Resident News Network

7th Grade Bulldogs Maul Sand Lizards

Networks

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10:28 pm

The 7th Grade Bulldogs beat the Sand Lizards of Dardenelle 34-16

Lead by a potent offense and a swarming defense the 7th Grade Bulldogs have proved to be a tough team early in the season. “They fly to the football. When we pause the film at the end, there’s eleven guys around the ball.” said Jr. High Head Coach Luke Hales. While the first half the ‘Dogs stymied the Dardanelle offense, Greenwood only had one drive in the first quarter and another in the second.

Dardanelle would receive the Braxton Canada kick but stall out punting the ball away. Greenwood’s Drew Dickinson would then find the end zone, a failed point after attempt would leave the score 6-0. Dardanelle would run out the rest of the first quarter clock.

Dardanelle would end their drive within Greenwood territory on the 23 yard line. Greenwood would get the ball back and get things moving on a long run from Braxton Canada. Dabin Gaines would find Canada again for 6 with 1:47 left in the half. Dardanelle would try a Hail Mary only to be nearly intercepted by Jubal Parks. Greenwood would head into halftime with a 12-0 lead.

Starting the 2nd half the Bulldogs would be quick to put points on the board with Dickinson taking the kickoff to the end zone, two-point conversion would fail leaving the score 18-0. Dardanelle would try to rally on the next drive but a fumble recovery by Jax Cepada would eliminate their chance. Dabin Gaines would then find a open William Rye, who would run it in for the touchdown. on the Two point, Dabin Gaines would call his own number and punch it in. 26-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, a Sand Lizard fumble would be recovered by Chandler Overton setting up the Bulldogs in Dardanelle territory. Gaines would pass it to Canada who would then pitch it to Dickinson. Drew would then take it in for the final Greenwood touchdown. Drew would then get the call again and get the two point, the ‘Dogs with a comfortable lead 34-0.

The fourth quarter would see Greenwood’s defense give up two touchdowns on from Dardanelle’s CJ Cursh.

Greenwood would end regulation 34-16. During the 5th quarter to get players reps, both teams failing to score.

“Our offense is talented, we have got to get better. We have got to do things right. We have to get more comfortable, that just comes with reps.” Coach Hales went on to praise the Pittbulls coaches on the preparedness of the 7th Grade players. “They have been taught well before they got to us, so now it’s our job to take it even further.”

7th Grade will be in action next week in Van Buren.

9th Grade Dogs Win In Overtime

Networks

Ross Fujibayashi

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10:27 pm

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Greenwood 9th Grade would beat Dardanelle 36-35 in Overtime.

Greenwood’s 9th Grade squad put on a show similar to that from a couple weeks ago when the Varsity team hosted Northside. Facing a 13 point deficit in the first quarter the Freshmen Bulldogs clawed their way back to win in Overtime.

“This was a special night for Greenwood Bulldog Football in general. We dressed out every single kid from 7th through 9th grade tonight. Our High School team was down here supporting us, it’s a special time to be a Greenwood Bulldog”
Junior High Head Coach Luke Hales

Greenwood would get the opening kick and and proceed to drive down the field with Wesley Raggio getting the touchdown and Cassanova’s kick. Dardanelle’s Rod Chaten would answer back with a Touchdown of their own. Jesus Garcia’s kick would be good making the score 7-7. On the ensuing kickoff Greenwood would fumble giving the ball to the Sand Lizards. Their drive would stall forcing them to punt. Greenwood would take over running out the rest of the 1st quarter clock.

Greenwood’s drive in the 2nd quarter would stall as well forcing a Cooper Goodwin punt down to the Dardanelle 1 yard line. An offsides penalty would put the ball at the 6-yard line, where Jesus Garcia would for a Touchdown, his point after was good putting the Sand Lizards on top 14-0. On the next drive the Dardanelle defense would be waiting and take an interception in for a touchdown. A fumbled snap on the point after would have Garcia trying to run outside only to be met by the Greenwood defense, 20-7.

Greenwood would fumble the hand off with Dardanelle recovering. The Sand Lizards would not be able to capitalize and punt the ball away. Cooper Goodwin on 4th down would find a wide-open Brayden Shepard for the touchdown, Cassanova would add the point after. Dardanelle would get one play before running out the clock to go to Halftime with the score 20-14 Dardanelle on top.

Dardanelle would receive the 2nd half kickoff then punt pinning the Bulldogs deep in their own territory. Greenwood would fail to get the first down and then be blocked on the punt. Dardanelle would take over and run to the left. In the process of being tackled Rod Chaten would fumble into the end zone giving the ball back to the Bulldogs on a touchback. Greenwood would then drive down the field behind the big offensive line with Cooper Goodwin getting the touchdown, the Cassanova kick would give Greenwood their first lead since the opening drive, 21-20. Greenwood would stop the Dardanelle offense forcing another punt, ending the 3rd quarter.

Greenwood would end their drive with a punt. Dardanelle would take advantage with Rod Chaten taking the ball again in for the touchdown. Dardanelle’s two-point attempt would be good pushing the score to 28-21. Wesley Raggio would take the Dardanelle kick to midfield, then after a time chewing drive Raggio gets the touchdown. Cassanova’s kick would tie the game 28-28 with 2:59 left in the 4th.

Farah Crossno’s kickoff would be recovered by Michael Shaw giving Greenwood another shot to wi the game. The drive would stop with Greenwood punting. Dardanelle would run out the clock sending the game into Overtime.

The Sand Lizards would start from the 10 and get four tries to put points on the board. As tradition would have it the Varsity squad arrives to watch 9th Grade after their team dinner. The Varsity team now stood shoulder to shoulder on the sideline. Dardanelle would use all four downs and get in on a Jesus Garcia 1 yd run, the point after would be good. 35-28.

Greenwood gets their shot. Lawyer Thornsberry would snag the 2nd down pass from Goodwin and get them to the 5-yard line. Bringing in the heavy package Cooper Goodwin would take it to the right diving to the end zone but come up short. On 4th down and sideline and crowd growing louder, Goodwin would again call his own number punching it in behind that line for the Touchdown. Offense would remain on the field with Coach Hales going for 2. Goodwin would take the snap go up the middle and get the two-point conversion. Game Over, Dardanelle 35, Greenwood 36.

As the 9th graders did when their classmate Kane Archer found Sophomore Grant Karnes for the win against Northside, the Varsity squad rushed the field to congratulate the upcoming underclassmen.

“9th Grade was awesome.” Said Coach Hales “We shot ourselves in the foot, you know we gave them the ball, we gave them opportunities. And with the talented players they have they are going to take advantage.”

“We have got to be more aggressive. We’ve got break down keep them in front. We’ve got to be physical.” In preseason Coach Hales mentioned that the offensive line would be the difference maker, he remarked “It was tonight!” he went on to say “We feel so confident running behind our big boys.”

Asked about going for two in Overtime on if it was an easy decision he replied, “I think so, with the Overtime time rules they (Dardanelle) have the opportunity to switch the ends of the field if we just tied right there. All of our kids were down here, they’re hyping us up so we just wanted to go for it on this end.”

“Proud of our Assistant Coaches our kids, they clawed and they fought. Just so proud of them.” said Coach Hales.

The 9th Grade Bulldogs will take a trek across the river and take on Van Buren in another conference matchup on Sept. 22nd.

JR Tigers Dominate Hackett In Conference Rivalry Game

Adam Hecox

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10:12 pm

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JR Tigers Dominate Hackett In Conference Rivalry Game

For those who may not know, the town of Mansfield sits in two counties. This places the Tigers with basically two rivalry games each year. The JR High Tigers had already been crowned the 2022 Scott County champions with a big win over Waldron, but when you have two rivals in two counties, you strive for the double whammy. So on Thursday, September 15th the Tigers traveled to Hackett to take on the Hornets for the coveted Sebastian County title. With the game being for bragging rights and an early lead in conference play, both teams knew how big this small-town showdown was for them.

The JR High Tigers getting a master plan from coaches Keith Stovall, Layton Robinson, and Daniel Martin.
Photo courtesy of Lita Hecox

Right off the bat, the Hornets tried to get a jump on Mansfield with an onside kick, but instead, the kick rolled out of bounds giving Mansfield good field position. Mansfield didn’t waste time on offense. With their Tigers first snap as Zander Walters took the handoff from Cooper Edwards and busted a 17-yard run. Ethan Martin got the next run and gained 11 yards on the Hackett defense. Hackett knew they had to stop Walters and Martin, but lost track of the fact that the Tigers are a battleship of offensive weapons. Mansfield ran quarterback Cooper Edwards and running back Dawson Robinson for positive yards then Martin took the ball around the corner for a 28-yard gain putting Mansfield at the one-yard line. A single yard was simple for Zander Walters as he punched the ball in for a Tiger touchdown. Walters also ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to give Mansfield an 8-0 first quarter lead.

