Funerals are emotional events for everyone. Funerals are a gathering place for friends and family to reminisce on the deceased’s memory, whether they’re laughing at funny jokes or remembering their wise life advice. We shouldn’t destroy those moments with drama. As you approach the day of your loved one’s funeral, here’s a guide on how to avoid starting drama at a funeral.
Respect the Deceased’s Family and Friends
Anyone who attends a funeral should show respect, no matter past arguments or falling outs. Everyone is grieving and vulnerable, so do your best to show respect. Put the past aside and show your support for the family and friends of the deceased.
Keep Your Emotions in Check
Attending a funeral is an emotional experience for everyone. You may have anger, resentment, or numbed feelings brewing inside, but it’s best to control them. Although it can be difficult, controlling your emotions is essential to avoid starting drama. If you’re overwhelmed, consider stepping outside to compose yourself. Demonstrating self-control and respect for others prevents outbursts.
Focus on the Positive Memories
Even if you had issues with the deceased, focusing on positive memories during the funeral is best. Sharing fond memories with others can alleviate tension and foster a sense of unity among attendees. After all, everyone’s gathering to honor the life of the departed individual, and if you focus on the positive aspects, you can make the experience more comforting and peaceful for all.
Keep Conversations Appropriate
While it’s natural to want to share stories about the deceased, keep the conversation appropriate for the setting. Funerals are a time to show respect and reverence, and any off-color remarks, jokes, or incidents may not go over well. Keeping your discussions respectful and inoffensive can prevent any potential drama.
Practice the Art of Listening
Sometimes, the best way to avoid starting drama at a funeral is by being there to listen. Listening instead of speaking shows others you care and are there to support them in their grief. Being an empathetic listener will make you less likely to cause tensions or conflicts in an already emotional situation.
But also, staying quiet the entire service might be rude. While there are many things you shouldn’t say at a funeral, you also shouldn’t stay quiet the whole time. When the moment appears, share a few words, but keep your remarks short and sweet to dilute the tension in the room.
Funerals are difficult for everyone, and the best way to avoid funeral drama is to be respectful. When you’re cordial, you control your emotions better. Keep these tips in mind as you head to the funeral service.
If you own a business, you’ve always got a lot on your mind. But no matter how busy you are today, you need to think about tomorrow. Specifically, you’ll want to create an exit strategy for the day you want to move on from your business to a new phase in your life.
To develop this strategy, you’ll need to address these key questions:
• How much do you need (or want) for your business? Ideally, you’ll want the sale of your business to meet your retirement and estate-planning goals. So, you’ll need to think carefully about these goals and what costs they may entail. And these issues aren’t just financial — for example, when you think about how you may want to spend your time in retirement, you might realize that you don’t really want to exit your business completely. So, you might decide to sell just part of it, or sell it entirely, but stay on to help manage it or possibly do some consulting for the new owners.
• How much is your business worth? You may want to calculate your business’ value three to five years before your planned exit. You could do this on your own, but it’s typically advantageous to use professional valuation services. If you’re gifting or selling your business to family members, selling it to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or settling an estate, you’ll need to get a more formal qualified appraisal to meet IRS standards.
• How can you close the gap between what you need and what your business is worth? The amount you need from the sale of your business to support your retirement goals may be more than what your business is actually worth. To help close this gap, you could try to boost your business’s profits through the usual means, such as introducing new products, raising prices or cutting costs. But you might also try to lower the amount you need from the sale by working longer, reducing your personal spending and saving more outside the business.
• Who will take over your business? When planning for a successor for your business, you have several choices, including selling to a family member or an outside buyer. Going public or liquidating the business are also options. These are distinct paths, but depending on your circumstances, one might be more appropriate for you than another. To cite just one factor, if you don’t have an obvious choice for a family member to take over the business, you might have to consider other buyers. In any case, you’ll need to explore all the economic and personal factors involved in the choice of successor.
Who can help you with your exit strategy? Exiting a business can be complex. To ensure you’re making the right moves for your overall financial and family situations, you may want to build an exit strategy team, possibly consisting of your financial, legal and tax advisors. You may also need to enlist the services of a commercial banker and a business evaluation expert. Each of these professionals can
bring a different area of expertise to your exit decisions, and together they can help address all the issues related to your exit strategy.
Exiting your business will take a lot of planning and decisions — but if it’s done right, it can be worth the effort.
This article is provided by Jeffrey O’Neal, Financial Advisor Edward Jones 20 N Express St, Paris, AR 72855 479-963-1321 jeffrey.o’neal@edwardjones.com edwardjones.com/jeffrey-o’neal Edward Jones, Member SIPC
FORT SMITH – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men’s Basketball Head Coach Zane Gibson has assembled his coaching staff for the 2023-24 season.
Joining Gibson at UAFS from his staff at Western New Mexico are assistant coach Jared Drake and volunteer assistant coach Jeremy Zepeda, with Brett O’Neil also returning as an assistant coach. Caleb Ligon will serve as a student assistant to the program.
Drake coached with Gibson for one season at WNMU, helping guide the Mustangs to a 17-11 record, the program’s first winning season in 16 years. The Mustangs also won 11 Lone Star Conference games, the most in program history.
“I am very excited to have Coach Drake make the move with me from Western New Mexico to UAFS,” Gibson said. “Coach Drake does a tremendous job developing relationships with the guys. He is a dynamic skill developer having worked with current and future NBA players and brings a great deal of knowledge to our staff. We welcome Coach Drake to Fort Smith and can’t wait for him to be with our young men when they return in August.”
Prior to WNMU, Drake was the head coach at NJCAA Southeastern Illinois College for two seasons and also had coaching stops at Riley High School, Philander Smith College (AR) and Evansville Central High School.
Before his coaching career, Drake played at Robert Morris College in Chicago. After a two-year stay there, Drake transferred his eligibility to Southern University of New Orleans (La.) where he was awarded “Newcomer of the Year,” along with being ranked in the top-five in the nation in three-point shooting percentage and free throw shooting percentage.
After graduation, Drake continued his playing career on the professional level for three developmental league teams in the U. S. and in the European League.
Drake has received three degrees, an Associate’s in Health and Fitness Exercise Science (Robert Morris), a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management Information Systems (Southern University) and a Master of Science in Recreation and Sports Sciences, Coaching Education (Ohio University).
O’Neil joined the Lions’ coaching staff in 2021 and has assisted in coaching five All-Conference players in his two seasons. He helped the Lions earn a bid in the LSC Tournament in 2021-22. Prior to UAFS, O’Neil was an assistant at Hill College for one season and a graduate assistant at Cameron University from 2018-20.
“Brett has made a great impact within the Lions community in his two years here,” stated Gibson. “I did not know Coach O’Neil when I took the job, but he received unbelievable reviews from faculty and staff both in and out of the athletic department. We started working together when I first got here and quickly realized I wanted Brett to stay here and work for me.”
O’Neil played two seasons at Dodge City Community College before finishing his playing career at Central Missouri. He graduated from Central Missouri with degree in Elementary Education and earned his Master of Education degree from Cameron.
“Brett is as hard of a worker as they come and has a passion for Fort Smith and the current players on the roster. He has a bright future in this industry, and I’m excited he chose to stay on with me at UAFS,” Gibson added.
Zepeda played one season at Central Arizona College before moving into the coaching ranks, assisting the Vaqueros for three seasons. Following his time in Arizona, Zepeda joined Gibson’s staff at WNMU as a graduate assistant for the program’s historic 2022-23 campaign. He is currently pursuing a Master of Business degree.
“Jeremy is a young, hungry coach who is very dedicated to the game of basketball and was an unbelievable asset to my staff least year at Western New Mexico,” Gibson said. “He is a first guy in the office last person to leave type of guy. He is an excellent evaluator of talent and is as diligent as they come when it comes to film study. Jeremy could be an absolute star in our business, and he along with Coach Drake know how I do things day to day and that continuity between us will greatly accelerate the growth of our program.”
Ligon enters his second season as a student assistant for the Lions in 2023-24 after assisting the Lions with day-to-day operations and travel. He was also a student assistant at Williams Baptist University in 2021-22. He is pursuing a degree in Organizational Leadership.
“Caleb is a blue-collar, lunch pail guy,” noted Gibson. “For being a student assistant, he is one of the more advanced young men I have ever been around in the industry. I tried to kick Caleb out of the office from time to time in the spring and he just wouldn’t leave until everything was done for the day. He takes pride in everything he does, and no job is too big or small for him. He just attacks every assignment I give him and helps set the standard of how hard we will work in this program.”
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Sports Information Office, Jostun Pomplun.
By Rebekah Hall U of A System Division of Agriculture
As families head into the final weeks of summer vacation, parents can help ease the transition into the school year by getting children back into their routines ahead of time. For parents whose children are starting at a new school, it’s also important to listen to their concerns and take advantage of school district opportunities to meet teachers or walk through class schedules.
Brittney Schrick, extension associate professor and family life specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said parents shouldn’t wait until the night before school starts to get back into weeknight and morning routines.
“Trying to implement everything all at once tends to lead to some conflict,” Schrick said. “Especially for younger kids, they don’t do well just changing their routine all of a sudden, and that’s what it feels like to them. They don’t necessarily remember what it felt like during the school year.”
Schrick said if parents start setting these routines a week or so in advance, it gives the family “some wiggle room to get it right,” without the pressure of school starting the next day.
“Expecting things to just click right back into place can be a common thing for parents,” Schrick said. “They’re underestimating the difficulty.”
Take time to assess what routines a family needs to get back into and work backward from the end goal, Schrick said.
“If we want the kids to be in bed at this time, we have to have baths at this time and eat supper at this time,” she said. “Keep in mind what you want to get to and give yourself some time to actually get back to that.”
Along with getting back in the swing of school routines, managing children’s extracurricular activities can be stressful for families, especially those with multiple children. Schrick said she suggests keeping a shared calendar so all family members and caregivers can access the schedule, and to avoid overbooking.
“The more kids you have, everything gets exponentially more difficult,” Schrick said. “Don’t book more things than you have drivers or hours in the day. Especially for younger kids, make sure that they don’t have too many things to do. They’re going to be tired from school.”
Schrick said children of all ages should be given enough downtime to rest, work on homework, socialize with friends and participate in other commitments a family may have.
“It’s not overstepping as a parent to say, ‘I don’t think we have time for that,’ just because their kid wants to do something,” Schrick said.
How to handle new school anxiety
For children starting at a new school this fall — whether because of moving schools or aging into junior high or high school — it’s natural to feel some nerves about the transition, Schrick said.
“Starting a new school is anxiety-inducing,” she said. “Your kid might be a little more worried about their first day of school outfit or, if they’re getting a locker for the first time, they may want to make sure they have all the cool stuff for it. They’ll be more worried about that than they might have been in the past.”
Schrick said children may also complain of some physical symptoms of anxiety, such as not feeling hungry. Especially if the child seems very worried about going to school — if they’re saying they don’t want to go, or they’re scared, or they don’t seem like themselves — Schrick said to “try to take as many opportunities as you can to help them prepare.”
· Go to “Meet the Teacher” night. For elementary-aged children, putting a face to their new teacher’s name can help ease first-day worries. This is also often how children find out which friends may be in their new class, and they learn where their classroom is, all of which can “help them go in with a little bit more confidence,” Schrick said.
· Walk through their class schedule. Especially for children transitioning to middle or high school, this is critical for setting them up for success. “If there’s an opportunity for a kid to go walk their schedule at their new school, take that opportunity if you can,” Schrick said. “That’s a really important way for a kid to prepare.”
“Take advantage of those school district opportunities for kids to familiarize themselves with their environment as much as possible,” Schrick said. “It helps kids a lot to have that kind of experience.”
It’s also important for parents to take time to listen to their children’s concerns and not gloss over them by trying to fix the problem.
“Generally, parents want to fix stuff,” Schrick said. “They think they’re alleviating their child’s fear by saying, ‘You’re going to be great!’ You do want to support your child, but a lot of times, all your kid wants is to be heard. Really hearing what they’re worried about, rather than jumping in and trying to fix it, is really important.”
Schrick said it can be helpful to ask a child whether they want words of advice or to just vent about their anxieties. It can also help to ask if there’s anything specific — within reason — that may help them feel better prepared.
“Sometimes it’s about doing that one little thing that can help boost their confidence or alleviate their anxiety,” Schrick said. “If it’s something that’s within your resources to do and it’s not a crazy request — they want the cool folder, or they want a big kid backpack this year, or they
don’t want to wear a hair bow anymore — really listen to what your kid wants, needs, or thinks they need, because it might not be what the parent thinks.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
WASHINGTON, DC-Fox News is reporting that the Biden administration is blocking key federal funding earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 for schools with hunting and archery programs.
According to federal guidance circulated among hunting education groups and shared with Fox News Digital, the Department of Education determined that, under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed last year, school hunting and archery classes are precluded from receiving federal funding. The interpretation could impact millions of American children enrolled in such programs.
“It’s a negative for children. As a former educator of 30-plus years, I was always trying to find a way to engage students,” Tommy Floyd, the president of the National Archery in the Schools Program, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “In many communities, it’s a shooting sport, and the skills from shooting sports, that help young people grow to be responsible adults. They also benefit from relationships with role models.”
“You’ve got every fish and wildlife agency out there working so hard to utilize every scrap of funding, not only for the safety and hunter education, but for the general understanding of why stewardship is so important when it comes to natural resources,” he continued. “Any guidance where it’s even considered a ‘maybe’ or a prohibition for shooting sports is a huge negation.
President Biden, left, speaks at the White House in October as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona listens. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to Floyd, his organization boasts 1.3 million students from nearly 9,000 schools across 49 states who are enrolled in archery courses. Some of those schools have already canceled plans to include archery or hunting education courses in their curriculum due to the Education Department guidance.
In June 2022, the BSCA was passed with large majorities in the House and Senate before President Biden signed it into law. The push to pass the bill — which broadly seeks to promote “safer, more inclusive and positive” school environments, according to the Education Department — came after mass shootings at a grocery market in Buffalo, New York, and a school in Uvalde, Texas.
The legislation included an amendment to an ESEA subsection listing prohibited uses for federal school funding. That amendment prohibits ESEA funds from helping provide any person with a dangerous weapon or to provide “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.”
However, in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona earlier this month, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., expressed concern that the agency is misinterpreting the provision which they said was included in the BSCA last year to withhold education funds for programs training school resource officers, not for hunting and archery classes. School resource officer training was funded under a separate provision.
“We were alarmed to learn recently that the Department of Education has misinterpreted the BCSA to require the defending of certain longstanding educational and enrichment programs — specifically, archery and hunter education classes — for thousands of children, who rely on these programs to develop life skills, learn firearm safety and build self-esteem,” Cornyn and Tillis wrote to Cardona.
“The Department mistakenly believes that the BSCA precludes funding these enrichment programs,” they continued. “Such an interpretation contradicts congressional intent and the text of the BSCA.
The GOP lawmakers noted in the letter, which was shared with Fox News Digital, that they have heard complaints from schools with funding for shooting sport courses withheld. They added that hunting and archery programs fall “well within” the scope of activities to support safe and healthy students which the ESEA explicitly funds.
Overall, the ESEA is the primary source of federal aid for elementary and secondary education across the country, according to the Congressional Research Service. The BSCA earmarked an additional $1 billion for educational activities under the ESEA.
“It is ironic that the U.S. Department of Education is actively denying young Americans the chance to educate themselves on basic firearm and hunting safety so that they can go afield knowing how to keep themselves, their friends, and family safe,” Ben Cassidy, executive vice president for international government and public affairs at Safari Club International (SCI), told Fox News Digital.
“At best, the department’s policy appears to be singularly geared to ensure hunters are less safe when handling firearms or bows and, at worst, are leveling a direct attack on hunters’ ability to pass down hunting to the newest generations,” he continued. “SCI and our membership will be eagerly awaiting the Education Department’s response to the letter from Senators Cornyn and Tillis, and we won’t hesitate to take further action to protect hunters’ rights.”
In addition, the National Shooting Sports Foundation blasted the Education Department’s interpretation of the BSCA, saying it was part of the administration’s attacks on the Second Amendment.
The Biden administration has been criticized for spearheading a war on hunting with various regulations.
The group said that, while it took a neutral stance on the BSCA, it has become “increasingly concerned” by the Biden administration’s implementation of the law.
“The Department of Education and Secretary Cardona are blatantly misconstruing the law to withhold funding from schools that choose to teach beneficial courses like hunter safety and archery,” Lawrence Keane, the NSSF’s senior vice president, told Fox News Digital.
“Congress must hold Secretary Cardona and the department accountable for violating the letter and spirit of the law to unilaterally deny America’s students access to these valuable programs as part of the Administration’s continued attacks on the Second Amendment,” Keane added.
“Stopping hunter education courses that teach safe and responsible firearm handling makes our communities less, not more, safe and diminishes our ability to pass our nation’s cherished hunting and recreational shooting sports traditions on to the next generation,” he said.
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unveiled new prohibitions on the type of equipment hunters are allowed to use on federal refuges. Keane said at the time that the rules were the latest example of the agency “creating rules that punish hunters,” and Cassidy added it would prevent Americans from hunting on public lands.
The Education Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Note to Our Readers: The previous report was sourced directly and in its entirety from Fox News.
Northwest Scott Fire Chief Donnie Adkins recalls some of the members, who started out as junior firefighters, now gone on to further their careers.
“I wanted to brag on some of my kiddo’s / folks on Northwest Scott County VFD. We have had a junior firefighter program since late 2006. Since then, we have had many kids come through the program some staying with us still today as adult firefighters.”
Adkins noted that of the junior firefighters, Hunter Pyles became an NREMT, currently working on an ambulance; Jason Moore an NREMT, currently working on an ambulance; and Mykinzi Morgan, who is just graduating from EMT school, is ready to begin her career working on an ambulance.
Adkins added that there have been several to attend the fire academy and received their firefighter certifications.
The junior firefighters attend the same meetings, trainings as the adults. They learn CPR, first aid, and all aspects of firefighting and auto extrication. “It is very important and the lifeline of a volunteer fire department to survive to keep their doors open as there are not that many volunteers now a days,” Adkins shared. “Again, I just wanted to give a huge shout out to the kiddos, now adults, that volunteered their spare time to hang out with a bunch of elderly folks and learn a career.”
A special thanks to the volunteers at NWS, who give selflessly of their time and efforts to keep our community safe and assist us in our greatest time of need!
We are pleased to announce the 110th edition of the Sebastian County Fair & Rodeo in Greenwood, Arkansas. The Fair will kick off on Wednesday, August 23, with the Jr. Livestock Show starting at 8 a.m. The show is free to the public. We will be honoring retired Sebastian County Judge, David Hudson. At 5 p.m. the gates open for the fair. It is $1 admission on opening night. All of the gate proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Smith.
There will be live music every day of the fair which runs through Sunday, August 27. On Thursday and Friday morning we will welcome kids from around the county for School Days. Last year we had 1,100 children attend. Kids get to see all of the livestock, Smokey Bear will make an appearance, tour the exhibits and much more.
New to the fair this year will be a kids free zone featuring inflatables which is being sponsored by Arvest Bank. Friday night will kick off two days of rodeo. Bulls and Broncs will battle the athletes on Friday night and Saturday night will feature Mutton Busting and a Ranch Rodeo.
Johnson Brothers Carnival will return with rides and games for all to enjoy. Vendors will be set up to sell unique items and the food trucks will have plenty of food to enjoy. Be sure to visit the exhibition hall to view the creative entries from around the county.
JONESBORO– With just under a month remaining until the start of the 2023 Arkansas State volleyball season, single-match tickets are now on sale.
Fans can join second-year head coach Brian Gerwig inside First National Bank Arena for 11 exciting home contests for just $6 per general admission ticket. Tickets can be purchased here.
Season tickets for the 2023 slate also remain on sale. Prices start at $50 for general admission and $100 for courtside seats, and can be purchased online.
A-State fans can get an early glimpse at the 2023 A-State volleyball squad at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, in the Scarlet-Black scrimmage inside First National Bank Arena. The next day, the Red Wolves travel for an exhibition bout at Ole Miss (1 p.m.) in Oxford, Miss.
The Red Wolves then open the 2023 season at home Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26, hosting Little Rock (Fri., Noon), Louisiana Tech (Fri., 6 p.m.) and North Alabama (Sat., 4 p.m.) in the A-State Invitational.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from Arkansas State University Media Relations, Caleb Garner.
PARIS- The 2022 football season was a tough year for the Paris Eagles. And no one knows that more than the Eagles players who put themselves on the line each and every week in what turned out to be a brutal season. But emerging from that very tough year is this year’s unquestioned leader of the 2023 edition of the Paris Eagles. Senior quarterback Maddox Watts will lead his troops into battle starting August 25 at home versus the Waldron Bulldogs.
No one knew it at the time, but last year’s game at Waldron was an unfortunate sign of things to come for the entire season. Leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, Paris seemingly was in control of the game and was playing toward winning their 2022 season opener.
But then, disaster struck. Paris committed consecutive turnovers that all lead to touchdowns for the Bulldogs. And when the first half ended, it was a shell-shocked Eagles team that went into the locker room, down by the score of 35-7. Consecutive fumbles allowed Waldron to take possession inside Eagles territory, and the Bulldogs capitalized on every Paris turnover.
The big halftime deficit took the Paris offense out of their game plan and seemed to set the tone for the rest of the season. This year’s return game in Paris will again be very important to both Waldron and Paris.
Maddox Watts looks for an open receiver at Waldron in 2022 (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
So, when I had the opportunity to visit with Maddox on the phone last week, we immediately began to talk about the importance of the Waldron game to the potential success of the Eagles in 2023. We talked about his anticipation of his senior year and the importance of the Eagles’ first game at home versus Waldron. Maddox began by saying, “I am pretty excited. I really am. Right now, I am just doing football and basketball practice. Both sports are doing conditioning work, so, outside, I am also doing my own workouts, going on runs, just to stay in shape.” And in shape he is. Maddox looks like he could step onto the field, the court, or wherever and be physically ready to play right now.
Maddox started for the Eagles last year as a junior. On offense, as the Paris quarterback, Maddox was on the run on virtually every down. Either as a designed quarterback run, or scrambling to avoid the rush, Watts was constantly looking for an open receiver while running and often times tucking the ball to get as much yardage on his own as possible. As a result of all of his scrambling, he seemingly took one big hit after another. In the course of a season, those hits can take their toll. In 2023, he is looking for better protection and more open receivers to throw the ball to downfield. Asking if he felt that things would improve this season with better protection and receivers who can get open, Maddox said, “Yeah, I feel like it is (going to get better this season). I know the line has improved so I should be fine.” Maddox feels that there will be bigger size on the line this year and more talent on the Eagles’ offensive line this season. A lot of the guys have gotten stronger and bigger and have improved overall.”
This season, after having played in the Eagles new conference last year, I asked Maddox if he thought Paris’ offensive line matched-up well with the conference’s defensive lines he saw last year. He responded by saying, “I really don’t know. Some of the teams, I remember Mansfield, they had a huge defensive line, and pretty sure that Waldron did too. But I just don’t know.”
No doubt, the 3A-4 conference will again be a very tough and physical conference. Glen Rose will be the overwhelming favorite to again win the conference championship, and Paris will travel there to play the Beavers in the first conference game for both schools. Bismarck will challenge Glen Rose, meaning that the rest of the conference will likely be playing for playoff spots 3-5, realistically.
But Paris has a good opportunity to be 2-1 or even 3-0 in the early non-conference portion of their schedule. The Eagles will have a bye week after the third game of the season before they begin conference play at Glen Rose the following week. Early momentum generated by early success is going to be critical for this team after the nightmare season of a year ago.
Waldron is predicted to again finish at the bottom of a very tough 4A-7 conference according to Hooten’s Arkansas Football publication. The 4A-7 consists of Malvern who won the state 4A title a year ago, along with Arkadelphia, Nashville, and Mena. In 2022, Waldron allowed an average of 35.7 points per game while scoring just 16.3 points per game. So, there will be opportunities for the Paris offense to score against a Bulldogs defense that will return six starters on defense. Under new head coach Cain White who moved from the Northeast Arkansas community of Manilla, the Bulldogs will feature the flexbone rushing attack. They will undoubtedly look to shorten games and keep their defense off the field. The explosive passing attack of the Eagles with Maddox Watts and head coach Jeff Weaver may have the opportunity to score quickly and force the Bulldogs out of their game plan early.
But all of that remains to be seen. And to do it, Paris must avoid the turnovers that killed them a year ago in Waldron. When I asked Maddox about the importance of their first game to the team’s possible success in 2023, he shared, “It is important to everybody, but to me, it is very important. It’s more about the mistakes we made in 2022. If we had not made the mistakes we made last year, we may not have won the game, but we would have done better in the game.” The first half fumbles took Paris out of their game plan for the second half, and that turned out to be a microcosm of the entire season.
Maddox Watts scrambles for yardage last season at home versus Magnet Cove (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
We talked about the importance of getting off to a good start and generating momentum early. Two to three non-conference wins and another two to three conference victories could not only give the Eagles a winning season but could put them into position in the conference standings to be a four or five seed in the state playoffs. Of course, a four seed would be better than traveling across the state to play a one seed in mid-November. But a playoff berth would be the third playoff appearance for the program in the past four years and would be a good springboard for a young team going into the off-season and into the 2024 season. Maddox added, “Last year, we just needed to win to show ourselves that we could..that we could be something, we just have to work for it. If we win our first game this year, we could get something going.”
A zero week win on August 25 would set up a showdown at Mansfield where the Tigers are very tough at home. It would be the first big road test of the season for the young Eagles, and after last year’s devastating loss at home to the Tigers, it will be very important for this team to play well and to compete at Mansfield.
Last year’s season was a nightmare year for Paris with emotions boiling over seemingly each week. The Eagles continued to play hard, but as the injuries continued to stack up and the team having very little success on the field, it was just a very tough year. But some of those players who endured the pain of 2022 will be returning this year as leaders for a young and talented roster. I asked Maddox if having faced the adversity of last year was going to help him and the other returning players in their leadership role this year. Maddox said, “We are all in this together.” Short and to the point, Maddox is exactly right. There will undoubtedly be times when it gets rough on the field, but those returning players should be able to look the younger ones in the eyes and tell them that they have been through worse times than this, and together, we are going to get through this.
A few times this summer I have had the chance to talk with the Eagles head coach, Jeff Weaver, and I will share with our readers that Coach Weaver really likes this team. To paraphrase, this is a team that he does not have to motivate to work. They like to work, practice, and are self-motivated to not go through again this season what they endured last year. And their leader on the field, both on offense and defense, Maddox Watts will be there every week and will leave it on the field every Friday night. He always has, and he always will. That is just Maddox; he is athletic, competitive, and has great drive and determination. “All of us that played last year want revenge.”
Maddox Watts passes downfield at home in 2022 vs Glen Rose (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
The Eagles have been busy this summer, working out on their own, as well as in organized practices, camps, and even a day trip to the University of Arkansas to participate in the Razorbacks Football Camp. Asking Maddox what he thought about his experience at the Razorbacks camp, he said, “I didn’t realize how good they (college coaches) work you out. Their knowledge and stuff like that, I’ve never experienced that. But it was a really good experience. I had a lot of fun.” Watts had the opportunity as a quarterback to receive coaching from the Hogs’ offensive coordinator, Dan Enos. When I asked him about that, he said, “It was interesting. He showed us a couple of things that I had not seen before…drills and stuff like that. It was really interesting. Some of the foot work, might be something I can use this season.” Watts, like the other campers, had a short time with the U of A staff, but nonetheless, it was a great experience for him and all of the Paris players who made the trip to Fayetteville.
Maddox Watts had the opportunity to receive coaching this summer from Razorbacks offensive coordinator, Dan Enos (RNN Sports File Photo / Jim Best)
Having followed the Eagles all summer at both the Charleston and Pottsville football camps, it was evident to this observer that Paris seemed to make progress with each opportunity to play against other schools. It is always hard to gauge a team’s progress in just shorts and shoulder pads, but compared to this point a year ago, the Eagles seemed to be further along in their development going into next month’s regular season opener. When I asked Maddox about what he thought, he said, “Oh yeah. I look at the team when we started this summer and then where we finished up at Pottsville (Pottsville summer camp held in July), I feel like we really improved. You know, you really need that experience to see what it would be like, and we definitely improved. Most of it (the improvement from last year to this year) is because of the young guys who came up along with some of the returners.”
When Maddox takes the field on offense this season, there will be just three familiar faces looking back at him that played last season. Those four players went through the war of a season last year in 2022. They will definitely be the spiritual leaders of the team having endured the losses and the pain of the 1-8 season a year ago. Maddox added, “I feel like if we are having some issues in a game this season, we can tell the others that, “OK guys, we have been through worse, and we’ve got this.” We just have to show the others that we trust them, and they can trust us.”
As a tribute to the Paris fans, they too endured a tough year in 2022. But in true Eagles tradition, they kept coming to Eagles Stadium and rooting on their beloved Eagles. In a lot of communities, the attendance would have waned, but the Paris fans kept coming. It inspires the team, and this young group of Eagles will once again rely on the Big Blue Nation to show up in large numbers for important home games on the Eagles’ schedule.
All games are important in conference play, but games with Two Rivers, Jessieville, and Danville are extremely important to the Eagles’ playoff chances. In fact, the Eagles are forecasted by some publications to finish sixth in the conference, above the Two Rivers Gators. Danville, who was unable to finish their season a year ago, has been predicted to finish fifth. I am thinking that may be posted in the locker room all season as motivation for Paris to make the playoffs.
So, for the Eagles to attain their goal of returning to the playoffs, Paris must win the games that they have the chance to win. That may sound a little jaded, but eight teams in the conference are more than likely playing for third place. A fourth-place finish by Paris would be a big leap from last year’s season. Maddox added, “That’s something that gives me confidence, seeing people doubt us. When in our minds, we know we can achieve something, like do a lot better than last year. That (being predicted to finish sixth in the conference) is something that can help all of us. I know there are people who are doubting us, and we want to show them how good we can really be.”
After the completion of this year’s junior high season, the Eagles will add freshmen to their roster for Week Ten. The talented junior high group that people have been talking about will begin to appear for Paris just before the playoffs and could give the Eagles a little more depth on their roster late in the season.
Individually, Maddox has the goal of joining the Army and eventually becoming an Army Ranger. He is comfortable in this year being his last year to play organized sports. College sports are not on his radar, and Maddox plans to follow in the service in his father’s footsteps. But until then, Maddox says that his main goal for his senior year is something he focuses on every day. “My main goal that I focus on every day is to just always be better today than you were yesterday. And to keep working and push yourself.”
If you have ever watched Maddox play, regardless of the sport, he is the type of athlete and competitor who will “leave it all out there” in every game. When the game is over, there is “not much left in the gas tank”, for Maddox will always play hard and give it everything that he has. It is this effort, work ethic, and spirit of competition that will make him a success after high school. And if Maddox has his way, he will use those traits for the benefit of all of us as he serves our nation in the United States Army.
I want to thank Maddox for his time and contributions this story. He is a class act and is a lot of fun to watch play. All of us at RNN Sports can’t wait to watch him and the Eagles play to turnaround the 2022 season, and yes, return to the state playoffs.
Good luck to Maddox Watts and the Paris Eagles in the upcoming high school football season!
BENTON- The Paris Lady Eagles made the two-hour trip to Saline County last week to play in the Benton summer preseason camp. Games were held at Benton’s River Center Complex and featured teams from across the state in all classifications. Paris played both junior varsity and varsity matches.
Paris faced a couple of their opponents that will be on the 2023 schedule. Little Rock Pulaski Academy, whom the Lady Eagles will play in Little Rock on August 24, and the Episcopal Collegiate Lady Wildcats who will continue their tradition of exciting games of the past with Paris in both seasonal and post-season matches were both opponents last week in Benton.
Paris has a very tough and important part of their regular season schedule in the first nine days of the season that will include three games on the road at Russellville, Pulaski Academy, and Hackett. The lone home match of the first four game stretch will be a conference match at Paris Gymnasium with the Charleston Lady Tigers.
First year Lady Eagles coach Josh Hart is happy with his team’s progress this summer. He believes they “turned a corner” a few weeks ago at the 501 Tournament, and last week, he was again happy with his team’s performance in Benton. Consistency is an issue at this point, as it is with a lot of teams in the summer. But Paris has approximately three weeks to continue their work to prepare for their opening trip to play the Lady Cyclones.
Photos from the Lady Eagles play in Benton are available on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. And watch for our preseason special on August 11 on RNN Sports! Volleyball fans will not want to miss it!
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