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7th Grade Tigers Alchemize Golden Arrows

Sports

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10:35 am

7th Grade Tigers Alchemize Golden Arrows

Pictured is Dominic Shores

The Mansfield 7^th Grade Tigers traveled into the land of archers as they clashed with the Lavaca Golden Arrows on Thursday, October 22^nd. Mansfield didn’t travel alone though. The Tigers brought with them a 3-1 conference record, a focused mindset of dominance, and a quiver packed full of high-powered players. But this was against a solid Lavaca team so nothing would be a guarantee.

Lavaca took their offense to the field first and wasted little time showing the Tigers that their archery skills were on target as the Golden Arrows ran a play-action quarterback run to hang points on the board first. Although the Golden Arrows fumbled the snap on their extra point, they still held a 6-0 lead and definitely gained Mansfield’s attention. The Tigers took their offense out aiming to settle the score. Dawson Robinson took a handoff and rolled downfield 30 yards before being taken down. The takedown though was costly as Robinson seemed to have tweaked his ankle on the fall but recovered quickly. For some team, losing a key player to an injury can be crippling, but not to Mansfield’s 7^th Grade. Traevin Copeland stepped up and took the next handoff and dipped, dived, twisted, and turned his way 26 yards for another Mansfield big gain. As the drive ensued, the Tigers had a pass picked off shutting down their touchdown hopes.

Mansfield’s defense began to step up to the plate and zero in on the Golden Arrows game plan. With Lavaca running to the outside each play, the Tigers spread their linebackers out wide and went to work. Zander Walters was the defensive wrecking machine on the right side of the field and a rejuvenated Robinson was back slashing down the Golden Arrows to the right. With the run game beginning to fall short, Lavaca went to the air. Unfortunately for Lavaca, that is the territory of Logan Newman and Dominic Shores and they are very, VERY territorial. Shores and Newman ate up any and all receivers in their area shutting down the Golden Arrows pass game. That left Lavaca with only one option left. Punt. With time running out in the half and still down 6-0, the Tigers leaned on their tried and true run game to get back into the match. With 4:39 left in the half, Zander “Z-Dog” Walters plowed his way 47 yards to the endzone as Arrows hung off his back. The extra point attempt was stuffed, and the game stood at 6-6 even. The Tiger D bowed up again shutting down Lavaca’s comeback bid, and Mansfield took over with less than a minute left in the half. Cooper Edwards took the final play and scrambled past purple jerseys looking for an open receiver and as he was being taken down tossed the ball to Shores who made an awesome come back to the ball to catch it. The pass and catch effort weren’t enough to score though as the Tigers went into the half tied with Lavaca.

With a slow start to the first half, questions arose as to how the second half would play out. Walters answered every question and then some as he took the first snap 70 yards for a quick score. Traevin popped past the goal line for the two-point conversion jumping the Tigers ahead 14-6. But not so fast. Lavaca jumped right back into the mix scoring again to close the gap. Desperate to tie the game up, Lavaca tried some old school trickery for their two-point conversion. How old school? China Wall old school. The Golden Arrows pulled off the trick play and tied the game up 14-14. At that, the National Weather Service put Lavaca put on a “Walters Watch”. Walters blew through the Golden Arrows defense two more times in the game with a 50 yard and 14-yard touchdown. Traevin added on one of the two extra-point attempts to pump the Tigers up and ahead 28-14.

The Tiger Defense were the showstoppers for the rest of the game. Team tackles and flying to the ball was the name of the game from that point on. Cooper Edwards, Dominic Shores, Joey Fildes, and Logan Newman held steadfast against the pass game and locked down the Golden Arrows air raid. Defensive Linemen James Bausley, Logan Ore, Kanon Fisher, and Wyatt Boyd barricaded any running game attempt with thunderous hits. And Walters and Robinson picked off any stragglers who dared to slip out. The final score was 28-14 as the 7^th Grade Tigers doubled up on Lavaca. With no rest for the weary, the Tigers will only have time to mark down the W on the schedule and get back to work as they prepare to host a plunderous Pirate squad from Cedarville on Thursday, October 29^th.

Mansfield Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Resident News Network

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3:36 pm

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Mansfield Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

On Thursday morning, October 22, a Mansfield man was arrested on child pornography charges.

According to Mansfield Police Chief Wayne Robb, Donald Cross, 32, was taken into custody at his mother’s home in Abbott. Robb added that Cross resided at 204 Huntington Avenue, trailer 12, in Mansfield.

