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Tigers Shine At Waldron Emmet Barnett Memorial

Sports

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5:49 pm

Tigers Shine At Waldron Emmet Barnett Memorial

Mansfield rallies at Waldron’s first annual cross country race, the Tri-County Emmet Barnett Memorial Invitational, behind the strength of 12 medals, 1 first place trophy, and an individual race title.

Thick as thieves, Mansfield’s top trio of Trinity Triska, Laney Wood, and Jadelynn Wood celebrate making the medal stand.

On October 4, the MHS Lady Tigers took home the top team prize in the senior girls division. It was a close battle between Mansfield, Waldron, and Western Yell County before the visiting Tigers prevailed. Mansfield cobbled together 34 team points followed by Waldron’s 43 and WYC’s 44.

For the Mansfield girls it was sister act Laney Wood and Jadelynn Wood scoring premium points to pace the team effort. The pair were fourth and fifth overall leading a charge that saw four of its members finish in the Top 20.

Overall junior boys champion Joey Williams makes his way back to the Mansfield camp as medalist Hunter Whittaker follows.

Sophomore Trinity Triska (13th) and junior Raine Hecox (17th) kept the team in a tight cluster. When sophomore Ashley Martin closed in 25th place, the Tiger total was in the books for the win. Sophomore Addie Bowman was the club’s lone blocker at 26th place.

For the junior boys, it was Joey Williams doing what he does best. The freshman front runner took to the lead and never looked back.

Offering up a wire to wire finish, Williams broke the tape in 8:43.30 for the 1.5 mile loop. The time stamp was 12.1 seconds faster than Waldron’s Eli Connelly who chased for second place.

“It was good to see Joey take this one,” expressed Mansfield coach John Mackey. “He has been the leader in the small school divisions but hasn’t won the overall yet this season. It was good to see him earn this victory.”

Mansfield’s junior boys take third place overall in Waldron.

Close behind Williams was a flock of Tiger teammates. Gunner Williams (5th), Hunter Whittaker (9th), Holden Powers (16th), and Braxton Bartlett (19th) finished in a flurry to post the Mansfield junior boys team score.

One of the team’s stronger runners, freshman Jonah Martin, was absent from the race due to a conflict with the school’s band competition in Perryville. Without the typical number three scorer, the Tiger cubs finished third in the team standings with 47 points.

Lady Tiger seventh grader Abby Smith makes a move for medal contention.

Mena and Waldron prevailed taking the top two team awards with 40 points each. Mena’s number six runner broke the tie giving the Bearcats the championship plaque.

Joining the awards assembly for Mansfield were Rylan Jones, Abby Smith, and Lilly Young. All seventh graders, the trio cross the tape respectively at 5th, 8th, and 15th places.

Jones continued her ascent towards the top of the leaderboard. Her overall time for the 1.5 mile race was 11:31.10.

“Rylan is making progress each week,” offered Mackey. “Her pace workout was pretty good this week. She is inching her way to that ten something range.”

Rylan Jones of Mansfield makes her way to the finish at the Waldron 1.5 mile race.

Smith, who doubles up on the Mansfield junior girls volleyball team as well as the cross country team ran in only her third race of the season. Her 11:47.70 finish planted her firmly within the top ten. The effort earned a second consecutive racing medal.

Young took home her first individual medal of the season. After using most of the regular season to get in shape after joining the team late, Young found success along the Waldron course.

Mansfield’s Holden Powers brings a tight group of runners towards the final stretch in Waldron. Tigers Braxton Bartlett and Joesph Carter push within the pack.

Clarksville College Race Reunite Jones and Moore

Sports

Tammy Teague

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5:26 pm

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Clarksville College Race Reunite Jones and Moore

For the second time this college cross country season, former Mansfield products Darby Jones and Katlynn Moore have crossed paths. Presently running for different university teams, the two have now landed in each other’s new backyards for distance racing competition.

To open the 2022 season, Moore made her way to Jones’ new digs at Ouachita Baptist University as the Purple Tigers hosted their home meet. On Saturday, October 8 the reverse was true as Jones dropped into the University of the Ozarks Eagle’s nest for Moore’s home opener.

