On Thursday, October 17th the Mansfield 7th Grade Tigers traveled to Booneville to test themselves against the mighty Bearcats. Booneville has been the standard for football at every grade level statewide for decades. Mansfield is merely an up and coming program getting their feet under them. The game was played at Booneville which is notoriously a hard venue to play at. But none of that matted to Mansfields 7thGraders though as they stepped onto the field unintimidated and focused on the task at hand. This was their chance to change how Mansfield Tiger football is seen by other teams.
#23 Trey Powell
The game started off as a defensive stalemate as neither team could seem to get the ball moving at first. After a few drives, the Tigers were able to get Boonevilles’ defensive strategy figured out. Quarterback Jeremy Strozier whipped a quick pass to Trey Powell who screamed downfield for a 48-yard touchdown allowing the Tigers to jump to a 6-0 lead. The Bearcats soon tacked on a score of their own tying the game up at 6-6. The Booneville score sent the Tigers into a put up or shut up situation. Could Mansfield really go toe to toe with the Bearcats? Mansfield answered that question when Strozier passed to Austin Oldham for a massive 76-yard touchdown. When Booneville took over on offense again, Brandon Raynor intercepted a Bearcat pass and rumbled with the ball for a big return. Going into the half, the scoreboard read Mansfield 14 Booneville 6.
If there were any doubts as to if the Mansfield 7th Grade is really that good, those doubts were set ablaze in the second half of the game. Trey Powell took the ball with a combination of power and speed shredding the Bearcat defense for a 68-yard score jumping the Tigers up 22-6. Mansfields defense physically decimated the Booneville offense the entire second half. Defensive linemen Dakota Deer, Eli Garner, and Andrew Pettigrew had Boonevilles quarterback paranoid on every play. With great perimeter coverage by Austin Ruiz, Winston Allison, and Boston Elmore, the Bearcats literally had nowhere to go on the ground so they were forced to pass the ball. That is exactly what the Tiger defense was baiting them to do. The Tigers teed off and put the hurt on the Bearcat receivers. Strozier picked off one of those passes and it was time to close the game out. The game started off with a Trey Powell score and it would end with a Powell 54-yard touchdown securing a Mansfield Tiger 30-6 victory.
With only two games left in their season, the Mansfield 7th Grade Tigers remain UNDEFEATED 7-0. If that’s not enough, they have achieved that feat against year in and year out great football programs. But the Tigers aren’t looking back at their current success. They’re just zoned in on the next game. That particular next game will be against the Lamar Warriors on Thursday, October 24th at home starting at 5:30 p.m. Nothing that has happened before Lamar and nothing that happens after Lamar matters to these 7th Grade Tigers. Lamar is their only focus!
With the completion of conference season games last evening, the tournament brackets are now set for both the senior high and junior high district tournaments.
The senior high district tournament will be played at West Fork High School on Monday and Tuesday, October 21-22, and Thursday, October 24. Paris is the number one seed in the tournament, and Charleston is the number two seed. Both Paris and Charleston have byes to the semi-finals that will be played on Tuesday.
In games played Thursday night, Paris defeated Waldron, and Mansfield defeated Booneville. Mansfield will now go into the tournament as the fourth seed, and Booneville will be the fifth seed. Waldron is seeded third in the tournament.
The schedule of games for the senior district tournament at West Fork is:
Monday, October 21
Game 1: West Fork vs. Elkins, 4 p.m.
Game 2: Lincoln vs. Booneville, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3: Waldron vs. Winner of West Fork / Elkins, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Mansfield vs Winner of Lincoln / Booneville, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 22
Semi-final Game 1: Paris vs. Winner of Mansfield vs. Booneville / Lincoln, 5 p.m.
Semi-final Game 2: Charleston vs. Winner of Waldron vs. West Fork / Elkins, 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 24
Game 1: Loser of Paris semi-final vs. Loser of Charleston semi-final, 5:30 p.m.
Winner is third seed in state tournament
Game 2: Championship Match, Winner of Paris semifinal vs. Winner of Charleston semifinal to determine the number one and two seeds in state tournament, 7 p.m.
Winner is district tournament champion and advances to state tournament as a number one seed.
Loser is district tournament runner up and advances to state tournament as a number two seed.
The junior high district tournament will be held tomorrow, October 19, at Paris High School. Two courts will be used for the tournament. The schedule for the tournament is as follows:
9:00 a.m.
Court #1
Paris vs. Lincoln
Court #2
Mansfield vs. Waldron
10:00 a.m.
Court #1
Booneville vs. West Fork
Court #2
Charleston vs. Elkins
11:00 a.m.
Court #1
Winner Waldron vs. Lincoln vs. Winner Booneville vs. West Fork
Court #2
Winner Mansfield vs. Wadron vs. Winner Charleston vs. Elkins
12:00 p.m.
Court #1 (Championship)
Winners of 11:00 a.m. Games
Winner is junior high district tournament champion
Stay with Resident Press for complete volleyball coverage all the way through the state final!
On Thursday evening, October 17, Mayor Trini Harper presented Hackett teen, Domonick Euston, with the city’s Model Citizen Award.
Euston, 15, came to the aid of a resident who had been involved in a riding lawn mower accident on Friday, September 27, 2019.
The resident’s mower had turned over on top of him, and his injuries left him unable to move. Euston, who was walking in the area, spotted the injured man and immediately came to his aid.
Euston stayed with the man, called for help and held the lawnmower up until first responders arrived. The injured man would later be transported to the hospital for treatment.
Mayor Harper declared “due to his actions and willingness to assist another when in need, the City of Hackett proudly presents Domonick Euston with the Model Citizen Award. This is a small token of the city’s appreciation for Domonick’s actions on that day.”
Model Citizen Award “This award is to acknowledge the outstanding commitment of an individual, group of individuals or business for doing their part in making the City of Hackett a better place to live for all. The recipient of this award has shown how the city would like for all its residents, workers or visitors to behave in the time of need. Whether it be by assisting an injured person, donating time to assist persons or giving back to the community, this award is to show the city’s appreciation to the recipient/s for setting an example on how every person should conduct themselves when need arises.”
Congratulations to Euston on this well-deserved honor!
The Waldron Sr High Lady Bulldogs have spent all volleyball season setting opponents up and knocking them down. Their most recent conquest was the Elkins Lady Elks. On Tuesday night, the Lady Bulldogs walked into the Lady Elks’ territory and meticulously over-powered Elkins with a 3-1 win.
Waldron now holds the number three seed in the 3A West conference standings right under Charleston and Paris. The Lady Bulldogs sit 11-8 in total season play and 10-3 in conference. They finished their game against the Lady Elks with sets of 25-14, 14-25, 26-24, and 25-21.
Leading her team in kills was Taylor Stacy with nine followed by Rheagan Sanford with eight, Karissa Johnston and Kentucky Spence with six each, Jessica Ozuna with three, and Molly Richmond with two. Combining for seven aces was Stacy, Johnston, Sanford, Spence, and Anastasia Lynch. Spence obtained three blocks while Ozuna earned one. And with more digs than the Crater of Diamonds State Park was Bayleigh Lipham with 23, Ashton Young with 19, Sanford with 17, Stacy with 12, Richmond with 11, Johnston with eight, Lynch with five, Spence with four, and Ozuna with three.
In their last game of the season until District, the Lady Bulldogs will host the Paris Lady Eagles tonight, October 17 starting at 4 p.m.
Volleyball coaches in district 3A-1 met on Wednesday and determined the format and schedules for the upcoming junior high district tournament and the senior high district tournament. As of publication time, this is what we know. Not all tournament match-ups have been determined as of yet. The final brackets will be filled-in once games are completed tonight to end the regular season.
The Class 3A-1 senior high district volleyball tournament will be held at West Fork High School on Monday and Tuesday, October 21-22, and Thursday, October 24.
Paris is the number one seed in the senior high tournament. The Lady Eagles’ first game will be played on Tuesday, October 22 at 5 p.m. Charleston is the second seed, and their first game will be played on Tuesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. By virtue of having finished one and two in the conference, Paris and Charleston have byes to the semifinals of the tournament. Each team will need to win just one game to earn a state playoff birth. The winners of the Paris semifinal game and the Charleston semifinal game will play in the district championship match on Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m. The losers of the semifinal games will play on Thursday, October 24 at 5:30 p.m. to determine the third team that will advance to the state tournament.
The fourth seed in the senior high district tournament is yet to be determined as of the publication time of this article. The Mansfield Lady Tigers and the Booneville Lady Bearcats are tied in the conference standings, and they play tonight in the final regular season match. The winner of that match will become the fourth seed in the district tournament and the loser will become the fifth seed.
The fifth seed will play Lincoln on Monday, October 21 at 5:30 p.m. The fourth seed will play the winner of the Lincoln vs. 5th seed team on that same night at 8:30 p.m. There is a big incentive for both Booneville and Mansfield to win tonight to avoid playing two games on Monday in the district tournament.
Teams will be competing in West Fork for a state tournament playoff birth. The first three rounds of the state tournament will be held at Paris High School next week. The state finals will be held in Hot Springs on Saturday, November 2.
The junior high school district volleyball tournament will be held at Paris High School on Saturday, October 19.
At press time, details are sketchy as to the seedings for the tournament. Seedings will be finalized after tonight’s games. Most importantly, Charleston’s junior high game versus Elkins, and Booneville’s junior high game versus Mansfield will determine the seedings of the bracket. For clarity purposes, RP will publish the junior high district tournament information tomorrow after season games are completed tonight.
Resident Press will take volleyball fans all the way through the state finals in Hot Springs. Stay with RP for complete volleyball coverage!
Residents near Mansfield have been under a boil order for over a week, and that has caused many families in that area great hardship.
Both Sebastian and Scott Counties responded to the need on Wednesday, October 16, providing drinking water.
Sebastian County Emergency Management Deputy Director Travis Cooper said, “this is a partnership between the two counties. It is all about neighbors helping neighbors.”
Scott County Judge James Forbes also pledged his county’s resources.
As crews continue to excavate in the area near the city’s water lines, Mayor Buddy Black stated that workers will continue to respond and make repairs in the event of line breaks.
The 400 gallon potable water tank is set up on Sebascott Street in Mansfield and residents are welcome to come fill water containers.
A boil order remains in effect until further notice for the area south of Abbott and east of Highway 71 to Echo Road.
Although Tuesday nights face-off against the Charleston Lady Tigers didn’t have quite the outcome that the Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers were hoping for, the night wasn’t an entire bust. The girls took great pride in celebrating Senior Night for nine of their teammates. Mansfield put Charleston through the wringer for five fast-paced and intense sets. By the end of it all, Charleston took the win 3-2.
The Lady Tigers earned a total of 93 points for the night and now sit with a 6-7 conference record. Mansfield competes in the 3A West Conference and at this moment is in the fifth seed above West Fork, Elkins, and Lincoln. The Lady Tigers have one more game left in their season before smashing it at District and that game is against the 7-6 Booneville Lady Bearcats.
Leading her team in the kills department was Brooke Wright with an astounding 25, Sadie Roberts with nine, Danielle Lillie with 4, and Kiara Thomas with one. Thomas also led with two aces while Wright and Haylee Helms brought in one ace each. Wright blocked her socks off with seven blocks, Roberts earned five, Vanessa Noblitt made two and Thomas, Lillie, and Maggie Strunk brought in one apiece. Having better digs than the Queen of England was Helms dominating with 20, Lillie with 12, Thomas made 10, Noblitt and Strunk each grabbed five, Wright brought in four, and Roberts snagged three.
The Lady Tigers will have their final scheduled season pow-wow with Booneville on Thursday, October 17 with Jr High starting at 4 p.m. Pictured below are the ever-talented Mansfield Lady Tiger Seniors.
The Charleston Lady Tigers narrowly escaped an upset Tuesday night in Mansfield by hanging on to win 15-11 in the fifth and deciding set. Charleston (18-3, 11-2) completed their road conference schedule and now heads home for their final game of the regular season versus the Elkins Lady Elks on senior night.
The win solidified Charleston as the conference season runner-up behind Paris. The Lady Tigers will be looking to close out the season at home Thursday night on senior night before going into the weekend and the start of the senior high school district tournament next week.
The Mansfield Lady Tigers were much improved from the team’s previous meeting in Charleston. Mansfield set the tone for the night by winning the first set 26-24. The match went back in fourth with Charleston winning the second set 25-18. Mansfield won the third set 25-16, and Charleston, with their backs against the wall, won the fourth set 25-14 to force a deciding fifth set. Charleston won a very competitive fifth set by the score of 15-11. The match was over and Charleston had survived an inspiring Mansfield effort on the road.
After the grueling match that did not end until after 9 p.m., Charleston coach Ryan Rachuy reflected on the number of games the Lady Tigers have played in the past week. “Since Monday of last week, in eight days, we played four regular matches, and five tournament games. So, essentially, we have played a match a day for the past eight days. That would be the equivalent. I had a purpose in doing it that way, because this is a time of year where you’ve got to gut check. Now, I’ve got to get my girls some rest. But, I also have to keep them at the top of their game. Tonight, we had a lot of errors and we had a lot of looking at other girls to who we could pin some of our mistakes on, and after a little bit it got to where the girls decided that’s not what’s going to do it. What’s going to get this done is going out there and getting the job done. And they did. I don’t know how many kills Brooke Wright (Mansfield) had tonight, but it was a lot. It was pretty sloppy on both sides of the net. When you have those kinds of games it is imperative that you take a deep breath, and you prepare yourself mentally. I am hoping that we can use this as a mental toughness exercise because when you get pushed, and they pushed us, there were instances where they served well, they set smartly, they hustled their rear ends off to get the balls, and they did. They did an excellent job in doing so. When you’re playing a team like that and they are scrapping for every point, you had better start scrapping too. You had better start getting after every point. They defended Jadyn Womack as good as anybody has all season.”
Mansfield appears to be peaking just at the right team as all teams are preparing to begin the conference tournament. Mansfield will be in a group of teams that will be fighting for a state tournament birth next week at the district tournament in West Fork. Mansfield, Waldron, and Booneville appear to be a group that will be challenging Charleston for a playoff birth. If Mansfield plays in the tournament with the focus and effort that it did Tuesday night, the Red Lady Tigers will be a big factor in the tournament.
Volleyball coaches in district 3A-1 will meet today to decide the district tournament format and other post season information. We should know today the times and dates of games for the tournament. Charleston should get an idea of who their first round opponent will be next week. No matter who the opponent will turn out to be, it is clear that Coach Rachuy must find a way to address the mistakes that have plagued the team not only last night, but since the West Fork match in Charleston. Additionally, it is very obvious to those who have been following the team that Charleston needs rest before they enter tournament week. Getting in the needed work and still finding a way to get needed rest will be very important to Charleston’s success next week.
The junior high district tournament will be held this Saturday in Paris. Information on the playing times and opponents for the tournament will also be released later today. The junior high regular season will conclude on Thursday, and the tournament will be played on a single day this Saturday. Teams around the district will contemplate moving freshmen up to senior high rosters for post season play after the junior district tournament. Fortifying rosters for needed depth, to address injury situations, or possibly to move a freshman up who can contribute to the senior high team at tournament time is a question that a lot of teams around the district will consider after Saturday. For teams such as Mansfield and Paris who have strong junior high teams, this is an option that could strengthen their senior high teams and could make them more competitive at tournament time. It remains to be seen what teams will move up freshmen. We will all know next week.
The Charleston Lady Tigers will face another obstacle or distraction Thursday night on senior night. The program will honor a great group of seniors who have led the team to 18 wins so far on the season. For Charleston, they must be able use the night as a way to finish their season strong and give their seniors a great memory of playing well in their final home game of their careers. If they do so, they can end the season on a successful note, and then turn their attentions to tournament play.
The seniors on this team have been a very special group. Coach Ryan Rachuy asked them earlier in the season about how they would like to be honored. He gave them the option of being presented with a shiny new volleyball for each senior that could be used as an autograph ball. But then he had the idea of using actual game and practice balls that had been used throughout the season as a symbol of their hard work that each had invested in the team throughout the season and their entire time at Charleston. The team very quickly chose the latter, and on Thursday night, among the other tokens of appreciation that will be presented to the seniors, each will receive a dirty, beat-up, volleyball that each senior has pounded and used for many hours in practice and during games. It will be a symbol of how hard they have worked and for the thanks and gratitude from the coaching staff and the community for their contributions to the program.
It should be a very special night. If you want to see the senior night ceremony, I recommend that you arrive at the gymnasium around 4:30 p.m. I hope that the fans in Charleston will turn out in large numbers to honor this very special group of seniors who have helped build the program, and, who knows, could take it to even higher heights over the the next two weeks.
When it comes to football, the Magazine Sr High Rattlers are the total package. Not only do they have a top-notch passing game but their rushing game is to be respected as well. With two conference games under their belt, the Rattlers sit at the top of the 2A-4 conference standings with a 2-0 record tying with Mountainburg. In total season play, Magazine holds a 4-1 record and with three games left in the season, they look to go all the way.
The Magazine Rattlers are still flying high over last Friday nights epic battle against the Hector Wildcats where Magazine scorched the Cats 48-19. During the game, seven Rattlers achieved touchdowns and Magazine walking away with 424 total yards with 375 of those being rushing yards. As it sits now, the Rattlers are averaging 41 points per game.
The first quarter of the Hector/Magazine game was where the majority of the action took place. Junior, Cameron Raggio, was first to put points on the board with his 40-yard fumble return for a Rattler touchdown. After senior, Caleb Hyatt, added the two-point conversion, Magazine took control 8-0. Junior, Tatum Scott, shot downfield like a rocket for a 20-yard rushing touchdown and with another Hyatt conversion, the score read 16-0 Rattlers.
The Wildcats finally put their first points up but Hyatt couldn’t let that call go unanswered as he added his own touchdown and along with the extra two points rushed by senior, Xeng Yang, Magazine led 24-7. Junior, Kobe Faughn, would be next to high-tail it downfield like he was being chased by a bear (or a Wildcat in this instance) with a 60-yard touchdown bringing the score to 30-7 Magazine.
After two ginormous sacks by Hyatt and junior, William King, Yang lobbed a 50-yard pass to senior, Jacob Hall, who ran it in for another Rattler TD. The game would go into halftime with a score reading 36-7 Magazine. The Rattlers would add 12 more points to the final score thanks to a mind-blowing 77-yard rushing TD by senior, Kaedon Trejo and a foot-stomping 22-yard TD by sophomore, Ashton Droemer.
With this week being Homecoming for the Magazine Rattlers, there is even more to prove this Friday night. For this special home conference game, the Rattlers will host the Lavaca Golden Arrows who sit 1-4 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. There is more than just a homecoming win on the line for this match-up. There is revenge as well. Last season, the Arrows stole the victory from the Rattlers with a 34-24 score. The entire game had each team within points of one another until the fourth quarter saw the Rattlers faced with a turnover on downs and their fate was sealed.
Now, Magazine is ready for redemption. Not only do the Rattlers hold an A-list roster but the only reason why they aren’t undefeated in season play is because of one measly point in their game against Cutter-Morning Star that left Magazine in the left side column 33-32. But no worries, because all of that is behind them now. At this moment, the Rattlers only have three things left existing to focus on. Lavaca, JC Westside, and Mountainburg. The three remaining games left to dominate in conference play. But don’t fret. Because dominate…they…will.