The Tigers offense lines up in preparation for a Tiger touchdown.
Photo courtesy of Lita Hecox

Mansfield’s defense forced Hackett to go three and out on the Hornets first offensive possession giving the Tigers the ball right back. Ethan Martin and Dawson Robinson kept the running game going strong which caused Hackett to become one-dimensional on defense. Seeing an opportunity to make an airdrop, Cooper Edwards found a wide open Dominic Shores on a 23-yard pass and score. The two-point conversion was good with a Zander Walters run and the game was quickly 16-0 in Mansfield’s favor. Hackett’s offense kicked it into overdrive once they got the ball back and began to drive the field on the Tigers defense. The teams switched ends of the field for the start of the second quarter which was bad luck for the Hornets.

On their first possession of the second quarter, Hackett aimed for the endzone with a pass but Dominic Shores became the unintended target as he picked the ball off at the one-yard line. Although the Tigers got the ball back with Shores interception, their drive for another score stalled out and Mansfield was forced to punt. The stars seemed to be aligned just right for Mansfield though as Hackett muffed the catch allowing Mansfield to recover. What comes around goes around though as a Mansfield pass was intercepted by the Hornets but Dominic Shores would make another pick of his own to give Mansfield the ball back again as the back-and-forth turnover battle continued. The Tigers kickstarted their offense with a Matthew Burton reverse for 28 yards but the drive ended soon after due to Hackett’s solid pass defense. Halftime couldn’t come soon enough for both teams due to the ping pong turnover game, but when the half did arrive, the Tigers walked off the field up 16-0.

Cooper Edwards hands the ball off to running back Zander Walters.
Photo courtesy of Lita Hecox

Hackett started the second half on offense and the Tigers defensive line made sure the Hornets had a short tenure with the ball. Cadien Ore, Logan Ore, James Bausley, and Matthew Burton swamped the Hornets backfield and forced a quick punt by Hackett. Unfortunately for Mansfield, the turnover curse wasn’t done yet as Mansfield fumbled the ball right back to the Hornets. Before anyone knew it, the Hornets made it down to the 10-yard line and were in a prime position to score. That’s when the Tigers linebackers corps took charge. Alex Hecox, Dawson Robinson, Zander Walters, and Ethan Martin left Hackett with negative yardage on four straight plays as Hackett turned the ball over on downs. Now with the ball back, Mansfield’s offense made running the ball look “E-Z”. Ethan Martin and Zander Walters combined to shave off 85 yards on Hackett’s defense and capped the drive off with a nine-yard Walters touchdown. Cooper Edwards took the snap and ran a “Cooper Keeper” for the two-point conversion to stretch the game out to a 24-0 score in Mansfield’s favor.

The Tigers may have thought they had the game in the bag, but the Hornets had other plans. Hackett gashed Mansfield’s defense in just a handful of plays to quickly score and close the gap to 24-8 in the third quarter. The Tigers roared back with their stable of running back studs and picked up a score to answer with a Zander Walters run but didn’t get the extra point leaving the score at 30-6. Hackett began to drive on Mansfield’s defense as they did on their last possession, but the Brothers of Destruction, Logan and Cadien Ore made sure that didn’t happen. The twins busted through the Hornets offense as Cadien Ore slammed into Hackett’s quarterback forcing a fumble with Logan Ore recovering the ball. Once the Tigers offense was back on the field, Ethan Martin made the worst-case scenario look too sweet. Martin took a handoff from Cooper Edwards, fumbled the ball, the ball took a bounce right back into Martin’s hands, and next thing you know it’s a 53-yard Tigers touchdown. Martin then put up the two-point conversion which set the scoreboard at 38-6 Mansfield.

Ethan Martin gives a Hackett defender the ol’ stiff arm.
Photo courtesy of Lita Hecox

Hackett would add another score but couldn’t swarm up enough points to come back as the Tigers won with a 38-16 final. “Last night was a learning experience for the team as a whole. We had some mistakes that could have been bad, but they overcame them. I feel the players may have turned a corner in the way they handled such a physically demanding game. I’m very proud of this team and this was a big win for them” said head coach Tim Cothran. The victory puts the JR Tigers with a 3-0 overall record, 1-0 conference record, and in control of bragging rights in both Scott and Sebastian county for 2022. With that much going in Mansfield’s favor, one would think the team would be elated but Mansfield is eyeing something bigger……a 3A-1 Conference Championship. The Tigers still have six more conference opponents on the schedule and until they beat them all, they will continue to be unsatisfied. Next up on Mansfield’s conference hit list is the West Fork Tigers. The JR Tigers will host West Fork on Thursday, September 22nd.

RNN Special: Watch for Hogs vs Missouri State Special Post-Game Coverage on Sunday!

Resident News Network

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8:29 pm

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RNN Special: Watch for Hogs vs Missouri State Special Post-Game Coverage on Sunday!

