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Obituary – Jimmie Lee Boatright (1962 – 2023)

Obituaries

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12:07 am

Obituary – Jimmie Lee Boatright (1962 – 2023)

Jimmie Lee Boatright was born on January 19th 1962 in Nyssa, Oregon to Doyne and Udene (Pennington) Boatright and he gained his angel wings with his family gathered around him on January 6th 2023 in a Fort Smith hospital. He was preceded in death by his parents both of Mansfield, Arkansas, his beloved brother William (Bill) Boatright and beautiful bonus sister Sandra Boatright. He is survived by his loving wife Bonecia Boatright of the home. Together they were blessed to share four children, Angie (and John) Byers and their children Shelby, Hailey and Braxton, Jonathan “Boaty” (Chelsea Long and their child, Sadie) of Fort Smith Arkansas, Kanisha (and Jason) Bradshaw and their children Jayden, Logan and Olivia of Tennessee and Shawnee Dirden of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He leaves behind his precious brothers and sisters Alan Boatright of Bend, Oregon, Larry (and Betty) Boatright of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Beverly (and Jim) Lyons of Mansfield Arkansas, Donna (and Johnny) Webb of Howe, Oklahoma and so many wonderful nieces and nephews.

Jimmie never met a stranger and would have gladly given the shirt off his back for anyone that he met. He would often go and say he was running an errand and come back a few hours later and say well “I just got to talkin” as he laughed, because there’s always somebody to talk to. He may have been intimidating to some that he met, but didn’t take long to figure out that he was just a big old teddy bear that you wanted to give a big hug to especially those who grew to love him and that he loved big. He gave his time volunteering in such things like Little League and was part of the Mansfield School Board for many years.

He did love coaching for sure. He may have been the loudest one out there and you could hear him yelling through town during practice giving orders and directions, but his heart was pure. Just ask anyone of those several boys and girls he coached throughout the years. He made sure that none of them ever went without a ride home or even a ride to the game. He would go get them no matter where they were. He never wanted anybody to be left behind. He continued to follow these same kids throughout the years with mentoring, pushing them to be the best that they could be no matter what and no matter how hard it was. He told them they could do better and succeed, such as they did.

Jimbo loved his kids and grandkids with more words than we can ever describe. He would act like he could sing with them and he would terrorize them by tickling them and that caused lots of laughing and smiling. He tried to make every Mansfield Tiger game proudly defining that “Boatright was in the house.” There wasn’t a referee in the state that he met that called better than my dad and he saw fit that his opinion was not quiet but made known to everyone, no game will ever be the same.

He loved our little town of Mansfield and so very proud of the high school that he had a hand in getting built. He was always trying to make things better for our town even if it meant some resistance along the way but the decisions that had to be made but it always was done for the good and the best interest of all our kids and our parents as well. He was proud to wear red and white although sometimes he would forget and were yellow and black on accident to a football game.

Jimmie loved his motorcycles. It could be said that he may have loved his motorcycle more than his family sometimes. He may have terrified everyone riding with him but he didn’t care he felt free, brave and strong. He loved those long rides through the states and each ride was so very precious to him and all those who traveled with as well. He was a very proud veteran of the United States Army and was a member of the AM vets and for that family he had there, everyone was blessed. He so very much loved his yellow Harley-Davidson and I’m sure that’s what he’s riding in heaven.

Jim Boatright was a loving, caring, compassionate husband, father, Papa and brother. Our hearts ache as he’s not with us anymore, but now he is free of pain and flying high. He was a mentor to so many, but a hero that will never be forgotten and will always be carried on in our daily conversations. He will forever be missed by all those who knew and loved him.

Please come and join our family for a Celebration of life for Jimmie Boatright on Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Fellowship Baptist Church in the gymnasium, With a private ceremony at a later date at the National Cemetery in Fort Smith Arkansas.

