The proposed freeway would use a right of way approximately 500 feet wide, and the county said the alignment could shift slightly as the schematic design is completed.
The schematic design will establish more than the roadway’s location. Engineers will determine preliminary lane configurations, ramp locations and interchange designs, drainage requirements and the amount of land needed for the project.
At the same time, the Local Environmental Document will examine potential effects on the human and natural environment.
The review includes residences and businesses as well as archaeological, historical, cultural and biological resources and community facilities.
Collin County is working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments on the environmental document and coordinating with local governments and other agencies.
Once the Commissioners Court approves the environmental document, the county plans to move into final detailed design and begin acquiring property needed for the corridor. The county expects right-of-way acquisition to take several years.
The county said it intends to acquire enough right of way for the ultimate freeway rather than only the land needed for the first construction phase. That would allow the corridor to be protected from additional development while the roadway is built over time.
No date has been set for construction of the full freeway, and construction will depend on funding and traffic demand. The current plan calls for the roadway to be developed in phases, initially with one two-lane frontage road carrying traffic in both directions once funding for that phase is secured.
The county could instead build both frontage roads at the same time if traffic needs and funding justify doing so.
Officials have not determined which frontage road would be built first. Freeway main lanes in the center of the corridor would be added later as population, development and travel demand increase and money becomes available.
Current plans call for the frontage roads to be designed for 45 mph and the freeway main lanes for 70 mph, although those design speeds could change as engineering progresses.
Drainage plans call for runoff to be directed away from nearby neighborhoods and the roadway through engineered grassy roadside ditches or channels and appropriately sized culverts based on drainage analysis.
Decisions about roadway lighting, including the size and spacing of lights, have not yet been made.
The 14-mile project would eventually form part of a much larger transportation corridor. The proposed Collin County Outer Loop would extend approximately 55 miles from the Denton County line through areas including Celina, Weston, Anna, Melissa, Farmersville, Josephine and Royse City. It would connect with a proposed regional outer-loop system extending through Denton, Collin, Rockwall and Kaufman counties and potentially Ellis County.
Collin County also has separate projects underway to advance planning and design for Segments 1 and 5 of the Outer Loop and is studying the feasibility of another north-south freeway between Princeton and State Highway 121.
Residents and property owners can continue to follow the project and view updated alignment maps at CCOL-SE.com. The county said maps will be updated as the project progresses and the right-of-way requirements become more precise.
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]]>The action clears the way for the district to advertise the properties for sale, receive and evaluate proposals and eventually bring potential sales back to the Board of Trustees for approval.
The properties are two condominium suites in the Pebble Creek Professional Building at 5804 Coit Road and an undeveloped nearly-10-acre tract near the northeast corner of Coit and Frankford roads.
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]]>By David Wolman
For 31 years, Dr. Williams C. Burns II has been a familiar presence on the Plano East sideline, providing medical care, guidance and unwavering support to generations of Panther student-athletes.
Last Friday, the school recognized that commitment by inducting Burns into its Hall of Honor during a ceremony between the first and second quarters of Plano East’s home football game against J.J. Pearce at Tom Kimbrough Stadium.
Burns became the Hall of Honor’s 10th inductee and its first honoree who was not a football player.
“It’s pretty awesome,” he said. “I’m impressed. I didn’t expect it because most people that have been inducted have gone onto have pretty big football careers.”
A native of Boise, Idaho, Burns earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University before attending UT Southwestern Medical School, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.
He completed his orthopedic training at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, followed by a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Chicago.
Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Burns was also among the first orthopedic surgeons to earn board certification in sports medicine.
His professional accomplishments include a nomination for the Charles Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons for outstanding clinical or research investigation.
Burns also received the Dow Corning Wright Award from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society for outstanding foot and ankle research and the Cabaud Memorial Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for outstanding research.
For the past 12 years, Burns has worked at the Frisco location of Craig Ranch Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
His relationship with Plano East began in 1995, when an athletic trainer informed him that the school needed a new team physician.
Burns accepted the opportunity and has remained a fixture in the program ever since.
He has attended home and away football games and numerous basketball contests, missing only two Plano East football games in 31 years. Those absences came while he was recovering from back surgery five years ago.
