There’s high school football and then there’s Mansfield versus Cedarville football. Cedarville held Mansfields number the past two years defeating the Tigers in back to back close overtime games. This year though, the Mansfield Sr High Tigers would have nothing of the sort as they set the Cedarville Pirates flag ablaze en route to a 43-26 victory.
Layton Howard
The Tigers and Pirates started off the game trying to get a feel for what each other could do on the field. Mansfield fired off the first shot as Tyler Holmes snagged a pass from Ethan Stovall for a go-ahead 16-yard touchdown putting the Tigers up 6-0. Cedarville quickly answered with their powerful run game scoring points of their own to tie the game 6-6. Stovall would not be shown up though as he showed the Pirates that the Tigers can run the ball too. So he plowed his way into the end zone with a QB keeper for 12 yards and a touchdown. The first quarter ended with a 12-6 Tigers lead.
Tyler Holmes
As the second quarter got underway, Cedarville stuck to their run game and drove the ball downfield inside Tiger territory. The Tiger defense stood tall holding the Pirates off forcing them to pass the ball. Mansfield senior, Clay James, knew what was coming when the Pirates pass was released picking off the ball in the Cedarville endzone zipping his way for 36 yards downfield. Mansfield capitalized on the turnover when Stovall aired it out to Jaicy Griffin for a huge score jumping the Tigers up to an 18-6 lead. The turnover game wasn’t over yet though because the Pirates went to the passing game again and again Mansfield was ready. Stovall snatched an interception deep in Tiger territory leading the Tiger offense to yet another touchdown with a pass to, surprise surprise, Griffin. Mansfield went into halftime with a commanding 25-14 lead.
Bri Sanderson
Mansfield continued their title wave of dominance into the second half with Tyler Holmes exposing the Cedarville defenses weakness and screaming downfield for 43 yards to set up a Stovall 1-yard touchdown run. Cedarville would make it a game though as they scored two unanswered touchdowns closing the Mansfield lead to 31-26 in the 3rd quarter. At that point, the Tiger defense had enough. With devastating hits and team tackling, the Tiger defense created a Red Sea that even Moses himself couldn’t part. That’s when the Mansfield high octane offense finished off the Pirates. Stovall ran in for 32 yards for a touchdown extending the lead to 37-26.
Clay James
Game over right? Wrong. This was Senior Night in the jungle. Senior, Tyler Holmes, picked off yet another Cedarville pass with 2:08 left in the game and with some holy moly moves, set the Tigers up with great field position. With merely five seconds left on the clock, it was a senior spotlight play when Ethan Stovall passed the ball to a double-covered Clay James who made a “Miracle In Mansfield” catch for a touchdown ending the game with a final score of 43-26.
Jaicy Griffin
The Tigers are still in it to win it as they sit with a 6-3 total season record and 3-3 in conference play. With one game left on the schedule, Mansfield will face the 1-5 Paris Eagles on Friday, November 8th at 7 p.m. in Paris.
A jury deliberated through the midnight hour, and ultimately found James Neal Bynum guilty on two counts of sexual assault, class B felonies. With Judge Jerry Don Ramey presiding, the jury heard testimony over the span of four days.
The sentencing phase began immediately following the guilty verdict. Bynum was sentenced to five years for count one, and five years for count two. That sentence is to be served consecutively, and he must be registered as a sex offender. Additionally, he was fined $2,500 for each of those two counts. The court will consider Bynum’s time already served.
Bynum, who was convicted in 2015, was found guilty on 10 counts of sexual assault in the fourth degree, a class D Felony and two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, a class B felony. After finding Bynum guilty, the jury handed down a 100 year sentence. In 2017, Court of Appeals Judge Kenneth Hixson reversed a portion of Bynum’s sentence and remanded it back to Scott County.
Bynum’s trial began on Tuesday, October 29. The prosecutor’s office charged Bynum with two counts of felony sexual assault in the second degree. After the guilty verdict and sentencing was handed down, Bynum was taken into custody.
On a cold November night in northwest Arkansas that resembled 1970s running football on a muddy, grass field, the Charleston defense recorded its first shut out of the year at West Fork. Charleston (4-5, 4-2) defeated West Fork (0-9, 0-6) 35-0. The conference win puts Charleston in the playoffs that will begin November 15.
The Charleston offense ran the ball effectively for most of the night, passing sparingly or just enough to support the running game. The Tigers led 21-0 at half and scored two more times in the second half before mass substituting in the fourth quarter.
The win at West Fork was the Tigers fourth conference victory of the season and was very important for Charleston as they head into the final week of the regular season next week at home when they host Lamar. After the game, Charleston head coach Ricky May praised his defense after the win. “We were just trying to get through (get the win and get his starters out of the game) and not get anybody hurt, and be classy, and go home with a victory. We kind of played sloppy at times, but hey, sometimes that happens. Defense played really well and we’ve got to keep doing that if we are going to be good.”
Offensively, Charleston attempted 22 passes and completed 15 for 183 yards. Receiving, the Tigers averaged 11.7 yards per reception for a total of 175 yards receiving.
Charleston ran the ball on 30 carries for 76 yards for an average of 2.5 yards per rush. All together, Charleston had 259 yards of total offense on the night.
Defensively, Charleston had 16 solo tackles and 34 assists on the night. The defense had 9 tackles for lost yardage. The Tigers defense added 3 sacks on the night for an additional 13 yards of loss yardage. The defense had one interception. Charleston produced two more turnovers by intercepting two West Fork passes.
As of publication time for this article, statistics were not available by Max Preps for West Fork.
In another important conference game that was played in Mansfield, the Tigers all but eliminated Cedarville from playoff contention with a home win against the Pirates. The Pirates are mathematically still alive in the playoff race, but playing at Booneville next week, and Greenland and Mansfield having the tie breaker advantages over Cedarville virtually eliminates Cedarville from the playoffs. In fact, for Cedarville to get into the playoffs, the Pirates would have to upset Booneville, Mansfield would have to lose to Paris, and Greenland would have to lose to West Fork.
The results of conference games played Friday night are:
Charleston 35, West Fork 0
Booneville 35, Lamar 7
Mansfield 43, Cedarville 26
Greenland 42, Paris 6
The conference standings after week nine of the season are:
Booneville 6-0
Charleston 4-2
Lamar 4-2
Greenland 3-3
Mansfield 3-3
Cedarville 3-3
Paris 1-5
West Fork 0-6
Cedarville’s loss to Mansfield is significant because it puts Mansfield back in the playoff picture. Mansfield owns the tie breaker over Cedarville, and next week, Cedarville plays at Booneville. So, barring upsets next week in Booneville and Paris, the five playoff teams appear to be all but set with only the seeding of teams remaining in doubt before the playoffs begin November 15.
A Charleston victory next week over Lamar would give the Tigers sole possession of second place in the conference and would secure the number two seed in the playoffs. In such case, the Tigers would likely host a home playoff game in week one of the state playoffs.
A loss to Lamar would give Lamar the two seed, and Charleston would fall to either third place or fourth place, depending on the outcome of Mansfield’s game and Greenland’s game. Charleston owns the tie breaker over Greenland, and Mansfield owns the tie breaker over Charleston.
It’s ironic to think back to the start of the season when Coach May said that it (the conference season and playoffs) may come down to which teams are healthy at the end of the year. Charleston’s season began back in August with a rash of injuries that affected the team for the entire first month of the season. Now, the team is healthy for the exception of a few players, and the team appears to be set for the playoffs.
Next Friday’s home game will be senior night for the Tigers, and what better way to send the seniors out than with a win over Lamar in their final home game. A win over Lamar would be huge for Charleston’s momentum going into the playoffs. It would also almost guarantee the Tigers that they would play a four seed at home.
On a very cold November night, the Charleston fans traveled to West Fork to support their Tigers. The community can be very proud of the large number of fans who made the trip and braved the cold to support their Tigers. This week, the seniors will be honored as they play their last regular season game at Alumni Stadium. I know the stands will be full to honor a great group of seniors who have shown their resiliency through out the year, battling injuries, staying together as a team, and now having made the playoffs. It is a great credit to the senior leadership on this team, and they all deserve a great crowd in attendance on Friday to watch them as they are individually recognized as well as playing Lamar for second place in the conference.
It will be another cold football night, so, bring your coat and come out to the stadium to honor the seniors and see a great football game!
When the Waldron Sr High Lady Bulldogs started their volleyball season, they were already pegged as the underdogs. After ending their 2018 season with a conference record of 8-6 and a total season record of 10-13-2, opponents were quick to write them off as an easy win. But that is where the competition messed up! The Lady Bulldogs started slapping down the other teams right out of the gate bringing in wins. With the conclusion of their season, the Lady Bulldogs finish with a total play record of 12-12 and a conference record of 10-4.
Waldron put the lid on their season on October 30 when they played their last game of 2019 in the Quarter Finals of the 3A State Volleyball Tournament. For the first round, the Lady Bulldogs were slated to play Perryville where they earned a 3-2 win sending them on to the next round. On Wednesday, Waldron put everything they had into their match with the Piggott Lady Mohawks but in the heartbreaking finale, the Lady Bulldogs fell 1-3.
But that’s not to say that the girls didn’t do what they do best which is kick butt with their ninja-like volleyball skills. Kentucky Spence ended her final game of the season with 5 kills, 5 blocks, and 2 digs. Ashton Young wrapped things up with 18 digs. Rheagan Sanford said goodbye with 17 digs, 16 kills, 1 block, and 1 ace. Molly Richmond left the court with 4 digs and 2 kills. Karrissa Johnston dropped the curtain with 18 digs, 5 kills, 4 blocks, and 2 aces. Jayden Manning waved farewell with 1 dig and 1 ace. And Jessica Ozuna departed with 4 kills and 4 digs.
Bidding an emotional adios on their high school volleyball career was Taylor Stacy and Bayleigh Lipham. Stacy took away 22 digs, 6 blocks, 3 kills, and 1 ace while Bayleigh Lipham waved the white flag with 12 digs, 2 kills, and 1 block. Coach Toby Hollin expressed these words about her two senior Lady Bulldogs. “This year, we will be sadly losing our two seniors, Taylor Stacy and Bayleigh Lipham. These two girls have been a vital part of our team this season. They have shown what being a leader under pressure looks like by attacking each game with such raw intensity. Even when things looked rough they were encouraging to their teammates and they have exceeded any and all expectations set in place by anyone around them. Our Lady Bulldogs family is painstakingly losing two members so to say that they will be missed is an understatement.”
Since this past Tuesday alone, the Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets have faced three teams and slammed down in 10 sets for their gameplay in the 2019 2A State Volleyball Tournament. In Round 1, the Lady Hornets took down the Midland Mustangs in a 3-0 triple threat. The following day for Round 2, Hackett won again 3-0 this time against Conway Christian. And last night, the Lady Hornets filled their Halloween bags with sweet treats of victory taking down St. Joseph 3-1 in the Semi-Finals. This places Hackett with a 27-2-1 total season play record.
The Lady Hornets ended their match in the semi-finals against the St. Joseph Lady Bulldogs with final sets of 25-12, 15-25, 25-23, and 25-15. With an “ace” in your face was Madi Taylor with four, Madeline Freeman with two, and Jamye Durham with one. These natural-born killers walked away with a team total of 43 kills. Rain Vaughn with 18, Freeman with eight, Kenadi Wright with six, Shayla Foster with five, Kandace Byrd with four, and Durham with two.
Holding a successful “block” party was Durham with six, Wright with two, Freeman with two, and Vaughn with one. “Assisting” with the epic net results was Freeman with 21, Taylor with 17, Kayla Richardson and Byrd with two each, and Foster with one. And with a team total of 60 digs, its no dig’gity no doubt that the Lady Hornets walked away winners. Richardson earned 23, Byrd had 17, Foster obtained 13, Freeman made four, Durham nailed two, and Wright scored one.
The Hackett Lady Hornets are gearing up to rock the block in the final round of the State Tournament. The squad will face Crowley’s Ridge Academy on Saturday, November 2 in Hot Springs at 3 p.m.
Fountain Lake will return home to Hot Springs on Saturday to play for the 3A state volleyball championship in front of the home fans after their convincing 3-0 victory over the Hoxie Lady Mustangs earlier today. The Lady Cobras will play Little Rock Episcopal who survived an intense, five-set match over the Piggott Lady Mohawks.
After having traveled to western Arkansas to play in the first three rounds of the state tournament, the state final will be played at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs in what should be essentially a home court advantage for Fountain Lake. Fountain Lake advanced through the first three rounds without losing a set.
Earlier in the day, the Little Rock Episcopal Lady Wildcats won the first semi-final match of the day over a determined Piggott Lady Mohawks team. Episcopal was able to hold on over the great effort from Piggott to win the first birth in Saturday’s state final.
Saturday’s championship match will take place at 5 p.m. Hot Springs is the host site for the Arkansas state championship matches in all classifications.
Congratulations to Fountain Lake and Episcopal, and best of luck in the state championship match!
The narrowest of margins separated the Elkins Elks and the Lady Tigers of Mansfield for the junior girls conference crown at the 3A-1 West District Cross Country Championships.
The home town Elks found their course very familiar as they slid past Mansfield on a rain soaked course Monday afternoon. With the two teams’ top runners nearly equal in talent, it was the host school that surged near the end to take the win 58-62.
Mansfield, who was running on the Elkins High School campus for the first time in nearly 15 years, saw it’s unfamiliarity with the course do them no favors.
“We may have been a little hesitant not really knowing the complete lay of the course plus the conditions were not very good,” spoke John Mackey, the Mansfield head coach. “The course was so sloppy with mud and standing water, we just couldn’t make enough of the right moves.”
The two junior squads had three runners each finish among the top ten overall racers at the conference showdown. With All-District worthy times, those six separate players pushed their respective teams to within two points of each other.
Elkins had the slight lead with Mansfield trying to cut the margin. Ultimately, the Elks next two scorers used their home court advantage to widen the margin by an additional two points.
Mansfield once again was led by its promising star runner, Trinity Triska. Triska just a seventh grader, was the fourth overall finisher. Her time was clocked at 14:44 for the two mile loop.
Teammate and fellow seventh grader Laney Wood was fifth in the standings. She was timed at 15:05. Freshman Jadelynn Wood was the ninth fastest runner at the conference meet. She was marked at 16:01.
The three junior Tigers earned All-District status by virtue of their high placement in the conference standings.
Meghan Emery and Alyssa James completed the Mansfield junior girls’ scoring. The two finished in 21st and 23rd place respectively.
In the senior high division, only McKenzie Griffin cracked the top ten list for All-District accolades. The sophomore runner landed in tenth position as she exacted a little revenge for her younger teammates by passing a senior Elk in the final 300 meters.
Faith Rainwater, Mansfield’s top runner for most of the season, struggled along the district course. Last season’s All-State runner was in her first competition since suffering a foot injury at Van Buren on October 19.
The top Lady Tigers off the senior squad included Griffin (10), Darby Jones (14), Jadelynn Wood (17), Rainwater (19), and Katlynn Moore (25).
Wood doubled up her race schedule after exhausting her junior high eligibility. The rising freshman leader came back as a senior high athlete to run the 5K race in 25:42 after already completing the two mile race some 30 minutes earlier.
Alyssa James juggled the same scenario to also bolster the MHS senior high roster. She finished 33rd in the longer high school event.
On the men’s side, Ethan Chapman was the top Tiger. The team’s leading male runner all season took a slip in the mud and fell hard on the boggy back stretch. Chapman struggled to regain his momentum and fell out of the top ten by only three spots.
Renden Emery, one of two juniors on the team, crossed as the second fastest Tiger. His time of 21:45 was only 76 seconds behind Chapman’s 20:29 finish.
Emery (19), John Branche (20), and Ashton Hinkle (21) gave Mansfield three consecutive crossers. Victor Steffen at 25 rounded out the Tiger scoring.
Mansfield’s senior squads will head next to the Arkansas Activities Association’s State Finals on November 9.
The Tiger women are ranked number seven in the state. The men are rated number 13.
Waldron, the conference champion on the women’s side, ranks second in the state among class 3A schools. Elkins (4), West Fork (5), and Greenland (10) give Mansfield’s conference five teams in the state top ten.
West Fork (2), Waldron (5), and Elkins (12) join the Mansfield men in the state’s top 13.
All-District player McKenzie GriffinMansfield senior girls advance to the class 3A state championships on Novemebr 9.John Branche earns his stripes for the Tiger cross country team.Mansfield’s Ashton Hinkle competes for the men’s team.Trinity Triska enters the stadium at Elkins.
The flu season is here. In addition to having the flu shot, there is one natural, simple but effective way to prevent you from getting a cold/flu or helping with it.
My wife got a flu shot each year, but she still managed to get the flu. I tried this simple and cheaper technique. I placed a half of a whole peeled onion in a bowl to each room. We were amazed that my wife’s flu went away within 48 hours. Use this simple technique all year round.
There are many additional testimonies about this remedy:
In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people. There was a doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died. The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home. The doctor couldn’t believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he found the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.
One hairdresser in NZ said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick.
The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office. Try it and see what happens!
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!
