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Malone's 34 Ks + Anderson's HR = Bi-District Win

The Lady Lions got the performance of a lifetime from Senior Wanda Malone as she struck out 34 of 39 batters in 13 innings to take the bi-district playoff title against Pottsboro.

The Lady Lions got hits from Nicki Franks, Katelyn Woods and Kristen Kimmel in earlier innings - but all were stranded on base and the game score stayed 0-0 through 12 innings. Freshman Ashley Anderson got the big hit in the top of the 13th inning - a single that turned into a in the park homerun when the center fielder misplayed the grounder and the ball went to the fence.

Ponder will face Blooming Grove Thursday in the Area round of the playoffs. The game will be played at Mansfield High School at 6pm.

Lions Baseball in Playoff for Playoffs

The Ponder Lions ended the baseball season tied with Krum and Aubrey for third place in the district with a record of 6-8. A playoff for the playoffs will be held on Monday. Ponder will play the winner of the Krum/Aubrey game to see who advances into the playoffs. The game will be played at Denton Guyer at 8pm.

Lions Baseball Honors Seniors at Last Home Game

Three senior baseball players were honored with baseballs signed by their 2007 teammates following the last home game against Leonard. Seniors Jeremy Peters with mom Kandy Peters, Anthony Gallegos with mom Martha Gallegos and Clint Crowell with mom Fran Fritz shown on the field.

StuCo – Highway Clean Up
By Katelyn Woods

Sporting bright orange vests and armed with trash bags and trash picks, the Student Council, along with Lady V.I.P., picked up trash along Hwy 156 for a community service project on April 21.

Lady V.I.P., which stands for Volunteers in Ponder, is a volunteer organization made up of women with a “common goal of giving back to the community to make Ponder a better place to live,” as their website says. They sponsor several annual activities, such as Christmas in the Park and Frontier Days, support Ponder’s Volunteer Fire Department and participate in several other local projects that help better the community, including the Adopt-a-Highway Program. When one joins the Adopt-a-Highway Program, they are responsible for removing litter, planting trees and wildflowers and controlling the vegetation for the area adopted, and the Lady V.I.P., who adopted two miles along Hwy 156, called on the Student Council to help them uphold this responsibility.

For two hours, thirteen Student Council members and StuCo sponsor, Ms. Taylor, all assisted Lady V.I.P. pick up trash along the two-mile stretch of highway that goes through most of Ponder.

“Part of our goal as Student Council is to help out and give back to the community,” Ms. Taylor said, “and this is a great opportunity that allows us to do that.”

To reward them for all of their hard work, Lady V.I.P. provided the Student Council members with a lunch made up of hotdogs, chips, drinks and desserts. We can all thank PHS’ StuCo and Lady V.I.P. for helping Ponder look a little prettier.

Relay for Life
By Krissy Boxell

Many PHS students attended UNT’s Fout’s Field on April 16 for the annual Relay for Life, a non-profit event that helps raise money to find a cure for cancer. The event allows teams from various organizations to collect pledges and take turns walking or jogging laps on the track. From noon to midnight, people supporting the cause, along with cancer survivors, came to participate in the Relay for Life.

Sophomore English teacher, Mr. Williams, and his wife were in charge of the children’s activities that were held on the football field. The activities allowed for parents to be able to participate without having to watch over their kids at the same time. Various stations such as tricycle races, hula hoops, jump ropes and even bounce houses were set up to preoccupy kids throughout the day.

Both NHS and PALS combined to form a team for the Relay for Life. The team raised a total of $3,645.11, from all three Ponder ISD campuses, and donated it to the foundation, prior to the event. Then, each member walked during a set time slot and also helped to supervise the children’s activities.

“I was very pleased with the time and effort that went into a successful day,” PALS advisor, Ms. Koleber said. “I am proud of the PALS for sacrificing their time to help others.”

PALS and NHS also wish to “thank all the students who contributed to their success.”

Regional Golf Tournament
By Keegan Farley

The Ponder Lady Lions Golf Team competed at the regional tournament earlier this week along with fourteen other schools at Legends Golf Course in Stephenville. Although the girls were not able to catch a trip to the state meet, the girls’ golf team placed ninth out of fifteen teams, a great achievement in Ponder golf history.

Junior Charlotte Gooch shot a score of 98 and was able to place twenty-fourth out of nearly one-hundred girl golfers. Not only was senior Heather Bartek able to finish her high school golf career by a trip to regional, but was also competent enough to place thirty-first in the event.

The Ponder Lady Lions Golf Team has strived and succeeded in the wonderful game of golf. The girls are now preparing for next year’s golf season, planning to surpass the trip to regionals and onto state.

Click to see player profiles