Razorbacks fans, RNN Sports will again have a photojournalist on the sideline this Saturday night at Razorbacks Stadium as the Top Ten nationally-ranked Razorbacks host the Missouri State Bears and former Arkansas coach, Bobby Petrino. Ms. Salena Shelly will be taking action photos from the field to share with our readers following the game on Sunday!

Watch for this story on Sunday in RNN Sports on our online platform at residentnewsnetwork.com. The story and photos will be accessible online at no charge to our readers.

Stay with RNN Sports for Arkansas football coverage, and…GO HOGS!

Charleston Defeats Ozark 34-20 in “Battle for Franklin County”

Resident News Network

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8:09 pm

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Charleston Defeats Ozark 34-20 in “Battle for Franklin County”

The Charleston Tigers defeated the Ozark Hillbillies last Friday night in the “Battle for Franklin County”, 34-20, and in doing so improved their overall record to 2-0 on the season. Charleston has now defeated the top two predicted finishers in the 4A-1 conference.

Charleston now turns their attention to the Nashville Scrappers, another 4A team that will visit Alumni Field tomorrow. RNN Sports will be on hand to bring you exclusive coverage of the game with the Scrappers and will feature it on both the RNN online platform this weekend and in the weekly Logan County newspaper the week of September 22.

Charleston will go on the road next week to Greenland as the Tigers will take on the Greenland Pirates in the opening game of 3A-1 conference play. Watch for a preview of the Greenland game in next week’s Logan County newspaper.

Sometimes a good team has to win games when they are not quite playing their best, and Tigers fans may see last week’s game with Ozark as an example. But, from an optimistic standpoint, good teams can win when they are not quite playing their best, and a victory over a very good Ozark team when not quite playing up to speed is a positive sign for Charleston. The Tigers are very good and very athletic, and as long as they can dodge the injury bug that many teams deal with throughout the season, the Tigers will be in good shape as they head to their showdown at Booneville on October 21.

In two games, senior Tigers quarterback Brandon Scott has now passed for 367 yards on 33 attempts and 23 completions. He has a 68.7% completion percentage and averages just over 11 yards per completion. He has not been sacked, and has thrown three touchdown passes and just one interception.

Scott also leads all rushers for the Tigers with 133 yards rushing in his first two games. He has three rushing touchdowns and no fumbles.

Defensively, Reese Merechka leads the Charleston defense with eight solo tackles in two games, along with four assisted. Brycen Kindrix has added one interception for the Tigers on the young season.

Yours truly will be at Alumni Field tomorrow night to bring you special coverage of the Tigers game with Nashville. This should be a great high school football game with a lot of talent on the field for both teams. We will have a post game story on the game late Friday night along with a feature story the week of September 22 in the Logan County newspaper. I am looking forward to seeing all of the Charleston fans on Friday night, and I hope you have secured your subscription to the Logan County paper. In fact, the paper has grown so rapidly that it includes much more than just Logan County news and sports. Our reach is now up and down Highway 22, incorporating several communities into our coverage, and we are honored to bring you Charleston sports coverage!

If you have not yet subscribed, you can do so by going to residentnewsnetwork.com and clicking on the subscription link.

See you tomorrow night at Alumni Field!

Bear hunters can help study increased occurrence of mange in Arkansas bears

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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2:20 am

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Bear hunters can help study increased occurrence of mange in Arkansas bears

Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is asking anyone who harvests a bear in the Ouachita Mountains or Ozarks to help collect liver samples from their bear to help research mange in the Ozark bear population.

The liver samples needed aren’t used to determine the presence of mange, but the presence of possible contributing factors to the rise in cases seen recently.

According to Myron Means, AGFC large carnivore program coordinator, the first case of mange reported in Arkansas bears came in 2018. That year, four cases were documented in Ozarks bears. Since that time, sightings of bears with mange have steadily increased in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Mange is caused by mites (cousins of ticks and chiggers) that occur naturally in Arkansas. These mites rarely cause an issue, but that has changed in recent years.

“Sarcoptes scabies is the mite that causes bear mange, and it’s been around ever since bears have been around,” Means said. “The bear’s immune response usually allows it to live without seeing too many harmful effects from the mites, but something seems to have changed with some bears in the Ozarks.”

Dr. Jenn Ballard, state wildlife veterinarian for the AGFC, and AJ Riggs, AGFC wildlife health biologist, are working with Means to gather biological samples to determine any underlying cause contributing to the apparent increase in mange cases.

“Toxins, viruses and other environmental factors may be increasing the frequency of clinical mange, or it could be a new form of the mite,” Ballard said. “Evidence of toxins could be detected in the livers of legally harvested bears to help us compare bears with and without mange.”

Hunters who take a bear, whether it has mange or not, can submit a 3-inch by 3-inch square of the bear’s liver to help with this research. The sample can be placed in aluminum foil or a zip-sealed bag and placed in one of the many testing containers used to collect samples of chronic wasting disease from deer hunters.

“We have dozens of freezers throughout Bear Zones 1 and 2, so the network to collect scientific samples is really already in place,” Riggs said. “All hunters have to do is submit a tennis-ball-sized portion of the bear’s liver in one of the bags provided and fill out the sample tag at the location with the date, their name, phone number, sex of the bear and game check number.”

Hunters can find a drop-off location at www.agfc.com/cwd.

Samples of skin taken from bears with obvious mange also are needed for analysis.

“We want to do genetic analysis of the mites that cause mange in different species,” Ballard said. “If a hunter harvests a bear with obvious mange, they can collect a 3-inch square of the skin at the edge of the affected area, close it in a zip-sealed bag and submit it for testing as well.”

Additionally, any hunter who harvests a bear is reminded to submit a premolar tooth from that bear.

“When you check the bear, we’ll send you a packet that has two envelopes in it,” Means said. “You extract a tooth and put it in one envelope and put a sample of hair from the bear in the other and mail it back within seven days of receiving the packet to complete your check in. Instructions on how to remove and submit a tooth are available in the Bear section of the 2022 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook. We’ve also created a short video at https://youtu.be/aVUx4av8Ric to help with that portion of the checking procedure.”

Anyone who sees a bear with obvious mange or any bear in poor condition may report it to the AGFC’s wildlife health email at agfc.health@agfc.ar.gov with a location. Even if biologists cannot find the bear after the initial sighting, they can keep a record of these locations to watch for future outbreaks of mange and act accordingly.

Positive Progress at Waldron Schools

Networks

Tammy Teague

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6:32 pm

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The regular monthly meeting of the Waldron School Board was held in the Central Office Building Monday, September 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Board members present were TammyeSherrill, Clay Woodall, Konnor McKay and Angela Hunsucker. School Board member Mac Davis was not present. Others present were Superintendent Daniel Fielding, Misty Owens, Kim Solomon, Zack Taylor, Darla Jeffery, Ryan Walker, Lisa Allen, Keith Brigance, Toni Dozier, Kristi Sigman, Lance Stinson, Tonya Cluck, Cheyenne Smith, Ethan Millard and Kurt Banta

President Tammye Sherrill called the meeting to order at 6:32p.m. McKay began the meeting with a word of prayer. Hunsucker led the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion was made by Woodall and seconded by Hunsucker to add item F) Approve Invoice for Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative for 2022-23 K-6 Virtual Consortium, to the Consent Agenda items. Motion carried 4:0.

A motion was made by Hunsucker and seconded by McKay to approve the Consent Agenda items: A) Approval of the August 8^th and August 10^th Minutes; B) Approve Financial Reports and Expenditures; C) Approve Purchase Order for Nearpod, Inc; D) Approve Invoice for Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative for 2022-23 Professional Development Consortium; E) Approve Invoice for Guy FenterEducation Service Cooperative for 2022-23 Early Childhood Special Education Preschool Program; F)Approve Invoice for Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative for 2022-23 K-6 Virtual Consortium; Motion carried 4 -0.

Kurt Banta addressed the School Board and audience concerning strategies and possibilities to take to deter school shootings from happening.

A motion was made by Woodall and seconded by Konnor McKay to approve the Petition for Transfer of Students. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Hunsucker and seconded by McKay to approve the Active Educator Retention Incentive in the amount of $3000 for Certified and $1700 for classified employees paid out by the end of September, 2022. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Woodall and seconded by Hunsucker to approve the Novice Teacher Mentoring Program. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Hunsucker and seconded by McKay to approve the Attendance Incentive Opportunity. Motion carried 4-0.

Ryan Walker, ABC/Adventure Online Academy Principal, reported to the Board that there are now 30 students enrolled in the virtual online school. Mr. Walker also stated that ABC and First Step are both almost at capacity. Mrs. Darla Jeffery informed the board that the Book Fair will be this week, as well as Grandparents Breakfast. Jeffery also stated that Elementary took their iReady assessments last week. Elementary will close this week off with a pep rally on Friday. Zack Taylor, Middle School Principal, reported that 388 parents attended “Meet the Teacher” night. Middle school is hosting the Book Fair this week. Mr. Taylor also wanted to thank Joe and Beverly Richmond for donating the volleyball net to the Middle School playground. Kim Solomon, High School Principal, stated that FFA had a huge turnout for the fair this year, she commented on the outstanding job that Laura Kitchens is doing with the program. Homecoming will be October 21^st.

A special thanks to Joe and Beverly Richmond for their time and effort to install the volleyball poles/net and the tether ball poles on the Waldron Middle School playground.

Superintendent Fielding reported to the board that Kristi Sigman secured a grant that would enable the school to purchase sensory items. He also discussed with the board members a date to approve the 2022-23 budget.

A motion was made by Woodall and seconded by Hunsucker to accept the resignation from Kandace Espinoza as High School Paraprofessional, effective August 11, 2022. Motion carried 4-0.

A motion was made by Woodall and seconded McKay to add 1 years’ experience to Amber Scott’s contract, retroactive back to August 11, 2022. Amber should have been given 7 years’ experience when hired instead of 6. Motion carried 4-0.

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

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

2022 Scott County Fair

Madison VanRavensway

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6:51 pm

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Scott County Fair Association held their 100th annual fair September 7-10, 2022. For its hundredth birthday the fair saw record breaking number of livestock, exhibitors, and money from the premium sale. Walking the livestock barn was sure a sight to behold. There were 105 animals present in the barn, shown by 71 exhibitors. Of the 105, about half (56) went into the premium sale. Buyers showed up and showed out, rewarding the exhibitors with great payouts.

The poultry and rabbit barn saw great numbers, too. There were 133 birds and 6 rabbits shown by 41 exhibitors. Honking, clucking, cock-a-doodles, turkey calling, and quaking noises were all taking place.

To be eligible to show at the Scott County fair kids need to be involved in FFA or 4H. Showing animals teaches responsibility, discipline, and self confidence. It can be an expensive venture to purchase and upkeep an animal, but the memories and lessons learned far outlast the show ring. The future of agriculture looks bright for Scott County seeing the excellent turnout of its youth for the fair, and their eagerness to work.

The Scott County fair board is responsible for the fair each year. The board this year was President- Caleb Free, Vice President, Rusty Craig, Treasurer- Heather Hale, Secretary- Amy Free and board members: Amber Craig, Sandra McEntire, Sue Williams, Betty Overturf. To be involved in the 2023 Scott County fair attend their meetings on the third Monday of each month.

Thank you to Jamie Goff, Cora Ozuna, Cheyenne Pottridge, Kimberley Lane, and LeighAnn Reynolds for sharing photos.

Timepiece:The Lovely Story

Featured

Tammy Teague

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5:31 pm

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Historians are always checking out cemeteries and old gravestone to discover history but one little expects to stumble across those stones right in the middle of a state park! Yet, there they sat, two stones side by side right in the middle of Dardanelle state park inscribed with weathered lettering designating the life and death of William Lovely and his wife Persis.

Little known today, the choices made by Lovely greatly influenced, not only the development of the River Valley, but of all the western frontier. A migrant from Dublin, Ireland, Lovely arrived in what was to become the U.S. just in time to fight in the Revolutionary War. He rose to the rank of Captain and was provided some 4,000 acres of bounty land for his service. Settling in Tennessee, he was appointed a position as an agent to the Cherokee tribe. In 1809, in order to prevent problems with settlers, many of the Cherokee requested and were given land in the new Louisiana Purchase and settled in an area along the Arkansas River from around Morrilton into present day Oklahoma. The chief and many leaders lived in an area around Spadra (Clarksville) and eventually Dwight Mission, a religious school for Cherokee children, was established near present day Russellville. William Lovely and his wife, as Indian agents, set up his home close to the mission on the east bank of the Illinois Bayou. Other tribes were assigned land in western Arkansas as well, resulting in a virtual Indian territory that extended west to the Rockies.

Located 300 miles from the nearest post office, Persis described the site as lonely, desolate, and dangerous. Her few neighborsand friends included the Witts, the Stinnetts (Stinnetts Station), Kirkbridge Potts (Pottsville), and the more famous Raven (Sam Houston) who was married to Cherokee Chief John Jolly’s daughter.

From the beginning, the western Cherokee clashed with the Osage tribe of north Arkansas. Violent warfare between the two groups threatened peace on the frontier. In 1815, Lovely came up with a plan to prevent this warfare, he purchased some three million acres of land from the Osage to serve as a border between the two tribes. Called the Lovely Purchase, this land included what is now Washington, Madison, and a portion ofCrawford County as well as a big part of eastern Oklahoma extending nearly to Tulsa.

