February is Black History Month, and in observance, we will be featuring a “did you know” fact with Huntington native, Jerry Moore.
DID YOU KNOW? Sam Martin and Jerome Galloway of Mansfield were some of the first group of blacks to settle in Mansfield around 1870 or earlier. Martin also served in the Civil War for the CSA. He was honored in September of 2018 at a service held at the Cherokee African-American Cemetery.
Calvin Moore, also black, arrived in Waldron in 1870. Moore owned over 300 acres and became one of the largest land owners in Scott County.
About the contributor: Jerry Moore was born in Kansas City, KS and came to Huntington when he was 17 months old. He’s the great-great grandson of Samuel (Sam) Martin, who is buried in the Cherokee African American Cemetery in Huntington. Moore attended Mansfield Schools and graduated with the class of 1968. After high school, he went on to get his bachelors degree and later a masters degree. Moore taught history at Northside High School from 1972-1980 and after receiving his masters degree, began teaching sociology at Northwest Arkansas Community College. His education and experience has afforded him opportunities few have only dreamed of. Lifetime opportunities, including work in the nation’s capital.
On Tuesday, February 5, James Bynum returned to a Scott County Courtroom for a pre-trial hearing.
Bynum’s attorney, Ernie Witt, made a motion to withdraw as counsel. In that motion Witt stated that “his client has failed to abide by the attorney/client agreement in keeping up with financial obligations.” Also that “…no funds have been paid to said attorney.”
Judge Jerry Don Ramey granted that motion, and appointed Bynum a public defender to represent him in further proceedings. Bynum remains incarcerated at the Scott County Jail, and has been declared by the court as indigent.
Bynum’s jury trial is set to take place on February 19, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.
Last night in the JC Westside gymnasium, The Lavaca Junior High Golden Arrow basketball team completed a magical season. The type of season that is rare. They were able to run the table, remain unbeaten and secure not only a conference title but also the 2A-4 District championship. Their grand finale was at the expense of the Hackett Junior Hornets. This was a rematch of the only game in which the Arrows perfect season was placed in jeopardy. In the previous match up, Hackett took the Arrows to overtime before losing by five points.
Last nights Championship defiantly lived up to its billing and was one of the best battles in recent memory. The Hackett players are big and physical. They rebound well and do a very good job closing down the lane. Because of their size, they were able to hang close in a nip and tuck game, but by the 4th quarter the Arrows were able to start pulling away. Kolby Glidewell was able to match up with the physicality of the game. And. The Lavaca shooters were able to hit big shots from outside and get to the free throw line when they did drive the ball down low. By time the final horn sounded the Arrows had won 40-34.
Coach Reed couldn’t be more proud of this team and he had a lot to say. He said, “What a great season, these are some of the toughest most committed group of kids I’ve been around. We’ve faced adversity with losing a starter midseason. We also found ourselves undersized at times, especially in the finals against Hackett. However, these guys continued to work hard each and every day and find ways to be successful! In the finals, Luke Watson led us in scoring tonight with 17. He also guarded Hackett’s best player, as he always does. Drake Grantham and Avery Walker had 9 points a piece. Kolby Glidewell chipped in with another 6 point and some big rebounds down the stretch. The best thing about these guys is how they care for each other and love seeing their teammates succeed.” The great thing about this team is that they will only great better as they continue to play together. The future is bright for Lavaca basketball for years to come.
The Hackett Jr High Hornet boys’ team has plenty of reasons to celebrate. They put in hard work and long hours in the gym. They pushed through any problems they were faced with and they did it as a team. They picked off their opponents one by one, all the while never doubting who they were and what they could accomplish. And they finished second in 2A-4 District.
At the end of their 2018-2019 basketball season, the Hornets stood at the top in the #2 seed position and finished with a 5-1 conference play record. Closing out their year with the 2A-4 Jr District Tournament, Hackett faced #3 Danville and #1 Lavaca. The Hornets beat the Little Johns 38-33 in their first round of the competition. Making it to the finals, Hackett fell short 40-34 to the Golden Arrows, earning Runner-up in the District Championship.
Head Coach, Broc Adams, says of his Jr boys, “I couldn’t be any prouder of this team. We took kids from rival schools and they bought into what we were trying to do. They worked hard, came together and fought through a bunch of adversity! They earned everything they got this year and it was an absolute privilege to get to coach them this year.”
“We are going to hammer fundamentals during the offseason and really fine tune some things that I saw throughout the year. Hopefully, those little things will help us get over the hump next year.”
On Saturday, February 9, the Waldron Archery team competed in the Arkansas Archery Regional Tournament held at Darby Jr High in Fort Smith. The Jr High team brought with them 15 Archers to compete and the Sr High brought 23.
