On Wednesday, March 3rd, the Waldron Bulldogs checked another goal off their list as they defeated the Green Forest Tigers in the first round of the 3A-1 Regional at Bergman. The win qualifies the Bulldogs to take part in the 3A state tournament next week at Clinton. Only the top 16 teams in the state earn their way to play in the state tournament, but that’s not what the Dogs are thinking about. The Regional Tournament continues today and tomorrow for seeding at State and Waldron shows no signs of slowing down.
“Really proud of all of these guys who have stepped up and showed out all year. It really feels like somebody different puts us over the top each night,” said Waldron coach Josh Brown. Coach Brown is referring to the spectacular performance of senior guard Jaden Hutchens. Hutchens took over on the offensive end for the Bulldogs, especially in the 3rd quarter, and finished the night with 29 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Jaden netted 7 three-point baskets and added 4 assists as well.
Similar to all season, the Bulldogs weren’t a solo act, however, with Gada Wagner adding 15 and Isaac “The Real” Villarreal scoring 13. “These guys have put in the work and now it’s their time to start seeing that work pay off. We appreciate Bulldog nation supporting these guys, but we ain’t done yet!”
The Bulldogs face the Pirates of Cedarville tonight at 7:00 pm in the semi-final match-up. This will be the 3rd time these two teams have squared off with the Bulldogs taking both of the previous games. “When it comes to post-season basketball, records get thrown out. We are just trying to go 1 and 0 tonight and Fly the W!”
Thursday evening, March 4, Greenwood took on 6A Fayetteville and won 3-0.
It was a perfect night for baseball in Greenwood as Fayetteville came to town to square off against the Bulldogs. While the hits were low on the Greenwood side, they brought the runners in. Bryce Morgan got a hit and a run. Matt Munday’s hit ended with 2 RBI’s with Reed Carroll and Caiden Brown crossing the plate.
Harrison Adams slides back into 1st
Landry Jurecka went 4 innings throwing 59 pitches. Three Fayetteville batters got hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Chance Eoff took the mound and threw 48 pitches in 3 innings. 2 hits came off of those pitches, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs will be in action this weekend against Owasso in Owasso.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to the Vilonia Lady Eagles in the Conference Championship game, 77-69, on Wednesday evening, March 3.
Ally Sockey drives to the basket in the 1st quarter.
Just 24 hours off of a dominant performance against Greenbriar, which included a 31-7 run in the 2nd period, the Lady Bulldogs went up against a very physical Vilonia squad.
The game against the Lady Eagles was originally slated for the week before the winter weather hit. The matchup would be a showdown between the top two teams in the conference.
Shea Goodwin looking on as the offense gets set up.
The lead would change multiple times between the two teams. In the final seconds of the 2nd period, Vilonia drives down the court and pulls up at the 3 point line, and sinks it. Vilonia up 39-37 over Greenwood.
Going into 2nd half action the lead would once again change hands several times, with Greenwood going up 6 points at one point. Ally Sockey and Mady Cartwright would end up in foul trouble in the 4th. The two defenses of Greenwood and Vilonia would trade great defensive plays throughout the 2nd half.
In her last game at H.B. Stewart, Senior Kinley Fisher left it all on the court in an incredible game with 30 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Abby Summitt had 9 points, 2 steals, 2 rebounds. Sockey and Cartwright both had 7 points a piece.
Kinley Fisher awaiting a pass
The Lady Bulldogs will be in action next week at the 5A State Tournament in Hot Springs.
If you live in the Cedarville area, you probably know Danny Fuller as a teacher and former coach at Cedarville High School or as the owner of Full Throttle Fitness, but you might be surprised to learn that Fuller has also written and published four books.
Danny says he started writing at a young age. “I started writing little stories in elementary, but really started focusing on writing more about the seventh grade. I started off writing these short stories about a group of superheroes called the Freedom Fighters. In the tenth grade, I started writing my first novel attempt, which was a fantasy story. Some of my books are inspired by friends and people that I have met along the way over the years, and others are just these ideas that will randomly pop into my head. They might stem from a question I have about shows that I watch or just a completely random thought. As I’ve aged and learned new perspectives, my characters have grown as well. As much as I love to write, I chose teaching history as my major when I went to college because it had better job opportunities, but I was always writing on the side throughout college.”
After college, Fuller began teaching Social Studies at Cedarville High School and has now been there 13 years. He also coached football and softball for five years but left coaching so he could spend more time with Jalah, his wife, and their children, Alexis and Reed. He still needed a coaching “fix”, so he opened Full Throttle Fitness.
Jalah Fuller says her husband is “very humble and private”, but she is proud to share his accomplishments. “Last year he received the History Teacher of the year award from the local VA chapter in Van Buren as well as district and state VA. He’s been Teacher of the Year at Cedarville High school at least 3 times. For ‘Who’s Who’ each year he is voted as most caring or most influential (sometimes both) by the students. We had a shoebox full of letters from former students who write him after they graduate telling him how his class prepared them like no other for the real world and how his back story and influence on them made a huge impact. He’s even had foreign exchange students write him and thank him for being the best teacher they have ever had.”
Along with teaching, fitness coaching, and writing, Danny also loves to play flag football and has been playing in the Fort Smith league for at least 15 years. Jalah admits, “Not sure how he finds time to write, but he does! He enjoys it so it’s not a set amount of time each week and sometimes he writes more days than others, depending on if he thinks of something randomly and doesn’t want to forget it.”
Danny explains his strategy, “These days I try to balance teaching, running a business, and family, while trying to find a little time here and there to write.”
Danny Fuller’s books are available on Amazon and include Coming of Age, The Exile’s March, Worlds Apart, and The Reckoning.
The Charleston basketball program had good seasons this year, but it may be a while before Tigers fans want to make the long trip to Bergman again. It was not a good week for Charleston as the girls were defeated in a lopsided win by the host school Bergman Lady Panthers, and yesterday, the Tigers fell to the Elkins Elks in similar fashion. Yes, it was a tough week, but it has been a successful season for a young team that will return many of its players for next year. And before I get started, let me give a shout out to the many faithful Charleston fans who made the “cross-country” drive of almost three hours through hilly terrain to support their Lady Tigers and Tigers in the regional tournament. Charleston had a presence at the tournament, and next year should be even better for Tigers fans.
Charleston and Elkins are very familair with each other’s programs. The Elks and Tigers were in the same conference one year ago before the reallignment. This year, Elkins was the third seed from a very tough 3A-1 conference. In fact, in both the boys and girls brackets of the 3A West regional, the 3A-1 has dominated by nearly eliminating all of the top seeds from the 3A-4. For the most part, it will be 3A-1 district tournament part two as they move into the semifinals and finals. So there were no secrets going into Charleston’s game with Elkins.
And part of that “no secret” was the outstanding guard play of Charleston’s Brandon Scott. The Elks clearly went into the game with the intent of taking Scott out of the game by double-teaming him for much of the game, and letting its big inside presence take care of the basket. It is a strategy that Charleston has seen its opponents do in the past, but this time, Elkins had the inside game to make the strategy work.
Resident Press Photo
In the first quarter, Elkins came out defensively denying Scott the basketball. The Elks dominated under the basket, getting easy inside shots and blocking Charleston drives to the basket. Charleston found a way to keep the game close with key outside shots, and when the quarter ended, Elkns had a 13-9 lead over Charleston.
Resident Press Photo
Elkins broke the game open in the second quarter by outscoring the Tigers 24-12. The Elkins defense was playing smothering defense on Brandon Scott, and the inside game of Elkins was dominating anything that went inside. In a key moment of the quarter, Scott was fouled in three point territory and was given the chance at three free throws that would have significantly narrowed the lead and kept Charleston within striking distance. Scott, uncharacteristically, missed all three free throw attempts. Perhaps this was an effect from the tough defense he was facing on every trip down the floor, but it illustrated at the time the need for other Tigers shooters to step up and take off some of the scoring pressure from Scott in the game.
Resident Press Photo
The Tigers struggled to find scoring from other players on the floor, especially with the inside dominance by Elkins. Senior Trenton Goodson played a good game, but he was also facing tremendous inside defense from Elkins. The Elks were successfully slowing both Scott and Goodson, and it forced the Tigers to struggle to score for the rest of the game. At the half, the Elks had extended their lead over Charleston to 37-21.
Resident Press Photo
In the third, Charleston continued to play hard but could not slow the hot Elkins outside shooters. The Tigers were still being dominated inside, and when the quarter ended, Elkins had extended their lead to 53-34 over Charleston.
Resident Press Photo
The fourth quarter was a continuance of the third, and by approximately three minutes to go in the game, both schools emptied their benches to give playing time to those players who have also worked so hard during the season. It was a tough way to end the season, but nevertheless, it was a successful season for a young Charleston team. The game ended with a final score of 79-50, and Elkins moves on to the second round of the regional tournament.
After the game, a proud Charleston coach, B. J. Ross said, “They (Elkins) had a little bit more in their tank. They got us with their depth and they shot it better than we did. I am proud of our team; they played hard from start to finish. Young team, a lot of promise coming back, and we are always proud to be a Tiger.”
Resident Press Photo
I asked Coach Ross about Elkins’s strategy to denying Scott and letting their inside game shut off anything under the basket. Coach said, “People have tried that all year against us. But the people we have played do not have anyone as tall as he is at 6’5″ and as long as that guy is, but they did a great job. They denied Scott the ball, made us give it up, and when we went to the basket, we were going into 6’5″ under the basket with long arms. They did a good job and we got a little out-matched today, but I am so proud of them.”
Resident Press Photos
So it is on to baseball, basketball, and track for area high schools. Resident Press wishes all of the remaining schools the best of luck in the regional and state tournaments. Our hats are off to the coaches, players, and school administrators who overcame the COVID obstacles and gave high schools a chance to play a complete season of basketball. The lessons learned from basketball should pay off with spring sports being able to start and complete their seasons, as well.
For me, I will move on to softball today with coverage of Dardanelle at Paris, weather permitting. But to all of the Charleston student athletes, parents, administration, and fans, I would like to say how much it has been a pleasure covering the Tigers, and I look forward to more coverage of Charleston sports this spring in baseball and softball seasons.
Additional photos of this game can be found on Facebook at Charleston Tigers Sports. Fans from both schools can view / download photos from the game at no charge.
Congratulations to the Charleston basketball program for a successful year in boys and girls basketball. Your futures are bright, and fans will be anxiously awaiting the upcoming seasons in 2021-22!
The Cedarville Pirates have spent the entire basketball season prematurely aging their fans with their close calls and near misses and during last night’s Regional game against the Valley Springs Tigers, it was no different. The game got off to a slow start for Cedarville with the first quarter ending 13-5 Valley Springs. But those who truly know the Pirates know that they do some of their best work under pressure and boy was the pressure on! Apparently, Cedarville was just playing opossum because when the second quarter got started, so did the Pirates.
Coach Cluck giving his Pirates a pep talk
Cedarville knew they were going to have to change things up a bit if they were going to get the upper-hand on the well-rounded and skilled Tigers. Every Pirate strapped on their jet packs and blasted up and down the court poppin’ points and laying down the law. By the time the game reached halftime, the score read 25-25. With the match halfway over, it now boiled down to who wants it more and who’s willing to push themselves past the realm of uncomfortable. Teams don’t make it this far into the basketball season by luck. It’s the best of the best.
#23 Connor Templeton
With the third quarter in full swing, it was evident to everyone watching, that neither team was going to just roll over. Both teams’ offenses and defenses were evenly matched and by the time the fourth quarter was ready to start, the scoreboard was lit up 40-39 Cedarville. This was it. The most important eight minutes of the Pirates and the Tigers careers. Eight minutes to go full-speed. Eight minutes to determine who was going to State. Eight minutes to go big or go home.
#22 Darryl Kattich
As time ticked down, the Tigers started to slowly buckle under the stress making tiny mistakes that the Pirates were able to quickly capitalize on. And by the final buzzer, Cedarville took the win 56-53 and punched their ticket to State which is something that was last done in 2014! Austin Cluck led the Pirates in scoring with 19 points followed by Darryl Kattich with 13, Austin Swaim with 7, Lane Hightower and Cody Dickens with 6 each, Dylan Cluck with 4, and Tommy Metcalf with 1 point. “Valley Springs is a really big physical and experienced team,” explained Coach Frank Cluck. “They played a great game. Our boys battled hard to compete throughout the entire game.”
#34 Dylan Cluck
“The extra push came in the early part of the 4th quarter. I think our depth really helped late in the game. Our bench really contributed throughout but especially late in the game. Sophomores Hayden Morton and Lane Hightower plus seniors Connor Templeton and Tommy Metcalf came off the bench to give us quality minutes throughout the match.” The Pirates aren’t done just yet though as they have the semi-final round of Regionals tonight at 7 pm against the Waldron Bulldogs.
The proper maintenance of tractor tires will help tell tractor owners whether they need to replace their tires or not. Wheel slippage (a loss of traction), consistent air pressure problems, and dry rot are all signs that you need new tires. Thankfully, these issues are preventable. Use these tips for keeping a tractor tire from wearing out to keep your tires long-lasting and safe.
How To Take Care of Your Tractor Tires
Educate yourself about the manual. Understanding the manual thoroughly will help you know the dos and don’ts of both your tractor and the tires. Manuals list the necessary instructions on how to take care of vehicles and troubleshooting frequent problems.
Learn about tire specifications. The tractor tire’s specifications include its weight, height, model number, diameter, size of the tire, and the recommended tire pressure and weight.
Get the proper tools. Tractors are heavy-duty equipment, and if you’re going to invest in a tractor, you might as well invest in the tools. These vehicles require larger wrenches, nuts, and other necessary tools.
Tire inflation. Running your tractor tires frequently at low pressure will increase tread wear and damage the tire. You should be able to find the recommended pressure listed on the side of the tire or in the manual. Checking the air pressure will make the tire safer and more efficient.
Don’t overload. There is a load capacity for each tire. Carrying a load that is way above the recommendation will cause damage and reduce the wear on the tire.
Keep your tractor and tractor tires clean. Cleaning the vehicle is very important to help you spot leaks and other damage. Some tires have self-cleaning abilities depending on the depth of the tread.
The proper maintenance of tires will help vehicle owners tell whether they need a tire replacement or not. Keeping a safe and well-maintained tractor is an essential part of overall farm work. Needlessly going through tires, or worse, damaging your tractor, is an unexpected expense that your farming business can’t afford. Follow these tips for keeping a tractor tire from wearing out to prevent unnecessary costs and improve safety on your farm.
The Mansfield Sr Lady Tigers have fed critics and nay-sayers humble pie all season. They were told they couldn’t compete. They were told they didn’t have the personnel. After a 3-3 start to the season, many might have thought that the critics were right. But since going 3-3, the Lady Tigers have made quite the run only losing to one program along the way. To the shock of the early season negative onlookers, Mansfield finished Runner-Up in Districts and landed a #2 seed in the Regional Tournament. They squared off against the Life Way Christian Warriors Thursday night pulling off a 50-40 victory and now the critics can have their Thanksgiving portion of humble pie because the Lady Tigers are State bound!
Kynslee Ward
Mansfield started off the game losing the tip-off, but Danielle Lillie was able to steal the ball quickly off the tip setting up for a quick Lady Tiger score. The Lady Tigers put on the pressure from the early momentum by Lillie and ran away with a 22-8 first-quarter lead. Mansfield then started to play strategy basketball and uncharacteristically slowed the pace of the game. Mansfield subbed in players to keep the starters fresh, but the subs played equally as well on defense. But the key ingredient to the Lady Tigers’ 1st quarter success was at the post position with seniors Brooke Wright and Chloe Creekmore battling for rebounds while freshman sensation, Alyson Edwards, put up the backboard buckets.
Danielle Lillie
As the 2nd quarter ensued, the Lady Tigers ran into foul trouble as players began to hastily reach for steals. Each reach equaled a foul and before Mansfield knew it, the Lady Warriors had made their way back into the game with free throws. Coupled with the monstrous height of Life Way Christian and some poor choices leading to turnovers, Mansfield looked to be in trouble. The Lady Tigers went into the half with a seven-point lead of 29-22.
#24 Brooke Wright
Coming out of the half, Mansfield’s hot first half feet grew cold as the Lady Warriors took the lead in the 3rd quarter with a 35-32 score. Was this going to be the end of Mansfield’s surprising season? Apparently, the Lady Tigers were playing Tigers and mouse with Life Way Christian as they began clicking again in the 4th quarter. Mansfield began to see the chink in the Warrior’s defensive armor and began to exploit it. Makayla Strutton found an open lane three times in a row to light up the scoreboard while Chloe Creekmore and Danielle Lillie were able to float a few points through the net. Mansfield regained the lead forcing the Lady Warriors to panic and foul to stop the clock. As time ran out, Coach Joshua Bryan put in his senior starters to relish in a 50-40 victory.
Chloe Creekmore
Seniors Makayla Strutton and Danielle Lillie caught fire and led the Lady Tigers with 11 points apiece against Life Way Christian. Freshman Alyson Edwards rolled up 9 hard-fought points off of the boards while fellow post senior, Chloe Creekmore, pounded in 6 points. Natalie Allison knocked down 6 points in her performance vs the Lady Warriors as well. Sophomore Skylynn Harris threw down a beautiful shot for her 3 points in the game as well did freshman, Kynslee Ward, with 3 points of her own. And senior, Brooke Wright, hung up 2 points in her tough battles at the post position against the taller Lady Warriors.
Alyson Edwards
The Lady Tigers will travel back to Magazine on Friday, March 5th in hopes to continue their success against yet another team of Warriors in the #1 seeded Cotter Warriors with a tip-off of 4:00 pm. The Lady Tigers are in the State Tournament no matter what, but their goal wasn’t to merely stop there. With a win, Mansfield will have the opportunity to win the Regional Championship and advance as a #1 seed in the State Tournament.
There is a list of disadvantages that come with snow. When thinking about this list, many don’t even consider flooding. However, snowmelt, unfortunately, causes basement flooding in many homes. If you dealt with a large amount of snow this winter and the temperatures are starting to rise, it might be time to start preparing to ensure this doesn’t damage your home. Here are a few ways to protect your basement from snowmelt.
Keep the Snow Away From Your Home
Get as much snow as you can away from your home as possible. Get out your shovel and start pushing away the snow from your foundation as soon as you can. Keep in mind that if your home is on a hill, you need to make sure that when it melts it moves away from your home and not toward it.
Clear Snow From Your Roof
This might seem like a large task considering the roof is high up and the conditions are not the best. However, this does not mean that there cannot be any snow on your roof. What you need to eliminate is any snow build-up, as the gutter system won’t be able to keep up when it thaws. Not watching for this can lead to snowmelt going into your basement, and in extreme cases, breaking through the roof of your home.
Inspect Downspouts and Gutters
Keeping an eye on the drainage areas, downspouts, and gutters throughout the winter months will help you make sure that they are in good, working condition. They need to be clear of snow and ice build-up at all times. Ensuring that this is the case will help you prevent backups and overflowing of the melted snow.
Test Your Sump Pump
You should test your sump pump throughout the winter months to ensure that it is in good working condition. To test this, you should pour a bucket of water into the basic to engage the pump. If this doesn’t ignite the sump pump to work, please unplug the pump and investigate the problem. It’s much better to determine what’s wrong at the start rather than finding out there is a problem before it’s too late.
These four ways to protect your basement from snowmelt will be greatly beneficial in keeping your basement dry. Snowmelt can be damaging and harmful to your basement if it isn’t properly handled, so please do your best as a homeowner to keep that from occurring. One more quick tip is to always fix any cracks and leaks in your foundation that could allow water into your home.
Mansfield freshmen, Cole Smith and Harlie Fuller, finalized a community service project at the Mansfield Police Department on Wednesday evening, February 3. The culmination of their hard work, an oversized, custom blue thin line flag with a touch of hometown pride, now on display at the police department.
EAST (education accelerated by service and technology) Classroom instructor Annette Smith oversaw the project. The technology class inspires students to plan and develop their own community service projects.
EAST Classroom students with their instructor, Annette Smith
“Chief Robb requested a design for the front lobby wall that embodied the heart of Mansfield and its police department,” shared Smith. “The two students used the software program Inkscape, along with Google Drawings, to make the design.”
After creating the design, the talented ninth-graders set out to find a suitable material for the project. “They decided on PhotoTex, which is a polyester peel and stick fabric that can be removed and reused multiple times,” added Smith. “They contacted Walter Gierlach, Jr., President of the USA division of Phototex, and he not only donated the material for the mural, but did the printing also.”
Cole Smith and Harlie Fuller prepare the mural for hanging
Chief Robb was pleased with the outcome of the project and was appreciative of the student’s efforts and hard work.
