Home Care In Menard, TX

MENARD, TX — Before the railroad arrived in Menard in 1911, the little town was called Menardville, established with Menard County between 1871 and 1872. The railroad asked the town’s fathers to drop the “ville’ to save on paint and longer lumber for the railroad signs. But before the railroad arrived, there was this small, one-room Catholic Church in the small town located 67 miles southeast of San Angelo.

When construction was completed by the Catholics of Menard in November 1899, it was christened Sacred Heart Church. It is located one block south of the business district on property donated by the late J.J. Callan in 1872.

Callan was the newspaperman, county commissioner, and justice of the peace in Menardville from the time of his arrival after the Civil War in 1868 until his death in 1917. Father Mark Woodruff who currently serves as the pastor of the parish chuckles when referring to Mr. Callan.

“We called the Menard Historical Society and the only photo they could find of Mr. Callan was taken in a bar in Menardville called The Legal Tender Saloon,” the Father said.

Mr. J. J. Callan: Irish immigrant, Georgetown graduate, Texas Ranger, Confederate veteran, settler in Menardville 1871 (year it was founded). Donated land for Catholic Church 1872. Instrumental in its construction in 1899. About 1910 at the Legal Tender Saloon. Mr. Callen is right of center facing the bar holding a cane.

If anything good can come from being a devout Catholic memorialized in a saloon, at the very least, the photo proves he’s not a Baptist. Putting the saloon aside, however, in a biography of Callan written in 1911, we learned that he was a “servant of the people [and] his ministrations are always of the highest possible character.” He is buried in Menard’s Pioneer Rest Cemetery.

The congregation used the 1899 church building as its place of worship until a new church was constructed at 609 Ellis Street in Menard in 1955. The old church features gothic revival architecture that was popular at the turn of the last century. It featured native stone and lancet windows. The church was constructed under the direction of Rev. P. Baudrillard for the Sacred Heart Parish.

Between 1955 and today, the 1899 church was used for a variety of meetings and activities. Yet the old structure has fallen into disrepair. Termites have eaten most of the old wood flooring. When readying the old structure for renovation, the floor was deemed unrepairable and torn out. Underneath was another historical treasure. The parishioners learned that the original floor was concrete. But in 1899, knowledge of the use of rebar had not yet reached west Texas. So today, 124 years later, the concrete floor will need to be re-poured, Father Woodruff said. He promised the new concrete floor will have a shine.

Early city plot showing the location of the 1899 Sacred Heart Church bottom in blue, slightly left.

A committee of parishioners have already started the renovation efforts and raising money is a big part of that. The church is the second oldest in the Diocese of San Angelo where the oldest church building is located in Fort Stockton, called St. Joseph’s and built in 1875. Woodruff said when the Texas Historical Commission inspected the old church building, they declared it “in remarkably good shape.”

The estimate is that restoring the old church to a usable condition will cost around $150,000. Through matching funds from generous benefactors, the parish can get within striking distance of its goal. To meet the goal, like good Catholics, the parish is having a raffle for a 2023 Polaris 4-passenger ATV with trailer that is worth $20,000.

A wedding celebrated at the church in 1947. The new church was built in 1955.

“Due to the congregation’s small size, funds from outside the parish will be needed to complete the project,” Woodruff said. “The congregation wants to preserve its own religious history and the restoration of the old church is preserving our diocesan historical heritage as well.”

Woodruff said once the restoration is complete, mass will be celebrated there once per week. The church will also be available for weddings and funerals upon request. Destination weddings are popular today and the restored church serves more than just a quaint location. It will have a religious backdrop as well — after all it will be a functioning Catholic Church!

Every dollar raised in matched and you can purchase a raffle ticket for $20 each by mailing your donation to Sacred Heart, PO Box 788, Menard, Texas 76859.

New Menard head football coach and athletic director Bryson Oliver is not yet married with children, but he’s the proud papa of a “newborn” six-man football program.