Mansfield Elementary 2nd Nine Weeks Honor Roll and Principal’s List

Featured

Tammy Teague

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10:09 pm

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Mansfield Elementary 2nd Nine Weeks Honor Roll and Principal’s List

3rd Grade Honor Roll

Braxton Clay, Dahlia Collier, Serenity Cooper, Easton Crossland, Abram Gentry, Faith Harris, Sloan Holsted, Bentley Kinsey, Cambriella Linton, Jacob Mann, Alexis McBride, Alexander McCafferty, Clayton Moore, Raylyn Moore, Eisley Pyles, Allen Quick, Mackynzie Riley, Kambree Robrahn, Zoey Schossow, Joseph Shipley, Piper Sudbeck, James Thomas, Hadleigh Whittaker, Kassidy Wilson

3rd Grade Principal’s Lists

Remington Boyd, Raelyn Bozant, Jordan Cesaire, Avery Griffin, Riley Hall, Meaghan Leland, Caroline Mort

1st Semester

3rd Grade Honor Roll

Ariya Chronister, Braxton Clay, Dahlia Collier, Serenity Cooper, Kaiden Copeland, Easton Crossland, Melanie Cumbie, Zayden Fernandez, Abram Gentry, Sloan Holsted, Emerson Jenkins, Bentley Kinsey, Cambriella Linton, Jacob Mann, Alexis McBride, Clayton Moore, Raylyn Moore, Eisley Pyles, Allen Quick, Mackynzie Riley, Kambree Robrahn, Piper Sudbeck, RJ Swearingen, James Thomas, Hadleigh Whittaker, Tripp Williams, Emma Young

3rd Grade Principal’s List

Remington Boyd, Raelyn Bozant, Jordan Cesaire, Dahlia Collier, Korben Eyerman, Avery Griffin, Riley Hall, Faith Harris, Meaghan Leland, Alexander McCafferty, Caroline Mort, Zoey Schossow, Kassidy Wilson

2nd Nine Weeks

4th Grade Honor Roll

Elijah Carlton, Kannon Copeland, Ava Davis, Avery Edwards, Brooklynn Escalante, Riley Fry, Landon Gann, Aaryn Gass, Salem Gillilan, Lucas Hensley, Aiden Hutchens, Jace Miner, Keaton Morgan, Gracelynn Norton, Crystal Rassasombath, Journey Silva, Xander Stites, Katlin Strozier, Jade Xiong

4th Grade Principal’s List

Angel Duong, Ava Elmore, Cambree Gentry, Ryleigh McEntire, Cung Sang, Kinlee Winters

1st Semester

4th Grade Honor Roll

Kaylee Brown, Kannon Copeland, Brooklynn Escalante, Landon Gann, Cailynn Garrison, Salem Gillilan, Lucas Hensley, Aiden Hutchens, Jaxson Lang, Ryleigh McEntire, Keaton Morgan, Parker Sanders, Journey Silva, Xander Stites, Katlin Strozier, Jade Xiong

4th Grade Principal’s List

Elijah Carlton, Ava Davis, Angel Duong, Avery Edwards, Ava Elmore, Cambree Gentry, Cung Sang, Kinlee Winters

Tyson Foods Donates Money to purchase Chairs for Waldron Athletic Complex

News

Tammy Teague

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10:06 pm

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Tyson Foods Donates Money to purchase Chairs for Waldron Athletic Complex

The regular monthly meeting of the Waldron School Board was held in the Central Office Building Monday, January 9, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Board members present were Clay Woodall, Angela Hunsucker, Mac Davis and Konnor McKay. Tammye Sherrill was not present. Others present were Superintendent Daniel Fielding, Misty Owens, Kim Solomon, Cheyenne Smith, Ryan Walker, Toni Dozier, Chris Lipham, Kristi Sigman, Darla Jeffery, Tonya Cluck, Keith Brigance and Zack Taylor.

President Woodall called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Mr. Konnor McKay began the meeting with a word of prayer.

Angela Hunsucker led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Superintendent Fielding informed everyone that January is School Board Member Appreciation month, and he recognized the school board members for their service to our school.

A motion was made by Angela Hunsucker and seconded by Mac Davis to approve the Consent Agenda items: A) Approval of the December 12th and December 13th Minutes; B) Approve Financial Reports and Expenditures; C) Approve Purchase Orders to White River Services; D) Approve Purchase Orders to ITSavvy. Motion carried 4-0.

Superintendent Fielding informed each of the school board members of the number of training hours they received for 2022. All of the board members have received the required number of training hours.

