With the first week of conference play in the books, the Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers are off to a great start. But don’t be fooled by the fact that the Sr Lady Tigers only have four seniors with the majority of the team sophomores. Because looks can be deceiving. On August 25, Mansfield hosted the Mulberry Lady Yellowjackets to a high-flying supercharged volleyball match. Mansfield took the 3-0 win with set scores of 25-2, 25-12, and 25-4. Out of the eight Varsity players who hit the court every match, the Sr Lady Tigers have four sophomores, three juniors, and one senior trying their hand at 2A domination.
The sky’s the limit for senior, Brooke Wright
The final tally on the night showed Natalie Allison with eight aces, three kills, and five assists. Madelen Jones earned seven assists and two aces. Captain Brooke Wright scored 18 aces and five kills. Skylynn Harris brought in five kills and two aces. Brooklyn Adams had 13 aces and three digs. And Haylee Helms with two digs and two aces. For their second match of the week, Mansfield hit the road to Eureka Springs with plans to bring down the Lady Highlanders castle. And in true Lady Tigers fashion, they did just that. Mansfield finished the night with sets of 25-8, 25-10, and 25-6 earning themselves yet another 3-0 win placing them 2-0 in conference play.
Natalie Allison had seven kills, nine assists, one block, and five digs Madelen Jones had six aces and 19 assists. Brooke Wright secured four aces, 10 kills, and two digs. Sadie Roberts obtained four kills and one block. Skylynn Harris bagged nine aces and five kills. Brooklyn Adams landed six aces, five kills, and seven digs. Kiara Thomas had four aces and 15 digs. And Haylee Helms finished with four digs.
Sophomore, Skylynn Harris leaping into action
“I was very proud of the effort and hustle the girls had during both of their first conference games this week,” expressed head coach, Kaylie Pyles. “All aspects of our gameplay have improved from last season, due to us focusing on individual skill work during the first part of summer. I’m excited to see what this next week will bring because each week we get better!” The Sr Lady Tigers are planning for a dogfight on August 31 at home as they take on the Waldron Lady Bulldogs at 4:00.
Clyde Lee Oldaker, Sr. of Heavener, Oklahoma was born May 11, 1937 in Cauthron, Arkansas to William and Mary (Thomas) Oldaker and passed away August 28, 2020 in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the age of 83.
He was survived by his sons, Clyde Lee Oldaker, Jr and wife Cendra of Poteau, Oklahoma, Clifton Eugene Oldaker and wife Niki of Cauthron, Arkansas; grandchildren, Deavin Oldaker and wife Jessica of Poteau, Oklahoma, Alysa Whitecotton and husband Anthony of Poteau, Oklahoma, Destiny Stacy of Cauthron, Arkansas, Taylor Stacy of Cauthron, Arkansas, Royce Oldaker of Waldron, Oklahoma, Robbie Oldaker of Guymon, Oklahoma; great grandchildren, Crayton Oldaker of Poteau, Oklahoma, Kinsley Dickens of Cauthron, Arkansas, numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and loved ones.
Clyde was preceded in death by his wife, Doris Jane Oldaker; parents, William and Mary Oldaker; siblings, Francis Chronister, Riley Oldaker, George Oldaker, John D. Oldaker, Dora Doyle, Louis Oldaker, Effie Lilley, Pinkie Scroggins, Catherine Oldaker, and Mary Duncan.
Clyde’s family will hold a memorial service at a later date. Cremation is under the direction of Grace Funeral Service of Poteau, Oklahoma. Honorary Pallbearers will be; Mike Duncan, John Doyle, Jessie Doyle, Deavin Oldaker, Anthony Whitecotton, Jeff Duncan, Ronald Oldaker, and Crayton Oldaker.
Everyone hears of things that sound odd now and then. Things like pickle-flavored ice cream or clean politics. But there was one even weirder combo last Thursday night. The Hackett Jr Hornets versus the Waldron Jr Bulldogs. You may have heard of this oddity a few years ago in little league, but Jr High? Well sometimes we hear of things that do sound odd but they turn out to be really good together. This was that exact case as the Jr Hornets edged out Waldron in overtime 18-12.
The Jr Hornets took to the field for the first time and made sure it counted. Defensively, the Jr Hornets swarmed any Bulldog with the ball and “pounded” them to the ground. Leading this defensive charge in tackles was Dawson Clay who walked away with six impressive tackles. Hot on his heels in the tacking department was Brycen Hamilton and Danny Robinson who executed five tackles each. One of the defensive highlights was when Datyn Clay read the Waldron quarterback like a Dr. Seuss book to snatch an interception. Although Waldron did pull two touchdowns out of their hat, the Jr Hornets held their own very well against the Bulldogs.
Offensively, Hackett earned every yard the hard way. The workhorse they used to plow the field was none other than Cole Ketchum. Ketchum had 8 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown while also passing for 30 yards. Hackett used a pair of F-18 Hornets in Wyatt Hester and Eli Slavens to spread Waldron out. Hester snagged two passes for 27 yards while Slavens pulled in one pass for 30 yards. Leading Hackett’s ground game was Dawson Clay who mowed his way through Waldron’s defense with 13 carries for 36 yards.
Waldron made a late mistake in the game when they kicked the ball to Ketchum who took the ball 72 yards to the house for a touchdown to help spark Hackett’s comeback in the game. With the game all tied up and going into overtime, the Hornets drew up a crafty game plan. Run. The. Ball. That’s exactly what they did too by handing it off to their backfield beast, Clay, who took it in for the big time winning touchdown.
There are no more off-season practices. There are no more scrimmages. For the Mansfield Sr High Tigers, Friday night was put up or shut-up time. The Tigers traveled to Magazine to line up against one of the Top 10 teams in the 2A in what was pegged as one of the most anticipated games in the state for the first week. Although there were skeptics to the left and doubters to the right, Mansfield’s Sr High team stayed focused on the Rattler squad that was right in front of them.
#19 Drew Elmore
The first quarter was a copy and paste game of cat and mouse for the Tigers. Mansfield received the opening kickoff and was stuffed with a quick three and out by the Rattlers defense. So in return, Mansfield’s defense wrapped up and re-gifted a three and out right back to Magazine. The Tigers found the end zone shortly after as Zayne Dugan hit Randy Claude with a quick shovel pass for the first touchdown of the game. Although they could not convert the extra point attempt, the Tigers were first on the board. The rest of the first quarter belonged to Mansfield’s defense. Screaming all over the field, the Tigers played like they were fighting for a Heavyweight Turnover Title belt. Mansfield created and recovered back to back fumbles by the Rattlers. Unfortunately, the Rattlers sang back by recovering a Mansfield fumble then picking off the Tigers for back to back turnovers of their own. As the first quarter ended, the Tigers held a narrow 6-0 lead.
#21 Austin Carlton
It was not the best start to the game by either team as they racked up five total turnovers between each other in the first quarter. Head Coach, Tim Cothran must’ve put WD-40 in his player’s water between quarters because the rusty first-quarter team came back out like a well-oiled machine. Mansfield’s offense started off the second quarter and without skipping a beat, scored with a Dugan to Codi Chick 21-yard pass. Dugan called his own number for the two-point conversion giving the Tigers a 14-0 advantage. The Tigers continued their defensive dominance by adding two more notches in the Turnover Title belt and creating chaos in the Rattlers den. The offense caught fire and took the game over from there. Dugan zipped two more touchdown passes to Claude and one to Drew Elmore who tight-roped the sideline before darting for a touchdown of his own. The Tigers totaled four offensive touchdowns and hit every extra-point kick in the second quarter stretching the game out of reach and headed into halftime with a commanding 35-0 lead.
#6 Randy Claude
Reflecting on the great second quarter by his team, Coach Cothran said “We had a great team effort. It was a big transition from last week’s scrimmage where it seemed like just a couple of players were trying to get things going. Last night the whole team was contributing for the entire game. Last week we played nervous and intimidated but last night we looked entirely different.”
Tiger Team Tackle
In the second half, Mansfield went to the ground game and cut through the Rattlers like a hot knife through butta’. Running backs Randy Claude, Austin Carlton, and Caleb Collier made every play a “3 yard and a cloud of dust” run as they punished Magazine’s defense. The final score of the game came from Tyler Woolbright in the third quarter with a zig-zag zippity do da dance from six yards out to put the scoreboard at its final score of 41-0.
#23 Codi Chick
“We scored six times in the game. Our seniors lead their young team to a big victory. Our junior class really showed up last night in all phases as well. We had sophomores score three of our six touchdowns. The team as a whole may be young, but they all played really well. What more could a coach ask for in his team? I’m just really proud of this team. There are some areas we need to get better at but they have come a long way and have continued to grow.” The Sr Tigers did put on quite the show Friday, but that game is done and over. The calendar will be turned to a new month in just a couple of days and one date has been highlighted all year. September 4th. Mansfield versus Waldron. The “Battle of Scott County”. Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs are coming off of big wins to set up one doozy of a game.
After much debate and controversy as to if high school sports should be played, the high school football season kicked off this week with “zero week” games on the Arkansas Activities Association’s (AAA) schedule of games that began on Thursday night. As part of that schedule, the Paris Eagles hosted the Lavaca Golden Arrows at Eagles Stadium on Friday night. Lavaca, playing their first game as a Class 3A school having moved up from Class 2A, traveled to Paris for the non-conference match-up. Paris defeated Lavaca 32-12 on a humid night in Paris.
Paris, having several key players returning, including both skilled position and offensive and defensive linemen returning this year, had received much attention over the summer and entered the season with high expectations. The Eagles took care of business against a hard-playing Lavaca team, but the Eagles made several mistakes, committing turnovers and playing uninspired for a good portion of the game.
Lavaca entered the game as a decided underdog, but give the Golden Arrows a lot of credit as they came out early and took the game to Paris and continued to do so with great effort all night. Lavaca fell to a big 32-point deficit mid-way through the second quarter, and it looked like the route was on. Both teams were committing multiple turnovers and Paris was able to capitalize. The Eagles went to their ground game and found running room behind their big offensive line. In the first half, Paris was able to rush for big chunks of yardage behind the right side of their line.
When halftime arrived, the Eagles had a big lead, despite issues with their offensive line getting the needed push at times, and giving up big chunks of yards to the Lavaca offense. The Paris coaching staff, who entered the game hoping to see the Eagles execute their game as they thought they could, was upset for most of the night with the Eagles effort and lack of consistency.
Lavaca is a young team that is playing their first year in Class 3A, and the Golden Arrows played extremely hard all night. In fact, if it had not been for key mistakes at critical times, especially in the second half, the game could have been much closer. Overall talent, experience, and numbers won this game for Paris, but Lavaca is on an upward trend and will be a force to contend with in the next two years.
The Eagles Chase Watts returned to the lineup after having been held out of the Eagles preseason scrimmage last week against Magazine. Watts, both an excellent passer and runner, provided the dual threat at quarterback that the Eagles needed last night against the Lavaca pass rush.
But perhaps the most disappointing aspect for the Paris coaching staff was a poorly played second half. Lavaca had over ten first downs on offense, and the Eagles offense was completely shut down. The Eagles gave up multiple big plays on defense to a Golden Arrows team that refused to give up. Paris won the game, and that is the most important thing for the Eagles, but they will unquestionably have to play much better down the road in their schedule if they want to compete in conference play.
Going into this season, many wondered how the absence of practice time and the long layoff would affect the quality of high school football in the fall. Many coaches stated throughout the summer that the quality of play would not be there for a few weeks as teams simply have not had the opportunity to practice as much this year. I think everyone understands this. But last night the errors began early with the stadium public address system playing the national anthem as the band also played and continued through with critical penalties for Lavaca that took them out of a second half scoring opportunity, to multiple fumbles and turnovers for the Paris offense that kept Lavaca in the game. All of these things can be expected, and many of them should be cleaned up next week. But for the Paris coaches, the apparent “lack of interest in playing” as stated by coach Tyler Clark, is the most concerning.
When I spoke to Coach Clark immediately after the game, the disappointment in how the Eagles played was apparent. From his comments, I expect Coach Clark to address several issues with his players, and much attention will be given to cleaning up the mistakes from their first game. The Eagles play at home again next week against Johnson County Westside, and will go on the road for the first time the following week at West Fork. Paris needs to address the week one concerns in practice this week and in their final two preseason games before they open the conference season against Mayflower.
Paris showed glimpses Friday night of how good they can be. From long runs to great defensive pursuit, the Eagles talent and experience was apparent. From my observation, I hope the Paris players respected Lavaca and did not enter the game expecting an easy victory. There is no way for me to know, but the lesson here may be that all opponents have to be respected. Last evening, everyone should respect the Lavaca Golden Arrows for playing hard, especially after having been down by a 32-point deficit. But with all of this said, I expect Paris to play inspired football next week and look like a different team with respect to their readiness to play.
Fans from both schools seemed to comply with the AAA and the Arkansas Department of Health regulations that were in place for last night’s game. From a football perspective, I could not call “a face mask penalty” on the fans from either school for not wearing face masks. Both schools complied with the directives. As you can imagine, the atmosphere was not quite the same due to the restrictions. There was no visiting school band or cheerleaders, fans were not allowed on the field for the teams to run on to the field, the Paris band played in chairs at the end of the field, and players stood five to ten yards apart from each other during the pregame coin toss.
The Paris band played great and I have to congratulate them for putting on a good halftime show. The band’s halftime show was presented on the track facing the home crowd. The band members wore masks throughout their performance, and that had to be no easy task, especially on the humid night at Eagles Stadium.
The Eagles cheerleaders practiced social distancing and wore masks as they cheered on the track behind the Eagles bench. The cheerleaders provided a run-through sign for their team to enter the field at the start of the contest, and cheered often and proudly for their team on a warm and humid night. We have all complained at some point about wearing masks during the summer, but let’s hear it for our band and cheerleaders as they wore masks all night, battling the inconvenience, discomfort, and the humidity Friday night.
Coaches often say the most improvement you see all season from a team is from week one to week two. I expect the Eagles to be a much-improved football team next week after Friday night’s performance and an intense and highly-focused week in practice. The most important part of Friday was that the Eagles won the game and are now 1-0 on the young season. Injury-wise, it appears Paris escaped without any significant injuries, although key player Jude Simmons was seen leaving the field late in the game with some type of lower body injury. When I asked Coach Clark about Simmons, he indicated that it was too soon to know, but he didn’t think it was serious.
Although it is just week two, it is time for the Paris seniors and upperclassmen to take over the leadership for this team. Everything Paris wanted to accomplish this season is still in front of them, and everyone can feel much better about this team if they come out next Friday and play the way they are capable of playing. And that is exactly how I think the Paris Eagles will respond next week against JC Westside.
Watch for Resident Press on Sunday afternoon for a preview of the Eagles game with Johnson County Westside. And as always, Resident Press will be here all season to bring each week’s action of high school football to our readers!
What a way to open the season! After only hitting in pads for the last 3-4 weeks due to Covid restrictions coupled with a canceled scrimmage against DeQueen, the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs touched the turf in their first live contest Friday night against the Gentry Pioneers. With home-field advantage, the Sr Bulldogs made it clear from the get-go that they weren’t about to start the season on the wrong paw like they did last year finishing the 2019-2020 season with a 2-8 record. With a new head coach in Doug Powell and a new attitude, the Sr Bulldogs were a brand new crew.
Starting QB for Waldron this year is senior, Braden Williams. Seven minutes into the first quarter, Williams connected with senior, Isaac “The Real” Villarreal for a TD with sophomore kicker, Leo Lopez making the PAT. The first quarter ended with Waldron up 7-0. To start the second quarter, Bryson Bailey took a pass from Williams for an astonishing 59 yard TD moving the score up 13-0. Getting frustrated by the Bulldogs dominance, Gentry finally put points up with a 19-yard passing TD. Not to be outdone in their own territory, Waldron answered back with a Williams to Caden Fuller TD. With seconds until the half, Lopez really put the boot to the Pioneers with a 29-yard field kick sending the teams into halftime 31-7 Waldron.
Returning from halftime, Gentry changed things up by turning to a rapid-fire pace earning them a TD from a QB keeper. After a Bulldog pass gets intercepted, Gentry takes the ball in for another TD upgrading the score to 31-21. As fatigue and cramping started to set in for both teams, Williams dug deep finding the strength to deliver his own QB keeper TD lighting up the scoreboard 37-21. With five minutes left in the game, Williams musters up one final epic 22-yard pass to “The Real” Villarreal for a TD. Lopez earned the PAT and with mere minutes left, Gentry attempts to catch up offering one last TD to the score. But it’s not enough to chain up the Bulldogs and the night ends with Waldron snagging their first win of the season 44-29 and placing them with a 1-0 record.
“Obviously, we are happy with a win,” exclaimed Coach Powell. “We were fortunate to make some big plays on offense and played solid defense in the first half to give us a big lead. We were tired and it showed in the second half. Our fundamentals broke down and we allowed Gentry back into the game. Credit should go to Gentry. They came out in the second half and scored two quick touchdowns. I am proud of my guys for not putting their head down or anticipating old outcomes. They continued to work and drove down the field to score.”
“This victory was definitely a team effort. Many kids rotated into the game and left everything on the field. We will enjoy this victory and will go back to work on Monday.” On September 4, the Sr Bulldogs will host the Mansfield Tigers in an always enthralling head-to-head rumble in the “Battle of Scott County”. “Our next opponent will be no stranger to us. I expect both sides will be focused and ready to play. It looks like Mansfield had a really good game last night against Magazine. As a result, we will have our work cut out for us. We need to be in better shape for next Friday’s game, and we must correct our mistakes to beat a tough rival like Mansfield.”
As field workers begin going door-to-door, the clock is ticking on the deadline for the Census. Currently, Census workers are following up with those who failed to respond by mail or online.
What to Expect? Census takers will wear masks and follow local public health guidelines when they visit your home. All census takers complete a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing and other health and safety protocols before beginning their work in neighborhoods. Census takers are hired from our area, and their goal is to help you and everyone in your home be counted in the 2020 Census. Census takers work between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., including weekends. If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail. If you respond online or by phone today, a census taker is less likely to have to visit your home to collect your response. If someone visits your home this year to collect information for the 2020 Census, check to make sure they have a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. Census workers may also carry Census Bureau bags and other equipment with the Census Bureau logo.
Who is required to respond? Everyone living in the United States and its five territories is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census. And while you are required by law to participate, the Census Bureau is also required by law to protect your answers. Your responses are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau does not disclose any personal information.
Why is it so important? The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade. The results determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives. They are also used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. The results will also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Lastly, it will also determine federal funding to communities across the country—for hospitals, fire departments, school lunch programs, and other critical programs and services.
Ready to complete the Census? You can respond online, by phone or by mail. It is so easy, and only takes a few moments to complete.
Current Community Self-Response Rates (as of Saturday, August 29): Huntington: 38.3% Cedarville: 43.2% Hartford: 43.4% Waldron: 43.7% Mansfield: 50.5% Magazine: 54.6% Midland: 55.1% Hackett: 55.4% Central City: 60.5% Charleston: 62.6% Bonanza: 64% Barling: 68.8% Lavaca: 69.9% State of Arkansas: 52.9% United States: 64.7%
Need Help? You can contact your local city hall for more information. The City of Mansfield is offering one-on-one assistance in filling out the Census. Contact them today!
Huntington City Hall: 479-928-5083 Cedarville City Hall: 479-410-3400 Hartford City Hall: 479-639-2219 Waldron City Hall: 479-637-5239 Mansfield City Hall: 479-928-5552 Magazine City Hall: 479-969-8555 Midland City Hall: 479-639-2635 Hackett City Hall: 479-638-8107 Central City City Hall: 479-452-6680 Charleston: 479-965-2269 Bonanza City Hall: 479-638-8649 Barling City Hall: 479-452-1550 Lavaca City Hall: 479-674-5616
On Thursday, August 27, the Waldron Jr High Bulldogs took their “pack” to Hackett to try and collapse the Jr High Hornets. Although it was a very soggy battle, neither team seemed to let that affect them. In fact, it seemed like the Jr Dogs really came to life in the wet weather. So alive that they kept control of the entire first half of the game leaving the Jr Hornets drowning in their “Purple Rain”. The teams went into halftime with the Bulldogs leading 6-0. By the third quarter, the Jr Hornets managed to put some points on the board setting the score at 12-6 Waldron. Unfortunately, that’s when things started to fall apart for the Jr Bulldogs.
Hackett found their drive and like a runaway train, they steamrolled the game into a nail-biting overtime ending the match with a final score of 18-12 Hackett. “It was a smash-mouth game that coaches love to be in,” said Coach Garett Lazenby. “It came down to a heartbreaking 4th and 1 stand but I was proud of how our kids played. Our offensive standout of the night was running back, Logan Young. He did some great downhill running for the team! Our defensive stand out was defensive back, Michael Grano. He flew up and down the gridiron making lots of tackles.” The Jr Bulldogs will spend the next week prepping for an always entertaining football game against the Mansfield Tigers at Mansfield on September 3 in the “Battle of Scott County”.
Michael Seiter is a millennial business owner who jumped at the chance to open his business in the Chaffee Crossing Historic District.
Seiter Design Co. is located at 7402 Ellis St., Suite 2, a World War 2-era building that has been renovated for commercial use by Rival Commercial RE.
A 2017 UAFS grad, Michael has had his sights set on opening his own business from the start. Currently, Seiter Design Co. specializes in screenprinting and embroidery work. He opened the shop in October 2019, but he is already planning to expand.
He says, “We are really happy to be in Chaffee Crossing and are already working with ARCOM student groups and Chaffee Crossing businesses. This is the future of Fort Smith and we want to be ahead of the curve before this whole area blows up with development.”
The Hackett Jr Lady Hornets are a young team who just moved up from 2A volleyball into a jungle of new opponents in the 3A. That would seem like a lot to put on the plate of such a fresh squad, but not for the Jr Lady Hornets. Come one, come all, hit towards them and they’ll spike the ball. The girls are coming off of a huge victorious week in volleyball as they hold an undefeated 2-0 conference record.
First up in the week, Hackett stayed home and faced the Green Forest Lady Tigers on August 25. After two dominating sets of 25-2 and 25-9, the Jr Lady Hornets flew away winners. The top players in the Green Forest match were Makenzie Freeman, Michaelyn Freeman, Prairie Vaughn with seven, five, and four aces. Kills were Alona Rothwell and Prairie with three kills each and Makenzie and Aubree Ruggles with two. And in the assists department was Prairie with six and Jessie Mendenhall with three.
Next on August 27, Hackett hit the road to Elkins where they left their mark on the Lady Elks with final sets of 25-7 and 25-13. Leading the Jr Lady Hornets was Lexi Gann with three kills. Jessie Mendenhall and Praire Vaughn with seven and five assists. Mendenhall and Makenzie Freeman with four and three aces. And Alona Rothwell and Michaelyn Freeman with one dig apiece.
“I would say it’s been a great week coming into 3A volleyball,” stated Coach Bridget Freeman. “The Jr Lady Hornets have secured their first two conference wins and have played well. I think the individual skills that we were forced to work on during the June/July summer sessions because of Covid rules, have helped us in our overall aspects of the game.” The Jr Lady Hornets will find their way back to the court on August 31 at Alma and on September 1 at Lincoln.