Katlynn Moore laces up her running shoes for the U. of O. 5K.

“This was a day I had marked on my calendar for a long time,” said John Mackey, the pair’s former high school coach in Mansfield. “Ozarks Collegiate Invitational was supposed to have had all of Mansfield’s current college runners in the same race. UA Rich Mountain pulled out and ran the Chile Pepper instead. So, the twins (Faith and Hope Rainwater) didn’t get to go.”

Mansfield’s high school cross country coach did get to see two of the four prized pupils off of last season’s Class 2A state runner-up team. Jones, now a Ouachita Baptist Tiger out of Arkadelphia, and Moore, now at U. of O. in Clarksville did get to run.

Darby Jones rushes to the finish in Clarksville.

Jones posted her best collegiate time to date with a 22:43.7 at the Clarksville based 5K course. The measure which landed her in 31st place overall was a minute and 40 seconds faster than her recent trip to the Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola, FL.

“The course in Pensacola was pretty tough,” admitted Jones as the player and coach caught up before Saturday’s race. “It was a lot like running in Arkansas through the trees and such but then there would be these random sand dunes you had to run through.”

“The Ouachita track team got to go with us,” continued Jones. “They lined up along the finish line and cheered us on. The next day we got to spend the day on the beach. It was pretty cool.”

The scenery in Clarksville was a little different. No sand dunes to speak of but plenty of trees did line the upper ridge of the course. The lower field and finish didn’t have track teammates in attendance but it was populated by the familiar faces of Arkansas family and friends.

Perhaps a few ghosts of runners past greeted the players as well. A sinister site of several old abandoned running shoes tied along the fence leading to Clarksville’s course greeted the participants and fans.

“I think that’s been a tradition here for a long time,” said Moore, a freshman for the University of the Ozarks. “Some of the mud runs in the past sucked those shoes right off. They ended up hanging on the fence rail, and the habit stuck.”

Moore finished 63rd overall. Her time was a pedestrian 27:54.2 which admittedly disappointed the Mansfield native.

“We lost our coach a couple of weeks ago,” confessed Moore. “Her husband got a job out of state and their family made the decision to move. Our practices have been a little inconsistent so I wasn’t at my best.”

According to Mansfield’s coach, the inconvenience of finding an interim coach in the middle of the season can’t be of benefit to the Eagle lineup.

“It has to hurt,” shared Mackey. “I believe Ozarks have their conference coming up in a few weeks. My hope is Kat and Darby both find their best pace heading towards the postseason. I’m proud these two are representing what’s possible for Mansfield runners in the future.”

Ouachita easily won the overall women’s title. Six of their runners landed inside the top ten for a near perfect score of 23 points. Ozarks dropped to sixth in the team standings.

The entrance way to the Clarksville based college course is haunted by the legend of runner past.

SR Tigers Overpowered By Charleston

Adam Hecox

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4:46 pm

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The 3A-1 has always been one of the state’s toughest conferences at any level. Each year a different team emerges from the ashes of the previous season to make a run at the top. The Mansfield SR High Tigers started off the season looking like one of those teams too. With an early 4-0 start and a big conference win at West Fork, the Tigers were making some noise in the conference. A slip-up against Greenland stunned the Tigers though and just like that, Mansfield was 1-1 going into the skid row of their 2022 schedule. Lying in wait for a wounded Mansfield was 3A-1 perineal powerhouse Charleston. The pair of Tigers teams came into the contest with a split 2-2 record against each other in the past four years with Charleston winning the previous two contests.