Cross was arrested following a three to four month long investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and the Arkansas State Police assisted the Mansfield Police Department in the arrest.

Cross was transported to the Scott County Detention Center and is currently awaiting a bond hearing.

Greenwood Set To Host Benton

Sports

Resident News Network

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3:19 pm

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After the final horn sounds on Friday, one of these teams will have their first conference lost. In what looks to be the game of the week in 6A, both teams bring in a solid defense and a powerful offense.

The Bulldog defense is only allowing 10 points per contest, first in the conference and a number they met exactly last week in their contest with Russellville. Benton’s defense enters the game allowing 22 points per contest, third in the conference.

The Benton Panthers are riding a 4 game win streak and allowed only 7 points in their win against Mountain Home last Friday. The home town bulldogs remain undefeated overall and appear to be clicking on all cylinders.

The Bulldog defense showed no signs of letting up last week. Sr. linebacker Angel Hernandez is a force. Last week versus Russellville, Hernandez registered 9 tackles and 1 pass breakup. Sr. defensive end Jordan Hanna has disrupted defenses all year long. In last weeks matchup, Hanna recorded 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 QB hurry.

You will not want to miss this 6A clash of the titans this Friday night in Smith Robinson Stadium.

Hunting with My Toddler

Outdoors

Madison VanRavensway

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2:25 pm

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My now three year old learning gun control and hunter’s safety with his BB gun and orange before season begins.

As a mom and avid deer hunter, I couldn’t wait to experience hunting through my toddler’s eyes. At two years old my oldest got his first taste. Let me preface this personal experience with at this particular age, the sass was strong with this one.

We began the morning walking up a hill that was steeper than I had anticipated it to be, or maybe it was just because my hunting partner declared out of nowhere he couldn’t fit in a carrier.

I use a structured carrier as much as possible, and until then we hadn’t stopped with him. But, that day he was not having it. He walked about 10 feet before he started fussing again. To keep from scaring off every living thing in a one mile radius, I told him I would just pick him up and tote him up the hill. The whole way up he’s fussing about me carrying him and not seeing a deer. When we get to the top I adjusted his orange, reminded him we have to whisper, and sat him on a log.

Our location was far less than ideal, but I wanted the memories of our first solo hunting trip together. He has a fascination with bugs and I kept having to reiterate to him our actual mission, which was not to find a spider or roll off the mountain because he was tripping over limbs and wet grass.

Generally, my kids are well-behaved. I say that with confidence that for the most part if you’re around my toddler he will be pleasant. Apparently deer hunting with momma is not his cup of tea, and after 30 minutes of complaining, arguing, and pure sass I told him we would venture back out of the woods.

We stayed less time than it took for us to get to our location. But now, I suppose, we have the fun memories. As soon as I put him back in his seat and got the car turned around to take him to a sitter, he was asleep.

He has gone back since and had better experiences, even as far as getting to see deer together; though we haven’t killed one together, yet.

Here’s hoping for a better season this year.

Sr Tigers Ready, Aimed, And Fired Up For Lavaca Game

Sports

Megan Hecox

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10:36 am

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Sr Tigers Ready, Aimed, And Fired Up For Lavaca Game

After a rough 52-6 loss against Lincoln last Friday night, Mansfield Sr High Tigers head coach, Tim Cothran, fills fans in on what to expect from the Tigers as they gear up to host the Lavaca Golden Arrows on October, 23. Lavaca will be entering this game with a 0-3 conference record and 0-5 overall record while Mansfield will kick off the night 0-4 in conference and 1-6 overall.

How is your roster looking going into this Friday’s contest? “We still have several starters out with quarantine so we are not at full strength yet.” What is the biggest strength the Tigers will be bringing to the field in their game with Lavaca? “The seniors are playing well so hopefully that is a strength that we can count on.”

What do you feel has been the biggest problem up to this point in conference play and what can be done to fix it? “The execution of our offense has been a struggle for us. We tried some different things early but we found that our best chance is to stay with who we are. If the execution continues to improve in practice, hopefully, that will transfer out to the game field. There is an old saying “practice makes perfect” but in reality, it is “perfect practice makes perfect”. We have to strive for perfection.”

