Resident News Network

Waldron Jr’s Are On The Right “Track”

Sports

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12:21 pm

Pictured is Kyleigh Coker and Gracie Carnley

The race was on for the Waldron Jr High Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs as they proved last night during the Van Buren Jr Relays, that no matter how big their opponents are, they have no problem stepping up and facing the music. On Monday, March 15, Waldron headed north to take on schools from Alma, Cedarville, Fort Smith, Greenland, Greenwood, Ozark, Mansfield, Russellville, and Van Buren but remained the Big Dogs as the dust settled and the night ended.

Kickin’ butt first and asking names later was the Lady Bulldogs who might shine like a diamond but are still tough as nails. The Jr Girls’ team consisted of 16 athletes who have been steadily rising to the occasion as the season progresses. Out of 13 teams, the Lady Dogs placed 3rd with a team total of 95 points. For the relay races, the girls earned 5th place in the 4×200 and 6th place spots in the 4×100, 4×400, and 4×800.

End of the night final results for the Lady Bulldogs:

Emma Wilson: 4th in the 100m with a time of 14.26, 5th in the 200m with a time of 30.54, and 1st in High Jump at 4-7

Erika Gabel: 2nd in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 56.01, 4th in the 200m at 30.31, and 11th in the 100m with a time of 14.58

Ashlynn Stidman: Earned 4th with a time of 1:11.29 in the 400m

Bailee Bise: 5th in Discus at 70-2

Emily Powell: 12th in the 400m with a time of 1:15.17

Macee Owens: 16th in Shot Put at 27-0

Emily Sears: 16th in the 800m with a time of 3:07.86, 8th in the 1600m with a time of 6:49.11, and 2nd in High Jump at 4-5

Karli Anschutz: 19th in the 800m with a time of 3:22.41

Lily Woodard: 10th in Discus at 65-3 and 13th in Shot Put at 27-10.5

Ailey Ledesma: 11th in the 1600m with a time of 6:56.22

Gracie Carnley: 2nd in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 17.94 and 6th in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 58.86

Kyleigh Cook-Coker: 3rd in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 18.12

Rylie Brown: 6th in Pole Vault at 6-0

Rachel Hamlet: 8th in Pole Vault at 5-0

Karis Pritchard: 13th in Long Jump at 12-11

Macie Davis: 2nd in Long Jump at 14-9.75 and 2nd in Triple Jump at 30-7.25

For the Jr High Bulldogs, they left their competition struggling “between a walk and a hard pace” (see what I did there)! The talent on the boys’ roster is stacked higher than an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. The Bulldogs also found themselves sitting in 3rd Place with a team total of 98.5 points. For the relays, the boys earned 2nd in the 4×400, 3rd in the 4×200 and the 4×800, and 4th in the 4×100. After finding epic success last season, the Jr Boys are at it again.

End of the night final results for the Bulldogs:

Joe Slater: 16th in Discus at 79-5

Zaydin Jones: 12th in Discus at 93-6

Taylen Bates: 19th in Shot Put at 31-2.50

Nathan Canada: 18th in Shot Put at 31-8

Kason Davis: 1st in the 110m Hurdles with a time of 17.43, 1st in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 44.85, 1st in Long Jump at 17-11.5, and 2nd in High Jump at 5-9

Gabe Nevills: 15th in Long Jump at 14-4

Connor Beck: 7th in Pole Vault at 7-6

Brycen Hattabaugh: 1st in Pole Vault at 10-0

Chris Lopez: 7th in the 110m Hurdles with a time of 20.28, 5th in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 47.81, and 10th in Triple Jump at 31-9.25

Damien MacPherson: 9th in the 1600m with a time of 5:52.64

Landon Defoor: 8th in the 1600m with a time of 5:47.50

Ambrose Poor: 10th in the 800m with a time of 2:32.20

Steve Grano: 7th in the 800m with a time of 2:29.09

Kylon Fielding: 9th in the 400m with a time of 1:03.96

Marco Mondragon: 2nd in the 400m with a time of 56.84

Michael Grano: 12th in the 200m with a time of 26.59 and 15th in the 100m with a time of 12.94

Joseph Rogers: 3rd in the Triple Jump at 36-1 and 8th in the 100m with a time of 12.41

The Jr High Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will next be sending opponents running scared when they step into Tiger territory on April 1st for the Mansfield Jr Tiger Relays. So far, Waldron will be facing Booneville, Lavaca, Mountainburg, and JC Westside in this meet with schools still signing up.

