The Measure of Leadership
Leadership, in its purest form, is influence. It is the ability to guide, inspire, and shape decisions that affect not only individuals but entire communities. Yet leadership is also a fragile thing, vulnerable to the character of the one who holds it. A good leader can strengthen and uplift. A bad leader can erode trust, sow division, and leave behind long shadows of harm.
I have personally seen both kinds of leadership at work—and the results could not be more different. Leaders who led by example, who encouraged and empowered others to rise to challenges both personally and professionally, equipped those around them for success. The result was not just immediate progress but a legacy: generations of new leaders who would go on to achieve greatness, honoring those who had paved the way before them. In these cases, leadership became a gift that kept multiplying, leaving a lasting mark far beyond the leader’s own tenure.
Conversely, I have witnessed leaders who were self-focused, concerned only with issues that affected them personally rather than the greater good. Instead of inspiring, they drained the energy of those around them. The outcome was predictable—low morale, waning interest, and eventually, collapse. Their leadership, built on self-interest, proved fragile and unsustainable.
The vulnerability of bad leadership is obvious but often overlooked. A leader driven by arrogance, fear, or self-preservation cannot withstand scrutiny because their foundation is weak. When challenges arise, they seek scapegoats instead of solutions, loyalty instead of truth. Their power may appear strong, but it is brittle.
By contrast, good leadership is resilient because it is rooted in service. A good leader understands that strength is not measured by domination but by the ability to listen, to admit mistakes, and to elevate others. Vulnerability, for them, is not a liability but a bridge—an invitation for others to join them in building something greater than any one person could achieve alone.
What distinguishes good leadership is not perfection but integrity. People will forgive mistakes when they trust the heart behind the decision. They will endure hard times when they believe their leader is sacrificing alongside them. They will stand firm when their leader’s courage shines brighter than their fears.
In the end, leadership always reveals character. Bad leadership collapses under the weight of its own flaws, while good leadership endures because it is anchored in values that do not change with the winds of convenience. I have seen both, and the contrast is stark. The choice before us—whether in our communities, workplaces, or families—is clear: we can follow, and more importantly, model the kind of leadership that empowers others and leaves a legacy of strength and honor.
Because the world will always have both. The difference lies in the example we set.
Free CWD testing available for hunter-harvested deer
The regular archery deer hunting season opened Sept. 27, and for many hunters, that means it will be the first weekend to bring home a deer for the freezer. Hunters can help the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission continue to track chronic wasting disease and give themselves a little extra peace of mind by dropping off a sample from their harvested deer at one of the many CWD testing locations available throughout the state.
AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, has been working hard during the last few months to ensure hunters have a free place to get their deer tested within an hour’s drive of practically any location in the state.
“We have 101 freezers set up around Arkansas for hunters to drop off their samples, and we also have a network of 36 taxidermists who will pull a sample for anyone who brings their deer in,” Riggs said. “We send the majority of our samples to be tested by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and will make the results available as soon as the test results come in.”
Riggs says any hunter who submits a deer that comes back positive for CWD will be immediately notified via the phone number indicated on their sample submission form. She will collect data on the harvest location and help make arrangements to dispose of the meat and carcass if needed.
“We post all CWD test results through a secure site using the game check number on the form filled out at the collection site, and people are emailed when those results come in as well,” Riggs said. “You can use the QR code found at the freezers or go to agfc.com/cwd to track your sample and get results any time, day or night.”
To submit your sample through a testing station, simply bring the deer’s head with 4 to 6 inches of the neck attached and place it in one of the provided plastic bags with your name and contact information on the card provided. Any antlers should be removed before placing it in the bag to save freezer space and prevent the bags from being punctured. Hunters who wish to keep their deer heads can contact a taxidermist or an AGFC regional office to make an appointment.
Hunters submitted 8,426 samples from white-tailed deer last deer season, with 246 positive cases identified.
“So far, we’ve already collected 114 deer from the early archery buck-only hunt, urban deer hunts and target deer reported since July,” Riggs said. “Four of the target deer turned up positive so far.”
All testing locations are available at www.agfc.com/cwd. Some of the locations have changed from last year, so hunters are encouraged to look ahead of time and find a sample location closest to their hunting area and note hours of operation.
“You also want to be mindful of CWD zone boundaries when traveling to a CWD testing station,” Riggs said. “The nearest test site may be across a CWD zone boundary, but you can’t bring the head across that line without breaking the regulation, so if you’re hunting in a CWD Zone, you want to bring that sample to a freezer that’s in that zone. The only exception would be if you’re in a Tier 2 zone and want to bring it to a Tier 1 zone.”
AGFC to Share CWD Study Results Oct. 2
The AGFC will host a special CWD meeting to discuss the results of the recent 5-year population impact research project on CWD conducted in north Arkansas with the University of Georgia. Marcelo Jorge, the study’s lead researcher, will present findings from the study, which is the first of its kind completed on chronic wasting disease in the Southeast. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Carroll Electric Co-Op building in Jasper.
The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session on the research and implications for future management of CWD in Arkansas.
Stone Cold Lock of the Week: Week 4
Most teams locally were on a Bye-Week, Charleston rolled Heavener and Hackett handled Mountainburg. Love it or hate it, the bye week is beneficial to those teams that found competition for non-conference and gives them an extra week to prepare for when the games count towards play-off berths.
There are few games in the larger classifications that could be for the top four playoff spots. In the 3A it looks like a few of these games will produce the mercy rule by halftime. Do not blame the messenger, just read along and you will see. It is go time for these teams to find out what they have and will there be enough left in the tank by Week 10 or will turn their stuff in Monday hit hard on November 10th. Situations in the 7A West, 6A West, and the 3A-1 are exactly why we like covering high school football, we just happen to be lucky enough to be on this side of the state where the action is currently.
Stone Cold Lock Of The Week
Shiloh Christian vs Greenwood
Pick a storyline. 34 State Title appearances between 2A to 6A since 1996. 20 State Championships since 1998. Shiloh Christian Junior QB Cole Creighton has 1066 yards passing and a 70% completion percentage, Greenwood Senior QB Kane Archer with 841 yards and a 73% completion percentage. A match-up of two of the current Arkansas High School football dynasties. Of the twelve times the two schools have tangled, Greenwood leads the series 9-3. Hooten’s pre-season had Greenwood #1 and Shiloh #2 in 6A and in Week 4 nothing has changed, the only blemish to Shiloh’s record is a 41-33 loss to Oklahoma 3A powerhouse Lincoln Christian. Both schools feature college bound talent on both sides of the ball. It is a must-see game that may end up being repeated in Little Rock in December. But I am sure someone will probably put a sleeping emoji as a comment. Also, Kane Archer surpassed the school career passing touchdown record set by Brooks Coatney in 1998 of 104 against Northside in Week 1. He is 2,246 yards shy of the career school record (Coatney – 10,075) and 3,381 yards shy of the single-season school record. (Tyler Wilson – 4,222)
The Rest
Booneville vs Cedarville
The Bearcats head to Crawford County to take in the Cedarville Homecoming festivities. While I would question the decision to host a proven team on Homecoming, but it worked out for Springdale Har-Ber and Mansfield two weeks ago. Sure, Mansfield mangled Lamar and Har-Ber put on a show taking Greenwood to the final seconds. But I do not see the Pirates making Booneville walk the plank in this one. This goes completely opposite for Cedarville Friday night. Booneville’s rights the ship and it has four weeks before they meet Mansfield at home on 10/24.
Mansfield vs Hackett
2020 and 2021. That was the last time the Hornets of Hackett High School beat Mansfield. In the Whit Overton era the Tigers have rolled Hackett by an average of 34-9. But this is new year for Hackett, unfortunately the Tigers are still heavy on Burton brothers and dominating offensive and defensive lines. Hackett is coming in 2-1 and with hope to play spoiler, they will get their chance over the next three weeks with Booneville and Charleston up next. Mansfield has their “Shiloh vs Greenwood” game next week against Charleston.
West Fork vs Charleston
In the off-season West Fork lost the duo of Cooper Ridenoure and Shawn Swinson to Greenland. The scoreboard has not been kind to the Tigers, not to be confused with the Franklin County based Tigers of Charleston, or Scott County’s Mansfield Tigers. Three Tiger teams in one conference, oh my. Charleston Senior QB Carter Little, should eclipse the 1000 yard passing mark on the first or second drive. This will be Charleston’s last tune-up before the heavily anticipated Week 5 game against Mansfield.
Greenland vs Lavaca
Who wants to see a fun quarterback carousel? Okay, try to keep up. 2024 Greenland QB Slade Norwood transferred to Fayetteville to compete with the probable heir Cruz Coatney. Enters a 4-Star QB transfer Hank Hendrix to Fayetteville. Slade Norwood transfers to Farmington, and Coatney to Greenwood. So, what about Greenland? Hang on there is one more transfer to get to. Senior Cooper Ridenoure goes from West Fork to Van Buren to compete for the starting spot and a chance to go against former travel ball teammates in Greenwood. Quietly, Ridenoure heads back up I-49 bypassing Exit 53 (West Fork) for where he played youth football in Greenland. With him he brings longtime teammate Shawn Swinson to wear the Green and Black. While the wins have not come for the Pirates, they have shown promise under first-year head coach Brock May. Could Greenland dodge the Lavaca Golden Arrows and break into the win column? Lavaca is 2-1 in the season and put up 30-plus points on Dover and Roland, OK.
Magazine vs Bigelow
Magazine sitting at 3-0 heading into conference is the most intriguing storyline of the first four weeks of the season. The Bigelow Panthers come into week 4 at 0-3. If there was a Magic 8 Ball on my desk and I asked if the Rattlers move to 4-0 this week it would saw “All signs point to yes.”
Waldron vs Ozark
Last year Waldron pulled off an upset against the Ozark Hillbillies. In a series that dates to the 1950’s, Ozark holds a large advantage with thirty-two wins over the Bulldogs. With Waldron winning eighteen of the past fifty meetings. Ozark is averaging thirty-three points on the season with just a thirty-two-point loss to Charleston hanging over them. A challenge against Mena and Dardanelle looms on the horizon.
Paris vs Danville
Paris was averaging thirty points a game the first two of the season, then came a trip to Booneville. The Bearcats struck the Eagles out of the sky and only allowed seven points. A week off and Paris heads to a Danville team trying to find their footing for the 2025 season after losing Nate Foster to an accident in August. Last week, Hector painted a number 18 on the visitor’s side of the field, and the Hector cheerleaders wore #18 shirts to honor the fallen athlete.
Some Other Games That Might Pique Your Interest
Southside vs Mountain Home
It is almost hard to believe that these two teams, as of Friday night, will have only met twice. The only other Fort Smith school the Bombers have played is Fort Smith St. Annie’s in 1970 and 1972. Mountain Home passed through Fort Smith, to play Greenwood, a total of eight times though, so there is some useless information for you. Here is what makes this game interesting, Fort Smith Southside has much improved since last year and looking to make some noise in the 6A West. With Greenwood and Shiloh slated the #1 and #2 spots in the playoffs, Southside, Mountain Home, Lake Hamilton, and Van Buren could take 3rd-6th in any order this year. Why is this important? The past four seasons, the 3rd-6th seed out of the West has beat the 3rd-6th of the 6A East in the first round 14-1.
Fayetteville vs Bentonville West
Bentonville after this week will solidify their status as the #2 team in the state to Bryant, but little brother Bentonville West wants some much-deserved attention. This week in the 7A West there are four of the top five teams in the conference facing off against each other. Bentonville takes on Springdale Har-Ber who may surprise the Tigers just as they did Greenwood. A fifth team, but by no means the fifth best, Rogers faces Fort Smith Northside to start the conference slate. Back to Fayetteville and Bentonville West! The Bulldogs and Wolverines faced a common foe in Greenwood, and both played the defending 6A champion close. Both played Cabot and handed out big losses to the once dominant team. Under Bentonville there are four teams that could do the funniest thing and beat each other and muddy up the 7A playoff picture just as Mansfield, Charleston, and Booneville could do in the 3A.
| Games | Ross’ Picks | Adam’s Picks |
| LOTW Shiloh vs Greenwood | Greenwood | Greenwood |
| Booneville vs Cedarville | Booneville | Booneville |
| Mansfield vs Hackett | Mansfield | Mansfield |
| West Fork vs Charleston | Charleston | Charleston |
| Greenland vs Lavaca | Lavaca | Lavaca |
| Magazine vs Bigelow | Magazine | Magazine |
| Waldron vs Ozark | Ozark | Ozark |
| Paris vs Danville | Paris | Paris |
| Southside vs Mountain Home | Mountain Home | Southside |
| Fayetteville vs Bentonville West | Fayetteville | Fayetteville |
