Pictured is one of the awards being presented at the Today’s Bank Invitational
Saturday, September 26 will mark the 17th time area runners across the state will circle the campus of Mansfield High School for its annual cross country invitational race. It will also be the third consecutive year that Today’s Bank will be the exclusive sponsor for the highly anticipated event.
“Mansfield has become a regular stop for many area high schools for cross country racing over the years,” Mansfield head coach John Mackey said. “With the hospitality of Today’s Bank and the welcoming attention of our volunteers, it’s a place most schools look forward to attending.”
Once again Mansfield will see familiar schools bringing teams for the 9:00 AM start of the four-race schedule. Locals such as Alma, Fort Smith, Greenwood, Lavaca, Magazine, and Waldron return squads to the Tiger course designed along the perimeter of the MHS campus. In addition, far-reaching foes such as Bentonville West, Lake Hamilton, Lakeside, Vilonia, and Western Yell County among others are also scheduled to make the trip.
“Our reputation as a good host has caught the attention of a lot of teams,” Mackey continued. “Today’s Bank has a lot to do with that. Their sponsorship provides 120 individual medals and eight team trophies to be distributed out among the two different divisions for the four total races. A lot of athletes go away from our meet quite happy for their accomplishments.”
With typical large numbers attending this year’s event, Mansfield has gone to great lengths to provide a safe environment for players and fans in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Team campsites and visitor viewing pods will be set up in spaced out, separate locations to provide for social distancing. Hand sanitizer stations will be available in strategic locations such as the main gate entrance and entryways to restroom locations. Custodial services will provide regular cleaning and sanitizing throughout the meet.
All teams and their associated members will provide an ADH approved health screening checklist upon entering the facility. All volunteer workers and staff members will also be screened before being allowed to participate. Masks or personal protective equipment will be mandatory for all people in attendance.
“Our cross country facility is very large and very spread out,” the Mansfield coach explained. “There is plenty of room for people to adhere to social distance protocols. The AAA mandates that anyone attending whether it be workers, players, or fans to wear masks. It’s everyone’s responsibility to follow these guidelines for us to continue our season. If you can not abide by the rules, please stay away for the sake of our athletes. They want to play.”
The senior girls’ 5K race will be the first event of the morning. A rolling start will follow with the senior men, junior girls, and junior boys to race in consecutive order thereafter.
On Friday, September, 18, the second-grade classes of Mrs. Brooke Bolinger and Mrs. Haleigh Sampley from Magazine Elementary decided that for their recent service project they would hold a law enforcement appreciation parade at their school. Being such a wonderful and heartwarming gesture, the entire elementary staff and students participated by making signs thanking their local law enforcement. Officers from Magazine, Logan Co., Arkansas State Police, and Booneville, were on hand to attend the “Thank A Police Officer Parade”.
Second-grade teacher, Mrs. Bolinger expressed her thoughts about the day. “On Friday, second grade held a “Thank You” parade for our local law enforcement. It was a huge success. My husband and brother are both officers so this is something very close to my heart!Now more than ever these officers need to know we appreciate all they do for us and our kids need to know these are the good guys. They are a safe place when help is needed. Thank you to each and every one of our officers who were able to attend the parade!Also, I need to brag on our school and community. The staff at Magazine and the parents showed up BIG time! Snacks and money to purchase snacks were donated. We filled goody bags and sent more snacks with the officers to share. Thank you to all who helped make this a success!”
After a tough loss to another Class 4A team, this time the Ozark Hillbillies, the Charleston Tigers (1-2, 0-0) will now focus on the start of the new conference season. The Tigers will travel to Northwest Arkansas on Friday to take on the Greenland Pirates. The game will be the conference opener for both schools. Last year, the Tigers won a thriller at home against the Pirates that turned their season around after a horrific non-conference schedule that saw them lose multiple key players to injury.
Resident Press Photo / Ronni Tate Young
Last Friday’s game against Ozark was an example of a young team that has been up and down with respect to turnovers and gaining their confidence early in the season against very good competition from the 4A-4 conference. After the game, Charleston head football coach Ricky May commented, “Ozark is pretty good. But we didn’t help ourselves. We turned it over twice early, didn’t get lined up right on defense several times, didn’t play what we were supposed to play. Just silly stuff; hopefully we can get that fixed for next week.”
