The Hackett Jr High Lady Hornets have successfully achieved what they set out to accomplish at the beginning of their volleyball season. They knew they wanted to go for gold. They knew it was going to take an abundance of hard work to get to the top. And with some encouraging pushes from their coaches, Bridget Freeman and Broc Adams, and the consistent support from their community, the Jr Lady Hornets got the job done.
Lilly Slavens
After winning their final conference match of the season 2-0 against the Lady Spartans of Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, Hackett was mentally and physically ready to smash their final task of the 2019 season. Districts. The Lady Hornets took their iconic play skills on the road to Decatur on Saturday, October 12 to battle the talents of their peers and determine who would reap the sought after title of District Champions.
In the semi-final round, Hackett was tasked to take on the Decatur Lady Bulldogs. The match was over before the Lady Bulldogs even knew what hit them. With sets ending 25-2 and 25-10, the Lady Hornets took the 2-0 win and waited patiently for their next victim. During that match, Alona Rothwell led her team with eight aces followed by Makenzie Freeman with three and Prairie Vaughn with two. Vaughn took the lead in the kill zone with six kills while Rothwell and Mackenzie Mendenhall pulled in three each and Freeman netted one. And with more extravagant digs than a millionaire was Freeman with three, and Rothwell, Vaughn, and Lilly Slavens with one apiece. Rothwell also obtained one block.
The Lady Hornets were filled with anticipation in preparing for the final item on their to-do list and that was to annihilate the competitor that was standing in their way of achieving greatness. Sitting in the finals, Hackett was face to face with the Lavaca Lady Golden Arrows. A team they were no strangers to, having only played them a few days before, the match was over before it even began as the Lady Hornets yet again spiked out a 2-0 win with final scores of 25-2 and 25-10. Freeman snagged eight aces with Mendenhall gaining four, Rothwell obtaining three and Slavens scoring one. Rothwell and Vaughn tied with five kills followed by Mendenhall with four, Freeman and Tori Blanton with three and Slavens with one. And digging their way to domination was Freeman with five, Rothwell and Kyleigh Hill with three each, and Slavens with two.
Jr Hornet Champions
The Hackett Jr High Lady Hornets will now close shop on their incredible 2019 volleyball season while walking away District Champions and owning a final record of 21-3. With half of their roster moving up to the Sr High team next year, this group of Lady Hornets is only getting started!
Sometimes things are out of a teams’ control. With storms pushing in quickly, Mansfield cut the seventh-grade game short to try to beat the radar. Mansfield and Charleston were suited up ready to get the show going early on Thursday, October 10th. Everyone knew that the scoreboard wasn’t the only thing that was going to light up that night.
Fisher Willsey
When the Tiger Titans finally clashed, it was a physical altercation with both teams ferociously crashing into each other on both sides of the ball. Charleston put up the first points with a quick slant pass but couldn’t tack on the extra point kick giving them a 6-0 lead on Mansfield with seven minutes left in the first quarter. When the Tigers got the ball back, Tyler Turnipseed and Tyler Woolbright were able to squeeze through a couple of small gaps to gain yards but were met with black helmets from all directions.
#35 Caleb Collier
Charleston took control of the ball again, but the Mansfield defense didn’t make the next drive easy for them. The Mansfield defensive line plugged all of the running lanes allowing Branson Carver to string the speedy Charleston running backs out to the perimeter of the field. Charleston used play action to jump out on a speed sweep and slammed their way into the end zone again. This time they were able to add a two-point conversion putting them 14-0 over the Tiger with 4:24 left on the clock.
Unfortunately for Mansfield, once they started their next offensive drive, the game was delayed by lightning. The Tigers went inside during the delay and began master planning on a comeback, but the delay soon changed to the canceling of the game giving the Tigers a 14-0 loss to Charleston.
#19 Drew Elmore
With the loss, Mansfield fell to 2-2 in conference play but the coaches and players do not see themselves out of the hunt. The Tigers have improved every week and are showing their potential is limitless. Mansfield will study hard and prepare to ace their next test as they travel to Booneville on October 17th to face the Bearcats at 7 p.m.
In one of the best high school football games you will ever see, the Mansfield Tigers defeated the Charleston Tigers 28-24 at Alumni Stadium in Charleston. Twelve of Mansfield’s 24 points were scored by Layton Howard on a kick return for a touchdown and an electrifying 100-yard return of an interception with less than one minute to go in the game.
Mansfield (5-1, 2-1) was on the brink of going 1-2 in conference play and being in trouble of possibly not making the playoffs. Charleston, clinging to a three point lead, marched the ball down the field, with a steady running attack led by Breckon Ketter, taking over eight minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. Charleston was eating up the clock and keeping the Mansfield offense on the sideline. With approximately 45 seconds remaining in the game, Mansfield’s Layton Howard intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it all the way, 100 yards, for the winning touchdown. After the game, Howard said he read a key off the Charleston offense that told him the play was going to be a pass. Howard stepped in front of the ball and took off down the visitors sideline and no one could catch him. The play gave Mansfield its first lead of the game with less than a minute left to play in the game.
Charleston would get the ball back with approximately 35 seconds in the game. After a few completed passes to the sideline, the clock ran out, and Mansfield had a victory that will be talked about for the ages.
The loss gave Charleston (2-4, 2-1) its first conference loss of the season. The Tigers were seemingly about to put the game out of reach by taking time off the clock and forcing Mansfield to use all of its remaining time outs.
Had the game ended differently with Charleston sustaining a very long fourth quarter drive to put the game away for the Tigers, we would all be talking about the epic fourth quarter drive in which the Tigers ran the ball and passed sparingly to keep making first downs and put the game out of reach for Mansfield. It almost worked out that way, but it didn’t. Charleston played with great heart both offensively and defensively. But it was not to be.
After the game, an emotional Mansfield coach, Tim Cothran, could barely speak. With his voice almost gone, Cothran praised the effort of both teams. “Two great teams. We knew it was going to be a dog fight. We just caught the break. It was going to come down to who caught a break, and we caught a break. Excellent players on that side (Charleston) of the field. Excellent coaches (Charleston.) Excellent game, we just caught a break. I am proud of our kids. Down 21-7 at the half, not giving up, I think Will Meadows blocking a PAT just kind of gave us a little bit of tone, a little bit of a spark. Then coming out and getting a stop, able to put together a great drive, getting us back in it, a little heart, a little momentum. Defense really rose up, holding them right there to three points, what can I say? Just a phenomenal game. I have nothing but respect and love for Charleston. Ricky May is a dear friend of mine, great job, great coaching. This is the toughest conference. Some tough teams. And it’s going to be this way for the next four weeks. Because you (Mansfield) still got Cedarville that’s going to do some damage, Lamar who is going to do some damage, Booneville, obviously, until somebody knocks them off, they’re the returning champs. So, this is a really tough conference, and somebody, unfortunately, is going to get left out (of the playoffs.) A good team is going to get left out because this is a very good conference. It’s just going to be this way from here on out.” When asked about his senior class of players, Cothran responded, “They’re just football players. They are 14, 15 strong, and they are football players; they’re gamers. Had a disappointing week last week, we didn’t execute as well as we wished we could have. Greenland made some great plays, was physical on defense, and these guys, we challenged them this week in practice, we really got after them, and they rose to the challenge. Put together a good plan, had a great week of practice, came over here, kept our heads, maintained our composure, and just put together a great game. You can’t say enough about this group of seniors, they are a very special group.”
On the play prior to Howard’s interception, Cothran said, “We talked to the white hat (referee) and we had our time out ready if needed. We were just hoping for a stop. The defense could have fallen asleep, it’s very easy to have been flat-footed, expecting some kind of run game, but they didn’t fall asleep, they stayed focus on their job, and just didn’t give up. Real proud of them.”
With respect to the importance of the win for Mansfield, Cothran said “It put us back in the hunt. A loss tonight would have hurt us, put us in a bind, like I said, we still have a meat grinder of a schedule left. It’s tough. But we are going to enjoy this one and refocus tomorrow and get ready for Booneville.”
Charleston coach Ricky May said “We got down to the end and we felt like they were going to bring the house and we thought we had a chance to score. We really needed the points for the conference race. If it hadn’t have been for that we wouldn’t have thrown it. We just didn’t make the tackle when we had to. We just gave up a kickoff return, can’t do that, that’s just extra points they’re getting. A lot of that came down to penalties before that kick. We’ve just got to play cleaner.”
The loss was devastating to Charleston in more ways than the loss column. This was a game that was in the Tigers control and was seemingly about to be over. Howard’s return not only changed the outcome of the game but put Charleston in a position in which it must regroup from an emotional loss and prepare to go on the road again next week to Paris. The Tigers cannot look past Paris with Booneville coming to Alumni Stadium on October 25.
For Mansfield, the win at Charleston was an epic victory that will immortalize Layton Howard in the history of Mansfield football. Howard’s interception may have saved Mansfield’s season considering they were looking down the barrel at a second conference loss and the Booneville Bearcats coming to visit next Friday.
Both teams will have to put this game behind them for different reasons and focus on the next week’s conference opponent. As it has been said many times, a good team in the conference is not going to make the playoffs this year. In fact, the league is so balanced, it will be possible that a two loss team could still qualify for the playoffs. The stakes get higher with each week, but for now, we can all take a few days to savor this one as a clash of two great teams.
The updated conference standings after Friday night’s games look like this:
Booneville 3-0
Mansfield 2-1
Lamar 2-1
Charleston 2-1
Cedarville 2-1
Greenland 1-2
Paris 0-3
West Fork 0-3
If the conference race ended today, Booneville would be the top seed, Mansfield, by defeating Charleston and owning the tie breaker over Charleston, would be tied with Lamar for the second seed. Charleston, by virtue of their head-to-head win over Cedarville would be the three seed, and Cedarville would be the four seed. A very talented Greenland team would be left on the outside looking in at the teams going to the state playoffs. Of course, there are still four weeks to go in the conference season, and this can easily change with the upcoming match-ups. Next week, Mansfield plays at home against Booneville, and Charleston travels to Paris. Charleston could have an opportunity to move to second place depending on the outcome of next week’s game. A Mansfield upset over Booneville would put them in a tie in the loss column with Booneville, and the Tigers, depending on the outcome of the Lamar game, could move into the number one seed by owning the tie breaker over the Bearcats. Next week’s game in Mansfield should be another epic showdown.
So, for both teams, it is Saturday, and it is time to come down from the emotions, rest, and move on to preparations for next week. But you have to think, when the season is over, this will be a game that fans from both communities will remember for a very long time.
Pictured is #19 Dakota Deer and #18 Andrew Pettigrew
Mansfields 7th Grade team is still the undefeated and undisputed true Tigers of their league. With a 6-0 record under their belt, they have not only defeated every opponent, but they’ve done it with style. The Tigers took on Charleston on Thursday, October 10th for only one half and decimated them with a 28-0 blowout.
Jeremy Strozier and Winston Allison
Mansfield wasted little time showing everyone who the “Copy Cat” was as the Tiger defense pummeled Charlestons offense creating a turnover plague for the black and gold Tigers. Brandon Raynor stripped the ball from a Charleston running back and trucked his way downfield all the way to the one-yard line with the entire Charleston offense on his back. A play later Jeremy Strozier punched his way into the end zone to give the Tigers a quick lead.
Toby Towe
Once Charleston got the ball back, Mansfield forced another fumble and it was Raynor again who came up with the ball. Strozier and Trey Powell powered their way through the Charleston defense gaining big runs on each play. Powell used his quick feet and speed to dart 11 yards into the end zone for another Tiger touchdown putting Mansfield up 12-0. The Tiger defense should simply be called the “TD Squad” as their dominance continued when Toby Towe intercepted a Charleston pass and took it to the house for a touchdown. Strozier slung a perfect pass to Winston Allison to tack on the two-point conversion and the Tigers were 20-0.
Cam Nottingham
Not to be outdone, the Mansfield offense went back to work. Austin Oldham made the Tigers’ next drive as his own one man show busting a big 41-yard touchdown run and topping it off with a sweet catch for the two-point conversion. Charleston sensing the end was near after being down 28-0 chose to start passing the ball to hopefully get a big play. The “TD Squad” was going to have nothing to do with that though as Camden Nottingham played the human fly swatter knocking down a pass and was followed up by Trey Powell picking off Charleston on the next play to end the game 28-0 in Mansfields favor.
The 7th Grade Mansfield Tigers are good, but at the same time know they aren’t done quite yet. As long as there’s a game left on the schedule they will continue to prepare as if they have an 0-0 record taking it one week at a time. The Tigers will travel to Booneville on October 17th for a battle with the powerhouse Bearcats. Games will start at 5:30 p.m.
As the storm approached Waldron Thursday night, another was brewing inside the Waldron multi-purpose building. In a battle of what could be two of three district qualifiers for the state tournament, Charleston defeated Waldron three sets to one. Lightning struck in the second set when the Lady Bulldogs defeated Charleston 25-20. The second set loss to Waldron was just the first non-Paris set loss of the conference season for the Lady Tigers. Charleston (15-2, 10-2) increased their lead for second place in the conference as they completed the first stop of the southern road swing through the district. The Lady Tigers will now travel to Mansfield on Tuesday in its final road conference game of the season.
Waldron played with intensity and purpose as they battled the Lady Tigers all night. The Lady Bulldogs committed fewer errors on Thursday night than they did in their first meeting in Charleston. As the lights went out in the Waldron gymnasium, I interviewed coach Ryan Rachuy following the Charleston win. Coach Rachuy had praise for Waldron’s effort. “Second set, first part of the third set… they (Waldron) played smart volleyball. They find the holes in the defense and they try to get the ball there. We were able to, at the very beginning, first set, we were able to impose our will. Got ourselves out to a decent lead, and then pulled back and they (Waldron) made it a little more interesting. But, we were able to get the first set. Second set, we were not able to get ourselves separated. We were not able to play with the intensity they had. We were not able to play with energy and that affected our effort. You drop a set and you had better learn from it. The beginning of the third set I wondered if we did. After about the first 10-12 points in the third set, I think the seniors decided that was enough. I know Jadyn (Womack) was talking to them, I know that Khiley (Frederick) was talking to them. I know that Kenzie (Revis) was out there trying to be a big encourager for them. All of those seniors out there got together and decided that the level that we need to have as our standard was not the level we were playing at. We finally started to get to that. Not to take anything away from Waldron, but we got a few errors, and then we started to get on a roll. The longer you let teams hang around, the harder it is. They (Waldron) were not right behind us in conference for nothing. They play smart volleyball.”
Charleston will now take a break from conference play as they will compete Saturday in the Paris Lady Eagle invitational tournament. The Lady Tigers will resume the final week of conference play on Tuesday at Mansfield and will return home on Thursday to host Elkins in their final conference game. Charleston’s seniors will play their final home game on senior night versus the Lady Elks.
For Waldron, the Lady Bulldogs have continued to improve all season, and they will be very competitive in a cluster of teams that will be fighting in the district tournament for a spot in the state tournament. Whoever plays Waldron in the district tournament will need to come ready to play. The Lady Bulldogs are capable of upsetting anyone at tournament time.
Thursday night’s match at Waldron may be the wake up call the Lady Tigers have needed before district tournament play. Charleston has played magnificently all season, and the team has been led by a very special group of seniors who have been on a mission to achieve team goals of taking the program to it highest point to date. Timing is everything, and perhaps the Lady Tigers have had their point in the season where they have slumped a little as the conference season comes to an end. If that is the case, Charleston has the opportunity next week and beyond to peak at tournament time when it will count the most.
After covering this team all season, I expect Charleston to get its second wind and begin the push for the district and possibly the state tournaments. But before then, two more matches await the Lady Tigers. One more week of conference play, and then the third season, tournament play, begins.
It is time for the Lady Tigers to play lights out.
In today’s society, the phrase “bringing the community together” has many definitions. Of those defining the term, it rarely involves books. That is, until now.
Cindy Linker, Hackett High School media specialist, recognized a movement and knew exactly what needed to be done. The idea stemmed far away from Hackett, Arkansas. Seven hundred and fifty five miles in Hudson, Wisconsin to be exact.
After seeing an article on Little Free Libraries, Linker felt personally connected with what Todd Bol was doing and knew she had to get involved, and to give her community something to unite families and literacy together.
Bol started this project as a tribute to his mother who loved to read. Now, with over 90,000 locations in 90 countries, Little Free Libraries will have it’s place not only in Hackett, Arkansas, but also on their locator map.
The plan sprung into action with a donated metal box that was destined for this project. It’s size, and design was almost a perfect fit for Linker’s needs. Fresh paint, a location, and books was all that was needed.
Hackett art club students used their flex time to paint the free library box.
Linker incorporated the talent of Mrs. Angie Wilson and the Hackett art club to paint the box with the colors of Hackett pride, black and yellow.
“To me literacy has always been important. My goal was to connect the community through book sharing and promote literacy through families who would make a point to read together.”
– Cindy Linker
The premise of the free library is to pick out a book, and leave a book. Readers are encouraged to donate books which can be dropped off with Linker at the Hackett High School.
Linker’s plan was fulfilled Tuesday, October 8 with the placement of the free library outside Hackett City Hall. The location couldn’t be more symbolic of her giving nature, appropriately placed at the heart of the city, where the love of reading can be shared by all.
If you haven’t been by the Waldron City Park lately, you simply must! It has undergone such an awe-inspiring transformation, that it’s become a crown jewel for the city.
The pad construction is currently underway for a new park feature, T-Rex. The planned attraction is adjacent to the newly installed Bankshot basketball court.
The dinosaur climb is slated to be completed by the end of the year. Additional plans to add more unique features are in the works. This and other construction to the park has been funded by a grant from Blue & You Foundation For A Healthier Arkansas.
City officials are extremely excited about the progress at the park and look forward to seeing many families enjoy it for years to come.
With their most recent 38-22 victory this past Tuesday against the Pocola Indians, the Hackett Jr High Hornets continue to remain uncatchable. First-year Hornet coach, Jordan Shelby and his crew must be doing something right considering the Jr Hornets remain undefeated 6-0 in total season play and 2-0 in conference.
During their game against the Indians, Cole Ketchum passed for 121 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown. Ketchum also knocked out a 68-yard kick return TD and a fumble recovery. Zayden Dennis got the fans on their feet with a 22-yard reception for a Hornet touchdown also earning an interception.
Eli Slavens had two long-winded receptions totaling 89 yards. Josh Atchley was like a brick wall delivering six tackles to the Indians while also forcing a fumble. And Brycen Hamilton excited with one interception. The Jr Hornets are ready to continue doing damage as they host the Hector Wildcats on October 17 at 7 p.m.
Once again the Waldron Cross Country team is seeing success. On Tuesday, October 8, both Jr High and Sr High teams competed against 11 other schools at the Buck Fever Showcase held in Mena. The Sr High boys’ team and the Sr High girls’ team each placed runner-up behind both DeQueen Teams. For the Sr boys, Ethan Martin scored a sixth-place win, Baldy Villarreal placed eighth, Zach Canada earned 14th, and Evan Ledesma snagged 16th.
Sr High Lady Bulldogs
Maria Grano ran for the first time with the Sr High girls’ team and once again dominated bringing in a first-place win. Ryleigh Anshutz earned third, Stephanie Sexton got 12th, Melissa Schroeder made 14th, Constance Richmond netted 15th, McKenzi Stidman grabbed 17th, and Star Spence obtained 21st. Both Jr High teams placed fifth with Emily Sears and Ailey Ledesma placing 13th and 18th respectively and Michael Grano achieving sixth. The Bulldogs will race again today at 4 p.m. in the Greenwood Invitational.
If there’s one thing that the town of Mansfield can say about their Sr High Lady Tigers, it would be that although they have hit some bumpy spots in the road this season, they continue to play as if it has been a smooth ride. The Lady Tigers laugh in the face of adversity and walk into every match with the same amount of ferociousness and concentration as the time before. Mansfield started their week off with a rough go losing 3-0 to Hackett on Monday and Paris on Tuesday in close sets. The Lady Tigers now sit 12-11 in total season play, 5-6 in conference, and hold the fifth position in the 3A West standings.
Danielle Lillie
The totals from both Hackett and Paris games, show the Lady Tigers delivering some impressive blows. When it comes to killing it, Brooke Wright led her team with 14 kills while Sadie Roberts followed with eight. Danielle Lillie earned seven and Vanessa Noblitt, Kiara Thomas, and Maggie Strunk brought in one each. Combining for a total of six aces were Thomas, Strunk, Lillie, and Wright.
With more blocks than an ice factory was Roberts leading with seven, Wright with four, and Noblitt with one. And with more digs than an archeologist was Haylee Helms with a whopping 29 followed by Lillie with 16, Thomas with 10, Noblitt with nine, Strunk with eight, and Wright with two. The Mansfield Lady Tigers will be hosting the 3-8 West Fork Lady Tigers in their annual “Pink Out” volleyball match tonight starting with Jr High at 4:30. The Lady Tigers are asking all fans to wear pink in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