When it comes to Lavaca’s running, passing, or defense, what will need to be done to stop them? “Lavaca has a balanced offense with a talented group of athletes. We have to play assignment football. And we have to control our gaps and have better coverage in the secondary. If we will play to our abilities, it should be a very good game.” And what is the one thing you are looking forward to on Friday’s match-up? “We are just thankful that we have been able to play another game. There are a lot of teams that have had to cancel games because of Covid and we consider ourselves very fortunate to get to continue to play.”

Fall Fishing Tips

Outdoors

Madison VanRavensway

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12:23 pm

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As summer fades some may think good fishing days are fading with it, but that’s not the case. Fall is an excellent time to continue fishing and reel in some monster fish. Cooler weather does, however, change a few strategies for catching large mouth bass.

The best baits are always the baits similar to what the fish are hunting, naturally. During the fall as bait fish are what is on the menu tying on baits like shad, minnows, and sunfish will catch your desired catch’s attention. Lipless crank-baits reeled at a slightly slowed speed with little jerks are also a great option for fall fishing.

This is a Storm brand Wild Eye Live Eye Minnow, and it is what is currently on my fishing pole and spends a lot of time on my husband’s as well!

Fish will chase their food, especially in preparation for winter. Following schools of shad jumping is generally a sure fire way to get in a shoal of bass. Look for small fish jumping out of the water and sometimes you can even catch a glimpse of a bass jumping after them.

If you’re out for monster fish, fall is really a better time than the spring. Fish aren’t waiting on nests, rather waiting on food!

Large fish are more often in covered areas such as submerged trees and brush, water vegetation, docks, etc. than with a large group. To catch large bass, remember to throw a large bait!

A low hanging limb over our pond, it has great potential as a hiding spot for fish!

Some day’s the fish just aren’t biting, but there are always memories to be made and fun to be had by the water. Be flexible, patient, and willing to try a different bait or a new location.

Mayor Responds to Issue with Retirement Deposits

Tammy Teague

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5:31 pm

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Mayor Responds to Issue with Retirement Deposits

On Tuesday evening, Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black issued a statement in response to the recent discovery of an error in the way the city was making retirement fund deposits. This matter of business was presented to the city council last Thursday evening, October 15, after Mayor Black was informed by the auditor that the funds going into the retirement plan could not come from either street or water, and that the monies must be paid back. -see related story

Mayor Black stated he made the discovery “during my review of the retired elected official’s retirement fund and in trying to find a solution to the problem of said fund being unsustainable in the future when all eligible elected officials are drawing a pension from it.” Black went on to add, “I started with how we had been making deposits into the retirement fund. We have been depositing $1000 into the retirement fund from each of four funds, general fund, street fund, water fund and waste management fund for a total of $4000 per month. Deposits began in June 2013 at a total deposit of $2000 and increased to $4000 January 2018. After reviewing this I discovered that we could not be using monies from the water and street funds to fund this retired elected officials retirement fund.“

It was then, Black stated, that he immediately contacted the auditor, who further investigated the matter. “The auditor found a precedent had been set and ruled on by then Arkansas Attorney General Winston Bryant in 1996. The auditor advised us to pay the money back to street and water immediately. The amount was $60,500 each for a total of$121,000. The council voted to take $ 60,500 from retirement fund and $ 60,500 from waste management fund and return to street and water.”

Black stated that this was done on Friday October 16. “The new amounts and a new budget will be presented to the city council at the November meeting,” explained Black. “Even though this is called an elected official’s retirement, it also includes our city attorney who is appointed not elected. This is all explained in Ordinance 2008-2 which was adopted in December 2008.”

Black concluded by stating, “this was a bookkeeping error and since the money has now been paid back, no further action is needed. The city council will be meeting over the next few months to try to come up with some better ideas on how to fund to pension plan.”

Care Tips for a New Horse Owner

Lifestyle

Resident News Network

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1:59 pm

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Owning a horse for the first time is an exciting part of any aspiring rancher’s life. After you’ve gotten all your equipment and have prepared your horse’s home, it can be overwhelming to think about what you need to do next. Be aware of these care tips for a new horse owner while you settle in with your new equine companion and work to build a trusting relationship.

Be Careful What You Feed Your Horse

When you own a horse, it becomes your responsibility to know what your horse is eating and how much they eat. Including too many treats in a horse’s diet can cause obesity or digestive issues that are hazardous to your horse’s health, such as colic. While you can be extremely careful with your horse’s diet, be wary of people who may walk by your pasture intending to feed your horse “treats” without your permission. Make sure any visitor (whether expected or not) who wants to give treats to your horse does so only with your approval. You may need to make a sign, depending on how many people walk past your property regularly. There are many things that horses cannot eat, so stick to your own horse treats, forage, and grain.

Know How Much To Feed Your Horse

High-quality hay and forage are essential parts of a horse’s diet. You should never eyeball how much you need to feed them. Know how much forage you need to give your horse daily before you bring them home. Forage provides your horse with both nutritional value and chewing enjoyment while keeping your horse’s digestive tract healthy. During warmer seasons, make sure to account for how much they graze outside when deciding how much to feed them. Problems with their digestive tract can result in obesity, colic, or laminitis, so take care that everything is moving along smoothly.

Exercise Your Horse Regularly

Horses require exercise to stay healthy, even during the winter. Before you own a horse, you need to be aware of how much care and attention they’ll need every single day. A horse that stays out to pasture often will need slightly less exercise than one that stays inside all day, though these horses will still need some routine exercise. One of the most important care tips for a new horse owner is to know that you must exercise your horse for it to stay healthy. They are not just pretty animals to look at and pet. Be sure to ride your horse a few times a week. Even if you’re just riding around the perimeter of your ranch, it’ll be enough activity to satisfy a freedom-loving horse.

Sr Hornets Unable To Crash Tigers Homecoming

Sports

Megan Hecox

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1:01 pm

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Sr Hornets Unable To Crash Tigers Homecoming

The Hackett Sr High Hornets have censored most critics about their being moved from 2A to 3A this season. So the Hornets let the numbers do the work for them. Hackett beat their two non-conference opponents with a combined score of 80-49 then kicked off their new 3A run with a dominant performance over Lavaca. Although the Hornets fell to Cedarville, it was by merely a single score to one of the 3A up and coming programs.

The true 3A test though came last Friday as the Hornets traveled to Charleston to face the Tigers. Hackett knew that Charleston is one of the premier 3A programs holding over a dozen 3A-1 championships and five state titles, but they also knew they were going to fight all the way until the final buzzer. That fight started within ten seconds of the game when on Charleston’s first offensive play, the Tigers sent a pass downfield to an open receiver to score. Quickly down 8-0, Hackett went to work as power runs by Weston Winters gashed at the Tigers defense. Pound as they may, the Hornets couldn’t tie the game up and Charleston wound up on offense again. The Tigers again took the pigskin down for another touchdown and tacked on a two-point conversion to boot jumping their lead to 15-0 with 7:36 left in the first quarter.

Scoring once is one thing, but doing it twice? Well, that just poked the Hornets’ nest and Hackett wasn’t about to just kick back and watch. With quick passes to the flats and the continuing thumping of the Tigers defense by Winters, Ethan “Superman” Slavens was able to find the mighty Tigers’ weakness. Slavens lasered a hot pass to Peyton Hester who burnt Charleston’s coverage and took the Hornets into the end zone. The score was 15-8 and it was game on as the Hornets began to come alive. Hackett’s defense stepped up to the plate and began swarming the Charleston backfield. With solid hits that packed a punch, Charleston was sent back to the huddle with stingers in every joint of their bodies. Big hits cause players to make mistakes and the Tigers quarterback rushed an ill-advised pass in which Shipman was there waiting as he tipped the ball allowing Slavens to snag the interception giving the Hornets offense another shot to put points up. Before the Hornets could score, the wild first quarter had sounded with Hackett only being down 15-8.

This Cinderella story would begin to take a turn for the worse for the Hornets though. Not only was Hackett playing against Charleston…..in Charleston…..but it was Charleston’s homecoming too. The Hornets attempt to dethrone the 3A-1 kings started to slip as the Tigers racked up three unanswered scores on Hackett before the end of the second quarter setting the game at 36-8 at halftime. Once the half was over, Hackett’s woes began just as quickly as they did when the game started as Charleston kicked and recovered an onside kick giving them the ball to start the second half. Hackett struggled to get warmed up in the third and fourth quarters as their offense sputtered off and on. The Hornets defense was able to hold Charleston to only two scores in the second half, but couldn’t keep up with the Tigers’ high-powered and fast-paced offense. In the end, Hackett would fall to Charleston 48-8.

QB, Ethan “Superman” Slavens made 10 passes for 129 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT. Weston Winters had 21 carries for 80 yards. Fischer Shipman made 6 catches for 96 yards. Peyton Hester snagged 3 catches for 27 yards and 1 TD. Isaiah Carter had 3 pancakes. Luke Gann got 2 pancakes. Juan Fajardo and Mason Oelke each made 1 pancake. Peyton Hester earned 12 tackles. Ty Smith picked up 6 tackles. And Weston Winters scored 7 tackles.

“It was a tough game,” explained head coach, Michael Meador. “We made too many mistakes to beat a good team. We have to learn from it and get better. We can always get better and it’s all about clicking at the right time come playoff time. We still can make a run and we plan on doing that. Our front 6 did a good job putting pressure on their quarterback. We were close several times. Jesse Esparza, Isaiah Carter, and Tyler Pittman got a push in the middle to flush them outside the pocket. Our ends Mason Oelke, Luke Gann, and Ty Smith helped get our pressure off the edge. We still have a lot to work on and we will get there!” Next up for the 1-2 Sr Hornets, Hackett will play at West Fork against the 2-2 Tigers on Friday, October 23.

Tigers Shaving Times As Post-Season Nears

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12:37 pm

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Tigers Shaving Times As Post-Season Nears

Pictured: Mansfield’s senior girls finish their regular season cutting down times

For cross country kids, the clock is the enemy. The Mansfield senior girls are well aware of that fact. Now that championship season nears, the Lady Tigers are approaching it with a collective mission to shave time.

Mansfield’s oldest and most experienced long-distance team made a slight shift in practice last week. Transitioning from high mileage and building conditioning, the group turned their attention to faster paces and speed training. Those formulated practices led to a half dozen season-best just a few days later.

Jadelynn Wood of Mansfield uses her stride training to pass a Bentonville run along the Van Buren trails

Mansfield mirrored those practice plans to gain ground at the Magazine Rattler Run on October 13. The results were a runner-up team trophy and new standards for six individual runners.

Led by Faith Rainwater’s 22:55 mark over the 5K, Lady Tiger teammates crossed one by one with season-best performances. Darby Jones sprinted by in 23:57. Jadelynn Wood wheeled past in 24:35. Hope Rainwater rolled for 24:40. Katlynn Moore clocked 24:53, and Alyssa James crossed in 28:32.

“They’re starting to trust their conditioning,” stated Mansfield coach John Mackey. “Cooler temperatures gave them an invitation to run fast and they responded.”

Lady Tiger Darby Jones leads a second wave at the Van Buren Classic

The Rattler Run was the opening frame of a two meet week. The second stanza occurred a few days later with another 5K race in Van Buren on October 17.

The Van Buren Cross Country Classic didn’t quite produce the same speedy results as in Magazine, but there were still solid numbers on a slightly more difficult course.

“Saturday’s course was a little more diverse with ups and downs,” confessed the coach. “We’re still excited for the progress especially since three of our runners got back very late from Lincoln after cheering the previous night’s football game.”

Faith Rainwater turns in the Tigers’ best 5K time this season at 22:55

Again, Faith Rainwater led the pack. The tiny junior navigated the three-loop course in 23:30. Jones (24:43), Wood (25:01), and Moore (25:36) followed in their typical top-five team order. This time James (27:38) who cut nearly another minute off her meet measure was in the scoring five. Hope Rainwater was unable to make the trip.

The Lady Tigers weren’t the only ones to make gains or rather losses for the week. The two senior boys, John Branche and Ethan Streets, also posted their most effective runs of the season.

Branche pushed past the pain for a 21:41 clocking at Magazine. It was his season-best. Then at Saturday’s Van Buren 5K, the junior nearly equaled that time by running 21:43.

Tiger John Branche pushes past a Waldron Bulldog at a recent cross country meet

“Again, we’re pretty happy with the effort,” said Mackey. “John (Branche) played football the night before, rolled in at 1 AM, then jumped on the cross country bus at 7 AM to go run another 3 miles.”

Streets, who has been building his stamina since joining the team in August, was able to complete his first career 5K at Magazine. The senior was excited to finish the 3 lap course in 28:12. He did not attend the Van Buren meet.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will begin their championship series starting Wednesday, October 21. The long-distance runners will travel to Mena’s Lions Club for the Tom Sturthard Top 25 Regionals hosted by Acorn. They will run the 2A West Conference meet on Saturday, October 31 back at Magazine. Then, the series will conclude with the 2A State Championship on Thursday, November 5 in Hot Springs.

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Be Careful What You Feed Your Horse

Know How Much To Feed Your Horse

Exercise Your Horse Regularly

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