Mansfield defensive lineman, Braxton Byers (#71), looks to disrupt a Charleston pass attempt.
Photo courtesy of Shelly² Photography Videography and Design

Mansfield received the opening kickoff and the battle between the big cats was on. Tigers quarterback, Cole Kindle zipped a pair of good passes to wide receivers Tyler Turnipseed and Daniel Burton to get Mansfield a quick first down. But the drive ended just as quickly as it started, forcing the Tigers to punt the ball. Charleston’s high-octane offense wasted little time getting points on the board with a pair of passes and then another for 29 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers offense struggled to get their rhythm in and wound up being pinned back deep in their own territory to punt. That gave Charleston only 55 yards to drive and drive they did in just seven plays for a touchdown. The extra point was missed but Charleston still led 13-0 in the first quarter. Mansfield’s offense would sustain a good eleven play drive with catches by Tyler Turnipseed, Clint Stovall, Daniel Burton, and Peyton Martin but an unfortunate interception cut the momentum off at the end of the first quarter.

Tigers quarterback, Cole Kindle (#3), take aim at his wide receiver Peyton Martin (#25).
Photo courtesy of Shelly² Photography Videography and Design

Going into the second quarter, Charleston had momentum and the ball back again. Mansfield’s defense held off the Charleston onslaught for eleven plays, but Charleston would connect with a dump pass for another touchdown. Charleston went for a two-point conversion to make up for their previous missed extra point and connected with a pass to achieve that goal setting the score at 21-0 in their favor. The Tigers needed a boost and the boost needed to come quickly. So, when Charleston kicked off, Mansfield got a big boost very quickly from Daniel Burton who returned the kick 96 yards for a Tiger touchdown. Jeremy Strozier tacked on the extra point kick to set the ball game at 21-7. Mansfield’s defense pinned their ears back on Charleston’s next possession as Trey Vaughan, Samuel Burton, Dakota Deer, and Kindel Noblitt teamed up to pressure Charleston’s quarterback on each play while racking up five sacks. The Tigers defense then forced a turnover on downs sending fans in The Jungle into a frenzy.

Mansfield defenders Dakota Deer (#68), Kindel Noblitt (#87), Samuel Burton (#23), and Jeremy Strozier (#7) swarm Charleston’s quarterback.
Photo courtesy of Shelly² Photography Videography and Design

Charleston’s defense next forced a three and out right back at Mansfield giving their offense the ball right back. Charleston was determined not to give the Tigers defense any more momentum and went for all out and shot a pass down the middle of the field. There to greet the ball was none other than Tyler Turnipseed who snagged the pass for a Mansfield interception. Unfortunately, the Tigers offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover and the defense high was grounded with another Charleston touchdown to end the half with Charleston leading Mansfield 28-7.

Tigers running back, Tyler Woolbright (#22), cuts past a pair of Charleston defenders for a big gain.
Photo courtesy of Shelly² Photography Videography and Design

The Tigers were bit by the injury bug in the second half as they lost starting quarterback Cole Kindle. Sophomore, Jeremy Strozier, stepped in as quarterback and led Mansfield’s offense on a few good drives in the second half but the Tigers couldn’t produce any points from the drives. The Tigers defense stepped up a little more in the second half by holding Charleston a little closer by only allowing one touchdown in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. But Mansfield’s first-half deficit was too big to overcome and victory just wasn’t in the cards for the Tigers as Charleston defeated Mansfield with a final score of 42-7. The loss sets the Tigers with a 4-2 overall record, but behind the eight ball in the 3A-1 with a 1-2 conference record.

Tiger defensive linemen, Dakota Deer (#68) and Samuel Burton (#23), team up for a quarterback sack.
Photo courtesy of Shelly² Photography Videography and Design

Mansfield’s skid row of opponents is no joke. Charleston was ranked #3 in the entire state of 3A football programs, and Mansfield must next head to Booneville to face off against a Bearcats team listed as the #2 in the state. Following that there are the up-and-coming Lavaca Golden Arrows who are undefeated right now and then the Tigers will face rivals Cedarville and Hackett. But don’t count Mansfield out just yet. Many of the teams ahead of the Tigers in the conference standings still have to face off against each other. Charleston, Booneville, and Lavaca play each other to close out the final three weeks of the season and the facts are, someone has to lose in each of those games. Mansfield is very capable of cleaning house too. Not only in the rest of their conference schedule to make the playoffs but can also make big waves once they get there. Next, Mansfield will travel to Booneville on Friday, October 14^th.