Resident Press Photo / Ronni Tate Young
Charleston has now faced Dardanelle on the road, and has hosted Pottsville and Ozark, all out of the 4A-4 conference. The Tigers got a win out of those three games, and have escaped injury. No doubt the young Tigers have had a tough dose of hard-nosed football over the past month, and now, a healthy Charleston team will go into conference play. With the exception of a few cases, such as Greenland this Friday and Cedarville the following week, the Tigers should not face competition as tough as they have played so far until the state playoffs.
Resident Press Photo / Ronni Tate Young
Greenland is a program that has been very successful under coach Lee Larkan. The Pirates are a playoff team almost every year, and have a combined state playoff record of 11-23. They finished in a tie for third place in the conference last year and have five starters returning on each side of the ball. Last year’s team was very talented, especially in the skilled positions, and of those players, the Pirates are returning their quarterback, Gabe Wilson, and running back Jett Dennis. Wilson is a very good passing quarterback, and Dennis possess good speed and has breakaway potential on every play. Coach May said, “That tailback they have (Dennis) is pretty fast; he’s pretty good. Both of those guys (Dennis and Wilson) are pretty good. They want to run the ball first. With that Dennis kid, I would want to run it too. They also have two or three really big offensive linemen that are pretty good. So, I really think they are going to be run first, but they can throw it too. They have some good guys outside and Dennis out of the backfield too that can catch the football. They (Greenland) are going to be pretty tough, especially playing there.”
Greenland quarterback Gabe Wilson (left) and running back Jett Dennis (5) in last year’s game at Charleston; both are big play threats for the Pirates. (Resident Press File Photo)
Greenland has lost to Elkins and has defeated Berryville and Danville. Hooten’s Arkansas Football publication has predicted Greenland to finish third in the conference this season, just below Charleston. This Friday, the Priates will be out to avenge a close loss last year at Alumni Field.
Around the conference, the games that will be played include:
Charleston at Greenland
Lincoln at Hackett
Mansfield at West Fork
Cedarville vs. Lavaca
Resident Press Photo / Ronni Tate Young
And in the topsy-turvy world of COVID-19 and high school football, one conference team, the Lavaca Golden Arrows, has been impacted by the virus and has suspended athletic activities. Cedarville, who is projected by many to win the conference, is scheduled to play a home game this week against Lavaca. As of the publication time of this story, it remains to be seen if that game will be played Friday. If it is not played, it is hard to conceive when the game could be made up. The state playoffs begin immediately after the last game of the season. Neither Cedarville or Lavaca have a bye week that could be used to make up the game. So, if the game is not played, it is conceivable that Cedarville and Lavaca could lose a conference game, and that could have a bearing on the conference race and who ultimately wins the top seed from the conference going into the playoffs. It would be awful and almost unheard of for playoff births and seedings to be determined for schools that cannot help having students who have been affected by the virus.
But this problem is not isolated to Lavaca, and the effect is not limited to Cedarville. Just recently, both the Mansfield and Hackett school districts have announced COVID cases within their districts, and the possible effects on those schools and their athletic programs remains to be seen. Hopefully, the Cedarville game will be played, and all other schools will be able to play theirs, as well. But just as it has been all season, it is a week-by-week, day-by-day situation for high school football.
And getting back to football and the conference race, no team wants to start the season 0-1 in conference play. To do so means that a team would be relegated to the position of playing “leap frog” over teams ahead of them in the standings for the remainder of the conference schedule. The winner of Friday’s game in Greenland will be one of four teams that are 1-0 in the conference and will have a one game lead over half of the teams in the conference at the end of week one. For Charleston, the Tigers will return home on October 2 to host the Cedarville Pirates in a game that could have huge playoff and seedings ramifications. If Cedarville does not play this week, their backs will be solidly against the wall, almost facing a must win situation at Charleston. We will all know a lot more after Friday night.
It should be a beautiful night in Northwest Arkansas for high school football. The Weather Bug forecast for Friday night calls for highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid to lower 60’s. Temperature at kickoff should be around 70 degrees, so you may want to bring a light jacket!
I look for the Tigers to bounce back big against Greenland in what should be a great football game. Both teams are very good, and both, I believe, will make the state playoffs. The winner of this game will be in good position as they enter the mid-point of the season. The Tigers need their fans to make the trip to Greenland and support this young team as they play their first important road conference game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Watch for a recap of this game in Sunday’s edition of the Resident Press. Stay with RP for the most complete coverage of the Charleston Tigers and River Valley high school football!
After a fast 3-0 start in the non-conference portion of the Paris Eagles’ football schedule, it is now time to focus on conference play and making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. After defeating West Fork two weeks ago, the Eagles have had their bye week and should be healthy, rested, and prepared to begin conference play. Mayflower (0-3, 0-0) will be looking for their first win of the 2020 season. Paris (3-0, 0-0) had their first test of the season at West Fork on September 11, winning a hard-fought game on the road against a much improved West Fork team.
I asked Paris head football coach Tyler Clark how the past week has been during the bye week in the schedule. Coach Clark commented, “We had a very good week in practice last week even though it was an off week, and our kids are ready. I always like having that bye week right there (just before the conference games begin). After three weeks, you can tell your groups that need work and your groups that are excelling, kind of fix your issues. But at the same time, I feel like everyone is playing good enough right now that I wouldn’t have minded to have played Friday.”
Photo Credit: Facebook / Paris Eagles Sports
Mayflower, winless in the past three games, now faces a horrendous portion of their schedule in which they begin conference play with three consecutive road games at Paris, Little Rock Baptist Prep, and Booneville. Mayflower could find themselves on the brink of not making the playoffs before they ever return to Mayflower to play a home conference game. Friday’s game in Paris is extremely important to both schools and their chances to make the playoffs. In any given year, the first conference game often makes the difference on whether a team makes the playoffs, or, how high their seeding will be. Teams do not want to start the conference schedule with a loss on the opening weekend of conference play. If they do, they face an uphill battle for the rest of the season, having to “leap frog” other teams in front of them.
With Booneville and Atkins favored to play for the conference championship and the top seeds going into the state playoffs, that leaves the rest of the conference battling for the remaining three playoff spots. In all likelihood, Paris, Perryville, Danville, and Mayflower will be battling for the three, four, and five spots. So a head-to-head win on Friday against Mayflower would give Paris the early advantage in the playoff race for one of the remaining seeds. The same is true for Mayflower, so both teams should be sky high for Friday’s game.
According to Hooten’s Arkansas Football publication, Mayflower has a good nucleus of players with experience and who have returned to play this year. Hooten’s goes on to say that their weakness may be “lack of size”. Mayflower will undoubtedly be concerned about the size of the Paris offensive and defensive lines, as well as their fast and physical running backs.
The Mayflower Eagles are coached by Austin Emerson and were 2-8 a year ago. Their last state playoff appearance was in 2018. On the 2020 season to this point, Mayflower has scored 40 points and have given up 98 points. The Mayflower defense will be challenged by the balanced Paris offensive attack.
Coach Clark is impressed with the athletes on the Mayflower team and their coach. “I have heard really good things about their coach; I have never met him, but I have heard very good things. They’ve got some athletes. They’ve got some pretty good looking football players. The fact that they are 0-3 is not too big of a deal. They’ve played some pretty good teams.”
Resident Press File Photo
Across Class 3A in Arkansas, Paris ranks second after the first three games behind McGehee. That is certainly an accomplishment for Paris head coach Tyler Clark and his Eagles football program, but Paris will face much stiffer competition as the season progresses. The most important thing for Paris is that they are 3-0, are healthy, and have key conference games ahead of them that will be played at home. The real test for Paris will be road games October 16 at Atkins, October 23 at Perryville and their final home game of the year October 30 against Booneville. If Paris stays healthy, the Eagles could make a serious run in conference play. Paris has all of the tools in each phase of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. In their last outing against West Fork, the team played tough, physical football. That will be the brand of football they will have to play against the top contenders in the conference. The Eagles showed in West Fork that they can play physical football; not just relying on making big plays in each phase of the game as they have done so far this season.
Resident Press File Photo
Going into Friday’s conference opening weekend, the non-conference standings for the 3A-4 conference are:
Paris 3-0, 0-0
Booneville 3-0, 0-0
Baptist Prep 3-1, 0-0
Atkins 2-1, 0-0
Perryville 2-1, 0-0
Danville 0-2, 0-0
Mayflower 0-3, 0-0
Two Rivers 0-3, 0-0
Fans should not take too much from the standings at this early point in the season. There are many variances in strengths of non-conference schedules for all of the teams. However, you can see some trends starting to appear, particularly in the bottom half of the conference. We will all know a lot more after Friday night with respect to who the contenders in the conference may be.
Around the conference, these are the games that will be played Friday:
Paris vs Mayflower
Booneville at Two Rivers
Atkins vs. LR Baptist Prep
Danville at Perryville
After this Friday’s opening night in conference play, it is very well possible that the four top contenders could emerge as Paris, Booneville, Perryville and Atkins. Coach Clark commented, “When you look at the scores around our conference, even this past weekend, Baptist Prep losing to Marvell surprised me. Atkins losing to Waldron surprised me, as well. There is no telling what will happen this week. I do think our conference is going to be more competitive than people may think. So the mindset for me and our staff is that we need to keep getting better at what we need to do.” This underscores how important it is to win in week one of the conference season. Paris must be focused on Mayflower, and nothing else. Coach Clark added, “We remind them (players) that while it is nice to be 3-0, as far as playoffs and all of those goals that we want to attain, whether you are 3-0 or 0-3, all of those goals are still in sight for every single team in the state going into this week. Non-conference games don’t count; they count on our record, but they don’t count in playoffs or seedings. No doubt everything we want is still out there for us, but it is for everybody else, as well. It’s important for us to start out 1-0 (in conference play), but it is important for Mayflower, as well.” Both teams should come out excited and ready to play at 7 p.m. Friday night.
It should be a beautiful night for high school football. The Weather Bug forecast calls for highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and the low temperature approximately 65 degrees. There is a slight chance (20 percent) chance of showers during the day, but the temperature should be around 74 degrees at kickoff. Great weather for what should be a great football game!
Resident Press File Photo
So, get your tickets this week and Resident Press will see you at Eagles Stadium for the conference opener! Watch for Resident Press on Saturday for a recap of Friday’s game with Mayflower!
Resident Press…your best source for Paris Eagles and River Valley sports coverage!
I warned you last week, the pumpkinfest has begun! This is not my recipe, in fact someone shared it on my timeline and I tried it out this weekend. No bake, pumpkin, cream cheese…you had me at no bake!
Triple Layer No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
2 Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 can Pumpkin Puree
2 small packages Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
12 oz. Cool-Whip
2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
Instructions:
Blend together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Spread mixture on pie crust. Whisk together 1 cup milk and pudding mixes. Add in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until blended. Spread over cream cheese layer. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour until set. Top with remaining Cool Whip.
The Waldron Bulldogs have achieved a task that has not been done by a Sr Bulldog team in two decades. They have beaten Gentry and Mansfield, and on Friday, September 19th they defeated the Atkins Red Devils to start the season with a 3-0 record. This isn’t a lucky shot or merely by chance. Head Coach Doug Powell has the Waldron football program whipped into shape and has built a confidence that cannot be shaken in these young men. That confidence is something that seems as new to Waldron as Powell is and the Bulldog community is ecstatic about it.
Both Waldron and Atkins entered last night’s contest at Bulldog Stadium with a 2-0 record. Last year, the Red Devils ended their season with a 9-3 total play record while the Bulldogs fared less at 2-8. So it’s safe to say that Atkins had a little more pep in their step due to the fact that they assumed this would be a quick win and they’d be back home in no time. But as more people are coming to find out the hard way, it is never a good idea to count your chickens before they hatch. And when all was said and done, the Red Devils walked away with that memo too.
Coming off of a bye week, the Bulldogs took to the turf ready to terrorize, pulverize, and mesmerize. The entirety of the game was jam-packed with plenty of action around every corner. This football tango got underway with Atkins possessing the ball first. But unfortunately for the Red Devils, it was started on the wrong foot. In what would have been a massive pass play for Atkins, Caden Fuller blindsided the Red Devils receiver jarring the ball loose and stopping the play. When the Bulldogs offense took to the field, QB Braden Williams catapulted the ball downfield to Bryson Bailey for an 18-yard reception. Positioned nicely in Bulldog territory, the Williams/Bailey duo connected again with a 51-yard pass reception for a TD at 8:19 in the first quarter. With the two-point no good, the score was set at 6-0 Waldron.
Waldron continued their hammering of Atkins when they recovered a Red Devils fumble crushing any hopes Atkins might have had of earning any points. The first quarter ended with Waldron up 6-0. Starting the second quarter, senior Isaac “The Real” Villarreal nailed the first punt of the night with his 53-yard kick to Atkins offense. Three minutes later, Villarreal was once more in the punting spotlight this time bagging 59-yards. At 4:46 left in the half, Williams handed the ball off to Gabino “The Rhino” Grano who drove the pigskin in for a second Bulldog TD. With an unsuccessful PAT, the scoreboard was upgraded to 12-0 Waldron which is where it stayed going into halftime.
Things picked up even more in the second half of the game when at the 6:30 mark in the third, Grano had the stadium feeling like they were experiencing deja vu when he bulldozed the ball down the middle for another TD. With better kicks than Route 66, sophomore, Leo Lopez, secured the extra point putting the Bulldogs to 19-0. After Atkins failed to make magic happen, the ball was back in Waldrons hands. With 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Williams left the Red Devils scratching their heads in confusion when he hit paydirt with a QB keeper for a TD. As the Bulldogs continued inflating the score, Atkins continued having trouble possessing the ball. During a Red Devils pass with 3 seconds left, the receiver found himself with butterfingers as the ball slipped through his hands and right into the hands of waiting Bulldog Villarreal for an interception.
The match went into the final quarter with Waldron dominating the board 25-0. Waldron remained relentless as they made sure the Red Devils felt the burn from the Bulldogs backdraft. At 9:09, Willaims gave the handoff to Grano who obtained a 38-yard running TD. And with kicking help from Lopez, the board was set ablaze 32-0. Sophomore, Matthew Brigance, was swapped in as QB and immediately started taking the cake by earning positive yardage with blocking help from Villarreal and Trevor Hunt. After a Bulldog fumble bumble, Atkins gained possession, which allowed them to trade in their goose egg for a TD. In closing up shop, Villarreal laid claim to his third punt of the evening which acquired him 34-yards. The stadium went black with the scoreboard lights shining brightly into the night reading 32-6 Waldron.
#72 Blake Allen and #58 Jesse Dees
Everyone loves to cheer a touchdown, but the Dogs’ defense has been a big-time game changer. Defensive Coordinator Mark Brigance has the Bulldogs defense rompin’ and chompin’ their opponents like never before. After giving up 73 points in their first three games last year, the Bulldogs have only yielded an impressive 35 points this season. The Bulldogs beefy D Line consisting of Patrick Poor, Brayden Houston, Dayton Lovett, Jesse Dees, and Cody Starr have dug deep in the trenches in each game and dared teams to run into their steel jaws.
It seems that Powell Power mixed with a deep Waldron talent pool has been a recipe for success. That success will soon be put to the test though. The (3-0) Waldron Sr High Bulldogs will open conference play next Friday, September, 25th when they host the (1-3) Mena Bearcats for Homecoming. Mena has owned the Bulldogs for well over 15 years. The Bulldogs have broken two steaks though by beating Mansfield and going 3-0. Mena’s streak over Waldron very well could be the next streak snapped.
#3 Bryson Bailey
Pictures courtesy of the always awesome, wonderful, awe-inspiring Sandy Tull
In accordance with the Directives Regarding Large Outdoor Venues/Large Indoor Venue Plans for School Sponsored Team Sports, all athletic events must follow the requirements linked below. EACH SUPERINTENDENT MUST RETURN A SIGNED COPY TO ADH (ONLY ONE FORM PER DISTRICT IS REQUIRED).
Have a separate entrance and exit point for facilities to avoid congestion and aid in social distancing.
Create and display COVID-19 information signage throughout the venue.
Use tape, paint, and signage within the bleachers and around the facility to mark areas where spectators may gather to maintain social distancing. Specify where spectators and participants may sit.
Everyone inside the facility is required to wear a mask at all times, except for players that are actively participating.
Appropriate social distancing must be maintained on sidelines and benches during contests and events. Bench personnel must sit with a minimum distance.
of 6 feet apart and must be separated from the audience by a minimum of 12 feet.
Appropriate locker room space should be provided to officials for social distancing (i.e. larger room or separate rooms). The space(s) must be sanitized prior to arrival.
Each player should use their own towel and water bottle to avoid sharing.
BENEFIT GAMES – will only be allowed between two teams.
NO MULTI SCHOOL EVENTS IN OR OUT OF STATE – such as tournaments, classics, showcases, etc. This does not preclude two schools junior and senior high teams participating at a venue.
NUMBER OF COMPETITIVE EVENTS:
Non-Football schools are allowed:
34 high school varsity games
28 junior high school varsity games
Football schools are allowed
26 high school varsity games
24 junior high school varsity games
Junior varsity limitations remain the same as listed in the 2020-2021 AAA Handbook for high school and junior high school (except no tournament)
Save the last week before the regional tournament for 1A-4A schools and the last week before the state tournament for 5A-6A schools for a conference tournament if needed.
Limit attendees to the referee and the head coach from each team with each coach standing on the center circle on each side of the division line.
All individuals maintain a social distance of 6 feet or greater at the center circle.
Suspend handshakes prior to and following the Pregame Conference.
Team Benches (1-13-1) Includes: Coaches, players, and managers
Social distancing should be practiced when possible. Below are some suggestions.
Limit the number of bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater.
Consider limiting game rosters to 15 students.
Additional chairs or rows may be added to allow bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater.
Create separation by a minimum of 12 feet between the team bench and the spectator seating behind the bench.
Limit contact between players when substituting.
Personnel not in the game shall wear face coverings.
Officials Table (2-1-3)
The host should sanitize the table before the game and at half time.
Place the official’s table sufficiently away from the sideline to allow for additional space for substitutes.
Limit seats at the table to essential personnel which includes home team scorer and timer with a recommended distance of 6 feet or greater between individuals. Other personnel (visiting scorer, statisticians, media, etc.) may not be deemed essential personnel and consider an alternate location for them.
Table personnel shall wear a face covering.
Pre and Post Game Ceremony
Suspend the pregame introduction handshakes.
Suspend post-game protocol of shaking hands.
Basketball Rules Interpretations
Equipment and Accessories
Sanitizer should be provided by the host team at the table.
Cloth face coverings are permissible for players.
Officials Uniform and Equipment
Long-sleeved shirts are permissible.
Officials should not be required to wear jackets during pregame court/player observation.
Electronic whistles are permissible (supplies are limited).
Choose a whistle whose tone will carry inside.
Check the market for choices.
Cloth face coverings are permissible.
Gloves are permissible.
Other Considerations
Throw-in
Officials may stand 6 feet or greater away from a player making the throw-in and bounce the ball to that player on a frontcourt throw-in.
Free Throw Administration
The lead official shall stand on the end line and bounce the ball to the free thrower.
Time Out
Coaches should limit the number of individuals in huddles during time outs.
It was Homecoming for the Greenwood Bulldogs last night and they looked to deliver for the hometown crowd. The Bulldogs welcomed in the Choctaw Yellowjackets from Oklahoma and promised to show them what the #1 6A team in Arkansas could do. The Bulldogs are sitting at 2-0 after defeating Fort Smith Southside to open the season and shutting out Springdale Har-Ber last week 33-0. Choctaw entered the game 1-1 after playing a handful of Arkansas teams. They opened their season with a loss to Springdale but bounced back with a win at home against Van Buren last week.
The Yellowjackets won the opening toss and stalled on their opening drive after a long touchdown run was called back on a clipping violation. Greenwood would force the punt but be unable to move the ball downfield on their opening drive. After a Greenwood punt, Choctaw had the ball for 3rd and long on their own 36-yard line when Bulldog junior, Colt Owenby, picked off a rushed pass by the Yellowjacket QB to end the drive.
On the following possession, the Bulldogs would strike first when sophomore quarterback, Hunter Houston, roped a laser to senior Caden Brown in the corner of the endzone. Brown showed his speed and route-running abilities when he was left standing all alone in the blue turf. Greenwood would make the extra point and with just over 2 minutes to go in the 1st quarter the Bulldogs were up 7-0.
Midway through the 2nd quarter, it looked as if the Yellowjackets were going to get on the board. Choctaw was 4th and 1 from the Greenwood 2-yard line. But they lost yardage on their 4th down play when Bulldog junior, Seth Stephens, broke through the line and busted the option read play before the Yellowjackets could move an inch.
The teams would continue to exchange possessions throughout the 2nd quarter and the Bulldogs would take their 7-0 lead into halftime.
On the opening possession of the 2nd half, Bulldog QB, Hunter Houston, showed off his arm by driving the offense clear to the Yellowjacket 7-yard line. However, the drive would end there with an interception in the endzone that was returned to the Yellowjacket 1-yard line. The swarming Bulldog defense would make them pay for bringing the interception out of the endzone. On the first play of the drive, the running back was met by almost every member of the Bulldog defense to force a safety. A testament to the pride this defense carries showed in their excitement for forcing the rare 2-point play. Greenwood took a 9-0 lead with 9:02 left in the 3rd quarter.
Following the free kick, Bulldog QB, Hunter Houston, would again prove his throwing power by hitting senior wide receiver, Peyton Carter, with a beautiful pass down the middle. Carter found a soft spot in the zone and ran his route to perfection to set up a big play down to the Yellowjacket 22-yard line. In classic Bulldog fashion, they hustled to the line, and again Houston connected with Carter on a 22-yard touchdown pass on a streaking route down the right side. The blocking, route running, and passing was executed so well that it almost appeared effortless for this prolific Bulldog offense. With the extra point, the Bulldogs took the 16-0 lead with 8:40 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Yellowjackets made good use of their next possession by scoring on a long pass down the right side of the field for a touchdown bringing the score to 16-6 with 6:26 left in the 3rd. They would miss a 2-point conversion attempt.
With just over 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Bulldog, Hunter Houston, would lose his helmet on a QB run up the middle forcing sophomore QB, Joe Trusty, to enter the game for the next snap. Trusty would take advantage of his opportunity and hit a streaking Bulldog receiver down the right side for a 38-yard completion to the Bulldog 6-yard line. Houston would reenter the game and, after a few penalties on both teams, senior Caden Brown was found wide open to deliver a 12-yard touchdown pass on 4th and 12. Brown showed his athleticism by beating Yellowjacket senior Free Safety, Jordan Mukes, to the corner of the endzone. Mukes is a 3-star recruit who is currently committed to Oklahoma University. The Bulldogs would make their extra point upgrading them to 23-6 with 2:45 left in the 3rd quarter.
Choctaw would answer back on the following possession by delivering a 77-yard touchdown run up the middle. They would again miss the 2-point conversion attempt bringing the score to 23-12 with 2:21 left in the 3rd quarter.
Both teams would exchange possessions with neither team finding the endzone in the 4th quarter. The Bulldogs would run out the clock with the ball on the Yellowjacket 1-yard line showing their sportsmanship after their toughest battle of the season. Greenwood takes the homecoming victory over a very talented Choctaw team 23-12. Next week the Bulldogs will host the undefeated Parkview Patriots from Little Rock in the 6A conference opener.
Pictured is #55 Zayden Jones, #22 Logan Young, #14 Ambrose Poor, and #3 Chris Lopez
Author, Stephen Richards once said, “The true measure of success is how many times you can bounce back from failure.”
This quote couldn’t ring any truer for the Waldron Jr Bulldogs who after a good fight, ended falling short 36-14 to the Ozark Jr Hillbillies Thursday night. For years, Ozark has been considered one of the best contenders in 4A football. Where other teams go on weekly winning streaks, the Jr Hillbillies go on yearly winning streaks. The mere fact that other teams cant even put points up when facing Ozark is a massive victory in itself for the Jr Bulldogs considering they landed 14. But last night’s game was more than a win or loss. It was a showing of growth for the Jr Bulldogs because they never backed down and never gave up at any point. With three games down, the Jr High Bulldogs sit 1-2 on their season.
#23 Joseph Rogers
The first quarter of the game resembled Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video with each team showing off their best moves in an effort to prove who the alpha was. Blow for blow and run for run, the Jr Bulldogs and Jr Hillbillies matched each other so well that the quarter ended with a 0-0 score. Helping to put a freeze on Ozark due to their relentless bulldozer mentality was Zayden Jones, Joseph Rogers, and Steve Grano. The second quarter is when things started to heat up. Just as Ozark was preparing to go in for the kill, an “oopsie” Hillbillie fumble allowed Lucas Nix to hurl his body on the ball giving the Jr Bulldogs their momentum back.
#48 Marco Mondragon
Unfortunately, Waldron faced some difficulty lighting up the scoreboard and Ozark took possession of the ball. The Hillbillies QB was itching to make a big play and after he found an open receiver downfield who graciously took the pass, Michael Grano was there with the takedown successfully crushing the Hillbillies dreams like the Grinch on Christmas morning. Ozark was close enough to paydirt though permitting the Hillbillies to snag the first touchdown of the night. Ozark went on to finish the first half with one more touchdown along with both two-point conversions and the Jr Bulldogs and Jr Hillbillies hit halftime with a 16-0 score.
#18 QB Brayden Mays
The third quarter opened with Damion Dickens flying down the field like a wig in a windstorm for an 18-yard KO return. The Bulldogs offense did everything they could to make magic happen but it just wasn’t their time yet. Ozark managed to bring home the bacon with two more touchdowns and a conversion for a 30-0 score. With time running out for the Bulldogs to showdown in the Hillibillies hoedown, Joseph Rogers took the handoff from QB Brayden Mays and was gone faster than pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day, giving Waldron their first TD in the game. Mays snuck in with a QB keeper for the two-point conversion and the Jr Bulldogs were on the board 30-8. As the clock hovered around the four-minute mark, Ozark garnered yet another TD but not without the Jr Bulldogs having the final say. Chris Lopez would end the match with a colossal run for a TD finishing the game with a final score of 36-14 Ozark.
#3 Chris Lopez
“I was impressed by how hard the kids played. We just ran out of gas in the second half. We have to work on finishing the second half,” stated Coach Garett Lazenby. On September 24, the Jr Bulldogs will travel to Mena to face the Jr Bearcats. Last year, Waldron won the argument of which is better, dogs or cats, with a score of 33-8. This time, the Jr Bulldogs plan to prove yet again that every dog has his day.
A crew of 20 firefighters, including five employees of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division, left Fort Smith September 16 to work wildfires in Oregon. Wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington have burned over 2 million acres this year, causing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
In addition to the five employees of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division, the crew, named the “Razorback Crew”, is composed of eight employees from the US Forest Service, two from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, two from the National Parks Service, and three from of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The crew chief is Les Miller, a Forestry Division Ranger from Conway County. Other Forestry Division crew members are Russell Huskey, Sebastian Co.; Caitlin Mann, Johnson Co.; Shane Cooper, Franklin Co.; and Deric Franks, Fulton Co.
This team of firefighters will be working as an initial attack crew that will be sent to prevent new starts to wildfires. The non-federal crew members are being contracted by the US Forest Service to work in Oregon. The US Forest Service will be directing the crew to the areas of the state in most need of their service. Wes McKinney, Conway Co.; and Mike Mowery, Stone Co., have also worked on fires in California recently and have returned.
