Queen City quarterback Alex Shelton named as nominee for Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week

There has been plenty of controversy in the news recently concerning Queen City Independent School District. The recent three-day closure due to COVID-19 and the social media buzz surrounding a few members of the football team kneeling during the National Anthem have overshadowed the good news.

The 2020-21 Bulldog football team has ended a 27- game losing streak and is currently three games into a winning streak. In the first game of the season, they dominated Linden-Kildare 14-0, following the next week with an 18-14 win over Union Grove. On Sept. 14, the Bulldogs beat Quitman with a score of 65-13.

“Our athletic department was due for success,” said Dr. Charlotte Williams, QCISD Superintendent. “I’ve never seen them come together so unified as they are this year. They are working harder than I’ve seen them in quite a while.”

Quarterback Alex Shelton was named as a nominee for Mr. Texas Football Player of the Week on Texas-Football.com. His stats are the best of the list, at: 254 yards, 3 TDs passing; 170 yards, 3 TDs rushing; 3 tackles, 2 PBU – all for the first three games of the season. Coming up, the Bulldogs will face Elysian Fields, New Diana, Ore City, Waskom, Hughes Springs and Harleton.

The winning streak was put on hold last week when Dr. Williams had to make a hard call to close all campuses and postpone all extracurricular events for three days after a rapid increase of positive COVID-19 cases were reported following the Labor Day holiday. The game against Frankston was cancelled.

“Within 5-6 days we have a big increase in ‘close contact’ cases as well,” she said. “Several staff members and students had to quarantine due to COVID-19, or possible exposure to it. The TEA [Texas Education Association] allows schools to close for up to five days for deep cleaning. I felt it was in the best interest of staff and students to take advantage of that.”

During the short closure, staff deep cleaned buildings as well as buses to ensure that more positive cases are not reported in the district. “We are doing all we can to keep everyone safe,” she said. “We’re trying to promote the health and well-being of everyone in our community.”

As for the kneeling incident, Williams said she has spent “quite a bit of time” discussing the issue with the coaching staff. For the record, it has not happened again.

“We promote a healthy respect for what the flag and national anthem represent, knowing that every American has a right to their freedom of beliefs,” she said. “While we allow our students to exercise their freedom of expression, we are encouraging them to make appropriate choices in that decision.”