“I’ve been through several principals, head football coaches and athletic trainers, but it’s a real honor to work there,” he said.
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By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com
When you’re a kid, the one thing you want to be is older. This is the case for most people until you wake up one day and wish you were younger.
Youth is a long line of mile markers, each of which you are constantly try to reach.
In the 1960s, the youth of Ashdown, Arkansas, had few things to get excited about. A one-income family focused on housing and groceries. Fun things were a luxury.
Six Flags Over Texas is an amusement park in the Dallas area. It’s now quite large and has other parks in the country. At the time it was relatively small. But it was huge to us.
The excitement generated by the announcement that as a family we were going, our church group was headed there, or our scout troop was making the trek, caused chatter for the entire time leading up to departure.
But you learn that excitement needs to be tempered with reasonable expectation.
My dad was six feet tall. My mom is 4’11”. Until I was about 13, I was short. I often wondered if I was destined to be as tall as my dad or my mom. The answer was somewhere in the middle. I grew six inches in one year and made it to 5’10”. I’ve shrunk since then.
That height wasn’t achieved until after early trips to Six Flags. So, I faced the dreaded signage that no kid wants to see when it comes to being able to board the cool rides.
“You must be at least this tall to ride this ride.”
There was little else more humiliating than stepping up to that sign, placing your back against it, and being told you were under the line.
Having to stand back and watch your friends board the Cyclone, Mini Mine Train, or other legendary park attraction, was brutal.
I wanted to be old enough to grow past that line. Eventually, that day came. But there was always the next mile marker.
In addition to being short for about half of my school years, I was also one of the youngest. My birthday fell right on the line when it came to starting school. My mom had to decide whether to let me start or to hold me for the next school year. She later told me that she felt I was ready, so she enrolled me in first grade when I was barely six. When I was coming up, there was no preschool or kindergarten. You went straight into the first grade.
Mom was right. Academically I was ready, but because of my birthdate, I was always one of the last in my class to get to do certain things.
At the time in Arkansas, you could get a driver’s learning permit at 14. Because my date of birth fell much later than my classmates, I had to watch them drive by while I walked to school.
Seeing them cruise down the road behind the wheel of their parents’ Ford LTD or Buick Electra felt humiliating. In reality, it wasn’t. It was just my lack of patience.
Later, I watched as others turned 16 first and got their own hunting and fishing licenses. I did both under a child’s permit.
It was the age of 18 that most of us couldn’t wait to be. Unlike today, at that time you could buy beer at that age; move out of the house, register to vote, or join the military without your parents signing for you.
All mile markers we couldn’t wait to reach.
But something happens as you hit all of those markers. There are always more.
College, marriage, children, a career, and then retirement. You speed towards each like a bullet train.
Those mile markers pass. And then an odd thing happens. You look up for the next mile markers, and you don’t see any.
When I was young, I would say, “I can’t wait until I’m 14 so I can get my driver’s permit.” My grandmother would respond, “Don’t wish your life away.”
That sentence makes little sense to a person who’s focused on the next thing. But the good news is, when you reach a certain age, the next mile marker is an eternal one. The ride you take to get there is one of His forgiveness, not anything you have to achieve.
And you don’t have to be taller or older. Just patient.
© 2026 John Moore
John’s new book, Write of Passage: Volume 3, is available on Amazon. Write to John at TheCountryWriter.com.
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]]>U.S. House District 3
Complete, Unofficial 3rd District Totals from all counties:
Keith Self (Rep) — 169,243 (52.74%)
Evan Hunt (Dem) — 151,667 (47.26%)
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Texas House District 33 (Collin & Rockwall Counties)
Katrina Pierson (Rep) — 46,507 (55.38%)
Orlando Lopez (Dem) — 37,467 (44.62%)
Texas House District 67
Jeff Leach (Rep) — 42,566 (50.12%)
Jordan Wheatley (Dem) — 42,363 (49.88%)
Texas House District 89
Candy Noble (Rep) — 42,764 (49.20%)
Angie Carraway (Dem) — 44,156 (50.80%)
Texas House District 112 (Dallas County)
Angie Chen Button (Rep) — 37,499 (46.44%)
Zach Herbert (Dem) — 43,251 (53.56%)
RESULTS ARE UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CANVASSED
BOND PROPOSITIONS
Collin County Prop A — Courts & Detention Facilities
For — 158,685 (37.41%)
Against — 265,539 (62.59%)
Collin County Prop B — Roads & Bridges
For — 204,907 (48.33%)
Against — 219,065 (51.67%)
Collin County Prop C — Parks & Open Space
For — 197,460 (46.68%)
Against — 225,561 (53.32%)
Collin County Prop D — Elections & Records Facility
For — 126,279 (30.03%)
Against — 294,202 (69.97%)
Collin College Prop A — College Facilities
For — 200,854 (47.52%)
Against — 221,774 (52.48%)
RESULTS ARE UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CANVASSED
By David Wolman
LUCAS — Plano East struggled to find its offensive rhythm through the first two sets of Monday’s Class 6A Division I area-round volleyball match against McKinney Boyd.
But with their season on the line, the Lady Panthers found a spark in freshman outside hitter Ava Nzegwu.
Nzegwu recorded six of her team-high 10 kills in the third set, helping Plano East erase a pair of deficits and briefly pull even with the Lady Broncos.
The rally wasn’t enough, however, as McKinney Boyd held off a late charge to complete a 25-13, 25-16, 25-22 sweep at Lovejoy High School.
The loss ended Plano East’s season after 30 victories and a fourth consecutive year with at least one playoff win.
“McKinney Boyd is a phenomenal team,” Plano East head coach Sarah Perez said. “They set a block. They swing aggressive every time. I think that we have a lot of young kids, had a lot of nerves coming into this game. We didn’t play the way that we wanted to play. We didn’t follow our game plan. This is what we will use to fuel us for next season.”
McKinney Boyd’s combination of strong defense, powerful hitting and effective blocking made life difficult for Plano East throughout the match.
Junior Trinity Johnson led the Lady Broncos with 13 kills, while senior Olivia Permenter added 10.
Senior middle hitter Catelijne Van Ham, who stands 6-foot-2, contributed nine blocks as McKinney Boyd earned its 30th victory of the season.
The Lady Broncos controlled the opening set, winning 25-13, and maintained their advantage in the second.
Between sets, Perez pulled sophomore setters Anna Lukas and Luz Luna aside to discuss adjustments to the offense and ways to attack McKinney Boyd’s block.
The conversation helped Plano East generate more scoring opportunities.
Kills by Nzegwu, senior Leyna Anderson and sophomore Kyla Slaughter kept the Lady Panthers within striking distance during the second set, but McKinney Boyd pulled away for a 25-16 victory.
Facing elimination, Plano East showed more offensive consistency in the third.
The Lady Panthers trailed 11-7 and 14-11 before Nzegwu helped fuel a comeback.
She recorded three kills during a five-point stretch, with the third tying the score at 15-15 and forcing McKinney Boyd to call its first timeout of the match.
It was the first time Plano East had pulled even after falling behind in the opening set.
Senior libero Dakota Huynh also provided one of the match’s most memorable defensive plays.
Reaching out with one arm in the back row, Huynh managed to send the ball back over the net. The Lady Panthers eventually won the point when McKinney Boyd hit the ball into the net.
“She truly is phenomenal,” Perez said. “She has a high IQ, is a great teammate. She can dig. She can serve. She truly is amazing.”
Despite Plano East’s improved play, McKinney Boyd regained control and built a 22-16 lead late in the third set.
The Lady Panthers refused to go quietly.
Plano East rallied to within 23-22 following a tip kill by Lukas, putting pressure on the Lady Broncos in the closing moments.
McKinney Boyd answered, however, and sophomore Gabby Fiori delivered a service ace on match point to secure the sweep.
Although the loss brought Plano East’s season to an end, Perez found plenty of reasons for optimism.
“I’m proud of this season,” Perez said. “We’re young. We’ve got brand-new pieces. We have a lot of people to build an offense around. It’s obviously good for those young kids to get that experience. Obviously, we wish that we were still playing. Now, these young kids have two rounds under their belts. Next year, it won’t be as quite the shock when we get here.”
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