Sidney Stramel earned her second top-10 to begin the fall as she finished in a tie for sixth at the RGJA Shootout at Estrella at the Golf Club at Estrella.
Stramel shot a two-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round with three birdies to finish with a 143 (-1). She carded a 73 (+1) in round one.
Kenley McElyea finished her first collegiate tournament in a tie for 13th after shooting a 146 (+2). McElyea carded four birdies for an opening round 71 (-1) before completing the tournament with a 75.
Rachel Hicks found herself in the lead in the early stages of round one before finishing her round with an even-par 72. She then shot a 77 in round two for a two-day total of 149 (+5) to finish tied for 22nd.
Marvelyn Kartika carded rounds of 78 and 74 to place 35th with a 152 (+8) while Maisie Liddell tied for 65th with a 159 (+15) with rounds of 78-81.
UAFS was one stroke off the lead after a round one 294 and finished tied for third with a 590 (+14).
The Lions will have a two-week break before returning to the course at the WT Fall Invitational October 2-3 at La Paloma Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas.
Jake and Kelsey Davis are set to purchase Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, OK.
Since 1971, Tri-State Speedway has been a towering presence in the Arkansas River Valley, fittingly for the 2023 Points Championship season finale honoring the tracks first owner Tillman Evans, The Might Tri-State Speedway will be in the process of transfer of ownership. Jake and Kelsey Davis of D&D Properties will be taking over the Speedway from Michael and Jerri Hoover of Hoover Properties Inc.
Current track owners Michael and Jerri Hoover want to thank all the fans, drivers, sponsors, and employees for six amazing years of support and success. “Even though the track was not for sale, after many discussions with Jake Davis about the future of Tri-State Speedway’s success and infrastructure, it made more sense for someone like Jake to take it over.” Michael Hoover stated “Jake Davis wears so many hats in the construction business and has the same love and vision for Tri-State Speedway. Jake and Kelsey Davis are the perfect people to take Tri-State Speedway to the next level.”
The visions the Hoovers had for the track remain the same: a venue just off Turn 1, the Concert stage in the top pits, and the Tri-State Speedway Hall of Fame will remain part plans Jake and Kelsey have for the track. Jake and Kelsey will be just the 6th owner of the track in its 52-year history. “Every track owner and promoter has upgraded Tri-State Speedway and has added their own unique ideas.” Hoover said, “From races like The Spooker and The Kegger, the Steel Horse Rally, the Loud Pedal Amphitheater, fist bumping kids down Victory Lane, the infield pits, and the 360 view right off Interstate 540.”
The track has an illustrious history and more recently has become a viral sensation for it’s “Black Ice” surface. Aside from the consistent surface, the move to fully sanctioned USRA classes, has not only provided a much-needed stability for racers and brought several former racers back to the track.
“We are looking forward to continuing to build off the of the foundation the Hoovers have laid. We will continue with the existing schedule for this year and are working on events for next year already.” Jake Davis said, “We plan to stay USRA sanctioned and look forward to working with other tracks to grow USRA racing in our region.”
“I can tell you first hand how amazing that feeling is the first day you own something of that magnitude and history. I can’t imagine what’s going through Jake’s mind since he grew up at Tri-State when his father Sonny Davis owned and operated the facility.” Hoover said, “We are excited to see what Jake and Kelsey have planned for TSS.”
“The speedway just has an environment about it, that’s second to none. We’re thankful that we were able to be a small part of it’s history.” – Michael Hoover
With three events remaining on the schedule, 53rd Points Championship Night Honoring Tillman Evans, the 44th Annual Spooker, and the Salute to Service POWRi 410 Sprints it’s going to be a busy time at the Speedway. The Spooker attracts racers from all over the country with car totals on each of the four nights exceeding 200+. “We are all going to hit the ground running and get ready for the 44th running Spooker Oct. 18th through the 21st. The Hoovers and the Davis’ invite everyone out to join us and make the Spooker even bigger and better than it has been the last several years.” Michael Hoover said.
FAYETTEVILLE- There is no time for sulking or second guessing for the Razorbacks after their disappointing loss on Saturday to BYU. Next up is a very difficult trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to open the SEC season against the LSU Tigers. Tiger Stadium is arguably one of, if not THE toughest place to play in the SEC, especially at night. And one thing is for certain, the LSU faithful will sellout the stadium and be loud all night when the Razorbacks take the field. It will be a tough place to correct the mistakes that have taken place at home over the past two weeks, but now is the time for the Hogs.
Here are some pregame notes on Saturday’s game as provided by the University of Arkansas:
LSU TIGERS (2-1, 1-0 SEC) AP/Coaches: 12/13 Head Coach: Brian Kelly (Assumption, ‘83) Career Record: 275-101-2 (34th season) Record at LSU: 12-5 (2nd season)
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (2-1, 0-0 SEC) AP/Coaches: NR/RV Head Coach: Sam Pittman (Pittsburg State, ‘86) Career Record: 21-18 (4th season)
• Arkansas hits the road for the first time in 2023 to square off against longtime rival LSU in the Battle for the Golden Boot. Kickoff between the Razorbacks and Tigers in Death Valley is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, on ESPN.
• Beginning with this Saturday’s game in Baton Rouge, the Razorbacks will open SEC play with four consecutive games away from the friendly confines of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. This season marks the first time that Arkansas has played its first four conference games away from home in 98 years. It last happened in 1925, when the Razorbacks were members of the Southwest Conference.
• Arkansas is seeking its second consecutive win against LSU in Baton Rouge. The Hogs have never won consecutive games against the Tigers in Louisiana’s capital city. The last time that Arkansas won consecutive games against LSU in the state of Louisiana was from 1927-29 in Shreveport.
• Saturday’s game between Arkansas and LSU marks the earliest the two teams have ever met on the gridiron. Since the Hogs joined the SEC in 1992, the teams have played in November each season. Prior to 1992, Arkansas and LSU played 11 games in October but never during September.
• QB KJ Jefferson has completed 55-of-71 (71.4%) passes for 629 yards and six touchdowns while also running for 80 yards and a touchdown through the Razorbacks’ first three games of the season. Jefferson, who has thrown for a touchdown in each of his last 14 games played, ranks second on Arkansas’ career touchdown responsibility list with 74 (54 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns).
• RB AJ Green, starting in place of the injured RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, has rushed for a team-leading 190 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries (6.8 ypc) through the Hogs’ first three games of the season. Making his second career start against BYU, Green ran for 86 yards and two scores, his first career multi-rushing touchdown game.
• WR Andrew Armstrong has quickly emerged as QB KJ Jefferson’s go-to receiver, leading the Razorbacks with 18 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games of the season. The transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce, who has at least one catch in 19 consecutive games dating back to 2021, caught a teamleading nine passes for 98 yards against BYU.
• LB Jaheim Thomas has filled up the stat sheet on the defensive side of the ball through his first three games as a Razorback. The Cincinnati transfer is Arkansas’ leading tackler with 29 total stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Thomas, who currently ranks fourth among all SEC defenders in total tackles (29) this season, has also recorded one pass breakup on the year.
To win, Arkansas must find a way to move the ball on the ground and eliminate mistakes that have hurt the Hogs the first three weeks of the season.
RNN Sports photographer John D. James will be on the field at Tiger Stadium to bring you all of the action in pictures next week! Stay with RNN Sports for the best coverage of Razorbacks football all season!
Note to Our Readers: Portions of this story were sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Kyle Parkinson.
NASHVILLE, AR- The non-conference schedule gauntlet of the Charleston Tigers football season concluded on Friday night with a long trip to Nashville to play the Class 4A Scrappers. Charleston, a young team who lost a large number of senior starters from last year’s 3A championship team, showed good progress again this week. The young Tigers are growing up, and now, they look ahead to next Friday’s conference opener.
