The Bill Frye Classic started off with a pair of talented teams squaring off as the Waldron Lady Bulldogs took on a fierce Hackett Lady Hornets team. These teams rarely meet up on the hardwood so the game was a treat for all to see. Waldron definitely put on a show with their never give up attitude and defeated the Lady Hornets 40-28.
From tip-off to the final buzzer, the Lady Bulldogs played a nailbiter. Waldron’s offense seemed a little rusty in the first half as they coughed up turnovers allowing Hackett to stay in the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs were neck and neck with the Lady Hornets with a score of 9-8 in Waldron’s favor. The second quarter was more of the same as both teams tried to get one over on their opponent. Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs shut down Hackett at almost every turn. They also started playing aggressive defense which kept the Hornets quick offense at bay. Going into halftime, the Lady Bulldogs were all tied up 20-20 with the Lady Hornets.
After the half, Waldron found their offensive rhythm and started heating up the basket. Fast break scores and capitalizing on turnovers looked natural. With the offense now sinking shots and the defense cutting off Hackett, the score gap increased slowly but surely. With a solid 12 point victory over a talented Lady Hornet team, Waldron is ready for their round two matchup against the Booneville Lady Bearcats in the semi-finals on Saturday, December 28th at 3 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs made stealing look natural as they ran away with 12 total steals in the game. As for rebounds, well Waldron fans should buy stock in rebounds as the Lady Bulldogs racked up a combined 31 off the backboard offensively and defensively. Leading the Lady Bulldogs in points was Chelsea Stidman who was two of five from three-point range and lit up the scoreboard with 25 total points. Hailey Stidman was able to knock down an impressive nine points in the game while Kadance Espinoza and Jessica Ozuna rounded out the Lady Bulldogs scoring with a combined six points.
In the first round of the Bill Frye Classic held on December 27, both Hackett Hornet and Lady Hornet Sr High basketball teams took on the Waldron Bulldogs. The Lady Hornets hit the court first and immediately Hackett was all over the Lady Bulldogs like white on rice. Giving zero breathing room, the end of the first quarter ended with a one-point gap at 9-8 Waldron. The Lady Hornets shadowed the Lady Bulldogs every move flawlessly and by halftime, the score read 20-20.
Although Hackett was still very much full of grit, the Lady Hornets started to lose their muster allowing the Lady Bulldogs to pull ahead and take the win 40-28. Faith Thomas led her team with nine points followed by Kayla Richardson with six and Rain Vaughn with four. Madi Taylor, Autum Neal, Shayla Foster, and Brooke Holt combined for the remaining points. “We are still learning on both ends of the floor. The girls are working really hard and getting better every day,” expressed Coach Broc Adams. The Lady Hornets will move on in the tournament, playing again on Saturday, December, 28 at 9 a.m. against Mulberry.
Next up it was the Hornets taking on the well oiled Bulldogs team. If there was ever a game that the Sr Hornets could put as a bench point, this was it. If the Hornets were supposed to lay down to the powerhouse Waldron team, no one gave them that memo. Hackett started slowly going down 20-6 at the end of the 1st quarter, but the Hornets were merely playing possum. The Hornets started off the 2nd quarter quickly stinging the Bulldogs, frustrating Waldron at every corner on offense and defense.
Hackett found the Bulldogs kryptonite down low in the paint and took full advantage of it by feeding Zach Gragg the rock every chance they got to close the gap to a 35-23 Waldron lead at the half. After the half, the Hornets continued to give it all they had and used a swarming defense to keep forcing the Bulldogs to change their offense on multiple occasions. In the end, though, Waldron was just too much of a force for Hackett to overcome as the Hornets fell 64-48.
Zach Gragg was the giant who couldn’t be chopped down as he led the Hornets with 13 points in the game. Dylan Kats rounded up nine points while Ty Smith contributed seven points on the night. Cash Oliver had six points, Jake Fisher had five points, and Tyler Satterfield had four points in the game. Ethan Slavens sank a three-pointer while Austin Cowell swished a free throw for one point. “Defense intensity is becoming more and more detailed and effective,” stated Coach Kent Elmore. “Shots will begin to fall. I could not be more proud of the buy-in and effort in the past two weeks. Culture creates success!” The Hornets will play in the second round of the Bill Frye Classic on Saturday, December 28 at 10:30 a.m. against Mulberry.
Today’s Bank has a set of directives they call visions. It’s what gives them direction on a daily basis as life and business meet head on. “To be a good Corporate Citizen and provide Community Involvement and Community Service”, is one of the visions Today’s Bank enlists as a daily guide.
Much to Mansfield High School’s good fortune that vision rings as loud as a Christmas bell this time of year. For the second consecutive season, Today’s Bank has presented the MHS basketball program a substantial gift allowing it to host their annual holiday basketball tournament.
The Today’s Bank Bill Frye Classic is a three day senior high basketball tournament beginning on Friday, December 27. Semi-finals continue on the next day on Saturday, December 28 with final games taking place on the third day on Monday, December 30.
“We feel being involved in schools is just one of the ways we can give back to our communities,” stated River Valley Community President for Today’s Bank David Scruggs. “The tournament is just one of the ways we can get involved and participate with the students and families.”
“We are thrilled to be able to sponsor this tournament and love that two of the teams represented are Mulberry and Mansfield, which we have branch locations in both of those communities,” continued Scruggs.
Along with host Mansfield, Mulberry is one of a total eight schools that will be involved in the basketball bracket. Arkoma, Booneville, Hackett, Magazine, Vian, and Waldron will be the other schools competing.
The tournament’s namesake, George W. “Bill” Frye, retired from Mansfield in 2015. Coach Frye left education after 38 years of teaching and coaching as Mansfield’s winningest coach in girls’ basketball and boys’ baseball. He had exactly 400 victories as head coach of the senior girls’ basketball program and nearly as many baseball wins.
Frye is listed on the Mansfield Wall of Fame on two separate occasions. Once as coach of the 1986 Girls Basketball State Championship team, and the other as a record breaking individual coach.
The partnership between MHS, Frye, and Today’s Bank is in its second season despite the tournament roots being established in the early 2000’s.
“We believe community banking is about more than banking,” explained Scruggs. “Today’s Bank channels their loans to the neighborhoods where depositors live and work, which helps local businesses and communities thrive. Being a good neighbor is displayed each day in the opportunities we provide, the money we give back, and the time we commit. All is in effort to help improve the lives of the people, families, and businesses that make this area great.”
According to tournament director Keith Dake, the Frye Classic and Today’s Bank make excellent neighbors.
“Coach Frye is a legendary figure in this part of the state,” noted Dake. “To put his legacy in connection with a caring community bank makes for a winning combination.”
Senior Vice President, President-Huntsville Market and Marketing Director Brittany L. Thompson-Little has been in communication with Mansfield’s athletic department to assist in the tournament process. Kellie Copeland, Vice President and Branch Manager of the Mansfield facility, has participated as a true point guard in the process as well.
Men’s and women’s games will both be on tap at the Frye Classic. Eighteen total contests will tip off during the holiday event. Opening rounds on the first two days will start at 9:00 AM. Successive contests will start approximately 1 ½ hours apart. The final game each night will jump center circle at approximately 7:30 PM.
On the final day, only 4 games will be conducted. The third place matchups will begin at 3:00 PM for the women and 4:30 PM for the men. The championship rounds begin at 6:00 PM for the women and 7:30 PM for the men.
Scruggs will be attending the finals and assist Coach Frye in the presentation of awards. Other associates that work at the Mansfield branch will also be on hand to help in the awards presentation.
Tournament accolades will include championship and runner-up team plaques, all-tournament team individual medals, and tournament MVP awards.
On Friday, December 20, the Waldron Sr High Lady Bulldogs headed north to Tiger territory to take on the Mansfield Lady Tigers in the “Battle for Scott County”. Waldron anxiously unleashed the Lady Dogs to do what they do best and that’s to rip through the competition. With sharpened teeth, Waldron wasted little time chasing the Lady Tigers up and down the hardwood chomping at every opportunity to dominate.
Chelsea Stidman
And boy did they dominate. Rheagan Sanford was a lean mean Lady Bulldog fighting machine as she knocked back every white jersey that crossed her path. Offensively, Sanford was the ringleader in this fight bringing in 20 of Waldrons total 56 points. Coming in at 19 points was Bulldog powerhouse, Chelsea Stidman who plays both sides of the court impeccably. Stidman led defensively with six rebounds as well.
Rheagan Sanford
Hailey Stidman followed next with eight points and five defensive rebounds. Jessica Ozuna netted five points and with two apiece was Kadance Espinoza and Bianca Hinojosa. The Lady Bulldogs were also able to pull off a grand heist of 16 total steals. With a final victorious score of 56-41, the Waldron Sr Lady Bulldogs now sit 4-7 in total season play and 1-1 in conference. The ladies are now ready for their next fete which is the Bill Frye Classic on Friday, December 27 at 3 p.m against the Hackett Lady Hornets.
State and local law enforcement agencies in Arkansas will partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this holiday season to save lives by keeping alcohol and drug impaired drivers off the roads. Beginning this week (Friday, December 13th – January1st), Arkansas State Troopers and other law enforcement officers will join together in a high-visibility national enforcement campaign.
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a “no excuses” “zero tolerance” operation in which law enforcement officers increase their patrol presence with additional emphasis directed to identifying and arresting drivers who may be impaired by alcohol or drugs. The campaign also includes an increase in state and national messaging about the dangers of driving impaired.
It is illegal in all 50 states to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Avoiding arrest and expenses of court fines and higher insurance rates begins with never getting into the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle while impaired.
Many drivers fail to realize the risks. During 2018 there were 10,511 people killed in drunk driving crashes, one every 50 minutes, according to the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
The analysis of data over a five year span (2014-2018) indicates, on average, 10,000 killed each year, the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing during a single year without survivors.
According to the FARS 2017 database, 45% of the drivers killed in fatal crashes who were tested for drugs, tested positive. This is why Arkansas law enforcement officers are working with NHTSA to remind drivers that impaired driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death.
“The holiday season should be a happy time for our all our state’s citizens and visitors,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “We cannot underestimate the importance of sober driving and no matter what substance anyone has ingested, if you’re impaired, you should not be driving.”
Something as unassuming as cold medications or an over-the-counter sleep aid has the ability to impair a driver and lead to a DWI arrest. Anyone taking a new prescription drug or a higher dose of a current prescription drug, should avoid driving until its known what effect the drug may have on the individual. Any effect could impair a person’s driving ability. One medication may not directly impair a person, but mixed with a second prescription drug and alcohol could cause impairment. Any form of impaired driving is illegal.
“Driving impaired is a choice,” said Colonel Bryant. “I encourage everyone to make the right choice and find a sober driver if they have been drinking or ingested any drug that caused impairment.”
State and local law enforcement recommend these safe alternatives to impaired driving:
If you have ingested an impairing substance, such as alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, sleep medication, or any form of illegal drug, do not drive. Passengers should never ride with an impaired driver. If you think a driver may be impaired, do not get in the car.
If you are alcohol- or drug-impaired, pass the keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you to your final destination or plan to use public transportation or a ride sharing service to get home safely. It is never okay to drive while impaired by any substance.
Have a friend who is about to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs? Take the keys away and arrange to get them home safely. Don’t worry about offending someone– they’ll thank you later.
If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement. Your actions could help save someone’s life.
For more information about the 2019 Holiday Season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit https://www/trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/drunk-driving/holiday-season/peak-enforcement-kit or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136. For information on Arkansas’ “Toward Zero Deaths” campaign to eliminate preventable traffic fatalities, visit www.TZDarkansas.org
The Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers are never one to shy away from a top of the line high-pressure shooting spree but when it came to preparing for their match against the Waldron Lady Bulldogs, the Lady Tigers knew this would be no walk in the park. The game was intense from the starting tip-off to the final buzzer with both teams commanding only the best from one another in the “Battle for Scott County”.
Mikayla Harrison
With each step that Mansfield made, Waldron was always there to greet them. Not easily discouraged, the Lady Tigers held their own until the final push when they slowly began to lose their steam from the Tiger train causing them to take a 56-41 loss. Offensively, it was sophomore Sadie Roberts that commandeered the court netting 11 points. Hot on her heels was Mikayla Harrison with 10 points and Chloe Creekmore with nine. Also delivering to the Lady Tigers greatness was Makayla Strutton with four, Danielle Lillie with three, and Amber Elmore and Kiara Thomas each with two. This game puts Mansfield at 3-5 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.
Amber Elmore
Ready to make a big splash as they jump off into the Bill Frye Classic on Friday, December 27, the Sr Lady Tigers will go toe to toe against Arkoma at 6 p.m.
The Orange and Black nation traveled to Mansfield for a great Tiger hunt on Friday, December 20th. With many games on the Bulldogs schedule, this was one that had been circled since day one. Now that the time had come, the call from the Waldron fans was “RELEASE THE HOUNDS”.
The tip-off was more of a battle cry for the teams as both the Bulldogs and Tigers began their push for supremacy in the game. Waldron kept a slight lead on Mansfield for most of the first half, but neither team was going to pull away early in this one. Waldron’s defense kept the Tigers trapped as they obtained 15 steals in the game, most of those coming in the first half of play. The steals gave the Bulldogs the edge, but they couldn’t push off those pesky Tigers…….not yet that is.
Isaac Villarreal
Going into the half, the Waldron Bulldogs were up 40-34 on Mansfield. This was truly a battle. Waldron was not spooked or intimidated by the closeness of the game at that point though. This type of game is what they live for. With a little chat from Coach Joshua Brown and some rest, the Bulldogs howled out into the second half without any leashes attached.
The 3rd quarter was just as the first half with both teams going tooth and nail with each other. It was a spectacular show for all of either side of the court to see. At the end of the third though, the gap in the score was the same with the Bulldogs holding a six-point lead. That’s when Waldron was done toying with the Tigers.
Gada Wagner
Waldron opened up on Mansfield in the 4th quarter sinking 31 points on the Tigers. With sweet moves and swishing shots, the Bulldogs made sure there was no coming back for Mansfield in the game as the “Battle for Scott County” ended with an 86-65 final in the Bulldogs favor. The highlighted player in this game was Payton Brown who broke a Waldron basketball school record by knocking out 60 total points in a game. The former record was 58 points which was made in 1993 by none other than Payton’s dad, Jason Brown.
Brown may have stolen the show, but no one man can do it all. The Bulldogs emptied the benches to put points on the board as six other players lit up the scoreboard. Isaac Villarreal came up with 12 points while Ruben Valdez and Caden Fuller racked up four points each. Mason Ford, Jacob Avila, and Gada Wagner tacked on two points each in the game. Waldron now sits 9-3 on their season and 2-0 in conference. The Bulldogs will go to battle next in the Bill Frye Classic on Friday, December 27 at 4:30 p.m. against Hackett.
As last year’s cheer season ended, the Waldron High School cheer captains and coaches had a decision to make. The Bulldog cheer squad graduated 10 seniors which included all of their top cheerleaders. This would be a complete rebuild if they wanted to remain in the performance division of competition or they would have to move to the newer game day division. After mulling over the pros and cons, Waldron decided to make the move to the game day cheer division.
Changing to a completely new type of competition was quite the task for all involved. Everyone from the cheerleaders to the coaches themselves had to learn new techniques, new formats, and a new style to learn and attempt to perfect. This is competition, not just some pom pom hip hip hooray stuff so everyone had to learn and learn fast.
With a lot of new faces, Waldron knew nothing would come easily. The squad hosted Brian Bridges for their choreography clinic on July 28th and their work began. Long and hard practices ensued with everyone busting their rears to not only get ready but also to get ready quickly. The Waldron Cheer squad lucked into three individual competitions to help them gain experience for what the big stage would hold for them. Unfortunately, lady luck turned her back on the Bulldogs as two of the three competitions were canceled due to scheduling conflicts. This left the Waldron Cheer team only able to make one, count that one, competition.
If they thought luck wasn’t on their side, they were right. Instead, they had a work ethic that trumped luck as they attended the Southern Spirit Competition held at Alma High School finishing first in their division and taking home the judge’s award for crowd effective cheer. With a perfect slate of going one and one in the record books, the Bulldogs then went back to work focused on the state competition.
The states cheer competition was held Saturday, December 21 at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. The Gameday format involved each team performing in three different areas: band dance, crowd leading, and fight song. Preliminary rounds were held and the six highest combined scores advance to finals.
To the surprise of everyone but Waldron, the Bulldogs advanced to finals. Also advancing to finals were the 2018 Defending State Champions Rivercrest, 2018 State Runner-Up Jessieville along with teams from Hackett, Parkers Chapel, and Genoa Central. Although the Rivercrest Colts were named 2019 State Champions, the Runner-Up Bulldogs more than accomplished their goal for the season.
Coach Crystal Lipham said “Our goal for the season was to at least get to finals. I feel like we shattered that goal! Not only did we make finals but we took the comments from the preliminary rounds and made the necessary adjustments to bring home the Runner-Up trophy!”
In a highly anticipated matchup, the Mansfield Sr Tigers and Waldron Sr Bulldogs set the hardwood ablaze on Friday, December 20 in Mansfield. The boy’s and girl’s basketball “Battle for Scott County” was primed to be the unstoppable force vs the immovable object. With each town’s fans on both sides of the court packed in, all of the preparation for an awesome game was set and ready.
Tyler Holmes
Mansfield jumped right in the mix of things from the tip-off and had Waldron reeling. With smooth passes and ball movement to every white shirt on the court, the Tigers took a quick lead on Waldron forcing them to regroup. Throughout the first half of the contest, the Sr Tigers showed that they would not be seen as an easy W on the Bulldogs schedule. Mansfield was on fire in the first half hitting three-pointers left and right, driving to the basket like madmen and owning the backboards. Layton Howard caused the Tiger faithful to explode towards the end of the first half with a massive “In Yo’ Face” slam dunk out of nowhere. At the half, Mansfield had the Bulldogs on their heels and the Mansfield fans on their feet.
Layton Howard
The ensuing third quarter was more on the same. The Tigers kept the pressure on Waldron frustrating the Bulldogs at every turn. It was an all-out street ball war between both teams. Steals? Check. Blocked shots? Check. Rebounds? Check, check, checkity, check, check. No one even looked at the scoreboard in the third quarter for fear they’d miss the next big play. But when the fourth quarter rolled around, the Tigers just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to finish Waldron off. Waldron pulled ahead for good at the beginning of the 4th ending the Tigers hopes at an upset handing Mansfield an 86-65 loss.
Codi Chick
Layton Howard led the team with 17 points on the game. Jaicy Griffin and Tyler Holmes were perfect from the three-point perimeter knocking down a combined three shots. Griffin ended the game with 12 points as Holmes raked in nine points. Also with nine points was Codi Chick who went 2 for 5 from the three-point range. Ethan Stovall was the king in the paint scoring 13 points on the Bulldogs and led the team in free-throw points with three. JoJo Bailey added to the team total with five points of his own. The Sr High Tigers will compete next in the Bill Frye Classic on Friday, December 27 at 7:30 p.m. against Arkoma.
Only two schools reside in one of the state’s largest counties, Scott County. So needless to say, when Mansfield and Waldron collide, sports fans are sure to be in for a treat. On Thursday, December 19, the Tigers and the Bulldogs clashed for some showstopping spotlight Jr High basketball.
The Lady Tigers kicked things off with an edge of your seat game filled with awesomesauce in a 52-22 victory. Both teams spent the entire first half jockeying for position as each team was determined to be the queens of the county. Going into the half, the highly touted crown was anyone’s to wear with a 28-13 score. The Lady Tigers gave it their all on both sides of the court but just couldn’t separate from the Lady Bulldogs. Whatever Coach Joshua Bryan put in his teams’ halftime water worked though as the Lady Tigers demolished Waldron in the second half.
Kynslee Ward
The Mansfield Lady Tigers shut off the lights to Waldron’s side of the scoreboard with a defensive performance that even the US Department of Defense took notice of. Mansfield only gave up nine points in the second half of the game. The Lady Tigers had an astounding 27 steals in the game coupled with 23 rebounds off the boards. Offensively, the Lady Tigers hung up 24 points after halftime with some selfless total team basketball as they threw up 16 assists on the stat sheets. Skylynn Harris had the nets smoking as she led the team with 18 points on the night. Harlie Fuller “Bulldogged” her way into 13 points while Alyson Edwards and Kynslee Ward combined for 11 points in the game. Seven Sanderson and Natalie Allison threw up five points each in the game as well.
Hoopengarner and Quinalty
The Tigers boys’ squad stepped foot on the court knowing that Waldron was a well-rounded formidable opponent. But that didn’t stop the Tigers from jumping into the mix and giving the Bulldogs all they could handle. Only being up 20-13 against Mansfield at the half was not what Waldron expected. For the Tigers, on the other hand, to hold a high-powered scoring offense to merely a seven-point lead gave them a much needed mental boost. The Tigers clawed their way through the game giving every ounce of effort in their tank. The game was anyone’s up to the beginning of the fourth quarter which was where the Bulldogs overpowered Mansfield as the Tigers fell 49-27.
Peyton Martin
Coming off the bench, Peyton Martin led the team with eight points in the game followed up by Tyler Turnipseed and Austin Quinalty who had five points each. Drew Elmore tacked on four points while Clint Stovall and Darton Hoopengarner had two points apiece. Rounding out the Tigers scoring was Travis Tobey with a one-point free throw in the game. The Tigers defense stood strong throughout much of the game getting Tiger fans on their feet with massive stuffs and great battles for rebounds. The Jr High Tigers will be back on their feet at Lavaca on January 9 at 4:30 p.m.