The principals reported on each of their schools. Mr. Walker reported that Adventure Online Academy currently has 30 students enrolled. Mrs. Jeffery expressed her gratitude to the custodial and maintenance staff for all their hard work on Christmas break with the pipes bursting. She also stated that on January 20th, Yo-yo Around the World will be at the Elementary and Middle Schools. Mr. Taylor informed the board members of the Spelling Bee winners, they are as follows: Hailey Grey, 1st place, Lucey Faber, 2nd place, and Kayla Tedford, 3rd place. Mr. Taylor was also excited to announce that there was iReady growth building wide with 60% growth in Math and 58% growth in ELA. Mrs. Solomon reported that Dog Days have been effective with lowering student absences. The WHS Band got top ratings at their last competition. She also informed the board about Freckle Math, which is a program being utilized to improve growth on individual levels. According to Mrs. Solomon, there was an increase in students that scored gold or platinum on Work Keys this year.

Assistant Superintendent Chris Lipham stated that there are two new buses that were purchased that are going to be used as trip buses this spring, then route buses next school year. Basketball is in full swing. Sr. High Cheerleaders competed at State Cheer and did very well. Mr. Lipham also bragged on the social media presence each of the buildings have had, he has heard great feedback. Tyson Foods donated money to purchase chairs for the Waldron Athletic Complex, thank you for your support!

Superintendent Fielding and Assistant Superintendent Lipham both praised the custodians and maintenance crew for all their efforts and hard work at the Elementary School with the pipes bursting. Mr. Fielding gave the board members an update of the progress on the Eddie Harrison house that building trades is remodeling. Mr. Fielding also wanted to say thank you to the City of Waldron and Tyson for lending aid during the last few weeks at the Elementary School. The community support has been outstanding!

A motion was made by Konnor McKay and seconded by Mac Davis to accept the resignation from Dayna Mays from Food Service as of 01-01-2023. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Konnor McKay and seconded by Mac Davis to accept the resignation from Doug Powell as Head Football Coach only, as of the end of 2022/23 SY. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Mac Davis and seconded by Angela Hunsucker to accept the resignation from Verna Quain as Middle School Special Education Teacher as of the end of 2022/23 SY. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Angela Hunsucker and seconded by Mac Davis to extend Superintendent Fielding’s contract for one more year starting July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Mac Davis and seconded by Angela Hunsucker to extend Assistant Superintendent Lipham’s contract for one more year starting July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Konnor McKay and seconded by Angela Hunsucker to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0.

Meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.

Cedar waxwings grace gardens throughout winter in The Natural State

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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9:59 pm

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Cedar waxwings grace gardens throughout winter in The Natural State

The cedar waxwing is one of Arkansas’s most striking winter residents, although it does not stand out with garish plumage. Instead of sporting raucous colors or flitting about in dizzying displays of hops and jumps, waxwings are some of the sleekest, most elegant-looking birds likely to grace your backyard or hedge.

The smooth, silk-like texture of plumage often looks as though it were artificially softened with a smartphone filter, but upon closer inspection, one will see the fine grains of the feathers that make up its outer covering. Bright red, waxy tips on the birds’ secondary feathers give the birds their name, although biologists are still puzzled by their exact function. The tawny colored back blends into a lighter gray chest which transitions to a lemon-yellow midsection and rear. A striking black mask and small gray crest offers a look similar to the northern cardinal, but the bill is a bit shorter and less adapted for cracking seed hulls than their brilliant red counterparts.

They eat the occasional insect, but cedar waxwings primarily eat the fruits of shrubs and trees. Dogwood, ash and especially holly berries are high on the waxwing’s menu. This love of fruits, however, can sometimes cause issues in late summer when juniper berries (the main component in gin) become overripe and ferment. The birds will gorge on the berries, leading to intoxication and even death from alcohol poisoning. Fruits are so loved by these birds that they’re often used in courtship, with the male hopping about and passing bits of fruit to the female and the female responding by passing them back. The courtship dance eventually concludes with the female accepting and eating the fruit.

One of the best ways to attract fruit-eating birds like cedar waxwings to your yard is to plant native trees and shrubs that bear small fruits. Dogwoods, American holly and common serviceberry all are highly prized by cedar waxwings, as are the fruits of some nonnatives, such as Japanese honeysuckle.

Birdwatchers interested in transforming their backyards into havens for migrating songbirds can find plenty of help through the Arkansas Master Naturalists’ Wild Spaces program. With a phone call, you can have a master naturalist come to your property, educate you on what native plants to introduce and identify areas where you can improve your backyard space for native wildlife to thrive. This program currently is only available in central Arkansas. Visit https://arkansasmasternaturalists.org/ to learn more.

Another great resource is the downloadable brochure “Native Gardening for Arkansas Pollinators.” The AGFC worked with the Arkansas Monarch Conservation Partnership to develop this brochure on native plants homeowners can use to bring beauty to their backyard and attract a host of colorful birds and insects with minimal upkeep. Click here to download it to your computer or smartphone or call 501-382-3682 to request a free copy by mail.

Paris Sweeps Hornets in Senior Girls and Boys Action at Hackett

Sports

Resident News Network

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9:44 pm

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Paris Sweeps Hornets in Senior Girls and Boys Action at Hackett

Taking leads for the first time in the fourth quarters of both the senior boys and girls games, the Paris Eagles and Lady Eagles traveled to Hackett last week and left with two important road conference wins.

The Paris girls, playing without injured Brailey Forst, began the game with a double-digit deficit in the first quarter. But by the end of the opening quarter, the Lady Eagles had erased the deficit and trailed by just two points.

Paris had outstanding play from junior Anabelle Perry and a host of other underclassmen in the victory. Playing with four fouls in the fourth, Perry was able to finish the game and hit crucial free throws down the line in securing the victory for Paris.

The boys game was similar to the girls with the Eagles fighting an early deficit. Outstanding play by senior Sam Muldrow led the way for the Eagles in the comeback. Paris took its first lead of the game with less than five minutes to play in the game. Senior Jesse Wells hit critical free throws down the stretch to ice the game for the Eagles.

At press tine for this story, Paris was preparing to host Charleston at Paris Gymnasium for a critical conference match-up for the two schools. Looking forward in next week’s conference schedule, Paris begin the return games of the round robin conference schedule when they host the Gators of Two Rivers high school and return to the road to play at Danville.

Paris is now in the critical second half stretch of the conference schedule that will be important in determining seedings in the boys and girls district tournament. Paris will be at home for several conference games during the second half of the season, and Eagles fans will have the opportunity to see both teams play at home in late January to early February.

Stay with RNN Sports as we continue to bring you coverage of Paris basketball as well as other River Valley high school basketball action!

Arkansas Invitational Opens the 2023 Indoor Track Season on Friday

Sports

Resident News Network

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8:51 pm

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Arkansas Invitational Opens the 2023 Indoor Track Season on Friday

Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Shawn Price.

FAYETTEVILLE – A new season starts this Friday with the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center, and the Arkansas squad will feature plenty of new faces making their Razorback debut.

A live stream of the meet will start at 1 p.m. on SEC Network + (link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=26712c44-7d0e-4d23-b546-633e45bebda0) while live results are available through FlashResults (link: https://flashresults.com/2023_Meets/Indoor/01-13_ArkInvite/).

The Arkansas Invitational starts at 11 a.m. with the men’s shot put contested in the Fowler Family Training Center portion of the indoor facility and the women’s high jump in the Tyson Center. Running events begin at 1 p.m. with races including distances of 300, 600 and 1,000m in addition to traditional 60, 200, 400 and 800m events.

A combination of newcomers to the Arkansas program arrived from the transfer portal as well as the traditional route from high school. The overall result for the Razorbacks is talent and depth across various event areas.

“With the number of transfers we brought in, they’ve blended in really well and we’ve developed some team cohesion,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam. “Now it’s a question of feathering in all of our guys into the first meet of the season.

“We go from all training for months right into a meet. It may sound easy, but it’s not. We’re back from the winter break and haven’t started school yet. So, it’s a question of being really patient with these guys. This is the start of the season, it’s an important meet, but we’re going to take our time and make sure everyone stays healthy.”

The shot put will include two of three transfers with Jordan West and Rojé Stona along with the multi-event crew led by 2022 Bowerman finalist Ayden Owens-Delerme.