At the time, there was no western boundary to Arkansas. As settlers began moving into western Arkansas, infighting between the various Indian tribes created a necessity to establish a western border. In Scott county, settlers and Choctaw eventually settled on a border along the Poteau River. North of that, a huge diamond shaped area of Arkansas extended far into what is now Oklahoma and the river valley was Cherokee Nation land. In 1928, to prevent clashes with settlers, the Cherokee gave up rights to all land in the River Valley to a straight line running from the western border of Missouri to the Arkansas River in exchange for Lovely’s Oklahoma Purchase. The boundaries of the state as we now know it was established by this little known individual, buried alongside his wife and a small adopted Indian girl, at our own Lake Dardanelle State Park.

Who knows, without him we might be talking about Clarksville, Indian Territory and Tulsa, Arkansas and the complete history of the Arkansas River valley would be forever altered.

Brace Yourself! Bobby Petrino Returns to Razorbacks Stadium!

Resident News Network

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1:54 pm

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Brace Yourself! Bobby Petrino Returns to Razorbacks Stadium!

Social media is buzzing with the satirical news of former Hogs coach Bobby Petrino returning to Razorbacks Stadium this Saturday. Petrino will bring his Missouri State Bears to DWR Razorbacks Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff with the Razorbacks. It will be the first time he has been in Razorbacks Stadium since his abrupt firing in April of 2012.

Social media is having a good time with his return, offering “advertisements” for neck braces, similar to what he wore at one of his final press conferences, for fans to wear to Saturday’s game. And for Hogs fans, it may be a joking matter now, directed to a polarizing figure in the Razorbacks football program history, but on Saturday, I would guess that Petrino has had this one circled on his calendar for a long time. Expect the high-flying bears to come out throwing the football all over field, much like his Hogs did more than ten years ago.

Here are some Missouri State notes as released by the University of Arkansas:

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022
TIME: 6:00 p.m. (Central)
LOCATION: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
(76,000), Fayetteville, Ark.
SERIES: Arkansas leads 7-0
Last Mtg: Arkansas 51, MSU 7 (9/3/11)
TV: ESPN+ / SEC Network+
(Jay Alter, Stanford Routt, Tera Talmadge)
RADIO: KWTO 101.3 FM | MSU Bears Radio Network
(Art Hains, Dennis Heim)

♦ Missouri State returns to the road this week when the No. 5-ranked team in FCS travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the No. 10 (FBS) Arkansas Razorbacks at 6 p.m. (ESPN+/SEC Network+). It will mark the first meeting between the clubs since 2011, while Arkansas represents the second-highest ranked FBS team the Bears have ever played (No. 6 Oklahoma in 2020).

♦ The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2016 and for just the ninth time in the program’s Division I era (since 1982) — 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2016. Only the 1983, 1989 and 2004 Bears were able to start the season 3-0.

♦ QB Jason Shelley (Sr., Frisco, Texas) is the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 19-of-24 passes for 297 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns in last week’s home win over No. 14 UT Martin. The 2021 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year is one of 35 players on the 2022 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, which recognizes the top offensive player in the FCS ranks.

♦ This week’s game marks the 200th career game as a head coach for MSU’s Bobby Petrino who brings a 134-65 (.673) ledger in his 17th season as a head coach. Petrino was 34-17 in four seasons as head coach at Arkansas (2008-11), including wins over Missouri State in 2009 and 2011.

♦ RB Jacardia Wright (So., Decatur, Ill.), a transfer from Kansas State, was named MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his efforts in Week Two. Wright logged his first career 100-yard rushing game in MSU’s win, carrying 23 times for 120 yards (5.2 yards per carry) in a breakout effort. He also scored on a 19-yard pass from Shelley with 35 seconds left in the first half, helping him rack up 162 all-purpose yards for the game. He ranks 35th nationally in rushing yards per game (79.0).

♦ This week’s game at Arkansas is Missouri State’s only game on grass this season and its first contest on a natural surface since the 2020 season opener at Oklahoma (9/12/20).

♦ Jason Shelley’s 5-touchdown passing effort last week vs. UT Martin was Missouri State’s first since 10/15/16 (Brodie Lambert vs. Western Illinois). Three of the other four players ever to throw 5 TD passes at Plaster Stadium ultimately became NFL quarterbacks — Sean Payton (1986), Carson Wentz (2014) and Easton Stick (2018).

♦ Milestone Updates: Montrae Braswell (CB, Avon Park, Fla.) is 3 tackles away from 100 (21g) at MSU … Jason Shelley is 90 passing yards away from 4,000 (14g) for his MSU career and would be the 7th Bears QB to do so.

♦ MSU’s defense is among the FCS national leaders in 3rd-Down Efficiency (3rd); team sacks (12th); tackles for loss (20th). The Bears .182 third-down efficiency also leads the MVFC.

♦ Braswell leads the nation (FCS) in kickoff return average (55.0). His career average (31 attempts) is up to 31.8.

♦ Led by Shelley’s exemplary start to the 2022 campaign, the Bears rank 4th nationally in passing efficiency (192.8), 13th in completion percentage (.685) and 17th in passing offense. Individually, Shelley ranks 3rd in passing efficiency, 6th in passing TDs (6) and 8th in points responsible for (42), all of which lead the MVFC. His 281.5 passing yards per game ranks 12th among all FCS players.

♦ Ty Scott (WR, Estill, S.C.) continues to set the standard for MSU receivers, ranking 3rd nationally in receiving TDs (3), 6th in receptions per game (8.0), 6th in receiving yards per game (128.0), 8th in receiving yards (256), and 31st in all-purpose yardage (129.0). He leads the Missouri Valley in receptions and receiving yards per game.

♦ Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) boasts a 40.3 punting average so far this season, but is just shy of the minimum number of attempts (has 3.5 attempts per game – minimum is 3.6). He would rank 31st nationally with that average. Last season, Burkett ranked second in the nation with a school-record punting average of 46.2 per attempt, while helping the Bears rank second nationally in team net punting (42.81). He had 16 punts of 50 yards or better with 15 attempts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

2022 BEARS SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER
Thu. 1 at (RV) Central Arkansas ESPN+ ………….W 27-14
Thu. 8 (14) UT Martin ESPN+ ………………………..W 35-30
Sat. 17 at (10) Arkansas SEC+ …………………….. 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 24 South Dakota State* ESPN3 …………….. 2:00 p.m.
OCTOBER
Sat. 1 at North Dakota* ESPN+ …………………. 12:00 p.m.
Sat. 8 Southern Illinois* ESPN+ ………………… 2:00 p.m.
Sat. 22 at Northern Iowa* ESPN+ ………………….. 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 29 Western Illinois* ESPN+ (HC) …………… 2:00 p.m.
NOVEMBER
Sat. 5 at South Dakota* ESPN3 …………………… 1:00 p.m.
Sat. 12 Youngstown State* ESPN3………………. 2:00 p.m.
Sat. 19 at Indiana State ESPN+ ………………….. 12:00 p.m.

*Missouri Valley Football Conference games (0-0);
Television designations in bold. Times listed are Central time.
Home games (bold) at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield.

#10 Arkansas
RAZORBACKS
2-0
Missouri State Record vs. Arkansas …………………………. 0-7
at Home……………………………………………………………. 0-0
at Fayetteville ……………………………………………………. 0-5
at Little Rock …………………………………………………….. 0-2
First Meeting ………………………Ark. 100, MSU 0 (9/30/1911)
Last Meeting ………………………….Ark. 51, MSU 7 (9/3/2011)
Date Site W/L Score
9/30/1911 ……. at Fayetteville, Ark…………….L……… 0-100
11/22/1918 ….. at Fayetteville, Ark…………….L……… 6-12
10/4/1924……. at Fayetteville, Ark…………….L……… 0-47
9/2/2000……… at Little Rock, Ark. …………….L……… 0-38
9/3/2005……… at Fayetteville, Ark…………….L……… 17-49
9/5/2009……… at Little Rock, Ark. …………….L……… 10-48
9/3/2011 ……… at Fayetteville, Ark…………….L……… 7-51
n PF – 40 (5.7); PA – 345 (49.3)

BEARS IN THE FCS POLLS
Preseason …………………………………………………..*5 8
9/5/22………………………………………………………….. 5 7
9/12/22………………………………………………………… 5 6
*Team’s highest preseason Top 25 ranking; Consecutive weeks in Top 25: 21

Arkansas’s defensive secondary will face a stiff challenge from the Bears’ passing attack. The Hogs hope to have Myles Slusher back this week. His return is much needed to improve an Arkansas secondary that has shown its vulnerability in the Hogs’ first two games this season. The Hogs should have a significant advantage on both lines of scrimmage, and the defensive front will be looking to put pressure on the MO State quarterback and not allow him time to find his receivers.

Razorbacks fans, if you live in Franklin or Logan counties, you will want to subscribe to the Logan County RNN weekly newspaper. You can subscribe by going to residentnewsnetwork.com and click on the subscription link.

So, the former Hogs coach will surely have a new wrinkle in the Bears’ offense….just for the game with Arkansas. So, Hogs fans, brace yourselves!

Note to Our Readers: The information in this story was sourced from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Kyle Parkinson, Associate AD / Communications

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RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK