The 2019 Class 3A state volleyball tournament will continue today with two semi-final games to determine who will advance to the championship final Saturday in Hot Springs.
In last night’s final quarterfinal match, the Hoxie Lady Mustangs defeated the Charleston Lady Tigers 3-0. The Charleston loss, combined with the Paris and Waldron losses yesterday, eliminated the 3A West from the state tournament.
In today’s semi-final matches, Little Rock Episcopal will play Piggott at 1 p.m. In game two of the semi-final round, Fountain Lake will play Hoxe at 3 p.m. The winners of these two games will advance to the championship final on Saturday at Hot Springs.
The Class 3A championship game will be played at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. Game time is 5 p.m.
Good luck today to the final four teams in the Class 3A state championship tournament!
It only took a short time of visiting with Charleston head girls basketball coach Jason Rucker to know that he loves his team and he is excited to get the season started next week. Coach Rucker and I sat down recently to discuss the upcoming season for the Lady Tigers basketball team.
Coach Rucker has coached two state championship teams; the first in 2009, and most recently in 2018. The team played deep into the 2019 state tournament before they were eventually eliminated. In our conversation, Coach Rucker did not say he expects another state title, but, it is clear that he likes the talent, experience, and numbers of players returning this year and he has high hopes and expectations for this group of players.
2009 State Champions
2018 State Champions
Coach Rucker talked about the players he has returning on this year’s team.“We’ve got everybody coming back this year except for one. We lost one, which was a really good player for us, Allie Green, she was our leader. But I’ve got a big nucleus returning. I’ve got three sophomores that I feel like are really going to contribute this year. I feel like I’ve got a lot of pieces to have a successful season. I feel like we’ve got guards, shooters, some inside post players that I feel like we haven’t had in the past. Really excited about this team.”
“It’s a mix of old and young, and I’m excited about the athleticism and just the chemistry this group has brought. This group of seniors, I have coached them in Little League through travel ball since they were in the second grade. So, it’s a special group to me. A lot of my entertainment for the last ten years has been with them. So, in one sense I am excited about getting this season started, but on the other hand, I know the sadness I will experience when it comes to an end. Because I have spent a lot of time with these kids.”
“My daughter, Payton, being one of them, is a key returner. She just does it all. She is 5’6″, and she had a game last year where she had 19 rebounds. Really shoots the ball well. Baylee King is our floor leader. She’s our point guard, and you couldn’t find a better kid that you would just say that is a true point guard. She could score more if she wanted to, and she does score when she needs to, but she understands how to run a team. Distributes the ball, gets her hands on balls, goes after loose balls, whatever play needs to be made she makes that play. Reagan Oldridge is coming back, just a really good knockdown shooter, can really shoot the ball. Alexis Grandison is another senior for us that has played a lot of minutes for us over the past three years. She scores in a variety of ways, can shoot the three, go inside a little bit, can shoot the mid-range shot. So, I’m excited about that bunch.”
Brooke Groen, who injured her ACL in the state tournament, will be back this year. “We are trying to get her up to speed. In my 20 years of coaching, she is absolutely the best defensive player I have ever coached. She has practiced with us and she is going full speed. She sets the tone for us defensively. When she went out, it was a big blow for us last year.”
The Lady Tigers will also have new additions from junior high on this year’s team. “Addison Newheart, one of the most athletic kids I have ever coached, unbelievable speed and quickness, will be a point guard. Great passer. Riley Ross, strength-wise, inside, she is unbelievable. She is going to be a big contributor for us. She can score inside. Gracie Koch, who is currently playing volleyball, she also is going to play a big role. She can score in a variety of ways. We have some other players, Rylee Merechka, who played for us last year, is going to contribute. Kim Byrd knows her role and plays her role well. We’ve got several more that can contribute. Probably the deepest team I have had in 20 years. I’ve got 12-13 kids I feel solid about.”
The Lady Tigers ended the 2018-19 season with a record of 27-3 and lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament to Atkins. “We lost three games last year. One was in the finals of the Russellville Tournament. The semis of the regional tournament to Mountain View, and the semis of the state tournament to Atkins. We beat some quality teams, bigger schools last year. Undefeated in conference, won district tournament.”
Charleston, as always, has a challenging non-district schedule this year. It is part of Coach Rucker’s philosophy of playing tough teams and preparing for the state tournament run in March. “We’ve got some quality teams that I feel like are really going to challenge us. One being Lake Hamilton. We are going to Lake Hamilton. They will be one of the two or three favorites in their class to compete for a state championship. In 2018 when we won it (state championship) we played Northside (Ft. Smith) right here on our court. They were unbelievably talented, they had all of those kids that just won a state championship. They beat us pretty good, but I felt like it was one of the greatest experiences for us. Our kids were not in awl of anyone we played after that. We’re not scared of anyone.”
When I asked Coach Rucker about who he sees a being the top contenders in his conference this year, Rucker said, “I think Lincoln returns quite a few players, and they were really talented last year. They got beat in the quarterfinals of state last year but they had a really good ball club. Elkins will be someone I think will challenge us and West Fork. Those three really jump out because they have a lot of returning kids. Anytime you can bring back experience it makes a difference.”
The Lady Tigers are deep and talented, and this is a year that Rucker could see seven or eight years ago about a special group of talented Charleston athletes that had a chance to be really good when they got to high school. “We knew that was going to be a talented group, just because of their Little League and travel ball teams and how well they were doing. We knew that if those groups stayed together this would be the year that everybody was looking for.”
The Lady Tigers will hold their annual Black / White scrimmage game on Thursday, November 7. Charleston will officially open the season Monday, November 11 at Danville. The Lady Tigers are ready to play, and Tigers fans, this could be a very special year that you will not want to miss!
See you next week at Tiger Center for the beginning of what promises to be a great season for Charleston girls basketball!
As the first quarter ended in Tuesday nights final football game featuring the Mansfield Jr High Tigers versus the Cedarville Pirates, the score read 24-0 Pirates. Unfortunately, the season would come to a close for the Tigers as they finished their last game with a final score of 46-14 Cedarville. The blistering cold and frog choking rain along with some miscues would keep the Tigers from going out on a high note but that didn’t mean the wet weather dampened the Tigers spirit any.
#7 Logan Cravey
Shortly before the half, Tyler Turnipseed delivered the first of two Tiger touchdowns sending the game into halftime with a score of 46-6. Turnipseed would end the game with three receptions for 63 yards. In the third quarter, Fisher Willsey knocked out the second Tigers touchdown with a quarterback keeper and along with his pass to Logan Cravey for the conversion, Mansfield would earn their 14 points of the game. Willsey completed seven passes in the game totaling 101 yards and rushed six times for a total of 43 yards. Cravey connected with three receptions for 34 yards.
#12 Greyson Baggett
Tommy Phang was in competition with the high-speed winds Tuesday night as he flew up and down the field with a quickness that not even the Pirates could catch. He delivered four rushes for 38 yards to put an end to his Jr High football career. And Peyton Martin would close shop with 12 yards on two rushes. The Tigers put up a total of 199 yards with 101 of those yards coming from their passing game.
#3 Tommy Phang
The Jr High Tigers team will be graduating 18 ninth graders from their roster of 25. Moving up to Sr High football will be Clint Stovall, Tommy Phang, Logan Cravey, Fisher Willsey, Greyson Baggett, Ashton Toon, Tyler Woolbright, Darton Hoopengarner, Drew Elmore, Caleb Collier, Braxton Byers, John Broadway, Austin Quinalty, Kindel Noblitt, Codee Helms, Timmy Rouell, Jesse Paxton, and Branson Carver.
Staying behind to carry the Jr High team into next year will be Peyton Martin, Tyler Turnipseed, Raine Hecox, Turner Wright, John White, Sammy Sellers, and Dakota Langford. The Mansfield Jr High Tigers end their season with a total record of 2-8 and a conference record of 2-5. The Tigers secured 117 winning points and walked away with victories over Paris and West Fork.
#11 Fisher Willsey
The Tigers tirelessly put in long hours and hard work and kept their fight alive never giving up. They earned a season total of 1452 yards, 13 TD, 10 INT, and 9/14 two-point conversions. A few highlights from the season was Drew Elmore stripping a fumble for a touchdown during the Hackett game, Logan Cravey with his Pick 6 during the Paris game, and Austin Quinalty delivering a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown against West Fork.
#20 Ashton Toon and #22 Tyler Woolbright
Coach Tim Cothran had this to say about the Jr High Tigers 2019 football season. “They never quit and worked hard to try and improve week in and week out. Hopefully, numbers, strength, football IQ, and determination will continue to improve for when our next season gets here. These guys are going to be just fine. They just have to stay the course and continue to stay focused on the goal.”
The 2019 Class 3A state volleyball tournament is underway at Paris High School. Second round games are currently in progress.
The 5 p.m. game is now final; the Fountain Lake Lady Cobras defeated Harding Academy 3-0 to advance to tomorrow’s semi-finals. Fountain Lake will play the winner of tonight’s final quarterfinal game that matches Charleston against Hoxie.
Look to Resident Press tomorrow for a recap of tonight’s final game and a preview of the semi-final match-ups to be played Thursday.
The 2019 Class 3A state volleyball tournament second round is in progress at Paris High School. In the 3 p.m. match-up, number one ranked Paris played number two ranked Little Rock Episcopal. The match-up of the two premier 3A volleyball programs in Arkansas was a match-up that might have been better suited as a finals match.
The match-up played up to its billing as it resembled a heavyweight fight with both teams exchanging one shot after the other. The match went five sets with Little Rock Episcopal winning and advancing to the semi-finals to play Piggott on Thursday at 1 p.m. There will be a new state champion in volleyball crowned in Class 3A on Saturday. The win by Episcopal ends a Paris streak of eight straight appearances in the state final.
Stay with Resident Press today for continued coverage of the Class 3A state volleyball tournament.
The second round of the Class 3A state volleyball tournament is underway at Paris High School. Four games will be played today to determine the final four semi-finalists that will play Thursday.
In the 1 p.m. game, Waldron, who upset Perryville in the first round, played Piggott who defeated Mayflower on Tuesday. Waldron, a fourth seed in the tournament, played hard and lost three close sets to Piggott. The Mohawks defeated Waldron 3-1 and advance to the semi-finals. Piggott awaits the winner of the Paris vs Little Rock Episcopal match that is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
Stay with Resident Press today for updates on other quarterfinal games that will be played today.
Current District Court Judge Emily White and Jim Reynolds, both candidates seeking office in the next election, were at the Mansfield Senior Center on Wednesday, October 30.
Judge White is seeking the District 4, Position 2, Arkansas Court of Appeals seat. This district covers 15 counties along the western part of the state from Sebastian to Miller Counties and includes Logan, Scott, Yell, Garland, Montgomery, Polk, Sevier, Howard, Pike, Clark, Hot Spring, Hempstead and Little River.
White has practiced law for 18 years and has expertise in criminal law, civil practice and judicial ethics. She currently serves as District Court Judge in the 33rd State District Court, which is Hot Spring and Grant Counties. Her platform is that of ethics and fairness.
“She is such an intelligent lady,” said Sue Moore, a patron of the center. “She’s kind and heartfelt, I know she will do well serving as appeals judge.”
White had coffee with the area seniors. Joining her were Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black and District 21 State Representative candidate Jim Reynolds. Reynolds, a republican candidate, is a retired educator who owns an advertising business in Greenwood.
White’s opponent, Stephanie Potter Barrett, is from Texarkana. Reynolds is running against incumbent, District 21 State Representative Marcus Richmond.
Be watching for more information about these candidates and others as Resident Press hosts their second annual “Meet the Candidates” night!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages….Mansfield proudly brings to you, the 7th Grade Undefeated Champions of the Wooooooorld! Ok, maybe not the world, but at least in the 3A-1 conference also adding Waldron and Lavaca to that list. The 7th Grade Tigers massacred teams from Paris, West Fork, Greenland, Charleston, Booneville, Lamar, Waldron, Lavaca, and most recently Cedarville leaving Mansfield to close out its season with a flawless 9-0 record.
Trey Powell
Playing in yet another cold and rainy football game, the Tigers were unfazed by their surroundings. Their only focus was on the Pirates, who after spending the entire game being used as mops by the Tigers, were only allowed to put 6 points on the board. The game was over in the blink of an eye with Mansfield walking away with a final score of 28-6.
Cisco Fildes and Greg Raynor
Cedarville started out thinking they were going to pull a fast one over on Mansfield by scoring first but Toby Towe had other plans in mind. With a run spanning almost the entire length of the field he knocked out the first Tiger touchdown and the tone was set. The Pirates responded with their own touchdown but unfortunately for them, that would be the only time they would get to see endzone paydirt.
Toby Towe
Brandon Raynor added his own long run to bring the Tigers closer to their goal and setting Trey Powell up to deliver the pain with another Tiger touchdown. Quarterback, Jeremy Strozier, rushed for the two-point conversion and the score sat at 14-6 Mansfield. The Pirates offense was delivering some nice yardage but a fumble would put the ball back in the Tigers hands allowing Austin Oldham to tack on another touchdown for the Tigers. Another two-point Strozier rush and Mansfield walked into halftime up 22-6.
#7 Jeremy Strozier
The Tigers came back from halftime in full force ready to close shop. The Pirates ran into a few miscues that the Tigers were able to capitalize on in the second half. Powell was able to intercept Cedarvilles ball and Strozier would recover a Pirate fumble. With the end of the game nearing, Oldham added a touchdown cherry to the Tigers sundae ending the game 28-6 Mansfield.
Brandon Raynor
The Tigers offensive and defensive lines were on par the entire season as well. With their powerful blocks helping to open the way for the Tiger running backs to their colossal sacks shutting down the opposing teams’ offense around every corner. At the end of the day, the 7th Grade Tigers’ success is all due to eight letters. Teamwork!
#18 Andrew Pettigrew and #8 Cisco Fildes
It took the entire roster of Brandon Raynor, Leland Powell, Austin Ruiz, Austin Oldham, Jeremy Strozier, Cisco Fildes, Boston Elmore, Eli Garner, Winston Allison, Andrew Pettigrew, Dakota Deer, Trey Powell, James Olinghouse, Toby Towe, Zach Chapman, Camden Nottingham, and Greg Raynor to keep pushing each other forward into greatness no matter how frustrating things got at times. Next years opponents should already be shaking in their boots because this team is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
The Paris Lady Eagles began the defense of their state volleyball title with by defeating Central Arkansas Christian 3-0 in the first round. The Lady Eagles will now advance to the second round to play Little Rock Episcopal at 3 p.m. The match will be a showdown of the top two ranked teams in Class 3A.
In the second match of the evening, the Charleston Lady Tigers defeated the Baptist Prep Lady Eagles 3-1. The Lady Tigers advance to the second round and will play the Hoxie Lady Mustangs at 5 p.m.
The sixteen team field has now be narrowed to eight. The schedule for Wednesday’s quarterfinal games is:
1 p.m.
Waldron vs. Piggott
3 p.m.
Episcopal vs. Paris
Winners of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. games play in the semi-finals
5 p.m.
Harding Academy vs. Fountain Lake
7 p.m.
Hoxie vs. Charleston
Winners of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. games play in the semi-finals
After today we will know the final four teams remaining in the chase for a Class 3A state volleyball title. Today’s teams are now just two wins away from appearing in Saturday’s championship final in Hot Springs.
Three teams from the River Valley area remain alive in the tournament. Waldron is the Cinderella of the tournament so far. The Lady Bulldogs continue to improve with each week.
Paris faces a tough path to return to the finals, although many, including myself, believe the Lady Eagles will once again be playing for a state title on Saturday. Today, Paris plays the number two ranked team in the state, Little Rock Episcopal. This is a huge game to be played in just the second round of the tournament. The Paris High School gymnasium should be packed for this showdown of Class 3A heavyweights.
The Charleston Lady Tigers were pushed by a very good Little Rock Baptist Prep squad that battled Charleston all of the way. The Lady Tigers expended a lot of energy in last night’s first round game. Charleston will play Hoxie for the opportunity to advance to the state semi-final.
The chance for the River Valley to have both teams in Hot Springs is still alive, and after tonight, we will be step closer to knowing if this will happen.
After taking on hundreds of talented runners and competing in almost a dozen Cross Country meets, the Waldron Bulldogs kept a firm grip on greatness as they ended District leading the pack. The Sr High Lady Bulldogs walked away District Champions and the Sr High and Jr High Bulldogs each earned District Runner-Up. To top things off, Coach Angie Bailey was awarded the 3A-1 conference Girls Coach of the Year.
Jr High Bulldogs
“I’ve been teaching for 21 years in the Waldron School District but have only been coaching for 10 of those years,” explains Coach Bailey. “This season I had 50 athletes in grades 7-12, my biggest group yet. The entire team really motivated each other which in turn made them more competitive. My senior high girls have been running as a team since 7th grade and they have a lot of experience as juniors who make up the majority of my team.”
Coach Angie Bailey
“I am most proud of this groups’ willingness to want to get better. Their work ethic is by far their strength. The whole team will be coming back to compete in track. I’ll be gaining my field event kids, where we are also strong so they just slide right in. My cross country girls always motivate the rest of the girls because they are the heart of the team. Not all of my cross country girls will run distance in track though. I have hurdlers, 400 and 800 runners, and a high jumper so that leadership will run into many events.” This year, State will be held in Hot Springs for the top nine varsity runners on November 9 with boys starting at 2 p.m. and girls starting at 2:45 p.m.