Sr Lady Tigers Season Ends As An Elite 8 Team

Sports

Megan Hecox

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9:24 am

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Sr Lady Tigers Season Ends As An Elite 8 Team

The Mansfield Sr Lady Tigers fell in their second round of the State Playoffs to Melbourne. The Lady Tigers lost 68-26 to the Lady Bearcats who also happen to be Arkansas #1 ranked team across all conferences 2A-7A on Melbourne’s home court. Melbourne is also the back-to-back 2A State Champions and has a roster full of D1 college-level talent. Although the lore of Melbourne is highly touted, the Lady Tigers did not use that as an excuse for the loss. They owned the loss and gave thanks for a great season. That is what kind of team the 2020-21 Lady Tigers were.

Rather than focus on the end of their season, let us focus on the accomplishments of this top-tier team. Mansfield was an underdog from the beginning of the season. With only four seniors to lead the team and a bunch of unknowns in the background, the Lady Tigers drew little respect at the beginning of the season. After going 3-3 with early losses to Lamar, Paris, and Booneville, future opponents began marking an automatic W on their schedules. No one knows how it happened, but after their loss to Lamar, something woke up the sleeping giant of the Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tigers went on a 10 game winning streak owning every opponent who dared step foot on a basketball court. They didn’t just win though, they dominated. Mansfield outscored their opponents by a combined score of 588-312 in their winning streak. As records were broken and opponents fell, Mansfield started to become a noticeable force in the 2A statewide. The streak ended with a loss to 2A perineal powerhouse Acorn as the Lady Tigers were forced to play without a handful of key players against Acorn at Acorn and fell 59-42. Even with the streak ended, no excuses came from the locker room or coaches for the loss. They owned the loss and endeavored to persevere to restart their streak.

Mansfield struck a match and began their fiery streak again. The Lady Tigers had epic games against Mountainburg and Magazine along the way all in order to finish their conference schedule with only one conference loss. No one could have predicted this run as the Lady Tigers stepped into the District Tournament as a #2 seed. They downed opponents through the tournament to reach the Championship game and face off against Acorn again. Mansfield fell short to Acorn again in the Championship game and became the 2020-21 2A-4 District Runner-Ups in Conference and Districts. Again, no excuses for the loss, they just kept moving forward.

Moving into the Regional Tournament as a #2 Seed, Mansfield showed their poise against the 2A-1 as they cruised past the Lifeway Lady Warriors in a 50-40 victory and punch their ticket for the State Playoffs. The Lady Tigers fell in their next Regional game against Cotter which set up the matchup everyone was longing for. Mansfield vs Acorn Part 4 with the winner going into the State Tournament as the #3 Seed. Acorn held a 2 to 1 game lead on Mansfield but the no excuses Lady Tigers weren’t going to let that get in their heads. Mansfield rolled up Acorn for the Regional Tournament victory to even the series between both teams at 2-2 and putting the Lady Tigers as the #3 Seed for State. Game 1 of the State Tournament saw the Lady Tigers take down a talented Horatio team 51-33 for their first State Tournament victory in years.

Although the Lady Tigers season has ended, they have jump-started a program that was in the cellar up to this season. They defeated a 6A school (Ft Smith Southside) and beat 11 basketball only schools. They also rounded up team awards like the 2A-4 Conference Runner-Up, 2A-4 District Runner-Up, 3^rd Place in Regionals, a Round 2 appearance in the State Playoffs, and becoming one of the Top 8 teams in the entire state. This team of young ladies has proved to any future Lady Tigers that they are a top program to play for.

Reapers Prove They’re For Real Vs Xtra

Sports

Megan Hecox

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9:04 am

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The Ouachita Reapers have had trouble jumpstarting their newly founded semi-pro football team. The Reapers were created in 2019 with just a handful of players which led to a rough first year. In 2020 their season was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. The Reapers refused to die though and kicked off their first home game of the 2021 season on Saturday, March 13^th with a bang. The Reapers were scheduled to play an away game against Arkansas Xtra, but fate turned in the Reaper’s favor. With little time to prep the field or set up personnel for the game, the Reapers made do and it was game on. Ouachita was a heavy underdog in this matchup to an Arkansas Xtra team that has been a perineal powerhouse for years in the league.

Center, #72 John Wetzel and #53 Ryan Erickson

The Reapers defense went right at Xtra in an extra aggressive manner shutting down Xtras highly touted offense. Heavy pressure by the Reaper’s “Defensive DEADline” stunned Arkansas and gave Ouachita’s offense an opportunity to drive the field. The Reapers weren’t able to punch one in to the end zone at the end of the first quarter, but neither could Xtra as the first quarter closed with a 0-0 score.