When Menard superintendent Amy Bannowsky wrote the following in her ad for a new football coach – “We are seeking someone who is ready to build the best 6-man program in Texas” – it indicated that a Menard program that managed to win eight 11-man games in the last four years despite having one of the smallest enrollments at that level expects success to come from big change.

Having coached the past five seasons under his “longtime mentor” and state champion coach Mike Reed at Gordon, Oliver took his first steps as a head football coach and athletic director Friday when he was introduced to the athletes in Menard.

The 2022 season will be just his sixth overall in coaching, but he said he feels his youth and the youth of the Yellowjacket program will fit well.

“I think our superintendent said it best when she called to offer the job,” the new coach said. “She said she was really excited because it was a newborn program and you’re just getting your feet wet as an athletic director and coach and we’re just getting started as a program and I think we match up perfectly. We can grow together and learn together.” She was real excited and made me excited about it, too.”

Oliver, who was a state-championship quarterback in 2012 at Throckmorton playing for Reed, said his former coach has guided him through the process of venturing out on his own.

Reed compiled a 131-19 record in stops at Rule and Throckmorton, winning three state titles for the Greyhounds.

“We knew the time was coming and I had been getting interest from different schools because of coaching under him and being in that coaching tree,” Oliver said. “Spots came open but nothing really felt right until this spot came open. (Reed) said, ‘I don’t know if this is one we can pass up. I don’t really know what they’re looking for.’ I was not really expecting to make the move but then I came down and interviewed and it went really well. There were some great, great candidates, and even though I felt good about it, I was still really shocked when I got the call.”

Names of some well-known state-championship coaches with more head-coaching experience were floating around as possible candidates for the job, which was an intriguing opportunity because some former 11-man programs have found great success after enrollment numbers pushed them into six-man ball. Twenty-three applied for the position, Bannowsky said.

“We’re looking forward to building a program and having success,” said Bannowsky, who led the proposal to convince Menard to finally say goodbye to 11-man football. “We were looking for somebody who was well-rounded to fit our school, our community and our program. And he comes with a lot of enthusiasm, and having success is his goal and mission.”

Oliver, an Abilene Christian University graduate who served as defensive coordinator for the Gordon football team as well as being the head boys basketball coach, helped Reed compile a 35-24 record which included playoff berths each of the last four years. His experience as a player at Throckmorton will also be called upon.

“When I grew up in Throckmorton, in the 80s and 90s, they were a great 11-man program but in 2003, we jumped down into six-man,” Oliver remembered. “And the community was split about it, but winning helps. And I know what it looks like to turn a program around fast. They won a state championship two years later.”

“Now, I’m not promising state championships, but I know (success) can happen quickly.”

For the next few months, Oliver hopes to convince all Menard High School athletes there is a place for them in the new era of Yellowjacket football.

“Nothing changes. A good blocker is a good blocker, a good passer is a good passer,” Oliver said he stressed to the Menard athletes, who don’t have a bit of history in the 6-man game.

Other programs at Garden City, Water Valley, Sterling City and Irion County, to name a few, have been in and out of six-man ball more than once in the past 50 years. But Bannowsky said she could find no evidence of Menard ever playing anything but 11-man.

Oliver said he hopes to convince all the athletes that there is no prototype six-man football player and that the game isn’t made for small players but small enrollments.

“I wanted to reassure them that I’m confident in what we’re building and that I want to have as much participation as we can. I want to have those big blockers. I like to run the football," he said.

The coach said they had two 6-foot-5 linemen at Gordon who were all-state players.

“You become a matchup problem (for the opponent) if you’re a big guy that can move,” he said.

“A lot of them are going to be unsure, a lot of them not having seen the six-man game. I told them I don’t want to know how fast you are or how much weight you can lift. Everybody here is capable of playing six-man football. If there’s anybody on the fence and doesn’t think it fits their skill set, I want to prove them wrong.”

Oliver, who will finish up at Gordon through the regional track meet, plans to be in Menard permanently by the first part of May, when he hopes to school the Yellowjackets on the nuances of the six-man game so they can hit the ground running with summer workouts as laid out by the UIL.

Until then, Oliver is trying to put together a nondistrict schedule. Menard will open District 13-1A Division I play on Oct. 7 at Robert Lee. After an open date Oct. 14, the Jackets host Veribest on Oct. 21. Menard travels to Irion County on Oct. 28 and hosts longtime rival Eden to wrap up district play on Nov. 4.

Menard needs a season opener on Aug. 26 and has dates to fill on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23. The Jackets travel to Garden City on Sept. 2.

“In terms of football, this is a newborn baby now,” said Oliver. “I’m excited to be able to apply my blueprint to the program. The community is really buying in. They know it’s going to be a new thing and young but that maybe bringing in a young guy that’s got his tail on fire to do work was the best match.”

Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to [email protected]. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.

Menard Yellowjackets

District: 8-2A Division II

Head coach: Jayson Wilhelm (14-19; all at Menard)

Last year’s record: 4-6; 1-4 in district

Last district title/playoff appearance: 2017/2017

Enrollment: 87

Stadium: Findlay Field

Returning lettermen: 20

Returning off./def. starters: 5/5

Base offense: Multiple I

Base defense: 3-4

Team strength: Quickness, skill positions

Team weakness: Experience, size

Players to watch

Jasper Salas, RB/LB, 5-10, 150, Jr.; Josh Hernandez, RB/WR/DB, 5-9, 155, Sr.; Rito Lozano, RB/LB, 5-9, 170, Sr.; Isaiah Natividad, OL/DL, Jr.; Kallin Kothmann, TE/LB, 6-3, 185, Jr.; Josh Rayburn, OL/DL, 5-9, 185, Sr.; Jordan McSherry, QB, 5-9, 170, Soph.; Alan Guerrero, OL/DL, 6-2, 260, Sr.; Jonathan Saucedo, WR/DB, 5-11, 160, Soph.; Moses Saucedo, OL/DL, 5-10, 230, Jr.; Zadrian Zapata, OL/DL, 5-9, 215, Soph.; Brandon Parr, OL/DL, 6-0, 230, Jr.; Joel Guerrero, LB/RB, 5-9, 145, Fr.

2019 schedule

Date Opponent

Aug. 30 Cross Plains

Sept. 6 TBA

Sept. 13 Iraan

Sept. 20 at Junction

Sept. 27 at Harper

Oct. 4 Brownwood JV

Oct. 11 Miles*

Oct. 18 at Rocksprings*

Oct. 25 Christoval*

Nov. 1 Eldorado*

*District game

2018 results

Opponent Score

Cross Plains L 6-0

Baird W 40-18

Iraan L 25-14

Junction W 26-20

Harper W 55-26

Miles L 26-15

Rocksprings L 26-7

Christoval L 33-9

Eldorado L 48-0

Irion County W 59-0

If they can avoid the injury bug that took a toll last season, the Menard Yellowjackets could surprise some preseason prognosticators in 2019.

Menard finished 4-6 overall and 1-4 in District 8-2A Division II last year, missing out on the postseason a year after winning a district title in a worst-to-first turnaround in 2017.

Entering Jayson Wilhelm's fourth season as head coach, the Jackets have eight returning starters on both sides of the ball.

"We're looking forward to it," Wilhelm said. "We're going to be young. We've got a small senior class. With the situation we had last year with the injuries and stuff, we had a lot of young guys who were freshmen and had to play quite a bit.

"It's encouraging to know that we've seen those guys play on Friday night. And even though they were young and inexperienced, they'll have a little bit more experience going into this year. That'll pay off for us."

Jordan McSherry will likely be Menard's starting quarterback.

"He was a freshman last year and he got thrown into the fire, and I thought he did a great job," Wilhelm said. "I was really impressed with what he was able to do being so young and really not expecting to play a whole lot."

McSherry and a number of other Jackets were on the junior varsity team for a few games and ended up starting for the varsity as the season progressed and injuries mounted.

Junior Jasper Salas was the Jackets' leading rushing last year. Wilhelm said they want to get senior Rito Lozano more involved in the backfield to take some of the load off Salas.

"He runs hard and he's hard to tackle," Wilhelm said of Lozano, who is also a defensive standout at linebacker. "We know what we're getting with him, and that's what we're kind of looking forward to.

"And (senior) Josh Hernandez, he's also another one. He's kind of played wingback or slotback for us. I think he'll definitely be moved into the backfield some, too. We've got to make sure we get him the ball 10 or 12 times a game."

Junior tight end Kallin Kothmann (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) is the leading returning receiver. He's also a standout at linebacker.

Lozano was the Jackets' leading tackler in 2018, and Salas led Menard in interceptions.

Some other key players for Menard in 2019 include linemen Josh Rayburn, Isaiah Natividad, Brandon Parr, Alan Guerrero, Moses Saucedo and Ayden Hernandez.

Sophomore running back/linebacker Jonathan Saucedo is another player who is expected to make big contributions.

Menard opens the season at home against Cross Plains on Aug. 30. The district schedule begins at home against Miles on Oct. 11.

"We'll get a good idea of where we sit after those first six games," Wilhelm said.

Menard has been picked to finish last in district by Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine, but Wilhelm think his team has a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.

"By the time district rolls around, hopefully we're healthy and starting to click a little bit," Wilhelm said. "Being one of the top three teams, I think, is kind of what we're gunning for.

"I think Eldorado's going to be the one to beat. They had some bad breaks when they played Christoval last year. The quarterback at Christoval (Brayden Wilcox), he can take over when he wants to. But Eldorado's got a lot of playmakers. They've been looking forward to this season for a long time."

• The Standard-Times' 2019 high school football preview section will publish Sunday, Aug. 25. The special section is for print subscribers only. Click here to subscribe.

Charles Bryce is a journalist covering sports in West Texas. Send him a news tip at [email protected]. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.

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ROBERT LEE – The Menard Yellowjackets took a big step toward claiming a district title in their first year transitioning from 11-man to six-man football, but it could have come at a big cost as they beat Robert Lee 64-38 in the District 13-1A Division I opener for both teams Friday at Griffith Stadium.

After scoring five TDs and piling up 249 yards on those five runs and also scoring on a 43-yard fumble recovery, Menard senior running back Joel Guerrero went out of the game just before halftime and it changed the complexion of the game.

Whether it changes the complexion of the Jackets’ season, first-year head coach Bryson Oliver was hopeful his star can bounce back from the knee injury that sidelined him in Menard’s first district game since moving down.

“We ran a little sweep play and he cut wrong,” said Oliver, whose team led 42-8 at the 3:47 mark of the second quarter after Guerrero’s 42-yard TD run and was back on offense for another series before halftime.

“We don’t know a whole lot yet, we’re hoping for the best,” said Oliver, who indicated Guerrero would have his knee assessed Saturday. “The best-case scenario is that he strained something or it’s a bone bruise, so we’re hoping for the best.”

Guerrero was an All-West Texas selection in 11-man and his speed and quickness has transitioned well to the six-man game as the Jackets have climbed to a 5-2 overall record. One of those wins was a forfeit and Oliver was unable to pick up another game, but it’s been a successful transition so far as the Jackets got a road win against a Robert Lee team that is enjoying its best start since 2014.

“We knew we were going to have to pound the rock and run the clock and just play smart football (in the second half),” the Menard coach said. “Most of our running backs are a little banged up, so I had to be real strategic in those last two quarters because they are a talented, talented football team …(with) the ability to rack up plays so I knew we were going to have to control time of possession.”

Because of the forfeit, the Jackets had two weeks to prepare for the Steers, who showed some quick-strike ability in scoring 30 points in the second half.

“We wanted to play another game but because of the forfeit I was able to work on them the last couple of weeks and we were breathing and eating Robert Lee with our cornflakes every morning,” Oliver said.

It was the 28-0 start in the first quarter – when Guerrero scored on runs of 48, 32 and 64 yards which sandwiched his 43-yard return on a fumble recovery – that ultimately doomed the Steers, who fell to 6-1, 0-1.

“We made too many mistakes early and with a team like Menard, that can’t happen,” Robert Lee head coach Lee McCown said. “They got the momentum early and by the time we can get much going, we’re trailing pretty good and started pressing a bit and are forced to do a lot of things we’re not used to doing.

“We threw the ball a whole lot more than what we have all year and when you’re trailing like that, you start having to do that.”

A key turn of events in the first quarter turned the momentum for the visiting team.

Leading 14-0, Guerrero's scoop-and-score pushed the Menard lead to 20-0 with 4:18 still left on the first-quarter clock.

Menard then recovered another Robert Lee fumble deep in its Jacket territory and on the next play, Guerrero took it 64 yards for the score to give the Jackets a 28-0 lead with 2:33 to play in the first quarter.

The Menard defense had a goal-line stand on Robert Lee’s first possession of the second quarter and Guerrero added a 63-yard score to give the Jackets a 36-0 lead before the Steers were finally able to score.

Playing with an early lead, Menard turned up the defensive pressure and was in the Robert Lee backfield disrupting the passing lanes, leaving some wide-open looks for the Steers, who were unable to capitalize until the second half.

Robert Lee put together back-to-back scoring drives to pull within 50-22 with 3:19 in the third quarter. Denver O’Dell got things started with a two-yard run with 4:13 to play in the third and Robert Lee’s Ryan Mendoza recovered a Menard fumble to set up Brayden Sherwood’s 8-yard run a minute later.

Isaiah Stanislawski, who carried the load for Menard in the second half after proving a powerful blocking weapon for Guerrero in the first half, scored on a 2-yard run to give the Jackets a 58-22 lead with 1:30 to play in the third.

Brody Pitcock hit Jaxon Tavarez on a 24-yard TD pass with three tics left on the third-quarter clock to pull Robert Lee within 58-30.

The Menard defense put the game away when John Michael Eggleston returned an interception 25 yards to make the score 64-30 with 7:23 to play.

Sherwood added a 45-yard kickoff return on the next play, but that was the last score for either team.

“This one was huge,” Oliver said. “(Robert Lee) is such a well-run program, and they’ve had a good year. This is a tough place to play and we were nervous rolling into this one.”

For the Steers, their first loss was a chance for McCown to see what his team needs to do to improve.

“We had a lot of missed opportunities and too many mistakes and when it got away from us, we weren’t able to get back,” McCown said. “I told them, sometimes you learn more from a loss than a win. We faced adversity and we kept fighting, but yeah, it’s their first loss so we’ll see how they respond. I told them I’d see them Monday and we’d keep working the way we work. We’ve still got some season ahead of us.”

The Steers (6-1 overall, 1-0 in district) travel to Veribest next Friday. Menard (5-2, 1-0) is open next Friday, returning to action with a home game against Veribest on Oct. 21.

District 13-1A Division I

Menard 64, Robert Lee 38

Score by Quarters

Menard 28 14 16 6—64

Robert Lee 0 8 22 8—38

Scoring Summary

First quarter

M – Joel Guerrero 48-yard run (kick failed), 8:22 remaining

M – Guerrero 32 run (Roy Brown kick), 8:09

M – Guerrero 43 fumble recovery (kick failed), 4:18

M – Guerrero 64 run (Brown kick), 2:33

Second quarter

M – Guerrero 63 run (Brown kick), 6:39

RL – Brayden Sherwood 28 run (Brody Pitcock kick), 4:45

M – Guerrero 42 run (kick failed), 3:47

Third quarter

M – Isaiah Stanislawski 29 fumble recovery (Brown kick), 5:53

RL – Denver O’Dell 3 run (Pitcock kick), 4:13

RL – Sherwood 7 run (kick failed), 3:19

M – Stanislawski 2 run (Brown kick), 1:30

RL – Jaxon Tavarez 36 pass from Anthony Landeros (Pitcock kick), :03

Fourth quarter

M – John Michael Eggleston 25 interception return (kick failed), 7:23

RL – Sherwood 45 kick return (Pitcock kick), 7:15

Editor's note: This story is part of the 2021 Residential Real Estate Awards publication. To read the rest, go here.

Matt Menard and Greg Young remain some of the busiest Realtors in Central Texas.

The two men, founders of Austin Real Estate Experts, closed 531 sales in 2020 totaling $171 million. Because of that, they again earned the No. 1 spot in the group 2 category of the Residential Real Estate Awards.

The coronavirus pandemic changed things a bit last year. Menard and Young were not immune to the widespread disruptions of last spring, when fears about Covid-19 resulted in a temporary freeze among both buyers and sellers.

But the market rebounded, and even got hotter thanks partly to relocations from the coasts. Austin Real Estate Experts rode the wave, ending the year with 8% more closed sales and 20% more sales volume, due to higher prices, compared with 2019.

Menard and Young answered the questions below together on their record year.

What is your top piece of advice for other Realtors to deal with this crazy market and keep clients happy?

Right now, more than ever, it is critical to set proper expectations about the market. Be steady, poised and in control; Our clients’ emotions often reflect our own demeanor. Sellers need to be prepared for a full day's worth of showing appointments, the probability of multiple offers and the process of sorting through them. Buyers need to understand that their idea of budget and location may not be what they were expecting. Many buyers are forced to either pay more than expected, expand their search farther away from their desired target, or choose a home that doesn't check all of their boxes.

How has the pandemic affected Austin’s housing market, for better or for worse?

There was a brief disruption to our business initially, but after about 30 days we adapted quite well. Sales were up 8% and dollar volume, boosted by higher prices, was up over 20%. Sales could have been higher, but were somewhat curtailed by anemic inventory levels, as demand held strong and many sellers not leaving the area were dissuaded by lack of move-up options. It's quite easy to find buyers, most of whom are eager to meet and aim to secure the ever-elusive Central Texas dream of homeownership. Many sellers are gathering data and screening agents carefully before inviting them into their homes. I think they are still OK with masked face-to-face meetings but are not as frequently interviewing multiple agents in their home.

Home prices appear to be going up, with no immediate end in sight. What’s your experience on the ground in light of surging home prices?

It is hyper competitive right now. We are seeing 10-50 offers on desirable properties from $300,000 to $1 million right now, with homes sometimes selling for 105-120% of list price. One positive thing is that the trajectory of the market should make buyers whole if they had to overpay to secure their purchase.

That said, it is tough for buyers right now, especially if they are buying a first home or coming from outside our market and don't have a local home to sell to help offset buying above list price. It's all good for sellers right now — sellers are the deal makers and buyers are the deal takers.

In light of your replies above, what’s the forecast of Austin home sales during the next two years?

I see more of the same: job growth coupled with owner occupant and investor demand will provide plenty of energy to keep inventory levels low, for the next two years. Builders are selling everything they have, sometimes well in advance of the planned start date. There is a significant lead time needed to accumulate more undeveloped lot inventory, and while they are working hard to scale their business, hiring, training and adding vendors to support efforts takes time. It will very likely be that rising prices and decreased affordability will be the primary factor bringing our market back into balance.

Where are most of the buyers coming from?

Most of the growth in the buyer market seems to be coming from relocation buyers following jobs here and investors wanting to participate in our red-hot market.