Charleston will return to Alumni Field on Friday to host the Greenland Pirates in the 3A-1 conference opener for both schools. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The conference portion of the Tigers’ schedule is what head coach Ricky May and his staff have been pointing to all season. While the Tigers want to win every game they play, they know that it is the conference schedule that determines who wins a both a conference championship and who goes on to play in the state playoffs. So for Charleston, development of their players and remaining healthy has been the true objective throughout the non-conference schedule.
RNN Sports talked with Coach May following the Tigers’ narrow 26-21 loss to the Scrappers who were 4A semifinalists in the state playoffs a year ago. Coach May commented on his team’s progress by saying, “They are growing up. On the last drive, we had 8 sophomores on offense and scored. We had our chances; they stopped us on 4th and goal on two drives. One was questionable whether we scored or not. Looked like he was in. We didn’t turn the ball over all night, so that was great. Our kids felt good about how they played Friday night. We had no turnovers and penalties weren’t bad. Our quarterback had a really good game and the receivers played well.”
Tigers sophomore Carter Little took a big step in his development as quarterback on Friday (RNN Sports Photo / Ronni Tate Young)
Charleston’s sophomore quarterback, Carter Little, played his best game of the year so far, making good decisions on passes that included two touchdown passes to teammates Maddix Terry and Deegan Todd.
So, the young Tigers will play their first varsity game in conference on Friday when they play the Greenland Pirates. Charleston could take another big step with their young team, making them a tough out in conference play as the season progresses. Charleston has conference games against Greenland and Cedarville over the next two weeks before they host Mansfield in a big 3A-1 showdown at Alumni Field on October 6.
Watch for our preview of the Charleston vs. Greenland game this week in the RNN Logan / Franklin County weekly newspaper! If you have not yet subscribed, just go to residentnewsnetwork.com/subscribe and sign-up for your weekly newspaper with the best River Valley sports coverage in Western Arkansas!
FAYETTEVILLE – After jumping out to a fast 14-0 lead early in the first quarter, the Razorbacks continued their struggle with the running game and committed several turnovers and mistakes to drop their return game with BYU at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium by the score of 38-31. The eighth largest crowd in the stadium’s history (74,821) witnessed the “roller coaster ride” of seeing the Hogs look much improved to committing mistakes that contributed to the loss.
The Hogs will now begin conference play at LSU this Saturday night. Kickoff in Baton Rouge is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Here are some post-game summary highlights as provided by the University of Arkansas:
» Arkansas has scored 30+ points in 18 of QB KJ Jefferson’s 29 career starts under center. Jefferson finished the game 24-35-1 with 247 passing yards and a passing touchdown.
» RB AJ Green had a career-long 55-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. It’s also the longest rushing touchdown since Rocket Sanders’ 68-yard score vs. Ole Miss in 2022.
» RB AJ Green logged his first career game with multiple rushing touchdowns after finishing with two. Green finished with nine carries for 86 yards (9.6 ypc).
» RB AJ Green is the first Razorback player to rush for two touchdowns and record a tackle in the same game since RB Broderick Green accomplished the feat against Eastern Michigan in 2009.
» WR Isaiah Sategna’s 88-yard punt return in the first quarter is the first punt return touchdown since Bryce Stephens’ 82-yard return vs. Missouri State in 2022. Sategna’s punt return touchdown is the longest since Joe Adams’ 97-yard return vs. Ole Miss in 2010.
» WR Isaiah Sategna recorded a career high 149 all-purpose yards, tallying 95 punt return yards and 49 kickoff return yards.
» RB Rashod Dubinion charted a career high 13 rushes for a career high 47 yards.
» TE Luke Hasz hauled in his first career touchdown reception – a 19-yard catch – in the second quarter. Hasz finished with four receptions for 78 yards (19.5 ypc).
Landon Jackson recorded more than three tackles for losses on Saturday against BYU (RNN Sports Photo / Ronni Tate Young)
» DE Landon Jackson registered career highs in sacks (1.5) and tackles for loss (3.5). Jackson tied his career high in tackles with five (four solo).
» LB Jaheim Thomas led the Hogs in tackles with nine stops (six solo) and one quarterback hurry. » P Max Fletcher booted a career-long 54-yard punt in the first quarter. Fletcher had six punts for 239 yards (39.8 average) and two punts for 50+ yards. He had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
» With his 26-yard field goal, K Cam Little is now a perfect 13-for-13 from inside 30 yards in his career. For his career, Little has connected on 34-of-42 field goals. His career field goal percentage (80.9%) ranks first all-time in Arkansas history.
After the game, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman reflected on the game in the post-game press conference. Coach Pittman commented, “I want to give BYU credit. We knew they had a team that played extremely hard and they certainly did. They took care of the ball a little better than us and they certainly were better in the penalty area. We want to give them credit because they played a good football game and we have a lot of things to clean up. They exposed us a little bit with their pass rush and not necessarily by bringing extras, but just with their ends. Certainly, the penalties, we’ve got to get a handle on that.”
On the final drive of the game, Pittman said, “They were all holding penalties and we jumped offsides on one of them. When (Andrew) Chamblee went down we moved Brady [Latham] to tackle. We moved Chamblee to begin with because [Patrick] Kutas got hurt and Kutas came back out there. We just weren’t moving our feet and getting on edge. They bulled us a lot of the game and, when you’re setting for a bull rush, sometimes you’re susceptible for an inside move. That’s what happened and we were holding them.”
On the next four games, Pittman commented, “It’s hard to lose any time because the crowd was so great. The Hog Walk was so great. The people were loud. We disappointed the home fans. They’re all hard to lose. I don’t really look at it as a four-game stretch on the road. LSU, as we saw, played really well on the road. We’ve got our work cut out for us you know with the next one at night. Obviously, it’s hard to go into Baton Rouge.”
It will be a very difficult task to go into Baton Rouge and defeat a LSU team that seems to be back on track after their dominating road win on Saturday at Mississippi State.
Stay with RNN Sports next weekend! Our photographer, John D. James, will be on the field to bring you action photos next week of the Hogs’ game with the Tigers!
Note to Our Readers: Portions of this story were sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Grace Tafolla.
FAYETTEVILLE- The 2-0 Arkansas Razorbacks will host the Brigham Young Cougars on Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN 2.
Here are notes on Saturday’s game with BYU as provided by the University of Arkansas:
BYU COUGARS (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) Head Coach: Kalani Sitake (BYU, ‘00) Career Record: 58-34 (8th season) Record at BYU: Same
• Arkansas will play under the lights at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the first time this season when it hosts Big 12 foe BYU on Saturday, Sept. 16. Kickoff between the Hogs and Cougars is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
• With a win against BYU, Arkansas would start 3-0 for the third consecutive season under head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks have not started 3-0 in three consecutive seasons since 1977-1979 under the legendary Lou Holtz.
• The Razorback defense turned in a dominant effort in the win against Kent State, limiting the Golden Flashes to 200 yards of total offense and just 26 rushing yards. Arkansas racked up 11 tackles for loss, including seven sacks, and returned an interception for a touchdown for the second consecutive game for the first time since 2016.
• QB KJ Jefferson completed 13-of-19 passes (68.4%) for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ win over the Golden Flashes. Jefferson, who has thrown for at least two touchdowns in each of his last six games played, is second on Arkansas’ career touchdown responsibility list with 73 (53 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns).
• RB AJ Green started in place of the injured RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders in Arkansas’ win against Kent State and ran for a career-high 82 yards on a career-high 15 carries (5.5 ypc). For his career, Green has totaled 743 yards and four rushing scores on 157 carries (5.7 ypc) over 27 games.
• WR Andrew Armstrong hauled in a team-leading four passes for 21 yards and two scores in the Hogs’ win over Kent State. The transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce has at least one reception in 18 consecutive games dating back to 2021 and has started his Arkansas career with at least one touchdown catch in each of the first two games of 2023.
• LB Jaheim Thomas had a career day in Arkansas’ win against the Golden Flashes, tallying his second double-digit tackle game of the season with a career-high 12 total stops and two tackles for loss, including a career-high 1.5 sacks. The Cincinnati transfer ranks third among SEC defenders in total tackles (20) through two games this season.
• DL Trajan Jeffcoat carded two tackles for loss as well as a career-high 1.5 sacks in the Hogs’ win over Kent State. Jeffcoat and the Arkansas defense held the Golden Flashes to 26 rushing yards, the fewest by an Arkansas opponent since New Mexico State totaled just 11 rushing yards in 2017.
Arkansas struggled on offense again in week two with its rushing attack, and Hogs fans are looking for improvement in the running game in week three as the quality of opponent increases for the Razorbacks.
RNN Sports photographer Ronni Tate Young will be on the field in Fayetteville on Saturday night to bring you action photos of the Hogs’ game with BYU. Watch for her photos next week on RNN Sports’ “Team Press Pass” page on Facebook!
Note to Our Readers: Portions of this story were sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications.
Danny F. Smith, II, 86, of Fort Smith, Arkansas passed away on Friday, September 15, 2023 in a local hospital. He was born on June 20, 1937 in Fort Smith to Dan F. and Ethel E. (Gibson) Smith. He was the owner and operator of DS Clothiers and formerly worked for the Boston Store. Danny graduated from Fort Smith High School, was in the Arkansas Army National Guard and was active in the Fort Smith Quarterback Club. He was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Dana Sisco and a sister, Sue Dalton.
Danny spent many years in the clothing retail business. He enjoyed spending his days at his store, interacting with people and talking about razorback sports. He made many great friends over the years, had tremendous love for his family and will be missed dearly by all that knew him.
A friendly and informal visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 5-7 PM at Ocker-Putman Funeral Home of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The family will hold a private graveside service at a later date.
He is survived by his daughter, Dara Sagely of Fort Smith; two sons, Danny F. Smith III and Dusty Smith (Cyndi) both of Fort Smith; a sister, Carol Edwards (David) of Fort Smith; former wife and lifelong friend Donna; six grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
The family would also like to extend their appreciation to the staff at The Blossoms of Fort Smith for their care and friendship.
The Arkansas Tech University department of athletics is pleased to announce that it will induct 12 individuals and one team this coming fall into its Athletic Hall of Fame. This year’s class is the second class of the ATU Athletic Hall of Fame, which started in 2022.
The newest class will be formally inducted during a ceremony that starts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 15 inside Tucker Coliseum. Prior to the ceremony, there will be a social hour from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and dinner from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The class will also be publicly introduced at halftime of the September 16 home football game against Henderson State, which has a scheduled kick-off time of 6 p.m.
The 2023 ATU Athletic Hall of Fame Class is comprised of eight former student-athletes, two service awards honorees, one coach, one staff member and one team. Below is a list of those inductees (click name to view bio information):
KINGSVILLE, Texas – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Volleyball played five sets for the second consecutive match but came up short in a 25-20, 19-25, 19-25, 26-24, 9-15 decision to Angelo State in the final match of the Lone Star Conference Preview Saturday.
The Lions were up against match point in the fourth set trailing 24-20 but rallied to score the final six points of the set, capped by a pair of kills by outside hitter Nyia Anderson and an ace by setter Kendall Schmitz. UAFS hit .351 in the set.
In set five, the Lions raced out to a 7-3 lead thanks to two kills and an assisted block by outside hitter Caelyn Gunn. However, Angelo State scored the next six points and closed the match on a 12-2 run.
Gunn produced her seventh double-double of the season, tallying a team-high 17 kills to go with 18 digs. Also recording double-doubles were outside hitter Nyia Anderson with 11 kills and 27 digs and setter Chloe Price with 42 assists and 21 digs.
Right-side hitter Reagan Macha added 11 kills on a .333 attack percentage.
Five Lions recorded double-figure digs, as libero Paola Fragalle totaled 19 and defensive specialist Taylor Lintz 15 to join the trio above.
UAFS had 11 blocks to just four for the Rambelles, with middle blocker Hannah Watkinsaccounting for seven of them. ASU, however, had an 11-5 edge in aces.
The Lions will next play their home opener September 22 at 6 p.m. against Lubbock Christian at Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.
Greenwood handles Siloam Springs 55-14 in 6A West Conference Action
The question on social media all week was “Who is going to start for Greenwood”, that question was answered quickly and effectively Friday night against the Panthers. Sophomore QB Kane Archer went down in the 2nd quarter against Mountain Home and Cooper Goodwin came in a closed out the night. On to Friday.
Cooper Goodwin got the nod early on the first drive, with L.J. Robins providing highlights early. Goodwin would find Junior Grant Karnes for the Touchdown on the first drive. Penalties on Siloam Springs first drive would get them to midfield. A wildly thrown deep pass was intercepted by Landon Nelms and gave the ball back to the Bulldogs. On the first play Brayedan Davis would take it 39 yards to put the Dogs close to scoring position again. Cooper Goodwin would be relived by Junior Scott Holland. Holland would find L.J. Robins for the Touchdown putting the Bulldogs up 14-0 after the Jack Edwards snap, Blaze McDaniel hold, and Body Steinfeldt kick. Siloam would punt on their next possesion. Brayedan Davis would catch a screen pass from Holland and take it in for the touchdown. Steinfeldt’s kick would make it 21-0 in the first quarter. Siloam would run out the rest of the 1st quarter clock.
The Panthers would drive down the field, a penalty negated a Cash Archer sack moving Siloam even closer to getting within scoring position. Senior Riley White sacked the quarterback bringing up 4th down and setting up a 27 yard Field Goal attempt. Cash Archer would get through and get enough hands on the ball to block it. On the Next drive Scott Holland would be intercepted and returned for a Touchdown. The Panther kick was good making it 21-7 in the 2nd quarter. Greenwood responded quickly with Davis taking it 36 yards for the touchdown. 28-7 Bulldogs. A Fumble by Siloam gave the ball back to Greenwood. The Bulldogs would stall out on their next possession. The Panthers would punt on their next possession, then Greenwood would run out the clock on the half.
Starting the 2nd half, Siloam would be pinned back deep in their own territory and could not get the ball to move and punted. Brayedan Davis would get the call again and take it in from 25 yards out for the Greenwood score. Body Steinfeldt’s kick was good making it 35-7 Greenwood. The Panthers would play keep away for nearly the whole third quarter with a drive that started on their own 15 and ended with a Touchdown. It was only the 2nd touchdown given up by the defense in 3 games. Greenwood would respond in another Brayedan Davis touchdown, making it 42-14 in the 3rd quarter. Braden Skaggs intercepted the Siloam pass taking it in for a touchdown, a penalty on the play would negate the score but put the Dogs in possession on the Siloam 31 yard line ending the 3rd quarter.
Three plays into the 4th quarter, Scott Holland would find Junior classmate Grant Karnes for the 29 yard touchdown pass. A bobbled snap ended with a tackle for a loss leaving the score 48-14. Another fumble recovery by Greenwood gave the Dogs the ball on the Panther 36 yard line. Two plays later, Wesley Raggio would take it 31 yards for the touchdown. Steinfledt’s kick was good 55-14. Another Siloam fumble off of a high snap recovered by Junior Deleon had the Bulldogs poised to run out the clock in the 4th quarter.
“We get spoiled around here I think, you score 55 points, we don’t punt, the defense gives up one touchdown, it was a pretty good night.” Head Coach Chris Young said talking to the Greenwood Sports Center. “We came out with a 3rd string quarterback, I thought Scott [Holland], did a great job he practiced this week for the first time all year at quarterback. He played the JV game Monday night threw for 4 touchdowns, and then came out here tonight and threw 3 touchdowns.”
Speaking on Brayedan Davis’ 245 rushing yard performance “He’s a dude, he earned a lot of those yards himself after contact. You go back I can guarantee he had 100 yards after contact.”
Greenwood faces Van Buren next Friday at 7pm at Blakemore Field.