Freshmen Bulldogs Survive Goblins Scare

Networks

Ross Fujibayashi

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4:33 pm

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Greenwood 9th Grade moves to 5-1 on the season with a 36-35 win over Harrison.

Coming off a tough loss to Farmington in the previous week is never easy. When expectations are high because you are a part of one the top public school football programs in the state, being able to put that in the past and not let it define you is on another level. For the past two seasons the class of 2026 Bulldogs have dropped tough games against Fort Smith Darby. Realistically, in the former River Valley Conference Harrison and Darby were the teams most likely to give this class the toughest games. In 2020, Harrison came to Greenwood and it came down to the final play. Greenwood got the win. In 2021, Greenwood traveled to Harrison, several of their then 8th graders had been moved up to 9th Grade due to numbers. Greenwood wins 43-28. This season, the team knew those kids were back.

Greenwood receives the opening kickoff and his driving into Harrison territory, when a wild bobbled pass is intercepted by Harrison. Harrison drives down the field, and their big running back Eli McNutt takes it in for the score. Kick is good 7-0 3:50 left in the 1st quarter. On Greenwood’s possession, a big run by the quick Wesley Raggio set up several plays in near the goalline for the Bulldogs. Quarterback Cooper Goodwin keeps it and gets the touchdown. Laydn Casanova kicks the field goal to tie the game 7-7. Greenwood’s defense would step up huge, stops by Easton Carter and Ethan Kelley had the Goblins facing a 4th down. Cody Johnson would make the stop on 4th down, giving the ball back to Greenwood on their own 45. Cooper Goodwin finds Raggio for a short pass to end the 1st quarter.

To open the 2nd quarter a facemask penalty gets Greenwood deep into Harrison territory. Cooper Goodwin gets a great run to put them down by the goal line. Wesley Raggio gets it in for the touchdown. Casanova get the field goal to make it 14-7 6:14 left in the half. Harrison’s next drive seems to halt after a stop behind the line by Akira Fujibayashi. A screenplay on 3rd down puts Harrison in the end zone. The field goal is blocked by Cody Johnson making the score 13-14. Greenwood’s next drive would stall out and elect to punt. Harrison takes the opportunity to drive down the field getting the touchdown. They would elect to go for two and get it making the score 21-14 with 16 seconds left in the 1st half. Raggio gets the run and runs out the clock. 21-14 Harrison on top going into Halftime.

Harrison receives the kick but would be stopped on their next drive when Easton Carter puts pressure on the QB. Facing 4th down the Goblins elect to punt. On Greenwood’s drive they also faced 4th down. Gambling on yardage, Cooper Goodwin finds Lawyer Thornsberry, he takes it for the first down and then some on the reception. Greenwood gets down to the Harrison goal line when Brayden Shepard hammers it in, Casanova gets field goal number 3 on the night to make it 21-21. Harrison gets stopped on 3rd down by Caleb Cox and Jin Sayadeth. 4th down they take it to the air and find Lucas Brumley. Few plays later, Payton Reece goes deep and finds Brumley, he scampers into the end zone for his 2nd TD of the night. The kick is good 28-21 1:08 left in the 3rd Quarter. Greenwood is stopped on 4th down turning the ball over to Harrison.

The Goblins would meet the full brunt of the Greenwood defense. Tuomeng Tung would come in and make a big stop on 3rd down behind the line of scrimmage. Harrison would elect to punt. On 2nd down, Harrison would send an outside linebacker who was met at the line. Raggio would scamper behind the blocks from his offensive line for the score. Casanova gets the field goal tying the game 28-28. On the ensuing kickoff Harrison’s Lucas Brumley takes it to the end zone kick good 35-28 3:30 left in the 2nd half. On Greenwood’s next possession Raggio would get his second 35 yrd TD run getting his 3rd TD. Head Coach Luke Hales opts to go for 2, Goodwin finds longtime teammate Cody Johnson in the end zone to go up 36-35 with 2:14 left in the 4th. On the ensuing kickoff they kick it back to Brumley. He’s first hit by Goodwin, Blaze McDaniel wraps him up and gets him down. 1st down McNutt is stopped by Akira Fujibayashi on a 1yd gain. 2nd Blaze McDaniel steps in front of the pass intended for Brumley breaking it up. 3rd down Harrison tries for the screen but tripped after the catch. 4th down, Harrison throws an incomplete pass turning the ball back over. Goodwin would take the knee to run out the clock. Greenwood wins 36-35

Unofficially Wesley Raggio finished with 235 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Brayden Shepard with 39 yards 1 TD and Cooper Goodwin with 55 yards and 1 touchdown.