#35 Michael Kimpton and #21 Iaza Ingoglia

With the Xtra on their heels, the Purple and Black offensive attack kicked in. The Reapers sucked Arkansas’s defense in with a few power runs by running back Cleo Floyd which opened up quick out routes for Ouachita’s wide receivers. Once quarterback, Alex Cantrell, was able to spot the gaps, the air show began. Cantrell zipped passes to Chayse Reyna, Terrance Floyd, Hayden Gray, and Abraham Hernandez to set up the Reapers for their first touchdown scored by Hernandez. Arkansas Xtra wasn’t going to just lay down though as the Xtra punched their ticket to the scoreboard leading 14-6 going into the half.

The second half was a battleground of head bashing and creative play calling. Neither team gave an inch of ground but put in a mile of effort. The Reapers made it inside the ten-yard line on a few occasions, but couldn’t find the right formula to push one in for a score. Defensively, the Reaper’s kept Arkansas on their side of the field with quite the defensive performance. Both teams traded turnovers with interceptions and fumbles, but again, neither could capitalize and the third quarter ended again 14-6 with Xtra staying on top.

Ouachita scored again in the fourth quarter with Cantrell crossing the Reapers goal line with an amazing catch for the Reapers while Gray picked up the 2-point conversion setting the score to 14-14. As the clock ticked down late in the fourth quarter, it was becoming apparent to everyone that this game was far from over just yet. It was going into OVERTIME! The Reapers wound up with the ball first and made a short drive downfield before turning the ball over. Arkansas Xtra capitalized on the turnover and quickly scored to end the Reaper’s upset hope with a 20-14 score.

Ouachita Reaper, Bryson Livingston started his football career during Little League in Roland Ok. When he was in high school, he tore his ACL and after having surgery on it two years ago plus a year off for recovery, Livingston is making a comeback. One reason Bryson decided to join the Reapers was that “I was having Game Day Anxiety! Anyone that has a love for this game or any other sport knows what it’s like to have it. Also, I was missing a brotherhood. The game of football is a life experience that I hope the next generation can adapt to and keep it going.”

Playing on the special teams, Livingston was slightly nervous about how his knee was going to hold up. “But once I got on the field I was telling myself that I’m at work and it’s time to get the job done. I play wherever coach wants me. For our next game against the Bolts, I don’t know much about them. I’m just going to go into the match with the mindset of whatever happens will happen and to just stay humble. Win or Lose, we are there to have fun!”

Cornerback/Wide Reciever, Cleo Floyd has been playing football his whole life although he didn’t start playing organized football until the 9th grade where he attended Hot Springs High School. “I just love to play football and after talking to a couple of teammates, I knew that I wanted to be apart of the Reapers. I feel like our first home game against Xtra went great. We took a loss, but I feel that we made a statement that we won’t be the team that stays on the ground when we’re down! We gave it our all the whole game and held a team (that was predicted to beat us 42-0) to just 20 points and taking them to overtime. All in all, I’m pretty confident in my teammates and I know that we will bring this same energy against the Arkansas Boltz”

And former Bearcat, Ethan Obar plays defensive end and offensive tackle for the Reapers. “I have been playing football since the 3rd grade. I played at Booneville High School and a year at Arkansas Tech. The reason I joined the Reapers is that I really missed football and teammate, Wesley Schuller, contacted me looking for a big lineman and I couldn’t refuse. In our home opener, I feel like we should’ve won but overall we played great as a team. We were slated to be the underdogs but took the game into overtime. When it comes to our next battle, the Boltz is a great team. They have a great history of being at the top and it’s going to take us coming out like we did last weekend to win. But I feel like we can overcome anything!”

Ouachita did lose the game, but they also sent a message via the world’s largest bullhorn to the rest of the league. That message was that the Reapers will not die that easily. The Reapers will be better prepared for their next game as they will travel to square off against the Arkansas Boltz on March 27th. The Reaper’s next home game will be on April 3^rd against the Jonesboro Gladiators. With the Jonesboro game scheduled and not an impromptu schedule change, Ouachita will be fully staffed with the field and personnel set and the players will definitely be ready to Reap.

Obituary – Joshua Slater (1992 – 2021)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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8:00 pm

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Joshua Slater of Waldron, Arkansas passed from this life, Friday, March 12, 2021 in Little Rock, Arkansas with his family by his side. Joshua was born May 31, 1992 in Mena, Arkansas. He was 28 years old.

Josh loved the outdoors. He was always ready for a hunting expedition or to drop in a line and see what was biting. He enjoyed riding 4-wheelers and spending time with his family.

