Resident News Network

Younger Track Tigers Develop Skills at VB

Sports

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3:57 pm

Younger Track Tigers Develop Skills at VB

Mansfield’s seventh grade track athletes continued to develop their skills with a road trip to Van Buren on March 12. As one of the smallest schools in attendance, the Tiger men and women held their own and had a series of shining moments against the big school competition.

A handful of Mansfield seventh graders have been participating up on the junior high squad as well as hitting the seventh grade circuit. Among those off the Lady Tiger squad include Trinity Triska, Laney Wood, Addison Bowman, Aaliyah Summers, and Maylei Rogers. For the men it has been Austin Ruiz, Trey Powell, Aaron Person, Toby Towe, and Winston Allison.

The experience the prep players have gained against the older athletes have served them well as they have competed in seventh grade meets this season. The latest was at Van Buren on Thursday afternoon.

With rain showers avoiding the Pointer venue, Mansfield’s prep players were able to get in a full meet. The school’s high school baseball team and senior high track units had their events interrupted by storms that same night.

Triska showed out in her opportunity to race against players her own age. The All-District cross country runner won the women’s 800m run at Van Buren. She cruised the 2 lap race in 2:47.90.

Triska also scored second place points in the pole vault. She placed fourth in the 1600m run with a 6:31.18 clocking. She jumped 12’ 9.5” for sixth in the long jump and was anchor to the fifth place 4x400m relay.

Wood anchored the 4x800m relay team for fourth place. She was teammates with Triska, Addison Bowman, and Azlynn Stover in the 4x400m grouping. She tied for fourth in the pole vault.

Bowman cut 2 seconds of her previous 300m hurdle time. At Van Buren, she recorded a mark of 57.40 to take third place overall. She was also the led leg of the 4x100m relay team that went fourth in 57.93.

Presley Curry, Rogers, and Summers joined Bowman for the sprint relay.

Rogers was eighth in the triple jump. She stayed near her personal record with an attempt of 26’ 1”.

Summers had the next best mark for the Mansfield women. She went 14.30 in the 100m dash for third.

Powell off the Tiger seventh grade boy’s team had another terrific outing. Until a hamstring strain in the 200m dash set him back, the quick footed sprinter had scored in long jump, high jump, and 100m dash.

Towe continued his progress in the hurdles. He has jumped both junior high and seventh grade heights throughout the early portion of the 2020 track season. At the Pointer Meet he went 21.30 over the 100m highs and 53.88 over the 300m intermediates for fifth and sixth places respectively.

Ruiz did well once again in the pole vault. He was second at 7’ 6”. He was also seventh in the 400m dash with his first attempt at that distance this season. He was clocked at 1:07.87

Boston Elmore and Allison completed a strong finish among the Tiger vaulters. Elmore cleared 6’ 0” for sixth place. Allison equaled that height but dropped to eighth place because of accumulative misses.

Mansfield girls finished in sixth place as a total team. Only Russellville, Chaffin, Easthills, Northridge, and Darby finished the team standings above the smaller Mansfield squad. The Tiger men were tenth.

tiger-track — Lady Tiger seventh grader Laney Wood runs down the pole vault runway at a recent track meet.

Junior Lady Tigers Best Small School

Sports

Tammy Teague

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3:52 pm

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Twenty-two junior high teams scored at the Alma Airedale Relays on March 10. Most of those were from large school divisions especially those at the top. Mansfield’s Lady Tigers didn’t win the team standings but they were the best small school track team in attendance.

Mansfield’s junior girls tallied 40 points for sixth overall in the team race. Only Northridge, the winner at 63.33, Ozark, Chaffin, Greenwood, and Clarksville were above the class 3A Tigers.

“It was really a big event with mostly large schools,” said Mansfield head coach John Mackey. “You really have to keep it perspective when you go to these type of meets. Northwest Arkansas, the River Valley, and teams stretching across the map to Dover were there. Mansfield showed they were relevant especially among schools our size.”

Freshman Madelen Jones and eighth grader Kynslee Ward showed they belonged especially in the hurdles. Jones went 18.07 for the fourth fastest time in the 100m highs. Ward went 54.25 in the 300m lows for another fourth place.

“Mansfield has developed a knack for hurdles over the years,” reflected the Mansfield coach in the midst of his 35th year of coaching. “Madelen and Kynslee fit right onto that long list of hurdle success stories. They have an unlimited upside if they want it bad enough.”

Jones was among Mansfield’s leading scorers as she pointed in three separate events. Along with her strong finish in the 100m hurdles, she was fifth in the long jump at 13’ 11” and was seventh in the 300m hurdles at 55.79.

Ward competed in a limited schedule giving the 300m hurdles her fuller attention. She saw action in two relays, the high jump, and long jump.

Mansfield’s Jadelynn Wood did not compete in the Alma hurdles due to entry limits in the sprint events. Wood stepped aside in the 300m hurdles despite winning the Booneville Bearcat’s in a time of 55.66.

“Jadelynn’s a team player,” emphasized Mackey. “She can score in a multitude of areas. She will be a maxed out player. She volunteered to move races so the team could develop depth. We wanted to test other areas and let her concentrate on her field event.”

Wood’s sixth place effort at the triple jump brought her within an inch of her personal record at 28’ 3”. She also ran the 4x800m relay, 400m dash, and 4x400m relay.

Mansfield thrower Seven Sanderson was the Lady Tiger’s top scoring cat as she accumulated 14 points from two implement events.

Sanderson, a rising three sport star, took second in the discus with a mark of 75’ 10”. She also placed third in the shot put with a large release of 33’ 9”.

Freshman teammate Alayna Turner continued her assent among the Lady Tiger throwers. Competing in her first full schedule for the two throwing events, Turner notched a sixth place in the discus at 68’ 7” and an eighth place in the shot at 28’ 6.5”.

Mansfield’s 4x800m relay team only finished tenth among the very large field. However, the combination of Raine Hecox, Laney Wood, Jadelynn Wood, and Trinty Triska ran 22 seconds faster than their last time out. They were the fourth best time among 3A Region 1 West league opponents competing at Alma.

Triska, a seventh grader, ran the seventh fastest 800m time at 2:48.78. She also tied teammate Laney Wood for eighth place in the pole vault at 6’ 6”.

Among the Tiger men, it was the pole vault that gained Mansfield the most glory. Freshman Ashton Hinkle won the whole thing with a clearance of 10 feet. In an event that lingered until the late night hours, Hinkle shined brightest.

Peyton Martin, a Mansfield eighth grader, was eight place in the pole vault with a 9 foot clearance.

Storm Interrupts Tigers’ Success at Mena Meet

Sports

Tammy Teague

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3:43 pm

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Storm Interrupts Tigers’ Success at Mena Meet

The odds of completing the track meet were slim due to approaching late afternoon storms. A dozen schools including Mansfield took the chance and traveled to Mena for the Bearcat Senior Relays in hopes of running one more time before AAA mandates forced a two week hiatus.

Early success for the Tigers took place for both the men’s and women’s teams of Mansfield before the games committee canceled the remaining events after the 400m race.

Tiger throwers were up early when MHS junior Brooke Wright won the discus. Her toss of 91 feet outdistanced all competitors by nearly four feet. Senior teammate Janna Coplin set a personal record by topping 83’ 8” for third place in the same event.

For the Tiger men, Bri Sanderson picked up the pace with a monster hurl of 118’ 4” in the discus. His attempt was good for second place. Jacob Brown followed with at 97’ 9” spin for fifth place.

Wright and Sanderson doubled up for their respective gender teams to score high in the shot put as well. Wright pushed the 4kg brass ball a season best 31’ 5” for second place for the Lady Tigers. Sanderson launched the 12 pound silver shot 38’ 2” for third for the Tiger men.

Shawn Brown added to the Mansfield men shot put points when he pounded out a fourth place shot put of 37’ 7”. Shaddon Moore continued the Tiger throwing success with seventh and eighth places respectively in the discus and shot.

Hailey Burns added points to the Lady Tiger coffers with sixth and seventh place marks in both implement events.

Sadie Roberts continued her early season dominance in the high jump. The sophomore state indoor champion over took the field for first place in the vertical leap. She gained 5 points in the triple jump as well as contributed to the second place 4x100m relay team that was silver medalists.

Delilah McKusker, Makayla Strutton, and Danielle Lillie comprised the remaining legs of the Lady Tiger sprint relay. Those same three crossed in consecutive order in an earlier run 100m high hurdle race. Lillie was second. Strutton went third. McKusker finished fourth.

Mansfield’s men went fourth in the 4x100m relay. John Branche, Codi Chick, Austin Carlton, and Randal Claude took care of the stick work in that sprint cooperative.

Ethan Chapman continued his upward trend in the men’s 1600m run. The sophomore distance specialist nearly equaled his personal record with a 5:08.74 clocking around the 4 lap race.

More distance value came from Hope Rainwater, Katlynn Moore, Darby Jones, and McKenzie Griffin with second place effort in the women’s 4x800m distance relay. All but Jones ran the 1600m run as well producing another consecutive finish. Griffin was fourth. Rainwater went fifth. Moore finished sixth.

Ryan Hayslip and Logan Yoss scored in the pole vault. Renden Emery did so in the high jump and triple jump.

Harleigh Mars and Shelby Cole pointed in the 400m dash. Micah Smith scored in the 100m dash.

Mansfield’s senior girls tallied 111 points in the abbreviated meet. They trailed Waldron’s 136 when the meet was called with five events to go.

Mansfield’s men were inching forward at 52.5 points for third place overall when storms entered the area prompting the early dismissal. Only Waldron and Mena were above the Tigers in point totals when teams left the stadium.

Mercy Hospital in Waldron Implements Screening Policy

Tammy Teague

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9:15 am

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On Friday evening, March 13, Mercy Fort Smith put out a statement effective today, Saturday, March 14, regarding a screening policy and a notice of visitor restrictions. Mercy Hospital in Waldron has also adopted the same policy.

“While national attention around COVID-19 continues to accelerate, the healing ministry of Mercy remains focused on the safety and health of our patients and co-workers. Mercy leaders are working around the clock to keep our community safe.
Out of an abundance of caution, our next critical step in safeguarding our patients and co-workers is to begin enforcing restricted visitor access. Effective at 6 a.m. Saturday, March 14, Mercy Fort Smith will limit access to one visitor per Mercy patient. Two visitors will be allowed at a time in the pediatric unit. Visitors will be allowed in Mercy from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be able to enter the hospital through the medical building or main entrance. Each patient’s one visitor must meet the following criteria:
* Visitors must be 15 years or older.
* Visitors must be fever-free, with a temperature below 100.4 degrees.
* Visitors must be cough-free.
Exceptions will be made on a case by case basis and include visitors for any patients nearing the end of life. Hospital services will not be impacted.
“The safety of our patients, visitors and co-workers is of the utmost importance,” said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. “We realize this new policy may create an inconvenience for our visitors, but we must prevent unnecessary exposure to our patients and caregivers.”

The emergency room WILL remain OPEN during this time. If you have any questions prior to a visit at either location, you are encouraged to call 479-314-6000 or 479-637-4135.

Coronavirus Got You Down? Look Up!

Resident News Network

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8:05 am

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This is an opinion piece from Resident News Network staff writer, Megan Hecox.

With more than 142,000 cases worldwide of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus and more than 5,300 related deaths, it’s safe to say this whole epidemic thing has people on edge. Right now there are 129 countries reporting outbreaks with the United States on the rise with 2,329 cases, 50 deaths, and 41 recovered as of now. So I guess the only thing left for us to do is run up and down the streets panicking like a chicken with its head cut off right? NO! Since the beginning of time, man has been put through unimaginable trials and tribulations. From natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis to man-made disasters like 911, Columbine, and the Sultana Explosion that happened in 1865 Arkansas on a steamboat traveling the Mississippi River killing around 1,700 former Union Army prisoners of war.

During times of sadness and distress, it’s easy to start finger-pointing and placing blame. But the reality of every tragic event is that we will never know why. As my life’s motto goes, there’s a reason for everything. Sickness and epidemics are nothing new to the human race. There was the Antonine Plague from 165-180 killing five million people in Rome. There was the Great Flu Epidemic in 1918 that killed between 20-40 million people. And there was the Asian Flu in 1957 that took 1-2 million lives worldwide. And just like every other time before, this too shall pass.

My personal opinion about all of this mess is that God is telling us to SLOW DOWN. How many times have you said “there’s just not enough hours in the day” or “my kids are growing way too fast”? Well, here you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The silver lining to the coronavirus is that God is answering your prayers. On many occasions, I myself have begged for time to slow down. The problem is that we get so caught up and consumed in making a living that we forget to make a life.

First things first. DON’T PANIC! Don’t get so overwhelmed that you let fear and emotion drive your actions. Seriously people, STOP IMPULSE BUYING! Use this epidemic as a chance to get a plan set up for you and your family in case of difficult times. If you have a plan in place, you are less likely to be taken off guard and panic. As humans, we have 27 different emotions. Don’t be led by fear, anxiety, and confusion. But by empathy, sympathy, and calmness.

Next, as work, school, sports, and any other event that involves a gathering of five or more people is getting canceled daily, it’s easy to become angry and frustrated. Instead, take this as your chance to indulge in family time, work on a hobby, or just plain rest. This is our chance to get back to the 1950s era where we put God first and family second above work, friends, and any other attention-grabbing activity. Play a game with your kids. Spend one on one time with your spouse. Read that book you’ve been putting off for the last three years. Or just get outside and consume yourself in the wonderful beauty that God has created for us.

And lastly, be kind. It’s easy for us to get so caught up in ourselves and our own selfish desires that we forget to help our neighbors. While you might be blessed to be able to stock up of food and household items, there is a family in your community wondering how they are going to feed their kids if work and school get canceled. There’s an elderly person in your community, that can’t leave their house and because people are picking stores dry, they have zero chance of being able to prepare either. There’s a single parent in your community with no family around to help with the kids while schools out causing them to have to miss work and leaving to wonder how they will pay their bills. One person can’t do it all. But if everybody stepped up and offered a helping hand to a neighbor in need while placing our faith in God, then by golly, we are going to be A-OK!!!

Coronavirus Got You Down? Look Up!

Megan Hecox

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7:37 am

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With more than 142,000 cases worldwide of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus and more than 5,300 related deaths, it’s safe to say this whole epidemic thing has people on edge. Right now there are 129 countries reporting outbreaks with the United States on the rise with 2,329 cases, 50 deaths, and 41 recovered as of now. So I guess the only thing left for us to do is run up and down the streets panicking like a chicken with its head cut off right? NO! Since the beginning of time, man has been put through unimaginable trials and tribulations. From natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis to man-made disasters like 9/11, Columbine, and the Sultana Explosion that happened in 1865 Arkansas on a steamboat traveling the Mississippi River killing around 1,700 former Union Army prisoners of war.

During times of sadness and distress, it’s easy to start finger-pointing and placing blame. But the reality of every tragic event is that we will never know why. As my life’s motto goes, there’s a reason for everything. Sickness and epidemics are nothing new to the human race. There was the Antonine Plague from 165-180 killing five million people in Rome. There was the Great Flu Epidemic in 1918 that killed between 20-40 million people. And there was the Asian Flu in 1957 that took 1-2 million lives worldwide. And just like every other time before, this too shall pass.

My personal opinion about all of this mess is that God is telling us to SLOW DOWN. How many times have you said “there’s just not enough hours in the day” or “my kids are growing way too fast”? Well, here you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The silver lining to the coronavirus is that God is answering your prayers. On many occasions, I myself have begged for time to slow down. The problem is that we get so caught up and consumed in making a living that we forget to make a life.

First things first. DON’T PANIC! Don’t get so overwhelmed that you let fear and emotion drive your actions. Seriously people, STOP IMPULSE BUYING! Use this epidemic as a chance to get a plan set up for you and your family in case of difficult times. If you have a plan in place, you are less likely to be taken off guard and panic. As humans, we have 27 different emotions. Don’t be led by fear, anxiety, and confusion. But by empathy, sympathy, and calmness.

Next, as work, school, sports, and any other event that involves a gathering of five or more people is getting canceled daily, it’s easy to become angry and frustrated. Instead, take this as your chance to indulge in family time, work on a hobby, or just plain rest. This is our chance to get back to the 1950s era where we put God first and family second above work, friends, and any other attention-grabbing activity. Play a game with your kids. Spend one on one time with your spouse. Read that book you’ve been putting off for the last three years. Or just get outside and consume yourself in the wonderful beauty that God has created for us.

And lastly, be kind. It’s easy for us to get so caught up in ourselves and our own selfish desires that we forget to help our neighbors. While you might be blessed to be able to stock up of food and household items, there is a family in your community wondering how they are going to feed their kids if work and school get canceled. There’s an elderly person in your community, that can’t leave their house and because people are picking stores dry, they have zero chance of being able to prepare either. There’s a single parent in your community with no family around to help with the kids while schools out causing them to have to miss work and leaving to wonder how they will pay their bills. One person can’t do it all. But if everybody stepped up and offered a helping hand to a neighbor in need while placing our faith in God, then by golly, we are going to be A-OK!!!

Four Juveniles Arrested Following Altercation

Tammy Teague

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2:49 pm

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Four Juveniles Arrested Following Altercation

Four juveniles at the MJTC were arrested on Thursday evening following a physical altercation with a staff member.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., multiple law enforcement agencies were dispatched to the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center. According to the arrest report, staff member Jeremy Rogers was jumped, punched and kicked. Rogers did reportedly sustain lacerations from the physical altercation.

The boys, ages 16-17, were placed into custody and transported to the Sebastian County Juvenile Detention Center where they were charged with battery in the third degree.

UPDATE: Information Regarding AAA Suspension of High School Activities

Sports

Resident News Network

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11:13 am

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UPDATE: Information Regarding AAA Suspension of High School Activities

In response to the recent news of the Arkansas Activities Association’s temporary suspension of all high school sports in the state, Resident Press contacted the AAA for a clarification of this directive.

With all of the AAA officials in Hot Springs to wrap-up the state basketball tournament finals that began last night and were to have continued today and Saturday, RP was able to contact a AAA official to ask questions to clarify the information in the email above that was sent to member schools yesterday. As the email states, the AAA, “will suspend all spring interschlatic competition starting Sunday, March 15, 2020 until Monday, March 30, 2020. On Monday, March 30th the AAA will reassess the COVID-19 situation, and announce further plans.” The AAA official that spoke with RP today by email clarified the release by saying, “Our announcement affects competition only. Practice decisions will be made by the local school district.” It is unknown to RP at this point as to how local school districts will decide if their teams will continue to practice, or, how they will manage practices if they choose to practice during the AAA suspension.

School districts in Arkansas are scheduled to be closed for spring break the week of March 23 – March 27. All school districts in Arkansas are closed the same week in March every year for spring break. Many schools and organizations have made plans to utilize this week in addition to days next week, or by extending spring break an additional week to close schools to separate individuals for a long enough period to potentially slow or stop the transmission of the virus. This is a strategy that schools have used over the years for flu outbreaks, staph and other infectious disease epidemics.

When RP asked the AAA about a possible time frame for the resumption of the state basketball tournament, the official responded, “Because the situation is fluid, we have no additional information regarding the basketball finals.”

Resident Press will continue to follow this story to share information with our readers regarding how local school districts are reacting to the AAA directive, and, of course, any new information from the AAA regarding their reassessment of the suspension of play that they plan to do on March 30.

Paris Lady Eagles Softball Game with Perryville Rained Out

Sports

Resident News Network

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5:34 pm

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Paris Lady Eagles Softball Game with Perryville Rained Out

On a day in the sports world where everything seemed to go from bad to worse, the Paris Lady Eagles attempted to play their scheduled home game versus the Perryville Lady Mustangs. Almost immediately on cue, the rain began with the first pitch of the game. Perryville jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Lady Eagles responded with four runs in the bottom of the first before play was halted. What started as a light rain quickly turned into a down pour, and the Lady Eagles moved quickly to cover the field with their infield tarp. When play was halted, Paris was at bat with two outs in the bottom of the first, ahead in the game 4-1.

Tbe rain became so heavy at one point that it was necessary for this reporter to leave the field to protect photography equipment. As I left the field, the rain had stopped and the Paris coaching staff was using squeegees to remove pools of water from the tarp to eventually remove the tarp and see if the infield was playable.

The field was eventually deemed unplayable and the game was postponed. As of the publication time of this article, it is not clear as to when the game will be made up. Today’s rain out, amid greater concerns and actions being taken at the state level regarding the postponement of high school athletics in Arkansas, all combined to make one of the strangest days in the sports world in this reporter’s memory.

Resident Press will begin the process of unraveling the issues involving the COVID-19 virus and its effect on the remainder of the high school sports season. The AAA has been slow to react today, and it is not clear as to what action they will take regarding the seasons that are currently underway. There is an unconfirmed report that the AAA sent an email to member schools this afternoon announcing the suspension of play in all sports until April 6. Resident Press will attempt to confirm this and will let our readers know as soon as possible.

As soon as more information on the complexity of issues facing Paris and all high school sports is known, Resident Press will publish updates for our readers.

In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and stay safe out there.

BREAKING: State Basketball Finals Scheduled for Friday and Saturday Postponed

Sports

Resident News Network

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4:34 pm

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BREAKING: State Basketball Finals Scheduled for Friday and Saturday Postponed

Local media outlets are reporting the the Arkansas Activities Association has postponed the state basketball finals in Hot Springs that were scheduled for Friday and Saturday of this week. Games scheduled for tonight will be played according to media reports.

The decision to postpone the weekend state finals games did not come until late this afternoon. There is speculation in the state media that AAA may have been pushed by state authorities to postpone the event. Resident Press will have more on this as information is released.

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RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK