SAN FRANCISCO- Sports historians will look back on the date of August 4, 2023, as the possible day when the Pacific 12 (PAC 12) Conference may have unofficially collapsed. On Friday, Oregon and Washington announced their move to the BIG TEN Conference, joining their former PAC 12 Conference members, USC and UCLA. Just a few weeks earlier, Colorado announced that it was also leaving and moving back to the BIG 12 conference. Arizona has also announced it is leaving for the Big 12.
And if that was not worse enough, Arizona State and Utah announced they were also moving to the BIG 12. That leaves the PAC 12 just a shell of itself with the remaining schools of Stanford, Oregon State, California, and Washington State left to keep the dying conference alive. To make matters worse, some have joked that Stanford might want to seek admission to the Ivy League; after all, geography doesn’t seem to matter anymore looking at the moves of schools to more eastern conferences from the west.
The fire sale of the PAC 12 that has been the summer of 2023 has been caused by a series of bad decisions and lack of vision and willingness to change over the years. Couple all of this with a time zone problem that makes it difficult for the majority of the country to watch PAC 12 sports with a two and three hour time difference between the east and west coasts, and it became all too much for the conference to seek a television contract that would pay its member schools along the same level as the BIG TEN and the SEC.
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is going through a similar problem as the PAC 12, but for different reasons. At stake in the conference is competing for the dollar value of television contracts as they attempt to compete with the SEC and the BIG TEN. Member schools are reportedly at odds over the distribution of revenue among schools. Case in point is Florida State who has recently been the most vocal. So vocal, in fact, that the FSU Board of Trustees has openly threatened to leave the ACC if a deal could not be reached. On Friday, FSU announced it has hired J.P. Morgan & Chase Bank to analyze their financial position and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on options that may exist financially to seek membership in another conference. In doing so, ACC television contracts and agreements are in place and if broken, will force FSU or any other member school who seeks to leave the conference pay a big fine for breaking their contract(s).
In a related note, the University of North Carolina announced on Friday that they have no intentions to leave the ACC.
All of this is not new to college athletics. One could argue that it began thirty years ago when Arkansas left the old Southwest Conference (SWC) for the SEC. A wise financial move for the Razorbacks that was envisioned by the late Arkansas athletic director, Frank Broyles, but ultimately led to the demise of the SWC.
If this reporter were to make a guess, the conference realignments are not done, and more may occur over the next year. The conference commissioners appear to be exerting their power and influence to make moves that are in the financial best interests of their schools, and the NCAA appears to be less and less of a factor in the decisions that are being made.
On a final note, the newly adopted expanded football playoff system that increased playoff teams from four to twelve for the national football playoff starting in 2024 also appears to be affected. The new format was predicated on five power conferences, and if the PAC 12 conference folds, there will be only four remaining. So, will another conference be dubbed as a power conference, or will the format be reduced to four power conferences?
Regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen, it should be an interesting year ahead in college athletics. But for now, we may have been watching the demise of the once proud PAC 12 conference before our very eyes this summer.
No. 2 Ranked Girls Jr. Golfer Gianna Clemente won the girls division of the 2023 Jr. PGA Championships (RNN Sports Photo / Jim Best)
HOT SPRINGS ー Out of a field that started with 312 of the top juniors in the country, two of the youngest competitors won the 47th Junior PGA Championships at Hot Springs Country Club.
Fifteen-year-old Gianna Clemente won the Girls Division by three strokes after a hard-fought final round while 14-year-old Miles Russell cruised to a seven-shot victory among the Boys.
Clemente, who led after round one and never left the top five all week, finished 9-under 275 after shooting 3-under 68 in the final round to take home the Patty Berg Trophy. “It’s a huge win for me,” said Clemente. “Definitely kind of a rollercoaster day starting off with a double. Not an ideal start. But I just grinded it out all day and tried to make as many birdies as possible. It’s really, really special for sure.”
Clemente entered the day two strokes off the lead and double-bogeyed her opening hole Friday, but the No. 2-ranked junior on the Rolex AJGA Rankings knew there was “a lot of time to make birdies.” The Estero, Florida native’s focus paid off as she carded five birdies the rest of the way, including back-to-back on holes 16 and 17 to secure the win. “I knew it was just the first hole,” said Clemente. “There were 17 holes left. Just kind of tried to focus on the front on getting it back to even, which I did pretty quickly. I knew I could go super low on the back. Just getting it back to even and finally making a birdie to get it to red numbers was really important.”
Russell rode the momentum of his two-day lead, turning in a final round 4-under 67 to finish with a score of 18-under 266 to add his name to the Jack Nicklaus Trophy. It was his second time in the winner’s circle at a national PGA event, having won the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship as part of Team North Carolina in 2022.“It’s what you practice for all year,” said Russell, the No. 7-ranked junior. “[The Junior PGA Championship] is a great tournament and I’m proud to be the winner of it. I hit my irons and wedges pretty darn good and made putts when I needed to.”
The Jacksonville, Florida, native carded four birdies to increase his lead and closed out the day with his third eagle of the championship. It was his second on the 18th hole at the Arlington Course following an eagle to close out day one. “It was totally different [today],” said Russell. “The first day was driver, wood to 15-20 feet and I made the putt. Today, it was a bad drive right with a 5-iron that somehow got around the bunker. I had a buried lie and just kind of chopped at it. It ran on up to the green and hit the flag and went in.”
Three players tied for second in the Girls Division at 6-under 278: No. 4-ranked junior Yana Wilson from Henderson, Nevada (2-under 69); Zixin Ni from Wuhan, China (1-under 70); and Kylie Chong from Torrance, California (5-under 66). Kylee Choi from Murrieta, California, who led the Girls following the second and third rounds, finished in fifth place at 3-under 281.
Chong’s bogey-free 5-under 66 was the low-round of the day across both divisions and continued the 17-year-old’s steady climb up the leaderboard after a tough opening day. “I honestly don’t believe it,” said Chong. “I started off the tournament in 88th place because I shot 4-over the first day. Then the second day, I came back and shot 3-under and moved up 70 places. I kept going up the leaderboard and so I’m really happy I didn’t give up.”
No. 9-ranked junior Billy Davis from Spring Valley, California (3-under 68) and Jackson Byrd from Saint Simons Island, Georgia (4-under 67) tied for second among the Boys at 11-under 273. Kihei Akina from Alpine, Utah was fourth at 9-under 275 ahead of three players tied for fifth at 8-under 276: Will Hartman (Marvin, North Carolina), No. 3-ranked Jay Leng (San Diego, California); and No. 14 Wheaton Ennis (Eagle, Idaho).
In addition to winning the Junior PGA Championships, Clemente and Russell secured their spots on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, which will travel to play in Rome September 26-28. Play will begin at Golf Nazionale before moving to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club for the final day as the juniors will get to showcase their skills on the same course that will host the Pros when the Ryder Cup begins the following day on September 29.“ I’ve been thinking about it for years,” said Clemente. “I’m pretty sure I put up a piece of paper three years ago that said Ryder Cup on it because I wanted to make the team so bad. I was probably 12 or 13 when I did that. I’ve been looking forward to it forever. It’s super important to me. It’s going to be really fun.
” I can’t wait,” added Russell. “It was a thought a little while ago, but I had to go do something good at Junior PGA [to get there]. It’s an honor to be on that team with some of the top juniors to hang out with and play with. “The other two spots on the U.S. Team were decided by playoffs between the eligible runners-up who were tied in the Girls and Boys divisions. Kylie Chong defeated Yana Wilson to qualify for the second spot for the Girls. “It means everything to me,” said Chong. “It’s one of the reasons why I started golf. It’s such a good opportunity to be representing your country. It just feels so surreal right now, I can’t really believe it.”
Jackson Byrd, the son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, birdied his final hole of the championship to force the playoff against Billy Davis, which he won to earn the second spot for the Boys. “That was a goal this year,” said Byrd. “That was my main goal coming into this summer. At my first few events I played awful and didn’t think I had a chance now with two events left: U.S. Junior and Junior PGA. U.S. Junior, you win and you get in and then at the Junior PGA, the top two [get in]. I played really good the first couple days at U.S. Junior and then lost the first round in match play. So to then come here and finish top two is really cool. It’s really awesome.”The final U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team will be announced by the end of August and include six girls and six boys.
The Junior PGA Championships hold special meaning to PGA Board Member Barry Howard, the General Manager and Director of Golf at Hot Springs Country Club since 2002. He played in the event in 1979, and he was excited to welcome 312 of the top junior golfers and their families to his home state of Arkansas.“It’s really hard to describe,” said an emotional Howard. “Just to be able to host this year is extremely special to me because of how much I love the PGA of America. I think now that it’s over, the membership has realized what it was. I’ve told them all along that they’re not going to believe how big this championship is.”
Howard was instrumental not only in bringing the championships to Hot Springs Country Club, but also with operations leading up to and during the event. He was quick to credit his membership and staff, including Head Golf Professional Philip Holley, PGA, and Assistant Professionals Brice Howard and Jordan Roper, for making it a success. “First, obviously seeing the kids with the smiles on their faces,” Howard said. “How the golf course has stood up. How our staff and everybody stepped up and the members have stepped up with the volunteering. All that is what I’ll remember the most, just how special it was to everybody.”
A PGA Member since 1992, Howard has served Hot Springs Country Club in some capacity since 1990, first as an Assistant Golf Professional before becoming the Head Golf Professional from 1992-2002. “Golf has given me everything I have,” said Howard, a member of the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame. “The PGA of America has meant everything to me because of what it’s done for my life.”
The 48th Jr. PGA Championships will be held in 2024 at the Herndon Centennial Golf Course in Herndon, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. It should be another exciting tournament in the colorful history of the championships that have produced some of the biggest stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours.
RNN Sports would like to thank PGA of America and Miss Chelesa Sandler for her help and accommodations for us at the tournament. Photos from the final round of the tournament may be found on RNN Sports’ “Team Press Pass” page on Facebook.
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly from PGA of America, Alan Cox.
Observing a tour bus parked at a small rural cemetery enlivens the curiosity; especially of historians who regularly trace genealogy by visiting such locations. Following up on my inquisitive nature lead to unraveling one of the most intriguing and unusual stories of early Arkansas.
The cemetery contained a large monument and stone dedicated to Parley P Pratt, one of the original twelve apostles of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Being a member of the Quorum meant that Pratt was one of the original founders and followers of Joseph Smith and an equivalent to eventual church leader Brigham Young. So, why was he buried in Alma?
Pratt, born in New York, was an early convert of the LDS church and was involved in several missionary journeys. During that period of time, he became noted as an author and published several books, poems, and pamphlets. He undertook one of the original journeys to establish the faith in Utah and served on the Legislative Council of the Utah Territory.
In 1855, he served as a missionary to San Francisco. While there, he encountered and befriended a young convert by the name of Eleanor McLean. Eleanor was married and had two children. Her husband Hector, described by some as violent and other as just jealous, was opposed to Eleanor joining the Mormon faith. Eventually, Eleanor fled the home and journeyed to the Utah territory to join others of like faith. Her two children were placed in the home of her parents who lived in New Orleans.
By late 1855, Eleanor, although still legally married to Hector, had married Parley Pratt. Pratt practiced polygamy and had eleven other wives and a total of thirty children, a fact that probably inflamed her husband and his friends even more.
In 1857, while Pratt was away on a missionary journey to the East Coast, Eleanor travelled to New Orleans in an attempt to recover her children. The plan was to get the children, meet Parley as he returned from his missionary trip, and return by wagon to Utah.
Hector, discovering her plans, filed criminal charges against Pratt and Eleanor, and chased the two across the Southwest. Pratt was arrested near Fort Gibson by the military while crossing Indian Territory and he was brought to Van Buren for trial. Hector, hot on Pratts trail, was in Van Buren for the trial.
Judge John Ogden listened to the testimony of both Pratt and Eleanor and determined there was lack of evidence for conviction. Pratt was released from jail where he had been placed, perhaps for his own safety since Hector’s plight had enflamed the passion of several locals. Hector was waiting for Pratt’s release. He and several cronies waited until Pratt was out of Van Buren and then gave chase. Hector emptied his gun at Pratt but failed to bring him down. Eventually McLean cornered Pratt in a small groove of trees near Alma. Hector then stabbed Pratt twice in the chest with a bowie knife and shot him with a derringer. Members of the Wynn family witnessed the shooting and attempted to help Pratt but he died two and a half hours later. Even though his wishes were to be buried in Utah, the situation required his internment in the small cemetery near Alma.
The great –grandfather of Massachusetts governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney still remains on the lonely hillside near Alma, Arkansas. The memorial stone with the beautiful poem written by Mr. Pratt describes the daily hopes of each of us:
The Morning Breaks, the Shadow Flee, The Dawning of a Brighter Day, Majestic Rises on the World.
Thurman Lee McDaniel Jr., better known as Junior, passed from this life, Thursday, August 3, 2023 in Waldron, Arkansas. Junior was born October 7, 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Thurman (Bo) McDaniel Sr. and Wanda (Abbott) McDaniel. He was 64 years old.
Junior grew up in and around the Waldron area. He enjoyed being outdoors, everything from fishing to gardening to tinkering on cars. Anything that took him in the fresh air and sunshine. In his downtime, Junior would spoil his 3 dogs, but what Junior loved most was spending time with his children and grandchildren. Family brought Junior much happiness and filled his heart with joy.
Junior leaves behind to cherish his memory, one daughter, Jillian Franklin and husband Chad of Fayetteville, Arkansas, his mother Wanda McDaniel of Waldron, Arkansas and two sisters: Pamela Mason and husband James of Greenland, Arkansas and Debra Kesterson and husband Keith of Waldron, Arkansas. Papa will forever remain in the hearts of his grandchildren: Heaven McDaniel, Paige Shores, Noah McDaniel, Mathew Franklin and Aveline Franklin. Junior will be missed by all who knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a large extended family and a host of friends and neighbors he loved dearly.
Junior was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy McDaniel, his father Thurman McDaniel and one son, Trenton McDaniel.
Juniors’ memorial celebration of life will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas with Travis May officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.
HACKETT- The start of the 2023 high school volleyball season is just around the corner, and it should be another strong year for volleyball in western Arkansas.
In classes 2A and 3A, the Mansfield Lady Tigers and the Hackett Lady Hornets are expected to continue their dominance both within their respective conferences and in the state playoffs for both classifications.
RNN Sports has taken a look at the upcoming seasons in Class 2A & 3A West conferences, and we have made our predictions in this story. Four teams from each conference will advance to the state tournament, and we have made our predictions below for the four teams we believe will make the state tournament from their conferences.
The Mansfield Lady Tigers should be playing for another 2A state championship this year before their move to Class 3A in 2024 (Image Credit: Scorebooklive)
2A WEST
The Mansfield Lady Tigers, winners of the past three state volleyball championships in Class 2A will again be favored to win the 2A West conference. Challenging Mansfield again will be the Lavaca Lady Arrows.
POSSIBLE PLAYOFF TEAMS FROM THE 2A WEST:
Mansfield
Lavaca
Life Way Christian
Thaden
3A WEST
The Hackett Lady Hornets, state finalists from 2022, should make another run deep into the 2023 state playoffs. Challenging Hackett this year could be an upstarting Booneville Lady Bearcats team led by their 2022 sophomore All-State libero, Lilly Downs. According to Booneville coach Bailey Stringer, “It’s very rare that a sophomore comes in and makes All-state in a year because it’s a huge transition going form the ninth grade to playing with 18-year-olds.”
POSSIBLE PLAYOFF TEAMS FROM THE 3A WEST:
Hackett
Booneville
Paris
Charleston
The Paris Lady Eagles have lost experience due to graduation and the transfer of a key senior to Greenwood for 2023. But Lady Eagles coach Josh Hart is happy with the Lady Eagles’ work and progress this summer. Speaking of his team’s progress, Coach Hart said, “We have had a good summer. I feel like we have gotten better with each camp we have played in. In our last camp at Greenwood, we dropped only one match all day.”
The 2023 season will be the last year in the current classification cycle for Hackett in Class 3A. The Lady Hornets will play in 2A in 2024, and Mansfield will move to 3A. Also moving to 3A in 2024 will be the Lavaca Lady Arrows.
All in all, it should be another exciting season of high school volleyball, and RNN Sports will be there to bring you all of the action!
And once again, if you have not already done so, now is a good time to subscribe to the RNN weekly newspapers just before the start of volleyball and football seasons! Just go to residentnewsnetwork.com/subscribe to get your subscription started today! We have print, weekly papers featuring LOCAL sports for west Arkansas, Greenwood, and Logan / Franklin counties!
Thanks for reading RNN Sports, and we will see you at a stadium or gymnasium near you!
The recent auction of tax-delinquent properties in Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott and Sebastian counties raised over $1.6 million; the Commissioner of State Lands announced.
The regional auction drew 188 registered bidders, who purchased 85 of 104 parcels for $1,645,154.43. Results were as follows:
The Land Commissioner’s office is holding regional auctions to offer real estate parcels delinquent since 2018.
“Just a small portion of property certified to our office goes to auction,” Commissioner Tommy Land said. “The vast majority of owners redeem their property by paying the delinquent taxes. Of course, we always prefer that property be redeemed if the owners want to keep it, but it is vital that the parcels return to the county’s active tax rolls.”
The COSL office forwards taxes and interest to the county, whether that money is collected through redemption or sale.
“Last year, this office sent more than $23 million to school districts and county governments,” Land said. “Of that, $1,206,549.03 went to these five counties, helping fund everything from roads to schools.”
Those turnback amounts were:
Crawford County: $341,487.03.
Franklin County: $83,414.80.
Logan County: $74,049.42.
Scott County: $17,616.78.
Sebastian County: $689,981.00.
Auction sales are final.
Unsold parcels may be redeemed online at www.cosl.org, using a credit or debit card, or owners can call 501-324-9422 to request a Petition to Redeem. Redemption does not grant ownership; it simply makes the taxes current.
Parcels that did not sell at the public auction will be available after 30 days and can be purchased through an online auction by viewing the Post-Auction Sales List at www.cosl.org.
CLEVELAND – The Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) have announced the 2022-23 recipients of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 16th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.
“This program continues to showcase the amazing student-athletes, and the impactful support of their coaches and staff, across our Division 2 landscape. I want to congratulate all the recipients for earning the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award,” said Kirby Garry, director of athletics at Cal State Monterey Bay and current D2 ADA President. “While the number of deserving student-athletes continues to increase annually, the number of institutions recognizing these individuals on campus also continues to trend upwards. We look forward to eclipsing the 200-institution barrier next year.”
To qualify for this honor, the following must occur:
The AD MUST BE a CURRENT dues-paying member of the D2 ADA.
Student-athlete must have …
o a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
o have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work
o have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year
The 30 student-athletes from UAFS to earn the honor are as follows:
Hello everyone! Dog days of summer. I will get a lot of hate over this, but I like summer way more than winter. I do not like to be cold. All three of my grandkids like fall and winter. I do love fall because y’all know how much I love Halloween.
Some of my stories are so crazy, but they are all true. I didn’t date a lot of guys in my day, but it seems like the ones I did date always ended up with a crazy story. Why were there not any normal guys back in the 80’s? I’m sure there was, but not in my circle. Seems like Lisa Favela was always in on these shenanigans. One time she set me up on a blind date with her date’s brother and I had to actually get out of the car and act like I was throwing up to get out of it. Whew! That was a close one! I’m not Pamela Anderson, but some things I draw the line on. This is another story on this particular night. We were on a double date headed to Ft. Smith, we get into town and low and behold their truck broke down. See what I mean? Always something. So, we are going down Pheonix Avenue and pulled into some business there. They fiddled with that truck, and it would not start. We had to call a wrecker to have them haul it back to my house. Here comes the wrecker service with this big guy looking pretty rough. He is going to tow us back to Mansfield. Might I add, single cab. We asked to ride with him, why on Earth did we not call someone to come get us is beyond me. Lisa and me are fighting over who has to sit by the wrecker guy. I drew the short straw. There are five of us in the cab of a wrecker truck headed to Mansfield. We are packed in there like sardines. It was just awful. We finally get to Mansfield after what seems like hours and the big wrecker guy gets out and starts rubbing the side of his leg and he says, “you have just about rubbed the hide off my leg!” I was so embarrassed I could have croaked. Yes, I know what you are wondering, and yes, we did go back out with the guys. Oh, the fun we had back in them good old days.
This week’s recipe is crescent roll cheesecake, and my sister-in-law had this at my brother’s birthday party, and they are soooo good. My grands loved them.
CRESENT ROLL CHEESECAKE 2 cans of crescent rolls 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (softened) 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 stick of butter (not margarine) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Unroll and press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of your pan and press the seams together. In a separate bowl, blend the cream cheese, 1 cup of the sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Mix well and spread over the top of the crescent dough in your pan. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place on top on the top off the cream cheese mixture, pressing the seams together. Melt the butter and pour over the top of the crescent rolls. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon together and sprinkle on top. Now, if you don’t think that’s enough, you can do a little more. More is always better in my book. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly. Cool and enjoy. Have agreat week!
PARIS- Regardless of sport, senior leadership is extremely important to every team. And in 2023, senior leadership will again be very important to a young Paris Lady Eagles volleyball team.
Paris senior Carsyn Johnson will be one of a handful of seniors on a roster that includes a lot of young talent that received playing time last season. Johnson is a setter and defensive specialist that rotated into games with fellow senior Abbi Walker. The two senior setters will bring valuable experience to a fairly young front line of Paris hitters.
Paris fans who have watched Carsyn play over the past few years can’t help but to notice the improvement in her development as a player who is now playing with greater confidence. After watching this outstanding player perform over the past two years, and, after having the opportunity to visit with her for this story, the growth in her confidence is evident, and I expect that to pay great dividends for both her and the Lady Eagles this fall.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit with her parents at the Benton summer volleyball camp. I asked them if they would mind if I interviewed Carsyn for this story, and they graciously accepted. So, last week, I had the opportunity to interview Carsyn over the phone and to record her comments.
When the interview took place, the team had just returned from having played in another summer camp that was held in Greenbrier. Coach Josh Hart had given the team the day off, and Carsyn and I visited that afternoon.
On the day of the interview, the Lady Eagles’ season was just three weeks away. As Carsyn is about to enter her senior year of high school and as a Lady Eagles volleyball player, I asked her what this year meant to her. She began by saying, “This year I feel like I’m going to need to be more open about things (on the team). I just need to find the best way to talk to each person on the team and how to play with them. It will make things easier for me to help them and to encourage them to do their best.” In speaking further of her upcoming senior year, she continued to say, “Now that it is here, it feels like it kind of went by fast. But, before this year, it went a little bit slow.”
Carsyn has played volleyball since the sixth grade. She has played on the varsity team for the past two years. As a setter and a defensive specialist, it has required her to develop both her physical and mental skills. “You are always thinking about what you are doing (on the court). So, you kind of have to think about it pretty fast.” Setters are making split-second decisions on where and who to set the ball to on the front line. A lot of pressure that must be handled for the success of the team. “For me, it is something that I have really had to work at. I’m still kind of working on it because I hear them (front line hitters) calling for the ball I am hearing several different people saying something and you are trying to pick which one will take care of the ball the best.” To expand on this, I asked her if her decision on who to set the ball to was predicated on the defense or who was open on the front line. Carsyn replied, “It just kind of depends on where that ball is at. Because if it is at a place…there are places you don’t want to go with it…but sometimes you only have limited options (on who to set to). Sometimes you get a pass where there is really nothing that can be done, and you just have to send it over (hit it across the net). But other times, if the other team has holes in their defense, you can use that to your advantage.”
Carsyn Johnson (19) prepares for the receive in a 2022 match at Little Rock against Episcopal Collegiate (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
And as we have discussed over the years, the Paris volleyball program history is one of success in both regular season and in the postseason. In this interview, I asked Carsyn the same question that I have asked other players, and that is do you feel pressure as a senior to lead this team back to a serious playoff run in the state playoffs? Carsyn responded by saying, “Yeah, I guess I would say that I definitely feel some pressure. Because I know that when I was one of the younger players, I looked up to the older players to help us get there (to the state playoffs). And you know, it not like the pressure is just on one person. I feel like everybody on the court can feel it and they know what we are trying to do because we always want the same thing.”
So, with just a few weeks remaining before the Eagles go to Russellville to open the season, I asked Carsyn where she thought the team was with respect to their readiness to open the season. Carsyn assessed her team’s state of preparation as, “I think right now we are in a pretty good place and our team chemistry is getting better because we are all just trying to help each other out and to be the best players that we can be. Recently, we have had our older front row players helping our younger ones by just giving them advice and encouragement by just trying to help them out in any way possible.” To expand on this point, I asked Carsyn if she was seeing certain players stepping up to assume leadership roles on the team. She continued to say, “I know I am trying to because if I can show them (the players and coaches) that I have the confidence that we can do it, then they’re going to catch on to that and we will all have the confidence. And I know there are several younger players that are also trying to assume leadership and that means that next year they will have leaders that can help them (the 2024 Lady Eagles).”
Carsyn Johnson (19) is one of a small group of seniors who will be looked upon to lead the Eagles back to the state playoffs (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
As our interview progressed, I asked Carsyn just how far she thought this year’s edition of Paris volleyball could go this season. Carsyn said, “I think that if everyone puts in the work and they show that they really want it, then we can go pretty far (in the playoffs).”
Regarding the rest of the 3A West conference, the Lady Eagles’ opponents may be thinking this is the year to defeat Paris after the loss of experienced players from a year ago. But when I posed this question to Carsyn, she responded by saying, “Just having support from our fans means a lot. Like yesterday, we were cheering on our JV team, and I think that had a very big impact with them and the way they played.” Paris will need their fans to both show up big at home and on the road to cheer this young team on, especially in the early weeks of the season. Paris will open with four game is nine days with three of them on the road, including top-rated Hackett in the 3A West. By Labor Day, Paris will have played three road games and will have played one conference game at home against Charleston and one on the road at Hackett…all before September 1.
Although I expect this team to show some “growing pains” early, I also expect them to improve each week. In fact, Paris could be a dangerous team for opponents to face late in the season. By district tournament time, the Lady Eagles could be a serious contender for a top tier seed in the following state tournament.
For Carsyn Johnson, the large numbers of Paris fans give her confidence with each game. “I feel like if they thought we could do it (win games) they wouldn’t be there.” On the road, sometimes things can go against you in a game that is very much a matter of momentum swings in every set. I asked her what she will say to her teammates on the road when things are not going well, and the Lady Eagles have to regain the momentum. She said, “I think I would just try to encourage them and tell them that they know how to play volleyball (the opponent) and we know how to play volleyball and when we play our volleyball it’s just a lot of fun and we all just kind of connect there. It’s a matter of knowing that we can play, and we have to play our volleyball and not worry so much about what they (the opponent) are doing.”
Over the past few years, one of Carsyn’s favorite moments was the 2021 state semifinals match against Little Rock Episcopal at Paris Gymnasium. Paris won a hard-fought match that day against a determined Lady Wildcats team. Carsyn said, “We had the whole school in our student section that day. That showed us a lot of support. And it was just a fun game to win.”
And Paris needed all of that support that day in defeating Episcopal. The win advanced Paris to the state final in Hot Springs against Hackett, and the Lady Eagles would go on to the state title with a three-set win in the state championship finals over the Lady Hornets.
Individually, Carsyn’s goals include growing her confidence in herself and in her leadership role as a senior. “Going into this year, I feel like my main goal is to gain more confidence in myself. Because I have never really been one to have much confidence and to “step outside the box.” And I think that is something I need to do this year; not just for me, but for the rest of the team. If I have confidence, then they can see that and start to have confidence in themselves. It will help a lot of our younger players too.”
What a great statement on Carsyn’s part! To tell her readers that she wants to improve her self-confidence for not only herself but also for her team is a big sign of maturity and development as a senior that will be a big boost for this year’s Lady Eagles.
From this writer’s standpoint, Carsyn has made it to the mature and confident person and leader she wants to be. Her story, along with other inspiring stories from players on this team, are just a few reasons why I believe this team could be fun to watch this season. They deserve our support and attendance all season. In fact, should the team struggle the first two weeks of the season, we need to continue to show our support. The team will improve as the season progresses, and I believe they are going to surprise some opponents late in the season.
RNN Sports would like to thank Carsyn Johnson and her family for consenting to the interview for this story. We wish her and all of the Lady Eagles the very best this upcoming season!
Watch for our coverage of the Lady Eagles’ alumni volleyball game on August 17 on RNN Sports’ online platform at residentnewsnetwork.com
Good luck to Carsyn Johnson and the Paris Lady Eagles!
Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly from Miss Brittany Tucker, Faculty Sponsor, Booneville High School FCCLA. We thank Miss Tucker for sharing this story with our readers!
DENVER- Each year FCCLA conducts STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Events at the Regional Level. We had 3 groups that competed in this year’s Regional STAR Event Competition on December 5th at Har-Ber High School. Camdyn Dove and Shelbie Myers competed in Interior Design – Level 3, Brooklyn Elmore competed in Job Interview – Level 3, and Kelsey Boersma and Kylie Lunsford competed in Focus on Children – Level 3.
With this being my first STAR Event competition to take students to, it was a little nerve-racking to try and make sure we had everything that the criteria wanted us to have for each of the projects. The organization sends out a list of all the things needed for the presentation and a rubric. You try your best to have everything included in your presentation. Not only do these students have to come up with a project based on the event they chose and the criteria they have to meet, but some have present to others before they present in front of the judges at the actual STAR Event competition.
Kelsey and Kylie chose Focus on Children as their event and had to construct a lesson to be taught to our 1st-grade students at our Elementary. They chose to teach our little ones about social-emotional learning. They created a project that was fun and brought the characters from Pixar’s Inside-Out movie to life. They taught the students what it means to be happy, sad, mad, scared, and disgusted, and how to appropriately communicate those emotions to adults. By the end of the lesson, the students were then allowed to color pictures based on the specific emotion they were feeling that day and add their thumbprint to Kelsey and Kylie’s project to be displayed at the Regional Competition. They had to present their presentation in front of 3 judges and a student judge. After their presentation, the judges were allowed to ask questions regarding the project and why they chose the topic that they did.
Camdyn and Shelbie’s project was strictly devoted to the Interior Design of an After-School Counseling program where students could go to hang out and receive individual and group counseling. They had to create the “Director’s Quarters” while also coming up with other elements to put in the building. They created a floor plan for this building that was used on their presentation board as well as mood boards, renderings of the director’s room, and samples of paint and flooring that they wanted to use in the building. They had to present their presentation in front of three judges and a student judge. The judges asked questions about their project once they were finished presenting.
Brooklyn Elmore competed in Job Interview, and much like it sounds, she was interviewed for her event. She chose a “job” that would be suitable for her age and something that she was qualified for. She had to create a portfolio of things like resumes, work history, samples of work experience, letters of recommendation from teachers and our principal, and many other things that would be found in a job interview. The judges looked over her portfolio before she was interviewed and then the interview process began.
At the Regional level, each group advanced to the State Level. Students are awarded medals based on their placements. Focus on Children received a Silver Medal, Interior Design received a Bronze, and Job Interview also received a Bronze. The top two from each event move on to the next competition. So we qualified for State in Hot Springs!
With this competition, you can make changes to your project based on the score sheets and critics that you get from Regionals and take that to the State Level, which is what we did. We improved our projects and tried to follow the rubrics the best way we could. On April 5th and 6th, we traveled to Hot Springs where we competed in the State Competition. The concept for the competition is the same but on a bigger scale. Each group took in their projects and presented them to their judges, and we waited out the results. This competition also takes the top two from each event to the National level. Our Focus on Children group placed Silver. Our Interior Design group placed Gold, and our Job Interview placed Gold. We qualified for Nationals in Interior Design!!
Image Credit: Booneville High School FCCLA / Brittany Tucker
Now the fun part started. Seeing the amount of money that it was going to cost us to go to Denver was crazy. Airline tickets, hotels, food, transportation, it just seemed as though the bill just kept growing for the 6 of us to go. So the girls and I started collaborating and we decided to turn to our community for help. We created a sponsorship shirt that we would wear at Nationals with all of the awesome people that helped get us to the competition. We sold potted spring flowers, held a bake sale at the Senior/Faculty Softball game, our amazing school district let us host a “Jean Month” for our teachers, and we had many gracious donations from members of our community. Our sponsors were given a shirt and a thank you card as a sign of appreciation from us.
Before we knew it, Nationals Week was here. We flew to Denver and didn’t stop going once we got there. We attended Arkansas State Meetings with our fellow Arkansans. We attended several sessions throughout our stay and our general session where the FCCLA Executive Director welcomed over 7,900 members, advisors, corporate sponsors, and guests who are dedicated to discovering the unlimited possibilities available through FCCLA. We took part in the FCCLA Expo where we saw different exhibits that were brought to us by industry leaders, visited some shops that were available, and listened to RED talks as we walked around the Expo room. Now, we did a LOT of things with FCCLA while we were there, every day had something new to do and see, but we also explored Denver. I believe the girl’s favorite part of the trip was watching the sunrise at the Red Rock Amphitheater. We went to several malls and visited the Denver Botanical Gardens.
During the conference, Camdyn Dove and Shelbie Myers showcased their exceptional talent and dedication by participating in the Level 3 Interior Design competition. Their remarkable achievements are a testament to their hard work, determination, and the guidance of their advisor. The results of their partipation awarded them a Silver medal at the National Competition. We are so proud of both of them! Looking ahead, FCCLA will be hosting its next National Leadership Conference in Seattle, Washington from June 29 – July 3, 2024. For those interested in getting involved as a student, sponsor, or supporter please contact Brittany Tucker at Booneville High School.