Josh leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Eugenia and his children: Matthew, Cherish, Robert and Levi. He is also survived by one sister, Ashley of Fayetteville, one aunt, Sandy Norris and uncles, Robert Slater and wife Katy and David Slater all of Waldron, Arkansas as well as one niece and one nephew. Josh will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of cousins, extended family and friends.

Josh was preceded in death by his mother Patricia Slater and his grandparents, LeRoe and Nova Slater.

Josh’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Konnor McKay officiating. Interment will follow in the Lamb Cemetery.

Josh’s pallbearers will be Matthew Tegtmeyer, Robert Rhinehart, Andrew Van Horn, August Hollins, Matthew Poor, Jared Wagner, Dustin Husser and Ethan Slater. Honorary Pallbearers are Robert Slater and David Slater.

Josh’s visitation will be Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joshua Aaron Slater, please visit our floral store.

Homegrown Rose Blooms At Texas Track Meet

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Resident News Network

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11:36 am

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Homegrown Rose Blooms At Texas Track Meet

Pictured: Mansfield’s Megan Rose stops by her old high school for an 8-mile recovery run the day after her trip to Tyler, Texas for the Ice Breaker Classic Track Meet.

Fresh off an abbreviated cross country schedule uncharacteristically run this second semester, Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Megan Rose jumped right into track season.

On Saturday, March 13 the former Mansfield Lady Tiger running star made the long trek to Tyler, Texas for the UT Tyler Ice Breaker Classic. One of over 900 athletes in attendance, the long-distance specialist had her share of favorable moments at the large-scale college track meet.

Rose by her own admission ran well. A 5:18.75 time in the 1500m run was second in her heat. It was possibly a personal record for the distance racer that was used to running the 1600m run while in high school.

“I was second in my heat,” said Rose. “I ran a strategic race. I ducked in behind the front runners. Most college runners don’t want to lead the pack. I stayed back and waited for my moment.”

Rose also ran the women’s 800m run. Her time in that second event was 2:44.44. It was a fast time for the player that normally prefers the longer races. Her overall mark was 27th out of 42 runners in the race.

Two months and two days ago, Rose and her Southeastern teammates started their cross country season that was postponed by Covid-19 protocols. The Great American Conference voted to wait until the second semester to participate in a shortened season. That left Rose and company to go straight into outdoor track season with little time off.

That first cross country meet on January 10 was frigid cold with flakes of ice and snow in the air. Near opposite weather conditions greeted the SE Savage Storm as they drove vans to Tyler, Texas for the track meet. A sunny 80 degree Fahrenheit plus day welcomed the herd.

Rose found her way back to Mansfield about 5:30 AM on Sunday morning. Her team went on an early spring break with a three-day layoff. True to her character, however, Rose didn’t stop training. She rounded the old haunts along the Mansfield cross country course for an 8-mile recovery run before noon that very same Sunday.

Sr Lady Rattlers Were All Fangs In 2020-21 Season

Sports

Megan Hecox

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10:57 am

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Sr Lady Rattlers Were All Fangs In 2020-21 Season

The 2020-2021 basketball season for the Magazine Lady Rattlers was a bitter-sweet one. After finishing the season with a 9-8 regular play record, the Lady Rattlers continued flying high as they made it to the first round of Regional play to face Cotter. “The girls were excited for the opportunity to play in the Regional Tournament. I thought we came out a little tight early and tried to force a few things and dug a hole against a Cotter team that we couldn’t come back from,” explained Coach Loyd. Although the girls took a loss to the Lady Warriors, the real sadness came when they had to say goodbye to long-time coach, Randy Loyd. Coach Loyd spent 28 years in coaching making an impact on every student-athlete that he came into contact with.

Former Lady Rattlers gifting Coach Loyd with signed basketballs

Former and current players recognized Coach Loyd after their final basketball game of the season. One player stated, “It was such an honor getting to recognize Coach Loyd for all of his hard work! 28 years of coaching talented athletes and then getting to coach their kids. You made an impact on us all!” Coach Loyd followed by saying, “This season’s group has been a pleasure to work with. They have matured so much and are a tight group. They played hard every game from the start to the finish no matter the score and that’s ultimately all you can ask for!”

Final season stats are as follows: Most steals was Jordyn Krigbaum with 26. Most Rebounds was Kylie Robinson with 130 as well as 6.8 RPG. Best FG% was Kiara Vasquez with a 45% and 85/199. Best 3 point FG% was Kylie Robinson at 28.6% and 36/126. Most assists was Raymie Davis with 69. Best Free Throw % was Kylie Robinson with 75.5% and 75/98. The most hustle went to Carlee Parrish. And making 2A-4 All-Conference was Kiara Vasquez, Jordan Krigbaum, and Kylie Robinson. The Lady Rattlers will be saying audios to 4 seniors, Kiara Vasquez, Carlee Parrish, Jordyn Krigbaum, and Raymie Davis.

Playing basketball since pre-k is straight shooter, Kiara Vasquez. “I was super excited to have made it to Regionals but also really nervous because I wanted the team to play well. My favorite game was our Senior Night against Lavaca. It was the first game we played working together as a team and we had so much fun! I’m really going to miss the friendships and memories I made with my team and coaches. After I graduate high school, I plan to continue playing basketball and study Psychology. Right now, I’m in contact with 2 colleges that are interested in me playing college ball.”

“Going into the Cotter game, we all felt confident,” explained spunky and spirited, Jordyn Krigbaum. “But as the game progressed, we seniors knew it was gonna be the last time we hit the court together. I am thankful we ended our season at our home court. It also makes my team feel better about losing to the Regional Champions. One of my favorite highlights from this season was the first game we played against Lavaca. I think we all played very well together as a team that night. Then when we went to UCA, we had 5 players score in double digits which was a great feeling for our team! And finally, the win we got in the first round of Districts that got us into Regionals. I think we all had smiles on our faces the whole time and that game was just fun overall!”

Carlee Parrish and Raymie Davis with Coach Loyd

Jordyn has been playing ball since she was 3 years old. “My dad actually has been a huge impact on my basketball career. He coached my first couple of years in Little League which will always be a great memory for me. He’s always been there to support me and I appreciate that more than he will ever know! I love the environment around basketball. I’m gonna miss after-school practices and goofing off with the basketball girls. After a huge win, Coach Loyd would let us sit in the film room, and watch film while eating popcorn and having a coke. Coach Loyd has been my coach since the 7th grade. Not only was this my last year playing, but it was his last year coaching as well. I’m gonna miss all of our jokes we had and the locker room talks during halftime and at the end of games.” Jordyn plans to attend the University of Arkansas Fort Smith and major in Dental Hygiene.

Planning to go to nursing school and get her ASN or BSN after high school is compassionate to the core, Carlee Parrish who has been playing basketball since Little League. “It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to go into the medical field. My final thoughts on the game against Cotter were that they were good, they had a good defense and they had an offense, but they also had good sportsmanship. So when they played their Regional Tournament at our gym I was 100% rooting for them. My favorite memory from this season would have to be when I stole the ball against Booneville and then dumped it down to Jordyn who then made the layup. I was so proud that we had such great teamwork!”

Former and present Lady Rattlers with Coach Loyd

“I will definitely miss us hanging out and going to eat before games. I know this is going to sound weird but I will also miss how we could take our anger out on the court and then going into the locker room and act like nothing ever happened. We were all buddies in the end. And I will for sure miss Coach Loyd giving me a hard time about anything and everything!” Carlee concluded.

And looking to go to college to be an OTA, is no holds barred, Raymie Davis. Raymie has been playing basketball since she was 4 years old. “In our game against Cotter, I was upset that it was our last game but I was proud of the Lady Warriors. They were a really talented team! It’s sad saying goodbye to basketball because I really loved getting to create bonds with my teammates and new friendships that will last forever. I’ll definitely miss seeing my friends every day and picking on Coach Loyd!”

Photos courtesy of Amber Canada and the Magazine School District

Throws And Hurdles Fuel Tiger Track Start

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Resident News Network

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6:03 am

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Throws And Hurdles Fuel Tiger Track Start

Pictured: Mansfield discus throwers Addison Robles, Kaylee Ward, and Mackenzie Robinson appear at Van Buren track meet

Across all divisions, Mansfield’s early-season track success has been fueled by its growing strengths in the throws and hurdle events.

Evidenced by high marks in these early events at meets in Ozark and Van Buren last week, Mansfield seemed to gain real momentum throughout the nights. The discus, shot put, 100m hurdles, and 300m hurdles were all kind to the Tigers from seventh grade to high school.

Shawn Brown, a Mansfield junior off the men’s team, won the Ozark Hillbilly Relays with a discus toss of 103-10. It was his second victory in the event in as many weeks.

Tiger track athlete Shawn Brown enjoys another discus victory. The eleventh grader has won both the Booneville and Ozark events this season

Brooklyn Adams, a sophomore Lady Tiger, took the same event also at Ozark with a toss of 76-6. It was Adams’ first meet of the 2021 season.

Eighth-grader Kaylie Lowery and seventh-grader Kaylee Ward followed suit with blue ribbon victories in the discus. Lowery nabbed the first place award at Ozark’s junior high meet with a 71-10 landing. Ward took the win at the Van Buren 7th Grade Relays with an impressive 75-4 launch.

Ward was far from finished as she also gobbled up more and more ground in the shot put. At Ozark competing on the junior high team, she won the 6-pound toss with a 30-11 mark. Two days later under the Mansfield seventh grade flag, she bested all throwers by nearly two feet. That Van Buren outing saw her turn heads with a 33-8.5 shot put hurl.

Junior Harleigh Mars won the 300m hurdles at Ozark. In only her second race over the 8 barrier race after a nearly two-year absence, Mars went 54.42 for the win.

Daisy Nelson, a developing hurdler from the Tiger seventh grade prep team, was the only competitor to break 19 seconds at Van Buren. She cruised the 10 barrier race in 18.60.

Dominic Shores, another seventh-grade athlete with get up and go, won the Pointer 300m hurdles by nearly 1 full second. His time was 52.22. He was also second in the 110m hurdles by just a blink of an eye. He was behind first place by only 0.26 seconds.

Jadelynn Wood, Shelby Cole, Addie Bowman, and Rachel Johnson all were productive through either the 100m or 300m hurdles for their respective teams.

Sammy Sellers, Cisco Fildes, and Mackenzie Robinson were all productive in the discus.

Sellers looked to be the top junior boys’ thrower at Ozark with a season-best 115-6. His measure held up until a final competitor clipped his toss with one of the last throws.

Harleigh Mars sets for the 300m hurdles race

Teammate Fildes cranked out his best mark with a 96-3 spin of the 1kg discus. He finished sixth in the event.

Robinson showed promise as a seventh-grade beginner. She scored a fourth place mark of 60-9 in the discus against the class 4A and 5A schools in Van Buren.

Mansfield’s junior girls performed the best as an entire unit. The group walked away from Ozark as the meet’s top team eclipsing projected favorites from Ozark, Booneville, Clarksville, and Waldron among others.

Laney Wood was once again terrific in her six-event schedule. The eighth-grader scored points in all her events including victories in the pole vault and 4x800m relay. She was fourth in the 1600m run, fifth in the triple jump, seventh in the 800m run, and fourth as the anchor leg to the 4x400m relay.

Trinity Triska also came up big for the junior girls with scores in the triple jump, 800m run, and two relays. The All-District cross country runner posted the fastest splits in both her relay legs. She went 2:57 for the half-mile in the 4x800m cooperative. She clocked in at 1:10 for her lap of the 4x400m ending event.

7th-Graders Logan Ore and Ethan Martin. Photo courtesy of Summer Martin

Aaliyah Summers, Carter Whiley, Shelbie Fuller, Alyssa Black, Meghan Emery, and Azlynn Stover all scored for the junior Lady Tigers to take home the team plaque.

Mansfield’s senior girls got the most production out of perhaps the smallest roster. The high school squad rallied behind seven girls as most of their squad was obligated to the state-bound basketball team with cheer and play.

The senior Lady Tigers spread themselves thin to cover 14 of 17 possible events. The maximized effort placed them one-half point outside a second-place team finish. Ozark took the top prize at the Hillbilly Relays with 163.5. Clarksville crept in second with 106.5 while Mansfield closed with 106.

Adams, Cole, Mars, and Wood all scored. Darby Jones, Faith Rainwater, and Hope Rainwater did as well.

Faith Rainwater set a personal record of 8 feet in the pole vault at Ozark for second place in the event. Eight feet is the qualifying standard for early entry into the state meet

Faith Rainwater highlighted her night with a personal record of 8 feet in the pole vault. Should the junior duplicate the measure in a certified meet, she will pre-qualify to the class 2A state meet automatically.

Tommy Phang had a huge night for the senior boys. The sophomore placed third in the premiere sprint races with personal records in both the 100m dash (11.81) and 200m dash (24.64). He was also a finalist in the long jump.

Victor Steffen once again scored top three in the high jump. His mark fell a bit from his 5-8 mark at Booneville but was still a solid award winner at a vertical leap of 5-6.

John Branche and Ethan Streets contributed with times in the 1600m, 400m, and 800m runs. With that long-distance help, the Mansfield men collectively finished sixth among all attending schools.

A portion of the Mansfield junior girls wait for the trophy presentation at Ozark

The Mansfield junior boys teetered among the top four schools in Ozark. Trey Powell continued his outstanding season through the sprints and jumps. Austin Ruiz and Boston Elmore produced again at pole vault.

Jonah Martin, Joseph Carter, Rylan Nichols, and Joey Fildes bumped up to the junior team from the seventh-grade squad to score in the 4x800m relay. They also took fourth in that same event at Van Buren among all large schools.

Tobey Towe covered the hurdles for the MJH boys and added to the sprint relays.

Ethan Martin placed in the boys’ seventh grade shot put. Nichols, Shores, Alex Hecox, and Fildes passed the baton in the prep team 4x100m relay.

Ward, Madison Hearron, Chloe Whiley, and Nelson closed fast in the sprint relay to take fifth place in the prep meet. Kayla Carlton, Addison Robles, Chloe Whiley, and Laini Collie took their turn in the new 4x200m relay.

Lady Tiger Daisy Nelson has been very productive in the hurdles for Mansfield’s junior high and seventh-grade track teams. The small school track athlete beat all big school competitors at the Van Buren Relays

Mansfield discus throwers sit atop the scoreboard at Van Buren

Huntington Church Falls Victim to New Trend by Thieves

Tammy Teague

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8:05 pm

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Huntington Church Falls Victim to New Trend by Thieves

Huntington Police Chief Stacy Wieburg is cautioning residents to remain vigilant as a local church falls victim to a new trend by thieves.

Huntington First Assembly of God Pastor Travis Pettus discovered on Sunday, March 14, that two of their church vans had the catalytic converters cut off. Apparently, the act is becoming increasingly widespread, and even in broad daylight.

The theft reportedly occurred between Wednesday, March 10, and Sunday, March 14 at 122 E. Broadway in Huntington.

Thieves target catalytic converters because they contain precious metals, like platinum, palladium or rhodium, that are valuable to metal dealers.

On Wednesday, February 24, Little Blessings Preschool and Childcare in Greenwood reportedly had their catalytic converters cut off their vehicles.

Chief Wieburg asked that residents be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and to contact the police department at 479-928-4023 if they have any information regarding this crime.

River Valley Superhero 5K to Benefit Hattieville Child

Networks

Tammy Teague

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7:31 pm

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River Valley Superhero 5K to Benefit Hattieville Child

Every year, proceeds from the River Valley Superhero 5k race will be donated to a previously selected child in the River Valley area who is battling a devastating illness. The race brings together people of all ages to engage in a healthy activity. Attendees and spectators get to enjoy supporting their neighbors, family and friends- all while dressed as their favorite Superhero!

Take this chance to be a SUPERHERO to a special child today!

Supporting the Cause

The River Valley Superhero 5K is an annual event hosted to benefit children with cancer and other serious illnesses or injuries. You can read about their stories at www.rivervalleysuperhero5k.org.We are excited to announce Juniper Peeler as our superhero for the 2021 River Valley Superhero 5K! Juniper, 3 year old daughter of Crystal and Stony Peeler, was diagnosed with a Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma in February of 2020. She has since undergone chemotherapy and a variety of treatments, procedures, and hospital stays. Juniper and her family live in Hattieville, AR and have many family and local ties to Russellville and the River Valley. Juniper has two siblings: Stony (5) and Cadee (1).Many in our community have watched Juniper’s battle with cancer by following her Facebook page, Juniper’s Journey. It is clear that though her journey will continue to be difficult, she is a spit fire with a big personality and a beautiful smile! Though the race will likely be virtual this year (and we will keep everyone updated on that front), we can’t wait to see the love and support the River Valley community is famous for.

About the Event

We encourage you to dress up as your favorite superhero for the race, even though it will likely be done from your own neighborhood. We love our participants to take photos and share them on our Facebook and/or Instagram pages!

Your race packet will include a number bib, Superhero Race t-shirt, finisher medal, and the satisfaction of supporting a great cause!

How to Complete Race and Packet Pickup

We will do an in-person drive-thru packet pickup for local participants on multiple days in the last week of April. If you would like your packet shipped, there will be an extra $5 charge.

Participants will complete their 5K at their convenience any time May 1-16. If participants would like to report their results, they can do so online.

We encourage all participants to upload photos on our Facebook and/or Instagram pages to promote community involvement and support for our Superhero!

Mail-In Registration

If you would prefer to mail in your registration form, you may print it from our website and do so. Please make checks or money orders out to “River Valley Superhero 5K”. Mail registration forms and payment to:
River Valley Superhero 5K, PO Box 11722 Russellville, AR 72812.

Bearcats Defeat Paris Behind Pitching of Jacob Herrera

Sports

Resident News Network

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3:19 pm

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Bearcats Defeat Paris Behind Pitching of Jacob Herrera

It was the fourth game of the opening week of the high school baseball season for the Paris Eagles. The Eagles traveled to Booneville on Friday to play a conference divisional cross-over game against the Bearcats. The start time of the game was moved up to 3:30 p.m. in anticipation of rain in Friday’s forecast. The coaches and administrators were correct in doing so, as the rain began to fall within a short time following completion of the game. Booneville defeated Paris 9-1 behind a dominant pitching performance by their multi-sport, talented athlete and pitcher, Jacob Herrera.

The Eagles took an early lead in the game on an RBI hit by Duke Walker driving in Mason Bradley for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. But Herrera began to settle down and the Eagles could only muster a few base runners for the rest of the game. Paris’s Duke Walker had an apparent home run that appeared to clear the left field fence in fair territory called foul. But for the majority of the game, Herrera kept the Eagles’ bats in check, and Paris would not score for the rest of the game.

Defensively, the Eagles continued to struggle on defense. A near collision in shallow left field between Mason Bradley and Blake Martines ended well with Martines catching the ball for the out, but illustrated the team’s struggle with fundamentals of calling off each other on the fly ball. Passed balls and wild pitches continue to be an issue for the defense. Mason Bradley has pitched well this week and has pitched good enough to win, but has not had the benefit of good run support on offense to get him the win. He has lost a hard decision against Lamar, and pitched well enough to win against Boonveille, but the Eagles’ bats have not yet come around in the first week of the season. These are all growing pains for a young and talented team, and I expect the Eagles to improve with each outing throughout the spring.

Paris coach Josh Hart took the loss in perspective, knowing that his team played their first games of the season versus teams who had already played several games prior to their games with Paris. Coach Hart said after the game, “It was a tough loss for us as a young team to end a big opening week. The teams we played this week all had several games under their belts already, and their experience showed. We had several positives during the week; a couple including sophomore Mason Bradley having two quality starts and freshman Konnor Edwards having two great appearances in relief. We had some spectacular defensive plays throughout the week including a couple by junior Duke Walker and junior Blake Martnes who made diving plays in the outfield. Although we struggled some with getting our bat going throughout the week we showed glimpses of what we can do and its a matter of stringing hits together which will come with more at bats under our belt. We saw some things that we will be working on moving forward and will continue to get better as the season goes.”

There is a lot of good, young talent on this team, and they will improve dramatically as the days warm up, the rain stops, and the team can get in a lot of games and practice time. But like the Eagles, the Lady Eagles softball team is also young and talented, and on Friday, they lost a tight, hard-fought game to the Lady Bearcats, 2-1.

On Wednesday night, the Lady Eagles scared the Class 6A Fort Smith Southside Lady Mavericks by taking them all the way to the seventh inning and leading the Lady Mavricks into the bottom half of the inning. Southside was able to manufacture a couple of runs to pull out the win against Paris, but the game showed just how much potential the Lady Eagles have for this season. Now, just 48 hours after that emotional game in Fort Smith, the Lady Eagles traveled to Booneville to play a very good Lady Bearcats team.

In a hard fought battle, the Lady Bearcats managed to defeat Paris by the score of 2-1. The game could be a preview of the district tournament and beyond in post-season play. After the game, Paris coach Donald Hart said, “It was a good pitching duel; unfortunately, we weren’t able to get some timely hitting. Booneville is a good young team that will definitely be a conference contender. Lot of season left for us.”

The Lady Eagles are in Greenwood today to play the Class 5A Lady Bulldogs’ junior varsity team. Next week, the Lady Eagles will travel to Morrilton on Monday, to Danville on Tuesday, and will end the week on Friday with a home game against Cossatot River.

The baseball Eagles will travel to Danville on Tuesday, will host Scranton on Wednesday, will travel to Clarksville on Thursday, and will end their week on Friday at home versus Cossatot River.

So Paris fans, there is plenty of action for you next week as the weather should continue to improve and the afternoons should be very pleasant and perfect to go out to a ball park and catch one of these great teams in action.

Resident Press’s next game coverage will be on Wednesday with the Eagles game at home with the Scranton Rockets. Resident Press will also have coverage of the Lady Eagles’ game with Cossatot River on Friday.

Additional photos of the Eagles baseball game at Booneville are available on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. Fans from both schools can visit the page and copy photos at no charge.

It was an exciting first week of baseball and softball, and Resident Press will be here all season to bring you the action from both sports.

See you at the ballpark!

R

RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK