Texas
Volunteers rally to rebuild flood-damaged Texas camp serving children with disabilities
Since the tragic floods in Central Texas, hundreds of volunteers have made their way to Kerr County to help with the flood aftermath. But for many, the Hill Country flood aftermath is hard to process.
“It’s the kids’ shoes. Every time I see one, it pulls at your heartstrings,” said Jared Ronning, who came to Kerrville from Orange, Texas. “Yesterday, I found a baby purple Croc and, like, a baby life jacket next to it, and you don’t know until you look.”
Ronning is one of hundreds of volunteers who have inundated Kerr County to help with flood clean-up. Ronning found out the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, also known as Camp CAMP, needed help rebuilding. The camp serves children with disabilities.
“It’s easy to sit and look at your phone and think, ‘man that’s sad.’ It’s a lot harder to put it down and come out here,” Ronning said. “I feel like if I was able to help, I might as well anyway I could. I know there are a lot of families going through a lot worse than I am.”
Approximately 6-8 acres of land at Camp CAMP were damaged. On Saturday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management began requiring volunteers to register to better coordinate efforts.
“Compared to the losses at some other camps, and what communities have faced, we’re blessed because our campers weren’t here when the flooding event happened,” said Brandon Briery, the chief operating officer. “The flooding, the debris, has just completely changed the landscape of this.”
Briery said many families who attend the camp were worried it would close for the remainder of the summer because of the damage at the grounds and in the county.
“We have been inundated with calls from camper families saying, ‘When are you going to reopen? We want to make sure we get to come,’” Briery said.
He added that the camp has received criticism for trying to reopen too soon.
“For our campers and families who don’t have opportunities to go to camp anywhere else, because of the severity of their disabilities or their illnesses, for the families to be able to get a break from caregiving,” said Briery. “Because of the special nature of who we serve and the limited opportunities that they have to have this type of experience, when we look at all of the needs, there’s no way we could keep from opening.”
The camp hoped to reopen its doors Sunday, but because of another flash flood warning in the area, they pushed it back until Monday. While Briery said he understands the concerns of the community, it’s a moment of normalcy for their families, a moment to recover and rebuild together.
“There is also hope, that hope that tomorrow can be better because there are people who are willing to come together to make things like this happen,” he said.
With a tumultuous nonconference season officially in the books, the Texas Longhorns turn their attention to their SEC slate ahead.
They will kick things off against the Florida Gators on the road, which will be followed by their annual Red River Rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas.
The quarterback on each of these opposing teams are currently dealing with injuries, making them questionable to appear in their matchups against the Longhorns. Texas faced backup quarterbacks in many of its SEC matchups last year, and it looks like they could start 2025 the same way.
Sooners quarterback John Mateer made headlines earlier this week after the team revealed that he must undergo hand surgery to help repair a broken bone in his throwing hand. He broke the bone in the first quarter of Oklahoma’s game against the Auburn Tigers last Saturday.
He played through the injury to help his team earn a 24-17 victory, but the quarterback is now looking at at least three weeks on the sideline. Healing in time for Dallas doesn’t seem to be entirely ruled out, but it seems like the indefinite injury timeline could mean that the current Heisman Trophy favorite won’t be back until later in the conference season.
In the event that he is unable to play, sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will take the field instead.
As far as Florida quarterback DJ Lagway’s health goes, he was wearing a walking boot this week. but there’s not nearly as much concern as with Mateer.
If Lagway were to reaggravate the injury leading into the Texas game, true freshman quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. would take his place. Should this happen, this would be the second consecutive year Texas faced a Florida team forced to resort to its backup quarterback.
Ou Vs Texas Syndication The Oklahoman / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
Including the SEC Championship, the Longhorns played nine conference games last season. Depending on how one looks at it, between four and five of these matchups took place against backup quarterbacks.
Here are those players from last season:
– Michael Van Buren Jr., Mississippi State
– Michael Hawkins Jr., Oklahoma
– Aidan Warner, Florida
– Cutter Boley, Kentucky (replaced Brock Vandagriff mid-game)
– Gunner Stockton, Georgia (replaced Carson Beck mid-game)
A discrepancy exists when deciding whether or not the second matchup against Georgia in the SEC Championship last season can fully be considered to be against a backup, given that starting quarterback Carson Beck played the first half before suffering an elbow injury. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who led the Bulldogs to a win in overtime.
Either way, Texas has fared well in terms of facing backup quarterbacks since their entrance into the SEC ahead of the 2024 season.
The Longhorns’ already daunting defense has been let off the hook in this way against several impressive teams, and depending on how Mateer heals, their lucky streak could continue in the weeks to come.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Emergency services leaders from across the State of Texas are in College Station this week to share and learn about best practices.
Officials with emergency services agencies from the Texas-New Mexico border down to Beaumont are in College Station for the Texas EMS Alliance conference.
It’s a three-day conference where EMS agencies ask questions and learn from one another, then take the knowledge back home with them.
Officials say collaboration of this level is essential for the growth of EMS agencies across the state of Texas.
Adam Gallagher, EMS Chief with Robertson County EST, said the conference is jam-packed with opportunities to learn, network, bounce ideas, and problem-solve.
“We feel like we’re kind of running into the same problems, but we didn’t know we were until we all got together in the same group to be able to discuss and go, ‘yeah, I’m seeing that problem too. Let’s figure out how to fix it.’ And this program- this organization, this conference- does that for us,” he explained.
A significant issue for agencies across the state, according to Gallagher, is rural healthcare funding. That’s why they are being taught how to best push for advocacy.
He added that there hasn’t been a hospital with an emergency room in all of Robertson County since before the year 2000.
Butch Oberhoff, president of the Texas EMS Alliance, said this makes it more challenging for EMS officers to provide life-saving care. That’s why collaboration is key.
“‘What can we do to save more lives in Texas?’ And the ‘Whole Blood Initiative’ sort of was produced from that, and now Texas leads the nation in providing whole blood in the pre-hospital environment. We’re saving lives, we’re saving health care dollars, believe it or not,” said Oberhoff.
The Whole Blood Initiative is a program that supplies EMS agencies with life-saving blood for emergency trauma care. It’s a resource especially needed for rural healthcare agencies that lack the resources available in bigger cities.
“Rural healthcare is especially challenging in any rural part of Texas. But by having a voice and working with other EMS agencies, we can bring resources back to those communities,” Oberhoff furthered.
It’s an issue we’re also seeing in Robertson and Leon counties.
“We’re not a fancy service. We’re not flashy, but there’s things that we do that take the taxpayers into consideration, and that’s why it’s important that we don’t put the burden on them; that we come here and we talk and we advocate, and we go to the state and we say we need federal funding for these things,” added Gallagher.
Texas House Representative Tom Oliverson (R-District 130) made an appearance as a keynote speaker, honing in on the importance of rural health care funding across Texas.
Gallagher told KBTX a portion of the $50 billion from the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill will be allocated toward funding rural healthcare.
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The Arizona State Sun Devils were pushed by Texas State last season, but led from start to finish when the teams squared off on Sept. 13 in Tempe. ASU prevailed 34-15 in front of a sellout crowd at Mountain America Stadium.
ASU (2-1) led 20-3 at the half, then scored on its first possession of the third quarter to take a 27-3 lead that was never in jeopardy.
“Establishing the run was huge, and a couple of the first early drives, we were trying to figure it out,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Running the ball is one of those things that you have to be dedicated to because of the move in the game.
“Everybody moves a little differently on the defensive line. You have got to figure it out. So once we got to figure it out, our guys did a good job, and then we simplified the plan. We probably cut our play sheet down by about 25-30%, if not a little more. We really made sure that our guys were all dialed in and all on the same page, and it showed.”
What went right
More pass catchers involved: Much has been made of the reliance on junior WR Jordyn Tyson in the first two games. Dillingham said he was going to get more players “involved,” using that word as many as seven times in answering that question early in the week. Against Texas State, five players had catches and two others were targeted, with tight end Chamon Metayer recording a career-high six catches.
Defensive line pressured the passer: The Sun Devils totaled five sacks, the most in a game since a 2023 contest against Colorado, when they also had five. There were several other occasions when QB Brad Jackson was hurried. Jackson only ended up going 25-for-36 for 184 yards, after coming in averaging 250. He also had a fumble.
Running game set the tone: Raleek Brown ran for a career-high 144 yards — highlighted by a sparkling 75-yard touchdown run — on just 12 carries. Leavitt scrambled for 59. Five players factored in the rushing total as Dillingham pulled his starters late in the fourth quarter.
Jumped out to an early lead: Last week, ASU allowed Mississippi State to jump out to a 17-0 lead, and it was an uphill climb after that. The first drive ended with a failed fourth-down try at the Texas State 35, and the Sun Devils settled for a field goal on the second, but got rolling after that and were never really challenged.
Got a momentum-changing takeaway: Up 10-3, ASU got a fumble recovery by Myles Rowser and turned that into a touchdown that gave the host team a 17-3 lead. The Sun Devils were sixth in the country in turnover margin last season, but managed only one in the first two games, and it wasn’t an impactful one.
What went wrong
Offensive line still struggling: Leavitt was sacked three times, and there were a handful of other occasions where he had to escape the pocket or get off a throw earlier than he would have liked.
Third-down conversions need to be better: This was a major problem in the first two games as ASU converted only five of 24. It did slightly better, going 5-for-13, but that number still should be better.
Plays called back: ASU only had five penalties for 40 yards, so that was a positive, but once again, a touchdown was wiped off the board. This time, it was a 98-yard kickoff return for an apparent touchdown by Jaren Hamilton that was nullified by a holding call on Alfred Smith. ASU ended up scoring on the possession anyway.
Grades
Offense (B): ASU totaled 433 yards, exceeding its season average of 395.5. That consisted of 245 on the ground and 188 through the air. ASU worked to establish the run early, unlike in previous weeks when they leaned more toward throwing the ball. ASU averaged 6.5 yards per play. Tyson had six catches for 105 yards.
Defense (B): ASU held Texas State to 303 yards and did not give up big plays. The longest play it allowed was a 24-yard run by the quarterback. It had five sacks and got a takeaway. The Sun Devils also got two fourth-down stops. LB Jordan Crook had 12 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, while S Myles Rowser had 10 and a fumble recovery. Keyshaun Elliott and Adrian Wilson each had seven tackles.
Special Teams (D): Matt McKenzie averaged 35.5 on two kicks. He was subbing for the injured Kanyon Floyd and is new to the position. His first was for just 33 yards. It gave the Bobcats good enough field position that they were able to try a field goal on the last play of the first half, although it was short. Jesus Gomez made his lone try from 47 yards. The grade is also docked a bit because of the holding penalty that nullified a touchdown return.
Personnel notes
RB Kyson Brown, WR Jalen Moss, DL Zac Swanson, S Xavion Alford and P Kanyon Floyd were out with injuries. That was in addition to the players lost for the season in DB Plas Johnson (knee) and DL MyKeil Gardner (foot). Adrian “Boogie” Wilson got his first ASU start in place of Alford while Australian newcomer Matt McKenzie subbed for Floyd.
They said it
“I was grateful with what happened at Mississippi State. If we had come out of there with a W, we wouldn’t have attacked the week the way we did. Little issues would have gotten blown over, so those came to show and we honed in on those things and were able to band together as a team. That second half against Mississippi State carried over into this game. We have to figure out how to build upon this and keep the same mojo.” — Leavitt
“It means a lot. I’ve been working for like two years, or a year and a half. I’ve been working a lot. I just thank coaches and everybody who believed in me to play running back and just keep going. It meant a lot.”
— ASU RB Raleek Brown on his big game after missing last season due to injury
“That was definitely our focus all week. With the second half of last week, we kind of saw who we were. I think once we realized that, all week the focus was to come out here and get back to playing our type of ball. And I feel like we went out there and did that tonight.”
— ASU LB Jordan Crook, on needing a convincing win
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