“It was a great night to be a Bulldog.” Head Coach Luke Hales said. On the two-point conversion to seal the game. “We don’t want a tie, we are trying to win the game. As a staff we make the decision we want to go for it.” Coach Hales on Raggio’s performance “And none of it wouldn’t have happened without the offensive line. They really stepped up tonight. We moved some guys around and we were mauling them. Harrison is tough up front, those kids are big and strong, but our kids got after it.”

“Our line was amazing tonight, they blocked perfectly. Our line [is] the reason we won tonight.” Running Back Wesley Raggio said. Cooper Goodwin praised the Offensive Line play as well “We were able to just run the ball the whole night.” Cody Johnson had a big night as well on both sides of the ball. “Not going to lie I thought I was going to drop it.” Johnson said of his two-point catch.

The race for the Conference title just got a bit more interesting. Shiloh is in sole possession of the conference as they are undefeated. Farmington who beat Greenwood, has two losses now to Dardenelle and Harrison. Harrison has two losses to Greenwood and Shiloh. Shiloh still has to play Farmington and Greenwood. Greenwood has Siloam Springs and Pea Ridge before making the trip to Shiloh, if Greenwood is able to win the next two games the and Shiloh does the same, the Conference title may be decided at Shiloh on October 27. The Bulldogs would still have to win the next week after that against Alma. If this author’s math is correct.

The 9th Grade Bulldogs are on the road next week in Siloam Springs.

Farrah Crossno *Photo RNN Sports Ross Fujibayashi*

Obituary – Darren “Red” Allen (1965-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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3:17 pm

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Obituary – Darren “Red” Allen (1965-2022)

Darren Jay Allen (Red), 57, of Waldron, Arkansas, passed away on September 22, 2022.

Darren was born on April 9, 1965 to Joan E. Allen in Upland, California. After Darren graduated from high school, he pursued a career in heating and air conditioning. In 1994, Darren and Mary Beth Imperiali, his soulmate, moved to Waldron, Arkansas, where they spent the rest of their lives. Red had one stepson, Travis Imperiali (Ashley), and he loved the kids, Summer and Travin.

Red worked for Vaughn’s Heating and Air for years. He loved music, cars (specifically hot rods and muscle cars), and hanging with friends. Red also enjoyed a good laugh and had mastered the art of making others laugh. He had a special place in his heart for animals and cherished his dogs.

Darren was preceded in death by Joan E. Allen, mother; Bob Van Hyning, uncle; and Mary Beth Imperiali. Darren is survived by Michael (Barbara) Allen, brother; Jill Pesante, aunt; Sonya Landry, cousin; Danielle Kanavy, cousin; Travis, Ashley, Summer, and Travin Imperiali; as well as extended family and a host of friends.

A memorial service will be held at Square Rock Cemetery on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a local animal shelter, given Red’s love of animals.

Obituary – Kenneth Ray Nevills (1941-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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3:17 pm

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Obituary – Kenneth Ray Nevills (1941-2022)

Kenneth Ray Nevills, 81, of Cauthron, Arkansas went to be with his Lord and Savior, Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at his home. Kenneth was born on April 19, 1941 to Oval and Avanell (Whitmire) in Bates, Arkansas.

Kenneth was married to the love of his life Geanetta (Rose) in 1959. He retired from the Waldron furniture factory and became a cattle and poultry rancher. Kenneth could always be seen driving his tractor down the side of the road and would greet everyone with a smile and a wave. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and coaching his children Troy, Travis and Marlene and their friends in several youth sports teams. He also ran the chain gang at Waldron football games for 25 years.

Kenneth leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife Geanetta (Rose), one daughter, Marlene Summerhill and husband Brian of Van Buren, Arkansas. Papaw will forever remain in the hearts of his grandchildren: Hunter Nevills and Mariah, Darby Summerhill, Bryson Summerhill, Brett Summerhill, and great-grandchildren Ashton Nevills, Macie Nevills and Haston Nevills.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents, Oval and Avanell Nevills, one son Travis Nevills and a baby brother, Jimmie Nevills.

Kenneth’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 7, 2022 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Mark Ward officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.

Kenneth’s family will receive friends Friday, October 7, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

You may leave words of comfort and remembrance for Kenneth’s family by visiting: www.heritagememorialfh.com.

Obituary – Virginia Sue (Elmore) Eckle (1945-2022)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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3:16 pm

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Obituary – Virginia Sue (Elmore) Eckle (1945-2022)

Virginia Sue Eckle of Mansfield, Arkansas went to be with our precious heavenly Father October 6, 2022.

Virginia was the best mother, mother-in-law, wife, Granny, and sibling anyone could ask for. Virginia will be so missed by all of her family.

Virginia is survived by her husband Tom Eckle Sr of the home, one son Tom Eckle Jr and Judith “aka” Judy of Waldron, two beautiful granddaughters who were the love of her life. Lacey and Danny Fletcher of Kimberling City, MO and Summer and Chase Taake of Ft Smith.

Virginia has two sisters: Delpha McConnell, Teresa and Gary Clark of Mansfield; 9 great-grandchildren: Ally, Jaxen, Caroline and Booth Fletcher; Bryce, Dilan and Alex Brimble; Penelope and Mila Taake.

Virginia is preceded in death by her siblings Kenneth, Gearld, Hurley & Carroll Elmore, one son Justin Tyrone and one grandson Bryce Eckle, also her mother and father June and Hobert Elmore.

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.

JR Tigers Humbled By Charleston

Adam Hecox

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2:27 pm

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The Mansfield JR Tigers took 2022 by storm racking up five consecutive wins over some pretty stiff competition along the way. The Tigers hadn’t seen this kind of performance in their JR High program in many years so fans high on the hog with their success. But with all of the success Mansfield had early on in the season, they knew that the middle of their schedule would bring along tough challenges. Those challenges started on Thursday, October 6^th when Mansfield traveled to Charleston to take on the perineal powerhouse black and gold Tigers. With both teams coming into the contest undefeated, both knew that only one Tiger would reign supreme.

Matthew “Bear” Burton returns to opening kickoff.

Mansfield started off with the ball and went straight to work with their ground and pound rushing attack. Ethan Martin took the first handoff and racked up a five yard gain and like clockwork, Zander Walters was picked to run the second play and gained four yards. Typical Mansfield JR High football right? Unfortunately for the Tigers, Charleston was able to do something no team up to that point had done. Charleston punched the Tigers right in the mouth on third and fourth down shutting down the run game and forcing Mansfield to turn the ball over. With Mansfield in still in shock, Charleston gave the Tigers a dose of their own medicine as they used their own rushing attack to drive 27 yards in three plays to score. Charleston added a two point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead on the JR Tigers.

Mansfield’s defense teams up for a huge tackle.

The Tigers quickly jumped back into game mode after the ensuing kickoff, but not with their normal power run game. This time they showed their depth at the running back position as Travien Copeland used speed rather than power to run the ball for a big 20 yard pick up. Quarterback Cooper Edwards then jumped into the mix by faking the handoff and keeping the ball to eat up 18 yards putting Mansfield deep in Charleston territory. A Zander Walters run brought Mansfield within striking distance at the ten yard line but on the very next play, disaster struck. Charleston tipped a Mansfield pass and intercepted the ball taking it 90 yards for what looked to be a touchdown. A little bit on laundry on the field negated the Charleston score but they would not be denied as just two plays later they put the ball in the end zone. Another two point conversion put Charleston up 16-0 as the first quarter ended.

Travien Copeland puts the moves o a Charleston defender.

The Tigers again tried to shift their offense into drive, but Charleston forced them into reverse instead as Mansfield was forced to punt. Charleston’s offense on the other hand was in full on overdrive. Mansfield’s defense could not shut down Charleston’s three headed monstrous offense who passed the ball well, ran the ball great, and even threw in some options. The JR Tigers helped them out a little bit too by missing assignments and not tackling well. Charleston ate up five minutes of clock in the second quarter before scoring again on the Tigers defense. The teams would go back and forth for the next couple of series with Charleston ending up with the last possession of the half. Mansfield’s defense stood strong this time though as they held Charleston at the one yard line keeping them from scoring before halftime. The bowing up of the defense was good, but a tad late as Charleston lead Mansfield 24-0 at the half.

Zander Walters eyes a first down as he sprints downfield.

Charleston started the second half with the ball and began swinging for a knockout punch. Although Mansfield was down, they’re defense still swung back with all they had. Unfortunately, one of those swings missed and Charleston took advantage of it with a 58 yard run for a touchdown. Now down 32-0, a lot of teams would throw in the towel, but not the Tigers. Mansfield stuck to their guns and ran the ball with Zander Walters and Ethan Martin to get some momentum going. With the rushing attack starting to gain some speed, Cooper Edwards hit Ethan Martin on a swing route pass and Martin took it 49 yards downfield from there. The Tigers used some trickery with a cross pattern handoff between Walters and Martin with Martin getting the ball for a 4 yard Tiger Touchdown. Mansfield went for the two point conversion but it failed setting the score at 32-6 in Charleston’s favor with 3:55 left in the third quarter. That’s as close as Mansfield would get though as both squads went scoreless in the fourth quarter to end the game giving Charleston the 32-6 final score and victory.

Dominic Shores looks to block a path for Ethan Martin on a big Tiger run.

Now sitting with a 5-1 overall record and 3-1 conference record, the JR Tigers still have a shot at gaining at least a share of the conference title or conference runner-up come seasons end. But if they plan to achieve that chance, they have to learn from their recent loss. Sometimes it takes a shot to the ol’ kisser for a team to realize that no matter how good they think they are, they will always have work to do. But they will have to work in a quick manner because the next team on their door step is the Booneville Bearcats. It’s been two years since Booneville has been in the 3A-1 so the players on the JR Tigers team have not had the chance to face them yet in their career and know little about the Bearcats. A win over such a prized program as Booneville could catapult them sky high while a loss could be detrimental to the rest of their season. Either way, the game is set and both teams will have to be ready when Mansfield hosts the Bearcats on Thursday, October 13^th.

Eagles Continue to Play Hard, But Lose at Home to Jessieville, 50-21

Resident News Network

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3:52 am

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Eagles Continue to Play Hard, But Lose at Home to Jessieville, 50-21

After facing a very tough first half of the season schedule against several teams who were physically bigger and more experienced than the young Paris Eagles, the Jessieville Lions visited Eagles Stadium in a 3A-4 conference game. The Lions were more comparable to the Eagles in both size and experience. Both teams have also struggled this year, and both communities have battled through their own tragedies.

But the game also reflected the frustration of both teams having had limited success so far in the 2022 season. And when the night was over, Paris had two players ejected from the game along with an injury to one of their quarterbacks.

In the second half, starting quarterback Maddox Watts became the second Eagle to be ejected for each player having incurred two personal fouls during the game. When Watts left the game, the Eagles did not have a quarterback left on the game roster. Senior Mason Bradley who plays running back on offense was forced into the emergency quarterback role to finish much of the second half.

Bradley was forced to carry the football on many of the downs he played as quarterback, adding to the difficulty of playing the position when everyone knew he was probably going to run the football. But Bradley had a great deal of success, and his gritty and tough running ignited Paris. The Eagles scored twice in the second half.

Now, it will remain to be seen how Paris will recover from both their injuries and player ejections next week when they host Two Rivers for homecoming.

A couple of things of note for Paris fans…first, there was a good home crowd to support the Eagles on Friday night. The Paris community can be very proud of how the Eagles’ fans showed up in big numbers to support their team who has been struggling all season. Secondly, the team continues to play hard and, once again, never gave up in the football game. And finally, the young players on the roster continue to improve. There are glaring problems on the offensive line, and defensively, the Eagles have trouble stopping opposing offenses. But as I have talked about virtually all season, it just boils down to a rebuilding year for Paris, and the team has to continue to work hard and know that better times will eventually come to the players, coaches, and the fan base.

Paris has another opportunity to compete next week on homecoming night. The Eagles will have to get well and get ready to once again give it their all.

Photos from tonight’s game will be available on Facebook next week at Paris Eagles Sports. Look for a special homecoming preview of next week’s game, along with a feature on the 2022 Paris homecoming court in next week’s Logan County weekly newspaper. If you have not already subscribed, you can get your copy by going to the RNN website at residentnewsnetwork.com and clicking on the subscription link.

Timepiece: Indian Mounds and Arrow Heads

Featured

Tammy Teague

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12:07 am

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Timepiece: Indian Mounds and Arrow Heads

By Dr. Curtis Varnell

My neighbor sauntered over to my backyard. “Got something to show you,” he exclaimed, a satisfied look on his face. I could tell by the excitement in his voice that he had something that he knew would excite me. He wasn’t wrong! In his hands was the biggest arrow-head shaped object I had ever seen. Measuring at least a foot and a half long and half that wide, it was composed of hand-worked flint and probably weighed fifty pounds. I was astounded and hooked. I had picked up my share of arrowheads and pieces of pottery but had never, ever seen anything in comparison. I whistled, “Where did you get that Paul? I knew I wasn’t going to get a positive answer and I was right. “Down near the river in the bottoms,” he smirked, knowing I was dying for an answer he was unwilling to reveal.

I get to check out a lot of historical items and this was one of the most interesting ever. I am certainly no expert on native archeology but my friend, former U/A professor George Sabo is and, after examination, he determined the stone was one of the largest plow points ever found. We still don’t know exactly where it was found but it was local to the River Valley.

My wife and her family are avid arrowhead and artifact hunters. Like most families, we have a number of points that were found locally and the story behind each find. When settlers first arrived in the region, there were three major tribes found in Arkansas, the Caddo, Quapaw, and the Osage. All hunted the river valley but none were exactly predominant in the region, a fact that lead to the Cherokee settling along the Arkansas river in the early 1800’s. Prior to that time, natives were more than likely a group called the Mississippian and were probably decimated by disease brought to America by explorers. From the number of mounds and artifacts, it is obvious that large numbers of natives occupied the region.

Some of the best artifacts came from the Carden Bottoms near Dardanelle and Danville. Excavations there indicated a thriving population and thousands of artifacts have been found including spear and arrow points, decorated pottery, grindstones, and burial sites. Many of them have been excavated and destroyed over the years but many artifacts can still be enjoyed at the U/A archeology center and various museums.

I really enjoy rock art left by natives. There are many sites around; one of the best is on the soft cliff face near the old Spanish Mine on the Mulberry River. I take teachers yearly to study and enjoy the thousand-year-old images drawn on the rock and to have Mr. Jones show them the grindstones and artifacts that he has collected nearby. Rock Cave on Petite Jean mountain is another public site but I have also located many others in the caves along Seven-hollow trail and elsewhere. Friends, thinking I am the native expert I am not, have taken me to other sites north of Clarksville and in the caves of the Boston Mountain. I am astonished at the numbers and quality of the artwork and it always excites me to visit.

Scattered around the region are also mounds built as ceremonial and burial sites for the Indians. I think I lived near one at Paris, having once discovered a leather bag containing several of what we called Indian marbles. Perfectly smooth and as large as an egg, the white rock was painted a deep, dark red in color. It now resides, along with other artifacts, in the Logan County Museum.

There is just so much history to be enjoyed in our region. From Native American art to settlers to those who have traveled through and visited, we are rich in stories and culture. Write down the history of your ancestors, find out about the artifacts they own, and preserve the stories of our existence.

R

RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK