Every year, the Charleston band Program hosts a marching contest named in honor of the late Arkansas Governor and US Senator, Dale Bumpers. This year the marching contest will take place on Saturday, October 5th at Tiger Stadium in Charleston, Arkansas.
High School and Junior High Bands from Arkansas and Oklahoma travel to compete in the Charleston marching competition. Bands compete in one junior high and one senior high division for grand champion. Each shows will be score outside judges who will score the band on their Marching, Music, and General Effect.
Each band that attends the competition will also receive a division rating based on their show. 1st and 2nd Division trophies will be award for Color Guard, Percussion, Drum Major, and Solo. High Music Score, High Marching Score, and High Overall Effect Awards will be presented as well.
Many area High School bands will be competing this year. Also two area high school bands will be performing in exhibition, the Charleston High School and the Fort Smith Southside High School Band.
On a beautiful night for football that gave every football fan fall fever, the Charleston Tigers (1-3, 1-0) defeated the Greenland Pirates (2-2, 0-1) 35-29 on homecoming night. The Tigers ended a three game losing streak to three 2018 state playoffs teams in Class 3A and 4A, all on the road. By defeating Greenland in the conference season opener, Charleston is now 1-0 in conference play, one game ahead of a very good Greenland team. Charleston joins Mansfield, Booneville, and Cedarville who all won opening conference games on Friday. Charleston travels to Cedarville next week. Cedarville defeated a very good Lamar team 24-21 on Friday night. Five teams will make the playoffs, and each conference win is big in qualifying for the playoffs and earning a higher seed in the opening round. Charleston not only ended the three game skid, but also placed themselves in a competitive position in the standings with respect to earning a state playoff birth.
Charleston once again fell victim to the big play on defense as the explosive Greenland offense proved it was all that it was built up to be. Greenland’s big play offense kept the Tigers defense on their toes for the entire night. But Charleston reduced the number of busts in the defensive secondary and continued to play physical run defense to lead the team to its first victory. Several Tigers playing both ways on offense and defense turned in iron man performances to defeat the Pirates.
After falling behind early, the Tigers clawed their way back to take a 15-14 halftime lead, their first halftime lead of the season. The game went back and forth until a forced turnover by the Charleston defense in the second half proved to be the difference in the game.
Facing a fourth and one inside their own territory, Charleston elected to go for the first down to end the game. A successful first down attempt with less than one minute to go would end the game as Greenland was out of time outs. But as another example of the intensity and the effort of both teams, the Greenland defense sold out and rushed everyone up the middle to stop the quarterback sneak of Tigers quarterback Brayden Ross. Coach Ricky May elected to try to end the game with the fourth down play. “I probably should have punted there, but the offensive line said they would get it. We didn’t get it. Could have gave up, but we tackle them in bounds…ball game.” The defensive stop gave Greenland one last chance to either tie or take the lead. With no time outs, the Greenland offense moved the ball to the Charleston twelve yard line but were unable to get out of bounds to stop the clock before time expired. The game ended, and pandemonium broke out on the Charleston sideline. Coach Ricky May and the Charleston Tigers had their first win of the season! After the game, a very happy Ricky May said, “Two good football teams, evenly matched, we made some mistakes early, could have capitalized, I felt like we could have been up 22-0 at half, but our kids came back when they had to with their backs against the wall. Kids did what they had to do to win the game.”
Charleston’s Shane Turner, among many Tigers, had a stand out performance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. “We had been playing him at guard because Nolan Harrington had been hurt. That kid (Harrington) I am really proud of; he came back this week, toe was hurt, practiced hard, played his butt off tonight, gave us the opportunity to move Shane to the backfield, that was big time.”
At first report, the Tigers also seem to have come out of the game without serious injuries or loss of availability for anyone next week. “I am pretty sure that everyone is OK and we may get one back next week.”
Friday night’s game at Alumni Field epitomized all the reasons why I believe high school football may be the most entertaining level of football. It is a game played by teenagers who, on most teams, will not play beyond high school. They are not on television, they are not paid for playing the sport, and very few people know them outside their communities, region, or maybe throughout the state. They just play for pride, the fun of the game, for their communities, and for each other. Watching these players respond to the adversity, the injuries, and disappointment of an 0-3 start after working all year to prepare for the season, was heart warming to anyone who remotely calls themselves fans of the game. The Tigers gave their all Friday night in front of their home fans. It was a proud moment for Charleston. Both teams played their hearts out. Greenland is a very good football team. They are very talented and they are going to win a lot of football games.
After a thrilling win last night, the Tigers can take today and enjoy what was a critical win and the most important game of the season thus far. But it will soon be time to go back to work to prepare for another tough conference opponent at Cedarville. Cedarville is a tough place to play, but this Charleston team is one of high character and toughness that has been forged in a tough non-conference schedule that challenged the Tigers to play away from home the entire first month of the season.
The Tigers are a resilient group. They will celebrate this win, but, they will once again go back to practice this week to prepare for their next game, and they will be ready to go when they play Cedarville. If they continue to bring the same intensity and effort that they have, especially over the past two weeks, they will once again find themselves in position to win in another crucial 3A-1 district game.
Coach May will be the first to tell you that this game was all about the players, and he is right. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Coach May on his first win as Charleston’s head football coach. I believe this win will be the first of many for May. He and his staff have done a masterful job of keeping the team together and keeping them focused on the prize of winning in conference when everything seemed so bad during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The players and the coaches deserve a lot of credit for the work they have put in as evidenced by last night’s victory.
Here are a few pictures of Charleston High School football homecoming 2019 at Alumni Field. Enjoy!
The torch has passed. After seventeen years as the Fire Chief of Lavaca, Steve Helms retired in August and has passed the torch of service to fellow fireman Paul Sanders. Steve left some pretty big boots to fill. He is loved and respected by everyone who knows him.
Paul Sanders is a very capable replacement to take the position of Lavaca’s newest fire chief. He’s been on the Lavaca force since 2009. In those ten years, he has worked beneath Helms and has learned by his example.
Paul is the son of Dr. Bob Sanders and Wanda Sanders of Lavaca and Jody Martin of Sallisaw, Oklahoma. He was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma and graduated from Sallisaw High School in 1991. When at SHS, Paul was selected as the Oklahoma American Legion Boys State representative in 1990. He’s a hardworking man, doing things all over town and he’s quick to lend a hand to area activities. Paul has a daughter, Kayla, who graduated from Lavaca High School and now attends college at Stillwater, Oklahoma where she is studying Animal Science.
When asked why he became a fireman, Paul shyly responded, “I just like to help folks. The job is never dull. There are so many parts to the job of a fireman. Yeah, we fight fires but we also help to the first responders, giving medical help. We work with the city and with the people so it’s definitely interesting.”
Lavaca is in good hands with Paul Sanders watching out for us. (And ladies! He’s single!)
With only eight games left in the season and three weeks until District, the Mansfield Jr High Lady Tigers are nearing the finish line. This past week, the girls were busy taking part in three mentally and physically demanding matches against teams from Lavaca, Booneville, and Lincoln.
On Monday, September 23, the Lady Tigers engaged in spikological warfare against the Lady Golden Arrows. After an excruciating battle, Mansfield took the win 25-22 and 25-20. Alyson Edwards and Brooklyn Adams led the Lady Tigers with three aces each while Natalie Allison came out on top with eight kills. Skylynn Harris along with Edwards added four kills each to the tally and Madelen Jones took the cake with her 16 assists.
In Tuesdays match against the Lady Bearcats, Mansfield wasted no time taking the upper hand and delivering dominance. The Lady Tigers ended their sets with winning scores of 25-11 and 25-6 and another victim was placed in Mansfields trophy case. Edwards ended the night with five aces and four kills while Harris earned three aces and four kills. Allison and Adams added three kills apiece to round out the evening.
With Thursdays final game of the week, Mansfield left fans seeing double as they earned two winning scores of 25-15 against the Lady Wolves. Allison and Harris were on top of the leader boards with their contributions of six kills each while Alayna Turner led with four aces. And coming in with three aces and seven assists on the Lady Tigers night was Harlie Fuller.
The Mansfield Jr High Lady Tigers will travel to Waldron on September 30 to take on the Lady Bulldogs and see if they can continue their winning streak. Games will start at 4 p.m.
The Mansfield 7th grade Tigers have once again added another victory feather to their cap and this time it was against the West Fork Tigers. The Gold Tigers didn’t go down without a fight though. Every move that Mansfield made, West Fork was there to match it step by step. By halftime, the score read 0-0 and the Tigers knew that they were going to have to come up with some new tricks during the break if they wanted to have a shot at victory.
#23 Trey Powell
Whatever the Mansfield coaches said to the Tigers did the trick. In the second half, Trey Powell and Jeremy Strozier each secured two Tiger touchdowns with Powell also rushing for a two-point conversion ending the game with a score of 14-0 Mansfield. “These guys are a special group,” expressed Coach Tim Cothran. “We have a solid talent level at all positions and for us, that is a tremendous positive.”
#61 Zach Chapman, #2 Brandon Raynor, and #19 Dakota Deer
“You always have a handful every year that has special skills but every one of these young men brings something to the table. They love the game, they love to learn, they love to be coached. What impresses me most is how well they take their in-game coaching.” With this win, the 7th grade Tigers have upgraded their season record to 4-0. Up next for Mansfield will be the Greenland Pirates at home on October 3 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Running the ball is #7 Jeremy Strozier followed by #2 Raynor and #6 Austin Oldham
“With 7th grade, we don’t get a lot of info or share a lot of info but I can tell you that this years Greenland team will be well-coached, they will play hard, and they will have some good players. Our guys continue to improve daily and they will be ready to play.”
The Charleston Lady Tigers volleyball team began the second half of the conference season on Thursday hosting the Booneville Lady Bearcats. Charleston (11-1, 7-1) defeated Booneville 3-0. Next up for the Lady Tigers is a rematch with Paris in Charleston on Tuesday.
Several Lady Tigers stood out in the sweep over Booneville, but perhaps none like senior Jadyn Womack. In the third set, Womack, seemingly taking over the match, had several dramatic kills to lead Charleston to a big lead. After giving up several late points in the third set for the second consecutive game, the Lady Tigers wrapped up the third set and the regular season sweep of Booneville. Coach Ryan Rachuy commented on Womack’s performance. “I’m telling you, when we can figure out what we are doing with her, she is a difficult player to stop. She really is. We’ve got some really good girls. Jadyn is one of those girls (in the conference). If we can figure out what we are doing with her, she puts the ball down. When you get her fed and you get her going, she starts swinging at that ball harder, and harder, and harder. One isn’t enough for her, she wants two, two isn’t enough, she wants three and on and on. That third set, that was one of those keys that set that third set apart. First set, we, not to take anything away from Booneville, but we had twelve errors to my count. You go out there and commit twelve errors and you give up twelve points, and your asking for every team to be in the match with you. We challenged the girls to cut that error count in half the second set and they did. Starting out that third set we were really on fire. They’re feeding Jadyn and balls were going down. I don’t know how many kills she had in a row but it was several. Then we got lax. We decided we were not going to finish it. That’s something I am going to have to work on as a coach. I’ve got to get out here with these girls and help them understand that this is not how you play championship volleyball.”
Another bright spot in the Charleston win was the play of Lady Tigers libero Kenzie Revis. Revis, who is not afraid to hit the floor for any ball, caught the eye of Rachuy. “That is one of the things I am very proud of all of our liberos. Kenzie is a senior who has worked very hard over the past three years to put herself in the position that she is. There were a couple of games where she struggled and we put the other girls in there. We have Rilyn Robison, who is a junior, and is a very scrappy player. She gets out there and, when her head is in it, she can move with anyone. We have a sophomore in Macie Oldridge, who wasn’t feeling good tonight, but yet she still got underneath a few balls that were going to drop, but she got herself under them, and we were able to play those. Over the past two or three games, Kenzie has really turned it on. I don’t think she has had a single ball handling error in the last two sets. When she’s going, gets her feet moving, over the past three games, she has really turned that on.”
While we are passing out kudos to the team, I would like to pay special tribute to the students and fans who have come out and supported the Lady Tigers this year. The student section especially has grown and has become an increasingly significant factor in creating a home court advantage for Charleston.
And that home court advantage will be needed Tuesday night as the Paris Lady Eagles come calling in their conference season rematch. Paris, who has given Charleston its only loss of the season, will come into the Charleston gymnasium undefeated at 16-0, and will bring a large fan contingent. It appears at this stage of the season that Paris and Charleston may be the best two teams in the conference, and this match could be a preview of a possible district tournament match-up in October.
It will take an all out effort on the part of the Lady Tigers to upset Paris. It will also take an all out effort on behalf of the Charleston fans to turn out in large numbers to create a loud and proud home court advantage for the Lady Tigers. Charleston fans, your team deserves your support. Come out and cheer your team on against the defending Class 3A champions.
Natural Dam native Mr. Thell Ellison recently celebrated his 102nd birthday with a party attended by family, friends, and his wife of 78 years, Margie. State Representative Charlene Fite was also on hand to celebrate Thell’s amazing milestone. Fite told Ellison it was an honor to attend his party and she’d never known a 102-year-old man. To which Mr. Ellison replied, “And just think: next year you’ll know a man who’s 103!” Charlene says, “This amazing man works in his garden, does woodworking, and teaches Sunday School. He gives glory to God for the blessings in his life.” Ellison’s daughter, Kathy Bailey, describes her father as a role model and a legacy. And everyone who knows him agrees!
Sebastian County Judge David Hudson announced that the Fall Cleanup Campaign has been scheduled for Saturdays in September and October as a part of the Great Arkansas Cleanup Statewide. The County Cleanup Campaign maintains the natural beauty of Sebastian County and helps eliminate illegal dump sites.
Proof of Sebastian County residency is required by Arkansas Drivers License for disposal of trash at the cleanup site.
The Sebastian County Campaign will take place on Saturdays starting September 14, 2019 through October 19, 2019. Dumpster schedules and locations are as follows:
Saturday, Sept. 28, 7 AM – 2 PM – Milltown – VFD Community Building
Saturday, Sept. 28, 7 AM – 2 PM – Witcherville – Park on Highway 71 South
Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 AM – 2 PM – Hackett – High School Gym on E. Greenwood St
Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 AM – 2 PM – Bonanza – Street Dept. on Hwy 45
Saturday, Oct. 12, 7 AM – 2 PM – Hartford – Water Department 205 So. Broadway
Saturday, Oct. 12, 7 AM – 2 PM – Midland – County Park/Boyer Park Hwy 45
Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 AM – 2 PM – Mansfield – Public Works Building
Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 AM – 2 PM – Huntington – West Broadway at Cherokee Park
Note: The City of Greenwood residents may utilize dumpsters located at the Greenwood City Street Department North of the shop at the Recycle Center, 104 Bell Road, Friday, September 20th from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturday, September 21st from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dumpsters will be placed by 7:00 AM on Saturday and will be picked up by 2:00 PM on the same day. Dumpsters are picked up by 2:00 PM in order to be hauled to the Landfill and dumped by closing time (3:30 PM)
NOTE: Dumpsters will be staffed at all times to assure that only acceptable wastes are disposed of. The following items are NOT acceptable in the “dumpsters” due to Landfill regulations:
Yard waste, grass, leaves and brush
Used oil
Tires
Batteries
Hazardous or toxic wastes
**TV’s Computers – Electronic Equipment
Cleaning chemicals
Herbicides or pesticides
Paints or liquids of any kind
Fluorescent Bulbs
Freon containing appliances (appliances using Freon MUST have the compressor removed before it can be accepted)
NOTE: Tires “will NOT be accepted” as a part of this cleanup campaign.
NOTE: Barrels used to burn trash “will NOT be accepted” as part of this cleanup campaign
NOTE: Computers, TV’s or VCR’s “will be accepted” with a trailer designated for these items at the Greenwood Street Department on Bell Road and at the Mansfield Public Works Building during their designated Cleanup time. Please contact the Solid Waste District at 452-4104 for a complete list of E-Waste recycle centers with dates and time of operation.
This cleanup is for Residents only and NOT for Commercial Disposal
Proof of Sebastian County residency by (drivers license) will be required prior to disposal
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself” -Josh Billings
Dogs! To go through life with a dog by your side is like walking around embraced in a never-ending hug. As humans, we just want to feel loved and accepted, to feel important, needed, and to have a purpose in life. All of the above is easier to achieve than you think. How so? Because love is a four-legged word!
As some of you reading this already know, the City of Mansfield, like many other small towns, has been inundated with dog complaints. Whether dumped or strayed from owners who can no longer properly care for them, dogs are running rampant through the town.
That’s when they end up at the city’s kennel. Officer Kelly Perez is tasked with the locating and securing of these dogs. Just down the road from City Hall, near the treatment plant, is where these dogs end up. The kennels are quickly becoming overcrowded and these dogs need to find homes.
Wook at that wittle face
These dogs shouldn’t have to spend the remainder of their life hoping, wishing and waiting for someone who will care for them. The dogs currently impounded yearn for the human touch, and attention.
Yes, these dogs are a problem. Yes, the owners should be held accountable. But it’s not the dogs’ fault that they were given an unfair start to life. They are just looking for the same thing that we are, to be loved and accepted. To experience the love of a dog is a feeling like no other. You could be having the worst day ever and the moment you walk in the door, this beautiful creature, full of life, is there to greet you.
Statistics show that even petting a dog, lowers your stress levels, and I know everybody could use that! So what do you say? These dogs deserve a home, don’t make them wait any longer while being scared and alone. It’s time to open our hearts and our homes to rescue these dogs!
You lookin for me?
Currently, there are three dogs at the kennel at Mansfield. Two males, and one female. All three are extremely friendly, and according to Officer Perez, behave well with her children. The two males are black, one with a white chest and legs. The female is light brown in color and has been at the kennel the longest.
Why not bring home a new family member and best friend today? If you are interested in adopting any of these dogs, you can contact the Mansfield Water Department at 479-928-4606.
The Waldron Bulldogs Football Homecoming will take place on Friday October 4th. The Homecoming Parade will be around 2:00pm on that day. Coronation will be around 6:00pm that evening.
The Waldron Bulldogs are set to kick off against the Dardanelle Sand LIzards at 7:00pm.
Senior Leia Carnley – Weston Vanravensway, (Left) and Justin Goodwin (Right)Senior Hailey Fletcher – Garron Deramus (Left) and Elijah Polen (Right)Senior Desiree Hunt – Rylee Shupert (Left) and Carson Pyles (Right)Senior Riana Rhyne – Jace Black (Left) and Joey Cardenas (Right)Junior Tara Nix – Ruben Valdez (Left)Junior Taylor Horn – Fernando Uribe (Left)Junior Erica Davis – Seth Hunt (Left)Sophomore Kelsey Yother – Kennedy Rice (Left)Sophomore Hannah Jefferies – Weston VanRavensway (Left)Freshman Peyton Boyd – Elijah Polen (Left)Freshman Kailie Brewer – Bradley Smith (Left)