The multi-event group will also compete in the pole vault and includes Yariel Soto Torrado, Daniel Spejcher, Noah Swaby, and Marcus Weaver.

“We have a pitch count with a lot of our elite guys, and that pitch count involves being really careful with when we compete them and how we compete them,” noted Bucknam. “This is our first meet of the year and you will see a couple of our throwers compete and we’re excited to watch that.

“You’ll see more of our athletes in their primary event the closer we get to the Razorback Invitational at the end of January.”

Racing at the 300m distance includes James Benson II, Lance Lang, Jeremy Farr, Connor Washington, Devontie Archer and Phillip Anderson. In the 600m, the Razorbacks will feature Chris Bailey, Tristan LaVan, Ricardo Banks, Jadon Bartholomew, Leroy Russell III, and TJ Tomlyanovich.

The 1,000m race will include Elias Schreml, Ben Shearer, Jacob McLeod, Ryan Murphy, Reuben Reina, Luke George, and Tommy Romanow.

Racing in the mile, Lexington Hilton will make his debut in a Razorback uniform. He will be joined by Patrick Kiprop, Myles Richter, Josh Shearer, and Jack Williams along with the Arkansas crew racing at 1,000m.

Phillip Lemonious leads a crew of Razorbacks in the 60m hurdles that includes Matthew Lewis-Banks, Shaka Bogan, and Brevin Sims.

“We’ve got a lot of fire power,” stated Bucknam. “I have to hand it to my coaches, they’ve done a phenomenal job working the recruiting this summer. We’re excited about this season, and you’ll learn these names as we go through the season.

Arkansas alums scheduled to compete include Austen Dalquist (800m), Andrew Irwin (pole vault), LaQuan Nairn (60m), Collin O’Mara (1,000m), Erich Sullins (weight), and Marqueze Washington (60m).

In regard to the importance the transfer portal process has played in producing a very talented Razorback squad for the 2023 season, various aspects on the UA campus have played a hand in Arkansas utilizing that avenue.

“The portal has worked out really well for us,” said Bucknam. “What it comes down to for me is the basics. We have a great university. It’s a phenomenal school, great location, and our facilities are off the charts. It’s a good vibe, especially with the overall success we’re having in Arkansas athletes from football winning bowl games, men’s basketball in the Elite 8 a couple times, baseball in the College World Series, along with all the winning within our athletic department. It’s the perfect storm of a lot of things coming together for us.

“We’ve won seven of the past eight SEC Championships in track and cross country, so we win a lot in that arena. We compete for national titles. Our kids are having a lot of fun when we compete. Winning those championships has made a difference for us in the portal. It’s a great time to be a Razorback.”

Magazine Students Earn All-Region Band Honors

Networks

Resident News Network

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8:33 pm

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Magazine Students Earn All-Region Band Honors

Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly in its entirety from Mr. Jonathan Gipson, Director of School Media Relations, Magazine School District. Mr. Gipson is a RNN Sports contributor, and we thank him for bringing this story to our readers.

MAGAZINE – Four Magazine band students were rewarded for their hard work and talent on Saturday during the Region 8 Band auditions at Fort Smith’s Southside High School.

Junior Brock Gentry, sophomores Briare and Trinidy Harding and freshman Isaiah Ward each earned All-Region honors.

It was the fourth All-Region honor for Gentry, who made the Symphonic Band on trumpet.

Briare Harding earned All-Region honors for the third time and made the Symphonic Band on clarinet. She also qualified to audition for the All-State Band.

It was the third All-Region honor for Trinidy Harding, who made Concert Band on the trombone.

Ward earned All-Region honors for the second time, making the Junior High Symphonic Band on clarinet.

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Photo Credit: Ashley Love / Magazine Schools

Arkansas Activities Association Announces 2023 Regional & State Tournament Host Sites

Resident News Network

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8:02 pm

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Arkansas Activities Association Announces 2023 Regional & State Tournament Host Sites

The Arkansas Activities Association announced on Wednesday the host sites for the 2023 regional and state tournament sites for soccer, baseball, softball, track & field, cross country, and volleyball.

In a press release from the office of Bobby Swofford at the Association, “the Arkansas Activities Association Board of Directors voted on Wednesday on who would be awarded the sites…”

Of note in the River Valley, the County Line Indians will host the 2023 Class A state basketball tournament at County Line High School. The Class 3A state tournament will be held at Lamar High School.

By sport, the regional and state tournament sites announced were:

Soccer

State

6A Fort Smith Southside

5A Valley View (Jonesboro)

4A Robinson (Pulaski County)

3A Bergman

BASEBALL

State

6A Cabot

5A Marion

4A Lonoke

3A Lincoln

2A Greenland

1A Taylor

Regional

4A North – TBD

4A East –Robinson

4A South –De Queen

3A-1 – Valley Springs

3A-2 – Tuckerman

3A-3 – Rose Bud

3A-4 – Genoa Central

2A North – Riverside

2A Central –Magnet Cove

2A West – Greenland

2A South – Horatio

1A-1 – Omaha

1A-2 – West Side Greers Ferry

1A-3 – Wonderview

1A-4 – Bradley

2023 State/Regional Softball

State

6A – Bryant

5A –Marion

4A – Lonoke

3A – Lincoln

2A – Greenland

1A – Taylor

Regional

4A North – TBD

4A East –Robinson

4A South –Ashdown

3A-1 – Valley Springs

3A-2 – Tuckerman

3A-3 – Rose Bud

3A-4 – Genoa Central

2A North – Riverside

2A Central –Magnet Cove

2A West – Greenland

2A South – Horatio

1A-1 – Omaha

1A-2 – West Side Greers Ferry

1A-3 – Wonderview

1A-4 – Bradley

2023 State Track

State

6A – Fort Smith Southside

5A – Lake Hamilton

4A – Clarksville

3A – Prescott

2A – Quitman

1A – Lincoln

Decathlon/Heptathlon

Fayetteville

Meet of Champions

Russellville

2023 Volleyball

State

6A – Conway

5A – Searcy

4A – Shiloh Christian

3A – TBD

2A – Quitman

2023 State/Regional Basketball

State

6A – Rogers

5A –Pine Bluff

4A –Blytheville

3A – Lamar

2A –Rector

1A –County Line

Regional

4A North – Morrilton

4A East – Clinton

4A South – Warren

3A-1 –West Fork

3A-2 –Mountain View

3A-3 –Rose Bud

3A-4 –Drew Central

2A North –Buffalo Island Central

2A Central –Sloan-Hendrix

2A West –Hector

2A South – Fordyce

1A-1 – The New School & Ozark Catholic

1A-2 – Calico Rock

1A-3 – Nemo Vista

1A-4 – Lafayette Co.

Paris Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Newly-Renovated Office

Networks

Resident News Network

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7:42 pm

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Paris Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Newly-Renovated Office

The outstanding work being done by the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce continues, and most recently, the Chamber celebrated the completion of renovation work on the Chamber office on Highway 22 in Paris. Led by executive director Tonya Fletcher and the Chamber board, office space that included interior work that was either donated or deeply discounted by Paris businesses and organizations was on display for business owners last week. The Chamber celebrated the completion of the project with a ribbon cutting ceremony that was held at the office last week.

New businesses continue to open in Paris at a fast pace, and most visible are the great collection of new business ventures that are taking place in the vicinity of the Logan County Courthouse. The new businesses are increasing the circulation of money into the local economy, as well as increasing tax revenue to the city.

The Chamber is thriving in its work by their executive director and the Chamber board. Perhaps an indicator of the interest in the Chamber is illustrated by its annual banquet that is held in February. And again, this year’s banquet is a sell-out.

RNN salutes the work of the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce in making Paris and the surrounding communities the best they can be!

SR Lady Tigers Dominate Dragons, 70-33

Networks

Adam Hecox

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9:48 pm

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The Mansfield Lady Tigers have had their fair share of battles in the 2A over the past couple of seasons. Magical moments at Magazine, amazing games against Acorn, and out of this world showdowns with the Future School Rockets. But win or lose, one team seems to always give Mansfield fits. The Mountainburg Lady Dragons. The Lady Tigers met Mountainburg for the first time in 2023 on Tuesday, January 10th in what was sure to be another knockdown drag out between the Red and Blue 2A powerhouses.

Kaylee Ward (#23) with an “in your face” rejection of a Mountainburg shot.

Past experiences told the Lady Tigers that Mountainburg would be a threat. It didn’t take long for the Lady Dragons to prove their case as they shut down Mansfield’s potent offense for the entire first quarter holding the Lady Tigers to a mere 13-12 lead. When the second quarter clock began to run, it was clear that the Lady Tigers were tired of playing Game of Thrones with Mountainburg. Kaylee Ward brought down the backboards with back-to-back board buckets which took the wind right out from under the Lady Dragons’ wings. Both teams were still playing extremely aggressive defense as fouls began to rack up on almost every player on the court. Mansfield wasn’t perfect with their free throws averaging only one point per free throw set. Fortunately for the Lady Tigers, Mountainburg’s free throw shooting was about the same. What wasn’t off shot for the Lady Tigers, was Mansfield’s three-point accuracy. The Lady Tigers extended their lead behind the shooting skills of Natalie Allison and Brooklyn Adams who both pulled the plug and drained threes with ease. Kynslee Ward tacked on a few unopposed layups to give Mansfield a commanding 34-17 lead over Mountainburg at the half.

Harlie Fuller (#3) plays a game of keep-away against three Lady Dragons.

Although slow starts have been the Lady Tigers calling card in their wins this season, this game was against a Mountainburg team who could potentially explode the second-half scoreboard. The Lady Dragons made a quick boom on the scoreboard by putting up the first second-half points, but Mansfield wasn’t shaken by Mountainburg’s early scoring. That’s because the Lady Tigers have a stick of dynamite who goes by the name of Kynslee Ward and when her fuse is lit, you’d better look out. Ward riddled the Lady Dragons defense with every method of scoring possible. Full-court layups, three-pointers, rebounds with putbacks, free throws, basically, if you can name it, Ward did it. Mansfield called a time-out with 2:58 left in the quarter to give the Lady Tigers a well-deserved breather. The Lady Tigers didn’t cool off though as Kaylee Ward and Alyson Edwards went right back to putting up points. To end the quarter on the right note, Kynslee Ward dropped back-to-back three-point shots to set the score at 52-27 in Mansfield’s favor when the third-quarter buzzer sounded.

Kynslee Ward (#21) shows the Lady Dragons defense how to fly.

The Lady Tigers didn’t take their lead for granted going into the fourth quarter. Alyson Edwards was fouled right off the bat and then turned around and put up a board bucket to force an early time-out by Mountainburg. After the time out, Mansfield sent in their defensive specialist group to close out the game. Normally when Skylynn Harris, Seven Sanderson, Kaylie Lowery, Brooklyn Adams, and Raine Hecox hit the court it means it’s time to run the clock out. Not this time though. Instead, they showed up and showed out on the scoreboard. Seven Sanderson kicked things off with a rebound and put back. Skylynn Harris followed suit with a putback of her own and then knocked down a three-pointer. Sanderson and Harris again dominated the backboards for another pair of baskets which allowed Kaylie Lowery to go unguarded for a sweet spin and swish score. The Lady Tigers continued to pour it on Mountainburg as Raine Hecox made it rain down more points with a long range three-point shot and was backed up by Skylynn Harris who sank the final points of the game with another three-pointer. When it was all said and done, Mansfield walked off the court with a dominant 70-33 win over Mountainburg.

Raine Hecox (#2), Skylynn Harris (#24), and Alyson Edwards (#12) quickly set up their dominant defense.

The victory extends the Lady Tigers overall record to 16-2 and gives them an undefeated 4-0 record in their conference. With their only two losses being to teams from larger conferences (Dover and Springdale Har-Ber) and multiple wins over other bigger teams, the Lady Tigers have nothing to hang their heads about. On the other hand, Mansfield has outscored their conference opponents 242-147 leaving little doubt that they are one of the favorites picked to win it all in 2023. They’ll have to keep working though as they host JC Westside for Homecoming on Friday, January 13th to take on the Lady Rebels. Although JC Westside is beatable, they also have the ability to stun the Lady Tigers too. Mansfield better bring their A-game to keep their immaculate record intact.

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