The Jr High Bulldogs placed third overall in their Regional Competition. In the individual shooters category, a 300 is a perfect score. The top Jr Lady Bulldogs were Emily Louk with 246, Brooklyn Brothers with 240, Daisy Lane with 238, and Keylor Hale with a 222. The top Jr Dogs were Brantley Lunsford with 276, Will Solomon with 244, Scout Young with 229, and Noah Patrick with a 215. The Jr Bulldog Archers will move on to compete at State on March 1.
The Sr High Bulldog Archers placed first in the Arkansas Archery Region 5 Regionals. The first place top shot in the individuals’ category was Dayten Manning with a 291. The top shooters for the Sr Lady Dogs were Tori Woodard with 261, Vanessa Orozco with 251, Whitney Richmond with 249, and Alexis Lane with a 243. The top Sr Bulldog archers were Chase Hale with a 271, Lincoln Hale with 269, Gatlin Lovett with 269, and Hayden Chronister with a 266. The Sr High archers received their bid and will move on to compete at State on March 2.
It was a clash of the Tigers which ended the basketball season for the Mansfield Jr High boys. The Red Tigers fell to Charleston 36-23 in their 3A-1 District Championship game. The match was cleanly played and full of pure defensive basketball.
#12 Tyler Escalante
Charleston jumped to an early 15-7 lead on Mansfield in the first quarter but the Red Tigers stayed poised under pressure. Mansfield’s defense tightened their grip only allowing Charleston to gain 4 points in the second quarter. By halftime, the score was 19-13 and could have been anyone’s game. The back and forth tag match continued throughout the third quarter with the Red Tigers keeping it close 24-19. Charleston overcame the Red Tigers in the fourth quarter with free throws and turnovers to win the Jr District Championship 36-23.
#5 Steven Perez
The Mansfield Jr Tigers closed out their season with a second place victory overall. Tiger fans saw many great things from the Jr boys this season but two things stuck out more than anything else. Growth as a team and hardcore effort. The Jr Tigers finished with a 7-7 conference record with most of those losses being close thrillers. The Tigers will be losing key players by moving up 4 of their 5 starters into Sr High basketball next season. Most fans would see that as a rough upcoming year but there’s a catch. The Jr Tigers have a depth of top-notch talent. They are hungry and eager to own their competition on the hardwoods next season coupled with great coaches to lead the way.
#23 Zayne Dugan
Head Coach, Kent Elmore, said this about his team. “I am very proud of my boys this season. We lost a starter early in the season and my bench stepped up and played well. The guys came in and worked hard every single day. Their work ethic and love of the game was truly special. They played each game so hard and I can’t ask for more than that.”
Shooting is #4 Clint Stovall
“I will have a lot of new bodies seeing the floor next season and we will have a lot of learning to do. I look forward to it just like I do every year. Once again I can’t say how proud I am of my 9th graders. It was a pleasure coaching them. Thank you to all the fans and volunteers that have helped us throughout the season. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Go Tigers!”
As usual, all good things must come to an end. Including the Jr Lady Hornets 2018-2019 basketball season. They might not have won every game that they played in. But the Lady Hornets always exemplified what it took to be an accomplished player. Determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice.
Hackett rounded out their season, playing in two rounds of the 2A-4 Jr District Tournament. The Lady Hornets scored a 22-18 victory, conquring the Westside Lady Rebels in their first round of play. On their second night, Hackett lost their footing in their game against Mountainburg and fell 38-22.
“This is my 17th year of coaching basketball at Hackett Schools and this year’s junior high team is one of the topmost improved teams I have ever coached,” voiced Head Coach, Claude Foster. “From the beginning of this season until last night, we got better every week and gained confidence throughout the season. This group of junior high girls has truly impressed me with their willingness to work hard, learn, and improve on the aspects of the game that they needed to get better at.”
Thursday night was the semi-final games of the 2A-4 Junior High School Basketball tournament. Both of the Lavaca Junior Arrow teams were slated to play, and both did just exactly what Arrow fans have come to expect of them…They won! The two seeded Lady Junior Arrows took to the court first and ended the “Cinderella” hopes of the number six seeded Danville Lady Little Johns. Danville had to beat both Magazine and Hector to get to the semi-final game. The winner of this game would advance to the finals. The Lady Arrows were victorious 30-26. Danville hung close the entire game and would not go away. Rylie Green was able to take advantage of driving lanes and did a great job beating their press. Elle Williams played great defense shutting down the lane. Lindsey Morgan did a good closing out on their shooters. Katie May, Rylie Green, and Anna Todaro were very active and created a lot of turnovers and quick shots. The Junior Lady Arrows Will play the one seed, Mountainburg, at 6:00 Saturday for the District Championship. Lavaca has but one blemish on their conference schedule and that was a loss to Mountainburg. Saturday’s game is a chance to even the score and bring home the trophy. Coach Vire looks forward to the rematch saying, “Mountainburg is a very big and physical team, we will be ready for them tomorrow. We just need to be patient on the offensive side of the ball and limit them getting easy baskets in the lane.”
Arrows vs. Danville
The Junior boys were up next, matched up against the JC Westside Junior Rebels. With JC Westside hosting the tournament, The Junior Rebels were playing in font of their home crowd. Westside boys beat Magazine to face off against the number one seeded Lavaca team. The Junior Arrows were once again stellar winning 57-34. Coach Reed said, “We played really hard in the semifinal game and faced some adversity. We got ourselves in foul trouble and early we missed layups. I though we had a couple of guys step up like Kolby Glidewell by attacking the rim and Garrett Dorsey playing well defensively off the bench. When Drake, Avery, and Luke returned to the game they did a great job of finishing the game. Tonight will be a tough battle. Hackett is the biggest Jr. High team we faced this year. So, our ‘help’ defense will be important. It will be a highly intense game and the last one for both teams. It should be a lot of fun!” Next up for the Junior Arrows is Hackett. The last time these two teams met the Arrows pulled off a close win , 39-34. There is no doubt Hackett is hoping to even the score. However, the Junior Arrows will look to once again Sting the Hornets.
Colby Glidewell drives hard to the hoop
Out of seven schools to play in the District tournament, only Lavaca has both boys and girls remaining. This is a great testament to the schools basketball program and their coaching staff; Coach Reed and Coach Graves for the boys, Coach Wyles and Coach Vire for the girls. These coaches have not only been able to teach skill sets but also instill the confidence that is necessary for an athlete to meet their full potential. Often this type of article revolves around the players, as it should, but these coaches deserve a great amount credit for helping develop these kids. Lavaca should be proud of both the kids and their coaches.
The Junior Lady Arrows will take the court at 6pm and the boys will tip off at 7:30. Both of these games will be billed as “best vs best” in that the four remaining teams have lead the conference all season and earned the top spots in the Tournament. You wont want to miss this evenings event!!.
Hackett Police Chief, Darrell Spells has a close connection to his calling and the message he gives through educating others.
Yesterday, Spells gave insight to multiple levels of first responder agencies on the subject of Call for Backup, Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training.
In today’s landscape, mental health is of high importance to all first responders and their families.
Whether it be Paramedics, Fire or Law Enforcement personnel who are often the first on scene, they are also the ones who leave with the images replaying in their mind. Over and over again.
The mental warfare is what brings many to suicide, which is a growing trend among first responder professionals in dealing with their realities.
“If something’s not right, it’s not all right. Get the needed help as soon as you recognize the need.” stated Spells during his training at Greenwood Police Department.
For more information on this training, or to contact Chief Darrell Spells about speaking engagements, please contact him thru Call for Backup or visit https://callforbackup.org/
The Mansfield Jr High Lady Tigers had one phenomenal season. The girls ended the year by making it to the second round of the Jr District Tournament. In their first game, the Lady Tigers overran the Lady Elks 32-27. For their final game, Mansfield pushed their skills to the limit but fell short 32-23 against Charleston.
Alyson Edwards, Natalie Allison, and Haylee Helms
The Lady Tigers played in over 20 games during their season. 14 of those were in conference play. Mansfield ended their season with a conference record of 6-8, earning the #5 seed position. The Lady Tigers are a young team filled with an abundance of talent. There will be only four ninth graders leaving the team. This leaves the nine eighth graders remaining, a great opportunity to lead the team for the underclassmen in the next season. Out of the Lady Tigers five starters, four of them will be returning.
Sadie Roberts
Head Coach, Erica McKay, said this about her Lady Tigers. “There was so much growth from this group of girls. Each player individually improved and we most importantly improved as a whole team. I am most proud of the girls never giving up these last few games. Each game we seemed to have had a rough quarter that would get us far behind. At the start of the season, we could never mentally come back from it. However, towards the end of the season, these girls stayed mentally tough and would fight there way back.”
Skylynn Harris and Haylee Helms
“They fought to the end and that’s what I am most proud of. This group of girls future is very bright for them. Next year, they will have to continue to keep working hard on the mental aspect of basketball and being confident in their ability to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball. These girls were fun being around my first year and I cannot wait to see them be successful in every sport they compete in.”
